[THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

i got nothin

[toomanyf4ndoms77]

Duke Thomas going rogue, call that a Turn Signal.

[fadelion]

The whole city riding for Duke Thomas, call that a Signal Boost.

[fadelion]

I keep imagining Jace Fox bringing up the Power Company team up with Luke Fox, and when he brings up Signal, Luke has to avoid mentioning the time he watched Final Knight Duke Thomas kill multiple versions of Batman in some kind of Batman Singularity plane of existence.

(Also. If you haven't, give the DC Outsiders 2023 run a read!)

[fadelion]

I wonder if Being Black just kinda hits Duke Thomas sometimes.

I wonder if it slips into his conversations with his friends, family, and other heroes he works with.

About with his cousin Jay and talking about how the stereotypes even made it overseas to the locals while Jay was on deployment or Duke was on a mission.

With Luke Fox and getting pulled over and searched in a Sundown Town in broad day because he was unfamiliar and "driving too nice a car for any of them boys around here."

With Jace Fox and how the NYPD never gave him back his $2000 and a friend-gifted watch, even after they confirmed they mistook him for someone else.

With Lucius and how he had to be twice as good to rise half as fast, while getting all the work dumped on him, all the mistakes blamed on him, and only as little credit as they could get away with giving him.

A talk with Vixen about how she was so exotic and eloquent, or getting a backhanded "I don't usually go for women like you, but something about you...", or how they thought she was "fast."

A talk with Black Lightning about how it was kinda messed up that an afro, a domino mask, and jive talk completely hid his "sharp dressed, professional looking, eloquent school principal" secret identity in a hood that Superman couldn't even save.

Green Lantern and if the hostility is because he's a Lantern, because he's human, or because he's black. Bumblebee on people always seeming surprised at her intelligence. Cyborg for how valued his body has been over his mind, until it became partially cybernetic. Natasha Irons on how its getting frustrating to hear words twisted and repeated all over social media and being corrected even when you're the only one using it right anymore. Shoot, even Martian Manhunter on what it means to BE black and how things seem to contradict themselves.

Not to say the Bats and them wouldn't understand (because they all got their own stuff with it), but there's a comfort in knowing you ain't alone in catching the things you see around you. That there's somebody that gets it.

[fadelion]

Over here weighing my options on catching up/reading all of Damian's stories to properly write the Reverse Robins story I want to write. Like, I could do it, in theory, but it'd take so much time on the onset.

On the one hand, I'd be giving Duke the Robin II/Red Hood treatment (dies, comes back, gets mentored by the LOA (per a deal through Gnomon), comes back, is disappointed in Batman and the state of Gotham City. and decides to do somehting about it (strangely enough, not killing, not heroing, but a secret third thing) and playing with how that would work.

But on the other hand, if i don't actually read a bunch of Damian stories (and maybe some early Dick Robin stories), as it stands, I'd just give Damian the Duke treatment (a chapter or two at best to establish that Batman does indeed have a sidekick and Duke and Damian take time to gel before moving him out the way to focus on the character I know and am excited about.).

And that would just make me a hypocrite. Damian doesn't deserve that.

Problem is, I just don't have the time. Plus, I haven't even figured out the Batgirl order I wanna go with. (Oddly fixated towards making Harper Row Batgirl #1 for some reason.)

[breadandblankets]

If Duke and Damian are watching animated movies Duke and Cass are watching shitty kung fu movie and throwing popcorn at the screen

[fadelion]

Duke shows Cass the Certified Hood Classic (TM) known as The Last Dragon. Cass calls him Leroy for the rest of the month because he has The Glow.

[theonebones]

I like to think about the fact that with Duke's future seeing power he's able to keep up with Cass during their sparring matches (though he mostly loses cus it's Cassandra fucking Cain he's sparing against) and it scares the rest of the bat fam

Like picture this: Bruce, Damian,Tim, Dick, Jason and Steph all come back to the cave after a night out in Gotham. Alfred is there waiting for them as usual, they ask Alfred where Duke and Cass are. He replies that they are currently sparring (because Bruce had to bench them both because they REFUSE to take a break)

So the rest of the bat fam go over to see them and just find Duke and Cass in the middle of an intense sparring session, like they are both covered in sweat and are small puddles of sweat on the mats . Alfred says they have been at it for hours which makes the others more dumbfounded since they themselves can only last a few minutes against her.

