#Batman gains a new respect for him

[inthememetime]

An AU in which a young adult Danny inherits a branch of FentonWorks located on Gotham, he does some work as a Ghost hunter, as Phantom, and as the illusive Ghost King.

Then one day he get an odd request; He, Daniel Fenton, is hired to protect the hero Phantom, himself, from the evil ghost king, also himself, at the request of the Justice League.

🤣 I fucking love you, anon. I would credit you if I could. I'm calling this: Fenton, King of the Scams

Due to length, I'm splitting this bad boi in two.

Danny got into the 'family business' mostly due to a lack of other options. Anywhere that would do blood or physical tests would spot he wasn't completely human pretty quick. But, despite working in FentonWorks, he gained a reputation both from ghosts and humans as an extremely fair arbitrator.

He won't destroy your property- unless absolutely necessary- but he WILL sit down with you and the ghost bothering you and figure it out. 90% of the time, the ghost just can't get to the GZ, or needs to talk to a friend/family member one last time. Sure, you're out $25/hour, but the problems are almost always solved without bloodshed.

He's even worked with Constantine a few times! Nobody knows why, but ghosts really seem to respect him. And the JL respects him as well.

News, however, moves slowly in some parts and quickly in others from one side of the veil to the other. The JL knows, now, the Ghost King is up and around permanently. (True)

They know that, historically, the GK is evil. (True- with Pariah. Most of the others were good. There's a reason the former kings kept their names, and Pariah's was changed to...well...Pariah)

And they know Pariah Dark hates mediums and living humans. (True!)

They do not, however, know that the Ghost King has changed; The King of the Damned, Lord of Screams is an unknown, although he does admit- having his Title reflect his ghostly wail means it's a little bit ominous.

Phantom, meanwhile, is known as a superhero- albeit a dead one. He works with the Bats, the JL, and YJL willingly.

No one has, as of yet, connected patient (albeit snarky), careful Danny Fenton with aggressive, often asshole-ish Phantom. Fewer still- outside of Amity Park- have connected Phantom to the Ghost King of the Damned. Or, more commonly in Amity Park- King Phantom.

Danny found this out on a normal Tuesday evening.

"Phantom!" Batman called, and the ghost stopped to hover nearby.

"Hey tall, dark, and furry! What's shakin'?"

Batman scowled. (Victory!) "Phantom, the Justice League has a long-term contract for you."

"Ooh! What is it?"

Batman handed him a folder. "Let me know tomorrow night- same time and place- if you can take it."

"You got it, bats! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the dead bugs bite!" He cackled as he flew away. "Dead bugs. Ooh that was a good one."

When he returned- not home, he knew there was a tracker (it had become somewhat of a game between him and the batfam. Loser bought BatBurgers)- he looked through it. And promptly laughed until he nearly cried.

-

The next day, he- as Fenton- went to the JL's Gotham station. "Hi, Leslie, I'd like to speak with- Batman probably isn't in yet. Constantine? Or someone involved on order 7 GH-1800B?"

The receptionist looked through- she couldn't see any details past level 2, but she could see who to direct him to for questions. "You're in luck, Danny! Batman, Constantine, Superman, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow are all on it. Superman's up top, just take the blue elevator and push the top floor button."

"Thanks!" It said something that he was here often enough to be friends with the staff. He'd never get over the beauty of space. Every time, as Fenton or Phantom, it took his breath away. The way the stars wheeled, the way he could hear them thanks to his obsession.

"Still beautiful, isn't it?" A voice asked. He jolted, then grinned apologetically at Superman.

"Sorry. I was supposed to be finding you, but- every time, it gets more beautiful."

He nodded. "I can understand that. How can I help you, Mr. Fenton?"

"Danny, please. I actually had some questions on this order protecting me from the Ghost King?"

"Sure. I know Phantom's not the most discrete hero," fair, but ouch, "but his power set is best able to combat ghosts."

"Oh, I know that- we worked together a lot, back in Illinois. I guess the question is- why from the Ghost King? The current one isn't bad. I'd say he's pretty good, myself."

Superman smiled a little pityingly. "I know you think the best of ghosts- and usually, you're right! But this guy- we've been looking at historical records, and he's a real piece of work."

"Oh, you mean Pariah Dark," he said, now understanding. Easy mistake.

-

"Exactly. So until we get a few ways to combat him, we'd like to keep our Ghost Expert safe and sound." An alarm blared before he could correct the Man of Steel. "I've got to go- just stay safe, ok, Danny?"

"But Pariah Dark is- aaand you're gone. Ok then."

Maybe it was time to come clean to the JL. Memories of being on a dissection table at a GIW base, turned in by someone he'd trusted, flooded him and he winced. Or he could make easy money protecting himself.

Yeah. That sounded good.

"Did you really have to drop the trackers in a pile of bat droppings at the zoo?"

"You found them! Hey, at least we know it works even if you're-"

"Phantom," he warned.

"In deep-"

"Don't."

"In deep shit."

Batman sighed heavily.

"I'll take it, by the way. I talked to Fenton, we worked together a lot, he's cool with it."

Batman rubbed his temples. "Thank you."

"Sure! Hey, can you even feel yourself through that material? Whoa, that came out wrong. I meant can you feel your head- oh, that's not better."

"Have a good night, Phantom."

"You too! Sorry for the innuendo! It'll probably happen again."

"At least you recognize that." Was that a smile? Double score!

---

"So how's this look?"

"Good, but do we really want to summon the Ghost King?"

"That's the only way we'll find out if this works- it's been months. We need to know if the weapons we've altered with hurt him."

The summoning began. It was a long, tedious affair; generally, if one knew a spirit's title, they could do a summoning in just a few minutes. But something like this? Constantine and Zantana agreed, it was some of their best work. The King wouldn't be able to escape this, and more importantly, would be unable to attack them.

After nearly half an hour, the two magic users plopped on the ground, sweating and exhausted. "Is...something supposed to be happening?" Asked the Flash.

"It didn't work. HOW didn't it work?!"

Superman cleared his throat. "Would it still work if you had the wrong name?"

Slowly, both magic users turned to him. "Explain," the magician hissed, and Constantine pulled out a cigarette.

Superman cleared his throat. "Well. What if Pariah Dark isn't a title, but a name?"

Constantine closed his eyes. "Fuck this. Alright, Supes, what happened?"

"Well- Mr. Fen- ah, Danny came by to ask about the order of protection. He said the Ghost King was an okay guy, and then asked if I 'meant Pariah Dark'. So would that affect it?"

Constantine rose, left the room, and screamed. After a moment, he returned. "Somebody call Fenton, please. We need a nap."

"And a beer!"

"Two beers. Each."

-

"Oh, hey, Wonder Woman. How are you doing? Did your curator friend find another haunted artifact?"

"Well, thank you. And yourself?"

"Pretty good, thanks!"

She smiled. "Good. She does have a few leads, but nothing solid yet. I was wondering if you could tell me about a few ghosts?"

He nodded. "Sure, sure. Want something to drink?"

"Whatever you're having is fine," she replied easily, and sat on his creaky old couch.

He sat across from her and passed over a mug of hot cocoa. "So, who can I tell you about?"

"Let's start with Pariah Dark."

He made a curious noise. "You know, Supes asked me about him a few days ago, but ran off before I could say anything. Are you looking for his powers, history, or?"

"Is Pariah Dark a name or a title?" She asked.

"Bit of both. He became king a few thousand years ago, but was just the worst. When he was stopped the first time, ghosts stopped using his real name, and replaced anything with his name on it with Pariah. Dark was his real last name, though."

She frowned. "The first time? He is no longer the King?"

"About...eh, a thousand years ago, give or take a few centuries, the Ancients got together and sealed him to stop him from destroying the world. Nobody could win head-on, though, so he was king in name. Then, a few years back, he was released, and decided to do the whole destroy the world thing again," he said.

"But the current King didn't want the world to be destroyed, so he, Phantom, and other ghosts held him at bay long enough for him to challenge and win in single combat, then become king. Like I told Superman, though, he's a good guy."

"And do you know this new King's name?"

Oh. Shit. "We're allies, and it's incredibly unwise to share information like that about him," although technically, they already knew it, "but I can tell you that he's known as the King of the Damned, and he's very human friendly, minus a few crazies."

There. They'd be able to summon him with an incomplete title, but bindings wouldn't work without at least part of his name and his full title. It was why beings like Clockwork went by 'Master of Time', or Clockwork instead of their true name.

Wonder Woman's gaze sharpened- she'd caught onto the half truth. Luckily for him, her emergency communicator beeped before she could get out her lasso. Hooo boy. Maybe he needed to lay low in the GZ for a bit.

-

"Phantom, where is Fenton? The person you were asked to guard?" Batman asked.

The other side of the communicator was silent. "Phantom, respond." Silence. Batman turned to Constantine. "Any luck?"

He shook his head. "Turns out he didn't give us a true name. I keep getting images of his female counterpart in Illinois or a weird thermos, most of the time," he said. He sighed deeply. "The rest of the time, there's a ghost way scarier than Phantom in a crown."

"It's my fault," the Amazonian princess said quietly. "I kept pressing about Pariah Dark and the new King. Fenton warned me sharing information about the current Ghost King was unwise- I should've known even speaking about him could get Fenton in trouble. And if Phantom swore to you to protect Fenton, well."

"Hey, you didn't know the guy had a werewolf with portal powers that would just kidnap him," the Flash offered. "Who could? It's nuts."

"I think we only have one choice," Superman said warily, "and I don't like it." Superman had an understandable nervousness of ghosts- they were one of the only things that could reliably harm him without kryptonite.

"Neither do I. But l'll see if Zatanna is free."

In the secretary's desk, who'd had to leave early a week ago and was still in the hospital, was a note from one Daniel J. Fenton. It said, in general, that he was sorry he had to leave abruptly, but he would be perfectly safe with Phantom as an honored guest at the Ghost King's court for the next month.

The interim receptionist incorrectly noted this as junk mail, or perhaps a bit of fanfiction, and let it alone.

-

There was a painful tug in Danny's gut, and he groaned. "My liege?" Fright Knight asked.

"My apologies, I'm being summoned to the mortal realm," he said, then cocked his head to the side. "As King, not Phantom. Hmm. I'll see you all as soon as I can."

"We understand," said Queen Dora, and Danny took his true form.

Phantom looked like a young man, albeit with white hair, big eyes- basically, as friendly as he could while still being taken seriously. His true form was a little more...eldritch. He didn't actually have feet like this, just a long, black tail. His entire body, really, was that of a massive black serpent made out of static- if serpents had four arms with sharp claws, if their coils randomply dissipated into green and black smoke before remaking, and-

Ok. He looked...nothing like a serpent. Danny did, however, have to admit, the black crown, burning in ectoplasmic fire that matched the curling green horns and solid green eyes did make a pretty cool accessory for summonings.

Danny liked summonings- sometimes. More accurately, he liked fucking with people. And this would be a perfect- wait, was that Constantine?

-

At first, John thought it another dud. Nothing appeared in the circle. "Is it just me, or is the temp dropping in here?" The Flash asked.

Batman grunted- as good a yes as they'd get.

"King of the Damned, you have been summoned to this place. Show yourself!"

Constantine, a moment later, wished he hadn't spoken. It was impossible to keep track of the monster before them- its' body kept shifting and changing. One moment, static. The next, a clear view of the milky way. The next, stars he'd never seen before and that no mortal was meant to.

"Y̷o̵u̶'̸l̸l̴ ̴f̴i̴n̸d̶ ̵i̶t̴ ̸e̴a̵s̴i̸e̷r̷ ̵t̸o̶ ̷f̷o̶c̴u̷s̷ ̶o̵n̴ ̸m̶y̵ ̸f̴a̸c̶e̶,̵" said the King, kindly enough. Superman covered his ears and winced.

He- it? Danny'd always referred to it as a he. He was right. Somehow, the massive, green glowing maw filled with giant teeth and solid, unblinking eyes below fiery white hair and massive horns was easier to focus on. He hurriedly looked away from the horns, which were changing shape and size as quick as the rest of him.

