#How Ellie ended on a warehouse in Gotham is up to you

[nelkcats]

King and Joker

The bats were confused when Joker announced he gained a companion. His partner (or sidekick) is strong and has too many powers but looks sad. They tried to ask him if something was wrong but he remained silent. Joker liked to call him "The King", but he insisted that he was only "Phantom". The clown didn't care and continue with the nickname.

"King Phantom" tends to ignore when civilians are evacuated, feign ignorance when someone tries to escape, and has offered the bats bandages and medicine a couple of times. But when The Joker is present he becomes completely desperate and aggressive, as if he is fighting for something.

On the other hand, Joker got a completely new weapon, it was a green sphere that produced lightning but Phantom winced every time he saw him use it. On one occasion Tim swore he heard him whisper "Ellie".

Danny was scared, Ellie was unstable and anything he did could be fatal. When he arrived in Gotham looking for her missing core he didn't expect to find it in the hands of a clown. The clown realized that he had something to bribe him (although he didn't know how important it was) and began to order him around.

Danny hated it, he held back most of the time because he was fighting humans, not revealing many of his powers. And he would have killed the clown a thousand times if it weren't dangerous for Ellie. Joker would never break away from the core by saying it was "good luck", and would lock it in a ghost-proof cell, which is probably where he found it originally. The halfa just wanted his the girl back.

[bet-on-me-13]

Ellie wasn't born a Halfa

So! Jason just found something weird. Or rather. Someone.

A little girl, no more than 6 or 7, crying behind a dumpster in an alleyway. Now, as unfortunate as it is, this isn't that strange a sight in Gotham. Kids are always running away from home, getting lost, being left homeless after a mugging gone wrong, but this time was different.

Because the kid was glowing.

When he found her hiding behind the Dumpster, a medical gown being the only thing she had to protect herself from thr frigid Gotham Winter, he didn't hesitate to give her his Jacket and take her to his nearest safe house.

(Actually it took a little while to convince her to accept the Jacket, and even longer to get her to agree to being taken to his safe house, but they got there in the end.)

When he had finally gotten her set up in a side room of the Warehouse, with the most comfortable bed and thickest Blankets he could find, he tried asking what had happened.

"Daddy lied." She said. "He said he loved me, but then he made another kid and said he didn't care about me."

And, once again, it was unfortunately not that uncommon to see runaway kids from neglectful homes, but the way she said it raised some flags in his head.

"...and, how did you end up in Gotham?"

"I ran. He said I was a spare, and that scared me."

Well, that was even more horrible than he had anticipated. What kind of monster tells their kid that they're a spare?!

"And, I'm sorry if this is a touchy subject but why are you glowing?"

She just buried her face in the Blankets and shook her head.

"Alright then, that's fine. You can tell me when you're ready, or even not tell me at all, I'll accept either or".

For the next few weeks, Jason juggled running his newly created criminal empire and raking care of the kid. He still hadn't gotten a name out of her, but she said to call her "Dp" instead. 'It's the best I'm gonna get', he thought.

It was only after a few more weeks, right before he was about to begin his Plan of confronting Bruce about the Joker still being alive, that she approached him and agreed to tell him everything. He was actually really glad that she finally seemed to trust him enough to tell him.

"Okay Dp, you can start wherever you want."

"...well, I guess I should start with my name..." She started, "...or rather, my lack of one..."

"What?" Asked Jason in a soft voice.

"I, I don't have a name." She explained, "Daddy never gave me one. He just called me DP-2."

"...what do you mean by two?" Asked Jason.

"It-It's my Experiment Number." She said, stuttering a little, "I'm not a normal person, I'm a Clone. I was made to be daddy's perfect child, but I was just the test run. He said that I wasn't needed after he made DP-3, and that all I was good for was spare parts."

Jason felt his throat dry up. Dp was a Clone? Of who? Who made her? What right did that guy have to reject her?! Who in their right mind would make a Clone and then reject the Clone?! How dare he!

