#in which joker realizes what kind of story he's in
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
lfthinkerwrites · 2 months ago
Text
Salvation
Title: Downfall
Chapter Title: Salvation
Fandom: Batman
Rating: M
Chapter summary:
Penelope has her final meeting with the Joker.
ao3 link
preview
Penelope said nothing but tightened the tourniquet. Joker shot her a warning look, only for her to gesture at the vein that had just become visible in his pale white skin. "I'm sorry, but I need to make sure I get your vein."
Joker relaxed. "Well, give a guy a little warning next time!" He said nothing as Penelope poured an alcoholic solution onto a piece of cotton and gently rubbed the skin around his vein. She pulled away, discarding the swab onto the floor. She stared a moment at the Joker. Here he was, sitting patiently in a wheelchair, with no idea what was coming. He met her gaze. "Well, go on!" he chided. "I'm not afraid of needles."
Penelope nodded. She turned her back on him, towards the table. The small box was within reach now. She could feel Joker's eyes fixed on her, but her body blocked his view of the box. This was it. This was her one shot. Even if she couldn't get past Joker's men, she could at least end it. She shut her eyes, and once again, she saw Eddie's face. For you, my darling. For you. She opened her eyes and made like she was reaching for an empty syringe on her right. "This might sting." Then at the last second, she reached into the box, pulled out the syringe, and whirled around to face Joker.
0 notes
goldengirlgalaxy · 3 months ago
Text
The Bedazzler
After a very hazy night that... may or may not have been caused by something he found in the Ghost Zone, Danny ends up discovering in his haze he bought an absolutely outrageous amount of various craft supplies, especially shiny things like those little plastic rimstones.
Good news, everything was bought from a going out of business sale, so he didn't drain all of his funds. Bad news, everything was bought from a going out of business sale, which means he can't return them. And, frankly, he doesn't want to just throw away a bunch of stuff he paid for. But he still doesn't know what to do with it all.
At least until Clockwork decides to give Danny a small boon that lets him stop time. Then he gets some ideas.
It first starts off with Superman. He's doing his regular hero thing, when he suddenly feels his cape pulled to one side. He brushes it off as the wind, until people start pointing at his back. Clark nearly panics when he finds a bunch of green crystals on his cape, only to calm when he realizes they're plastic and attached with glue. That of course begs the question, who was able to glue gemstones to his back without him noticing?
Later that same day he's both amused and even more confused when Luthor appears again, only for a bunch of gem stickers to appear on top of his bald head, clearly arranged to spell out 'I Heart Superman' in icons.
Captain Marvel suddenly feels something appear on his head, only to discover it's some kind of cardboard crown. He's confused, but ultimately decides to wear it the rest of the day, thinking it might be from some meta fan of his.
Martian Manhunter finds a necklace appearing on him. When he pulls it off, he finds it's one of those Shrinky Dink plastics, designed to look like a medal that says '#1 Hero' on it, also with some extra plastic gems for extra bling. He wears it proudly for the rest of the day.
The Gotham Bats all get hit at the same time. Fake flowers, various colors of ribbons, Red Robin had a helium balloon attached to him for an hour, and of course plenty of shiny fake gems.
At first, everyone thought the funniest part of the mysterious crafts was Red Hood appearing with several rimstones attached to his hood where he mouth would be, several gold ones arranged in such a way that it looked like he was flashing a bunch of yellow teeth.
Then the Joker showed up. And was promptly doused in several pounds of glitter. Even better, it got into his eyes, effectively blinding him and giving the Bats a chance to capture him (after they were done laughing).
Of course, as more Leaguers get trolled, the more the stories start to paint a picture of someone running around pranking them. And many of them want to know just who this Bedazzler is.
Meanwhile, Danny is laughing his ass off and is planning on giving his friends a chance to have their own fun.
3K notes · View notes
tulisydan · 11 months ago
Text
Bojan & Käärijä timeline: LIVERPOOL
1.5.
They all arrive to Liverpool, Käärijä has his first rehearsal
2.5.
Joker out has their first rehearsal
Käärijä’s ja Bojan’s dinner date and intagram live. During this the rest of the Joker out were doing interviews in their hotel and Bojan very proudly tells this to Jere
Here’s some instagram stories from their date
3.5.
Käärijä’s second rehearsal. Also tiktok-live. He was asked which country he would give 12 points. First he’s so frustrated because “you can only give to one country the 12 points, that’s meaannn” but obviously his answer was:
4.5.
Käärijä had a meet & greet press conference. The birth of ”The Bojan”
may 4th was also the famous boat day!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
5.5.
Joker Out has their second rehearsal
Käärijä had a livestream with Katri. Obviously Joker Out and Bojan mentions.
Nordic party where Joker out sneaked to
6.5.
Joker Out’s interview and Käärijä living rent free on Bojan’s mind. (He was asked if people stops him on the streets to take selfies, ”not as much as Käärijä tho, I blame his hair and pants 🥰”)
Famous babyseal interview.
Käärijä, his dancers and Bojan playing never have I ever. THIS was the birth of the “ARE YOUU”.
7.5.
Turquoise carpet day!
Käärijä’s and dancers ig-live. Jere keeps saying Carpe diem when he means turquoise carpet.
Käärijä interview, wild Bojan in the backround saying hi to the dancers
8.5.
Bojan, Kris and Jan visited in Käärijä’s sauna, here’s Yle’s video, here’s some more videos
I have come to a conclusion that this video of bojan and jere doing this carpe diem -thing is from the same day as they are wearing the same clothes.
Tumblr media
9.5.
1st Semifinal
This fucking interview. Some highlights:
- Kris saying that Jere said to them that if Joker Out won’t get to the final, käärijä will NOT perform there either!
- live reaction when the interviewer said that Finland is on first place on Joker Out’s monthly listeners -list on spotify
- Bojan said he wanted to go to Käärijä’s sauna today too but it was too full.
- Bojan tries to say ”hyvää päivää” (good afternoon) in finnish but fails. Some people try to claim he said ”hyvää vittua” or ”hyi vittu” but I really think he accidently said ”hyvää yötä” (good night). Because I think it’s cute that jere would teach him all those finnish sayings.
- Bojan telling about the snus proposal. He was genuinely surprised and only realized that it was a joke after he saw everyone filming. Then he pretended to took the snus for the Content. Says he once tried snus but threw up the whole night. (Then tried to impress jere in Tavastia and used snus, what a loser)
- fanfiction talk… Kris asks if there’s fics about Jere and Bojan. Bojan doesn’t know. (Or so he says)
- this fucking thing that Bojan said about Jere:
”We bonded over that childish energy that we both have. Käärijä is a very nice guy. He’s been very busy in this eurovision season, everybody wants a piece of him and I think it was quite necessary for him to find someone to like, kind of relax and put his mind off stuff”
Joker out reacting to semifinal 1 qualifiers
10.5.
Bojan had this interview where he kept saying ”Jere” instead ”Käärijä” to random interviewers
Tumblr media
Also another interview where he talked about his and Jere’s friendship. This was his face:
Tumblr media
11.5.
Second semi final (SSF)
Jere watching Joker Out Bojan perform
Tumblr media
12.5.
Dress rehearsal
Whatever this was:
Tumblr media
Did Jere just hang out the whole day under the Slovenian flag?
Tumblr media
13.5.
Final
Tumblr media Tumblr media
259 notes · View notes
l-in-the-light · 2 months ago
Text
The most embarrassing series of posts about Lawlu you will ever read: edition Zou (part 11)
Let's continue the "love is a hurricane" tale after the small break :D This time we finish up Zou and get ready for hard decisions to be made and undesired seperation approaching!
Tumblr media
A reminder that in Punk Hazard Luffy immediately picked up on Joker and inquired Law to know more, because he realized Law is somehow connected to that person. Picture below for comparison's sake:
Tumblr media
But on Zou Lufy learns Sanji is connected to Germa and he doesn't care nor does he want to know anything more. Even Nami is slightly taken aback (though it's Luffy's usual behaviour here!), but that's also because she realized for the first time that Sanji was lying all this time to them and she doesn't know what to think about it.
Law is getting special treatment, basically became Luffy's special interest, and he has no idea about it!
Tumblr media
Again, Luffy intends to go alone and do his best not to declare the war on Big Mom in the process. That's because he has his alliance with Law and they can't afford an extra side conflict on the way. Now, would Luffy care about any of that, if it wasn't Law he was having an alliance with? My bet's still on "no".
Tumblr media
Still remembering Neko Mamushi's name and that's because he knows seeing Neko Mamushi means he will see Heart Pirates and Law if he sticks around, heh.
Tumblr media
Now let's look at things from Law's perspective, even if just for the laughs, shall we? He went to see his Heart Pirates, spent some time with them, then relayed a message to Luffy through Pedro that they're waiting for Strawhats to join them (because remember? Heart Pirates can't leave the whale forest!). Law then learns that either 1. Luffy never joins them 2. Pedro tells him Luffy said "later".
So the result is that Law arrives here seeking Luffy (just like Luffy wanted him to, btw), but I wonder what he might be thinking... "how dare you, Mugiwara-ya, I told you to come and you have more important matters?!" or perhaps "Are they in some kind of trouble? Mugiwara-ya is always in trouble, so it's not unlikely, maybe I should go and check things out". Personally, my bet is on a mix of both, seeing his rather unhappy face above when he looks at Strawhats doing some shanenigans with Nekomamushi haha.
Tumblr media
And this is the scene that welcomes Law as he finds Luffy and his crew. He's clearly confused by whatever is happening in front of him. And then Luffy notices him like *immediately* and greets him with huge enthusiasm. Because of course he would, he was trying to be so brave and not miss him every second they're apart, and yet that immediate reaction proves us that Law was constantly on his mind anyway and his eyes were always looking around to spot him the very moment he will arrive. Which is exactly what happened.
Now let's take a look at Law curiously holding his sword in both hands, because there's a story there, shown to us only through visual language. His sword was resting on his arm, but for some reason he grabs it after he witnessed all the chaos. Just a moment later it will return back to his shoulder again. Why?
Just take a look at this:
Tumblr media
Remember how he did the same thing much, much earlier in same arc? He grabbed his sword when he sensed danger or a stranger approaching them (just like Zoro). This is how he prepares to unshield his Kikoku so he can be ready to attack, if neccessary, but he unshields his sword only when he feels malignant intent. A good swordsman is always on alert, after all!
And he does the exactly same thing when he looks at the commotion around Luffy and Nekomamushi (but he's a bit more cautious here). He sees the ruckus and his first instinct isn't to question Luffy or scold him for causing trouble. Nah, none of that. His very first reaction is to take his weapon and prepare to fight, because if Luffy is in danger, it's his duty to help! Ain't that freaking sweet? :D and all of that shown without any words needed, heh.
