Putting her best theatric skills, Talia dramatically smiled to her son confusion - "Oh dear, unfortunately that's grow up food, You won't like it anyways"

The tiny toddler pouted while he tries to argue "— But Mama I'm all grow up! I want grow up food too"

Talia smiles widely "— Hmmm you're right...i suposse you can have a little bit, but don't tell anyone, right?"

Jason behind the door snorted, while tries to keep the laughs inside his throat, Mom surely was a smart woman he thought.

Damian grew up loving vegetables and he is convincing Mar'i to do so.

every time i see someone talk about a damian on my dash, it's always like, "is it wayne or desmond?"

(btw the al ghul wayne family portrait--and anya's grapple gun in the first image--is based off this forger family portrait)

Was rereading What you're looking for (you claim to abhor) and I just realized I'm a little confused on whether Jason is aware that Damian is Bruce's kid or not? Does he just think Talia had a child with someone and ended up bonding with Damian, hence he has a little brother? Or is he aware that Talia has been hiding Damian from Bruce and is too preoccupied with the whole "my family thinks i'm my own boyfriend" mess that the thought of mentioning Damian just hasn't come up?

Yes Jason is aware!

Talia never kept it a secret from him. When she took Jason in after some League operatives found him wandering around Gotham following his resurrection she only waited long enough to ascertain that he wouldn’t pose a threat to a vulnerable kid before introducing them to each other.

Jason was still mostly catatonic at the time so his memories of meeting Damian for the first time are a bit foggy, but after he was submerged in the Pit and Talia caught him up on everything she also informed him of Dami’s lineage.

Jason’s wasn’t really intent on spending time with Damian for a while after that (mostly because he didn’t remember his time before the Pit at all for a few months yet and partly because… well, he was afraid that someone looking like Bruce might trigger the Pit rage).

Damian, true to fashion, stayed away from Jason for a solid two days before he snuck away from the heavily protected Al Ghul quarters and marched through Nanda Parbat all by himself to find his self proclaimed brother.

Jason was both appalled and impressed when he found the kid fighting off two would-be assassins just outside his room. (Talia was mildly miffed that the assassins were already dead by the time she caught up to Damian)

Damian and Jason frequently trained together after that, a lot of times even with Talia personally when she wasn’t yet convinced Jason would be capable of protecting both himself and Damian from tutors who would wish them harm.

Soon the two became virtually inseparable and Jason got promoted quickly first to Damian’s personal bodyguard, then to General of the Shadows and eventually got officially adopted by Talia al Ghul in a ceremony where Ra’s also gave his consent.

Oh wow ok that got off topic real quick I’m so sorry. I’ll just leave this here anyway.

But to answer the last question: 50/50

On one hand Jason is pretty preoccupied with the whole Gotham Drama, on the other hand he never had any intention to tell Bruce about Damian in the first place. As far as he’s concerned, Damian is way better off in the safety of Nanda Parbat with a kickass mom and a homicidal grandad, far, FAR away from Bruce’s crusade and his tendency to put kids in suits.

I hope that answers it 💚💚💚

i genuinely feel like there should be some sort of penalty if you take characters where literally the entire point of them is that they're the kid of a villain who's absolutely nothing like their family & that they're a good person despite the way they were raised and do some "but what if they WERE actually exactly like their shitty parents!!!" nonsense with them

if superman writers want to continue using rebirth's "reinvented" chris kent and calling him lor-zod, they have to be prepared to take a 10% pay cut. $1,500 fee (per issue) for plotlines that require ignoring all of damian's character development since 2006. evil cass requires a $20k down payment. and evil joey arcs should honestly just be an executable offense at this point

I'm not very sure how making a baby in a tube works, but if we're going off Talia putting damian in a tube to grow him, she probably made Damian look like her.

All I'm saying is if I were a mother and were able to make my child look like me, I would.

So my new head cannon is that Damuan looks like his mother and nothing like his father besides maybe his height because Talia wasn't about to have her baby boy look like his father.

After Jason digs himself out of his grave and gets hit by a car? That car held the Fentons, who decided to help him however they could.

-----

[Now depending on where everything is at DP timeline wise, could be before the accident or a little after the accident.]

Anyway, mad scientist Fentons, but still normal, decide that maybe they have something that helps with Jason's recovery.

Either way Jason gets exposed to pure ectoplasm first before getting dipped into the pit.

