Why are we here? Just to suffer??

John Constantine calls a joint Justice League and Justice League Dark meeting.

It's not something he wants to do. He barely works with the LJD, but at least that lot understands his work and knows what to do and where to go.

The JL members always ask questions and forget proper manners when working with the paranormal- John isn't the most well-mannered bloke around, but even he knows to permanently say goodbye to ghosts so that they don't follow him home- and it's like trying to teach an intern while dodging bullets.

He prefers to avoid the whole origination, especially since Bruce's death; everyone has been walking on eggshells, and there is a sense of disorganization drenched in grief that John breaks into hives just thinking about, but this is big.

Bruce be getting hilarious nicknames lol

Ofc still adopted and stuff

Like Nightwing and Batman acting like total strangers at the watchtower (Nightwing wanted it that way)

but one day he had an awful day and he just needs his dad/ bff so without a word he sits in his lap and hugs him like a koala, Batman ofc just hold him tight, covering him with his cape to create privacy

It was mid meeting so everyone just stared confused at him and he just says “I birth him”

Before they ask more he shush them and signal to continue the meeting, obviously now it’s not the time

Or other time they team up with the titans and Red Robin calls him B, the league is confused because Batman usually doesn’t let them use nicknames

GL: why he can call you B but I can’t call you spooky?

Batman: because I birth him, that’s why

Like yeah, Tim won’t call him Dad or anything but he still considers him his kid and he doesn’t need to know he said that

There’s a point where the league doesn’t know if Batman is a weird species where males can birth or if he is trans so trying to be nice they end up sometimes wearing pins or hanging lil ally, queer and trans flags around

Batman ofc doesn’t know it’s about him but at pride month he also adds some bi flags with it, for Red Robin and himself (yes I HC Bruce as bi, just let me be)

But this just ends up indirectly confirming the trans allegations and now they know the bat is also bi

This leads to funny situations like Bruce hiding a wound and Clark smelling blood but assumes it’s just his period

I'm going to hc that Ace is extremely protective of Bruce and loves him more than anyone else harder.

Anyway, puppy Ace and Bruce in Injustice:

I say we let one of the batkids take Ace. To start bribing him with treats to stay by their side. To starts taking him home when they leave the manor. To slowly phase him into being their pet.

Everybody loves Ace. They find it funny to spot him in Tim's flat rather than the manor, and no one really questions it. Ace is the family dog, after all.

Suddenly, Damian stops laughing. Duke quickly follows. The others are confused, and Damian tells them they keep catching Bruce standing by the backdoor with Ace's lead. He'll stand there for several minutes then go back inside. Duke tells them Bruce keeps whistling for Ace, then go quiet when he remembers he isn't around anymore.

The others stop finding it funny, but don't think too hard into it. Bruce will get used to it, it's only been a short time.

Then Bruce starts going downhill after a few weeks. Stops eating, stop sleeping, is working himself to the bone in the cave again. The kids are wondering what caused another episode, debating it in Tim's as they play with Ace.

Similarly, Ace takes a turn for the worse. Alternates between moping around the flat and hyper behaviour, barking at Tim and rushing around. More walks don't help, and Tim takes him to a vet that runs some tests and determines he's just sad, but they can't figure out what's changed that could make him sad.

Then Bruce faints after a JL meeting, and Clark and Diana have to bring him home. The batkids freak, but are told to calm down, it's nothing serious, Bruce just missed a few too many meals. Their conversation revolves a mysterious 'him' that doesn't usually tolerate Bruce neglecting himself has the batkids left guessing. I want Steph to come in, back from an extended work placement at her nursing school, and be filled in. To immediately ask where Ace is, because she learnt about service dogs in her nursing classes and figured out Ace's role a long time ago.

They tell her he's at Tim's, and her, Clark, and Diana all stare. Their bewildierement is met with defensiveness, until Steph holds up a hand, and snaps they stole Bruce's service animal.

"Bruce didn't say anything," Tim defends. "Why would he let us take Ace if he's his dog?"

Diana elbows Clark and orders him out, he flies away and returns with Ace in his arms. He lights up, and tears out of the room barking, while the others stare. It's the most energy they've seen from him in weeks. Cass goes into the next room and notifies Bruce has woken up and wandered off.

