Titans Thoughts

babsgirl & jaybin for @flourkkay via @dcforgaza

Many people don't see anything wrong with this phrase: what about it? Just a call for a free Palestine. The obvious question is, free from what, exactly? But that is not my point just yet.

Let's start with which phrase is actually used in the Palestinian protests, not in the west where it is translated for you. courtesy of u/pitstawp on reddit, quoting:

Modern Standard Arabic (formal register): ** min an-nahr il l-bahr, filastin-sa tatHarrar. ** From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. I guess you might hear this on a news broadcast like al-Jazeera, or a political speech, or a dinner, etc.

Palestinian Arabic (less formal register): ** min il-mayye l-il-mayye, filastin arabayye. ** From the river to the sea, Palestine will be **Arab.** This is way more common, anecdotally. It's what you'd likely hear at a protest. It's in the more colloquial Palestinian dialect, and it's got an explicit Arab-nationalist/Palestinian-nationalist connotation. You can see it sprayed all over the West Bank, and I would assume Gaza too, though IDK. I don't know how old it is, but definitely several decades.

To simplify, the version the public and foreigners get is a call for freedom, while the protesters call for an arab only territory. But what territory is it? Let's look at that, too. Here is a map of Israel and Palestine

Now, some people who got their knowledge of the conflict from half-baked tiktoks don't even know palestine is not a single chunk of land: it's divided into two parts, West Bank and Aza Strip. Between them lay Israel. Now let me outline to you the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea:

For this territory to be arab, it would imply the wiping of jews from Israel and establishing an arab territory in its place.

Using this phrase when you simply mean you want Palestine to be free, of whatever it is you think it's occupied by, is like using exempts from Hitler's manifestos as motivational speech.

to me dick has a lip piercing he DEFINITELY wears a lip ring (luke hemmings you rewired 12 year old me) maybe even snakebites

jason has multiple ear piercings but i don’t think he’d have a face piercing maybeeee his nose

tim definitely has an eyebrow piercing (has nothing to do with mine rejecting. im projecting) it just fits with his skater aesthetic🙂‍↕️

On this show:

Ooookay so I don't really pay attention to authors which I really should but I usually just read the comics. I only notice authors if people are talking about them or if a comic is particularly bad and then i'm like "oh dis?!" But I'll try my best!

Chuck Dixon. Chuck Dixon was the reason I fell in love with Nightwing. He created the hero of perfection. Nothing can top his work mainly because he established Nightwing's prowess. phenomenal job by him and if it's possible I hope he can collab in the future.

Marv Wolfman? There would be no Nightwing without him. The credit goes to him first for creating such a fantastic rounded character with deep emotional depth. 

Devin Grayson. Devin Grayson was magnificent. Her relationship work with Dick and Bruce and Dick and Tim was simply the finest. I know she's controversial but the reason why I love her works so much is because she does a damn good job at writing Dick as a character.

Grant Morrison. Overall just a great writer. He understands that Dick is both funny and insanely competent with an extraordinarily HIGH EQ. He’s the one who wrote Batman & Robin Dick and Dami comic. He’s also written other Batman comics and I like how he writes the characters.

Tim Seeley. Damian Wayne & Dick Grayson? We want this dynamic, DC! We want what he wrote - more Dick and Damian appearances forever! Grant Morrison. I can not see his face from where I'm standing at the bottom of the pedestal I've put him on. I think I see something shining in the clouds, but I'm telling - it's a whole lot of pedestal I'm seeing. I think I'll go insane and buy out every single comic if he comes back to write Nightwing (2016). I'll force my followers to buy those comics and believe me, I can.

Peter Tomasi

And Chip Zdarsky! *chef's kiss* 

Personally, aside from the top 5 I listed, I don’t keep writers in mind. I usually rank comics as a whole. My favorite is the Nightwing (1996) comic and the Batman (1940) comics and that’s where I base my ‘Who is Dick Grayson’ understanding from. I know this list is controversial, but for me, what I look for in a good comic is excitement, adventure, thrill, and characterization.

