had trouble not clipping the entirety of "hard times" by ethel cain bc every line hurts perfectly. "9 going on 18," "i thought good guys get to be happy," "praying i'd be like you... and i still do," the refrain at the end!! it is exhausting to love someone who hurt(s) you

this is "tightrope" by tinashe, with a classic acrobatics metaphor for our boy robin 💙 he really can't control it when his loyalty to bruce kicks in, which fucks up a lot of dick's subsequent relationships! i also think any song about the cycle of heartbreak & healing is so brudick

we're back at it again with "deserve me" by kali uchis. "i like it better when you're gone..." and "can you let go of me" hurt so wonderfully. i think about dick trying his hardest to recover from his relationship (of whatever kind) with bruce by recognizing/naming the pain instead of ignoring it

a brand new song that rang my brain like a gong, "my turn" by SZA. it's dick's turn to be vindictive, messy, possessive, to reciprocate some of bruce's mistreatment! there's a sense of bitter catharsis here that i love. SZA is the master of addictive toxicity songs

this is "messy" by serpentwithfeet. just fuckin. look at the words. "wondering if you like the challenge of grooming me"!!! and then the chorus acts as a vow/curse. the artist's tone of voice is so heartbroken, so desperate. an attic wife who's demanding to come downstairs

now, "tears" by charli xcx ft. caroline polachek. the lyrics reflect the addictive toxicity of this relationship, but the most important part can only be heard—caroline Screams in the bg of the latter half of the song. agonized shrieking as they sing "this ain't love." dick needs to scream!

this one is "u say 2 me" by dominic sen. i can just imagine dick saying something like these words to plead bruce to ease up the pressure on him, to give him a break or time to decide what he wants. i really love "i'm a passing breeze..." bc dick is meant to be a free spirit! but bruce won't let him

starting with "in time" by FKA twigs, which i imagine in dick's pov. the chorus and 2nd verse are a one-two punch for me: they do pick fights and bruce does have a goddamn nerve! but still, in time, dick knows bruce will get over himself for long enough for at least one dance. peak cycle of toxicity

i need dick to wear this