#ayday

Section I: This includes fics I read where I cannot argue about any of the characterisation presented. I have no critiques* whatsoever. And this list is literally super small right now because I have only found two authors so far for this... (also, again, my tastes are narrow and I still haven't read enough fic in this area/fandom).

we touched a thousand times (before we realized) by Averia Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson through the years.

Strangers in the Dark by Averia “If you need me, I’ll stay.”

Once Gotham’s population was eight million strong, then earthquakes transformed it into No Man’s Land. Only three million remained. Years later the city plummets under a million during The Joker’s Last Stand - not that anyone knew it would be the last. A new enemy rises from the ashes, one that rips the family apart, and Dick awakens from his coma only to find himself caught in the middle of it all. Score by Averia A/N: I always wanted to write a longer OneShot about Alfred's thoughts concerning a possible relationship between Bruce&Dick (because he so often just knows already and is so chill about it). It turned into a bit more.

All parts can be read as standalone.

Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) by BearlyWriting “Me and Batman,” Dick says, matter of fact. His voice is perfectly steady.

The silence quivers.

“You and…Batman,” Jason says. His voice is just as steady. Flat. “You fucked up?”

“No.” Dick swallows. His throat aches. “We fucked.” Section II: This is for fics that were recommended to me by people with very Good Taste and very, very in-depth understandings of the characters involved. But I have not read these fics myself (yet!).

Roadtrip Vigilantes by Beabaseball Bruce Wayne gave up hope, stayed with the League of Shadows, and generally fucked up his entire life until a little kid called Dick Grayson came along and saved him anyway. Now on Ra’s al Ghul’s shit list, they travel the U.S. in whatever car they can get their hands on, trying to piece their hearts back together again.

A slightly different start to Batman. door, opening by cowboysorcerer

Flying back to Cherry Street, weaving reckless in the dark, it comes down to this: Dick is the only one of his siblings that Jason has any real claim on. Dick is the only one of that whole mess of victims to Batman's cult of self-immolation who belongs to Jason. Even more than that - Dick is the only person in the world who he shares a parent with, who knows what it meant to be the Robin to Batman of nearly ten years ago. It's just not the same anymore. So if Dick fucking kicks it, Jason's the only one left. Jason becomes an only child. Jason becomes the last of his kind. Jason becomes the sole keeper of that memory, of a brotherhood shared under a man who no longer exists. There is no way to replace Dick, because the world that they lived in together is gone, and can never give Jason a surrogate.

The Red Hood pulls the thread on a mystery big enough to bridge the distance between two cities, two brothers: The plot they unravel is far deeper and darker than a garden-variety drug trafficking scheme. A story about siblingship, hauntings, and rivers.

1. Ostium, osti(i): Latin noun, II Declension: Door, opening; (river) mouth; entrance (to the underworld).

like a rubber band until you pull too hard by perissologist “You don’t know pain, Nightwing,” Morgaine hisses. The portal howling into existence behind her is almost loud enough to drown her out, but not quite. “But you will. I swear, you will.”

---

Morgaine le Fey curses Dick Grayson to absorb the pain of everyone he loves.

There Is by dustorange Two months after Dick first met Bruce, Bruce ditched Dick on Oliver’s doorstep. Dick wasn’t sure that Bruce was ever coming back.

wolf-king of rome by Whiskey

Jason doesn’t fear Dick Grayson. Fear itself has changed shape for him, since his return from the Pit - it tastes of dirt in his mouth, of drowning, of fire and blood and laughter, more than a tangible face. Still, he’d be stupid not to be cautious. Dick liked playing on an uneven field, and would do anything to keep him off balance, so he just had to stay focused. That’s the nature of the armistice, both waiting for the other to make a move. It’s like balancing on the head of a pin.

Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"

persephone's in hell by Whiskey

He’d been mistaken – never in his life has he experienced pain like this. It’s like staring in a funhouse mirror at the carnival, Dick’s reflection coming back distorted and horrifying and otherworldly as he watches everything he’d worked for be taken from him, again, for the second time. Tony Zucco snapped that first line and then Bruce Wayne kicked off him right off the edge into the abyss.