So they watch in fascination as Duke holds his own against Cass. After another hour Cass feights a leg sweep making Duke jump up which earns him a kick to his side effectively ending the match

Bruce is proud and slightly terrified

Dick is terrified since he knows Duke is still sore about the rooftop incident

Jason is equally both proud and terrified

Steph is not terrified perse but is definitely more wary of Duke

Tim is filtering that information for later but is too sleep deprived to think much

And Damian is seething because Duke just demolished his record against Cass

They refuse to ever bring up the fact that Duke could probably fight them and win

Tell me what y'all think

(⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧

[fadelion]

We see the two of them sparring, and he seems to be learning good from Cass. Shoot, they get a set in before Signal hits the city. I bet he's improved the quickest, and the thing that would hold him back the most is lacking experience (everybody's got years on him).

What I would say is scarier is Duke being able to see through a feint with enough practice. Take a Question Mark Kick, for example. The thing is tricky because it looks like it could go high or low. I don't doubt that even with foresight, Cass could keep getting him with tricky moves, but he'd get experience enough to know how to deal with some of them, or at least learn how to avoid or respond to them. If he went against people enough, he could probably even learn their tells pretty quickly, too, if he really started to look.

Honestly, the real scariest situation for the Bats concerning Duke's future sight is introducing him to Rose Wilson, daughter of Deathstroke, highly trained assassian, former Titan and combat precognitve (among other powers; I admit my Rose Wilson knowledge is lacking). Combined with that kind of training, his meta abilities (shadow manipulation, healing factor, and various sight based abilities I just like to call the "Arkham Detective Vision package), and an absolute refusal to back down, and Duke becomes the last person they want to prank or piss off before group sparring sessions.

Unless it's funny, of course.

[fadelion]

I keep thinking that Signal would fight crime differently than Batman. It's not because of the daytime patrol, but it's how Signal himself goes about patrolling. He's on the streets, not the rooftops, and that puts him in the middle of people. It might be easy to be a target in a crowd, but Signal has that way of not making people want to hurt him, not from fear alone, but a mix of fear, respect, and admiration, leaning more towards that second one.

He'd be the type to feel like he's gotta be a known and trusted face in the city, not myth or a force of nature like Batman. Is he brutal when it comes to it? Absolutely, and everybody knows it. Either by it being daylight or it being in some more populated areas, Signal's greatest hits make the rounds on social media at least once every other month or so. New villains and old keep trying the new hero, and the new hero keeps finding ways to win. (The Riddler doesn't know whether to be frustrated, frightened, or flattered that Signal's been studying his tricks for years.) But he'd take that whole "Batman keeps candy in the belt for the occasional kid he runs across on patrol" thing to the next level. It'd take a lot of work, but he'd start to be treated like one of those police officers who make themselves known and not just their presence.

I also think that this would eventually give him that kind of worst kept secret identity that Daredevil does (or like Black Lightning wben he was Secretary of Education under Lex Luthor's term as president), where a whole bunch of people know his face or maybe exactly who's under the helmet, but if you press them, it's "Man, I ain't know nothing about no bat. All I know is Signal is Signal, he wear bright ass yellow, and he the type of MF you can flag down if he ain't moving full speed, and instead of needing to know who he is, you NEED to start dapping him up instead of hating on his ass." People could probably pick him out of a lineup, but they'd intentionally not do it. He'd have a bunch if people willing to come to him with a problem or give him a tip or something.

