#Joker Game Random Thoughts

[invincibledc]

♢JESTER!READER X BATBOYS♢

→Jester!Reader: Taking after the inspiration of joker and Harley Quinn, aesthetic wise. They loathe that man even after the inspiration. They always loved circuses, watching the old flying graysons clips their families use to record. Their age and genders are unknown despite their small frame which makes them confused a child. People think they work joker, forcing Batman to put them on his charts. They can never caught due to always being sneaky and playful. Someone who is some random person that helps crimes and wear a medieval jest costume that is either monochrome for night stealths but is bright and happy colors for random day shenanigans. The jester, who people can’t tell if they’re a girl, or a boy. They seem genderless, they also seem skinny as well with how the sleeves of their so called costume is loose, covering their hand.

Damian

Sees the jester as a nuisance, mostly because of how he was used as a gymnasium board when the jester had pulled the boy’s cape over his head and flipping over him.

Honestly hates the damned jester. Cause why must they be so tricky with their explosive cards. He’s an Al-Ghul! He should be easy to capture this damn jester for more information on the joker.

But of course he’s only a plaything to the damn jest.

Tim

Grabbed you one time, wrapping his arms around some certain gas came out of you. It was cotton candy colors as Tim gasped shocked and let you go. He should’ve came prepared for this as he thought it would be joker gas. Turned out it was just scented cotton candy that smelled like a circus and was sweet.

Informed the others about your “gas” and how it’s different from joker gas. The boys think maybe you are just playing it safe to not get more heat onto you. But Tim feels like, you don’t wanna hurt anyone.

He starts to check cameras for you more, writing things about you, noting the smallest things. You have clown makeup like Harley Quinn, but more colorful and playful. Being a clown like joker but more passive. You’re different from them.

But what’s your story?

Jason

Has used non lethal bullets which were rubber on you. But of course with your insane flexibility, you dodged them. Doing a scorpion posture before flipping backwards multiple times before flipping into a fire escape and leaving again.

He can’t help but love the game of cat and mouse as you playfully chuckle. Doing mime moments and Jason jokingly guessing as he tries to get you. You once leaped off of his head, the bells on your clothes and your shoes jingle. Jason watched as you leaped each building with such grace.

He lays at night, wondering who you are. He wants to be mad at you for thinking you may as well be an ally to the man who killed him, but why are you so… friendly?

Next time he sees you, he may bring you a bat burger. Your body just seems so small.

Dick

Likes you, he has to seem like he can’t help you roam around Gotham, but having a compatible person who’s flexible like him makes him smile.

When he charged at you with his batons, you did a breakdance move, kicking them from his hands and flipping onto one hand and then flipping back onto your feet. Dick’s eyes widen before getting into hand combat with you. You smelt like the circus he used be in. When his parents were still alive. He frowns as you blow glitter at him, that snapped him out of his thoughts.

You left him with giggles and the soft jingles of your clothes. Dick tried to get the glitter off his clothes and hair. He looked as if he was in those glitter bomb videos.

Took days to get glitter out of his scalp. He swore he woke up to glitter on his pillow when he thought he was safe.

[mywritersmind]

PRANKED! LN4 - KA12 - FC43 - OP81

summary : you pranking your boyfriend for april fools day!!

listen up : no warnings! oscar’s is my fav!

words : 1988

⋆｡‧˚⋆

kimi antonelli

“Kimi!” I yell at my boyfriend who has been away from me for far too long.

He hops into the kitchen immediately, “Yes, love?”

“C’mere, I missed you.” He smiles sweetly. Wow, he's adorable. Too bad I'm about to break his poor little italian heart.

He slides his arms around my waist, resting his head on my shoulder as I chop some vegetables for our dinner. “I’ve been with you all day.”

“I know…” I smile and lean into him, “Doesn’t mean I can’t miss you. Plus you racing every weekend is something i’m not used to.”

“Good thing you’re coming to Japan.” He kisses my cheek from behind, making me smile and almost forget about my plans.

“I'm so excited!” I reach and grab the spaghetti as the pasta starts to boil, “You hungry?”

I feel him nod against me, “Starving-” and then I take the uncooked spaghetti and snap it in half. I don’t hesitate before tossing it into the pot and grabbing another handful to do the same.

I hear Kimi cry out, his hands immediately on mine before I can commit another crime, “What are you doing!?” He yells in my ear, spinning me around so I'm facing him. “Y/n!?”

I laugh, “What? I’m making our dinner…?” I make sure to sound extra stupid for the full effect.

“Y/n. No. You just murdered.” He’s dead serious. Staring down at me as if I'd just killed his puppy!

“I- huh? I like it like this.” I motion to the pot, “It’s way easier to eat.”

“No no no no no!” He wiggles his finger in my face, his accent extra strong. “You’ve just insulted my whole heritage!” He cries, grabbing the pot and pouring it down the drain without a second thought.

“Kimi!” I laugh out loud, I wasn’t expecting him to do that! “We still need dinner.”

“We’re starting over- I’m starting over! Get out of the kitchen!” He’s shaking his head the whole time, filling the pot back up with water as I laugh and keep trying to get his attention.

“Kimi!”

“Out!”

“Kimi!” I groan as he puts the pot back on the stove, “I was kidding!”

He gasps dramatically, turning to me with his hand over his chest, “Excuse me?”

“I was joking!” I put my hand on his arm, “It’s April first! You’ve been pranked!”

His jaw is on the floor. “That is not a prank! That’s a way to get your boyfriend to break up with you!”

“Kimi!” I yell, “You twat!” I throw an oven mitt at him as he goes to apologize, “Maybe I’ll do it for you!”

“No no!” He’s laughing too now, “I’m joking!” He keeps trying to get me to face him but I'm running around the kitchen now.

“You’re a horrible joker!” I laugh and throw a carrot at him, “Idiot.”

“I’m sorry!” He finally catches me, his arms around me quickly, “I love you!”

I smile, my arms pinned to my side as I look up at him, “I love you too.”

He smiles sweetly, “I hate you for breaking that pasta.”

I laugh out loud again, throwing my head back, “Fair enough!”

⋆༺

lando norris

I’ve never been particularly interested in being blonde. I don’t think Lando has a thing for blondes either. Yet here I am, trying to hide my smile as I adjust my blonde wig in the mirror.

Lando just got to my apartment, “Hellooo!” I hear him say, “Y/n! Where are you!”

“One sec!” I say, putting my game face on and walking out of the bathroom. He’s in my kitchen, his hand in a bag of chips as he hums along to a random song. “Hi.”

He’s smiling when he looks at me, but then his face drops. He doesn’t say anything, just blinks. Then he stands a little straighter, “Hi? You changed your hair!”

“Mhm…” I fiddle with the long blonde ends, “Do you like it?” He doesn’t. I know he doesn’t.

He puts down the chips and walks closer, inspecting it, “Yeah! It’s a big change.” Oh bless his poor heart.

“I don’t know if I like it…” Now I'm really pulling out all the stops… I start crying. “Lando I really don’t.”

“No! No!” He holds my hands instantly, “Love, you look beautiful! It’s just hair!”

“You hate it too!” I fake sob.

He shakes his head rapidly, “I do not! It’s so different I just wasn’t expecting it! You look great.” He’s a total liar.

“Are you going to break up with me?” I sniffle, looking up at him with tear filled eyes.

“What!? Y/n, of course not!”

“I told the salon I wanted to look like Jennifer Aniston!” I sigh loudly.

Ignoring the fact that my hair is completely bleached and far longer than her iconic cut, Lando shakes his head, “You don’t need to look like anyone but yourself. Y/n, you’re perfect. No matter what hair color you have.”

Okay I feel bad now! I let out a little giggle, something he immediately clocks. “Y/n.”

“I’m sorry.” I laugh harder and pull the wig off. Lando lets out a loud sigh and swears under his breath, dropping my hands dramatically. “Happy April fools!”

“That was not funny!” He cringes, touching the wig hesitantly as if it bites, “I hate when you cry.”

“Aw i’m sorry.” I smile, putting a hand on his face. “But it was pretty funny. I had P help me with the wig and everything!”

“Clever.” He deadpans.

“Jealous, you didn’t think of it first?” I laugh, running my hand through his hair, “I probably would cry if you went blonde though.”

He shakes his head, “Don’t ever do that to me again. I am not laughing.” I smile wider, kissing the corner of his mouth that starts to quirk up.

“So I look hot as a blonde, or what?”

Lando shakes his head again, “You’d look hot as anything.”

“Oh so you weren’t lying!”

“I really do like your natural hair though.” He tugs a strand of it, “My perfect girl.”

⋆༺

franco colapinto

I feel like I'm waiting for war to start. I’ve been camped outside Franco and I’s room for thirty minutes, waiting for my slow ass boyfriend to get out of bed!

I’m peaking around the corner so he can’t see me. I finally hear his footsteps near the door and am beside myself. I shove my hand over my mouth to muffle my giggles.

I’ve put two pieces of tape across the door frame so when he walks out- BANG! He’ll get a face full of tape. I even casually asked him his height so I could measure where to put the tape, then I moved it down a couple inches because he’s a liar.

The door handle moves and out comes my adorable boyfriend, all excited to start the day and not knowing what awaits him. He takes one step and, just like I so amazingly planned, only sees tape.

He screams, jumps, and wiggles around all while I cry laugh from the end of the hallway. The tape got him right on his eyes and chest.

Franco keeps struggling and once he’s ripped the first piece off his eyes, points at me with his jaw dropped. “What the fuck!?”

“Goodmorning!” I giggle back, all giddy now.

He peels off the rest of the tape as if it’s taking his skin off with him. “Ay ay ay!” He moans, “Y/n!”

I skip down the hallway as Franco struggles, but finally gets the tape off his hand, “Happy April fools, baby.” I kiss his cheek quickly as he shakes his head, now smiling.

“Evil.”

“Some would call it, genius… But whatever you say!” I laugh, turning around and walking down the hall. He smacks my ass as I go, hurrying up to me and picking me up from behind, “Franco!”

He kisses my neck as I squirm and giggle in his arms, “My genius girl.” I laugh harder as he puts me down only to mess up my hair and start our morning correctly.

⋆༺

oscar piastri

“Baby get up!” I drag the blanket off of Oscar, admiring my boyfriend's beautiful body and ignoring the groan that comes with it.

“No no no no…” He mumbles, turning over and shoving his face into the pillow, “The sun isn’t even up yet.”

“Oscar!” I try not to laugh at his whiny voice and hold my ground, stomping my foot, “Osc! You said you would go workout with me!”

He peaks an eye at me, “Huh?”

“I asked you last week and you said you would come to my pilates class!” I cross my arms as he sits up slowly, frowning at me.

“Is there a chance you have another boyfriend who agreed to this?” His face is absolutely priceless.

“Oscar.” I scoff, “You promised!”

“It’s-” he looks at the clock on our nightstand, “5am! Christ, Y/n even you don’t wake up that early…” He lays back down and tries to grab the blanket, but I grab his ankle and pull.

Granted, I don’t get very far, but it forces him to sit at the end of the bed. “Alright! Alright!” He wipes his eyes, sitting slumped and checking me out in my adorable pink workout set.

“Ah! I love you!” I kiss his cheek and bounce out of the room, feeling quite mischievous with my pranking skills. The plan is to bring Oscar all the way to the gym, just to get denied.

I start making him coffee as I hear him getting ready, humming quite happily for so early in the morning. I’m also going to bring him home and surprise him with breakfast because i’m not that horrible of a girlfrie-

What the fuck?

I wipe my eyes, narrowing in on the oven's clock.

I have to be going crazy. 8am? No chance. I set my alarm for 5 and the clock in the bedroom was 5! Why is this one the only one off…?

Shit.

I know instantly when I turn around and see my smirking boyfriend, still shirtless and only in his boxers. His arms are across his chest in the type of way that I know I fucked up.

“You bitch!” I say as he laughs out loud.

“You’re a horrible pranker!” He smiles as I shove the cup of coffee back onto the counter, walking closer to him.

“Last year I pranked you so good!”

He shakes his head, looking guilty, “Last year on april fools I had to go along with your prank because I felt bad!”

I groan, covering my face with my hands, “I thought it would be so good!” I can’t help but laugh now, looking up at Oscar’s still sleepy face, “I knew I felt too good for five in the morning! How’d you find out?”

“You left your phone open on a tik tok of someone doing the prank! I switched the alarms and time zones on your phone after that…”

I rest my head against his chest, “Ugh! Trust me Oscar Piastri, Next year is my year!”

He grabs my shoulders softly, my eyes meeting his again, “Whatever you say love.” he kisses me sweetly, “Now, can we start april off by sleeping for a couple more hours-”

“You have a flight soon!” I’m quick to say.

“So do you!” He fights back.

I stop in the doorway. “What?”

He lays down and smiles in that sexy way he does, “I couldn’t let you miss Japan, could I?”

I scream and jump on the bed, rolling on top of him, “Oscar! This isn’t a prank, right?”

“I’m not that cruel…” I kiss him, hard. I can’t stop smiling against him. “Also- you’ve never gotten up for a 5am workout class in your life!”

“Okay I get it, shut up!”

[tojisteddy]

BLACKCAT!READER who frequents at the bar the tf141 have basically called their home.

It’s filled with everyone in SpecGru every time a mission ends successfully— it’s loud, roudy and everyone is looking to have a good time. Of course you had to be there. Little minx was always down to party.

And at first, no one pays blackcat!reader any mind, just another girl who wants to fuck a military man; joining in on the terrible karaoke, drinking games, dancing like your life depends on it and betting during card games. And maybe it’s the 10th time Gaz has seen you around, so he indulges in the poker game your apart of— but it’s the way you play that’s just too fucking familiar for his liking.

You crack your neck before you start, overhand then pile shuffle the cards, and cut the deck while looking right at the person to your left right in the eyes, then deal the cards like a pro. And the game looks so simple, so easy to Gaz that he’s sure he’ll win in less than ten minutes. You’re talking big shit, smirking and egging everyone at the table to bet forty pounds more because why the hell not, what could happen?

Eager to win, Gaz puts down an extra fifty just this one time, you match it to make him feel even better. And finally, the man slams his hand down, rejoicing obnoxiously in delight. You pout, eyebrows furrowed as you place your hand down.

“But I thought I won?”

And the whole area is then filled with howls of laughter and yelling, your deck topping Gaz’s by a single joker.

Annoyed he downs the loser cup that’s filled with god knows what, praying he doesn’t hurl as you collect all the money on the table with a sly grin.

Like you hadn’t been sitting there for the past hour collecting men and women’s money like tissue hand outs.

And Gaz and no one else thinks anything of it, till your making your way to the bar like a happy kitty kat, getting called to come ‘have a good time’ by lower ranks here and there, your ass up like a tail, swishing with ease with every move. You’re tipsy because you lost a few rounds but you know exactly where you’re supposed to be, after a long night of fucking around— with Ghost Riley of course.

And it’s a shock to everyone who’s had their eyes on your gorgeous self the whole night— in a white crop top that’s sliding of your shoulders showing off your stomach, black micro shorts that’s just barely covering your ass, mid calf fur stilettos, curls in high ponytail with a few stray hairs perfectly out of place. Layered bangles & necklaces adorning your wrists and neck and large hoops that met your shoulders, black glasses perched on the end of your nose, matching you long black & silver manicured nails with and a brown lip liner.

Ghost, a man who didn’t take most women who approached him serious in any regard, even if he left with them for the night. A pretty little thing that was eager to have that man’s attention despite him being in the middle of talking to Soap. Of course he didn’t give it to you straight away, letting you lean on him while his hand found the small of your back, slowly down to your ass— squeezing. blackcat!reader who pulled out the chunk of cash she’d won from her purse and giving a portion of it to Riley, his brown eyes gleaming with mischief— pride.

Oh, you weren’t just a random— you were Ghosts.

The slithery bastard, known for not only being good at any card game, talking shit without flinching, but cheating and never getting caught— had taught you how to play poker to a T.

And it was a sight for that brute who got annoyed at anything, letting you sit in his lap, lifting your chin and putting his half empty whiskey to your full lips and chuckling when you cringed at the taste. Plopping you back down in his lap when you tried to get up too fast.

“Take a fuckin break, you’ve been movin all damn night.”

The man doesn’t bother explaining to any of the 141 what the hell just happened once your off on your merry way.

It was just known, Ghost was in possession of a new pet— perfect to look at, absolutely no touching.

a/n: Idk if anyone will like this format but I wanna try it. Am I doing this instead of writing my essay, well yes!

most recent masterlist blackcat!reader

[gallifreyanhotfive]

Random Doctor Who Facts You Might Not Know, Part 69

One time while escaping from a cell, Romana commented that it would be child's play to unlock the door with her sonic screwdriver. She then said it was literally child's play as doing so had been a game back on Gallifrey. (Audio: Subterranea)

One of Jamie's distant relations became a spy during World War II and used the name "the Doctor." (Audio: Operation Werewolf)

On his report, Borusa gave Theta Sigma a 7 in the subject of "Physical Inactivity." He commented that his pupil seems to think he is a mountain goat. (Short story: Report on Term's Work)

Memory lanterns are Time Lord devices that resemble paper lanterns but record an individual's thoughts and memories. During the Time War, many Gallifreyans released these lanterns as a desperate ploy to not be forgotten, as they thought they would all die. (Novel: Engines of War)

Ben, Polly, and Jamie played with a ouija board on the TARDIS. This caused a dark cloud from the time vortex to slip inside Jamie's mind, affecting his behavior. The Second Doctor banished the cloud by reading a recipe for Bajaxx stew written in Ancient Gallifreyan. (Short story: Something at the Door)

Jarra To killed the previous overseer of the Axis. Eventually, a Time Lord came to investigate, but they killed them. By the time the Fifth Doctor and his companions landed there, they described the corpse as "rank" with oozing flesh and insect larvae. (Audio: The Axis of Insanity)

After leaving Nyssa, Tegan, and Marc behind, the Fifth Doctor had several adventures on his own. Eventually, he encountered his Eleventh self, and he decided to return to his companions because he didn't want to be like him - companionless and disparaged in 1892. (Audio: Thin Time)

Time Vortex leeches live in the time vortex, and the Doctor had thought they were a myth from Ancient Gallifreyan songs until one of them clung to his Eleventh self's TARDIS exterior. (Comic: Space in Dimension Relative and Time)

One time, a man called Gaylord Lefevre played a game of cards against the Toymaker. He cheated and used a needle to mark cards, but the Toymaker was aware of this and altered his cards to be a hand full of jokers when Gaylord wasn't looking. The Toymaker claimed he wasn't cheating but instead following a new rule that Gaylord had introduced - that cheating was acceptable. (Comic: The Greatest Gamble)

Gallifrey has a transtube, which is basically an underground train. It has a central station under the Capitol. (Novel: The Ancestor Cell)

One time after the Seventh Doctor was knocked out, he drowsily told Ace that he had had a terrible dream. A man with ringlets had been reaching out to him, saying, "Come in, Number Seven, your time is up." He was talking about the Eighth Doctor. (Audio: The Silurian Candidate)

Maria Mazzini once commented on how powerful the Fifth Doctor's thighs were - after slapping them. (Audio: Serpent in the Silver Mask)

One time, the Fourth Doctor decided to take Sarah Jane to Geshtinanna. The journey in the TARDIS took nine weeks, during which both became bored and tired. While traveling in the time vortex, the clocks in the TARDIS all stopped, and the Doctor then detected the remains of another TARDIS in the vortex, trapped their because the pilot had made the mistake of locking their course. They were worried that they too had fallen to the same fate and were unable to change course, but when the day of materialization finally came, they successfully materialized. The Doctor realized that the TARDIS had stopped all the clocks out of respect for her fallen fellow TARDIS. Even after nine weeks of travel, they materialized nowhere close to Geshtinanna. (Short story: Eternity)

The Seventh Doctor has shifted his genetic makeup enough to disguise himself before and mimic someone else. He admitted that he learned this trick from the Master, who frequently used regeneration as a disguise. (Novel: Original Sin)

On Gallifrey, there are two hundred and eight tenses in their languages. They don't translate well. (Novel: The Crystal Bucephalus)

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[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Now that all the main cast's unique magic has been shown, can you make a ranking on your favorite unique magic from most to least favorite? Would be favorite unique magic from each dorm but felt some feels unfair especially Ignihyde when Ortho is confirm unable to have his own. You can include the other characters like Chenya, Rollo, Skully, and Fellow.