Dick Grayson has just been fired. Dick Grayson wakes up in a world with five Robins.

Section III: These are fics I have read in completion and enjoyed. I have criticisms *but I believe that I don't need to include those in this post because fic writers write for free and, again, I'm not some arbiter of truth when it comes to characterisations. Just note that these fics have things that I don't think work but it doesn't matter because the pros, in my opinion, far, far, far outweigh the cons. I'll include a brief list of what I like about each fic (there are million more positive things I could say about each fic, but... I tried to keep things on the shorter side).

We'll Find a Way to Offer up the Night by YouHaveForgottenMeAlready His feet hit hard and his knees buckle beneath him. It hurts when his hands skid on the decorative rug, the price he pays for catching himself to keep from flopping face-first into the ground. He's dumbstruck and just kneels there for several long moments staring at his hands, at the bloom of rug burn forming before his eyes.

"I can't fly," he says dumbly.

"Noted. Any pain?" Bruce asks.

Clark's world falls apart, and Superman is to blame. When he's at his lowest, Bruce Wayne gives him a gift: a room that strips him of his powers. A room where he can learn what it means to be human. Super Brief Pros List: - premise is very thoughtful and intriguing - K.A.S.S. concept is fascinating as well as the actual motivations behind its creations - the accuracy of the author's portrayal of martial arts - the sex scenes are well-written and not just limited to solely vanilla-esque kinks - Jason Todd's characterisation in terms of brutality of his words - Clark's perspective on Jason (honestly, this fic is a good intro into a Jason character study lol) - domestic Batfam scenes that don't feel too over the top in terms of like... watering down of character. - Lois Lane's depiction is nice and I love how much the author gives her agency; she feels real - decent Batman character study; love the autistic hyperfocus as well as Bruce's general emotional paranoia - the author also did a fantastic job of differentiating the Robins from one another (at least we only meet Jason, Dick, and Tim, but they all sound like very different people and I can actually tell who is speaking without even being told)

Marriage of Inconvenience by susiecarter Swanwick gave Bruce a level, unamused look. "Mr. Wayne," he said. "Please tell me you know why you're here."

Bruce shrugged. "Won the lottery, and first-place prize is the government marries me off to an alien."

(Or: in a universe where Krypton took an extra thirty-odd years to implode, Kal-El was sent to Earth as an adult, in advance of the ship containing the only other surviving Kryptonians; and a quirk of Kryptonian law means negotiating refuge, potential resettlement, and an alliance with the Kryptonians in general is dependent on marriage between a Kryptonian and a human. Bruce did what it took to make sure that that human would be him, instead of some poor unprepared civilian—but his efforts to learn more about the aliens, what they want and why they're here, and how, if necessary, to kill them ... don't go the way he's expecting them to.) Super Brief Pros List: - cool premise - author does a great job with portraying Bruce's billionaire side and his paranoia - really fascinating dive into cultural exchanges and language barriers; felt very accurate to me - a fascinating interpretation of how Kal-El might act if he'd only been on Earth for a year; interesting character study on Kryptonian views on genetics - comes with really nice fanart! Casino Royale by spaceisgay Boravia’s grand casino, once a hotbed of European crime, has reopened with a high-stakes poker tournament Bruce Wayne suspects may be the work of Roulette. In a country where superheroes are banned, the only way to foil a criminal conspiracy is to enter the tournament as himself, and play his way up to the top.

But not just any card-playing billionaire can get his name on the list. The real price of admission is a lot higher than the two million dollar buy-in. You also need a secret to offer up as your stake. A dirty one. The kind a man like Bruce Wayne would pay dearly to keep quiet.

Enter Dick Grayson.

