#still high key emo on Bruce and his relationship with his kids

[redrobin-detective]

Inevitable

“Superman,” Clark looked up from his phone to Batman. “A moment of your time, before you leave.”

“Oh yeah, yeah!” He said a bit too loudly causing some of the other Leaguers to glance at them. It was only a few months into this attempt at a unified hero League and it sometimes felt like it was moments away from collapsing. He was still getting used to having other people around, relying on them but it was also nice having someone to talk to about this. He and Bats quietly waited for the meeting room to clear out.

The other man stalked towards the blank screen and stared up at it. Clark wished this mountain base had windows but that was the price of secrecy. Bats said he was presently building a more secure base of operations. He promised Clark it would have a good view.

“So uh,” Clark began awkwardly, “what can I do for you?” Truthfully, he didn’t know Batman very well. Their cities were across the river from each other and yet he’d only met the man a few times before the Starro attack which created the League. The others seemed to think they were friends but Clark didn’t want to push it. He respected the man, was soothed by his calm confidence and carefully hidden compassion. He wondered what the Batman wanted with him.

“What do you think of this work that we do?” Batman asked quietly, hands clasped behind his back as he continued to watch the empty screen.

“Oh it’s fine I guess, busy with pretty crummy pay but it does have it’s rewards,” Clark said with a scratch at his head. Not where he thought this conversation would go. “Are you, uh, having second thoughts?”

The silence was answer enough and Clark’s eyes shot into his hairline. Of all people he thought might walk away from this fledgling League, Batman had not been on the list. It surprised Clark a bit to realize he’d miss the guarded, grumpy man.

“I’m not stopping,” Batman said after a moment. “After all that I’ve seen, I don’t know if I ever can. I suppose I find myself considering the impact not necessarily now but in future, of what the years and circumstances will make of us.”

“Okaaaaay,” Clark drawled, walking up beside the man because it wasn’t right to stare at his back for a conversation like this. “What brought this strange and slightly morbid topic.”

“A few weeks ago, we dealt with that rogue time traveler,” Batman began abruptly. “He made mention of future children, at how they would be ashamed of our poor performance.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Clark said, confused. He’d gone home that night and rubbed his legs anxiously in the bed thinking of himself, Lois and 3 adorable kids running around a picket fence lawn. It was silly and stupid but Ma said that hearts can be a bit a bit silly sometimes.

“I thought nothing of it at the time, either the man was baiting us or he was referring to one of the others. I’m-” he paused, “I’m not suited for family.”

“Hey now, come one, don’t say that-” Clark began.

“There’s a child living in my house now,” Batman said in something of a rush, like he couldn’t keep it in anymore. “It’s just a temporary foster placement, until a more suitable home is found but it’s been a week and he’s picked out his favorite spots to hide in, his favorite mug and my... housemate is taken by him. He’s likable, despite everything.”

“You have a kid?” Clark gaped, unable to process the idea. “Like a real kid?”

“I might,” Batman said, shooting him an annoyed look at Clark shut his mouth. Batman turned again but he shifted ever so slightly, curling his fingers behind his back. His frown was different than usual as well. Clark had thought the man was older than him, in his late 30s if not his 40s. But now he dials way back and would say the man probably wasn’t much into his mid 20s. He was probably around Clark’s age and that, that was scary.

He also probably didn’t have anyone else to talk to about this, if he was coming to Clark of all people.

“What’s he like?” He asked instead.

“Energetic doesn’t cover it,” Batman huffed but there was the faintest trace of fondness in his tone. “I don’t think he ever stops moving, bounding from here to there, crawling on the walls, dangling from ceiling fixtures.” Clark frowned, was that... normal? He didn’t know enough about human children to say otherwise. “He’s angry at the violence that brought him into my care, he wants vengeance. He screams and breaks things. He paces the house like a tiger in a cage waiting for me to let my guard down, for me to give up on him and let him loose onto the criminal who stole his life.”

“Wow, that’s a lot,” Clark says. There’s some small scratches on the man’s cheek, now that he’s close enough to look. They certainly could have come from small hands.

“The problem is, I understand. I felt the same way when I was his age. In many ways, I haven’t moved past that feeling. It was foolish to take him in, to think I could help him. I should have let go with more capable professionals but no one else seemed to understand what the boy was going through. I couldn’t walk away, I tried but I just couldn’t.” Batman admitted quietly.

