#signal

[spicy-apple-pie]

keep up Jay

Commission Info / Kofi (members get comics a week early)

[thebarbieghost]

My dears , when will you get the chance to be happy

[reebmiester]

Complete based on this

[sweetwatersong]

@obishenshenobi :(

I know we are all used to hear bad news from the USA or UK when it comes to trans rights but this time Germany wants to play in the same league.

Our idiots at home ministry came up with the fucking idea to start a register for all transgender and nonbinary people which would mean every person working at some public position could always at any given time see your assigned gender at birth, your deadname, your address and who knows what else.

We had been there in the past. Hitler Germany called it the "Travestite Law" back then. Our politicians didn't learn.

We all know this is unacceptable.

Please, if you are German, sign it. If you are not, spread it wide and far.

This had been stopped once a few years ago. It needs to be stopped again.

[oifaaa]

What a bunch of weebs RIP to Bruce's Yacht tho it did not make it home

Tip jar

[catastrophicalcat]

Batkids sleepover

Wayne Family Adventures

[staysblossom]

I want to think that during the time Jason isn't legally resurrected, he'd be a damn menace. His siblings are quick to catch onto his shit, and decide you know what?They want in.

[Live Stream Starts]

Dick, sporting his typical Dick Grayson smile: Hey, everyone! Welcome back to Wayne Wednesdays! I've got all my sibs here with me—

Tim, already holding a mug of coffee: This is a terrible idea

Steph, leaning into frame with jazz hands: Wayne kids Unfiltered!

Damian, slumped into the couch and scowling: This is beneath me

Cass, smiling softly as she waves at the camera

Duke, shyly: I'm just here to keep the chaos to a minimum

[Behind them, Jason slowly slides into frame, standing creepily in the corner, arms straight at his side. He whispers low, barely audible for the camera]

Jason, eyes wide: I'm watching you

Chat EXPLODES:

"WHO IS THAT???"

"There's someone behind you!!!”

"Wayne Manor is haunted confirmed."

Steph, not phased as she reads a question: Favorite family vacation spot?

Tim, scrolling on his phone: Anywhere with functioning Wi-Fi

Damian, tone flat and bored: Anywhere far from Grayson

Dick, pulling Damian into a side hug with a grin: Anywhere with Dami!

Cass, signs "mountains" and Steph translates

Duke, brightly: Beaches! Sunlight's good for you Tim

[Jason drifts behind Tim, staring directly at the camera. Whispers again.]

Jason, creepily: I'm behind you

Chat loses it:

"WTF"

"Did Tim just not hear that???"

"Blink twice if you need help"

Tim, completely calm as he squints at duke: lies

Dick, excitedly: Next question! Who's the most dramatic Wayne sibling?

All at once: Dick.

Dick, gasping as he clutches at his chest: Betrayal. And on my own livestream.

[Jason slowly opens a cupboard behind them. It barely creaks. He whispers louder]

Jason, ominously with a blank expression: I'm here for your souls

Chat goes feral:

"WHAT IS HAPPENING."

"That's definitely a ghost."

"Why are they so chill???"

Steph, casually sipping from her drink: Don't be so dramatic Dick. Anyway, next one-favorite comfort food?

Duke: Pizza. Classic

Damian, making a disgusted face at Duke: Tt. Dolma

Cass, signs "ice cream" and Steph translates

(Jason then drags himself across the carpet with one arm like a mangled corpse)

Chat MELTDOWN:

"DICK HE'S RIGHT THERE."

"Why aren't they running???"

"Wayne Manor needs an exorcist."

Dick, ignoring: Lucky charms for me!

Damian, giving Dick a nasty side eye: A child's choice

Dick, pushing Damian away with a chuckle: Anywho, That's all the time we've got, folks! Thanks for hanging out with us tonight!

[A collective of goodbyes as the stream ends. Meanwhile the last thing chat sees is Jason crawling out of frame like a horror movie extra]

[Once the stream ends, everyone immediately bursts into laughter.]

