#it's the issue where jason gets arrested and damian gets shot in the back

[hood-ex]

Pfft just remembered that after Babs insinuated she could be the reason for Jason to stick around in Gotham, Jason denied it, and when Babs asked why, Jason said, "Because, Barb, it's like you said... I'll never be Dick Grayson."

[zorilleerrant]

people say that comics erase disability and trauma, and most of the time I don't think erase is the right term so much as that they just never follow up, because there are so many continuity issues that just get forgotten about

moving out of Wayne Manor, they carefully showed Bruce taking all the pets... somewhere. and then we just haven't heard about them since

also his brownstone blew up. where is he living

he was arrested for murder, and then, just... no one follows up? there are no further interviews, no articles, nothing?

Tim openly has a boyfriend. he's a public figure. how come no one's confronted him about it or done a TV special

also he got shot. that's something they have to report. and something of interest about a public figure too

then there's the fact everyone thought he was dead for a while and they don't seem to have done anything to bring him back to life legally. how often is this happening that no one is curious

Jason owned the Iceberg Lounge and transferred it into private hands but now it's owned by the Penguin estate again somehow

Duke and Damian, both minors, have just been gone. not in Gotham. and this pretty much on the heels of Duke's adoption. given the multiple child deaths in Bruce's family, I really think this would further awkward rumors about him

does Beth actually exist in main continuity? and if she does, does the rest of the Batfam know about her? or is it just that one story in Urban Legends that isn't connected?

remember how Dick had a school and then it got demolished but they rebuilt it and inducted a new class. does it. does it still exist. does he still teach there

for that matter, does Jason's orphanage still exist and do M. Mallah and the Brain still work there? (I'm pretty sure his school is defunct but I don't know what happened to the kids)

did Steph's dad go to jail or what. like what's the legal precedent there. shouldn't there have been a trial or something

I feel like none of her family are worried that Cass has disappeared but I'm also not sure where in the continuity that's happening

are the Batgirls really trusted again on the word of one fairly recent podcaster who was not previously a reliable news source. or was something in there supposed to publicly exonerate them

Claire literally still lives in Gotham and it seems like she flies around at random. why does no one in the Batfam see her

Harper is retired but she must still talk to everyone sometimes? like they are still friends and all. possibly

I feel like, also, at least someone should be like 'hey where did that Monkey go did everyone see him'

so, yes, it does seem weird that none of the Batfam's PTSD seems to come up much until they have nightmares, and Jason has full upper body mobility, and Babs only mentions her chronic pain/mobility issues sometimes, and no one has lasting issues from shattered bones they've gotten, but. nothing else seems to have lasting impacts either. where does anyone live, honestly

[dg-outlaw]

@meara-eldestofthemall -- no hate at all, in fact, I completely agree.

While I'm fine with elseworld and other random iterations of Batman like WFA, I feel like there are also a lot of random Batman runs that seem to mix and match canon and it's hard to tell what's what. Is Bruce Mr. Nice PTA dad watching Damian play soccer, is he in space with the JL, or is he hijacked by Failsafe and having an identity crisis while beating the crap out of his kids, allies, and rogues? DC's answer: Yes!

What even is canon anymore?! And god forbid anyone try to write fanfic that incorporates canon!

The silver lining is that random internet debates over canon start to lose steam, because it's all canon and nothing makes sense.

I also agree that DC has lost sight of Bruce as a character and I think part of that is our modern and collective animosity toward the rich. Is Bruce even a billionaire anymore? (see above about canon chaos)

I get that comics are often a vehicle for social commentary and reflecting our modern world, but they're also fiction, escapism, and fantasy. So why not have Bruce be a good billionaire (even if that's an oxymoron), and definitely let him be a decent person... even if he has angst. Ultimately, would Ma and Pa Wayne approve?

Ultimately, he needs to be a symbol and a beacon. He can be flawed, angsty, and lost in his own shit, but that's where the rest of the Batfam come in. Yes, Batman is the leader, father, and mentor, but part of the dynamic is how they help him too. It's a push and pull. (more on this below with Robin)

This is also where I agree with @paladin-of-nerd-fandom65 in letting Detective Comics and other Gotham-centric stories revolve around more of the other characters. Often DC will give these characters one or two stories spanning several issues, and if they don't sell like hot cakes then it's back to the shelf they go. Instead, they should opt for shorter stories, team-ups, crossovers, etc. and allow readers to get to know and fall in love with those characters. The Detective Comics run with Robin (Tim), Spoiler, Orphan, Batwoman, etc. and the Outsiders run with Signal, Black Lightning, Katana, etc. were both really interesting IMO and it gave other characters a chance to shine while still having Batman in the background. This then allows him to still make appearances (for sales) and be more of a mentor, guide, or ally when needed.

As far as Damian goes, I'm not against him being "a" Robin, but as Batman's Robin, I agree that his dynamic is very different than with the previous Robins. See above about Batman needing allies, especially a Robin.

While I think Tim is stuck in this state of arrested development in being "Robin but not Robin" (partially because they can't really age up Bruce too much more), I used to think he needed that next evolution like Dick or Jason into his own unique character. But given the storyline of his future Batman self and how much that scares him, I think there's a part of Tim that needs (at least in his mind) that safeguard of not being solo or the one to call the shots. I think he does well with the Teen Titans or Young Justice, but when trying to decide between Damian or Tim, I agree that Tim is the better choice as the emotional anchor and light for Bruce, whereas with some maturity (which Damian has had over the years) Damian might be a better choice for a team.

While Damian was previously with the Teen Titans, I think that run pushed Damian too hard as the "does not play well with others" character. It was a decent idea, but had him alienating himself from the team too much. I think another go could have him be more like Dick and Tim when they've been the Robin on a team--a leader, friend, sometimes lone wolf, but who ultimately needs the team just as much as they need him (see animated 'Teen Titans' and 'Young Justice' for reference).

I also think Damian has come a long way since his debut as the angry, little murder ninja, and future versions of him have shown his maturity and evolution in being a good Batman and in some ways a better Batman than Bruce. So I think showing some of that growth within the gap of his youth to some undetermined future would be interesting.

Also, DC needs to do some timey-whimey magic or something and bring back Alfred. I feel like that would at least fix half the stuff going awry with Bruce. Is he perfect? No. But he's another one of those touchstones that sort of keeps things afloat.

What's your biggest comic book unpopular opinion?

Thanks 😊

Batman….WAY TOO MANY BOOKS, mainly books directly starring him

Both canonical/maninline and elseworlds, he’s got too much. This isn’t 1989 or 2008 anymore. There’s not that strong of a Batmania going on anymore

Cut back the amount of books starring him to his solo and Detective Comics, and even then for Detective Comics he’s not the only star. Make it a freaking anthology for the rest of the Batfamily or even other pulp/detctive based heroes including the Question or even the GPD

@confusedhummingbird Thanks for the ask, it’s appreciated XD

[goggles-mcgee]

Wish Me Away Random Headcanons

• For Marietta's 10th birthday Harley bought her a Hyena since she seemed to love Lou and Bud so much. Mari loved her new pet which she lovingly named Ha-Ha-Harley.

Bruce was so not amused. Quite the opposite in fact. Damian of course was thrilled to add another pet to the family. Alfred suggested Bruce make another Manor for the pets of the family. Dick immediately asked if he could get an elephant if they did end up doing that.

