#was thinking about ak!red hood for this one

[heavysighing-dreamyeyes]

Fear

Red Hood doesn't realize the harsh reality that comes with his actions as a vigilante ~350 words

Red Hood inspires fear. It's something he thrives on. Fear of him keeps that mugger from pulling the trigger. Fear of him keeps that drug pusher from selling to a kid. Fear. Fear. It's the immediate reaction people have when seeing him.

He needs to scare people, needs to make them think twice about hurting others. But he unintentionally scares the people he's meant to help.

A little girl shrinks back from his hand when he's saving her from a fire. An elderly couple tries to give him their wallet after he knocks out the gunman threatening to shoot them.

Red Hood terrifies people. It's something Jason's learned to live with, to anticipate, to accept.

Knowing this doesn't make it any easier when he sees the fear in your eyes. He didn't expect you to run into his arms or even thank him when he beats the creep following you to a pulp. But he also didn't expect you to flinch when he went to check if you were okay.

The modulator in his helmet covers the way his breath hitches, when anxiety and unease spread across your face alongside the terror.

It's not supposed to be like this. He's not supposed to scare you. He's only trying to keep you safe, but there are tears pricking at the corners of your eyes, and the sight makes him stumble back.

Red Hood inspires fear. He just didn't realize how much until now. He shoots his grappling hook without another word. He follows you home from the roofs.

Later, you'll cry into Jason Todd's arms. He'll hold you tightly, whisper comforting words against your skin until you no longer shake. He'll stay with you until you aren't scared anymore.

You'll tell him all about Red Hood. His imposing figure, his helmet the color of the blood, the scent of death that seems to follow him with every step.

And when he goes out again, night after night, when he's brutal and efficient and soaked in blood, it'll be the memory of your fear that makes him soften for civilians. Your fear, that keeps him from shooting a lethal shot.

[ashboy-3]

Smash or Pass

Fandom: Danny Phantom and Batfam Prompt: https://www.tumblr.com/help-i-need-a-cool-username/719653067055906816/ashboy-3-please-tag-me-whenever-you-post-it?source=share Characters: Danny, Sam, Tucker, Jason, Batfam Words: 1908 Summary: Danny refuses to sleep and gets stopped by a reporter. Not fully knowng what she aks when questioning him about Red Hood Danny answers with a simple Smash. Now if only his crush Jason Todd would pick up on the social cues.

“So what’s the game tonight?” Danny asked, looking at the screen of the video camera to see Tucker and Sam staring back at him.

“Are you sure Danny. Isn’t it like ten over there?” Sam asked, worry clearly on her face.

“It’s not a good night for sleep Sam. Please. You two both have the day off, right?” Danny asked.

“Yeah we do dude. So I was thinking Smash or pass?” Tucker threw the idea out there.

“Oh that’s a good one. What should we do it on?” Danny asked.

“Super smash bros? It has Smash in the name?” Tucker suggested.

“Then we should totally do Pokémon!” Sam had an evil smirk.

“Oh you are both so on!” Danny quickly agreed as Tucker quickly found a full list online of the Super Smash bro fighters, sharing his screen and making sure to record, if anything for future black mail reasons.

“Alright first up Mario,” Tucker announced, both his friends knowing that he would rather be the impartial party and narrator while they have their fun.

“Pass.” Danny and Sam voiced.

“Donkey Kong.”

“Pass,” Danny quickly said.

“Smash!” Sam was quick to say as the two looked at each other.

“You want to smash a giant monkey?” Danny questioned.

“First off he’s a gorilla, second you can’t tell me that he doesn’t fuck,” she quirked her eyebrow at him.

“Fair enough,” Danny yielded holding up his drink to take a sip in her honor.

“Dude that’s water,” Tucker rolled his eyes.

“Don’t’ remind me. Who’s next!”

“Link.”

“Smash” Tucker rolled his eyes at his two friends.

“Sometimes you two are so predictable. Samus.”

“Pass,” Sam waved her off.

“Smash. Let her fuck me up, in or out of that suit!”

“Dark Samus?”

“Same,” they both agreed, to keep their answers from last time.

“Yoshi.”

“Smash!” Sam yelled out, Danny thinking about it before he to agreed.

“Why am I friends with you two? Kirby?”

“Pass,” Sam said as Danny thought abot it. “Yeah pass. I feel like Kirby is to innocent. And dude who else would you be friends with. Hit me with the next one!”

“Fox and Falco.”

“Pass on Fox smash on Falco,” Sam decided. “Pass on both,” Danny shook his head.

“How could you smash one but not the other? Their the same thing?” Danny asked.

“First off their not. I feel like Falco is more bad ass. Second, I don’t want to hear that argument when we get to pokemon.”

“Fair enough.” Danny agreed.

“Speaking of Pokemon I’m skipping them in this list since that’s our next list,” Tucker skipped the image of pikachu. They both passed on Luigi, Ness, Captain Falcon, and jigglypuff.

“I would so smash princess peach, daisy, and Rosalina. Line them up!” Danny cheered.

“Really Peach? I would only smash Rosalina. She at least had a story line,” Sam rolled her eyes.

“Bowser?”

“Smash the fucking hell out of me!” Danny cheered.

“Okay I know I’m a monster fucker, but are you sure you’re not one?” Sam asked him.

“I have never actually thought about it,” Danny shrugged. “But you still didn’t answer the question?”

“Of course, I’d smash Bowser. Pass on Wario, Waluigi, and Dr. Mario,” Sam rolled her eyes, a smile on her lips.

“Yeah, I can agree with that statement,” Danny shook his head in understanding. “We are passing on the ice climbers?” Danny asked.

“Of course!” Danny agreed. “and you know I’m smashing Sheik and Zelda!”

“Smash Sheik pass on Zelda.”

“You are aware that their the same person right?” Tucker asked her.

“I’m very aware. Sheik could kill me and Zelda is a broing princess. I know what I want in a partner.”

“point taken,” Tucker stopped his fight as he ended up pushing next multip times. Danny and Sam both agreed to pass on the fire emblem charctrers along with young link while Smashing Ganon.

“Mr. Game and Watch.”

“Pass,” Sam said quickly.

“I’d smash. I feel like he could give me a fun time. You saw how he handles that hammer. If I’m lucky he’d use it to pound me,” Danny smiled, making both of his friends laugh.

“You know Danny I agree with that statement and that’s why I’d smash meta knight.”

“To much armor for me,” Danny said, making Tucker snort.

They passed on the Pit’s, kept their same opinion on Samus and landed on Snake.

“Extra Smash!” Danny and Sam agreed.

They kept playing, ending pretty quickly with mostly passes. Danny wanting to smash Bayonets,, Ridley, and King Roll. Sam was agreeing with that list adding Isabella, claiming that she must have some evil dark side to her. This led the group to the pokemon list.

“Do we want to start with Gen 1? Or just go into chaos?” Tucker asked, knowing his friends answers as he got up the list for Gen 9.

“I’m being honest if it’s got three evolutions, I’m most likely not going to smash the first evolution. The second and third are still up for grabs,” Danny set down his rules.

“I can agree with that. So we passing on Sprigatto, Quaxly, and Fuecoco,” Tucker mumbled to himself, making sure to skip thoses options.

“I’m Smashing Floragato, Meowscarda and crocalor from the starters,” Danny stated.

“Chicken,” Sam snorted. “I’ll take your grass started and your fire second evolution and raise you a Quaxwell.”