Tumblr media
"I came to give you an introduction", he says while his eyes aren't even visible, so we know he's telling us bullshit :D (also notice, the sword is back on his shoulder, because Luffy's cheerful greeting put his mind at ease that he doesn't have to attack anyone and that everything is alright!)
Heart Pirates look like they lowkey rehearsed that introduction pose. They remind me of heroes from some Power Rangers show. I wonder if that's how wacky Sora Warrior of the Sea comic is :D because we can expect that if Law is a fan, all of his North Blue crew is as well. They look so goofy and cheerful in comparison to his stoic, cool and broody energy.
Tumblr media
Luffy's like "yo!!", because he actually met them already, this is his second time when he sees them and had some interaction with them at Zou, so it's not like he woud need introduction, lol (sneaky Luffy is a mood, I swear). But why would Luffy care if he got a proper introduction or not anyway? After all he didn't do one for Law either! In fact I don't think Luffy ever did any introductions before.
Tumblr media
And it's true ever since the beginning of the manga. Nami didn't get introduced to Zoro, Zoro didn't get introduced to Nami (he had to ask her himself who she is!). The best they can get is "this is going to be our crewmate/navigator", no names included. Lol. That also explains why Zoro is so used to Luffy's crap and in Punk Hazard he just stays around Law and doesn't question it, until the guy goes towards Sunny, lol. Just see it for yourself below:
Tumblr media
And all of this happened despite Law asking Luffy to "let the rest of his crew know". Usually Luffy not making any introductions slips our minds, because whenever new crewmate appears they're all together so it's not even an issue. But sometimes, we get reminded Luffy didn't really learn manners and this is one of those examples. Law remembers the offense though.
Tumblr media
Especially after Luffy told him he would do that. But he never did. LOL.
Tumblr media
Just look at those frames right next to each other. Luffy tells them to "get along" (nakayoku), and Law, after refusing to introduce his Hearts crew to Luffy, says the same line but with negation "You don't have to get along". That's his revenge, right there. Luffy didn't introduce his crew to him, so Law is not gonna introduce his Hearts to him either. Ba dum tss.
Luffy is completely unaffected by it, because it's Luffy. The ones who are actually affected are Hearts and they boo their captain for it. They call him out for his bullshit behaviour, which makes me think that 1. they're allowed to complain whenever they feel like (around timeskip they also complained to Law that they want to go already to the New World). 2. Law usually DOES give introductions, because they're completely dumbfounded by this situation.
You all still need more proof this was Law's revenge? :D And if you believe this now, I need to remind you that my deduction about Law's nicknames for Strawhats all the way back in part 4 of this analysis series is probably true as well: he did not recognize Franky, Usopp and Brook, because the last time he checked on Strawhats was around Sabaody and when they returned after timeskip he was already stuck in Punk Hazard, not able to read the newest info on them.
Tumblr media
Now let's take a look at this scene, in which Law scolds Luffy for "letting" Sanji go with Big Mom. On the surface level, nothing unusual, right? After all it's just yet another scene in which Law is worried and scolding Luffy. Except that Law never did that before when it comes to Luffy's own crew. Law knows this is an alliance, Luffy is the captain of his crew, he's the one responsible for them, not Law. In Punk Hazard Law made sure to always leave things up to Luffy when it concerned his crew, always doing the "relay the message to your crew" attempt and never telling them anything directly.
But here, in Zou, Law is openly scolding Luffy *in front of his own crew* about the situation with Sanji, a Strawhat. Honestly, it seems like he's stepping here completely out of line. It's almost like Law is part of Strawhats and has the right to be angry at the situation, not just voice his concern as an ally. This is the moment that Law starts seriously treating Strawhats like they are his second crew, imo. There's no artificial distance anymore, no "I'm just allied with them, I have to know my place" frame of mind. Whatever concerns Strawhats is clearly Law's problem as well now. It kinda started already in Dressrosa, when Law told half of the crew to just sail off to Zou, but then the situation was different, they were in danger, it could be seen as emergency situation. Zou though? No excuses here, Mr Trafalgar Law. Are you sure this is just an alliance to you?
Tumblr media
Law finally voices his real thoughts here, because he doesn't want Zou to suffer even more than it did already (it is homeland of his friend Bepo after all). And he's throwing back the same argument Luffy threw at him in Dressrosa! Luffy looks like he's actually at a loss here and no wonder, because what can they do? Let's look at things from Luffy's perspective. His crewmate is stuck with Big Mom, they have to go to Kaido but can't yet, and they also can't stay here at Zou because they're putting minks at risk. Their options are very limited and situation is very complicated, Law made sure Luffy understands it. But their talk is interrupted by the minks so we will never know in which direction Law actually wanted to take it (we can tell from Luffy's face that Luffy is not gonna offer any actual feedback here). Or do we have a hunch about that actually?
Tumblr media
Let's look at the title of the chapter, with Vivi on the cover (we all know she actually wanted to tell Luffy to "take her with him", but she had responsibilities to the country she also deeply loved, so she's also relevant for this chapter's title!), Luffy asks Pekoms to take him with him... and curiously enough Law shouts at Luffy, making the exactly same face expression. Maybe that's the direction he actually wanted the talk to go? It would fit his personality ngl, that he wouldn't want to leave Luffy to go alone to another Emperor's territory, without any decent plan. Especially because we know how much he worries for him all the time.
Tumblr media
Feasting, Strawhats and Hearts bonding happily together. Even Pandaman joined in! Not Law though lol.
Tumblr media
Ninja time :D Strawhats really push the agenda that there's no shame in loving ninjas and other cool stuff. They have so many requests too! That must have influenced Law that it's alright to voice his own request as well (but he waits with it, hoping maybe someone else can voice it first, so he doesn't have to, haha). He's murmuring it and it fits him so well, because he's not one to admit too openly how much he wants to actually see it, which makes this scene all the more special. Strawhats, and especially Luffy, really have a good influence on him. Even Zoro joins in, right after Law, probably to show support like a good bro he is.
Tumblr media
And Raizou starts his show from Law's request! What a great guy Raizou is <3 Law's impressed face is so funny, especially in comparison to Luffy's and Usopp's, haha.
Tumblr media
Law is so surprised at being asked for the help as well. His eyes are like "what? why me as well?". As much as Law likes to be appreciated and recognized as the captain of his own crew, he also doesn't really expect the extra attention he sometimes is getting. Unlike Luffy who is more or less used to it already.
Tumblr media
Luffy, surprisingly enough, proposes Momo an alliance. They're not beating up Kaido instead of samurai, they're cooperating together. What's important here to note is that Luffy did that because Momo was begging him, like he's inferior to Luffy, almost like a servant. Luffy stops him, wants him to raise his head and instead join hands. He even makes sure to talk to Momo on the same eye level when he proposes the alliance, because people in alliance are equal. But where did Luffy learn that from?
Tumblr media
Perhaps Law, who is always trying to speak to Luffy on same eye level, especially (but not only) when it's about important stuff. There's at least one scene like that in every arc. In Punk Hazard when they're captured Luffy is half-lying on the floor in a stupid position. Law is lying in exactly same way instead of trying to present himself to look cool, like he usually does. Why? Because if he sat up he wouldn't be on same eye level as Luffy. In Dressrosa, Luffy even tries to speak to Law who is lying down on Moocy on same eye level as well, by leaning down as much as he can (which is sweet of him, but not exactly working out in these circumenstances <3). On Zou Law comes closer and talks about stuff with Luffy on the stairs, because it's the easiest way to casually stand on eye level if he just stays one step below. And in Wano, Law also remembers about eye level. He even leans down to speak to Luffy. It doesn't matter that they're quarreling, eye level is a sacred rule, no disrespectfully placing yourself above your Luffy ally is ever allowed!
Tumblr media
That's why when Luffy says this, I think Law kinda expects him to finish with different word. "Don't ever bow your heads, don't get down on the ground, because an alliance means we're equal!" is what Law would want to hear, seeing how he acts around Luffy. But he gets a "means we're friends" instead which throws him off so much he can't be quiet about it. Still, he doesn't scold Luffy for this and accepts that if it means friendship then it's friendship, and he does become friends with Kinemon as the result. Even if Luffy got it wrong, Law is gonna follow through with it. After all, he chose this fate for himself when he first proposed Luffy an alliance. If Luffy thinks it's about friendship, so be it friendship. In Law's novel we can see that Law doesn't really have a problem making friends, especially with people he saved before.
But did Luffy actually get it wrong? I feel like he played Law a little here, because Luffy clearly understands what equality is. He pushed Law's boundaries a little bit further to open him up to people. Alliances are nice, but friendships are nicer. And Luffy wants Law to make some new friends instead of keeping himself always at a distance. But since this is Luffy we're talking about, it might also be as simple as him thinking friendship means equality, and actually: he's not wrong about that part, definitely.
Tumblr media
And I love how Law grumpily asks Luffy why the latter didn't ask about his own opinion. Luffy is like "But I knew already that you would say yes. Am I wrong about that?", and of course he's not, but he should have still asked anyway instead of deciding for both of them, even if he knows Law well enough already to assume his stance on all of this. It's not just about having faith in another person's beliefs, but it's also important to make sure they're on the same page already. What if Law had some important doubts to voice before agreeing? Luffy couldn't have guessed that.
It's actually like that all the time in their alliance. Law only protests or complains when he wants Luffy to notice some stuff, even if it seems REALLY nitpicky overall. He never does that when things get done (no matter in which way as long as the end goal is met), or when he already agreed to stuff (even if he doesn't like the consequences it led to). There's really just two scenarios in which he minds: it's when Luffy misses the mark about something important or when Law is worried like hell.
Do you think he acts angry here because Luffy already knows perfectly well what Law's own answer will be? Or is he annoyed by Luffy's confidence in Law's answer without even having to ask him first? Or maybe salty that he can't deny? I wonder if he realizes how much Luffy is actually paying attention to him.
Tumblr media
And a new friendship alliance is completed :D Law even joins in for "hand bumping" part, because Luffy earlier declared "joining hands" is an important part of making an alliance. They never joined hands in Punk Hazard, but here Law actually listens to Luffy and follows through (despite his own touch-related trauma!).
Tumblr media
After they leave the whale, Law seems to be deep in thought. Maybe he's returning back to the talk they had about Sanji's situation and deciding which would be the best course of action now for Law himself to take. Should he go with Luffy? Or would it be better to move on to Wano and just have faith that Luffy can push through without him?
Tumblr media
Seems he reached his decision. Faith in Luffy, it is.
