#eldritch gotham

[violent138]

Wayne Manor (always sentient if I have a say) probably has architectural and old-magic ways of distracting or confusing intruders that aren't supposed to be there. You enter a room, searching for something, and decide to explore further, but it takes you ages to realize you've left and re-entered the same room. Bruce used to vanish completely playing hide and seek, and Martha used to spend confused hours trying to find him, half-convinced she'd already looked everywhere, yet still managing to just barely miss him. Forget finding the Cave, even finding the nearest bathroom is near impossible if you did something the house doesn't like.

It also loves Alfred, so it permanently prevents him from leaving.

[puppetmaster13u]

I am pondering cryptid batfam but like. Eldritch. Starts out human but Gotham (or something Else) slowly changes them over the years as they search for an learn unspeakable information, as their minds expand more than a mere human could.

Pretty much becomes not exactly city spirits but Aspects of sorts if I am making any sense. And usually people can tell something is... sort of off, but it's easily dismissible, like a cold spot in a room that you can ignore if you aren't standing in it.

I honestly might draw the ideas for designs I have but idk.

[ultimate-marysue]

Thinking about Eldritch Gotham, one feature I like a lot is time manipulation/alteration. Not only do the Bats manage to keep both lives with enough resting to maintain them, but they can be benched four weeks in October and still be ready for Halloween Night patrol.

To an outsider it seems like they heal super fast or like they don't take enough time to recover, but they swear up and down they've taken a normal time to heal their broken arm. This is partially based on how the comics work, because the amount of events, injuries and recovering they fit in a year makes absolutely no sense. I know it's comic book logic, but I like Eldritch Gotham too much to pass the opportunity to theorize.

[crystalline-tim]

Do you have any more photos of those in your Gotham?

Hm? Oh yeah I do.

Talia is a Lamia. She's been secretly helping us, she's actually not bad. I still don't fully trust her though.

Then Selina, she's a Nekomata. She also has a cat form (between you and me? I think her and Talia have been flirting while they are distracting Ra's)

And Mrs Nora! We think she's a Ice Queen. She really is the sweetest and makes really good food. I can see why Mr Freeze is so dedicated to her. Another reason why we are fighting so hard to break the curse.

[snakenoodlesoup]

I am this close 👌 to making a short-ish sentient Gotham fic and their ties and relationship to the Batfam, specifically Bruce.

Might include a bonus chapter if it does well, we'll see

[frownyalfred]

Hi, just in case I got it wrong in the gift section, just wanted to let you know the "Gotham blesses/corrupts the bats" is done, and it's called A Deal You Didn't Know You'd Made. It got, uh, prosey? poetic? But I hope you find it enjoyable ^.^

Oh my goodness! I haven’t gotten the notification yet (I think something is up with my gift fic notifications tbh) but o just went and read it!!

Link for anyone also wanting to read more about this topic.

[panic-and-procrastinate-writing]

list of my jason todd story ideas that i might turn into comics:

1. Batman and Robin 1987 - follows jasons robin years, his struggles with going from poverty to suddenly being a rich kid. his struggles with making friends, hes both the rich kid and street rat, and no one likes him. his struggles with being robin and trying to live up to dicks reputation, but also make himself his own person. he also has to stop a mass dissapearance of crime alley kids, before he's next.

2. new outlaw team but it completes jasons version of the justice league - he already got a wonder and a super in artemis and bizarro, he got an arrow in roy, so all thats left is a martian, a speedster, an atlantean and lantern. jasons girl gang. (with a couple enbies) they work stop the "apocalypse"... after they stop the "apocalypse" they work together as team, and family, since they have no one else to depend on.

3. another outlaw team (but could be called something else) - a werewolf and huntsman team up with jason to stop a magic cult in gotham. the huntsman was trained (conditioned) to kill monsters, and the werewolf has a personal stake in the matter. jasons a mix of both, since its his hometurf, but magic is his thing in the batfam. they mostly just fight each other at first, but they go thru developement and become the ride or die boys, saving gotham in the process. they then travel the world and stop magic crimes and stuff from happening.