Diana dismisses it, making Clark take over the food again, and tells them he'll be back in a few minutes. Sure enough, Bruce's laugh reaches them soon after, and he's bullied into the room by Ace shoving at the back of his legs, woofing.

Bruce is tired. He is so tired.

W.E. is in an inane legal battle with Lexcorp, the JL is stretched thin with intergalactic diplomacy issues, Alfred refuses to go to the doctor for the pain in his chest, Damian is rebelling because Bruce promised he could spent his half-term in Nanda Parbat, but Ra's and Talia are squashing a coup now, so it's not safe and he's blaming Bruce, he's working overtime liaising with the staff at Arkham because he's in charge of Harvey's care, and they have a new drug they want to try to stabilise the DID, and—

He's tired, is all.

So when he drags himself back to the cave after a far-too-long patrol, he ignores the kids all hanging around. He ignores Jason, leaning against a desk, clearly waiting for Bruce to start a fight, to fall for the bait like he always does. He just wants to fight, to blow off steam, Bruce can tell. He's always been able to tell, even back when Jason still called himself Robin.

But he's not giving in, not tonight.

“My problem is that you come into my home and wave your fucking guns in my face! That’s my fucking problem!

I do everything in my power to keep things out of your sight that might cause you the slightest discomfort. And everyday you walk into my home with the one thing I am completely against. And you say it’s to make you feel safe! And I deal with it to keep you in my life!

But I don’t feel safe in my own fucking house Jason!!

Anytime you’re angry you wave your fucking gun around like it’s not a deadly weapon. Knowing it’s the only thing I don’t want near me! And I deal with it, but I honestly think that you keep it on you just to fucking spite me!!

So either leave the guns anywhere else but in my house, or leave!”

•

The others all seem equally giddy, flooding the manor, and all stifle their laughter at the flashes of Dick! He needs a haircut. I'll make him an appointment, or— Tim, he hasn't been for dinner— Steph looks thin is university too stressful— Cass! Wait Damian I see that cat—

They're all restraining laughter, no one's telling Bruce why they're laughing, and he seems in good enough spirits that he doesn't question it.

But Jason eventually finds himself rolling around on the floor with Tim, fighting, the others jeering around them, and when they scramble to stand, Tim grabs for his bō, and Jason reaches for his guns. Neither of them are going to do anything, they never do, but Bruce's mind screams out GUN anyway and Jason finds the a hand closing around the muzzle of his gun before he can swing it towards the little shit.

“What’s your fucking problem!?!” He snarls, because Bruce always ruins their fun.

My problem is that you come into my home and wave your fucking guns in my face! That’s my fucking problem!

I do everything in my power to keep things out of your sight that might cause you the slightest discomfort. And everyday you walk into my home with the one thing I am completely against. And you say it’s to make you feel safe! And I deal with it to keep you in my life!

But I don’t feel safe in my own fucking house Jason!!

Anytime you’re angry you wave your fucking gun around like it’s not a deadly weapon. Knowing it’s the only thing I don’t want near me! And I deal with it, but I honestly think that you keep it on you just to fucking spite me!!

So either leave the guns anywhere else but in my house, or leave!

Bruce smiles, and lets the gun go. "No problem. My apologies." He steps back, and Jason barely remembers to keep hold of the gun. "I'll go check with Alfred how dinner is coming along, excuse me."

Bruce leaves, and Jason stares after him.

Dick steps forward, and Jason gulps when he's levelled with the severe expression of Batman's most protective son.

News headlines will be like “<insert company owner> has allegedly been working with the riddler and donating him money to help with his plans!” And then the next page is just “brucie and his boyfriend two face spotted taking picnic date at park!”

Gothamite: fucking corrupt corporations

Metropolian: yeah, I mean Bruce Wayne dating a Rogue—

Gothamite: who the fuck do you think you are

Gothamite: get Brucie's name out of your fucking mouth

Metropolian: you just—

No one understands why Ace is acting strange. Barking at the air, moving around spaces of nothing. Eventually, someone has to question is he's suddenly telepathic when they see him yipping and waiting excitedly while the treat cupboard opens by itself and starts feeding him.

Then it hits the forty-eight hour mark of Bruce missing all his check ins, and they sound the alarm. Everyone has different lengths of rope, with Damian at one check in because he's the youngest, but Bruce's is at three, because he likes to disappear. But after two days, they can't hold back their anxiety anymore and pull the plug, and a search team is mobilised. Ace's strange behaviour is put on the back burner.