"Right. We're looking for a missing persons- two, actually," he said. "Do you know where Danny Fenton and the spirit known as Phantom are?"

Did he know- Danny couldn't help the laugh. "O̷f̴ ̴c̷o̶u̴r̷s̶e̵!̷ ̷T̴h̴e̸y̷ ̴l̵e̵f̸t̴ ̴a̶ ̴n̷o̷t̷e̶ ̸f̷o̵r̴ ̸y̵o̸u̸,̸ ̶r̶e̴m̷e̶m̵b̵e̸r̴?̶"

Batman spoke. "We received no notes."

The King frowned. "L̵e̶s̵l̷i̴e̸ ̷d̵i̸d̸n̶'̶t̶ ̷g̵e̶t̶ ̵i̸t̷ ̶t̷o̴ ̷y̴o̵u̴?̷ ̶F̶e̶n̶t̴o̴n̶ ̸s̵a̷i̶d̵ ̶h̸e̸ ̸l̴e̶f̷t̷ ̷i̸t̴ ̵w̴i̴t̵h̵ ̵a̶ ̸m̵o̷r̸t̴a̴l̵ ̷b̸y̵ ̶t̴h̸a̶t̷ ̵n̶a̵m̷e̴.̶" He tacked on the 'mortal' at the last moment. Man, it was hard to be yourself while playing like you weren't yourself, while acting like you knew yourself a little.

Flash jumped up, and less than a second later, cleared his throat sheepishly. "So, uh. Honored guests at your court?"

He nodded.

"Can we talk to them? One or both?"

[arkham-guard-dp-au]

*Slowly slides a new ask idea thing*

... Ok, but like, like most inmates/patients in Arkham, Danny does not like Lyle Bolton (Batman: The Animated Series) at all, not when the man is blatantly abusing his power through (rather severe) punishments that end up setting back any sort of progress for anyone. Danny does his best to avoid most interactions with Bolton if he can.

Bolton, as the chief of security for Arkham, can respect Danny for not chickening out like most new hires during the first escape, but over time, as the man watches Danny seemingly perfect track record of no escapes while on duty along with him befriending the main rogues gallery especially, well, the man's suspicious of Danny.

Oh, and what's this? Cameras tend to Glitch and go static when Danny's nearby, especially during escape attempts. Bolton begins to grow wary and paranoid with Danny, so much so that, while most of the staff appreciate Danny, they all notice the blatant disrespect Bolton shows to him.

The longer Danny stays working at Arkham, the closer Bolton descends to becoming Lock Up. However, for this AU, his goal is simple. Locking Danny up in someway so Arkham stays intact and the prisoners stay where they're meant. After all, how else is this non-gothamite shrimp-looking kid able to cow the inmates to behave as they do? Bolton starts to believe Danny is allied with all the inmates and is doing the long-con of their inevitable escape and destruction of Arkham. Well, not under his watch!

He ends up somehow learning of the GIW and gain their sponsor of sorts, who fills him in about Danny being a person of interest and is to be detained and sent to their nearest lab immediately. As long as Danny's gone from Gotham, Lock Up will gladly help the GIW to keep the inmates in their cells till they rot. As they should be anyways.

Inmates notice Bolton's descent to seemingly madness and how he grumbles a lot about Danny. Not good. They grow protective of Danny. After all, despite how terrifying and creepy he may be, he's one of the very few who treat them well and respectfully. Like hell they'll let Bolton of all people try and hurt Arkham's favorite guard for any reason.

When the day Bolton manages to get his hands on Danny for GIW, a war might as well rain over Gotham now.

(Unsure if any of this makes sense anymore)

Now I don't know this Bolton but he sounds like a jerk. I wonder if he would try to get Batman in on his anti Danny campaign. Mabye even bringing the GIW into Bat's radar.

It could become extra angst if Batman believes the GIW lies and thinks they are in the right as a government organization, or be against them. Thinking the GIW runs a bit too close to anti meta campaigns.

[ramjam-jamming]

With the... Negativity surrounding the trailer for the new megamind movie/show, my brain's wires started wiring and, welp, here's my idea for a Megamind show: Megamind has to learn how to be a proper hero, and Metroman/Musicman (who is still retired) acts like a mentor, from the sidelines.

Here's a dive into how the villains (evil bernard evil bernard) and characters would work ⬇️

Megamind

He still has the attitude and mannerisms of a villain, as he retains his old personality, but is learning the values of being a super hero. He evil-laughs when winning and such, and also is rather awkward around the citizens of metrocity, but is trying his best. He's still trying to win over their trust.

Metroman

By the end of the movie, I'm pretty sure everyone still believes Megamind killed him, which would definitely hinder Megamind's ability to gain their trust. The general public still thinks Metroman's dead, but there are multiple rumours and conspiracy theories of him still being alive, as he still goes out and could be occasionally spotted.

Villains

Bernard, who is a megamind expert, becomes an antagonist. He has a collection of Megamind's old thrown away machines, plus merchandise. He believes that megamind has lost himself and is "boring" now. As such, he uses the holo-watch (found in Megamind's trash) to steal his appearance and cause Havoc, turning the public against him and "bringing back" the villain he's an """expert""" on. Of course, this plan fails, but he becomes a recurring villain whose objective is to return megamind to his old self. This is either through recreating him (holograms, robots, etc) or straight up trying to manipulate him into going back to his old habits. He's still emotionless and seemingly bored most of the time though. Always having a horrible time.

The Child

Specifically the child from "the button of doom" who gets the dehydration gun and turns his mother into an ice cube. I enjoy the idea of a full on villain bratty child who can't be sent to jail, bc he's a child. (Sort of like the kid from Word Girl and the little girl from Powerpuff girls) He could also reflect how Megamind was as a kid. in the end the child isn't literally evil, just immature.

I'm also changing The doom syndicate from a squad Megamind used to be a part of to fellow villains who Megamind hated. (I know they are based on a cut concept for the movie but it was cut for a reason, megamind shouldn't have been part of a squad at all, he only had Minion, that's kinda the point). My idea is that Megamind was the sort of "main villain" to metroman, and he used to make fun of the rest for being his "side villains" lmao. (I would love for metroman and megamind to have a lego joker-batman sort of thing going on)

Also, what if the villain scene was sort of competitive. They didn't have any respect for each other, and they all worked alone. Until now, considering from their perspective Megamind killed Metroman. They see him as a bigger threat now, and also want to beat him up bc he was the most annoying "fellow villain". As such, they join forces and form the doom syndicate. Although, I do like the idea of them appearing one by one across the show before forming the squad. (Perhaps like a season finale)

Tighten is tricky because he's been dealt with in the movie and it'd be repetitive to fight him again. Although, I think some random scientist villain giving him powers again could have potential, as he's the number 1 Megamind hater and is easily manipulated... Food for thought

[didoldacc]

oh boy (wonder) ● huening kai | chapter one

this work contains violence and smut, MDNI!

warnings: sound of gunshots, curse words (i don't know if this one even should be in warnings) let me know if something is missing!

+this is not a dark fic, warnings are only there because it is unavoidable in a superhero setting. but this chapter is one of the lighter chapters.

smut warnings: none

word count: around 1.4k

"they say the new vigilante wondering around devil's tongue is gotham city's boy wonder." you said while chewing your pen. you were definitely stressed. all of this had a very high chance to boost your path to climbing up career stairs yet the worries you had about your city made it impossible to focus on promotion ensured with the story of blue bird that you have been working on.

"nightwing?" your co-worker fulton asked.

"yes, him. i really hope he doesn't bring gotham's curse on us. you know our crime rates are record high, we are almost as fucked up as gotham but what blüdhaven needs is not a vigilante running around. i don't think it helps gotham city, either. he should go back where he came from." you felt an urge to argue even though no one was saying anything. even confused looks towards you was covering fulton's face.

"well, tell me where do you see a problem in this? you are in need of a good story for your next sweet paycheck. and it comes by itself to you. you can still add commentary in your stories, it can gain a lot more attention but other than that, you shouldn't put your thinking cap on." he argued back, sounding like he didn't get your point at all.

you decided to avoid having a prawle with him. "whatever... i asked for pictures of him to be taken, do you have them?" you asked. "yes, i have them. you know even though you never bothered to learn my name, you have no idea how far i would go to capture pictures for your stories." he said jokingly but you knew there is no smoke without fire.

you frowned "hey, give me some credit. i of course know your name, fulton." trying to object what he said.

"that's my surname, i am talking about my first name." his protest immediately daffed by you. "is that really important? that's all the information i need for a respected co-worker." hoping he would get the hint.

"let's get working. and also we need to get read for this night. i suggest we follow him."

"welcome to our precinct, rookie. you are for sure going to feel unwelcomed here but don't get scared! they will start to treat you like a human being in no time." a random officer said. kai wanted to roll his eyes. his low-key attitude was definitely not suitable to a cop his age and experience.

"no worries, i survived gotham. i am pretty sure that some socially awkward stiations isn't going to be my cause of death instead of a psychotic clown terrorizing the whole gotham." he headed to his desk after giving him a sarcastic and dismissive response.

"look at the newbie over there! he looks so dreamy!" said a senior officer who didn't look much older than kai. "is he kai kamal huening, the adopted son of bruce wayne? i heard he lost his parents when he was a kid and adopted by the billionaire playboy." they started gossiping as if kai wasn't there. "poor guy, but lucky."

kai couldn't help but smirk to those women talking about him. even though they were obstrusive, he was used to it. gossips were unavoidable if you were a wayne. it was okay as long as they didn't know the batman and robin. yet he didn't worry about it due to very limited observation skills people had.

kai started to place his belongings to his desk. this was a new beggining to him, a chance to become a different man than his surly adopted father, an identity that had nothing in common with bruce's darkness. lost in the thoughts, kai stopped thinking once he saw his captain walking towards him. he hoped that she was just coming there to welcome him. kai immeadiately stood up. but once she started talking all of his hopes was in vain. just being there to welcome him was further away from the truth with the worlds slipping out her mouth. "isn't that a great coincidence the successor of the wayne fortune started his career as a dedective with a high ranking. i will keep my eye on you. anyways i am actually here to remind you that you can take the documents for your first case from my secretary." she left without giving him a chance to reply.

he went up to secretary's desk to take the file. the secretary seemed a nice sweet girl unlike everyone else around. "oh, you are here to take the 'blue bird' files, right?" kai felt his heart racing with his luck but he managed to stay nonchalant. "yes, i guess so? isn't his name nightwing? why the file is called blue bird?" the secretary's lips slightly opened for a minute then she pressed them together before answering. "i wouldn't know, sorry." kai smiled. "no, i am sorry. i was just talking to myself. it was rude." kai explained himself. he had a feeling that she was the one he wouldn't hate to be around. "guess i better get started." he said before leading to his desk. the sweet secretary waved good bye to him, both of them forgetting to exchange names.

kai wanted to give himself a break and not to go to patrol this night but later decided to do so because he was in desperate boredom due to lack of human connection he had. before he left he wanted to call barbara. his hands were about to dial the contact name 'babs<3' yet he stopped himself. if he called her, bruce would know and the last thing he needed was bruce knowing kai was alone like himself. kai was never a grumpy and serious person like bruce. he had a phase where he was constantly mad due to his parents' passing but thanks to alferd and his more open-minded and fun-loving nature. yet kai was still afraid that he someday would turn into a bruce or the batman. so no he wasn't going to call barbara and she sure could outlive few weeks without talking to him.

"god i am really hoping that the new vigilante is on a patrol this night. otherwise we are fucking up our sleeping schedules for no reason." fulton complained.

"stop whining like a baby. if i am going to be the next lois lane i need this story." you sounded stern while saying it.

