metalogs | may catch-all

Entry tags:

may catch-all | OPEN

Who: Damian Wayne

batricide & you!
What: Getting to know this brave new world, making friends, stalking family members
When: All of May
Where: Central City & Sunset Falls
Content Warnings: If needed

the lay of the land. - open

[ you won't see him at the diadem hotel. oh no, no way. damian knows he's a wanted man across the multiverse and not completely willing to buy into the idea that this one world has been cut off from the rest.

in truth he's squatting in a warehouse not too far away from town. he technically has a room at the hotel and has stolen in to make off with some of the luxuries, but the second he hears familiar voices he knows that he's not going to linger.

but you will see him around town. damian's operating on a cash-only policy. if you're short on cash when trying to buy something, you may find this gruff young man stepping in to foot whatever amount you can't afford. ]

nightwing. - open

[ central city reminds him of gotham in the best and worst ways. vigilantism is frowned on in this world - he understands it on some level, he's seen just how bad amateur heroism can go. and the parts of him still shackled to the regime's rigid way of thinking crave the overarching order and structure it promises... but he's not ready to commit.

not yet, anyway. he likes atomight. he likes the things he says, his outlook on power and how it should used resonates deeply within the young man.

but he also liked clark and his father for all those same reason.

so for now, he's on his own. trying to get his feet back under him. it's been way, way, way too long since he was able to do work like this. it's... liberating. flinging himself from rooftop to rooftop. able to turn his mind off and focus on the target.

it's a small time robbery. the guy stole a bunch of atms - the whole atm, not just the money in it - as well as some cash registers from small businesses. he's got them floating around him so it's fairly easy to track him from above.

downside is, he's able to move metal with his mind. and unfortunately for damian - his left arm is entirely made of metal. damian's about to take a swing at him when he's yanked off of his feet and slammed into the wall, held aloft by his mechanical arm. baring his teeth, he tries to kick off and lunge at the foe -

when a helpful alley suddenly intervenes. thank you, kind stranger, for saving his severely out of practice ass. ]

I had that! [ sadly, gratitude is not his strong suit. he's too busy feeling embarassed. ]

family. - closed to dc folks

[ life is hard when you're from an alternate future. life's hard and nobody understands.

finding his siblings in this woe begotten corner of the multiverse should be a good thing. there's always that rush of elation in seeing them alive and well, followed by the fear of being rejected. or the fear that they're from his world. that they know what he did, and they, like his father, will never forgive him for it.

he's made a lot of choices across the last ten years that would alienate him from even the most lenient of his siblings, and the few steps towards getting back on track that he's taken aren't exactly going over well.

and so damian... stalks them. not obviously, of course. he's not stupid enough to follow them close enough to be noticed. just... enough to get snapshots of who they are.

granted, this isn't limited to just the family anyone from gotham with a recognizable name might find themselves with the occasional shadow. ]

strange in the multiverse. - closed to dr stephen strange

[ and there's... one other person he wants to follow.

loss isn't new to damian. losing someone and then seeing them again, without knowing him at all, is a new kind of pain. for the most part he keeps his distance. it's too painful, it's too goddamn hard - but he's just not that good at steering clear.

he just wants to make sure he's okay. that's what he tells himself. he swings by the guild hq long enough to say he wants to check out the city because he might want to movve there, and...

and he ends up standing outside of dr strange's house. he's given it the once over. noted areas that may need to be secured, and meant to move the fuck on before he gets caught. but alas, he's lingering. eyeing the door with the temptation to knock. to be sure strange has no idea who he is.]

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[Since being dropped in by the Confluence and learning he's got a lot more alternate/future siblings than he ever imagined, Jason has been on high alert for them. Almost every family member could potential be a fight for him and he didn't want to be caught off-guard. So far the count has been one younger brother, a sister, and of course there's Bruce. And after his talk with his adoptive father, he knows there's another brother name Damian and possibly another sister name Stephanie? Between all of that and Dick and Alfred, it's a lot of watch out for.

