#duke thomas

[kaattlin]

DUKE !

nightwing | red hood | batgirl | red robin | robin | spoiler

[spocks-husband]

I feel like when Bruce first took in Duke he made a very big point of learning how to do Black hair-- and I mean, he WORKED FOR IT. He spent like a thousand dollars on supplies, learned what every possible Black haircare product does, learned 14 different braiding patterns and styles, figured out which ones would be most efficient for patrol and most comfortable under his helmet, probably started listening to soul music at some point during this process-- it was a whole thing.

And when Duke finally moved into the manor and realized that his bathroom was fully stocked with eight different kinds of conditioners, fifteen picks, twelve containers of edge controller, one of those old Hollywood Beauty Tea Tree Oil bottles, etc., he just sorta turns. And looks at Bruce. Who is standing in the doorway very nonchalantly proud of himself for being a good dad. And Duke slowly raises his hand and points at his head. Which has been shaved since well before they met. And Bruce just kinda stares back because, somehow in his weeks of preparation he didn't consider that. And even if he did have hair that needed to be styled and cared for, Duke is like 16 and definitely knows how to do that on his own at this point in his life.

And they just keep staring at each other.

Until finally Duke says "... I think I brought my own durag."

And Bruce just kinda nods and he's like "that's cool. I uh. I'll be. In my office."

And then he goes to the Batcave and stares at a wall for three hours while Duke sends a picture to the sibling groupchat and they all tell him that Bruce just has a thing about babying his kids, he kinda can't help it, he's doing his best, so Duke leaves everything there.

(Eventually, he does start growing out his hair a bit, and on occasion lets Bruce sit him down on the floor and do his cornrows and put little yellow beads at the end because it makes him happy.)

[pinkiemachine]

BatFam Shenanigans — The Quest — Part 3

Previous part 👇

[holy-obsession-batman]

how for entirely separate reasons the Wayne kids all became immortal

— Jason: the universe considered his death a bug and fixed it (because of Superboy Prime punching the fabric of reality or sth). Death hasn’t sticked ever since.

— Damian: Lazarus juice in his veins, vroom vroom

— Tim: this one is on purpose from his part, actually. Young Justice found a technology to stase him at 17 years old because from statistical evidence adult Tim will turn out to be a world threatening supervillain

— Dick: jury’s still out whether the universe actively keeping him alive is out of love for him or out of fear of his dad going batshit insane and destroying all existing reality upon his death

— Cass: skill issue on death’s part, really.

honorable mention for Duke whose adoption status I don’t remember and whose meta power makes him the schrodinger cat of immortals

(Masterlist)

[fandomismylife]

Ok so I currently don’t have enough little things that are now cannon in my batfam world to make a list right now, so here is how Evil Baha Blast was born

Duke, talking to Jason: so Jason, how does the… *looks at him cautiously*

Jason, confused: what?

Duke: the, Evil Baha Blast? Work?

Jason, looking at Duke with absolute bewilderment: … do you mean the Lazarus pit?

Duke: yeah.

Jason: *starts laughing HYSTERICALLY, and fall out of his chair onto the floor*

Duke, trying so hard not to laugh: am I aloud to laugh at this?

Jason: *starts laughing harder*

Duke just settles for laughing quietly and trying to cover it, but failing miserably, while Jason laughs for another ten minutes. Afterwards they both think Bruce walked in at some point, but neither of them actually know.

[danilights2021]

Wait Duke was put in the Lazarus Pit?!?! When did that happen?!?!😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

growing numbers of the glowy-eyed Wayne’s AND Tim and Dick sneaking out:

[imheretoreadafic]

I think about a very important part of Bruce’s dynamic with all his gaggle of adopted children is he doesn't care if they see him as their father. They're his children.

Barbara and Steph don't see him as their father. But those are Bruce’s daughters, and he'll take care of them.

Tim and Dick didn't see him as a dad for a good while after their parents' deaths because they were grieving and didn't want to replace them. Bruce saw them as his sons even when they couldn't see him as their dad, and he saw them as his sons when they could.

