Brutalia - Blog Posts

…yeah to be honest i think i destroyed with this one

parents & pedigree [x] [x]

best ships ever

if yapping about brutalia and mattelktra was a crime i'd gladly be a criminal

WHAT BRUTALIA NEEDS

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I saw the comments you left under some of my posts and I love them. Do you have any more Talia and Brutalia headcanons?

I always do!! And I will be posting tons of hcs as I post my writings and art here down the line. I come up with them on a whim usually so I’ll just say the ones I’ve been pondering lately!

Also, I’m so sorry if I was spamming you 😭 I was scrolling Brutalia tag in the middle of the night and didn’t realize that like half the most recent posts were you!!

To start, I’ve been thinking about the Lazarus pits a lot lately. Especially everything between Talia and Nyssa, and the effects and details of her brainwashing. It is a confusing timeline that I’m trying my hardest to piece together, but it seems like DC has sort of just pushed that to the back of their minds? Which is unfortunate, honestly, because if they wanted a true villain Nyssa would have been the clear answer. Instead, we ended up with evil Talia for seemingly no reason… until that black Pearl stuff showed up, and then also disappeared.

The timeline I’ve pieced together, loosely, is made with an effort to stay as true to canon as possible while also keeping away from the extremely ooc writing. I want to find a way to keep in that brief moment of freedom she had when she was running LexCorp, as well as her journey toward becoming a mother. Which I will detail a bit now, because I love to think of Talia’s relationship with motherhood!

Talia has always loved children dearly. However, the idea of being a mother herself was always sort of scary. She’d lost her own mother when she was young, and never really had a clear example of how to mother a child aside from distant memories. (I can detail my hcs about her relationship with her mother soon as well, bc those are some that I hold close to my heart.)

It wasn’t until she’d been with Bruce for a while and spent enough time around Jason that she began to feel that ‘maternal pang’ so to speak. Jason is such a bright eyed child with so much potential, and each moment she’s spent around him she only seems to like him more and more. Bruce tells her not to spoil him so much but she can’t help it! Her relationship with Bruce and Jason give her a small amount of hope for a more normal life away from the league, though she is not yet at the stage where she would be able to fully leave her father.

When Jason died, it hit her like a truck. She’d distanced herself from Bruce at that time, thinking that her presence would only cause more trouble for them if the rest of the league suspected her of defecting. So she hadn’t gotten the chance to say goodbye, or try to make things right. She brings him back for Bruce’s sake, but for her sake as well. She would have ordered the Jokers head if she could have, but she couldn’t directly cross Bruce in such a way. If Jason’s death would ever be avenged, she knew he’d have to do it himself.

Talia doesn’t just raise him from the dead and train him right away. She spends a long time nursing him back to health, taking baby steps with him. She has some of the best doctors in the world taking care of him, and when he shows the signs of being ready, then she starts his training. She doesn’t train him with hopes that he will be a killing machine. She tries to teach him responsibility, and good judgement. She tries to right the wrongs that have been committed against him as much as she can. And then he’s gone.

This is where the timeline is a bit iffy. I’m wondering if Damian would have been born at that time or not? Would he have been incredibly young? In my head, it does make sense for him to be born by then. Talia distances herself from Bruce and Jason not only for their safety, but because of the series of miscarriages she’d had in her effort to have a child with Bruce. All were kept a secret from him, except the first. She was ashamed and depressed for so long because of it. After a few tries, she’d gotten desperate enough to run back to her father for help. The Lazarus helped her birth Damian, a perfectly healthy baby, finally. But with everything that happened, it felt unfair to return to Bruce with a baby out of nowhere.

I could sit here and ramble about this for hours and hours but I’m unfortunately very busy today. Please stay tuned and I’ll continue with more of these ramblings when I can. Thank you for asking! Please give your opinions on what I’ve written, because none of my hcs are set in stone and I would love to hear if I’ve gotten something completely wrong. Although it should absolutely be noted that the version of Talia I’m writing isn’t directly related to canon. :)

I just opened up my ask page, which I did not have before because I’m very stupid and do not know how to use tumblr. I would really appreciate it if people would submit any questions they have, especially about Talia and the Al Ghul family. Also, if you have any tips on how I can make my page a bit more tumblr friendly, I’d so greatly appreciate it! I really don’t use tumblr much, I don’t have the most practice with it, so I’m still figuring things out. I hope to make my posts more aesthetically pleasing in the future. Thank youuu!!

