#...actually wait robin in the asylum would be interesting

[banned-for-horny]

How Does That Make You Feel?

Robin needs therapy after the dock events. Dr. Harper is happy to help.

tw: noncon, terrible therapy advice, description of abuse/violence, Sorry Robin

I'm gonna consider this my final bit of robin whump to cap off the sorry robin save file before starting a new one lol. happy halloween!

The office is...cozy. Clinical, with its white walls and sterile smell, but softened by the yellow glow of a standing lamp and the giant couch that sinks under Robin's weight. It's different from the office that you described when you attended counseling sessions, but you also paid your rent on time and didn't need such comforts like this. You didn't feel the need to keep your back to a wall with your eyes on the door at all times.

"Are you sure you don't want a snack?"

Robin flinches, spine snapping to attention. "I-N-No, I'm fine. Thank you, though."

Across the room, sitting back in his own overstuffed chair, is Dr. Harper. He gives Robin a pleasant smile as a pen twirls between his fingers. "Of course. Remember, it's free. All you need to do is ask."

Robin tries to smile at that. It's a kind gesture, but taking food from strangers still doesn't sit well with him. "I'll...remember."

"Good. Now then!" Dr. Harper shifts, just enough to allow his left ankle to rest on his right knee. "Why don't we get started? How have you been since our last session?"

"I've..." Robin stalls, nails biting into his knees. "It's been...bad."

Dr. Harper's brows lift. "How so?"

"I-Well..." Again, he stalls, more out of guilt than actual hesitancy. He's gotten better at this, collecting his hazy thoughts and molding them into proper words. When he'd first had his solo sessions with Dr. Harper, it took him an hour just to stop sobbing. But those had been about the...the memories at the docks. This time..."I-I had a really bad dream. It's been...bothering me ever since."

"Oh?" Dr. Harper twirls his pen. "Describe it to me, if you can."

And, really, Robin should have been prepared for this. Dr. Harper likes to hear things in vivid detail. He says it helps ground a person to reality, keeps them from dissociating or avoiding the truth. It does help, but just thinking of what Robin is about to say makes his stomach churn. "I-It...It was about my friend." His gnawed nails scratch his palms as he pulls his feet onto the couch, tucking them under his thighs. "The one who recommended you?"

"Ah, I remember them," Dr. Harper says with a fond smile. You were an excellent patient, apparently. It doesn't make the knot in Robin's stomach any looser. "What happened in your dream that involved them?"

Robin hugs his stomach, slowly hunching over in some attempt at shielding himself. Phantom aches begin to throb under his skin, fists and rods and whatever toys they could find beating into his torso until he could barely breath. Details, he tells himself. Details.

Click!

"I-I hurt them," Robin forces out. "I would...We were in a room, a-and I was ch-choking them. I don't remember why, but-" But he was squeezing hard and tight, sinking his fingers deep into the back of your throat. Even now, he remembers the way your muscles convusled under his palms.

"Focus," Dr. Harper calls, followed by another click! of his pen. "What else happened?"

Robin's stomach only sinks. No matter what he did, you wouldn't stop thrashing. He remembers that. He tried to punch you, but pulling a hand away gave you to opening to get away, and when Robin tried to chase you, he-

Click!

"I-I was stuck." Robin's voice catches in his throat. "There was this-this chain and when I tried to follow them I couldn't run and they..." You didn't wait for him. You ran and ran and left him behind. Robin doesn't realize he's crying until the tears hit his pants. He grabs the tissue from its box and dabs at his cheek, struggling to breathe through his clogged nose. "I...think I woke up after that."

Dr. Harper hums, twirling his pen as Robin grabs another tissue. "It sounds like you have some budding resentment towards your friend."

"What? No," flies out of Robin instinctually. "T-They're my best friend. I-We've been together ever since I can remember."

"And yet you dreamt of hurting them. Why do you think that is?"

"I-I don't know."

Dr. Harper's smile thins. "May I posit a theory, then?" At the orphan's nod, the doctor sets his foot down and points at him with his pen. "You're upset at them because they're the reason why you were sent to the docks."

Click!

"W-What?" Robin recoils as Dr. Harper nods, apparently satisfied with his assumption. "I-That-it wasn't their fault. It was my own-"

"But they're responsible for you, aren't they?" Dr. Harper asks. "I recall you mentioning that they help pay your rent at the loft."

Ah, right. That little lie. Robin almost forgets that you and he had agreed to not tell the doctor about Bailey's payments to avoid even more threats on their life. Still, Robin nods slowly, massaging his legs. "Right. Why would I-I hate them for helping me?"

"I don't think they're really helping you." Dr. Harper frowns, now, apparently serious enough to open his eyes fully instead of remaining half-lidded, like he's finally awake instead of operating in a dream. "Let us change subjects for a moment: Why do you think you've been targeted more often?"

Because I'm weak, Robin thinks. His mouth falters, but from the way the doctor's frown deepens, he doubts he'll need to say it aloud.

"Perhaps," Dr. Harper says, "but in comparison to who?"

"To...my friend?" Robin guesses.

"Precisesly. Now, if you don't mind, could you stand?" Dr. Harper rises from his own seat in time with Robin. The doctor is quite small compared to him, but that is to be expected; Robin is one of the tallest orphans-actually, he's one of the tallest students in the school, beaten out only by Whitney and some upperclassmen. The only thing stopping him from really filling out his frame is his restricted diet courtesy of Bailey. "You make for quite the intimidating figure at first glance. Your friend, on the other hand..."

You're shorter than Robin. You're smaller than Robin. In fact, Robin knows he can pick you up easily and has done it plenty of times before. Outside of physicality, though, you...you trump him. You've put people in the hospital before. The police haven't been able to put you away simply because you had enough connections to get rid of evidence, and if the evidence can't disappear, then you just use your fists.

Click!

"They only target you because your friend is too dangerous to hurt." Dr. Harper lifts his pen and presses into Robin's sternum. All it takes is a single tap - with a click! of his pen, he pushes the orphan back into the couch. "You're kind, Robin. Too kind."

Robin's protests escape him when he lands. The doctor stares down with a frown.

"Your friend is supposed to protect you."

Click!

"And yet all of this has only come about because of them."

Click!

"Does that not annoy you?"

"I..." Robin wants to say no, it doesn't, but that smoldering heat he'd buried in his gut is starting to spread, eating away at the guilt until his fingers curl. "Y-Yes."

Dr. Harper steps back, twirling his pen as his brow lifts. "Yes, what?"

"It annoys me."

Click!

"Then why not tell them?"

"Because I can't," Robin says. The heat claws up his chest, circling the point where Dr. Harper had hit him with the pen and bleeding into his lungs. "T-They're just trying to protect me-"

The doctor frowns at that answer. "And they didn't do a very good job of that, did they?" He leans down this time to stare Robin right in the face, pen clicking behind his back. "How long were you at the docks, Robin?"

Robin's blood freezes. Five days. The sun rose and set five different times.

Click!

"What did they do to you, Robin?"

Hurt him. Beat him-no. Details. They started with treating him like bellboy on a cruise, made him walk around naked and serve the people while their hands scratched and slapped and punched. And when he dropped a bottle of wine worth £20,000, they forced him to kneel in the shards and clean it with his tongue. And after that, they used whips and rods and laughed when he couldn't keep count. Someone slathered him in some pink cream and taunted him when his cock felt like it was going to explode from how hard it pulsed. Before that, though, they used clothespins to pinch his foreskin back and after that they'd used ropes to strangle him and see how close they could get him to pass out before loosening up just enough to breath before trying again.

Click!

"And why did they do all of that, Robin?"

Because of you.

Ding!

Robin blinks as Dr. Harper's waist chimes. He reaches for his pager, grimacing at whatever notification flashes on his screen. "Seems we're having an emergency," he says and pockets the device. "I'm afraid we'll have to cut this session a little short."

"That's okay," Robin says slowly, thoughts still a mess of his own anger. He rises and clears his throat, massaging the ache out of his hands. "I-Um...what should I do next time? Or..."

Dr. Harper hums, tapping his pen against his lip. It stretches into a chipper smile that shuts his eyes and sends shivers down the boy's back. "Why don't you invite your friend to the next session? Sometimes it's easier to tell someone how they feel when there's a third party to intervene if something goes wrong."

-

Robin is a XX-year old male student with a prior history of social instability. He is an orphan with no known relatives. His legal guardian is the orphanage's caretaker. He lives in a flat with a roommate, who also lived in the same orphanage. Robin attends classes regularly at the local school and works part-time at a café. Recently, Robin reports feelings of insecurity and self-doubt, with the source of these feelings stemming from his roommate. Robin

Dr. Harper huffs, glaring at the report before him. He never was one for writing case summaries. Much of his work required direct, hands-on approaches and left very little time for him to accurately write down notes. He could have an assistant do it for him, of course, but...Robin is a special case.

"Rob-Ghck!"

Dr. Harper looks up just in time. Robin's right hand crushes your mouth while the other frantically claws at his shorts. Your knees are hiked, legs kicking, but whatever hits you land only spurs the orphan on. The curve of your waist bucks and twists, muscles taut under your exposed skin. Huh. Seems you really do have the better physique.

A muffled hiccup draws his gaze to your face. There are tears already spilling down your cheeks, hands clawing at Robin's wrist. His mad fervor begins to slow. The hand crushing your face begins to relax.

Click!

Robin's nails bite into your cheek, and the struggle renews in earnest.

Dr. Harper shifts in his seat, sitting up to ease the strain of his trousers against his erection. Where you have your strength, Robin outweighs you in his rage. He frees his erection in a few frantic tears of his shorts. He doesn't even bother looking for a condom when he sinks into you. It's not like those dockworkers would have used a condom on the poor orphan.

The pained wail that escapes you makes his blood sing.

Dr. Harper readjusts his clipboard to shield himself, then quietly unbuckles his belt. He doubts he needs to be careful, really, but Robin is a bit...tetchy. Best not to draw his attention right now.

Click!

He palms his erection just as Robin begins to thrust, each snap of his hip jolting your entire frame. The orphan's body nearly covers yours as he curls into you. Your legs have frozen around his sides - out of pain or fear or resignation, Dr. Harper can't tell. Your hips, though, jerk with each thrust, up and into Robin's own. You must be more into this than he thought. Perhaps you'd expected it earlier, when the orphan had yelled and yelled about his memories at the docks. After all, you are Robin's closest friend. It would only be the right thing to do after everything you put him through.

Click!

Robin finally releases your face in favor of caging you in his arms, burying his face against your throat and swearing with rage. You let out a pained whimper and scratch at his shoulders. It only leaves thin, red lines that, really, probably feels incredible.

"I-Hah-Fuck-" Robin practically crushes you beneath him, hips a blur. A pulse runs through Dr. Harper's cock at the sight, stomach knotting as he jerks his hand faster and faster. He pants between clenched teeth, a beautiful harmony to the melody of gasps and groans before him, and when your desperate, tearful eyes meet his, the doctor twitches and sends his cum splattering against his clipboard.

From the way Robin buries himself into you not a second later and moans, Dr. Harper can't help but chuckle. He tucks his cock away and slips an extra sheet of paper over the report. The cum begins to smear the fresh ink, but he sets it aside in order to lean forward with his pen.

Click!

Robin slowly unravels in your arms, muscles going lax as he pulls his hips back. His cock slips out of your stretched hole with a soft shlick, sending a jolt through the doctor's spine. Anger still simmers in his gaze when you start to sit up, pulling your shirt up to shield your bare chest. Dr. Harper's smile only grows at the sight.

"I think," he announces, "that should be good for today. You've made some excellent progress, Robin."

Robin's slow blink does little to clear the fog in his eyes while he smiles. "Yeah...that's good."

"As for you." Dr. Harper points his pen at you and smiles when you shrink back in fear. "Thank you so much. Robin really needs your support, and this was a huge help."

Click!

"You're such a good friend."

Your puffy lips part, waver, then seal shut, head bobbing in a tiny nod before turning to Robin. The boy is already dressed and ready to leave the office, a dreamy smile on his face as he offers a hand to you. It takes you two seconds too long to take it.

Dr. Harper clicks his pen, smiling when two different pairs of eyes land on him. "Same time next week?"

"That works," Robin answers with a happy nod.

Beside him, your knuckles tighten. The smile you show him doesn't quite reach your eye. "I-I think I'll be busy-"

"Nonsense." Dr. Harper waves his hand and scoffs, thumbing the top of his pen until it clicks. "What could be more important than supporting your best friend?"

Under Robin's expectant gaze, you shrink back and whisper, "Nothing."

"Exactly." With that, Dr. Harper rises from his seat and presses a hidden button on his pager, the ding! resounding through the cramped office. He makes a show of grimacing at the blank screen, then offers the same apologetic smile as before. "Well,  I'll see you two next week then. Take care."

Once the door is locked, Dr. Harper picks up the report and grimaces. For Robin's file...eh, he can have an intern pen it out for him. You, on the other hand...Dr. Harper smiles and fishes out a blank report sheet, mind abuzz with treatment plans. Your hesitancy, non-compliance, neglecting the needs of your friends? All the signs of a troubled patient in the making. Hopefully he'll be able to intervene before you end up like Robin.

[fancoloredglasses]

[RERUN] The Joker Is Wild/Batman Is Riled

[All images are owned by DC Comics and 20th Century Fox Disney. Please don’t sue me]

One of the interesting concepts Batman did (which to my knowledge hasn’t been duplicated...unless you count talent/”reality” shows) is the idea of nearly every episode being a two-part story, with the second part being aired the following night. No waiting a week to see what deus ex batshit Batman & Robin use to escape the latest death trap, tune in tomorrow “Same Bat Time, same Bat Channel!”

Let’s take a look at one such example (and actually look, as opposed to nothing but a wall of text as I did in my original review). This is the first appearance of Cesar Romero’s Joker in Batman. A word of warning: this Joker is less homicidal and more of a prankster (though he has the same taste in clothing) If you would like to watch the episode...sadly I couldn’t find anywhere to stream it for free, so I went to Amazon and breached the pay wall.

We open on... 

(because Arkham Asylum didn’t appear in the comics until 1974, and plus it would have been a bit dark for this vision of Gotham) where a softball game is going on involving the Joker.

[I do enjoy the fact that the writers assume that most of the viewers know the Usual Suspects in the Batman comics, so we’re not needing much exposition.]

Of course, if this were modern times, you know the Joker would have rigged the ball to explode and kill everyone with Joker gas.

Maybe I spoke too soon, as the catcher switches the ball with one under his chest protector. The Joker lobs an easy toss over the plate for the batter and it explodes into a gas as the batter hits it!

(I KNEW IT! Oh, wait, it’s just harmless colored smoke)

...and the Joker activates the giant spring under the pitcher’s mound, pulling a Wile E. Coyote over the prison wall (only much more successful...or I assume so. You never see him land) You might say he’s “sprung” himself (in fact, Chief O’Hara does!) O’Hara immediately calls Commissioner Gordon, who uses the Bat-Phone to call...

...Alfred (well, that’s who answers anyway), who summons Bruce Wayne (rather convoluted. Remember when all they had to do was shine a bat-shaped spotlight against a cloud?). One quick ride down the Bat-Poles to the opening credits!

One quick ride in the Batmobile past the supplemental credits to GCPD HQ.

O’Hara reveals that at the bottom of the Joker’s spring-loaded catapult there’s a bust painted in his image...

Not a very good likeness. He forgot the painted-over mustache!

Batman’s keen ability to take an obscure clue and flail about until something pops out leads him to believe the Joker is planning a caper at the new Comedians Hall of Fame exhibit at Gotham Museum, which opens that day, (HOW CONVENIENT!) but didn’t include the Joker (guess the committee didn’t find him that funny)

One travel montage later, Batman and Robin arrive at Gotham City Museum, where Batman tells the staff to clear the building.

The Dynamic Duo enter the Hall of Fame to discover the Joker has a display after all (that’s an even worse likeness than that bust was) Something doesn't sit right with Batman, but he and Robin leave to find the museum’s director at the guard lock up the museum.

One puff of smoke later and the Joker comes out from behind inside his statue, as do his henchmen from other statues. This seems like an expensive setup. Hope the payoff is worth it.

Seeing as they’re headed for the jewel exhibit, it might be.

Outside, Batman realizes what’s happening and attempts to get back into the locked museum. Inside, the Joker and his cohorts are helping themselves to the collection of jewels as Batman and Robin enter. Fight ensues, complete with onomatopoetic graphics.

(no ZOWIE?)

Unfortunately, the fight knocks loose a foam rubber sword that hits Batman on the shoulder head, knocking him out. The cronies then make short work of Robin and the pair are captured.

However, Batman quickly regains consciousness and pulls smoke pellets from his utility belt, distracting the cronies long enough for them to overpower them. However, the Joker escapes, vowing to not be defeated by a piece of clothing again as we go to commercial.

We return to the Joker’s secret lair at Gotham Pier Amusement Park, (you know, these villains really need to stop making the hideout locations so obvious. I mean, it could get to the point that even Chief O’Hara could figure it out!)

...where the Joker reveals he now has his own utility belt! (but does it have Joker shark repellent?) 

Emboldened by his new apparel (rather gaudy...even for the Joker. I mean, yellow does not go with purple!) he announces his newest caper will be to steal the cruise ship SS Gotham. So is the Joker now the Jolly Roger? But first, he’ll need to neutralize Batman (wow, he’s learning!)

Later, at Commissioner Gordon’s office, Gordon and O’Hara and having a meeting with Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson about Batman christening the SS Gotham...

...when someone (three guesses who) throws a clown doll through the window. Gordon immediately gets on the Bat-Phone. This should be interesting.

Unfortunately it’s not, as Alfred informs Gordon that Batman isn’t in (well, he can’t always be hanging around the cave waiting for Gordon to call...) Well, I guess *GASP* the police will have to actually do their jobs for once! Bruce and Dick excuse themselves, but not before Bruce convinces Gordon to let him keep the doll.

Later, in the Batcave, the Dynamic Duo analyze the doll. Batman once again reaches and comes up with what the Joker’s next caper will involve: a televised performance of the opera Pagliacci. Does that mean the Joker’s depressed?

(Thanks to ZiLLaCSS)

Later, at the TV studio (why not film it on stage?)...

Pagliacci (wearing a mask that’s a dead ringer for the mask the Joker wears in The Dark Knight) is singing until he starts cackling, revealing himself to be the Joker

(hey, he has a good singing voice!)

Batman & Robin manage to grab the Joker...

...but he throws sneezing powder at them, incapacitating them as his goons subdue them! The Joker then boasts that he will unmask Batman and Robin for the entire television audience to see as the cliffhanger rolls! (This is the slowest I’ve seen the Joker walk. I mean he creeps toward them in the 20 seconds the cliffhanger is being read and he still hasn’t reached them! Not to mention he likely won’t finish until tomorrow...”SAME BAT-TIME! SAME BAT-CHANNEL!”)

Fortunately, you don’t have to wait that long, as we’ll be jumping right into the conclusion, also available on Amazon (past the pay wall)

We open with the Joker returning to center stage so he can once again do his slow walk over the supplemental credits.

Batman quickly gets into his utility belt to pull out his deus ex Batshit pellets to set off the studio’s sprinklers, but the Joker throws down smoke pellets from his own utility belt to distract the pair before they can turn the tide, then escapes. Batman gives chase, using his Batline to climb to the scaffolding where Joker ran to.

(I should note that he only uses his arms, his legs flailing like he’s riding a bicycle. And yet he makes his way up effortlessly, almost as if he was pulled up by a winch)

Batman stalks toward the Joker, only for the Clown Prince of Crime to throw a string of ribbons from his utility belt at Batman...

...wrapping him up as he makes his escape.

Later, at the Batcave, Batman, Robin, and Alfred watch a newscast in which Commissioner Gordon voices concern about the Joker’s utility belt (sheesh guys, so the Joker’s got gadgets of his own! It’s not like he has unlimited funds to fill his arsenal like Batman does!) Alfred goes to shut off the TV as the newscast returns to the anchor desk, but suddenly the camera pans in all kinds of wild directions, to finally center on the Joker.