Tumblr media
Look here. Before the whole earth shaking incident happened Law is far away (and out of frame), but the very moment situation gets unpredictable and dangerous, he positions himself close to Luffy, just so he can protect him if needed. He's also the only one capable of keeping his balance, Mr Steady Two Legs No Matter What Is Happening. Of course in this situation, when no one else can even stand anymore, he knows he's needed more than ever in case something even worse could happen.
Tumblr media
Law doesn't say anything, but he is there when Luffy's group is leaving. He also clenches his fist, probably trying to stay strong in his resolve and decision (to go to Wano instead of with Luffy), but you can guess already how Trafalgar Law operates: he's most likely worried af under that stoic resting bitch face. Luffy is unusually cheerful on their parting. It's almost like the callback to their reunion at Punk Hazard, when he flashes Law the most beaming smile we ever saw Luffy do. And here it's the same. I bet you anything the reason is the same in both cases: he wants a certain someone to stop worrying over him so much and he does that by smiling the brightest he can, to show that things will be alright.
Because let's face it, samurais won't be worried about Luffy here (why would they? Kinemon truly believes Luffy to be so very strong!), neither would be the Strawhats crew (they believe in their captain and instead tell Luffy not to worry about them!). But Law? He would worry no matter what, it's just the way he is. That smile from Luffy is so bright mostly for Law.
Tumblr media
And then Luffy yeets them off the elephant, and I'm sure it does not help Trafalgar Law to feel less worried, haha. Luffy's idea here is to show Law that he's not gonna waste time and will take the shortest possible route, so they can reunite as fast as they can. It's the same mindset he had in Dressrosa: jumping off the cliff to save them time. And indeed Law probably had a flashback to that in this moment, but he does not hold such fond memory of it like Luffy does, lol. He's like "that idiot is doing it again!".
Suffer Law suffer, because you will never stop worrying about this little dumbass you care about so very much!
68 notes · View notes
vinelark · 2 years ago
Text
khoa & tim fake uncle postfic
because i’m thinking about tim’s fake uncle again and because i’m also thinking about ghostbat: au (loosely inspired by this) set during tim’s early robin era where tim does a version of the Fake Uncle thing, which coincides with minhkhoa khan sneaking into town to spy on bruce.
the thing is, khoa has been off the grid for a while and just learned about jason--both that bruce got another kid, and that said kid had a fatal run-in with the joker. bruce had told khoa to stay out of gotham years ago, but khoa isn’t about to let that stop him once he catches up on the news and pieces together bruce’s grief spiral that only recent calmed down with the appearance of a new robin. a new robin who is, conveniently, posting a veiled job offer for an? uncle?? on the internet, and doing it entirely on his own.
so khoa fashions himself a fake struggling-but-not-too-struggling actor identity and lands himself the position of tim drake's uncle. it’s a perfect way to peek at bruce’s life while flying under the radar, because this tim kid is very eager to keep his fake uncle as separate from bruce as possible. khoa expects to be in and out of this job in a month, maybe two, as soon as he’s sure bruce is stable and not going to crumble because bruce cares so much and khoa knows it’ll be his undoing one day and—anyway. it’s a temporary gig. the kid’ll have to come up with a cover story when khoa inevitably disappears, but that’s not khoa’s problem. and tim probably shouldn’t be making up fake relatives anyway, so khoa will be teaching him a valuable lesson. (the lesson: always make sure you have collateral on someone before trusting them. you’re welcome for the parenting help, bruce!)
except. it’s not so easy to leave.
after just two weeks khoa starts realizing that:
tim is bonkers
like, off the wall bonkers
and brilliant
bad combo, khoa knows from experience
tim desperately cares about bruce and dick and alfred
but does not see himself as part of the family (hence the fake uncle thing)
khoa also realizes that tim keeps secretly patching himself up at home (because he’s downplaying any injuries after patrols) and eventually khoa is like. “okay. i don’t care what happened*, but you do have to stitch that up properly. my fake self can’t be in trouble for child endangerment.” and he patches up a surprised and wary tim. this becomes a routine.
*(khoa knows what happened, he was stalking batman on patrol that night. like most nights.)
ANYWAY. basically what i’m saying is: identity shenanigans where bruce’s ex is lurking around gotham pretending to be tim’s uncle and tim doesn’t know about the ex thing and bruce doesn’t know about the uncle being fake thing and everyone is keeping secrets from each other. and khoa goes from “this is a convenient way to spy on bruce” to “if anything happens to this unhinged baby robin i will kill everyone in this room and then myself” and ends up co-parenting tim without bruce realizing.
also in between having concerning realizations about tim’s self-preservation skills and spying on bruce, khoa finds time to have fun with it. like imagine a parent-teacher conference at tim’s school. the school calls bruce to schedule because his contact info is still on file from when tim was staying with him. but obviously khoa catches wind of this and decides to also turn up, in full uncle disguise, and spends the whole time fucking with bruce and having a blast.
like bruce was kind of checked out last year when the conferences happened and now he’s starting to claw out of his grief enough to be present and engaged. especially now that tim is staying with his “uncle” bruce is like wait. wait. and is trying to make more of an effort, so he shows up to the conference. and then at the conference khoa is just lounging in his chair like, “tim fell asleep in class? good for him, i’ve been telling him to get more sleep” and bruce is trying to be Even Better Dad to compensate while his eye is just constantly twitching.
[parent-teacher conference shenanigans with contributions from @cairoscene, @90kon, & @mammutblog:]
teacher: i won't sugar coat it, tim is very nearly failing literature
khoa: ah. a ridiculous subject anyway.
teacher: i notice tim is very... isolated. he doesn't seem to engage much with his peers, even when they try to initiate conversations with him
khoa: well children are idiots, i don't blame him
teacher: tim got in a fight—
khoa: did he win?
khoa: oh tim’s getting an A in science? we should celebrate. i’ll take him to get ice cream for dinner. we usually do that anyway but this time he can have extra sprinkles
bruce: that’s not— [deep breath] in my experience tim has trouble remembering to eat a balanced diet when left to his own devices, which is important to his growth at this age.
khoa: yeah of course. that’s why sometimes we get frozen yogurt instead
bruce: tim is lactose intolerant
khoa: [pulls out a packet of lactaid] i know
anyway!! after a bunch of shenanigans and awkward actually-taking-care-of-tim moments, something big happens where bruce and tim are in deep trouble and khoa breaks cover to burst in and rescue both batman & robin and all secrets come out. tim is shocked that he didn’t figure out who khoa was (in tim’s defense, he’s had a Lot going on) and bruce is soooo mad he didn’t see through the disguise, but also bruce is. grateful. that khoa has been there for tim, especially when khoa finally gets to do a full “get your head out of your ass” rant about the various ways tim has been pretending to be way more okay than he is.
khoa: if you’re going to CARE about people so much the least you can do is! pay attention to them!! this kid is your problem, act like it!
bruce: sounds like he might be Our problem now
khoa: only because i don’t trust you to get the job done 😤
(ALSO because khoa is literally there to lurk and observe he notices the league slipping into gotham and they end up rescuing a resurrected jason early.)
anyway i just think the concept of khoa being tim’s deus ex machina adult is so fun. like tim is on some international mission with young justice and it seems like all hope is lost and then freaking ghost-maker swans in and takes out all the enemies and gives tim a whole rant about How Is Bruce Letting You Run Around Like This, Does He Know What You’re Getting Up To In Your Spare Time, Where Even Is He. the vibe is ghost-maker dropping a (carefully patched up) robin on wayne manor doorstep with a sticky note on tim’s forehead reading TAKE BETTER CARE OF YOUR THINGS.
(bonus au of this au from aubrey where bruce DOES see through khoa’s disguise:
Tim: Bruce, this is my uncle--
Bruce: ANTON?!
Khoa: 😘
Tim: oh my god DID YOU FUCK MY FAKE UNCLE, BRUCE?)
also please look at this khoa and tim art again for the vibes
1K notes · View notes
cologona · 1 month ago
Text
See in my eyes the greatest tragedy of DITF is that events were leading up to Bruce and Jason finally resolving this simmering issue between them, where Jason thought being Robin was what gave him a place next to Bruce, and Bruce was treating his, Dick, and Jason’s trauma as identical.
The thing that busts my balls about Robin Lives is that it has the broad strokes of what the hypothetical timeline where Jason lives should have.
Bruce realizes his mistake in uncritically projecting his own trauma and coping mechanisms onto his sons, growing from hyperactively empathetic into genuinely compassionate. Jason gets security (emotional security, which given that superhero comics are a story of symbols means it’s the most important kind) from the reassurance that he is loved regardless of his title as Robin and gets to really choose if he wants to be a vigilante or civilian. He gets to grow up.
That Jason doesn’t survive in the main timeline is a tragedy because instead of that emotional resolution and eventual growth we just get a teenager’s corpse and a father regressing into the worst possible version of himself.
But Robin Lives isn’t interested in any of that. It knows but it doesn’t care, because a lot of that great juicy stuff is just relegated to stray panels and background exposition.
Despite the narration being from the POV of Jason’s own therapist there’s very little description of what Jason’s actually going through at all. He gets like a few panels on one page max to voice his thoughts and the rest is what? A bunch of vague drivel about how he’s so broken and traumatized. More frequently the therapist narrator is talking about how beautifully and nobly Bruce suffers. Gimme a break!
As far as Robin Lives is concerned the most interesting thing Jason can do is be a wretch. As far as it’s concerned Jason is nothing, he’s a prop, he’s a moral landmass over which the forces of the two real main characters of this story fight.
I can’t express how much contempt I have for this story, with that ending which is clearly trying to make a Deep Statement about ~the cycle of violence~. Except if it was really invested in the point it was trying to make it’d take more interest in Jason himself as the principal subject. It would give a shit about how valuable the opportunity to heal is.
It would not have Jason get help and grow into his own as an adult, only to inexplicably become evil because what- he killed Joker so that means the moral disease transferred to him? See how stupid it sounds when I say it out loud. According to Robin Lives there’s just no hope once you’ve been Broken. You are doomed to become your abuser.
And that shallow symmetry this story forces the characters into, with Dick and Jason becoming the new Batman and Joker rubs salt into the wound. A dichotomy between those who are Good (like Bruce and Dick who respond to trauma by becoming even more pure) and those who are Weak (like Jason and -apparently- Joker, who go into hysterics and subsequently catch the disease of Evil). How OOC the characters felt should’ve been a warning to the writer that something was off, but alas!!!!
I’ll stop here now because I’m getting too heated to be coherent, but yeah I Dislike This Comic.
43 notes · View notes
ben-talks-art · 2 months ago
Text
I like how Digital Circus seems to be Pro-kindness
Tumblr media
Something I really liked in this episode of Digital Circus is the way the series seems to be cementing itself as a supporter of the act of being nice to others.
This probably sounds like a no-brainer, we should always try to be nice to others, but not every series is really that good at showing why.