Another poem w brutalia vibes

This poem giving Brutalia like either one of them could be saying it either way

Forgot the hashtags again

Aight so I’ve been thinking long and hard about Talias fighting style thanks to a prompt from the homie @hadariwizard and I think I have enough figured out to finally write something on it

It’s a bit difficult for me to figure out power scaling. I don’t want to say that she should be stronger or better than another character because I could be totally wrong about it. But I think she should be on par with Batman when it comes to her capabilities as a fighter. I think she could be easily compared to characters like Black Widow or Gamora from Marvel comics.

Like for one just look at them real quick

Then compare the fact that they’re both trained from young ages RELENTLESSLY to be basically living weapons. They’re both experts at various forms of combat, mastery over various weapons from melee to firearms, expert tacticians with a mind made for battle, like I can literally keep going.

And now Gamora and Talia

Gamora is raised by the mad Titan Thanos. Talia is raised by The demon Ra’s Al Ghul. These men manipulate their daughters into aiding in their evil plans, and for the most part these two women desperately want to make their fathers proud. Raised and trained to be weapons for their fathers, occasionally shown affection and love to keep them on their side. Not to mention them both having a sister who’s tried to kill them.

As for her comparisons to Batman, that just seems clear. Talia has more training than him, and has trained for a longer time. They both receive training from the same/similar people. From what I’ve seen, she’s not really seen as a person who fights frequently, so people tend to underestimate her capabilities. In reality, it just makes her seem stronger in my eyes.

Talia knows when a fight is needed and when she can get her way with WORDS. She’s clever, and a master manipulator. Like I’m talking Azula level liar. She can use her wit to get her way without ever having to lift a finger, but when she DOES fight she is a DEMON. Come on now!! I think as annoying as it is to be underestimated, it also has a very clear advantage, and Talia uses that effectively. Never let your enemy know the full extent of your power.

One fighting scene I keep imagining in my head is her in this long flowing dress with a slit down the side. She’s got one hand behind her back and the other holds a chalice of red wine. Three thugs move to attack her and she uses her legs to swiftly take them down, never spilling a drop, looking down at them and taking a sip from her drink.

Another is one where she’s fighting alongside Batman and has promised to not kill anyone so she’s taking down these armed guards and dismantling their weapons at the same time, then using the pieces as a blunt object. That sort of stuff has been done before I just think it’s fun. Like she can definitely take a gun apart blindfolded and put it back together in 30 seconds.

Thinking like Talia is probably more renown in Africa/Middle East/Asia since that’s where her family runs things the most. The public there treat her family pretty much like royalty, and that’s why she always seems really regal in the way she acts. The League of Assassins is large enough to be its own nation when you think abt it. Bc it’s not just them but their families. To me it would have started with Ra’s centuries ago, and a handful of men and women who would be brought up as warriors and then boom into something of its own. It’s extremely hard to get into and except for traders they don’t allow any outsiders. The land they live on is basically its own country with its own laws and defenses. So that might be a thing.

They have plots of land across the globe, but they’re specifically meant to converse nature. So especially places effected by wildfires and other natural disasters or places with a high amount of hunters or deforestation workers. Assassins are sent to either kill or scare these people from the land and rebuild what’s been destroyed. They’re all sanctuaries with a few people planted to protect the area. All the animals are tagged and watched closely, but only interfered with when it’s absolutely necessary.

I ALWAYS FORGRYBTHE HASHTAGS

Lighthearted Talia hcs rq

Her public image is drastically different from what is known underground. To most, she is seen as a figure of royalty. Daughter to the leader of a mysterious country. Equivalent in popularity to a real life royal, like Rania Al Abdullah. Much more popular in Africa/Middle east/Asia than the Americas, so when she’s over there on a public outing with Bruce Wayne people are often unaware of her status. Though the way she carries herself is certainly a tell, as everything she does is done with an air of regalia. Of course every world leader has secrets that few actually know.