"or you could be the next vick vale." his sarcasm in his voice made you sick for some reason but you didn't chew on. "or her yeah." you mumbled.

you stared at the roofs where the so called nightwing hanged out the most. what was his deal? was he really robin? if he is, why did he leave batman? you needed all those answers for your story.

suddenly you heard a gunshot. the adrenaline taking over your body, the only thing you were managed to think was whether or not if this story was worth risking your life yet you still ran toward the gun sound, coming down from the ladders as fast as you could. you were certain that it was your lucky day when you heard more gunshots coming from there. "this will definitely get nightwing's attention."

a/n: i know reader and kai may seem a bit annoying but they will have character developments and kai's character may seem just dick grayson named kai but don't worry it will be a mix of kai's and dick's personalities. i added this note cuz it bothered me while reading but then i remembered my plans for this fic.

[stealingyourbones]

A more fleshed out Idea, The Danny Phantom TV show exists in the DC universe, and the verses DC media exist in the DP universe. One Day after exploring the GZ Danny falls into Gotham in front of Tim who is a long time Phan since he was stalking Vigilantes on rooftops taking photos. Both sets of media are past the "present" for both universes

There is a bit of confusion and some panicking because both of them realize Danny is stuck for a while when the portal he falls through closed behind him, and Danny doesn't want to end up adopted by Batman. (To bad someone has to take care of him while he's stuck it might as well be the Waynes)

For maximum Chaos have the DP timeline either before Reality Trip or before the Episode with the Ghost King and for the DC timeline a few months before Jason's debut as the Red Hood and I'm thinking Comics wise Danny's universe the Red Robin series just came out making Tim Danny's Robin, though Danny gained a massive attachment to Jason in resent mouths because he can identify with the whole dying thing after his accident. Though he still thinks Titans Tower was way to much, but he has recently got a few headcanons on why Jason was so mentally off because of his new experiences with ghosts.

A few more things that might happen, Titan Tower gets averted thanks to Danny's foreknowledge and Danny's eagerness to test a few headcanons of his on the basically brainwashed Jason mostly testing whether or not pit water is actually the same thing as ectoplasm or not in the hope to bring him back to his senses sooner. Danny is not going to let the miscommunication happen here if he can and will definitely stop the batarang to the throat thing from happening if he can. Batman helps him train and tries to figure out how to change Danny's ghost outfit because it's definitely possible Vlad did not get blasted with the vampire knock off outfit on(mainly because Bruce has aready mentally adopted this child and wants him to have better defenses then the suit he already died in twice thanks to memory blank). And tries to figure out how to bring Danny home... hopefully without using a Ghost portal because Gotham does not need Ghosts on top of everything else.

I fully respect Danny’s “yeah i dont like how the writers made this im going to fix it” and just full sending on it. This is a wonderful idea homie. Danny having the foreknowledge and doing his best to help The Bats while also trying to not be noticed by the entire JL

[kauzebridgerton]

Kauze History.

Chapter 3: Sakamaki Mansion.

I stayed at Mr Karlheinz's mansion for two days, he gave me a pair of clothes, but they were a little big on me, and they smelled old, but at least I had something different to wear, and that made me happy! But... They weren't that pretty.

— Mr. Karlheinz, whose old man's clothes are these?

— They belonged to one of my sons, I believe that over time they will fit you completely. As you are in the development phase, I believe you should eat like a normal child until you gain more weight.

— Oh, is that why they're big on me?

— Exactly, but don't worry, I ordered my servants to provide you with new clothes.

—Oh! Oh! So.. I want something without it being yellow! I hate yellow!

— Huh, how curious, coming from someone who has hair that color.

—Exactly, this is my downfall, how can someone who has yellow hair wear yellow clothes? That would be so cheesy! Yuck!

— I understand, don't worry, I will pass this information on to them. — He put his hand on my back and started to lead me towards the exit. — Well, now I will take you to my children's mansion.

I nodded, but at the same time I was a little sad, since I didn't want to leave there, living with Mr. Karlheinz was really cool, he told me some things about the vampire universe, and he also told me about my parents

He had told me that he was a friend of my parents, and he told me that if it happened to them, he would take care of me, and that's exactly what happened, I think I'm very lucky that Mr. Karlheinz found me and I think my parents would be happy for him to be with me.

— Huh... I didn't want to go... — I said a little fearfully, as I sat in the limousine next to him. — What if they don't like me?

— They don't need to like you, just keep you alive and respect them, affection should come last, you hear?

I raised an eyebrow suspiciously, but then shrugged, if they don't like me, maybe I'll make other friends along the way.

— Huh, okay... But I like you!

— I am happy with that.

Well, this wasn't what I expected, but I guess Mr. Karlheinz is just a grumpy adult who doesn't talk about his feelings, so I made him a heart with my hands, and then I turned away from him and started looking to the window. I stayed like that for a while at the window, but soon fell asleep.

— Hey, Kauze. — I felt someone moving me, I opened my eyes, it was Mr. Karlheinz.

— Huuhh... — I ran my hand under my eyes and then stood up, picking up my Batman magazine. — Please don't leave me... I swear I won't bother you...

I said trying to convince him to stay with me, I didn't want to stay in the house of people I don't know, but as soon as I saw Mr. Karlheinz's irritated look, I immediately shut up and followed him to the entrance and then the door opened and we went to the entrance hall, there was a man with black hair and glasses, he smelled of tea and looked like he had drunk a very sour lemonade because of his angry face.

— So, this is the boy? — he looked at me, I quickly hid behind Mr. Karlheinz. — ... Apparently I'll have a lot of work ahead of me, but I'll do what you asked me to do, father.

— I know you will. — Mr. Karlheinz pulled me from behind him. — I'm leaving, remember what I asked you. I hope you behave, Kauze. And I want the boy alive, make that clear to your brothers.

And then Mr. Karlheinz disappeared, just like he did that day he found me, only this time he didn't take me with him, which made me very sad, but I didn't want to cry in front of this scary man.

— Hah... — I sighed sadly, but then looked at the man in front of me.

— You must be Kauze, right? Come with me. — He quickly started walking and I followed him. — We have rules in this house, so I hope you don't behave like a brat, otherwise I will punish you.

—...! — I looked at him scared, but then I shook my head. - I'll behave! I promise!

— Excellent.

He then opened the door to a room, it was quite large, but it looked like an adult's room, similar to the one I stayed in at Mr. Karlheinz's mansion, the difference was that the walls were in a lighter shade of blue.

— Yaaaay, there's no yellow! — I celebrated. - What is your name?

— Reiji Sakamaki. — He answered me. — I'm glad I don't need to tell you obvious things and you already understand what your room will be like, I want you to keep it organized. I'll take a look at it.

— Well, I don't have much to let him mess around with... — I shrugged and left a small suitcase next to the bed, inside it were my old clothes and my Batman magazine. — Hey, Reiji, are you the oldest?

— No, I'm the second son. The oldest is Shu, but he's a good-for-nothing, so he's not surprised that I have to do his job.

I raised my eyebrows and looked to the side, apparently they didn't get along at all, but I think it's better to stay out of it, as I wouldn't want to be in the middle of a fight between two adults.

—Hah, has the brat arrived yet?

Another man's voice appeared, and he had red hair and wore his clothes the wrong way, I quickly crossed my arms and pouted at him, who does this fool think he is?

—... — I looked at him sullenly.

— Frankly Ayato, you surpass yourself every day in terms of lack of education, but since you're here, I'll get on with my work. — Reiji looked at me. — This is Kauze, the boy Karlheinz mentioned.

— Heh, look at his clothes. — I felt him mocking me. — Hey, brat! I'm talking with you!

— Mr. Karlheinz told me that those clothes belonged to one of you, it's not my fault if you wore old people's clothes...

— Hah?! Wait! These clothes are Kanato's! — The silly redhead pointed at me. — You look ridiculous.

— I know! Do you think I like wearing this...?! I want more comfortable clothes.... Mr. Karlheinz said he would provide more clothes for me, but I'm afraid they'll be ugly too... — I lowered my head, already expecting my defeat.

—Heh, I was also trying to guess who they were. — Reiji looked at me too. — Still, they're pretty loose with you. You are certainly underweight. You should be grateful for these clothes, for a street kid you are demanding too much.

— I'm sorry, Reiji... — I said embarrassed, hugging my body so they wouldn't notice how thin I am. — Mr. Karlheinz told me I would gain weight if I ate enough food.

— Yes, that's obvious.

— Reiji, I'm not going to take care of this brat, you can get me out of this.

— Hey...! I know how to take care of myself very well, I just need help with adult things... — I said embarrassed.

Ayato was really annoying, why was he being so mean to me? I had just arrived! I didn't do anything that could make him mad at me, I moved a little away from him and approached Reiji, who didn't seem very nice either, but at least he wasn't talking bad about me.

[cerealboxlore]

I come to you with another WIP fic idea for our favorite Billy Batson

So. Y'all know Billy Batson, adorable, Sassy, homeless, secret champion of magic who can transform into an adult at any time. Respected member of the Justice League. Right? Think of him as a ten year old, been Captain Marvel for almost two years, is on top of his game! Well, he was, until a fight against Oggar, the wizard’s former disciple/apprentice rendered him without his divine magical powers, forcing him to transform back into his mortal form as Billy Batson--right in front of the Justice League! Oh no--

Thus, chaos ensued. Whilst Oggar disappeared from the battle with a cackling laughter, Billy struggled to transform back into Captain Marvel, feeling powerless and so vulnerable against the wide eyes of his co-workers who were feeling a mixed range of emotions from the reveal. Surprise. Anger. Betrayal. Silence. No one said anything for a clear minute. A full long minute where the only sounds came from Billy shouting the name of Shazam into the heavens and hells to conjure up any spark of magic he could muster. Billy's voice grew hoarse and rough, dry to the point he was losing his breath fast from how hard he was breathing, losing control of himself under all the stress. Finally, a hand is placed on his shoulder.

Batman's hand.

An emergency meeting is held back at the watch tower immediately. Not only is the subject of Oggar brought up and what he has planned, but primarily, Captain Marvel's true identity as Billy Batson. A ten year old who managed to infiltrate the ranks of the Justice League without anyone knowing.

Well. Batman knew. Of course Batman knew, he's BATMAN! But everyone else...Billy couldn't forget what they were yelling to him even if he tried.

"Irresponsible!"

"Idiotic!"

"Liar!"

"You betrayed our trust."

"Do you know how much danger you put yourself in, young man?!"

"Do you realize you could have died?! What were you thinking trying to play hero?"

Everything everyone said had stuck with him so harshly, Billy had to hold himself back from the river of tears threatening to come rolling down his face. He had a long day, a long, horrible fight against someone from the wizard's personal past, lost his powers, and now he was being interrogated by the Justice League. By his heroes.

Needless to say, the meeting ran on for much longer. They knew everything now, and Billy's status as a JL member was immediately put into suspension for the time being.

When the meeting was over, Billy didn't know what to do anymore. He couldn't summon his form as the Champion of Magic anymore, his identity was shown to his idols without his permission, but also, Oggar got away. Oggar, the Wizard's own former apprentice, had continued to betray the man even after his death. Oh, he'd pay for this.

A month had passed and Captain Marvel was still absent, forcing Fawcett City to endure countless attacks and hits by super villains without Billy being able to protect it. Luckily and fortunately, the JL would step in to help protect Faecett city in the meantime, while Billy tried to figure out how to gain back his powers. He was able to get into the RoE thanks to Tawky Tawny, but the wizard's ghost was gone. With little to no help, Billy was looking more glum than ever before.

Still, with Halloween coming up, Billy's classmate and friend, Cissie Sommerly, tried to help cheer him up with a Halloween trick of treating date. Something nice for the two of them to enjoy while the chaos of everything was put in the background for a little while. Billy agreed, thinking it would be nice to clear his head for one night, and to enjoy some free candy!

However, before Halloween night, Billy uncovers a plot by Oggar accidentally, discovering that Oggar plans to use the concentrated dark magic of Halloween night to make himself the new wizard of the realm, plunging the world into eternal damnation and a new era of darkness.

Clutching his fists, Billy Batson knows what he has to do. At first he thinks of calling the Justice League, but thinking about it more, he knows they'd never let him help with how he is now. "You're just Billy Batson now. You're nothing without the powers of Captain Marvel...if he was ever real at all..."

Remembering this, Billy tucks his JL communicator away, and forms a plan. A Halloween heist for the ages to steal back his powers and enforce justice onto an old man too crusty dusty for this world.