Tumblr media
A lot of times, "niceness" seems to be more of a tool used to hype up the main character of a story, showing them being helpful to others and solving their problems in order to send the idea of what a great person they are and how being nice to people makes you look good.
It's a way to get us to like and root for the main lead by saying straight to our face that they're a good person, and that when you're a good person, good things will come to you, as usually happens to protagonists.
The thing is... these types of stories usually happen to disguise the fact the protagonist doesn't have much personality besides "they're nice", and having the whole "be nice and good things will come your way" makes it seems like you should be a good person not because you are helping others, but because of the reward you might receive.
Tumblr media
One of my favorite examples of a nice character is, the classic, Goku, the dude that can manage to be friends with anyone he meets, but they never make his kindness be his entire character nor do they make it be a cause for reward.
If Goku gets rewarded in Dragon Ball it's usually because he trained hard, used clever ways to solve his problems, or placed confidence in either his own skills or in the skills of his allies or friends.
The fact he's a super chill dude is just part of his appeal, not a tool to get us on his side.
Tumblr media
Digital Circus seems to also have found a way to be pro-niceness in a non-exploitative way.
In this case, people who are kind are rewarded with Pomni's friendship. We're not using compassion to show why the main lead is so good, we're using it to show why the other characters are so good.
In the second episode, we see how she befriends that cowboy lizard candy guy, and in this one, we see her bonding with King and showing appreciation for Ragtha, and all it took was a little bit of love from all of them.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, we get Jax, the guy who shows no interest in being nice to anyone or interest in changing the way he acts.
I think this episode finally made me realize what his role is meant to be... He's Joker from "The Killing Joke."
Tumblr media Tumblr media
The same way Joker in that story was trying to seek validation for being a terrible person by trying to prove anyone could end up as him if they just had one bad day, Jax seems to be on a quest to validate his jerk-ish behavior by trying to show there is no point in trying to be a good person since their situation is hopeless.
Some sort of way of absolving himself by saying "I'm not the problem! The world is the problem! The situation is the problem! Everyone else is the problem!", in an attempt to try and justify his refusal to be a nicer person.
Which is why it was so satisfying when we reached the ending and he was expecting Pomni to have become just as cynical as him, and she never did!
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Something I really want to see being done with Jax is have him go through some sort of Obito moment, have him try to hold on to this comfort zone and refuse to be friends with others, refusing to be nice, refusing to allow himself to be vulnerable and let others help, and show parallels with Pomni as she gets better and better while growing closer to the others.
I want to see the series showing that even though they're all in some sort of "digital hell" (which is kinda what many people think their lives is anyway), it doesn't mean that they should give up, be it give up on others or themselves.
It would be cool if the point was to try and escape this place, but if the point is just to say "Happiness can be anywhere if you surround yourself with people who love you and if you do your best to love them", I would be okay with that too.
Tumblr media
I'm happy that instead of using other characters to hype up Pomni, Pomni is being used to hype up other characters. The way they interact, grow, and show more about themselves to us has all been executed in very clever and very fun ways, and I can't wait for more!
I am very excited to see which direction this show chooses to go.
26 notes · View notes
wishfulsketching · 4 months ago
Text
Why are all Ed's plots after s2 all over the place and weird. Like, all his personal stories are either about his identity crisis, which I feel like was resolved when he realized he got away with killing Kirsten, or they're just like Oswalds Cinderella plotline; weird and make you go "so that just happened". Yes, love many of his scenes and Cory acts his ass off everytime, but I'm also don't know what his end goal is. I know what kind of character batman's riddler is, but I have no idea what gothams ed wants.
Oswald? Kingpin. Jim? save Gotham from itself, pretty much. Zsazs? Just having a good time. Harvey? Suviving life.
Anyway. Love the man, still. I don't know if I'm stepping on a beehive here but from the start, but I never liked the split personality thing. I wanted his thing to be his ego (which it also is). I get it, they're doing twoface without doing twoface (like joker) but eh. Ehh. (My theory)
Anyway! Few episodes in s4.
deleting later, most likely.
time to walk the dogs
Tumblr media
42 notes · View notes
sgnjimmy · 2 years ago
Text
𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓫𝓸𝔂'𝓼 𝓪 𝓛𝓲𝓪𝓻
joker x gn! reader
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
a/n: @thisyeargoodyear asked for this, and i shall deliver as i am here to serve to u guys🫡.
warning (s): none! only lovely sappy shit <3. (Not Proofread).
Bf!Joker does not express his love with words, and you, after some time together with him have learned to read his actions as words.
Bf!Joker like when he does this thing in where he holds your hand when you're about to drift off to sleep. A silent ‘i love you’, you came to realize. He holds it tightly but still gently, fearing he'll wake you up with his tough hands.
Bf!Joker is always holding your things for you. He will not let you trouble yourself around him, the taller man just wants to be used and abused by you, it makes him feel needed, useful. And not like when Wooin needs him, those are just jobs - jobs that he's not so happy about, to begin with-, but for you? Oh, god, he's running to get you whatever you need in a instant.
Bf!Joker can get very cranky when he doesn't see you. He understands that you're busy - or sometimes him - but he can't help, he's gotta see you at least once a day, or else his mood is thrown out the window.
Bf!Joker is a fan of hot showers but only if you're with him. He's not the type to take much time showing z he grew up poor so showers were just to take dirt off and never for the fun of it, they couldn't afford it. But now he does, he can, and loves too. He takes all the time in the world listening to you talks about whatever been or is on your mind.
Tumblr media
Holding you in his arms while the two of you are sat on the bathtub, he plays with some bubbles in his hand in front of you.
“She's being such a pain in my ass. I did the assignment just like she told me to, but nooo, she also wanted this and that. Which she never wrote on the text. I'm not a fucking mind reader, for fuck's sake!” He can't help laugh at that.
“Hey, don't laugh, I'm pissed!”
“You right, ’m sorry.” Although he's sincere you can hear him smiling behind you.
“Sure, sure. But what about you, how was your day?”
“Normal.”
“Whoa, stop giving me so much details or we'll be here till mid night.” You can't help the sarcasm. You love him but he's always like this. Is funny but kind of frustrating at the same time.
“But it was normal. Nothing too exciting happened for me today, not like your story 'bout the ‘witch’.”
“Alright, stop mocking me.” You play and he tries to defend himself saying ‘I'm not!’. “I just feel a bit bad making you listen to me and my bullshit all the time.”
“But i like it.” He lays a kiss on your shoulder. “Didn't see you all day, makes me miss you. I love your voice, y'know. Can listen to you ramble all day long and 's like heaven.” Another kiss right on the same spot.
He can be so romantic sometimes, and you know he's not even trying, which just makes him so much better at it. He, like everyone else had his flaws, but you don't mind them att all when he's like this. Or when you know he's trying his best for you, all of the time.
Bf!Joker never fails in making you feel loved.
515 notes · View notes
mistymisfit · 9 months ago
Text
So long, Marianne I
Summary: Reader is a spy working undercover in Gotham when she meets Jason Todd, who despite her better judgement she forms a very close friendship with. This story follows their escape from Arkham asylum, their fall out and the times they run into each other as they get older.
Relationship: AK!Jason x Meta!Fem!Reader
Warnings: Graphic descriptions of violence (I'm serious, tho- in canon it's also pretty violent), angst, hurt/no comfort (for now), this series is just my excuse to write angst lol.
A/N: *CIPA means Congenital insensitivity to pain and anhydrosis aka people who are unable to feel pain. see the end for more notes :)
Word Count: 4,2K
Read on AO3
Part 2- Masterlist
Tumblr media
He repeats his question one more time before kicking your stomach again, "Who are you?". He's been asking the same thing for the past... month? Time gets blurry when you're kidnapped. Fuck, undercover work sucked no matter who you did it for. Whether it was your actual boss or the big bad bat himself, they should all make it up for making you endure this--make it up by dying, you thought. God, whose stupid idea was it again? Letting yourself be kidnapped by the Joker so they could track his lair and see if he had any connections to your current case, ah yes... your boss. Not even Batman would ask you to do that, at least the man had some moral code he hung onto, maybe a little too tight. You've earned an early retirement after this assignment, almost two years living in Gotham, out of everywhere. But what neither you or your boss expected was that he'd know your "secret identity" was fake, that he would torture and kill the agents who worked with you and pretended to be your family--or that they'd sell you out. You whisper, they were not even words just an unintelligible sound. He lowers down, putting his ear close to your mouth to be able to listen better and asks you to repeat yourself. You bite him, as hard as you can and draw blood, lots of it which you spit out with a smirk.
"Fuck you" You taunt and he just laughs, holding his wounded ear. The laughing is excessive, it reverberates around the entire room and you brace for the next impact. But it never comes.
"I think it's time you met a friend we have in common" His smile makes dread set in on you, who? By his standards it could be anyone, from someone you actually knew to someone you've never met but was there to pick up on his dirty work as he went to do other things. He pushes you with his feet until you lay on your stomach and begins to cover your hands, you count the layers. First some kind of cloth, then plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, then a bag to hold it all together. Right, you let everyone believe your healing abilities could only work with your hands.
He drags you up, grabbing one of your arms as he walked you to a different room. The side of his head still bled, and you watched the blood fall down and how it got no reaction from him. He must be used to pain or there must be something wrong with his pain nerves. Maybe not enough to be CIPA* because you have seen him wince and experience pain before. Your feet fail you, you can barely take steps due to how weak you are. Every bite of food you've been forced to take ended up being spat or thrown up moments later. You can feel how chapped your lips are, how tangled your hair is, how deep the bags under your eyes must be, the way your arms hurt from being tied behind your back for too long, how much you must look like shit. He opens a door to a mostly dark room, you can only make out a figure sitting on a chair under the singular light in the entire room. He--yeah, it's a guy definitely, you think--he's got his head low, his posture isn't close to being okay and upon further inspection you realize he's tied to the chair. He's pushing to walk in his direction, and you recognize that hair, even though less dirty, and that side profile way less hurt. You knew that person, you knew him maybe a little too much for your mission.
Jason Todd was once your friend, possibly the only friend your age you've ever had. You met him when he was Robin, being instructed that working with Batman may end up being beneficial at the end of the line you were told not to antagonize him. Even helped him every once in a while to get at least his respect. The first time you ever talked to Jason-- or rather Robin at the time, was when he sprained an ankle one night. You were there, trying to gain info on an illegal arms shipment that was arriving that night "We just have to know who bought it" they told you. You weren't there to stop them, you barely were allowed to actually stop bad things from happening and sometimes you envied that in them. They were their own person, they could have lives, make their own decisions, have agency of their own. Instead you, poor you, you had nothing but your work, no family you knew of, no goals of your own, nowhere to go if you wanted to quit. You healed him, at least that you could do. Maybe word would get out of a new vigilante with "unspecified healing abilities", they didn't have to know you actually manipulated time and just turned time back to a moment they weren't hurt. And from that moment on, unknown to you, he had a crush on you.