4. Eldritch gotham and a pyschic work to save Red Hoods life - turns out gotham brought him back to life originally, and the pyschic is her voice now. they work together and solve crimes. (the eldritch gotham could also have a thing to do with the ride or die boys. im happy to put this idea in any comic.)

5. other misc ideas i have that aren't fleshed out - Fixing the isabel and essence plot hole. they need to get out of the blood blade and jason could help? - red hood and ravager duo book, but i'd have to read more about ravager first. - Numbers, i wanna put him in a book bc he's got potential, but idfk what to do with him. maybe with a crimeboss jason and he's the "secretary" >:)

[redhoodscorvid]

Dunwall's bloody coups + Court of Owls, anyone?

we should talk more about cities that are vampires. cities that are cold and wet and sink into your bones and stay there. cities that are hungry and want to live. dead cities that dont know they're dead and suck the life force of their people to maintain the delusion. cities with harbors that are actually mouths; one-way entries. cities that are devastatingly lonely and see consumption as love

[deadsetobsessions]

Tim Drake, Danny’s human identity in this universe, is a boy trapped in an empty manor with absentee parents a low socialization.

Danny Phantom, on the other hand, is Gotham City himself. He could fly, he could interact, he could be the heart of his city like he needs to be. From the lowest of the lows to the highest of the highs, Danny loved the people that were his. Well, most of them. Child molesters often found themselves crossing paths with a vengeful, mostly recovered Robin.

He is the city, he is Gotham. And with his status came more changes, ones he welcomes more readily that the changes that came with his title of Ghost King.

Being a city couldn’t change him as much as it would have, had he gained the title before becoming King. But now, his shadows are dark, curling around his shoulders and curling away what little light he allowed into his city. His skin, having once glittered green with stars and galaxies and black holes, clouds over just a bit. It gives him a misty quality. His hands become sharper, stronger. Gargoyle-like. He wonders what he looked like to Batman, holding his broken son cradled safely to himself. He’s crueler, now, but that’s easily balanced by his years of being a vigilante himself.

He loves these changes. They are loved in a way changing into Dead Danny Phantom and Ghost King Danny Phantom will never be loved. And even though his human features are different in a way he never had to deal with as Danny Fenton, because it was his body that he died in, Danny finds himself enjoying the distinction. And he enjoys when they combine, because in the end, they’re just facets of who he is, now.

Gotham flies through his city, and enjoys it as a whole. A bigger picture.

Tim Drake walks through his city, and enjoys it as an individual. The smaller picture.

Being Gotham reminds him of what he had to protect as a whole. A duty he gladly bears.

Being Tim reminds him of the people he’s meant to help, the stories he doesn’t get as Danny. A connection he gladly encouraged.

Gotham is power. He is duty, he is fierce love. But for the good of the whole.

Tim is kindness. He is choice, he is gentle devotion. But for the good of the individual.

He’s both.

Danny. Danny Phantom.

Phantom glides through the smog.

The ebb and flow of people is his life blood, the thrumming of life and death and fear and hate and love and everything the city is sung through him and Danny sung back with everything he had. Danny is the gargoyles perched high, watching everything. He’s the stone curves of the sewers, sheltering his rats and mutant murderous crocodile man. The is no love comparable to a city’s mutant rats and their sewers. Ancients, he loves his city.

It would be nice, Danny thinks wryly, if they’d love me enough to stop blowing up buildings.

The sting of destruction to his city would hurt much more, had he not also been King. Regardless, every time there’s an explosion or general large scale property damage, he feels a stab of mild pain. Catching sight of his Bats, Danny stays invisible while following them. He wills the shadows to cradle them, to hide them further. He softens the stone, the mortar, the steel, just a hint. Their footsteps, silent and aided by the city himself. The wind steal away the noise of the grappling guns, so when Danny’s favorite vigilante duo (a fascination he shared with original text!Tim) broke into the building, not a single soul aside them are aware of the intrusion.