Bruce's tracker is at the manor, and they dismiss it as broken and start looking down new avenues. Steph and Selina get back from an exhaustive search and pause, looking at one of her cats floating in the air. Then it leaps back down to the floor, and they watch the flat's door open and close, without any external force.

"Is there anything special about this cat?" Steph asks, holding it up to examine.

"No. Other than the fact that it's the..." Selina trails off, and Steph watches her aggressively root through a drawer. She shoots back up, with a triumphant grin. "It's Bruce's favourite of my babies. And the case file I told him to drop off today is here," she announces, brandishing a file.

They take the news back to the group, and J'onn is dragged around the manor. He goes to Ace, and is confronted with a wall of daddaddaddaddadddaddaddaddad that he uses to branch out, and find Bruce's mind.

"A curse," Bruce says, and it's startling to hear him but not see him. "Only those that love me can see me." And none of you can see me goes unspoken, but suffocates the room.

They try to argue, but Ace gets up and leaps out the window, and J'onn holds up a hand. "He's gone. Bruce believes he shouldn't burden us with his presence now that the curse has revealed the truth."

"Well it isn't the truth!" Cass shouts, but the magic says differently.

Damian is crying in his room that night, on the phone to Talia as she tries to assure him of course he loves Bruce, magic can be flawed, when he suddenly gasps. "Baba?" Bruce topples off his balcony in surprise, and Damian races out of his room to find him climbing back up with a groan.

"You love me? The spell—"

"You're my dad."

Yous are just tryna make me sad

Dick stares at Bruce's bedroom door, then turns around and walks away. Two minutes later, he drops into the room from the ceiling, and lies down on the floor. Bruce doesn't look at him, and no part of them touches until Dick tips his hand and links their pinkies together.

"I did it again," Bruce eventually whispers, and Dick wanta to fight someone at the broken tone. He's sick of Bruce always working to be palateable for the world, and the world spitting him back out and rejecting his efforts.

"Donna said Diana mentioned you stopped hanging around with her and Clark. Wanted to know what changed."

"Yeah, I'm sure she was toasting to it." Bruce's voice isn't bitter, just resigned, and Dick hates it. Hates it. Bruce does so much for the world, for everyone, and never gets anything back. 'I got you chum,' Bruce says when Dick voices that, and Dick doesn't understand how he is enough for Bruce to sound like he's all he needs for that.

He doesn't start that argument again, and lolls his head to the side, looking away from Bruce. It won't help if he does.

"Why? I won't tell Donna if you don't want me to."

"What it always is, Dickie. I overstepped, I overshared, and I didn't realise. I thought their kindness was friendship, but it was just civility."

"You don't know—"

"I do now. And maybe I did all along."

Stupid Superman. Stupid Wonder Woman.

"Then they're missing out."

"On what? A broken mind, a man that can't read social cues and has to study them just to make it through a three-hour gala unscathed? A man that either bottles everything up, or overshares everything, rarely with an in between? A man that has to rely on a thirteen year old for emotional support?"

He can hear Bruce shutting down, and panics. "Bruce—"

"I apologise, Dick, this was innappropriate of me, as always."

"No, it's not. I am your—" Son is on the tip of his tongue. "—ward, and—"

"Exactly, Dick. The onus is on me to raise you, not the other way around. So, ah." Bruce stands, and Dick sees him wipe at his cheeks before turning and offering Dick a hand up. "How about we go downstairs? I know I promised you we'd make cookie dough and hide it from Alfred after that bust last week. You still up for it?"

Dick stares at the hand extended to him, and sighs. "Sure, Bruce. But I get half of yours," he orders, taking the help up, and Bruce laughs, tugging him under his arm while they make for the door.

They have always appreciated batman as a strategist or teammate, but never a person, always pushing him away and then complaining about him being cold and distant. But then this new young sunshine of a vigilante joined the team, and suddenly he and batman are best of friends, and they see batman actually joking and smiling. They find out they are jealous of both nightwing and of batman, since the new vigilante looks at them in such disdain and they can't understand why.

And then I think there should be a sort of confrontation when dick, in some disgust, tells them he used to worship them before he realized how his dad was treated.