• Harley and Mari hang out sometimes when Mari goes to stop Harley's crimes as her fox hero self, Maid Marian (Dick and her watched Robin Hood once and she loved it). When she shows up her and Harley just stop what they're doing and have a "Pigtail Pals" Day.

This has resulted in many heart attacks for Bruce in the beginning who would immediately track them down. One such instance:

"Marian! Quinn! You've got to stop doing this."

"But Daddy! It's Pigtail Pals Day! You can't be here, you don't got pigtails!"

"Yeaaaaaah Daddy, you ain't got no pigtails! Unless you count the spikes on the cowl!"

"....."

"...."

"I..."

"Don't. I heard it as soon as I said it Bats. I may have daddy issues but they aren't near that bad to be a kink. How about I take mini pigtails to the movies and we forget this every happened? Deal?"

"Deal."

"Yay! Movies! Bye Daddy!"

"....Bye Princess...."

• Everyone asked her why she didn't want to go by Robin Hood when in her fox hero form and she said it was because they already had a Robin, and pointed at Damian, and a Hood, and pointed at Jason.

• She and Cass have weekly Barbie Movie marathons. Sometimes they let Dick join them. Cass really likes the ballet centered ones and her and Marietta dance along when the dance scenes come on.

• During a heist where Riddler and Penguin needing Catwomans help they almost got caught because they were caught off guard by the sight of Catwoman walking in holding a CHILD'S hand. A child dressed like a cat.

All she said was. "It was my night to babysit so let's make this fast. I promised Kitten I'd make grilled cheese for dinner."

The other shock was when the child look at Riddler for a very long time then looked back at Catwoman and said. "Kitty? Why are working with Hook Man?"

Friendships were almost broken that night.

• Tim forgot to tell the Titans he had a new baby sister but they found out during a team meeting when she literally popped out of NOWHERE crying and making grabby hands for Red Robin. Who immediately dropped the leader voice and started cooing to this small child!?

Team meeting was forgotten. A new meeting was held. A meeting all about Tim's new little sister.

• Duke was so proud because he taught Marietta how to fist bump, but she calls it knuckles. He went around showing everyone and taking so many videos. He literally cried when she fist bumped him back the first time and giggled.

• Babs loves Mari. She does. She does not love when Mari wants to mess with all her computers. She bought her a toy computer and thought that would make sure she wouldn't want to mess with babies but noooooo. Somehow it made it worse.

Marietta was more determined to touch her computers. She would climb chairs. Push over things she knew she could climb on. Or be deceiving and have Babs hold her while "innocently" playing with her toy computer.

• Someone once asked Gordon who his favorite Wayne was and he said Titus but that Marietta was a close second because she sometimes listened to him.

Everytime he sees her he gives her a GCPD badge sticker. He cried when she busted into his office and yelled. "GCPD Hands up! Up!" That day many officers were "arrested" for outrageous crimes. The best thing though was when someone brought in the Joker and she went over with her pipe cleaner handcuffs and went, "I arrest you."

"How about no?"

"I kick you then."

"I'd like to see you try squir-"

And then everyone in the precinct watched as little Marietta Wayne soccer kicked Joker in the shin and ran away giggling.

The guy who worked the security cameras gave everyone a copy of that moment for Christmas.

• Scarecrow once ran into little Marietta and he's not quite sure how he feels about her. He had heard a lot about the youngest Wayne so instead of just spraying her with his fear gas right away he asked her. "What do you fear most?"

"Fashion disasters. I don't need spray to see them, I'm already looking at one."

He had been so offended that he had to take a moment for himself but it was a moment too long apparently because next thing he knew he was being shot with rubber bullets by Red Hood.

• She guilt trips the hell out of reporters. Gotham's favorite lines are:

"Why do you stalk my daddy?"

"I'm not allowed to talk to strangers. Bye."

Literal just screaming and bursting into tears (she did it on purpose)

"Before you imply that I am a charity case, can I direct you to the fact that this is in fact a Charity Gala...for actual charity." (This is one for when she's older)

"Are you sure you're not a rogue?"

[heyitsani]

Another Dream

Omega!Dick Week Day 6: Accidental Pregnancy

Word Count: 1841

Rating: Teen and Up

Warnings: Mpreg and Robincest (obviously)

Pairing: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd

Summary: Jason is in Brazil when a call about Dick collapsing while out on patrol with Damian comes in.

Notes: This seems like it’s going to be angsty, but it’s really just a fluff piece filled with love.  

Reminder: Day four’s story is being posted today as well because I didn’t want to spoil this one.

You can also read this on AO3 here

“Hood, come in.”

Jason cringed when the sound of Bruce’s Batman voice came over the comm line he had promised to keep on while he was out in South America with Artemis and Bizarro.  It had been years since he had gone on mission with them, but when they had called asking for help Dick had told them Jason would be there. And despite Jason pointing out that he could make his own decisions, Dick still insisted he go.  Gotham was covered and Bludhaven was good with just Nightwing, but he could call for backup if the need arose.  And James was thirteen, more than capable of looking after himself while Dick was out patrolling the city.  Even though Dick promised to have someone come stay with the teenager while he was out just to calm Jason’s worried.

So, Jason had reluctantly agreed.

That had been almost a week ago and though Jason still worried, the multiple times a day both Dick and James contacted him was enough to get the job done.

“What can I do for you Old Man?”  Jason asked, landing a kick to the chest of one of the thugs in the warehouse he and Bizarro were currently clearing out while Artemis took care of the kids that the scum had been gathering to sell.

“It’s Nightwing. You need to come back as soon as possible.”  Jason froze for a moment before punching the man in front of him and knocking him out cold. A glance toward Bizarro told him that the clone was finishing off the last of the men so Jason could focus on Bruce in his helmet.

“What do you mean ‘It’s Nightwing?’  What. Happened.”  He demanded, drawing Bizarro’s attention as the last guy went down and they were surrounded by silence.

“Birdie okay?”  Jason waved a hand to his partner to ask him to hold on the questions for a moment.

“Flamebird was patrolling with him while Superboy stayed with Jamie.  Nightwing and him were breaking up a bank robbery when Nightwing just dropped.  Red Robin picked the pair up and are headed to Leslie as we speak.”  No reasonable explanation for the drop.  No ‘he had been hit by a bullet’ or ‘he took a nasty punch to the face’.  Just he dropped.

“I’m in fucking Brazil, B,” Jason growled, starting to ziptie the thugs as Bizarro gathered them in a pile for the authorities to apprehend.  “It’s a ten-hour flight!  Unless you have a teleporter on hand.”

“No, you just need to get on a plane.  What airport are you near?  I’ll get your ticket set up.”  Jason spat out their location and he could hear Bruce typing into the computer on the other end.

“Birdie?”

“I don’t know, Bizarro,” Jason admitted carefully.  He knew that even though they had had minimal contact, Bizarro had fond memories of Dick. The clone also knew how much Jason loved Dick and that was enough to love him in his own way.

“You have an hour to get to the airport that’s twenty minutes away, Hood.”  Jason gave a grunt of acknowledgment.  “Do you have an earpiece for the flight so we can contact you once we hear more?”

“Yeah, I’ll set it to the same frequency.”  Bruce confirmed before signing off with a click and Jason lifted the face plate of his helmet.  “Let’s get to Artemis and then I need to run.”  Thankfully, he had all his needed documents for flying already on his person. But would have to have Artemis and Bizarro bring back his other gear when they came back to the states.

“What the Batman say about Birdie?”

