Actions

  • Entire Work
  • Hide Creator's Style

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Category:
Fandoms:
Relationships:
Characters:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Series:
Part 6 of Yes, I wrote seven fics for Batfam Reverse Big Bang 2023, what of it?
Collections:
Batfam (reverse) Big Bang 2023
Stats:
Published:
2023-07-11
Completed:
2023-07-19
Words:
16,745
Chapters:
35/35
Comments:
101
Kudos:
160
Bookmarks:
42
Hits:
3,356

Batman's Bird Watching Scrapbook (Cool Version)

Summary:

The story of Bruce Wayne adopting three ten-year-old boys in the span of just over a year, and training them to fight crime. Compiled from various news articles, letters, journal entries, et cetera.

(The version with the awesome workskin I taught myself coding to create that makes it look like there are actual letters and newspapers and stuff on your screen)

Notes:

I worked really hard on the formatting for this fic, but I freely admit that it makes it hell to read on a small screen. For the full experience, I highly suggest reading this fic on a larger screen, such as a tablet, laptop, or desktop computer. Even with the creator's workskin turned off, the way the text is formatted is really weird and confusing in some parts, so if you must read it on mobile, and you don't want to strain your eyes, you can find a simplified, mobile-friendly version of this fic linked as a "work inspired by this one", with only the artwork added and no extra bells and whistles like this version has. It's not as cool looking, but it has all the same content and story.

I had the supreme pleasure of working with JUBE for this fanfiction, and they made lots of absolutely spectacular art that you'll find peppered in throughout the fic. I hope you enjoy.

PLEASE NOTE: Relevant content warnings are given in the beginning notes of each chapter.

I chose not to put most of them in the tags because they typically only apply to one or two chapters which can be easily skipped.

(See the end of the work for other works inspired by this one.)

Chapter 1: Arrival of Haly's Circus in Gotham

Summary:

The circus wouldn't normally attract my attention, but Alfred had been telling me shortly before, to lighten up and do something fun. I think he could tell that my mission had been taking me to a particularly dark place at that time. I snapped at him when he made the suggestion, and ended up taking it as a way to apologize to him. I had no idea what awaited me.

— Bruce W.

Notes:

Gotham Gazette April 5, 2009

Chapter Text

Traveling circus comes to Gotham by Bill Finger
Though known to many as a dreary city, Gotham does have its bright spots. Yesterday afternoon, Haly's International Traveling Circus set down in Amusement Mile and set up their striped big top in the fairgrounds on the waterfront.

Performances begin tomorrow at 6 P.M. and are planned to continue daily until the night of April 18th, so be sure to get your ticket to see the show while they're still in town.

Haly's Circus boasts a wide variety of acts, carnival games, and sideshows including performances of trained, live, wild animals. Among those animals are Zitka the Asian elephant, and lions Gunther and Gurbel who perform alongside Wild Wilhelm the Lion Tamer. Haly's talented horseback dancer Linda Grey does the ballet atop Dungi the Zebra.

I had the privilege of being able to interview Mister Haly before opening day, though he was very busy, and am excited to pass on some of the highlights of what he shared with me.

"We've got all sorts here," he said, "all your standard circus folk, like Sando the strongman, Pedro the dwarf, our knife-thrower Zane and his lovely assistant Zephyr, a fabulously talented group of fire-dancers, as well as the greatest menagerie of clowns you'll find in any traveling circus around the world, if I do say so myself."

I asked him what made his circus special, and Mr. Haley was more than happy to answer me. "Well, sir, our circus may have many acts you've seen before, contortionists, and magicians, and a pair of stunning tattooed ladies, but you've never seen anything like the Flying Graysons," he claimed.

The main event at Haly's Circus, the Flying Graysons, Mary, John, and their son, are widely regarded as among the most skilled acrobats on Earth, with their young son, Richard, holding the high esteem of being the youngest acrobat in history capable of successfully performing a quadruple flip on the trapeze.

As if that weren't impressive enough, the Flying Graysons fearlessly perform all their daring trapeze stunts without a net. You'll definitely want to stay until the end to catch their closing act.

(showtimes for Haly's International Traveling Circus listed on pg. 14)