With the help of Tawny, Cissie, Freddy, and Steve the magic pen, Billy will earn his spot back as a member of the Justice League by the end of Halloween night, proving that Billy Batson has always been a hero, and that he doesn't need powers to be Captain Marvel.

Join Billy in,

"Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?"

A fic I'm currently working on right now (among a mountain of others, haha) Tell me what y'all think of this idea!

[editorofeverything]

Just speaking to the void, but I was fangirling as I rewrote one of my chapter to my Daminette fic and I cannot get over what good parallels there are between Marinette and Damian.

Like, Marinette's this sweet, kind, caring, talented, silly, goofy, clumsy girl who had to grow up too fast. All she wanted to do was survive school, maybe get a boyfriend, have a good time with her friends, and nurture her growing talent and prestige in the fashion world. She loves her parents and family, and she is this exuberant, friendly gal who makes friends with just about everyone. Then, she's given this huge responsibility of being a hero and having to learn how to fight and lead and protect everyone and everything from ultimate destruction, all while keeping her secret identity and constantly feeling like a failure in both her superhero and civilian life. Before being LB, she slept in because she was a heavy sleeper and she stayed up too late being inspired to design, or playing video games with her parents, or doing homework like your average preteen girl. After she became LB, being a superhero took over her regular life. There was no balance. Then came losing Master Fu. Then came Lila, making Marinette's life horrible as a civilian to the point she could become akumatized- which she can't because she's LB. And then her friend- who she became a superhero for- all but abandons her for Lila and makes excuses for her even after learning Marinette's LB. Marinette gains a lot when she became LB- her confidence, a partner, a new love, power, respect, integrity- but I would argue that she lost that much more- Master Fu, her friends (to an extent and bc of Lila), her childhood, her teen years, her normal life, Luka as her boyfriend, a peaceful night's sleep- I could honestly go on. She was an abnormally talented, kind, wonderful girl who would grow up to rule the fashion world if given the chance, and then she had to change when she became LB. She grew up fast and was burdened with a power and responsibility that she never wanted in the first place, and her normal life began to fall apart.

And then there's Damian who grew up with all these expectations to be the next leader of the League of Assassins and was groomed his whole life to rule the world with his immortal (immoral) grandfather at his side. He was taught how to be the perfect assassin since he was born. He was expected to be the perfect offspring of Talia al Ghul and Bruce Wayne/Batman, the world's greatest detective. And he loses everything he's ever known at the young age of ten- his grandfather, his mother as she take over the League, everything he's ever known- and is sent to his father, who he's heard so much about because, despite everything that happened between them, Ra's al Ghul and Talia both have huge respect for Bruce/Batman, and this ten year old assassin is faced with his great father hating who he is and what he was trained to do. Damian starts out with the batfam hating every minute of it. He thinks he's in the right, that they're soft and unwilling to do what it takes to protect the world by taking out the ones who threaten it. He scoffs at his father's rules that all life should be protected and to never kill another, no matter how much you think they deserve it. It goes against everything the League taught him, everything he's ever known, and he spends his childhood learning and failing and learning again how precious life is and how the League and everything he grew up learning is as evil as some of the villains they put behind bars. He becomes a vegetarian and adopts a cow, a dog, a cat. He plays video games and learns that he likes to draw. He goes to school and suffers a mundane life every kid his age goes through. He finds a family and friends and a team falls in love. He spends the second half of his childhood learning how to become a hero instead of a dictator, and it changes him for the better.

And when you put them together, the parallels in their stories and personalities really play off each other well. She had the world at her feet and became restricted as she became a hero. He was restricted to be exactly who his grandfather and mother expected him to be and the world opened up to him when he left them behind. They both suffered and grew up despite everything standing in their way, and I think that creates a strong bond between them when they get to know each other.

(It's also hilarious thinking about how they would handle the other's situation. Like Marinette would absolutely become the favorite child in the Wayne household if that's how she became a hero. And then Damian would take over the League and run the world if that's how he became a hero, which wouldn't be good exactly, but he would likely learn over time (I think))

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

I’m glad you like the rewrite for Superman & Lois! :D I’ll think some more down the road ;)

1: what’s the duo’s opinion on the whole goku vs Superman & Superman vs Batman debate?

2: in-universe, what’s the most misconception the public have of the duo? Like Nightwing Chris being the son of the Nightwing of bludhaven for example.

3: do they have a “what’s the password” entry to the starcave?

4: do you have a group name when titans of tomorrow & starknights team up all together? I recommend young titans or Star Titans

5: don’t know if I said this but what’s their tickle areas?

6: is there any honorable members on the team? Like I can see Jon & the super twins on the starknights group if gained permission.

7: who’s the leader in both groups.

Happy New Year’s Eve to you friend @pin-crusher2000

I’m looking forward to those S&L ideas you’d have XD

Anyways, on with the show

1) Those debates can be fun to watch and consider but the Duo know that it’s better to appreciate the heroes involved in said debates for what they are as people/characters rather than take it all too seriously and to the point of zealotry and fanaticism as they’ve seen online too many times.

2) The public mistaking Chris as a junior Nightwing and a literal son of the Dick Grayson one via the two splitting the mantle evenly is one common misconception the two have seen time and time again. Also, being called biological brothers, Jake getting confused as a de aged Dick Grayson and being mixed up with Robin and Superboy from YJ just smaller and with differing colors are all also commonplace on newspaper tabloids and magazines.

3) I bet they would, mainly used for special occasions including parties for their friends and relatives taking place at their base. Jake is the one answering the door and The password would be ‘Crusader-Landing-Azule’

4) Star Titans is ideal and common enough to work well with them. It’s short, sweet and to the point. Though in full it’ll be The StarBurst Titans of Tomorrow, as a nice combination of their respective names.

5) On a scale of 1 - 10, with 1 being barely any sort of tingle and 10 being guaranteed of very loud laughter and thrashing around if not being held still….

Chris;

- Sides of the Neck: 6

- Ribcage Sides: 4

- Back of his Knees: 9

- Abdomen: 5

- Tops of his Feet: 7

- Heels and Soles: 7

- Toes: 8

Jake;

- Sides of the Neck: 4

- Ribcage Sides: 5

- Back of the Knees: 3

- Abdomen: 6

- Tops of his Feet: 9

- Heels and Soles: 10

- Toes: 10

6) In particular Green Lantern Tai Pham, Baby Wildebeest, Flamebird (Thara), in a later point in time both Osul and Otho, Jarro the Starro and from alternate Earths both Johnny Grayson aka Firepattern from Earth 2 and Matt McGinnis aka Robin Beyond from Earth 12

Maybe at a later point in time, the Duo would also have an ally and friend from outside the DC multiverse or even it’s dimension….like maybe from a completely different dimension (coded for franchise) in a future crossover *hint**hint*

And oh yeah, Jon too is a frequent help for both teams whenever the help is needed, akin to how Supergirl is a big help to the Legion of Superheroes if need be

7) Both teams have de facto as opposed to officially stated leadership but often times Mar’i and Bobby share having control of the Titans of Tomorrow. The both of them inherited their respective parents’ leadership skills but Bobby a tad bit moreso from Donna and even his Grand Aunt Diana

As for the StarKnights, Chris more or less makes the most prominent decisions of them all, with both Jake and Cerdian being second in commands to him.

[halfagone]

fic stats

Rules: Give us the links to your fic with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the least words.

Thank you for the tag, @oliveofvanders!! <333

Most Hits

lex luthor's ascent from supervillainy to fatherhood - DPxDC

Based on this Tumblr prompt. Lex Luthor has recently acquired a son. Weapon? Parole officer? ...Lex now has a teenaged god and he'll be damned if someone tries to take the kid away from him.

Originally started as a collection of inter-connected one-shots. It was only meant to last twenty chapters. It grew plot. It's almost at 500k words. It's projected to finish at 150 chapters. I am in plot hell.

Second Most Kudos

Two For One Special - DPxDC

While in Gotham, Clark gets mistaken for Bruce Wayne. He's not alone in his dilemma, however, because a teenager by the name of Danny is also mistaken to be Tim Drake. At least Clark's having fun with his fellow captive. Day 2/November 15th: Mistaken Identity | It’s tough gaining respect from new League members when they find out one of their superiors is a 14-year-old

My submission for the DP/DC Crossover Week in 2022! This one was a lot of fun, and I'm pleasantly surprised to see how many people enjoyed it as well. :3

Third Most Comments

Off With [the Demon's] Head - DPxDC

As it turns out, Damian is not Talia's firstborn. Not her first child, not her first son. This would not be so horrible if Talia's actual firstborn hadn't been stolen from her as a babe. But he's alive. And he's not alone. As it turns out, Talia is a grandmother. She takes this news surprisingly well. If only Damian did the same.

This was a gift fic for an inquiring reader and it took up so much of my brain that it went from being a 10-chapter quick fic, to being a whole plot-filled, time traveling misadventure.

Fourth Most Kudos

Eldritch Toddler - DPxDC

Bruce is not prepared for when John Constantine hands over a young boy who has been de-aged. While Constantine goes off in search of the one responsible, Bruce and his family are left to care for the child. Danny is a sweet kid, he isn't fussy either! This should be fine. They quickly learn to take Constantine's warnings seriously. Day 3/November 16th: Eldritch Identities | The worst person to put in charge of teens is another teenager

This is Day 3 of my DP/DC Crossover Week 2022 submissions!! I am pleasantly surprised to see two of that work so high up on this list!! Very nice to see people still enjoy it after all this time. <3

Fifth Most Words

bloodlines - DPxDC

Diana stumbles upon a prophecy, which thus leads her tumbling into a secret long since kept from her and Batman. They had a son together, one who was ripped out of her arms not long after his birth. A son who is prophesized to cause the apocalypse and end the world as they know it. Although they are no longer a couple, they intend to find and raise their son to ensure this prophecy never comes to be. Neither of them realize that he's way ahead of them.

...This one has 34k words already? I had no idea it'd grown that much in only 4 chapters, holy cow. Welp, I hope to continue it someday, because the brainrot is REAL, my friends.

Fic With Least Words

silly, silly turtles - Tower of God

Takes place between Season 2, Episode 310 - 312 (SPOILER ALERT!!!!! if not caught up) In which Rak thinks about the many important turtles in his life.

This is actually my very first fic ever! It was just a 600 word one-shot, canon compliant as you can tell from the summary. I actually totally forgot about this fic, it's been so long. But I'm glad I could remember my roots now.

I suppose I'll tag~ @die-erlkonigin6083 @disillusioneddanny and @thewritingowl!! Apologies if you get @'d twice!!

[maniacwatchestheworld]

A quick guide to recent Harvey Dent media for new fans (aka Misha stans)

So you've recently become interested in the character of Harvey Dent. Who can say why. Maybe you're interested in getting into comics and he happens to be the one character that's caught your fancy. Maybe you're here because you've been watching this recent TV show and are curious to know more about this one adult guy in the main cast. He seems like a cool guy! Though let's be honest. You're probably a Misha stan who got into Gotham Knights because your boi is in it. Regardless of why you're here, maybe you're looking at this character and wondering what's come out with him lately and if you should check it out! So here! For your viewing/reading pleasure, a quick run-down on Harvey's most recent appearances and where you can expect to see him!

This post is very long, so strap in kiddos!

Gotham Knights

You're likely here because you've been watching this one, so I'll keep this brief. In this latest TV show, Batman has died and was revealed to be Bruce Wayne. A bunch of kids are the top suspects and are being accused by Gotham District Attorney, Harvey Dent. The kids now need to work together to prove their innocence and find the real killer.

I don't plan on watching this show, but Harvey Dent is being played by Misha Collins of Supernatural fame in this one, and it promises to really dive into Harvey's backstory. As of writing this, only the first episode is out, but what we have so far looks entertaining and has been well received by the Misha stans at least. Reviews more generally do seem pretty lukewarm on it though. I can't speak to its quality, but hopefully it's a promising start to what will hopefully be a good portrayal of the character! Who knows what'll happen!?