“I feel like it’s only going to drown into madness from here,” Tucker groaned, knowing it’s not even midnight where Danny is yet and there are nine generations of pokemon.

“How can you not Smash Spidops!” Danny asked frantically.

“Are you kidding? All it does is shot webs. If I wanted to fuck something that shots webs I would fuck spiderman,” Sam rolled her eyes.

“You. . .bring out an excellent point, but I’m not changing my answer!”

“Smashing Arbolliva!” Sam slammed her hand on the desk.

‘Damn girl! I am right here! If you don’t want me then just say it,” Tucker teased her as Danny laughed.

“Smash. Samsh. Smash Ceruledge,” Danny was cheering, Sam cheering with him.

“You know it makes sense that the two of you dated in. highschool, but I can clearly tell why you two were never going to work,” Tucker observed.

“And why is that?” Danny asked, quirking his eyebrow.

“You have to similar of taste.”

“No way in hell you’re actually fucking Grafaiai. Sam do you just have a thing for monkeys or something? “Danny asked.

“I’m not the one who’s ready to throw a party for Toedscruel. I thought we agreed no judging?” She glared.

“Oh know we are judging. I think I’m the one who’s judging the worst,” Tucker laughed.

“That doesn’t count. You only have eyes for Sam. I can’t even recombed a person looks hot and fuckable to you without you saying Sam’s better,” Danny groaned.

“Yep and it’s nice to see that my girlfriend does not have the same standards for me,” Tucker was looking towards her, a playful smile on his lips. He knows she loves him and that he’s not being serious.

“Ah shit guys! I gotta go and get ready for class!” Danny said after hours of playing the smash or pass game. They did eventually make it through all of the Pokémon, but now it was 7 am and Danny had to run to get to campus and stop at his favorite coffee shop.

“Make sure you stay awake dude. If you need to skip class I can write you a doctor’s note,” Tucker said.

“I’ll be fine. I just really don’t want to sleep right now. I should be better by tonight,” Danny said bye to his friends, changing into a different shirt, making sure to grab his jacket, wallet, and keys before leaving his small apartment.

Danny loved living in Gotham, but sometimes the hustle and bustle of the city can be chaotic and stressful, especially on the days when Danny could possibly be late for class, sleep deprived, yet to have his coffee and some report is stopping him to ask him question.

“Opinion of Red Hood?” was the only thing Danny heard the reported ask.

“Smash,” was all Danny could think of as he quickly walked into the coffee shop to get his black coffee with 12 extra expresso shots. Did is taste good? No. Did it wake him up? Absolutely.

Danny didn’t realize the absolute chaos he had caused till he was back home from his classes, Sam and Tucker spamming him with memes of what he did.

Seeing no other option but to go along with it. He found the original clip that tucker sent him a link to, tunrs out the news station put it up on twitter, and re retweeted it with just two words. “I’m right.”

Meanwhile on the other side of Gotham Dick is dying of laughter as he discovered the most hilarious news clip on the planet and proceeded to send it to every single person in his contacts and to every group chat that he’s in, just in case he didn’t have someone’s contact number saved.

He even found the clip being retweeted by the same guy who claims that he’s still right with someone else tagging it #plsdon’tkillhimmr.redhoodsir.

He was making fun of Jason for it especially because turns out his brother knows the guy in real life.

“Grayson what does he even mean when he says smash?” Damain asked as Tim and Dick were making fun of Jason at the cave.

“I have to agree with Damain. The video makes know sense,” Bruce agreed.

“I’m not explaning this,” Tim quickly grabbed his coffee and walked out of the batcave.

“No it!” Jason declared running upstairs, face fully red, Dick not far behind him.

“Why is it always me,” Duke groaned as Bruce wayne lifted a questioning eye brow up at him.

“Please don’t make me explain it,” Duke begged, but sadly when Bruce Wayne wants to know something he will know something.

“Keep making fun of me for this and I will no longer show up to family dinner,” Jason glared at his older brother.

“Aww. You know you can’t avoid Alfred forever,” Dick teased.

“Shit you’re right,” Jason groaned, knowing he was going to have to put up with his brother’s teasing no matter what.

Before anyone knew it Wednesday was upon them, which meant that Danny and Jason finished their only shared class and walked out together to get lunch.

“So did you see your famous news clip?” Jason asked, not able to look Danny in the eye.

“Yeah. I swear this I say the craziest shit when I’m sleep deprived. I stand by what I said though,” Danny got up from the table to grab his order.

“You’re not worried about Red Hood finding out or anything?” Jason asked, seeing a chaotic look within Danny’s eyes.

“Jason, I want nothing more than for Red Hood to come and find me. Hopefully then I’ll get my wish,” Danny smirked up at him, hoping his friend would catch on to the signs.

“Well one can always hope,” Jason gave an awkward laugh as Danny sighed.

Jason may be a bat, but Danny has a feeling that he’s as hopeless as he is when it comes to picking up on romantic cues. At this rate, it’s going to take a miracle to get Jason to realize that yes Danny has feelings for him.

@help-i-need-a-cool-username @spookytragedyshark @weirdfishy @meira-3919 @akikkobara @yjfk@shorterthanadverage@mistyaltair @seraphinedemort@princessdaisysolosyourfaves@idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit@thatonegaybitch68@fuck-you-too-world@stargirl1331@blackrabbitt3t@staresatyoufromaccrosstheroom@f-theworld

I think that was everyone that wanted to be tagged. I personally feel like this could you a second chapter. If I ever do decide to do that then I would definitely add more Jason moments than just having him in here at the last moment.

[sergeant-angels-trashcan]

Thinking about disabled AK!Jason tonite with a disabled s/o

Let's be fr this man could/should be an ambulatory wheelchair user but he won't because he doesn't know that's a thing and wouldn't think he deserved it. If you're an ambulatory wheelchair user maybe one day you manage to lovingly bully him into just TRYING it and it is life changing

He uses his ambulatory energy to do Red Hood shit nbd

if he doesn't use a wheelchair he's got at least 2 braces--shoulder and knee

Baby has chronic pain, arthritis, chronic migraines from being beaten

Missing some teeth too

take this boy to your neuro or your ortho!!!! he is totally unaware he does not need to live like this. better living through chemistry

let's get him some therapy too

you WILL have to go to his drs appointments with him. mans WILL freak the fuck out for ANY medical procedure, has very serious medical abuse trauma. if he can see how your drs help you he is much more likely to go if he can see that you are benefiting from your providers and that they haven't harmed you

if you're scared of drs he will FULLY stand behind you. probably not that healthy tbh but he gets it

having a special Migraine Protocol for each of you (it's basically just a snack and a drink, blue light filter glasses, a sleep mask with headphones for that special Migraine Playlist)

make your own pain scales and talk through frequency of pain bc when you have constant or near constant pain it fucks up your ability to quantify it so making your own pain scale is helpful (he probably uses shakespeare plays or authors. like a 5 for jason is twilight, because you can see some problems but it's fun and fluffy but when you start looking closer OH NO SO MANY PROBLEMS)

pain meters on a wall near the kitchen so you can know what you're working with

CBD patches

the AK suit is basically a giant brace/mobility aid so you help him figure out how to adapt it for his red hood persona, how to make it lighter and allow for greater ROM

will remind you to do physical therapy

resistance bands ALL OVER THE HOUSE

learning bodywork techniques

AT LEAST once a week using a special oil or lotion to work into some of his bigger scars to make the tissue more mobile

giving him a back/neck/scalp/face massage

after a while obvi that's a lot of trust he's putting in you

NOT deep tissue. don't hurt him more. you can have effective therapeutic massage without hurting a person

trager work involves basically shaking a limb and letting the weight of the muscle do all the work but it feels weird the first time and he'd just start laughing at you

specially if you do his glutes

but it feels really nice so he stops laughing and it does help his lower body pain

putting magnesium lotion on each other's neck and shoulders

start to ask each other "are you angry or in pain?"