Originally I was gonna ask about your top favorite dreams, overblot boys' dream outfit, and chapter 7 SSRs (excluding the main Diasomonia uniforms), but there is chance there will be more dreams in upcoming chapter since some people theorize that we might see both Silver's and Malleus's now that Ace's UM is shown. Even a possibility of Silver having an SSR card. So I will be holding this question once chapter 7 is over.

[For a complete compilation of known unique magic (including name, incantation, first use, effects, and limitations), check out this post!]

To briefly explain what is mentioned in the second ask and the second paragraph of first ask, some fans theorize that with Ace’s new UM (which seemingly allows him to borrow, copy, or swap UM with a target?), he could use Malleus’s magic against him or on other characters too. This could potentially allow us to see his dream and/or Silver’s. As far as I could tell it though, there doesn’t seem to be a purpose for doing this provided by theorists yet.

Aaand with that aside, here’s my personal ranking of the UMs, with explanations for each below. It’s not numerical, but rather tiers. This is primarily based on how practical or fun I think the UMs would be to my daily life, NOT based on power level or some other metric.

“Useful overall”

Snake Whisper/Snake Charmer — At the risk of sounding slightly unhinged, this would make life in general easier. Shockingly few drawbacks or limitations too. (Big surprise, the person who says they are similar to Jamil puts Jamil’s UM as at the top…)

I See You/Arrow Afar — As someone that easily gets lost while traveling and easily loses things, this UM sounds like a godsend. Just tag whatever you want to locate and you’re good to go!

Far Cry Cradle — The idea of experiencing stories by touching a random object is so fascinating. Endless entertainment but could also help with answering questions. Bonus: reminds me of the Dimensional Scream from the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers games.

“Fun to experiment with”

Doodle Suit/Paint the Roses — The simple act of being able to change the smell, taste, or texture of something would make dietary restrictions so much easier to deal with. Other applications would be nice for comfort too, like adjusting the perception of brightness or loudness just for yourself in a group setting like a movie or concert. (There’s some ominous fan works and theories about Trey being able to use his UM to overwrite others’ emotions or thoughts too, but I’m only sticking to what he is shown to be capable of in canon.)

Split Card — I’d wanna see how many clones can be made at once and what each is physically and mentally capable of. (We already know the magical power of the original and the clones goes down, so what about other parameters?) Useful for multitasking.

Joker Snatch — It's basically the same has having multiple UMs. Would fuck around and find out what this sucker is capable of. :9

Fairest One of All — Such a flexible and customizable UM, honestly. You can basically set whatever conditions you like, just be careful about the wording because the curses get pretty locked in.

Meet in a Dream — The idea of hopping around dreams and seeing what weird shit goes on in people's heads sounds so fun! Then you can embarrass them about it in the waking world :>

Not All My Head —Ultimate stealth... You can bypass into some of the most secure places in the world just for the lols 🤣 or, y'know... sneak into the kitchen to steal some snacks or something.

“Messing with the forces of nature because fuck you, that’s why”

King’s Roar — Could be used for a fight, but also to clear an area. What's that? Destruction of nature/property? Potential for murder? IT'S OKAY, JUST BREATHE IN THE SAND PARTICLES FLUTTERING IN THE BREEZE AND DON'T CHOKE :))

Oasis Maker — Need clean water to drink? BOOM. Want to water your garden? BOOM. Making a random swimming pool? BOOM. Maximum output for minimum effort.

Fae (of) Maleficence — You become a literal god of time and space. Scary amount of potential for control.

“The trail mix where I pick out the bits I like and leave the gross stuff in there”

Laugh with Me — Not really useful unless for small pranks or you + the target are in a convenient location already (since you'd have to take steps forward to get the target to do the same).

Sleep Kiss/Crimson Slumber — Can be protective (but can't seem to be cast on the self, only on others). Also useful to put people to sleep. Would like to use to send my pet or loud neighbors to sleep early instead of staying up late and bothering me :v

Living Bolt — Very good for an extra boost of speed and/or power if in a rush or in a desperate situation. Unfortunately comes with electrical side effects so that's... not optimal.

Scary Night — Basically Off with your Head but also limits your movement, so I consider it an upgrade with applications besides just combat. Wonder what happens if you cook with those pumpkin’d people or smash the pumpkin on the ground… Is that instadeath? Gruesome to think about, but unsure of since we see so little of the UM in action.

“Requires rizz”

It’s a Deal and Life is Fun — Same reasoning for both; takes a certain amount of charisma to pull these UMs off and if you lack that then this magic sucks. Would be useful if you did have these characters’ sway though.

“Fistfighting central”

Off with your Head — Could shut down a hostile party’s magic, but if you’re not as trigger happy as Riddle is then how often would you realistically use this? And if the target has no magic then this basically does nothing.

Bet the Limit/Double Down — Assuming you’re not already dead from the blows you’ve already eaten and/or you can aim properly and get that shot in before you wipe??? Okay, sure 😂

Bind the Heart — Only deflects magical blows. Physical hits will still pass. Would get my ass beat anyway.

Dark Fire — Primarily useful only for combat, which most people don’t get up to on a regular basis. Must be a true hater or be surrounded by true haters to get the most power out of this. What happens if everyone holds hands and sings a song at you? Do you just pathetically whimper and die out in a pile of ashes/j

“Not a furry, don’t @ me”

Unleash (the) Beast — The idea of a big furry... creature... charging at me makes me want to run and hide 🤢 Could have its use for strength and speed, but… I still don’t want a massive dog around.

“This could have been an email”

Shock the Heart — Nothing a reasonable amount of blackmail research cannot do. Has so many limitations (eye contact, only one use per person, target may resist/refuse anyway, etc.) you may as well need a PhD in order to manufacture plans to effectively use this UM.

“So niche it has like no practical application”

Gate to (the) Underworld — Y-You just… open and close a door to a pit of Phantoms. Discounting opening the pit to retrieve Phantoms to test or experiment on, why would you not just keep this closed all the time and just never use this UM 💀

[decentwritings]

Chapter 1

Summary: You’re unable to grasp the luck you have. You were raised to run from danger, to go the opposite direction of bad influences. So when you somehow find yourself right in the center of it, you discover that running wasn’t exactly what you were taught. It only took GhostFace and a pretty girl to remember that.

next part

The game you were playing was beginning to bore you. The music wasn't even all that and your butt feels sore after sitting on these steps for the last three hours. A couple of drunk teenagers stumble by you again and you can't help but scoff in annoyance.

The extra battery pack you brought was dead and you had about seventeen percent left on your phone. You knew the idea of bringing a backpack was smart, but what was stupid was not bringing an extra charger.

You're stuck here as designated driver for your roommate and her friends. You got the short end of the stick because Anika claims she wants you to get along with her girlfriend. Something about her girlfriend having trust issues with people she doesn't know.

You can't even recall her name.

Miranda? Martha? Melinda?

It starts with an M.

Also, she kicked your ass in ten games of rock-paper-scissors.

The last hour there have been people coming out, not coming in anymore. The costumes were sad this year, and that's coming from someone who doesn't even celebrate. You think you saw one of Anika's friends as a slutty pirate? Maybe it was just a regular pirate; either way, it was lacking creativity.

She is pretty, though.

“Hey!”

You pick your head up, eyebrows connecting at the random outburst. You look around, suddenly aware no one else is sober enough or free to pay attention. So this woman must be calling you out.

And stupidly, you point at yourself and ask, “Me?”

The woman stalks over, and you stand, ready to fight to defend yourself. You lift your fists up but then they fall to your side at the taser in her hand.

“Where's my sister?” She asks, the taser sparks and you can't seem to find an escape with the house pressing against your back.

“I...I don't know,” you stutter, eyes on the taser and watching it move as she speaks.

“Let me through.”

You jump over the ledge and fall into the bushes, allowing the woman entrance to the home. You fall with a thud and groan, spitting leaves out of your mouth in the process. When you stand, the couple making out by the bushes stare at you with a mix of concern and irritation.

“Joker, Black Widow,” you say, stumbling out of the bush with a grunt. “Nice crossover. As you were,” you brush the remaining leaves off your clothes.

You attempt to enter the home, to warn Anika and her friends of some lunatic with a taser. But that same lunatic comes out with Anika and her friends in tow.

Anika tugs you along with her as they stalk out of the property. You groan at the pull, the grip she has on you is causing a pinching pain.

“My car!” you shout, glancing back at your parked car in the distance.

“We'll get it later,” Anika mutters, releasing you a second later.

The lunatic, who you learned is named Sam, shouts after the sister she was looking for, Tara. You follow behind with your shoulders slumped, solemn at the thought of your car parked in a street you don't know.

You're unaware of the group stopping to watch the sisters argue and you continue sulking past them. Hands tucked in your pockets, you kick a rock gently, turning and stopping in your tracks.

You regret ever allowing Anika to convince you to be designated driver. You're going to ask for a change of roommate when you get back.

But it goes to the back of your mind when you overhear someone behind you say, “is that the murderer?”

You raise a brow and look at the voice, tilting your head when you lock eyes with the stranger. And the stranger is throwing something at Sam before you can even comprehend her words.

“Murderer!”

The liquid hits Sam dead on, angering the older woman and unleashing the built up anger she most likely held back during the argument with her sister. Chad has to grab ahold of Sam then Tara to avoid a bigger fight from occurring.

Something in you shouts to get away from these people. It's a loud voice that you know belongs to your parents, who always told you to stay away from the wrong crowd. And maybe, this is what they meant by wrong crowd.

You stay back as they all walk away, just a few feet away from a sad, soaked and tired Sam. You exhale a breath, waiting for Ethan to walk away from his awkward interaction with the older woman. You take off your backpack and unzip it to grab the towel you packed.

While your parents raised you to run from danger, they also taught you manners. You step up to Sam cautiously, extending the towel towards her slowly.

Sam looks between you and the towel. It takes her a minute to decide if she can trust you, or maybe trust the towel. You aren't sure, but you reassure her. "It's better than whatever was on the napkins Ethan gave you," you shrug.

Sam takes the towel, or rather snatches it. She doesn't say anything, and you take that as her silently telling you to leave her alone. You turn and walk the other direction, away from the group. For once, you're listening to your parents' advice.

You decide it's a good night to be away from your roommate. So you head to your cousin's place, knowing his place was just a few blocks away. That way, you could wake up and pick up your car on your way back to your dorm.

You text your cousin to warn him of your presence at his apartment, to avoid interrupting any activities occurring. He texts back informing you he was on his way there, too, to wait for him by the door.

You hear a chuckle to your left a few minutes after arriving to his apartment building. As he gets closer, he points to the name tag on your shirt.

“Dennis?” He asks, pulling his keys out of his pocket.

You shrug. “The party I was at wouldn't let me stay if I didn't have a costume,” you wait patiently for him to unlock the door.

You follow him in, listening to him as he speaks. “And they allowed the fake name tag as a costume?” He asks, closing the door behind you.

You pause at the entrance, freezing when you see Sam at the bottom of the stairwell. You face your cousin with wide eyes. “I'm being followed,” you whisper, eyes filled with panic.

He looks behind you and locks eyes with Sam. He chuckles and shakes his head. “Head on up, I'll meet you there,” he tells you, handing you his keys.

You pause and stare at him like he's crazy, but don't question it, snatching the keys from his hands. You practically sprint past Sam, but pause at the first step to tell your cousin, “she's got a taser, Danny.” you warn him.

Sam glances back at you with narrowed eyes. You scurry off without another word.

You aren't sure how long you wait for your cousin, hoping he's still alive. All you know is, when he does return, you run up to him and immediately ask questions.

“How do you know taser girl?” You ask first, unaware of his worried state. You follow him into his kitchen, questions still flying out of your mouth. “How long have you known taser girl? Did she always live in this building? Why are people calling her a murderer? Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?” You ask when you finally notice his state.

Danny leans against the counter. “She's leaving,” he mumbles, as if he is just now realizing this.

You raise a brow. “What?”

Danny looks at you, and he thinks about all the possible outcomes of telling you the truth. Sam may have passed over a little of her skepticism to him. He's found himself questioning everyone's intentions at times, even at the smallest things like when his coworker ask him to pass him the salt one day at lunch.

“Sam is the girl I'm seeing,” Danny finally says, a weight falling off his shoulders after the words come out of his mouth. All you do is raise a brow. “We've been keeping it secret from her sister and her friends...”

“And me apparently,” you mutter.

Danny sends you an apologetic look, then he sighs sadly. “She's leaving,” he says again. “There was a murder of some students at Blackmore, your school.”

You frown. “Lucky bastards,” you mutter, crossing your arms over your chest childishly.

Danny's expression goes blank, a deadpan look crossing his face. He runs a hand down his face and shakes his head.

“It was a joke,” you say, eyes casting down to avoid his look. “What's the big deal of the murder anyway? It's New York. People die. We move on. It's the circle of life.”

Danny pinches the bridge of his nose. “God, your parents really did shield you from the world,” he mutters, huffing a breath afterward. “Do you watch the news? Check the internet–do you even know who Sam Carpenter is?” He asks you after a beat.

You shrug. “Relative of Jesus? I don't know, Danny– can't you just tell me instead of having me guess?” You give up, patience gone along with your interest in his love life.

And so Danny begins to explain, about Sam Carpenter's past. He tells you she's not just anyone—and you think he was going drone on about how amazing she is but no, he tells you she's tied to a dark legacy, one that involves a string of murders that happened in Woodsboro. Sam is the daughter of Billy Loomis, one of the original killers from those infamous Ghostface murders.

You don't watch the news, so he has to explain the Woodsboro murders. He tells you there's movies about it and you remind him you don't watch horror movies. It leads to a long argument of what movie genre is the best–man, ADHD is in everyone in the family.

Your head spins as Danny returns to his explanation. And you try to piece it all together, figuring out the whole relative thing, the murders and the murderers. You decide to suck it up and watch the Stab movies when you get the time.

Right now, you have bigger things to think about. “Wait, you're telling me your girlfriend is related to some psychopath who went on a killing spree? And people think she might be involved in this new murder at Blackmore?”

Danny looks exhausted but nods. “That's why they're calling her a murderer. She's been trying to escape all of this, but it's followed her here.”

You scoff. “Man, you know how to pick 'em,” you laugh gently, going back to the living room to sit on the couch.

Danny follows behind you, glaring.

You sink into the couch, hands raised in surrender. “Sorry. Geez,” you mutter. “So you're dating a woman who might be the next Ghostface? Or worse, the target of another psycho?”

Danny shrugs, taking a seat beside you on the couch, shaking his head. “She's not the killer. I know her. She's just... trying to live a normal life. But people won't let her. You saw what happened tonight.”

You groan and lean back. “Great. Now I'm stuck in the middle of some horror movie drama.”

Danny frowns at that, worry lines deepening on his face. “Listen, just stay out of it, okay?”

“Believe me, I'm trying,” you huff.

“Sam's trying to leave all this behind. She's not dangerous. Just... misunderstood,” Danny defends.

You're quiet for a while, processing. “So, what now? She's leaving, but what about you?”

He shrugs, looking defeated. “I don't know. Maybe it's better this way.”

You let out a long sigh, not sure what to think anymore. Everything seems so absurd, like you've just been pulled into some twisted movie plot. “This better not end with me getting stabbed,” you mutter, half-joking but half-serious.

Danny gives you a tired smile. “I'll make sure it doesn't.” But his tone doesn't inspire much confidence, and you're left wondering just how deep this whole thing goes.

Your phone vibrates in your pocket, and you assume it's your mom checking in on you. You had told her of your plans and she was adamant of you not going to the party. You should have listened.

You also shouldn't have picked up the phone.

“Sweet mother,” you answer the phone, grinning at your cousin. He rolls his eyes, but the smile on his lips tells you he found it funny.

You expect an answer but nothing comes. You look at your phone screen and tilt your head at the lack of caller ID on it.

“Hello?” You say, waiting for some kind of response.

“Hello, Dennis,” your eyebrows raise, looking at your cousin. “Welcome to the party. Are you having fun?”

You pause to really think of an honest answer for the question. The voice isn't one you recognize, then again, this person did call you by your fake name; he may not know you either.

“Well, not really,” you reply, shoulders sagging as you continue, “and I'm not Dennis. You either got the wrong number or you assume my name is Dennis 'cause you saw me at the party.”

“Oh but I have the right number,” the voice responds, almost giddily.

“Who is it?” Danny whispers, scooting closer to you.

You wave him off, listening to them continue.

“Your cousin thinks he's so clever, doesn't he?” The voice says, menacingly. “Always two steps ahead. But he'll never see me coming. Neither of you will,” then the line goes dead.

You shake your head when you hear the tone signaling the end of the call. You huff and drop your phone to your lap. Danny waits for you to explain the call.

“Some dude called,” you start, nonchalantly. “Said we're not gonna see him coming.”

Danny's eyes widen, standing to grab his phone in the kitchen. You're lost at his sudden rush and concern, following him slowly. He has his phone pressed to his ear, waiting anxiously for someone to answer.

He slams his phone on the counter a few seconds later. He grabs his keys then turns to you. “Let's go. I need your help.”

He doesn't explain and you stupidly follow him, wondering what exactly he needs help with. When you exit the apartment building, he turns to you, eyes wide, frantic, and filled with worry.

“Can you handle this?”

“Handle what? You haven't explained anything,” you reply, an unsettling feeling growing in your gut. “You're freaking me out, Danny.”

“We have to split up, but don't stop looking over your shoulder,” he grips your shoulders, forcing you to meet his frantic eyes. “These GhostFace fanatics are freaks and you have to watch out for yourself. Can you handle this?”

The look on your cousin's face worries you, but your need to always help him—because he's always helped you, no matter what—makes you decide. You nod, confident and determined. You want your cousin to know he can count on you, just like you can count on him.

Not that you ever expected to chase after a killer to help your girlfriend. You're pretty sure you'd never get in a situation like this. You don't have fight in you; only flight.

But hell, if Danny needs you to search for that inner fight, you'll do it for him.

“You go that way, I'll go this way,” he points to the left then the right. “You knocked me out once when we were younger, think you can do that to a freak in a mask?”

You stare at him blankly. “I was ten and hyped up on sugar,” he sighs, regret crossing his face for bringing you into this. You shake your head, wanting to reassure him. “I got a knife,” you say as you pull out the box cutter your brother gave you for work.

Danny stares at it but doesn't comment. “Be careful,” he says, lifting his phone. “And call when you find them.”

You raise your hand to your forehead, saluting. He sprints off after doing a quick look around your surroundings. You do the same, gripping the box cutter in your hand like a lifeline.

You peek into every alley before passing it, making sure there isn't anyone lurking. You're not exactly sure how far you are from Danny's apartment when you reach the bodega at the corner. You come to a slow stop as several people run screaming out of the store.

“Please be a robbery,” you mutter, summoning the courage to fight instead of run. You bounce on your feet a few times, hyping yourself up before you finally walk up to the bodega's doors.

A bell chimes when you open the door, and the scene before you immediately makes you rethink your bravado.

GhostFace turns with the shotgun pointed at you. You've seen the mask before at stores, and you find it ridiculous that people are using a Halloween costume as a way to kill people.

“Wrong store, I'll come back late—”

You duck just in time to avoid the bullet and crawl toward the closest thing you can find for cover. You've played enough video games to know how to survive someone shooting at you.

You press your back against the shelf, heart pounding as you catch your breath. The bodega aisles stretch out in front of you, offering minimal coverage. You glance at the door–running seems like a bad idea. You could make a run for it, but you know bullets fly faster than you run.

His footsteps echo throughout the bodega, slow and deliberate; like he has all the time in the world. But he can't be stupid, someone must have called 911 by now. Right?

You peek around the shelf, catching a glimpse of the mirror hanging from the ceiling. You watch it to see what direction GhostFace is walking to. You see him step over a body, and you're aware it was cashier who probably tried to play hero.

Then, you see them and you roll your head in annoyance. Danny was not lying. Her past follows her so of course Sam and Tara are here, hiding from the freak in the mask.

“I could be in bed,” you mumble, looking at the shelf you're hiding behind for something to use. “But noooo...the one time you rebel against your parents' wishes, you get stuck in some shitty fanfiction a weirdo is writing,” you grab a can, then a jar of olives.