Talia is a philanthropist through and through. She dedicates time and money to various projects that work towards a better world. She is often traveling the world rather than staying in one place because of the amount of sanctuaries she needs to check in on. She’ll often invite Bruce to these places for romantic getaways.

She is a Jack of all trades. Her intellect matches her strength, she’s witty and flirty, but stoic and serious when she needs to be. A master of traditional and modern weaponry and fighting styles (a more in-depth analysis of this coming soon.)

She goes against traditions much more than Ra’s. Where he strictly only uses weaponry like swords, Talia stays strapped when she needs to be. Where he almost always wears cultural clothing, Talia switches styles often.

My Talia is tall, like 6ft but always in heels because she can pull it off. So she’s practically Bruce’s height most of the time. She does love to look down at him.

I thoroughly enjoy the comparisons of Talia to Morticia Addams with Bruce being Gomez and Damian being Wednesday. It is very much canon to me. I love when Batman is written as a super simp because some of his old comics with Talia or so sweetly written and their interactions are so cute.

Talia is much more kind and compassionate than people make her out to be. To her people, she is well respected and feared for the right reasons. But she is also a beacon, a helping hand in the darkest times. She does care for innocent lives, at least much more than her father does, and will go out of her way to help HER people. That’s where the issue is. She really only goes out of her way to help people she is in some way even slightly connected to. People in the league, friends of friends, enemies of enemies. She will volunteer among her community, especially when it comes to preserving the land and wildlife.

I think at first she wasn’t truly in love with Bruce. She found him intriguing and quite handsome, but mostly only pursued him because her father wanted her to. She wasn’t the type of woman who busied her mind with dreams of romance, what was the point? She had dreams of running a nation, running the world. Not dominating it, but providing for it. Tending to the land and it’s people. Ra’s knew how to get under her skin. How to coerce her into aiding him, even when she watched his mind slowly become corrupt. It just made her even more busy. So as the longing for romance grew and grew, he found more and more ways to tie her down. There’s no running away from the League of Assassins. Ra’s made it clear multiple times. If she wants to be free from this life, there’s only one way out.

To me, Damian is something of a rainbow baby. Talia tried numerous times to conceive naturally, but the effects of the Lazarus pit made it impossible for her to do so. Still, Ra’s demanded an heir. So after many painful failed attempts, she used an artificial womb. She watched her son grow in a tube. She’d sit by him every day to make sure nothing went wrong, sing and talk to him, anything to make sure he was okay. And when he came out, she was overjoyed. From the moment she held him in her arms, she knew something had changed. Suddenly, the league didn’t matter. Ra’s wasn’t even an after thought. All that mattered to her was keeping her child safe. Making sure that this new piece of family would never be taken away.

Talia looks up to her father in some ways, and that’s why she goes along with what he’s led her to believe. Part of her truly yearns for family, and boy her family is FUCKED. There’s a lot of interesting points to look at between her connection to family and Bruce/Bruce’s family. I like to think of them as twin flames. Bruce is an only child who watched helplessly as his parents were murdered. He grew up wealthy and comfortable, but missing the love and fondness he craved so desperately. Talia lost her mother, and in some ways lost her father too. She has siblings, but can’t bond with them the way she secretly longs to. Bruce builds his family with the children he takes in, but Talia already has a family. One she’s trying to cling onto in any way she can. But they’re all a lost cause to her. Apart from Damian.

Melisande (Talias mother) to me was a figure of light and love for Talia in her formative years. While her father would train her, the only times he’d ever go easy were when Melisande asked him to. She was an excellent care taker. Soft and warm in contrast to the cold callousness of Ra’s. She who would hold Talia and sing her lullabies, stroke her back and hold her hand. Who could persuade Ra’a to do the best thing when doing the right thing wasn’t possible. Beloved by her people. Her death scarred the family forever. Ra’s pushed harder, his recklessness caused him to use the pits more than he should have, and caused Talia to train relentlessly day and night. It hardened both of them, but Ra’s was already stone to begin with.

