Magpie [Damian Wayne] (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
iamverybadass) wrote2018-12-25 10:14 pm
iamverybadass) wrote2018-12-25 10:14 pm
Entry tags:
Registry
- Meeting his father for the first time (B&S 47-50)
- First time seeing the batcave/this child is feral (B&S 53-58)
- dear dad, here is a dead bird. do u like it?????? (B&S 72-73; 77-82)
- LOOK AT ME MOM (B&S 89-96)
- Damian says Fuck History (B: RRAG 33-34)
- SHOW HIM THE ZOMBIE (B: RRAG 40, context on 42)
- Damian says Fuck Ghosts!! (B: RRAG 51-56)
- Stop hitting yourself (B: RRAG 56-61)
- Breaking into the batcave and Tim's a jerk for no reason at ALL (B: RRAG 88-94)
- Alfred does my dad love me :(? (B: RRAG 98; 103. Minus continued Tim fight.)
- Nice job birdbrains (B: RRAG 124-131)
- DAMIAN OUT!! (B: RRAG 134-135)
- thx 4 the save dad (B: RRAG 226-228)
- BUT MOM :( (B: RRAG 229-232; 236-238
- Damian says Fuck Ambulances (Batman RIP; 145)
- Did we just watch Batman die??? (idk end of RIP, look for exploding stuff)
- Damian says FUCK NIGHTWING (BR 2009; #2 14-18)
- Did you just save my life? (BR 2009; #3 12-15)
- Geeze Dick I can fight blind :T (BR 2009; #4 18-21)
- Big Bro #3 SUCKS (BR 2009 #5 6-9)
- ffs jason THANKS A LOT (BR 2009 #6)
- Aren't you dead?(BR 2009 #8 22-23)
- This recovery arc sucks (BR 2009 #9 5-11, 15-18)
- but I like the status quo NOW (Br 2009 #10 15-18 [part for context])
- changed my mind; new spine sucks (BR 2009 #11 16-end)
- electrocution will solve this problem (BR 2009 #12 7-9)
- Moms suck (BR 2009 #12 14-18)
- Movie night with the fam (BR 2009 #20 start-5)
- Birthdays with Mom (BR 2011 #0 10)
- The last birthday with Mom (BR 2011 #0 11-15)
- no one cares about your dead parents Dad (BR 2011 #1 7-12)
- And I didn't kill anyone! (BR 2011 #1 16-20)
- Quality time with Dad (BR 2011 #2 9)
- Damian says FUCK CHESS (BR 2011 #3 3-9)
- This is fine (BR 2011 #3 10-19)
- Dad you SUCK (prelim Ducard background) (BR 2011 #4 13-17)
- With Ducard (BR 2011 #4 20-21; #5 5 to #6 3)
- Thank fuck my dad is Batman (BR 2011 #7 start-8)
- Double tap (BR 2011 #7 11-end)
- A moral discussion (BR 2011 #8 13-end)
- We're not so different you and I, Tim (BR 2011 #10 15-19)
- Jason talks to his furniture (BR 2011 #11 start-7) NTS3
- Big brothers aren't all bad (BR 2011 #12 8-9)
- y. you aren't my real dad nightwing (BR 2011 #12 17)
- goddamn bounty hunters (BR 2011 #13 13-16)
- Do you even know what selfishness means? (BR 2011 #14 18-20)
- It's not me who needs protecting... It's the 4 highly trained and experienced adults!! (BR 2011 #15 start-11)
- Damian says fuck this murder in particular (BR 2011 #15 19-#16 15)
- for FUCK'S entire sake Joker (BR 2011 #16 16-end)
- Well this is nothing but nightmare fuel (Batman 2011 #17 start-7)
- fuck (Batman 2011 #17 8-15, through to end for misc cutaway scenes)
- what the fuck is a "game"? (Red Hood 2011 #17 13, 15)
- Todd's sad attempt at being a big brother (Red Hood 2011 #17 4-5)
- Jason's receding hairline (Batman 2016 #16 16)
- Artistry (Implied canon, montage)
- Violin practice (Implied canon, montage)
- You trust people. That's what makes you you. (NW 2011 #17)
- Trust me, they're a curse (not canon; loosely based on this)
- MEMORY
- MEMORY
- MEMORY
- MEMORY
- MEMORY
- MEMORY
TAKEN
- guess who's got a NEW SPIIIINE (BR 2009 #8 18): Write Up | IC thread
- Shut up and let me train you Jon (SS #6 5-12) Writeup | IC thread
- Are you using my hand for a tissue :/ (GA #7 7-14) Writeup | IC thread
- And that's how I learned how to dispose of a body (Reference, SS #1 14; AoSS #6 5) Writeup | IC thread
- There's a new Batman in town (B&R 2011, Annual #1) Writeup | IC thread
- Time to fuck off, Tim! (B&S 66-70) Writeup | IC thread TBD
- Forest training (implied canon) Write up | IC thread TBD
- Boss baby (BR 2009 #10 3-5) Writeup | IC thread TBD
- sup granddad. fuck you. i'm out. (B: RRAG 76-77; 79-83) Writeup | IC thread TBD
- Family Portraits (BR 2011 #10 5-8) Writeup | IC thread TBD
- This is NOT my order and I hate you (Batman 2016 #16 11-13 pre-Bruce's outburst)
- Brothers beWARE! (BR 2011 #10 11-13)
- Dads >>> Moms (B: RRAG 182-184)
- Torture lessons with Ducard (BR 2011 #6 16-end)
- who cares about you dad AM I STILL ROBIN??? (BR 2009 #16 29-end)
- TEMPLATE Writeup | IC thread
https://www.random.org/lists/
Memory 1
Damian is a few years younger in this memory, somewhere between 10 and 11. He's returning from treatment at his mother's facility to have his spine replaced following [redacted].
Notes:
-Knows Pennyworth is his(?) butler
-His own name is static'd out
-The mention of Red Hood makes him angry for ???reasons???