You glance at the mirror, GhostFace is steps away from discovering Sam and Tara so you don't even acknowledge Sam's attempt to get your attention–you toss the can towards the door. He quickly turns and reacts with shooting a nonexistent figure.

You stand now that his back was turned, lifting your arm to throw the jar at his head. As the jar flies in the air, you whistle to get his attention and timed it well to hit him square in the face. The shotgun falls out of his hands and you shout at the sisters to run.

They don't need to be told twice. Sam grabs Tara's arm, pulling her along as they run out of the store. You can hear sirens in the distance but you keep your eyes on GhostFace, who finally regains his composure. He looks out the bodega's windows and sees the flashing lights, then looks back at you with a look that tells you he is not happy.

He runs away and disappears towards the back, leaving you standing there in disbelief.

Did you just face off with a murderer?

You exit the store with your hands up, not wanting the cops to assume you're a threat. Either way, you're handled roughly by an officer as he grips your hands to cuff.

Sam and Tara appear out of nowhere, pulling you out of the replay of the events that occurred in the store. You blink, feeling the cuffs bite your wrists with a tight pinch.

“Stop, they helped us,” Sam says first, voice firm as she glares at the officer. Tara doesn't wait long to support her statement.

“Helped how?” The officer asks, eyeing you and now them suspiciously. Still, he doesn't even loosen his grip on your wrists.

“New York's finest,” you mumble with a head shake. You grimace when his grips tightens. “Oww,” you drawl out.

“They distracted GhostFace long enough for us to get out,” Tara adds, sending you a warning glare to keep your mouth shut. You duck your head, pursing your lips into a thin line. “If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have gotten out,” she jumps to your defense again.

The officer eyes you all, eyes squinting as he stares. He grunts then, “wait here.”

“Am I under arrest?” You asks as he walks away. You groan at his lack of response.

You tap your foot, aware of the presence of the sisters. You can feel the tension from the Carpenters without even looking at them. The last time you were alone with Sam, you ended up in a bush. Last time you saw Tara, she was wearing a pirate costume and laughing about it. Now, here you are. Life, huh?

“Nice night,” you mumble, because apparently, you never learn when to keep your mouth shut.

Both sisters look at you, deadpan. If looks could slap, you'd be on the ground. You shut up, but only for a second, because now Danny comes running up, and you know this is going to be great.

“Oh god, what did you do?” Danny hisses, eyes darting between you and the sisters.

“Saved your girlfriend,” you snarl, feeling deeply insulted that he automatically assumes you did something stupid. Danny freezes, eyes widening in horror at the worst-kept secret in the room.

You walk up to the officer as makes his way over to you. “Please say I'm under arrest,” you practically plead, wanting to escape from this reality.

The officer shakes his head, signaling for you to turn around. You do as you're told, feeling him unlock the cuffs from around your wrists. The stares from the three of them make you shift uncomfortably, keeping your head down until you're able to feel your wrists, holding them against your chest to soothe the ache.

Tara snaps her neck towards her sister, her gaze sharp. “Girlfriend?” she asks, voice icy.

Sam winces, like she knew this was coming. “Not now, Tara,” she nods in the direction a detective walking over to them.

The man smiles crookedly, stepping up to them almost awkwardly. “Care to explain?” He starts, then looks between you and Danny. “I'm sorry, I don't think we've met. I'm detective Bailey.”

“Danny,” your cousin introduces himself, crossing his arms over his chest. There's a tension between them and he feels it thickening with each second passing.

Bailey turns to you. You tap on the fake name tag still on your shirt. “Dennis,” you lie, earning yourself an elbow to your side. You glare at Danny before returning to look at the detective. “Y/N,” you mumble, huffing.

Bailey nods, then sighs as his gaze returns to the Carpenter sisters. “I think you know what I'm going to say,” he says.

Sam nods, arms crossed over her chest defensively. “Let's go then,” she makes her way to the car the detective came in, her sister following.

Danny does the same but you, however, don't move. You didn't sign up for whatever this is. This is your chance to finally step away from this situation. Then, like they all practiced, they turn back to look at you.

“I'm fine here,” you say dismissively. “I appreciate the invite though–”

“Get in the car,” Danny orders with a glare, pointing to the vehicle.

You didn't plan to, you really didn't. But when you look at Tara–when Tara looks back at you, her expression shifting from anger to something softer—vulnerability, maybe. For a second, she's not the girl who just stared down a serial killer; she's just... someone who doesn't want to be alone.

That gets you. You barely know the girl but those eyes draw you in. Screw you and your inability to walk away from a pretty girl. You shuffle toward the car, muttering under your breath several complaints.

You squish in the back seat, Tara seated between you and Sam. The drive to the police station drives by the house the whole night started at. You frown at the sight of your car, lonesome and abandoned.

You sigh dramatically, your mind suddenly reminding you of the one thing that truly matters. “Ahh, fuck,” you groan, earning immediate side-eyes from everyone in the car. “I've got a paper due at midnight.”

Danny turns, his expression a perfect blend of exhaustion and disbelief. “Stop talking.”

And for once, you do.

As you approach the police station, the lights flickering in the night like a beacon of both hope and uncertainty, you realize that whatever happens next, you're not alone. You might be just a regular person caught in a slasher film, but now you're part of something bigger. You were here for Danny, and were further dragged in by Tara's doe eyes, and maybe—just maybe—this wild ride will lead to something unexpected. Hell, this may turn out for a good final senior thesis.

You take a deep breath, feeling that flicker of determination ignite within you. No matter how this night ends, you won't let fear hold you back. After all, survival is a team sport, and you're ready to play.

The car rolls to a stop, and as you all step out into the bright lights of the police station, you can't shake the feeling that this is just the beginning of a very messy adventure. But at least you'll face it with someone.

[x-gabrielle-x]

Withered Cards | IV

Pairings: Jason Todd x Reader.

Warnings: Blood, gore, violence, murder, swearing, major and minor injuries, death.

Summary: Despite the many different problems you overcome with Jason Todd, you always eventually make it back to each other. Even after his death, how could you still love a man who changed so much? Even when you made a turn for the worst.

Series Masterlist

Your body still ached from the hits that Joker had blown at you only a week ago, the scab forming over your split lip leaving a metallic tang on your tongue. The bruises still had yet to heal, the purple blemishes littering your skin and serving as a fresh reminder of just how cruel and nasty the Joker really was. It had been a week. A week since your failed mission, and a week since you had last seen Robin.

You had found yourself mostly staying hidden away in your tiny room back in the warehouse, finding that it was much greater comfort than having to be around the tantalizing grin Joker always sent in your direction, like a lion baring its teeth to its prey. So of course, when you had heard a loud bang on your door with the Joker bidding you farewell, claiming he had 'unfinished business to attend', you were more than relieved to finally stretch your limbs and let your guard down; just a little.

Though even without the Joker there for the few days you had, your heart would leap into your throat whenever you thought to hear something similar to his maniacal laughter. You were constantly on edge even without him there, and Harley seemed to be mourning his absence just as much as you were enjoying it.

Sitting on a random rooftop with the glimmering city lights below did little to ease your running thoughts. The familiar chill of the freezing air pricked at your skin to which you folded your arms against your chest for a sense of warmth. Gotham had seemed to be a lot quieter tonight, a very rare occasion. Crime was low, and the usual distant sirens were quiet. You could even hear the occasional laughter and cheers from the bar just down the street.

You wished to bask longer in the silence, in your own company, but it was quickly gone when you heard the soft thuds of boots on the floor behind you.

You didn't need to look over to know that he was staring directly at you, observant and intrigued. In any other situation, you would have found yourself reaching for your knife and defending yourself against the charging enemy, fists flying and weapons drawn for blood, but this was different. Very different. There was no harshness to his steps, no attacks thrown at you, only silence.

The silence dragged uncomfortably long, and you kicked your legs back and forth over the edge of the building as you let out a long breath.

"I didn't think the Robin would be paying me a visit tonight," you kept your gaze trained below. "If I had known, I might have put on my better shoes!"

The pounding in your chest grew with each word you spoke, but if he had come to fight you, he would have done it by now.

He ignored your comment and instead came up beside you. It was then you finally turned your gaze up at him, noticing his yellow, red and green costume. The dominoe mask shadowed his face, though you could see little due to the dimmed lights of the city. He was staring right back at you, a little too much for your personal comfort.

He slumped onto the edge of the rooftop with a huff, maintaining the safe distance between you both. You had to resist from smiling a little to yourself at the silliness of it all. Robin, your enemy, the one who had made you fail your mission and make the Joker’s anger flare was currently sat five feet away as if nothing had happened.

He was playing a dangerous game, yet you were curious to see the reason of his arrival. If he wasn't here to start something, why was he here at all?

The tension was thick with something you couldn't place, but the feeling was oddly unsettling. Not because you were fearful, but because you were oddly excited for this coincidental meeting.

"Tough week?" he questioned in a tease, pointing to your split lip and the yellowish bruise poking out from under your mask. You merely scoffed at the boy before subconsciously licking the cut on your bottom lip.

"Maybe. It would have been a hell of a lot better if you had left me that vial, though," you looked at him, catching the smile that had appeared on his face triumphantly before he quickly disguised it with a bored look.

"What did the Batsy say when you handed it in," you continued. "It better have been good, considering the Joker wasn't too pleased when I returned without the one thing he had asked of me." You gestured to your eye again, his gaze lingering there for a few moments too long.

He tensed at the mention of Batman, lips twitching into a frown.

"Nothing you need to know," he mumbled out, irritation laced in his voice. You quirked a brow.

"I think I do," you laughed, though it was obviously fake. "Considering you're the reason I got my ass beat."

He ignored you, instead shifting himself so that his leg was now propped up on the edge of the roof. He tilted his head in question.

"What are you doing here, anyway? Another Joker deed or dwelling in your failure," he taunted.

"Having a breather," you were quick to reply in defense, and you noticed the way his eyes widened in surprise. He let out a soft laugh, something that surprised you considering you didn't hear laughter too often where you were, or perhaps too much from the Joker.

"Something that we have in common," he mused, and for the first time you felt a strange sense of welcoming with Robin. With anybody, for that matter.

The both of you remained at a safe distance, but his presence alone was one that confused you. Tonight, even with him a mere five feet away, you weren't worried about having to fight him, worried about hiding away, or worried about who you were raised with. It was nearly as if in this moment, you had somebody who didn't pose you as a threat. Or at least, not much of a threat.

Robin's movements were relaxed and composed, abandoned of any tension he may have held before regarding your presence.

“I’m guessing you don’t do this often,” Robin concluded. “If not at all.”

You frowned at him, slightly offended by his comment. “How would you know?”

The corner of his lip tipped into a smile, and he shrugged, flexing his shoulders in a way that caused for his suit to stretch.

“I’m here nearly every night, and I can positively say, I haven’t seen you out here once.”

“And I bet you wish you could see me, little birdy,” you fake pouted, watching him closely.

He breathed out a laugh, his eyes squinting under the dominoe mask that concealed his identity.

"Believe me, if it didn't end in you nearly breaking my nose last time, I might have considered it."

You just stared at him, your mind trying to figure him out. In all honesty, you don't remember the last proper conversation that you had with somebody. much less around your age.

"How old are you?" the question had slipped out before you could stop it.

Robin glanced back at you; a brow raised. "Not much older than you, I'd guess," he looked you up and down. "How old are you?"

"Thats not an answer," you deadpanned, ignoring him. "For all you know, I could be a sixty-five-year-old woman with insane plastic surgery."

"But you're not," he clarified. "No old woman would be able to jump off rooftops and work for criminals like him."

You cringed at the mention of the Joker.

Robin let out a low hum, and the city lights from below flickered across the right side of his face in what seemed to be like a dance.

You opened your mouth. "You're not-"

"Stop." He cut you off.

You paused. "Excuse me?"

He held up a hand, his gaze going past you. It was only then you heard the quiet grunts and rummaging from a nearby alley. You were already on your feet and moving toward the sound, steps cautious. Robin was right on your heel, and by the time you were both on the ground hidden by the shadows in the alley, you could see a hunched figure leaning against the brick wall, digging through what seemed to be a purse.

You turned to Robin, a mocking smile gracing your lips. You gestured an arm out.

"Well? After you, Wonder Boy," you said.

He frowned. "Is that some way you're going to get me distracted and then knock me out when my backs turned?"

You rolled your eyes. "No, do I look like a hero who fights purse thieves?"

He looked you up and down. "Honestly, no."

"You didn't have to answer, bird brain. Just go!"

The man who had been distracted for long enough suddenly snapped his head toward you both, snarling.

"What the hell?"

The man stood abruptly, stepping closer, though Robin was quick to move from the outstretched hand of the man. With a swift kick, the man was doubling over with a grunt and spilling the contents of the purse onto the floor.

The man growled in annoyance, lunging for Robin again, but he was quick to duck down away from the mans clenched fist before it could make contact. You, however, watched on with amusement.

"You could have been a bit more original rather than a purse thief," Robin called out to the man.

The grunts exchanged between the two continued, and you cringed at the few hits Robin had received. You had to admit, he put up a strong fight.

"Little rat!" The man yelled, holding his head where a punch managed to land before he stumbled out of the alley, disregarding the purse he previously held.

Robin huffed, brushing a dark stray of hair away from his face. He looked over, meeting your gaze as you clapped mockingly, stepping out from the shadows and closer to him.

He stooped down, picking up what looked to be an ID.

"Do you know a Lora Johnston?" He said, flipping the card in his hand.

"Can't you search that up on a special little gadget or something?"

He mumbled out something that you failed to hear.

There was a pause.

"I think you could improve on your movement," you said, and his eyes snapped to yours. Something changed in his features that you couldn't place.

"Teach me, then."

Your mouth ran dry. "What?"

"If you teach me, then ill teach you some stuff." He was quick to add, but you shook your head quickly.

"I don't need your help."

You went to turn, but you let out a yelp when you were suddenly tugged back and landed onto the hard floor.

"You let your guard down too easily," Robin teased. You only glared up at him with annoyance.

You stood back up to your feet and wacked him on the shoulder, pushing past him and walking toward the alley entrance to leave, but he quickly called out to you.

You ignored him, but he called out again.

"What do I call you?"

You stopped and turned to him, eyes wide.

There was a long pause. "Nothing," you said. "I can't give you a name."

"Well," he thought, a suggestive smile gracing his lips that you knew you'd see again. "I guess I'll just have to decide myself."

You turned again, waving a hand this time. "Until next time, birdy!"

He let out a chuckle. "Until next time, Princess!"

You remain silent the rest of the walk, your interaction with Robin nothing like how you would have imagined it. He confused you more than you'd like to admit, but oddly enough, tonight was a change, and you liked it.

You couldn't remember the last time you had spoken to somebody so casually, the sense of normality something you craved more of. Though the two of you barely knew each other, much less trust, you had hoped it wouldn't be your last interaction.

@annabellelee @stormz369

©x-gabrielle-x. Do not steal, copy or translate my works.

[brucewaynehater101]

love the idea that most Gotham criminals would and could have killed Batman, but they don’t cause he drags kids with him (Robins) and even if Batman is awful, they don’t wanna traumatize those poor kids.

Love the idea that a cps worker is gathering evidence to make a case against him. Batman is seen yelling at robin? In the file. Batman lets robin run into a building on fire? In the file. Etc etc

I personally think that it's unrealistic a random civilian or cop hasn't killed the Joker. If I was a Gothamite, access to guns would probably be easier than access to clean water. If I saw that clown on the street? I know enough to aim and shoot.

On that note, it depends on how brutal Batman is. After Jason died, you bet there were some civilians contemplating taking him out themselves. Their neighbors, loved ones, and coworkers were being hospitalized for crimes of need. If Robin hadn't crawled out of the woodwork, the legend of Batman would've ended one way or another.

With this lense, Tim's appearance must have been as much of a relief as it was a frustration.

I like the idea of the CPS workers noting incidents and gathering evidence just in case. While Batman's identity is hidden, they can't bring him to court. They can't persecute him, but maybe one day.

Some day, after Damian becomes Robin, one of the older Bats needs to break into CPS for their files. They come across a file filled with every slight Bruce has done against any of the batkids.

This could go one of two ways.

One - The Batkid upon seeing the abuse so clearly laid out and that there are files for their siblings as well (they weren't the only one to suffer like they maybe thought), promptly freaks out. This cues them calling a batkid meeting with the older ones to try to protect everyone.

Two - They take the file to the older Bats and enact a trauma drinking game based on their CPS files.

[lurkingshan]

Random QL Grievances: 2024 Edition

For every superlative there must be an equal and opposite grievance. It's just science, the universe demands balance! So let's get into the Festivus spirit and begin the airing of grievances.

Most Infuriating Implosion of a Good Show: Last Twilight

When I think about how much I loved this show for the first 3/4 and how I felt as Mhok and Day watched the sunset on the cliff at the end of episode 9... we really coulda had it all. Justice for Mhok!

Worst Failure to Set Off the Chekhov’s Gun: Dead Friend Forever

Not only did they show me a dropped axe in the penultimate episode that never got picked up and used in the finale, they also didn't let me see Non's biggest betrayers die a bloody death. I had to watch Phee kill New and then get an ambiguously happy ending. Unforgivable!

Most Egregious Blue Balling of the Audience: The On1y One

How dare they build such a beautiful, careful relationship narrative and then just... not finish it. Not only did we not get an end to the story, we didn't even get to see Tian and Wang express their feelings. I will never forgive the creators of this show for playing these games.

Side Pair that Deserved Better: Arun and Tattoo, Jack & Joker

Where is their actual romance, show? WHERE IS IT?! You have a chance to make it right in the coming special and I pray you take it.

Messiest Show Built Around a Great Character: 23.5

The show was an unholy mess, but Ongsa (as performed by Milk) was the nerdy cringefail lesbian of our dreams. She deserved better!

The WHY?! Award for Blowing a Great Show on the Dismount: Unknown

I make this exact face when I think about how close this show came to perfection, and how needless the ending stumbles were when the book version was right there as a guide. What was the reason?!

The Everyone Involved Needs a Timeout Award: Jazz for Two

How did this show get made? I need a detailed explanation of exactly what they thought they were doing with this horrific depiction of a series of abusive relationships framed as romantic.

Worst Letdown for Me Personally: Wandee Goodday 

Will anyone ever make the fuck buddies to lovers BL of my dreams? It definitely hasn't happened yet. I am Plakao just making frustrated faces at everyone throughout this show.

Worst End of an Era: My Strawberry Film

What was the point of this show? What was it trying to say? I watched every single minute and I still have no clue. It gets bonus hate for ending the Drama Shower project on such a bum note.

Silliest Use of Lore: Sunset x Vibes

They teased us with past life dreams and gorgeous seascapes and Naga fantasies and all we got in the end was some ugly ass jewelry.

Noble Idiocy Hall of Shame: Blue Canvas of Youthful Days

I loved this show a lot, so you can imagine my dismay when they did a double noble idiocy + time skip ending. I am still so disappointed.

Petition to Free Ohm Pawat: Kidnap

To go from roles like Pat in Bad Buddy and Phukao in 10 Years Ticket to this... oh how the mighty hath fallen. I know my guy had some scandals but surely this was enough penance to set him free from terrible script purgatory. Right??

[riddle-me-ri]

Hey I hope your doing well 😊 I've enjoyed reading all of your jealousy prompts for all the different rogues. If you're okay with it, could you please possibly write the Mad Lads getting jealous?

a/n: did...did i really not do the hatters?? these guys are easily the most jealous... i felt like I have but I guess not lol thanks for requesting it or else I would have thought I've done all the Rogues I write for lol

Content Warning: casual/vague mentions of crime/murder

The Mad Hatters Being Jealous

Arkhamverse Mad Hatter

- Jervis doesn't exactly show any signs right away…

- He does grow eerily silent…starts shaking with agitation…

- His ire has been sparked.

- Jervis is already devising a plan to get rid of the cause of his envy.

- Anyone that suggests taking you away from him, anyone that touches you, or speaks to you too sweetly...

- No no, they won't do...they won't do at all!

- They must be taken care of soon!

- And hopefully you would be none the wiser.

BTAS Mad Hatter

- *plays Mad as a Hatter episode*

- But in all seriousness, Jervis will try his best to hide any of his envious tendencies from you...

- The last thing he wants is to disappoint or upset you...

