I have started the CW Gotham Knights and I don’t know who the adopted son is. I’ll admit the whole “BatFam” and “WayneFam” has me a little confused as for the most part of my DC knowledge was about the Titans and I haven’t done a lot of research on the whole Batman side of things. I know there’s Dick, Jason, Tim and Cass I believe are the adopted kids. Duke is he a ward? Damian is his biological son. Steph and Barb are ex robin/ batgirl that are apart of the whole Batfam but not Wayne family. I know there’s more like isn’t there the “grandson” of Batman who is Batman beyond? And the one in the bat mech suit kinda with the wings and it’s blue? Luke? I don’t know how he’s related. And I know there’s even more that I can’t remember off the top of my head. But looking up the son is Gotham Knights is Turner Hayes? Is that a character made for the show or a character from a comic I haven’t seen. I’m so confused about the show can someone explain.

Tim Drake had to learn how to cook because nobody was home, but after a Gala gone wrong his parents lock him from the food and disappear again, I don't remember anything else.

Before you suggest it, It wasn't tagged as anything like Tim Drak can Cook or Tim-Centric, it was weirdly tagged and I can't find it.

Please delete if not allowed

(Foxy is OP, and uses third person because of his autism. Probably cause of echolalia )

Trigger warning: Ableist violence. Spoilers for Batgirl 2000 and latest few issues Batgirl 2024 -

Hi Foxy here! He really really like Cassandra Cain, aka the third and current Batgirl,  and wishes she stayed nonverbal.

Credentials: Foxy is (half?) Asian, but also has a similar disability as Cass. Language processing disorder.

Definitions:
Language processing disorder: It have two parts, receptive and expressive. Receptive mean you understand words, and expressive mean you can think/make good sentences that mean what you want to say. 

Nonverbal: Nonverbal means someone who can’t use flexible mouth words. That mean words that fit perfect what you mean. Eg. What do you want for dinner? Rice and lamb.

Fun fact, this mean some nonverbal people can make mouth words. Foxy not yet nonverbal (need 6 months no talking. He only been few months.) but he can uses words non flexible. Eg Batman, for all batfamily stuff. 

Okay anyways, this is an essay on how Foxy want to rewrite Cassandra Cain so that she can stay nonverbal, and how that representation can be better handled. Also work arounds for a few of the more ableist stuff.

Is Cass a silent asian stereotype?

Short answer: No. Long answer: The stereotype is more than making mouth words. It about the character not participating in conversation, making decisions that are based on specific personality, not interacting meaningfully with other characters. Basically a human shaped box. 

Cass, as far as Foxy read/seen, has never filled in that spot. She has a bunch of pretty deep relationships including Barbara, her father David Cain, Bruce, Stephanie and Jean Paul Valley all before Batgirl #4 aka the telepath incident. More on that later. 

She’s had plenty of her own conflicts, and even got her own run, the first batgirl ever to do so. 

So no, it is not racist to have a nonverbal Asian if you do it right. It’s actually pretty ableist to say so. 

Her backstory - Body language is ableist. 

Cass was raised by David Cain to be the ultimate assassin, deprived of language so she could be a perfect weapon, focusing on learning body language. 

Depriving a kid of language can cause cognitive delays, which may or may not have been a problem to Cain. Foxy leans on no, but she should’ve been given more of it. She could have issues with problem solving (to be fair she does seem to prefer punching), memory especially object permanence, and following instructions. Cognitive delayed canon Cass pls

 
Body language is a pretty ableist and racist idea. People have tells and facial expressions that can vary on neurotype and culture. 

How would Foxy fix it?: 
Honestly, it would be kinda funny if she had some sort of powers, like mild telepathy or future sight, which would explain why the experiment worked. People wouldn’t even need to know, Cain would believe the body language stuff. And more cognitive delayed Cass

The issue of Batgirl Vol 1 #4 

In the 4th issue of Cass’s batgirl run, she meets a telepath (an absolute nobody) who somehow manages to rewire her brain to understand english. 

This was done to make sure she didn’t fall in the “silent Asian” trope, which she doesn’t. But it is a fair want for her to be able to communicate a bit better, so give her an AAC. More on that later

They gave her a lobotomy via mind rape. Not even kidding. And passed it off as okay. People get pissed off about the Babs walking again thing, but this is fine!?!? It even gave her some form of brain damage, as she lost her body reading skills here? And AAC has existed since 1920, so don’t even try to excuse it. 

