#what league teacher would instruct damian on terms of endearment for his family

[britcision]

If he was supposed to endear himself to his father, why would he not do it in his father’s first language? The language that would mean more to Bruce?

He’s not comfortable with informality (for good reasons, I doubt he was allowed any at the LOA), it’s why he uses last names and full names even for Dick, the first sibling he called their first name

That’s what will make the “baba”, the “dad”, the nicknames so much more impactful when they do happen. The rarity value

Damian stepping outside of his comfort zone of rigid, insistent formality should be exceptional, not a given, just like the change from “Grayson” to “Richard”

Bruce has to fucking earn “baba” the same way he earns Damian’s trust, the same way Damian slowly comes to admit that Bruce has a point about being nice to people

It can’t just be a given

To paraphrase a saying: anyone can be an “abi”, but it takes someone special to be a “baba”

wait i finally realized why headcanons about damian calling bruce "baba" have felt so wrong to me. yes most arabic speakers call their father baba, like how most english speakers would say dad or pa, but damian doesnt talk like most people. he calls his father Father. do you know of anyone that calls their father father? he wouldnt say baba, he would say abi (slightly formal way to say my dad) or walidi (more formal way to say my parent). normal arabs call their dad baba but damian isnt normal