Batman skulks across the support beams, Robin following with an anticipatory grin. Danny floats, invisible, undetectable, besides them.

“C’mon!” A goon grunts beneath them. Danny tilts his head. A… Dresden Aberthy. Wow. That’s one hell of a name.

“Hurry it up! Boss said Batman’s going to get here soon!” Another goon- Robbert- said, waving around a gun like a moron at the terrified hostages. Danny could tell half of them were part of a tour bus, mostly because the other half were his Gothamites, bored and unfairly used to this kind of thing. The tourists… He’s fond of them, having kept track of their progress through his city. He doesn’t care for intruders on his haunt, but tourists like to appreciate his city and its doubtlessly Sam-approved architecture. Most of them. Rude tourists get pigeon shit on their heads and food stolen by his lovely rats.

He’ll have to make sure none of the bullets hit the tourists. He likes this group, even if he has enough awareness to question their sanity in choosing his city to sightsee. He knows it’s a mess. It’s Danny’s mess though, so whatever.

——

All said and done, Batman whoops ass and Robin rescues the hostages just fine. Danny grins proudly as Robin knees a guy in the crotch and punches a lady’s throat in order to incapacitate them.

After they tied the goons up, and interrogated them for Two Face’s plans- explode a quarter of Gotham to distract the Bats from his diabolical plan to murder half of Gotham’s judges and lawyers that have been going after him and his people- the duo retreats to the rooftop.

“Didja think Gotham saw that?”

Batman goes to reply, but Danny beats him to it, coming back to visibility with a wind touched laugh.

“I did, little Robin.” Danny smiles, fangs and shadows on display as his vigilantes startles and whips around to face him. “You did well.”

Robin- Jason!- gapes at him.

“I see you’ve recovered, little bird.”

“Gotham! Oh. Wow. People always said Gotham was a lady, but you’re a guy!”

“It was a Lady,” Danny confirmed. “It’s complicated, little bird.”

“So, you’re really… you’re really Gotham? The city?”

Danny looks at Robin with the weight of the city behind his gaze.

“I think you know the answer to that. But yes, I am your city.”

“Constantine,” Batman starts. “He said that city spirits only appear in times of grave danger.”

There is deference in his words. Batman is Batman for Gotham, after all. Danny just wishes he could… well, be friendlier with his knights. May this is a good place to start.

Are you in danger? What threats do we need to handle? How can I help? How can I protect? Please, let me help.

His Knight always felt more than he ever says. Danny smiles.

“Was Robin’s wellbeing not in grave danger?” Danny floats closer. “I am your city. You protect me, it is only right that I protect you, no?”

“Thank you for saving me, Gotham!” Robin’s grin is a touch more sincere than usual.

“Of course, Robin. You are loved.”

“Is there… a reason you’ve shown yourself today? Gotham.”

Danny chuckles, understanding the awkwardness that was Batman addressing someone with deference.

“I wanted to tell you that you did well tonight. Those tourists weren’t harmed in the slightest. Well done.” Danny gave Robin a playful but sincere thumbs up.

“They weren’t a match for us!”

“No, they weren’t.” Danny ruffles Robin’s hair, noticing how still he grew at it. “Robin was too fast for them. That maneuver at the end was masterfully executed.”

Batman clears his throat and Danny resists the urge to laugh at him. It would be mean.

“Thank you, for the… praise.”

Fuck it. He’s played well behaved for too long.

“Yes. I read in child rearing books that positive reinforcement is necessary for healthy development. You did well, Batman.”

Despite trolling Batman- and somehow holding a straight (and hopefully wise face)- he meant every word.

Allowing a small smile to slip at Robin’s chortles and Batman’s quiet sputtering, Danny moves on.