It's another night and another patrol and survey around Central City. Jason's been gradually getting to know the place and has at least the basic knowledge to know which neighborhoods are busy and which ones are more desolate. Tonight, it seems like he's bouncing around the latter. He can't quite explain it but he has a feeling it'd be better if there aren't too many people around this time]

Edited 2022-05-16 00:58 (UTC)

[ that's jason alright.

not the one he knows from back home, who has yet to slap on a helmet and reclaim the moniker of his murderer. and not the one he got to know in new amsterdam. oh no. if it were, he'd have already been collected and scolded for avoiding him.

so he follows at a comfortable distance. he's not wearing his uniform, he could just be another civilian out on the streets after hours picking their way home. it helps that his new haunt is a stone's throw from the worst of the citiy's criminal activity, quiet but never at risk of being boring... meaning his family is never terribly far from it. and it gives him a good excuse to watch this one's methods. ]

[Much of the block is dark and mostly made of derelict buildings. From the rooftop of a closed one-story storefront, Jason spots three men attempting to rob a couple. Jason then makes his presence by jumping off the rooftop and landing right on top of one of the men. One of his accomplices take out a gun but Jason's too quick. He grapples his arm and hits him hard in the face with his elbow before throwing him at the third man.

The terrified couple flee as Jason then picks up the gun and shoots each criminal in the shoulder]

I see you three acting out again, I go for your heads. Got it?

[Terrified and bleeding, the men nod and flee. Calmly, Jason seems to be looking over the gun and considers how to dispose of it. Then he purposely speaks out loud]

Sure hope those weren't your friends just now.

[ The sound, when it comes, comes from behind him. It's small at first, a slight fizzing in the air that could almost go mistaken for a rustle of leaves until it becomes the hiss and spit of sparks, a firework held captive, and amongst that soundscape - ]

—back when you know more, I'll see what I can do. Okay. Thanks.

[ Stephen Strange emerges from the sparking circle of amber that frames the snapshot of a deceptively quiet Sunset Falls town center against the backdrop of his driveway, a bag of groceries in one hand and his phone in the other. This he hangs up as his conversation comes to an end, attention already moved to the stranger stood waiting for him.

It's not that this isn't relatively commonplace by now. People who need the kinds of help that he can offer have known where to go for a good while. There's just something about this caller that makes him feel like he's missed a memo.

Or maybe it's just that he doesn't like being caught in his shopping-day casuals when somebody arrives on business. ]

Can I help you?

[ son of a bitch.

damian whirls at the slighest spark of magic, his hands balled to fists, ready to fight - only to drop when he spies the wizard himself. for a moment his expression is all too open, a gauntlet of complicated emotions racing across his face before he manages to school it into something more neutral.

think of a lie. or... a lie that isn't a lie. something loosely rooted in truth. ]

... I heard you were an expert on magic. I'm interested in learning.

[ Oh. That is... not what he was expecting to hear. The timing is strangely on the nose as he starts to more seriously dwell on the importance and relative lack of structured magical training available when compared to the amount of magic running rife.

Stephen considers him a moment longer, trying to get a read... then raises his brows in abrupt acceptance of circumstances and crosses past him toward the house, the portal spinning closed as he goes. ]

Follow me.

[ He trots up the stone steps of his porch, front door uncatching its own lock and swinging inward on the approach. He continues to talk on the confident assumption that his guest is following after. ]

Do you have any experience?

[ he hates this. this is a fresh kind of hell. damian freezes and wishes his stupid, stupid mouth worked a little less quickly than his brain. ]

... Some.

[ he starts up the steps after him, hands shoved in his pockets. ]

I've nevered practiced it myself, but I'm familiar enough with the different schools to know how to counteract them.

[ Well, it's a start. Stephen leads them through the entrance hall of his old manor house, now at least mostly free of cobwebs but still busy with far too many antique knick knacks, and down a hall to right. Heading for the kitchen.

The front door closes resolutely behind them. Welcome to the Manor on Will-o'-the-Wisp Walk. ]

Those schools being?

[ The range of possible realities gathered here being what they are, that could mean anything, so the question's more a narrowing down than a test. How to counteract them is an interesting statement for a non-practising person to raise. ]

Divine, infernal, chaotic, and order.

[ not a comprehensive overview by any means. but you tangle with gods, demons, chaos lords and higher beings meant to control order and that covers basically everything. ]

If it uses magic I've probably had to fight it.

[ Plenty of experience, then, even without utilising magic himself. Making it to the kitchen, Stephen drops his bag down on the island and heads to the sink to wash the day off of his hands. Over his shoulder: ]

Take a seat. [ There are chairs at the island or a breakfast table at the other end of the room, he doesn't specify. ] Thirsty?

I wouldn't say no to tea.

