#why are you doing this duke

[manhwa-animated-cover]

[hailsatanacab]

A Persuasive Argument - dpxdc

"Great!" Danny says, clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention. The dinner table falls silent as everyone looks towards him. It's a full house today and, honestly, Danny's a little nervous. "I'm sure you're all wondering why I gathered you here today."

"It's dinnertime. In our house." Duke mutters, while doing a very bad job of concealing his yawn. He holds his fork poised over the braised beef, but, just like everyone else, still looks towards Danny before tucking in. It's intriguing enough to wait.

"Yeah, no one misses Alfie's dinner." Dick says, with a brilliant smile that Danny can't help but return.

"Precisely! What better time to talk to you all than when you're all actually here!"

"Wait, I thought you came round to work on our English essays?" Tim asks, blinking owlishly.

"I'm afraid I've lured you here under false pretences, Tim."

"This is where I live."

"I would still really appreciate help on that essay though, I mean, what the hell is Hamlet even about? I just don't get that old time-y language, like 'Hark! A ghost hath killed me!' - absolute rubbish, what does that even mean?"

"The ghost never kills anyone in Hamlet, he's there to tell Hamlet that he was murdered. Have you actually read it?"

"No, but it sounds like you have. Tim, I want this guy to help me with my essay instead. I know for a fact that you haven't read Hamlet, either."

"So? We don't need Jason, I've read the Sparknotes."

"Hi Jason, I'm Danny, pleasure to meet you, summarise Hamlet in three sentences or less."

"Am I auditioning to help you write your essays? I can't believe you’ve gone through your whole school life without reading it, it’s good!"

"Hamlet, along with a number of other classics, was banned in our house because it portrayed ghosts as intelligent and sympathetic beings rather than evil, animalistic beasts. I didn’t even get to see The Muppet's Christmas Carol until last year with Tim! It was surprisingly good, and I hate Christmas because everyone always argued and it sucked. But we're getting off topic. I—"

"No, no, please go back to that, because what the fu—"

"Boys, please." Bruce interrupts, looking to the world as if he wants to hang his head in his hands. "Danny, you were about to say something?"

"Oh, yeah, Mr. Wayne! Thanks!"

"Please, call me Bruce."

"Well, that very succinctly brings me to my point, because I'd actually really like to call you dad."

Nobody says a word. Nobody even blinks, all as shocked as the other, watching open-mouthed as Danny pulls his laptop out from beside his chair. Bruce can definitely feel a headache coming on.

"Before you say anything, I've prepared a 69 slide PowerPoint presentation on why you, Bruce Wayne, should adopt me, Danny Last-Name-Pending. Please save your questions, comments, and verdict until the end, thank you."

[ew-selfish-art]

Dp x Dc AU: Bruce has a 'if you can't beat them, join them' mentality about the tabloids claiming he adopts too many kids- Developing foster homes that are paid for through the Wayne inheritance, personally vetted by the Bats, they're the leaders in the space for child health outcomes and family placement. Insert Danny.

---

Bruce has too much wealth, too many rumors and not enough reach into the abhorrent foster homes around Gotham to improve them. Tim ends up being the one to suggest it- He's the one who buys up their real estate for their safe houses after all- and Bruce is more than ready to pull the metaphorical trigger to get new clean welcoming spaces, Bat-background checked fosters and a new era of adoption in Gotham underway.

He's lobbied the state and the federal government for reforms of course, but this is a project he can micromanage. He spends time with every kid that comes through, talks with all the families that want to adopt and makes sure that these miniature homes are provided only the very best. Alfred personally hires all the staff, and with Barbara more than happy to help relocate the unhoused children she spots while they patrol, the project is a glowing success.

Occasionally, spots in their houses fill up, and those are the weeks were Cass takes on the Cowl of Batman- Bruce Wayne will personally invite a child in need to his home. He always has one of his kids present (they rotate on a pre-determined schedule) and he does his best to try and get them to understand that they deserve the world, have all the potential that anyone else has and can achieve a bright future. That he will personally aid them in their ambitions.

PR goes crazy for it of course, but Bruce and all of his children know its genuine. Almost too genuine, because a betting pool 'WILL THEY BE ADOPTED' regularly circulates between the siblings and the entire JL when someone spends time at the manor. And not just the black-haired, Blue-eyed kids get picked as favored outcomes- but obviously the running joke gets passed around.

It's a Thursday night when Bruce gets the call that the houses have once again filled up, and that there is a child in need of a home. The social worker (he knows her as Marsha and he has flowers planned to be sent on her birthday next week, like he does for all of his employees) (Say micromanaged one more time) explains that the kid is a bit cagey but has opened up with some humor. She explains that he has a few strange... mannerisms. She's not sure what to make of him, a non-gothamite for sure but something is, well, distinctly 'not from around here' about his energy.

