July 1, 2019

Whoah. Yesterday was crazy. Better than I expected, but crazy. So Roy came. And Damian came. And Tim was still here, but he spent a lot of time in his apartment. The thing is, Damian and Tim don't get along well. Damian and Roy also do not get along well. You can observe this in Nightwing #43.

I am pleased to announce that nuclear Armageddon was avoided, or at least delayed. So, Roy wanted to get a run down on what was heading over to his city.

I then decided that perhaps this was a blessing in disguise, as it meant that both Tim and Roy could go to Tim's apartment, and thus both avoid becoming vigilante shish kabobs courtesy of Damian.

Also WWIII would not occur in my apartment. Also also, Roy would get briefed by Tim, who is really the person to get briefed by if at all possible.

Of course, Roy wanted to go patrolling with me, and if Roy is going patrolling with me Damian has absolutely got to go patrolling with me. Otherwise people might start thinking that 'Arsenal is my favored partner' or whatever.

Tim declined to go, and I wish I could have declined to go as well. I'm sure it was nice and peaceful back there. With no Damian and Roy screaming at each other all night, or arguing over who took down the most muggers.

Roy was very unhappy about missing the animated dinosaurs incident, (Damian was too, but he didn't want to be heard agreeing with Roy) and sounded reaaaally hopeful that those guys would break out of jail again. I mean, it was a possibility, but not a strong one. Also, it did not happen.

What did happen, was that we were tracking the same gang who tried to mutate the fish, and Damian jumped in too soon and got canisters of radioactive goo dropped onto Arsenal's head. Arsenal then proceeded to pretend that he was mutating into a monster and scared the living daylights out of all the goons.

By making Godzilla impressions.

Even though the goo does absolutely nothing to humans.

Roy wanted to stay the night, but Damian threatened a whole litany of things upon him, so I managed to convince him to leave. It was a pretty close thing, though!

Robin and You!

forever 122 asks: "Hi, Dick. Bruce definitely needs to step up his parenting game. Probably has for a very very very long time now. I actually asked Tim how he would discipline Damian if he could for what happened last Sunday. Gotta say, it was REALLY well thought out. Pretty good discipline strategy, only IF Damian continued after apologizing though. How you handled it was perfect, and Damian DID stop.

Oh, I know EXACTLY how Tim feels when you said "He is special and I know it, but apparently I say stuff like that so much that it no longer means anything?". That's the same way with my parents, but only when they thank me for doing all the chores, errands, grocery shopping, and taking of sister all of her medical appointments. After hearing stuff for so long, and so often, it just doesn't hold any meaning anymore. Hear or see something enough times from the same people, and it just doesn't hold as much importance as it use too. Unless someone new says it, of course. ...Thinking about it, I realize I don't really seem to care whether or not the people around me are sick or are in pain anymore... I think I should be a bit more concerned about that...

Anyway, glad to hear your bust went well! Wait- Tim ordered the yerba mate? Approve! Totally approve and support him! "Yerba maté is a drink made from the dried leaves of a plant native to South America. Yerba maté contains antioxidants and caffeine. A regular 8-ounce cup can offer about 85 mg of caffeine, which is similar to the amount in a small cup of coffee. The caffeine in yerba maté promotes the production of the hormone epinephrine, which increases energy. However, unlike other stimulants, yerba maté does not seem to affect blood pressure or heart rate. Animal and human research has suggested that yerba maté may enhance mental focus, memory, mood and even physical activity".

If I could whistle, I would. I wish you luck, health, and minimum property damage for Sunday. I always get confused, does one room apartment mean everything is in one room minus the bathroom, or is there a separate bedroom in there? Either way, good luck.

Mmm- forgot to ask. How has Damian tried to convince you to leave a gala early before? I think Tim may or may not also be slightly jealous of the fact that you set aside a day just for Damian every week."

Hi, forevs! Yeah… I'm glad you liked Tim's ideas. I've generally found them to be… extreme… slightly… considering the ways Damian would react… but I do like some of them. Tim is an uber genius. I am glad to be able to listen to his suggestions: they've saved my tail many a time over the years. Both in vigilante combat and in less mortal but equally dangerous social combat.

As for over-repitition… it's hard for me to understand because I was always annoyed with Bruce for not talking about his feelings enough. I always mean what I say, and since I really want my family to know I love them I say it alot.

But I guess I do understand how 'thank-you' get's tossed around all the time… I suppose in some ways it doesn't really mean a lot anymore, at least not in casual conversation. I think the important thing is to make sure you understand the roots of the emotion. Are people really thankful to you in general? Then the important thing to understand is that they appreciate you. If they're just paying lip service (trust me, I know all about people who do that kinda thing) then that's sad and they should appreciate you more. People tend to do that over time as they realized they shouldn't take others for granted.

I'll bet you you're either really appreciated now or you will be in the future.

I've seen a lot of desencitization in my day… in a lot of different places. A lot of times when people stop careing about others it's because they really are a sensitive person who's just been through a lot. It's a defense mechanism. But it's good that it's cause for concern. It's something you can get past, I promise, and it does not stop you from being a good person. Even I went through feeling like that after loosing my parents.