It's rough at first, because everybody sees him like just another Bat, and everybody in the Narrows has a story of how somebody they know or love got done dirty by the big bad Bat. ("That MF powerbombed a guy off a second story balcony onto the roof of my car. Woulda lost my damn job if my auntie ain't give me a ride after her night shift. Almost died, cause she tired as fuck after that double. Bat done broke all my windows and shit. I just got that MF detailed and tinted too!) He's almost seen like a cop at first, and people in the Narrows are wary at best and downright hostile at worst, criminal or not. (Duke gets it. He's as much "Fuck the Police" as he is "Be the change you want to see in the world.") But they notice Signal seems to be a lot more careful than the other bats. Stick Robin is a coin flip on whether he actually cares or is just getting info or stopping crimes, and Sword Robin doesn't give a fuck how uneasy he makes you. The girls are fine, unless they after you, then you paying Ms. Rita or Mr. Raymond to set your bones back and maybe getting some crutches from Shawn that fell off the back of a truck or out the pawn shop or a neighbor or something.

("Red Hood, like, he a'ight. I mean, he killed Unc and them, but his rules really did make it a bit better out here tho. Just took a minute.")

But Signal? If he got you, you really did that shit. Like, you was talking to people you shouldn't have been talking to and making deals you shouldn't have been doing. Signal will give you the chance to turn yourself in, or just stop, or something. You'll be breaking in the trap house for the first cook, and Signal will just pop in like "Did you know Mama Shirley about to retire from her job at the post office?" And he'll just look at you like you're stupid until you turn off the stove, and then he'll pat you on the shoulder and leave. And when you finally get that job, within the first week, Signal calls you by name and asks how the job treating you. Signal will stop the robbery at the corner store and then drop the robber off at his granny's house because that punishment would feel way worse than jail time. Signal having people to call off drive-bys because he was spotted on the next block playing basketball or getting lunch at that one food truck or talking with the old heads or something.

(When the Flash, on a rare trip to Gotham, notices and compliments him on it, Duke grins responds "I'm just trying to get like you.")

[fadelion]

I feel like Duke would be the kind of person that would be impossible for Batman to bench short of bodily harm. Batman locks him out of the Hatch Systems and the Batcave? He's got his own personal motorcycle and a new helmet and a leather jacket with the Signal Symbol sprayed on it. He'll break out the We Are Robin fit with the helmet if he has to. Locked in a room? Just gonna shadow teleport his way out and then it's right back to it. Bruce tells him to hide out while villians are targeting him specifically? Signal on the gram issuing an open challenge in front of the Wayne Enterprises building. Batman makes it nearly impossible for him to work in Gotham for a few days? Fuck it, we take the Signal show on the road. Black Lightning's got something going, right?

The only exception is when Bruce sends Cass to enforce it. At which point, it's just more trouble than it's worth running from her while patrolling and fighting her will just end up with him literally tied to a cot in the Batcave and Cass sat. As in, Cass will physically sit on him until he gets the message.

[fadelion]

The Bats watching Signal's patrol footage in stunned silence, not because they've never seen Duke go full crash out before, but because Signal breaking a henchman's ribs by Crip Walking on their chest wasn't on anybody's Patrol Cycle Bingo Card.

[fadelion]

Signal alternates between calling Black Lightning "OG" and "Oji" and Black Lightning just auto translates it in his head without really noticing. When Metamorpho points it out, Black Lightning shrugs and says "it's more or less the same thing." Meanwhile, Katana caught it immediately and finds the similarity amusing.

[fadelion]

I think Two Face wouldn't like going against the Signal, especially the more coin dependent versions of him. Imagine you're trying to pull off this whole bank robbery, and a bright yellow Bat has you stun locked in the middle of the day because he keeps calling every coin flip correctly.

After the third or fourth encounter, Two Face never lets The Signal set out the terms or even call a coin flip ever again.

[shayesinterlude]

Duke putting the batfam onto 90s and 2000s R&B

Like him bringing the seasoning to the Batfam’s music taste

Now you got Tim hacking whole overseas Government Agencies while humming Replay by Iyaz.

Red hood going 110 mph on his bike blasting Bust the Windows by Jasmine Sullivan.

Duke got Alfred cooking Sunday morning breakfast to Golden by Jill Scott (He’s ironically already a huge fan of neo soul?)

Bruce taking the long way home and listening to Ex Factor by Lauren Hill after an argument with Selina.