“What’s this about Nightwing?”  Artemis called out from her spot next to a group of children.  A group that held a larger number than Jason had assumed, and it made him want to go put some bullets in skulls.

“He collapsed while on patrol with Robin.  They airlifted him to the hospital and B got me a ticket to fly home.  I need you two to bring my gear back when you fly back stateside.  I have to run,” Jason explained as they got closer to the redhead.  The woman looked him over thoughtfully before nodding. Jason removed his helmet the rest of the way and handed it to Bizarro before checking his ID and passport over, zipping his jacket closed to hide the emblem on his chest.  The guns and other various weapons went next and Artemis easily placed them on various spots in her gear.

“This is the close of this case.  We will be heading stateside within 24 hours.  We will contact you as soon as we are in Gotham.”  Jason nodded as he handed over the last of the items that would have him flagged on the flight before thanking them both.

“Just go to Birdie.”

Jason stormed through the front doors of Leslie’s, barely containing his strength so he didn’t break anything.

“Jason!”  Tim stood from his spot in the corner where he was apparently working on his laptop.  “He’s fine!”

“Then why didn’t B say what was wrong?  I’ve been waiting for almost half a fucking day, freaking out on a plane and trying not to be arrested for agitation.  Where is he?” He didn’t bother waiting for a response, pushing through the doors that led to the back.  He had been in this clinic enough times to know his way around.

“Ah Jason, Dick is in here with Bruce and your son,” Leslie waved him over as she stepped into the hallway. “He is fine, Jason.  I promise.  But he asked to keep the issue between me and him until you arrived and that is why you have not received word.  Bruce is, as you can imagine, quite beside himself,” Leslie filled him in as Jason walked quickly toward her and paused at the door.  He took a moment to look through the small window to see his husband sitting up in the bed with a smile on his face, their son curled up next to him on the bed.  Bruce occupied a chair next to the bed and he certainly looked irritated from the way he held himself.

“Jay,” Dick sighed, smiling at the sight of Jason pushing the door open and coming inside.

“Papa!”  James jumped off the bed and bounded over to Jason and immediately Jason picked the boy up into his arms.

“Hey Little Bird,” Jason hugged his son as he walked over to Dick’s bedside.  Leaning down, keeping James in his arms, he pressed a kiss to Dick’s lips and took a deep breath.  Something about his scent was different.  Not bad, and definitely familiar, but different.

“Bruce, James, would you two mind leaving the room for a moment while I have a discussion with Dick and Jason?”  Jason watched Bruce scowl, but James let himself be set down and headed for the door, almost like he already knew what Leslie had to say.

“B really, once Jay knows, we’ll tell everyone.  Just let me tell my husband,” Dick coaxed Bruce into leaving.  The older man sighed, but kept the scowl on as he walked out of the room. Jason shook his head before looking back to Dick and taking his hand.

“What’s wrong?  I have been freaking out since Bruce called and I need someone to throw me a bone here.”  Dick chuckled and Jason looked at him, ignoring Leslie.  If he had to describe the way Dick looked and how he smelled, Jason would say happy.  Maybe a little nervous, but definitely happy.

“You might want to sit, Jay,” Dick waved to the chair next to Jason.  Though he was suspicious, Jason took the advice and sat in the chair without releasing Dick’s hand.  “I’m perfectly healthy, there’s nothing wrong with me.”

“Then why did you collapse on patrol?”

“I’m pregnant.”

Jason’s world came to a halt as he processed the information. Pregnant.  But they had decided after James they weren’t going to have another.  It had been too hard on Dick’s body.  He had been miserable and sick the entire time, bedridden for the majority of the final trimester.  And the labor and delivery had been worse.  They had almost lost both of them and Dick and Jason had both agreed, James was enough.

“But…”  Jason tried to form words, attempting to articulate the mess in his head.  “When? How?”

“My last heat, when James spent the week with Dami and Jon?”  Jason remembered that.  Almost four months ago.  He had assumed Dick would be due for a heat when he got back from his mission.  “I had that infection before that, and the antibiotics had nullified the suppressants.”  Jason looked over to Leslie for confirmation and she just gave him a wide smile, nodding her head.

“But we didn’t know? With James you were sick at a month. You’re how many weeks now?”

“He’s almost eleven weeks,” Leslie finally spoke up and handed over a familiar image.  An ultrasound image of the baby in Dick’s womb. Jason carefully took it and stared down at it.  “She’s a little on the small side, but all the tests say she’s perfectly healthy.”

Jason’s head shot up to look at her.  “She?” He choked out.

“She, Jay. We’re having a daughter and she’s being a hell of a lot nicer than her brother was,” Dick pulled his attention, smiling brightly at Jason.  Jason’s turquoise eyes bore into Dick’s sapphire ones for a moment before he surged forward and kissed the other man breathless.  He could hear Leslie chuckle before excusing herself from the room.

“I was so fucking scared when I never heard anything about your condition on the plane,” Jason admitted when he pulled back just enough to speak and look into Dick’s eyes again. “But this…god, Dickie.  I didn’t even realize I wanted this.”

“Me neither, Little Wing,” Dick admitted as he placed a hand on Jason’s cheek.  They had both been okay with just having James.  It had been thirteen years since their son was born and neither of them had even mentioned another kid.  “We’re never going to hear the end of it, though.”  Jason frowned.  “I’m almost in my second trimester and neither of us noticed.  And now that I know, it’s so obvious that I have no idea how we didn’t realize.”

Jason pulled back as Dick pulled down the blanket that was covering him and tugged up the black t-shirt. And yeah, there was the bump.  How they had managed to not notice that was beyond him.  Placing a hand on the slight swell, Jason sighed.  Now the familiar twist to Dick’s scent made sense.

“We should tell James before everyone else.”  And Jason completely agreed.  “Go get him?”

“Yeah,” Jason agreed, pressing a kiss to Dick’s stomach and to his lips.  “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Grinning, Jason pulled back completely and headed to the door to get their son so they could tell him the good news.

[yicruz48]

My Review on the Teen Titans(2016) So Far

Date Written: March/14/2020-March/18/2020

Updated: May/10/2020

[Overall review of Special 1, Annual 1 and Issue #20-40]

My Opinion So Far [Issue #20-40 written by Adam Glass]:

-> In comparison to the first 19 issues of the Teen Titans, issue 20 and on have been bearable.

-> I will reiterate this over and over again; I will never understand why create new characters (Djinn, Roundhouse and Crush) when DC has a perfect stash of characters that Damian is already acquainted with (Colin, Maya, Surren, Maps and Jon). Although, having characters like Red Arrow (Emiko Queen) and Kid Flash (Wallace West) apart of the Teen Titans is understandable.

-> But again, in comparison to last group of Teen Titans [issue #1-19], I favor this group more. The first 19 issues are just literally Starfire, Beast Boy and Raven parenting Damian in Bruce's absence.

-> In my opinion this group is much more balance in terms of heroing experience:

A) Literally new to being a superhero and working in a group: Djinn, Roundhouse and Crush.

B) Still figuring out their place in superhero world: Robin, Red Robin and Kid Flash.

-> I am totally in favor in Kid Flash being considered the “moral compass” of the group. But so far in the Glass’s run haven’t really seen Wallace really prove this.

->It really shows that Glass had no idea or didn’t bother to do research on Emiko. Glass wrote Emiko as a sort-of Damian clone (And we all know Glass doesn’t write Damian well, so a badly-written-Damian-clone). Emiko is much more sarcastic and upbeat type of individual and wasn’t written that way.