Though he agrees to accompany Bruce to the tournament in the guise of his illicit lover, to help him fake a blackmail-worthy secret besides the one with masks and capes, Dick's not wild about spending so much time with his old friend in flirtatious playboy mode; but somehow it's harder than expected to watch Bruce direct that legendary charisma at other people, and Dick doesn't quite know why. Over the course of four days, what began as a straightforward undercover job devolves into a messy emotional tangle which forces both men to confront truths they’ve kept hidden for years . . . even from themselves. Super Brief Pros List: - I loved so many of the exchanges between Dick and Bruce; the banter and Dick's attitude about things felt.. well-placed - the plot is really fucking good???? Like I'd love to see this as an actual heist film? I found it better plotted and paced than most heist/casino-oriented films (more interesting than most of the Oceans series, imho) - also cool subverted plot twist thing - LOVE the original characters, too; very rarely do I feel like authors can make me like original characters but it's obvious this author ALSO loves their OCs and they're well developed and good - some of the dialogue between Bruce and Dick actually made me tear up - and that's a hard feat to do with me (I'm a weeper but fic never gets me to that point) - it's sexy. I don't even care about the actual sex scenes (was whatever to me) but the tension is delicious - also has some of that campy comicness I love but not so much that it ruins anything raison d'être by ilovepinkandcoffee [WIP]

(n.) a reason for existing

A year after the Riddler’s attack on Gotham, Batman struggles to repair a city fractured and drowning in crime. But when rumors spread through Gotham’s criminal underworld about an alien hero in Metropolis—an otherworldly figure with god-like powers who’s changing the course of history—Bruce can't help but be skeptical. But his concerns are confirmed when this so-called "Superman," arrives in Gotham one night during his patrol, bringing with him a wave of chaos that threatens to disrupt the fragile balance he has fought so hard to maintain.

Clark had heard about Gotham City when he first arrived at Metropolis—a lawless, crime-ridden city plagued with corruption—but he had never felt the need to enter its borders. That is until he learns of a mysterious vigilante known as "The Batman," a figure who, like him, seeks justice for his city and its people, his curiosity gets the better of him. Drawn to the idea of meeting someone with a shared mission, Clark decides to seek out the elusive hero, after all, nothing bad can come out of it can it? But boy was he wrong. Super Brief Pros List: - I really love the writing style - the action is super well done and well thought out and the atmosphere is immersive, which I love - the plot sounds solid - Bruce's characterisation so far is *chef's kiss* - I love when Gotham feels like a character of its own and its super entwined relationship with Batman - Clark is actually an intelligent reporter and isn't dumbed down so far, thank fuck - I love identity porn and this one seems to be promising some excellent pay out - lots of potential with this one Gotham is Burning by istayniche "Were you aware that LuthorCorp was using Wayne technology in their illegal weapons programs?"

For the first time, Bruce looked genuinely surprised. "Those contracts were terminated."

"When? Before or after Luthor's crimes became public?"

Bruce was quiet for a long moment, his fingers drumming against the arm of his chair. "I'd have to check with our legal department about the specific timeline."

"So you don't know?"

Bruce was silent.

Gotham's drowning, Batman's bleeding, and a nosy reporter won't stop asking why.

Three years after the flood, a rot festers, born from the stragglers of Riddler's movement.

The Sons of Gotham, neo-Nazis with mysteriously deep pockets, rise from the grime. Bruce bleeds for a city that keeps sinking.

Enter Clark Kent: infuriatingly earnest, maddeningly handsome, and asking questions Bruce can't answer.

When threats grow too big for one city, Batman reluctantly teams up with Superman. Saving Gotham wasn't hard.

Letting someone help? Letting someone in? Easier said than done. Super Brief Pros List: - guh, the writing style is very nice in this one, too - again, personified Gotham - smart characters! Both Bruce and Clark are actually competent! And Clark, even having his bumbling moments, isn't watered down into JUST a blush-y fanboy. - the author does a great job demonstrating a billionaire's political views so convincingly and correctly - the plot is thought out and we actually see Batman and Superman working together very fluidly - as they should ok - at least one sexy scene is super hot - I love Lois Lane's depiction in this, too - alien biology! SCIENCE. YAY. - aaaaand identity porn, too - I like how journalism and being a reporter are represented in this story

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