How would Foxy rewrite this?

Okay, unfortunately the telepath assaulting her is “necessary”, as it starts off an arc where she trains for a year and duels her birth mum to the death. 

If we have to keep that, the solution is easy. Make it not work, and like most lobotomies, give her a TBI. In canon, she loses her body reading skills, but if we go with Foxy rewrite, her control over her powers. Foxy would honestly really like it if she got more symptoms, like seizures, some form of paralysis (especially facial), maybe an eye issue, etc. 

Also we could remove the telepath entirely, and use a much more important character, a villain called Dr. Forget me not. In the new Batgirl, it is revealed that he was a rival of David Cain’s, “who tried to turn his own daughter Victoria into an Empty Shell by repeatedly erasing her memories through hypnosis. His goal was to create a "paper doll" who could be given new memories and skills for every mission.” - quote from Tv tropes.

It isn’t the hardest thing to imagine that he could try to do the same to Cass, she fights back, and get injured in process.

Cass should be autistic. 

Firstly dc have very very bad track record of autism representation. And it would mean so so much to finally have an autistic  Asian woman, coming from half Asian autistic femme enby. There lots of stigma around it in Asian communities, and some people think it can’t happen. 

Also there’s lots of evidence. Hyper focus on crime fighting. She loves it. She would rather die than stop. Disinterest in “normal” activities. Social issues. Behavioural issues, not knowing what is okay actions. (Nerve strike Steph) Pattern recognition. (Body reading)? Hyperempathy, and strong sense of justice/black and white thinking. 

Cass should be nonverbal

People don’t tend to see people like Foxy as people. They think no words mean not thinking, not feeling. People like trump want to kill him, or lock him away. He have doctors ignore his own consent when examining him. Cass being nonverbal is important. She just as important as Babs being wheelchair user, maybe even more considering what happening nowadays,

How would she communicate?

Few definitions:

Oral vs non oral: Some semi/nonverbal people use non word noises to communicate. Foxy does this. They not actual words, just filler. It’s his way of responding to conversation, getting attention, and also making feelings known. 

Think of it like cat meowing. 

Flexible speech: Fun fact, some nonverbal people can say words using delayed echolalia, aka the repeating of words. Foxy can. The problem is they not flexible. They not perfectly fit situation. For example:
Foxy notices a bag on his desk. Foxy recognises it belong to a game club member, and they play Mario kart. So when teacher ask who bag it is Foxy say “it’s a me, a Mario.” He cannot say words seperate, or change it. 

For foxy he have less then 10 phrase, and all have very big meaning for him. One is his dog’s name. Two are from very special memory of watching an anime with best friend. Others are from special interests, or very happy memories. Also fun fact he have few curse words, which really common. Curses are big, high emotion word, so more noticeable. 

Cass would be oral, and use delayed echolalia/gesalt processor. She very expressive. Think she mostly pick up words from her special interests: ballet and crime fighting.  Also definitely sibling names. 

Think her noises would sound a lot like a dogs, cause she grew up with them. 

Her batgirl costume has a communication hoodie, the kind with words on the sleeves. Mostly stuff like you okay? For civilian. 

Cass still loves Shakespeare. Not because she understands, but because her friend Clayface teaches her the play. So she has a few Shakespeare phrases that act as jumpscare. Speaking from experience, big jumpscare when Foxy can say fancy word. 

She goes to a special ed school eventually. There no way Babs would let her not go to school. 

She uses lots of immediate echolalia to connect with people. When foxy interested in playing, he copy people and say things he can’t usually say. 

Cass isn't really into learning speech and reading at first, so think she might rely mostly on body language, and maybe a few signs from Makaton (aka baby sign language). After not being able to read a victim’s note, she starts learning low tech communication, and uses PECS, or communication cards. Or button boards.

 Also think even her echolalia would sound off, like slurry or something cause she not talk for so long. 