->You can also tell Glass didn’t do research on Wallace. Wallace has a love for comics, is actually quite intelligent and is a prodigy engineer, but none of that was really expressed in the 20 issues.

->Crush, AKA Xiomara Rojas is a character besides the core three that I’ve grown to like. She is an empowered latinx Lesbian feminist who could care less what you think of her. But her backstory is rooted in stereotypical and racist beliefs. Her adoptive parents were druggies who were constantly running away from legal issues...ring a bell? Yea, its the common stereotype that latinos are all drug dealers, a stain on society and always run away from the legal ramifications of their actions. As as a latina myself, this was was extremely disappointing to see. 

-> I have a lot of issues with the hyper-focus on Robin, as much as I love Robin content, I feel like like every-other mission the Teen Titan’s have revolves around Robin. I would like to explore Red Arrow, Kid Flash and Roundhouse’s character development more. And I believe writer’s are totally capable of advancing Robin’s character development without the mission being tied to him anyways.

-> I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Robin’s ongoing goal to create a criminal system better than their superhero processors (mainly Batman and Superman) who only arrest criminals in a prison with “a revolving door” which criminals always escape from. Although, I ABSOLUTELY hate how Adam Glass has handled how Robin has gone upon learning the best system.

-> I have to admit, I like how most of the members are comprised of teens that...

A) Been raised/used to kill; Robin, Red Arrow and Djinn.

B) Are related to villainous characters; Robin, Red Arrow, Kid Flash, Djinn and Crush.

In the words of Kid Flash, the Teen Titans are just, “a bunch of screwed up kids,”

-> I strongly dislike the love triangle that Adam Glass (the previous writer) was creating between Robin, Crush and Djinn. I felt like Djinn was just created to mimic the popularity of Damian x Raven and it just lessens the value of characters like Crush and Djinn. (Plus I am on the side that believes that Robin should developing his friendships before developing a romantic interest). Hopefully, Robbie Thompson (New and current writer), will throw that idea in the trash. Although I wouldn't mind Djinn × Crush though😶.

-> Also I hate the connection Adam Glass created between Robin and Roundhouse (Billy Wu). It was soo unnecessary, and he could've found another creative way to get Djinn a trapped in her ring🙄.

-> Love the growing friendship between..

1. Robin and Red Arrow

2. Red Arrow and Crush

3. Kid Flash and Roundhouse

4. Crush and Djinn

5. (Would like to see Robin and Kid Flash’s friendship grow)

-> The build up to "The Other" for over 18 issues [Issue #20-38] was disappointing. I am still trying to understand the villain motivations because it made no sense whatsoever besides the obvious fact that Adam Glass was attempting to give Robin yet another useless redemption arc he didn't need.

-> Excited at the connection between “The Book of the Damned” and Batman #666 ( I will most likely make a post expanding on this). This offers an explanation as to why Damian was suddenly using magic in that one Batman issue and claiming he could take down Superman with magic in another issue.

-> Robin's "Prison", AKA torture chamber. Although it's not out of Damian's character to believe that his father's way of imprisoning villains in Gotham is GREATLY lacking better security, I DO NOT THINK DAMIAN WOULD CREATE A PRISON, much less a torture chamber. Damian does research on ALL the batfamily including his own father, he would know that Bruce attempted something similar  and failed which would make Damian hesitant about creating his own. Instead of developing his character this whole fiasco with the prison just ruined it and gave Damian haters another tool in their arsenal to “prove” Damian is evil (which no, its just bad writing).

-> Yes, I will acknowledge that Robin is not the kindest of the batch. But Blackmailing Black Mask with threatening to put his son's life endanger-even if he was bluffing-would not be something Robin would do. Robin is known to have compassion for children (*cough cough* Batman: Streets of Gotham) and wouldn't use a child as leverage to get his way EVEN if he was desperate.

-> Robin basking in the pain of his prisoners. LIKE EXCUSE ME, WTF. Like Robin does enjoy beating up criminals who deserve it but the way Adam Glass wrote it made it seem like Robin was a sadist and a psychopath.

-> Pissed off they killed Emiko’s development by killing Deathstroke. There really wasn’t any real reason given as to why Emiko “killed” Deathstroke. 

-> Don't get me started on the fight between Red Hood and Robin. JUST DON’T.

But I have hope:

Teen Titans issue #39 and #40 written by Adam Glass and Robbie Thompson.

As you may or may not know, Robbie Thompson has now replaced Adam Glass as a writer. And his first issue he worked on was released February [issue #39] and I've already been seeing some improvements. Robbie will be fully taking over after issue #41.

-> Robin has stepped down as leader. Leadership in the Teen Titans will now be a collaborative approach.

-> The Teen Titans struggling and learning on working as a group instead of working under one leader. They've already failed their first mission as a team without Robin as leader. Which I'll give them a break for, they've recognized how poorly their plan was executed themselves. But this just shows that the writer is demonstrating that the Teen Titan's is still learning how to best work together without a leader.

-> Robbie Thompson is now writing Damian more in character. Instead of writing him off as an asshole for no reason like previous writers.

-> Confirmed Damian went to hell after being killed by Heretic. With an added plus of the Teen Titan’s finally learning a bit more about Robin’s past.

-> Brought up Damian’s ongoing internal struggle of finding his own path that isn’t influenced by his father or his grandfather.

-> I’ve gotta admit, issue #40 has exceeded my low expectations I have set for the past 19 issues.

What I am Actually Looking Forward to [Upcoming Issues]:

Teen Titans #41 / Teen Titans Annual #2

Written by Adam Glass and Robbie Thompson

-> Finally, we get Batman's involvement in all this. I just hope he doesn't beat up Damian like he did Jason 😒. I’d like to add there was actually foreshadowing for this encounter in Teen Titans #26 (I believe).

-> But the only reason I am looking forward to this because it seems like Robin has been keeping this new group of Teen Titan’s secret (including their base), or at least heavily restricting Batman’s involvement.  

-> And even though I think I know why Damian has been trying to keep this new Teen Titans a secret from Batman (if my theory is correct), I'm curious to hear it myself from him (if the reason is written well).

-> Don't get me wrong, I am pissed that the writers decided Batman is going to fire Robin. Although, I am not against Damian being his own superhero (I actually don’t want Robin to take up the Batman mantle), but I can see DC writers abusing this. Killing his character development and making him evil like they've been foreshadowing in some comics 😒.

-> Although, I am not sure if it's really gonna happen, or Damian got the memo, because Damian appears to wear the Robin outfit in future covers of the Teen Titans.

-> I am excited the current Teen titans getting a glimpse of Batman's and Robin's current strained relationship(maybe even learning more about Robin’s upbringing). The Teen Titans (except Red Arrow) are always criticizing Robin for his way of thinking without questioning the influence to his thinking.

Teen Titans #42

Written by Robbie Thompson

->Batman kicking them out of Mercy Hall?  I am actually kinda of excited for a Teen Titans without a base. 

-> But I wanna know what this means; less oversight by Batman or more?

-> I wonder what will motivate the team to retrieve Robin back into their team? The only one's who actually seem to have some sort of relationship with Robin is Red Arrow and Djinn, besides them, everyone seems to despise Robin

Teen Titans #43

Written by Robbie Thompson

-> We are FINALLY getting a proper reaction from Robin to Nightwing's near death. What we got from Nightwing Annual was definitely not enough.

-> Apparently, Damian goes on a hunt for KGBeast (who shot Dick). Which I don't see as out of character because we all know how much Damian cares for Dick, who is a brother and father figure to Damian (more than Bruce).