hand massages

teaching him to stop pushing through the pain

one of his knees is basically bone on bone so you always know when the weather is changing

if u both have bad knees u just don't even when the weather is changing. take some pain meds, use your topical pain reliever of choice, prop those joints up and snuggle in bed. watch a youtube series or he can read to you

heated blankets as heating pads supremacy

occasionally he'll be in pain and the kind of pain where you feel like you're going insane, so as a distraction he will go online and buy a bunch of weird pain-relieving gadgets and you'll spend a week trying them out

(sometimes his pain fog shopping spree is blind boxes, or nail polish, or statement shirts)

all of his siblings know to come to your place if they get beat tf up because your medicine cabinet is UNreal

you're about to give cass or steph a Controlled Substance Pain Reliever and you pause "this is technically drug dealing, isn't it? dOn'T teLL rEd hOOD" jason is literally patching them up right next to you

soft blankets

reminding each other it's ok to take it slow

he's constantly tearing into the other rogues for not having ADA accessible lairs (except Ivy who successfully argued that the plants make it ADA accessible which will do. FOR NOW.)

[thesandsofelsweyr]

Hello!

What in your opinion, would the ideal gifts be to give to Ak! Jason?

~K

Books of course! Though he'd love to get his hands on some first editions eventually, a box full of secondhand mass market paperbacks missing from his collection would make him the happiest guy in Gotham.

He likes thoughtful gifts that show him that you know him. For example, AK Jay is more utilitarian than his comics counterpart; he'll wear clothes until they're falling apart (just look at his Red Hood gear, lmao.) You know he wears gloves year-round to hide his scarred hands, but the guy has a single pair of nearly threadbare gloves, so you pick him up a pair of (sexy) driving gloves for the warmer months. You might buy him a handmade pot for his houseplant, or even another houseplant for him to dote on when (he thinks) no one's watching. Maybe later after he's had some time to heal and isn't as self-conscious about going out in public, you sign him up for a pottery class so he can make his own plant pots (you know he's got a creative streak that he could put to use for things other than gun mods and drones, heh.)

He'd be just as content with simple gestures of affection, such as an afternoon of pampering that ends with a long, relaxing shoulder massage, or a home-cooked meal of pot roast (or chili dogs) with a bowl of neapolitan ice cream for dessert 💕

[patchiko]

You’ve been given AK Jason so much love thx ☺️ if it’s not too much… what are some of AK Jason’s comforts? Does he have comfort foods? 🥘 Does he like the sound of the rain? 🌧️ Naps on the couch ? 🛋️

Thx 🥰

ill give this man love anytime💟

and its never too much anon, i love writing for him and yall!

Comforting Ak!Jay

(IM SO PROUD OF THIS I 💟 MY AUTISM)

(ngl this also just turned into my character analysis of Ak!Jay’s psychological gymnastics from Comics ((AK Genesis & Batman: AK)) and games) (still wrote the comfort shit tho)

hc, but i dont think any jason todds like the rain. it reminds them too much of the time he was a kid, didnt have a place to stay and went to sleep cold and wet

or when he was still young and with his family, his apartment would get flooded.

BUT ANYWAYS—

alone, i dont think jason can comfort himself very well.

beats himself for it when its over, drops him back into a spiral

just very much not healthy

HOWEVEER with someone is very different ,,

I Ramble Abt Jason Todd

post writing this, i feel like that one tweet thats like, ‘i never realized she was holding a plate of corn in this scene.’

Ak!Jays spirals or episodes come from two things, his self-esteem or self-worth, along with his lack of self-identity

Ak!Jason (Post/During AK) has a very hard time with his self worth, it solely stems from wanting to prove people wrong about himself. he obviously doesn’t like being perceived in the wrong way.

Ak!Jason (Post/During AK) says he’s move pasts his traumas, yet his identity and reasoning is constantly rooted in them, leading to so much contradictory dialogue and mental FUCKING GYMNASTICS.

ak!jay juggling if he wants to be loved by batman/batfam or wants to end it

i think he often ponders if he was better off being killed by the joker, or if he can really be redeemed from his actions as Arkham Knight by helping Gotham as Red Hood.

and if it’s enough for the people around him or someone to accept him.

if he can truly ever be loved

he has a lot of crisises about his identity and purpose more often then not b/c he cant find a reason for either besides his own anger and approval addiction.

, his biggest fear is losing, being worthless, and unwanted.

his constant drive is winning and proving himself as the best.

it causes his always feeling the need to prove himself, just so that hes wanted.

full pic is him on hid knees begging alfred for help,, my baby—-

the first introduction of his internalized self-deprecation is with his father, other then the Arkham Knight Annual

though he rejects this “truth” in the Annual, showing his determination to prove himself more then what Bruce and the Joker idealizes him to be, I think its a good mirror into Jasons mind and what really makes him start cracking

Ex. , his biological father canonically telling him he was a loser growing up, and his mom seems to personify/objectify Jason as gothams gravitation keeping them in gotham.

another example is the way he is talked to throughout scarecrows psychotropic

throughout the comic and game he goes between or showing a desire for a connection with bruce and praising joker for his upbringing, then chastising them.

its very clear jason has an identity issue, with him isolating himself because he believes he is too broken (game dialogues), his need for validation stemming from his childhood, his fear of abandonment, and overall internal dilemmas of wanting a connection or not. obviously hes not good with working out his emotions on his own without doing considerably impulsive things.

jason wanting to be his own person v jason wanting to be a better person for the people in his life

He see’s the place he was tortured as a rebirth for him, along with his plan to destroy Gotham and Bruce.(AK: Genesis)

This only comes from his desire to want his own separate identity, by ending these cycles of Bruces actions and Gothams nightmares he also believes that he will be truly free.

his only true identification with himself is anger and resentment, being built, gravitated, and broken by anger. feeling like hes always losing or lost, and his desire to just win something and therefore be wanted

okay to stop a fuckton of more rambling jason todd, abandoment issues, jealousy/obsession issues, need for connection, validation, relationships, self-destructive isolation, brainwashing induced perception issue, intense mood swings which also cause perception issues.

i guess it could try to be argued that Jason doesn’t actually want validation bc he got over the psychotropic; but i disagree with the way he constantly talks about being underestimated and feeling like he has to prove himself throughout the comics and his dialogue with Barbra in game.

i also want to make it clear that throughout the ak!comics he does help civilians so it does really have morality for other people. He does separate Gothams Gravity from the people, and claims the worst of the worst (villains and such) are the people who succumb to gotham.

