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silly little sketch of athena dealing with a young lovestruck odysseus

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I'm just thinking about the chaos that can ensue due to Damian's years of tutoring clashing with the usual American schooling system from the other bats. Not from the material though, from the culture.

Like all the other bat children have gone through at least a few years of American High School: Dick after Bruce takes him in, Jason in the years where Bruce puts him in school before he died, Tim before he said Fuck This Noise and dropped out. But Damian?

Sure he knows all the material, is way beyond most of the material honestly, but that's not the point. The point is that Damain hasn't yet gotten indoctrinated traumatised used to the American Education System.

Observe:

Damian: What is with their constant insistence on the most inconsequential things? What is so important about- about a mitochondria?? Dick, Jason, and Tim at the same time: The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. Damian: wtf??

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Why watch cartoons when the logo is better? (My heroes are watching their cocomelon

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When Dick was a teenager and at odds with Bruce, he tried to get a piercing as a form of rebellion. He heard from his friends that their parents totally flipped, so he got himself an earring.

Blue, gaudy, and bedazzled.

When he showed up to the manor with it, he made sure to strut in front of Jason and pretend he didn’t care that his little brother was practically fawning over how cool he looked.

The moment Bruce came into the room, Dick was expecting a huge confrontation and a yelling match, like his friends had all said would happen.

Instead, Bruce lit up and smiled at Dick before leaving the room in a hurry.

Jason and Dick exchanged confused glances before Bruce came back holding a picture and beaming proudly.

The picture is of teen Bruce with a whole bunch of piercings, looking like an ethereal vampire. Snake bites that made it look like he had fangs, industrial, lobe, septum, bridge, etc. Just a lot.

The boys are slack-jawed at their Dad looking like that while Bruce is fondly telling him about all the piercings he had and how he wished he had more, but Alfred wouldn’t let him

“I also had a belly piercing. Ollie convinced me to get that one back at boarding school.” Bruce said wistfully, reminiscing about his intense goth era when he didn’t have to worry too much about public perception.

Dick is modified because for more than half a second he actually thought his Dad was super cool again. Jason is ooh-ing and awe-ing at the picture.

When Dick does back his apartment, he considers taking the piercing out and letting the hole close up, but he feels slightly bad since Bruce was trying to connect with him.

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talking under the olive tree

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You know how Dick gives everyone hugs like an octopus, what if his hugging habits rubbed off on everyone else. Like everyone just clings to Bruce's legs, arms, and the like.

Before Jason came home, Bruce was the tallest, and Dick was the one initiating these hugs. Basicly Dick has shown everyone that whenever anyone wants to get picked up, they all go climb Bruce.

One day, a few days after Jason agreed to stay at the manor long-term. Bruce pulls Jason over to the side.

Bruce, whispering: There's something you need to know if you're gonna stay here– Jason, in his normal voice, cause why the hell is he whispering in his own home: Yeah yeah no killing, rubber bullet yahda yahda Bruce: No it's not that I trust you not to kill people. It's about the others. Jason half distracted: huh, what about the others? Bruce trying to find a polite way to talk about his children: ah well you see they really like hugs– Jason: you pulling over to warn me about hugs?  Really old man? You've lost your edge Bruce ‘I love my children’ Wayne: When I say they like hugs, I mean that in a kinda kaola demon way Jason cracking: Really is that what they are? God Bruce this is a new low I thought you wanted stay here? Bruce: I do! More than anything but I wanted to warn you– Jason: that children like hugs? Cause who could had thought of that. Bruce with a very serious expression: yes that but you dont understand– they, they climb Jason: What the shit are you talking now? Bruce: They climb me and latch on. They climb the doorframe of the manor to jump on me, they koala onto me in the damn batsuit, and now I fear they will climb you. Jason: oook, and how did you decide this? Bruce: Jaylad, you're taller than me and almost as much bulk in their eyes; you're a freaking Jungle gym. Jason: What about Dick? He's not that much shorter than you? Bruce: Who do you think started this?!

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Awesome that we brought back mass lead poisoning. Everything that’s old is new again.