I just realized this also connects to something (fic maybe idk) I was writing wich is basically the jl finding out dick is batmans kid and they're all "but you're so happy???" And hes pissed cause "yeah, thanks to him"

Sorry for rambling

"How are you and Spooky so different?"

"He raised me," Dick snaps.

Clark laughs, that deep, Superman laugh, and it only serves to piss him off. "And you became the man you are today." It sounds positive, but Dick hears the derisive tone and seethes.

"In his image."

That makes them pause. "You and Batman are not alike, Nightwing," Diana intones, and he hates it being framed like a reassurance.

"I beg to differ. I have his kindness, I have his loyalty, I have his sense of justice. I have his morality, I have his heart, and I have his love for this world. I have his hope. What I do not have is his humility. Neither do I have his patience. So I'm leaving, before I showcase how I also have his skill."

"Nightwing—"

Bruce is so certain that Damian likes dick more than him. Well he thinks everyone likes dick more than him but he specifically thinks it when it comes to Damian.

The father and son have a movie night. Bruce says something about it. But in a joking way. Damian looks confused and asks about it. Bruce explains his thoughts not thinking much, putting it in a way, “oh you live dick more than me” like it’s the truth.

Damian is hurt but feels guilty. How dare his baba think he doenst love him. Especially thinking he loves his father less. But he feels guilty that Bruce thinks that way. He responds angrily because of all his emotions. Bruce feels like this confirmed his theory.

Bruce goes upstairs and calls Talia. Asking if she agrees. She gets quiet. She tells Bruce that Damian doesn’t think that way. She calls Damian and scolds him and asks him to apologise. He finds Bruce in his room. With papers so that dick can take Damian away, sure he’ll be sad but he wants what’s best for Damian.

Damian rips them up. He loves Richard. He away will but he is not his father. He cries and sobs as he apologises. And happy ending yayyyy.

(Or you could go the other way and make it so Talia never got called and Bruce got dick to come and take Damian. As he thought Damian would love that. But Damian screams and cries and sobs and yellls as dick tries to take him. Bruce comes out and Damian clings and refuses to let go.)

"Are you sure about this?" Dick asks.

His father stands at the window, refusing to turn around and look at him. He's been there since Dick walked in. He's afraid of what he'd see if he turned around.

"It's what Damian wants. We've talked about it."

"Bruce, he's your son."

"And clearly...he doesn't want to be. Excuse me." Dick watches Bruce make for the door, and doesn't know how to stop him. He stares at the custody papers in his lap, and gulps.

"Hey Dames," he says, a few minutes later. Damian looks up from his sketchbook, glaring, and Dick hesitates. Damian's been in a foul mood for a week, ever since his and Bruce's weekly movie night. He supposes they won't be having another tonight. "Can you pack a bag for me?" Damian nods, skulking away from his desk, and moves into his walk-in. "We'll come get the rest later."

Damian appears back in the doorway, eyes boring into him. "Why?"

"Come on, Dames. Bruce said you talked about this."

Damian snatches the papers from under his arm, and pales drastically as his eyes move down the page. He sways, but when Dick reaches out to steady him, his hand is smacked away, and he stumbles back.

"We didn't talk about this. We didn't— I will never go with you," he hisses, and Dick holds up his hands.

"I ain't looking to be a dad, Dami. What the hell is going on with you two?"

Damian sinks onto his bed, trembling, and Dick creeps closer. "Last week, Father made a joke. I didn't understand, I had him explain, and we've been fighting ever since."

Dick nods. Sometimes that's how it goes with Bruce. "What was the joke?"

Last time I checked (being told it when I was a kid) 1 human year = 7 doggie years, so Ace is oldddddd

But we gonna ignore that and baby him cause he's a good pupper

"Dad! Dad! Dad!" Ace jumps up and down in place by the door as Bruce comes back in from work, unwrapping the scarf from around his neck.

"Hello, Ace," Bruce laughs, catching him as Ace throws himself against his legs, and Dick scowls in the background. The kids has refused to leave the foyer since Bruce left for W.E., staring at the door even as they tried to entice him to play with them.

Dog Ace would at least leave the foyer!

—

Jason pokes his head into Bruce's study and frowns at the sight. Bruce is fast asleep slumped on the couch next to the fire, papers hanging loosely from one hand. His other is wrapped around Ace, holding him close as the kid snores against his chest.

Jason sniffs and storms out again, ignoring the emotion feeling all to close to jealousy as it crawls up his throat.