(im only stopping bc im on mobile and couldn’t put anymore pictures)

im so upset.

theres so much i didnt get to talk abt

Ok Actually Comforting

so its pretty god damn hard to comfort this dude, he’s a chronic over analyzer, could probably turn anything and everything you say against himself or you, and yet would crave validation and intimacy.

which makes him a bit of a trip,, but i love him. so.

a lot of the time you’ll have to go with his flow

if its really bad he’ll isolate himself, he feels like he’s letting you down by breaking in front of you. He can’t let you see him as weak because to him its a liability for your relationship.

as well as the fact that his perception becomes very extreme/warped when very emotional. he’ll can range from believe your lying to him, to he’s not worth that kind of comfort and he’s wasting your time.

it takes a lot of patience for him to accept that he isnt an inconvenience to you and you do actually care

overtime, a lot of fucking time, he’ll slowly come around to this. instead of leaving for days or weeks at a time, Jason will leave for at most a day or two, but around midnight he’ll be home craving your presence.

he cant be alone again, he really doesn’t wanna be alone again, he needs to make sure you don’t wanna leave him.

probably just goes to sleep facing you, or holding your hand if hes feeling especially mushy.

he’d be so quiet, having the internal battle of leaving you or letting him feed into his desire of just having you around him.

In his words, needing a home. feeling safe, and warm. (I LIED I DELETED TWO PICS TO SHOW THIS)

jason thinking of alfred as home>>

Jason needs that in a partner! Someone who is warm to him! someone who makes him feel wanted or needed! Someone who makes him feel safe!

I think if you catch him just as he gets triggered/begins to spiral, you can help him not crash out.

Being over the top mushy with him isnt gonna work, he needs someone to ground him and be 100% with him.

sometimes he doesn’t need to talk or just doesn’t want to, again presence.

but acknowledging him every now and then to make sure he knows your not brushing him off or forgot about him.

when you’re in a closer relationship he definitely just wants you in his arms, needs to hold you close.

Home-cooked meals with him, justing going about your life with him, making him feel wanted, making him feel acknowledged.

i think he’d open up every now and then, but i think he’s also still a self-assured person who needs guidance at the right time. to just be sure he’s on the right path and youre with him.

one of his triggers is his own jealousy, accidentally making him feel like he’s replaceable or him believing you’ll get tired of him.

he needs so much reassurance.

just be there with him, guide him, love him, make sure he’s on the right path.

he needs a lot of things, sometimes its naps, sometimes its food, sometimes just to be in your arms, sometimes to help you cook, sometimes watching you work, sometimes he’ll have you lay your back on his chest and read with him, sometimes he just wants to fall asleep with you, sometimes he wants to cry in your arms, JUSDHRIDJDJDISO JASON TODD COME HOME WE MISS YOUUUU

HES MY HIGH MAINTENANCE GF

this was so satisfying to write i <3 jason todd

rq/inbox is open !! if you just wanna yap or wanna request somethin’ go ahead!

[purple-obsidian]

I'm back in your inbox again. Hello 👋

Been thinking about your ak jason todd and you've mentioned that his men know about her. They're intimidated by him and for good reason. But, hear me out, is Jason still working with scarecrow in your story?

Maybe Scarecrow is looking for the weakness in what seems like the arkham knights flawless armor. Maybe one of Jason's men isn't so loyal, or maybe scarecrow uses fear gas to get it out of them.

But I'm thinking how badly Jason would react if the reader was even in the slightest bit of danger or even vaugley threatened by scarecrow, even in passing. (Or slade, or even one of his men.) I think there'd be a bullet involved before the sentence is even over. Cause no matter how he treats her, she's still his person.

hello my friend! <3

in my little au, my fics 'say it back' and 'let go' happen just after the events of arkham knight, so jason is no longer working with scarecrow. i imagine that gotham is still a wreck, and jason hasn't yet transitioned to being red hood. so he's 'found' himself enough to have helped bruce in the end, but he's still harbors a crap ton of resentment and anger towards him and the others, and is still not above using lethal violence against those he thinks deserve it.

in my mind, this time period here is extremely tumultuous for him as he struggles to redefine and analyze what his goals and plans are now. like, if you're familiar with ATLA, i liken it to prince zuko getting physically ill after letting appa free. a sort of crisis of his self image. joker spent so much time convincing jason over and over how batman left him, abandoned him, telling him that bats was the enemy. and jason believed it, but when push came to shove, jason didn't exact his revenge. this turmoil inside of him, along with the unprocessed trauma of jokers multitude of atrocities, is what fuels a lot of his anger and unpredictability. his hired men are left over from his militia, he kept a handful of his most trusted guys on his payroll to help solidify his authority in gothams underworld. however, in my version of events, jason and reader were reunited back when he and scarecrow were still working together.

so, back to the original question. if earlier on, scarecrow had found out about reader, [and you're right, he had to trust some of his men to help keep her safe, so they could of had the info squeezed out of them. or maybe they were loose-lipped and talking shit, who knows.] no way crane could've resisted the temptation.

i think we can all agree that jason would use lethal force to protect reader. his own sins against her be damned, just because he's treated her like shit doesn't mean he will allow anyone else to threaten her or even touch her.

if it were dr. crane trying to use his fear gas on reader, jason would kill him on sight. no questions asked.

if it were someone less dangerous, like one of his militia getting too comfortable with reader, i see a possibility of him taking his time. we saw in 'let go' that he has some dark urges inside of him to hurt others the way he's been hurt. don't know if he'd actually have it in him to brutally torture someone, but if reader was injured, assaulted, or seriously harmed, who knows.

an important thing, though, is that i think jason would feel guilty after. not for killing them, not if they hurt his person. he'll be able to live with that just fine. but anything that prolongs their suffering i think he would feel remorse for, later on, when he's had more time to heal. more than anything, it will scare him to look back on it and know he's capable of such evil.

there would be a rare moment of vulnerability between jason and reader after he's eliminated the threat and can check and make sure readers okay.

if reader were suffering from fear gas, he would take her somewhere private and hold her close, not letting go until the toxin is out of her system, even if it's hours. most likely blaming himself the whole time and triggering him to spiral further down his path of self-hatred.

in the case of his militia men, they would be knocked out, and jason would get reader to safety asap. if reader has severe injuries, he may chance setting foot in a hospital, even though it reminds him of arkham. if the injuries are less severe, he would probably lock her up somewhere safe while he 'takes care' of the perpetrator, later returning to reader with bloody hands and eyes full of fear.

no matter the outcome, poor jay would be extra protective over reader for a while, second guessing who he trusts to leave her with and who is vetted enough to guard his safehouse when she's inside.

gahhhhh you're making me want to replay the games to brush up on the lore. its so tragic, jasons story. my heart hurts for him.

i would apologize for such a long-winded, unorganized response to a simple question, but i know you're just as obsessed as i am 😈

xoxo sid

[kindlingkeen]

What’s your opinion on Arkham Knight Red Hood vs UtRH Red Hood designs? When I first learned about him I was very ambivalent on his UtRH design, but it’s grown on me since then. I think I still like the AK helmet better though..

lol, okay, I’m actually going to answer this anyone because I’d already starting working on a response when I got your follow up (can you tell this is one of my favorite topics). I was confused when I read your ask initially, but then I thought, oooooohhhhh, maybe they mean this guy:

Which is what I get when I google Red Hood Arkham Knight (vs the Arkham Knight version with the pointy ears). I’m not sure what the difference is between these two guys?? Does he do a costume change in the video game?? Anyway, I have to say the hood over the helmet here kind of creeps me out. Objectively, I like the jacket, but all together the outfit reads too mercenary to me to be Jason. I can’t really seem him pulling off flips in that rigid metal breastplate.

There’s just something about the smooth featureless helmet that I really dig. Somehow it comes across as both menacing and quippy.