-> Hopefully, the Teen Titans don't let him kill or have lethal vengeance against KGBeast because that would just kill his character development 😡. 

->I wonder if this issue will tie in with the Joker War where apparently Dick is suppose to get his memories back. I doubt it, but thought I’d mentioned it.

I've been reading Teen Titans because I've been desperate for new Damian content. But it seems like the comic is finally starting to get interesting with Robbie on board.

I wanted to give you an honest review on what I've thought of the Teen Titans so far just in case you've been on the fence about reading it or not. I've tried not to hold back on my criticism so my review is as honest as it can be.

So I'll leave it to you guys to decide whether you will read it or not.

[batbirdies]

In your storyline ccat did Dick send Jason to Arkham like he did in the comics? How does Jason feel about that? How does Dick and the family

EDIT: I did not mean to post this yet. Ugh. The post button is too close to the little dots that let you save a draft and now it keeps not saving my edits. I was going to do some fact checking and, you know, general editing before posting but now we’re too late. I might make a more readable post about this later...

Get ready for an extremely wordy, answer.

So, this is an interesting question. Because I know that most batfans do consider this to be canon. Dick sent Jason to Arkham.

However - I read those comic issues, and even re-read them after getting this ask just to see if I missed something. And it’s very possible I still did since it could have been referenced much later in a comic when talking about the whole thing past tense. But....while Dick was there when Jason was arrested - he was arrested, as in by actual police, specifically, commissioner Gordon. He wasn’t taken in by Dick as Batman.

So while we can infer, possibly, that Dick had an influence on what facility Jason was actually brought to. It seems to make perfect sense to me that the police and court system would have ruled Jason criminally insane and sent him to Arkham themselves. ESPECIALLY after the arch in which he was arrested in. (The professor Pyg one, quickly followed by Flamingo the assassin where Jason does something so dangerous in order to kill flamingo that Dick asks him “was that some kind of suicide attempt?”)

Now, we could reason that Dick could have gotten Jason out of Arkham buuuuut, there’s so much to go into honestly... and I’m gonna go ahead and skip it here because basically everything I would say in relation to this will be the same as my reasoning if Dick was the one who was directly responsible for Jason being sent to Arkham.

So let’s go there, let’s say Dick was responsible for Jason being locked up in Arkham. Let’s first look at Dick’s options here, what places could he send Jason? He could send him to a regular prison, Blackgate, made for extremely dangerous criminals, or he could send him to Arkham Asylum, made for the criminally insane.

(One might also argue that he could have just not had him sent anywhere and let him go free, but let’s be real and honest here, unless you are the type of Jason Stan who thinks he’s perfect and never made bad decisions or been at fault for any apparently poor ones, this is faulty reasoning. Jason has not only been responsible for the deaths of a ton of people in recent times to this arrest, he also attempted to reveal Dick and Damians identities to the world and pitted himself directly against Batman and Robin in these issues. He tried to get in their way, ruin their plans, to prove that his methods of vigilanteism were more effective and in general, better than the bat’s. He was actively attempting to ruin their reputation and turn people against them.

You could reason he was also responsible, in a roundabout way, for Damian’s very serious injuries in this particular issue, where he is shot five times and ends up paralyzed from the waist down and must be rescued and operated on by Talia’s expansive medical team.

End note being: they had to lock him up. I certainly would have felt I had no choice.)

Sending him to a standard prison would never have been an option, Jason would have broken out in a matter of days if they ever would have even managed to get him locked inside. So Dick would have to choose between Blackgate and Arkham.

In later issues, after Bruce is back, he goes to visit Jason when Jason keeps appealing to be sent to Blackgate because he is sane and has passed all the tests they’ve given him with flying sane colors. Bruce says that he is in Arkham “For his own protection” implying that as Red Hood he made some massive enemies, a lot of whom are imprisoned in Blackgate at this very moment and who would take any opportunity to do harm to Jason.

Dick would have been aware of this. Dick would have been very much caught between a rock and hard place here. Because while he would more than likely be aware that Jason would NEVER wish to be stuck in Arkham, as would NONE of the bats, he would more than likely put his physical safety first. Reasoning that even if Jason was unhappy in Arkham at least he could be safe and given more time to hopefully come around to a more reasonable state. Because it’s been shown that Dick wants to help Jason. Before stepping back and allowing the police to arrest Jason Dick says this to him: “Look at yourself Jason. You’re a mess. Everything’s a mess. Stop all this...and let us help you.”

Jason then responds: “Help me? ...It’s...it’s too late for me Grayson. It was always too late for me, don’t you get it?”

Jason was more but I don’t think it’s necessary to to recount the whole thing. During this exchange the police surround both of them with guns pointed at Jason and Commissioner Gordon says the only reason they let Batman do this stuff is because he stayed on the right side of the law. So they arrest him.

Dick is then distracted by Damian, who is lying on the ground after being shot multiple times and unable to move from the waist down.

The short answer to this question, is yes and no lol. Because going by canon I think it could easily be reasoned that Dick wasn’t the one who put Jason in Arkham, but even if I’m mistaken in this and Dick was credited with this at some point in the comics I’m unaware of...

I certainly would have questioned Jason’s mental health. And I mean, I think Jaosn’s mental health is a serious concern in general. He needs help. But he wasn’t willing to get it, he thought it was too late for him.

We also have to look at the fact that while we, as readers, see Arkham Asylum as this dumping ground for the criminally insane that’s rife with abuse and everyone who works there is incompetent and allows inmates to escape on the regular etc etc. That’s not really what it’s meant to be in canon. The Batfam obviously view it as the best option they have to deal with the particular breed of crazy that Gotham produces.

Jason’s personal history with the Joker in particular is brought up the most, because how could Dick put Jason in the same place as the JOKER. LIKE WTF.

But my understanding is actually that by canon timelines Joker wasn’t actually in Arkham while Jason was there. That’s not to say he couldn’t have been locked up during his stay at any point, but I would also think that in a psych hospital it would be a reasonable action to keep certain inmates always separate and never in the same space together. Of course we can reason that even being in the same facility would bring Jason all kinds of anxiety and be terrible for his mental health but again, just looking at what I already wrote - there just wasn’t an amazing option available. Nothing would have been a great move on Dick’s part.

To actually answer your ultimate question:

I think everyone would look at this time in all of their lives as just....the WORST. Like....the WORST possible time. This is during the year that Bruce was dead, all of their lives were in turmoil, utterly chaotic and incredibly stressful. Jason was at one of his lowest points and Dick was trying to be Batman to Damian’s violent and difficult to control Robin whole also being on the outs with Tim. Jason pulled some serious shit, trying to reveal their identities on national television? Beyond his killing of people, which the batfam has been staunchly against for forever, even if they decided to give Jason a pass because reasons. No one knew what to do.

I think Jason would look at this time in his life with a large amount of shame for his actions. He might resent Dick for being involved in the event that got him locked in Arkham but he could see what’s already been mentioned. What were his options?

I think Dick feels guilty, but again, what was he supposed to do? What was a better choice? Jason DID eventually end up in Blackgate and it ended terribly, multiple got killed and like over 80 people were poisoned and Jason escaped. So obviously Blackgate would NOT have been the better option.

I think it’s maybe a rough, sensitive spot between them, but both of them also just see it as a time when all of their lives were so difficult it would have been impossible for there to be a good outcome. I think the rest of the family feels similarly. This was a terrible time in all of their lives when no one was making their best decisions. And frankly there weren’t a lot of great options.