- But couldn't the dullard tell you two are clearly an item?

- Only he can hold your hand, kiss the back of it...tell you sweet things...

- It would serve the other party well to pursue someone else.

- Unless they want to take a long walk off a short pier…

TNBA Mad Hatter

- His eyebrows furrowed but he didn't say anything...

- But Jervis is absolutely seething on the inside.

- Jervis wastes no time plotting on how to properly eradicate this nuisance.

- His imagination runs wild as he thinks of clever and creative ways to dispose of the one causing the two of you issues…

- He swiftly places one of his trademark devices along the person’s head–

- You were entirely unaware of Jervis’ intentions but were glad to have him back by your side…

- Though you have to wonder where that one stranger that tried to give you their number has gone..

Gotham Mad Hatter

(I've actually written this scenario for him here if you'd like to read!)

HQTAS Mad Hatter

- Jervis will pretend and act completely and utterly indifferent.

- Pfft he doesn't care--

- He's calm, he's cool....

- But in all reality Jervis is annoyed and pissed off.

- Not annoyed that someone is flirting with you mind you..Just that the person is annoying HIM!

- He wasted no time slapping on one of his hats and makes the person participate in a round table game of tea or cyanide.

- You teased him that he was clearly jealous…

- Jervis neither confirms nor denies as he grins at the poor fool's untimely fate.

Joker's Asylum Mad Hatter

- It's a gnawing sensation in the bottom of his gut.

- He finally has found bliss with the right person and someone dares to snatch you away?

- It's not fair, it's not fair, it's not fair!

- This person just popped up out of nowhere and tried to steal your attention…

- Jervis was doing so well, so swell, the Hat called to him...

- No, no he trusts you, you wouldn't leave him...not for that...that random person?!

- He adores you, he doesn't want to lose you..no not, not ever...

- The Hat calls to him...

Secret Six Mad Hatter

- Oh, you thought he was clingy before...

- Congrats, you have a Hatter backpack now...

- As Jervis is clinging to you, he will practically sneer at the individual trying to get in your good graces.

- This uninvited guest isn't even sporting a quality form of hat wear!

- Just who do they think they are? What are they playing at?

- If you're not quick enough it won't be long until Jervis hypnotizes them-

- To do what, only Jervis knows, and it'll be up to you to make him stop...

- Or let him continue it's mainly up to you...

- But Jervis won't be satisfied unless heads are rolling…

[batfambrainrotbeloved]

More DSB headcanons (because I wanna)

- Cardinal is either surprisingly docile or incredibly violent with criminals/rogues/villains. No in between

- Tim will just mail random shit to people he doesn't like (rats to Ra's, roaches to Lex, a card that tells the Joker to "fuck off and die in an alley")

- He has run into Lady Shiva at some point and has surprised her with the fact that he knows some of her moves (idk if you know but he trained with Lady Shiva for a little bit in canon)

- His accent switches on occasion to something totally random

- He gets weirdly calm during rogue attacks, and it freaks the Batfam out because "how the fuck can this bratty rich kid do this so well???"

- Not specifically DSB but he plays Project Sekai because it helps with hand eye coordination

-🎭☕

(no this is definitely not because I saw the post that you had 11 asks and I wanna change that)

OHH Love these- and thank you for filling my ask box, always appreciated <333 ____________________

True! Though Cardinal doesn't actually deal with rouges as often (the bats are always quick to cover that front and they try not to cross work paths unless nessicary, aka why the riddler fight was so far "from the usual") They are the silent hand behind the scene, and the ocassional "ghost of christmas future" like with Arthur.

The most "docile" Cardinal is, is towards Catwoman where they will pop in on her mid robbery, just stare for a sec- and then dip. And the most agressive probably with Black Mask/Joker (which yall will see eventually :) ______________________

Not something I considered before, and id say Tim has definently fucked with old foes for the hell of it- BUT he does specifically avoid anything close to the leauge, The last thing he wants is to be on Ra's radar on top of all the other bs he deals with.

But mailing bananna cream pies with small explosives to a joker hideout?? Yes. ________________________

YES- I actually touched on this a little bit (the training not the meeting) but I do think they've run into eachother. But that Shiva, unlike most of the other villains/antagonistic characters- seeing behind the mask? She was interested- but left it alone

MUCH to Tims utter relief. __________________________

Yes. Elaboration not needed, though I will say he rarely slips up when hes "in the zone" but relaxed?? You best believe he's suddenly french ________________________________

Actually? Kind of normal for Gotham- I find it wild that growing up in a city with like a 40000% higher than natioal adv crime rate, that you ARENT in some way numb to it all.

Its less common in the elite because well, they have money to stay away from it all. But its not TOO out there- its just that "Huh guess Timothy is one of us more than we thought??- wild" _____________________________

Tim is like me in the sense of "cant-play-games-alone" or else painfully aware of every milisecond ticking by that you arent being "productive" (exception being minecraft)

But game night @ Obis?? You best believe that Alan is a GOD at beat saber, and show him Project Sekai??? Hes going to make it a personal challenge ____________________________

[wildstreetrat]

May I request Graves X Reader? I love reading Graves fics

oh lord me too, he doesn't get enough love

Graves Headcannons

One thing to say: Sassy man apocalypse

This man is so cocky and so sassy it isn’t even funny.

At when you first met and got together hes so cocky and kind of arrogant, he puts on a mask to hide how he truly feels because he is terrified of being vulnerable. He definitely feels like he’s not a man if he doesn’t act ‘masculine’. Although that mask does crack after a particularly hard mission

The click of the front door and near silent steps alerted you that your boyfriend was finally home. It had been a couple months since you last saw him and you were giddy to greet him at the door. You halted however, when he didn’t greet you with his usual ferver and snarkiness and instead just looked past you with sunken eyes. He lazily took off his boots and let you lead him to the dining room. After a hearty home-cooked meal and hot shower, you were sure he would snap out of it and go back to his usual snarky self. Lost in your thoughts, you didn’t notice him open the bathroom door. All clean, he trudged over to you and gently laid his head on your lap. You tried to offer to talk about what was on his mind but he always shut that down, so you opted to just sit in silence and play with his damp hair, scratching his scalp and softly holding him. Muffled cries broke the silence, he had finally let down a wall (one of many but we’ll talk about that later) around you. 

After that instance he still held a lot of walls but showing vulnerability was a lot more common, he confided in you about his feelings and thoughts, lied less to you about his worries and his job

Quite the joker, he strikes me as a guy to play pranks or tell you shitty jokes just to hear you groan or chuckle a little. It fills him with pride when he can get a reaction out of you and even more so when you tell one right back. This carries into to other things like arguments, flirting or even just interacting. He will purposefully get on your nerves just to get you to fight back, finds it like a fun game and will don a shit-eating grin during the whole ordeal, which only eggs you on further. (Although if he does seriously piss you off and you tell him that he will apologize and get you flowers)

Does invite his friends (ahem the shadows ahem) over to hang out, will tell you *most* of the time

You decided that it would be nice to get some grocery shopping done for both you and your boyfriend, and after a couple hours you arrived at the door, you knew Philip would be home as he said he was going to keep himself busy that day with projects or just lounging about, so imagine your surprise when you go to get your keys to unlock the door and a random man opens it for you and a couple others offer to help you put away your groceries while your boyfriend greets you from the couch.

He loves touching you, I think his personal favorites are: hugging you from the back (especially when you're busy doing something, and will just hold you there and bury his face in your neck for a good 5 minutes), holding hands, and CUDDLING big time. Adores every minute of it even if he acts like it annoys him(which he will) and that you asked for it (you didn’t) and you’re the only one who wants to cuddle (you’re not). It knocks him right out too, you'll be having a conversation and then one minute he's responding to you in soft snores.

Very handy around the house, knows how and will fix pretty much anything that needs to be fixed,  Disclaimer: do not call a repairman it will bruise his ego SO bad.

All in all I would rate him a 7/10, a bit annoying but a cutie patootie

[naomikozura]

Playing With Fire: Chapter 12

Jason Todd (Red Hood) x Fem!Reader (Criminal)

Trope: Enemies to Lovers, Forbidden Romance

Warnings: Strong language, use of weapons, use of guns, explosives, bombs, terror on civilians, kidnapping, abuse, physical abuse, torture, bodily harm, emotional turmoil, trauma, blood, wounds (lmk if I missed any!)

WC: 14.7K

Summary: With the plan in play, there is an ominous cast that lays over Gotham, causing chaos in the city. In the midst of it all, there is something lurking deeper below the surface, something that might end up forcing a decision that could cost you your life. As the city burns, the question remains: Is the sacrifice worth it or is it just another game you're forced to play?

Series Masterlist

Chapter 11 || Chapter 13

The sound of sirens filled the air as the bat signal lit up the night sky in a yellow glow, the chaos breaking out through downtown Gotham. First responders were on sight almost immediately, Commissioner Gordon on edge from the so called ‘random’ attack on one of Gotham City’s banks. The fire spread across the ground as it caught onto the leaking gasoline from the crushed semi-truck that was sitting deep into the bank’s broken brick wall. The murmurs from the people of Gotham and the screams sounded like a horror movie, the night setting itself up as the greatest terrorist attack that the city had seen in a while. 

You felt your heart pounding in your chest, your ears ringing as you tried to catch your breath. After seeing the series of bombs going off and Joker sending his signal, then Batman putting himself at the scene, you raced downtown as fast as you could. You watched from one of the nearby buildings, watching from the pair of binoculars you had on hand as you watched Batman move through the chaos, getting some of the civilians out of the way from getting hurt. You needed to find an opening, anything to help get you closer or even find Sionis’ men to get an overview of the situation. 

You narrowed your eyes as you watched as Joker fired off the gun in his hand into the air, the sound of screams ripping through the air as people ran to get cover. Contemplation tugged at your gut before you brushed the second thoughts from your mind and moved towards the streets. Your legs pushed themselves off the sides of the buildings, moving through the night as you landed on the roofs of the buildings below in order to reach the streets. You were a block away from the scene, needing to find an in without Joker knowing you were in range. You pulled out the radio you had on hand, twisting the dial to match the static from the channel that they were on comms in. The static sounded out as blurred voices filtered in, the sound of one of Sionis’ men growled out in defiance at Joker’s words. 

“This wasn’t part of the plan, clown!”, the men growled, your brows furrowing as you wondered what Joker could have done to get put into the position of Sionis’ men going against him. You ran through the streets, getting closer as you pulled out the infrared goggles from your belt, scanning towards the semi-truck where Joker was perched, noticing the movement inside the truck. 

Your radio went off again, watching as the movements in the truck were more erratic and forceful. Did Joker put Sionis’ men inside the truck?! They were supposed to be his support throughout this entire damn thing, why the hell would he put them at risk knowing he wouldn’t get a payout if he went against Sionis? Then again, Joker was unpredictable, unstable, something like this wouldn’t be so far out of line for him. In the end, he didn’t care about payment or getting freedom, he cared more about terrorizing Gotham and fighting Batman than he did about money. 

You felt a tug at your gut. 

Joker was going rogue. 

Deep down you knew that was his plan all along but him actually going through with it was another problem in and of itself. You forced yourself to ignore the evidence in front of you and moved through the street to get closer. The sound of gunshots rang out again as you watched Joker’s men shoot through the field of people, gunning some of the civilians down as you threw yourself onto the ground, your hands behind your head as you tried to stay as flat as possible on the ground. The dust lifted, making your eyes open slowly to avoid getting it in your line of vision. You watched as the men stayed with their guns aimed into the crowd, your head lifting slowly before the sound of another bomb went off in the background, causing your body to lie flat on the ground again.

What the hell?!

Debris fell everywhere, your lungs fighting for air as you held your breath, praying that the smoke would settle before you raised to your feet, trying to get out of their line of vision. If you were spotted, you were dead. Joker placed you back at Sionis Industries for a reason, or did he know you would eventually go against him and put yourself at the scene for a piece of the action? Were you so predictable that he would have planned for this? Or did he just completely create a random plan of attack so you were forced to come out to the field on Sionis’ behalf? 

The smoke grew thick, the sound of laughter filling the air as silent screams followed right after, single gunshots ringing out. They were killing people caught in the smoke. You needed to move, your vision hazy from the debris and smoke as you covered your mouth and tried to navigate through the clouds of haze. 

A low growl made you turn in confusion, the blinding headlights of a black SUV coming towards you made you react almost a split second too late, your body launching to the other side of the street as you watched the black vehicles drive in swerved motions towards the bank. The doors slid open, revealing more of Joker’s men, their faces spread wide with a macabre smile, no doubt from the laughing gas he forced them to inhale like he did for all his victims. You needed to leave, you needed to find another open point to get more intel, to get information to Jason on the situation as quickly as possible. 

Your body moved carefully, trying to find one of the alleys in order to get to the other side of the chaos. A strong grip on your arm made you recoil instinctively, your body going into overdrive as you pulled away and swung your leg around in precision and power, making contact with the figure that had just grabbed you. You managed to create distance, the cloud of smoke acting as a cover for them as you saw the smoke patterns shift slightly from their movement. Almost like on command, your body reacted to the movement behind you, pushing yourself back and swinging another kick to the figure before it disappeared again. 

You moved with instinct, your hits landing with power, your mind trying to fill in the gaps of the space as you tried to navigate blindly through your current situation. Just as you twisted your body backwards, you felt a foot sweep under your legs, causing you to fall backwards onto the pavement. The pain shot up your body as you felt the body move on top of you, a gloved hand covering your nose and mouth as you forcefully struggled against them. You pushed your body towards the figure, your legs trying to make its way between the two of you to create space but failed due to the strength of the person above you. 

Your heart was pounding from the fear coursing through you, had Joker’s men found you? Would they force you to take in the laughing gas and make you a shell of a person? The thoughts ran through your mind before you heard a clicking noise and felt snap around your head, your jaw clenching before you sucked in a breath, clean air filling your lungs as your eyes snapped open. 

Your eyes widened, your heart stopping for a split second as your mind tried to register the position you were in. 

“Get up. Let’s move!”, his voice was a deep growl, the hollow stare in his eyes making you overwhelmed as he helped you to your feet. 

What… the… hell?!

Your body followed behind him, trying to get out of the cloud of smoke as you found an opening to reach one of the roofs. His back was turned, you could easily slip away. Your leg snapped around, kicking him on the side of the head, making him dazed as you reached the ladder of the building, climbing up as he turned towards you. You heard his curse under his breath as you continued up the ladder, reaching the rood as you breathed in through the mask that was around your nose and mouth. 

Why the hell would the fucking Batman be helping you right now?!

You turned to run towards one of the other buildings, your body freezing as you made contact with those hollow eyes again, the cowl hiding any expression that would be present on his face. You moved quickly, trying to land a punch as he blocked it immediately. He got bigger with every step he took towards you, adrenaline coursing through your body as you threw another punch, another kick, another anything to keep the distance but he managed to keep up with every hit you aimed his way. He was calculative, smart, fast, and strong. You knew you were no match for him. You could barely keep up with Jason, how were you going to keep up with the man who trained him? 

Your split second of distraction was all he needed to sweep your legs out from under you a second time and pin you down as his face invaded your personal space, his proximity making you uncomfortable. You were breathing heavily, your heart pounding. This was the first time you’d ever seen the Batman up close and personal, the first time you’d ever seen him in person at all actually. 

“You’re Black Mask’s assassin.”, he said in his deep, unemotional tone. Not a question, just stating the facts. 

“I’m not that motherfucker’s anything.”, you spit back like a caged animal. 

“What is his game?”, he pinned you down harder, your breath slowly disappearing as you grunted under his hold. 

“L-like I would tell you.”, you spit out. You knew who he was under the mask, but there’s no way he knew who you were. “I don’t give intel to the enemy.”

“But you do.”, he forced. “You work under Black Mask yet you’ve been leaking information to the Red Hood.”

Your eyes narrowed at him saying the truth so casually, your body relaxing as you felt his pressure release slightly. 

“He has been orchestrating hits on all of the crime lords in Gotham. The one person who has the biggest territory is the one calling the hit for him, got the Joker out of Arkham, and you….”, he paused as his voice got deeper. “Have been leaking information to the very person he’s been after for months.”

Your jaw clenched as you struggled against him, the pressure back on your neck. 

“Stop moving.”, the annoyance evident in his voice. “I’m a detective, you really think I don’t know what you’re up to? You truly believe you have a good cover? I figured it out the moment your name came up in my files, don’t be so naive to think Black Mask hasn’t figured it out yet either.”

“Sionis doesn’t know shit!”, you spit. “You don’t know a damn thing about me or what I’m doing. So go back to playing hero and let me finish my job here!”

“Your job? You mean killing Black Mask or helping Jason kill Joker?’

Your blood ran cold. Your eyes widened at the sound of Jason’s name slipping from his mouth. 

“I know what the two of you are planning and I’m telling you now, it’s pointless.”, he released the pressure on you as he stood back, your body still on the ground in shock. You moved your body, sitting upright as you stared at him with conflict. “Killing Joker won’t save Jason. It’ll ruin him.”

“Is that what you told yourself when you let him die? When Joker beat him to an inch of his life and you did nothing for him?!”, for someone so smart, Batman was clueless. Did he not understand the meaning of vengeance? Of getting rid of the essence of pure evil? “I don’t care what it takes, Joker dies tonight. Even if it means I have to keep you away from him as long as possible for Jason to get the closure he needs.”

You quickly slipped away and for whatever reason, he didn’t follow, adrenaline coursing through you as you tried to get to a better vantage point. The air was thick with smoke and tension, the chaos swirling around you. You needed to focus. 

You made your way down into the alley, another explosion sounding out as you watched Batman land himself in the field, your mind racing to try and stay out of his way and place the tracker on Joker somehow. You heard the onslaught of gunshots fill the air, the sound of laughs haunting your ears as you tried to navigate the best you could.

The haze blurred your vision, your senses heightened as you tried to focus through the smoke. The dim alleyway erupted with chaos as you heard a snapping noise behind you, turning around in time to move away as one of Joker’s goons lunged at you, his twisted grin illuminated by the flickering alley light. Your heart was pounding in your chest, adrenaline coursing through your veins as you dodged another one of his wild swings with the crowbar in his hand. Your body twisted, lunging to the other side of the goon to make him swing around and take hold of the mask you had on, causing it to rip off your face and onto the ground behind you. Laughing gas filled the air, panic filling your veins as you felt your head get dizzy, the sickeningly sweet scent of the gas starting to flood your senses.

The goon laughed maniacally, enjoying the obvious madness that flooded his body, his grin spread so wide his skin seemed like it was about to rip apart from how elongated it was. You shifted your stance, moving as he walked towards you and made another swing with the crowbar in his hand, ducking under the swing of the metal, reacting with a quick jab to his ribs causing the goon to stagger backward. Your reaction quick as you reached for the mask on the ground, quickly securing it around your head as you take in deep breaths, letting your lungs fill with the filtered air. 

“Oh you’re fun.”, the laughter filled your ears, 

“Where’s Joker?!”, you spit out, trying to keep your voice steady despite the small amount of gas having clouded your thoughts. Your fist swinging around and punching him in the mouth, his body stumbling backward as he raised his head to look at you in a twisted, bloodied smile. 

“Why would I tell you?”, he cackled, wiping a smear of blood from his lip. “All he wants is the Batman and his little sidekick.”

You narrowed your eyes, moving as he took another swing towards you, his arm swinging carelessly and without accuracy. You feigned left and landed another solid uppercut, the goon falling down to the ground as you sucked in a breath from the mask, letting the clean air fill your lungs. 

“I’ll ask one last time, where is Joker?!”, you grit your teeth but the man’s wide smile and the craziness in his eyes already let you know you wouldn’t get the answers you wanted. The sound of laughter filled the air, more of Joker’s men were wandering close by. You pushed the goon onto the ground, swinging your leg back and landing a blow that knocked him out before hearing the clanking of metal and the cocking of a gun behind you. You turned your head slightly, seeing the group of lunatics behind you, each one sporting their individual weapons with macabre smiles stretched across their faces. 

