WARNING, PLEASE READ: Explicit and Implied Sexual Content, Graphic Violence, PTSD Flashbacks, Rape/SA (non-graphic besides Chapter 6, non-pairing; will have additional warnings below and on relevant chapters. NOT what is meant by the smut tags, those are consensual), Depression/Self Harm/Suicide Attempt (somewhat graphic account of the aftermath; again, further warnings below and on relevant chapters), Mention of Anti-Latinx Prejudice (brief, elaborated on below), Allusion to Police Brutality, Homophobia/F Slur (in two chapters, elaborated on below)

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Any smut will be marked beginning with a plain ❥ and ending with a ❥‖. Any particularly triggering content will be similarly marked beginning with a plain ✹ and ending with a ✹‖. Therefore it should be relatively easy to skip over whatever sensitive content is warned about at the top of the chapter if you should so choose without missing anything significant in the story by stopping at the first mark and scrolling until you see the next to pick back up (the ending mark will always be at the beginning of a paragraph to make it easier to spot).

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Also worth a mention that the main pairing is Jason/Dick, so pseudo incest warning to err on the side of safety, but in this universe Dick was still holding his grudge against B for longer than most (all, I think) timelines. So Dick and Jay only met a couple times before Jay died and they never ended up having any sort of brother relationship or even mentor/mentee, it was more of a 'that other kid my dad/mentor also mentored.' But obviously if that is still going to squick you/if you're still going to think of it that way, don't read.

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I am also more than happy to elaborate further on any of these warnings/answer any questions if you comment/PM me.

*All of that being said, there is NO major character death, and there is a happy ending.*

Please stay safe, and I hope you enjoy!

– J

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FURTHER ELABORATION:

Skip if you don't want spoilers and are sure you won't be triggered by above mentioned content/do not require further information to be properly prepared

Graphic Violence: Mainly your classic comic book levels, but I felt like an extra warning was needed for Chapter 6 (and there will be another warning at the beginning of the chapter). After the man assaults him and reveals he wasn't Red Hood anyway, Dick flies off the rails (like when he beats the Joker to death when he thinks the Joker has killed Tim in The Last Laugh, yeah...that level. Perhaps worse). He beats the man to the brink of death with his escrima sticks, permanently maiming him, and most of what he's doing is described, so skip to the next break if you're not great with physical violence, but aren't skipping the chapter.

There are also a few references to this and some of the others in the Batfam being disturbed by it in Chapter 7 (though they do not blame Dick).

PTSD Flashbacks and Rape/SA: There are several instances, and there will be a Content Warning at the beginning of any relevant chapters.

In Chapter 2, there is a vague flashback (and will be a link in the chapter to the comic pages where it happens for those who don't remember what happened/didn't read it and wish to understand) to Tarantula raping Nightwing after she kills Blockbuster in Nightwing (Vol. 2) #93. The comic pages are fairly graphic. The flashback is non-explicit, but it does deal with some of his internal thoughts whilst it's happening.

There are a few mentions of/references to this later as well, but not in detail.

There is also mention of/reference to when Mirage disguised herself as Koriand'r and raped Dick in The New Teen Titans issue #84 (and again there will be a link, in Chapter 9 where it is more heavily talked about, to the panels for the same reason as above. These panels do not show it happening, unlike with Tarantula — they are simply the two panels of: 1, Mirage revealing that when Dick had thought he was having sex with Kory the night before it had actually been her in disguise, Dick's shock, and Mirage telling him it's his fault because he should have noticed. And 2, Pantha calling him a slut, and Kory getting angry and asking which one of them was better).

The mentions are all very vague ('like with Mirage' is pretty much the extent of it), EXCEPTING the end of Chapter 7 (elaborated on below) and when Kory tells Jay about it in Chapter 9.