Duke still has a father and mother, even if they're lost at the moment. Bruce is NOT his father. He has a father, and he's going to get better if Duke has anything to say about it, goddammit. That's Bruce’s baby and he'll protect him no matter what.

Jason can scream from the rooftops that Bruce isn't his father, and Bruce might even agree with him verbally in a fit of anger. But that's his son, that's his baby. And he'll protect him.

I truly believe that Bruce's love is unconditional. He doesn't expect his children to see him as a father, and he doesn't want them to feel like they have to leave behind their real parents. But those are his children, even if he's not their father.

[haithhegimp]

headcanon/au where duke is absolutely jason's favorite brother and they do not give a flying fuck about hiding it

dick: has anyone gotten in touch with jason lately? i havent seen him since that drug bust 3 weeks back-

duke: oh i dropped by his place yesterday, he's fine.

dick, who was almost shot the last time he visited jason without at least 1 week prior notice: you what. like. like just all of a sudden. .?

duke: yeah i got kinda worried so i stopped by. he's just investigating something big right now.

dick: mm. mhm. okay.

...

tim: jason do you think you could double check this case file for me? it's got some ties in the alley and i could use any info you might have.

jason, groaning dramatically: fine. no one in this god forsaken house can leave me in peace for one fucking second can they? fuckin hell pretender, why cant you do this shit on your own? i-

duke: jay! ive got some trouble with my essay, can you give it a read?

jason, immediately waking over: oh, sure. whats the subject?

tim:

...

damian: todd. your presence is required at the upcoming gala.

jason: i have to go?

damian: correct, you have no choice in the matter.

jason, sighing: well, if i have to deal with that then im making the best one of you come with me

damian, startled, but kind of happy: well- i.. suppose i am free that night.. i would not be particularly opposed to accompanying you.

jason: what are you going on about? (picking up his phone and walking away) duke! you free this saturday?

damian, absolutely seething and burning with shame: i must not use my swords for lethal purposes, i must not use my swords for lethal purposes, i must not use my swords for lethal purposes

narrows boys my beloved darlings

[shyjusticewarrior]

The Signal Incorrect Quotes Pt 8

Duke: Road work ahead? Uh yeah, I sure hope it does.

Duke: I could've been a theater kid. But I chose to be tolerable instead.

Duke, doing a crossword: I need a five letter work for disappointment.

Dick: Bruce.

Duke: ... *gasps* It fits.

[gh0st-king-nic0]

HELP WHAT??

Listen... All I know is that the kids I babysit were singing that one Gummy Bear song and next thing I knew my brain made a parody

[incorrectbatfam]

you know how Jesus is represented by wine and those communion wafers? (Or bread and water iykyk) Yeah so the question is what the batfamily would be represented by.

Dick: Powerade and pizza

Jason: Lazarus water and crowbars

Tim: Red Bull and embezzled cash

Damian: olive oil and pita bread

Duke: lemonade and grilled cheese

Cullen: Rockstar energy and Pez dispensers

Stephanie: milkshake and waffle fries

Cassandra: the souls of the innocent and two bagels

Barbara: green tea and chewing gum

Harper: engine oil and wood chips

Carrie: fruit punch and Girl Scout cookies

Kate: martini and batarangs

Helena: espresso and Biscoff

Luke: protein shake and Tic Tacs

Bette: pumpkin spice latte and granola bars

Alfred: Earl Gray and finger sandwiches

Selina: boxed wine and caviar on crackers

Bruce: flavorless electrolytes and credit cards

[theoreticallybread]

i genuinely believe that if not for bruce, dick and steph are the ONLY batkids that would have taken up crimefighting.

dick’s entire origin story is filled with rage and despair, he watched his parents fall to their deaths and learned that they had been brutally murdered because of something that wasn’t even their fault! his pure rage fueled his creation of robin. even if bruce hadn’t taken him in, i can tell you that he would have gone after his parents’ killer himself, and probably wouldn’t have stopped trying to rid gotham of crime even as he matured and grew a sense of empathy towards all victims. dick was already the angry robin, it only makes sense that he would have done something even without the cape.