[ stephen in his element is really something to behold, though. he remembers him from the dreams - the glory of him with the full extent of his power and the euphoria of it.

he drops into his seat. ]

I'm Damian, by the way.

[ Stephen makes no move to pull anything out of cabinets or set any water to boil. Instead, if he glances to his left once he's landed in his seat Damian will find a steaming cup of tea, black and with honey, exactly as Stephen takes it. He might've made it by hand if this were a casual call, but a first visit to the home of a sorcerer on anything adjacent to business should always come with a little magical ambience.

He crosses over to the table once his hands are clean, taking his own seat opposite. ]

Doctor Stephen Strange. Though since you're here I'd guess you didn't need me to tell you that.

[ Boy, that sure is a familiar symbol on Kon's, huh? It's one his Kon had worn in his world, before he was shoved into the phantom zone, and again after he'd been freed. He'd come into the fight in Delhi wearing Superman's old uniform, in fact, fought side by side with Wonder Woman and Batman. Before eventually going missing after being captured by Brainiac. ]

[ That Superboy, at least. This one is a wearing a costume very unique to his own universe, a little punkish, with studded belts and a leather jacket with spikes on the shoulders. ]

[ But the symbols is the same and the resemblance to Superman is as uncanny as it ever was. Cloning and all. ]

Oh, you are so not the real Nightwing. Lame. I got my hopes up for a second.

[ The way this Kon fights is with a bit more edge. He'd spent some time surviving in another dimension, with the lackeys of an evil lord trying to push around the people he was protecting. He hasn't forgotten everything, but he's not quite the cub scout he was when he left. ]

Edited 2022-05-16 01:46 (UTC)

[ it's not clark.

it's not clark, but for a split second he thinks it is. and that - that is a difficult feeling to parse. torn between elation and a gut-wrenching terror that feels out of place upon laying eyes on the symbol for hope.

the fact that it's connor makes these feelings even more difficult to parse. connor in a way he's not familiar with seeing him. this one's a little more rough around the edges than the boyscout that grumbled any time tim was forced to lug his little brother along on a mission. ]

I'm his successor.

[ the man's concentration broken lets damian free his arm. his flesh and blood hand curls to a fist and he launches himself back into the fray, striking the would-be thief square in the face with a burning fist. ]

Edited 2022-05-16 21:50 (UTC)

[ There’s a park in Central City that Robin has been checking on every night for the past three days, and likely will continue to do so. Like the Chelsea piers in New York, it is an unofficial gathering place for teenage runaways. For now, he just stops by. Catches his breath and watches from a nearby roof for ten or fifteen minutes, learns a few new faces to look for on published missing persons lists.

He tries not to be disappointed in how many he can’t find on any list in the state.

It’s not a bad idea to keep checking in. The mood would change if the group started missing members. He’ll vary times, skip the occasional night, different roofs, sometimes go for a late jog in the park out of costume. But sharp eyes would spot him there at some point each night between sunset and 2. ]

Edited 2022-05-16 13:39 (UTC)

[ his feelings towards tim drake are, as ever, a complicated mess.

though they were brothers in all but blood, it was clear which truly took after their father. tim had seemingly inherited everything bruce had to offer that was gracious and good, and damian had been saddled with the baggage of calling batman your father. perhaps tim had been more willing to learn than damian was. perhaps bruce had simply viewed damian as too dangerous to be taught.

either way, damian's feelings towards his second eldest brother had always toed the line between envy and idolization. and as with any complicated emotion he couldn't process, it flipped to anger. and that anger incinerated any chance they had at a real bond when tim had seemed to covet damian's bonds with his other brothers just as much as damian did his bond with bruce.

now he's older. and tim drake has been dead ten years. it's... bizarre to see him in action. like a memory come to life, haunting him.

he's careful. but careful doesn't mean a hell of a lot when you're dealing with bruce wayne's successor. ]

[ Regardless of universe, neither Tim nor his adoptive siblings ever really live up to Bruce. He might be the one most like him in some ways, but, with Tim's a lot more malleable than Batman is under the influence of his friends and other family. In terms of bloody single-mindedness, Damian may take the title. Does anyone really want it though?

After 13 minutes of watching, it's suddenly time to go. There's not any one thing that does it. The moon comes fully out, and everything gets a little brighter. There's a a drop in the traffic on the street, now that it's late enough that everything but the truly late night locales are closed.

