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Lullaby, Kevin Markwick, 2007

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i am almost done with chapter 9 but I was thinking about waiting n publishing 9-10 or 11 together in one go... („• ᴗ •„)

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━━ ˊ * ・❥・ FORMS OF LOVE / 01.

I'll start off with the absence of love: Jason & Kiora. Throughout reprise, they share an interesting dynamic ━ Both detest the other, but it's not so simple. When I wrote them, I wanted them to have an anti-sibling-sibling dynamic. In Reprise, Jason and Kiora are not siblings by bond or affection — they are siblings by attrition. The reason for this is their proximity, projection, and yearning (from Kiora's side); They both orbit scarecrow like two broken moons on their way to collide.

Jason projects Bruce-Robin's dynamic onto Kiora-Crane's one and gets confused, disgusted, and above all, is plagued by 'why not me?' when he mistakenly believes Kiora is Crane's heir. He wants Crane to respect him just like canon. Reprise Jason is influenced a bit from the Arkham Knight comics, although I don't consider it wholly canon due to continuity contradictions ━ there is a panel that states Scarecrow never harmed Jason during Joker's circus of cruelty (villain rotation, ━ each villain was invited to beat up Robin once per month, and the only one who refused to participate was Scarecrow.) The moment of rejection left an impact on him. This didn't automatically make him care about Crane; what did was competition. Kiora's existence and proximity to Crane served to fuel Jason's inferiority complex. Meanwhile, she only saw Scarecrow as a "God" figure ━ This blind loyalty further served to disgust Arkham Knight with Kiora's "weakness".

At first, Jason was distant to Kiora; he didn't particularly care for her because he was goal-oriented, but their relationship rapidly degraded over the course of time, though. By proxy of rotation and projection, they are siblings who hate each other. Their feelings towards each other vary: Kiora is scared of Jason. He's loud, volatile, and most of all strong. He can talk back to Scarecrow and get away with it. He can call Scarecrow 'crane' or 'old man', and he can walk into a room and command respect. Kiora cannot do that. And his animosity for her scares her, she is paranoid that he will kill her (to credit her instincts ━ Jason does try briefly in chapter 3, and then his negligence endangers her in chapter 5 ━ if not for Scarecrow's intervention). Kiora and Arkham Knight are only 4-5 years apart when it comes to age, and yet they still can't be considered "peers"; he commands an entire army of ex-military or war vets. That's power. Social power Kiora lacks.

The final fracture is Barbara Gordon. The sister Jason actually cares about. Despite his crimes against Barbara Gordon, Arkham Knight orders for her protection, so witnessing someone he considered beneath his attention ("Scarecrow's pet") hovering around his sister ━ it triggers immediate animosity and whatever veneer of civility Kiora and Jason shared is quickly eroded; Kiora herself begins loathing Jason as the story goes on. In chapter 8, there is a change ━ Jason learns of Kiora's true purpose, and suddenly, she is more dehumanized than before. Ironically, it's also the only time he has ever truly been civil to her without any alternative motives.

Arkham Knight is complicit in Kiora's destruction. It was engineered by Crane, and although Jason himself was ignorant at times, his negligence was purposely being weaponized along with his resentment and perceived favoritism. So yes, while they appear on the surface to share a sibling-like dynamic (Two kids fighting for the attention of an emotionally absent father figure who has none to give), they are far from it. They're anti-siblings; abusive dynamics present in a grey area where love never blossomed. At first, Kiora envied and admired and resented him like a deviant older brother. However, brothers don't let other men joke about sexually assaulting you. Brothers don't interfere only when their authority is tested. Brothers don't leave you for dead in a war-torn gotham.

In short, their relationship is steeped in toxicity, envy, apathy, and neglect, but not outright hate.

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✦ decided to play around with some reds.

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━━ ˊ * ・❥・ BARBARA & KIORA.

Their first meeting actually sets the tone of the entire story: Guilt, salvation & false hope. The first time Kiora, age 12, meets Batgirl, age 17, is when Kiora throws herself off the Lady of Gotham statue in a half-baked suicide attempt. A well-meaning Batgirl saves her. She reassures Kiora that she is safe now and promises her that nothing will ever hurt her again. It doesn't go over very well. Kiora is a child and in a state of extreme hurt and emotional distress. Her mind doesn't say, "Can I believe this?" It says, "What would she know about my pain?" She explodes, calling Barbara a sinner who offers her temporary respite. While Kiora suffers, Batgirl gets to go home at night and pretend she saved her and feel good about herself— That makes her worse than the adults who tortured her because at least they didn't lie. Barbara is stunned, and before she can defend herself— Kiora is gone.