I'm glad Tim is finally eating, or drinking, something healthy! Yay! Party! Let us hear three cheers for yerba mate! I don't know how to make an accent mark for the e, but let us imagine it is there! Yay!

My apartment, personally, has a bedroom to the side (and a bathroom). And yeah. The well wishes are more than appreciated!

Oh, Damian's tried to get out of galas by: faking injury, faking illness, faking that the fate of the world (or Gotham) depended upon his leaving early, faking that there was an emergency somewhere, faking that Bruce had called him to leave, faking that Alfred had called him to leave, faking that he had unfinished homework. He was really scraping the bottom of the barrel on that one.

And I didn't know Tim was jealous. I mean, I know he's not happy about it, but he's hasn't really expressed any desire to spend more time with me… I mean, we enjoyed out time together and all, but he hasn't exactly been asking for more. If he did I'd love to spend time with him!

Also, were you okay the other day? I know I posted a bit early, but I was kinda worried when I didn't hear from you. Is everything all right over there?

Discourse With Damian

Dandelion queries: Tim, Damian, Jason. What is/was living in a manor like?

Greetings, Dandelion. Living in the manor is signifigantly different from living with my Mother due to the signifigant downgrade both in living space and servents. While I certainly prefer my new life greatly, this remains true. Pennyworth is the greatest servant I have ever had the honor of encountering, but there is only one of him (as much as it seems otherwise at times), and I posses the ability to do much more on the grounds at my leisure than I could with the League, but there is still less space altogether.

As for the actual living conditions, living with my Father in the manor was also altogether different from living with Grayson in the Penthouse. With Grayson I experienced a more 'laid-back' style of living, with more of a focus on family and community. With Father I am largely left to my own devices as long as I preform adequately in the field.

I have heard Grayson complain about the abundance of breakable objects in the manor, but this is no issue for me, as I have grown up with ancient items of great value around me at all times. I find it to be a refined place to dwell, and it is more than satisfactory.

forever 122 queries: Hello, Damian. Your father ATTEMPTS to return you home by 2:00? I take it he doesn't always succeed, huh? You say he generally sends you home via remote controlled vehicles. Do you ever escape the vehicles? What medium of art do you prefer to work with? I'm not very good at art myself, but I enjoy sketching with graphite. I know I am probably going to hear from Dick how Sunday went, so I'll ask in advance. How did Sunday go in your opinion? I hear Roy is showing up Sunday.

Greetings, forever 122. My father does make attempts. Occasionally he needs my help, or cannot extract me safely from the situation without drawing undo attention to himself.

I do not attempt to escape the vehicles as the punishments for doing so would be extremely severe. I could though. If I wished too.

I also prefer sketching, and while I very much enjoy using high quality graphite, much of the time I simply use colored pencils and regular pencils as they are easier to transport and less costly to bring around. Also, I enjoy using crayons to color.

HARPER DID APPEAR SUNDAY FOR ABSOLUTELY NO VALID REASON UNDER THE SUN. He has no valid reason to exist. He made a mockery of our patrol by pretending to be a slime monster in front of people. While associated with me! I have absolutely no idea why anyone puts up with him he is humiliating and I wish he would go away and leave me alone and nevereverever come back in a million years. Ever.

Red Robin's Response Page

Dandelion says: Tim, Damian, Jason. What is/was living in a manor like?

Hey, Dandelion. Honestly, I've lived in manors pretty much all my life, so I don't have much of an answer to that one. It was pretty normal. Having someone around the house with me pretty much all the time was different, though.

Before we would have maids and all, but they would leave pretty quickly, but Alfred actually lives here, so that's different. Honestly, though, that was the main thing.

Oh, and Dick came over sometimes. He would take me out to eat places or we'd go swimming or play video games or learn gymnastics, or whatever. That was fun.

So more people, living at Bruce's manor. Definitely an upgrade.

forever 122 says:

Hello, Tim. (insert small laugh here) I actually hate fruit salads. In my opinion,when the fruit juices mix together in the bowl, the fruit are contaminating one another. Yes, that is the wording I actually use to tell people that. You guys don't tend to hang out ouside of you identities? That's a bit of a bummer. (reads how you would discipline Damian and stares) That would actually be a really good way to discipline Damian. It suits his crime. There's no guarantee he wouldn't sneak out his window or try to train anyway in his room though. If those things could somehow be guaranteed, I would dare say it's perfect.

So, which version of the Red Robin suit are you sporting over there? Are you rockin' the long hair or the short hair? I agree with EclipsaHolmes, you were the Best Robin compared to the others. As a person, you are much more interesting and unique then Dick and Damian. In that respect, I like both you and Jason more. Jason wasn't Best Robin though. Oh- the person with the lines and circles? They're a person who I've occasionally seen in the response section leaving "lines and circles" I looked again, and it's 1's and 0's. Not really sure what it's all about, but it is odd. Heard Roy was going to be arriving at Dick's on Sunday, were you there or did you leave before Roy and Damian showed up? If not, how did this Sunday go for you?