Ra’s is a character I’ve been pondering for a hot minute now. His origin, and the way he got to where he is now. The effects the Lazarus has had on his character over the years. Issues where he’s presented as ruthless to EVERYONE and issues where he seems to truly love his family. And in his own twisted way, I think he does love Talia. She’s definitely his favorite. That’s why every time she leaves, he goes out of his way to get her back. If Ra’s is the head of the demon, both as a leader and as a mind, Talia is certainly the heart. I like to think this is because of Ra’s love for Talias mother. A woman who gave him humanity for a moment, and died to the liquid which makes him prosper. I don’t know what canon says, but this is just what I like to think.

I think Talia truly loves her father, and I think he loves her too. I think he is terrible, though. He’s a huge abuser, made Talia feel incapable her entire life, manipulated her into feeling beneath him. And with each use of the Lazarus, his mind becomes more and more decayed. His love for his daughter twists and corrupts. He sees her as more of a tool than a child. And she grows to resent this, but still loves him deep down. She wants to help him, but he will never accept the help. So she needs to go off on her own. As someone who kind of knows the position she’s in, it can be extremely hard to latch off of an abusive parent. Especially when you have a deep connection to the concept of family. Talia wants to stay as neutral as she can and play both sides but that physically isn’t possible with the boundaries set up by Bruce. Boundaries that he is absolutely right to put up.

Teensy peek at what I’m working on rn

🗡️ Her true passion, one which has been twisted and manipulated in many ways, was to save the earth rather than control or destroy it. To protect those who could not protect themselves. Innocent animals slaughtered for sport, trees cut for paper, entire habitats destroyed from human greed. Stuck behind glass walls and poked with sticks, forced to perform for the sick humans who laugh at their suffering. To preserve the lands and culture conquered. To ensure they are never stepped on again.

Her entire life she’s hated the city. The air is thick with grime and smog, the streets littered with filth. The stench of the street and the cars and the noise. The lights the people the killing. It was dreadful. To walk around a city covered head to toe with disease, knowing that it was once beautiful and wild. And yet, she still made time to go to the city anyway. To see her son, her beloved, and the rest of his kin. To make sure they are doing well.

She often imagines what her life could have been like if she had chosen Bruce all those years ago. If the children would’ve liked her more. If she could have ever been happy there. Live quietly as a house wife, perhaps assist in both of the family businesses. She wonders if she took too long to wake up. If it will ever be worth it. If there is still a chance for her in this world at all.

I think it would be very fun if Talia had a little reservation of wild bats and there’s one particular bat there who’s all scarred up and grumpy looking who she calls Bruce

Gentlemen prefer blondes guns

Shout out to the guy that went through all my old posts and liked all of them this one’s for you OG

These references are so infamous I’m sure everyone has used them by now but I still love these poses AND talias hair swoop AUGH

Comic version of the brutalia edit

Someday I’m gonna learn how to use CAPCUT

brutalia in your style pls? 👉👈

Brutalia it is

+ bonus Babian

I have not known peace ever since I discovered that’s fandom nickname for Baby Damian (?!)

this comic is my favorite comic I’ve ever read.

In honour of Talia being written terribly in the new web comic here's the comic everyone who writes Talia should be forced to read before doing anything

The Batman Chronicles (1995) Issue 8

This comic shows the inner monologue of Talia when she's given a mission to kill Bruce

This comic is so overlooked despite being one of the most important comics for her character. It also goes into depth with her relationship with Ra's and his possessive nature over her. Back when this was released Talia's character was about wanting freedom away from Ra's and being torn between this need for freedom and her loyalty towards him, this aspect of Talia's character is often ignored in favour of using her a villain.

What you'll find if you do go back and compare Talia's original character to how she is written now in both cannon comics but also fan interpretations is that very little of her original character remains. For this reason I will always recommend anyone wanting to write about Talia or just get into her character start at this comic as it gives a really inadept show of how her mind works.

I think Talia Al Ghul would look cute with freckles

I’ve had this headcanon for a while. But just like think about it. And if she had them it would pass on to Damian too. Maybe Bruce could kiss her freckles in a domestic bliss fanfic. Maybe she got them from her mom. Maybe when she was growing up Ra’s would always tell her how much she looked like her mother.