He started following you around. It's not stalking he'd justify it, he was just investigating. Making sure whose side you were on because after all you were on the harbor the day he stopped some local gangs from getting their hands on bigger guns. But he found no more than your cover story, neither he or Batman could leave a secret identity be secret. He believed your cover story, no one had any reason to question it. You were just Marianne, a simple girl. A simple girl with superpowers who healed his ankle. Later, when you became closer, sitting next to each other on the rooftop of a building looking down on the city lights, and the traffic that still moved late at night, you explained to him that your powers came from a freak accident in a lab when you were a kid. That much was true, most of the things you told him were true. At the time you felt he was someone who understood you, and he felt the same. And that's how the both of you started developing feelings for each other. It was more than just a crush and the need to have the other closer kept getting stronger. You kept reminding yourself that you couldn't, that you were being so unfair to him, keeping him in the dark about who you really were, if he knew the truth he would never have trusted you. So when you were told he died, how Batman was so sure of it, you regretted everything. You were so decided on telling him the night he disappeared, why didn't you do it before? You've been living with that ever since, the regret, the guilt. And it only got worse when you found out he was dead, knowing he died not knowing your real name, he died believing your lies.
"No," you try to stop, not to get closer to his corpse. "what kind of trick is this?"
"Ah, come on- he's still your friend, isn't he?" You struggle, not letting him move you and putting your entire body weight into it, every strain of energy you had in trying to stop it. How sick is he? He kept his body all this time. Tears fell on your face just thinking about it. How much he suffered, how violent his last moments were, how he didn't get justice or a proper burial.
"You can't even respect the dead," You cry "I'm gonna rip your heart out of your chest with my bare hands, do you hear me? I'll make your death so violent even Batman will feel sick"
Your threats started falling out of your mouth faster than the logic in your brain could work, you shouldn't be saying those things. You couldn't be making empty promises like that, you knew you couldn't kill him. You would never be allowed to do it. He laughed, and laughed and pushed you to fall on your back right at the feet of your dead friend. You looked up, just a peak to see his face one last time but he didn't look decomposed, in fact he even had fresh blood on his face. You also saw his chest moving up and down very slowly, was he sleeping?
"Ah, how sweet of you" The man awes, pretending to be flustered by her death threats "but I didn't kill him"
He steps closer and slaps Jason's face, yelling "Wakey, wakey! You have a visit!"
You watch in shock at how he his eyes open so fast, how his head shoot up and the fear in his expression starts to settle in. He wore an orange jumpsuit, as if he was just an inmate more, his cheeks were stained with tears, there was dry blood on one of his nostrils and his lower lip had a cut. Not to mention the "J" scar on his face too.
"What did you do to him?" You ask, sitting up from where you were.
"We were just having fun together, right Jason?" He grabs his head from behind him to make him shake it, saying yes. "and you and I can have just as much fun, soon as you start telling the truth"
"Ma-Marianne?" His voice is rough and low, it was the first time you heard him scared.
"Yes," You crawl closer to him, and look up at him before resting your forehead in one of his legs to hide your face as you started to weep inconsolably "I'm so sorry, they said you were dead, that-"
There is a deadly silence filling the room , where you can only hear your ugly sobs. Jason doesn't respond and you didn't expect him to, but at least they let you cry in peace. Taking in the fact that he'd been alive all this time, thinking about what he's been put through as you mourned like an idiot when you should've kept looking for him. How you abandoned him, how everyone abandoned him. And that made you feel even worse than your initial thought of Joker not letting him rest after he died, because in that case there was nothing you could've done but now... You felt his leg move lightly and you looked up, maybe you were making him uncomfortable and this was his way of saying it. He mouthed a little "I love you" when he knew your captor wouldn't see it. Just then as you gave him a small nod and mouthed "I love you too" you saw he was crying too. Soon his tears fell on you, and he moved his shoulder and turned his head to wipe them off as he sniffed.
"Aww, isn't it romantic, Mr J?" Harley's voice sounds from behind you but you couldn't bring yourself to look away from him. You were getting out there tonight, fuck your cover, fuck your job, he was the only thing that mattered right now.
"Young love," He sighs, dreamy, as if he knew what he was talking about. Like he knew what love felt like at all in any way, shape or form. "We'll have a little menage a trois, It'll be fun dont cha' think?"
And soon enough you felt Harley's arms holding you down as he put a rag over your face and proceeded to throw water. Jason screamed, asking them to stop, that you had nothing to do with them. You coughed when they stopped, at least maybe your face was clean and free of the blood you bit from him earlier. You could handle getting waterboarded, you've been trained to endure all sorts of torture methods. What you couldn't handle was hearing and seeing him like that.
"Now, your little girlfriend hasn't been entirely honest with you"
"I don't know what you're talking about, I've already told you who I am" You insist, this time actually desperate.
"Ah- and who are these two then? Liars?" He shows him, not you, a picture of your fake parents dead. Then he shows it to you, of course Jason thought they were your parents, you gave him no reason to believe otherwise. "Cause you see, I thought you were just another annoying kid, getting in the way of my game with the bat- but you're much more than, you're too good"
Silence, you were trained better than this. They put the cloth on your face again, trying once more to get the truth out of you.
"Hey, maybe he knows" He switches up quickly, and takes a piece of broken wood to hold it over Jason "Come on tell me, who's her? And why is your old man protecting her?"
"Her name's Marianne, and he's protecting her because she's my friend"
"Ah-" He imitates a buzzer noise, like he was in some game show "Wrong answer" He hit him.
"Stop it!" You yell, as he repeatedly hit him. You struggle trying to break free from the woman holding you. Until you managed to hit her with my head somehow. You feel the pain in your scalp from her teeth hitting you too.
"This is useless mista' J," Harley spoke, doubt filled her voice. Maybe you were telling the truth, maybe you were just who you said you were and he was too lost to see it. "the girl's been saying the same for months, and her parents weren't even that convincing when they said they weren't her folks"
You watch them leave, him being visibly angry at her for questioning him. Only for him to come back moments later, almost bolting to Jason saying "I have a show to run outside, could you two behave and wait for me here?" Like you had much of a choice, then he said "And hold this for me, boy" before stabbing him. Of course he couldn't stop by without leaving him with an open wound of any sort. You rushed to him before the door was even closed, you removed the knife from the wound with your mouth, your hands still tied behind your back and wrapped up in multiple different layers in a failed attempt to stop you from using your power. Your eyes lit up as you healed him, his pained grunts eventually coming to a stop.
"I bet I look like shit right now" You joke, resting your cheek on his thigh once more. T rying to hide the fact that, despite the situation you were in, you were still a bit embarrassed that he saw you like that.
"You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen in my life" He confesses, not a single strain of joke or sarcasm in his statement and it makes you blush before you move to the back of his chair to untie him.
"You only say that because you want me to free you" You say before grabbing the rope with your teeth, taking longer to undo the knots than it would with your hands on your back and not being able to see what you were doing. If only they didn't think your powers worked from your hands.
"His ear, you did it?" He asked, getting a muffled sound of confirmation from you. "That's my girl"
The scoff in which he said it made you blush again, your cheeks were heating up tonight. He knew if anyone was ever getting him out it would be you, not Batman. His mentor probably started to look for a replacement as soon as he went off the grid. He knew you would never betray him, that's the only thing the Joker couldn't torture or manipulate out of him, the one thing he could hold on to. His kidnapper was wrong, he was never Batman's or his. He's always been yours, probably since you healed his ankle. The ropes around his arms loosen until he's free again, his muscles were sore but soon the adrenaline would kick in and rid him from all pain. He frees his legs in a hurry as you stand up in front of him, he stands up too again. The stretch felt good, moving on his own felt good, and seeing you again felt even better. You turned around, it was his turn to get rid of the ropes now. He grabbed the knife that you couldn't use and cut through your bindings. Still he couldn't help but think about the worried look on your face, what are you thinking about? How to get out? Him? Whatever it was, he took a moment and the second you turned to face him again he wrapped you in a hug. Feeling your warm body against him for the time in so long, you return the affection hugging him just as tightly. He feels relieved, finally a gentle hand lays on him, a hand that he knew could never hurt him.
"Jay, I-" You hesitate, hiding your face in his chest while trying to hide and get the courage to tell him at the same time "I have to tell you something"
"Can it wait until we get out?" You shake your head no, he had to know so you could break out from there. I mean, it was kinda hard to break out of Arkham without help.
"No, uhm, we need to call for help" You start "There's a chip on me, I need you to cut me and take it out"
"What? Help from who?"
"My agency" You admit in a whisper, and just as fast as you got him back you feel how you're loosing him a second time. He lets go of you, and you can feel the distance he's putting between you two more than any torture Joker put you through.
"Where is it?" He asks, his tone cold and detached. You try to hide how hurt you were, you should've expected it he had every reason to be mad.
"Here" You lift your shirt up and point to the place where the tracker was, on your lower stomach right above your hips, on your left side.
He nods, and you lay down on the floor so he can get to work. He touches you, only to get a feel of where it was and you try not to think that this will probably be the last time you feel him so close as you put your arm over your mouth to stop any noise that may come out of you. He cuts your skin, and you bite your arm and hope it's quick. With the end of the knife he swiftly pulls it out in between all the blood coming out of you. You tell him to step on it so it gets destroyed and sends the message, as you heal yourself. He wasn't even watching you, his eyes were fixed on the door processing yet another betrayal.
"Jay, I wanted to tell you-" You try to explain but he cut you off shooting a serious glare at you.
"I don't care," He was cold, his voice severe and it even scared you "get me the fuck out of here and we'll talk"
You nodded on the verge of tears, then deciding that holding on to the hope than when you two were somewhere safer he'd be open to have a conversation was your safer bet to maintain some sanity. Maybe then he'd listen to your apologies. At this point you weren't hoping for absolution but a truce would suffice. Why did you have to go and fuck it up? Why did you have to go and fall for him? You knew who you were, a spy trained for most of the life you remembered who worked undercover in Gotham, you knew you were not supposed to have any ties or emotional connections. You cursed at whoever gave you feelings and made you human, instead of whoever turned you into a machine.
