Robin waltzes up to Aquaman with the confidence of a boy who knows exactly what he's doing and loudly says the word for titties in atlantian, a big ole smile on his face. He then proceeds to swear up a storm in a happy little cheerful tone as Batman watches on, eyes slowly narrowing. Aquaman did something Dick did not approve of the other day. This is how he's getting his payback. In the way only a child with a poor grasp on the Atlantian language can. By shouting the worst words he knows. Garth is watching on with a perfect faux innocence. He and Dick planned this extensively. Aquaman looks exeedingly more and more pale as he and Batman continue maintaining eye contact.
Please I’m fucking wheezing
Dick, 11 years old and already so full of sass and with a spunky little attitude. Maybe Aquaman was mean to Garth in the field or smth. And thats one of Dick’s best friends! Aquaman should know better than to mess with Dick’s friends!
So he’s standing there, an angelic expression on his face, hands clasped behind his back, the picture of innocence.
And he’s calling Aquaman a ball licker. And saying his mom must’ve slept with a blobfish to make him. And that he has tits for brains. And a million other stupid insults all in Atlantean.
And Aquaman is just staring over Robin’s head, making eye contact with Batman. The entire time. And Batman is becoming more and more suspicious the giddier Garth starts to look standing at Aquaman’s side.
“It’s a customary greeting to give the King of Atlantis!” Dick finally stops and tells everyone in the room, but turning particularly to Bruce. “Garth taught me!”
“…Yes, that was…very well done,” Aquaman stammers out, trying to keep a straight face.
Aquaman is terrified of Robin, actually. Because all the other JL members are now clapping and cooing and telling him how well he did. He has everyone wrapped around his little finger, and he has for years.
And when no one is looking, Dick sends a chilling smirk at Aquaman before dragging Garth away and loudly announcing that they’re going to Titans Tower for an important team meeting.
I was just thinking about how weird Garth’s relationship with his siblings would be.
Like Garth and Arthur have always had a weird relationship where they are father and son like Garth was the crown prince for awhile not sure if Andy has this spot now.
Pre crisis Garth would babysit AJ and he was like Uncle Aqualad and looked out for him. He was about fourteen years older than his brother same as like Dick and Damian.
But Garth is well into his twenties when Andy is born and it’s been established post rebirth that Garth is still family to Mera and Arthur. But in the post flashpoint world he went to a magic school instead of his pseudo grandpa Atlan whisking him away for training.
In future state Andy and Kaldur have their bond and it’s amazing. Two Queer icons
But I’m just wondering where Garth is during all of this? Like is he the son that left for college and never really came home after?
How does Andy feel about her older brother? Does he randomly pop up for magic lessons? Teach her how to ride seahorses?
Garth seems to still hold an ambassador sort of role so does he show her around on land?
what do you think would be other fab five reaction to hearing about the whole "arthur trying to kill garth for his baby thing"? i'm very curious about the sidekicks thoughts on the other mentors!! they talk about batman a lot, but i don't see much on the others
Oooh that's a fun question... intellectually I think they would agree Arthur didn't have much of a choice, and they would all sacrifice themselves for a baby, any baby, in a heartbeat. but then Garth himself understands that too, even right after it happened.
Adventure Comics #452
It's more about the emotional side of things - how easy it was for Arthur to make that decision and how unapologetic he is about it. Cos this is kind of every sidekick's worst fear in a way! Not just being sacrificed or replaced but it being easy to do so, as though the relationship was never that important.
While Wally and Roy are generally the most likely to put their foot in it with Garth, for this I think Roy would be feeling an almost guilty kind of relief. This is after Snowbirds after all. It shows he's not the only one whose mentor can easily cast them aside for someone or something else. Which means it might not be something uniquely wrong with him but something rotten about how sidekicks are treated in general, a conclusion he sort of starts coming to later anyway. I could see them coming together over it.