As such, I feel these writers in particular matched Dick Grayson most accurately while checking off the other boxes.

Into the Grayson-verse. Ik Ik. I'm here all week.

I have more of these planned to draw. Except I dont wanna rn. (Mainly bc i was in the middle of drawing Absolute Dick Grayson when I realized that I cant flipping draw baseball caps.)

Hey there, thanks for the ask! ❤️ Unfortunately, I can't give you a complete answer. Not a REALLY complete one, at least. Because what we know for sure is this: Batman knew Tara worked for Slade and had betrayed the Titans.

How do we know that? Brion. It all comes back to Geo-Force. Like gravity. Heh. See what I did there? 😎

Because what Brion knows, he learned from Batman. So we can indirectly reconstruct at least part of their off-panel conversation. In Tales of the Teen Titans Annual #3 (April 1984), Brion is given the sanitized version of the story: Tara was a hero, and she died fighting Deathstroke. Then, in Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1 (September 1984), he already knows the truth—or at least part of it. And we get this heartbreaking moment from our favourite secondborn royal redhead:

So Batman told him something. At the very least, he told him that Tara had betrayed the Titans. Which means Batman himself had to know that much.

How did Batman find that out? I think the answer is pretty obvious. Dick. It's never shown on panel (or at least not that I remember, so please correct me if I'm wrong), but who else would have gone to Bruce and told him?

Especially since the Titans seem to force themselves into a kind of self-imposed silence after Tara's death. They even avoid Gar because they don't want to talk about what happened. Hell, even Wally has to learn about Tara's death from the newspaper—or, more accurately, from the sanitized public version the Titans gave the press.

But from that point onward, Tara's betrayal is treated as basically the worst-kept secret in the superhero community. The JLA seems to know about it in the Terra miniseries from 2008, and it's apparently known in the 2009–2010 Power Girl run as well, not to mention the clear and unmistakable way Tatsu explains it in The Other History of the DC Universe #3:

Thank you, John Ridley. THANK YOU.

But if we're talking about the fact that Slade raped Tara, that's a completely different question.

Because Gar surely thinks—or at least suspects or fears—that Tara and Slade were sexually involved. But he's never shown openly discussing that with the team, and even Dick might not know for certain. And even if he did… would he tell Batman? Like, let's imagine the conversation: "Hey, Bruce. Yeah, it's been rough since Tara's death. I still can't believe she was a mole for Deathstroke. Can you believe the two were screwing!?" I don't know. I just… don't see that happening 😭

My personal theory is that Dick suspected something, given Tara's words in her final pages, and might have voiced those concerns to Bruce.

But then we have Last Will and Testament, where Brion seems to know about the sexual aspect of what happened to Tara—or at least the overall framing of the issue strongly implies that he does.

He never explicitly says, "Slade raped Tara," but he does say:

"What he did to my sister…"

So, at some point, Brion learned. Was Batman the one who told him? Personally, I don't think so. It would be unnecessary and, frankly, cruel. Why would Bruce tell Brion that his sister had been sexually exploited by the same man who ultimately caused her death? What purpose would that serve?

So how did Brion find out? We don't know. Infuriatingly, we'll probably never know. Maybe he went through some classified files. (He does mention a file about Slade, written by Nightwing, in Last Will and Testament, and this is also the version I go with in my fics) Maybe he overheard a conversation. Maybe he found an old report. Maybe Slade sent him a text saying "Hey, your sister had a birthmark on her butt." We. Don't. Know.

So, to sum up: - Bruce definitely knew that Tara had betrayed the Titans and worked with Slade. - Bruce may have suspected that there was something sexual and abusive going on between them. - Whether Bruce actually knew the full extent of what Slade had done to Tara—including the rape, the coercive control and the maybe-drugging—is unknown.