The Harley Quinn Show

This show is currently in between seasons, and I don't know when it's coming back. It's a show that focuses on Harley Quinn as she tries to become a top villain in Gotham. The first season is her trying to gain respect from the Legion of Doom after breaking up with the Joker. The second season is based off of the "No Man's Land" event that happened in the Batman and related comics in the 90's or something in which the American government decided to give up on Gotham after a disaster, and so Gotham's top kingpins took over the city. Season 2 focuses on Harley's efforts to kill off each of the 5 villains (The Penguin, The Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Two-Face, and Bane) that have risen to power in Gotham. Season 3 sees Harley not really wanting to pursue villainy anymore as she starts being in a relationship with Poison Ivy.

It's a fun show. Pretty funny, incredibly violent, and very gay! If you want to see a sympathetic Two-Face, this is NOT the place to find it! In this series, Two-Face sticks pretty true to his name and is a lying, backstabbing asshole through and through! But hey! The fact that he isn't dead yet when they've had every opportunity to kill him off could mean that they might have something fun planned for him in the future! Hard to say though. In any case, here's his latest appearance in the show as of the writing of this:

The Joker's wife almost takes a tire iron to his face and I love that for her lol. Two-Face a supreme asshole in this show. But he definitely does have lots of chances to be pretty funny. I think that he still has potential for development and storylines, but thus far he's been pretty one-note. It feels like a DAMN SHAME to not use Two-Face more given the direction that this show is taking, so I have hopes that they'll do something interesting with him soon. (Harley became Bruce's therapist and so the show may take a turn for more interpersonal character drama with psychology thrown in over superhero junk. Feels like a wasted opportunity to not capitalize on Harvey's storied mental health issues for that!) But for now, he's a great antagonist to Harley (and everyone, really), fun to watch for how much of an asshole he is, but isn't much more than that.

Task Force Z

So you've heard of the Suicide Squad before, right? Basically a lot of supervillains join a government taskforce to go on missions that no one else would take. They do the kind of dirty work that superheroes could do, but for whatever reason don't. And the villains that participate in this program get lessened sentences in exchange for their service on these missions. Yeah. So take that... But now it's with zombies. Undead Suicide Squad!

So in this comic, Two-Face recruits Jason Todd (who was formerly one of Batman's Robins but who now has the superhero identity of the Red Hood) to be the field leader of this special undead Suicide Squad taskforce. They have a way of bringing people back from the dead, so instead of getting lessened prison time, the supervillains participating in this program get another chance at life.

I've only read the first issue of this series so far, but I do honestly like what I've read so far. The series is over now, and it's recently been collected into 2 volumes, so it should be pretty easy to find to buy if you so wish! (I've also found both volumes at my local library too!) When it comes to Harvey in this series, honestly, the relationship between him and Jason seems to be a big highlight! Which honestly makes sense. They're both men who have made a lot of mistakes and want to be better. Both have violent pasts, have killed people, and struggle with being on the side of the angels, but are doing what they can to do what's right. If they work together, maybe they can finally be the good guys! Also Jason Todd is probably Harvey's favorite Robin since he's Robin #2, let's be honest. Too bad they're terrible at their jobs! The impression that I get is that their team is constantly dying because Harvey and Jason are both dumbasses and bad at their jobs. Thankfully they can bring their team back to life pretty easily, but they keep sucking at their jobs! The vibe I get from Harvey and Jason's relationship in this series is basically...

Harvey: Are you winning, son!? :D Jason: I fucking hate you, Dent! Harvey: ... I guess that's an improvement over, 'asshole' ... Little steps...

But hey. They're trying their best lol.

Here's the first thing with Harvey in it that I saw in the Task Force Z tag:

[Source]

(You see in the next panel that Harvey got Jason orange juice. Isn't Harvey such a dad!?) And honestly, if that doesn't make you smile just a little, this series probably isn't for you.

Honestly, this series just seems to be having fun with it and a good time. It doesn't seem to take itself very seriously, and that's perfectly good with me! If that's good with you, maybe check it out!

Batman: the Audio Adventures

So this is a podcast. It's currently on a break as of the writing of this. Season 2 came out, and at the end of season 2, it said that it would be returning in part 2 so like... On the one hand, it ended on a cliffhanger. On the other AHHHHHHHHHHH! So I hear that a part 2 is coming out but WHEN!? If you decide to pick this one up, just know that more is supposed to be coming, we just don't know when.

So the story for this... It's Batman but a podcast. What more needs to be said? But it is a very quality podcast! I've listened to a decent number of podcasts in my time, and this may just be the best podcast I've had the pleasure of listening to! It's funny, it's dramatic, it's well-acted, it has spectacular music, it's moody, the characters are well-written... It's just a delight all around! It's on the same level of quality as audio dramas that I've actually had to pay money to listen to, but for free on Spotify or YouTube or other places you get podcasts! And this may contain my favorite iteration of Two-Face and Harvey Dent.

The Audio Adventures somehow manages to make Harvey a character that you're simultaneously afraid of and afraid for! Harvey and his Associate are horrifically violent, and yet you can't help but to feel bad for Harvey. To my knowledge, they really capture the OCD experience well. You can really feel how much their compulsions control Harvey and how much he wishes he didn't have to be like this. His life is fully out of his control and he well and truly can't help himself. And his Associate just isn't helping. This is an iteration of Two-Face in which he has Dissociative Identity Disorder, has him be a villain, and yet somehow manages to not inherently demonize DID. Harvey's Associate is a welcome addition to the cast, and for once isn't someone that they're trying to get rid of! Harvey is simply tragic in this podcast, but is also immensely intelligent, and the way he bounces off of his Associate is just captivating to listen to.

If you like BruHarvey, or just want to see a piece of media that really zooms in on the tragedy of his character, this is a great one to go with! In terms of BruHarvey, there are some moments in season 2 that are choice. Just. Chef's kiss!

Here's a monologue that Harvey and his Associate have together about shoulder angels and devils. It doesn't have much of anything to do with what Harvey's going through in this season, but it does capture their characters well.

They are absolutely unhinged, and I gotta say that I love that about them <3

The Doom that Came to Gotham

This animated film came out like... Within this last month. I haven't gotten the chance to watch it yet and I don't know that I will because it contains a LOT of upsetting things! It's Batman, but with eldritch horror! This is an Elseworld's story. This film is basically an H.P. Lovecraft-style AU for Batman. So it takes place sometime in the 1920's, and Harvey Dent is running for Mayor of Gotham. And then lots of terrible things happen and before you know it, demons from another dimension are going through a flesh portal to Gotham to kill everyone. This is NOT a happy story from what I've heard!

If you want to see Harvey just... Suffering SO much, then this is the film for you! Congrats! Apparently it also has a handful of good BruHarvey moments in it though, so at least have that.

For a preview... Here! Just have Harvey crying! I feel like that's a pretty appropriate preview!

Batman (comic series)

So... In the current Batman comic book arc, Bruce Wayne has apparently gotten himself sent to an alternate universe where Batman was never really a thing (Bruce died young or something). And so now Gotham is controlled by a cabal of villains, led by Red Mask, Catwoman, and others including a drugged up and YOLKED Judge-esque Harvey Dent! Sounds like Gotham has become a pretty crappy police state that uses the Scarecrow's Fear Toxin and a police force drugged up on Bane Venom to keep people in line and send dissenters to the sewer. Bruce meets up with the local resistance and becomes Batman for them... Also Commissioner Gordon is a talking skeleton for some reason... >.>

I don't read the Batman comic series, so I can't personally speak to the quality of this current arc, but I've heard that it's been good! From multiple sources! Just not in regards to Harvey lol! Honestly, this Harvey looks a bit... Boring. Interesting idea, but the execution is looking kinda... Ehhhhh. Speaking of execution, in this, Harvey really isn't Two-Face. He seems to be taking after an idea that Batman: the Animated Series introduced of a Judge vigilante that murders people that he deems as guilty of crimes! :D I like the Judge and want to see them do more interesting things with him! Too bad that this might not be it... >.< But hey! If you want a 'roided up Harvey... For some reason... Here you go!

[Source]

An image of Bruce choking Harvey out because this is what their friendship is all about. u.u (Also Bruce calling Harvey a big boy just tickles me!)

Also Harvey does seem to recognize Bruce in this universe and is quite bothered by how a man has seemingly come back from the dead to kick his ass! So there is some implication here that Harvey and Bruce were still friends of some kind in this universe.

I'm not reading this one, but hey! If this AU idea sounds interesting to you, go ahead and check it out!

Detective Comics

So last but certainly not least, you have the comic series for which the company is named. Now this I actually have been reading! And let me just say, it's quality! Great stuff going on here! Basically they decided to make an Opera-esque Batman story. This current arc is titled, "Gotham Nocturne" and to put the story in as simple of a manner as I can... So the Arkhams (who built Arkham Asylum) descended from the Orgham family which are very powerful foreign dignitaries of some sort. The Orghams have come to Gotham City to gentrify the place to their liking so that they can rule over it unopposed. They are doing this through mind control brain demons, sentient songs, and are just generally trying to burn Gotham City to the ground right now, especially the poorer neighborhoods. Also Bruce is feeling old and has a bat demon from another dimension living in his brain right now. Also Harvey's been GREAT in this story so far!

So when you get a comic book, there will sometimes be a second, shorter story packed in with the main story that you bought the comic for towards the back of the book hence the term "Back-Up Features". Often these stories are unrelated to the main one, but in this case, the stories they've been telling in these back-up features relates to the events of the main one. And so Harvey and Two-Face got their own little story in the back-up features... And that story was excellent! Basically, Harvey has been forced into serving the Orghams against his will and is not very happy about it at all. He has no choice. If he tries to resist the Orghams, the brain demon that they gave him would melt his brain. But Two-Face is not effected by this brain demon and can do whatever he wants... Now if only Harvey would let him have control of the body... This story does a great job of unpacking Harvey and Two-Face's tense history together, and really gets at the heart of their conflict which ultimately culminates in them deciding to try and work together instead of against each other. And honestly, it's simply a wonderful story that addresses their plurality and shows that Harvey and Two-Face are important to each other and in fact need one another! In this story, their plurality isn't an issue that needs to be cured. It's a blessing in disguise and allows them to do things that no one else could! It's a deeply plural story that simply could not be told with a singlet and is everything that I want out of a Two-Face story! You can tell that this story cares deeply for plural people and wants to do them justice! It's a story that rejects the idea that Harvey should strive to live his life as close to a singlet as he can and embraces his plurality, saying that Two-Face isn't someone who deserves to be eradicated, but rather is a person that deserves to be understood and loved as much as any other human being!

[Source]

This story has so much LOVE for plural people and the individuals that they share their system with. And I genuinely hope that they feel it. It's wonderful and a Two-Face story like none other that has been created thus far for him... And that's a damn shame. It's a shame that there aren't more stories like this. And therefore it's a story that you should read! And this is just the back-up story! There's more good stuff in the main story! Two-Face killed a goddamn werewolf in the main story! :D

[Source] (That guy he shoots is a werewolf, trust me.)

And we're still in only the FIRST act of this Batman opera! We have a LONG way to go until the end of this story, and it promises to be incredible if the quality keeps up!

Sadly, Harvey may have departed from the story for now. After Two-Face saved Batman in the images above, and got Bruce fixed up a bit, Two-Face basically threatened Batman, telling him to leave them alone and that if he tries curing Harvey ever again, that he'll torture and kill everyone Bruce loves and then himself, and then he exited stage left. But hopefully he'll turn up again in the story! I hope he does at least! If he doesn't I'll be real sad and upset!

-

And so there you have it! Some of Harvey Dent's most recent appearances and where you can find some of the most recent stories he's in! Even if you don't end up checking any of these out, hey! At least now you know where you can look into the character a little more and know a little of what's going on in the Batman universe right now!