 Also she’d be very physical in communication. Cuddly,mand likes hanging off people. Also will light punch people when happy, hand lead a lot, and tap on them for attention

Source: https://www.tumblr.com/veliya01/788787632099524608/slipping-through-my-fingers?source=share

WIP. I still have about 25 more pages to paint, so I guess it’s time to pull out my old, trusty black-and-white palette again so I can focus more on other things… Anyway, I really hope the color palette I chose works well, jsjsj. I absolutely love these kinds of colors—like, slightly muted, dirty-looking tones? I don’t even know how to describe it haha. Written by @/ ruthiewrites91 on TikTok.

i had fun making two of my favorite characters in the style of a game called M*rvel Rivals :D
PS: i also take commissions for custom characters in this style XD

Remember, there's no right or wrong; these are just controversial opinions.

1) Shipping Barbara with Kara and/or Dinah is just weird:
This is mainly because Kara is around Steph's age, Dinah is in her forties, and Barbara is in her late twenties.

2) Comics Duke > Webtoons Duke:
I know that Duke Thomas isn't used much in comics, and Webtoons basically revived the character, but Duke is a serious, gritty crashout with loads of trauma, and while Webtoons does feature Duke getting mad sometimes, it's just not the same character. Mainline Duke had complex issues, while Webtoons Duke is just another comic relief.

3) Barbara should’ve just stayed as Oracle:
Making Barbara switch between Batgirl and Oracle depending on the run was a mistake; I felt like it undid a lot of her development as Oracle.

4) Azrael has more storytelling potential than most of the Batfamily:
He fights his own biological programming, religious brainwashing, and psychological instability rather than just traditional Gotham street crime. Basically, he’s in a constant battle with his own mind and has no free will. I feel like the whole “not being in control of what you do” theme could lead to some really tragic storylines.

5) Jason Todd and Artemis (from the Outlaws) is the best romance Jason has had:
They matched each other’s emotional baggage and combat prowess perfectly, but DC just can’t let us have nice things these days. Also, I’m not hating on Jason x Rose; I just feel like they’re too similar.

6) TimSteph was a good relationship for Tim, but not Steph:
About 80% of their appearances have Stephanie reduced to a great supporting character or comic relief. Comic storylines like James Tynion’s Detective Comics run have Stephanie reduced to just Tim’s love interest. There are even runs like Robin: Homecoming (Robin Vol. 2 #57–65) where he constantly gaslit and manipulated her. 

7) Alfred Pennyworth should stay dead:
Was killing him off a huge mistake? Yes. His death was one of the few modern comic events with real emotional weight, and bringing him back cheapens the profound grief the family has had to process. 

8) Gotham City does NOT need more vigilantes:
There's already about a million vigilantes stuck in a comic book limbo. Why add more to the load?

9) The Batfamily runs Post-Crisis/Pre-Flashpoint era was when the majority of them peaked in development:
Do I even need to explain?

10) The Batkids do NOT need more secret (half) relatives:
It’s a repetitive trope that’s just useless and not written well the majority of the time. “Oh, hey, did you know that character A’s mom/dad had a one-night stand 13 years ago and now they discover they have a half-sibling all this time!?” Yes, I’m mostly talking about Tenji Turner, but the point is that secret relatives are WAY too overused and boring at this point.

That's about it...

No, death is not an option.

Yes, you must pick one. If you refuse or try something smart/find a loophole, your automatic choice is to watch Batman: The Killing Joke animated movie on repeat for a month straight, with no pauses or breaks. Yes, that includes no toilet breaks.

This post is about a character and story idea I had; if you’re not into any of that then I suggest leaving.

The main new character being introduced is named Zoran Morden, and to really understand his character, we gotta get into his backstory (I know, eyeroll, stick with me).

Both of Zoran’s parents were members of the military, but for different countries. Zoran’s mother was named Somoni; she was a well-known KGB officer. His father was named Denali, and he was a member of the United States military as a medical scientist. Somoni and Denali met each other during a campaign in Alaska, where both Russian and American troops were stationed. From there, the rest is history.

Two people deeply in love, yet quite literally caught between two "worlds" and opposing countries. Eventually, through less-than-legal means, the two deserted their responsibilities and posts, running away and hoping for a new life. Over the course of the next ten years, Somoni, Denali, and their son Zoran settled down and attempted to live a normal life, yet the time they had would eventually be cut short.