Batman: Under the Hood

Thanks for the asks anon, it doesn’t take much to get me to slap together a few comic panels and start gushing about the Red Hood’s many looks.

(A follow up to this and this ask about RH looks)

[killakalx]

ykw it has been like idk how many WEEKS and i am still thinking about that playfighting fic you wrote in response to my first ask. literally perfection. i think if there was any one thing that fully set me on the jason-to-dick pipeline it was that.

-🫐

i kinda had a dick-to-jason pipeline but it was more like dick-to-jason-to-dick-and-jason 😭 got into dc for nightwing, got obsessed with him, discovered red hood, then got obsessed with him while remaining obsessed with nightwing.

i like dick because he’s enough like me that i get to project stuff on him. only reason i think he’s a yapper is bc IM a yapper so that MUST mean he is too. only reason i think he’d fucking love mirror sex is because i like mirror sex! therefore he’s gotta be way worse than me. that doesn’t go for all aspects of him though; i hate being hot and i’d rather sit in front of a blasting ac than keep the room at a normal temperature. dick grayson, however, gets very dramatic when the temp is anywhere below 78. 76??? he’s walking around shivering and sneezing and whining until you put it back.

me liking jason is kinda simple though. he’s basically my type and i have (possibly delusional) reasons to assume i’m his type but that’s another convo i can’t have bc someone’s gonna jump me. jason todd lovers don’t play. they will find me. to cut it short tho-jason todd does everything i’d want my man to do, so all my writing for him is really just me writing what i want in a relationship 😞 with the exception of ak!jason ofc. only reason i’d let someone shove a gun down my throat is if the barrel’s empty

[argentumcor]

The Price of a Bullet

You can find the whole fic posted here, covering Jason's experiences during Arkham Knight.

Notes and thoughts if they interest you:

-I do think Jason was written consistently between AK Genesis, AK, and the Red Hood DLC. There's a complaint that he wasn't, and an accompanying complaint that the Knight is whiny, but that's assuming a level of emotional stability that he doesn't have. Reading AK Genesis, it's clear that Jason's narration regarding Bruce is cope, a product of his time in captivity and the Joker's mental conditioning. Bruce does care- he's just bad at showing it. That's clear in his interactions with the rest of the family, even Dick who would have known him before the haunting loss of Jason. On top of this, Jason spent most of his life from the day he was born being told he was worthless verbally and via physical abuse. Trust comes hard to him. The Joker in the Arkham games is very good at spotting things he can exploit about people, and when Jason was talking to buy time for Batman to come save him, he probably heard Jason's low sense of self-worth (self-esteem doesn't cover it), the perfect thing to use to break Jason to harness.

-Jason's snark is present as the Knight here and there on comms. He's not stable, though, unlike his depictions in other media. The "whiny" tone people complain about is more mania coming through as he gets close to his goal and his programming comes undone. This, I think, was an interesting way to split the baby- in the comics Jason being unstable is a concern of Bruce's to rather...extreme...extent (and unfounded, he isn't unstable except for inconsistent characterization like the rest of the DC cast). What is happening in AK is someone grindingly finding himself dragged back to reality after living in madness for a long time (no way in hell did he "escape" as late as Asylum; let's say it's been five years minimum and it happened during some other breakout).

-A quiet theme in the Arkham games, and in a lot of the better Batman media, is "truth beats lies." Batman beats out fear toxin, beats out Hatter's hypnosis, overcomes the Joker's mental infection because they're all founded on things that are not true. As such, Jason- as his student and his son- is able to overcome the lies the Joker and Harley put into his head in the end.

-It's beyond clear in game he has no respect for Scarecrow qua Scarecrow or any of the other villains he's pulled into this plan. People are mad about that, but he's hyperfocused and obsessive. It's a video game (sillier, yes, I said it) version of his plan, if for different motives, from Under the Red Hood.

-Dini might not have written AK but I'm pretty sure his notes were used or something. It has a lot of the elements I associate with his Batman writing- Bruce as deeply fallible, for one, the Joker as an unsympathetic and very real threat and charismatic. I think Dini found Jason's story a well of potential, based on how BTAS Tim is actually mostly Jason, how Return of the Joker's Tim plot is AK Jason's plot, and how Terry has a lot of Jason's attitude. Dini, for all his oddities as a writer in some respects, has a real gift for spotting things to punch up a character and situation.

-It's funny to me how Tim is the 'generic Robin' of the group so his characterization just gets kind of tossed around wherever the winds are blowing. I like Arkham Tim as the grounded reliable one, but he's Basically Jason in BTAS and in the comics his characterization seems particularly up in the air.

-The Arkham games are very silly, objectively- the whole thing with Titan, the entire idea of Arkham City, the Joker disease and how Bruce beats it, and so much more- but not to themselves. It's a story about a guy wearing a bat-inspired costume and being a vigilante. It is silly. The platonic ideal of a Batman story is silly with a violent dark aspect, cynical about human nature but hopeful about the power of love (brotherly, familial, romantic, agape, etc.), and it takes itself seriously within itself. From these can flow many things, profound, funny, and entertaining alike, and they coexist smoothly. I think the important thing with fiction is to meet it where it's at, especially as a writer, and this is especially true of these IP (modern myth, that's what they are) stories.

-Going through the game for Jason's timeline has been revealing about things I think were trimmed/changed. I'm pretty sure there's a missing Knight boss fight when Batman takes down the air defenses, because Jason just bolts for no reason (I rolled with this in the fic), to let Batman do as he pleases. I also think the vehicle boss fight vs. Jason in the grinder was supposed to be more complex instead of doing the same thing the whole time, but that's generally true of the vehicle combat: mechanically, it needed another pass across the board to make it a less repetitive experience.

-The Red Hood DLC should have been Jason fighting his way to the Asylum where he saves Bruce's life at the climax, potentially with contact with Oracle or even Nightwing which would have been interesting as hell. I really wish all the DLCs would have given us something at the scale of A Death in the Family; I really like these versions of the characters.

-I recommend this sort of fic, where you follow a plot through an alternate POV character, as a writing exercise. It has the merit of having known constraints you don't have to come up with but some creative give to figure out how the POV character got from point A to point B or figured out something or why he did something.

[calisources]

BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD SENTENCE STARTERS. all these sentences are taken from the animated movie under the red hood (2010) as well some from the comic of the same story arc. there will be mentions of death, torture, loss and the joker, who is like a warning on it's own. change pronouns and names as you see fit.

What hurts more? A? Or B? Forehand? Or backhand?

Now, that was rude. The first boy blunder had some manners.

Nah, I'm just gonna keep beating you with this crowbar.

Oh, Bird Boy, you're so much less fun now. All grown up and in your big-boy pants.

till, better off than his replacement, right?

Even tougher making with the yuks when you're worm food, huh?

Just be happy I only killed one of them. They're all assassins.

I'm cleaning up Gotham. More than you ever did.

You're stealing territory from Black Mask and killing anyone who gets in your way.

Plan? You're becoming a crime lord!

Yes! You can't stop crime. That's what you never understood. I'm controlling it. 

 You wanna rule them by fear, but what do you do with the ones who aren't afraid? I'm doing what you won't, I'm taking them out.

Tell me what happened to you. Let me help.

It's too late. You had your chance. And I'm just getting started.

You know, it only hurts when I laugh. 

I'm just something you helped make.