I think all of them just want to put this behind them and move forward.

[lgreadsandreviews]

Review of Batman and Robin Vol 1: Batman Reborn

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Finally! We have arrived to Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn. I have been looking forward to reading this! This book is writen by Grant Morrison with art by Frank Quietly and Philip Tan with Jonathan Glapion. The trade paperback I read of this contains Batman and Robin #1-6.

Some context for people, after Batman was thought dead by everyone DC had their Batfamily books all have the moniker Batman Reborn. This helped cement the idea this was a new status quo for the batbooks and created some cool new dynamics and titles. One major new dynamic was a refresh of the dynamic duo of Batman and Robin. At the end of Battle for the Cowl we saw Dick Grayson take the mantle of Batman and now we see that he has chosen Damian Wayne as his Robin. This was a great way for the typical brooding Batman and cheerful Robin to be turned on it's head. Instead we have the chipper Dick as Batman and the brooding Damian as Robin, changing some of the fundamental elements of the duo.

The stories in this volume are pretty great. It starts with the duo taking down some baddies in their new batmobile, which I will get to in a minute. After catching Mr. Toad they end up having to go to the GCPD to protect him from henchmen of Professor Pyg who sent them to kill him before he could tell the police anything. This is the first time we really see the new Batman and Robin fight baddies together and it doesn't go well. Dick expects Damian to listen and respect him while Damian thinks he has a clear understanding of how things work. Mr. Toad ends up croaking and neither see who did it. Dick yells at Damian telling him he is expected to listen and have limits. This causes Damian to run off.

Meanwhile, at the B plot, Professor Pyg captured a man and his daughter. Now Pyg is a messed up man. He takes people's faces and attaches them to someone else, then proceeds to brainwash them, effectively making them a new person and a perfect doll. While the man did succumb Pyg the daughter was not yet mind controlled, though she did get a new face which is hard to remove. Where the girl just so happens to be is where Damian went off to deciding he could stop Pyg on his own. He obviously couldn't. Though while there he does talk to the girl and promises her to get her out. While trying to escape with her he ends up getting into a fight with Pyg and gets separated from the girl. Just before Pyg can finish Damian Dick arrives and saves him and stops Pyg. The two agree to work together again, but the young girl was picked up by Jason Todd the Red Hood.

Red Hood makes the girl his sidekick and she becomes known as Scarlett. The two terrorize the streets of Gotham, killing the criminals. They end up confronting the new Batman and Robin while trying to kill the Penguin. Dick and Damian save the villain but not before the other criminals in Gotham could call in a greater threat. Later, the duo are caught by Red Hood and Scartlet, stripped, and are gonna be revealed to the world who they are. Luckily the boys get out of their ropes before they are revealed. The team of the Red Hood and Scarlet are ambushed by the greater threat mentioned above, named Flamingo. Flamingo is a skilled fighter who easily takes care of Todd and Scarlet. When Damian and Dick get outside to fight him they are able to subdue him but Damian is shot in the spine paralyzing him from the waste down. Jason then takes the chance to kill Flamingo and is then arrested. At the end we see Damians now paralyzed body being taken by Talia to fix him up. We also see Scarlet driving off, the new face finally falling off so she can start anew.

The art in these issues are good. I have to credit to the fact that in these 6 issues the first 3 were handled by Quietly and the second 3 were by Tan with Glapion. It is seamless between the two arts. Also Tan makes someone as ridiculous as Flamingo actually intimidating.

I wanna talk about the new batmobile. I love this thing. It was a vehicle that Bruce did not finish before he died. Damian then finished it. The thing is the perfect batmobile for me. I know it's not as iconic as other ones, however this is distinct and can fly. It has a lot of room and is able to fly itself back to the cave and hover. Perfect for chasing criminals.

Downsides of this story? Well I don't much enjoy Jason's costume change back to the suppository looking helmet that the classic Red Hood wore. I personally think the biker gang costume works better. Additionally, I dont like his hair being red and saying that the only reason it was black was because Bruce made him dye it to look like Grayson.

Honestly, this story is good. It has great team building moments for Dick and Damian. It also moves them from Wayne Manor to the penthouse in the city. I would recommend this book in a heartbeat. It is an easy read that is just pure fun.

Now I think I will read the next book!

[dc-sideblog]

If they decided to take a cleaner approach:

Bruce: mastermind

Dick: grifter

Jason: hitter

Cass: thief

Tim: thief

Babs: hacker

Steph: grifter

Damian: hitter

Duke: grifter

Explanations:

Obviously these roles aren’t hard and fast. Any of them could sub in as a hitter or go undercover as a grifter, but everyone’s playing to their strengths. Tim as backup hacker, Dick as backup mastermind, etc

Bruce: mastermind has always meant team dad and we all know it. He’s in charge, he calls the shots and makes the final decisions, Bruce objectively had to be the mastermind

Dick: the best performer out of them all and he’s been practicing keeping attention on him and off others practically since he was born. Robin could exist as his most “real” alias, the iconic cute kid distraction who’s just so charming— and dangerous, but nobody knows that until it’s too late. Also he speaks too many languages to not be a grifter

Jason: he wears the red hood because he’s wanted in twelve countries and a FATWA was issued. He tells people he got up out of his grave because the fight wasn’t over yet. Legally dead and still wanted by many criminal organizations, Interpol, and global governments, he doesn’t appear online or in real life as Jason Todd ever. That man does not exist

Cass: she was created and raised and trained to be the perfect thief her entire life. She was never allowed to be anything else outside of that. Then when she ran away, stealing became survival. She is the Best and she can’t tolerate not being that

Tim: Drake Manor is full of so many stolen archeological artifacts that it could double as the British Museum. Tim has been reverse-thieving and planning elaborate heists in order to sneak the artifacts back where they belong for years

Babs: I don’t need to explain this one

Steph: it is so fun and so easy for her. And then she gets to play hitter afterwards. Steph frequently has the job of saving certain thieves’ skin. Some people here have social skills and some people do not

Damian: everyone assumed Damian would take on the typical underestimated kid role of grifter, but it turns out what he is better at is just saying Whatever in League dialect until an adult takes him to whoever’s in charge and then Damian attacks. He is just a lost little kid who happens to double as a tactically deployed ball of violence

Duke: opposite of what Damian does where everyone assumes the metahuman is naturally a hitter and so they aren’t on guard for a con from him, too busy watching out for powers flaring up. Nobody ever sees Duke coming

Waller keeps trying to arrest them all. But the Bats are just shadows and urban legends. And Gordon definitely does not feed them cases, because that would be wrong and unethical. Even if they do take down whole mobs without a trace.

Alfred is the reason they’re operating in this style vigilantism instead of comics-canon type vigilantism. He simply told Bruce that if he was going to drag kids into this, then he would have to do it more safely

The Gotham Bats are honest to god a crime family but in the Leverage crew way

[camsthisky]

Hi! Bat Fam fic rec? Love your blog! Have a pleasant day!

Of course! I did just make another fic rec post, which you can find here, but all of the ones listed here are specifically Batfam. I didn’t include any that I’ve already recommended in my other post, but I thought this would be a good idea to include the ones that didn’t make the cut last time (mostly because I was dead tired and posting at two in the morning).

You can also look at my fic recs tag!

Again, just a fair warning, a lot of these are going to be Dick Grayson centric.