“Where is Nightwing, Batman?”

“He’s still on a mission...”

“If it is awkward to refer to me as Gotham, Phantom will do.”

Batman dips his head once. “In space, with the Teen Titans.”

“I see. Please tell him I request his presence,” Danny barely waits for Batman’s oddly acquiescing agreement before summoning a pigeon.

“Follow her,” Danny instructs the duo. “She’ll lead you to the places with explosives. I will guide you through her, to Harvey Dent.”

Danny winces as another explosion rings out.

“Your face is cracking!” Robin exclaimed, worried. He surged forward to stare at the hairline cracks appearing on Danny’s jaw.

“That would be the explosives. Any damage to the city will be shown on me.”

“Well take care of it.” Batman growled, shoulders straightening once more into an imposing symbol.

“Yeah!”

“I know you will. Stay safe.” Danny disappears, spreading his awareness and directing his Birds to the explosives that will go off the fastest.

Batman and Robin share a glance and leaps off the roof, ready to save their city once more.

——

Tim Drake wanders around Crime Alley, and meets a blonde nine year old trying to throw hands at her absentee Riddler knockoff of a dad. He dodges the brick en route to his face and kicks the guy’s knees out.

“You okay?”

The girl blinks. She stares at her dad, groaning on the dirty street of crime alley, and flicks her gaze back up to Tim, who waits casually.

“Yep. I’m Stephanie. We’re gonna be friends now!”

She grins at him, a baby tooth missing, and Danny melts.

“Heck yeah. Tim!” He introduces himself for the first time in a long time.

Maybe with Stephanie around, he’ll finally use the name Tim? Maybe he’ll get used to it, finally!

[violent138]

Damian keeps a tally going of unexpected wildlife he finds in the city. Bruce is a little confused because every time Damian points out something unexpected he's tracking Bruce catches a glimpse of something bizarre and definitely not animal, or even real at the very edge of his vision. Still, no camera or anyone else picks up on it, so he tends to forget the incidents as soon as they happen.

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 28

 Alright this might be a little rambly but bear with me lol

 An Au where the Batfam and rogues become intrinsically entwined with Gotham itself, almost akin to manifestations, like its own twisted pantheon of sorts. Hence why after a while, they can’t die, or at least not permanently. 

 It doesn’t matter how damaged their body becomes, if they’re beaten black and blue, torn apart, or turn to ash in a shower of flames. Gotham won’t let them go, not now, not when they’re a part of it now. A part of its legends and mythos. They are Gotham’s as much as Gotham is theirs. 

 Some resist, leaving, but they’ll always be drawn back. Gotham has marked them, the people have invoked their names for protection or damnation akin to the gods of old. 

[bloody-kitsune-lover]

Danny, the child of Gotham and Bruce

+ Eldtrich horror Gotham, think of Nyx from Lore Olympus, just with more shadow tentacles.

While on a Gala Gotham

In all her eldtrich glory, Gotham came to Brucie Wayne and left their toddler eldtrich child in his lap. Tiny Danny has black hair, blue eyes, tiny bat wings, and fangs.

It became a news paper!

But most people weren't that surprised, just confused. How do you have a child in a city? Is it like when a god had a child with the earth or so?? 

Don't ask Bruce! He has no idea!

+

For extra drama

Metropolis, in his eldtrich, handsome light form, is angry that Bruce slept with Gotham.Only for Gotham to say she doesn't care about him anymore!

+

Poor Bruce, believe him! He didn't mean this!! 

But not even one person believes him, and worse, his children! They joke that Gotham is now their stepmother. And Lady Gotham is totally okay with it!

[ultimate-marysue]

"Being here, surrounded by rogues and bats, isn’t good for you. Why stay?"

Jason’s grey-blue eyes stared into the depths of his soul. There was a small moment of doubt, a hesitation that too often led to unfinished conversations. Whatever he read in Roy’s too eager stare, seemed to be enough to tip the scales in his favor.