You narrowed your eyes, waiting for the first tell of wanting to aim their hits at you, your body finally turning fully towards them as you watched the one with the gun aim at you. The sound of the bullet firing out of the barrel of the gun sounded out as your instincts kicked into full gear and flexed your body around for the bullet to miss, your legs pushing you forward as you swiftly snapped the man’s head upward, kicking him backward and making the gun fall out of his hands. One of the other men has a baseball bat with barbed wire wrapped around it, swinging it towards you as you jumped out of the way, letting your body roll on the ground as you tried to gain footing. The sound of the metal crowbar clanking on the metal trash can and scraping the floor sounded behind you, your heart pounding in your chest as you lunged forward, landing a solid punch to his jaw, watching as he stumbled backwards. 

You watched with careful eyes as you heard another gunshot ring out, your body falling to the ground from the force, a ringing in your ear as you grabbed the side of your face. 

Fuck. 

The bullet grazed your fucking ear, the blood dripping down the side of your face and your body still on the ground. You need to get rid of these men, now. 

Pure annoyance, anger, and raw emotion flooded your veins as you pushed yourself into overdrive, all reason leaving your body as you looked at the metal on the ground. 

Grabbing the crowbar that was on the ground, you swung it around, letting the curve of the metal impale into the side of the goon's head, his smile filling with blood as you narrowed your eyes in disgust and anger. His smile never faltered but those were just the effects of Joker’s laughing gas. The blood choked him up as you turned the crowbar further before pulling it out and turning your body swiftly, dodging the other goon with the baseball bat and swinging a leg around to kick him in the head, you arm throwing the crowbar on the ground at the same time as the goon’s body fell so his face would impale straight into the curved metal. It went through his eyes, right in the middle of his brows as the squelch of the blood sounded out slightly, the choking of pain ringing out as you walked towards the last man, grabbing the gun on your waist and shooting him with a single bullet. 

Fucking nuisances. 

Lifting your arm, trying to check the last ping that radiated off of Joker, the irritation eating at you as you snapped to focus. A small ringing drawing you to turn around.

Holy fuck. 

You watched as the first goon twitched, his hand pressed down on a device and a flashing red slowly illuminated under his clothes, the ticking slowly getting louder and the lights flashing faster.

God Dammit!

You shoved your gun back into the back of your waist band, running out of the alley as the final ticks sounded out, feeling the heat and force of the bomb shoved you forward and slammed you into the ground for the hundredth time tonight. The smoke bellowed through the night, the flames catching on the bodies of the other men laying limp in the alley. Tonight was getting more and more on your nerves as you forced yourself to your feet, walking away from the growing fire as you checked your comms again. 

There was no signal, but you needed to get into the camera system if you wanted to find Joker. 

Quickly, you logged into the camera system you had downloaded from Sionis’s security server, watching the stream from different screens. All the screens showed different parts of downtown Gotham, some filled with the chaos from the bank robbery and the bombs, others filled with cars racing out of downtown and others speeding to reach the chaos. Your eyes skimmed each screen for a sign, anything to show where Joker was but nothing showed. 

You narrowed your eyes, your brows furrowed as you stared at one of the screens. 

It showed the center of the city, smoke coming off one of the cars, but something felt… off. 

The smoke filled the screen, but something… there was something wrong. 

Your eyes focused on the corner of the screen, watching the movement of the saturation of dark smoke, a small snippet sending off a trigger inside of you. 

Fuck….

Fuck!

Your head snapped up, looking around as you felt the dread sink into your bones. How could you be so blind, how did you miss the absolute obvious that was happening right in front of you?!

The security camera facing the bank was set on a fucking loop, the video output was prerecorded and uploaded into the system to keep anyone from knowing where the hell Joker was. 

Dammit, dammit, dammit!

You felt your heart drop into your chest, your blood running cold at the realization before running away from where you stood, trying to get higher ground to look at the chaos on the ground. The second you reached a building that got you above the scene enough, you climbed up the ladder and made your way to the roof, looking down and realizing Joker was nowhere in sight. Only his men below as they continued to bring out the chaos of the city. 

There was no way you were given a false lead… right? 

You had gone over the plan countless times with Sionis and Joker, there were no openings, no way for there to be any mishaps in the entire plan. So how the hell did everything go in a completely different direction so fast?

Your mind scattered as you tried to reach the last location of Joker’s tracker, marking the location to a secluded neighborhood by the waterfront. It was abandoned but still had buildings surrounding the nearby area. Jason’s tracker was checked two miles away from Joker’s. 

The fact that their trackers checked in the same radius meant Joker had planned to lure Jason somewhere away from downtown. It was confusing, especially since Joker wanted to get Batman’s attention in order to lure out Jason, so why did Batman show up here and not to Joker’s secondary location?

Batman was likely stuck in the fray by the bank, especially considering how many people were caught in the mess thanks to Joker’s men. He’d be distracted a while longer and you were not going to stick around to get caught up in the mess. You needed to find Joker. More importantly, you needed to find Jason. 

You ran through the city, letting your legs push you until they felt like they were about to fall off, trying to reach where you had your backup motorcycle stashed in a hidden section of the alley. You were glad you always prepared for every job meticulously, always stashing a bike in a nearby area just in case of an emergency. 

Once you finally reached the alley, you dropped down from the building and reached your bike, tearing the tarp off of it and swinging your leg around and turning it on, revving the engine,  hearing the tires screech against the asphalt as you sped to the location you had marked on your tracker. 

There was a weight on your chest as you moved through the city, the wind hitting your face and cooling your skin as you felt the overwhelming dread fill in the pit of your stomach. There were a number of different scenarios that ran through your head, your heart pounding in your chest. 

There was an ominous presence that hung in the air that left you on edge but there was a part of you that knew there was no time to waste in finding the last location of where Joker was. You would bring the mad man down if you needed to, hell you would kill him just to give Jason the closure he needed, even if the fucker Batman didn’t understand the gravity of it all. 

The wind whipped around you as you maneuvered your bike around the streets and into the outskirts to the abandoned section by the waterfront. Every second that ticked by felt like an hour, and every breath you sucked in felt like fire. Your anxiety was eating at you as you sped faster through the streets, each minute stretched and elongated into a painfully long stretch of time. The buildings were slowly getting sparse, the wind getting colder as you neared the waterfront and the temperature suddenly dropping as your blood ran cold. You knew, deep down you just… you knew. 

You felt anger at yourself for being so careless, disparity at trying to reach the building in time, dread at what you could end up finding if you didn’t get there in time. Everything would fall apart, your world would come to a stop, and you would never get out of this. If tonight turned into an absolute disaster, nothing could ever go back to normal. 

The moment you saw the abandoned warehouse, you snapped the break on your bike, letting the tires come to an immediate stop as you removed your helmet. The building had men just on the outside, but you couldn't waste time on them, you had to find another in that didn’t involve outing you to every person walking the perimeter. Eyes scanned the entire building, noticing an opening at the room on the opposite side, perhaps it would lead you right where you needed to be in order to find Joker. 

The wind wrapped around you as you moved strategically through the few surrounding buildings and cargo that were around the warehouse, using your flexibility to jump over and around some of the boxes that were stacked on the perimeter in order to stay out of sight. Staying out of the men’s eyeline would help you get inside faster, but another part of you worried there might be an alarm system in place to prevent you from ever reaching the inside. Your muscles were pushed to their limit, but you couldn’t stop, you quickly pushed yourself towards the other end of one of the corners of the building, slowly reaching the back side and hiding your body from the guard that walked past. You narrowed your eyes as you looked up at the roof, waiting for the right moment to slip past and make it inside without being caught. 

Three seconds passed, the guard turned the corner, and your opening became apparent. You quickly used your strength to push yourself onto the roof, having your grappling hook help you climb the rest of the way up as you let your body lay flat on the roof so as to not get spotted. 

Army crawling to the top, you took a deep breath as you peered through the window, your infrared goggles cutting through the shadows inside the warehouse. The cold night air nipped at your skin, trying to stay focused at the task at hand. The heat signatures of two guards stood out in the dim light, stationed near the far end of the warehouse, by the large steel doors. The sound of distant machinery echoed, but it didn't hide the low murmur of their conversation.

They weren’t moving much, likely positioned for a shift, still never moving. You adjusted your position, carefully shifting to avoid the creaky sections of the roof. Every step counted. You didn't have time to waste.

You needed a plan.

You didn’t have a single clue how to go into this, but you didn’t have time to spare thinking about it. 

You scanned for another way inside. There were no clear ventilation shafts nearby, and the guards at the ground floor seemed to cover the main entrance. A quick glance to the opposite end of the roof revealed a small skylight, slightly open. It wasn’t much, maybe even too small but it was an opening, and it was your best shot.

You reached down to your utility belt, grabbing a small collapsed chisel, the soft clang of the chisel on your belt was barely audible over the hum of distant engines. Carefully, you slid the flat end into the gap of the skylight, prying it open just enough to slip through. Your heart raced as you prepared to drop inside, but then a sound stopped you, the sound of distant footsteps echoing from below.

The guards were moving.

You crouched lower, holding your breath. Your mind raced. If you could time this right, you might slip past them completely undetected. But if you made the wrong move… it could all come crashing down.

The footsteps came closer, and you felt the tension rise in your muscles. Your body was already coiled, ready to spring. Every instinct told you to wait, to listen, to be patient. You couldn't let them find you now.

The sound of their boots on the metal floor grew louder. The guards were heading in your direction.

You took a deep breath and waited.

The footsteps grew louder, closer. The sound of the guards' boots striking the cold, concrete floor reverberated through the warehouse. Your breath caught in your throat, and the cold air bit at your exposed skin. You remained frozen, heart pounding in your chest. It felt like the entire warehouse was holding its breath, the tension thick in the air.

The guards were getting closer….closer than you'd anticipated. A part of you wanted to push forward, but another part screamed at you to wait. One wrong move, and you’d blow this whole thing. You couldn’t afford that. Not now, not when you were so close.

Your fingers clenched around the edge of the roof, your muscles taut as you held your position, eyes fixed on the dim interior below. The sound of clanging metal and chains echoed from the other side of the room, punctuating the silence in an almost rhythmic, deliberate way. It sent a chill down your spine. You didn’t need to hear it again to know what it was, the unmistakable sound of something…. or someone being restrained.

A cold sense of dread tightened in your chest. 

Jason… Jason, it has to be him. 

The thought made your pulse spike. This was no coincidence. The Joker's twisted games were always about power, control and he never hesitated to use people as pawns. It was a gut-wrenching realization, but the sound of chains rattling made it clear. They were holding someone in here. 

Someone who wasn’t just a victim, but a target.

You swallowed hard, forcing the anxiety down. 

You could do this. 

You had to.

The guards were getting closer, their voices drifting up in low, murmured conversation, unintelligible, but enough to remind you that time was slipping away. You couldn’t stay up here much longer. The window was your only way in. The adrenaline surging through you was almost nauseating, but it was a fire you couldn't ignore. 

The seconds dragged on, stretching into what felt like an eternity, until finally, the guards turned the corner, walking past the edge of the building, disappearing from view. You didn’t wait for another moment. 

With a burst of speed, you pushed the skylight open just wide enough to squeeze through, dropping silently onto the dusty floor of the warehouse below. The moment your feet hit the ground, you crouched low, eyes scanning the shadows for movement. You took another slow breath, each inhale filling your lungs with the metallic taste of urgency.

There, in the dim light at the far end of the room, you could see a figure. Faintly, through the cracks in the shadows, you saw the silhouette of someone chained to a chair. Their body was slumped, but there was something about their posture, the way they were positioned, that made your stomach tighten further.

It was him. It has to be him.

Your feet moved before your brain had time to catch up, the distance between you seeming to stretch longer with every step. But there was no turning back. You couldn’t stop now. The heavy, rattling sound of chains grew louder, more frantic as you drew closer.

"Jason," you whispered, barely able to hear your own voice above the pounding of your heartbeat.

You were almost there. So close. But as you neared the corner of the room, a sudden motion to your left caught your eye. You felt the weight of a bull ram into you as your body was thrown to the ground in a violent push. Before you could react, they were on you, grabbing your arms and pinning you down with brutal force. One shoved their arm into your throat, cutting your airway off and causing you to choke from the force. Your body thrashed, your legs trying to pull up to push against one of the men’s chest to create some sort of distance. 

How the hell did they find you?!

“G-get.. Off of m-me..”, you choked as you clenched your teeth. Your eyes filled with desperation, anger, dread, all of it swirled into a mix of emotion as you felt them grab your body with aggressiveness forcing you to your feet. The men didn’t even give you a chance to speak, breathe, barely had time to think. You heard the faint sound of maniacal laughter, the sound sending chills down your spine. The men forced your body to the ground, holding your arms back and one of them reaching down and ripping your utility belt off, throwing it across the room as it landed on the other side, now lost in the mix of boxes and broken debris. You fought against the goon that held you back, but when he hit the back of your head with his elbow, your body slowed down, your thoughts jumbled. 

“Motherfuckers..”, you felt as they grabbed your arms behind your back, their legs creating pressure on each of your legs so you couldn’t move. The sound of metal scraping and clanking on metal rang out, haunting the room as it got louder, slow laughter ringing out to fill the ominous silence. 

The air felt thick, almost like it was suffocating you, the laughter echoing around you got louder, a wave of dread crawling under your skin. Your heart pounded louder in your ears, drowning out everything else. The men behind you pressed down harder, their strength forcing you still as you tried to struggle against them. The sound of footsteps approached, each one causing your heart to skip a beat and pound faster in your chest. The cruel silence and haunting sounds were enough to let you know it was him. 

Joker. 

The son of a bitch. 

Your head lifted up as he appeared out of the shadows, that wicked, twisted smile pulling on his lips made him look even more psychotic than he already was. His eyes were filled with humor, brimmed with excitement and instability, wild and manic as they locked onto yours, seething with amusement. 

“Oh, nice of you to join us.”, his voice filled with a taunting tone. He walked up where his men held you down, circling you like a predator. “You really are the best. Oh, Penguin should be proud to have you work for him.”, His gaze flicked to the men holding you down, their tight grip only fueling his amusement.

You grit your teeth in pain, the pull of the men making it almost unbearable but you couldn’t show weakness, not when you knew he would get pleasure from it.

“Joker!”, your voice was low, almost a growl. “You son of a bitch! Why did you go against Black Mask’s plan?”

Joker’s grin only stretched. “I didn’t go against anything.”, he stretched a hand towards you, grabbing your face with force to look at him. “I was following my orders.”

“This wasn’t what we planned!”, you spat at him, lunging forward. “Sionis will kill you.”

His laugh filled the air again, your eyes flickering to the room the men pulled you away from. “You… you don’t even know.”, his face got closer to yours, his grip getting stronger. 

“You think you know anything?” he sneered. “If you had taken even a moment to step back, you would see…. This was all part of our plan.”, His laugh was low and dark, echoing in the small room as the pressure on your jaw intensified.

“Our?”, you questioned. 

“Black Mask doesn’t control me. But we did agree on a mutual plan, I do whatever the hell I want and have my fun, the little Red bird’s head ends up mounted to his office wall, Batman is distracted long enough for Gotham to burn and you..”, he laughed as he leaned in closer, his voice lowering to a sickening whisper, "You are just the final touch. The piece I didn’t even know I needed."

“What are you talking about?”

“We planned this. Mask and I, we made our own plan, and you? You were never really part of the equation. You were just... well, you were just another useless pawn." His eyes gleamed with manic delight. "The perfect piece in a game you don't even realize you’re playing."

Your blood ran cold in realization. 

“You.. sent me on a false lead.”, you whispered, “It was all....”

“A distraction. To keep you out of the way, keep the Bat’s busy, all while we send false leads to our little boy blunder. It was too easy, almost laughable.”, his smile stretched wider as he stood, walking away from you as he laughed. “The best part was it took you so much longer to figure it out than I thought!” He chuckled to himself, clearly enjoying the sight of you piecing everything together, the cruel irony of it all sinking deeper into your bones.

Your mind raced, the weight of the situation sinking in with terrifying clarity. 

They hadn’t just manipulated you, they had carefully planned everything so meticulously to make sure you were too far gone into the false plan to see what was really happening until it was too late.

He turned back to you, his expression sharp with manic delight. “You know, it’s almost poetic. You think you’re protecting him, but in reality, you’ve just handed him right to us.”

You watched as he walked towards the room on the other side, his foot pushing the door open as you saw the body you’d noticed earlier. You watched as Joker pushed the chair over, your heart lurching in your chest. 

Jason…

His dark hair was sticking to his forehead, a dark bruise forming on his jaw, his grunts echoing in the air as you felt the pressure grow in your chest. You watched as Joker kneeled down next to him, his hand reaching Jason’s face as he forced him to meet his gaze. Jason’s eyes opened, his mask ripped almost completely, meeting Joker’s gaze before his gaze flickered over to you, his eyes glossing over in a silent emotion that dug a knife into your chest. Your eyes filled with fear, your heart pounding in your chest as you watched Joker smile widely in Jason’s face. 

“Isn’t this nice? We get to meet again,” Joker’s voice was thick with sick amusement, his fingers digging into Jason’s bruised jaw as he forced his head back. His grin stretched unnaturally wide, a twisted smile that sent a shiver down your spine. “Hello, Boy Blunder.”

Jason’s body tensed slightly, almost unnoticed had it not been for the sound of his chains clattering together. His muscles were strained, it was obvious from where you were being held back, no doubt Joker noticed it too. The sound of Joker’s maniacal chuckle drove you mad, his grip tightening on Jason’s jaw for a moment before releasing, letting his head drop down on the hard floor with a sickening thud. 

You flinched slightly, your chest tightening and your gut churning, the desperation of wanting to reach Jason and let him free clawing at your chest but the tight grip of the men behind you brought you back to your cruel reality. 

Joker stood, walking across the room and shifting through a small metal cage with factory equipment and broken metals, the sound echoing. You flexed your muscles, the grip of the men tightening around you, almost as though they knew something obvious that you didn’t. 

The air grew thick with tension, your arms flexing as you felt the men’s grip tighten on you. A sense of dread filled your senses as you heard Jason’s subtle groans of pain, the chains clinking together in a haunting way that left you fearing for the worst. 

“Let’s play a game.”, Joker laughed, a slow cruel smile forming on his lips as he brought himself closer to Jason’s face. Jason’s hair covered his eyes, the burning hate showing as he narrowed his gaze into a killer stare. Joker’s head whipped around towards you, your face neutral but he could sense your distress from miles away. 

“The rules are easy,”, you watched as Joker stood, walking over to the wall on the other side of the room, lifting up one of the crowbars, letting it drop to the floor and dragging it as he walked towards you. “I get 5 swings. You make it through all 5, I’ll let Boy Blunder go.”

Five swings… That’s it…

You clenched your jaw, trying to not let the desperation claw up your throat. 

“I’m not here to play your games!”, you growled. “Let us go!”

The sound of Joker slamming the crowbar against the metal wall caused the ringing to echo through the warehouse, an ominous sound vibrating through your bones as your anger consumed you. He walked towards you, kneeling down as his men tightened their grip, almost to make sure you wouldn’t lunge at the son of a bitch. 

“We’re playing a game.”, his voice strict even through the cackle of his laughter. “I’ll say it again… Five swings”, he repeated as he held up his hand to show five. “You make it through all five… I let your little Red Riding Hood go.”

Your breathing cut short, it was erratic, slow but choppy. Your anxiety was crawling up your neck as you held his wicked gaze. His eyes filled with humor. The contemplation weighing in your head, your eyes ripping away from Joker’s to look over at Jason on the ground, his eyes narrowed, his breathing deep as he tried to tell you with his expression to say no. To refuse Joker’s game. 

Your position… it gave no room for no. Joker would kill the both of you. 

Five swings…. Five swings and he lets Jason go. 

You could take five swings. 

You turned your gaze back to Joker, his eyebrow raising, waiting for your answer. 

“Okay… Five swings.”, you bit out. “Five swings, you let him go.”

“Good, let’s have fun.”, his maniacal laugh rang out as the chill ran down your spine. 

Joker rose to his feet, his hand gripping onto the crowbar before swinging it in his hand before letting it drag on the floor. The scraping of the metal on the concrete made your ears itch, making your skin crawl. 

“You know what my favorite part of this game is?”, his voice had a hint of something sinister in it, your mind mentally preparing for the swing of the metal bar. He walked around the room, grabbing the back of Jason’s chair, lifting it before using all his force and throwing Jason across the room, landing on his back and his head hitting the concrete, only a few feet in front of you. “My favorite part is getting two little love birds together, and making the other watch. It makes this more…. Interesting. More fun!”