Hi again, forever 122. That's kinda weird… I've always loved fruit salads. To be fair, I eat them one kind of fruit at a time (generally starting with blueberries if applicable), but still. I have been informed that Dick used to hate them. He likes them now, though.

Thank you. I agree. It is a wonderful punishment and people should really start listening to my ideas. Anyway, if Damian tried a jailbreak he'd just land himself in even more trouble. We could smack a security camera in there for the length of the punishment. Or longer. To be safe.

I guess my hair's on the long side… but not like when Dick had a mullet! Nothing at all like the horrible no good very bad train wreck of a fashion disaster we will never let Dick live down. It's like, long bangs. That's all I have. Not a mullet. And I have the one with the black cowl. Just changed over from the layered red wings.

Okay. Wow. Um… thank you, I guess? I didn't realize people liked me so much over there. Around these parts, everyone's favorite is Dick. I honestly thought it had been too long since I was Robin for anyone to remember… listen to me whining when you're giving me a huge compliment. Thank you, forever 122. That means a lot to me.

Out of curiosity… you don't have to answer if you don't want to… do you think Dick should have given away Robin to Damian? Again, you don't have to answer, you can just ignore it. Really.

Yeah, I was there for Roy… and Damian… Dick got rid of both of us by shunting us into my apartment. Surprisingly, this let him have even more alone time with Damian. Who could've seen that coming…

The best part of the day was when Damian came back from patrol all humiliated and demanding Roy never set foot in Bludhaven or Gotham again on pain of death. Roy and I never really had a relationship, but I like him now!

From what I gather he didn't do anything wrong, just use… innovative crime fighting strategies.

The best section

Dandelion asks: "Tim, Damian, Jason. What is/was living in a manor like?"

Hey, Dandelion. It was reaaaly different. Totally different from anything I'd ever experienced before. I mean, I went from living on the streets to living in a giant house with a servant, all the food I could eat, a swimming pool, giant grounds, everything a kid could want.

It was a little stifling, sometimes, having to be worried that I'd break something more valuable than me at every corner, but I managed.

The beds were giant, and felt too soft a lot of the time, the ceilings were crazy high and sometimes I felt dizzy looking at them. But I also had a lot of fun and it was relaxing to know I would wake up and not have to worry about eating that day. Good mansion. Wouldn't go back now, though. Tropical paradise is way more my gig than fragile vases and sterile walls.

forever 122 asks: "Heya, Jason. I think a good dose of chaos is good everynow and then. Shake things up. Hey, has Roy ever set fire to the shower while your in it in your universe? I saw a fan comic like that once and supposedly it's in the comics too. Haven't gotten around to reading it though. (reads part about cake and gives unimpressed look) That is a terrible waste of cake. I am half disappointed, half amused. My favorite type of cake is either chocolate cake with ganache or yellow/white cake with homemade chocolate fudge frosting. God! That was a loud thunder boom. God freakin'- I was supposed to bring my clothes out to the motorhome! Most of my family is going camping for- ooo~ That was loud too. (peals aside curtain) Hmm... That's a lotta lighting. Camping for a week. Do you, Artemis, and Bizarro have to deal with tropical storms at all? You would think I would be used to extreme heat, but since I grew up with extreme heat AND extreme cold- there's another boom. Ooo- another sounded like it was just outside the window.

Anyway, heard you were giving Tim a tough time about not being able to get your section up himself? Please don't. He's already having a hard time dealing with Damian every Sunday while helping Dick out with a case. I think Roy showed up today, Sunday, too. Something about the case being linked to Star- GOD THE THUNDER! UGH! (pauses for a minute to listen) I think it'll just rumble for a bit now. I'll wrap this up. Can't recall if I get reception where I'm headin', so in case I don't, hope you have a nice Fourth of July! Do you like fireworks? God, that thunder sounds bad. It's rattling my windows."

Roy has not ever done that, but I wouldn't put it past him. He has set the shower on fire though. I just wasn't in there at the time.

I'm gonna be honest with you. Anything that gets a rise out of B is anything but a waste of time or cake. That is the greatest purpose a cake can aspire to in life.

We have some storms sometimes, but not a crazy amount. ⅔ of us are lightning proof anyway, so… it's just me that has to worry about it…

Don't worry about Timmy! He can take it. Anyway, I didn't really mean anything by it and he knows that. If I was really mad, I wouldn't be teasing with him. You ask me people's approach to that kid is either to worship the ground he walks on or to ignore his existence, and both of those are lousy ideas.

Kid's a genius. Also he messes up sometimes and I'm gonna tease him for that. That's how things is, and if he doesn't like it he shouldn't have bugged Bruce into letting him into the family. When he got in, he became my kinda weirdly related sibling person. There is a price to that.

Wing-tip!

Don't drink and drive! This is the age of uber, so there is no reason you should be driving without being able to see straight. If for some reason you cannot uber, call someone to help you out! About 10,000 people die from drunk driving a year in the US, and that's almost 30% of driving related deaths!