The Pits perked up

He felt the Pits rising a little, but managed to push them down. Dp needed support, not the Pits.

"It's Okay kid." He said, holding her had reassuringly. "It's perfectly okay to be different. I accept you as you are, and I'm sure as hell not gonna abandon you that easily. Or, ever really. You're stuck with me, whether you like it or not."

She giggled, and hugged him. A thoughtful look crossed her face, and she pulled away.

"There is one other thing...you know how I glow sometimes?" She asked.

The Pits felt a sense of dread

Jason felt like he wasn't going to like this. "Yeah?"

"Well, when I said I was meant to be a Clone, I never mentioned who of." She explained slowly. "He's a kid named Danny, and when he was 14, he had an accident where he died and came back as a Half Undead."

No...

Jason really wasn't liking where this was going.

"When Da-Vlad tried to make me, he realized that those powers couldn't be cloned..." She paused here, seemingly gathering the courage to continue. "...they needed to be added afterwards."

NO.

He didn't. He had better not have, for his own Fucking Sake, he had better not have done what Jason thinks he did.

"So one day, he took he down to the Lab, and he put me in a big machine." He voice broke a little. "He locked me in there, and then I think...that I died..."

...

For once, Jason felt completely in tune with the Pits. He was going to Kill that guy.

...

Sorry if this feels a little rushed, I kept going back to add or change parts of it.

Basically, Vlad realized that you can't Clone a Halfa. So, he made a workaround. He just stuck his first Viable Clone into a Portal, and let the machine Kill her. When he realized that it worked, he knew he had no use for Ellie anymore aside from spare parts.

And he told her as much, Vlad is a fucking asshole.

Ellie, of course, got scared and ran away. She ended up in Gotham, and was adopted by Jason right at the start of his Criminal Career.

When Jason finally hears about the rest of his kids' Backstory, he decides that Batman can wait his turn. He needs to go Kill that Vlad Bastard.

[space-dreams-world]

Inspired by this:

Except there's a twist: Danny adopts Dick, Jason, and maybe Tim.

Danny moved to Gotham (not bad end, but Vlad gets killed, trying to help Danny escape Amity Park, after de aging Dan and Ellie. Fentons, in their confusion and anger, make it even more unsafe for Danny to live there. Fortunately, Vlad made Danny his heir awhile ago, and in leaving, Amity closed their portal and Vlads. Vlad is a full ghost now. So now Danny is a runaway pregnant genderfluid teen that moves to Gotham, whether it be before the wayne murders or after. Jordan isn't born until a year into living in Gotham.)

He sets up a bakery/cafe near crime alley with his apartment on top of it and lab in the basement. He also owns a warehouse that he uses as a storage and training zone. He never makes homeless people pay, and if you can, it's a dollar. Even ghosts show up. He gets to know batman starting out and even maybe starts to court him as bats. They don't officially date until after catwoman reject his proposal, and Damian is permanently with Bruce.

Danny, while not at the circus prior to Graysons' murder, sees an escaped juvie grayson and is able to calm him down, even gets him to speak with his parents again and Danny with the help of Gotham threatens/scares Zucco into fearing for his life. He doesn't bring him back to Juvie but manages to save Dick's things and important paperwork. They declare him missing despite being needed in witness protection. Bruce wants to care for Dick but he doesn't have the same connection to Dick and sees Danny as his own Alfred, when B parents died. Danny raises Dick with a little help from Bruce.

Cannon events also happen, so Two-face and Joker get ahold of Dick for being near Batman and get beaten and shot. Danny brings Dick to the Far frozen and they heal him and he ensures to Two face/Joker that he will feel the same pain as what he has dealt to Dick and almost kills Joker but gets left with a warning.

Court of Owls actually loses Talons to Danny and are his and his kids' bodyguards now while trying to learn how heal them. Unfortunately, Bruce pulls back from the relationship with Danny, and this hurts them both.