Batman Plus Arsenal #1
Wally on the other hand has joked about Garth being replaced by Arthur's baby before, and while he's possibly the most secure in his relationship with his mentor on account of the uniqueness of being speedsters, that's not a high bar. I still think he might try diffusing the fear that this could happen to him (what if Barry and Iris had a family and chose them over him! surely this would never happen) with a joke that's just a shade too callous.
Teen Titans (1996) #12
Dick frequently susses out that Bruce is being mind controlled or is a fake when Batman tries to hurt him, so I think he has the initial reaction of "that would never happen to me, Batman would find another way, he would never do that to me, not my best friend Batman." But then he's waking up in a cold sweat middle of the night thinking about all the times Bruce has done a fakeout of choosing someone else over him. and what if he did it for real? he would never do that but what if? what if?
Donna in a lot of ways is the one most similar to Garth - they're both outsiders, even among the other Teen Titans and their own communities, and she knows what it's like not to have a regular life to fall back on. And she is also always the one doing the group emotional care, being their shoulder to cry on and mediating among the others.
So Donna is the one who I think would actually comfort him about it. At the same time I think it brings back and reaffirms for her some of her more unhealthy beliefs - if you are less than perfect you can be replaced, the most important relationships in your life are conditional even when people tell you they're not, you are not really part of your community and people will always choose their blood family in the end.
I really wish there was something in canon with them reacting to it because I do really think it would make them all reassess their own relationships in interesting ways! alas I can but speculate
//OOC: I've said Garth is a 'Mitski gal', but i am a Mitski whre! So... here's my list of her songs i can throw at Garth! 🥰
...
Abbey -
Feral little 8 year old Garth being found & Arthur introducing him to Atlantis. Begining of Aqualad.
Once More to See You -
Garth & Tula's childhood romance and... her death.
The Frost -
His friends / og Teen Titans moving on to do their own stuff / forcing themselves to grow up. (Rip Tula mention)
Francis Forever -
Arthur pulling away, adventures stopping & Garth becoming more a subject than son while Arthur is getting ready to be a 'real first time father' w pregnant Mera.
First Love/Late Spring -
Garth's (platonic) love for Arthur & the pure dedication he had to him. Arthur was his very life & w/o him he only wanted to diiiie-- (After the Aquababy arc - Arthur's attempt to kill him)
A Pearl -
More Garth & Aquaman. Garth slowly realizing he can't stay anymore & their relationship can't ever go back to Father & Son. His apologies to Arthur.
Me and My Husband -
Pushing down the past and finding love at the side of Dolphin, the loud former performer! ...also she's Aquaman's ex.
My Love Mine All Mine -
Holding his son, Cerdian, for the first time. Nuff said.
I Bet on Loosing Dogs -
Loosing his wife, Dolphin, and their newborn son. His baby.
Why Didn't You Stop Me? -
Aquaman steps down as king, leaving only Garth to take up the throne. (Ironically similar time frame as Dick's FIRST stint as Batman, 1994 ver, when Bruce was recovering from Knightfall arc)
Liquid Smooth -
His death in Blackest Night. The final moments, death at the hands of a reanimated Dolphin & Tula.
Nobody -
His place in the world after losing all family, to death and to pointless family fueds.
Cop Car -
Post-revival Evil emo w amnesia arc
+
Remember My Name -
Titans' also collectively forgot abt him for a bit :3
Class of 2013 -
Garth misses his Mom (Arthur) despite everything. He wishes they could just go back to how it once was.
Goodbye, My Danish Sweetheart -
GARTH AND THE TIIIITANSSS!!!! HE LOVES THEM SO MUUUCH 😭😭😭😭
Is it a little less action packed compared to the other comics at the start? Yes. Did Devin Grayson write some of it? Yeah,but she wrote it well, I can't lie(ignoring the random sprinkles or subtle racism).
BUT it had my favorite characterization of the main titans (esp fab five) AND they added Argent,GL(Kyle) and Jessie Quick into the mix which I loved, AND had so much fun and domestic moments within the cast I love it so much chat. Also it circles back to the 66 teen titans every now and then which is nice.Plus they were able to show Dick and Kory being able to have a relationship without romance and still love each other really sweetly,wished more comics did that.
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