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If I like a headcaonnon enough, then I'll adopt it as my own. One of these headcannons is that the Bats act less human than they really are.

They are human! It's just that adopting mannerisms of the actual animals helps them keep their civilian identities away from their vigilante ones. And it's not much, not really.

It started with Dick. Kids have a tendency to stare at things the younger they are. Eight year old Dick Grayson thought that staring at the crooks and tilting his head was perfect for catching people off-guard. He found that cackling added to the effect, and he really did find it funny how these adults with scars and tattoos and such would scream like little girls and stumble right to Bruce. Dick managed to perfect this so that he acts like a real bird while in his suit, flying through the sky and being a blur of color that cackled at thugs pain.

Head tilts just a little too bird-like. Whistles and chirps to call out to Bruce without anyone knowing what was being said. A call sign for checking in as Dick got older and started to patrol areas on his own.

Bruce saw the usefulness in Dick chirping like a bird. He worked with Dick to create a language based on bat and bird sounds, and it's a small portion of why they work so well together.

Jason picked up on it. The head tilts, the chirps and whistles that Bruce made sure were distinctly different from Dick's calls. A way to tell which of his chaotic little shits he was calling out to.

Babs also picked up on it. She wasn't one of Bruce's kids, but she learned to be more bat-like and how to call out to the others, just in case.

Each bat kid has their own call, their own bird. Cass chose to use the sounds of a young bat calling to it's parent or others around it. Most of the Robin's have sounds that are similar yet different.

There's one thing that's true through Gotham. The sound of Batman's kids laughing echoing through the streets like some disembodied voice from a horror movie isn't something to be scared of. Their laughter said that they were in good moods.

It was the chirps, the narrow eyed, birdish head tilts, the sound of birds in the dark of night, that you had to look out for.

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pov : you knock at the door at 2 am

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nothing but respect for our troops (smut writers) but listen. i dont want to be the person to tell you this, but not every character is going to be a dom or a sub. some people. and i know this is hard to hear. but some people do have vanilla sex. and some of those people might even be The Character.

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*arguing about who is most robin-like*

Damian: robins reguarly fight to the death to defend their home. i am the most territorial, therefore i fit the bird mantle more accurately,

Tim, lazily: robins are also omnivores, so you’re out, you fucking vegan

Damian: i am vegetarian not vegan you utter-

Steph, googling: apparently robins are monogamous and mate for life. so. like.

Dick:

Steph: Dick’s out.

Dick: you’re mean.

Tim: this forum says that robins die really young and only really tend to live to like, five or six.

Dick:

Steph:

Damian:

Tim: …so…

Everyone: *slowly turns to look at Jason, who’s busy reading a book*

Jason: *looks back at them, incredulous*

Jason: oh come on- i’m not even a part of this debate, how am i STILL catching strays?!

Dick: we’re saying you’re the most robin like-!

Jason: FOR GETTING CAUGHT BY A PREDATOR.

Damian: oh god, i’ve already been Robin for two years. how long do you think i have left?

Jason: you guys are assholes

Tim: stop making everything about you Jason, Damian might DIE soon.

Jason: ?!?

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I rly hate the Satanic Panic & the moral panic surrounding violence in video games in the 90s, coz it's now impossible to talk about the social implications of violent video games in a realistic sense.

No, violence in video games does not create serial killers in the way most people imagine it would.

However, it's very important to notice how after 9/11, a lot of violent video games pivoted their content from silly gratuitous cartoon gore to more realistic military shooters set in the Levant from a US American lens. It's also important to notice the connection of these games & their toxic online multi-player voice chats to Gamer Gate in 2014.

It's obviously not as black & white as it was presented in the 80s & 90s, I dont think everyone who played early Call of Duty games is a white supremacist who wants to join the military to kill people in the middle east, but I think it's dangerous to pretend like video games or any media can't have an impact on the way people think about violence.

I think what makes all the difference here is how that violence is portrayed, what the message behind it is, what the motives are behind the people who crafted that message, who the victims of that violence are, how they are portrayed & the greater cultural context that surrounds it.

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ordering a pup cup for my chikorita in lumiose

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Happy 10.10 <3