In Chapter 2 there is also on-screen molestation, in that a woman incapacitates Dick (whilst he is fighting her as Nightwing) and sits astride him, sending him into a flashback of what happened with Tarantula. She has been saying creepy and predatory things, but it is unclear if she actually intended to take advantage of him. She doesn't do anything more, thrown off by Dick's complete dissociation, and is chased off by a member of the batfam. There is difficult aftermath for Dick in the remainder of that chapter and the next, however, because of what's been brought back to the surface, which may be difficult for some to read.

In Chapter 5, Dick is unwillingly groped several times and unwillingly kissed once whilst working undercover at a club. He is not triggered by this, but is highly uncomfortable. (Also, just in case there was any question, the explicit sexual content warning and instructions to skip on that chapter does not refer to this).

In Chapter 6 IS THE MOST POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING SECTION. If you skip it, you will NOT be missing anything at all that won't be gone over again later. You can skip the entire chapter, or only read the couple paragraphs after the very last break and you will not be missing out on anything you won't be able to catch up on later.

That being said, if you do choose to read it, or are unsure if you should, it contains an on-screen, non-penetrative rape/sexual assault scene. Please be advised that Dick thinks that it's Jason whilst it's happening (à la Mirage, except that Dick is not under the impression that it's consensual this time for most of it). We see what he's thinking whilst it's happening, and some of the things said/thought could hit very close to home if you have been in a similar situation, so I would advise being very cautious or skipping the scene entirely if that is the case.

Dick repeatedly has self-blaming thoughts about all of these incidents, most notably at the end of Chapter 7 when Jason finds him on the rooftop in Blüdhaven.

In that same scene at the end of Chapter 7, and again at the beginning of Chapter 8, there is reference to Jason's assault/rape by Talia in Red Hood: The Lost Days (Vol. 1) #6, and Jason is still very much in denial about it when it's brought up in these scenes. (Again, there will be a link in Chapter 7, and the panels do not show them having sex. They show Talia convincing him and then them kissing, and it cuts off).

I call it assault and am warning about it, because although Jason 'consented', he didn't actually have the ability to consent and she was in a clear position of power over him. To name a few things wrong with the situation:

① He's much younger than her, and combined with time he didn't get to mentally grow because he was dead/lost, amnesic, and brain damaged that gap is even worse
② She's been acting as his mother figure, taking care of him, and training him since she found him wandering around without memories after he clawed his way out of his grave
③ He's not entirely sane, and she's fully aware of this. He's addled by the Lazarus Pit, and he never really got to properly work through his death and is operating on lies and half truths she's giving him to fuel his anger
④ Besides being his mother figure, she had a relationship and a child with his father figure (Bruce)
⑤ It's supposed to be revenge sex against Bruce, which isn't healthy at all in the first place, but doubly sick when you consider that her motivations are to make Bruce (as her ex that she is still somewhat stuck on) angry, and Jason's are to make Bruce (as his father figure/mentor who he feels didn't care about him) angry.

In Chapter 8, Bruce's rape by Talia, which is referenced in Batman & Son, Part Two: Man-Bats of London, is mentioned (again, there will be a link in the beginning notes). The comic pages do show a flashback scene of the two of them kissing, but not more than that; and Talia at first paints it as a consensual night to look back on fondly, before Bruce says all he remembers is being drugged senseless and refusing to cooperate in her eugenics experiment.

There are references to Dick having repeated nightmares/panic attacks to the point of being physically sick, particularly in Chapters 8, 9, and 10; and (in Chapter 7, plus mentioned in Chapter 8) of Tim, Duke, Cass, and Stephanie all having nightmares and intrusive memories of what they heard over the comms whilst Dick was being assaulted and they were unable to get to him in time.

In Chapter 10, there is an attempted rape; a man is holding one of the prostitutes in Crime Alley to the wall by the throat and saying she doesn't get to say no, but then Jason intervenes before he can do anything else.

In the beginning of Chapter 11, Dick intentionally triggers himself in an attempt to 'get over' his fear of sex. Basically, he convinces Jason that he wants to have sex/is ready, and heavily dissociates almost immediately, and it takes a few moments for Jason to realise what's happened.