Dick...I headcanon that Robin consoles rape victims at times, since Robin is a child and therefore nonthreatening. And I also headcanon that Trigon molested Raven. But none of this is canon.

here is the actual text: Convention on the Rights of the Child | OHCHR

here is the actual definition of "state party" and "signatory" on this map:

"The indicator refers to the expression by the State of its consent to be bound by a human rights treaty under international law. A “State party” to a treaty is a State that has expressed its consent, by an act of ratification, accession or succession, and where the treaty has entered into force (or a State about to become a party after formal reception by the United Nations Secretariat of the State’s decision to be a party). A “Signatory” to a treaty is a State that provided a preliminary endorsement of the instrument and its intent to examine the treaty domestically and consider ratifying it. “No action” means that a State did not express its consent."

let's take a look at some of the countries that have, by this definition, apparently had this treaty ratified...

the Islamic Republic of Iran

Factsheet · Women and Girls’ Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran - Impact Iran

"Child marriage continues to be permitted under Iranian law. The legal minimum age for marriage is 13 years old for girls and 15 years old for boys, though girls who have reached the age of legal majority, 9 “lunar years” (about 8 years old and 9 months),  can be married with parental consent and court approval. As a result, 9 lunar year old married girls and older are also subject to the laws governing women and girls’ lives in marriage, including  Civil Code Article 1108’s obligation to fulfill the sexual needs of their husbands. With the permission of the court, the legal guardian has the right to marry for, and on behalf of, a minor daughter – legally sanctioning forced marriage. The state-owned Statistical Centre of Iran recorded that in 2020, 31,379 girls between the ages of 10 to 14 were married, and that 27,448 girls under 15 were married between 2021 and 2022. State-sponsored Iran’s Students News agency reported “over 20,000” child marriages with girls under the age of 15 between March and December 2022. Numbers, however, are likely to be higher as many child marriages go unregistered. "

and this isn't even getting into the treatment of women and lgbtq+ people. which, by the way:

Russian Federation

Fact Sheet: Russia’s Kidnapping and Re-education of Ukraine’s Children | Yale School of Medicine

"Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine includes a systematic campaign of forcibly moving children from Ukraine into Russia, fracturing their connection to Ukrainian language and heritage through “re-education,” and even disconnecting children from their Ukrainian identities through adoption. Children documented by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) range in age from four months to 17 years, and many have families looking for them in Ukraine."

General Assembly demands return of Ukrainian children by Russia | UN News

Ukrainian children, abducted by Russia and then returned, are speaking out : NPR

What happens to a kid abducted by Russia? Survivors and detention camp maps reveal a system of indoctrination - Friends of Europe

Australia

Australia: Disproportionate Removal of Aboriginal Children | Human Rights Watch

"Western Australia’s child protection authorities are disproportionately removing children from Aboriginal families and placing them in out-of-home care, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Children continue to be removed from their homes nearly two decades after the Australian government issued an apology to First Nations peoples for forcibly removing their children."

"The 86-page report, “‘All I Know Is I Want Them Home’: Disproportionate Removal of Aboriginal Children from Families in Western Australia,” describes how authorities in the state of Western Australia have been quick to remove children from Aboriginal mothers fleeing domestic violence and from Aboriginal parents without adequate housing, rather than providing appropriate services to address domestic violence and homelessness. Western Australia has the highest rate of overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care of any state or territory in Australia, and Aboriginal children are more than 20 times more likely to be living in out-of-home care than non-Indigenous children."

European Union

IWF Warns of Surge in Child Sexual Abuse Imagery Hosted in EU

"New report shows 62% of all child sexual abuse webpages found by IWF in 2024 were traced to an EU country. The Netherlands remains the most abused location in the world for hosting criminal content the IWF found this year, though its share of the global total has dipped since 2023. Poland, current holders of the EU Council presidency, is fifth highest on the EU list of hosting figures with an 8,000% increase. The IWF discovered child sexual abuse, or links to it, a record-breaking 291,273 times last year."

China

“Start with the Youngest Children”: China’s Use of Preschools to “Integrate” Tibetans | HRW

"By mandating Chinese not only for teaching but also for daily interaction, care, and play, the authorities have fundamentally reshaped young children’s linguistic environments at the very stage when mother tongue fluency is normally established. A minority child in China may now never experience any teaching in their mother-tongue throughout their entire childhoods and adolescence, apart from occasional classes in which their local language is the subject of study."