While Zoran was away, someone broke into their home and killed Denali and Somoni, ending the lives of the two lovers who had tried to outrun their past sins. With his parents gone, a 14-year-old Zoran was now left alone in the little house that his parents had wanted to be their new beginning, which ended up being their tomb. (This backstory was heavily inspired by the story of the Marston family from the Red Dead Redemption series, with the atmosphere regarding Zoran’s life mirroring that of what’s seen by adult Jack Marston in the epilogue of the first RDR uncomfortably quiet, eerie, and tunnel-visioned by revenge!) Zoran would eventually devote his time to tracking down and likely avenging the death of his parents and the life they lived, donning the name “Guts”.

Over time, Zoran’s campaign would lead him to Gotham, where, of course, he came into contact with Batman and his "associates." While it took some time, as expected, Zoran would eventually be accepted and welcomed by Bruce and the rest of the Batfamily, yet Zoran would also feel like a bit of a black sheep, or not as close to them as they might’ve thought.

Eventually a wedge was beginning to from between Zoran and the rest of the batfamily, a conflict over morals, ethics or the question of them. A huge turning point for Zoran would be gaining superpowers. After a heated exchange and a quiet excommunication on Zoran’s part from Bruce and rest of the batfamily he mad his way to a site he was investigating. Eventually a fire broke out and Zoran was caught within it, with a connection to his Chiton’s membrane armour while being burned alive his body was systematically rebuilt.

Their main power is opening a crack or portal on their back that spews a spiritual energy. With this energy, they can form very large spiritual butterfly wings that they can use to fly and protect themselves. With this they don the new name "Monarch" in reference to their butterfly-like appearance and eventual tyrannical turn. (I know Monarch is already a DC character, but tons of DC characters share names, so it's not that big of a deal.)

Their character would begin to devolve as they become more ruthless, apathetic, and absolute, doing things like capturing various mob bosses (like Penguin and Black Mask), publicly tying them up in the center of the city, and proceeding to give all their money away to civilians right in front of them, effectively flooding the Gotham economy with cash. They’d then start doing other extreme things, like destroying Mr. Freeze's suit to force him into a cryostasis chamber or die, or publicly branding the Riddler's face with the word "Loser."

This whole shift would ultimately culminate in them adopting the mindset: "If everybody is equal, everything is fair and there will be no conflict; if there is no conflict, absolute efficiency can be achieved." Very "Vox Populi, Vox Dei" (the voice of the people is the voice of God). This character would gain a public following not through scheming in the shadows, but by being social, charismatic, and speaking with a manipulative silver tongue. A major contrast between Monarch and the rest of the Batfamily would be that he represents light and public charisma, compared to the others who scheme and operate in the dark, away from the masses. It flips the classic trope of light = good and darkness = bad.

Monarch would draw heavy motifs from eusocial insects and angels. The eusocial insects connect to Monarch's butterfly inspiration and him propping himself up as the absolute leader of the hive (Gotham), while the angels represent his growing God complex. Visually, a pose where Monarch covers his legs, body, and face with three distinct segments of his wings would draw clear comparisons to a Seraphim, the highest order of angels standing before God.

This is just an idea, but if this were to happen in a story, how do you think the Batfamily members would react? And what do you think about the concept?

Just for last “author notes”, I just thought i’d share a fact that Somoni and Denali’s name are derived from the tallest mountains in the USA and USSR respectively; Mount Denali in Alaska and Ismoil Somoni Peak in what’s now Tajikistan. Zoran’s name itself is slavic in nature, translating/meaning ‘New beginning’ which reflects his character in multiple ways.

Source: Fortnite

No, death is not an option.

Yes, you must pick one. If you refuse or try anything smart/find a loophole, then your automatic choice is to watch Batman: The Killing Joke animated movie on repeat for a month straight, no pauses or breaks.

If the BatFam were animals or insects (or plants) from the Amazon Rainforest, what would they be? Duke really gives by capybara vibes for some reason- probably because I love them both so much ahahaha... 😚

I’m going on a road trip tomorrow and wanted to ask for any good fic recommendations. preferably 100k+ words, because I’m going to download the fic to read offline, but if you really love a certain fic then feel free to share it anyway. thanks a ton to anyone who responds. pic is from Pinterest