I Want You All To Appreciate The Effort I Put In To Refining My Cassandra Cain Thoughts Into Something

There's a serious comparison to be made between how Barbara fails as a teacher for Cass and how Cass fails as a teacher for Stephanie. Barbara's brain is biological supercomputer with an eidetic memory which can learn a new language in like five minutes. Cassandra is likewise superhumanly talented at fighting.

In both cases these aren't just learned skills to them. Cassandra's fists and Barbara's mind are core to their identities. They're the things that make them heroes, that give them agency, that make them matter, it's who they are. The reason they have no patience for teaching these skills to others is they're incapable of contextualizing a world without them.

Barbara can't teach Cass because the prospect of a life without language is simply inconceivable to her. Likewise, Cassandra can't teach Stephanie because she has no context at all for what learning to fight must be like for other people without her natural affinity. Their respective talents are so core to their being that people who can't do what comes easily to them must simply not be trying hard enough.

Ironically it's one of the very few ways in which they're actually extremely alike.

Cass babysitting younger gen heroes and using her past to terrify them into compliance. Ma'ri doesn't want to eat her vegetables? You see this bullet wound on Cass's shoulder? She got that because she didn't eat enough vegetables. True story. Sin is mad at Dinah and doesn't want to listen to her advice? One time Cass didn't listen to Dinah and guess what happened. Two shots to the stomach. True story. Damian wants to try fighting Shiva? First time Cass tried that she ended up with a dislocated shoulder and broken arm, her life spared on a whim. And that one's actually a true story.

Batsiblings convince Jason to get himself a cooking Tiktok account, and he gives in. To his surprise, he quickly gains millions of followers and a loyal auditory. The only problem? Jason has no idea that these people came here not necessary for recipes.

Jason: Geez, my followers had been pissing me off lately.

Dick, confused: Huh? Why?

Jason: They keep commenting ATE. Like, dude? Fucking where? I am not eating in my cooking videos. What is the fucking point?

Tim, choking: Oh my fucking God-

Jason, making an angry text post for his followers: YOU ALL. STOP COMMENTING "RAW". MY MEAT IS NOT RAW. I AM A PROPER COOK. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU???

Cassandra: Maybe it is time to tell him...

Tim, Steph, Duke, in unison: NO

Bruce, awkwardly trying to have a conversation with Jason: Hey, lad, how is your cooking blog is going?

Jason: Uh, people keep commenting cryptid messages. Like, the last time I was showing the right way to tenderise meat for chops because apparently it wasn't clear and someone requested the whole video? Anyway, I did it, and the whole comment section was writing me "in bed, on the floor, on the couch, on a chair, against the wall, against the window, against the door"... Like, why would I do that, not in the kitchen?

Bruce, no less clueless: Maybe it some kind of challenge. Kids love trying new stuff in extreme places nowadays.

Jason: Huh. Maybe. Thanks.

Bruce, just proud to have a proper conversation and somehow a help: Anytime, Jaylad!

Damian, who was unblissfully educated on the slang matter by Tim (because it was his responsibility as a big brother to traumatise him), with his eye twitching: ...None of these words were in Quran

cain and bruce and cass are sooo interesting to me... long rambles (with comic panel receipts!) under the cut (also batgirl 2000 spoilers)

Cain had tried many times before to make The One Who Is All, but Cassandra is special in a way the others weren't because she worked. She didn't defy instructions, she was amazing at combat, she didn't go insane, she was perfect. And David grew to love her in a way he hadn't loved the others, even though he hurt her, because it was the price he had to pay to get his little girl perfect. Yes he shot her, but it was to keep her on her toes, and she had to be that to be perfect - it’s the price he has to pay. He rarely touched her, because it was a price he had to pay, but in the times that he did, he cuddled with her on the rooftop and pointed to the stars. He couldn't talk to her, because it was a price he had to pay, but he could make their own little language and keep her progress on tapes.

And when the time came for her first real foray into being The One Who is All, he dresses her up in a frilly pink dress and pigtails.

And she runs away and David doesn't know what to do. The first kill is always hard, he made her do it too soon, too young, she wasn’t ready, he knows it’s his fault.

And then, years later, when his baby girl is almost an adult (but really he'll always see her as that little girl with pigtails and a bloody pink dress on), he meets her again and she yells at him to stop.