“That’s,” Clark started and found he couldn’t continue. He considered himself a good person, knew it something you had to consciously work at. To take in a child, a scared child who’s lashing out, because you couldn’t ignore that kind of suffering. That was heroism that you didn’t find wrapped in a cape. “So what’s bothering you.”

“I never planned on keeping him when I took guardianship but I keep thinking to what the time traveler said. What if the child is still living in my home years from now, what if I have to work him through his trauma? What if I have to teach him to drive? Save for college? What if he learns about my work, work I have always done alone? I’m uneasy as to what the future holds.”

“I think you’d still be in this same position even without weird time traveling bandits,” Clark said with a smile. “The fact that you’re scared is good, scared means you know how serious this is.”

“I’m not scared,” Batman grumbled. “I’m rightfully concerned.“

“Of course, my bad,” Clark grinned. Batman shot him another look but it was less sharp and more questioning. It was an odd position to be in, Batman looking to him for help. “You’re a very smart man, Batman, one of the smartest I’ve ever met. But you’ve also got a big heart beneath all that kevlar. You took this kid in because you wanted to help them, so help them as best you can. I’m sure the people in your life will be happy to lend a hand as well. I don’t think you need to make a big decision now but you’re not someone to quit with the job half finished. And maybe when the dust settled, well then, maybe you think about the future.”

“I see,” Batman said with a nod. They stood in silence for a few moments, Batman thinking and Clark imagining a tired, nocturnal based vigilante watching his sorta kid climb the walls in the mornings. The idea didn’t seem quite so hard to imagine now. Maybe one day, he’d get to see it in person. “I will consider your words,” his gaze sharpened. “And if you repeat anything I have mentioned-”

“Aw, you’ve already got the overprotective dad thing down,” Clark smiled. Batman grunted and stalked past him. “Bats,” the man paused. “Take care of the kid, will you? It sounds like he’s been through a lot. I don’t know your circumstances but I like to think I’m getting to know you. I think you can help him but I think, I think maybe he can help you too. Family is the important gift we have.” Batman didn’t say anything else as he swept out the door.

“Bats is a dad, who’d have thought?” Clark muttered to himself to the empty room. But when he met Dick Grayson for the first time several months later, he would wonder how he could doubt such a thing. Bruce was awkward, strange, standoffish at times but his love was present in his every action around the boy and every child that followed.

Bruce had worried that day about the future but destiny wasn’t always a noose. Sometimes it was a string leading you to the people who you’ll cherish. When Clark sees Bruce interact with his growing family, in or out of costume, he realizes that some things are inevitable. Because people with hearts as big at Bruce Wayne’s cannot live without love.

[callmeblake]

10 THINGS YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE’S ‘DANGER DAYS’

The future is bulletproof, but how’s your ‘Danger Days’ knowledge?

By Ali Cooper-November 20, 2020

It’s been an entire decade since the Killjoys first made some noise on 2010’s Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys. The aftermath is secondary, ultimately legendary and a timely reminder that My Chemical Romance can turn their hands to any far-fetched concept and produce a timeless, genre-defining album in the process.

For every year we’ve run away with Party Poison and co., fighting off Better Living Industries, we’ve uncovered one lesser-known fact about this neon My Chem era—and the final full album from the New Jersey boys—in hopes that it may not be their last record for much longer.

Read more:

Frank Iero teased the new Future Violents EP for longer than you realize

My Chem didn’t intend for “Look Alive, Sunshine” to make sense

The immortal words of Dr. Death Defying’s introduction to the Danger Days era were a roll call to the post-apocalyptic world where the Killjoys reside. And they’re perplexing, to say the least. What does “Louder than God’s revolver and twice as shiny” even mean, anyway? The good news is MCR didn’t intend for us to understand it in the first place. Gerard Way confirmed to Billboard that the language play in this opening track mirrors that of the novel-to-film classic A Clockwork Orange. Teenage gang members in Anthony Burgess’ novel use a nonsense language called Nadsat. It’s just loose enough for readers to understand its base meaning but not how it reaches the point. So that explains why this introductory narration has kept us scratching our heads for years.

The Black Parade is dead

Blink and you’ll miss the sneaky reference to My Chem’s previous album, The Black Parade. A skeleton half-submerged in the desert sands wears a dusty Parade-era jacket in the chaos of the “Na Na Na” video. But this glimpse of their past isn’t just a visual depiction of “The Black Parade is dead” sentiment. What we’re actually seeing is the burial of the memory of drummer Bob Bryar. He left the lineup during the writing of Danger Days, but they don’t brush over the loss of a key member in their rise to success. Instead, the passing nod recognizes and celebrates Bryar’s role and lasting effect on MCR’s past, present and future.