Then,when Jason is on the streets, he sticks to near Danny's place and eventually gets adopted, too. Eleanor is born after. Jason loves his new family and is surprised that Bruce is back to dating Danny again. (Which hurts Dick because Bruce only came back for Jason)

In this scenario, Shelia reaches out to Jason for bribery reasons, and when Joker shows up, Danny is having none of it. He kills Mr. J crushes his soul and brings Jason to the Yeti, where he flatlines and gets to become a halfa instantly. This time, Danny is the one that pulls from Bruce as he never found out where Danny took Dick and now Jason to heal. So in the 6 months Jason was in the Zone practicing, Bruce took the worst of it and thought he was dead, but in reality Jason in the zone training with his powers and Dick helps out with his enhanced liminality. What seems like a death to Bruce is a coma or a loss of mobility for Jason. Bruce just assumes he's dead.

Dick grows up to be either a gymnast instructor or a social worker. Jason would be studying for literature or social or justice reform. Dan is a mechanic or security guard. He works part-time at the cafe and helps with branding and making the sweets. Jason, Jordan, and Ellie also help in the shop. Stephanie is a part timer.

Tim, during one of his photoscapedes, gets caught, and Danny and/or the kids save him and bring him to Danny. Tim, while dealing with years of parental neglect, stays with them, or Danny notifies Bruce of this. Either Tim stays with Danny, and despite Drakes having more money and power, Danny's otherness freaks them out and they decide fuck this or similar to cannon, Bruce adopts Tim.

Bruce, by the end of this, officially only has one or three kids: Damian, Cass, and/or Tim.

[I don't know if I want the boys into vigilante. It seems hypocritical for Danny to say no to vigilantism,but in another reality to this one, Danny says yes to the boys being vigilantes]

Hilariously, Danny and his kids show up to a Gala as Masters Heirs.

Jazz moves to Gotham after College to either be a doctor or work in Arkham.

Sam, while trying to leave her parents grasp, goes to Gotham for personal reasons and her parents threaten to cut her off from her inheritance unless she shows up at important events or Galas to support the Manson name.

Tucker is a tech fan and also moves to Gotham, but it is a bit of a recluse, but he takes an interest in teaching Babs, Dick and Tim in Hacking. He is an IT guy for Wayne Industries and an app creator.

[heroicadventurists]

Detective Comics 1000 6-11

Detective 1000 was comprised of eleven short stories written by some of the biggest names in comics.  All of the stories were really good (as expected) and 1000 was definitely worth the read.  Below is my 6-11 ranking.

11. Heretic

Writer: Christopher Priest

This story takes place years ago when Bruce was training in Lhasa. Bruce is fighting off several thugs who are trying to rob him for his money.  He is eventually taken down. 3 kids find Bruce laid out in some trash and takes his wallet.

We move back to the present time in Gotham.  A young man is dead in an alley.  Commissioner Gordan called Bruce Wayne to the scene because an old "Thomas and Martha Wayne Foundation" card is found in the victim’s possession. Batman shows up and questions Jim about the card before effectively disappearing while Jim is still talking.

Back in the batcave, we learned that the Batman was actually Dick covering for Bruce.  Based on the evidence, Dick believes Ra’s Al Ghul is behind the murder.  Bruce disagrees however he confronts Ra’s about it anyway. Ra’s denies wrongdoing and places the blame directly on Bruce.

“I am not responsible for the boy’s death….you are.  An infection you fostered as a youth, all those years ago…in Tibet.”-Ra’s Al Ghul.

Batman learns from Ra’s that Tan’s killer was his sister.

“Bruce Wayne’s capitalist values corrupted Tan…made him a subversive…a betrayer of the faith.”

Batman declares that he will carry on Tan’s mission and he is there for anyone desiring to leave the league.  She responds, very well Heretic, so will we.

10. The Last Crime in Gotham

Writer: Geoff Johns

First off let me say that it was completely nuts seeing Damian dressed up like Robin as a grown man.  He still had the same design from when he was 10. I just had to get that off my chest.  On to the story.