Danny arrives at the house, meets Duke and Alfred, and by the time Bruce meets him at the dinner table it seems as though Marsha had it all wrong. This kid was laughing, he was teasing, he was totally playing along like he'd gone through nothing. Bruce is glad he's in high spirits but its just so... so different from all the other children he's taken in.

Bruce re-focuses on the conversation when Duke mentions something flashing, and its the first time that Danny goes quiet. Entirely still.

"...you noticed that?" Danny quietly asks, a bit of disbelief in his tone.

"You don't have a flashlight on or something do you? It was super bright whatever it is that you had in your hand a second ago?" Duke tries to sound chill but he's looking very much not chill. Bruce saw nothing, and that puts him further on edge.

"Look... I uh, I've been though... I've been through a lot lately. And the last lab I was in kind of, messed with me. I'm normally much better at dealing with it all, I promise." Danny sounds nervous, and the room seems to chill.

"Ah shoot, sorry." Danny notices something and frantically apologizes.

"Sorry for what Danny? You've done nothing wrong but I am worried about you- You said you were in a lab?" Bruce is desperately trying to calm him down while not slipping into Batman interrogation mode.

"Uh, yeah, like a lot of labs. It should get warmer in a second, its just cause I startled, I promise."

"You're a meta." Duke speaks softly and with hope in his voice- Danny is looking between them with wide eyes filled with fear.

"I mean I don't technically have the gene-"

"Danny, have you told any of your case workers where you were? Do any authorities know what you've been through?" Bruce needs to know, desperately, that who ever gave this young boy super powers is brought to justice. Danny goes quiet.

"I'm really sorry." He says softly, but he doesn't leave them.

Duke and Bruce try to ask a few more questions but the silence that meets them declares the conversation over, even with Duke admitting he himself is a meta. Danny didn't even look up from his plate. They watch a movie after dinner, and Danny seems to get back to the smile-y happy guy he had been before dinner.

Each of the bat-fam have their own interactions with Danny- And even if they're getting along amazingly, Danny won't open up. He doesn't open up to his provided therapist. Doesn't talk to Alfred. No one knows what's up.

So when Marsha calls Bruce back explaining they now have a spot for Danny and he can move out of the Manor... Bruce replies that he'd like to get started on Adoption paperwork, so long as Danny is fine with it.

---

Turns out, Danny is fine with it. he's both the newest Wayne and their newest case. (And godamnit, his new family is going to avenge him. If only he'd let them try.)

Danny figures out that Duke= Signal early on because of that dinner, and if he's going to keep his parents out of jail, he needs to be as close to the investigation as possible. He knows that he shouldn't protect the Fentons, but he feels the upset in his core at the thought of letting them befall any harm. He has to protect them. Has to protect Jazz and her hiding spot as a mole within their lab. Has to.

Even if it meant lying to his new family who loves him, and who he loves in equal return. Even if it means lying to The Bats.

---

Tabloids go crazy about the black-haired blue-eyed thing of course, but no poll was ever taken by the batfam or the JL who know the whole story.

[mylifeingotham]

Damian’s Birthday party

Bruce: Alfred tell them the cake is supposed be in the centre of the room

Alfred drinking a glass of Bourbon: Of course Master Wayne

Bruce: Damian! Stop attacking Tim with your birthday present!!

Damian: Father it was not my fault, Drake annoyed me!

Tim: I didn’t do anything

Damian: You were breathing!

Bruce: Sigh, Dick get off the chandelier!!

Dick: Shh we’re playing hide and seek

Bruce: We??

Jason storming into the room holding two guns: Ready or not, here I am

Steph: Not fair! You didn’t give us enough time to hide!!

Bruce: Cassandra Cain you better put that cake down! The party hasn’t even started!

Cass holding a slice of cake: Aww

Bruce: And Duke, I actually don’t know what you’re doing. What are you doing??