-The mention of Master Richard irritates him mildly, but only because he is annoyed at being left out of whatever it is he's doing.
-no clue why his whole spine got replaced but knows it was necessary
-complete faith in mother's selection of doctors (and in spite of complaints is not actually inclined to disobey doctor's orders
yet)Memory 2
This is a recent memory. It begins with Talon perched at the very edge of a rooftop, and another boy dropping down from the sky onto the roof just a few feet away. The boy starts explaining he was late because his mom put his costume in the wrong place, and calls Talon by the name "Robin." Robin shushes him and explains that he's a soldier now and this is not a costume.
The boy doesn't look like he could be any older than Robin is.
Robin declares that training begins now!! And then both boys fucking leap off the side of the building, but it seems to be fine? Robin uses a grappling gun to swing down safely, and the other boy is just...he's fine. It doesn't seem like he can fly, but he lands with no sign of any injury at all.
It turns out that Robin's idea of training is needlessly scaring jaywalkers. The other boy sets him straight about that, and we learn they're in a city called Metropolis. Mystery boy declares they're here to have fun and help people without scaring them, and Robin counters by declaring that fun isn't a real thing. This is why he's got to train this kid! To show him that fun and the job of saving people just don't mix. :|
They continue on their patrol which includes:
--Mystery kid stopping a purse snatcher by physically grabbing and stopping their getaway bike while Robin ties them up.
--Mystery kid saving a cat from a tree while Robin makes fun of him for being such a sap about it
--Mystery kid lifting a car so Robin can change the tire on it for a stranded motorist
The patrol draws to a close when Robin's team shows up while they're taking a break on a rooftop. They barely even introduce themselves, more interested in picking up Robin and going on to whatever mission they have planned than making small talk. We learn the mystery kid's name is Superboy while Robin is pretty rudely dismissing him to join his team. Whatever this mission is, he's more interested in dealing with it than he is in even taking Superboy home. When Starfire asks if he'd like to bring Superboy along he refuses and the team takes off, leaving Superboy, who's been silent through this whole exchange, alone on the roof.
Notes:
--All codenames can be heard.
--Knows this is stuff he does all the time
--Also knows that this patrol was an exceptionally easy one. He doesn't know how much more difficult the hero work he does can get, but does know that patrolling Metropolis was like child's play for him.
--Knows he was intentionally avoiding any serious threats because:
1) Jon is 10 and patrolling like this is very new to him. Does not want to deal with a 10 year old seeing an average civilian being seriously hurt.
2) Or with their dads' disappointment/anger if he lets Jon get into that situation.
3) And anyway, Jon's dad is keeping an ear out for major threats and the Metro PD can handle anything between (whatever Jon's dad handles, this is very unclear) and petty thievery.
3) Very, very deep down knows this is actually fun for him and considers it a break from his usual work (whatever that entails)
--Remembers he really fuckin likes this kid, and also that he is very unwilling to admit this in any kind of obvious way. He's serious about wanting to train him, but in a sense of preparing him for how difficult hero work can become. He knows Jon is pretty innocent and knows how rough some cases can get, and wants to prepare him to face those hard situations. Bbbbut it is hard not to get taken in by how kind and fun Jon is himself.
--Knows he leads the Teen Titans. For some reason he feels an intense pressure about this, but he's not sure why. Just knows that while he was relaxed with Jon, he closed off his emotions entirely to deal with the Titans. For some reason he can't let his guard down with them?? They are his team, but not friends. More like a job vs something he enjoys (like "training" Jon)
--all of the titans are older than him...
--Specifically refused to bring Jon along because TT work is dangerous in a way that he doesn't believe Jon is prepared to face.
--Knows that if Jon had argued, he'd have made some mean comment about it being his bed time. He would've felt a little bit bad about it, but it's worth it to keep Jon from getting swept up in something that might actually manage to hurt him.
--Remembers his combat and stealth skills!!
Memory 3
Talon is training with a bo staff in the middle of a cemetary. There is a girl writing in a notebook that he isn't really paying attention to until suddenly, for some unexplained reason they're drawn together to...hold hands? Talon would really like to not be holding her hand, but apparently this is just what's happening now. Neither of them are able to stop it, and the girl declares it must be the magic of her quill! She just wrote their names down in her book which must have caused them to become stuck together! Unfortunately, before she can undo the magic, a raven swoops down and steals the quill from him.
She drags him off to meet with a friend of hers that might be able to help them. We learn the girl's name is Maps, but Talon's real name is static'd out again. Maps and her friend discuss possible magical causes of this while Talon argues that this is all ridiculous and a waste of time. He begins listing alternative possible causes and ways they can try to solve this problem, when suddenly Maps' friend shoves them out the window.
It's cool though. Talon manages to catch hold of the window sill and instructs Maps to take his grappling gun and use it to stick a line to a building across the courtyard so he can swing them both to safety. They crash into another room with another boy who also attacks them. In order to defend them, Talon swings Maps around like a weapon, using her to kick the strange boy (who turns out to be her brother) in the chest and knocking him out.
Maps retaliates by wiping her nose on Talon's hand. Vengeance.
The memory ends with Talon complaining that none of this is helping, and they need to figure out how to get unstuck or why they keep getting attack, and Maps suggests borrowing a teacher's dog to use as a bloodhound to track down the quill.
Notes:
--100% of this memory took place on the grounds of a school. Even the part in the cemetery. Gotham Academy just has a cemetery.
--He's so bad at hiding his secret identity
--He absolutely had multiple batarangs and smokebombs on him in addition to the grappling gun.
--Who is this girl and why is she gross
--He has no idea why any of this is happening. Father said school would be a chance to be normal and he is pretty sure none of this is normal!!
--Of all the crazy things to happen to him why did it have to be holding some girl's hand. Why not ninjas or kidnappers or something he can fight directly
--Fighting civilians who are definitely not in their right mind sucks :/
--Fancier combat skills. Can make anything a weapon, even other (similarly sized) people.