"We should get moving, get to the extraction point"
He just nodded, it was short and formal, so unlike what you were used from him. He followed behind you as you carefully opened the door. There were no guards outside, so you moved. Soon an alarm started to blare through the rotten and worn down asylum wing, that's why the hallway was so empty. Two inmates run past both of you, pushing you to a wall in the process. You reach to grab Jason's wrist to make sure he's behind you but stop halfway through. Probably being touched by you was the last thing he wanted. So you just walk, decidedly pushing through this situation you were in. Armed with nothing but your fists you take out a man twice your size, you easily dodge his punches and swiftly move around him to hit him in key points that he leaves open. Jason watches, and realizes as you jump to the man's shoulders and snap his neck that you had been holding back all this time. He understands you have been capable of using lethal force but chose not to, though he doesn't know the reason for that. Was it because of Batman? Was it because you were ordered not to? He pushes down the thought, as he should be more focused on the guy he was fighting instead of you. You keep moving, going up to were a helicopter would be waiting for you. What you didn't expect was the Joker's backup plan, Death-stroke, pointing a gun right at your head. Shit, you didn't even tell him about your powers yet, he was going to be even more pissed if you didn't find another way out of this soon.
"Out of my way kid" He tells you "I'm only getting paid for not letting him leave alive, but I don't mind wasting a bullet"
"Oh, fuck off" you sigh tired, you just wanted to get out of there. You were exhausted, you wanted a shower and to sleep on a real bed and if it wasn't too much to ask maybe see the light of the sun. So you froze him, time stopped for the man in front of you. "move, it won't last long"
Jason wants to ask, he's itching to know. How did you do it? How did healing people translate into what you just did? He had so many questions for you, about you. Every time a new question came into his head he felt even more offended, he thought he knew you so well and turns out you'd made him out to be an idiot. He feels like an idiot and for that he's even angrier at you for lying, for keeping things from him when he had been so vulnerable to you. That you knew everything about him yet he knew barely anything about you and even what he knew he doubted it was even real at all. But out sheer stubbornness he wasn't going to ask, he'd rather take the curiosity to his grave.
The loud noise of a helicopter becomes more clear as you head up, and then you recognize the all black uniform and standard weapon of your agency. Confusion painted your face, why would they send backup instead of it just being an extraction team. Usually they didn't have a care in the word if you got out in time or not, even going as far as leaving you behind once. They weren't usually this helpful, or willing to use resources on a simple rescue mission. The help didn't last long since you heard the gun shot coming from where you came from. Shit, it wore off you better leave quickly. You tell him to run, to keep up the pace and he does, promising himself this was the last time he would trust you. It was all fine and well, you could see the escape route clearly you almost made it when you heard it. Jason held the bleeding wound from the bullet, stumbling until you helped him. You stole a gun from a passing agent, they wouldn't notice since it was just their back-up, and shot at the mercenary. Your aim was just a little off, since you were also holding a person with your other arm but you managed to hit his arm. The bullet just grazed him, your friend didn't have the same luck. You shot again, just to create some cover so you could move. It worked, you made it to the helicopter before he passed out from the blood loss. Sadly you couldn't heal him since the bullet was still there, so in tears as you took off you managed to stop his bleeding until you got help.
Of course your supervisor wasn't happy about you escaping earlier than expected or that you bought him along. But after some promises and insisting, they agreed not to let him die and took him to the closest headquarters. You knew the conditions they put on you were harsh but you thought nothing was worth more than his life, so you agreed. Even if it mean never seeing him again, why did it matter anyways? It's not like he wanted much to do with you after today.
Tumblr media
A/N: Like I said on the notes on ao3, I'm sensitive and this is my first time posting what I write in a LONG time so have patience with me lol.
64 notes · View notes
p5x-theories · 2 months ago
Note
Have you gathered any other fun i guess quirks that could be considered characterization for Wonder? Like how many outfits he has meaning he may have an eye for fashion for example
Hmm, good question! It's hard for me to remember anything unprompted, heh, but I will say I personally believe all the Persona series protagonists have quite a bit of characterization present in their games (despite being alleged blank slates), so in general I do try to pay attention to this stuff, because I like putting that picture together in my head.
I try to factor this into my story summaries, too, especially if I mention that the player doesn't really have a choice with something, or if I think it's interesting that the player has a choice at all. For instance, when Riko collapses after awakening her Persona, the player doesn't get to choose whether Wonder offers to help her, just what specifically he says when he offers. This one is particularly interesting to me because Cattle's response treats this as Wonder not properly reading the room here (Closer was offering to help because she (and Cattle) thought a girl should help her, not because all three of them were going to lend Riko a shoulder), but the player is essentially "forced" to read the room wrong because evidently there's no way Wonder wouldn't also offer to help her. In general, Wonder seems very open to helping people; the fact that he has all these side quests is proof of that, especially since a lot of them kind of start as "Wonder sees someone having a problem and tries to help with it, or at least find out what's going on".
Oh, the gachapon machines could be taken as another quirk of his! You can collect the toys from them as Joker as well, but Wonder has a deliberate display case/shelving area for setting up each of the full sets, with layouts that make it obvious which ones he's missing (implying, to me, that he likes to have a full set on display). But on the flip side, so far I've never see Wonder get a souvenir while hanging out with someone, so he doesn't display any of those in his room like Joker does.
Not exactly a quirk, but another thing that stood out as really interesting to me (maybe especially because Wonder's team isn't as well-known as the original Phantom Thieves were, even by this point), is that Wonder can kind of imply that the Metaverse/shadows/etc. exist in a couple text conversations with Kiyoshi during his Confidant, when Kiyoshi brings up something supernatural that he wants to "investigate". I know it happens more than once, but not super often. But then later, in Kiyoshi's rank 15 event, when Kiyoshi kind of admits he has an active imagination, but he really does see things others can't sometimes (his implied ability to see Personas, or at least see two/multiple of someone if they have a Persona), while Wonder seems to realize this is Kiyoshi being able to see Personas or something related to the Metaverse, there's never any option to tell him about it, or even imply it exists here. It kind of makes it retroactively seem like Wonder's willing to "joke" about that stuff in a text message, but not actually tell anyone, even a close friend, even when there don't seem to be any consequences because the police don't believe the Phantom Thieves exist? It is also possible Wonder's just not a very good liar, so he's only willing to "joke" about it in texts, where he doesn't have to be a particularly good liar to play it off, heh. But I keep thinking about it.
Merope's another interesting Confidant interaction, because while many of her rank-up events allow Wonder the option to express doubt/distaste/a general unwillingness to go along with Merope's idol obsession, ultimately in her rank 20 event he seems to be along for the ride. Even a bit before that, the player can't make him turn down her Mementos request, and when interacting with the Shadow of Narumi's producer, none of his response options give the impression that Wonder's only doing this for Merope. While it's the player's choice whether Wonder is relatively on-board with Merope's idol obsession from the get-go, by the later ranks of her Confidant he seems to have been won over (at least to some extent) regardless of what the player wants.
Oh, another tidbit that comes to mind- we know Wonder's been living in his house at least since he was little, probably his whole life, meaning it's most likely that he attended Kokatsu last year (as a first year) as well, but he notes that he's never been to Kokatsu's annual beach event before. We don't know how long this desire-stealing stuff has been going on, but considering Riko says attendance for the beach event was much, much higher in previous years, and in general the desire problem seems to be getting worse over time, Wonder probably still had his desires (or at least, more of them) as a first year. If so, it says something about what he was like prior to the start of the game that he "obviously" (his words) still didn't attend the beach event that's apparently so popular with students.
This is more general, rather than specific instances/quirks, but I've gotten the impression that Wonder's generally a little less confident than Joker, but gets attached to people quickly and likes to help them. Not to say that you can't read Joker as being similar, but like I said with the side quests, Joker doesn't even have those. At the start of the game, when he didn't have desires, Wonder doesn't know what he wants for the future, and doesn't seem particularly bothered that Ms. Katayama's worried about him because of it. But in Chapter 3 (sorry I'm still typing this story update!), he's right there with Riko, Shun, and Motoha blaming himself for causing Katayama more stress, and when they can't steal her Treasure because they're not sure what'll happen to Akashi sharing her Palace, he's so clearly bothered by it that Ruferu gives him a pep talk about how he's a good leader and they still saved Katayama's Shadow today.
Wonder's reaction to his visions also feels like a point of characterization to me. While he clearly is alarmed by the bad ones (jolting awake after the nightmare at the start, most obviously), already by Chapter 2 he doesn't seem to doubt that they might be real in some way, because he uses information from them to help (asking Yamagoshi the right question, designing their Phantom Thieves logo, understanding what they need to do while fighting Shadow Katayama), and starts to wonder if he's lost memories like Ruferu did. A lot of people might've brushed them off for longer, or been more suspicious of where they're coming from or what they mean, but Wonder seems to trust them by this point, and in general seems to trust people quickly. He questions where they're coming from and what he's seeing, but I don't get the impression he doubts that they're in some way real.
Heh, sorry, that might've been a longer and (especially towards the end) more generalized answer than you wanted, but like I said, I like thinking about this stuff! I hope it was at least an interesting read, and maybe covered at least some of the stuff you were hoping to hear.
22 notes · View notes
orbital-obvious · 2 months ago
Text
The Batman (2022) thoughts [pt 1/?] the villains (w Spoilers)
This movie had hijacked my mind and I have so much to say about it, I need to express it in SEVERAL posts
Gonna warn ya'll again, there's spoilers.
Let's start with the villains, of which this movie have plenty.
The Penguin caught me by complete surprise, and it wasn't just a cameo or anythin', he really had a role in this!
I liked how we had an array of villains that wasn't just "comic book supervillans" but the overall range of what Batman - Gotham - needs to deal with. Corrupt officials and the mob and, in contrast, the Riddler. Batman villainy is a spectrum, ok?
Considering the above, the inclusion of the Penguin adds a lot, because for me he always felt like the fine line between "realistic" and "fantasy" criminal, who could easily blend with both groups and re-invent himself to fit both groups. Dude's got a place at the poker table in Arkham AND Blackgate, know what I'm sayin?
I like this Riddler as a main villain for a Batman story, but I think he is not really my type of Riddler adaptation. To be fair, this entire grimdark telling hinges on him being realistic and scary, so we can't really have our usual flair of "minor annoyence vibez" we usually get from the Riddler. Overall I really enjoyed it, especially the sheer horror of the Riddler as a mirror to the Batman.
I would NOT abide by that Riddler outfit, though. Everyone is serving looks and this man is serving outhouse.
What was the Riddler's point, exactly? To drown Gotham? a move that would hurt the poor and weak above all else? To cause chaos? Maybe the fact that this plan is, upon the slightest scrutiny, absolute garbage, is part of the point.
"What does a liar do when he's dead? He lies still" made me go oooooooowwww when I got it. great riddle.
a lot of the riddles the Riddler riddles are just outright questions. I took it upon myself to call him the questionnaire. The Q&Anon.
The puns were great, though, so glad they put it in. We like to have a little fun here in Gotham. Thumb-drive, get it? get it???