Is that what you think this is about? You letting me die? I don't know what clouds your judgement worse, your guilt or your antiquated sense of morality.

Bruce, I forgive you for not saving me. But why, why on God's earth is he still alive?!

Gotta give the boy points. He came all the way from the dead to make this shindig happen.

You wanna die? There's easier ways to kill yourself.

Yeah, like yelling at the guy who's holding the AK-47.

I'm chatty. It's part of my charm. 

He sliced that cable off his ankle before it went taunt.You don't just do that. That has to be practiced. Learned.

Then I got him killed. My partner. My soldier. My fault. I own that. I'll carry that like everything else. 

This is not your doing. You loved him. He knows that. It should be enough.

Do you remember how he was when I found him?

You know, I thought... I thought I'd be the last person you'd ever let him hurt.

What? What, your moral code just won't allow for that? It's too hard to cross that line?

Why? I'm not talking about killing Penguin or Scarecrow or Dent. I'm talking about HIM, just him. And doing it because... because he took me away from you.

He's a drug dealing pimp! I didn't think I had to prop up some pillows before I took him out!

You shattered his collar bone!

Please,I can help you.I know what happened.

Does it make it easier for you to think that my dip in his fountain of youth turned me rabid? Or is this just the real me?

I think you may have a collapsed lung. That always impedes the oratory.

 No. This doesn't change anything. It doesn't change anything at all.

It's him or me! You have to decide! Decide, now! 

I'm going to blow his deranged brains out! And if you want to stop it, you are going to have to shoot me, right in my face!

If you won't kill this psychotic piece of filth, I will! If you want to stop me, you're going to have to kill me!

If you can't suit up quickly at home base, I'm concerned how you will handle it in the field.

Perhaps he is primping.

Get out here or I'm going on patrol without you.

Ha! Gotcha!

It feels awesome! Check me out, I'm Robin the boy wonder! Are you kidding me? This Rocks!

Come on old man, we got bad guys who need chasing.

This is the best day of my life.

[do-not-careissa]

Stuck thinking about Bruce going through with the Nightfall protocol at the end of Arkham Knight and the absolute dumpster fire that must've left behind, at least for the Bat's in relation to Jason. Because by the end of the game who actually knows Jason is alive? Bruce and Alfred, who both just blew up the manor and disappeared into the wind without a word to anyone, and Barbara (which we only know about because of the Arkham Knight audio tapes, so as far as what the game shows she and Bruce didn't say anything to each other about Jason or AK. Babs could easily write the whole reveal off as a weird fear toxin reaction). Bruce doesn't tell Tim, Dick, or Lucius anything about Jason being alive, let alone the Arkham Knight, and even Alfred only knew he was alive.

So we get to my point, and the fic I'm telling myself I'll write that will likely just sit in my notes alongside the other half of my ideas:

However many months after AK Tim and Babs are on their honeymoon. Babs either assumes Jason being AK was a bad toxin trip, or that Bruce told the boys and Jason's just gone into hiding and doesn't want to be found, much like Bruce and Alfred. Since Tim and Babs are leaving town for however long, and Gotham is still figuring out what to do now that Batman's gone, Dick comes in to cover 'til they're back much like he does in his DLC. Maybe before leaving Babs mentions that there's been chatter about a possible new vigilante in town, this one more lethal than they'd like, be careful.

While on patrol Lucius clues him in to something going down at Black Mask's HQ. There were reports of gunshots at one of Black Mask's shipping yards earlier that night where the police found bodies, there are reports of more gunshots coming from the HQ, be careful.

Dick is too late to stop anything by the time he arrives. Finds Black Mask's dead body outside, clearly thrown, or more likely kicked, from a higher floor. Follows the broken window to find more bodies and Masks's office, currently being rummaged through by a red hooded figure. Dick confronts/attacks the figure, who either calls him by his name or makes a reference only a Bat would know. Dick demands answers, Hood clearly thinks he's joking until he's not. Bruce didn't tell them, any of them. Are you kidding me? But what about Babs, surely she said something? Dick continues demanding answers, only for the figure to lift their visor and reveal Jason's face beneath.

Dick doesn't buy it, this is clearly either Clayface, a shapeshifter, or someone fucking with them in the same way Hush had only this time it was Jason's face being copied. But why include the J scar? Jason never had a scar like that. In Dick's confusion/rage, Jason manages to disappear out the window. Lucius, still on the comms, offers to phone Babs to ask what the man meant, but Dick refuses, let them enjoy their honeymoon. He can figure this out.

Cue the frantic search to figure out who this person is, where they came from, where they're going, what they want, and it's driving Dick up the wall that this person has Jason's face, because surely this couldn't be Jason, Jason is dead after all.

IDK how this would end, if there'd be some happy reunion or if Jason would continue to stay just that far out of reach that has Dick seething. I just know Bruce not telling anyone about Jason would be fuel to the fire of Jason's "I was left behind and forgotten" complex.

[boyfridged]

What is your opinion on the Arkham Knight version of Jason

i have to say that I’ve never watched the full walkthrough nor played the game, but I did watch fragments and read the comics (although that was some years ago), so this is what my opinion is based on. &also there are things that i don’t enjoy about it, like the militia and aesthetics that comes with it, but fash undertones are present in so many batman titles, i’m not going to get into it right now.

i would like to say that i’m quite ambivalent, but that’s a lie because i usually have a soft spot for all jason iterations, even if they are very far off from the original characterisation and even perpetuate stereotypes that i can’t stand in canon. and that is, i think, for the most part, the case with arkham jay, an elseworld characterisation that might have even inspired the mainstream red hood comics a bit too much… especially that the arkham universe seems to be much darker and hopeless.

needless to say, I don’t like it in the main continuity, but for that title i didn’t mind it. if anywhere, pieces of media like that are the place to explore these themes.

two things i find interesting:

pre-robin/robin jay: something that is central to my reading of canon jason is his kindness and dedication to the world. this is attitude that ak jason is many ways definitely lacks. he is sensitive of course & motivated by desire to protect the innocent, but he is already cynical before he even gets to become robin.  it makes sense if you consider he’s older than jay when we first meet him in the main continuity, and that ak jay’s circumstances are much worse from the beginning (which is something i don’t appreciate that much tbh. you know i love willis & i don’t like this portrayal of gotham nor the crime alley specifically; not even sure if they call it in game/ak comics the same either). ak jay doesn’t give up (which i love), but he is already much more vidincative and has more of this somber determination. in batman and red hood comics flashbacks bruce sometimes mentions that jason “always” treated crime-fighting like a “game” – and this rings more true for ak jay than it ever did for 80s robin jason. i’d say ak!jay does treat life as a game because he knows that to an extent, it is one – and he is already on a disadvantaged position, which is why he’s willing to play dirty in the field. it’s a gritty take and much less mature and empathetic than what we get in og jason storylines. there’s def something captivating in this unromantic approach – hence its popularity even with rh retcons & fanon, but i'm more willing to accept it here than on earth prime. the way we can choose to believe that maybe robin could affect it and let him work him through his grievances with the world, only for it this chance to get completely crushed.

ak!jason: this is the universe in which jason gets to actually blame bruce for abandoning him (as a result of psychological torture, of course, but he still does), and in which he seeks revenge on him specifically. it’s interesting to see it unfold since in in comics it makes only for a short episode in the lost days for jay. (however, ngl, i also find it interesting that so many fans who are obsessed with jason being autonomous and responsible for all of his actions seem to adore this take.)

so, tldr, i guess while i do like this version of jason, he’s also basically a stereotype of og jason and everything i don’t want comics jason to be, which is a bit ironic. but there is some good storytelling in there and nice panels in ak: genesis.

and ngl i do like the monicker & his design. perhaps more than the red hood one even.