Maybe partial healing by being around the Fenton's lack of lab safety. If after Danny's accident, maybe he's also helping unintentionally.

*this* close to blocking the Tim Drake tag

Robin fic snippet

“Damien,” she said, carefully. Because- fuck. Fuck all of it, really. “I’m glad you feel that way. And you can always- I’ll always be here, okay? But I’m not a Wayne.”   He didn’t answer until they were back to the house, grocery bag carefully placed to avoid bruising the fruit. Silence was full of churning thoughts, and Elle let him have it- god only knew taking the time to think before speaking had been an impossible skill for her, at sixteen.   Elle filled the kettle, and knew wherever the thoughts were going, Dami was probably fine when he started pulling down mugs and actually went so far as to measure the tea leaves.   A silver strainer- which, actually, the house might have just spit out into his hand, because Elle had never seen it before- was placed in perfect parallel to the green motif on the white and gold cup, before Damien lifted his head.   “Do you not mean to stay with Todd?” He demanded, expression narrowed in suspicion. “Fill a house with loud green-eyed children and hold your city and build a home?”   Not for the first time, Elle wished she were even slighter better of a liar.   “You and I both know the Pit is not what your father thinks it is,” Elle said, swallowing. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll give it to a child. Ever.”   Not even a blink, but a settling. “Good. Mother always thought it should not be used in such a way.”   And just like that, conversation ended, Damien began putting together a plate of shortbread.

Baby Damian refuses to sleep if Jason don't read him a bedtime story, He doesn't accept anyone other than Jason into that times.

Talia does hot cocoa to both

the story is usually mythological

Sb: we have your granddaughter

Pete: my granddaughter is right beside me?

Sb: then who’s this girl in the heelys with-

Pete: Oh!

Sb: H-how are her eyes glowing like that..?

Iris: what’s going on?

Sb: /screaming/ WHERE DID THE CROW COME FROM?! FU- /call disconnected/

Pete: someone had Talia but she’s got it handled.

Iris: pfft of course she does, they’re idiots for trying to hold her hostage.

Talia and her little brother :3

They're so cuuuuteee😭💞

———

Таля и её младший братишка :3

Они такие няшныее😭💞

spontaneous magic manifestation was NOT mentioned in the parenting handbook 😬

I know this isn’t how magic in dc works, but the fact that Damian’s ancestry includes some pretty powerful magic users is… INTERESTING 🤔? Drabble under the cut!

I wanna preface that I'M NOT SAYIN' that Damian should/does have magic powers, but there’s still so much unexplored potential with Damian's character, and the thought that he has a dormant adeptness in magic is somewhat compelling to me. Most importantly it would FREAK! BRUCE! OUT!!!!! What is this, magic puberty 😭??

By DC laws, anyone has the ability to learn magic, but it is also possible to be an innate ability. The Al Ghuls are no strangers to the occult-- Ra's has had increasingly been portrayed as a magic user, and the recent establishment of his mother being a sorceress/witch?? Even Talia dabbled in a bit of magic, I think. There is a catch that their power is suggested to be due to Lazarus exposure, but for arguments sake let's say the Al Ghul lineage is inherently proficient in magic (and Lazarus exposure simply enhances it).

I can't recall "magic" being a part of Damian's training/upbringing (I'm still slowly catching-up on Damian comics so apologies if I miss any canon examples of magic use). Not sure why Talia wouldn't want her little "heir to an ancient assassin empire baby" to learn magic, but it would at least give reason to Damian not knowing about his magic potential, or lack of interest in it.

Through the power of pseudo storytelling, what if Damian's encounter with Mother Soul could have triggered a manifestation of magic that was once dormant; like a pressure cooker waiting to explode with energy when it hasn't been given a safe outlet.

I've yet to read a satisfying arc where Damian truly gets to contemplate his Al Ghul roots outside of "dad is good guy, mum is bad guy". Damian's initial character growth stems from him running away from, and renouncing his association with the League (i.e. "I'm nothing like you, mother and grandfather!").

The most recent thing I've read was Robin (2021), and whilst Damian is much more cordial with his mother, there's still an emotional distance and sense of distrust/resentment (for good reason, even if the context was some cartoonishly evil writing). But there is a silver-lining that they still appear to be fond of each other, in a melancholy kind of way.

Realizing he's "genetically" primed for magic would be especially confronting to Damian. There's no denying his Al Ghul blood, forcing him to confront a facet of himself he can no longer ignore or reject. A family that he likely has to approach for help/guidance.

