#Past Catherine Todd/Bruce Wayne

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Five Stages of Mamma Mia

Fandom: Batfam, DC Comics

Summary: AU where Catherine Johnson is Jason's bio mom and Jason doesn't know who his father is. (Jason Todd is Jason Johnson for fic reasons).

Chapters: 19/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Jason Blood, Catherine Todd Mention, Bruce Wayne, Willis Todd Mention

Relationship(s): Past Catherine Todd/Jason Blood, Past Catherine Todd/Bruce Wayne, Past Catherine Todd/Willis Todd

Additional Tags: Canon Divergent AU, Mamma Mia-inspired AU, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Father-Son Relationship(s), Jason Todd Experiences the Five Stages of Grief

Chapter Nineteen: Chiquitita (Bargaining)

As summer concluded, Mr. Blood helped Jason get dressed for Bruce's benefit dinner. "I hate bowties too, but I can't say you don't look dapper," Mr. Blood complimented as he fitted Jason's cumberbund over his suspenders. Jason hadn't smiled the entire day and spent most of that time hidden away in his room. After Mr. Blood fitted the cumberbund, he tied Jason's tie. Forest green velvet with gold trim. He wanted Jason to look his best. "What's wrong?"

"I'm scared," Jason mumbled. Mr. Blood picked Jason up as if he were a small child. He thought it'd make Jason laugh. Mr. Blood's heart sank when Jason threw his arms around his neck.

"You should be worried about out-dressing him," Mr. Blood casually whispered as he set Jason down. He gave Mr. Blood a puzzled look. "You heard me. Think of all those silly-looking adults drinking wine and making fools of themselves... And then there's you... All dressed up, sober, and absolutely charming. He'll be proud."

Jason let out a relieved laugh. "Yeah?" Jason asked.

"Yeah!" Mr. Blood nodded. He playfully shook Jason.

"Yeah!" Jason shouted excitedly. Mr. Blood laughed and helped Jason into his jacket. Jason held Mr. Blood's hand as they left the room and headed downstairs. "Do you think Bruce missed me this week?"

"Are you joking? Time away from the best boy in the world? It's dreadful!" Mr. Blood exclaimed. Jason giggled as they got in the car. "Before we get there, I want to go over the plan. Before dinner is the silent auction, and since I still owe you a gift for making the honor roll, you can have me bid on three items of your choice. Then, there's the song and dance of mingling before dinner. After dinner, there's dessert and a little touch of dancing." Jason nodded.

"Will I have to dance?" Jason questioned. Mr. Blood shook his head.

"And I think your brother might be there," Mr. Blood added. Jason grinned and swung his feet.

When they arrived at the manor, Mr. Blood grabbed his bidding paddle, and Jason clung to him. "Where's B?" Jason whispered.

"He has to greet some of his guests. It's customary—."

Jason jumped as he felt a pair of hands cover his eyes. "Dick?" Jason asked.

"Hey, Kid. You look snazzy," Dick smiled as Jason jumped into his arms. Dick embraced him and straightened Jason's jacket. "Bruce is gonna be thrilled. Mind if I drop in next to you for the auction? I love watching rich people fight," Dick smiled. Jason nodded, and Bruce entered the room to announce the start of the auction. He stopped mid-sentence to wave at Jason. Jason waved back with a sheepish grin. The auction was two hours long, and Mr. Blood bid on a private museum tour, a family camping trip, and dance lessons. Jason was overjoyed.

After the auction, the real fun began. Mr. Blood and Dick took turns with Jason, mingling among the crowd. "How old are you?" one of the women asked.

"Twelve, but I'll be thirteen next month," Jason replied innocently.

"And where's your mother and father tonight? I have to commend them for having such a smartly-dressed son," she whispered as she pinched his cheek. He frowned.

"Well, uh... My mom's not—. I'm—."

"Unconventional family situation. He's my little brother, but a friend of Bruce's also has custody from time to time," Dick answered. Jason nodded. Bruce wandered over and stepped back to take Jason in.

"We have got to take a picture. Where's Jay—? Mr. Blood?" Bruce asked. Jason grabbed Bruce's hand and stood on his tiptoes. Bruce crouched down to hear him.

"Dad's talking to an old student," Jason whispered. Bruce nodded and squeezed Jason's hand. "Do you want me to go and get him?"

Bruce looked at Mr. Blood from a distance and chewed his lip. "Um, I think Dick will go get him... Won't you?" Bruce asked. Dick nodded and walked off. "I'm so glad you came."

"I missed you," Jason declared. Bruce lit up, smiling from ear to ear as he hugged Jason.

"I missed you too," Bruce replied, "How've you been?"

"Good, I got enrolled in a middle school... A public one," Jason replied, "I start in two weeks."

"I know. Mr. Blood told me all about it. Are you excited?" Bruce questioned as a photographer approached. "Say cheese."

"Cheese!" Jason smiled while he held onto Bruce's hand. Bruce let go after the picture and whispered something to the photographer. She nodded. Bruce waved Dick and Mr. Blood over. They took a family picture, and Jason held his fathers' hands before they all returned to mingling.

Finally, dinnertime came, and they served Jason a large bowl of red soup. "Bruce, what's this?" Jason asked. Bruce shrugged.

"Try it, and I'll tell you," Mr. Blood replied. Jason obeyed and took a deep breath after his first spoonful. "Do you want something else—."

"Nuh-uh. It's spicy," Jason replied. Bruce grinned.