--This memory and the previous one both give him more casual speech patterns. +3 years experience learning to match average slang and conversational dialect
Note on skill memories
Up to this point, Talon's remembered using his combat skills in fairly safe situations (for a Robin). There's a very low risk of any actual injury to him, as well as the inherent knowledge that there are capable adults within easy contact to provide support if he needs it. (Superman, in the case of patrolling with Jon, and teachers or even calling up his own father, in the case of the spell at the school.)
So, although Damian technically understands that he has extensive combat skills, he doesn't remember actually using them outside of situations requiring agility and stealth (patrolling), or purely defensive maneuvers (the school). Even the defensive maneuvers are carefully restrained to avoid any injury beyond mild bruising; those were civilians he was fighting!
All this is to say he doesn't remember facing anything that could actually hurt him. It's important to keep this in mind since even though he could technically take down a guy 3 or 4 times his size, he remembers none of the conditioning or experiences that led him to the confidence and bravery he needs to do that. He will still have difficulty facing off against serious threats at this point in time, and won't be above relying on his team to protect him if he feels outclassed or otherwise overwhelmed. It's fuckin' wild having faith in adults to both protect him and to also not feel bad about needing to ask for help.
If he does have to face a threat on his own, he'll rely heavily on agility and stealth over direct combat—out-smarting vs out-punching (or stabbing). Actual combat, if he is pushed to it, will focus on disabling with minimal injury to his opponent. That's how he remembers using his skills right now, so it's just what he's most confident in doing. That said exceptions may and probably will happen because this game sure does enjoy some good trauma.
Memory 4
Damian sits on the balcony of an extravagant, mediterranean styled mansion which overlooks a stunning view of the ocean. He appears much younger here, maybe six or seven? Baby fat still clings to his cheeks, and he's yet to begin growing into all of his features yet. But even the softness of youth has no change on how serious a child this is. His face is set in a scowl that somehow seems even sharper, more threatening, than it does on him at thirteen.
He's seated at a small desk with a notebook filled in unreadable short hand laid open before him. An older man stands by a blackboard with a crudely drawn diagram of what looks like a cutaway section of earth on it. There are a few notes and labels jotted down on the board, but none of them make sense without the context of the lesson which seems to be wrapping up now. The instructor is laying down his chalk and beginning to erase the board, stealing a glance over his shoulder at the child who is still jotting down whatever final thoughts he has. There's something odd in the look he gives the boy—concern? Maybe even pity?
"Why don't you join me for lunch?"
The question seems to have surprised Damian. His head snaps up from his notes, and he narrows his eyes in something that must be confusion. The professor looks hesitant, but presses on in spite of whatever is holding him back. "You'll have to return for the afternoon lessons anyway. It will save you time, and I have enough stew for—"
"No." There's a sharp edge to Damian's tone, out of place in his childish voice. His features are pinched with some unreadable emotion, and he turns his attention back to his note papers to begin packing them away. There's a flicker of movement in the doorway that he chooses to ignore. "You know my schedule does not allow for it yet."
Still determined, the professor crosses the distance between them to plead beside his desk, one hand raised towards the boy. "But, my Lord Damian, surely you must be—"
The man is cut short by a crunching, wet thunk. Red droplets spatter across the desk where Damian's notes had just laid, a few landing on the side of his face. He inhales a little quicker than could be considered normal, not quite a gasp, and his eyes widen ever so slightly when he glances up at the blade that's sunk into his professor's temple. Even as the man crumples forward, upending the desk and forcing Damian to stand and back up, he gives no other outward sign of his shock.
"Mother," he starts in a voice that is far too calm for what he just witnessed. "I had the situation under control. Your interference was unnecessary."
An olive-skinned woman steps out of the shadows of the doorway, an amused smile at her lips as she makes her way across the balcony to him. "While I do trust you, my son, I'm afraid that I disagree." She pauses at Damian's side, stroking her fingers fondly through his hair for a moment before stooping to heft the body of the man in her arms. Damian watches her intently.
"A man so willing to attempt to sway you here, under my very nose, is not a man to be trusted," she continues, approaching the edge of the balcony and glancing down at the sheer drop below. "His attempts to interfere with your training would have continued. He was too soft-hearted to understand the importance of it." She heaves the body over the side of the balcony, turning back to Damian with an unreadable smile before the sound of a splash can be heard.
Damian takes a breath, glancing away to frown at the upturned table. He can feel her hand on his cheek, brushing away the blood spatter before finding its way into his hair for another fond pet. "How will I finish my studies now?"
She laughs, stepping into his view again and crouching demand his attention. It works. He seems startled, surprised that she would lower herself to his level this way. "Damian, you have so many lessons greater than this to learn. Think of the time you have gained to dedicate to them now." Her hand is on his cheek again, pride in her eyes and tone. "Time you would have otherwise lost to a fool who cannot understand how great these trials will make you."
Slowly, Damian nods his understanding, and her smile brightens with approval. Satisfied, she stands and lays a hand on his shoulder, guiding him back into the manor. "Good boy. Now, because you have done so well in resisting temptation, I will allow you to select your meal for the end of this week. An appropriate reward, don't you agree?"
He allows himself a pleased smirk, finally settling into ease at his mother's side. "Thank you, Mother. I will let the cook know when I have chosen a fitting dish."
Notes
--He's so fuckin hungry. It's been days since he's eaten. Knows that he was not supposed to be eating at this time. Part of training?
---This is normal. It isn't the first time he's been banned from eating, and that it hasn't yet been as long as it was last time. Knows he was confident he could make it to the end of the week without issue.
---He was annoyed with the professor for trying to encourage him to eat. The training is important and shouldn't be interfered with!!
--The murder was a little unexpected and more upsetting than he let on, but not nearly as upsetting as it would be for Talon.
---Talon is very jarred by how calm he was over the man's death.