"City's haunted."

Roy wants to know why Jason stays in Gotham despite all his trauma, Jason tells him the story of his ressurrection.

So, I hereby bring you my Jayroy x Eldritch Gotham AU. Lots of feelings, lots of silliness. I hope you enjoy it, I’m considering turning it into a longer story but it can be read as a stand alone one shot.

[spacedace]

So I've seen a lot of "Jazz works as a therapist at Arkam" in the dp x dc fandom, and while I like the concept, I also feel like Jazz would take one look at the place and immediately be like "what the absolute fuck" at just the everything of the place.

Like, she either nopes out after the tour during the interview or quits not too long afterward starting there, not because she can't take it but because she's so appalled by what's going on there and can smell the corruption rolling off the place and knows no one sent to there is ever actually going to get the help they need.

So Jazz decides to open a private practice instead while still being absolutely determined to work with the various rogues in the city, she is here to help and nothing is going to stop her.

So she just starts showing up at known hangouts of rogues and during their heists/schemes/sprees, and even fights between them and the batfam, just like

"Hi! It’s so nice to meet you! My name is Dr. Jasmine Fenton/Nightingale/whatever last name she’s using and I was hoping we could talk!"

Casually kicks a baterang away without looking because she's being polite and professional!

"I understand that your experience with therapy through Arkam has been nothing but atrocious and that you are rightfully -"

Kicks Batman away without breaking eye contact or a sweat.

"Suspicious of attempting therapy again, and Idon't want to force anything on you, therapy should be on your terms after the experiences you've had but -"

Grabs Robin out of the air as he leaps at the rogue she's talking to and tucks him under her arm, ignoring his feral hissing and all attempts to break her hold.

"-I really think that you'd find it beneficial, even if I'm not the right therapist for you."

The rogue in question is having the time of their life and takes Jazz's business card - and a few extra to pass around - not really intending to actually ever book a therapy appointment with her but way too entertained and excited to share this madness with everyone else.

But then one of the rogues actually looks up Jazz's website and sees all the various safe guards she’s put in place to ensure that any villians that come to her will be protected while seeing her - soundproof therapy room, regular sweeps for listening and tracking devices, the most insane firewalls and protections anyone has ever seen on her network, and ooh she provides snacks and drinks!

So someone finally books an appointment with her, half convinced she's either going to turn them in or is a villain herself intent to experiment on them, but then it’s actually really nice??? And they feel a lot better afterwards?? She doesn't even say anything to indicate that she wants them to stop being villains, she just wants them to be okay??

So more and more rogues start going to her, and Batman was already losing his mind about this woman before - Oracle can't hack her system?!? And her background check shows a totally normal Psychiatrist?? - but now half of Gotham's heavy hitters and a dozen or so other minor league villains are seeing her regularly and every time he tries to get info on any plans the rogues might be scheme via her office it fails utterly. Nightwing got knocked out with something called a creep stick and when he tried to break in himself to get answers she just appeared out of no where and gave him the most scathing lecture about doctor-patient confidentiality before bullying him off her property and threatening to sick her brother on him if he tried again?

And because she's become such a figure in the Gotham underworld, she gets the attention of Joker.

And everyone, rogues and Bats alike, are terrified that she’s going to try and take him on as a patient like she has so many other villains in the city and that's just a recipe for tragedy.

But then the Joker is on his way to the hospital with two broken legs and the fear of god beat into him babbling about eldritch nightmares and whenever anyone asks Jazz what happened she just shrugs and just says things like "I refused him as a patient, he's not my problem." Or "My brother doesn't like clowns." And just, does not elaborate.

Batman is losing his mind over it all. Jazz is just happy to be able to actually help the rogues. Arkam is less happy about how she absolutely destroys their reputation.

[ghost-bxrd]

Prompt:

It takes forever and a day for someone to notice, but after decades of crime fighting, the Justice League finally catches onto the fact that—-

Batman doesn’t seem to be aging. At all.