[patchiko]

Oh em gee.. I just thought about how AK!Jason would feel about meeting readers family?!?!?!? GIGGLES OMG

HEHHDJEHURHRBEHD

Ak!Jason Meeting Readers Family ((HCS))

nervous

HE’D BE REALLY NERVOUS

but he’d try to not let it show

but its so obvious he’s stiff as shit and as he’s driving there he’s like gripping the car wheel to the point where his hand is hurting

he’d wear long clothes to cover up, you try to comfort him and tell him that you told your family not to ask about his face

it did comfort him, but it also made him feel like the plague.

the more he’s around you the more he wants it to disappear

but he knew he had to suck it up, just for now.

Instead of letting him silent break down during the car-ride, you decided to talk about something a little more fun.

like work out how you two met.

you couldn’t exactly explain how you helped ‘THE RED HOOD.’ on some cold night in Gotham and now you, whether know or not, have a pre-planned husband, a ride or die, a ‘till death do us part’.

Jason snickered at you staring the conversation, setting the tone for him,

with “so how did we meet because i cant exactly say ‘he’s my pimp!’ but thats the best thing i can think of right now man.”

After a funny conversation where you two joked about meeting in a strip-club or an alleyway, teasing at your parents for their nervousness at the absolute built 6” Gothamite you were bringing.

you also get him to agree to grab icecream before you go, he just gets a milkshake.

You two settled on the fact he’s a firefighter who locals the coffee shop you settle at frequently!

i <3 firefighter!jason todd or paramedic!jason todd or social worker!jason todd

the conversation was also a spur of the topic and the biggest yapping session known to man. Jason talking about punching some guy in the face, you saying ‘you should do that to my boss.’ and then pointing at a dog, Jason just saying ‘Dog.’ ISTG JASON TODD X READER WHO MAKES HIS ADHD GO FUCKING HAYWIRE.

i dont wanna make any assumptions on anyones family so maybe ill make one on my puerto rican ass family, but if you wanna rq with anything specific on ur fam u can :)

RQ: Open (be gentle with me though.)

[yvtro]

Hi! I apologize if this has already been asked and answered many times, I couldn't find if that is the case.

But I would love to hear what you think of Jason in the Arkham Knight video game? Do you like him? Thank you and again, I'm sorry if this is redundant :(

disclaimer: i’m moving blogs. still here to go through my askbox, but you will find me at @boyfridged from now on.

first, i have to say that I’ve never watched the full walkthrough nor played the game, but I did watch fragments and read the comics (although that was some years ago), so this is what my opinion is based on. (also there are things that i don't enjoy about it, like the militia and aesthetics that comes with it, but fash undertones are present in so many batman titles, i'm not going to get into it right now)

i would like to say that i'm quite ambivalent, but that's a lie because i usually have a soft spot for all jason iterations, even if they are very far off from the original characterisation and even perpetuate stereotypes that i can’t stand in canon. and that is, i think, for the most part, the case with arkham jay, an elseworld characterisation that might have even inspired the mainstream red hood comics a bit too much... especially that the arkham universe seems to be much darker and hopeless.

needless to say, I don’t like it in the main continuity, but for that title i didn’t mind it. if anywhere, pieces of media like that are the place to explore these themes.

two things i find interesting:

 - pre-robin/robin jay: 

something that is central to my reading of canon jason is his kindness and dedication to the world. this is attitude that ak jason is many ways definitely lacks. he is sensitive of course, but he is already cynical before he even gets to become robin.  it makes sense if you consider he’s older than jay when we first meet him in the main continuity, and that ak jay's circumstances are much worse from the beginning (which is something i don’t appreciate that much btw! i don’t like this portrayal of gotham nor the crime alley specifically; not even sure if they call it in game/ak comics that). ak jay doesn't give up (which i love), but he is already much more vidincative and has more of this somber determination. in batman and red hood comics flashbacks bruce sometimes mentions that jason "always" treated crime-fighting like a "game" – and this rings more true for ak jay than it ever did for 80s robin jason. i'd say ak!jay does treat life as a game because he knows that to an extent, it is one – and he is already on a disadvantaged position, which is why he's willing to play dirty in the field. it's a gritty take and much less mature and empathetic than what we get in og jason storylines, but i do not dislike it. there's def something captivating in this unromantic approach, and the way we can choose to believe that maybe robin could affect it and let him work him through his grievances with the world, only for it this chance to get completely crushed.

ak!jason:

this is the universe in which jason gets to actually blame bruce for abandoning him (as a result of psychological torture, of course, but he still does), and in which he seeks revenge on him specifically. it's interesting to see it unfold since in in comics it makes only for a short episode in the lost days for jay.

so, to summarise, i guess while i do like this version of jason, he's also basically a stereotype of comics jason and everything i don't want comics jason to be, which is a bit ironic. but there is some cool storytelling in there and my beloved panels from ak: genesis with jay excited about the library.

also like. i think we need to objectivelly agree that his arkham knight design is much cooler than red hood...

[a-wanderersdiary]

Faith's Journal-One

Morri still won’t speak to me, not that I blame vir. Vi has every right to be angry with a coward. A coward who hid while bandits butchered our friends. I couldn’t have helped, I’m useless. But I should have tried. Best I could do was help Morri bury them when vi came home from their hunt. I’d been shuddering under one of the caravans since the gunfire started. I don’t know how long I’d been there. Could have been hours, could have been days. Its all a mess. All a blur.

We buried them close to the back wall, simple markers made with whatever the bandits didn’t steal.

I’m honestly surprised Morri’s stayed with me. Vi has every right to just up and leave me here to die or made me leave, keep what’s left of the park to virself. But no, vir still here and so am I. I thought for a while that this would be it from now on. Morri and myself, squatting in the remains of our old home, Not talking, not even looking each other in the face. I even thought maybe the bandits got us too. That we’re just two ghosts haunting this place. 

But then the vagabondes arrived. 

Morri and I were eating breakfast near the gate when we heard someone call out in half-broken french. Asking if anyone was alive inside, that they’d seen smoke and had things to trade. I saw Morri pick up vir old AK, thought vi was gonna shoot at them, drive them away. Instead vi headed up to the little walkway behind the gate, told them to hand over any weapons and they could come in. I guess they agreed, because next thing I knew, vi was opening the gates for them.

Two women, an older man, and someone like Morri, neither category. All of them dressed like, well... vagabondes. Road clothes, hard wearing and worn. The man’s uniform might have been a paramedics once and the last member of this group had bandages and goggles on their face. All I could see of them was red hair. One of the women wore a hooded jacket and carried an axe. Her eyes were cold, distrusting and harsh. Harsher even than Morri’s. The other was far friendlier, with a cowboy hat and a purple scarf. 

They came in leading horses! Two horses and two of those horned creatures, Cerns, the bandaged one called them. 

I stayed back from them whilst Morri explained what’s happened to us. How we lost so many people recently. I can’t even look at their graves.  Vi said they could stay the night, if they kept their animals calm and didn’t mind sleeping among ghosts. 