Steph, gasping as she clutches he stomach: Oh my god—chat legit thinks this place is haunted. Jason that was drop dead hilarious

Tim, scrolling through his phone eagerly: You're even trending! #WayneHaunting, #GhostInTheManor, and—wow—#VictorianOrphanEnergy

Jason, leaning back against the wall smugly: Finally, recognition for my talents

Damian, deadpanning: You crawled across the floor like a deranged cockroach

Jason, shrugging: Fear is fear, demon spawn

Duke, chuckling: When you whispered "I'm here for your souls"? Half the internet probably fainted

Cass, signing quickly as Steph translates while laughing: She says you should've added rattling chains

Jason, mock-serious whisper: Next time

Dick, groaning into his hands, but clearly smiling: Bruce is gonna find out about this, and then he's gonna give the lecture

Jason, cocking a brow: About online safety? Or about pretending to be the spirit of a murdered Victorian child?

Tim, pretending to think: Both. Definitely both

Damian, sporting his own devious smirk: Although you do resemble a Victorian orphan

Jason, glaring the child down: Thank you, I do try

Cass, snorts into her hand

Tim, face back into his phone: Someone already edited you into The Conjuring. Sending the link.

Jason, smirking as he rubs his hands together: Perfect. That's going on my resume

[yaderyngoch]

The whole Batfam talking over the coms

Dick: Hey B, I need your help over here

Duke, new to the Batfam: What does the B stand for? We have so many Bs...

Jason, who has been waiting for this moment his entire life: It stands for BITCH.

[pop-raine]

Soulmates.

They've always been a fascinating concept to me, one destined person you're forever intertwined with.

My parents are soulmates.

They shared an extraordinary, unforgettable experience in high school, called a soul-bond manifestation. It caused them to be completely and utterly in touch with one anothers emotions at all times no matter the distance.

High society has always held soulmates in such high acclaim, they're practically revered by the general public too. This caused my parents to become celebrities practically overnight which opened the door for some pretty incredible opportunities.

But not many people truly understand how manifestations work because of all the unique types of soul-bonds. It's different for everyone, and a person's bond with their soulmate won't be the same as another's bond.

Soulmates are rare, so when they're found most are cherished very deeply. In fact, many people seem to believe children of soulmates are more likely to have one of their own, but that's mostly baseless theory with no grounded research so who knows how true that is. My parents seem to believe otherwise though and they adamantly insist that my elder sister and I have soulmates.

I asked them how they were sure I had a soulmate, but they continuously deflected the question and changed the subject swiftly. It confused me greatly because one, how the hell did they know that? And two, they have no actual reason or evidence as to why they believe it so wholeheartedly.

They weren't going to be any help I've taken to reading and researching on my own. (As much as having access to public records allows anyway.) All of which I will go into more detail about below.

Soul-bond manifestations are different for everyone, with many different types like:

Physical, psychic, spiritual, and emotional bonds. If two or more people experience this manifestation it may take form in one of the types listed above. For example, my parents, when they shared their manifestation in high school it manifested as an emotional bond. They're completely in tune with each other's emotional well-being, no matter how much time they spend away from each other, the distance, or the place. They always know how the other is feeling about certain situations, people, and each other. But like I said, this is just one example. It’s a different experience everyone and something modern science could never understand.

Although, there's one more type of soul-bond manifestation that has only one recorded happening throughout history. It's a mix of all the different types of manifestations, I believe researchers call it—

CRASH!

Glass shatters from somewhere upstairs, the pen you were using drops from your hand, bounces around for a bit before ultimately rolling off your desk.

What the hell was that?

You reach the bottom of the stairs, they look much taller when you're at the bottom. Which only causes the unnerving feeling in your gut to intensify, you intentionally skip the creaky steps, your hand dragging along the railing as sweat beads along your forehead. There's quiet shuffling coming from your parents’ room, like somebody is moving things around but is actively making an effort not to alert anyone to their presence.

You swiftly scramble out of your chair and swing the door open to peek out of your room. The hallway is dark, and the house is quiet. Haunting. Slowly, you step out of your room, the hardwood floor is cold against your bare feet. It came from upstairs, theres no doubt about it but what could have possibly shattered a window with such force?

Your sister Elowen moved out of the house over three years ago and is currently attending her last year at Gotham University. Obviously it couldn't be her, and your parents decided to tuck in for the night about an hour ago. It could've been one of them shuffling around for a late-night bathroom visit, but that didn't explain the shattering glass you heard.

You're about halfway to their door when you hear muffled voice you dont recognize coming from behind the large oak door.

“Quickly! Just grab—and let's get the fuck outta here man!”