The tragedy is that Batgirl was clueless. She just saved a 12-year-old girl from falling off a statue and reassured her that she’s okay, only to be called a sinner and as bad as the villains she fights regularly. She didn’t know anything about Kiora’s circumstances nor her pain. Kiora is also in the wrong, but not completely — She shouldn't have projected her anger onto Barbara, but Barbara also falls into the trap of reassurances without full understanding — both are wrong, and both are right, and that makes this a difficult situation to navigate because what Kiora told Barbara tears the mask of altruism and frames it in a selfish manner— For Barbara, this is humbling. It stays with her and plants a seed of not doubt, exactly, but of guilt. She wonders about Kiora for many years to come.

— This is why Barbara can't let go of Kiora.

— Why Kiora clings so violently to Barbara

— Why their later bond is fraught with guilt, broken salvation, and misplaced promises.

It's the kind of encounter that should have eroded the connection between them, but instead, they become irrevocably tangled with each other. When they meet nine years later, things have changed. Kiora is older now— calmer. She views Barbara trying to save her as "The only person who ever tried". For Barbara, Kiora will always be a source of immense guilt because that child escaped and emerged nine years later on Scarecrow's side— that's a slap in the face. A moral failing. Had she saved her back then — would this have truly transpired? It makes it hard for them to detach from each other. For Barbara, all she recalls is her guilt and promise; Batgirl was buried, she was Oracle now, yet a failure from her time as Batgirl materializes in the worst possible outcome.

And the worst part is that adult Kiora now believes Barbara— Not in the way that should matter, but in a way that offers a deluded version of salvation; She wants the best of both worlds. Scarecrow and Barbara — never acknowledging that those paths won't ever converge. The foundation of their very relationship is cracked and filled with strife and guilt and fragile affection.

It's not romance; it's greed. Both want the other to be in a preconceived role that contradicts who they are as a person because they want to save, or be saved, by the other — Never understanding what the other truly desires or what's best for them. Both are bound to their ideals and wishes, and both will burn for it.

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i have more meta posts to make ◟(๑•͈ᴗ•͈)◞

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Batman Arkham Knight

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━━ ˊ * ・❥・ MISOGYNY.

I explore quite a lot of misogyny in Reprise, from direct misogyny like from deacon blackfire and the way the militia treats Kiora, to indirect misogyny; The militia members who aren't overtly sexist or harassing Kiora or Barbara but still never say anything when they are being harassed — Like Mark. Or even more prominent figures like Jason and Scarecrow. Jason is largely oblivious to Barbara's mistreatment at the hands of his men, but he isn't so ignorant to Kiora's mistreatment — He just doesn't care in an overt way. He is focused on Batman; in his mind, she needs to "toughen up", so arise situations where misogyny and contempt breed unchecked. He only steps in when things are about to get physical or go too far. It's not done for her sake; she calls him out on it in chapter 6. It is done for his dominance and ego. To maintain order.

Similarly, Kiora suffers from a lot of internalized misogyny. She was raised in a cult, and she has certain expectations of women that were pushed on her — Barbara Gordon defiles all of them, and it moves her to try and become more like her. More assertive — Her crash out in chapter 5-6 is largely thanks to Barbara's influence and her mental collapse. She is also flawed in the way that she refuses to acknowledge that Scarecrow is also to blame for her treatment. Both leaders — Arkham Knight & Scarecrow — are very negligent when it comes to protecting her from a hostile environment. But because she idolizes Crane, she is unwilling to fracture the perception of him that she has. Technically speaking, she is one of scarecrow’s assets; she is just aiding Jason. The militia are Jason’s asset, and they’re harassing kiora. So realistically, more of the burden falls on scarecrow to ensure she’s protected, but he LETS it happen because the more isolated she is, the more she clings to him and the easier she is to control. Arkham Knight is largely unaware and doesn't care unless things reflect badly on his leadership skills.

Barbara also faces a lot of implicit misogyny on her team, but it is more unconscious in the way it presents itself. She had to fight to prove herself a part of the team, a true fit on there, and she was — As Batgirl she's said to have been more agile than Batman himself. Being good isn't enough; as a woman in an all male team, she had to be better, greater. She was. Once she became Orcale, things shifted a bit; she still worked hard, but now most of the glory went to the men. It's fine. she doesn't do it for fame. But recognition matters. What stings is the comments that she's not "really out there", when she has to suffer through an entirely different kind of torture of watching, waiting, being patient — witnessing her loved once suffering from behind a screen and being unable to actively help in the moment aside from being a guiding voice in their ears — Frustration builds on the days they ignore her instructions.