Just for him to be FLOORING it to Selina’s apartment to Faith Evans’s As Soon As I Get Home, to in fact, “make it up” to her a weekend later.

Duke has put on Bartender by T-Pain at a Wanye hosted gala at least once. Hired DJ was taking a bathroom break and Duke seen a opportunity.

Steph going around the Wayne manor talking about, “I remember when you laughed when I cut my perm off and you rated me a 6 😐💔..” to everyone for a straight week.

(And out of all the songs Duke tried to put Steph onto, It was Jeanelle Monaé’s Like That, that strangely stuck??)

Duke introduces Damian to Michael Jackson and now he’s having the canon MJ fixation all 2000’s kids had growing up.

Everyone’s spying on him from behind the stair railing (Bruce and Barb through surveillance storing this away for his graduation) while he plays the Michael Jackson Experience dance game in the living room. Duke couldn’t be prouder.

Human nature’s on loop at max volume he’s in the shower because it “relaxes his nerves” Not even Tim’s cruel enough to tell him MJ’s passed on years ago.

and EACH and EVERYTIME Duke catches them listening to something of his taste he MUST hit ‘em with the “AYE, NOW WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT 🤨??”

But his greatest influence would be on Cass

He has Cass wearing matching Soulja Boy fits with him to spirit week at school for 90’s day.

The two of them come down the staircase that morning. Boombox on Duke’s shoulder blaring Turn My Swag On for their grand entrance. Alfred does not approve.

And while Dick tests Duke’s ability to truly “Crank That” over breakfast.. Jason hovers over Cass.

Inspecting the ensemble of the polo, baggy jorts-that are basically pants-, and a sideways fitted cap all hanging off her. And upon the realization that it’s all his clothes; Jason’s frown becomes completely forced.

He also snorts a little after noting Cass’s unlaced shoes are actually Tim’s dunks with socks stuffed at toe box for a more comfortable fit. Tim who had already clocked that almost immediately on her way down the stairs doesn’t hide his amusement at this whole situation.

Bruce, hading already witnessed the giggling pair sneak into his closet the night before on the Manor’s surveillance. Watching Duke insist they “gotta be iced out” before picking a few very expensive pieces of jewelry to borrow. He sips his coffee without a word; their smiles are worth more.

Alfred draws the line at “bumping” Pretty Boy Swag while in the car riding line at school drop off

[fadelion]

Things like that, that's the gateway!

Him putting Jason on to that Southern hip hop because he was dead for a lot of it and now Red Hood and Signal done been spotted beating the brakes off a bad pimp and speeding off in his Pimpmobile bumping Two Dope Boyz in a Cadillac.

Or when they've all decided to clean the Manor themselves as a nice surprise for Alfred to come back to after his vacation, and Steph wins the right to the AUX in a game of high stakes high rock paper scissors, so now the entire mansion is waking up to "MUSIC MAKE YOU LOSE CONTROL. MUSIC MAKE YOU LOSE CONTROL. LETS GO!!!" At 5AM. The whole first hour is just Missy Elliot songs to counter the mere two and a half hours of sleep everybody got.

Him and Izzy hitting duets off of the Acid Rap mixtape at the top of their lungs while Duke is riding his bike on patrol.

Duke put some variance on it, gave everybody both past and future. He put Damian on a couple Spillage Village hits and is getting kidnapped for an Earthgang pop-up show while Bruce playing Mowtown on his dates with Selina across town.

Duke was humming some Earth, Wind, and Fire with one of his rare night meetings with Jim Gordon and got the old detective feeling nostalgic.

He gave Luke Fox on to 1999 by Big K.R.I.T and Lloyd and told him "This one's for your after afterparty playlist."

And you just know he's spreading it around outside the Batfam too.

Duke blasting Back That Azz Up at the Justice League function just to see what happen and got Rocket looking for somewhere to put her drink and doing that black auntie high heeled hustle to the dance floor because her song just came on. Then he spin back by the DJ table to put on Get Low by Lil John and the Eastside Boyz and now everybody understands the assignment.