Damian is put in a position of acknowledging this power could be used for good, to be stronger, to fight crime, balancing it with the implication that what he possesses could be rooted in dark magic (Lazarus enchantment).

If he decides to embrace it, would that be too much of an endorsement of the Al Ghul's dark occultism? Can he separate the two ideas? What if he can't control it? What if he accidentally hurts someone? What if has the ability to save someone where his other skills fall short?

Ideally, I'd love for this hypothetical story to lead into Damian exploring his Al Ghul heritage more intimately, historically, and spiritually (à la RSoB: Year of Redemption adventures). Another little coming-of-age self discovery journey.

I have my own little personal thoughts on what Damian decides to do with his magic powers, but I'd like to leave that open to interpretation... By the end of it I hope that he will at least find some forgiveness over resentment, and a balance between accepting that side of his family a little easier. It is finally a sense of inner peace :)

Any thoughts? Did I get any characterisation wrong? Let's talk over on my DC blog @arkhamochi! I'm currently trying to read all Damian-centric comics until I catch up with the current run. I'm hungry for discussion and analysis!!!!!!

Aaron Bushnell is the first active duty servicemen to ever self-immolate. This man lit himself on fire in an attempt to stop a genocide his country was complicit in, and one that would attempt to actively force him to also become complicit. This is what he chose to post to his friends and family on Facebook before he lit himself ON FIRE in front of the Israeli embassy in DC.

"Many of us like to ask ourselves, 'What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?'

The answer is, you’re doing it. Right now."

His final words were "It's Aaron Bushnell. I'm an active duty member of the United States Air Force, and I will NO LONGER be COMPLICIT in genocide. I'm about to engage in an EXTREME act of protest. Compared to what people are experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers it's not EXTREME AT ALL. This is what our ruling class has decided is NORMAL. FREE PALESTINE! FREE PALESTINE! FREE PALESTINE!.... FREE PALESTINE!" Before collapsing

Talia Jane, @taliaotg, on twitter writes: "Loved ones of Aaron Bushnell, 25, reached out to me and gave me consent to post a blurred version of Bushnell’s protest today against genocide in Palestine.

“Aaron is the kindest, gentlest, silliest little kid in the Air Force,” said Errico, who met Bushnell in 2022."

https://x.com/taliaotg/status/1761944158636331247?s=20

Dpxdc AU: Damian decides that it’s time to go collect his brother from his assignment. Danny is starting to sniff out some non-ghostly bullshit for once.

Damian knew his twin had been exiled from the age of seven, banished to travel and observe how scientists around the world engaged with Lazarus water. The only word that Damian received that his spare was still alive were the letters of lab reports and findings that were sent back to base. As the Heir, he’s pushed to be better lest he himself be exiled or simply executed. Danny becomes a fleeting thought and then once Damian arrived in Gotham, a none existent thought.

They weren’t raised to be friends or even friendly. The were not taught codependency or allotted time to bond. The could have been perfect strangers if not for their appearance and the stories of Danny’s shortcomings becoming Damian’s praise.

It’s only once Tim informs him of an intercepted letter, one sent and saved from years prior, that Damian recalls Danny enough to care. Tim prompts him to share more, especially given the coup recently committed by Deathstroke (Slade) and Talia gone into hiding with her zealots.

At family dinner that night Damian supplies: “I suppose I should be the one to bereave my twin of his assignment. His reports will certainly go unread.”

Chaos in the Batfam ensues- meanwhile across the country- Danny sneezes and finishes writing his yearly report: “No major discoveries aside from public record patents (attached), No assistance required. -Spare”. He doesn’t know why he bothers, he hasn’t received any contact from his mother or grandfather since he was 10ish and certainly hasnt thought about his twin. But, if there’s a chance (even an itty bitty one) that his reports are being read and are holding off his reassignment, he’d rather keep assassins out of Amity Park.

Little does he know that this letter is about to be intercepted by Pru, former assassin and friend of Tim Drake. He hadn’t expected his twin to suddenly arrive and tell him that his job was done. And certainly, seeing a plane filled with an uncomfortable looking ‘family’ that requested he join them and get to know Gotham and his birth father, was not on his bingo list.

Danny does his best to let them down gently- and they seem to be accepting that he’s acclimated to this weird little town and will leave him be- when Danny suddenly has to transform into Phantom in front of them to handle a rocket sent by Skulker.