I cannot believe we got to see Riddler Henchmen in this. I know they are not henchmen and in the movie the realization of the moblized forces of the Riddler is actually really terrifying (harking back to real world shit). But, like, Riddler henchmen. The worst kind of henchmen you can be.
The Penguin was great and I'm looking forward to watching the HBO show. I kind of liked how he was almost the comic relief of the film, and how there is no doubt in my mind he will use the chaos at the end of the movie to rise to the top and move himself along the realism-fantasy Batman villain line.
I was really stupid and didn't get the Falcone-Falcon connection till the movie pointed it out to me. I think it's just cause, like, him being the rat was so unthinkable - even though it made perfect sense once pointed out.
That part in the mayor's funeral where: Bruce Wayne (regarding Falcone leaving his territory): "Aren't you afraid you will get shot?" Falcone: "why? Because your father ain't around?" Was DIABOLICAL. I howled. Falcone you are SO wrong for that.
I HAD noticed that lil Joker cameo in the end there. I AM ignoring it because I have no patience for this clown loser.
Riddler looked at the batman and went "he's just like me fr" and he was so wrong. I go at smeared makeup battinson and go "he's just like me fr" and i'm so right.
19 notes · View notes
hannahbarberra162 · 3 months ago
Note
As unlikely as it is, now I'm just thinking about someone trying to assassinate the reader in an attempt to sabotage Whitebeard's recovery. Whether it's someone who somehow knows of you coming across you one of the few times you're allowed off the ship(with supervision of course) or if it's Teach trying to kill you after Thatch so Pops will be weaker for Marineford
You nonnies are so talented!! You’re making me wanna write more of the story. I didn’t plan for more than this one shot so if I do I’m gonna have to think about the story arc. 
There’s no way Marco is letting you off that ship. Maybe if you held hands the entire time (yandere when?). You’re literally Whitebeard’s lifeline, you’re the most precious thing on that ship. That being said, I could see your idea being one of two things.
Blackbeard, like you mentioned. He would try for sure to weaken WB through some kind of underhanded dealing. That’s his style throughout the story. I don't know if he would have enough time between killing Thatch / getting away but he's crafty so maybe.
Assassins from Donquixote Doflamingo. There’s a theory (which I support) that WB’s medicine was supplied from Joker / Doflamingo.  So Doflamingo might hear through an insider that you’re helping WB’s recovery with your blood. Doflamingo obviously isn’t coming himself, not his style. He wouldn’t send someone who was notably connected to his crew - he’s not going to provoke WB outright. But he'd send someone strong to try his luck.
If someone tries, the WB crew is going to go ballistic. First of all, you’re needed for Pops's sake, so messing with you is messing with WB. Also, it’s like kicking a puppy. You’re defenseless and just a civilian who didn’t ask to be on their ship. But you’re their defenseless civilian. So expect a full retaliation from an Emperor’s crew.
You were shaking uncontrollably, still curled up in Marco’s arms. Even though the attack had probably lasted less than a minute, you couldn’t stop replaying the moments over and over in your head. You’d been reclining in your chair, like always, arm outstretched as blood was taken from your arm. You’d been reading quietly, enjoying your new story about escaping from a guarded tower. You coughed once, trying to clear your throat from something that had started bothering it. Coughing didn’t help so you took a sip of water from your cup. That made everything worse, you were gasping for air, unable to breathe. It felt like your throat was closing quickly, leaving no room for air to enter as you tried to get in a breath of air. You twisted around, ripping the IV out of your arm, trying to get in a better position to breathe. You felt like you were drowning without being in the water as spots started forming in your vision. Outside of the window you saw an unfamiliar face making some kind of movement with his hands. He was watching you disinterestedly, like your death was something that needed to be checked off a to do list. 
You were on the verge of passing out when blue flames entered your peripheral vision. A moment later and your throat opened, allowing you to take in gulps of air. You sucked in as much as you could, trembling with the effort. Soon you felt Marco’s hands roving over your body, checking you for damage.
“It’s alright, you’re going to be ok. Take a deep breath yoi.” You couldn’t - you couldn’t get enough air in and what if you stopped breathing again it felt like you were dying. You felt Marco pick you up and situated you on his lap as he sat himself on the floor. He held you and rubbed your back, trying to get you to breathe deeply. You’d never been so close to Marco before, he was warmer than you expected. After a while your breathing deepened and you belatedly realized you were covered in blood from when you ripped out the tubing.
“I’m sorry that happened to you yoi. It won’t happen again.” 
“Who was that?” 
“Doesn’t matter now. Just focus on relaxing.” You tried your best but surviving your first assassination attempt was harrowing. A few moments later an angry Ace entered the room. “Full Commander meeting in five minutes. Exterior breach, devil fruit user. Prepare for escalation.” Marco fired off his statements to Ace, who nodded and left. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of everything,” Marco said, planting a kiss on the top of your head to your surprise. “No one hurts our little bird.”
18 notes · View notes
smolstarthief · 11 months ago
Text
So.... Has anyone ever reached a realization that Kasumi's spirit appearing as the main basis for Cendrillon returning might actually symbolize her being more of Sumi's true fairy godmother character in her story as opposed to Maruki who was a more twisted version of that trope?
Like think about it for a sec... And this is coming from someone who adored the fairytale (Disney version especially) when they were little so... In any version, Cinderella's main traits are her selflessness and kindness along with bravery considering that despite the abuse she went through, she still stays kind and true to herself and does not let the abuse affect that. That's part of what makes her a rebel, albeit an unconventional kind.
Tumblr media
Sumi has those traits deep down (showcased by the lead up to her false awakening which she spoke more as Sumire since as I've mentioned before, her ultimate breaking point was more about hurting and letting her loved ones like Maruki and Joker down. She was more concerned about them as opposed thinking about herself or the scholarship) but the biggest problem was that she wasn't being true to herself and acted selfishly, even preferring to run away from her problems instead.
The fairy godmother character shows up when Cinderella was nearing her lowest point. It was even sometimes interpreted that the godmother represents Cinderella being rewarded for her unending kindness and unselfishness, leading to her happy ending.
When Maruki helped like so, it made things worse for her but when Kasumi's spirit showed up... It made things better for her and helped kickstart her own happily ever after. Just like the actual fairy godmother!
Tumblr media
Starting with bringing her Persona back and this was when Sumire regained the other traits she was starting to lack/lose and became more like Cinderella herself. She became brave enough to stand on her own feet and stop running, she shows more of her kindness to others and even Maruki despite what he did, and she became selfless by deciding to mourn and honor her sister properly by moving forward and not basically live as her for her own selfish reasons as that's what Kasumi would have actually wanted her to do.
In a sense, Maruki was unwittingly rewarding her selfish desires and enabling it. ("Accept this contract... The spell cast upon you.")
Kasumi's spirit on the other hand was rewarding her for being honest and not running anymore. ("Such tenacity... It seems to fit you better than ever before...")
Tumblr media Tumblr media
72 notes · View notes
ddesertmoon · 1 year ago
Text
Batman Fic Recs Feat. Jason Todd’s Return
All my favorite fics about Jason’s return to the family. Gen, and mostly hurt/comfort.
-
Red Hood by envysparkler
“Gotham doesn’t relinquish her soldiers, no matter how far they’ve fallen from the nest.”
In my opinion, this is THE quintessential Red Hood debut fic. It’s got this one trope I love: regular civilians take a chance and protect their protector (it happens a lot with Spider-Man and its really great to see crime alley thanking Jason in the same way).
-
Vermillion by xandromedan
“Jason Todd returns to Gotham with a bang. In between setting up a criminal empire, dealing with national conspiracies, and the Joker, he re-learns how to be a person.
When the Bats learn of a new face in Gotham's underground, they get interested. Some of them get friendly. His plan becomes... complicated.”
I love when Red Hood becomes close to the bats without revealing his identity… idk something about how he BELONGS with them even though he’s changed…
-
hang on ‘til the chaos is through by JustGail
“BEFORE:
Jason likes Tim. Or, he thinks he does. Tim has spent most of the week since he moved in locked up in his room, only coming out for meal times and sometimes to use the big TV in the media room, but the few words Jason has managed to extract from Tim show a bright kid who can clearly easily keep up with the best of ‘em, despite his young age. So he’s pretty sure he likes Tim, or at least will, with time.
AFTER:
Tim knows there’s something going on, and the worst part is that Batman isn’t even trying to pretend there isn’t something going on.
Stay out of it, he’d told him. Like something as big as a new player in town is something that Robin could stay out of. That Tim could stay out of.”
So so SO good. The story focuses on Jason and Tim and how they both join (or return, in Jason’s case) to the family. Both of them are characterized perfectly.
-
ghost story by envysparkler
“Jason Todd dies in Ethiopia. Well. Kind of.”
After Jason dies, he’s forced to watch his family grieve as a ghost. This gives him a new perspective when he returns to Gotham (which changes everything). I LOVE this fic. It’s suspenseful and emotional, AND there’s found family.
-
Twists And Turns Will Take You Home by Sun_Moon_Stars_Jedi
“Bruce Wayne is used to getting kidnapped. He's used to Gotham's villains hating him.
So why does this new crime lord come to his aid when he can't defend himself?”
Short and sweet. A little identity reveal fic because Jason Todd + identity reveal is my favorite combination of things. The fact that it’s told from Bruce’s perspective and you can see his slow realization… perfect!
-
miss me? by envysparkler
“Jason’s plan to observe his family’s reactions to his resurrection…does not go as intended.”
Basically, Tim, Dick, and Bruce assume Jason is a hallucination because they’re all so fucked in the head that them hallucinating him makes more sense than like. Magic or something. Very good! I love it when characters are fucked up and sad.
-
Late Night Encounters by paperxcrowns
“Not long after Jason comes back to Gotham and asserts himself as the Red Hood, Tim meets Jason in a diner late at night and by some miracle he doesn't recognize him. After another chance meeting where Jason still doesn't make the connection between him and Robin, Tim decides that this might just his chance to get to know Jason Todd.”
Pretty much exactly what it says in the description. Red Hood hates Robin, but he befriends the sad teenager named Tim. The secret identity thing causes issues which cause explosive emotions and slight agony for the characters!
-
best laid plans by Valkirin
“Tim Drake knows that Batman needs a Robin. When Bruce and Dick aren't interested in what he has to say, Tim makes his way to the cemetery to say a few words to the boy he's trying to replace.
Tim has the chance to say far more than he expected when Jason digs himself out of his grave that night. Tim does his best to get Jason home to Bruce. The League of Assassins finds them first.”
This one’s more about both Jason and Tim “coming home” but I’m going to count it because I love this fic. In the end, they’re all together which is all I can ask for.