Joker gives a cryptic clue as he flees before GCPD arrives (what will the cops do? Wait for Batman to arrive?): What’s wrong with this sentence:

Alfred points out it should be “laughs well”

More reaching by the Dynamic Duo leads them to believe the Joker’s target has to do with Professor James J. Laughwell, famed adventurer, just back from Africa with rare treasures. (You do realize this is likely a trap, right?)

Later, the Batmobile arrives at the warehouse the treasures are being stored at. Batman decides to climb to the roof, rather than enter through the front door, to take them by surprise (you do realize the Batmobile’s engine has a very loud, very distinctive sound right? I’m sure they know you’re there)

One very fake-looking wall climb later (I would say it’s due to it being season 1, but they really don’t get any better), the Dynamic Duo interrupts the Joker’s plundering and the usual brawl ensues, (but no onomatopoetic effects. Guess we have one more fight coming) but the Joker and his cronies flee. Batman throws some pellets to try to stop them...

...but they instead explode into party streamers.

Robin realizes that the Joker switched utility belts in the brawl! (OK, not a trap, but definitely a set-up)

With the Dynamic Duo dumbfounded, the Joker goes on a crime spree. Batman tries analyzing the Joker’s belt, (for what, exactly?) but to no avail. I’m not exactly sure why Batman doesn’t simply empty the belt and install his own gadgets (or simply get his backup utility belt; surely Bruce Wayne could afford a second belt?)

Meanwhile, the Joker gloats that they will be stealing the SS Gotham at its christening tomorrow (remember that plot thread? I don’t know how they’re gonna escape with a cruise liner with the Joker, his arm candy, and four goons. I think the gang is a thousand henchmen short to effectively pull that off.) The Joker rigs the bottle of champagne being used for the christening (is it a bomb? I’m thinking it’s a bomb)

The next day, at the christening, Batman and Robin are being heckled by the crowd as the Joker’s girl gives Gordon the rigged champagne bottle. Batman notices something off and takes a pill, urging Robin to do the same.

Batman smashes the bottle, releasing knockout gas (guess it wasn’t a bomb. Should’ve been a bomb...) Joker’s goons, wearing gas masks, nab the Duo.

Later, at the Joker’s hideout, the Joker demands the SS Gotham or he’ll execute Batman and Robin on live TV.

That’s when the Dynamic Duo spring into action (seems they took a deus ex Batshit pill, neutralizing the gas’s effects) Onomatopoetic brawl ensues...

(still no ZOWIE! Guess that started in season 2)

...with the Joker ultimately defeated.

As far as Batman plots go, this is one of the less silly ones.

[inkyquince]

Idgaf about Kylar but Robin should NOT be dropped as a LI!!! :(((

Idc about m!Robin but f!Robin let's me live out my gay little childhood friends turned lovers dream. Like I want us both in white sundresses sitting in the orphanage garden weaving flowers into each others hair. Besties AND lovers 💕

That being said Remy as a LI would give some ✨spice✨ to the game. There could also be niiice some dark romance aspects with the dynamic. Vrelnir said they would kinda be an Eden Avery mix. But with Eden it's always like: Why you no obedient? And Avery can't even kidnap me wth?! But Remy is just such a brat tamer, they get angry sure (h-hot) but they obviously get off on it too. I feel like you could actually still build up something interesting while still being a defiant little terror. Throw the whole thing with Alex into the mix and you got a beautiful disaster waiting to happen.🧚‍♀️

As for Leighton, I just wanna be able to break on of their ribs while punching them in the library.

Also to add onto my last ask: Harper as a LI would just lock you up somewhere full stop. They're just way too fucking weird not to. You'd just catch them suddenly staring at you wide eyed with an unnerving smile, panting as the last thing you'd see before waking up in a room you don't recognize. Not too much gameplay here. But that's just logically. They were actually supposed to hunt you down after you escaped the asylum but Vrel thought it would be too difficult to manage (I check that blog way too often for fragments of lore like this, it isn't healthy-)

WAIT SHIT REALLY?

HEY, VREL, PUT THAT BACK IN THE FUCKING GAME, I WANNA BE CHASED DOWN BY HARPER AND HE SAYS SOME REAL SEXY SHIT WHEN HE CATCHES THE PC URRRRRRRRRRH. HIS own stat would be like... fascination and the more fascinated he gets, the more he has to fight the urge to lock you up and shit, and its like how eden's is now. like eden now is too fluffy, but swap his shenanigans with love interest harper and its perfect. have to ask for a day/week of freedom like you do with eden, but harper makes you wear like drab clothes, or something, because he can't stand someone else finding such a fucking star

EDEN AND AVERY MIX? EXTREME REWARDS AND EXTREME PUNISHMENTS? oh my god vrel bastard, DO IT. also just fucking imagine alex seeing it YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAII

[justasimplesinner]

Hello, may i have some Scarecrow and riddler falling for a "new robin" please? Thank you!❤

how did you know i always wanted to write that?? but let's just settle for a sidekick since most if not all robins were just kids when they started running around in a bright colored suit at night and fighting crime

Riddler falling for Batman's new sidekick hcs:

Batman always makes his sidekicks face Riddler as their first Rogue, because not only is he not physically dangerous, but he always tests the mind, not the strength. his puzzle rooms, contraptions or whatver it is he's got in store are a great excercise and require quick thinking. it's a great way for him to test if you're able to outsmart your opponents

maybe it wasn't love at first sight, but Ed certainly took interest with you. you were very eager and cunning, thinking way ahead of Batman and you almost seemed to... enjoy solving his puzzles. and you, contrary to Batman or any of his sidekicks, were pretty talkative and not in the sense of trying to insult, threaten or make fun of him. you were just honest to god a chatty individual

the joy on your face when you actually managed to beat his challenges was nothing short of sincere and heartfelt, and honestly, Edward didn't even have it in him to be mad at you. you've gained his attention that night

word got around, you were facing more and more Rogues and most of them had a very similar impression. you weren't just another furry trying to deal with their anger issues by beating up criminals, you honestly wanted to change something and contrary to Batman, didn't see crushing their bones as a means to help them

you became his new obsession. he started to gather as much info about you as he could, started to personalize his riddle rooms and demanding you - and only you - to take part in his games and attempt to solve his riddles. soon enough, Batman stopped even coming with you, because he had faith that you'll manage. he deemed you ready to work on your own and even on patrols, both of you covered different parts of the city which made you a very efficent duo

and every time you took part in Eddie's games, he was talking to you, more and more, wanting to learn as much as he could about you, trying to pinpoint your identity. and then gathering intel to bring you down turned into honest discussions. he honestly wanted to talk to you. and he was always thankful for your non-violent ways of bringing him back to Arkham

he remembered one time, when he honestly told you that he doesn't want to go back, when he spat out everything that he hated about this god forsaken place, you... let him go. and no matter how much he wanted to call you stupid for letting him manipulate you, he knew he was speaking from his heart and you knew that

he had no idea when he started to seek you out intentionally, thinking up game after game, pulling heist after heist, just to see you. he had no idea when he started to talk with you about more... personal things, about worldviews, and even... family. but he knew when he fell for you, and knew that he fell hard. and he knew that it was a disaster. because this thing, any thing between you two had no right to exist

and yet, he couldn't help his stupid smile and couldn't stop his stupid heart from fluttering, and no matter how much it would hurt (which he was sure it would), he couldn't just stay away from you

Scarecrow falling for Batman's new sidekick hcs:

your first encounter happened while he was teaming up with Ivy. and while Batman took most of the heat and fought Poison Ivy, you were pursuing Scarecrow to stop him from releasing his toxin

what surprised Jon was the fact that you didn't immediately try to beat him to the ground and cuff him, instead opting for a calmer approach. and as much as he wanted to believe you were manipulating him, he realized that you meant your every word and understood their cause. you understood that awareness of all dying ecosystems should be spread and you almost supported the radical ways, because people needed to learn. but most importantly, you understood that fear came hand in hand with control and making people see the terrifying things they've done may be a wake-up call

Jonathan wasn't even that tied to eco-terrorism, that was Pamela's gig, yet your understanding and knowledge really did impress him. he didn't go down without a fight though, and if it wasn't for Batman, maybe he could've even enjoyed the effects his toxin had on you and gotten a better look at your psyche. but all he remembered before blacking out was that you didn't scream once

he quickly realized that you always helped Batman with capturing him, and you always found a way to be one step ahead from the Bat to get a little time to talk to him before the whole "beating his ass and dragging it back to Arkham" thing. and you weren't making fun of him or trying to "save" him from the life of crime,  oh no. you were actually, honest to god, asking him about his research. you were slowly easing him into sharing more information and if he wasn't a skilled psychologist, maybe you'd even succeed

at first he thought you were just trying to get him to share the whole making process of his toxin or the formula to produce the antidote, until he realized that you were... honestly curious. you studied his works and you were actually curious about his work. hell, you admitted to admiring his dedication and genius. and with the questions you asked him, he had every right to think you might even be a college student writing their thesis

you once caught him on patrol when he was grocery shopping and instead of taking him back to the Asylum (which he just escaped from a few days ago), you simply talked to him. you talked to him like he was your professor, and yet again were referring to him as "Doctor Crane" (which immediately put you in his good graces) and after an entire hour or so in the cold of the night, you let him go with a promise not to track him to his hideout. Jonathan didn't know why, but he believed you

he never even realized that he practically waited for you to show up, expected you'd come quicker than the Bat, hoped he'll be found just for the chance to talk with you. your knowledge surprised him and his knowledge impressed you, and he found a person that's finally interested in his work because of scientific reasons and not to make sure he's unable to continue his research (or spread terror, same thing)

the realization that he actually seeked you out and craved your company hit him very hard and after so long it was almost pathetic. he suddenly started recognizing his "symptoms", he noticed the small changes, the feelings you induced in him. how he felt some unstoppable force pull him constantly in your direction. because despite the fact that you were working with Batman, you were - or seemed like - a true scholar. because you were kind and never wanted to resort to violence. because you were sincerely interested in him and his research and seeked his company and you appreciated him-

he thought it pathetic, that he was actually so alone and unlikeable that his enemy was the closest thing to a friend he had. that he was only feeding his crush by sometimes - only sometimes - indulging in a fantasy of what would it be like to meet you during his college days. of what would it be like to actually be able to be with you. of what would it be like if it was actually possible for you to return his feelings. but he couldn't help himself. and after all, it's common knowledge that the forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest

[midyxthcrisis]

let them go - part two | j.t.

warnings: violence, swearing

also i’m so sorry the ending is a bit rushed! this part was getting rather wrong so i did the best i could

part one

As it turns out, it wouldn’t be long before you saw Boy Wonder again. 

The only thing that standing in your way was the asylum that you were trapped in. You didn’t quite know how it happened, though in all honesty the only thing you were focusing on at the moment was the dark room you were trapped in. All you could remember was that you and the others had gotten separated and then there was nothing but black. Then you woke up, a heavy shackle around your left ankle in order to prevent you from moving too much about the tiny room.

You had screamed until it was physically painful to do so. You had screamed everything you could think of. The names of your friends, pleas of mercy, swears about how the bastards were all going to hell. And without quite realizing it the room had filled with ice and frigid air. There even were a few snowflakes falling from seemingly nowhere. You knew that you had abilities. That was why your family moved to Gotham and why Dick had been so kind to you over the years. Why you were here now. You just didn’t realize you were this powerful. If you managed to create a layer of ice on the walls without even thinking about it, imagine what you could do if you actually intended on doing it.

With a deep breath and a shaky hand, you grabbed the chain keeping you from reaching the door of the room. There was a surge of energy that flowed through you as you thought about the chain beneath your skin freezing and breaking. Before you knew it you heard the sound of just that. A breathless laugh left your lips at the sight of it. 

“Holy shit, I can do that.” You were saying it to nobody in particular, but now that you were aware of your abilities it seemed to be that years of pent up energy started coming to the surface. You stood up on shaky legs and made your way over to the door. It was a rusted metal door, one that clearly hadn’t been used in years. Your head tilted to the side slightly as you lifted up your hands. You didn’t know it, but your eyes had turned a pure white and were almost glowing in a way. 

The rusty hinges were soon covered in ice. It felt as if you had blacked out after the door fell to the ground when the hinges froze and broke. Your chest heaved up and down rapidly. The energy was still flowing through you, and it was clear by your glowing eyes and frosted hands. As you walked down the hallway a trail of ice followed in your footsteps. It was hard to believe that this was the same person who just a few hours prior was curled up on a couch watching cartoons and drinking illegal beer. 

As you continued to walk it was clear you weren’t the only one who had broken out. Rachel was quickly making her way down the darkened asylum hallways, a new woman by her side. The young girl had a smile on her lips when she saw you. 

“So, new look?” Rachel asked, her own breathing rather labored. 

“Yeah, something like that. Where are the others?” You were beginning to calm down by then, but there still was an icy air surrounding you. 

“We were about to get them, wanna come along?”

“I need to find Dick. Now.” You were more concerned about Dick than you were about anything else. If you lost Dick you didn’t know what you would do. He was the only person you had left. 

“Um, yeah, we were on our way to Gar. He can turn into a lion, after all. Could be beneficial.” 

There was a smile that threatened to come to your lips at the small joke Rachel managed. You agreed to continue on with them while they went to find the green-haired boy. You could see how the two had gotten close over the few weeks that they had known each other. It made another warmth flourish in your chest whenever the two would interact with each other. So without any more words, the three of you quickly walked through the maze of halls that the asylum had. 

The sight you came upon was one that would stay with you for the rest of your life. Gar was completely nude and in a cage, his wrists bound and above his head. It was clear there had been some sort of torture inflicted upon the boy. It made your blood boil. How anyone could treat the person who had shown you nothing but kindness like an animal made you want to punch someone.

You had never been a violent person. Of course you had gotten into fights and knew how to fight, you had lived in Gotham City for most of your life, after all, but you weren’t one to actively seek put fights. But right now, seeing Gar tied up, it made you want to kill someone. And you almost had. A man in a white lab coat found your little group. You nearly lost control, your eyes turning a bright white and your hair stood on it’s end as you began to charge at the man.

Rachel had stopped you.

She had stopped you and attempted to reason with the man. He didn’t get the chance to do anything to the girl, as Gar had transformed into his tiger form and killed the man. When Gar shifted back the poor boy was covered in blood and shaking. You felt bad, for sure, but you were grateful that he had intervened.

“Nice, kid. Rachel you get him clothes. I’ll go find Dick and Kory.” With that you left the three to tend to themselves. It was clear that you could handle yourself. It had been one hell of a ride so far, and you had an impression it wouldn’t be letting up any time soon.

And you were right. 

The five of you barely made it out of the asylum alive, but you had. Though you all knew Robin died with the burning of the building. With minor scrapes and bruises you all hobbled back to the safe house. You felt lonely without Jason there. Gar was still spending time with Rachel, and Dick seemed to be growing closer to Kory. You had debated texting Jason several times but that meant you would show him that you were interested. It wasn’t that you were interested in Jason Todd, he just didn’t need to know that. So you sat in the bathroom and tended to your own wounds. It was rare for you to get hurt doing things but whenever you did Dick would be there to clean them for you. 

It was hard saying goodbye to Dick. He was the only person you had in your life for so long, though now you knew that you had your own little family with Kory, Gar, and Rachel. You two promised each other that if anything came up you would immediately call. You knew that Dick meant it more for you, but you would hold him to that. If anything happened to him and Dick didn’t call...

You didn’t know what you would do. 

And boy did something happen.

The first few days at the house Rachel’s mother had brought you to were the closest you thought you would ever get to having a normal life. That was, until Gar got sick. He got really sick. The first thing you thought to do was call Dick.

“It’s Gar, I think he’s dying. I-I don’t know what happened. He was fine a few hours ago!” At this point you were standing on the porch of the home. You didn’t want to scare Rachel any more than she already was. 

“Okay, Y/N, calm down. Take deep breaths, remember? Donna and I will be there as soon as we can. Wait for us outside,” You began to question the odd request, “Just do it Y/N.”

The tone in his voice was one that you knew well. It was one that meant he was serious about what he was talking about. One that you knew not to question. Your heart was beating loudly in your ears as you leaned against the banister of the porch. You weren’t sure what happened next, it seemed as if the world went black for a couple seconds, but you were blown off of the porch and were laying in the middle of the yard. You could hear the sound of a car coming up the gravel driveway through the ringing in your ears. Dick’s voice came as a comfort to you.

“Shit, Y/N, are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” You managed to sit up, though you were nearly on the ground again when you saw what was in front of you. It seemed to be a sort of barrier surrounding the home. Why you had been ejected from it, you didn’t know. 

“Holy shit.” Those were the only words that you could think of in that moment. 

Then Dick started running at the barrier, and before you could do anything he was gone. The only natural thing to do was run after him. The three of you were met with resistance, leaving you outside of the barrier with no foreseeable way inside. 

- - - 

The sound of the car came as a relief. It had felt like days since Dick ran into the barrier, when in reality it had only been a few hours. You knew that Hank and Dawn were coming. You had only met them for the first time a month ago. They had both lived up to the stories Dick would tell you about the Titans. 

Who you didn’t expect to be there was Jason Todd.

“Boy Wonder. You missed me that bad?” A teasing smile was on your lips as you looked up at him from your seat on the ground. You managed to ignore the looks coming from the others, though you did take note of Kory’s smile. And of course the smirk that came to Jason’s lips.

“Yeah, something like that.” 

Once you had filled the three newcomers in on what exactly was happening, you all began to try and form a plan in order to get into the home. You were the only one there who didn’t have experience in the field. You had only asked Dick to train you a month or two into your stay with him. So, you just stood behind the rest of them and watched as they argued. Though you would never admit it, your eyes were mainly on Jason. The way his eyes seemed to glow in contrast to the mask that covered them. The way his lips would quirk up in a slight smile every time Hank would make a jab at him. 

You were so caught up in your staring that you almost missed the barrier surrounding the home disappearing. The planning stopped in its tracks, and with hesitation everyone agreed to go inside. You needed to save Rachel, Gar, and Dick. If you let anything happened to Dick you would never let yourself live it down. As you were about to step past the threshold you felt a hand grip your arm tightly. You whipped around to see Jason staring you down.

“What are the odds we’ll make it out of there alive?” There was an edge to his voice that you knew all too well. It was fear. You gave him a soft smile and took his hand into yours, a reassuring action and nothing more.

“Stranger things have happened.”

You turned, hand in hand with Boy Wonder, and walked towards the house.

[thecanadianowl]

Batman: Death in the Family Review (SPOILERS)

 This is going to be long.

I originally had no interest in watching this mainly because it's based off a story where its only significance is Jason's death. The thing that won me over was the "choose your adventure" type which is an interesting style to do for this particular event. The three main selections are Jason cheats death, Robin dies and Batman saves Robin. Of those 3, only 1 of them was the most interesting. But before I do that, let me go over why the other 2 were disappointing.

 Robin dies choice is basically a rehash of the Under the Red Hood animated movie only its shortened and narrated by Bruce as he is speaking to Clark Kent at a diner. All it is a repeat of shit we knew. Bruce blames himself for the path he set Jason on and Clark giving a hopeful message of finding Jason. All this choice does is add an extended ending.

Robin cheats death one puts Jason having gone through surgery, having his skin grafted and stitched up from the explosion. The trauma and pain has Jason resent Bruce for the life he been put into and basically becomes Hush. He goes after criminals (btw decapitating Nygma, waay too much) which gets the attention of of Talia Al Ghul where she proposes an alliance with Jason while also taking in baby Damian under his tutelage. The problem isnt the story itself bit that it had so much potential. Seriously it could have been Batman:Hush as well as seeing where this conflict between Bruce and Jason will end now that Talia and Damian are in the equation. Btw Talia fans, this is probably the only ending with the character you are gonna like.