---Most upsetting is how he knows he wasn't surprised that his mother killed the man. He hadn't expected it to happen in front of him, but hadn't been surprised to find she'd done it at all.
-----in the memory he felt pretty proud of himself for not reacting to it, which is also upsetting for Talon to think about. why proud???
--Mom is so cool and great and wise and he loved her.
---Talon also can't help loving her, but it's already very complicated since Talon's views on murder are starkly different from his child self's.
---He's also kind of concerned about the whole no eating as training thing. This feels completely normal in the memory, and he can't shake the feeling that it is normal, but also is reasonably sure that members of Wild City might disagree with that.
--All in all a pretty upsetting and confusing memory that is going to leave him with many, many questions about his childhood and the kind of person he was raised to be. He can't understand going from a kid this chill about murdering a guy who was just offering him a meal to being a super hero who fights crime and wants to save lives.
Memory 5
The memory features Damian recording a number of videos to his father in front of a green screen. Each video is done live to allow him to actually speak with Bruce and keep up the ruse that he's traveling at the same time. He's arranged a scavenger hunt throughout Europe for Bruce, sending him on a hunt for clues about important locations that Bruce's parents visited during his childhood. Before each video he reviews notes about the next target he's sending Bruce after, meaning that even though the memory only shows Damian's side of things, it does reveal that his father will find the following:
--Grandmother's painting (London)
--Grandmother and Grandfather's honeymoon photograph
--Grandfather's proposal
Of course, in between the videos he's spending his nights dressing up in Batman's cowl and gauntlets and a trenchcoat so he can roam the streets as the new Batman. He:
---harasses a detective who is absolutely not paid enough to deal with a rogue 10 year old in his father's hero gear
---absolutely destroys a gang of robbers with a level of violence that can only be called overkill (but no deaths!!)
---does some science to crack the detective's case
---drives the batmobile
---beats up way more criminals. Again, overkill, but no deaths
---harasses Commissioner Gordon who is also not paid enough for this
---saves children from a fire
---gets into a fight with a walking flamethrower who's been using mutants to steal gas. It's fine, he wins.
Most importantly, everyone watching the memory absolutely gets to see Damian complaining about the sun setting too slowly while wearing one of his father's robes and pretending to drink wine. (It's milk. He's a very cool child.)
Of course it turns out Bruce knew about the game all along, but they have a good talk about the trust that has been built between the two of them, and how much Bruce appreciates the search Damian crafted for him.
Notes:
--FATHER!!!!
--I'M BATMAN!!!!!
--Knows that he hasn't lived with Bruce for long. This is all still very new to him, and he's been putting a lot of effort into adapting to life in Gotham and the expectations that his father has of him vs those of his mother.
--He's so thrilled to hear that all his effort has been noticed by Bruce.
--More combat skill upgrades from all the fighting
--Remembers how to drive!!!
--Overall a very positive memory that leaves him feeling secure in having one good parent.
Memory 6
Damian is doing some crazy sword moves in the middle of the cave for ???training??? Another boy in a red and black Robin costume approaches from behind and tries to make nice, and Damian immediately ruins that by nearly swording him in the head and by looking as menacing as possible. Undeterred, otherRobin offers to spar. He's doing his best! Damian mocks him with his voice acting skills
and pulls a severed head out of his bag.
There's a grenade in the head's mouth.
OtherRobin is rightly horrified by this, and it only gets worse when Damian shows off a bloody key and launches an attack against him. It becomes clear that Damian's done something awful and violent to Alfred, but in spite of all of this, OtherRobin still saves him from getting crunched by a robotic dinosaur and tries again to reason with him. This was the wrong choice to make, because as soon as Damian has his feet under him he backhands the older boy right off the dinosaur's head. It doesn't look like he'll land safely this time.
NOTES
--Knows that this is Tim and that he is Robin at this time
--Knows he felt 100% certain that the only way to gain acceptance from his father was to kill Tim. He did not see any potential flaws in this plan.
--Definitely beat the shit out of Alfred to get that key.
--Knows he personally murdered and beheaded a man to get that head.
--He was not particularly eager to do any of this, but believed fully it was what he was expected to do. Fight crime? He fought crime and won and here's the proof!!
--Knows he was locked in a bedroom previously; a very luxurious jail cell as far as he was concerned at the time. Talon can't say he blames whoever put him there.
--There is no part of this memory that isn't gut wrenchingly horrifying to Talon
--Cool now he remembers how to do voice mimicry. What a great trade-off for remembering murder.
Memory 7 - CW child neglect/physical abuse
The memory begins in a thick pine forest. Damian, just barely 5 years old, is trekking through the woods with a pack that is easily half as large as he is slung over his back. He's alone, and occasionally pauses to scowl up at the sun, just beginning to set, through the gaps in the trees and adjusting his course based on whatever calculations he's making. He eventually comes to a stop in a particularly thick copse of trees with some shrubs scattered around their base and drops his pack, starting to pulls supplies out from it.
A thin sleeping bag is tucked into the thickest of the bushes, and he grabs a collapsed mesh contraption and leaves the copse to follow the sound of water to a bubbling stream not far away. He sets the fish trap in place near the middle of the stream, weighing it down with a rock and partially covering it with a fallen, already waterlogged branch to hide it from view. The whole time he works his attention is on his surroundings. He frequently glances up to watch the forest around him, sharp eyes focusing on any sound or twitch of a branch, but his work passes without incident and he returns to his crude little camp once the trap has been set.