[achillean-knight]

Kicking my feet and twirling my hair, I'm gonna ramble about my spider sona's because they are rattling in my brain and I love them to bits >:)

Uh

Also just saying, I compiled a fuck ton of images of them into shitty collages because I have no motivation to make perfect reference sheets of them. Shitty collages too BC I did it on my phone and can't do graphic design for the life of me :')

ANYWAYS ONTO THE RAMBLE (under the cut for those who literally don't care and wanna scroll past LOL)

Funnelweb also known as Shadow Spider or Aaron Watson

A 20 year old trans demi-boy lad who had the Miles Morales treatment and was bitten by accident by an other-worldly spider.

~~~

When he was younger, Aaron was close with his sister. She was all that he had after their parents had died, and even though they had Aunt May and Uncle Ben, Aaron wasn't close with the two. He stuck by his sister through thick and thin until the day that'd change his life forever.

One fateful evening, he had lost his sister when they were caught between the Spiderman of Aaron's world fighting one of his usual enemies. Grief stricken, Aaron held malice and resentment toward Spiderman and felt utterly cursed when he got the Miles Morales treatment and was bitten by accident by another spider from another world.

With this new found power, Aaron took it upon himself to be a counterpart to Spiderman, titling himself Funnelweb to differentiate himself from the man he despised.

He became basically Batman to Spiderman's Superman.

~~~

Facts and little extra info

- Funnelwebs main power is electricity. It causes him to be much quicker then Spiderman and sometimes it trails behind him.

If channeled properly, he can use it as a weapon, but it takes alot of focus and patience.

- He uses a skateboard to help him get around and fight!

I had the idea of a skateboard because of a character named Beat from The Wold Ends With You using a skateboard both for battle in the first game, and to get around quickly in the second >:3

- He doesn't have natural webs, so he has custom web slingers built into his spiked wristbands.

- Everything in Funnelwebs world is Punk/Emo. Even the enemies lol and even Spiderman. I should really design him.

-Even though I put his face in the collage, in Funnelwebs world, only blues and reds are highlighted, and he's always obscured in shadow.

He does look like the portrait when in other worlds.

- It's not clear what year Funnelweb is supposed to be in, but it is a hybrid of 2000's with futuristic elements but still feels incredibly grunge and punk/emo.

- Technically Funnelweb, if we count Miguel's canon event thing, is his world's "MJ", however he changed his name after coming out and doesn't believe in the fate that usual MJ's succumb to.

However, he can't help but wonder if loosing his sister and becoming a second Spiderman was the canon event he dreaded, being intertwined with Spiderman's fate even though not romantically involved.

~~~

Retro-Spider also known as Peter Parker or Lachlan Parker.

A 20 year old arts major who was bitten by a spider of unknown origins. He is his world's one and only Spiderman.

~~~

Peter- preferring Lachlan- hadn't been Spiderman for very long before things took a turn for the worst.

His worlds Uncle Ben, rather Uncle Lachlan, died mysteriously and suddenly, leaving Peter in immense grief.

When Peter joined the spider society, he adopted the name Lachlan, both to pay respects to his uncle and to differentiate himself from all the other Peters as he felt intense imposter syndrome when he talked to every Peter.