Batman saves Robin okay this is the one with multiple choices involved and goes down interesting paths for some of them. So Batman saves Robin but in doing so, he dies and Robin lives, and Nightwing becomes Batman (cool I guess, too bad they never gave him any dialogue). The first choice given is whether Jason chases/arrests the Joker or Kills him.

Kill Joker option where Jason is at a Diner and talks with this stranger who is revealed to be Joker who is now given up being the Joker because “his” Batman is gone. He recites the ‘2 inmates escape an asylum’ joke that he said in the Killing Joke allowing for Jason to put it together and kill him right there in front of 2 cops who are also in the diner.Immediately after you are given the choice to turn yourself in or run. The run option is the one that matters because Jason becomes Red Robin and begins his killing spree. Which Btw is just recycled footage they used in the Robin cheats death option just with the Red Robin edited over Hush. Really? Was budget that low? But what makes this ending good is that RR is later pinned down by Two Face and given the clean/scratched coin option, Jason is saved by Tim Drake (with a taser) and is reminded of Batman’s code and its importance not only to himself but to the people of Gotham. In doing so Jason stops killing and takes Tim in as a sidekick: BatKid. Seriously, that is the name you chose? Why not have Jason be Nightwing (which he was for short while, albeit to ruin Dick’s reputation) and Tim be Robin? Batkid :Great name for a kid’s Make-A -Wish dream, not so great if you want to use it in more serious context . This is one of the better endings as Jason becomes a better person in the end and the type of hero Bruce would have wanted but at the same time shows that Jason’s past habits were hard to get rid of especially with his father gone.

Arrest Joker has Jason become Redhood to lure Joker out in public. When he does that and unveils his true identity to him, the Joker brags about how he created him and how his rage has lead him down a murderous path, reinforcing the jokers belief of "one bad day". The next decision to be made is whether Jason should kill Joker or not. This decision ultimately has no impact as both decision lead to the same concluding decision set. I chose to kill him because let's be honestly this the path set by Jason really compliments the 2 choice options you have to make in the final one. Where Jason is confronted by Talia with a resurrected Batman who only says “Zur-en-arrh” trying to get Jason to join them but later results in a fight.

Okay there is a lot to unpack here. First: Did Grant Morrison write this? I’m asking because of how he has written Talia during his run on Batman (and how it upsets a lot of fans). You would think Talia knowing first hand what the effects of the Lazarus pit are, would she actually risk it turning the man she loves into a husk of his former self? Yes she would want Bruce to join her on their crusade against the corruption of the modern world but not if it meant Bruce wasn’t in a rational state of mind. Secondly, of all the possible Batman personas/iterations why this one?

I know they give some sort of reason near the end, but it just seemed so out of nowhere. Maybe I am looking too much into this, but if they were going to go this route, I feel like it would have been cooler to see Bruce in the Knightfall suit or have him wear a similar Batsuit that Damian wore in Batman 666.

And thirdly, you would think a fight between Jason and Bruce (where the roles are reversed, sorta) would be the most epic shit ever, but it doesn’t even last a minute it ends with either Bruce getting stabbed or knocked out (depending on which you choose). Before I go with why I think letting Bruce live is the better ending, I would like to say that when Jason kills him, Bruce sets off a bomb killing all three of them and the final shot  of Jason’s corpse is very reminiscence of that comic cover of Jason caught in the explosion. I thought it was cool.

Now the reason why, I liked the save ending (and find it to be the definitive ending for this movie)   is that Jason gives up being Redhood and works with Babs, Dick and Alfred in helping Bruce gain back his sanity.  This  ending encompasses all that was needed for Jason’s arc from becoming Redhood, to killing Joker, to his realization how wrong his methods were to being part of the Batfamily again and finally to save his father. It encompasses the idea that being Batman is more than just pain and suffering, its about hope and being able to become a better person, that your pain/anger doesn’t define who you are/can be.

Overall, I feel that this movie is a disappointing as both a prequel/sequel to Under the Red Hood. Unless you are a huge fan of Jason Todd, wait for a sale or when they release this in a collection with their other movies. The letdown for me is that certain choices have better writing than others and supporting characters aren’t used to their full potential. That being said, the idea of having different choices and giving the audience the chance to explore each of them. I hope they do this with other pivotal moments in DC’s history.

Also do the writers hate Black Mask? I get he isn’t the most popular Bat-villain but damn Sionis gets the short end of the stick in every timeline especially in the first ending of Robin Cheating death, it was so ridiculous that it is borderline hilarious

[bigfan-fanfic]

Making Bad Look Good Part 2

A second part! Featuring... Two-Face, Deathstroke, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, Mad Hatter, Hush, Zsasz, Klarion the Witch Boy, and the Court of Owls!

I got a ton of requests for these, and you’ve all been so helpful! This one’s for you!

Making Bad Look Good part 2 - a.k.a. another 6 Degrees of Evil Bacon

Warning: Long post ahead.

Two-Face - Harvey Dent

You met Two-Face back when he was District Attorney for Gotham.

He was no “Ce-SEAL-Your-Fate” Horton from Central City, but he was doing a bang-up job putting criminals behind bars, cracking their insanity pleas.

So you went to meet him after a case where he got the Penguin sentenced to Blackgate instead of Arkham.

Sure, he’ll probably escape, but the precedent the case sets is important.

“Mr. Wayne! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Just came to meet our amazing new D.A.”

You make small talk, until you decide to ask him to lunch to congratulate him on the case.

He grins. “Okay. But we’ll flip a coin for the check. Heads, you pay. Tails, my treat.”

You shrug.

He flips a strange coin that he tells you is his lucky charm.

It comes up heads, on the side that looks like it’s been corroded.

You smirk. “That’s a double-headed coin, isn’t it?”

He laughs. “Yup. Most people don’t get it so quick.”

He shakes your hand and offers to pay anyway since you were such a good sport.

After he becomes Two-Face, it’s this moment you choose to remember...

Deathstroke and Deadshot - Slade Wilson and Floyd Lawton

There have been quite a few times when you were targeted by an assassin or two.

But that particular time, you were the prize for a competition between them.

Slade and Lawton had been hired to take you out, but only the actual killer would get the other half of the payment.

So one day, Deadshot is setting up the hit, angling a crazy shot to hit you through the back of the skull and bamboozle all ballistics tests. You come into range, and he shoots -

-only to see you get shoved out of the way by the eyepatch-ed Slade Wilson.

Bruce wants to sequester you in the Batcave, but instead, you tell him to set up a meeting as Batman.

It’s fun to throw money at problems.

On a rooftop, the Bat behind you, you offer Slade and Lawton double the total for your contract to give you the name of their employer and void the hit.

It’s technically against whatever assassin code there is, but you know, money tends to grease the wheels of any machine.

Deadshot takes the money and tells you it was some crackpot billionaire trying to get at Bruce. He also chuckles and says that he’s available if you ever have more money to throw and a grudge for him to carry out.

Deathstroke also takes the money and nods at you before leaving.

And while Slade comes back to torment you and your sons time and again, Floyd is actually quite pleasant. You sometimes hire him when you need security, which he calls easy money, and from that point, your husband almost never encounters him on the job...

Harley Quinn - Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel

“Paging Dr. Quinzel. Dr. Quinzel, to the front desk.”

You and some other Gotham big shots were invited to Arkham for a publicity tour. Reporters are there, too, including Clark, so you feel pretty safe.

A surprisingly young woman comes to play tour guide, her hair in slight pigtails.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Quinzel. Currently I’m junior psychologist here at Arkham Asylum.” She has a bit of a New York accent, though you can tell she’s worked hard to soften it.

One reporter asks just how “junior” she is, and she gives an indulgent chuckle. “Yes, I graduated med school early, so I’m a bit young for a specialized doctor. But I’m also one of the only medical professionals still willing to work at Arkham, so I think that’s what counts, right?”

The tour goes well enough, until you raise your hand. “You’re the psychologist in charge of the Joker, right?”

Dr. Quinzel smiles in a strange way. “Yes, that I am.”

You frown. “And do you think, as a junior psychologist, you’re adequately prepared for him?”

“I know that I am a medical professional, Mr. Wayne, and I am certainly qualified to examine my patients.”

But Dr. Quinzel, just for a moment, looks fractured, torn. Like there’s some sort of internal war raging in her soul. But it gets absorbed in her too-wide smile.

You put it down to nerves about meeting the press, and let it go.

You always wonder if there was something you could’ve done for the woman, prevented it from all going wrong, prevented her from becoming Harley Quinn...

Poison Ivy - Dr. Pamela Isley

Pamela was going to college at about the same time you were. 

You weren’t friends, exactly, although you did both share a class in Professor Crane’s Intro Psych course (an elective for both of you).

There were a lot of rumors about her. You chose not to engage in the gossip, especially as it was a lot about her sleeping with her Biology professor for a better grade.

You had to do a project with her for your final grade, and she invited you to her apartment to work on it together.

It was full of plants. She mentions it before you have a chance to even think about bringing them up. 

“They’re my babies.” she jokes. “So much easier to take care of than pets.”

You smile. “All the oxygen probably helps you work better, right?”

She nods. “Yeah. Yeah, it does.”

She talks about how she’s going to be a botanist when she graduates, and she’s going to work for the EPA. She’s very self-interested, but genuine, and you have fun while working on the project.

But only a few weeks after you turn in the project, she disappears. Rumors abound about how she ran off with the Bio professor. Some say they were having an affair. Others are kinder and say they’re on a botanical conservation mission in some swamp somewhere.

Either way, you never see Pamela again.

At least, until Poison Ivy shows up in town...

(Side note: Drew Barrymore as Poison Ivy? Thoughts?)

Mr. Freeze - Dr. Victor Fries

Fries shows up one day out of nowhere

Just shooting with that cold gun.

He attacks a gala event for the Wayne Foundation and holds it up for jewelry and the cash being raised for the underprivileged of Gotham..

You glare at him. “You know you’re just taking money right out of the pocket of needy kids, right?”

“It’s for a good cause.” He says darkly.

“And what cause would that be?”

He sneers at you. “Disease research, mainly.”

The phrase surprises you.

Later, Bruce is doing research at the Batcave. “He goes by Mr. Freeze. Born: Victor Fries. Wife Nora suffers from Stage Four of a rare pneumonia-like condition known as MacGregor Syndrome. He had her cryogenically frozen, and now it seems like he’s turned to crime to fund his research into a cure.”

You hesitate. “Well... is there something we can do to help him?”

“Help him? May I remind you that he held hundreds of people hostage?”

“Well...” you shrug. “I just figure that maybe he wouldn’t be so... crime-y if his wife was being taken care of. I don’t know what I’d do if I was so close to losing you.”

Bruce softens slightly. “Look, Freeze committed a crime - several crimes, and he has to go to jail. But if it makes you feel better, we can have Wayne Enterprise’s medical division look into studying her disease. Judging from what I see here, MacGregor Syndrome has similarities with many other diseases. It might be a key in finding lots more cures.”

You smile and hug him. “Lead with that. Tell Fries that we’re willing to do that.”

Of course, Fries’ future crimes are due to the cost of maintaining his portable cryogenic suit, but you hear a lot less about it than you expect, especially since Nora is being taken care of...

Mad Hatter - Jervis Tetch

You were meeting a couple of old school friends at a tea parlor one day. It’s nice to escape the stress of your life and reminisce.

Roland and Alicia are a cute couple, and they tell you they have a baby on the way.

But the day is marred by a strange incident in which a small man in a top hat and tails (tuxedo tails) comes up to your table and starts babbling at Alicia, calling her “Alice” and trying to touch her blond hair, despite her attempts to shove him away..

Roland gets angry and punches the man, but before he can go any further, you pull him back.

The strange man glances at you. “The Dormouse...” he mutters, and walks away.

“What a creep.” Alicia shudders.

You’ve already figured it out. The man is deluded, thinking he’s the Mad Hatter, and he seems to be trying to fit everything into his Wonderland-inspired delusions. You tell Bruce about this, and he immediately agrees that Alicia is in danger.

You go to their hotel room to see them, warn them, but Roland answers the door wearing a bowler hat and Alicia is nowhere to be found.

Roland attacks you, knocking you out and kidnapping you.

Thankfully Bruce has been watching as Batman and follows.

You wake up tied to a chair around a tea table. Alicia is tied to another chair in an Alice-in-Wonderland costume, looking terrified. 

Jervis Tetch reveals himself and points out his minions, enslaved with his mind control headwear.

“Very spiffy, if I do say so myself.” you say cheerily. “Quite the milliner you are, my good sir.” (Alicia looks at you like you’re crazy)

Jervis loves the flattery, and it distracts him long enough for Batman to smash through the glass ceiling and knock the hat off his head, disabling the control.

Sure, no one was hurt much, but needless to say you would have to visit Alicia and Roland in the future instead of ever having them come to Gotham...

Hush - Dr. Tommy Elliot

“We’re having lunch with an old friend of mine.” Bruce announces.

You raise an eyebrow. “Wait a minute. Why don’t I know who this is? We have pretty much all the same old friends. I mean, we were together, like, all the time.”

“You remember Tommy, right?”

“Tommy? No, Tommy doesn’t ring a bell, hon.”

Bruce sighs, and you laugh. This is as animated as you’ve seen him in a while. “Come on, Tommy Elliot! Back when we were little! We used to play Robin Hood together in the park, and you two always fought over who got to be the Sheriff of Nottingham?”

“Yeah, nope. No memory of that.”

He sighs, but you go with him anyway. It hits you when you see the man at the restaurant. He was that kid! His parents were friends with Bruce’s parents. They had almost died in an accident when Bruce’s dad saved them.

He’d always try to play this strategy game thing with you and Bruce. It was only two players, and while he’d always beat Bruce (your husband wasn’t always the tactician he was now), he’d get really frustrated playing against you.

Tommy liked to try and get inside your head to beat you, figure out what you were going to do and then planning for it.

But you could tell what he was doing, and kept doing random moves you wouldn’t normally play, throwing him off and winning.

You didn’t like him much, and you kinda got the feeling he didn’t like Bruce that much either.

“Oh. That Tommy.”

Bruce looks at your worried face. “What’s wrong? If you really don’t want to, we can cancel.”

“Oh, hush. We’re already here. Least we can do is have a nice lunch...”

Zsasz - Victor Zsasz

It’s never a good sign when a payphone rings. So many bad reasons...

Not the least of which is that barely anyone even uses payphones anymore.

Let alone to call another payphone. I mean, how does that even work?

So it startles you when you’re walking Gotham (during the day, of course), and a payphone rings. No one else is around to answer it. 

You start to walk away, and then the next payphone rings when you reach it.

The other guy near it jumps like fifty feet in the air, but then goes to answer it.

He looks scared. “It’s... it’s for you.”

You sigh and take the phone

“Ignoring my calls? Naughty...”

“Um... wrong number. This is a payphone, not, uh, whoever you were calling.”

“This isn’t Y/N Wayne?”

“Yeah, no, it isn’t. May I ask who’s calling, though?”

“I know it’s you, Y/N. You don’t know me. Yet.”

“Look, I know Halloween’s coming up, but I’m not in the mood for Scream right now, okay?”

“This isn’t a scary movie, it’s real. My name is Zsasz.”

“Z- zsa... okay, how is that spelled?”

“Z. S. A. S. Z.”

“Oh, that’s beautiful. If you don’t mind me asking, is that Polish?”

“...What?”

“Sorry, I have to run, but it was nice talking to you!”

You run home and immediately tell Bruce you talked to Zsasz. Luckily you were running a trace with your phone - a little extra Tim developed for you. Within the hour, Batman has Zsasz in custody, saving the poor people he had kidnapped to add to his tally...

Klarion the Witch Boy

“Oh, hello! Who are you, little guy?”

The orange tabby glares at you with utter hate. It flicks its tail, but surprisingly, comes closer and curls around your legs.

It allows you to pick it up, and it purrs.

“Teekl! My word!” a boy comes running up to you, wearing a tailored suit and a newsboy cap. 

The boy snatches the tabby from you and pets it, despite how it looks like it wants to go back to you. “What were you doing with Teekl?”

“That’s its name? He’s a cute little guy. Uh, he just wandered in front of me and basically asked me to pet him.”

The boy glares at the cat. “You TALKED to him?”

The cat looks at him and rolls its eyes.

“Um, who are you, kid?”

He looks at you incredulously. “Seriously, mortal? You haven’t heard of me? I am Klarion! Klarion the Witch Boy! And this is my familiar, Teekl.”

You nod seriously. “Good for you, kid.”

He seems about to throw a tantrum, so you wave and leave the boy dumbfounded...

The Court of Owls

“Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time,

Ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime.

They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed,

Speak not a whispered word of them

Or they’ll send the Talon for your head...”

“That’s a stupid poem. It doesn’t even keep time.”

“It’s free verse.”

“Yeah, free ‘cause no one would pay for it.”

You and Bruce were only kids when you heard the old rhyme. Bruce was trying to scare you as a Halloween season joke, but it wasn’t working.

“Come on, Y/N! At least pretend to play along!”

Thomas Wayne enters the living room, and pretends to scold Bruce. “Now, Bruce, be hospitable to your guest. What’s the argument about?”

You smirk. “Bruce says that there’s a Court of Owls who eat limes and put talons on people’s heads.”

Thomas hunches down, making a spooky face. “Well, Y/N, it’s an old Gotham story. It’s a very bad thing that Bruce told you. You’ll have to be very careful now.”

He looks dead serious, and now you’re scared. “Really? What should I do, Mr. Wayne?”

He puts a hand on your shoulder. “You’ll have to be a very good kid all your life, Y/N. Never go out after dark without your parents’ permission. Don’t ever cheat on a test. Don’t lie. And if you ever see someone in an Owl mask, look the other way and forget you saw it.”

He grins, dropping the facade. “I’m sorry, Y/N, I just couldn’t help it. Hope I didn’t scare you too badly.”

Being a stubborn child, you insist he didn’t. After all, you’re old enough not to be scared by that stuff anymore.

But on the way home, after your parents pick you up, you notice something.

A tall figure in an alley, wearing a stylized white Owl mask.

You quickly look away, trying to put it out of your head, mumbling the rhyme to yourself.

“Beware the Court of Owls...”

You forget about this until far later in life, after you, as Y/N Wayne, have become an enemy of the dreaded Court...

[monkeebratz]

@vixen-uchiha​ @mochinek0​ @kuroko26​ @mewwitch​ @iglowinggemma28​

@zazzlejazzle​ tbh I would love to see your similar au! Don’t be discouraged that I jotted down my stuff first in a fit of work induced rage. I would love to see your version of it, so go for it! (Also thank you so much for your kind words I’m just kinda happy crying over them. You’re so sweet!) 

@mylife-demonstrates-murphys-law​ As long as you link back to the idea/give credit, I have no problem with you doing something with this au! Honestly I would be super duper excited to see somebody else turn their hand to this story, especially because I don’t really have any plans to continue it seriously lol. If you DO end up doing something with it, please tag/link me too it, I would love to see what you do with it! 

... And y’know in the interest of actually finishing this bc there WAS a whole part of the au i was too tired to keep writing (what happens with Lila/Marinette’s Parents/etc) I figured I’d write it out now, especially since there seems to be so much interest in this! 

Because the idea was that both Batman AND Damien (as his civilian self) sue Lila into the ground. She’s also charged with being an accessory to kidnapping and what have you since she knew Marinette was missing and kept lying and saying otherwise. Lila gets send to jail and tried as an adult bc seriously. She was responsible for the kidnapping and torture of another classmate, and no matter how young you are that’s just. So fucked up. Consequences for Lila please and thank you.  

As for Marinette’s parents, they absolutely know what’s going on. They’re contacted by the Gotham Police, as well as the French Embassy, there’s lots of apologies from both but neither of them give one single shit. They shut down the bakery and go to Gotham to see Marinette in Arkham and they’re just... devastated. They knew things in school weren’t great, but their daughter didn’t want to transfer and maybe if they had pushed the issue this wouldn’t have happened. Their poor little girl...