Dinner is a protein bar paired with dried fruit that he dug out from the depths of his pack. He doesn't so much as light a fire for warmth before he beds down for the night, double-checking that both his pack and sleeping bag are securely hidden from view before he finally lets himself lay down and rest. The memory begins to blur as he starts to fall asleep…
Only to snap back into sharp focus with a chorus of snapping twigs and a sharp, high-pitched cry of pain. Talon remembers the burning pain of a knife in his shoulder, but people simply watching the memory will have trouble following the hazy blur of motion as he forces himself awake again and scrambles out of the brush the second the knife is drawn back for another strike. He can hear the snapping of twigs again and the thud of an approaching footstep and whirls around to press his back to the trunk of a tree, scrambling to draw his own blades from sheaths strapped around his chest. The shadows in front of him have all gone still, and the forest is quiet save for the quiet chatter of birds and insects, and—
A soft rustling to his left has him spinning to face it, hopping straight up and bracing one foot on the tree trunk to give him an extra second in the air. It was the right move to make. His assailant's sword sinks into the trunk where his midsection had been moments ago, and he lashes out with his own blades in strategic, upward arcs at the same moment. One of them must have struck cleanly, because there's a wet spray of dark liquid followed by a gurgling sound, and the assailant crumples forward to their knees and clutches at their throat as they slump forward.
Damian drops back down to the ground, gulping in shaky breaths of air that he focuses on getting under control, eyes scanning the forest with carefully restrained, but tense expression. When no one else rushes out to attack him, he bolts away from the tree and hauls his pack from the bushes, leaving the sleeping roll behind and rushing away through the forest. It isn't clear how long he runs for. It could be minutes or hours, but he does pause at one point to haul himself into the upper branches of a tree for something that could almost pass for resting. He manages to slap a rough bandage on the wound on his shoulder, and waits there until the sun has risen enough for him to use it to navigate.
He descends the tree again—with some stifled whimpers and winces each time he strains his injured shoulder. Again, it's unclear how long he travels for, but eventually he comes upon the edge of a larger camp and strides in with confidence that doesn't seem to fit such a tiny, injured child. The camp is filled with armed men and women dressed in dark, robed uniforms, but although they clearly notice him, none make a move to stop or speak to him until he reaches a central tent.
A tall woman with hair beginning to gray at her temples steps out and regards him critically for a long moment before finally sighing in disappointment and motioning him inside. "Another disappointing attempt, young lord. You are lucky your skill with a blade was enough to save your hide this time, but it should never have come to that."
Damian says nothing, but bows his head in uncomfortable acknowledgement. The woman sighs again, still irritated, but gentler this time, and guides him by his good shoulder to a cot with a few medical supplies spread on a little table beside it.
"Come. I will stitch the wound, and then we will prepare another series of lessons in properly avoiding detection."
Notes:
--Apart from the cry of pain when he was taken by surprise, Damian did not make a sound through this entire memory
--He also did not cry at all over the injury, although it was clearly distressing him and was a pretty significant wound. A flesh wound, but still a significant hole in his shoulder.
--Everything in his pack was sized to suit a small child. It was clearly designed with him in mind.
Talon is aware that:
---This is stealth training. The goal is to spend a night in the woods entirely undetected. Catching and preparing a meal for himself is part of this training.
---This is his second attempt. He was noticed by less people this time, but even escaping after detection is considered a failure
---That person he stabbed absolutely died
---The woman who meets him is his current field instructor. She is new.
Memory 8
Damian is roughly 10 here, decked out in a sharp little suit and intimidating the board of Wayne Enterprises. He's calling out financial difficulties the company has been facing, specifically citing a charity for victims of railroad accidents established by an original founder of the company. The donations have been rising while accidents decrease, raising concerns!
The head of finance tries to divert attention to the fact that a 10 year old is leading the meeting, and Damian is having none of it. He's got better shit to do than deal with people five times his age questioning him!!
Notes:
Talon knows:
--He is covering for his father's absence, but does not know why Bruce is absent
--He is 100% confident he knows exactly what he's talking about
--And is thoroughly invested in making sure the company is handled correctly
Memory 9
Another memory from when he was 10. He's stalking through the compound his mother has made their hiding place and walks into her room to find her embracing a man who may as well be a mummy. Damian appears somewhat concerned by this, but his mother has strange visitors often enough that he tries to stay focused on whatever he came to ask her. The mummy is much more open about his curiosity about Damian and asks him a few questions, becoming agitated the moment he mentions his father.
It's revealed that the mummy is Damian's grandfather, and he explains that he escaped death by transferring his consciousness into a new body. Unfortunately that body is now decaying from radiation poisoning, and he helpfully proves this by stabbing a hole through his hand that doesn't so much as bleed. However, he explains that Damian's body would be the perfect vessel thanks to their blood relations. :) And it wouldn't even hurt Damian when he took it over or anything. So there's no problem right?? Just give dear old gramps that nice young body to use for a century or so.
Damian, of course, rejects this proposal which drives his grandfather into a rage. He immediately shifts to referring to Damian as "it" and, furious that he has any free will of his own, orders his men to subdue the boy with any force necessary short of killing him. Damian makes a violent and bloody escape, definitely leaving a few corpses in his wake before finally escaping out a window as the memory draws to a close.
Notes:
--The mummy, Ra's al Ghul, shows no sign of feeling any pain. His injury doesn't even bleed.
--He absolutely wants to just take Damian's body to transfer his own consciousness into it. Probably this will kill Damian!
--Damian's kill count: at least 2
--Talon is aware this is located somewhere in China, because he was mapping out the safest travel routes to get himself to Gotham while making his escape here
Memory 10
Damian is posing for a portrait along with several older men. Anyone who's witnessed Talon's earlier memories will recognize Alfred, Bruce, and Tim, the younger of the two older boys. Dick Grayson, however, is a new face in these memories.
Bruce is proving to be a terrible client for this poor artist, and during another break the boys step aside to talk among themselves. Damian and Tim immediately begin bickering while Dick tries desperately to play peacemaker between the two of them. Even after they reconvene for the portrait, Tim and Damian can't keep from taking jabs at each other before Bruce finally steps in to attempt some parenting.
It doesn't go well. But at least they decide to ditch the portrait sitting entirely instead of keeping up their argument.