Sure there are some lines on his face but anybody with as many children as him would have them. And yes, he does complain of back pains every now and again, but he’s been doing that since the day the JLA first formed, so who knows.

Come to think of it, his gaggle of kids don’t seem to be a day over twenty-two either. None of them. Even Nightwing, who should be well into his fourties’ (fifties?? Sixties???) still looks exactly the same.

The JLA decide to investigate.

Which isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do, because it’s Gotham, and every single person in that godforsaken city is bloody insane as they come to find out. (With a side dish of plausible deniability to boot)

[weirdheadcanons]

@farshootergotme

There's the Eldritch Gotham idea with some basis in canon (depending on which version of canon you are going with, lol).

The whole Barabtos-the-Bat-Demon bound to the soul of the city thing. There is the suggestion that Gotham does not want outsiders - especially not outsider metas - in the city.

In fact, Gotham seems more or less unhealthy to metas who have the enough power. Signal is okay, but Gotham and Gotham Girl have crashed spectacularly. Along with the Rogue Metas who all seem to develope some kind of mental issues along with their powers.

I'm pretty sure in one of the canon comics team up with Etrigan Bruce says something like, the city will allow the Bats to operate, but anyone else runs too high a risk. He can't explain it logically, but Etrigan suggests some mystic explanation as a half-taunt.

Yeah, I am coming up with ideas to keep Titans from assisting Dick!Bats.

Partly because I don't know much about the Titans, partly because I love angst a bit too much, lol

Imagining an AU where Bruce died instead of Jason...

Yeah, I know Death in the Family movie did it, but I kinda want more of Dick...

Imagining Dick moving back to Gotham, taking over as Batman, inheriting Wayne Industries as well as the guardianship of his little brother whom he barely knows...

Kinda like the Canon version with Damian, but here Dick is much younger, nineteen or twenty, and there are way less Bats to rely on or wrangle. Dunno if even Babs was there.

It's Dick, Alfred and Jason, all of them mourning, trying to get through it ...

Dick trying to deal with having Jason as his Robin, Jason hating himself for what happened and reacting by lashing out at everyone, especially Dick, Alfred overwhelmed by the mess... Dick working himself practically to death trying to handle Gotham's surge of Rogues...

Barbara was introduced as a character way before Jason, but their relationship wasn't as close as it is now, so I don't know how willing would be Dick to rely on her.

That aside, I love the idea. But Dick sure wouldn't. So young yet so old at the same time with all these responsibilities on his back... Since during this time he was part of the Titans, I feel he could lean on them from time to time, but I know Dick tends to try to shoulder everything on his own when things get tough.

Jason would definitely grow to be more angsty and closed off after Bruce's death, specially if he considers it being his fault if Bruce dies for the same reason he did originally.

Dick and Alfred would have to work pretty hard to get Jason to open up again and feel happier despite the situation. Everyone would be so stressed...

But I think with time things would get better. Alfred, with Dick and Jason's company, would feel less lonely, even though his son is gone. Dick would get used to the weight of the cowl, but I don't know if he'd ever grow to be fond of it, since being Batman was the last thing he wanted, specially during his early years as Nightwing. Jason... He'd have the hardest time accepting what happened. There'd be a lot of denial and anger, I think. But with the support of his brother and the reassurance of Alfred, he'd learn to accept it.

And back to the Titans, at first maybe they'd have a hard time getting Dick to let them help, but after a while Dick would welcome them and allow them to support him during all this. They won't leave their leader alone, and they will make sure to show him he isn't alone.

I don't know if Dick would forever be Batman or if at some point he'd be able to move back to being Nightwing, but would love to see how that'd play out.

Also, I wonder how that'd change the family? Since now most of them would probably join in different circumstances, and some might not join at all.

A lot to think and a lot to consider.

Thanks for the ask, anon!