-
dead ringer by punkrockhades
“‘Oh, are you guys talking about Jason?’ said a familiar mechanized voice from across the rooftop, and the Bats spun around to spot the Red Hood casually leaning against the rooftop access door. ‘I miss that kid, he was a riot. Hope he’s doing alright.’
There was a moment of silence as the entire group stared at Red Hood, processing his words, and then Red Robin blurted, ‘Wait, you know Jason?’
‘Sure,’ Red Hood responded breezily, amusement written in the lines of his posture. ‘We got pushed into the Pit at the same time. He went a little crazy and fell off a cliff, but shit could only go up from there, am I right?’”
Basically Jason (as Red Hood) pretends to be his own friend and casually makes the batfam lose their minds. Very funny!
-
Aftermath by ivy_and_ivory
“Now: Batman is in Paris, pulled there by a case that extends beyond Gotham’s borders, when circumstances lead him to a badly injured Red Hood – who might hold the key to Batman’s investigation.
Then: The Red Hood storms into Gotham, begins to stake his claim on the criminal underground, then abruptly disappears – but only after he breaks into Arkham Asylum and leaves the Joker dead in his own cell.”
You have to have an ao3 account to read this fic (sorry) but if anyone wants to know how to make one I can help! This is a really great case fic. Batman doesn’t know who the Red Hood is, but their relationship is complicated from the start because he was able to do what Batman never could: kill the Joker.
-
Tap by CKBookish
“Bruce returns home from the time stream, haunted by phantoms and dreams. Dreams of a past that can't be real.
But all of that wouldn't be so bad if his home didn't feel so empty in the absence of one of his children. Jason, refuses to talk to him or even answer his calls and Bruce can't figure out why or what he did wrong, not after they had mended their fences before his disappearance.
Meanwhile,
Catherine struggles to hold it together for her and Jason as life falls apart around them. When all she has to give is love she does her best to give it all.”
I really love this fic because it shows vignettes of Jason’s life with his mom without shitting on her as a character. Also, it’s a bit different from the other fics here because it takes place after Bruce comes back from the timestream instead of at the beginning of Jason’s stint as Red Hood.
-
when my cage is by the window (I can see the sun) by mikkal
“When he was seven, Damian finally escaped the League of Assassins - but not without his brother sacrificing himself to give him time. Now, six years later, he's Robin and Tim's been captured by Ra's in his latest plot. The family goes to Nanda Parbat to rescue him only to run into a revelation that might just break them.”
This fic is INSANELY well written. The small snippets of Jason and Damian’s time together are beautiful. It doesn’t have a happy ending necessarily, but you could probably interpret it as a happy ending!
-
robin’s roast by envysparkler
“There’s a new coffee shop in Crime Alley. It’s called the Red Hood.”
Jason gets to establish himself in Gotham as the owner of a new coffee shop instead of as a crime lord. This ends up being more effective in completing some of his goals than being the Red Hood would have been.
-
grave secrets by envysparkler
“Jason only came back to confront Batman and kill the Joker. His job is done.”
Be sure to mind the trigger warnings in the tags. This fic is very different from a lot of the ones on this list, but it’s VERY good.
-
The Long Road Home by BumblingBeesAndWillowTrees
“The first time Jason held Damian in his arms, the green abated and he knew he had never loved anyone else so fiercely before.
The thing about love is that it is so rarely enough.”
Jason raising Damian!!!! The family meeting Damian and not knowing that Jason raised him!!! Identity reveals! Aaaaaaaaa!!
Also, you need to have an ao3 account to read this fic, sorry.
-
prodigal by punkrockhades
“Dick liked to think he had a pretty good handle on the whole ‘big brother’ thing by now, even if Tim still saw sleep as optional and Damian still got a little stabby when a hug lasted too long.
But then Damian’s other big brother comes to town, mysterious and red-helmeted and oddly familiar, and seems to want nothing to do with the Bats sans Damian. Damian is strangely close-lipped about his other brother's past, but Dick is determined to find out more about the Red Hood - he could always use more little brothers, anyway!”
The batfam knows the Red Hood as a violent vigilante (and as Damian’s mysterious brother) but then they get to meet Jason!! Identity reveal and all that jazz!
-
the bird, the fog, the mist by bacondoughnut
“Jason Todd returns to Gotham with a foolproof plan, to kill the Joker and protect the city as the Red Hood in a way that Batman never could. But when he gets there he makes one major decision that's not a part of the plan. He goes home.
aka; The one where Jason tries to balance being the Red Hood with repairing things with his family, and maybe learns a thing or two about forgiveness and family and love along the way”
Jason comes home but he’s still the Red Hood and there’s a WONDERFUL amount of secrets being kept. I like this one because it’s the opposite from a lot of the other fics on this list (in that the family meets Jason Before they meet Red Hood)
You need to have an ao3 account to read this fic
-
forward tho’ I canna see by nex_et_nox
“One of the thugs trying to sneak up behind Robin stoops low, comes back up swinging at Robin's unprotected back with a fucking crowbar—
Metal clatters against the ground; the body follows it a second later.
Jason lifts his finger from the trigger.
Robin whirls, taking in the body dropped with a headshot. With a scowl, Jason kneecaps the idiots trying to take out Robin from behind again.
[or: Jason, newly returned to Gotham as the Red Hood, keeps accidentally helping out the Bats. It's really frustrating.]”
Oneshot with a bunch of interactions between Red Hood and the bats. Identity reveal that’s soft and sweet and everything I’m looking for <3
-
Bonus: Incomplete Fics (at the time of this list’s creation)
-
riptide by punkrockhades
“Jason’s first mistake was hacking the Bats’ secret comm channel.
Although could it really be called hacking when they’d never bothered to change their frequency since his Robin days? All he’d had to do was log on, and boom – instant access to the best ways to avoid meddlesome Bats while he got shit done. And since his end was carefully muted, they wouldn’t even know anyone was listening.
His second mistake was thinking he could listen without getting sucked back into their drama.”
I love this fic SO much. It made me feel so many emotions… the buildup to Jason’s reveal is amazing and the reveal itself is perfect. The last chapter is (as of right now) not posted, but that chapter is an epilogue so the story is able to stand without it! A million out of ten, would recommend.
Chapters: 5/6
-
what you’re longing for (you claim to abhor) by Ghxst_Bird
“He smiles, all teeth, ‘Come on Replacement, I even got to the door with both legs busted. This should be nothing.’
‘You’re right. Jason… Jason wouldn’t have given up. He would fight, I can still—’
The boy wobbles, and Jason has to suppress the mortifying impulse to jump to his aid.
‘I can still fight. Batman needs me.’
‘That’s a terrible idea,’ he muses aloud, and if there’s a hint of real concern somewhere under all the roiling green, well, nobody can prove it.”
AAAAAAAAAGH THIS FIC. This fic is SO good. There’s a ton of interactions between Jason and the family when they don’t know his ID because they assume that Red Hood’s relationship with Jason Todd isn’t “of course I know him, he’s me” but something Very Different. Angst, humor, the whole shebang.
Chapters: 10/11
(likely to update soon as the author has been posting a lot recently, but who’s to say. Either way, great story!)
-
Welp, there they are! Hope everyone enjoys because this is a fun trope :D
79 notes · View notes
the-arkhamwolf · 1 year ago
Text
Current lay out for my random reverse robins Au
-Damian getting dropped off at Bruces's step and forcing Bruce to take him on as a sidekick; Something-Wing (yeah that's the best I got)
-Bruce becomes a more lighthearted Batman for Damian's sake. After all the kid's been through.
-Wally and Damian meet and eventually become friends (They most likely will have a friendship similar to my Falling in Reverse AU)
-Bruce and Damian grow pretty close until a bad fight over the Joker, which causes Damian to move out
-One day he walking home he sees a woman being attacked. He saves her but ends up getting shot by the Joker (All this happens while he's a civilian)
-Bruce finds his son lying unconscious in the middle of the street bleeding heavily
-Damian wakes up in the hospital unable to move his legs
-Damian becomes bitter toward Bruce and the two have an even bigger falling out
-Bruce becomes a harsher Batman
-Tim appears on Bruce's doorstep with his Batman Needs a Robin propaganda
-Tim comes in to stop Bruce and somehow gets pushed into taking Damian's mantel
-For a good while, he spends most of his time trying to get Bruce and Damian to talk to each other
-Damian treats Tim harshly believing he hates Tim for taking his place
-Damian really hates himself because he thinks he's broken and sees what he could have been in Tim
-Tim eventually does break through to him and Damian comes back taking up an oracle-type role
-Damian starts to see Tim as a little brother and enjoys having him around
-Tim meets Stephine one night on patrol and through a series of events gets her to join the bats
-Tim works on a secret project called Titan that only Steph and Damian know about
-he plans to leave Gotham to work on Titan so He trains Steph to take his place
-Angst coming up
-Tim gets shot in a scene kind of similar to Batman Beyond; he goes to save a woman only for the woman to shoot him in the stomach. Tim gets away but he's bleeding heavily.
-Damian's on the comms trying to help him
-Everyone is to far away
-Tim stumbles through the street before sliding down against a pole
-Damian is on the comms the entire time helpless as his little brother dies
-Steph and Bruce fight/She leaves
-Jason steals tires and Bruce adopts him because no one said he couldn't
-Jason trains
-Damian disapproves but comes around for Jason's sake, not Bruce
-Steph hates Jason but they become friends later
-Ras brings Tim back and Tim Scares the heck out of him and then destroys his league (This is going to be a what the heck moment as it is revealed Tim was playing Ra's the whole time and I am so excited for it)
-Tim saves Cass from her father and then trains her
extra
-Tim has trouble sleeping due to nightmares. He also has the episode called freeze outs (Yeah I suck at names) where the pit takes over making him very cold and withdrawn and dangerous to everyone.
-Barbra becomes Cassandra's little shadow and Cass has no idea how to deal with a child (Which just leads to a lot of adorable Cass moments)
-Tim's living room is always cluttered with projects he and Roy are working on
-Rose is like Casse's big sister
-Damian gets conned into taking Jason to the fair and ends up coming home with an extra kid
-another pairing Wally and Jinx (not really a big part of the story but may be of use )
-Dick is a little monster who will disappear every chance he gets
I know this makes no sense but I love it
.
.
So either Wally will be there for Damian when Tim dies or Damian will push him away for two years (around when Tim comes back) then the two will reconnect and Damian will be shocked because Wally has a kid.
Reasons I want the second one
1- I love the angst of Damian feeling guilty as he realizes his best friend has a Daughter and he never knew about it
2-I love the fluff of Damian getting to be like an uncle and interacting with a baby
but also I don't want Damian to push away everyone because that is a lot of angst since Steph leaves for a while Idk
.
.
Original Post
any thoughts? also what should I name this Au?
89 notes · View notes