“S..son of..a b..bitch.”, Your ears peaked at the sound of Jason’s voice. He had been quiet this entire time, your guess was from whatever beating Joker’s men gave him in order to drag him to this abandoned building. 

“Ah, so he speaks. Take a good look, Hoodie.”, Joker kicked over the chair, letting him fall sideways and his green eyes meeting yours. “Enjoy the show.”, Joker whispered with a devilish and wicked tone. 

Joker’s gaze locked on yours, a maniacal look in his eye as he lifted the crowbar, the grip on the men tightened and your heart pounding in your chest at his erratic movements. 

“Five, little girl.”, his lips smiling wide and ripping across his face as you flinched slightly at him approaching you, the lift of his arms as he raised the crowbar above his head made you slam your eyes shut, waiting for the explosion of pain to fill your body. 

A kaleidoscope of emotions and recoil filling your body as you prepared for the absolute worst. Your heart pounded in your chest, the silence and dread making your anxiety rise above what felt like normal levels. 

Would you have a heart attack? 

Would your own heart stopping kill you before Joker had a chance?

The elongated silence, the lack of visceral pain made you wonder if he’d already made you black out, were you even conscious? 

The guttural sound of a pain filled groan ripped you out of your thoughts. 

You opened your eyes, your heart dropping in your chest as you watched Joker swing the crowbar down on Jason’s gut, his recoil of pain sounding out in the form of a choked and silent yell. You lurched forward, your voice ripping up out of your throat but before you could say a word, Joker swung around, aiming the crowbar at your head before stopping right before it connected to your temple. 

Your eyes wide as you met the insanity in his eyes and the wickedness in his humorous smile.

“Five swings.”, he reminded you. “Five swings. You say anything… he doesn’t leave.”

Five swings…. He didn’t mean it for you… 

Five swings at Jason. 

The panic set into your bones at the realization. He just wanted another excuse to beat Jason with a crowbar again just like he did the night he killed him. 

The cold feeling of the crowbar under your chin made you uneasy. 

“One down. Let’s see if you last four more.”, he turned, swinging the crowbar like a baseball bat before kicking the chair over again, the weight of Jason making him fall to his side and facing you. His eyes opened, holding nothing but resolve in them. 

He was willing to take the hits for you. 

If it meant the two of you getting out, he was going to relive the entirety of his trauma to get you out. The cry in your throat wanted to come out, but when you opened your mouth to speak, his glare came out like knives being thrown at you and a gun to your head. 

A simple glare. 

Shut. Up.  

The pressure built behind your eyes, the helplessness clawing at you as you watched the crowbar meet Jason’s ribs with an unforgivable force. The connection of metal to bone was sickening, almost feeling the pain in your own body from the heaviness of Joker’s hand. Your body fought against the men that held you back like two built machines, your muscles straining as you tried to pry yourself out of their grip. You needed to reach him, trying to kick your legs out from underneath you to get some leverage but to no avail. Their grip felt suffocating, the desperation building inside of you and gnawing at you. You felt your throat burn from the forced down scream that you couldn’t voice. 

You wanted… No, needed to help him. 

This was your fault. 

If you had realized sooner you were being misled, that Sionis and Joker were only trying to get you out of the way to get to him. They played you for a fool, slowly making you believe in an elaborate plan that had all been a false lead. 

They knew. There was no direct confirmation of you being tied back to Red Hood, but deep down they knew. They wouldn’t have sent you on a false lead if they didn’t. 

Sionis had been suspicious for too long and Joker had to have noticed something deeper in your reaction to finding out he’d killed Jason five years ago. You knew there was something in the way you hesitated to leave that tipped him off, a flicker of something that gave him all the answers he needed to confirm Sionis’ suspicions. 

A simple hesitation gave them the winning piece they needed to catch the Red Hood, and now he was paying for your stupid mistake. 

The entire time you believed you had all your bases covered, you underestimated them. You believed you had all the cards in your favor when the entire time they knew the hand you were keeping so close to your chest. The guilt ate at you as you felt your heart drop into your stomach, the sight in front of you ripping you out of your thoughts. 

Joker laughed as he placed the crowbar next to Jason’s head, moving it slightly like a golfer ready to tee off. 

The swing of Joker’s hand backwards, and the momentum he was building, it led to the visceral and primal scream to rip out of your throat. 

“NO!”, you lunged forward, your voice raw and broken as you screamed. Your eyes were wide, fighting against the men as you watched Joker about to bring down the force on Jason’s temple. It would knock him out, give him a concussion, or kill him. “It was me!’ you screamed. 

The silence echoed in the room, everything freezing and the air thick with tension as the weight of your confession hung in the air. Jason’s eyes moved to look over at you, his groans of pain silent as he tried to even out his breathing and fight the pain. Joker turned to look at you, his gaze filled with interest. 

“It was me!’, you repeated. “Take me instead!”

Joker’s lips curled into a smile as he dropped the crowbar to the ground. “Why should I take you over him?”

Your eyes filled with anxiety, looking over at Jason’s eyes as they burned with shock and desperation. He couldn’t let you do this. You were not about to let these bastards kill you.  

“Y/n… no..”, the mumbled voice that came from Jason’s wounded body was forced, but you couldn’t keep quiet. His face twisted in pain, his breathing heavy but there was something else in his eyes, something darker. 

Fear. 

And yet, you played your final card. 

I’m sorry.

“You want me. I’m the one who’s been letting him go. I’m the one who has been feeding him information about Sionis’s jobs, I helped him escape when Sionis hired me to kill him. It’s all been me. You get me out of the way, then you get a fair shot at taking down the Red Hood.”, the words burned your lips, but it was the only thing you could say to save him. “Torture me, kill me instead, I don’t care. Take my life in exchange for his. It's a fair trade. you kill me, you kill the Red Hood. Dead man walking. He'll suffer the consequences by knowing he can’t stop you from killing me.” 

“Y/n.. no..”, Jason’s jaw clenched, the pain subsiding as he tried to make you take back your confession. 

Joker’s expression gave away his decision, his grin spreading further on his face. “Oh, this is rich.”, he laughed darkly. “You think playing hero is going to save him?” he stepped closer to you, his eyes looking between you and Jason. 

“Once Sionis knows it's been me, he’ll stop at nothing to make sure he can make back everything he’s lost. He’s been suspicious of me for months, he will torture me and after that, it’ll be easier to get to him.” you stressed the last word as your lifted your chin and pointed towards Jason. 

His eyes bore into you, full of pain, disbelief, and something you couldn’t quite understand. It was all too much for him, and you could see it in the way his face contorted in anguish. He struggled harder against the shackles, the chains rattling violently. 

Jason’s expression darkened, his voice strained. “D..don’t listen.. To her.”, he forced. “Black Mask wants.. Me.” 

You could tell he was pissed, but you needed to do this. You were scared. Scared Joker might get to him again, scared to lose him, scared he'd be forced to relive the very thing that traumatized him the first time you lost him. You were terrified of the possibility of losing him more than anything that Joker or Sionis could ever do to you.

You would welcome hell with open arms if it meant Jason could stay safe and alive.

"Y/n... d..don't you... fucking.. d.dare..", he choked out.

You ignored him, your eyes locked on Joker. “I know Sionis. I know nothing gets to him more than losing money. I’m the reason he’s lost millions. He’ll keep me alive and torture me to an inch of my life. I’ve seen him do it to men that have done less to do him wrong.” 

"I s..swear to g..god.. Y/n..", Jason's eyes filled with anger.

“Won’t it be better if he tortures the poor bird to an inch of his life?”, Joker contemplated, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes but you could tell he would rather have more fun making Red Hood helpless, desperate, squirming under the cruel reality of you being tortured. The idea of torment make him laugh darkly, a hunger for more chaos and psychological torture. 

“Red will have to live with the fact that he can’t do a thing to save me. You want your reunion? You want the torture? You want to get back at him and at Batman? You take me and you’ll see the Red Hood at his worst.” you spit out.

"Y/n!", his voice was authoritative through the pain, almost making you hesitate.

“You see an erratic, emotional, helpless man. He’ll do whatever it takes to try and help me and that is what makes him weak. Pathetic. Broken.”, you said with finality.

You noticed the slight flinch from Jason, the words burned on your tongue, especially calling him broken. It was one of his biggest insecurities, and you hated yourself for using it against him but you told yourself it was for his benefit. 

“I like the way you think.”, a sick glimmer of satisfaction flicked in Joker’s eyes. “You’re playing with fire, sweetheart,” he said, his tone low, almost admiring. “But I do love watching someone burn because of their own self destruction.”

He took a step closer, his grin widening, eyes dancing with dark amusement. “Let’s see how long you can keep that spark alive before it consumes you.”

Joker looked up at his men, “Take her.”

“N..No!”, Jason’s voice strained, his body struggling against his chains, Joker turning to him and kicking the side of his jaw, making Jason’s head snap to the side and knocking him unconscious. 

“Stop!”, you struggled as the men forced you to your feet. “Leave him alone!”

“He’ll live. Just gotta make sure he can’t follow us.”, his smile was wide as he motioned for the men to take you outside. You struggled as you felt your feet drag, forcing yourself to get your footing. “Let’s go.”, Joker motioned as the men followed behind him and leaving behind an unconscious Jason, forcing you forward so you couldn’t turn back and look at him. 

You let the men drag you outside, swallowing a silent cry as you forced back the burning in your eyes. The look in his eyes made your stomach churn. Anger, desperation, something deeper filled his eyes but you knew that there was no turning back. 

The guards opened the door to a black van outside, the tightness of their grip burning your arms as you let them throw you into the back of the van. The cold of the metal handcuffs bit into your wrists as they locked them behind your back so you couldn’t get out of the vehicle. As they slammed the door shut, the van roared to life, the engine vibrating through the floor as it made its way in the opposite direction from the warehouse and towards the city.

You rested your head back, letting a tear fall down your face as the city lights casted an illuminated glow on your skin, the weight of the situation pressing on your chest. You knew Gotham was burning down, Batman probably distracted with the false plan as Jason laid unconscious in the warehouse. Your eyes burned as you wondered what Joker would do, what Sionis would do to make you pay for all the money he’d lost. The city loomed ahead, every passing second made the dread in your chest deepen, but you steeled yourself for what was to come.

This wasn’t just about surviving. 

This was about saving Jason. 

Even if it costs you everything.

The sound of the van coming to a halt and the engine being turned off brought you out of your silent trance. You opened your eyes as you felt the slam of the front doors of the van close, the sudden movements making the van shake slightly before you turned towards the door next to you and watched the men open the door and grabbed your arms, unlocking the cuffs before dragging your body out of the van with brute force. Your legs wobbled before regaining balance and letting the men lead you towards the building, the silence making your nerves reach an all time high. 

Joker walked towards you and the men, meeting your gaze before he turned without saying a word, a rarity for the mad man but in that moment you appreciated his silence. It gave you another moment to bask in your reality and accept the consequences to your decision. The men dragged you with them as they followed the clown, your body numb as you let them lead you without any resistance. 

The eerie silence made your skin fill with goosebumps, but you approached the familiar building, a secret location Sionis had to deal with his…. Problem clients. The other vans outside gave away that the bastard was already here, a fact that made you mentally prepare for the absolute worst. As the men pushed you forward, you let yourself bask in the silence before dealing with whatever the hell Sionis was about to unleash on you.

You followed behind Joker as he navigated through the halls filled with different guards, turning a few times before reaching an elevator. Joker pressed the fourth button and the hum and slight movement indicated your movement upwards before finally stopping at the fourth floor where Sionis kept his main room. You turned down another hall before reaching the door that was guarded by two of Sionis’ men. Joker smiled up at them, laughing as the men questioned where the Red Hood was, the question answered with a simple, “I have something far better than the Red Hood.”

The men looked over at you with a straight face, your eyes meeting theirs before they stepped aside, letting the four of you pass before speaking. “The boss will be here soon.” they spoke flatly as they shut the doors again, the slam echoing throughout the building and vibrating through your body.

The room was loft style, the entrance at the top and the wide seating area just by the stairs. It was huge, big enough for meetings but also enough space for people to sit and enjoy the show while he beat the life out of the people who crossed the line with him. Everything was open, the railing providing small division between the walkway of the door and the lower area of the room. There were a few couches, dim lighting and a small desk off in the corner, the smell of gunpowder and alcohol filling your nostrils as you looked around, your gut turning with anxiety and a slit of fear. 

Minutes that felt like hours were cut short as the door opened again, the slow pace of expensive dress shoes echoed out and Sionis’ deep voice ordering his bodyguards left a chill running down your spine. God, he was going to lose his shit when he sees you. 

You watched as he walked towards his desk, completely ignoring you standing in between Joker’s men as he fixed the sleeves to his suit, waving off his men before finally addressing the clown. 

“Where is he?”, his tone was laced with annoyance, an anger you knew he was ready to unleash. The silent laughter of Joker only seemed to piss him off more. “Where is the red headed son of a bitch, clown?!”, he slammed his fist down on his desk, before walking to Joker and meeting him face to face.

“I suggest you cut the shit and answer me, your else your shit eating grinning face is gonna be mounted up there.”, his voice was deep, threatening and murderous. 

“I have something far better than the Red Hood for you.”

“What the fuck could possibly be better than the motherfucker making me lose millions?!”, Sionis snarled as he gripped tightly on Joker’s collar, lifting him off his feet slightly and choking him before the slight of Joker’s hand pointed behind him. 

Almost like on cue, Sionis’ gaze met yours, his hand loosening on Joker and shoving him to the side before a laugh ripped out of his throat. You’d never seen Sionis laugh so maniacally before, so uncontrolled. 

“You brought me this useless little bitch?”, his use of the word cut deep, but nothing you couldn’t handle. It was nothing compared to the beating he was about to bring upon you. “She isn’t worth my millions you useless motherfucker!”, Sionis snapped around, landing a supercharged punch to Joker’s jaw that made him go tumbling to the floor. 

Joker’s lip busted and a bruise already starting to form where he was hit, but he had no room for recovery as Sionis pulled his leg back, kicking him in the gut with such force it would leave a nasty mark. “Tell me, do you think I paid to bail you out of Arkham, got you the men you needed, the ammunition and guns for you to bring me, her?!”, another kick to the gut, and another to the back of his head. You recoiled at the violence Sionis was unleashing. You had seen several of his…. Fits while working with him the past few months but something about this… it was inhuman. 

“Wait, wait! Let me explain”, Joker laughed as he held his hands up, giving himself a second to catch his breath. “I think you’re gonna enjoy this.”

Sionis grabbed him by the back of his collar, pulling Joker to his feet before snarling in his face. “I am not in the mood for your fucking games.”

“This isn’t a game, this…. Let’s just say, I think you’ll love this far more than getting the Red Hood.”, Joker laughed as he motioned to his men, then pushing you forward and forcing you in front of Sionis. 

He turned to look at you, your eyes empty as you met his violent gaze. 

“Go on, sweetheart. Tell him our little secret.”, Joker egged on. 

You stayed silent, Sionis moving closer towards you, his face practically a breath away from yours. You held his gaze as the tension built up, wanting to break, your heart begging you to look away and yet you never did. 

“Well, Y/n.”, Sionis spoke. “Speak.”

Your eyes looked over at Joker before meeting Sionis again, his hand suddenly making its way to your throat and wrapping around your neck. “I won’t repeat myself again.”, he whispered murderously. “Speak”. 

The finality in his tone showed he was serious, your jaw clenching before you opened your mouth to speak. “I..”, you paused, your mouth suddenly dry and your heart pounding. Your pause made Sionis tighten his grip even more. 

“You what?”, his gaze bore into you like a dagger, the sensation making you want to squirm under his locked gaze. 

“Go on, tell him!”, Joker encouraged with his own sick and twisted enthusiasm.

“I..”, you let yourself harden again. “I’m the mole.”

Sionis’ gaze darkened, his hand tightening, almost like he was trying to force your words out. 

“I’m the mole.”, you repeated. “I’m the one who’s been feeding the Red Hood information on your operations, I’ve been letting him go after every assignment Penguin has given me on your behalf. I..”, your voice choked, your airway getting blocked off by Sionis’ grip tightening. “I… I have been secretly meeting with him for the past three months, feeding him information, giving him inside looks at your meetings, and planning every way to burn….you.. d-down.”, your voice cut off by the pressure, your eyes holding resolve. 

You felt his grip loosen, Sionis’ gaze still bloodied as he slowly let go of your throat, turning away from you almost as if thinking. Your heart pounding inside of your chest, ready to explode from the fear but you tried to calm down slightly. You didn’t let yourself relax, you couldn’t, not when you knew exactly the kind of man he was. 

A moment passed, then two… then the feeling of burning white pain exploded across your face, the force and momentum knowing you sideways as you choked on your spit, the breaking of your breathing not leaving room for any oxygen to flow into your lungs. You were hunched over, trying to stand upright but couldn’t when you felt another hit land on the other side of your jaw, completely knocking you to the ground, your head hitting the corner of the table that was a few feet away from you. 

“This entire time, I thought you were rejecting me out of disgust, out of pride… Now I see, you just prefer bottom of the barrel, bastard scum like yourself.”, Sionis spoke out. “Well, this might be better than I thought. All the time I suspected you I was right.”

You turned your body slightly to meet his eye line, but when his leg swung back in full force and connected with your gut, you choked on your words again. Another kick on your back, another stomping down on your shoulder, a cry of pain slipping past your lips as you felt his hand grab your hair, tangling in it as he forced your head up to look him in the eye as he crouched down next to you. 

“I knew about your little fraternizing with the bastard, in fact, you made it far too obvious.”, Sionis lips cracked into a wicked smile. His other hand grabbing your face and bringing it close to his, “What a shame. You could have had it all, Y/n.”, his mouth came close to yours and for a second you believed he’d force you to kiss him but he didn’t. He pulled back and met your gaze. “You were so wrapped up in the bastard you didn’t even notice….every one of your missions, every inside job, every scrap of information that ever left from the inside to the out, I have been keeping track of all of it.”. He smirked. “And you.. Well, you never even realized I had tabs on you.”

I had tabs on you. 

“I knew your little boy would find the first one and that was it. The first was just a distraction, a test to see if he really did have a soft spot for our little errand girl.”, his words sank into your bones in cruel realization. “When he did, that was all I needed to confirm there was something deeper happening. You didn’t think I would only keep one tracker on you? I found the fucker’s body dumped on our side of the border, but luckily for me, I think ahead and cover all my bases.”

You stared at him as you heaved, your scalp hurting from the tightness of his hold, eyes filled with a burning hatred towards him that always lingered inside of you. 

“You don’t even know”, he smirked. “Penguin fell into it easily too but… anything to keep my money where it belongs. In my pockets.” 

Sionis’ grip loosened, letting your head fall as you slowly met his gaze in a blur of anger, his hand flexing almost to stretch it out from the tightness he held you with. “You think you did a good job hiding your relationship with the Red Hood? Do you truly believe it would be your little secret forever?”, his voice was laced with a mocking tone, a sting inside of you at the mention of Jason. He was still calling him the Red Hood. It meant either Joker hadn’t told him who he truly was or Sionis didn’t care. In the end, it was all about killing and putting an end to his rampage and Sionis’ loss of money. 

“I don’t owe you anything.”, you bit out through the pain, “I told you… since the beginning. I work for Penguin, not you.”

Sionis only hummed, “That might be true. Luckily, I had someone who did work for me and owed me every little detail when it came to whatever the hell you were up to with the son of a bitch.”

You felt another wave of pain at the sudden grip Sionis had when he tightened his hand around your face. His eyes held a humor to them, like there was a card he was waiting to play. 

“Obsessive much? It’s a bad look for you, Sionis.”, you retaliated. 

“No, but someone else played their role well.”, he smirked, each word deliberate, the tension thickening with each syllable. “You definitely played the role well, but Calvi knew your reputation, so he was well prepared for whatever you had in mind to seduce him”

The words hit you like a punch to the gut. Calvi… he knew?

He knew. 

The entire time you thought you held the winning piece, outsmarting everyone in Sionis’ circle, he was already two steps ahead, he’d prepared further ahead than you thought. 

He’d already called checkmate. 

Calvi… The son of a bitch… 

Sionis’ eyes glared into yours, his smug demeanor only intensifying as he continued. “I knew you were suspicious from the first few times the Red Hood escaped. So I started planting information, and found an informant who was willing to be on my payroll.”