no matter what anyone else says, jason was NOT violent. he loved being robin with all his heart because it gave him magic. it is clear to me that he hated the thought of harming innocent people especially through his time at ma gunn’s place because of his resistance to the thought of being turned into a hurting machine like the other boys. and yet as soon as bruce takes him in, he becomes just that: a child soldier. if bruce had not taken jason in, i think he would have been much happier. he knows that the deaths of his mother and father, while tragic, are not something he needs to avenge, and all he looks for afterwards is food and a roof over his head. he is not a character built on revenge, he is introduced to the concept by bruce when he is trained to defeat evil with his fist rather than his words. jason would have been an amazing teacher if he wasn’t red hood, and he would be able to help people in crime alley just the same, by providing support and a good foundation for them to accomplish things.

tim drake did not want to be robin. the only reason he ever became robin was because he needed to protect everyone who faced the wrath of an angry bruce. he is an observant person and he noticed how much harder bruce was hitting after jason’s death. he knew that bruce needed someone else out there with him to stabilize him and prevent him from doing something he’d regret. tim tried to get dick to fill that role, but when he refused tim took it upon himself instead. he’s responsible like that. tim drake most likely would’ve been a successful businessman if he wasn’t a cape because of his smarts and ability to read people.

steph is the only other robin i believe would have still worn a cape if not for bruce. she found out about her father’s wrongdoings and immediately her sense of justice told her that she needed to stop this from happening. she would be unable to stop herself from trying to protect innocent people with or without bruce, just because of her absolute need to do the right thing.

cassandra and damian are similar in the fact that they were raised as human weapons and weren’t allowed to be their own individual people. i firmly believe that they would have managed to break free of their oppressors even without bruce’s existence for talia to rely on in regards to damian. after so much time spent fighting and being used, i think they would have tried to find an identity outside of this. they probably would’ve have ended up as similar people to the ones they are with bruce in the picture, but i doubt that they would have continued to fight as much outside of absolute necessity because of the bad memories surrounding it. if they did fight, it would be in self defense and for themselves, not in accordance with what someone else wanted them to do.

duke is complicated, because while he does have a great sense of justice and is also a meta, i don’t think he would have continued to pursue the path of a vigilante for very long. i haven’t read a ton of stuff with duke, but i think i can safely say that he would have taken a step back from everything to support himself and take care of his parents after what the joker did to them. he probably would have taken up a career that involved aiding people in a more peaceful way, similar to jason.

anywho thanks for coming to my ted talk :)

[dc-gotham-instincts-wild]

I have this idea that each of the Batfam were given nicknames alongside their actual vigilante names by civilians that they do use every now and then. It's either a bird or a type of bat.

Bruce/Batman is obviously just called 'the Bat', probably it SHOULD'VE gone to a more specific species later, but yeah. By the time the Batlings showed up it kind of...... well, it just stuck and stayed.

Dick/Nightwing at first was only called Robin, but as he grew older, they named him 'the Owl' for his silence even in the air. And when some learned that there were evil owl masked assassins (Talons from the Court of Owls) the name became also a rebellion against them, they liked Nightwing better. He's a silent hunter, agile in fight, and idk Owl just fits him. 

 Jason/Red Hood literally died and came back, so they named him 'the Phoenix'. Also for his fiery nature and how he allegedly (to the civilians) died in an explosion, but came back from the black ground like a phoenix is said to rise from the ashes. 

Cass/Black Bat was named 'the Noctule', after the Greater Noctule Bat, since it just fit and also Noctule bats are known to even hunt small birds and THEREFORE are in the same league as them, lining up with how Cass is just as, if not more, dangerous as her siblings. 

I also toyed around with calling her Kite after the Black Kite, but she's Bat vibe more than Bird vibe, (even tho in my view all the Birds are still Batlike) so.... yeah. 