Marinette, is, honestly, a little terrified to see them. Because this was never supposed to happen. Not to her. And she knows they’ll blame herself but its nobody’s fault but hers. (Its nobody’s fault but LILA’S but its gonna take some serious therapy and reminders for that to stick.) Mari is happy to see them when they do first show up but insists that they should go back to Paris and take care of the Bakery. She doesn’t want them to see her like this. Bruce Wayne, of course, offers to cover the cost of any trips, extended or short, for the Dupain-Cheng family so they can see their daughter as they wish... .Honestly they probably just end up staying at Wayne Manor with everybody else until Mari comes to stay with everybody when Arkham deems her ‘not a threat to herself or anybody else.’ 

And as far as the class goes, they also get charged with some things. Nothing as serious as Lila, and they certainly don’t do any jail time, but still. They were partially responsible for what happened to Marinette. For Alya it still takes some time that Marinette wasn’t akumatized so there’s no quick fix to what happened. And that she, believing Lila over Marinette, helped ensure this happened to her best friend. She’s just so angry, at herself, at Lila, at the world. This isn’t fair! 

But life has never been fair. 

Honestly the whole class is pretty shaken up about it. It can be up to you guys where they go with it. 

Now, honestly, I didn’t think at ALL what the city of Paris would think of this! And there’s no way they don’t find out what happens. I mean, Marinette babysits for Nadja fucking Chamac, who seems to be one of the only news reporter in Paris, or at least the most popular. Once she hears what happens, vaguely, from Sabine and Tom, after she calls them to see if Marinette can babysit Manon, she goes full deep dive into the story. And, after checking in with the Dupain-Cheng’s, airs the story to all of Paris. Everyone hears how Miss Busteir’s class had a hand in one of their own being kidnapped by Gothams (former) Clown Prince of Crime. They hear about how Chat Noir killed him after coming onto the scene. (Nobody thinks too hard about why he was there.) There’s mixed feelings about how and why a teenager had to do this but the overwhelming agreement is that the bastard had it coming. The video of Marionette!Mari is taken down but the internet is forever. Despite any names not given, the people of Paris still figure out what happened. Mari gets a lot of encouraging fanmail and gifts sent to Arkham that get filtered by her parents. She gets to look at letters and such while she’s still at the asylum but gifts wait until she’s at Wayne Manor. 

(Also insert Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale doing all SORTS of fundraising and outreach so something like this doesn’t happen again. Any and all proceeds from their concerts or merch for the next few months goes to pay for Mari’s treatment and supporting the Dupain-Cheng’s afloat while they help Mari heal form what happen. They also slap some lawsuits to Lila bc she LIED ABOUT THEM AND ALSO GOT MARINETTE IN THIS SITUATION. FUCK THIS GIRL.)

... Also, the huge news coverage is also probably how Fu finds out what happens and he’s just. horrified. Immediately drops everything to come to Gotham and help. Has his own meltdown. Its like, vaguely known that Mari knows Fu, but they didn’t realize they were so close. But lets be real they don’t care, since Mari is so happy to see him. 

And as far as Marinette breaking through the Jokers... whatever you’d like to call it. Its a combination of being with Joker for a week less than Tim was, as well as just. She knows Chat Noir. They’re partners. Two halves of a whole, if you think of their Miraculi. He’s always been there to help her even if he got caught by the villain. Though this time, their usual roles are reversed. And she just knows that Chat is going to save her. There’s a lot of Chat trying to get Mari (ngl he calls her Princess and Mari alternatively for the entire conversation) to remember that this isn’t who she is! She’s their everyday Ldaybug! Please, Princess! Mari, please...

(Also just. Watch this scene of Robin killing the Joker. Christ. This is, in essence, what happens with Marinette and Adrien, though Adrien’s the one to kill Joker once Mari tires herself out with her breakdown.) 

Now, I’m going to be honest, I don’t plan on continuing this au! This was mostly a one/two shot getting out some frustrations after a rough day and having an idea in a fit of wanting to strangle my co-workers. Now, if any of you would like to continue this au, please do so! Or, if its inspired you, go for it! Tag me either way, I’d love to see what you guys do with it. 

[why-this-kolaveri-machi]

what does this have to do with clownfish?

i know this was a mostly sad episode that ended on a rather disquieting note, but i was grinning from ear to ear by the end, you guys. I LOVE THIS SILLY SHOW SO MUCH, and i want to tell you why, so let’s talk about titans 2.04:

SPOILERS ahead

1. i get why we’re getting a flashback episode now--the titans’ ~sordid past~ with deathstroke has gotten a fair bit of build-up, and now that slade has jason, we need the history between him and the og team to contextualise the upcoming confrontation. still, i was really looking forward to having kory reunite with the team, goddamit! 

1.5. i like the convivial, almost collegiate vibe that the original titans have about them--the idea of them getting together both desperate to prove that they are more than what their origins and youth might suggest, and to dick around (pun not intended) and just... be, in a way that their individual circumstances wouldn’t allow them. costumes on, in mission-mode, they are trained and hyper-competent, but in their downtime they apparently like adorably warbling off-key at each other and re-enacting 90s/00s cheesy rom-coms. it’s great! i would’ve loved to see these kinds of flashbacks drip-fed to us right from the beginning of the season--putting it all in one episode, from aqualad’s introduction to demise all in forty minutes, not only screws up the pacing, but also robs us of more of garth’s genuinely warm chemistry with the rest of the team. 

1.67. besides, the immediate contrast between this and the way dick conducts the titans now would’ve been funny and quite impactful.

2. for all that dick seemed standoffish and genuinely frightened of himself in s1, the slightly less filtered look we get into his mind in this flashback--well before his existential crisis--is somehow even more disquieting?? the way he talks about batman and his relationship with dawn and even his friendship with donna smacks of an alarming emotional disconnect; a space where his sense of self has fallen and been replaced by a role that he has been trained to play. he smiles more in this episode than probably all eleven of s1 combined, but he’s far more reserved, afraid of vulnerability, and completely unwilling to express any emotion that would come in the way of him being who he Needs To Be.

2.45. this episode puts into sharp relief just how far dick has come to make peace with bruce in 2.01. here batman is a glowing symbol against the night sky; a shadowy figure promising justice is vengeance and not the other way around; a hulking figure that he can hate and love without reserve, that orders him to be better no matter how exhausted he is, even while standing between him and incomprehensible evil like a bulwark. at the heart of the titans tower--a skyscraper on the opposite side of the country from gotham--is another batcave, a sign that how no matter how far he goes, dick’s perception of himself and his relationships is still inextricably tied to batman and his ways. 

it’s the missing link between the angry, grieving boy we saw in flashbacks last season, and the man rapidly spiralling into crisis at the beginning of season 1. he’s internalised batman’s mission before he can decide for himself what he wants to be, and he’s been like this well into his adult years (unlike the comics). no wonder when the moment he goes Too Far finally comes, when he’s so burrowed into himself that vengeance becomes an end rather than a tool, it’s such a violent upheaval, and one that he hasn’t quite been able to put to rest in over a season.

2.65. honestly the matter of fact way he talks about being dawn’s rebound relationship after her breakup is haunting me?? dick grayson--robin, batman’s partner, the First Sidekick, leader of the titans, friend, brother, lover, a valuable asset with trackers in his arm and neck--is so utterly subsumed that his feelings, his self, automatically comes second to the role he’s playing. i wonder if he had found that he’d had a tracker installed in his body without his knowledge at this point, he’d have accepted the cold logic of it (of course batman needs to keep track of him), instead of the visceral reaction he has five years later, when he immediately picks up a knife and cuts it out of his skin.

2.95. (retrospectively it lends so much more meaning to the opening scene of 1.08??? where dick says he needs to go off on his own to get his bearings right instead of staying on to be the Leader after their traumatic time at the asylum and kory and the others are quietly accepting of it?? where’s that ‘that’s growth’ gif when you need it)

3. donna! it’s interesting that her role as a titan was always meant to be a pitstop before she moved on to Greater Things, and her struggle to reconcile that with her growing attachment to the team came across really well. jillian’s never really pressuring her to leave immediately--six months! two weeks! idk, forever! really, it’s your pick!--but donna tells dick she needs to leave that very night, either because she’s hoping that he’ll protest and ask her to stay, or that she’ll fall for garth and lose her wavering conviction to leave if she stayed any longer, or both. 

3.5. donna and garth’s relationship followed so many wonderfully cheesy conventions, with all of their attendant adorableness and Problems. the scions of two different royal families of two different races falling in Forbidden Love! garth clumsily flirting with donna even as she keeps turning him down! (not cool, garth!) bonding over reminiscing about quirky childhood memories! consulting a put-upon mutual best friend! the last minute reconciliation and confession of love at the airport! garth dying right after celebrating his birthday! (that cop was just a day away from retirement!) PERFECT

like. i have NO IDEA why people still insist on calling this show ‘dark’ and ‘edgy’. don’t let the weird lighting and occasional blood spatter distract you from the goofy, well-intentioned heart right at its centre, you guys!

(but man, dick and donna’s quiet heartbreak at the prospect of separation was harder to watch. for a moment, dick really let himself feel the burden, sinking onto his haunches, his head in his hand like he was about to cry. just a moment.)

4. the others’ reaction to garth’s death is very telling. donna is devastated; hank and dawn are upset, but in a distant way that suggests that they didn’t really know him very well or for very long; and dick... well dick is hard at work in his batcave, because that is how he knows to react to disaster. 

4.5. i know that i spend quite a bit of my reviews harping on and on about dick, but he is more than just the team leader, or the one with the most well-defined arc so far, or the connective tissue between the old and new teams: the titans is HIS, in ways both subtle and insubtle. batman is funding the whole thing; their resources, their tech? all wayne enterprises. by extension, this shindig is dick’s idea, dick’s operation, something he shaped after himself--serene, beautiful, somewhat impersonal on the surface and batman-the-symbol, batman-the-phantom, right at the centre. 

4.65. so when the burden of morality-bending vengeance falls squarely on dick’s shoulders, it seems natural. it also seems entirely natural that when dick does follow through on what the team wants from him, the fallout is also put square on him: he’s the one that’s gone completely off the rails, the one that would sacrifice anything for a mission (like hank implies in the previous episode), the one haunted by his own darkness. this, of course, is patently false, as trigon demonstrated earlier this season.

5. the opening scene of slade wilson doing the Thing He Does Best was so fun to watch. i love that this show is always trying to do interesting things with the camera. (tho i wonder, who hired him to take out donna troy in san fran? was that even his original objective? was it dr light? i am Confusion)

5.5. ... even tho the villain-confrontation scenes seemed hampered by low effects budgets and a lack of... kineticism. i can’t figure out how dr light works even after two episodes of seeing him do his thing. he can apparently implant light bombs in people but never seems to use this awesome ability again, when it can actually help him against the titans? 

6. the moment i saw joey wilson’s profile through the window of his home, i knew he was going to be my favourite character on this show. i love him and his enthusiasm and his cute shoes and his love for vintage records SO MUCH! i know it’s been hinted that he died, but i can’t bear the prospect for even a second. HE’S ALIVE AND WELL SOMEWHERE HAVING TEA AND LISTENING TO GREAT MUSIC WITH AMY ROHRBACH, I JUST KNOW IT

6.5. dick (and the others) wouldn’t be so horrified with themselves and think about shuttering the titans for good if they hadn’t felt some kind of attachment to jericho. dick especially i think is going to fall into an actual honest friendship with joey and is going to extremely disgusted with himself when it all ends in tragedy anyway. 

6.75. we’re probably not going to find out what actually happened to joey for a while, but here’s hoping the Unforgivable won’t happen.

7. on the brightside tho, KORY’S BACK NEXT EP! can’t wait. 

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

Abracadabra, Part I. (The Eighties Blasts Collection, Part 6.)

Description: Jim Hopper died as a hero. But with that, one certain problem rises up - who will now lead the cops of Hawkins? Hopper thought of that - he decided to write a letter, naming his niece, nineteen-year-old student of Indianapolis police academy, Y/N Hopper as a sheriff deputy in a letter. But anybody in the town doesn’t have a clue that being a cop in Hawkins is way more dangerous than it might seem.

A/N: I WAS SO THRILLED FOR THIS CHAPTER BCS IT STARTED THE SERIES IN MY HEAD BOI.

Tagging: @charmed-asylum​

Warnings: Steve Harrington being a fucking dork and lovely boy. 

Word count: 2.5 K

Master list: The Eighties Blasts Collection

The other morning, Steve got up with a burst of sudden, strange energy. He was in such a good mood that he couldn't express it out loud. It was a morning routine - hop into a shower, take some clothes on and have a good breakfast.

Then his dad told him that he's one of the biggest disappointments in his life, just like every morning, and then his mom told him not to take it personally. That morning, he truly wasn't taking those words personally at all.

He ran off the house to his car, picking an old walkie-talkie from under his seat. It was Thursday morning, but the holiday has started, so Dustin had a day off and Steve really needed his help on this one.

"Hey, dingus. Steve here, do you copy?" - He asked while he put a seatbelt around him. Of course, Dustin copied - be never turned off his walkie-talkie because he was ready for code red at basically any moment. But to say that he was pleased to hear Steve was truly far from the truth.

"What the hell do you want? It's like... Eight in the morning and I'm on my holiday. You should go back to sleep, Harrington." - Dustin mumbled back with a sleepy voice.

"I need your help on this one. Pick up your damn ass and meet me in the shop at twenty. It's important. Steve's signing off." - Steve threw the walkie-talkie back on the passenger's seat and because Dustin knew that he never turns that damn talkie off, he continued with talking to Steve.

"If you won't take me something to eat, I'm not coming. Over." - And with that, the radio waves went silent. Steve did as Dustin required to get his help - he bought him morning menu in local KFC, took one to Robin as well, and then drove to his job.

He was actually dancing to the music playing in his car while waiting for the green light to come on. His fingers drummed on the steering wheel. And he even waved at some ladies walking on the pavement. He was wearing his sunglasses and chewing on a gum - he was feeling truly flawless. 

“Why the hell are you so loud?” - Robin growled from taking a nap on the counter next to Dustin with her eyes closed. They both looked equally dead, but that was anything that would ruin Steve’s good mood.

“Because I am a man with a plan and I took you some KFC. Now get up your lazy asses and listen up.” - He threw the bags on the counter and drummed a short melody with his palms into the glass. He bit on his lower lip, still smiling. 

“I will maybe take you seriously when you'll take those sunglasses off. Its November and you're inside a shop, idiot.” - Robin rose up her head to look at Steve with dark circles under her eyes. She looked like a mess, that was for sure. But Steve slowly took his glasses off and Dustin finally gripped his breakfast. That boy was basically starving. 

“Talk. If you don't finish before I eat everything, I'm going home. Ready, set, go.” - Dustin told to Steve coldly, starting to eat. Steve rose his eyebrows, laughing unbelievably - he knew he has to be quick. Dustin was like a bulldozer when it came to KFC.

“I want to impress a certain lady and you are both going to help me.” - Steve said nonchalantly and that was the moment when Dustin stopped eating and concentrated on Steve and Steve only. 

“Let's make it clear, we are talking about Hopper.” - Robin sighed and stood up. - “You think that you, Steve, can impress a big city lady like Y/N? Don't take me wrong, I'm not laughing at you, for now, I'm just... Interested.” 

“See? That's the whole problem. And I think that its time for Dustin to pay me back and to give me some tips. To think about them.” - Steve leaned his elbow into the counter, watching Dustin intensely. Dustin rose up his eyebrows and asking Steve if he's actually serious.

“Pay you back for what?” - Dustin squealed out. 

“For all the good pro tips I gave you to win the game with Suzie, man.” - Steve said like if it wasn't completely serious. It was a red code situation in Steves's opinion. When he held you in his arms, watching Hawkins, he realized that maybe Robins teasing wasn't out of the way completely. You were interesting and dangerous, and to his own surprise, he may... Liked that?

Listen. Steve was thinking for a good portion of his night about you, your common childhood memories and he even went so far with the nostalgia that he opened up the album to look at the photos. He wasn't exactly crazy for you, but he felt good in your company and every time he met you downtown, it made his day ten times better.

That was something to start off, right? He heard that when you like someone, you didn't have to fall as hard as he fell for Nancy. This could've been his mind telling him that maybe... There's something more about that Hopper girl.

“For all the tips that weren't working at all, Steve? You forget that you’re not the popular guy anymore and you forgot that it isn't anything bad not to be the cool one. It's actually pretty normal to be normal.” - Dustin almost yelled at him a quick lecture and Steve rolled his eyes so hard that they almost touched his brain. 

“I know, I know. So now it is your turn to tell me something you think that works with ladies so we can test it out. What do you say?” - Steve's fist-bumped Dustin's shoulder lightly. He was smiling at him playfully. Dustin slowly put down his breakfast again, looking at Steve from below the peak of his cap with a serious face. 

“But you will take my every word as the holy text, do you understand?” - Dustin reached out his palm for steve to shake it. - “Do you have cards here?”

“Cards?” - Robin looked at Dustin and her expression was saying only I am surrounded by idiots and children.

“Oh, don't lie to me now. You must play solitaire or other card games when you have a long day at work. Where are they?” - Dustin frowned at Robin and she kneeled down to search through the cabinets under the counter. 

“I found Keith's poker cards. Is that enough?” - She mumbled with her head shoved under the counter. 

“More than enough, Robin. Now, you watch and learn, Steve Harrington, because this is the key to learn a girl's heart.” - Dustin massaged his knuckles and smiled at Steve who was looking at Dustin with his eye opened up like he was internally screaming What have I done?

Your day in the office, that was a different cup of tea. You barely slept the night before and chief wanted you to concentrate on re-writing some things in a case file that was currently going on. Normally, you would be interested even in the boring Hawkins cases, but at the moment, you were falling asleep hard.

You already drank a cup of strong black coffee, even if Flo wasn't supporting it at the slightest, but at that moment, it was around one p.m., your face was pressed into your palms and you were snoring lightly. And the boys let you, because they liked you overall and really, there wasn't much to do.

So that was why you almost yelled when Franklin was shooking your shoulder carefully.

“Hey. Hey. Easy with those hands, miss.” - Franklin chuckled, letting you to lean into the chair and to let you yawn loudly.

“Sorry, Frank. What do you need?” - You mumbled, trying to massage your eyes so you could actually see something.

“Robin Buckley from the Blockbuster Video called and asked if you can see her on the lunch pause.” - He patted your shoulder. - “Go and take some time off, I'll finish that file. Deal?” - Frank had actually some puppy eyes for you, he like you. He wanted to hit it off with you as the time would pass; he was only four years older than you after all. 

“Is there an emergency?” - You choked up, standing up immediately, taking Hopper’s old jacket on your shoulders, tying your hair up in a ponytail.

“No. They just want to chat apparently.” - Frank winked at you. So you drove to the video shop in your old Chevy, yawning the whole way, stopping outside of it. 

For the love of God, you could say that something is going on from the first moment your eyes laid on Steve in front of the counter. He was nervous as a little girl; naturally, you got worried. What if something actually happened?

You opened the door at a fast pace only to Abracadabra by the Steve Miller Band start to basically yell into your ear. You touched the revolver on your belt, looking at every one of them like a freaked out dear in cars headlights. 

Steve slowly made his way to you, apparently doing some magic trick with cards. You opened up your mouth and watched Steve like a total imbecile he apparently was at that very moment. What the fuck was going on?

And it only got worse - Steve started to sing and moved in the rhythm of that funky song. Your brain froze down as you didn't know what the fuck you're supposed to do.

“Abra-abracadabra. I wanna reach out and grab ya. Abracadabra. Abracadabra, I feel the magic in your caress, I feel magic when I touch your dress. Silk and satin, leather and lace. Black panties with an angel's face.” - He sang proudly and just as he finished the verse, the cards flat out fell out of his palms, he slipped on them and fell onto the ground. Robin and Dustin cringed hard in the background while you still stood there in a complete shock, watching that idiot on the ground, your hand still touching the revolver you had on you.

“Okay, guys, what the fuck was that?” - You yelled all over the shop when Dustin turned off the music. Steve was kneeling just in front of you, red like a tomato - because he fucked up in the worst way he actually could.