“Hey! You're not supposed to be her—”

You hear a bit more shuffling before the panicked voice of your father makes its way to your ears.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

You flinch violently as gunshots echo throughout the house, and that unrecognizable voice calls out again, panicked and shaky, "Aw shit! Grab the fucking kid and get let's the hell outta here dude!" The sentence shakes you out of your daze, and you to make a mad dash toward the stairs, not caring how loud you were being. You needed to get out of there.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Hours later you're surrounded by first responders, a blanket around your shoulders, and your face stained with sweat and tears. Two officers took your statement while a detective stood nearby trying to get a hold of your sister. You escaped the house and rushed to call for help, the intruders—whoever they were must've heard you flee and decided you weren't worth the trouble. When help did finally arrive they entered your home and found nothing. Not your parents, no broken window, no bullet casings, no blood, nothing, no evidence anyone was ever there at all. Absolutely fucking nothing. Nothing strange or dubious to be found.

Your parents are gone.

Your safety is gone.

You're unsure how you're supposed to feel, if anything at all.

How is one supposed to react when everything they've ever known has been torn away from them in a matter of hours?

You don't know.

You don't like it.

You hate this.

People are speaking to you, trying to comfort you, trying to understand, but they won't.

You can't hear them anyway. Everything is too loud, too quiet, and extremely overwhelming.

The pitiful, condescending eyes.

The way they stare at you as if you've gone crazy.

Maybe you have.

Soulmates.

People don't want soulmates. They want certainty. They want to believe someone, somewhere, will love them unconditionally. That’s not romance. It's desperation in formalwear.

He never quite understood why people insist on dressing up emotional dependency as destiny. A soulmate? No. You found someone who tolerated your flaws. That’s not magic; it’s ignorance.

He'd never believe in such a ludicrous idea.

His mother taught him that love wasn't dangerous, attachment was. Because love is your weapon, and attachement is your biggest vice. It means admitting your vulnerable, and people knowing vulnerable means admitting that you've become weak.

Damian isn't vulnerable, nor is he soft. It's not who he is. He never will be. He's incapable of ever deserving such softness.

Weak for another person, weak for someone who couldn't possibly understand the complexities of who you are. Isolation is just easier.

But god, if he doesn't he want to be.

“Robin?”

He's a disease to anyone who gets too close, slowly eating away at them until they're nothing but an empty shell of who they once were.

He rarely lets anyone close enough to truly know him, and even those who do don't truly know him.

Not when he's not even sure who he is.

“Robin!”

Nightwing.

He's supposed to be in Blüdhaven isn't he? Robin briefly pauses before speaking, “You didn't inform me you'd be in Gotham tonight.” He glances towards his brother who's now taken a seat beside him on the edge of the rooftop.

“I owed B a favour, kinda last minute.” He says simply and there's a comfortable silence before his irritating pestering starts, “So, what's on your mind?” It's casual question but his tone and body language indicate he's holding something back.

“I'm not sure I understand what you mean.” Nightwing sighs, glancing over at his little brother. He doesn’t say anything for a minute. Just looking at him.

Robin doesn't look back.

“I haven't been in Gotham for a while and you don't answer my texts like, ever. Is it so wrong for me to want to see how you're doing?" The question is quiet when he asks, Robin doesn't look back at him. He can't. Luckily, Nightwing speaks for him. "I can tell something is bothering you, Robin." The sentence hangs in the air for a moment before the younger boy finally looks at him, with an indecipherable expression on his face.

“Do you,” Robin pauses, unsure if he even wants the words he's been holding onto to be said out loud, he's vulnerable. “do you believe in soulmates?”

He regrets the question almost immediately, and barely keeps himself from wincing the moment the words escape from his mouth. Nightwing is silent and his face is calm, neutral. His body language has gone from open, to completely shut off which doesn't give Robin any clue as to what he's feeling.

The silence eats away at the poor boy and he opens his mouth to take the question back and change the subject, but Nightwing is quick to interrupt, his voice low and cautious when he answers Robin's query. “The universe is mysterious and extraordinary, in ways most of us will never understand, the idea that the universe chooses a destined partner for some of us doesn't seem that far-fetched to me.” There's a soft smile on his face when he says it, disaarming.

A smile that makes Robin's chest tighten in an unfamiliar way.

"Hm."