Notes:
Talon is aware that:
--Tim hates him due to the murder attempt in Memory 6
--The murder attempt was just an attempt. He did not successfully kill Tim. Unfortunately now they hate each other.
--He is so frustrated over being restricted from killing. This is very early in his time with Bruce, and the teachings from his mother and the League of Assassins are still very fresh. It's been extremely difficult for him to keep restrained to nonlethal moves since those are completely at odds with the way he was raised before joining his father. And it isn't that he enjoys killing at all, but he spent a decade of his life being taught that this is Correct and Expected, and it's still early enough in his time with his father that it's extremely disorienting and distressing to have the way he was taught the world works turn out to be so completely false. He understands logically that he was raised wrong, in this memory, but understanding that still carries a lot of negative emotions along with it.
--He wanted to behave better for Dick's sake, but Tim is very good at saying just the right things to rile him up. He has been trying, and it doesn't feel like his effort is going noticed at all.
Memory 11
Grayson has bought him a Batverse version of happy meal in an act of untold cruelty, and he didn't even get a good toy out of it.
Bruce is explaining a case involving another hero they need to save, but Damian is having difficulty paying attention after Jason steals his toy, not that he really wants it!!
Also Bruce eats burgers with a fork and knife.
Things Talon recalls with this:
-Grayson is a jerk. He does not actually hate Grayson even a little bit.
-He does hate Jason a little bit but Jason is still his dumb brother.
-Jason is probably not actually dumb but he is a jerk
-Duke is a probationary??? sibling???? He is unclear on this
-Dad eats burgers with a fork and knife. He is a pod person.
Memory 12
Damian has called his 3 older brothers out for an "emergency" meeting so he can issue a challenge. This is a pretty questionable move since there is a half a billion dollar bounty on his head, but don't worry! He's been trashing assassins left and right. Don't even worry about that bounty, guys!! Worry about Damian, terrible ten year old, out to commit crimes against brothers.
After explaining that yes, he is going to attack them, and yes, he is going to steal their stuff and keep it as a trophy, he swandives off the building to go back to trashing every assassin he can get his hands on.
Things Talon recalls with this:
-SO THAT BOUNTY HUH.
Does not yet remember who placed iti lied (because I forgot and referenced it in a thread). He DOES know it was his mom, but doesn't consider it very seriously because he had 0 trouble beating the assassins that came after him, and he's 10 in this memory and way overconfident. Believes if his mom actually wanted him dead, he'd be dead.-Tim makes the best faces in response to bullying. It's definitely because he already sees his defeat coming and not because he can't believe his life now is some shitty ten year old threatening to steal his stuff.
-He IS the best and these guys are just jerks who won't admit it :T
-He doesn't actually care about proving he's better than Nightwing he's just mad at him for [THIS SCENE MISSING] [it is because nightwing isn't his batman anymore and it sucks >(]
Memory 13
SUMMARY
-Damian is in the middle of a fight against his grandfather's forces
-He is not yet Robin. Tim is the current Robin.
-Damian breaks away from the group to look for White Ghost in the hopes of using him to find Batman
-It's because dad's cooler than you mom
TALON'S THOUGHTS
-What the fuck mom loves me??
-What the fuck 10 year old me
-----pretty aware "dad is cooler" is just a 10 year old way of saying "dad doesn't have me on a training regimen from hell 24/7"
-Kind of afraid she's right about Batman though, especially since Damian in the memory was very worried about that
-Overall more confused about what kind of relationship he had with his mother. This much open concern feels jarring when he compares it to other memories of his childhood
Memory 14 - CW discussion of torture / murder / off screen but obvious child abuse
Damian is roughly 10 in this memory.
He and a man in a full body suit and helmet are discussing a prisoner they've just finished interrogating. They spend a little time discussing the merits of torture vs truth serum and when to use each method. Normal discussion!
Then the mystery man decides to start complaining about that time [NAME REDACTED] almost killed him. "Has [REDACTED] told you everything about our past, or has he been spouting the old "Can't tell you for your own good" nonsense?", and going on to blatantly try to build a rapport with Damian as two Only Children. It's a pretty obvious attempt to win the trust of a child and make him doubt his father, and it seems to be working on Damian—
Until mystery man starts to dunk their prisoner in acid and Damian's morals kick in to try to stop him. He activates the tracker in his Robin symbol and has a brief fight with the mystery man and it quickly devolves into a one-sided fight with mystery fucko accusing Damian of BETRAYAL!!
We learn Damian fired a gun he was handed, but only because he could tell by the weight that it was unloaded. Damian has been playing along with this man to gain information he can report back to Batman with, or to bring him down on his own. When Mystery fucko asks him why he'd turn down his offer of a life as a freelance assassin, Damian responds (paraphrasing) CUZ I'M NOT BETRAYING MY DAD YOU MORON
Mystery fucko, thoroughly enraged and humiliated, decides to vent his frustration by torturing Damian with debilitating ultrasonic weaponry and unshown torture techniques (he has a clearly broken hand in the scene following this memory) and broadcasting the audio of it to Batman.
Impact to Talon
Things learned/recalled:
Impact
This memory is going to go a long way to reinforcing to Talon that he is, ultimately, a good person. The fact that he's made such significant progress in his stance on murder in such a short frame of time (less than 1 year) is clear evidence that his core morals lean towards not being a huge villainous fucko.
It's also reinforcing his decision to act as a spy for the idols, trying to gain information from Asmodeus. Spy work is clearly something he has the skill and training to do, and maintaining a cover story is something he does without needing to put a lot of thought into it. That, plus the fact that he withstood torture with the understanding that he had back-up on the way is going to indicate to him that he really does know what he's doing. He took a significant risk without telling anyone, sure, but he only acted with total faith that he would have backup on the way within seconds when he needed it.
In Imeeji this is going to manifest with constant, regular communication with the people handling him. He's going to do everything he can to avoid getting into a situation where he won't have back-up available, because what good is that? Spy work is wasted if the spy is eliminated before they can provide a report!! This memory may have ended with torture but it definitely supports this.