For Steph/Spoiler, I decided on 'the Magpie'. Magpies are smart, mischievous, and have a habit of spoiling things for others.

I toyed around a bit with Wren, since that could also work for her, but magpies are corvids and corvids are more Gotham, so I chose Magpie.  

Tim/Red Robin would get 'the Crow', both for his darker appearance as Robin and Red Robin than the previous two, the calls he lets out sometimes (In some of my AUs) and idk I just came up with it and it unsettlingly fit. So Tim is the Crow. He's smarter than expected and a bit smaller than normal but he can fight, so he is the Crow. 

Duke/Signal would get 'the Sunbird'. I checked. There's a bird called the Sunbird. It's way too obvious as to why i call him that so yeah.

He's also called the Day Bat. Cause to me, he's in direct equilibrium to the Bat and Bird thing. All the others lean more towards one side or another, but he's directly 50/50 to me, that's his vibe. So Signal is 'Day Bat' and 'the Sunbird'. 

 Damian/Robin gets 'the Swift', for the fact that he's small but deadly and fast, and it just fits him idk. Swifts are like..... idk the vibe and all fits. Robin gets the Swift.  

[anotheronleft]

This is so funny I'm dying

[gothamite-rambler]

Duke Thomas when he found out about the "Test" performed on Tim and he sticking up for his buddy/brother along with his other brothers.

Duke (on comms during a mission): When I see you stand by Selina, I believe you see two bad bitches. I believe you don't like women, it's real competition, you might pop ass with 'em.

Batman (exhausted): Excuse me?

Duke (rapping): Let's speak on percentage, show me your splits, I'll make sure I double back with you. You were signed to a trigga that's signed to a trigga that said he was signed to that trigga.

Jason and Dick listening in are too stunned to speak.

Barbara (eating cheese puffs while working, impressed): Nice switch up there.

Batman (enraged, gritted teeth): Oh, you are not doing this! I already have to deal with the others doing-

Duke (rapping with ease while decking a goon in the face): Put your eldest son through hurtles, you're a douche bag. Throwing a weapon at your second son's next, that's a jackass move. And putting the third to a test, that's hoe shit-

Duke (interrupting while rapping, enjoying this): You got a son to raise, but I can see you don't know nothin' 'bout that. Wakin' him up, know nothin' 'bout that. And tell him to pray, know nothin' 'bout that. And givin' him tools to walk through life like day-by-day, know nothin' 'bout that-

Batman (shouting to the point it startles the villains in front him): ALRIGHT I GET IT!

Jason: Nah, he's not finish yet.

Dick (in the corniest way, bless his heart): Let him cook.

Tim (amused): We may have... Told Duke stories about you while his arm was healing.

Duke: Yeah and it's good thing Robin isn't on patrol for the night, I was holding this in. I respect you B, but you... I'm tired! What did these boys do to you? Huh? Huh?!

Dick covered his mouth, smiling but also shocked. Jason was laughing. Tim smiled while on patrol with Duke.

Batman: I said... I was sorry! And I am not a bad bitch! I'm Batman!

Barbara (joining in): Bitch Man.

Batman: He's only acting like this because I said Castlevania is dumb! Which it is! That's just my personal opinion!

Tim: B ... You sent him a PowerPoint as to why it's bad.

Duke (shouting): Castlevania isn't a stupid anime just because you didn't understand Dracula as a character! Keep talking and ooh I'll start with Not Like Us! I may listen to country more, but I am team Kendrick for life!

Stephanie (laughing): B's gonna need Aloe Vera for those burns.

Batman: Okay, laugh it up! When I'm back home all of you are on punishment!

Batman cut off his communication device as Mad Hatter and Riddler watched the entire exchange after being defeated.

Riddler (watching this entire spectacle): I have no idea what's going on, but I'm enjoying it.

Mad Hatter (drinking tea): Seeing the bats angry is quite entertaining.

Riddler (complimenting his friend): I swear you always say the right thing.

Mad Hatter: So do you, pal.

Batman: Oh shut up!