In relevance to Reprise, what hurt her the most was the fact that it was Jason — Arkham Knight — who sold her out to Crane. Oracle was hers, her identity, her way of helping, and he stripped her of it. He reduces her (temporarily) to the role of a hostage, a responsibility that Bruce has to carry and torture himself over. She is not helplessless, but she was shoved into a role of it — by someone she considered to be her own brother — anyway. That stings. So does the loss of Oracle. He had no right to fracture her identity and life for the sake of vengeance when Joker had hurt them both; Barbara has a lot of responsibility, and the people around her, who became her restraints, pushed her unconsciously into a position of invulnerability, of not being able to process the trauma fully. Bruce thinks this is his fault, and her dad thinks he failed to protect her — Moments like these make it harder for her to express the flinch in her shoulders when the door rings or the sweat on her brow when a camera flash goes off. It's not their fault completely, but it's not hers either.

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━━ ˊ * ・❥・ ART.

hiii hehe, I'm super late, but I just wanted to share this lovely art commission I got of Kiora & Babs by the very talented @whimsy-goat

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SCARECROW | BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT

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I want to talk about Barbara Gordon, specifically how she is characterized in my fic. In reprise, she is more human than Arkhamverse. Her trauma is addressed, and she is allowed to be upset over it — Not because it defines her, but because it’s a part of her. Barbara’s envious of Jason sometimes. He gets to rage and destroy and make it everyone else’s problem. Meanwhile, she has responsibilities. She has a team, a father, a city. People she loves and people who count on her. And she knows they see her pain as their burden— Batman blaming himself for what Joker did, her father feeling like he failed to protect her. She’s not fragile, but those expectations make it impossible for her to ever fall apart. She doesn’t get that luxury.

She’s also struggling with a loss of identity. Even as Batgirl, she saw Bruce’s methods of second chances as more of an opportunity to re-offend. Then she lost Batgirl and became Oracle, and she was fine with sitting back and letting her team handle things — she was still vital — But then Jason sold her out to Scarecrow, and she lost Oracle too. This time, it wasn’t just a mask—it was hers. Something she built after Joker. And it was her brother who took it from her. Her anonymity is gone, and with it, a sense of safety she had fought to reclaim. Every villain in gotham knows she’s Oracle and was Batgirl. Her family and friends are endangered all because of Jason. She’s upset at him. This is a part of her character that the game never explored. Oracle isn’t just another mask — she BUILT that post-joker. Joker PHOTOGRAPHED her. Her attack was made political ( Commissioner's daughter attacked by Joker ) and her pictures published, and she has ptsd from camera flashes, but as Oracle, she was on the other side. She was constantly vigilant — she was constantly helping.

That’s another thing. she helps people because it feels like revenge against the bad people — like she’s still there and she’ll still save others and her spirit isn’t broken — they haven’t broken her. That's Barbara in reprise.

Now, about Kiora. Barbara met kiora when she was 17 as Batgirl, and Kiora was 12. She saved her from suicide, but then kiora ran away from Barbara before she could get her actual help — 9 years later, they meet again. Barbara is Oracle (well. was. since Jason sold her out), she is scarecrow’s prisoner, and here comes the girl who slipped through the fingers and wound up on scarecrow’s side. On the side of evil.

Barbara might have some unresolved feelings too about the fact that BATGIRL failed to save Kiora, so maybe Oracle/Barbara can — There’s guilt there. Regret. Maybe even something twisted— like trying to redeem Kiora isn’t just about compassion but about proving that Barbara can still save people. Even if Batgirl failed, Oracle can succeed. That she is still good. But as they say, the path to hell is paved with good intentions

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revising the early chapters of Reprise for the third time because 2023 me was on crack and sooooo delusional about Scarecrow lol

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˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ - ̥۪͙۪˚┊❛ 𝕬𝖗𝖐𝖍𝖆𝖒𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖊 𝖔𝖈. ❜┊˚ ̥۪͙۪◌ ¡! ❞

❥ —Hello, I'm Mara! I made a community I made for Arkhamvserse OC's anyone might have! It's pretty lax guideline-wise. It's a place for those who want to find help with your fanfic, promote it, or discuss anything relevant to your oc! Headcanons, FC's, moodboards, etc, just have fun!