I suppose they didn’t mind, because they’re currently sat around the communal fire. Sharing their food with us. Hell, these vagabondes are the reason I’m writing this all down. The bandaged one, Red, they call themself. They gave me an empty notebook. They said I looked like I had a storm in my head and that writing things down helped them through some hard times.

I don’t know if they’re right. But they seem to be in a good place. Laughing with their group. Holding hands with the Cowboy Hat girl, laughing at the older man’s jokes. Even getting the hoodie girl to smile.

Morri’s been talking to that group a lot, come to think. Maybe vi’s making a choice about leaving. Maybe I’ll wake up alone come morning.

It’d be the least I deserve.

-Faith Deveraux 

[benefits1986]

Of Deja Vu and Horror Stories

It's the 31st of October and KJMS x Diplomat Hotel x Ed Caluag is trending. I also happen to love Baguio and have been thinking of visiting yet again, just because, why not?

Let this be a rundown of curated horror stories from someone who has overactive imagination. Horror stories even the most ugh ones actually make me scream to the top of my lungs. Umaatras talaga ako e. However, I like ghost hunts in old streets and spaces like Manila and Baguio. LOL. Iba 'yung live experience and for me, there's actually a world in between the living and the dead for such a long time.

I guess this roots back to my first encounter where I saw my Inang Sinta's last breaths. It was a sweltering summer just in time for the our sleepy town's pista ng bayan. I think I was around 8 or 9 years old. I was playing nonchalantly and I was called by my older cousin. I didn't know ina is passing. Days before, she even had her signature red mani and pedi from her suking tagakutkot ng kuko. She had to get a bedrest because she seemed to have a slight fever. Nothing too serious, though I knew she's nursing a stomach trouble for quite some time. So, there I was. I didn't know how to process it but as I saw her breathe her last breath. It was not so much of a struggle and looking back, she looked peaceful.

Not sure if this where some weird things started, but I started to have far and few lucid dreams. I do not generally believe in paranormal stuff then even when mom and my brother would always have their versions of amulets along with their rosaries. LOL. Badtrip nga ako sa mga laway kahit sinasabing nababati ako ng mga lola, tita at strangers. UGH.

At first, it was just random deja vu like field trips, specific moments in class and the like. However, when I was a frosh in nursing, I started to have more lucid dreams like being in an all girls' school. Of course, I laughed it off as I shared to my soul sister. Since she is a fan of the paranormal, she told me that it might be a premonition. I brushed it off because nowhere in my literal and figurative dream that I want to be in an old classroom with all girls in the hood. The blackboard was old and there was a quiz that made me wrinkle my nose. A year after stopping from school, I found myself in an old classroom with all girls downing an accounting exam. I wrinkled my nose and stopped. DAMN. Siguro kaya C+ lang ako sa accounting dahil dito. Hanap sisi lang but, hey. GAAP naman is pretty practical: economic entity, monetary unit, and time period. 'Wag ako. Saka puwede na AI 'yan these days. LELS. I remember kulang ng less than 1 PHP 'yung balance sheet ko. So graphic. It's traumatic. I had two Baguio trips where I had tongue in cheek shit shows. One was a ghost hunt and another is an exclusive solo tour in Diplomat Hotel.

The ghost hunt was actually just something I chanced upon and dahil gusto ko may something new every punta sa Baguio, sige. Naubusan na ako ng ideas PLUS my friends are really up for it. So ayun na nga, wala lang talaga siya sa umpisa pero, as we progressed, ang stress. 'Yung highlight niya is 'yung public cemetery ng Baguio. LERKZZZ. 'Yung mga fetus and babies na graves. Plus 'yung center spot doon is so weird. As in. Doon daw na-corner 'yung mga American soldiers back in the time of war.

Before I talk about the Diplomat Hotel "exclusive" tour, let me share my experience in La Casa Bianca. I chanced upon it from Paula Peralejo's recos. I love its location because it's accessible but not in the bustling side of Baguio. I booked it online and got a good deal. When we arrived, I was welcomed by no less than the Laperal House right across it. Syempre, soul sister ko was so giddy, since she devours horror stories. As in high na high siya. In fairness, I love La Casa Bianca and might spend a night there yet again. LOL.

So ayun na nga. Ginamit ko ang aking angking-galing para makapasok sa Diplomat Hotel kasi by special arrangements lang siya. LOL. My soul sister wanted to check it out and see me chicken out before she flies to SG. So, ayun na nga. Nadali ako ng bata sa may fountain. And of course, my most graphic lucid dream is when I saw how mom died, two weeks before siya madeads. HAYYYYY. Sabi sa church noong may Life in the Spirit Seminar ako na nahatak ako, 'yung gift ko daw is prophecy. HAY. Pinag-take kasi kami ng quiz tapos ayun. Sabi ko nga, okay naman na ako ng ibang gifts, 'wag lang 'yang prophecy na 'yan. LOL. Maging prophet na lang ba ako kesa maging alipin ng AI? Hahahahahahahaha. At least, may choice ako saka in demand naman mga prophets kahit hindi legit. LELS.

Siguro, 'yung pivotal moment ko sa belief ko is when I experienced astral projections. Yes, plural. I would talk about this when I am ready. HUHUHUHUHUHU. Akala ko nga simpleng sleep paralysis lang e. OOOOWEEEEMM. I just cut-pasted the paragraph above kasi ni-move ko and guess what? Ang nag-appear is 'yung last night copy-pasted ko. LOL. First time in history, baby. Baka nanay ko na naman 'tong nanga-agit. Hahahahahaha. Tigilan mo ako, ma. Ang aga-aga. Labyoooo. Sunduin mo na ba ako? Hahahahaha. I think ready naman na ako, hindi ko lang sure kung ready ka ba. 'Wag mo akong subukan. 'Wag mo akong i-trigger with thanks. Paki note. Duly note, please. Syempre, there's the suking PGH and Manila Doctors na ang stress talaga minsan lalo 'pag ako lang mag-isa sa corridors. Pati elevators, mhie. 'Yung Baler na balete tree na I swear may sumusunod sa akin pero hindi creepy. Parang mala-Avatar feels. 'Yung Siquijor and Danjugan encounters na sobrang in my face and up my thicc ass. LOLOLLOL. Plus, Diliman at night. As in, ilang beses na ayoko ng bumalik doon kasi ang lakas nila. I cannot. Kaya pala Diliman name niya. Pakshet. To clarify, 'pag may nararamdaman ako, talagang prayers lang and overthinking ang baon ko. Lagi ko sinasabi sa entities, 'wag magpakita kasi hindi ko talaga kaya. Isa pa lang nakita ko irl. 'Yung babaeng walang face sa jump train ng MRT. HUHUHUHUHUHU. Sabi ko naman nung na Anong dream kong next level ng horror shitshow ko? This is sooo crazy kasi nga libre naman mangarap. Pyramids of Giza. A non-mainstream castle somewhere in EU. Japan's Forbidden Forest. HUY. Hahahahahahah. Shet. Baka cardiac arrest na abutin ko neto, but as I said previously, I get scared easily, but I go for it anyway. Sana 'pag natupad, madocument ko ng photos and vids kasi hindi ko talaga kayang pagsabayin. Can I just say also na mas takot pa rin ako sa commitment, sa unknown, sa mga buhay na buhay at g na g na walang moral compass, at lalo sa mga waking and walking dead. Good morning, WL Tuesday! I love youuuuu pero baka may isundot ako. Hahahahahahaha. Babu for now! Laters!