Martian Manhunter said he ain’t really get the sample like that because he don't know no better and now he got Steel, Black Lightning, Mr. Terrific, and Green Lantern John Stewart giving him the barbershop rundown hip hop history for the next four hours. Icon just shakes his head like he didn't get the exact same rundown back in Dakota when they all met Hardware.

Somebody accidentally started playing the Titans Playlist on the coms during a mission, and nobody knows how Knuck If You Buck got on there, but Connor Kent suddenly remembers that stealth is optional for this one and leads the Titans in clearing out a whole bunker full of goons.

Tim now typing out reports to A Tribe Called Quest lo-fi jams and Dick now understands why people miss the Old Kanye. Cass has heard the old hip hop jams, tracked down what a lot of them sampled, and now she's building up a vinyl collection. Duke done fucked up everybody's algorithms and is not apologizing.

[fadelion]

I didn't read a lot of the Future State arc, but I will fully admit that the image of Duke Thomas with Black Lightning as his stand lives rent free in my head.

Duke out here sneaking people out of the locked down surveillance state that Gotham has become, suit but no mask since vigilantes have been outlawed, is a known Person of Interest by the militarized cops and forces running the city, and this is how he comes back after he gets caught in a sting/setup: defiant, back on that good shit, and with Black Lightning riding shotgun in the sword on his back.

Duke "I know I'm a problem, do you want me to be YOUR problem" Thomas, people!

[fadelion]

I will die on the hill that Marvel, DC, and other long running comic universes can learn a lot from professional wrestling on making new characters and making them matter so they don't have to rely on the same names for decades on end.

Hulk Hogan doesn't wrestle anymore. Stone Cold doesn't wrestle anymore. The Undertaker doesn't wrestle anymore. Shoot, John Cena is semi retired or something, right? A lot of the older names, even the ones that become THE GUY or THE GIRL eventually stopped, and the promotion went on, for better or worse. Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns are on fire and they've been around for longer than you'd think, and if half the roster came down with broken toes or something, there's enough talent and stories around to work a pivot.

But Batman has way more lore than however old he's supposed to be, and the various younger Bats and affiliates could likely take up the mantle or fill that void, together or solo. Superman, as great as he is, done got the girl, got the family, died, came back, and can watch his son pull up like he did way back when. There's multiple generations of Flashes. Green Lanterns, just the earth ones, got enough for a three on three pick up game and a referee. Plenty of strong players, plenty of good names, so why's it always the usual suspects?

The longer it goes, the harder it's gonna be hard to shake, and eventually, you're gonna end up with people that are tired of this stuff, but don't realize they don't hate the game, they just want to see new players.

[fadelion]

Do the Flashes have metagenes? Asking for a Duke-Thomas-The-Signal-Accidentally-Boosting-A-Flash-Metagene-And-Causing-A-Duo-Time-Travel-Or-Flashpoint-Story purposes.

[we-r-robin]

Been on motorcycle tiktok… thinking about these two f-ing around on their motorcycles…

—

Duke: There’s a cop

Jason: Just drive away it’s fine

Duke: No s*** I’m already on the other side of the city

—

Bruce: We’re on the same side of the police, even if they’re corrupt we’re all for justice

Duke, a Robin during the Robin War, a motorcyclist, and a black teenager: Uh huh. Of course

—

Dick: There’s a motorcyclist going 200 in Crime Alley

Jason: Damn, that’s me

Dick: Sick, do a wheelie

[fadelion]

Nah, because Duke's invisibility works with his motorcycle! Like, imagine you're chasing a bright ass yellow vigilante on a bright ass yellow bike, and he just... accelerates into a different dimension or whatever. Like he just keeps going faster and faster and fades from view. What are the cops gonna do about that?

[fadelion]

At one point, Duke's gonna prank Batman in the field by using his shadow teleportation powers to grab Batman and just put him right back in the spot he was standing in when he tried to do the whole, "I'm gonna disappear when you look away" thing.

Just imagine the look of surprise when Jim Gordan looks back to see a just as surprised Batman still standing there. And then from a roof across the street, a barely visible Signal yells out "Hey! Stop being rude!"