An ethnic elimination in China: the abhorrent fate of the Uyghur children - Humanium

"The widespread arbitrary deprivation of the Uyghurs has led to many families being forcibly separated and unaware of the whereabouts of their children (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2022). Furthermore, the Uyghur children are utmost at risk given that the Chinese government is trying to eradicate any trace of the Uyghur ethnic minority and its distinct identity, by directly targeting its younger generation (News 18, 2020).

After their parents were forcibly sent to VETCs or working facilities, many Uyghur children were sent to Chinese boarding schools in Xinjiang and some children were alternatively sent to state-run orphanages in Xinjiang (NPR, 2022; Georgetown Journal & International Affairs, 2021). They are being forcibly taught Mandarin at boarding schools and orphanages, and any child that would speak in Uyghur would be severely punished (NPR, 2022). 

In addition, by 2019, it was found that around 880,500 children were forced to live in these boarding facilities (The Guardian, 2020). The Chinese government is purposely making these children ‘orphans’ by forcibly separating them from their parents, “thus allowing the state to assume a parental role” and therefore successfully breaking the family ties amongst the Uyghur minority (Melanson, 2022). Many parents nowadays cannot account for the whereabouts of their relatives and their children (Amnesty International, 2021). "

Guatemala

“Forced to Give Up on Their Dreams”: Sexual Violence against Girls in Guatemala | HRW

"According to the National Registry of Persons (RENAP), between 2018 and 2024, 14,696 girls ages 14 and under gave birth and became mothers, often against their will."

Afghanistan

Children of Afghanistan - Humanium

"Today, only around 60% of Afghan children are sent to school and only 28% of the adult population is literate. In addition, the education system is lacking infrastructure. In Kabul the number of students in some classes rises up to 60. "Afghanistan also holds the saddening record of being the country which has the highest number of terrorist attacks aimed at schools, at girls schools in particular."

"Under the Taliban regime, thousands of Afghans under the age of 18 were enrolled in terrorist groups, in one way or another. They were first “brain washed”, then given training on the handling of weapons, and finally sent to war. Certain children, barely 6 years of age, were even used as child suicide bombers."

"Between 2000 and 2009, almost 40% of young women, when interviewed, confided that they were given in marriage before the age of 18."

Sudan

Revealed: chaining, beatings and torture inside Sudan's Islamic schools | Global development | The Guardian

World Report 2026: Sudan | Human Rights Watch

In Sudan, sick and starving children ‘wasting away’ | UN News

"As heavy fighting continues between former allies the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and their allies, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that in parts of North Darfur more than half of all children are acutely malnourished."

"Nearly three years since war erupted between the once-allied Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), 13.6 million people have fled their homes, including 9.1 million displaced within the country."

"Dr Shible Sahbani, the UN World Health Organization (WHO)’s representative in Sudan, told reporters that while the displaced require “urgent” care, the health system has been “ravaged by attacks, loss and damage of equipment and supplies, a shortage of health workforce and operational funds”.  Since the start of the war in April 2023, WHO has verified 205 attacks on health care that have led to 1,924 deaths and 529 injuries, Dr Sahbani said."

All of these countries signed consent to the terms of this treaty.

let's specifically talk about child marriage:

Regions and countries - Girls Not Brides

So, to conclude, the assertion that the United States is the "only country without civil rights for children" is completely misleading and incorrect.

American public high schools are bad, I can attest to this, but in so many places, children do not have access to education.

The UN is hypocritical in so many ways and has SEVERAL countries committing absolute ATROCITIES at this very moment on their HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL.

I took the time to write this all out because it is extremely frustrating to see the lack of media literacy present on this website and on the internet in general, especially amongst young people (like me). You cannot have a full understanding of the way the world is from social media posts and Wikipedia.

Russia is our enemy. Trump loves Russia. Trump loves Putin. Republicans love Russia.

IN PARIS???