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avaelangel · 2 years

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Me going insane for 1899 part 2. Spoilers!

Eyk. I don't really think that he's gotta be Maura's endgame. Nothing against the ship, no. But he's much more simple than her in everything. He's clearly out of his depth and probably not on his own accord. I think he is being used.

For what? Maybe, to drive a wedge between Maura and Daniel. Maura and Eyk are connected, but he also seems to have another outlook on that connection. He doesn't tell Maura about him being the captain of Prometheus, but still blames her for lying. To me it looks like ''You were the only one I trusted, how could you?'' while overlooking his own involment. He does unravel more rapidly than overs. But what if this is the nature of their relationship? Eyk thinks that Maura is something she is not. Or she's the only one who seems to understand him and he builds his assumptions on that.

Eyk is a simple man, maybe an actual sailor, but it's not a bad thing. He's clearly loving and caring, but he was also absent as a father and a husband. Unfortunately, he must have turned away from some things, like his wife's mental state, for example. He's seen enough to turn a blind eye on things like condtions the third class of the ship might be. He also seems to me like an actual loner. He can have friends, family, colleages. But he still floats alone in the world.

This is probably one of the reasons why he calls for and sees only one of his daughters. Nina. She has his hair and she probably was his confidant in the family. She understood his side of the struggle (being away, but not being able to stay away from the sea) and she saw her mother's struggle, tried to explain everything to her. Also, a an intresting thing - Eyk had a wife and three daughters, Maura has a father, brother and a son. They are both outnumbered in their families.

I think the core of characters' pain is true. Lost family, wasn't accepted by one, killed someone in self-defence, wasn't loved enough and so on. I also got an impression that Eyk and Ramiro might have been friends. They manage to communicate quite enough, and Ramiro being the more caring one in his situation, I think Eyk's influence and overall ''tortured dad'' vibe could help him a lot. Imagine Eyk teaching Ramiro about the sea.

Can't say I like Angel that much, which was probably purposeful. I'm thinking he got severely punished for his antics + being guy in a seemingly rich family. He was whipped (is that a right word?) probably for choosing to run around with a servant and not some girl with appropriate status. We haven't seen his painful memory though. We have seen the glimpse of Ramiro's, which seems to imply that the man he has killed was a priest. Was it to save Angel?

Which would, for sure, make things intresting. The journey on the Kerberos looks like the only time where Ramiro leans on Angel and not the opposite. Angel doesn't try to stay safe and silent, partly because he still might get away with everything, really. If Ramiro was a servant, being a runaway who pretended to be a priest would do him so much bad. Angel probably arranged for everything, but didn't do anything to make Ramiro feel safe, because he might not know how to. Angel was always the one reassured in the darkness of a bedroom, probably. There is more pent up fear within him, of course, and we see it when he's about to die. Fear of being not good enough for love, for example.

Context for Olek's memory is absolutely beyond me. I might be completely wrong here and everywhere, but either he killed someone and hid their body in that oil bank (it sure looks like that) for an opportunity of escaping. Or he killed someone who was sent that Lady Liberty postcard, hid their body and used the invitation for a chance of a better life. This is might be the reason why he is the kindest out of everyone and the quietest one as crew member. He's remorsefull or is feeling guilty because he isn't really remorsefull for what he did.

Clemence doesn't have a memory also. But the symbol of the whole thing (apparently it's alchemic symbol for Earth) is the most prominent on her clothing. She seems to have the shattering of reality, but maybe she was meant to have a more vivid expierence in the next seasons. I got a feeling that her, Jerome and Lucien had a love triange that came out of friendship. Jerome ultimately won, but Lucien came down with something, which made everyone feel guilty. Jerome and Clemence for being in love, Lucien for striving for the better life, even though life seems to show him that he doesn't deserve it. He seems to resent Clemence for her privilege and love her at the same time. The complexity of it all.