❥ — Overall triggers will be present, given the nature of the games so that's not surprising. Let's try to keep the NSFW contained (under read more, etc)

❥ — Here's the link if you want to join.

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SCARECROW | BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT

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━━ ˊ * ・❥・ HCS. / KIORA.

Scarecrow gives Kiora a journal as she comes under his care. It's phrased as being for her sake; a testament to her growth and a look into her progress to sharpen her mind and keep her focused. She's encouraged to write anything and everything in it. From daily observations to her mental state to philosophical musings, essays on fears and so on. Crane does routinely read the diary for it is an excellent inside look into her mind frame, helps him understand, interfere, and manipulate her better, all the while curb-stomping any foolish notions of rebellion that arise early on in their relationship. It also functions as intellectual vanity that strokes his ego as her admiration is pure and unfiltered, and her desire to learn is unrivaled.

The cruelest act Scarecrow subjected her to, according to Kiora, was when he brutally broke her habit of fasting; Having grown up in a cult with not a lot of money, starving became a sign of devotion, to the point that Kiora's warped mind found pleasure in denying herself. Scarecrow, when he learns of this habit, is not the least bit amused and immediately breaks her out of it by forcing Kiroa to consume meals in front of a mirror, all the while he silently watches from behind her, giving occasional quips. The entire experience was so humiliating, cruel, and shameful that Kiora never dared to skip another meal nor disobey Scarecrow ever again; At that moment she hated him though — It was likely the first and only time she did.

The misogyny in the militia that Kiora faces is horrendous. It ranges from dehumanization, and objectification, to lewd garbage; Kiora is used to these moments — her hatred for these men continues to grow, as does her isolation. Aside from the gravel in the drink incident, there are two more; One that has her sobbing on her knees in front of Scarecrow, begging for forgiveness — Someone implies horrendous things about the two, and the girl is immediately undone and traumatized. She blames herself for 'inviting' such rumors and immediately attempts to repent: Crane is her god, her father figure, her mentor — such comments were one of the few times she broke down absolutely sobbing. Another incident was when a militiaman cornered her and attempted to pressure her. In that moment rather than fear she felt a surge of rage — Inversion dancing on her fingertips. Had the Arkham Knight not intervened, Kiora would've certainly killed that man. Not that she is grateful to the Arkham Knight, rather she blames all of this — the harassment — on his negligence, believing that if he were a better commander, no one would dare to disrespect her; Scarecrow's men don't, So why do his?

Kiora is desensitized to other people's pain. Given the nature of her powers and her upbringing, she has no empathy to offer — Watching others writhing in pain does not move her in any capacity nor make her squirm. In her mind that pain will soon belong to 'hers' anyway, she cannot bring herself to waste tears and compassion in a show of sympathy when the one who will ultimately be suffering will be none other than herself.

Scarecrow dresses Kiora in white. A lamb to the slaughter — it's purposeful, the imagery of her is meant to invoke purity, meant to get others to pity, sympathize, or underestimate her. The dark sense of irony between her horrid powers and the girl who wields them amuses him enough to dress her up in white gowns, true to her old 'saintess' title, as the night unfolds her dress is torn, dirtied, and dyed in blood and tainted. An apt metaphor for Kiora herself as her sanity continues to slip. As the story concludes, Crane rewards her with darker-coloured clothes; Kiora is the only one in the 'world of dark' dressed in white, an outsider even with her own allies (militia, scarecrow, etc), but once she has helped scarecrow achieve his goal, she is rewarded with colours as muted as the world around her, signifying that she is finally 'one' with it.

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━━ ˊ * ・❥・ 03. HEADCANONS ; RELATIONSHIPS