Dog Ace would at least not hog his lap.

—

"Father!" Damian calls, opening his bedroom door. "Pennyworth has prepared breakfast."

"Damian? Alright, I'll be down soon." Father sits up in his bed, rubbing his hands over his face, then is tackled back down to his pillow. Damian narrows his eyes as Ace curls up on his chest, groaning unhappily when Father attempts to move anyway and dropping his weight harder.

Father cedes, and lies back down. "Maybe I'll skip breakfast," he shrugs, and Damian slams the door.

Dog Ace at least had the decency to invite them to join them when lying in.

—

Cass watches Bruce scoop Ace into his arms and throw him in the air as the little boy howls with laughter. A wide smile, wider than Bruce usually allows himself, stretches his face as he joins in laughing,

Cass turns to go when her father does not even seem to notice she is there.

At least when Ace is a dog, Bruce will seek them out when he has Bruce in his arms, so they too can give him hugs and kisses while he's trapped off the ground.

Bruce does not look away from Ace.

—

"Ace! Hey, little man!" Duke's smile stiffens, then falls when the kid doesn't even look around. Bruce turns around from the shelf he's perusing in the library, glancing between Ace and him, then turns back to the shelf, shaking his head. "Ace?" Duke tries again, shocked, and the kid keeps ignoring him.

Bruce turns again, levelling the kid with a look over the top of his glasses. "Ace, don't ignore Duke."

The kid huffs and walks over to Duke, tucking himself close in a hug, then tearing back away to Bruce's side before Duke even has the chance to return the embrace. He glowers and leaves the library.

Dog Ace at least had the grace to drag him back to Bruce with him.

—

Tim skates down the path, raising a hand to wave to Bruce as he jogs by. Bruce waves back, then turns and throws the ball back to Ace. The kid screeches with joy and tears after it, grabbing at the ball with clumsy fingers, and Tim stops his board, hanging around as the ball is thrown back to Bruce.

He lifts his hand, gesturing for Bruce to throw it to him, but goes unnoticed as Bruce lobs it back at the kid. Tim tries twice more before giving in and skating back towards the manor.

Playing keepaway is one of the best ways to play with Ace during his walks, and all of them have a grand time playing it, usually.

Bruce would always invite them to join in catch, usually.

—

Steph watches Bruce help Ace feed himself, the kid still not used to having opposable thumbs after only a few days, and ignores the twisting feeling in her gut. It's family dinner, but he hasn't even tried to join in conversation, focused on Ace. And she gets it. She does!

But Bruce would always usually try to pay attention to the rest of them even if Ace needs him.

—

"Dad! You gotta drink!" The kids shoves between Barbara and Bruce, and she finally surfaces from the case fugue she'd found herself in, looking up. Bruce accepts the water from shovy hands, and she finds herself suddenly parched at the reminder.

"Now that's an idea," she murmurs, setting aside the stack of files in her lap, and Bruce hands over the bottle easily, getting up. "Thanks, B."

"I'll grab another one. One moment." He walks out, and Babs eyes the scowling kid warily as she takes a sip. Ace doesn't say anything, and runs out after Bruce, but his displeasure lingers.

At least dog Ace doesn't get mad at them for having Bruce's favour!

—

"How the fuck did we never realise how codependent Bruce and Ace are?" Dick huffs, throwing himself down onto the couch.

"That damn dogs getting on my nerves," Jason growls, and Duke smacks his head.

"Watch it, Jason. He's still Ace."

"Yeah, well," Tim grumbles, "normally Ace doesn't have one hundred per cent of Bruce's attention."

"Normally Ace acknowledges we exist," Babs snaps.

"Father seems rather engrossed in Ace as well."

They air out their grievances for several minutes until they run out of steam, and silence takes over until Cass breaks it.

"But they are cute together."

Damian smiles. "I found Ace asleep in my bed, cuddling Titus."

Jason sinks into an armchair. "He made Bruce buy a new copy of the book he chewed up last year. Kid looked... so damn cute as he handed it over."

"Bruce came to see me after he put Ace to bed, to make sure I was fine after Black Mask found me on patrol. He was listening to comms from his room."

Dick sits up, looking at Steph. "That must be how he knew about the— the— yeah," he summises, when Tim settles him with a hand on his shoulder, saving him from talking about the woman he couldn't save from a fall. "He and Ace dragged me to the cinema room, plied me with movies, and wouldn't tell me why it was just us."