This story begins with a future Batman and his family (Catwoman, Robin and Echo (Helena)) investigating a murder.  12 people were killed at a birthday party.  The family starts discussing who the killer could be considering the majority of Batman’s rogues are dead and crime has been extremely low in Gotham City.

Batman surmises that someone wanted to re-create all of Gotham’s greatest crimes in one night. The killer was………the son of Joker……..who is also among the 12 dead.

“The same chemicals that created my father took his life.  Those same chemicals are taking mine, too.  I am sick, as he was.  I am grateful for that, because without family……what are we?”-The son of Joker

With the demise of the son of Joker, the streets of Gotham are safe. Batman tells Jim that they’ve done enough and to go spend some time with Barbara, Jason and the kids. He proclaims it’s family time as he unplugs the batsignal.

The end of this story offers a sad twist.  It’s Bruce’s birthday and he’s actually in the batcave with Alfred wishing for a crime free Gotham and a family to spend his time with.

09. The Batman’s Design

Writer: Warren Ellis

Batman was absolutely brutal in this story.  The story began with a high speed chase. Some goons tried to take a hospital hostage and thought they were escaping The Batman.  Little did they know they were walking into a trap.

Batman caused the goons to crash their car outside of a warehouse. The entire warehouse was rigged like it was a game of Battleship. Once inside, Batman took them all down one-by-one, dishing out a considerable amount of pain in the process.

In the end, the ring leader surrendered after Batman had strategically taken out his entire crew.

08. Return To Crime Alley

Writer: Denny O’Neil

This story focuses on Leslie Thompkins and her opinion of Bruce Wayne becoming Batman.  It’s fair to say that she is not thrilled.

“…You could have lessened the world’s misery.  Instead, you let the tragedy consume you.  You chose the guise of a monster and my fear is that you are becoming what you pretend to be.  You tell yourself you’re serving justice, but what you’re really serving is cruelty. What happened to your parents does not excuse that” -Leslie Thompkins

No one can lay into Bruce quite like Leslie.

07. Medieval

Writer: Peter J Tomasi

Like “Manufactured for Use” and “The Legend of Knute Brody”, this story features a who’s who of Batman’s villains (including the introduction of The Arkham Knight).  The Arkham Knight weaves an elaborate tale of how Batman abuses his power.

“The Batman is a creature of the night who preys on the weak…..and the broken.  The broken who lash out, and beg for help the only way they know how…” -The Arkham Knight

In The Arkham Knight’s opinion, Batman has darkened Gotham City.  The only thing Batman respects is control and adhering to his rules.  The Batman doesn’t offer hope, only hoplessness. Batman is really a BADman and the people of Gotham deserve better. They deserve someone fair and true.  And they will bear witness to the Arkham Knight finally delivering justice to Batman.

06. Manufactured for Use

Writer: Kevin Smith

This story features a who’s who of Batman’s villains and begins with Batman fighting Joker in the center ring of a circus.  During the fight, Joker sprays Batman in the chest with acid. 

The scene switches to Matches Malone entering a store after hours.  The shop keep was waiting for him.  The owner takes Malone to the Gotham Gift Shop, a store housing all of the goods the bad guys leave behind in Gotham. The majority of the clientele includes wealthy soccer moms and day trader dads.

“You were looking for Gotham guns, right? Oh, I got Gotham guns.  Some of the most famous guns in the history of Gotham City crime” -Shady shop keep

Malone is only interested in the gun from the Wayne murders. The shop keep is asking $1,000 for the gun but Malone pays $1,500.

When Bruce returns to the Batcave with the gun, Alfred expresses his worry.

“I grew up broken and sad after this hunk of metal took everything from me. And who knows how many other lives it’s ruined? Or ended. But after tonight…….It’s never going to hurt anyone again." -Bruce Wayne

With that, Bruce melts down the gun that killed his parents and makes it into something useful, a chest plate for his uniform.  How fitting.