“Steve was trying...” Robin started to speak, but Steve turned his head to her with a begging face. 

“Nothing!” - Steve yelled and stood up nervously. - “It was... Nothing. We were just joking around and wanted to see your reaction. That's all.” - He said nervously and he felt that he's ready to sink into the floor below him. You looked at him again and at that moment he seriously knew that he fucked up.

“Am I a joke to you, or what? I thought that were friends after I cried on your shoulder like a little kid! Now, every one of you made me waste my lunch on... This? What that shit show even was?” - You yelled at every one of them. Robin was surprised - Steve didn't tell any of them that you were crying in front of him. He hadn't exactly said anything about your hangout. And yeah, you had every right to be mad at them.

“I have some food if you want something.” - Dustin said quietly, giving you his unwrapped burrito from a nearby gas station. You exhaled loudly and closed your eyes before you took the burrito out of Dustin’s hand. You were maybe too harsh, even Steve looked like he's about to cry or puke, nothing between. 

“All this just to cheer me up?” - You smiled after a while at Steve. You could calm down pretty quick after bullshit like that. After all, you could say all you wanted, it was sweet. They were only trying to make you forget about Hop most likely. - “It was kind of funny, not gonna lie.” - Your elbow bumped into his side and Robin gave Steve a conspirational look. Steve exhaled slowly, being glad that he hadn't ruined every chance he got.

Maybe there was still some hope to impress you after all.

Just as the conversation recovered from that magical failure, your radio came to life. You walked away from them, answering it.

“Hopper here, over.” 

“Anderson here, I have a task for you if you won't tell the chief, over.” - Anderson answered in a firm tone. Your adrenaline rose higher - a first real job. The chief was out of town, so it meant that you could actually go and look on a first crime scene.

“I won't. Go on, over.” - You giggled with joy in your voice. Anderson chuckled at that.

“Okay. Mrs. Williams from 27th East road called us that she smells a stench from her neighbor, Mrs. Duffer on 29th East road. I think that she may only overcook something, but will you give it a look? It's nothing, probably.” - Anderson said with a smile in his voice.

“Sure thing. I will give you a report once I'm there, copy and over, kill.” - Oh, weren't you excited like hell when he turned your radio wave off?

"Okay. I need to go now, but it was amazing to see you all." - You took the last bite of the burrito and then you drank a little water from a glass Robin gave you.

"Where are you going?" - Steve asked with a slight smile.

"Oh, we have a report on a strange stench in one of the neighborhoods. It is nothing too crazy." - You smiled on your way from Blockbusters.

"I will go with you. Just so I know that you're good, alright?" - Steve took his jacket off the chair it was hanging on and took it on. You looked at him, visibly amused.

"No, you're not. This is an investigation, Steve." - You stopped just outside the shop.

"I will just wait in the car. It's not a big deal. Calm down." - Steve laughed nervously. For a moment, you stood in front of him, trying to figure out what he's after. After all of that, you just sighed and rolled your eyes, nodding on the door of your car.

It was starting to rain heavily and you were thankful that you packed your raincoat.

[violetsmoak]

Appetence [8/?]

AO3 Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/20251420/chapters/47997634

Blanket Disclaimer

Summary: Red Robin is investigating the disappearance of a friend and stumbles into a spot of supernatural trouble. He doesn’t expect to be saved by Jason Todd, miraculously alive five years after his death and now with the inexplicable ability to commune with the dead. Meanwhile, when Jason returned to Gotham he meant to maintain a low profile and not get involved with Bat business. That was before he found out how hot his Replacement is.

Rating: PG-13 (rating may change later)

JayTimBingo Prompts This Chapter: #cemetery #paranormal investigator

First Chapter

Beta Reader: I’ll get back to you on that.

________________________________________________________________

Jason is actually surprised when his office isn’t immediately descended upon by bats or birds or other nasty little creatures of the night.

It makes him like Red Robin—Tim—a little more.

(Not that he didn’t already.)

It may or may not have been one of the reasons he had to bail so fast the other night. The combination of not wanting to discuss his avoidance of Gotham, and the pained, earnest expression on Tim’s face when he asked about it. The one that made Jason feel guilty about it—which, why should he feel guilty, he doesn’t even know the kid—and sent him peeling out of the bar as fast as possible.

Of course, he doesn’t really think he’s going to be able to avoid Tim forever. There’s still that dark presence attached to him; one he needs to find out more about before he can do anything about it.

Still, it’s not an imminent threat, and he’s not sure how to broach that conversation.

By the way, you have this kind of shadow following you? It’s bigger than I’ve ever seen on anyone before. Might want to do something about that. Oh, how do I know? Yeah, I happen to see ghosts.

Tim might be used to all kinds of weird shit since he’s from Gotham, but admitting that you see dead people is something even established occultists don’t do on the regular. Either you end up being solicited for all kinds of ridiculous requests about the afterlife or have someone get offended and angry because they think you’re lying to them.

Or, you know, thrown into an asylum for talking to people no one can see.

In his experience, none of those things are fun.

And then there’s the other thing.

The small but strong, smooth voice, and the slightly too-long hair and the eyes that look as deep and dangerous as the Atlantic—Tim apparently checks all of Jason’s boxes and they’ve only met the one time.

Or more than one time, as it turns out. He just wasn’t aware of it.

“You know, you might be talented in other ways, but those fries aren’t going to burst into flame if you keep glaring at them.”

Jason glances up to where Trista is doing her weekly inventory; the pub is empty but for Jason, who was feeling too lazy to walk a few blocks to the local grocery for an actual healthy lunch.

“Who says I’m trying?”

“Oh, no, you see, that was my clever way of initiating a conversation without it seeming out of the blue. You’ve obviously got something on your mind.”

“I have a lot on my mind. Constantly. Most of it related to the sad sacks milling around waiting for me to solve their problems.”

“But that’s not what that is this time,” she points out. “This time I think it’s got something to do with the pretty boy who came in here the other night.”

“You’ve been sampling your own product.”

“Shut up, you know I’m a teetotaler. And I’ve seen you beat people up for less than looking at one of the girls out there the way you were looking at Blue Eyes. He can’t be older than the kids that run for the mafia.”

“He’s almost eighteen,” Jason says defensively, and then feels the blood rush from his face, because oh god, I’m trying to justify it what is wrong with me?

That earns a raised eyebrow from the bartender. “And how do you know that? Did you Face-Stalk him the minute you noped out of here?”

“Did I…what?” Jason asks, staring at her in puzzlement. He knows what the words mean individually, but the meaning behind what she’s suggested is lost on him.

Trista sighs. “How do I know more millennial slang than you do? You’re like ten years younger than me.”

“Because I was dead and you’re forever young at heart?”

“Smooth. You’re still paying for your fries.”

Jason makes a face at her but is relieved when she leaves the subject alone. Trista might tease and caution, but she doesn’t pry; just waits for the story to tumble out on its own.

Must be some kind of barkeep skill. But it’s not going to work today.

He tosses a twenty on the table—well beyond what the chips are actually worth—and heads back to his office.

Settling back at his desk, behind the clunky computer that looks like it might be as old as Jason, he scowls at the screen.

He might not know what ‘Face-Stalk’ means, but he can guess. And it hits a little too close to home.

Jason may or may not have spent the morning after his little interview with Tim doing research on his replacement, learning whatever he could about Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne.

And doesn’t that complicate things. The little shit neglected to mention that little tidbit.

Jason never bothered learning much about the Robins who came after him; it was too painful a reminder of a life that was no longer his. Of a family that moved on so easily following his death that they stuck another kid in the suit like Jason had never worn it.

Because of how often the world is in some kind of peril, he was never completely ignorant of them. He’s seen broadcasts of big showdowns in California and other places where Capes get together and get their hero on. He had watched his replacement and Nightwing joking and laughing, closer than Jason and Dick had ever been and decided he didn’t want to know anything more.

He’s starting to see why that might have been an oversight on his part.

It seems Tim Drake lived a few estates down from Wayne manor. They were goddamn neighbors and Jason never knew.

Which is a shame.

He could have used actual friends as the newly adopted son of Bruce Wayne; it might have made the transition easier. If he’d had someone to fall back on, someone outside of the Mission to talk to about what he was feeling, maybe he might not have been so determined to go to Ethiopia.

“Well, now, that’s not true,” Sheila says, making Jason jump as she suddenly materializes in thin air. “You were going to come looking for me no matter what.” He shoots her a glare. “You realize you’re talking out loud, right?”

“And you realize most people give a warning before they walk into another person’s living space?” he retorts. “I could have been doing anything in here.”

Sheila pretends to examine the water damage in the corner of the office. “As if you’re that interesting.”

“Is there something you need?”

“To move on.”

“Please, be my guest.”

She glares at him. “I would if you weren’t so thick.”

“If you’re going to start with that shit again, you can go back to wherever you go when you’re not here,” he grumbles. “I’m not in the mood for this argument again.”

“That’s not actually why I’m here,” Sheila replies.

“Oh, really? Imagine that.”

She ignores that. “The boy is dangerous. You should stay away from him.”

“Of course he’s dangerous, he was trained by B.”

“Not for that reason. You know what I’m talking about.” She shivers—if ghosts can actually shiver. “That shadow that’s attached to him. It’s feeding. On him. On others. You should stay away.”

Jason raises an eyebrow. “On a normal person, that might actually sound like motherly concern. But we both know that’s not your thing.”

“You’re right. If that thing decides to make a meal out of the stubborn little medium, I’m stuck here for all eternity.”

“And there it is.”

“Self-preservation is not a sin,” Sheila informs him, before vanishing.

“Having selfish motives is,” Jason mutters to himself, as he goes back to his work.

But the fact is, if Sheila’s uneasy about the aura Tim’s giving off, that’s a bigger problem than he thought. For the most part, ghosts and spirits don’t interact with one another. They need a human conduit or emotion to use as grounding. If a malevolent presence is strong enough to disturb the personal sphere of other ghosts as well as the living, then that suggests a growing nexus of negative energy.

And any number of bad things can come from that.

Jason’s research has so far confirmed what Tim had said about his parents’ deaths—the potential reason the kid’s aura got disturbed in the first place. Negative energy needs some kind of disruption or inciting incident to thrive, and that’s probably what kicked it off. Both of them were murdered—one poisoned in a voodoo ritual, the other butchered by Captain Boomerang a few years later.

And that’s not the last time Death took someone from you, is it?

As a vigilante, he lost teammates—the Super kid and the tiny speedster. Bruce’s death, however temporary, still happened, still hurt. And then there’s the entire year and a half where the newest Robin, Bruce’s son, doesn’t appear anywhere. Tim mentioned it was because he was dead, and whatever his personal feelings are toward the kid, he couldn’t have not been affected by the death of an eleven-year-old that for all intents and purposes is his little brother. More recently, the public record notes the death of Tim’s stepmother from an apparent suicide in a psychiatric facility.

All that trauma and death happening to him so close together would explain a dark presence clinging to him, at least to some degree. But it shouldn’t be as dense as it is. Negative energy like that is supposed to dissipate as a person deals with whatever is causing it—in this case, grief.

So either he’s not dealing with it—which is possible considering his mentor and considering how most Capes like to brush the emotional shit under the rug—or something about him is actively drawing it to him. To it.

It sort of reminds him of something John told him he encountered in Japan, but he can’t remember the specifics.

Jason thinks the catalyst might be related to something Tim didn’t mention, the part of the story he obviously skipped over when it looked like he was reliving something traumatic.

Joker-related traumatic.

Somehow he doubts Tim will be as forthcoming with that experience as he was giving the rundown of the year Jason missed. If only there was a way to start that conversation in an inconspicuous way…

Of course, that would mean starting a conversation first. Which depends on whether he calls me or not.

Reflexively, he digs his phone out to check if there have been any missed calls and then shoves it away when he realizes what he’s doing.

He is not waiting by the phone for him to call. If this were an imminent problem, he could easily get in contact with Tim—he highly doubts the number to Wayne Manor has changed, and even if it has, it’s just a matter of calling the company line at WE and finding someone to let him speak to Tim Wayne.

(And yes, he might have found out where he worked. But that’s public record, and not an indication of any other untoward interest.)

But it’s not an imminent problem, and he’s not getting involved unless Tim asks him to, and even then he’ll probably stay out of it because he promised himself when he came back to Gotham he would avoid any drama related to the Bats.

Even if one of them is really hot.

Jailbait, he reminds himself doggedly. Jailbait, jailbait, jailbait-with-Batman-as-a-stand-in-father. Just an all-around bad idea.

And so, Jason dutifully closes down the webpages and ridiculous amount of open tabs on his browser and prepares himself to do some actual work related to his job.

The low-paying, barely acceptable job…

He spends a few days building up his business, putting the word out about his services and specialties. He makes rounds to suppliers that John told him about, stocks up on the usual staples like candles and holy water takes on the occasional haunting (and is forced to desecrate a grave or two in the process when the spooks get nasty).

Things are actually going well for a while, enough so that he (almost) forgets about Tim and his shadowy parasite, doesn’t have to deal with anymore cryptic warning visits from Sheila and even starts to relax into an honest-to-goodness routine.

Of course, it’s too much to expect that the brief lull can continue in peace. Tim’s promise not to say anything or not, it’s only a matter of time before Batman cottons on to Jason’s presence. Red Robin might be on the outs with him and the rest of the family for whatever reason, but he doubts anything would be bad enough to keep the former Boy Wonder from sharing such a juicy tidbit as Jason’s resurrection and return to Gotham.

Considering his background, the kid probably feels too much of an obligation to Bruce not to say anything. And buried beneath layers of denial and his own naïve plans, Jason knows there was never a scenario where he could stay under Bruce’s radar for the rest of his life.

Not as long as he decided to stay in Gotham.

But because this is Jason, so of course everything whatever he’s involved in always goes to shit, he doesn’t wake up in his office-cum-bedroom one night with the lights cut and Bruce looming over him in the dark.

Instead, he gets attacked while in the middle of burning remains in a graveyard.

Or, about to burn some remains.

One minute, he’s standing over the freshly dug grave with his lighter and accelerant, surgical mask and visor on because that shit burns—the next, he’s being hauled backward and knocked into a headstone, tools going flying.

When he looks up, his breath gets stuck in his throat.

Five years later, and he still feels like a snot-nosed kid staring up at the Bat in stunned amazement. Even though he’s long since caught up to him in height (there might be an inch or two difference, but he’s not sure how much of that is from the cowl) and musculature, he feels like a colt beside a stallion.

And beyond the mask, and the cape and the only face Gotham’s underbelly knows, he can sense the steely blue gaze of the man who put him on his life’s path.

The only father that ever really mattered to him, when it came down to it.

“Damn. I didn’t even hear you,” he remarks as he struggles to his feet, surprised his voice remains level. “I forgot you can be freakishly quiet.”

He blames not hearing the approach because of the noise filters in his ears—blocking ghosts has the nasty side-effect of blocking some of the living, too. He’s trained himself to listen for a normal person sneaking up on him—not too hard, considering most night watchmen or security guards make more noise than they realize—but Bruce isn’t exactly normal.

“There have been seven grave desecrations in the past month,” he growls at him in full Batman voice, and Jason swallows.

Not from fear, but because he had forgotten. How had he forgotten what that sounds like?

“The GCPD wants to know why. I don’t care. I want it to stop.”

There’s an implicit threat--an ultimatum there.

And it hits Jason, then: Bruce doesn’t recognize him.

He has no idea who he is, and it’s not just because his face is covered.

Tim really didn’t say anything to him.

Jason’s not sure what he’s more surprised about, that his replacement kept his word or that Bruce didn’t just jump him from behind and tie him up.

From what Jason remembers, he only ever went for the dramatic entrance on nights when he was looking for a fight.

Which, if that’s the case…shit.

“Okay, chill,” Jason says slowly. “Believe it or not, I’m past the need to do things the violent way first.

Batman looms, exuding menace. “And yet you have no problem violating graves.”

“I’d ask you to let me explain, but we both know you won’t believe a word I say. So…actions speak louder than words, right? I’m just going to take off my gear—”

Immediately, a batarang slices into the hand Jason moves, and it’s only training that turns it into a flesh wound instead of a worse injury. “Keep your hands where I can see them.”

Jason narrows his eyes.

And there’s the inflexibility. How much I didn’t miss that.

He forgot how sometimes, the only way to make Bruce listen to something was to grab his attention in other ways.

“Okay, you paranoid son of a bitch,” he mutters and rolls his shoulders. “Now it’s on, just on principle.” He shifts his stance. “Let’s boogie.”

If the words throw Bruce off, there’s no outward indication. He charges forward with intent, and without hesitation; Jason meets him the same way.

The older man’s body twists, bringing momentum to the downward punch meant to knock Jason out with one blow, but he braces, is surprised to catch it before it connects.

If Batman is surprised, he doesn’t show it; he’s already moving, left knee jerking up to hit him in the chest—Jason moves back enough to avoid that, but not the snap of the foot that catches him in the chest, sending him flying backward.

Jason doesn’t linger on the ground to recover, instead rolls forward and to his feet, then charges, vaults over a headstone to achieve lift, and aims a kick to the side of Batman’s head. The vigilante avoids it, and when Jason tries to follow up with an overhand hammer fist, he catches that, too.

Shit.

Realistically, he knows he doesn’t have a chance in Hell of beating Batman. Maybe in another life, if he kept training like his mentor, he likes to imagine he would have surpassed Bruce. Jason always had a raw strength to him, forged in the streets that no billionaire’s coddled son could have, no matter how many martial arts he studied and how many masters he learned from.

But Jason didn’t get that life, he got this one, and he’s learned to roll with the punches—literally.

They fight, trading blows and blocks. Jason is surprised that despite being a little rusty when it comes to close combat, he’s still able to keep up—still able to meet each blow and to even take a hit that he’s seen down a man twice his size.

Either I’m better than I thought, or he’s slowed down over the years.

Both options are as equally unlikely as the other.

The two men grapple for a bit, and Jason can’t help running his mouth, because that’s how he always fought.

And because he’s suddenly angry.

“It has to be beyond thought,” he bites out as Batman gets his hand free and tries to hit Jason’s face. “Well past instinct.” He avoids the attack, jerking his head to one side. The momentary lag in Batman’s movements is the only clue he recognizes the words he once spoke to him. “You simply act—”

Batman has hold of their joined hands and tries to use his weight to lever Jason backward, but he moves with it, bending and jumping, using the momentum to flip around in a backflip and free himself.

“—a finely tuned instrument—"

Years of unspoken resentment, feelings he tamped down because they were irrational, nights he woke up sobbing—

Why didn’t you come for me why didn’t you look for me why didn’t you imagine I could be alive why didn’t you get there in time?

They trade more blows for a few minutes before Jason is sent backward again, rolling into another headstone and back to feet.

“—a body trained to perfection—”

He charges forward again.

“—techniques honed and mastered—”

Batman has another batarang in hand, is trying to plunge it into a part of Jason’s body that’s both non-lethal but capable of neutralizing him at the same time.

“—and expensive toys to wield against the “malignant scum that ravage this city,” Jason sneers, narrowly avoiding the sharp edges as he shoves the blows off-course. “So what the hell are you doing here?”

“Who are you.”

It’s not a question, more a demand, and Jason ignores it.

Batman varies his approach then, giving up on the batarang and trying to use the sharp edges of his gauntlets to hobble him. Sometimes he comes from beneath, sometimes from above or the side.

There’s no anticipating the move, only reacting to it as it comes.  

And taking advantage of an opening when you see one.

Jason moves then, lands a blow with the heel of his hand to the unprotected curve of jaw. While Batman staggers, Jason jumps up and twists around, slamming a kick to his side that sends him flying into a headstone this time.

Anyone who’s ever fought the Bat knows you don’t give him a chance to recover, and so Jason is already darting forward, bending and jumping with his knee forward, slamming it into Batman’s chest as he gets to his feet. The blow sends vibrations of pain up through Jason’s leg and around to his spine because of the damn armor, but it still has Batman doubling over as the headstone behind him crumbles.