Keep Losing Sleep by incogneat_ohWords: 2,893Summary: “When’d you last sleep?” Jay asks, curious.“Eleven years ago,” Tim says, at the same time as Dick says, “Tuesday.”My Comments: The batboys trying to help Tim with his insomnia? Heck yes.

Come One, Come All by incogneat_ohWords: 2,047Summary: He sits on the end of the bed, watching the slow expansion of Dick’s chest, frowning slightly. Tapping his fingers on the knees of his jeans absently.Or, the fic where Dick is injured and the family are sticking close by.My Comments: I’m a sucker for Dick getting hurt and his family doing their best to take care of him. This is one of THE best I’ve read. I seriously read it all of the time.

Kill your darlings by ShariArunaWords: 2,476Summary: Fic Prompt!: Brainwashed evil Dick with Batbros to the rescue!My Comments: Man, this fic hits hard. The boys have to fight their brother after he’s dosed with fear toxin and I just feel for them so much.

Manus by ShariArunaWords: 2,002Summary: He knows his family, he knows which people are important to them. And Dick’s been at war with Bruce for the first place in every Robins’ heart for a long time now. Winning, for the most part.My Comments: Okay, so the thing I love about this fic is that it shows that Jason cares for his family without ever really stating the fact. Dick’s injured and Jason feels like it’s all his fault. My heart breaks just reading this fic! Also, check out @unavenged-robin​ for more because they’re amazing!

The Name Game by RascalJoy (DarkQuill)Words: 1,610Summary: Duke Thomas doesn’t have a hero name yet. The Robins (read as: Jason) decide to fix that.(“If you say ‘Robin,’ I will cut you,” Damian growled.“He will,” Tim agreed. “He’s crazy.”)My Comments: This is kind of crack-ish, but I think it’s pretty funny, and it’s such an accurate representation of how done Duke is with the batkids.

Mistlefoe by strikeyourcolorsWords: 10,158Summary: With forced house arrest, a poisoning, a charity holiday lights display, last minute shopping, accidental lipstick drugging, and mistletoe based violence, chaos reigns supreme in the days leading up to Christmas. But the Batfamily? They thrive in chaos. In other words, pointless holiday humor and fluff with some feelings mixed in.My Comments: Okay, so I can hear you asking, “Why are you recommending a Christmas fic?” and my answer is because this fic messed me up. Badly. I thought I was in for a funny, light-hearted fic, but it gets kind of angsty towards the end (like a good kind of angsty that hits you right in the feels).

April 27th by mitch23kWords: 2,694Summary: Just five days before the fifth anniversary of Jason Todd’s death, Dick Grayson gives a risky answer to an interviewer question about his brother. Jason thinks it’s funny, and suddenly, the family finds themselves in a competition to see who can be more dramatic about their brother on TV.My Comments: I love reading how Jason slowly comes to realize that he’s a part of the family and this fic does it really well! It’s a good read!

The League of Extraordinary Bowling Bats by chibi_nightowlWords: 5,065Summary: “What did Dickiebird do? Steal all your other shirts?”The shirt is bright green with wide yellow stripes pretending to be a pin stripe running vertically across it. On the back, in bright red letters, “Timmy” is spelled out.“You’re next,” he spits out, shooting Jason the worst glare he could muster. “He’s got one for you too.”My Comments: A fluffy fic of the family doing ridiculous things like renting out an entire bowling alley. Amazing.

Bruce texts instead of talking, and Dick learns to deal with his home situation by narfiffiftic (maladictive)Words: 1,100Summary: Dr. Hurt shot Dick, and now he has to deal with the aftermath: Make sure you check the stitches before you go to sleep, I saw you for ten minutes today, you realize what nearly happened? Just do as I say, B, they’re on the back of my head, you come check on them. Use a mirror, Dick. Be careful,My Comments: Set between Batman and Robin #16 and #17, where DIck has brain surgery. It really makes you think of how Bruce really hasn’t changed a bit. I feel for poor Dick here, but he’s always got his brothers!

Meet the Family by autumnangelwritesWords: 1,610Summary:It was rare that Bruce got called to handle ‘dad issues’ and, well, Clark honestly couldn’t resist.My Comments: Bruce is so done with the Justice League in this and it’s pretty funny. It is angsty, though, and it makes you think that maybe Bruce actually does know how to parent.

Talon’s Grasp by lowflyingfruitWords: 78,187 (23/23)Summary: Dick Grayson was kidnapped by the Court of Owls. Talon escaped. With no known way to undo what has been done, and the Court trying to reclaim their assassin, is there still a place for Nightwing in Gotham? Is there still a place for Dick in the family?My Comments: I don’t usually read Talon!AUs, but this is a really cool fic and I got sucked into it. It shows how the whole family would react to Dick getting captured and they try to scramble to turn him back, and it’s honestly really good.

So those are all on ao3, but here are a few on ff.net:

Altruism by paganpunk2Words: 4,800 (2/2)Summary: Dick’s day volunteering at a BPD fundraising car wash takes a turn for the delightful when Alfred stops by. T for language.My Comments: A fluffy one-shot where Alfred just wants to support Dick, even if Bruce won’t. This is one of my favs, but of course, all of paganpunk’s stuff (especially the Spark in the Dark series) is absolutely amazing!

Bumper Stickers by FinalArcWords: 3,080Summary: Bruce is back from the “dead”, and not especially tolerant of some of the changes made in his absence. Dick couldn’t care less.My Comments: Someone on ff.net was asking me for a prompt and they rec’ed this to me. And honestly? It’s really good. Bruce has to come to terms that life basically moved on without him, and it’s kind of hard to swallow for him. A really good read.

A Robin’s Gotta Eat by RomanianDollarWords: 3,631Summary:When Jason gets injured in a gang fight he heads to the one person who will receive him: Tim Drake. While there he finds his kid brother doesn’t have the best diet habits, and decides to take matters in his own hands.My Comments: Jason cooks and the family eats together! It’s pretty fluffy, and Tim’s reactions in this are pure gold.

Hope you enjoy reading!

[teentitansblackbird]

Chapter 3

Wayne Manor. July 15th, 2018. 1:25 PM.

The air was warm out in Gotham today. An uncommon experience, Damian thought, as even in the heat of summer there almost always seems to be an unnatural chill over the city. Perhaps it was just Damian's imagination, but he couldn't seem to recall a day when didn't feel cold in this town... or maybe it had something to do with the way he saw Gotham. Even compared to the mountains where he'd been brought up the first ten years of his life, Damian found Gotham City to be much more resistant, more inclined to fight against his presence. This didn't bother him, of course; when the city pushed him, all he really had to do was push back. But that's not how Damian saw things these days. These days it was much easier to look at the world and see the positives. Silver linings seemed to shine at the edge of every cloud. Damian wondered why that was as he knelt between the joined graves, reading the words carved into the stone.

Thomas Wayne. Beloved husband and father.

Martha Wayne. Beloved wife and mother.

Damian sighed as he placed a single rose at the door of each headstone. Despite his new outlook, Damian could never see any sort of good that came from death. Ironic, given his training in the innumerable ways to bring it about, but Damian had grown to detest any sort of violent death. Not to say he was averse to violence, of course; Damian still had no issue with bringing pain down into another for the sake of justice. But needless bloodshed? No. That was barbaric and disgraceful. If it hadn't been for the deaths of his grandparents, perhaps Damian would never have been born. But if they hadn't died, how much would have been different? How much could have been better?

"Damian?"