MCR meets The Sims

We’ve heard the rapid-fire anthem “Na Na Na” in many shapes and forms over the last decade. But there’s one alternate version we never expected. My Chem re-recorded the song in the fictional Simlish language for the video game The Sims 3: Late Night. If you’ve ever wondered what the classic track would sound like if you couldn’t understand English, look no further. We wouldn’t recommend listening to this gibberish version while drunk. Still, it’s definitely an unusual addition to the legacy of a song that broke the mainstream.

“Bulletproof Heart” provided the concept

After exhausting themselves through the process for The Black Parade, My Chem swore their next effort wouldn’t feature a concept. They planned to return to their raw talents as songwriters without novelty costumes or fleeting gimmicks. However, that all changed when the band wrote “Bulletproof Heart,” which handed them their next grand concept: futuristic runaways. And it sounded like a distant echo from the existential Black Parade days morphing into the laser-beam Killjoys era. Gerard confirmed to Billboard that this epic track showed MCR how to use their experience in high concepts to the best effect for their fourth record.

“SING” rebooted Danger Days

One of the defining anthems from Danger Days, Gerard confirmed to Billboard that the writing process that culminated with “SING” was the catalyst for the band’s decision to scrap their progress on the fourth album and start all over again. It was a defiant track devoted to standing up and being heard. And it brought life to the new incarnation of My Chem was given the rousing cover treatment on Glee. Plus, the band recorded a version entitled “#SINGItforJapan” to raise funds for the Red Cross relief efforts after the 2011 Japan earthquake.

California 2019

The band proved fans right about their theory of MCR’s return in 2019, the same year the Danger Days universe is set in. But they also paid tribute to something other than their own forward-thinking genius by placing the Killjoys in an alternate dystopian universe nine years in the future. The setting was inspired by one other bleak, post-apocalyptic vision of California in the year 2019: Blade Runner. It turns out we have Harrison Ford’s 1982 sci-fi classic to thank for MCR’s futuristic interpretation that involved the entire band dying in the field of combat with robots.

“Party Poison” is a love song to rock and metal

The anti-party party anthem “Party Poison” brought the unbridled energy to the Danger Days era. And it included a plethora of rock and metal influences. Originally titled “Death Before Disco,” the midpoint of the album not pays tribute to both Ray Toro’s inspirations from the vibrant MC5 and Gerard’s favorite Judas Priest song, “Living After Midnight.” Gerard also mentioned the outstanding influence of Bruce Springsteen on Danger Days. He explained to Rolling Stone that writing “Party Poison” was like discovering their own show-stopping alternative to “Born To Run.”

Kobra Kid’s helmet

While fighting off Draculoids and Exterminators, the Killjoys needed all the luck they could get. Kobra Kid was of course there to help with his iconic helmet sporting the words “good luck.“ This design feature was a sneaky nod to the space-based Nintendo video game Star Fox, where a screen appears and a voice says “good luck” before every mission. With this 1993 callback, Mikey Way’s Danger Days alter ego kept a classic sci-fi shooter reference close to his heart. Of course, the positive message didn’t save his character from death, but it’s the thought that counts.

The origins of “DESTROYA”

Gerard once described “DESTROYA” as “the hardest song the band have ever done.” And he later revealed to Billboard that the Hindu Holi festival inspired its lyrics. Known as the “festival of colors” and a positive social event for friends and family to repair broken relationships and strengthen connections, this traditional event in the Indian calendar encapsulates all the neon fun-loving vibrance of Danger Days. According to Billboard, every member of the band took to the drums for the recording of “DESTROYA.” Their goal: To bring out the vivacity and togetherness of one of the most upbeat songs on the record.

Gerard hinted at their return during

Danger Days

Eagle-eyed MCR fans leave no stone unturned when it comes to speculating the now-factual return of the emo icons. The MCRmy uncovered a hint of the band’s foreshadowed return by way of an olive green jacket Gerard wore during promotion for their fourth album, suggesting that a sigil patch that appeared on his shoulder spells out My Chemical Romance. We saw Gerard sporting this jacket on numerous occasions before the band’s hiatus. And in hindsight, he also wore this jacket for their reunion show in Los Angeles in 2019. Was the singer always hinting what to expect when My Chem eventually returned?

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