Duke stuffing food into his pockets: Nothing

[itsdefinitely]

Hi if ur still taking art requests I’d love to see u draw Miss Holloway and/or Duke <3

ice cream date

[himejoshiangels]

obsessed w how bitter and upset duke is w Bruce in this arc. and he has every right to be! he knew Bruce almost personally at that point, and his parents were joker gassed in a recreation of the wayne murders in an effort to get to batman. they were collateral damage and duke had been suffering pretty much alone as a result. his whole ideology is that robin doesn't need batman but on a more personal scale, you can see why he thinks that! when he needed Bruce he wasn't there, when he needed batman he wasn't there either. And he'll fret like he didn't care like it didn't matter but it DID

Ik I talk abt this panel often but that's bcs KTZZZZ ITS SO CRUCIAL TO DUKES CHARACTER!! He becomes completely self reliant, isolates himself he can't wait on batman to save the city, can't wait on batman to find his parents or wait on batman to save him, he's all he could rely on, and that self-reliance later grew into an almost cynical worldview. it's why his whole "emphasis on the word 'we'" thing at the we of WAR meant so much. he had hope in not just his own beliefs but in others' as well.

ANDDD it's why his and bruce's dynamic drives me up a wall but that's another post for another time..

[mintharan]

one thing i love so so much about wyll is that he's an atheist, not in the sense that he doesn't believe in them, they are materially real in the DnD setting, but that he doesn't think they're worthy of worship "the only thing the gods have ever given me is a cold shoulder" it's so evocative, so poignant, it says so much about him as a character. and really, to me, encapsulates the essence of his character: there is no divine intervention, there are no miracles, there are only people, and for them he's willing to sacrifice more than any god ever would

[breadandblankets]

Duke stumbles a bit as the disorienting energy surrounding him fades and the ground turns from solid concrete to gravel.

He scans his surroundings, trying to take in what the fuck just happened. Its then that he realizes, abruptly, that he's not alone.

Stephanie is shorter than the last time Duke saw her, wearing a much worse version of her Spoiler costume. There's a tugging in his mind, puzzle pieces slotting together, and he doesn't like it one bit.

Hey at least you found out that meta's fucking powers huh Thomas?

Great detective work.

Stephanie turns, slower than she should, grabbing a loose brick from the shoddy building facade.

"The fuck?" she says, holding the brick aloft. "Is big bat making boy wonders in a factory now?"

"Yeah, I'm the diversity edition," Duke responds, shamelessly stealing his girlfriend's joke.

"Happy pride I guess," Stephanie's voice is as chipper as ever. "Now back off before you end up like the other boy blunder."

"You'll hit me with a brick?" Duke asks.

"I will hit you with a brick," Stephanie confirms.

"Did you hit Ti-Robin with a brick? Please tell me you hit him with a brick," Duke can't keep the glee out of his voice.

"He knows what he did," Steph says ominously. "I have plans to Spoil, so you can stand there and watch or.... you can help."

Duke has, what some people might call, a chronic inability to say no when people ask for help. His parents raised a nice polite young man, you see, and when a friend who is not yet a friend but will be asks for help; Duke is helpless to say anything other than—

"Lead the way."

part 2

[yunoftheclouds]

Dogsitting Cerberus

I think he wants the ball

[sisaloofafump]

Bat Symbol Lingerie

Inspired these tags on this post of mine:

Bonus:

[mawrjexel]

I see people say that Damian likes classical music but that gremlin definitely likes R&B, pop and kpop, but he will never admit it, he likes music with strong instrumentals and loves songs with good bridges.

So we all know that Damian is never fully asleep and that he has a lot of nightmares and is always on his guard, sometimes when he can't sleep and is very paranoid he definitely starts listening to music and starts dancing all over his room and goes down. like at 4 am to eat (everyone goes to sleep at 3 am or leaves the manor because if they stay Alfred will force them to go to sleep) while he walks down the normal hallway while singing silently and he goes down the stairs dancing (he's a teenager, let him be)

definitely kiss of life, beyonce, ariana grande, the weekend and chase atlantic are in his 4 am playlist.

On patrol he listens to nmixx, aespa, stray kids and bts (one of his favorite songs is no more dream, fight me)

Cass introduced him in the world of kpop, she definitely knows all of gfriend's choreographies (which are terribly complicated), and she taught them to damian while they were spending charity time together because they are the only members of the "raised by league" club of assassins and later taken in by bruce wayne"

Damian also sings very good but the only ones who know that are Duke (he heard him singing and told him he sang well), Cass because he once snuck into the mansion (there was supposed to be no one there) and heard him, and Alfred because he's alfred

[radjerda]

Alexandria Hypatia and Aramis Stilton are best friends send tweet

[photochoco]

My two Idiots <3

[lilium-dragomir]

“We are all prisoners of circumstance at one point or another.” ― Andrea Cremer

Kanojo ga Koushaku-tei ni Itta Riyuu | Raeliana McMillan @animangacreators  - Challenge: 'Spring 2023'

[strawberrytalia]

transmasc duke thomas

[darthpastry]

Oh hey, might be the most common result, but actually really accurate.

Link to quiz