Eventually, Lachlan gained a watch to traverse world's and had the time of his life just pushing random buttons and jumping through portals to see what was on the other side, but he knew the next world he'd jump into was important because that's when he met Aaron.

~~~

Facts and little extra info

- Lachy was originally gonna have a blue, red and white suit but he looked too much like Pepsi man 💀 The portrait with the turtleneck was the only thing to survive from that original concept.

- His world is coloured like retro anime. I'm not good at all at drawing old anime but imagine everything is anime-esc and the world around him looks like what you'd see on Pinterest if you searched up like, retro anime city.

- His world is basically the 80's.

- His powers are pretty basic, however, he has organic webs!!! His webs are like layers of extremely thin webs joined together and give his webbing a shimmer and holographic effect.

- His suit is holographic >:3

- Later down the line, Lachy becomes intertwined with a Symbiote. The lore is still a Wip.

- Lachy's own world MJ is like a best friend to him. He has no romantic feelings whatsoever.

- He is Pan! However, he keeps it a secret because the 80's were relentless if you weren't in a heteronormative ideal, and he already got bullied for his love of art :')

- His walkman is his baby. It was a gift from his uncle and he never goes anywhere without it (Star lord style babyyy)

[robinrequiems]

stephanie stuff.

they forgot about me, didn’t they?

the Robin pushed deep into the shadows of Bruce’s mind. the second failure. the one he craves to take back. the one he regrets accepting as Robin. he knew she wasn’t ready. he already lost one, and he saw signs in her that he saw in Jason.

yet she wasn’t like Jason. sure she was reckless. sure her lineage isn’t great. but she wasn’t given a chance. not like Jason was. It was always stephanie making the mistakes and messing up. he didn’t care that she was a girl, he cared that she was reckless and that she makes mistake over mistake, but that’s not fair. they called her childish, naive. but she wasn’t. she knew, she experienced the cruel truths of the world. she wasn’t naive. was she stupid? yeah. but she was still growing up. she has a long list of regrets. she just wished people would stop reminding her.

she can’t grow if people keep holding her back. she deserves more than that. she’s better than what they think.

so why do they look at her, remember her, as someone who never deserve the Robin name? she deserved it. she did. she helped. she was good.

even if she didn’t follow the rules all the time. but she tried to help. even when she messed up big time. she didn’t know. batman didn’t tel her anything. he kept secrets upon secrets. even though she was his sidekick. she deserved to know the secrets. she did. maybe if he told her—

there’s no point in thinking about that because stephanie as Robin never got a happy ending. it was predetermined in every. single. universe. her run as Robin was always limited. she was made to die. she wasn’t meant to be Robin. not like they were.

but god she wanted to be Robin. the light to Batman’s darkness. the sidekick people looked up to. she fell in love with this idea to the point where she sacrificed it all. she gave it her all, she grew up. she realized that Robin wasn’t fun and games. yet she still wasn’t given a chance.

maybe she wasn’t meant to be Robin because she wasn’t meant to be a sidekick.

maybe that’s why batgirl worked and Robin didn’t. yet the thought of what could have became of her if she kept being Robin is a thought that haunts her.

maybe she’d be the one to give Tim the mantle back. or maybe she would give it to Damian. maybe she would turn Robin into something entirely new.

but. she couldn’t, but it’s okay. because she can do it with batgirl. she’ll be the best batgirl the world will see. her journey won’t be stopped. This is who she is meant to be.

she’s not gonna let anyone take it away. not this time.

++ WIP

“i get it.” | s. brown.

she knew dick went through a difficult time when he was Batman. because of Damian. becoming Batman. having to take up a mantle he never wanted. she knew that. that’s why she didn’t let his distrust of her sway her.

because she would prove that she was better than everyone thought. which led to her gaining his respect. he saw himself in her. because she was someone who wanted to inspire joy. she didn’t live in the darkness like everyone else. and he was happy that she was batgirl when he was Batman. he needed that joy. it was important to him because it reminded himself of who he was. she helped with Damian in ways he couldn’t. dealt with him when he had episodes of anger. or when he almost goes off the deepend. she gave him a chance. so it was only fair for dick to give her one.

barbara was jealous. seeing stephanie in her former moniker. a title held dear to her chest. And seeing how free she was. it reminded her of herself and it hurt. it hurt to see stephanie using the batgirl name. and she wouldn’t be able to deal with if the name became haunted by death. Z which is why she didn’t want stephanie to have it. she knew her track record. her history. yet stephanie was stubborn. that stubbornness was annoying at first. yet she .. warmed Barbara up. and Barbara accepted her.

tim and stephanie had a lot of history. they both like to reminisce, but they hate how much there is. because it leaves unspoken words, arguments, and feelings. they learn to let those feelings go because they aren’t right for each other. b it doesn’t mean they aren’t friends. he didn’t want her to die. he didn’t want her to be a hero. stephanie did though. she was meant to be a hero. she tried the civilian life. she wasn’t meant for it. this is who she was meant to be, and tim knows that. but it doesn’t mean he isn’t concerned, or hurt that she’s back. he doesn’t want to see her die. not again.

[avaritia-apotheosis]

Phantom Children: Redux | IV. No Rest for the Weary

A DPxDC crossover // Read on [AO3} or [FFN.net]

← Previous Chapter // MASTERPOST // Next Chapter →

Present Day…

Batman made plans to visit Belle Reve Penitentiary before the week was over. The entire facility was made out of thick, gray, stone dotted by uniform windows. It stood above the waters of a murky swamp, the edges of the property enclosed by high wire fences. 

There were about half a dozen security protocols that needed to be done to gain access to Belle Reve’s inner sanctum. Each layer and set of equipment installed and updated by various construction teams to insure that no single entity could compromise the Penitentiary’s—and thus Task Force X’s—security. 

Batman, as he was wont to do, bypassed all of it.

He deposited himself in Amanda Waller’s office. It would have been a spacious room had it not been crowded with rows of filing cabinets. A healthy dose of paranoia made Waller careful to store any truly critical information in digital form, where it can be hacked by some malicious force or given access to by some particularly helpful person. The sorting system, from what Batman could see at first glance, forwent the standard A-Z categories for something else. Probably something that only Waller could understand.

A desk sat in the middle with a comfortable rolling chair behind it and a dual-monitor on top. Behind it was a wide window that overlooked the midnight Terrebonne Parish skyline. 

He did not, however, have the time to appreciate the view as Amanda Waller finally stepped into her office. 

She was a stout woman with a stern expression, dressed sensibly in a dark, mauve blazer, a white blouse, pearls, and a long, black skirt. A file-folder was tucked beneath one arm. The second she saw him, Waller paused, cocking her hip to one side and free hand tucked into her blazer pocket. 

“Batman,” she said, nonplussed. “What brings you here?” 

“Information…On a prisoner of yours.”

Waller took a seat behind her desk, setting her folder aside. “As far as I recall, Belle Reve isn’t currently housing any of your rogues. The last one was transferred over to Arkham a few months ago.”

He threw a printed article onto her desk. A small little piece from the Terrebonne Times, more a notice than actual news with what little information it held. The headline was emblazoned on the top:

DEATH AT BELLE REVE

Inmate Dies Under Mysterious Circumstances;Foul Play Suspected

Waller glanced at the article then looked back up at Batman, brow raised. “A little late to be investigating this, don’t you think? The event in question happened six months ago.”

“I need access to Frederick Isaak Showenhower’s cell.”

“Hm. I’m surprised you’re actually asking.”

Batman remained silent. 

“Well.” Waller steepled her fingers together. “I suppose we could come to an arrangement.”

“An arrangement?” Batman snorts. “Sure. You give me access to the cell and I won’t tell your superiors that Showenhower—a regular human kept in a meta prison—didn’t die from some dispute between inmates, but from some outside force breaching Belle Reve’s ‘impenetrable’ security. You don’t hold any cards here, Waller.”

“Oh really? If I didn’t, I would have expected you to just waltz into the cell yourself without telling anyone.”

“I hold some respect for you, Waller. That’s the only reason why I’m asking.”

Waller made a pinched, sour face. With a huff, she got up from her desk and led Batman through the winding corridors of Belle Reve to Showenhower’s cell.

“What do you know about Freakshow, Batman?”

“Thirty years old, male, Caucasian, and possibly born with albinism. A bank and jewelry store robber who disguises his hits with a traveling circus show. He has connections with the occult and used it to commit his robberies. APISA apprehended him in St. Augustine, Florida, a little over a year ago.”

Waller laughed. “The GIW’s first and last hurrah.”

The Ghost Investigation Ward—or the Guys in White as it was jokingly referred to—was a fairly new and now defunct branch of the Agency of Paranormal Investigation and Spectral Affairs, focused on the research and apprehension of ectoplasmic entities known as ‘ghosts’. Their less than stellar track record made them the joke of not only APISA but the entirety of Task Force X, instilling within the ward’s few members a tight-knit camaraderie and an almost terrifying level of dedication towards their mission. They were more zealots than government agents. Coupled with their incompetence and their high collateral damage, the group was forced to disband. 

“Occultism aside,” Batman said, “small time human thieves aren’t usually the kind of criminals Task Force X would be interested in.”

“You’d be right. APISA and the GIW’s interest lay not with Freakshow, specifically, but with his family. The Showenhowers’ research in the occult and supernatural go back centuries. They’re a veritable treasure trove of information, and as of three years ago, they’re also the only expert on ghosts left.” 

He blinked. “Ghosts.”

“Ghosts.” Waller echoed. “Though not exactly the kind that you’re thinking of, but that is what these creatures have been calling themselves. As far as our researchers can tell, these ‘ghosts’ are inhabitants of a dimension tied very closely with our own.”

Suddenly, a spark. A memory. Information clicked into place.. “You learned of Freakshow in Amity Park.”

Waller neither confirmed or denied it.

It made sense, in a way. Though thought of as little more than a tourist trap, Amity Park had gained the reputation of being the most haunted city in America. Though no substantial proof ever made it outside of the city besides extremely blurry shots of light and grainy footage of streaks in the sky, the Justice League knew better than to dismiss the threats, if only because JL-Dark marked the city in the League’s main database with a heavy ‘ DO NOT INTERACT ’ warning for humans and metas alike. The exact situation in Amity Park was never explicitly laid out for the League other than that it was contained and handled and that the League should not, under any circumstances, interfere. 

 Though for good measure, Constantine saw it fit to bold, underline, italicize, and capitalize the DNI. Most heroes since then have taken to simply going around the city—even going so far as to avoid its air space. 

“Well, here we are.”

Showenhower’s cell was located on the highest floor of the penitentiary, at the very end of the  hallway and isolated from every other prisoner. Despite it being six months since the incident, all of the cells in this particular hallway were left unoccupied. 

The inside of Showenhower’s cell, however, was far from empty. Frost covered the room from floor to ceiling, dropping the temperature by a few degrees. Large stalactites of ice hung down from the ceiling, patches of ice covered every corner and crept up the walls like vines.

“This is where he died,” Batman stated, breath coming out in white mists. 

“Right over there.” Waller pointed at the single bed pushed towards the right side of the room. A frozen mattress on top of a rectangular dias that jutted out of the wall and had no space beneath it. “It was a strange thing. One moment Freakshow was sitting on the bed and staring at the wall. The next? He slammed his hand against the wall, froze the whole damn room over, and dropped dead.”

◆◆◆

Pause. Rewind. Play.

The door to the cell slid open and Freakshow walked in. He stood in the middle, surveyed the entire room, before his gaze stopped at the camera discreetly placed in the corner of the ceiling. He blinked, lowered his head, then went to sit down on his bed. Directly across from him was a mirror.

Ten minutes passed in relative silence. Freakshow just sits, tapping his foot. Tilted his head here and there. Scratched the back of his neck. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Then— He froze, shoulders stiffened. For a brief moment, a wide grin stretched across his face before it’s pushed back into a stony expression. Freakshow slammed his hand against the wall, ice burst from his palms, and he dropped dead.

Pause. 

Rewind. 

It had been days since Batman visited Belle Reve. Bruce made little progress in solving the case.  It did not help, of course, that there were other things that demanded his attention: a JL founders meeting concerning the admission of new heroes; the rumored reappearance of some stolen tech from Task Force X circulating the black market; his presentation for an upcoming fundraiser for the Wayne Foundation; his regular duties as batman and as CEO of Wayne Enterprises…The list was endless.

Play.

Thank goodness for Tim. His son had a good head on his shoulders and amazing intuition. Though as much as Tim had been arguing with Damian as to who got to accompany him on certain excursions, Bruce could see that Tim was just itching to go off on his own. To spread his own wings. 

Reluctant as Bruce was to let any of his Robins fly out from under him…at this point, he’d like to think he had enough experience to know that his children would grow up with or without his consent. Bruce had spent the last year easing up on Tim’s restrictions—much to Damian’s envy. More solo patrols, more casework, a greater degree of decision in his own missions, etcetera. Bruce even let Tim take the lead in the stolen tech case, only stating that he reports any and all findings to Batman and to not engage dangerous enemies alone if able. 

Bruce tapped a sharp rhythm on the desk, willing his attention back to the task at hand. 

Ice covered the room. Freakshow slumped down, dead. Pause. 

Rewind. 

He played the video from the beginning once more, fingers steepled as he watched the proceedings.

An ordinary man with no powers at all walks into a heavily fortified prison cell, sits down on his bed, shoots ice from his hands, and dies. No one entered the room with him, and the door remained locked up until security came barreling through the doors a few minutes after he died. 

Freakshow sat down, foot tapping loudly—

Pause.

Freakshow’s character profile described him as someone who was very deliberate with his movements. A trait possibly learned from years as a showman. What few footage Bruce managed to scrounge up from Circus Gothica’s shows displayed a ringmaster with a mastery over his own body, each gesture practiced and perfected for maximum effect. What videos there were of Freakshow when he was not addressing the audience—or the dozens of recordings of his stay in Belle Reve— saw a man who stood with uncanny stillness. Hands clasped behind his back, head tilted to the side just so.

Certainly not a man prone to fidgeting and tapping his foot. 

Rewind.

Play.

Freakshow sat down across from the mirror, back to the camera, foot tapping loudly. The sound of it reverberating loudly in his tiny cell. He tilted his head, hand coming up to scratch the back of his neck. 

Bruce narrowed his eyes. How did he miss it before? He zoomed in on the mirror, enhancing as much of the image quality as possible. Freakshow was talking . The words were too inaudible for the camera to pick-up, and his mouth’s movement was too subtle, too quick to be read. 

“He knew his murderer was in the room with him,” Bruce mumbled. 

“Father?” 

Bruce looked over his shoulder. “Ah, Damian.” He rotated his chair to face his son. “What can I do for you?”

 “Pennyworth asked me to inform you that dinner would be ready soon.” Damian’s eyes flicked over to the video footage. “Any progress with the assassin?”

“Perhaps.” He beckoned Damian closer to the monitor, replaying the video for him and explaining his own thought process. “Here, pay special attention to the mirror. It’s subtle, but you can clearly see Freakshow speaking— presumably to someone else in the room. Notes on his file indicate that he’s not prone to talking to himself or mumbling his thoughts aloud. Coupled with the uncharacteristic fidgeting—an action that causes enough noise that it masks his mumbling—we can also presume that this conversation contains sensitive topics, ones he wants to hide

“I briefly considered some kind of magic to be at work because of his connections with the occult but disregarded it quickly. Not only is a suicide spell out of character for Freakshow—and also shown no prior attempts to it or any signs of thinking about suicide—but the display of cryokinesis doesn’t fit into the larger picture. And while Freakshow was noted to use magic, he does not possess an innate talent for it like Zatanna. According to Waller, Freakshow’s magic is more in line with alchemy, and his cell was swept every time he leaves it for any contraband or suspicious items.”

He paused the footage and rewound it to when Freakshow sat down in front of the mirror. “So, we can presume that he was talking to the culprit meaning three things.” He held up his index finger. “The first is that his murderer was in the cell with him but managed to remain unseen, perhaps because of some new cloaking technology, though it’s more likely that invisibility of some sort is part of their meta-ability.” He raised another finger. “The second is that Freakshow could sense the presence of the culprit and has enough of a relationship with them to hold a seemingly civil conversation. And the third—” he held up a third finger then curled his hand into a fist— “Freakshow was unable to call for help. Why?

“He was overshadowed.” 

Bruce snapped his head to Damian. The words were quiet, so quiet in fact he nearly missed them.

“What did you say?” 