SCARECROW

Kiora knew of Scarecrow since she was 12 years old — having found a newspaper clipping of him back at deacon's cult, she began to idolize him as the master of fear because he seemed to be one of the few people who could terrify the members of the congregation; they met officially when she was 18 — Kiora offers her powers to scarecrow in exchange for protection and a chance to be in "his world" once he wins. a world where her powers are obsolete. From there their relationship evolves into a twisted father-daughter / teacher-student one. Kiora, being Kiora, begins to view any scrap of attention Scarecrow throws towards her as a sign of his benevolence, making him almost a godlike figure in her mind. Kiora's loyalty runs deep, and it's unlikely that anything will break it. Scarecrow's grooming of kiora extends beyond simply protecting her physically, but also isolating her mentally so that she's dependent on him and that her powers are his to truly control; he sees her as a convenient and useful tool, seeing the hidden potential in her while also keeping himself emotionally detached. there are some genuine moments of bonding between the two, for example, when Crane educates Kiora, viewing her as a blank canvas to depart his philosophies on — kiora, for her part, is eager to learn. he molds her in his image while also ensuring her physical safety (such as hiding her room in a restricted part of the base so that no one is able to touch her, this further works to isolate her) Scarecrow is well aware of the militia's treatment of kiora but doesn't interfere unless things reflect poorly on him or threaten to break his control over kiora. Scarecrow is well aware of Kiora's reverence for him and uses that to his advantage; No one in Kiora's life has shown her such interest and investment in her growth, and no one has taken steps to protect her, and these instances end up moving her beyond words. Crane, meanwhile, is slowly working to break Kiora's mental defenses, making her more malleable and making her powers his to control. there are some genuine moments of care, but they are so few.

BARBARA GORDON

Kiora's relationship with Barbara is complex if not obsessive, born out of her loneliness and a desire for connection. She first met Barbara when she was only 12 years old, having thrown herself off the Lady of Gotham's statue in an attempt to take her own life. Kiora was saved, at the time, by none other than batgirl, however before she could truly be helped, she blew up on the heroine — accusing her of being selfish and only having saved her for her ego's sake and to further use Kiora, like all adults in her life, for her power. As Batgirl is stunned, Kiora runs away, remerging 9 years later on Scarecrow's side as his asset. For Barbara, who already has complicated feelings toward her past identity as Batgirl, this is a moment of failure — The girl who slipped through her fingers now emerging by Crane's side is a slap in the face. Guilt eats away at her, yet her pragmatism shines — rationalizing that Kiora is no longer the same girl, but now an adult and a criminal, Barbara treats her as such. Only... the two women end up forming a twisted bond; Barbara who is capable of seeing the good in Kiora continuously attempts to save her, hurting her further in the process. while Kiora's feelings towards Barbara (the first person who said she didn't want to use her for her powers) deepen into an obsession; Her very first friend, someone who repeatedly tries to save her only to experience setbacks because Kiora is stubborn, unable to recognize that change is inevitable and to truly be saved she will have to sever her connection to Scarecrow which she never plans on doing. Their relationship is fraught with guilt, responsibility, obsession, and an intense passionate friendship — lies, manipulation, and secrets all bundled into one as an impossible friendship forms under impossible circumstances — a fragile bond on the verge of constant collapse. as the story progresses their bond twists and erodes into something darker (all by Scarecrow's design); losing themselves in the process.

ARKHAM KNIGHT

The first time she saw him, all she felt was an immeasurable amount of fear. Kiora met Jason when she was 19 years old, however even before officially meeting him she had seen him around the base and with scarecrow often; a childish feeling of jealousy bloomed in her heart and she began hating him on principle. She is jealous of his skills, competency, and the respect he commands and has from Scarecrow and the militia, most of all, Kiora is envious of Arkham Knight. On some level, she seeks his approval as well — Jason has none to offer though. Eventually, Kiora begins to resent Arkham Knight for his negligence — blaming him for how the militia treats her. Arkham Knight's feelings for Kiora are complicated; a large part is him projecting his relationship of robin-batman onto Kiora-scarecrow dynamic. He values her powers because he's a tactician, but he considers her emotional fragility to be a liability, and her connection to Scarecrow is a naive worldview that irritates him beyond words if only because it reminds him of his feelings for Bruce, ultimately he knows how useful her loyalty is, and even if he considers her a fool, she's a useful fool. As the story progresses (Kiora's age is 21 now) their relationship rapidly deteriorates. Although Jason is cordial but distant with Kiora, it isn't long before all that's left is snide remarks, insults, and confrontations. Jason is also suspicious of Crane's interest in Kiora, finding it to be out of character for scarecrow to take an interest in "strays" Jason is aware of how his militia treats Kiora. He knows the misogyny and sexual harassment she's subject to, but unless things get physical, words are spoken in his presence, or Scarecrow is somehow insulted, he largely doesn't interfere. In his mind, he has no time to babysit her — the only time he does step in, it's to maintain a hierarchal order between his men and to remind them of their place. He thrives on discipline and competency, anything else (that ends up benefiting Kiora) is purely an accidental byproduct.