And he cries, because it was the price he had to pay, but his daughter can understand him now, fully, and she's using it to ask him to stop, so how can he say no to that? Now they're dangling over an edge and he's pleading for her to hold on but she can't, she won't, and she survives anyway like she always will but she survives in a cape and ears and a bat across her chest.

David thought that Bruce was perfect when they were training, but he wasn't. He wouldn't kill. But maybe he can be good enough for David's perfect little girl anyway because she won’t either, and god knows David isn't perfect. So he concocts a test, and tries his damndest to keep those tapes of his daughter because that's all he has left of her.

David loves Cass with all of his heart, but his heart isn't big enough to fit things like hugs and speaking and care. The biggest problem is that he sees her as a weapon first, no matter what.

Bruce isn't like that. Cassandra isn't a weapon— she's a bat, of course, she’s perfect for it! And to be the bat, yeah, you have to make sacrifices sometimes. Keeping your identity a secret is much easier when you have no (legal, public) identity to speak of, and he doesn’t understand when Barbara insists on frivolous things like vacations, identities, names, and peace. Why call the girl Cass when she can simply be Batgirl?

If Bruce had a choice, he would just be the bat. And so this girl who is just like him— better, even! Well, of course she’d agree. Yes, she’s young, she’s just seventeen, but… come on. You can barely say a perfect soldier like her is a kid, still. And it’s tragic that Cain made her like this, made her like them, but… it happened. She is like this. So why wouldn’t he help her use it for good? 

He never had to teach Batgirl, this girl who is just like him, about the value of life. Her hits are perfect and measured, to knock them out and nothing more. The first thing he noticed about her was her willingness to die and insistence that no one else does, and he encourages these things. 

And her death wish is ineffective and annoying and dangerous, but it’s inescapable and she doesn’t let it affect her missions anymore.

Batman asks Batgirl if the dozens of lives saved because of what she did is enough. She says no, and he says good. 

When Batgirl loses some of her skills, she runs at an armed man and gets shot 4 times (one in each thigh, one through her shoulder, one in her stomach). But she survives anyway, like she always will, and when she wakes up Batman asked why she did it. She responds instinct. He says, “Good.”

Then he finds out about her upcoming fight with Shiva. Batgirl knows that she will lose. This is not a competition or arrogance for her— this is suicide. She needs to move past this death wish and… well. She might not move… past it, per se, but she will be rid of it, and perhaps the world will become of rid of her. But it’s necessary. So he lets her leave, because he knows she needs to do this. At least she will die with honor.

Later, when she survives even after dying, because she always survives, Batman needs to do something. Something dangerous and reckless and, maybe, a bit suicidal. Batgirl wants to help but he just says “I let you fight Shiva because it was something you had to do for yourself. Don’t say thank you. Return the favor.” 

The tragedy of Batman and Batgirl is unlike the tragedy of David Cain and The One Who Is All, where she is only an assassin to her father— not even that, just a killing weapon. It’s unlike the tragedy of Cassandra and Sandra, where she is just a pawn for her mother’s suicide. And it is especially unlike the tragedy of Babs and Cassie, where she is seen by her mom as so much less than she is, as something that she can never be— regular. Normal. Innocent.

No, the tragedy of Batman and Batgirl is that her dad sees Cassandra as, yes, eventually a daughter, certainly a soldier, but most of all, an extension of himself. And he does not treat himself very well, or with much caution, or with any gentleness.

I felt the need to make this.

Lethal Bat Trinity 🦇⚔️

the “we don’t need main canon helena wayne bc Bruce has a daughter in Cassandra” crowd is so stupid bc what do u mean he can have five sons but we have to cap it at a one female child minimum 😭 shut uuup!

The Oracles of Gotham;

Cursed to be all-knowing. Cursed never to be believed.

I don't think that the civilians in the DC universe are picky with regards to who's saving the day, per se, but they are very attached to their respective local superheroes and are extremely sensitive and scrutinizing if someone unfamiliar shows up. Like there is a general understanding that superheroes aren't tied to their respective cities 100% of the time, but there's also a very intense Local Civilian Vibe Check if you're superheroing on someone else's turf.

POV: You have just stopped a rampaging supervillain in downtown Metropolis (You are Booster Gold):

Bruce watched in amusement as the new hero, Ghost, made fun of Superman. That was until John Constantine came into the room and stared at the hero with wide eyes. He bowed and everyone was thrown off.