“Grave robbing cases aren’t really your thing,” Jason points out even as the vigilante is up and ready again, raining down blows on him with all the vigor of a second wind. “Even the Commish wouldn’t expect you to look into this. Not with all the other freaks in the night!” He curses and ducks back when a gauntleted fist nearly busts his jaw. “So why go all out here on some petty crime?”

Jason flips him, but Batman only skids back a few paces before retaking his stance.

“Could it be, maybe you’ve got a personal stake in it?” he taunts. “This graveyard…the resting of your first great failure…”

The growl Batman emits is almost animal then, and Jason barely has time to brace himself for it as a vicelike grip seizes him around the throat.

“Who. Are. You.”

Jason gasps for breath, his own hands wrapping around the gauntlet in an effort to hold himself up, to keep breathing. He gasps out, “Not your last though, was it?”

As expected, the comment pisses Batman off enough that he has to let him go or risk collapsing his throat. Jason finds himself sailing back through the air again, landing on his back.

He coughs, trying to draw in air as the caped figure approaches.

“Heard all about the past few years,” he bites out. “Replacement-bird filled me in.” He swallows painfully. “Kind of surprised he didn’t fill you in.”

Batman moves then, barrels forward in what Jason recognizes as a crippling blow to the solar plexus. He rolls away just in time, clambers to his feet again to exchange blows.

It should be harder now. He’s amazed it doesn’t feel like it.

Lack of oxygen maybe. Starting to get punch drunk.

“Just what did you do to piss him off, B?” Jason challenges.

“I won’t ask the question a third time.”

“You won’t believe me ‘til you figure it out yourself.”

In the split second where he tries to parse the comment, Jason grabs hold of Batman in a move he learned from him long ago and perfected at Dick’s side, flipping him over his back in a punishing suplex.

There’s a muffled thump of a body hitting the ground, and Jason backs away, panting.

Batman’s already getting to his feet.

Goddamn him and his insane stamina…

“What would you do if I told you that grave over there—the most recent one in the family mausoleum? If I told you it’s empty,” Jason asks, still breathless. “That it’s been empty for five years.”

Batman snarls and is on him again.

“No body there while you went on training your bevy of child soldiers.”

They trade blows, fists and knees and kicks and blocks.

“That you being here tonight is just a pointless exercise in guilt to continue your damned mission.”

They have each other in a tight grapple hold now, and the vigilante’s face is inches from Jason’s.

“You cannot possibly imagine that I believe this…this ruse,” he grunts.

“Yeah, I think you do,” Jason wheezes back. “I think you feel it in your gut. You know whose arm you’re trying to break right now.”

“It’s not…possible…!”

“No, it really is—”

And then Bruce gets his free hand on his face, fingers punishing against the bones and muscles. Jason jerks backward, feels elastics snap against his head as the surgical mask is ripped off, and then he’s reeling backward.

He lands in a crouch, looking up as Bruce starts toward him.

And then freezes.

The cowl might hide his features, but Jason knows how Batman’s body language changes when he’s trying not to betray shock.

“Jason…”

“Hey, B,” Jason smirks.

⁂⁂⁂

To Be Continued

________________________________________________________________

There is no universe where Jason doesn't pick a fight with Bruce when he comes back, reasons or not. Some of the dialogue was from Under the Red Hood, just adapted to this timeline/'verse. Tune in next time for more emotionally stunted reunions! 

Next Chapter

[dcarevu]

Batman TAS: Fear of Victory

“He’s locked up in Arkham…isn’t he?”

Episode: 24 Robin: Yes Writer: Samuel Warren Joseph Director: Dick Sebast Animator: TMS Airdate: September 29, 1992 Grade: B

Hey! Robin is back! About time, huh? This is the first time that we have seen him since episode two, but the show explains this by showing him living in his college dorm. And it makes sense that, with his roommate being directly affected by the Scarecrow, he would get involved, working with Batman, even if he is not on any vacations or anything. I asked Char what she thought about seeing Robin again, since she is a DCAU-virgin, remember. Her response was honestly not what I expected, but it was nice to hear! I figured she would be really surprised that he was absent for so long, but she did not think all that much of i. I did tell her he was generally away at college after we watched Christmas With the Joker, so I suppose that’s what she was expecting early on. It was a nice treat to have him back, she said, but she seems to like the flow of Robin that we have gotten so far. And so do I. They were very smart about how they handled it. The show is stylistically best when it is just Batman for most of the time, but Robin is also a nice character, so seeing him occasionally is okay with me. He could have been overdone very easily, though. Like, if we got the Joker every episode, even though we love the Joker, that would get old. Same with Robin, noting his more happy-go-lucky/smartass personality. He is the type where it is wise to wait for an episode that needs him instead of attempting to work him into an episode. And while even though Robin worked fine this time, did they truly accomplish this task? Did this episode need Robin to work, or would it have worked better without him? There is a difference between being okay with Robin because we like him and we haven’t seen him in a while vs being okay with Robin because he actually adds something meaningful to the episode. Personally, I think that this episode falls into the trap of making Batman slightly less competent so that Robin seems more needed, while also making Robin the “damsel in distress”.

With Batman’s competence (or lack there of), I am referring to the end battle up high above the football field. The part where Scarecrow threatens to drop a vile of his fear powder onto the audience below, resulting in utter chaos, and at least a handful of injuries. After all, people in crowds are fucking crazy as it is. Just look at Black Friday. Now add some Scarecrow chemicals, and you have a messy situation. But what happens is that Batman seems to have an awfully hard time preventing Scarecrow from dropping the vial, despite Scarecrow really not providing any type of physical threat to Batman. They both fumble around on the catwalk, and I get that it is a small space, but I feel as though Batman could have done something to prevent one or two of the vial scares. And that box of lightbulbs up there is a little bit contrived too. It seems a little bit dangerous that anyone who works there would keep a box of lightbulbs above a football field, it could fall off and hurt somebody. And well, here it does hurt somebody! Batman was not even ready for it. The same guy who can quite often predict when someone is right about to jump him from behind. All this is to allow Robin the chance to save the day, catching the vial in midair. Which is fun, I like how his actions aligned with the football announcer’s commentary and all. Yeah, this segment was still enjoyable to me, don’t get the wrong idea…it just helps not to think about some of the silliness too hard. At least, as an adult. I think what could have been much more interesting is if Batman ended up absorbing some of this fear powder. Maybe Scarecrow could have ended up smashing the vial in his face or something. Then Robin could have had a much better chance at being the hero, without making Batman look like a putz. Batman has been affected by Scarecrow’s toxins before, and the imagery that he gets is incredibly powerful. What if he saw his parents, but then it was his own adopted son that snapped him out of it and kicked Scarecrow to unconsciousness, facing both of their fears and ending the problem.

And also, as I said, Robin kind of portrayed the damsel-in-distress. I’m referring to the scene where he first becomes affected by the toxin, and nearly falls off of a building from high above the ground. I think if Robin did something a little bit more meaningful at the end of the ep, like the idea that I had, this would work better and seem a little bit less flimsy. But this is only Robin’s second DCAU appearance, and already he is screwing things up like the ol’ trope goes. Again, though, this scene was perfectly enjoyable, and if Robin was not already jokingly known for this by comic book fans, I likely wouldn’t even mention it, but in the grand context of the character, I couldn't help but roll my eyes a little bit. As positives, his voice actor, Loren Lester, did a great job of the emoting, and it is hard not to feel scared for Robin. This scene also highlights the danger of what Batman and Robin partake in every time they don their costumes. Even something as simple as using their grappling hook to go from building-to-building is not recommended for your everyday, average Joe. One little mis-step and you can fall to your death. So in a way, Robin experiencing this adrenaline rush is bringing Robin down to our level, and lifting the veil for him, reminding him of what exactly he’s doing with his life. And he is not like Batman, where he needs to be a crimefighter to feel that fulfillment, to clear himself of guilt. So if Batman were to be affected by this particular fear-powder, I don’t think that Batman would gain that fear of heights that Robin did. I think that his visions would be much different. Batman simply does not share the same reality that Robin does. They are truly very different people, and the more I think about it, the more I am not surprised with what happens later on down the road with these two, but I will not give any hints to avoid spoilers. Let’s just say that once Robin grows up, there is an unavoidable relationship change just waiting to happen.

Scarecrow got a redesign in this episode, looking quite a bit different from when we last saw him in Nothing to Fear. Char ad I both much prefer the new version, but she noted to me that the straw hair is a little bit much. Yeah, I can see how that would bring the intimidation levels down a bit, but the face and body look so much better (partially because of TMS’ awesome animation) that it doesn’t bother me. I was surprised to see such great animation with this episode, honestly. Maybe it was because the last Scarecrow episode didn’t turn out looking that great (despite the debatably better story elements that it had), and they wanted to make sure that they could make Scarecrow seem like a more intimidating villain than he did prior. The show has also come a long way since then, and even though I’d call this episode a more mid-tier one, episodes like Nothing to Fear were once the standard! Seeing the new Scarecrow design can kind of represent that evolution, and it’s like we’re starting fresh now that Batman the Animated Series has most certainly found its footing. It’s as if they meant to say, “Here’s how we actually envisioned Scarecrow, guys, now that we are running a show that has the potential to display it!” If they redid Nothing to Fear this far into the show, I have zero doubts that it would have been way better than Fear of Victory. But we’ll have other opportunities for great Scarecrow episodes soon enough… For now, here, as usual, are some screenshots!

I love how in keeping with the show’s aesthetic, the player’s get old-style Football uniforms/padding. Great detail!

Take a look at that funky remote-control.

Robin’s first scene since Christmas With the Joker!

Awesome foreshadowing here, putting that heavy shadow onto Brian’s face, telling us subtly that something bad is coming.

Coupled with the roar that they give, this was way scarier than anything from the first Scarecrow episode. Great work by TMS!

Does Scarecrow really need to change into his costume just to watch the game from above? I guess he is an Arkham patient, though.

“Oh no! Not him!” Referring to Batman. Way to acknowledge Robin, guys.

Robin the height like many of us would if we ever tried this!

Another gorgeous movement, capturing the dizzying heights.

“Oh my...” Too bad Batman has work to do.

But that doesn’t mean Batman can’t give her a little smile as he leaves her apartment...

So where did Batman exactly get all these cats? Could they be Selena’s, and he’s looking after them? If so, I doubt she’s appreciate you testing some possibly harmful chemicals on them! This didn’t seem very Batman-like to me.

“Hey! Corn on the cob! A scarecrow’s gotta love that!”

Batman fades into visibility as he walks through Arkham Asylum. And in here we get to see...

Joker...

Ivy...

And Harvey! Oh. Harvey. This is the first time we’ve seen him since the end of Two-Face, showing us that he indeed ending up at the asylum. Poor guy. 

But of course, Scarecrow is gone. The corrupt guard, who obviously helped Scarecrow out (maybe by bribe?) shows how some of these baddies always seem to escape.

“Be persuasive.” he knows what that means.

Once we see the powder coming off the envelope, we know what’s coming. A nice moment of anticipation. 

Such a better design!

That’s the look of a man who just shit his pants.

Not your wisest idea, Robin.

“I’ll drive real slow.” I was half-expecting him to then blast out of there as top speed, hahahaha.

Again, Scarecrow, why do you need to be in full costume right now? You’re going to give yourself away! What if someone happened to walk by? Or, I don’t know, be hiding in the jerseys..?

That “R” on his shirt here is huge.

I love the way that Batman throws him across the catwalk. Also, I feel like his costume was inspired by Freddy Krueger. 

This is why we don’t leave lightbulbs around.

Char’s grade: B

Next time: The Clock King Full episode list here!

[thedcdunce]

The Riddler

“The future is a riddle only time can solve!” - The Riddler

Real Name: Edward Nashton

Aliases: 

Enigma

Edward Nigma

Gender: Male

Height: 6′ 1″

Weight: 183 lbs (83 kg)

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Black

Abilities:

Genius Level Intellect

Investigation

Escapology

Weaknesses:

Obsession

Equipment:

Riddler’s Staff

Universe: New Earth

Base of Operations: Gotham City

Marital Status: Single

Citizenship: American

First Appearance: Detective Comics #140 (October, 1948)

Abilities

Genius Level Intellect: The Riddler is a supreme problem-solver, criminal mastermind. He is a genius with brilliant deductive power. His mind excels with puzzles, minds games, and manipulations. Investigation: He possesses great deductive skills and analytic ability. Escapology: Riddler is adept in escapology. Since childhood Edward has been a big fan of the late great Harold Houdini. Using this skill to build his infamous elaborate death traps and easily escape handcuffs. Like the Joker, he can escape the high security hospital Arkham Asylum whenever he pleases.

Weaknesses

Obsession: His riddles are in fact a bizarre obsessive compulsion; his attempts to stop himself from sending them has met with failure time and time again. This extends to the fact he cannot simply kill his opponents when he has the upper hand, but prefers to put them in a deathtrap to see if he can devise a life and death intellectual challenge that the hero cannot escape. However, compared to Batman's other themed enemies, Riddler's compulsion is quite flexible, allowing him to commit any crime as long as he can describe it in a riddle or puzzle.

Equipment

Riddler's staff

History

Edward Nashton, who later changed his name to Edward Nigma, is the super-villain known as the Riddler. His signature gimmick is committing high-profile crimes, and giving clues or hints to law enforcement. This has made him an enemy of the Batman in Gotham City. The riddles are a compulsive obsession to prove he is smarter than others, and this has made him an occasional patient in Arkham Asylum.

Origins

Edward Nashton was born into a broken home. His mother was absent and his father was abusive. When Edward was a young boy, he became excited at the idea of winning a puzzle contest at school. To increase his likelihood of winning, Edward sneaked into school during the night and practiced the puzzle until he could solve it with ease. He ended up winning, and was awarded a riddle book as a prize. Since that time, he has mastered puzzles, mind games, and riddles.

Edward was profoundly intelligent and would pass tests with apparent ease, something his father, out of jealousy, couldn't or wouldn't believe; he therefore attributed his success to cheating and started beating on him to keep him 'out of trouble,' or to stop him from lying. Out of the abuse, Edward developed a compulsion he has became known for, he constantly endeavors to tell the truth to prove his innocence. This is where his obsession with riddles comes from. Unfortunately, the abuse is also a main factor that drove him mad and to a life of crime.

The Riddler

When Edward got older, he left home and became a carnival performer, using his skills to cheat carnival-goers out of their money. But this was not enough for him. He longed for something more, and became the Riddler, at the same time changing his name to Edward Nigma, picking The Batman as an adversary, as he believes him to be an intelligent and more-than-worthy opponent.

Starting out as a simple informant and criminal profiler for the underworld of Gotham City, as well as for Batman, the Riddler slowly became more of a villain to Batman. It wasn't long before he became a main adversary to the Caped Crusader, constantly testing his analytical abilities to their limits.

The Long Halloween

During the events of the Long Halloween the Riddler became an informant for Gotham city crime lord Carmine Falcone. When a serial killer known as Holiday began targeting Falcone's associates, Carmine hired the Riddler to discover the killer's identity. However, the Riddler's results displeased Falcone, and the gangster even laughed at him, when the Riddler suggested that Carmine himself was the killer. The Riddler later became one of Holiday's victims, but much to the Riddler's confusion, was purposely left unharmed. A year later, Batman consulted Riddler about a second Holiday killer called Hangman.

Career Criminal

Over the years, the Riddler would earn his living through various heists and robberies, working his way up the criminal food chain, eventually even securing himself a couple of henchwomen to do his bidding. Later in his career, after his exploits have been well established for some time, he attempts a heist in Manchester, Alabama, only to be thwarted by Impulse, whose problem-solving skills he severely underestimates after Impulse initially confuses him for The Question.

Dark Knight, Dark City

The Riddler becomes darker and more bloodthirsty when he takes an interest in occult rituals. He discovers instructions on how to tame a bat daemon called Barbatos, originally summoned by Thomas Jefferson. The Riddler leads Batman around the city with a series of riddles, designed to prepare Batman as a demonic sacrifice. To make Batman chase him, he kidnaps four babies. He tricks Batman into kissing a hanged man through CPR, and covers him in blood at a transfusion center. The next step is a dance with the dead, accomplished through zombie robots, then slaying a dog with silver. He forces Batman to slit the throat of an unbaptized child, by leaving him with a baby who needs an emergency tracheotomy. Finally he makes Batman do an acrobatic dance in front of a goat representing the devil, by attacking him with a flamethrower. Batman is captured and tied to an altar. The Riddler prepares to stab Batman in the heart, but the demon Barbatos intervenes to stop him. The Riddler flees in terror and torches the building, but Batman is able to escape.

Knightfall

Riddler was back in action, but he was attacked by Bane, who dosed Riddler with Venom. Batman tried to stop Riddler, but he was too strong and Batman was tired. Bane's henchmen shot Riddler under Bane's command leaving Riddler badly injured.

His stay in Arkham was short lived as Bane released all the inmates as a plan to eliminate Batman. Riddler escaped as well, gathered his old gang and started planning his next move. Riddler sent a letter to the Gotham City Police Department, but they were too busy with all the other criminals from Arkham and Riddler's letters got overlooked in the situation. After a while, his own henchmen got tired of waiting for the police to notice the clues and they ditched Riddler out of the score. On an attempt to be noticed, Riddler went to a live TV broadcast, armed with bombs and took over the show. He delivered his riddles to the audience, but nobody was able to answer them. Riddler was soon stopped by Robin, who watched the TV, learned of his move and arrived at the TV station in no time. The bomb turned out to be fake and Riddler was captured and taken back to Arkham.

Hush

The Riddler is diagnosed with terminal cancer, so he cures himself by stealing one of Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pits. This grants him a temporary clarity, and he finally figures out that Bruce Wayne is Batman. He tries to sell this cure to a rich doctor named Thomas Elliot, whose parents also died of cancer. Elliot hates Bruce Wayne, and they decide to work together to destroy Batman. Elliot becomes the villain Hush, and the Riddler designs an intricate plan. This involves enlisting or manipulating Catwoman, Clayface, Harley Quinn, Huntress, Jason Todd, The Joker, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, and Superman. Batman and Nightwing actually fight the Riddler during this time when he robs an armored car. They assume the Riddler is too pathetic to be involved. Hush loses to Batman, and Batman figures out that the Riddler was the mastermind. Batman explains that a riddle everyone knows the answer to is worthless, so he knows the Riddler will keep his secret. Ra's al Ghul will also have his League of Assassins kill the Riddler if they ever discover what happened. Batman punches the Riddler, tells a security guard that he fell, and leaves Arkham Asylum.

After the Hush incident, Riddler escaped from Arkham and sought Poison Ivy's protection from Hush and from the League of Assassins. However, Ivy was equally mad at him after he used her on his "Hush" scheme and she attacked Riddler as soon as he stepped into her lair. Riddler tried to escape, but Ivy wouldn't let him go. Riddler finally gave up and asked Ivy to kill him and finish his pain. However, she refused, leaving Riddler helpless in a catatonic state.

Downfall and New Start

Later, Elliott reappeared demanding from the Riddler the location of the Lazarus Pit. When Riddler refused to answer, he was brutally beaten. Seeking refuge, the Riddler went to the Joker and the Penguin. He tries to bargain with the Joker for asylum and he agrees but eventually his safety is compromised and he is forced to go on the run again. He asks Poison Ivy for asylum, both of whom remembered his manipulation and the meeting didn't go well. At a loss, the Riddler went into a downward spiral of insanity and became homeless. He eventually was found by a ex-NASA decoder who helped him recover his mind. It is during this time that the Riddler has an induced flashback about his childhood, he comes to the realization of what happened when he was abused and why. He also deduces the reason behind why he has the compulsion he has for riddles.

Using his vast fortune, acquired over many years of crime, he gets minor plastic surgery and extensive tattooing. He covers the majority of his torso with his trademark question mark insignia. He kills the Codebreaker, who has discovered his secret identity and steals a priceless scroll, before Batman can get to it. It was at this time that Riddler starting amassing a huge fortune legally and attacking various heroes to prove his abilities.

