Oh man, thank you so much for that lovely, wonderful review. I've gone through my whole day beaming at irregular intervals when I thought back to your comment.
I'm so glad you liked it and thought it was true to the characters, because at some points I was getting afraid that I was making this too much about Bruce. I ship the hell out of the concept that everyone in the Batfamily has had a crush on the boss at some point, but I still wanted this to be about Dick and Cass and not just about the massive Bruce/Dick, Bruce/Cass they wanted it to be. They had to be sympathetic for each other, no matter how disconnected and failing at coping they are, because they know exactly what the other is going through.
The real tragedy of Bruce and Dick, I think, is that nothing Bruce has ever done in action has been enough to make up for what Dick needs to hear in words; that he's loved, needed, and wanted as much as he loves and needs in turn.
Bruce is very, very bad for people. The more he cares about someone, the more he'll hurt them however unintentionally, and the more they hurt the more he'll care about them.
The other real tragedy of Bruce and Dick is that I'm not sure Dick would believe him if Bruce ever told him how much he cares. He'd never think that Bruce would lie, but I don't think he'd ever be sure. Dick doesn't think he's good enough to deserve it.
But it makes so much painful sense that Cass would get it, because of all of them she's the one who can read the Bat-subtext in what Bruce actually does.
In my mind Babs knows, as well. I'm not sure how much Tim knows or suspects, but Babs knows. Don't think she's not a little relieved that Bruce will never see he's been blinding himself about the love he feels for Dick, and that he would do nothing anyway. A little bitter, as well. I absolutely had to drop parallels between Babs and Cass, but I tried to keep them discreet since it wasn't in your request.
I also ship the hell out of the concept that everyone in the Batfamily has a crush on Dick, which I did manage to mention, and which I think is one of the two or three keys to explaining Cass' behaviour as well as Dick's here: Cass wants Bruce/Batman (and Dick is Batman and he's been working with Batman long enough to give decent Bat impersonations), but she also wants to be him. What do you have to do to be Bruce? You have to want Dick. Not, of course, that Bruce would ever admit, yaddayaddayadda, denial, Batbrooding in front of the Case.
The only reason there's no Jason in this fic is because we're seeing this from Dick's perspective. It's the reason I didn't chose Cass' PoV, in fact, because if I had I'd have had to mention Bruce/Jason.
Which reminds me, I remember you saying that in your personal canon Dick had lost his virginity to Bruce, and I meant to ask you how that worked out, but I forgot.
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timeasmymeasure
reposted for html fail.
Date: 2009-09-07 09:35 pm (UTC)I'm so glad you liked it and thought it was true to the characters, because at some points I was getting afraid that I was making this too much about Bruce. I ship the hell out of the concept that everyone in the Batfamily has had a crush on the boss at some point, but I still wanted this to be about Dick and Cass and not just about the massive Bruce/Dick, Bruce/Cass they wanted it to be. They had to be sympathetic for each other, no matter how disconnected and failing at coping they are, because they know exactly what the other is going through.
The real tragedy of Bruce and Dick, I think, is that nothing Bruce has ever done in action has been enough to make up for what Dick needs to hear in words; that he's loved, needed, and wanted as much as he loves and needs in turn.
Bruce is very, very bad for people. The more he cares about someone, the more he'll hurt them however unintentionally, and the more they hurt the more he'll care about them.
The other real tragedy of Bruce and Dick is that I'm not sure Dick would believe him if Bruce ever told him how much he cares. He'd never think that Bruce would lie, but I don't think he'd ever be sure. Dick doesn't think he's good enough to deserve it.
But it makes so much painful sense that Cass would get it, because of all of them she's the one who can read the Bat-subtext in what Bruce actually does.
In my mind Babs knows, as well. I'm not sure how much Tim knows or suspects, but Babs knows. Don't think she's not a little relieved that Bruce will never see he's been blinding himself about the love he feels for Dick, and that he would do nothing anyway. A little bitter, as well. I absolutely had to drop parallels between Babs and Cass, but I tried to keep them discreet since it wasn't in your request.
I also ship the hell out of the concept that everyone in the Batfamily has a crush on Dick, which I did manage to mention, and which I think is one of the two or three keys to explaining Cass' behaviour as well as Dick's here: Cass wants Bruce/Batman (and Dick is Batman and he's been working with Batman long enough to give decent Bat impersonations), but she also wants to be him. What do you have to do to be Bruce? You have to want Dick. Not, of course, that Bruce would ever admit, yaddayaddayadda, denial, Batbrooding in front of the Case.
The only reason there's no Jason in this fic is because we're seeing this from Dick's perspective. It's the reason I didn't chose Cass' PoV, in fact, because if I had I'd have had to mention Bruce/Jason.
Which reminds me, I remember you saying that in your personal canon Dick had lost his virginity to Bruce, and I meant to ask you how that worked out, but I forgot.