John Constantine was a bastard and everyone knew it, he tricked God Himself and made enemies with demons daily, he never showed anyone respect. So why was he being respectful to this random new hero he never met?

“King Phantom. I’ve been searching for you, it’s an honor.” John said and everyone looked between the confused teenager and mage.

“You must have me confused, my name is Ghost and I’m not a King.” He replied warily.

“Ah, they must have done something.” John said before hitting Ghost with a spell.

Ghost gasped and looked frantically at John.

“How bad is it?” He asked hurriedly and with panic.

“They would have slaughtered everyone tomorrow if you weren’t found today. They don’t care about your rules if the King is missing. I held them off for as long as I could but I couldn’t buy much time. You have been gone for 6 months.” John told him and everyone was on alert immediately. “Go, Danny, before it is too late.”

Ghost, no Danny, nodded before opening a portal. He turned around.

“You will be rewarded and I thank you. I truly love these people and would die against to protect them but my kingdom is first. I ask you to disband the GIW of the United States government, they are who took me and sold me off, they are who hurt my people. The Observants will want to speak to you, I will hold them off.” He left and everyone yelled questions at John.

“SHUT UP!” He snapped, more serious than anytime they had seen him before.

“Constantine. What was that?” Bruce demanded, wearing his most menacing glare and growl.

“No Bats, you don’t get to question me right now. I need everything that you have on him. Mission reports, how you found him, everything. If you excuse me I’m going to shut down a government organization.” John turned around and left in a hurry before anymore questions could be asked.

Two days later the news showed that an unknown man single handed took down a fake government organization that was illegally experimenting on ghosts and torturing them. John came back and read through every single file they had and sighed.

“Congratulations. I prevented the end of the universe.” He said lazily.

“Explain.” Bruce demanded.

Zatanna interrupted before John could reply. Her face was pale. “That was Danny Phantom.” She whispered in disbelief.

John only nodded and she fell onto a chair. She looked up at him with panic, ignoring everyone.

“Tell me. Don’t lie. How close were we?” She asked, completely serious.

“5 hours. If I didn’t find him in 5 hours every person on every planet would be slaughtered. They would not be merciful, they would slowly kill us until he was found, and they would not stop there. It would be 10 times worse than anything you can possibly imagine and no one but him could stop them. You were good to him, cared, no harm should come to any of you. I can’t say the same about CADMUS and the GIW.”

“Why didn’t he go back?” She asked. “You said he cares, why would he risk it?”

“His memories were erased, I gave them back but he didn’t know anything except for the last six months, possibly even less.”

“How did you get them to back off for so long?”

“I blackmailed God once, you know.”

“Yes, but every being is more powerful than him, the weakest is possible 3 times as powerful.”

“They respect Him, even if barely, but they do. So they, in turn, respect me. They know of my reputation and accomplishments, know I can somehow get out of anything, they let me have a chance to find him before they released them onto the universe.”

Zatanna thought about it for a couple seconds before nodding and slumping back into the chair.

A neon green sticky note appeared on John’s lap.

‘Thank you for returning our King. He needs guidance in your realm and you will now be considered his father, uncle to the public. Do not tell the mortals anything else.

-CW’

He looked to Zatanna. “Are you mortal?”

“No, technically not.” She responded and he wordlessly passed her the note. “John, I can’t read this. It’s in ghost speak and I have not died.”

“I am the new father/uncle to Danny Phantom. We can’t tell the mortals anything else.” John said and Zatanna chuckled.

“Does this mean Spooky can’t adopt Danny?” Flash asked and Bruce glared at him.

“Not unless he wants to be Ended.” Zatanna replied with amusement and a smile.

This was going to be interesting.

Amnesia AU

An AU where Danny gains amnesia after getting captured by the GIW. He gets saved by the Justice League just after they discover Superboy, trying to find out if any of them have been cloned. When they save Danny they don’t know that he is a ghost or halfa, not that Danny knows that either, and have him join the Young Justice League. He and Superboy become best friends, Danny often messing with Superman for his clonist bullshit on Superboy’s behalf. They become each other’s pillars in a world that is unfamiliar and against them.

So imagine John Constantine’s surprise to find the missing Ghost King, who’s people he has been trying to keep from declaring war against this dimension to find him, calling Superman “Captain Primary Color Palette” in the Justice League watchtower.

Writings of this AU:

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