This every so slight resemblence between Maura and Iben makes me so curious and so concerned. In the 5th episode Tove says that Iben has ''created her own reality and we followed her''. Anker begs his wife to wake up. But the whole way Iben is adamant that she's the only one who is right. Even when she's got only one daughter, she still believes in her God. It cost her at least Krester. Also, Ada isn't in one of the capsules, even though Anker, Iben, Krester and Tove are. There is a possibility that they are all not at all related, but there is also a possibility that loosing their young children might have been the cause for Maura and Iben to relate to each other. Daniel and Anker contribute a lot to enable their wives, don't they?

A bit to add about Ada. Initially, I thought she would be friends with Elliot. She's smart, quick, she wants a different life from the one she has. She also, somehow, knows more than her family. She tells Tove about a signal from the lost ship. Who could have told her? Did she pick it up from the crew, meaning her and Tove both know a little bit of German? If she was recreated in the simulation, then what happened to her?

Was Krester betrayed? He and Tove probably share that painful expierence from different sides. He's also so ruthless towards her. It breakes my heart that Tove would shoot anyone to protect her family, but it isn't mutual all the way. I'm not saying much about him because his struggle is quite apparent. And also very painful.

Mrs Wilson is arguably the least shown character. But she's still got the letter. She is ultimately suffering for her greed and poor choices that might have followed her throughout her life. She thinks her experience makes her untouchable but each time she learns how wrong she was. Virginia (feels so weird to call her by her name) could be linked to Ling-Yi and her mom. It is also intresting that she's the most multi-lingual out of everyone, but she makes no effort to make a connection or to uncover that she understands a lot more than everyone else.

The entirety of all their struggle feels the most real. Maybe, because it is still quite prominent in the media. If I am right about Olek (which probably a no), it puts him in almost exact shoes as Ling-Yi. An imposter, who killed for their place. The probabilty of Mrs Wilson being somekind of a high figure in a brothel (god forbid) chain that stretches across the world scares me a lot. But in the real world, she (I hope) clawed her way to the top of a different, possibly criminal, food chain. If we are taking nearly everything for what it is, the whole experiment might be as much of a punishment as it might be a way to defeat guilt.

#i am still on it #and i am still sad #1899 #netflix 1899 #1899 spoilers #save 1899 #ada 1899 #angel 1899 #ramiro 1899 #tove 1899 #krester 1899 #is it inspiration or madness #or just lack of friends #eyk larsen #one more post i think

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greenglowinspooks · 11 months

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(DCxDP) The obligations of a rogue versus those of a parent (Pt. 4)

—

Tw: descriptions of body horror, Dr. Crane has PTSD and Does Not Realize, Crane has an actual panic attack and just doesn’t care, the Riddler makes one (1) sex joke about Batman

Will be crossposted to AO3 eventually

(Pt. 1 here) (Prev here) - (Pt. 5 here)

(Masterlist here)

—

Dr. Jonathan Crane is in his lab, the acrid scent of chemicals filling the air, and his hands are shaking.

Danny’s health, for the first week that he had him, had been steadily improving at an extremely quick rate. However, his healing had begun to stagnate. Danny said that it was because his body had run out of ectoplasm, and that while there was a lot of ambient ectoplasm in Gotham, he needed a stronger type in order to heal.

And so, that led Dr. Crane here.

He had stolen the research notes from the Penguin years ago regarding his experimentation on him.

(He quite vividly remembers the sound of bone creaking and groaning as it twisted, lengthened. The squelching of shifting tendons and muscles, the strange fabric-like tightening of skin. The feeling of going from man to monster, of losing all claim to his humanity.)

Danny had called him Liminal, part ghost. He had said that he was transformed by, among other things, a kind of synthetic ectoplasm.

Danny needed ectoplasm.

Crane had the research notes. He had every ingredient necessary. And yet, attempt after attempt failed.

The chemical smell burns his nose. His hands tremble.

Dr. Crane is not afraid.

He doesn’t feel fear anymore. He’s tried to, many, many times, but nothing has worked. And yet, his hands are shaking still.