Your heart raced as the dread crept into your chest. 

“Calvi did a seamless job. Feeding Penguin information about a potential client, paying Calvi to get in on the Red Hood, him waiting for you at the Sapphire because I knew Penguin would send you to seduce him. All of it leading you right into the spotlight proving my suspicion. You were so blinded by Penguin’s job order, the Red Hood’s… interest when he caught you at Calvi’s club that you didn’t even notice the tabs he had on you 24/7.”

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. The words sinking into your bones and each revelation sent a chill down your spine. 

“Did you really believe he was so naive that he wouldn’t play the part?”, Sionis asked. “Calvi told me about Red’s outburst at his club, his demanding and authoritative request to Calvi to send you home. Calvi letting you go off with the Gala guests in order to slip away with Marcos, leaving you completely vulnerable to the eyes we had planted around the museum.”

It all made sense then, his instant interest in you at Sapphire, his invites to his home when he barely knew you, his invite to the Gala when he had no reason to take you, his willingness to let you leave with Jason at the Gala, his quick transition to security with Penguin… You believed his interest was because you held the upper hand but the entire time he knew you were there for him. The entire time he was the double agent. He played the part of working with the Red Hood, switching sides to working with Penguin, all of it while slipping information back to Sionis. 

“Calvi did well. He managed to make Penguin fall for his interest in his security, managed to get intel on the Red Hood’s operations on the Black Market and what stock he had for his raids, and… managed to make you believe you had him wrapped around your little finger.”, A laugh escaped Sionis’ lips. 

A wave of nausea washed over you as the truth sank in. Calvi played you, manipulating everything you believed, all of it while working for Sionis and slipping him the information he needed to prove your disloyalty to Penguin. 

“What a shame, really.”, Sionis eyes filled with humor as he smirked and his hand loosened on your face. “You were always known as the smartest woman in the underground, an informant and the best at hacking systems, yet you didn’t notice the trap you were walking straight into.”

Your blood ran cold as the truth hit you. 

“Now, we initiated a false plan, leading you into the city, Batman being busy with Joker’s men running around burning buildings, causing chaos, all while we leaked information to the Red Hood in order to send him to a secluded location just long enough for Joker to get Red Hood caught and inebriated.”

“Fuck you.”, you pushed forward, trying to lunge at him before he slammed you to the ground, your cheek pressed on the luxury rug that was stained with your blood from the first hit that he landed on you. 

“Don’t try and get smart.” He stood to his feet, walking over to his desk and opening a drawer, and picking something up as he looked over at Joker. “Make sure to stay close. I need you to clean up after I’m finished.”

Your heart dropped at his emphasis on cleaning up his mess. You saw a glimmer of metal, your anxiety seeping into your bones when you realized he had brass knuckles on. God, what was he going to do to you?

Joker smiled and only let out a loud laugh, moving back up the set of stairs that led towards the main entrance of the room, his guards following behind him as they left you alone with Sionis. 

“You think Joker has a bad reputation?”, Sionis’ voice was low, dangerously calm. “Compared to me, he’s a fucking joke.”

Sionis stood still for a moment, clicking his tongue before walking towards you slowly. Almost like he could smell the fear and desperation coming from you, he took his time psychologically torturing you. His steps echoed slightly, your body kicking into overdrive, your fight or flight screaming for you to use whatever strength you had left to try to leave. He watched as you rose to your feet, your balance off kilter and a smirk spreading across his face as he met your gaze with humor.

“What a shame. You have such a pretty face, too bad it won’t stay that way long.”, he pulled his sleeves back, slipping on the second brass knuckle. “Let’s see if the bastard Hood still likes you with missing teeth and a busted face.”

With pure, raw power, Sionis slammed you against the wall, the force knocking the oxygen from your lungs, his force making it hard to even gasp for air. His hand wrapped around your throat, making you choke for air and your vision blurring from the constriction. Your heart raced, the panic rising as he tightened his grip, the pressure not rising as your eyes filled with tears. You tried to hold his gaze, forcing yourself not to break. You’d be damned before you let him see you weak. Deep down you knew he wouldn’t stop. 

He never stopped. 

Sionis didn’t ever let his victims leave alive. He enjoyed the torture too much. 

He finally released his grip, letting your body collapse to the ground as you struggled to catch your breath, coughing and clutching your throat as you tried to breathe until it didn’t feel like your lungs were on fire. Sionis leaned down, his face inches from yours as he pulled you to your feet again with a rough pull of your arm, a loud hiss escaping your lips. 

“Don’t pass out on me, Y/n.”, he smiled wickedly. “I’m still not done with you.”

You felt another hit land on your cheek, your mouth filling with the metallic taste of blood as you heaved, your mouth burning. The pain was unbearable. You tried to let the pain subside but Sionis didn’t give you the peace. His brass knuckle connected with your stomach, then followed with a hard slam of his knee on the other side of your body. You bent over, the blood spitting out of your mouth as you tried to shove him off you, but your handcuffs didn’t leave room for mobility. 

You tried to keep yourself upright, your body burning and your legs shaking as you tried to regain balance but Sionis kicked in your leg, your body falling to the ground and his leg pulling back and meeting your ribs at full force. You coughed violently, the taste of blood thicker now, making it harder to breathe. 

“You really are pathetic.”, his voice dripping with disdain. “What does the bastard see in such a pathetic, weak, worthless nobody?”, he kneeled down, your gaze meeting his as your body laid on the ground, his hand tangling in your hair and bringing your face to meet him. 

You struggled against him, spitting at him with your blood, the instant disgust filling his face as he delivered another punch to your jaw. 

“You little bitch.”, he spit as you sucked in another gasp of air, the breaths coming in short and painful gasps. “Let’s kick it up a notch since you want to act out.”

His fist connected with the side of your head, the room suddenly spinning and your mind racing, the pain burning as you tried to focus. He slammed his other fist to the side of your jaw and as you tripped over yourself from the impact, he delivered another hit on your ribs. The blow made it feel like something had cracked inside your body, making your ribs explode into a kaleidoscope of pain. Your body convulsed with the impact, the pain reverberating through your chest and down to your limbs, leaving you begging for a second without his brutal hand. 

“Isn’t this fun? Breaking your bones and making you lose blood to make up for the millions you cost me?”, a subtle chuckle escaped him. “I think this… this is a lot better than dealing with the Hood.”

The taste of blood filled your mouth again as you coughed, trying to push through the pain, trying to rise to your feet without falling over. You couldn’t give in, not yet, but even through your resolve every breath you took felt like fire, the pain burning through your body like a wildfire. Shakily, your blurred gaze looked at him, the subtle sound of your choking escaping your lips.

“That’s it.”, Sionis smirked at your bleeding body. “Keep fighting. It’ll make you more fun to break”

And that’s all he wanted. You could see it in his eyes, he wanted to break you, tear you apart and remind you exactly where you belong. At the bottom of the food chain. Someone that would only serve their purpose to meet his own selfish needs. Someone who deserved nothing and was worth nothing. That was all you’d ever be, all he’d rip you apart to be, and in the end you’d return back to where you started. At the bottom. 

The kick to your shoulder toppled you over, leaving you struggling to breathe from the angle. Sionis let out a silent laugh before slamming his foot down hard on your shoulder, crushing it against the floor as a stifled cry left your lips, the pain shooting through you like a live wire. 

You closed your eyes against the overwhelming pain, your body trembling slightly but you refused to let the burning tears behind your eyes fall. You couldn’t show weakness. You would not give him the satisfaction of seeing you weak, especially after months of not letting him break you. Today would not be that day. 

“I can’t wait to see you beg.”, he landed another grueling kick to the back of your head, your disorientation worsening. He was reaching his end game. Every second of agony you soaked in, he was getting closer to his goal of pushing you to your absolute limit. “If only you could see how it would all end. It would have been satisfying to watch your reaction to the building going up in smoke”

Your heart seemed to stop, each word slicing through your already maimed body, leaving more anxiety crawling through you. He noticed your reaction, his next words laced with venom and ready to kill.

“You didn’t really think that just because you’re here that I would let the son of a bitch go, did you?”, his eyes filled with a cruel delight. “That warehouse, it was covered floor to ceiling with different bombs.”

Your blood ran cold, the full weight of his words crashing down on you, leaving you feeling numb. You didn’t realize it before, but everything you thought you knew was being swept out from under you and the pieces to Sionis’ grand plan were finally falling into place. The truth hit you like a bullet train at full speed. Sionis only soaked in your reaction, savoring the moment as he tortured you more with the truth.

“Joker didn’t plan for a confession out of you.”, he continued, his voice low and filled with cruelty. “But, I knew deep down that if the odds worked in our favor, we needed to prepare. I knew that you’d eventually show up and when you did…. Well, it couldn’t have worked more in our favor”

Your pulse was deafening in your ears, the sound of your heartbeat pounding in your chest that it drowned out the world around you. You couldn’t breathe due to your broken ribs, your head spinning from the hits he took to your temple. No doubt you had a concussion. 

“Planting the bombs was easy, it was getting you to show up that was up to chance. I wanted to kill two birds, one stone.”, Sionis kneeled down next to you. “You showed up, confirmed suspicion just like I predicted.”

The plan they had. 

It never would have given room for you to save Jason. 

It was a setup from the beginning. 

Way before Joker came into the picture. 

Sionis hadn’t been two steps ahead. No. He was miles ahead of you. 

Sionis leaned closer, watching as the last shred of hope in your eyes began to fade away, the fire that lit you up with the strength to go against him was slowly being extinguished by him. “Now, I keep you here and have my fun, and the Red Hood?”, he picked up your face in between his thumb and index finger, forcing you to look into his cruel eyes. “The Red Hood is finished.”

Tears burned in your eyes, begging to spill over as your anxiety clawed at your neck. It was over. Everything you did, all the months of working with Jason for this moment. It was all for nothing. 

You were never meant to save Jason. 

Not ever. 

You laid there motionless, letting your body succumb to the soreness, each breath a struggle, each second of consciousness a curse. The pain flooded your body, but you couldn’t process it. You felt everything but nothing all at once. No doubt the head injury was a concussion. If you passed out, you weren’t waking up but even fighting through the tiredness, you couldn’t stay awake much longer. 

Sionis spoke but your mind was too hazy to make anything out. His hand gripping your face barely made you flinch. You didn’t have it in you anymore. Darkness called you like a lullaby, inviting you to let go, to stop fighting, to meet Jason on the other side of this life, to succumb to the overwhelming weight of your suffering. 

The silence seemed so comfortable, so inviting. 

You felt like floating, leaving whatever was left here, the pain of your past, the agony of your present, and the reality of your future. You couldn’t grasp the reality of your existence anymore, couldn’t live with yourself for failing the one person you’d wanted to succeed so desperately for. All of it had ended with you here. 

Broken. Bloodied. Weak.

It was all too much. 

This life had everything taken from you. 

Your childhood.

Your first love.

Your sanity.

Your humanity….

Jason…

His name echoed in the hollow spaces of your mind, his face so vivid before it slowly started to fade, everything lost in the haziness of your consciousness. Thinking of him in your last moments…. It seemed all too perfect. Poetic. 

You felt Sionis drop your face from his hands, your body toppling to the ground like a rag doll as your blood stained the luxury rug beneath you, nothing translating to your brain anymore. You felt the blood drip down from the top of your scalp down to your lips, the metallic taste having no effect due to how much blood was already in your mouth. 

The world around you was muffled, Sionis’ words distorted, his face blurry. You couldn’t even breathe. Didn’t try to. Didn’t want to. Everything was over. Gone. There was nothing left except the raw, aching void inside of you. 

You could feel your heart slowing but also felt it desperately fighting the urge to stop, but it was tired. You couldn’t even remember what it felt like to fight to stay alive anymore. 

The world spun, the room blurring into darkness as your failure crushed the breath out of your lungs. The only thing you hoped was that Jason could forgive you. Your heart shattering, the guilt swallowing you whole at the failure you’d been. The disappointment you’d always feared had been revived. 

A single tear fell down your cheek, mixing with the blood that stained your face as the grief overwhelmed you. Everything was slipping away. Your final silent words left unheard as you let go of the final shred of consciousness you had left. 

I’m sorry, Jason….

Sionis stood, his laughter echoing in the room like the coldest of knives. This was his solace, this was him winning the game of torturing you. All the months that he wanted to break you, rip you apart, force those walls to crumble like Jericho, he’d finally called it. 

“In the end,” he spit out, savoring the victory of this torturous game. “I always win.”

And then, with nothing left to hold on to, the darkness consumed you.

A/N

Hey guys! Welcome back! I think this might be my longest chapter to date for this series and it was so hard to write because there is so much to cover and making sure all the scenes and details hit just right. Thank you so much for your continued support and patience with this series. I know I made a post several months ago about when PWF would return but there were a LOT of unexpected life events that prevented me from writing and it all became very overwhelming. But this series will continue and be wrapping up in the next month or so, and will NOT have a posting schedule so it will be updated as I finish chapters. Again, thank you so much for the support and can't wait to hear from you guys!

xoxo

[solar-wing]

⚣ BatBro with his BatBros 🦇

⚣ 🦇 A/N → Ah, my first full installment of BatBro headcanons. Where does the time go? Anyway, as we progress throughout these headcanons, you can imagine the characters slowly getting older too. By, the time we get to the end, the reader is at least 18 years old making Damian anywhere between 18-19 years old, since he's a few months older.

⚣ 🦇 Summary → Going from the life of an only child, to having 4+ siblings, can't be easy. Especially when most of those siblings brothers, and those brothers come from a family a crime-stopping vigilantes. What was your mother thinking in leaving you with your dad?

REBLOGS are very appreciated! REPLIES to, I love hearing your thoughts 💛

⚣ ENJOY 🦇

I find it funny that no one has ever thought to take advantage of the fact that Bruce Wayne has created a habit of popping up with a new kid like every couple of years. They could try to offer up their kids to him in hopes of cashing in on the Wayne family's wealth.

And he actively turns away all of them, even if he is tempted a couple of times. At least until he gets to you. Everything was normal until your mom decided one day she was done being a parent and just dropped you off at the front gate and left when you were 9 years old. This is also around the same time Damian ended up in Bruce's care, so you both were now dealing with the fact that you've suddenly got a father you never knew, as well as a brother. Well, brothers, since Bruce did somewhat actually have children before he had you guys. 

She left a note along with your other belongings that said “Trust me. He yours,” with nothing else. Bruce could only stare down at you with that usual grim, but pondering look he had while you just stared back at him. 

“I’d thought you be taller,” was your first sentence towards your dad. One that was vaguely familiar to the billionaire as he rolled his eyes and led you inside the manor.

Obviously, Bruce ran a DNA test and confirmed everything to be true. You were indeed his son, snarky remarks and all. You and Damian must share that quality.

Speaking of, since you and Damian were blood-related, you have a more special bond with each other. Even if he bullies the shit out of you.

Hiding your toys and games all around the manor, stabbing your favorite teddy bears and various stuffed items with his knives and daggers, and I'm just going to throw in that you have a love-hate relationship with Scooby-Doo now.

You love the cartoon, but Damian took advantage of the fact that you may not do well with scary stuff and would make his own costume versions of the villains from the show and chased you around the house with them. They were horrifying and disturbing enough to even unsettle Bruce a little, so you could imagine the early childhood trauma you endured.

People think your fear of clowns stems from the Joker. No, it's from Damian.

It’s always from Damian.

Plus, since you and Damian are around the same age, you both end up in the same grade at the same school. So he always keeps a look out for you and protects you from any bullies, while you teach him how to be more sociable and friendly towards others.

Now, if Damian's closest relationship with another brother outside of you is Dick (who you along with everyone else agree that he is basically Damian's second father), I imagine you have a close relationship with both Jason and Tim for various reasons.

You and Tim connect because you both have very intellectual and detail-oriented minds. You watch Scooby-Doo, so you obviously have an interest in mysteries as well as the Red Robin personality. Whenever he is having a hard time connecting dots to a case or a puzzle, you simply come in, take one look and somehow figure it out. Sometimes, you’ll even just make a random statement that ends up being the key to what Tim is looking for.

Tim and you both have an interest in video games, you a little bit more than him. It was because of you that he even really got into them. Before, when it was just you and your mom, you didn’t have anyone to really play with, besides whatever friends you could find online. So having someone you could play with, especially in person now made you and Tim’s bond that more special.

Also, you’ve made it your responsibility to make sure the guy gets adequate rest and sleep and doesn’t drown himself in caffeine.

“Timothy Drake! It is way past your bedtime. Off the Bat-Computer and upstairs into bed young man.” You yelled, marching downstairs with an amused Alfred towing behind.

Your father and siblings all watched from the sidelines as well, all amused at the sight of your young, tiny body, yelling at a slightly older and taller teenager as if you were his father.

“Um, I’m older than you,” Tim responded while holding on to what had to be his 5th coffee of the evening.

“Do I need to repeat myself?”

“Master Tim, with all due respect, I’d do what the young lad says. He’s already started unplugging and cutting the cords to every coffee and espresso machine in the manor.” Alfred said from behind.

Tim looked at you in horror while you stared at him the look on your face very much communicating a ‘try me if you want to’ message, and that’s when he noticed the pair of scissors in your hands.

“OKAY! I’M GOING! I’M GOING!” Tim shouted, sprinting out of his seat and up to his room. Your brothers were quietly laughing until you turned your head right to them.

“And, what are you three laughing at?! Get to bed right now.”

Now, it was their turn to question you. Cause Dick and Jason were full adults and even though Damian was only a few months older than you, well that was it. He was older than you so he bossed you around, not the other way,

“Woah, there little man. Jason and I, we’re grown. We don’t have bedtimes.” Dick said.

“Yeah, squirt.” Jason voiced right behind Dick with his arms crossed.

“Watch yourself, little brother,” Damian warned.

You raised a subtle eyebrow at them while your father and Alfred both looked at you with curiosity.

Alfred, however, had a little more amusement to his look since he already knew where this was headed.

“Dick, I will never have another brother movie night with you again, and I’ll start going to Jason for brotherly advice instead of you. Also, I’ll tell Kory you were being mean to me.” You threatened your oldest brother.

Dick was both hurt and fearful because how could you even threaten him with something that awful and quite frankly, plain rude and ridiculous. He gave way better advice than Jason! Also, he knew Kory absolutely adored you ever since Bruce brought you to the tower that one time and would not hesitate to put him on punishment as well if she even thought he was being mean to you.

Jason was holding a smug look at your threat toward Dick, that is until your eyes landed on him. “Jason, I know where you keep all of your limited edition books, especially your prized signed copy of Pride & Prejudice. We certainly don’t want that getting in the wrong hands, now do we,” You said, turning to your second oldest sibling. Jason was surprised, and slightly impressed, though also terrified. How could you know?!

You turned to your blood-related brother, who held a bit of an overconfident look as there wasn’t anything you could have over him that would have him actually following your orders. “And Damian, I’m sure you don’t want dear old Dad to know what happened at school last week, now do you?” You said, playing slightly with your fingernails while ‘innocently’ rocking back on your feet as if you weren’t blackmailing your siblings. For noble reasons, of course. They need their sleep!

Your brother was both shocked and angry at your statement. How did you even know about that? The look on his face, well, let’s just say it wasn’t friendly, not in the slightest.

But, to no one’s surprise except your dad, all your siblings silently trudged upstairs without another word.

Bruce looked at you and Alfred with a raised eyebrow as you turned back to face your brooding father, only now you could see his brooding look had a hint of questionable curiosity and amazement. 

“You too, daddio. It’s bedtime, yo.” You rhymed. Apparently, not only was everyone’s sleep tracker, but you had a bit of flow with it too. Someone should get you a record deal. 

You gave your dad a slight hug, your head barely reaching above his waist. You still had growing to do! You’d get there eventually.

Walking back toward the entrance, you also made sure to stop and give the butler a fist bump since he was your secret partner-in-crime. How else would you know where to hit to get your brothers to fall in line? with a slight hug to his side before heading back towards the entrance. 

“Thanks, Alfred,” You said!

“Anytime, Master Y/N.”

Bruce eyed you both suspiciously before he realized what was going on as he watched your small body bounce up the stairs.

“Really? You’re in cahoots with my son, Alfred?”