During this time, he had a run in with Green Arrow, Arsenal and the Outsiders. The Riddler is up for revenge against his defeat by the Green Arrow and he brutally injures and almost kills the the two archers. If not for the timely arrival of the Outsiders they may have been killed. Before these events, the Riddler was hired to steal artifacts imbued with mystical powers from one of Star City's museums, and then distract the authorities so that the related rituals could be commenced. He sends Team Arrow on a wild goose chase around the City, and then reveals that he has an atomic bomb housed in the stadium where the Star City Rockets play. However, as a side effect of the ritual performed with the artifacts, the city is plunged into complete darkness, and Green Arrow uses this to his advantage, to capture the Riddler.

Infinite Crisis

The Riddler was with a group of villains attacking the Gotham City Police Department. He later escaped from Arkham Asylum after a worldwide breakout by the Secret Society of Super Villains. He then is along with the Society when they attack Metropolis. He is defeated by the Shining Knight and is struck in the head by the Knight's mace.

One Year Later

The Riddler was sent into a coma when he was hit in the head by the Shining Knight's mace. When the Riddler awoke a year later, without his obsessive compulsive fixation for riddles but still possesses his great intellect and enormous ego. He also suffers from memory loss forgetting his own name for a while and not remembering that Bruce Wayne is Batman, but he is suspicious. With the Penguin's advice, he was reformed and then became a private investigator at which he legally develops even more of a fortune. He was finally on the right side of the law using his great talents for the good of the people.

He even becomes involved in a ship bound murder mystery alongside Batman, while deducing a part of the mystery, Batman deduces the real reason. In the end they both did there part in solving the crime and have become hostile allies. He is then hired by Bruce Wayne to find a experimental drug stolen from Wayne Enterprises. In the end with the help of a reformed Harley Quinn he gets the drug back and returns it to the rightful owners.

In a run in with Mary Marvel he describes to her how he is reformed, the two then join forces against Clayface, where Edward gets to see up front how twisted and cruel she has become with a great power. He suggests that she gets a mentor or some anger management.

Even Nightwing hired him to find out who was behind recent string of museum robberies, whom he later saves from gang warfare while investigating Penguin's involvement in organized crime. He later deduces that Nightwing is Dick Grayson.

During his time as detective, word about Batman's death started to spread. As crime became more violent in Gotham, he was approached by Penguin who wanted Nigma's service as an investigator to find the new Black Mask that started operating in Gotham. To help his investigation, he recruited Harley Quinn and later Poison Ivy joined their efforts. On this quest, Riddler became the man who helped Quinn, Ivy and Catwoman to become a team.

Fun Facts

In many other realities, the Riddler's birth name is Edward Nigma, Edward Nygma, E. Nigma or even Edward E. Nigma. However, the New Earth Riddler was born Edward Nashton and changed his name to Edward Nigma later in life.

Jim Gordon has mentioned that several Gotham criminals have their own codewords. These are special phrases they can say when they call the GCPD, to distinguish them from prank phone calls. The Riddler chose "Oedipus" as his codeword, because Oedipus solved the riddle of the Sphinx. Gordon remarks that this is strange, because medical records suggest the Riddler hated his own mother. The Riddler's codeword for Batman is "The Hanging Man."

The Riddler's online screen name is "Wizard101." This might be a reference to the game of the same name, which was released the same year as Detective Comics #845, the issue where this username was used.

[mo-torious-mo-blog]

[CHANGING MY NAME TO: Mo (first name) Torious (last name)]

i asked my parents if I could come up to westchester to have dinner with them, or to briefly stay while I looked for an apartment.

They said no. It’s funny, Dr Tabar at Belkvue Hospital (Dr Mounir, intake), told me that I should cut off my relationship with my mother. The only reason my father asked me to attend her 80th birthday party, was to keep up appearances. Before the night was over, and after my speech (unmmmzm....I got you a car), he told me in no uncertain terms that I am no longer welcome in his house. I dove get it. His brother Ladipo Fayemi is a caseworker at HRA HASA, who never once intervened for me, and who nobody in that agency thought to refer my case to. Mr. McCoy, used to make fun of the name. No matter, I no longer want to be called that.

I told them that since my father still continues to lie about not having received a copy of the doctored IRS Filings which Lucy Ostrofsky (acting in house counsel) had filed, directly ignoring my instructions, before I was forced out of the company and off the corporate bank account (it takes 3 members of management: myself, Richard McGinnis (Kurt Salmon Associates), President of Motorious Retail Stores (m&m/Mars Family: sponsor of Kyle Bush’s Toyota at NASXAR), patent holder, casino slot machine algorithms) and Philip Munger (who once, unbeknownst to me, withdrew $5,000 in cash from his personal Citibank account, and deposited it into my (the corporate) account, triggering FBI Money Laundering Red Flag: I have never even seen $5,000.00 in cash in one place in my entire life. I spent $500 to $10,000/month on my AMEX PLATINUM: and repaid it within 30 days. Beginning in 1992. Until I didn’t and went bankrupt for $60,000.

Bottom line: I don’t trust the man, and he and I no longer have a relationship. All he and my mother have done is agree with the psychiatrists who keep diagnosing me with paranoid delusions that I run a company. All this, I believe, because the only company he ever ran, ended up in trouble with the IRS. I’m beginning to be really suspect about his book selling and his AIDS Charity for orphans in Africa. Before he kicked me out of the house, he asked me if I wanted to help him with his Foundation, and I said « no » I want German citizenship.

A look at my brief work history shows I never stay in 1 place very long. What’s wrong with having wanted a change and to seek opportunities abroad?

Science Advisers, led by Norman Heyman, Jean Robert Le Shufy, and Kevin DeVito (New Capital Horizons, the US arm of New Capital AG in Switzerland: COPE Holdings (XTERA DAX | NASDAQ) Zuggero, CEO | lent ICV, llc (Integrated Concepts Vehicles, llc, Flipboard.com/@ICV_llc, the first $137,000 after I had lent the corporation $60,000.

MOTORIOUS MONEY GRID: says $100,000.00 loan am was made by Phil Munger on November 1, 1999. If that had been the case, why were none of the vendors at the show paid, and why did I receive a phone message on December 31, 1999 from Philip Munger: joe@planetvida.com.br, the DAY AFTER I received a message from Wayne Irving of Spin Records that he had secured $25 Million from ING Barings?

My only Full Time Employee: John Goodwin, who I met at Pump No 8 at the Mobil Gas Station in Rancho Palos Verdea, took a salary of $80,000.00 + benefits + expense reimbursement, where on July 2, 1999 he secured an LOI with the Make A Wish charity for a proposed October 31, 2000 Charity Rade at Texas Motor Speedway.

He had 9 months to secure a deal with Ford to provide NASCAR vehicles for the event, which was supposed to commemorate 100 Years of Motorsports in America, and also commemorate both Ford and Harley Davidson’s 100th Anniversary. Moose returned saying that the sponsors (especially the protected sponsor, Coke, will not let the drivers out of their contests to drive the event)

Autoweek Magazine, the same issue it quoted several drivers as wanting to participate, reported that My Apple Laptop « had ears ». Motor Trend Magazine wrote an article entitled « The Automotive Analyst », a « fictitious story about a Wall Street analyst having problems with his wife, while talking to his shrink. The concluding sentence: « Build The Car »

My only contribution to Ford would have been when I called the $3 million monstrosity (Focus) built by John Colletti and Motor Trend: Ian Cartabiano has penned a sick Mis-Engined Ford Focus Rally Car, which was to have shared a platform with the Renault R5 (Nissan: where Doi had previously worked after NCIS).

That, and the referral from Mark Stehrenberger to Scott Sharpe Racing, to [Ford Tuner: I ferget] , who wrote a proposal for tuning the 4.0 liter Jaguar V8 for the Motorious Show Stand, as a potential BMW M5 competitor.

Of the $137,000.00 loan, $50,000 went to Mark Stehrenberger Design, who was to generate 3 proposals for the Deusenberg PHAETON: Mercedes Benz Ocean 4 door convertible concept...to. E build at the DRESDEN Factory in Germany), the other $50,000 went to Robert Marianich in Huntington Beach, who was to have converted his studio, and built a « clay resurfaced » proposal of the RIVOLUZIONW: 1999 LA Auto Show, next to Shelby Series One (I met Carroll at Jay Leno’s, where he asked me to contact his assistant, Pearlita Shelby, about helping him with production of the OLDSMOBILE AURORA Engined SERIES ONE: autopsia.wordpress.com, slated to return to INDYCAR, to replace the Honda unit, now that they created Touring Car.  

I wanted to get the rights to MG ROVER (BBC: BMW’s English Patient), known as Rover Sterling 825 in America (Acura Legend): ARCONA | After the misérable failure of Phoenix Holdings, which paid Queen Elizabeth the nominal sum of £10, and then before becoming the four most overpaid executives in the UK Auto Industry. I even went so far as to ask Lakshmi Mittal (Arcelor Mittal and Harris’s) if he would help me to purchase Land Rover from TATA.

CAR AND DRIVER MAGAZINE (Hearst Publications: Vladimir Putin) April Fool’s | Toyota buys Oldsmobile Trademark for $5,000.  

FIAT acquire the right to the Oldsmobile Aurora Engine through my partnership with Carroll Shelby, Gets the Oldsmobile Dealerships (10 year warrante on the engine), Change the nage to Alfa Romeo, and modify the engine for use in US Alfa’s, like the GT-V8, Spider Véloce (Duetto V8: BMWfilms.com Béat the Devil).

Unfortunately, John Goodwin went bankrupt, my ex-wife had a hidden camera in our bedroom vent (Waiting to Exhale, Bernadine’s Rage: 6624 Oceancrest Drive, RPV, CA, 90275). And all of our personal and my corporate accounts were closed on August 14, 2001, due to malfeasance on her part:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6vwNcNOTVzY

[The Private Bank: Union Bank of California (Mitsubishi Sumitomo: KIRETSU): Peggy Fahnestock, Gloria Marquez: who refinanced my BMW Financial Loan from JP Morgan Chase, because it was higher interest rate than a similarly situated white nan, all other things being equal.

The VENDETTA (redesigned Rivoluzione: 200 LA Auto Show, was in an accident THE FIRST DAY I DROVE IT. I didn’t even make it to the highway. There was at least $100,000? In customization (hand hammered and rolled Aluminum body parts riveted and bonded to the steel: Robin Officer, Captain Metal, Magic Mountain, CA (A Kiwi). who I believe, was interviewed on the Jay Leno show dresses in drag. By keeping all the receipts to every modification, the insurance company: GEICO, had to first restore the vehicle to its original condition, THEN, cover all the replacement customization which they did, before canceling my policy the sane day the lease on my 328i was repossed, with $5,000.00 worth of renderings and sketches by Ian Cartabiano, which actually appeared in Bimmer Magazine in 1998.

My mother refuses to give me my birth certificate. Whats wrong with this picture?

mo torious

On Oct 14, 30 Heisei, at 2:25 AM, mo torious <1.mo.torious.mo.1@gmail.com> wrote:

On Oct 13, 30 Heisei, at 10:56 PM, mo torious <1.mo.torious.mo.1@gmail.com> wrote:

M_DriversLicense (@onyx_project) 2/6/28 H, 12:51 PMi-am-motorious.tumblr.com/post/129742049… ⁦‪@AngelList‬⁩ ⁦‪@UBSf1‬⁩ ⁦‪@UBS‬⁩ frontinalispartners.com ⁦‪@Ford‬⁩ @LapoElkann_LE ⁦‪@Zurich‬⁩ ⁦‪@CreditSuisse‬⁩ pic.twitter.com/2pZqP9LAin Download the Twitter app mo torious

[davidmann95]

Batman Starter Pack

I’ve been through this routine once before (including the preface that I recognize there are a million other lists exactly like this on every comics-related site out there) but after having shared some starting points for Superman on Miracle Monday, I figure my second-favorite guy with his own personalized set of crime-fighting pajamas merits the same treatment on his own special day.

Assuming you’re forgoing a more traditional celebration of DC’s Batman Day - either having your parents brutally shot to death in front of your terrified, uncomprehending young eyes, or finishing your criminology degree and engaging in anonymous back-alley karate fights with circus clowns in response to the same - looking into some solid starting points for the character is a respectable alternative. Especially given some of his most classic adventures have recently come under some degree of critical reevaluation, while the likes of The Lego Batman Movie, the much-missed Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and the resurgence of the 1960s Batman TV show alongside contemporary developments in the comics have done a great deal to change the general perception of the character. So once again, here’s ten stories in a recommended - but by no means strict - order that should, as a whole, give you a pretty decent idea of what Batman’s deal is and why you should care, all of which you should be able to find pretty easily on Comixology or a local bookstore/comic book shop.

1. Batman: Zero Year

What it’s about: The current ‘canon’ take on his origin, it’s a pretty straightforward take on Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham, early forays into crimefighting against the Red Hood Gang, and assumption of his familiar mantle...until the Riddler, a city-wrecking superstorm, and a literal bone monster get involved, culminating in a final act that has a sleeveless, dirtbike-riding Batman trying to save a post-apocalyptic Gotham whose citizens have become hopeless slaves of Edward Nygma’s merciless totalitarian riddle kingdom.

Why you should read it: This comic is bonkers, in absolutely the best way. Writer Scott Snyder has repeatedly said that since the previous major take on Batman’s origin in Year One was so iconic - to the point that, unlike Superman’s regularly refreshed history, it remained solidly in continuity for 25 years - no attempt at hitting the reset button could feasibly follow in its footsteps, and so the only way to make it work was to go as far in the opposite direction as possible, hence Dirtbike Batman and a Gotham of neon pink skies. And for all that, it works remarkably: it’s perhaps the least subtle Batman comic of all time, but it’s a solid look into what drives him, why he does what he does in the way he does it, and the beginnings of his relationships with some of his closest friends and enemies in the context of a mad, blockbuster story ranging from scraps with cops and gangsters to a race against time to literally save a city from death by fire. It is in many ways perhaps the most proudly and bluntly Batmaney Batman story of all time, the core of his world as screamed through a megaphone.

Further recommendations if you liked it: While maybe the most iconic work from their time together, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo worked together on the main Batman title for 5 years and almost 50 issues, in arguably the most acclaimed run of Batman comics of the 21st century; I’d primarily suggest checking out Court of Owls, their first and for me best collaboration, but their entire tenure is worth your time, collected across 10 volumes. If you specifically want to indulge the off-kilter “wait, Batman’s doing what?” sensibility of Zero Year further, after his time on Batman proper Snyder wrote All-Star Batman, working with a number of iconic artists on some of his weirdest Batman comics; his later The Batman Who Laughs operates in much the same mode. If you’re mainly interested in the sort of Big Batman Event Story this and Court of Owls wrote the modern template for, Steve Orlando and companies’ Night of the Monster Men is maybe the most thoroughly entertaining example. And as a respectable recap of Batman’s life since his origins, while many longtime fans are ambivalent at best on it, Batman: Hush is an effective sampler platter of Batman’s history and relationships that’s proven enduringly popular among new readers.

2. Gotham Central

What: Set from the perspective of the grunts of the GCPD, Gotham Central shows what it means to be a cop in a city where you’re a pawn of the Bat at best, corrupt or a casualty if you’re not so lucky.

Why: Certainly the most acclaimed Batman-related ongoing ever published, there’s no book that better sells the ‘street level’ take on his world that so many want; Batman himself is largely a background presence, feared and resented by our actual leads as they go up against the incidental fallout of Gotham’s particular brand of horror. And all that’s before you even get to the Joker story that directly inspired The Dark Knight. While Gotham’s more traditional heroes may rarely show up, there’s no story that better explains why they’re needed, and what it means to live in their wake. And it’s Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka and Michael Lark doing a cop book, so even Batman aside it’s worth your money ten times over.

Recommendations: Gotham Central may be a cop comic, but the cities’ most iconic officer in Commissioner Gordon only makes one or two appearances since he had retired at the time (an obviously temporary condition). If you really want to see him in action, you’re looking for Batman: Year One. Typically cited as one of the all-time great Batman stories - and it absolutely has some of his definitive moments and iconography - at heart it’s Lieutenant Jim Gordon’s year of figuring out how to make it in Gotham without losing his soul in the process, and it was that infusion of grim crime noir into the world of Gotham that defined the aesthetic Gotham Central operates under. If you’d like to pursue that particular line further, Batman: Turning Points is also worth hunting down, showing Batman and Gordon’s relationship develop over the years in reference to major upheavals in Batman’s world, and Batman: The Black Mirror, operating under a similar tone and showing Dick Grayson working with Gordon during the former’s own time in the cape and cowl, in a mystery connecting to both Batman: Year One and my next recommendation. Additionally, Kurt Busiek and John Paul Leon’s Batman: Creature of the Night provides an entirely different and disturbing type of ‘street-level’, ‘realistic’ view of Batman.

3. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

What: A decade after his retirement, an unprecedented Gotham crime wave forces a middle-aged Bruce Wayne out of retirement as he proves unable to resist the call of his demons. But even as he fights back the Mutant gang and recruits a new Robin, his resurgence has caught the attention of familiar enemies, and the political shockwaves of his vigilantism will ultimately bring him face-to-face with his oldest ally in a fight he simply can’t win.

Why: Commonly held up alongside Watchmen, which is a...touch of an overstatement in hindsight, while aspects of its politics and portrayal of the Dark Knight in question have aged somewhat questionably it’s regardless a justified classic by a one-time master of the medium at the top of his form, packed from top to bottom with brilliant storytelling, jaw-dropping moments, and a redefinition of the character that not only shapes him to this day, but the superhero genre as a whole. Definitely and very reasonably not for everyone, but essential to Batman as he exists today.

Recommendations: Frank Miller’s presented numerous followups to The Dark Knight Returns, and while The Dark Knight Strikes Back and All-Star Batman & Robin The Boy Wonder are hardly lacking in lively experimental flavor or gonzo charm, they’re an acquired taste at best: if you want to see more of this version of Batman’s world, you’re safest going for The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade, a one-shot portraying the events leading up to Batman’s retirement a decade before DKR. For other seminal Batman stories that either don’t quite live up to the hype or have aged questionably but are all-in-all still probably worth looking into, check Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth, Batman: The Long Halloween (followed up by Batman: Dark Victory) and possibly The Killing Joke.

4. Batman: Ego and other Tails

What: Before he was widely lauded for DC: The New Frontier, Darwyn Cooke was a storyboard artist for what we now know as the DCAU family of cartoons; his pitch for the job included a 14-page Batman story that years later would be edited and expanded upon to become Batman: Ego, where a catastrophic series of events leads Bruce to consider leaving his mission behind, forcing him to confront his demons more literally than ever before.

Why: Stories that question Batman’s sanity and his place in the world are a dime a dozen, but none like this, probably the deepest individual dive of all time into what exactly makes Batman tick. To say much more would spoil the amazing central conceit, but from his moral code to what he does or doesn’t give up by forgoing his life as Bruce Wayne, there are few aspects of his world this doesn’t touch on one way or another. Plus, while Ego may be the lead, the modern collection is stuffed full of other excellent Batman comics Darwyn Cooke had a hand in one way or another.

Recommendations: Most significantly, the collection also contains Selina’s Big Score, a Catwoman heist comic that leads into Ed Brubaker’s seminal run on the character, which are spread out over three trades that are absolutely worth picking up. If you’re interested in another story in the DCAU style and tone that goes into darker territory than the cartoons would typically dare, try Mad Love, the definitive Harley Quinn story. And if you want another headtrippy Batman comic that delves into his psychology, you’re looking for Death and the Maidens, intended at the time to be Batman’s final confrontation with Ra’s Al Ghul and featuring a conversation 65 years in the making.

5. Matt Wagner’s Dark Moon Rising titles

What: Eventually branded under the title of Dark Moon Rising, this series is actually made up of two six-part tales: Batman and the Monster Men and Batman and the Mad Monk, each Matt Wagner’s retelling of a classic Golden Age Batman story, from an era where the supernatural was not quite so distanced from Batman’s usual world.