"Ace called me to the manor, dragged me around the grounds to show me the blind spots in our security," Babs recounts. "It was like he still has a tail, whipping around in his excitement to tell me."

"Bruce was making us sandwiches, and he was still tossing Ace some as he was making it, even if the kid was getting his own sandwich." Duke shakes his head, laughing.

—

"Hey Bruce?" Dick calls, laying across his father's shoulders as Jason wrestles Ace, a German Sherphard once again.

"Yes, Dick?"

"You're not allowed to get another kid. Ace is alright, we love him, but shit. We can't share you with someone else."

Bruce chuckles deeply, and draws Dick into his arms. "Okay, kiddo. Only you kids and Ace. I don't need anyone else anyway."

But sometimes there’s tiny mess ups when up close. He might actually bump shoulders when walking past someone in the watchtower, or not look at someone when they’re talking to him. Everyone is assuming he’s just being rude not knowing he’s actually just not realising

(Hope this all makes sense…)

I love the fact humans can use echolocation! And it would make so much sense for Bruce to have mastered it, even if he wasn't blind.

But ooh! The JL believing Batman is just rude/ignorant, when really they just don't see his disability (cough blatant allegory cough). There are some things you can't circumvent disabled, and being demonised for them because he's a straightforward, brash figure.

It comes out when Bruce goes down on a mission, and the medical team are overheard mentioning his blindness, but the JL don't hear anything else, so assume it was something that happened as part of the fight.

They're discussing what to do; trying to figure out if they can reason keeping Batman on the team with such a massive vulnerability. Nightwing passes by, estranged from Bruce, and loses his shit.

He might hate his dad right now. They haven't talked without it ending in a shouting match in nearly six months. He's been replaced.

But he will not stand for them doubting Bruce. Not for this.

He starts shouting, completely losing his cool, no semblance of composure anywhere to be found, accusing them of a thousand things, why accommodate their other disabled members but not him? The Titans are in the background, glaring at their mentors, backing up Nightwing, even if they have their own gripes with Batman.

Clark stops him, eventually, forcing him to stop shouting. "He's been blind since the beginning?"

"Yes." Bruce limps into the room, one hand on Jason's shoulder. No mask.

"Bruce Wayne," Hal murmurs. The Wayne Boy. The unlucky survivor of Park Row. Blinded from an ill-aimed shot to the head.

Bruce just smiles, letting Jason guide him closer to the group. They stop next to Dick, and Bruce brushes some hair away from his face, cloudy, silver eyes unfocused on his face. "Jay told me I needed to save the JL from you."

"They were being—"

"Smart. But thank you."

Diana explains their misunderstanding, apologising to both of them. Bruce dismisses it. Dick, slightly embarassed, stands by what he said, that just because they know he's blind now doesn't mean he can't be Batman. J'onn agrees, but they will need to figure out how to move forward as a team to accommodate it, Bruce agrees.

Dick nods and leaves, the Titans following and teasing him once they're out of the room, trying to lighten his mood. Jason races ahead of them and blocks the way, glaring at Dick. "Give him a minute, man. He wants to speak to you."

"Today hasn't changed anything."

"Maybe not for you." Bruce strolls up to the group, clicking his tongue faintly and weaving between them. "But I'd still like to speak to you."

"One minute."

They round the corner, hardly any degree of privacy with metas in the mix, but enough of a pretence. Bruce simply kisses Dick's head, and thanks him. He thought Dick despised him, now he thinks he has hope to repair their relationship.

Great. Another fic idea I really wanna write.

Specially his family, I mean they already find him cute sometimes when he acts his age

He could get almost anything with puppy eyes and being all hearts and shine

Like with Cass it’s creepy af, even more scarier than Batman had ever been but with the robins they wonder how a random kid in bright colors can actually be that scary?

Not even signal gets a normal picture even tho he goes out in the day and is covered in bright yellow, but instead of the typical dark creature it’s more like the cryptid bright angel pictures that you can’t even see well their factions

And tbh after knowing the bats like it makes sense, like after a while you may forget he is scary when he wants to and it’s his whole deal, but once when you see him in action or accidentally spook you it hits you with the “yeah he isn’t just a grumpy old man, he actually has a whole Halloween act just it got memefied”