Finally, further evidence that he really loves his dad and just wants to be the best he can be for him. They were having a rough time and Damian wanted to prove he really is capable enough to be a good partner for Batman because at the time that was the only way he knew to "earn" Batman's love. (As if he really needed to do that.)
Memory 15
Damian is 10 in this memory.
There's a news report announcing that a quarantine has been lifted, and that the villain responsible has been apprehended. Grayson interrupts to explain that his head wound has been treated and he's cleared for a return to duty. He'll be resuming his old role as Nightwing, but Bruce insists that he take 2 months off to finish recovering completely.
Damian interrupts to worry about continuing his role as Robin instead. Since Grayson is returning to his old role and Bruce is reclaiming Batman, what does that mean for him???? Obviously he stays Robin.
The memory ends with Bruce giving a public announcement that Wayne Industries has been funding Batman for years. But he's definitely not Batman. Just funding! And now Batman is gonna be a WHOLE COMPANY! FOR VIGILANTES ALL OVER THE WORLD! JUST WHAT EVERYONE NEEDS!!!
Impact to Damian
Things Learned/Recalled
Impact
Talon's going to remember a big fear that his father wouldn't have the trust/respect/faith in him to be a good partner. He was very worried that he might be permanently benched, or that his father might have such little trust in him that he sent him back to his mother instead. It was a very big change for him to go from Grayson, who he'd built up months of trust and a working relationship with, to his father returning to take over. Even though Damian had spent his whole life admiring the idea of his father, being faced with his sudden return forced him to acknowledge he knew nothing about what his father was really like or thought of him, especially in light of how he first met him. (See: attempting to murder Tim in memory 6.)
He's hopeful and relieved when Bruce assures him that he can still be Robin, but that fear isn't completely resolved in this memory. Talon knows their relationship does eventually develop to the point that he feels confident in his father's love for him (memory 5), but he doesn't know how he got from his concerns in this memory to that point.
He's also pretty confused by the idea of Batman becoming a branded network of vigilantes. That's new!
Memory 16
Damian is still 10 in this memory. THE WORST 10 YEAR OLD.
He's broken into Jason's safehouse and placed a crowbar in his bed. While Jason's
having a PTSD flashbacktrying to figure out where that came from, Damian drops from the ceiling to take him by surprise and continues to jam that cool PTSD button!Jason responds by bringing up Damian's own recent failure and murder (see: memory 14). A fight ensues with both of them doing their level best to jab the other's emotional triggers (pointing out Bruce's bad parenting, arguing over who's done better against the Joker), but there is a good moment where Jason explicitly says he would really like to not fight a 10 year old. And he follows through! He does not do any physical injury to Damian; only defends himself and continues to carry on the, admittedly, very vicious argument they're having.
In the end Damian disarms Jason just long enough to grab his helmet and bolt.
Impact to Talon
Things Recalled/Learned
Impact
Pending additional threads since this memory will be taken after a live that hasn't occurred yet
Memories 16 and 17 - From the memshare game
The day is bright and clear-skied. You are sitting at the top of a grassy hill overlooking the sea, an easel before you and an artist's pallet in your hand. In spite of the clear day, you're painting a storm out at sea.
"You are as dedicated with the brush as you are with the name, Lord [REDACTED]. My eyes behold the masterpiece of creation all around, and like the great masters, you have managed to capture a piece of it. I never thought I would see talent like theirs in my lifetime. I am a student this day."
Your art teacher's words barely make an impact. It is only a painting, no more impressive than any of your countless others.
"Judging from the heft of this satchel," he continues, "I assume the mission in Egypt was successful?"
It had been successful. An easy, if bloody, excursion. You still bear a few broken arrows from the battle, sunk too firmly into your armor to remove. Still...the mere mention of the mission sets an uncomfortable, sickly weight in your stomach. A sign of weakness, to be sure.
"Do not trouble yourself," he assures you. "Art is rest for the body and soul. I will deliver your hard-won spoils to the gates of [REDACTED]'s citadel and return with more supplies for the lesson."
You don't notice when he leaves, but you do notice his absence when you run out of the blue you need to finish shading the waves. Irritated, you return to the citadel yourself to seek him out. He will need to be scolded for his negligence.
Your mother finds you first. Tall and imposing, she lays a hand on your shoulder and guides you down into the citadel's dungeon. You have not been here often. Most of the punishments carried out down here are irrelevant to you, but today is different. You are brought to one of the dungeon's deepest rooms. A pair of guards have caught your art instructor, and The Hand of [REDACTED] turns to look at you and your mother when you enter.
Memory 17
The playground is covered in snow and children, all filling the air with their bright laughter.
You are perched in a tree, your cloak wrapped around you to ward off the cold. A boy climbing the dino-slide catches your eye. He's being reckless, and while it comes as no surprise when he falls it still makes your heart lurch in your chest. You jolt forward, only stopping yourself when you realize the boy's father is right there, arms out to catch him and wrap him in a warm embrace.
That stings too. The boy is safe, but as you watch his parents comfort him there is nothing you can do to ward off the sinking weight of longing and loneliness in your chest.
The memory blurs, and it is late at night. You're perched on the headboard of someone's bed—a bearded man, easily in his late 30s. The man is sound asleep, and that sense of longing has returned with a vengeance.
"Father," you whisper, "...I am truly alone."
The man does not stir, but it does not trouble you. He shouldn't see you now, wouldn't recognize you even if he did.
"But I cannot allow your legacy to languish in the hands of unworthy pretenders. You will come back to me..." He must come back to you. Who are you without him? "I know it...and when the true [REDACTED] returns...he will find his city as he left it. Safe. Protected."
You slip silently off the headboard and across the room to the window, the same way you'd entered.
"Your son will not fail you," you declare, sparing one last look at your sleeping father. Satisfied that he has still not woken, you slip out the window and carefully slide it closed behind you before leaping from the building.