They are less willing to accept his appeal to be left alone after that… Damian is trying to “bond” with him and all the others are trying to “help” in their own way.

Sam and Tucker howl with laughter at Danny’s suddenly very large family- all while secretly working with the Wayne’s to get Danny the fuck away from the Fentons before the scientists do something they can’t undo.

Damian was placed in the Pits to prove he could survive as an infant. Only...the pits didn't give him back.

Danny was taking a trip to a weird, rank area of the Infinite Realms per Clockworks request, when a fuckin baby plopped in through a portal.

A baby.

Naturally, Danny snatched the kid up and flew as fast as he could back home.

He turns back to his human form just as the basement door slams open.

Danny stares up at his mom and dad.

They stare down at him.

"I found a baby in the portal," is the only thing Danny can make his mouth say.

His parents are thrilled to welcome another kid into the family, no matter how grumpy the little tyke seems.

In Nanda Parbat, Talia cannot find her son. He isn't in the pit; he just. Disappeared into it.

So he went somewhere.

She promises her father she will find Damian, but Ra's has another idea.

He calls Bruce Wayne to Nanda Parbat, with a simple letter.

"We have lost the child you had with Talia. My condolences."

Trope blender strikes again!

Since the formation of the Justice League Dark to deal with supernatural threats, Diana had been acting as the team's 'Superman' for lack of a better term.

It was, however, not a position she was entirely suited to, as ironically enough when engaging supernatural threats she was better suited to the same role that Batman played in the Justice League, engaging with superior training, tactics and specialised tools while also acting as battlefield tactical command.

With the lack of any other candidates however, she made do. But not for long.

Thanks to a wandering little girl, Diana had gained a new cousin and uncle who were refreshingly free of the hubris of the Greek pantheon, as well as an unexpected (and terrifying) meeting with her Grandfather who was far different from the stories, she supposed death and a few millennia would calm someone down. She was pleased however to add some paternal family members she could enjoy calm moments with.

Her Uncle was willing to help, however his backlog from the previous King in addition to the repairs and ongoing negotiations for reparations with the United States government made her feel guilt for placing further demands on him.

Her younger cousin however was more than happy to "get out of the house", her Father's comments about the expansiveness of a TARDIS castle completely ignored.

Ellie was already training with her old friend Pandora (So many happy reunions) so Diana was more than willing to take her to Themascerya for an initiation to the Sisterhood of Amazon's. Danny was ecstatic that his daughter was making friends.

Now Ellie as Banshee is JLD's front line fighter and Diana is the tactician, a dynamic duo of their own. Diana is so proud of her little cousin.

Which is why today was very..... Strange.

~

Basically the JLD have to head to the Watchtower for some threat, Ellie is super pumped because SPACE and Diana is excited to take her smol bean cousin to the Watchtower for the first time.

Batman and Co arrive and Drama TM occurs because "Holy shit that little girl looks like a Talia with blue eyes", Damian starts accusing and mouthing off, Ellie freaks because her Dad has warned her about the League of Assassins, so she freaks and bails.

Diana is explaining who Ellie is, how they're related when Uncanny Valley Danny in human form comes out of a portal in his "Royal Casual" work attire. Loose jeans,button up with vest, fluffy slippers with a coffee mug in hand. He's facing Diana, paying 0 attention to who else is there beyond "cool space station".

"Hey niece, why is my daughter running through my castle screaming about killer birds?"

"Ah, I believe she is referring to Robin being a former member of the League of Assassins." Diana replies.

Batman and the rest of the Justice League are tense, assessing this possible ally who RADIATES power and death. Anyone affected by death can feel it like static in their teeth during a lightning storm. Those who have been into the Lazarus Pits feel safe yet the overwhelming urge to KNEEL BEFORE YOUR KING.

"Well shit, someone actually escaped from the Fruit Loop Supreme? Anyone who gets away from my asshole grandfather is alright by me." Danny replies as he turns to look at the various heros, taking a sip from his mug.

"Danyal?" A faint hopeful whisper as Damian takes his mask off to look at his Brother (HOW, HOW? HE LOST HIM HE'S HERE HOW?) His dead twin somehow here and changed so much.

*Slurp*

"Well shit, didn't expect this."

This entire time Bruce's brain is making crunching noises.

It's not the extra son that's apparently God of the Afterlives. It's not the granddaughter.

Diana is his son's niece. Bruce had sex with his grand niece. Barbara is right, he needs therapy.