(The horrifying sensation of vertebrae pop-pop-popping along his spine, growing and lengthening. The unbearable itching beneath his skin as toxin glands begin to form. The feeling of his teeth sharpening and elongating, of his skull growing, of his vision changing and brightening. The awful stench of chemicals. The awful stench of ectoplasm.)

Jonathan takes careful note of his shaking hands, his blurring vision, his accelerated heart-rate and shallow breathing.

(Human hands. Human vision. Human heart and lungs and organs.)

He takes note of them, but he does not let that distract him from the task at hand. Danny is not a chemist, but Jonathan is.

The boy knows enough about chemistry in theory, but he won’t go anywhere near Crane’s equipment. He seems to have some sort of intense fear of laboratory settings, probably developed during his stay with the GiW, and Crane is willing to respect that, if only because he cannot afford to lose him.

As such, Crane is the only one qualified to do this. And, unfortunately, if he isn’t successful the boy may very well die.

He heats the chemicals to precisely the right temperatures, adding each one to its correct container.

Dr. Crane thinks of the Scarebeast, that creature born of cruelty and greed and a sense of superiority. That creature which he tries to ignore is a part of him, that can never be removed. A damage which cannot be undone.

He pours the contents of a small beaker into a larger flask, watching the liquids swirl together. The stench in the air is becoming closer and closer to the one burned into his memory.

Crane’s whole body is wracked with unpleasant sensations. It’s truly unfortunate, he thinks, that despite his mind’s lack of fear, his body still reacts so harshly.

Jonathan’s eyes wander, eventually settling on a purple and green card sitting innocently on the corner of the table.

Right.

Even if they wiped out the GiW tomorrow, and even if Danny could survive without ectoplasm, he would still be in danger.

Crane has to get him back to good health. It’s the only way he can be sure that the boy can defend himself properly.

The solution in the flask begins to foam, and Jonathan does not hesitate as he adds the final ingredient. He pours the mixture into a new container, capping it and placing it into a freezer set to -40 degrees.

Hopefully this time he got the timing right.

Jonathan tries to relax, the ventilation in the room slowly but surely clearing the familiar smell from the air.

He thinks of the letter.

Surely, he thinks, that man can come up with some better material for his jokes. Or, at least something new.

Same old threats, same old attempted poisoning.

Aiming his threats at Danny, though, that was new. New and utterly unacceptable.

Scarecrow did what he had to.

He doubted that his solution would last forever, of course, as with that man it never did. As such, he would prepare both himself and Danny for the inevitable moment that his choices came back to bite them.

However, for the moment, they were safe. Danny could rest and recover, and Jonathan could figure out a plan to minimize possible damages.

Jonathan is no longer shaking.

He’s exhausted. This is his fifth attempt today, and each one leaves an unfortunate strain on his mind and body.

With a sigh, he settles himself into his seat at a nearby desk, opening up his computer and logging his most recent attempt. He still has to wait for it to chill to know if it was successful, but he can always update the logs later.

Once he’s done, he stretches, joints popping loudly as he walks to the freezer.

When he sees the results of his tireless work, the ghost of a smile flits across his face.

Success.

Jonathan picks up the jug of ectoplasm and leaves the lab, which is in all actuality the basement of the new apartment that he moved himself and Danny into after receiving the note. The scrappy old woman who was his landlord had told him that as long as he paid her five hundred dollars up front, she would let him set up in the basement without any questions or cop calls.

And so, the most expensive apartment in the Narrows was his.

At least, he thought, the distance between the basement and the apartment was short enough that Danny didn’t have to sit in while he was doing his labwork.

Jonathan knew that he didn’t exactly have a strong grasp on the concept of ‘lab safety,’ proven by his built-up immunity to almost every toxic chemical he’d ever encountered, and he doubted that Danny should be around such an environment.

He was back to the apartment quickly, not bothering to hide the self-satisfied smile on his face. Danny is sitting in his armchair, trying to read one of his books. Danny looks up, ready to greet him, when he sees the jug in his hands and pauses.

“Is that..?”