When it's quiet enough that he can hear the rustling trees in the park, then it's the sort of stillness that could get him noticed, because white noise itself stands out. Muffled voices somewhere below, the creaking fans of the vents, footsteps somewhere in the urban canyon. He backs away from the edge and runs to the other side of the roof as quietly as he can. There's a route here, jumping a couple of narrow alleys, that will get him at least four buildings away from the park in straight line. Far enough that any sound from the grappling gun won't bother anyone. He has a patrol to finish. ]

[WHAM.

There isn't even any warning before a trash can lid beans the minor villain on the backside of the head, with potentially enough force to concuss them. It's certainly enough force to make them temporarily lose concentration on holding Damian's arm up, so that...helps, probably. If it doesn't, the rest of the trash can comes crashing down on the villain not even a few seconds later, trapping them in a grimy, gunky prison for a few precious seconds - or at the very least blinding them. Ew.

The way the lid hits the villain so precisely, the way the can just drops, it almost seems like another person with metal powers just came in. But there's a strong gust of wind that brushes against Damian's face, and there's small sparkling lights that dance across the breeze as it happens, so...maybe not?

Anyways, as the villain stumbles out of the way, the person who did this is revealed. It's some...grungy street kid, with too much highlights in his hair, and oil-streaked riding clothes. He'd look entirely too grimy if it wasn't for his eyes, pupils glowing bright with rainbow colors.

There's sparkling wind gathering around his fists, as he sizes up Damian, looking wary. He's clearly not sure if he interfered on the right side of things, and the offended rebuttal seems to only make him more tense.]

Are you...alright?

[Ah. He's ignoring that.]

Just fine.

[ just humilated beyond all belief. is he being saved by a local mechanic? superpowers or not, this is a dismal new low.

leave him here to die, thanks. ]

[you sure are, buddy! a local mechanic who threw a fucking trash can!

simple solutions for complex problems! that's a mechanic mindset for you!]

Um.

[That's...some kind of acknowledgement. Yusei glances over at the cursing villain, before warily eyeing the floating ATM machines.]

I just came because I heard the noise, but...what exactly is going on here?

[It's...probably obvious? But he wants to make sure, okay.]

[ during the day, bruce is either helping around the neighborhood, or doing exactly what damian is: listening. around town, in the shadier parts of central city, a simple hood and cap as a disguise with his normal clothes. while damian might not be able to piece together exactly what his exchanges are, but damian might be able to tell when bruce is interested in something that's being said. the name "d'amico" is whispered very quietly by a few people...

during the later parts of the evening, bruce will be working in his own abandoned warehouse, on both the batcycle and batmobile. he's either tuning up the cycle, now up and running, or installing another part to the half-built batmobile. by the time he's done, it's night time, which, as damian knows, is when work really begins. it's classic him, before metropolis and the joker in damian's world, growling and scaring criminals and pulling people away into the shadows.

when his night is over, it's almost dawn. he's taken a few scrapes, but retreats to his shitty little apartment with the small fire escape. if damian looks inside, he'll see a quarter full pitcher of cold coffee and bruce, passed out on the couch. he'll maybe get a few hours in before his day starts again. ]

And I had it faster. You're welcome.

[Terry, now cuffing the guy with flexicuffs, had taken advantage of the crook being distracted by Damian to knock him out.

He stands and groans as he gets a better look at Damian.]

"You've gotta be kidding me. This slagging month.

Edited 2022-05-17 04:38 (UTC)

[With the locals out to snap pics of the potential new superheroes in town, Cass isn't very likely to notice one more camera pointed her way. No one was about to get any interesting shots of her however unless they were looking for a good tea room.

She found a decent one and bought a large Assam with a chocolate muffin. She then walked around and found checked out many of the local stores. Not an unusual day in the life of most girls. Someone looking close enough might notice that she's been scouting out nonperishable foods and clothing that will take some wear and tear without showing it.

It's at one of the larger stores that she manages to slip out of his sight. A few minutes later, there's a voice behind Damian.]

You should either say hi or tell me what you think of this.

[She holds up a black jumpsuit and yellow short-sleeved shirt.]

[ he should really know better than to try to hide from cassandra. of all of them she's perhaps the only one actually worthy to succeed his father.

she takes him by surprise and suddenly he's twelve again, being dragged along on an unwanted shopping trip. ]

Impractical. That material will chafe.

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