Memory 18
Damian is 10 in this memory, just wrapping up a mission he'd been on with his older brothers. As they're parting ways, Damian offers Grayson a ride home. Because 10 year olds drive the batmobile and no one bats an eye.
Grayson gives Damian one of his escrima sticks and tells him he doesn't have to try so hard—he's already Robin.
Impact to Talon
Memory 19 - CW Child Abuse
It's Damian's 6th birthday. He's lying flat on his back, dazed and winded while his mother smiles down at him. He considers trying to rise, but the bo staff pressing between his ribs makes him think better of it. "Happy birthday, Damian," she says fondly. "You lose."
The scene blurs. It's his 7th birthday and he's crashing down onto the rough mat of the training ring dazed once more. The world is dim and hazy—is he passing out? Through it he can hear the murmur of his mother wishing him another happy birthday, but it's "You lose" that rings clearly in his ears before the world goes dark again.
A new scene snaps into focus. He's 8 today, and his mother is pressing the blade of knife into his cheek, her arm wrapped tightly around his neck and shoulders. He knows there's no way for him to get out of this without taking on unacceptable damage. She'd never consider it a worthy victory. He grits his teeth while she chuckles into his ear, "Happy birthday, Damian. You lose."
The memory warps again, and he's 9 today. His mother smiles fondly at him, and he can't help but feel a surge of pride over the cut on her cheek. He is not the only one that bled today. Still, as she shifts to take the pressure off of his sore ribs and smiles down at him, the frustration of his new failure starts to sink in.
"Happy birthday, Damian," she begins. He doesn't try to stifle the growl that rises in his throat, and her smile grows warmer. "You lose."
Impact to Talon
Memory 20
Dick and Damian (who looks to be about the same age he is in Imeeji) are perched on the edge of a roof overlooking the city of Bludhaven, discussing where Damian's return to the west coast. Damian makes a bitter comment that he'll leave Dick to oversee "their" city as "The Batman of Bludhaven" which...does sting a bit, apparently.
He backtracks quickly though, reconsidering his words. He explains that he's spent so long trying to live up to the expectation that he will inherit Batman's cowl, that it was frightening to think he'd lose it—even to Grayson.
And maybe, maybe he missed Grayson. A tiny bit.
Dick shares a secret in return, revealing that after Damian's dad came back he'd had a brief crisis. There was a moment when Dick had seriously considered insisting to keep Damian, not just as a partner, but as his son. He doesn't say it in so many words, but explicitly says he was too afraid he'd be a bad "dad" to follow through with it.
Damian is stunned, and after a moment asks him if he'd reconsider it now. Unfortunately Grayson never gets the chance to answer. An alert to a burglary alarm going off distracts both of them, and they cut the conversation short to indulge in some good old fashioned crime fighting instead.
Impact to Talon
Memory 21
Damian looks roughly the same age as he is in Imeeji in this memory. In it, he's waking up from a sleepover at a friend's(?) house. The boy, Jon, teases Damian about being a nightowl and gently bullies him out of bed and downstairs for breakfast. There they meet Jon's parents who are asking where Damian's own father is. Apparently the sleepover was unplanned?
Jon's father is getting ready to take both boys out to look for Damian's father when they're interrupted by a neighbor delivering some fresh milk. Jon declares Damian's new codename is Garth, much to his irritation, and Jon's father and the neighbor have a strangely tense conversation before the neighbor leaves.
Impact to Talon
-Definitely knows Clark is Superman and Jon is Superboy
-Jon is his friend but he can't just SAY that to him
-Definitely thinks the neighbor is suspicious and is vaguely reassured Clark seems to think so too.
---The impression he's got is that the neighbor is suspicious about some connection between Clark and Superman, but is weirdly threatening about that suspicion. Which is obviously concerning! However since it looks to him like Clark is already keyed into that he isn't especially worried. Clark's got decades of experience hiding himself from civilians.
-Garth is a stupid name and he hates it
Memory 22
Damian is traveling through some countryside with a girl a few years older than me, and a winged beast of some kind. Damian is warning her not to try anything with the Lazarus Pits; that it won't work with a corpse so old. The girl complains about wanting to stop to rest, and Damian bickers back that she should have more resolve!!
They round a bend while the girl is asking what his mother would think (she can't anymore), and carries on about the inescapable nature of family for a minute. Until she runs straight into a deformed man and loses her shit.
Damian is entirely unperturbed and explains that they're harmless creations made by Ra's from Talia's work; brothers of a sort that he freed and gave peace on an island. A few of the men mutter half-words, indicating some low level of intelligence. The girl is definitely right that Damian should've given them clothes.
Impact to Talon
-what
-WHAT
-WHY ARE THERE MALFORMED CLONES OF HIM
-WHY DIDN'T HE GIVE THEM CLOTHES
---because he was TWELVE and he's doing his best with no adults yet again! He also absolutely needed to hide them here to ensure his grandfather couldn't try to reclaim or destroy them. His options were pretty limited
-He knows he cared dearly for his malformed brothers. They, like him, just want the chance to live a life of peace, and he was and is determined to ensure that they do get to.
-Definitely making a mental note to bring them clothes.
-Is about 50% sure that girl is serious about killing him. Pretty sure he'll be able to beat her when the time comes
-Wait is his mom dead???
-She's definitely dead (as far as he knows in this memory)
Memory 23
Damian's turning 13! And his dad isn't around. Or anyone else, even though there are 6 plates set out for serving. There isn't much else to this memory apart from Damian complaining that he's never been a priority for Bruce.
Impact to Talon
-Oh
-...oh
-not even grayson came huh
-it's fine he doesn't care it's not like he needed a party or attention
-he'll go make NEW friends with kidnapping and thwarting assassination attempts!!!
----he doesn't actually know about the kidnapping or assassination attempts from this memory along but that's still the big mood