“Synthetic ectoplasm,” Jonathan says proudly, “I found the Penguin’s research notes and decided to recreate it, since you said that you needed it to heal properly. I’m not sure if it’ll work the same as what you usually have, but I hope it’s helpful all the same.”

Danny is standing, now, and looking at Jonathan with a strange look in his eyes. He looks, Jon thinks, like he’s about to cry.

Then Danny is rushing forward and wrapping his arms around Jonathan, his scrawny form shaking.

Jonathan is, for a moment, horrified. Did he do something wrong somehow? Why is this child, who’s so afraid of touch, hugging him?

And then he hears Danny’s voice, and he knows that it was all worth it.

“Thank you,” he’s mumbling, over and over, “thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much.”

“Of course,” Jonathan says softly, because what else can he say?

The boy cries in his arms for a while, and Jonathan briefly wonders what his life must have been like before, if a person like him can be seen as a comforting figure.

Then, Danny pours himself a small glass of the synthetic ectoplasm, putting the rest into the small fridge which had come with the apartment, and he settles back down, sitting in the armchair once again.

Jonathan sits opposite of him, and they chat with one another as Danny drinks.

Danny talks to him about the stars and tells him about different spaceships, and Jonathan makes sure to pay attention and ask the boy questions.

He doesn’t miss the way that Danny lights up every time he asks him something about his interests. He’s so passionate, so smart, a trait that he seldom sees outside of his fellow rogues, and Jonathan wants to encourage that.

It’s…nice. Peaceful, almost.

And then the front door flies open, because Jonathan isn’t allowed to have nice things.

“Jon,” a familiar voice rings out, “what the hell?!”

Danny is frozen in place, clearly terrified.

Jonathan heaves a sigh, turning to face the nuisance who’s entered his apartment.

“Eddie,” he drawls, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Edward’s face is red with anger as he invades Jonathan’s apartment.

“Oh, I don’t know! Maybe it’s the fact that you sent a bunch of rogues a cryptic message and then dropped off the face of the earth for two weeks! I was worried, Jon!”

Jonathan hums in acknowledgement.

“I didn’t think it was that cryptic,” he says, picking up a book in order to pointedly ignore the Riddler.

“Oh, of course you didn’t, you straw-stuffed hickory dickory dickhead. I swear, you’re always—” he pauses, finally having noticed Danny sitting opposite of Jonathan, “—who is this?”

“My apprentice,” Jonathan replies, dreading the upcoming headache he was no doubt going to develop from Edward’s company, “he’s helping me hunt down the GiW. His name is Danny.”

Edward gasps dramatically.

“You—an apprentice?! And you’re letting him sit in the old man chair?! You don’t even let me sit in the old man chair,” he wails, draping himself over the headrest of the couch with a flourish, “Jonathan, I thought I knew you!”

“Edward,” Jonathan says, “get out of my apartment.”

“Oh my goodness, this is incredible. You’re becoming the bat!”

“I am not becoming the bat, Eddie, now get out.”

Edward has a shit-eating grin on his face as he waltzes over to Danny. Danny, who seemed terrified when he first appeared, is now looking at him with obvious amusement written all over his face.

“I mean, look at him! The hair, the eyes, the scrappy build. If you put him in one of those traffic light vigilante costumes, he could easily pass as a Robin!”

“I’m not doing this with you today, Eddie.”

“Riddle me this, Jon: I am a treasure hidden inside of a chest. You can break me, or steal me, or give me a rest. I can flutter, or pound, or attack, or drop, but if you don’t have me, you’re certainly fucked. What am I?”

Jonathan pauses for a moment before he groans, dropping his head into his hands.

“Eddie.”

Danny sits still, a confused look on his face as he repeats the riddle silently. Then, his face lights up in delight.

“A heart!”

“Jon, I like this one,” Edward says with a smile, ruffling Danny’s hair, “you are correct! A heart, something that I wasn’t aware that our dear Jonathan had!”

“Eddie, stop.”