Why: On a simple level, these are just some real good Batman comics; Matt Wagner’s a phenomenal fit for the character, these are nice and standalone, and Batman has to escape some deathtraps, which is always a treat. But the introduction of the truly bizarre to Batman’s world - by a standard that allows for coin-flipping disfigured District Attorneys and maladjusted widowers with freeze-rays as all part of the regular scenery, anyway - can be something of a hurdle, especially for new readers. In that regard this is a perfect introduction to the more outré side of Batman’s job, cushioning the transition with wild pulp adventure and thrilling horror in a series that feels entirely of the same world seen in the likes of Year One, even as Batman fights a vampire who is also a werewolf.

Recommendations: If you enjoyed the look at a Batman who’s still somewhat figuring out his limits and the parameters of his operation, you’re in luck, as Year One-era Batman stories formed their own effective subgenre for the character for awhile, primarily in the series Legends of the Dark Knight, which had one of the better hit-to-miss ratios for Batman ongoing titles, and Batman: The Man Who Laughs, Ed Brubaker and Doug Mahnke’s take on his first encounter with the Clown Prince of Crime. If the pulpy noir approach is what appealed, I’d say you might be in the market for Batman: Strange Apparitions, the collection of Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers’ highly influential 1977-1978 tenure on Detective Comics (plus a preceding couple issues by Englehart drawn by Walter Simonson, and a couple issues by Rogers without Englehart), a major step on the road to Batman as he exists today which also featured the - at the time - unexpected return of one of the Golden Age villains Wagner features.

6. Nightwing: Better Than Batman

What: Under the thumb of the Parliament of Owls, the Courts’ international equivalent - if with more up his sleeve than they expect - Nightwing finds himself in deeper than he ever could have imagined as he falls under the ‘mentorship’ of the mercenary Raptor, who not only leaves Dick questioning lessons he had previously taken as gospel, but tumbling down a rabbit hole through his own past that threatens to destroy the life he’s built for himself in the present.

Why: There’s no comprehensive look at Batman that doesn’t involve the family he’s built for himself, and this in my mind is the definitive story of the original Robin. Touching on his heritage, his early days as the Boy Wonder, his modern MO as a dashing international superhero with a pinch of espionage, and his connections with the rest of his crime-fighting family, the heart of the story is his relationship with Bruce: their days as Batman and Robin, their differing methods and ideologies, the complications stemming from their distinct backgrounds, and how their brotherhood ultimately saved them both. More than any other single book it underlines the foundation of what makes Dick Grayson work, and by extension the entire concept of the Batman Family.

Recommendations: Better Than Batman is the most compact and satisfying example of what defines Robin and the Batman Family as a whole, but if you’d prefer something more expansive in scope, Batman and Robin Eternal touches on many of the some ideas. For both a solid look back at Dick’s career back when wearing pixie boots, as well as the origin of one of the other two major templates for Batman’s sidekicks, Robin/Batgirl: Year One collects a pair of cult classic stories, Batgirl in particular being the one to check out. As for the third, while Jason Todd’s most iconic story is unquestionably Death in the Family, its actual quality hardly lives up to its enduring imagery and impact; you’ll be best served looking at his return from the grave in Batman: Under The Hood. Alfred’s the other major foundation of the family, and for him I’d probably recommend the soon-to-conclude All-Star Batman arc The First Ally. As for the rest of the family, for hitting the most members in one package I’d recommend James Tynion IV’s run on Detective Comics - beginning with the trade Rise of the Batmen - which returns or recontextualizes a number of fan-favorite characters under an umbrella of incredibly solid Batman Family adventure stories.

7. Paul Dini’s Detective Comics

What: Collected across Batman: Detective, Batman: Death and the City, Batman: Private Casebook, and Batman: Heart of Hush, Paul Dini - one of the main architects of Batman: The Animated Series, and much of the later DCAU as well - serves up a run of almost uniformly excellent, largely done-in-one Batman adventure stories.

Why: Iconic storylines may draw attention to a character, but the brick and mortar of the greats is laid on a foundation of just plain good comics, month-in and month-out, and there are few better examples for Batman than with Dini’s tenure on Detective Comics, especially with the likes of J.H. Williams, Don Kramer and Dustin Nguyen in tow. They may not be stories that redefined the character for a new generation, but they’re simply and unassailably Quality Comics of a sort rarely achieved.

Recommendations: For a more old-school example of the same principle, Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams’ classic tenure on the character is as good as it gets, featuring the likes of The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge - the first comic since his earliest appearances in the 1940s to portray him as the killer clown we know today - and the first appearance of Ra’s Al Ghul. The multiple spinoff comics of Batman: The Animated Series such as the multiple iterations of Batman Adventures and Batman: Gotham Adventures also have a solid hit-to-miss ratio in that regard. And if you’re interested in more of Paul Dini’s Batman comics, Batman: City of Crime with Alex Ross is one of the characters’ all-time great stories, and Dark Night: A True Batman Story with Eduardo Risso is a powerful autobiographical piece on how Dini’s life and work collided in his darkest hour.

8. The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told

What: Exactly what it sounds like, this trade collects standout Batman stories from across the first 50 years of his history.

Why: The trouble with comics is that not all of a characters’ best material is necessarily in individual trades, or single runs - just stick to those and you’ll miss out on some stone-cold classics. There have been plenty of collections attempting to gather up the ‘best of the rest’ to rectify that though, and of those I’d particularly recommend the edition above, filled from top-to-bottom with not only delightful artifacts like The Batman Nobody Knows! and A Caper a Day Keeps the Batman at Bay!, but definitive stories such as The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne! and Death Strikes at Midnight and Three.

Recommendations: For a similarly charming - though I believe far more difficult to track down - retrospective, Batman from the 30′s to the 70′s is certainly worth picking up if you ever happen to see it around. If you find older Batman stories appeal, it’s worth checking out both The Batman Chronicles, collecting his earliest appearances in the 30s and 40s, as well as Showcase Presents: Batman with his 60s adventures, and perhaps the more recent run Batman ‘66, a direct continuation of the Adam West/Burt Ward TV series. You might also be interested in The Brave and the Bold #200, featuring a 'teamup' of sorts between the Batmen of two eras. If what mainly appeals to you is the thrill and comic value of seeing Batman in bizarre situations you’d never see now, Showcase Presents: The Brave and the Bold might be your speed, containing Bob Haney and Jim Aparo’s madcap tenure, as well as Neal Adams’ relatively recent lunatic masterpiece Batman: Odyssey.

9. Planetary/Batman: Night on Earth

EDIT: This list was written prior to allegations made against Warren Ellis. It’s your money, but while I’d still recommend checking the book out of the library - the quality of the work isn’t going to change now that it’s out there in the universe - if you’re looking to pad your bookshelf I might recommend skipping to some of the books suggested below in its place.

What: “Mystery archaeologists” Jakita Wagner, Elijah Snow and The Drummer are a group of superhumans investigating beneath the skin of the Wildstorm universe to uncover the wonders and terrors lurking in its darkest corners. On a trip to Gotham City to apprehend serial killer John Black, his own abilities trigger when cornered to rotate them all through different realities...and in other versions of Gotham, they find they’re not the only ones looking to bring Black to justice.

Why: Planetary built itself on distilling artifacts of 19th and 20th century pop culture (typically by proxy) down to their most essential ideas and iconic values as mysteries to be unveiled, whether 1920s pulp heroes, Godzilla, Sherlock Holmes, 80s and 90s Vertigo comics, James Bond, John Woo revenge flicks, or any of a dozen others. While the other two Planetary crossovers break with formula, this applies it to the biggest modern 20th century icon of all, as a group of hardened Warren Ellis-y superbeings entirely unfamiliar with the concept of ‘Batman’ are forced to run a gauntlet of over 60 years of his most iconic takes when their versions of justice collide. As far as I can tell regarded as a footnote in Batman’s own history, it’s regardless one of his all-time greatest stories, extrapolating him in every direction at once to find the core that unites them all, topping it off with the no-shit best Batman moment of all time.

Recommendations: Most obviously, soon as of the time of this writing Warren Ellis will be tackling a full-scale Batman project alongside longtime collaborator Bryan Hitch, The Batman’s Grave, which I couldn’t be more excited for and obviously recommend checking out. For other stories taking a particularly off-kilter look at Batman and his world, whether through unusual styles or with versions of the character entirely unlike anything ever known, you’ll want to check out the trades of Batman: Black and White, an anthology running as a backup through numerous Batman titles eventually collected in trade, showing a gauntlet of top creators doing their own brief takes on Batman and his world, kicking off no less with another Ellis-written Batman story that powerfully sums up his drive. If you’re looking for something more specifically in the vein of Night on Earth though - a stripped-down, iconic Batman that acknowledges the odder parts of his history and confronts deep emotional truths about himself amidst high-action spectacle - then the current run on Batman proper by Tom King and company is something I’d certainly recommend checking out on the understanding it comes with ups and downs. 

10. Batman: The Black Glove

What: From his great lost love to family he’s never known, from the basement of the GCPD to the bowls of Arkham, from the secrets of the past to the horrors of the future, from the ends of the Earth to the inside of his mind, the grip of Batman’s greatest enemy reaches wherever his shadow falls. Collected variously as Batman and Son and Batman: The Black Glove, Bruce Wayne finds himself matched against a seemingly disconnected series of challenges ultimately pointing towards the machinations of a greater threat; one that has constructed his downfall across decades, weaponizing his own mind and history against him as they build towards breaking the Batman once and for all.

Why: These issues are the start of the best Batman comics of all time. They’re absolutely fantastic all on their own, make no mistake; the first arc introduces one of the most significant Bat-family characters of all time, The Clown At Midnight is a criminally underrated classic, and Club of Heroes has J.H. Williams III drawing what amounts to 7 Batmen and 3 Robins being trapped in the plot of And Then There Were None. But more than that, these issues lay the foundation of a 7-year run by Grant Morrison built around mysteries that reach across every facet of Batman’s world, which not only reinvents him as a character, but is frankly and simply the best sustained run on a major superhero of all time. This should by no means be the first Batman comic you ever read, but make no mistake: everything leads to this.

Recommendations: Well, for one thing there’s the rest of the run. Before moving on, you may if possible want to check out Batman: The Black Casebook, a collection of numerous Golden and Silver Age comics that Morrison drew on significant plot and thematic elements of for his work, and Dark Knight Dark City, a supernatural thriller and one of the best Batman-as-detective comics out there which ends up forming much of the spine of some of Morrison’s biggest developments. From there, the rest of his run is collected across Batman R.I.P. > Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn > Time and the Batman > Batman vs. Robin > Return of Bruce Wayne > Batman and Robin Must Die! > Batman Incorporated > Batman Incorporated: Demon Star > Batman Incorporated: Gotham’s Most Wanted. 

While much of the impact of the run was immediately dismantled (in large part by Morrison himself, who’s had similar experiences in the past and wanted to show the ideas he introduced off on his own terms here), slowly but surely creators are coming around to what he was doing and have followed up accordingly. Grayson - one of the most beloved DC titles of the last several years - follows the original Robin as he infiltrates the superspy agency Spyral introduced in Batman Incorporated, and leads directly into the previously mentioned current excellent run on Nightwing, which itself has a direct sequel to Morrison’s Bat-tenure in the arc Nightwing Must Die! The major DC event book Dark Nights: Metal by the team behind Batman: Zero Year is itself a direct sequel to several of Morrison’s biggest DC stories, his Batman run most of all. Morrison himself at one point announced plans for Arkham Asylum 2, which rather than following up on his graphic novel Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth is apparently a direct sequel to his Batman epic starring Damian Wayne as the Dark Knight; hopefully it will one day see fruition. Finally, if you’re simply looking for something on a similar wavelength of bizarre, lurid international pulp mystery mixed with wild fist-pumping superhero action and character moments, the ongoing crossover Batman/The Shadow - soon to end and be directly followed-up by The Shadow/Batman with the same writer - is easily one of the best of its kind of cross-company team up and absolutely a descendant of the type of Batman comics Morrison’s tenure produced.

[hellsbellssinclub]

Two-Face as Tim’s dad au. Part 2

Part 1/ Part 2

@lookatthisdork I wrote another chapter. Tim wouldn’t shut up and yeah, this happened.

I also somehow made 12 year old Tim absolutely manipulative and determined and shit, this kid is going to end up fucking shit up. I can’t wait to write it. 

Anyway:

Timothy Drake is now 12 years old. But that isn’t going to stop him helping out his biological dad and help him get the proper psychological help that he needs.

Timothy Jackson Drake had two shoe boxes under his bed that held his most prized possession.

One box contained the photos he had taken of Batman and Robin, both the first and the second. Each photo had been taken on a small but professional camera Tim had received from Jack when he had first expressed interest in photography several years back. Tim developed the photos he took in secret, using his bathroom as a dark room and never letting anyone know about it. The chemical burns from developing the photos and the scrapes and bruise he had gotten while chasing after the caped crusader and the boy wonder were worth it, in his opinion.

No one had to know he was going out to get these photos. No one needed to know. It was for his enjoyment alone. Each burn and bruise were covered up by loose clothing and well-placed foundation that he stole from his mother. A lie always rested on his tongue for when they are found and questioned. It was worth it though. The feeling of watching the heroes take on criminals and save the day made Tim feel… alive was the best word to describe it.

The adrenaline of being so high up with no support and no one knowing that he is there was honestly the best rush he had ever gotten. When he was on the buildings looking down on Gotham and her people, it felt like he was a gargoyle; silently watching and seeing all that the city had to offer. Both the good and the bad. There are times when he just sits there, on the roof of some building, listening and watching the city as the cool breeze flows around him.

Tim never feels freer than in those times. Up there on the roof he is nobody. He is nothing. There are no expectations on him. No one telling him that he needs to watch what he says or does. He doesn’t have to dumb himself down or pretend that he likes something that he doesn’t, just so he could fit in more. On the roof, by the gargoyles, he was just another lonely soul with no name. And he adores that feeling more than it was healthy.

The only times when Tim didn’t go out Batman spotting was when Two-Face was out of Arkham. Which was every three to four months. Sometimes Two-Face would be out for months, making Tim stay home and away from the city that he loves. Other times his father would be only out for a week or so before he was taken back into the Asylum; sometimes by Commissioner Gordon, other times by Batman.

Tim avoided the news whenever Two-Face was out. He did not want to know his father’s crimes or what his father was going. Not out of shame or disgust, but out of heartbreak. Harvey Dent was a good man, no matter what the people on the news thought. He was just mentally ill and he needed help.

Help that he was not getting in the hell hole that is Arkham Asylum.

Inside the other shoe box under his bed, Tim had all the letters that his father had sent him from the Asylum over the last four years. From the fine printed letters that were pages long and numbered so Tim could read them in order to the torn and crumbled pages that held messages of love and possession in crayon; Tim kept them all. Since becoming Timothy Drake, it has been hard to get the letters his father has wrote him. Thankfully, Detective Harvey Bullock set up a drop box for Tim so that he could still receive the letters in a safe manner.

It was in those many letters that Tim noticed that his father was not getting the help that he needed. While everyone knew that Arkham was corrupt and that it was all but a revolving door for most of the criminals; Tim knew that Bruce Wayne put a lot of money into the facility and he had hoped that his father’s former friend would have noticed by now that things have gotten bad in the Asylum. After all, Bruce Wayne did not get the title of World’s Greatest Detective just because he dressed up in a weird ass bat suit.

Then again, ever since Jason Todd, the second Robin, had been killed by the Joker, Bruce has not cared for much at all. Wayne Enterprises’ shares have dropped in the last two years at a steady, but damaging rate. Bruce himself has only made a handful of appearances at parties and always leaves early. Not to mention how violent the man has become while wearing the mask. Tim has had to call 911 more times than he wants to admit because the Batman, Gotham’s hero, went over board and nearly killed someone.

If Tim was going to help his father, and by association everyone in Arkham who actually needs it, get the proper mental health help that they need, he was going to have to manipulate both Bruce Wayne and his caped persona into doing what he wants. Something that does not sound or look easy at all.

But Tim knew he could do it. It would be hard yes, but there really was no other choice. Tim couldn’t demand that his father get better treatment like a normal family member could. He was Timothy Drake now, not Timothy Dent. Making a fuss now would expose the lie that had been set up for his safety and Tim could not risk the sacrifice that his mother had made for him. He couldn’t.

Tim originally planned on going to Jim Gordon, the Commissioner. Jim was a long-time friend of his father and had been the namesake of Tim’s original middle name. But things in the GCPD have been… tense with Batman’s latest brutal fights. Jim would not be able to do much at all with his current position at the GCPD being reviewed by Internal Affairs.

So, he would go to Bruce Wayne, one of the few people who know that he was once Timothy Dent. He will bring the relevant letters that showed that his father was deteriorating and he would bring the public files on Arkham spending and the public files on Wayne Enterprises’ donations to Arkham. Tim knows there is a chance that Bruce would just blow him off. The man’s mental health was clearly deteriorating because of the loss of Jason.

Which was why he planned to go to Wayne Manor when he knows Dick Grayson is visiting. The last remaining Fly Grayson, the original Robin and Tim’s first real hero. Dick Grayson was a good man, if hard headed and fashionably challenged. Tim had been there when the Fly Graysons had fallen. Bruce Wayne had taken Tim and his family out for a night at the circus. It had been great night. Tim had gotten a photo with Dick and his family, had gotten to pet an elephant and had gotten to see most of the show before the Graysons had fallen to their deaths with a sickening crunch that still haunts Tim to this day.

It was several days after the Graysons death that they had received word that Dick Grayson had been placed in Gotham’s Juvenile Centre for troubled boys. Harvey Dent had raged when he had heard that the young boy who had just watched his parents fall to their deaths had been sent to a Juvenile Detention Centre; on that was known for its abuse record and corruption. It was one of the few times Tim could ever recall his father hitting the wall in a rage. His mother had ushered him out of the room after that outburst and several hours later he had heard that Dick Grayson was out of that place and was staying with Bruce.

And Tim knew, that despite being Nightwing and despite having continuously taken him back to Arkham, Dick Grayson was extremely thankful to Harvey Dent for helping him get out of that Detention Centre and into the warm safe walls of Wayne Manor. He knew he could rely on Dick kicking up a fuss if Bruce does not immediately do something. If Batman does nothing than Nightwing would at least look into it.

Tim also knew that even with Dick Grayson there to poke and prod Bruce Wayne into looking into the information Tim planned on giving them that there was still a good chance they would both ignore it and say that it is merely just Two-Face’s mental health getting worse and that there was nothing that they could do. Tim had several half-formed ideas for if or when that happened. None of the ideas were pleasant and would likely leave him at odds with Batman and the rest of the superhero community.

But if he was to be honest? Tim did not care if it came to that. Tim still loved his father and would always love him. And even though he could not legally be his son any more, Tim refused to leave his father alone in his fight against his own mind. He refused to allow the corruption in Arkham to stop his father and others from getting the proper treatment they deserve. Yes, there were terrible people in Arkham who were beyond help, like the Joker and Black Mask. But there were others, like his father who had suffered a mental breakdown after having acid destroy half his face. Like Harley Quinn who was tortured both mentally and physically by the Joker and developed Stockholm Syndrome. Like Poison Ivy, who had been forced into her powers against her will and was now so connected to the plant life around her that she is physically hurt when her plants are attacked.

These people needed proper help. Not on and off torturous and experimental medical procedures. They needed real doctors, not men like Hugo Strange who have had lawsuits against them suddenly drop when key witnesses end up dead in alleyways and or unable to testify for one reason or another. Something needs to be done. Or the endless cycle of pain and suffering will not end.

Batman might keep the streets safe by putting the various villains of the week away in Arkham or Blackgate but that does not solve the bigger problem of the repeat offenders getting out and continuing their crimes. Better doctors and psychological help is a good place to start. If Tim can get the ball rolling with adults who have the power to do something than at least he would have a starting point to go off on.

And if ball does not roll with the gentle push he is going to try and give it? Than Tim is just going to have to kick it.