In Chapter 13 Dick has flashbacks and intrusive memories of the events in Chapter 6.

In Chapter 14, Bruce brings up his rape by Talia. He merely says that it was nonconsensual and does not get into details beyond saying something was slipped into his drink. In the comic pages, it does not specify how he was drugged, but I said something was slipped into his drink because in one of the animated movies, Damian makes the (horribly unfunny) joke that Bruce needs to watch his drink so they don't end up with another of him.

In Chapter 15, another patient at the mental hospital triggers Dick badly and he experiences flashbacks and intrusive memories of the events in Chapter 6. He is also heavily dissociating, and having a full meltdown, so he is not very in control of his actions and is panicking badly.

In Chapter 16, Talia's rape of Bruce and Jason are both mentioned and Jason finally comes to terms with the fact that what happened was not okay.

Depression/Self Harm/Suicide Attempt: Dick shows depressive symptoms increasingly after Chapter 2, but things don't really require a warning until later.

In Chapter 12 (there will be a warning at the beginning of the chapter), Jason discovers Dick unconscious after a suicide attempt. There is some description of blood of vomit. When he calls Bruce in a panic, he does include some graphic details of the scene, including mention of blood and vomit again, and that Dick had 'cut himself up pretty bad'. This is implied to be a one-time thing done out of desperation, and not a habitual self-harm issue. The scars from it are mentioned in Chapters 13-16.

If you or someone close to you has ever attempted/died by suicide, this may again hit very close to home, and you can skip from when Jason decides to go to Maine after Dick until Chapter 13. You would not miss anything that I'm not about to summarise below.

If you are unsure if the content may be triggering and require more info/if you do not plan to read but would like a summary, in Chapter 12 Jason calls Bruce from the hospital where he is not allowed in to see Dick and is still unsure if he is going to live. We are able to clearly see Jason's panic, which could hit hard for some. Bruce takes the plane up, and they are let in to see Dick and told he's going to be okay but is still unconscious. When he wakes up, he's devastated to find out he's alive (again, potentially hard hitting), and they have to have the whole 'so you tried to kill yourself and didn't succeed and we're happy because we love you but sad that you still want to die' conversation.

If any of you have been on suicide watch/in a mental hospital, then Chapters 13 & 15 are something to be aware of. Dick is under watch at the first hospital and then is transferred to a mental hospital, and chafes under the lack of privacy, etc. (as most of us do). There is nothing particularly triggering about those scenes that I can think of, besides what is otherwise mentioned, though.

Prejudice/Police Brutality: At the beginning of Chapter 10, cops show up at Dick and Jay's flat, and Jason is very wary of them. Their hands go toward their guns a few times, but nothing bad happens. They were called by the downstairs neighbours, who are mentioned to be prejudiced against Jason, at least in part because he's hispanic.

Homophobia/F Slur: At the end of Chapter 14 and the beginning of Chapter 15 there is some blatant homophobia and use of the word fag/faggot (not by hospital staff).

**As I said above, if you have any questions/require further elaboration, I am happy to answer any comments/PMs.**

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If you find yourself in crisis (for reasons related to this book or otherwise), please contact a crisis line. You do not have to be on the literal brink of suicide for them to help you and take you seriously.

USA: The number '741-741' can be texted from the USA if you're D/deaf or don't wish to/can't speak aloud. Text 'START' to be connected to a counselor.

If you are a person of colour wishing to speak to a counselor of colour, I've seen posts saying that you can text 'HOME' to that number (741-741), but I am unsure if that works because I've never tried it.

Canada: Similarly, Crisis Text Line can be reached by texting CONNECT (English) or PARLER (French) to 686-868.

Otherwise: the link at the bottom of this chapter (under 'External Link' — desktop users only, unfortunately) has a comprehensive list of hotlines all over the globe (unfortunately text services seem to be rare).