“Why, Master Bruce, I’m offended. I’d say it was more of a beneficial partnership. Cahoots is for the reckless.” Alfred responded jokingly.

The age-old ending to every mystery novel plays out again, the butler did it.

Though, Bruce was still impressed by how easily your brothers listened to you without a second thought. It takes him a few tries just to get a sentence through their head, and that’s if they were actually listening to him that time.

“Wow, he got Jason to listen to him? I still can’t get Jason to greet me without looking him looking like he wants to punch my lights out.” Bruce commented.

“He has your commanding tone, sir,” Alfred said before backing up the manor himself, “I wouldn’t let Master Y/N catch you back down here, though. I heard he’s got some especially dirty leverage on you.”

Bruce suddenly decided to look at the clock, “Guess it is a little late,” He muttered before rushing upstairs himself.

Speaking of Jason, your relationship with the second adopted Wayne kid had more of a special touch. The Red Hood persona was the brother you really looked up to. You liked and respected how he branched out and followed his own path. Of course, Dick technically did the same, but considering everything Jason went through, he had to be one determined fucker to return to the very life that killed him. And, even though you don't necessarily agree with his 'strategies', you were always standing in his corner.

Though, Jason didn’t take well to you at first. In fact, because Damian left such a bad taste in his mouth after they met; when you two were introduced, he literally ran upstairs and screamed at Bruce about how he was the biggest hypocrite in the world for all those lectures he gave him and Dick about using protection. Richard silently agreed, also remembering his first meeting with Damian. 

Determined to not live with a Damian 2.0, and also thinking he was saving you from a life full of trauma because, in his mind, no one deserved to be raised by someone like Bruce Wayne, Jason attempted to take you down to child protective services. 

Your father was very unhappy when he got a call from CPS later that day and he could clearly hear you sobbing on the other side of the phone just as Jason walked through the front door. He was not the least bit ashamed, at least until you came home and he saw how upset you were.

He apologized and decided to give you a chance, thinking since the whole ordeal actually had you crying, you had to somewhat have a soul, unlike Damian. After some time, you got really close with each other. 

Jason taught you how to fight and defend yourself. He’d read you stories at night from some of your favorite books as well as your own, and he’d always get Damian to back off if he decided to pull another one of his scare antics on you. 

Your second eldest brother was your get-out-of-jail card too, whenever Bruce punished you for something. Though, sometimes, it may have just been better to take the punishment than let Jason pull you into whatever shenanigans he was planning. Considering the fact you and he managed to put an entire city without power for two nights somehow.

"How did you two manage to short-circuit the entire electrical grid in New York?" Bruce asked with you two standing side by side, looking like you just finished sleeping on top of a giant summer barbeque grill.

You both looked at each other before turning back to your stern-looking father, Damian mirroring his expression with his arms crossed and tapping his feet.

"Would you believe us if we said it started over a debate of how to eat fries with ketchup?"

Bruce slapped his forehead to his palm while Damian called you idiots. Tim got that curious look on his face, and Dick couldn't stop laughing for 15 minutes.

Now, your eldest brother, he was definitely someone you could count on no matter what. Being the oldest and having the most Bruce experience out of everyone, he always helped you deal with your Brucie problems or ‘daddy issues’ as you'd like to say.

Truth be told, every kid in this family had daddy issues.

As mentioned before, Dick was your movie-watching buddy, he helped you with your homework and always assisted with any life issues you had going on. No matter how many times you may have threatened the Nightwing persona with such, you always went to him for advice, and there was never really a moment you could think of where you regretted it.

He also helped you learn how to be more agile and light on your feet with your fighting. While your second eldest brother taught you how to use brute force and strength in situations, he gave you the acrobatic style of lessons. Where Bruce and Jason were direct and serious, Dick taught and showed you how to be more of the opposite.

And, whenever Jason wasn't around to get Damian off your back, you'd go to him since he was basically his second dad.

You and Dick together were like two chatty Cathys on drugs. One moment, you could be talking about the movie you were watching, then you’d get into a debate over onion rings vs french fries, somehow landing in politics, somehow ending up in a political debate only to end with the "Are we even real" conversation. And for whatever reason, you swore you could hear Tim itching in his seat whenever that conversation came up.

That boy goes down a lot of YouTube rabbit holes at 2 AM when he’s bored on patrol or not doing anything.

Now, one brother on their own was one thing. Two? Someone was calling the police. Three and you may have to check if your life insurance policy is still good. All four? Pray.

Since you now were officially the youngest, a title Damian was actually happy to pass on despite his warnings to Bruce, that meant you got the most of the teasing, even if it mostly came from your blood-related sibling. But his version of teasing tended to leave you with trips to your therapist so you could do without them.

However, one rule all your siblings and family stuck by, no one, and I mean NO ONE, not even in the Justice League or Titans/Young Justice teams, could mess or pick with you except them.

Everyone in the family was very protective over you. You were surprised to see even Alfred was on that list, though you learned quickly the butler was not one to be fucked with. 

You distinctly remember that one time the Batcave got invaded and Batman made you hide in one of the saferooms, you saw on one of the video monitor screens Alfred whacking the shit outta them with just a rifle.

For that reason, among others, you took a mental note to be careful with how you complimented his cooking in the future.

But seriously, if anyone messed with you, and your family found out, Hell itself would be scared of what would break loose from your home.

A bully from school started picking on you and calling you names and you didn't tell your brothers about it, wanting to handle it on your own. Besides, you could defend yourself. They taught you well.

Until the fateful day you came out as gay, bi, pan, etc., and he called you names that your father wouldn't even repeat, and that man had the title of a playboy.

Well, word spread around the school and got back to Damian, who went back and told your other brothers.

By the next day, Dick had shredded every thread of that boy's confidence. Tim hacked the school files, got his address, and framed him for changing grades in the school. Jason used said address Tim got to pay a trip to the kid's place and shot bullet holes in all his clothes when no one was home. And well, let's just say Damian almost went to jail.

Of course, Bruce was pissed when he found out and had to intervene, but when Damian admitted the reason he nearly got arrested, your father upped his allowance.

Only God could imagine the terror that would unfold the day you started dating.

Oh, and they all call you babybird which you despise.

Don't even get me started on your sisters.

BONUS:

☀️ | Bat Family | ☀️

☀️ | Masterlists | ☀️

[alexanderwales]

I've started playing Persona 5 Royal, my first Persona game, because it was ridiculously cheap on Steam. Back when I had GamePass, I installed it but never played past the opening, which I think is a bit weak. I'm about 20 hours in, through the first two palaces, and I'm not sure that my opinion is going to change too much, but I'm registering it now just in case (with some spoilers for the first fourth of the game):

I think having a division between the physical world and the mental world, which is physically represented, is super cool. I used it in Dark Wizard of Donkerk, and am overdue for using it in something else. Psychonauts did it too. Inside Out as well. I will always love this concept.

I don't think I like the gameplay. The last major JRPG I played was Final Fantasy VII Remake, and I thought the same there, so ... I don't know, maybe just a whole genre that I don't have that much of a taste for. It's mostly the random inventory items and pointless mob fights that I'm frowning at.

Severe lack of harmony between the battle stuff and the story. The mob fights have fuck all to do with infiltrating someone's mind. There's stupid elemental shit. The mob designs are interesting but mostly disconnected from each other and any theme.

So far, the psyche stuff has been surprisingly shallow, given that it's the main focus of the game. First palace was a gym teacher (Kamoshida) who's abusing students (physically and sexually), and sees the high school as his castle, but ... I don't know. I wanted more. We're literally walking around inside a character's mind, why is the character study so shallow? He should have layers, like an onion, each more horrible than the last. Kawakami is the other teacher we know best at the start, and there's no sense of how he views her, whether she's a sex object to him, or a non-entity, or someone he's worried about, or what, and I kept expecting that narrative beat to happen. I don't know, I think my fanfic would just radically change the entire palace concept so we get ten times the interplay between real world and mental world, and so we can turn these characters inside out and see all their gross bits.

I wish that Joker spoke more often. He's not really a blank slate protagonist, but there's very little personality there, as much as I'm trying, and that means that other characters are driving the plot and scenes and in general being more interesting than him. This is just a matter of personal preference, and a place where I definitely depart from what the average JRPG enjoyer likes.

I generally enjoy the slice-of-life elements, and to a lesser extent, the time management, though there's a part of me that's just screaming that I should be looking at a guide to maximize values. And if I do that, I'll no longer be playing the game, I'll just be watching scenes and doing inputs. I am definitely not playing this game twice, so if there's a difference in endings, or a big chunk of content I might miss, so be it.

It's relatively low on the anime shit that I hate, though there's still plenty of time for me to be disappointed. The way they're handling Ann is ... kind of not great. She was sexually harassed and then immediately after they have this whole "nude modeling" plot that's played for laughs and titillation, and it's possibly just a me problem here (avoiding spoilers for now), but "girl who was leered at and sexually pressured by her gym teacher being then jokingly pressured by her friends to do sexual stuff she's uncomfortable with" is ... not how I would write it. (The answer to "how I would write Ann" would certainly be pretty long, and I haven't finished the game yet, so maybe it gets better, or gets given more meat in the hangouts or whatever.)

There's still time, but I sort of assume that we're just never going to go into the minds of the protagonists, which is a shame. Tons of possibilities there, and I think if they were going to explore any of them, they would have done it by now. I guess I feel the palaces are underdeveloped enough that I probably wouldn't be satisfied by how they treat the protagonists anyway, but it's what I would have done. Let me see a physical manifestation of how Ryugi feels about his alcoholic father. Let me see Joker's defiance. Let me see Ann's self-image. Show me links between these characters, the differences in how they see the social web.

The frame story for the game is an interrogation by the cops, and I am not a fan. Half the time they're just yanking me out of the story I was in the middle of to signpost "hey, this guy is important". Possibly this will all payoff later in some interesting way, like halfway through the game we reach the "present" and the frame breaks. I usually like that. I've had thoughts on the interesting ways the frame story could be used, and so far they haven't used it in those ways. (Also, there's a bit of weirdness where ... I am pretty sure that I was fighting shadows and using powers outside the Metaverse? Unless the interrogation is actually taking place within the Metaverse. Unsure whether I can register a prediction on this basis, or if there are just more mechanics/wrinkles later on. So far, the interrogation taking place within someone's Palace doesn't seem like it would comport with the rules/expectations that have been set up, but there's still time. I'd prefer not being spoiled if there is a clever payoff or twist.)

This game is apparently 100 hours long, which means it's going to take me forever to finish it. I am enjoying it in spite of any quibbles above, but I'm also feeling like it's only 80% of the game that I want it to be, partly down to execution and partly down to personal preference.

[alien-girl-21]

Since I won't see my friends until next year, I thought it would be a perfect time to do this again

Joker out and käärijä as random shit my friends say!!

(+ sneaky joost in one entry)

Under the cut because it's LONG

Kris: I actually miss Bojan, i'm going to tell him to come back from New York... but don't tell him I said that, it might get to his head that I actually like him

-

Bojan: writes on the board

Jan: is that arabic?

-

-Bojan's first time taking money out of the atm-

Bojan: what do I do now?

The screen of the atm: please select the language of your transaction

Martin: choose Slovenian, idiot

-

-at the airport-

Bojan: I'm going to get a pamphlet real quick

Jan: sure, I'll wait here

Bojan, coming back empty handed: I think I fell in love

-

Kris: in bojan's defense —not to defend him— but in his defense

-

Nace: hey, you wanna share this cookie?

Jan: sure

Nace: it doesn't break though, I already ate my half

Jan: you're an idiot, of course it can break, here, see? I broke it

Bojan: I ship you guys

-

Jan: -breaks a chair-

Jan: fuck, let me fix it -breaks the chair even more-

Jure: try to put the thing in that hole

Jan: -fixes the chair- Bob the builder 😎

-

(In the gc)

Jere: you want go party?

Bojan: I can't

Bojan: i'm sick and don't want to get worse

Kris: if Bojan isn't going, I'm not going

Jure: no fucking way 🤣

Bojan: I had to read that twice

Bojan: I was about to call him a bitch

-

Allu: if someone was killed while we were together, I think that Jesse, Jukka, and Jere would be the most level headed one's

Jesse: I think that Jere would be the one in charge to calm us

Jere: I would be making jokes like "at least we're better than that guy" and pointing at tommi's dead body

-

Jure: might go to this -shows a flyer for a singles only cruise-

Nace: only 99 euros? That's cheap... when is it?

Bojan: aren't you taken?

Nace: Oh fuck, I am

Bojan: apologize now

Nace, taking his phone out: I'm so sorry, babe

-

-during esc-

Bojan: okay, we're next, we can do this

Nace: -starts doing push ups for some fucking reason-

-

Jere: i go on stage now

Bojan: NOOO— i mean, YESSS

Jere: ?

Bojan: i'm just used to you leaving me alone :(

-

Jure and bojan: playfighting

Jure: now it's your turn, jan!

Bojan: jan wouldn't do that to me because he respects me 😌

Jan, getting ready to slap bojan:

-

(In spanish because there is no way to translate this dad joke)

Bojan: antes de que se me olvide, les quería contar un chiste: donde nacen las computadoras?

Jure: no sé

Bojan: en el mar

Nace: por qué?

Jan: porque navegan

Bojan: porque son peces

Kris: miren a los tremendos payasos que nos cargamos en esta banda

Bojan: 🥰

-

Host: for this, we're going to need groups of 6

Joker out: does a group hug

Bojan, tapping jere's arm: jere, jere

Jere: what?

Bojan: join us

Jere: really? Me? 🥰

Bojan: yes, you, you're part of the group 🥰

Kris: can you two stop?

-

Kris: do you have a pen?

Bojan, handing him a rainbow pen: yeah

Kris: gay pen

Bojan: at least it works

Kris: faggot

Bojan: I am! You have a problem with that?

Kris: I was talking to the pen! Not you!

-

Interviewer: Who would survive the longest in a deserted island?

Everyone: Jure

Bojan: I could survive, I think

Kris: I think that a coconut would fall on your head and you would die

-

Jesse: if a girl asked to peg you, what would you say?

Häärijä: no

Jere: skill issue

-

While watching a football game, in the gc:

Jan: well, i'm going to wait for the game to start while eating my cereal

Bojan: now I want some

Jan: the small box costs 2 euros in the supermarket

Bojan: you know what? I'm going to the supermarket now, i'm going to spend money because of you

Jan, sending a pic of the cereal box: here it is for reference 👍🏻

-

Bojan, after turning the washing machine on and somehow there was a power outage in the whole floor at the same time: ☹

Martin: hey, don't worry, it wasn't your fault, bojč

The electrician, a couple of days later: yeah, so, the outage was caused because someone used too much electricity in this apartment while someone was showering in the unit next to this one

Martin: so it was your fucking fault

-

Jan: I photoshopped us into some world cup images

Nace: it looks like Messi is kissing you, Bojan

Bojan: yeah

Jure: that's your dream right? Messi kissing you?

Bojan: yeah 🥰

-

Someone: yeah, so I spoke with the director, and he asked me if I spoke dutch and I said yeah

Jure: can you speak duch to us?

Someone, in dutch: I can, but what can I say? I just learned it to learn it, not because I liked it

Jan: okay, okay, Kris, it's your turn, reply in Dutch!

Jure: like we practiced

Bojan: literally jumping up and down like an excited puppy

-

Kris: this is bullshit, stupid fucking coordinators, they have shit in the fucking head instead of a stupid brain!

Jan: said the princess

-

-while playing volleyball-

Jure: just imagine the ball is your ex!

Bojan, cradling the ball in his arms: i'm so sorry, it was all my fault, I miss you everyday

Jan: great job, idiot

-

Nace: you look really good today, Bojan

Kris: yeah, your outfit is really well color coordinated

Bojan: thank you, krisko

Nace: and what about me?

Bojan: it's because Kris only bullies me, so a compliment from him matters more

-

Jure: idk if I'll be able to go out this Saturday, my parents are starting to make milk, and because of that I need to close their shop that night

Kris: making milk?

Jure: soy milk, yeah

Kris: Oh, I was about to ask since when did your parents have cows

Nace: moo

Jan: moo

^ they proceed to moo at each other for the next five minutes while the conversation carries on

-

Jere, just minding his business:

Häärijä, handing him a paper crown: you are now the queen of this realm

Jere: ❓

Häärijä: you will be the queen until we vote on who will be coronated next

Jere: thanks?

Häärijä: my pleasure, your majesty

-

Kris: I actually didn't call any of my exes while I was drunk last night, that's a great achievement!

-

Jere: hey guys, sorry if you hear me swearing, i'm playing a videogame..... FUCKING BULLSHIT

-

Jesse, after jere got the piña colada tattoo: hey can I see your prision tattoo?

-

Nace: remember to participate in the meeting

Bojan: i'm watching football

Nace: they're asking you a question bojč

Bojan: GOAAALLL!!!!!

-

Bojere, sitting chest to back in a bench:

Jan:

Bojan: Oh Jan, sorry that we're facing away from you

Jere: you want to hug me too? Join train?

Jan: yeah sure, let me just—

Jere: no! Don't touch me!

-

Kris: I would like to go back in time to meet Jesus and smoke weed with him

-

Käärijä: so, I'm walking to get to work, and I see a line of police cars and I'm thinking "I fucking hope that they don't want to do spontaneous searching because my bag is 90% weed, 10% my actual stuff"

-

Someone: yeah, this is my daughter, she's 4 and learning how to play drums

Bojan: that's your daughter? Oh my gosh 🥺

Kris: Bojan, you have a severe case of baby fever

-

Jere: where are the bathrooms?

Jukka, craning jere's head up to see the giant "TOILET" sign above them: over here

-

Kris: would you be with a guy?

Bojan: I'm bisexual, of course

Kris: what? 😱

Bojan: I already told you, you know this!

Kris: WHAT??

-

Joost, in the middle of having sex: babe wait, codnom broked :(

-

Kris: do you guys think the bouncer will let me in? I'm kind of tipsy

Jan: just go in confidently, he won't suspect a thing

Bojan: the last time he went in confidently he was banned from the club

-

Jan: so, how'd you sleep last night?

Kris: good

Jan: you don't seem so convinced

Kris: I slept in late

Jan: how late?

Kris: midnight

Jan: Oh, how blasphemous, how late

-

Kris, anytime they go to a new city: look at this door! I'm too tall to fit in it... look at this other door! I'm also too tall to fit in it... look at this door!

-

Bojan, about stephanie: she's the world cup and i'm bolivia.... but hopefully I'll be bolivia in '94 and she will still be the world cup

-

Jan: I'm not like Jesus, at all

Bojan: well, you kind of are in some ways

Kris: yeah, you only hang out with fags and prostitutes

Bojan, pointing at them: here you have three fags

Bojan, pointing at jure: and there's a prostitute

-

Jesse: why are you leaving everything for last minute?

Jere: because I fucking want to and I fucking can 😝

Häärijä, holding up the printed meme: 🐴🤝🏻🐴 no pelien

-

During a post-barcelona pre-party meeting:

Kris: I think that's all for today

Bojan: typing very loudly

Jan: who are you talking to?

Bojan: with someone 🥰 you know him already

Nace: ohhh the lovebirds 😏

Bojan: raising his hand up repeatedly

Kris: yes, Bojan?

Bojan: I'm really happy 🥰🥰 -instantly goes back to typing-

Kris: I'm happy for you, man

-

Jere after inflating five balloons for a party: well, my job here is done, time for my very well deserved rest

Jesse: get back up, you fuck, we need to move these chairs

-

Häärijä: bartender! Bartender! Bartender!!

Jere: I'm here, what do you want?

Häärijä: hi :) -leaves-

-

Bojan: sometimes I feel like I am batman and žare is the riddler

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Jukka: you guys would be the worst clowns at a kid's birthday party. They would ask you for swords, and you would give them snakes

-

Kris, after seeing Jure having a sugar crash: someone give him a fucking celery or something, he's fucking melting on the couch!

-

Jere: you live life like it's last day, say sorry to people, hug people, even punch if you have to punch!

All of joker out: raising their fists to punch bojan

-

Jere: we only had a 5 euro budget for this secret santa so I bought one chocolate bar

Allu: it's not even wrapped!

Jere: wrapping paper is expensive!

-

During the secret santa:

Allu: I'm so fucking scared of seeing who jere got

Jere: so I had to buy something for...... Jesse!

Jesse: FUCK!