Damian clamped his mouth shut, eyes widening imperceptibly as if he, too, was shocked to have said it out loud. Quickly he smoothed his face, features receding into an impassive stare as he took a step back from the monitor. 

Bruce decided to press further. “Damian.”

Damian pursed his lips, eyebrows pinched in such a way to indicate that he was deliberating something. “It’s…” He trailed. “How much do you believe in ghosts?”

If someone had asked that question to Bruce when he was sixteen, ten, or even seven years old, he would have answered with a resounding no. Ghosts—restless spirits, monsters, things that go bump in the night—were all mere figments of imagination. Now, however, having lived in the time of gods and superheroes, intergalactic politics, and magic …

“I believe enough.” He tilted his head, a piece of some unknown puzzle slowly making itself known. “You are referring to Amity Park’s breed of ghosts.”

Damian gave a curt nod. “Grandfather was always trying to learn more about the Lazarus Pit. He had some assets—scientists—within Amity Park tasked to do just that. Of course once these ghosts began to appear, grandfather was immediately informed,” he explained. “From what I’ve learned, overshadowing is some kind of possession, it’s an ability that all of Amity’s ghosts can utilize.”

“So you believe Freakshow was overshadowed by one of these ghosts.” The explanation, for lack of another, worked. The lack of any physical evidence, no forced entry or exit—all evidence that could be explained away by ‘the ghost was invisible,’ as much as it irked Bruce to say. Freakshow’s connections with the occult only strengthened the theory.

According to the penitentiary’s blueprints, Freakshow’s cell was lined with a special type of metal composed of ectoranium—a rare mineral with anti-ghost properties. A preventative measure in case Freakshow’s partner, Lydia, or any other ghost tried to help him escape. It should have been impossible for any ghost to phase their way into the prison.

Unless the ghost walked in with Freakshow. 

“The eyes give it a way. Look—” Damian reached over to rewind the footage, pausing it at a specific moment. “—His eyes are normal here.” He points at Freakshow’s irises, dark gray due to the grayscale footage of the CCTV, plays the video, and then pauses it again a few seconds later. “But if you look at his eyes now, you can see the faint indication of a glow around his eyes. The color value of the irises are lighter, too. One of the biggest tells if someone is being overshadowed by a ghost is the glow and the change in eye color. “

Another review through the footage revealed that Freakshow’s eyes changed multiple times, often reverting back to his original eye color when he was speaking, and then changing when he was silent. 

Bruce grunted, fingers drumming a steady staccato on the arm of his chair, head leaning on his knuckles. Their culprit was a ghost. That information certainly changed things. Not only was Bruce’s suspect list now wiped clean and placed Freakshow’s murder as the lynchpin of their case, there was also the worrying implication that the League of Shadows held command over an extradimensional being whose powerset he was not familiar with. 

He glanced up at Damian. “What else do you know about ghosts?”

Damian shrugged. “Not as much as I’d like. Grandfather didn’t share much with me.”

“Hm.” He rose from his seat and set a hand on Damian’s shoulders with a light smile. “You head up first. I’m sure Alfred needs help setting the table.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll head up after you. There’s still one last thing I need to do.”

Damian raised an imperious eyebrow before ducking his head and heading to the elevator. Bruce watched his son’s retreating back, hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans. His eyes narrowed, the corners of his mouth downturned.

Damian was hiding something.

◆◆◆

 Beneath the eerie, grim torchlight, Plasmius observed the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. It stood, looming above a raised dais where a throne might have been, once. Beneath it on each side were two pedestals encased in glass, protecting the two most powerful artifacts of the Infinite Realms. 

The glass cases were a mere formality, however. No one would steal either of the artifacts. To take only one of them would render the artifact useless as only with the ring and crown combined could the awesome power of the Infinite Realms be harnessed. Taking both would be an even riskier gamble. The crown and ring would only deign to bestow its powers on those it deems worthy. Strong. If the wearer did not suit, then the artifacts would eviscerate them before they could even blink.

It was strange to think that Pariah Dark’s awakening would be the felix culpa that saved Plasmius from his own demise. 

Plasmius was prideful and vain in nature, but even he was self-aware enough to realize that the artifacts would only accept those equal or greater in power to Pariah Dark— and Vlad was simply not that.  Even the Ancients, powerful as they were and the original victors against the old king, were not considered worthy. The only one who might have come close was young Daniel.

‘Close’ being the key word here. 

It was unfortunate that the boy never stayed long enough to grow into his powers. If he did, he might have become someone powerful. Someone worthy. A king. (Only if it was under Vlad’s terms after all. A child monarch was never without an older and wiser regent at their shoulder. Taking Phantom under his own tutelage would be a worthless endeavor if Vlad could not come out on top). 

Instead Daniel ran away, squirreled himself into a hovel so deep that neither of Vlad’s ghostly nor mortal resources could dig him up. (Yes, Daniel ran away. Was missing. No matter what forensics or the police or his own private investigators tried to say, that mauled and burned body placed beside the Fenton memorial was not Daniel James Fenton. The boy was still alive. It was only a matter of where.)

The sarcophagus shuddered.

Plasmius lifted his gaze to the death mask of Pariah Dark. “It is weakening,” he said, voice reverberating  across the near empty throne room. He pivoted on his heel, a sardonic grin on his face as he faced Fright Knight. “Should we prepare for His Majesty to awaken any time soon?

Fright Knight cut an imposing figure in the torch light. “No.” Plasmius could not tell if the ghost was disappointed or relieved. “The sarcophagus holds strong still. In a year or in a decade, my king may wake once more, but that time is not today. For now, he rests in a fitful sleep.”

“A year or ten…how comforting.” Plasmius rolled his eyes. “What brings you here, then?”

“It is the duty of a knight to protect his liege lord against all things.”

“Oh don’t go pretending you’re a loyal knight now. Not when you betrayed your lord the last time.”

Fright Knight narrowed his eyes, then gave a derisive snort. “No, I suppose not. If you must know, half-breed, I was summoned by my creator, and regardless of my own desires I am obliged to answer the call.”

“Your creator— Pariah?”

Fright Knight shook his head.

“Then who—?” He turned to look at the dais again. At the sarcophagus. At the crown of fire and the ring of rage emitting a preternatural glow.

Ah. That explained it.

Of the many paradoxes there were in the world, Vlad’s favorite one concerned the nature of Omnipotence. There were many versions of the Omnipotence Paradox, but the most well known one went like this: could god create a stone so heavy that he could not lift it? While there were many answers to the question and many conflicting ideas, Vlad favored the notion that an omnipotent being could do absolutely anything it desires except that which compromises its own omnipotence. If god is essentially omnipotent, then he cannot make a stone that he cannot lift, for that would mean making a stone that is equal in power to god.

Vlad often wondered why Fright Knight never attempted to seize the sovereign’s artifacts for himself, what with his predilection for ruling. Though bestowed with the title of knight , anyone could see that Fright Knight's true desire was rulership. Dominion . A desire that he could never satiate. The closest he could ever come to it was to serve and stand close to power. 

Apparently it was not because Fright Knight didn’t want the artifacts, but because he was, by nature, incapable of wielding them. The artifacts cannot create something stronger than themselves, and they refuse to be worn by anything it perceived as lesser than them.

“My, my,” Plasmius laughed. “It must have absolutely burned you to bend the knee to Pariah Dark.”

The fiery plume on his helmet flared dangerously bright as Fright Knight let out an inhuman growl. “Watch your tongue before I relieve you of it.”

Plasmius held up his hands in mock-surrender. “So, why did your creator call you to Pariah’s Keep?”

Fright Knight paused, intrigued. “Can you not hear it?" He asked. "They are singing.” 

Vlad strained his ears, but he heard nothing. Just the echoey silence of the throne room and the flickering of torchlights and Fright Knight’s armor.

If Fright Knight had a mouth, he would smirk. “No, you cannot, can you? Someone of your ilk is not privileged enough to hear their song. But I suppose there’s enough of a ghost in you that you can feel the artifacts’ call even if you cannot hear it.” He quiets, head inclined just so as if he were listening to the song right now. As if the artifacts were speaking to him. “They are in mourning.”

“What would they even be mourning about?”

“A lack of purpose,” he said. “For what is the worth of a tool if nobody uses it?”

Vlad frowned. So they are the reason why the Ghost Zone has been so agitated recently. Like Eris and the golden apple of discord, the artifacts have thrown their song all across the Infinite Realms, proclaiming to everyone to prove their worth, to prove their strength. Even Pariah Dark, trapped in his slumber, cannot resist the call.

Even Plasmius, who was deaf to its song, was drawn to this place.

Plasmius rubbed his hand across his face. “It will tear the Infinite Realms apart just to find someone strong enough to wield it.”

“Perhaps,” said Fright Knight. “You cannot hide your portal forever. It will be found, mark my words.”

“Is that a threat?”

“A warning, Plasmius. If you wish to preserve what modicum of peace you have in the material world, then you would do well to close the portal and destroy it.”

Plasmius’ face curled into a snarl. “You know I can’t do that.”

“Then you invite your own folly.” With a dramatic flourish of his cloak, violet flames licking at the cobbled floor, Fright Knight leveled the Soul Shredder between Plasmius’ eyes. “Challengers will seek out the Uncrowned to prove their mettle, collateral damage be damned. They will find him, or he will find them."

“Will you be one of them, then? A challenger?”

Fright Knight stilled, anger simmering just above his armor. “Mocking me, are you? No, a challenger I am not. My grand purpose in this world is to guard my creators, bestow them to and swear my oaths to my future liege lord, whoever that may be.”

With those parting words, Fright Knight flew off, taking his post at the entrance of the keep, leaving Plasmius alone in the presence of the ring and crown. To bear their heavy gaze.

(Something within him, something that he once thought controlled, thought leashed to his will, reared its head. Want , it said. Want-have-mine. It gnawed at the back of his mind like a starving rat chewing on the bars of its cage. Want-have-mine-want-prove-prove-worthy.)

Vlad squashed that voice with a grimace.  He was the one in control, not his ghost.  He was stronger than such baser instincts.

(Prove-worthy-power)

Danielle had been working far too hard lately, and as a result she’s been in and out of the portal more times than Plasmius would prefer. It was attracting too much attention. Perhaps a quick vacation was in order.

Besides, it wouldn’t do to reject an invitation from Bruce Wayne himself now, would it?

[roobylavender]

omg can you expand on the “and yeah ultimately a lot of the crux of the issue comes down to jason. he's never going to be a sibling to any of these people and i honestly think it's fine like he doesn't have to be” i never really saw him as a sibling to the other bats, sans my personal interest in his relationship w dick but ridiculously enough it never actually occurred to me that he really isn’t a sibling to them

i like to think of jason as the fulcrum of the entire batman canon. like eeeeeverything about the canon shifted in response to his death and it's not to say the post-crisis editorial mandate didn't already begin to contribute to that new balance in characterization and tone but jason's death certainly cemented the path going forward. his entry opened the flood gates to expanding the integral batman unit beyond its initial members—and i say this strictly with respect to the familial unit. obv every super gained friends over the course of their tenure and people like barbara would be included in that here—and his death and tim's subsequent induction cemented that this trend would endlessly continue because of course there can be no batman without robin, of course dc can't lose its primary marketing strategy for the character, of course no one wants to read about batman if robin isn't there! to me the psychological emotional connection everyone developed with jason thereafter (regardless of how attenuated it was) was a direct product of that. on one hand the implications of his death were obv enormous and could not merely be swept under the rug and moved on from so everyone necessarily had to deal with it. on the other hand this led to everyone dealing with it to the extent that it was permanently made their problem. like it's not to say his death didn't have ramifications for all of them as vigilantes continuing to operate largely at bruce's initial behest but simultaneously i don't think everyone necessarily needed to be as involved as they were portrayed to be and esp in the long term. tying everything about the batman canon thereafter to this perpetual guilt on bruce's behalf and then repeatedly taking it to its conclusion with every subsequent protege he took on was like overkill and it collectively made separating jason from the family impossible. treating him like a real sibling to everyone else was a character regression not only with respect to himself but with respect to them. it hindered the extent to which the individual conflicts they brought to the canon could be explored and made everyone's acceptance and/or truce with jason into a goal when it never really needed to be. a slightly altered under the hood should have been the end of it and at best they should've crossed paths with him on the occasional night patrol

[mydisenchantedeulogy]

Character Description: Ana Patterson (Sweet Sacrifice)

(Art is by me. Please don't steal).

Fandom: Batman

Basics

Gender: Female

Full Name: Ana Louise Patterson

Alias: Patient No. 1

Affiliation: Civilian

Age: Twenty–five

Nationality: American

Race: Human

Sexual Orientation: Straight

Birthday: September 15th

Zodiac Sign (Astrology): Virgo

Blood Type: A

Occupation:

· Pickpocket/Receiver

Social Class: Low

Scent: Lilac

Most Fitting Song for Theme Song: Sweet Sacrifice by Evanescence

Portrayed by: Michelle Trachtenberg

Appearance

Initial Impression: Like she's timid.

Height: 139 centimeters; 5 foot 5 inches

Weight: 54 kilograms; 120 pounds

Body Type: Slim with little or no muscle mass.

Face Shape: Oval 

Hair Color: Dark Brown

Hair Style: Long, thick, and wavy.

Eye Color: Green

Complexion: Pale

Best Physical Feature: Her eyes

Worst Physical Feature: In her opinion, her worst physical feature would be her freckles. They are light, but she has a few across the bridge of her nose and on her cheeks. She feels that the feature makes her look young.

Physical Quirks/Abnormalities: Cracks fingers increasingly. Thrives in hot weather, hates cold weather.

Scars: She has a scar line from a stab wound on her lower abdominal area.

Civilian Dress Style: Cotton, often torn. Her outfits are primarily thick, presumably for warmth.

Personality

Initial Impression: Brave

Most Endearing Trait: Calmness

Least Endearing Trait: Anger

General Attitude Towards Characters: Sociable unless there is a strong dislike for them.

Annoying Habits: Unable to sit motionless for long amounts of time.

Good Habits: She shows compassion.

Hobbies: Listening to music, taking walks, singing.

Skills: Blending in, gaining the trust of others, good listening skills, lying, strategic thinking, sleight–of–hand, survival skills, swift–footedness, and self–defense.

General Likes: Chocolate and literature

General Dislikes: Violence and bullies.

General Fears: Snakes, spiders, needles.

Greatest Fear: Death/blood

Acquaintances: Rebekah Cross, Jesse Collins, Andrew Lawton, Natalie Bell, Lucus Butler, and Lenore Anderson. 

Most Common Expression: Blithe

Favorite Color: Purple

Favorite Food: Pasta

Least Favorite Food: Anything spicy.

Background

Educational Background: Home Schooled

Family Background: Was raised by George and Melissa Patterson up until they were murdered, then she stayed with a foster family for a couple of months before she ran away. She joined a Fence and was taught to survive out on the streets.

Full Biography: She was born in Bludhaven, New York to George and Melissa Patterson. When she was sixteen, a group of burglars broke into her home and attacked her family. Her mother and father were killed, and Ana was stabbed. She survived but was put in foster care for the time being. Her new family were farmers who were not ideal people. The final straw for Ana was when she fell into a pit of slaughtered animals and after a long sweltering day, she was rescued. She ran away and ended up on the streets of Gotham where she met Lenore and Rebekah.

Relationship with Canon Cast

· Bruce Wayne (as Batman): She has different values on the Dark Knight per the way he conducts himself. She thinks that what he stands for is justice for the people of Gotham, but she doesn't value his way of doing so in high regard. To her, Batman is an angry kid with a hammer and everything he sees is a nail.

· Bruce Wayne (as himself): Having not met him, other than the few times she's seen him on television, Ana admires Bruce. Unlike the other rich occupants of Gotham, he seems the most concerned with the outcome of the city.

· Dick Grayson (as Robin): Much like her views of Batman, Ana neither likes nor dislikes Robin.

· Dick Grayson (as himself): Having only met him once, and on less than ideal terms, she doesn't much care for him.

Relationship with Non-Canon Cast

· Rebekah Cross: Her voice of reason. She feels obligated to protect her.

· Lenore Anderson: The teacher. She respects Lenore for her knowledge of the life they live. As an older sister figure, Ana looks up to her.

· Andrew Lawton: A strange, yet interesting man. Ana envies his imagination.

· Natalie Bell: Ana neither likes nor dislikes her. She understands her attitude toward the situation but doesn't appreciate the negative approach she uses.

· Jesse Collins: An optimist. She likes him the most because of his friendly nature.

· Lucas Butler: While outspoken, she doesn't find him irritating as some do. His insight into their situation is appreciated.