A silence overtakes them as they stare out into Gotham's skyline. Dawn is slowly creeping up on them, causing the sky is turn a lovely pinkish-orange which is rare in the normally grim, gothic metropolis. It makes for a breathtaking view, and certainly a nice idea for a landscape painting. Robin inhales slowly, eyes fluttering closed as he takes in this moment, trying to calm down from the earlier humiliation before Nightwing ruins it like always, “Do you? Y'know, believe in soulmates.”

“No.”

“Yeah, I guess I kinda expected that.” Nightwing huffs out a laugh and gently nudges Robin's shoulder, “S’there a reason you don't or is it your pessimistic worldview acting up again?” He teases, in turn, Robin scoffs at his older brother.

“There is no such thing as soulmates.”

“But what about the [Lastname] family, or even last year with the Whittes?"

“They're lying. It's incredibly obvious that they wanted fame and societal gain, that's all.”

“Right, of course they're lying, they faked an intimate, magical act for the sake of getting famous.”

“People stoop to unimaginable lows for fame and power, Grayson.”

Nightwing ignores his slip-up—instead, he lets out a hearty chuckle, “Mmm, maybe. But I have a weird feeling you're going to regret that statement.”

“Tt.”

Robin doesn't reply and he rises from the edge, reaching for his grapple to escape from this emotionally torturous situation he's placed himself in. Where he's already embarrassed himself once, he doesn't need to add any more fuel to the fire he's lit underneath himself.

"Farwell, Nightwing. I shall see you tonight."

"See ya, Robin."

"One more thing."

"Hmm?"

"..."

Holy freaking cow. I'm so sorry it took so long getting the prologue out, but worry not people, chapters 1-5 have been written. I just need to edit them 💔

"Please do not tell anyone about this."

In all honesty I've re-written this over 10 times because everytime I ended up hating it. (Writer struggles 😔)

I hope you enjoy this small piece before chapter one is released and please feel free to give criticism or correct me if you find anything wrong with this piece.

(If this gets the attention I want it to chapter one may be released sooner than expected... 🤭)

Alrighty I'll stop adding to this now, but I want you all to know that you are loved, and to also please take care of yourself <333

- Popraine

[ultimate-marysue]

It's raining nonstop where I am so I'm just picturing the Batfam during a flood.

Red Robin uploads a TikTok from the safety of a roof saying "watch him go!" As Red Hood keeps trying to drive his bike against the current. A big wave comes by and he's slowly dragged downhill. The caption reads "don't drive during floods".

Batman and Robin are on the ground helping civilians out of cars when the intensity doubles and in minutes Damian goes from wading knee deep in the water to swimming. The emergency batfloaties get triggered and he floats away as Bruce fails to grab him by half an inch. "Robin serenely drifting in the current" becomes a meme.

Someone takes a picture of a very flustered spoiler trying to squeeze the water out of her cape. The second she lets go the weight of the water makes her fall ass over backwards. Black Bat ends up giving her her waterproof cape.

Signal makes mirages of sharks in the water to scare the shit out of any criminals. Oracle uploads the recordings with Benny hill as background music. Bludhaven escapes the worst of the storm and Nightwing sends pictures to the group chat patting the barely wet concrete just to rub it in. He still slips on a puddle and eats shit, Barbara sends that to the group chat.

[pennameofshame]

Don't make me explain

Watching the sidekicks or proteges grow was always a heartwarming subject for the league

Talking about how they started out and how they're all maturing into their own heroes is always good and all but the current topic was actively making Batman have an aneurysm.

Sure, there are what can now be considered as funny stories like how Wally recreated the freak accident Flash was in or how Superman felt so bad for how he reacted to seeing Connor for the first time, like how was he supposed to deal with that the kid looked like a younger version of him and he really wasn't mentally prepared after the day he had, even Martian Manhunter joined in with small stories to say about his niece.

God, he prayed they didn't ask him, sure the league knew about Dick and his story, but they didn't know all the details in the beginning and still don't know about any of the others.

How on earth was he supposed to explain it all.

Every single one of Bruce's kids has willingly walked into that situation and there was nothing he could really do about it, yes as a legal guardian he could ground them but when dealing with these kids in specific it wouldn't have held up for long before they started testing the limits.

Sure Dick was the first and everyone soon understood the kid wasn't exactly normal, but they all saw him as the smiley kid who was just really energetic and bouncy. How on earth does he explain that the kid was thinking of straight up murder that he's almost glad he found the batcave and he could steer him away from that thought early on.