The youngest Wayne whipped around to see Raven and Alfred coming down the hill toward him. He smiled as he rose back to his feet, turning to greet them as he retreated from the graves. "Hello, Pennyworth. Raven."

"Your father has need of you in the Cave, Master Damian. I'm afraid Miss Kelley is in need of a proper sparring partner." Alfred cocked an eyebrow as he spoke, expecting some sort of snarky reaction from the boy.

"Excellent," Damian replied, cracking his neck as he smirked. "It's about time Kelley and I had our rematch." Alfred chuckled quietly; competitive as always.

"Just try not to get pinned too quickly this time, okay Damian?" Raven teased as she came closer.

"Hey, she got the drop on me last time!" Damian snipped back playfully as he bumped gently into her shoulder. "C'mon, you know that's not--"

"Oh."

Raven knelt down by the two graves before them, staring down at the foot of Thomas's headstone. "What... what kind of flower is this?"

"Oh, that's a..." Damian looked back down at the flower. "That's a Pennyworth Blue. Alfred breeds them."

"Indeed," the butler confirmed with pride. "One of my finest works."

"It's beautiful..." Raven whispered, reaching out and gently running her fingertips along the petals. "How do you do it?"

"Oh? Well, I suppose I could take you to see the garden if you'd like," Alfred responded, a sort of pep in his tired voice. "Not many of Master Bruce's children have shown interest in my gardening before, save for Master Jason."

"I'd love that," Raven said with a smile as she stood back up, turning and reaching out to take Alfred's hand. Damian couldn't help but notice the twinkle of light as her ring caught the sun at just the right angle... that was it. That's why it was so easy to see the positives these days. It all came down to her.

Wayne Manor. April 22nd, 2028. 7:43 PM.

It was a bittersweet feeling, Damian thought, looking down at the grave now placed beside that of his grandparents. It was a position he'd never really expected to find himself in that, while not at all that surprising considering the man's age, still came as a shock when he finally passed. Damian let out a sigh as he knelt down, putting a hand on the headstone as he reads the words carved in the granite slab.

Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth. Loving father, loyal friend.

The youngest Wayne paused for a moment, reflecting on the life Pennyworth had led. Despite not being a Wayne by blood, Alfred was more of a grandfather to Damian than Ra's al Ghul ever was. When his father couldn't be there, Alfred was. When he and Batman were heated over a case or some other dispute, Alfred stepped in as the voice of reason. Of course Alfred had saved Damian's life on the operating table on more occasions than either of them ever bothered to keep count, but more than that, Alfred played a major role in ensuring that that life was worth living. Alfred was... Alfred was the best of all of them.

Damian jumped a bit when he felt his wife's hand light on his shoulder. He looked up to see her smiling somberly down at him as he knelt beside him, placing a single blue rose on the grave. The old caretaker had taught Raven how to tend to a proper garden a few years before he had passed, and while it may not have come as naturally to her as it did to him, she still did well at breeding Pennyworth Blues the way he had before. They'd quickly become her favorite flower after Damian showed them to her, and she had one from her wedding bouquet pressed in a diary at home.

"Bruce said to come on inside," Raven said quietly, her gaze cast over her Damian. "It's about time to eat."

"Yeah..." Damian replied softly. "Just thought I should say thanks."

...

"So Damian." Bruce leaned over his coffee in his chair by the fireplace. "How did Tommy handle his first patrol?"

"He's a natural," Damian leaned back in his seat, smiling back at his father. "Takes orders like a soldier, and fights every bit as smart as the best of them. You would have been so proud of him."

The older Wayne chuckled, throwing an eyebrow up in response. "Sounds like it went far better than yours."

"Hey!" Damian called, a wry smile on his face. "It's not my fault mother was insane!"

"Ha! Maybe not," Bruce shot back, "but it's definitely your fault I am!"

"You say that. But last I checked, you were dressed like a giant bat and attacking gangbangers long before you ever knew about Damian." The two turned as Raven came into the room, a cup of Earl Grey in her hand. Damian stood, putting his arm around her waist as she walked in.

"Dad," the half-demon continued, "are you sure you don't need us to move back into the house with you? Y'know, help look after you and everything."

"I'm fine, Raven. I promise." The old man let out a low grunt as he rose to his feet. "If it'll make you two feel better, maybe I'll get a dog or something to keep me company. But you two have enough to worry about as it is. What, with the company every day, and the criminals every night..." Bruce glanced at Raven with a smirk. "And pretty soon you'll have one of your own to take care of."

Both of the younger Leaguers froze, shocked by their mentor's words. Raven dropped her tea, the hot drink spilling over the rug.

Damian looked down as a splash of liquid hit his loafers. "... Honey, come on. That rug is expensive."

Raven shot Damian a glare in response. "I thought we were gonna tell him together!"

"What? I didn't say anything!" The youngest Wayne threw his hands up, gesturing frantically at his father. "He just, I dunno, he just--"

"Come on, Raven, I deserve some credit!" Bruce laughed as he crossed his arms. "You think I'm not old enough to tell when someone knows they're pregnant? You've been glowing since you walked in the door."

"Well you totally missed it when Barbara was pregnant!" Damian shot back, his mouth pulling into a grin.

"I've learned a thing or two since then," Bruce replied as he walked forward, putting his arms around the both of them. "Either way, I couldn't be more proud of you both. You're going to be wonderful parents."

Raven smiled, closing her eyes as she pulled the two Batmen in close. "Thanks, Dad."

...

As the fire began to die down, Bruce let out a low hum from his chair. It had been a good day; every day one of his children came home was. With Dick always working at the GCPD, Jason on the road with Harper and Kori, Cass studying abroad, Tim always in orbit on the Watchtower, and Damian running the company... well, it was hard to find time to check in on the old man. Bruce understood that. It just made the occasional visit that much more special. And today's visit was no different. Another grandchild... this made two. Bruce smirked; to be honest, he was surprised this hadn't happened sooner. But it was happening at last... they'd talked about names, and it made the old Wayne smile to hear what they'd decided on. Thaddeus or Angela. One for Alfred, one for Arella.

"Wouldn't it have been sweeter if they named it Bruce, though?"

Bruce lurched forward as swiftly as his tired old body let him out of his seat and swung his head around to see an old woman standing in the hallway, a familiar deadpan stare on her face.

"Waller..." Bruce let out a sigh. "Who let you in here?"

"I did," Amanda Waller replied. "I need to have a word with you about your old job."

"I ought to have you arrested for breaking and entering..." Bruce stood up straight, crossing his arms as he stared down his uninvited guest. "But I suppose charges against you don't exactly stick, do they?"

"I work for the government, Mr. Wayne," Waller replied, an eyebrow cocked. "People haven't been able to make things stick to us since the Luthor administration."

"Was is it you want, Amanda?" Bruce's eyes continued to bore into the woman, who remained unfazed.

"Let me be clear here. Your son is doing a fine job filling in for you." Waller took a step forward, the smoldering embers in the fireplace casting a faint light over her grim visage. "But we need to put together another contingency plan nonetheless."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Bruce raised an eyebrow of his own.

"Let's be frank, Mr. Wayne. You're running out of time." Amanda continued forward, squinting up at the old man as she advanced. "And once you're gone, we need to be ready with something to fill that gap. My people have a plan for that."

Bruce was silent for a moment before responding. "... what did you have in mind?"

Amanda smiled. "You may need to come to DC with us, Mr. Wayne. Something like what we have planned is a bit... beyond simple words."