“No, no,” Edward says, “I was worried about you, you deserve this. I mean, you even missed girls night! You never miss girls night!”

“Girls night?” Danny asks, absolutely delighted.

“Oh, of course,” Edward says, sprawling over on the couch, dangerously close to just laying in Jonathan’s lap, “we have it once a week. I’m invited because of Selina and Jon’s invited because Harley likes him.”

“And what does girls night entail, exactly?”

“Eddie,” Jonathan groans, “please.”

“Well,” Edward hums, “we usually paint our nails, or watch a movie, or gossip about the other rogues, and occasionally, we tell each other about any ‘encounters’ we have with Batman,” he says, raising his eyebrows up and down.

Danny’s jaw drops.

“Edward, shut up,” Jonathan says, an irritated tone in his voice that wasn’t there before.

“No way,” Danny says, “I thought that Batman, like, hated you guys or something. You mean he actually..?”

“Oh, the Bat is much like a bottle of liquor or a cheap cigarette, in that he was made to be passed around.”

Danny chokes on air.

“Edward Nygma,” Jonathan hisses, getting out of his seat and looming over the man, “get the hell out.”

Edward pales.

“Leaving, leaving!” Edward says, dashing away from Jonathan. He pauses, turning to flash Danny a quick smile.

“Remember Danny, I’m your favorite uncle! Not any of the other rogues, me!”

With that, he leaves, the room falling completely silent.

And, as per usual, that silence does not last.

“You full-named him?” Danny asks gleefully, “and it worked?”

Jonathan just sighs, sitting down on the couch and rubbing at his temples.

“Please, don’t take anything Eddie says seriously. He’s a moron.”

“Dr. Crane, please let me come to girls night with you,” Danny pleads, his eyes sparkling, “I promise I won’t embarrass you.”

Jonathan groans.

“Of course you won’t, Eddie will do it for you.”

“Come on, please?”

“I think we’re a bit busy with the GiW at the moment,” Jonathan snaps. He pauses as he notices the crestfallen expression on Danny’s face.

This boy is going to be the death of him.

“Perhaps, though, when all that is taken care of…”

Danny cheers, grinning wildly, and Jonathan is not at all relieved to see him happy again. Certainly not.

The rest of the day is relatively normal.

Danny works on trying to get information from the GiW database while Crane refines his his fear toxin, both preparing for a raid on the GiW base they located in Gotham.

It was only a temporary base, nothing of note, but there was a chance of discovering more bases through it, and that wasn’t something either of them were willing to give up.

Still, something like this would take time. Rushing would only lead to failure.

…

Late in the night, long after Danny is fast asleep in his room, Jonathan pauses.

The GiW are not the only threat out there. They aren’t the only threat to him or to Danny. Perhaps it could be helpful to reach out to someone with greater resources than himself.

He sends a quick message to Red Hood.

Hopefully, he thinks, everything will go smoothly.

—

#dcxdp #dc x dp #dp x dc #dpxdc #dp x dc crossover #dc x dp fic #liminal scarecrow #Jon’s PTSD is triggered by the smell of ectoplasm because his life is a nightmare #HDJFNDNDNFKDJF #I am the master of emotional whiplash #rip Jon just trying to have some peace in this fucking house #never gonna happen king 🫡#oh also Eddie is not lying that bat can manwhore #and like half the rogues in Gotham know this from experience #and also most of the JL #and some of JL dark #btw Eddie and Jon are besties #they’re both awful but they make it work #when Jon full-names Eddie that just means that if he doesn’t stop whatever he’s doing he’s gonna get a dose of fear toxin #Eddie isn’t intimidating enough to full-name anyone so if he gets mad he just bashes whoever in the head with his cane #Jon is the living embodiment of ‘me and my girl don’t argue she bash me in the head with a rock and I walk it off like a man’#also side note I’m not doing any ships in this #because I don’t want to #they are just Like That #if you wanna read it that way though it’s completely fine #also shoutout 2 that one scriddler fic on ao3 that helped inspire that riddle LMAO

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