Barbara Gordon just showed up one day, or night with her own costume and refused to back down, in a similar fashion Stephanie Brown did the same so many years down the line, she found out her dad was a criminal, clue master to be exact and decided to take it upon herself to sabotage ever. single. one. of his plans. She wasn't robin long but soon became Spoiler and hasn't left.

When he caught Jason stealing the tires off the batmobile he decided to switch him to a different school to which ended up being a front for crime that the kid decided to expose all on his own and again showed no signs of backing down, so he took him in and made him undergo 6 months of training before stepping out as robin.

Tim, he didn't want to start on, Tim found him in his own dumpster and forced Batman to take him in as robin, that's actually putting it nicely, Timothy Jackson Drake didn't give him an option, just a reality, that kid is too smart for his own good and now he was a vigilante that he had some control over but he swears that Tim is some kind of mastermind but there's no proof, the decline in major crime organisations activity is a joint effort from him and Jason, and he has a feeling that the league of assassins hasn't caused trouble not because of guilt for Jason but because Tim did something .

Duke was older and a metahuman who was starting to go down the route of becoming a vigilante that Bruce just trained him and he became Signal.

Damian is his biological son and honestly as much of it was a shock, taking in another kid at this point was like clock work, except his youngest to no fault of his own was just as much of a loose canon and a more outwardly dangerous one at that. It took a while for the boy to calm down and to help him settle into some kind of normalcy but it happened, he's just a little rough around the edges more so than the others.

Cass was in a similar situation but approached Gotham and after saving Commissioner Gordan Bruce decides to take her in to help steer her a brighter path than just being a living weapon the only difference is that Cass made that choice herself while Damian felt like he was in a place that didn't understand him.

But what started out as two kids that he had to make sure wouldn't get hurt slowly turned into more. Easy right, just make sure they don't do anything stupid/dangerous/why did you think that was a good idea? Cause who in their right mind would go against THE Batman. His kids would, doesn't matter if they were adopted or not but they would and feel no remorse for the numerous grey hairs and mini heart attacks they've given him.

Don't get him wrong he loved them, but the league didn't know the half of it, and he really didn't want to open that can of worm because he wasn't ready for the questions that came along with it, cause being honest he really didn't know the answers and stopped trying to find them for his own sanity's sake.

How does he explain this to the other heroes. Sure, they all know what Gotham city is like and how it's somewhat become a crime alley due to issues here and there but like its being fixed and it's come a long way so it can't be that bad. I mean you don't see this happening in any of the other cities like it's circumstantial because some kid got powers and now you help them with it and stuff, as the other heroes have done but these kids- these kids were something else, like he did try to stop them you know, have them live normal lives and not care about anything else or take on the stress of crime fighting but they wouldn't listen. In fact, Bruce Wayne was willing to bet his entire wealth and everything he was that if he had just stood by and had done nothing, these kids still would've found a way to fight crime, even if it meant taking a more difficult way to do so.

"So bats, any stories you want to share?"

"No"

[deviousevilton]

They're all so stupid 🫶🫶

[thebarbieghost]

People who hate on wayne family adventures because "it doesn't follow cannon" need to go set in the corner

Is it a fucking problem that we want to have a break from dark depressing shit ????!!!!!!!

[cer-rata]

"A Light at The End"

Art by @yrkhn!

For @dukethomasweek2025!

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Batman (Comics), Batman Incorporated (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman and the Signal (Comics) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Bao Pham/Duke Thomas Characters: Duke Thomas, Bao Pham, Stephanie Brown, Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain Additional Tags: Strangers to Lovers, Kinda, Duke Thomas Deserves the World, Bao Pham Needs a Hug, Idiots in Love, Awkwardness, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Implied/Referenced Sex, Suicidal Thoughts, References to Depression, The Joker is dead, Post-Canon, Explicit Language, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Series: Part 11 of The Kids Are Alright

“Ya know,” Bao groaned, “If I had your bullshit cheat powers, I’d be fine too.”

Signal snorted. “Uh-huh. How many fingers am I holding up?”

Bao lazily looked over at his hand, and then winced. “Bro, I can’t tell when you’re making yourself glow, not cool.”

Signal stared at him for a long moment. “...Bao, I’m not using my powers.”

“...Oh. Aw, fuck. That’s bad.”

[supermarvelgirl15]

“Are you in?”

Nightwing: The Battle for Blüdhaven's Heart ★ Part 4 (2022)