Dick picked over his chicken and ate his potatoes while Jason practically drank his soup. "Boiled fish soup," Mr. Blood whispered.

When the dancefloor opened up, Jason was slumped forward on the table in a deep sleep. A photographer snapped pictures of Bruce and Mr. Blood doting on him before getting a photograph of Bruce carrying Jason to his room. Jason stirred and smacked his lips. "Did you ever find out?" Jason mumbled. Bruce tried to pretend he couldn't hear him. "Am I yours? You had my blood... I know you had to check. I won't be mad." He set Jason down on the steps, and Jason laid his head on Bruce's shoulder.

"I did check... But I didn't want to know. I threw out the results before they were processed. Jason, I love you. Isn't that—?"

"If I'm not yours, would you stop loving me?" Jason questioned.

"Of course not. Jason, no matter what, Mr. Blood and I will always be your fathers," Bruce reassured him.

"Then I want to know. Please, Bruce?" Jason begged. Mr. Blood met them in the hall, and Bruce beckoned him. "Can we please find out now?"

Bruce nodded, and the three of them went to the cave. Jason sat at the foot of the infirmary bed, swinging his feet as Bruce took a cheek swab. Mr. Blood stood with his back turned. He was so nervous he couldn't bear to look. "Dad?" Jason whispered.

"Yes, Lamb?" Mr. Blood replied.

"I'm not gonna cry no matter what," Jason reassured him. Mr. Blood nodded as tears fell from his eyes. He didn't want Jason to see him crying. Bruce did his own cheek swab and processed the samples. Bruce couldn't look as the computer printed the results several minutes later.

"Jason, I'm sorry," Bruce whispered as he walked away from the computer. "I can't look." Jason nodded and took the results, reading them for himself.

Jason sat quietly for a while with the results in his hands, and he choked back tears. After several minutes of silence, he typed something in on the computer. "Jason?" Bruce asked.

Jason pushed past Bruce and Mr. Blood. Once he reached his room, he collapsed. Dick was the first to find him.

[thecruellestmonth]

Honestly really curious about the “Jason feel triggered by Dick’s kindness thing” if you feel like elaborating?

Every betrayal begins with trust. Jason Todd trusts Dick Grayson, and so Dick is a glowing, ticking timebomb.

-The Past-

Dick and Jason have history, not all of it good. Not all of it bad.

Nightwing: Year One

Batman #416 // The New Teen Titans (1984) #31

Skipping the early years all the way to the Red Hood era, Dick is someone who pretty consistently tries to give Jason a chance. Dick keeps up his guard and doesn't trust blindly, but he also tries to listen to Jason, reach out to him, and even work together when possible. Although Jason is an enemy, although it'd be much easier to believe the worst, Dick still generally chooses to keep his heart and mind open.

Outsiders #44-46 (2007), written by Judd Winick. When Jason obtains information that could free an innocent man from prison, he chooses to turn to Nightwing for help. In turn, Dick also chooses to believe in Jason.

Nightwing 2021 Annual, written by Tom Taylor. Despite (falsified) video evidence of Red Hood committing a murder, Dick doesn't jump to assume the worst in Jason. Dick chooses to trust and verify.

As Red Hood, Jason doesn't really like to ask favors or depend on others. Yet Nightwing tends to show up and help him anyway.

Now if Jason were healthy, then Dick's kindness would be comforting and reassuring. But in Jason's experiences, the most crushing pain comes from the people he's supposed to trust the most.

Catherine Todd, Willis Todd, police officers, social workers, a schoolteacher, Sheila Haywood, Bruce Wayne. Those people were supposed to protect Jason—those people ended up hurting him. After these experiences, Jason has become fixated on anticipating others' behavior (look up "fortune telling" as a cognitive distortion). Dick has become the latest source of safety. And so Dick's kindness is a trigger, as Jason anticipates more betrayal and pain.

-Dreams-

Jason's dreams have implied two things about his inner feelings:

1) Jason trusts Dick in ways that he no longer allows himself to trust Bruce—in his dreams, Dick is the first one who shows up for him when he's scared. Dick is the one who anticipates Jason's questions without being asked, and notices the fears that Jason tries to suppress.

2) Jason fears Dick is going to betray him, reject him, humiliate him. Because Dick is in a position where he can hurt Jason, then past experience says he inevitably will hurt Jason.

Examples:

Nightwing #121 (written by Bruce Jones, AKA the infamous tentacle monster arc) - Jason has been ingested by a mutating alien tentacle monster (long story). He dreams that Dick is in the darkness with him—but Dick mocks Jason for hoping that Dick would care to rescue him.

Truth & Justice #11 (written by Trammell) - When Jason has a fear toxin-induced nightmare of being buried alive again, Dick is the one who appears at his graveside and offers him help. However, the nightmare Dick then proceeds to ridicule Jason and attack his worth.

Task Force Z #7 (written by Rosenberg) - Jason has a nightmare of being surrounded by enemies attacking him. The nightmare culminates in the scariest part when Nightwing and Batgirl (Babs)—his older sibling figures—make him feel like a little Robin again, and tell him that all his efforts are just making everything worse.

DC vs. Vampires #6 (2022), a vampire apocalypse Elseworld written by Tynion & Rosenberg

Now Elseworlds (alternate universe) comics aren't canon to the main universe, but can still offer possible insight into characterization… In DC vs Vampires #6, Jason tells Dick (who has revealed himself as an evil vampire): "I always knew someday you'd screw up worse than anyone." Yet up until the moment when Dick reveals himself as an evil vampire, Jason never has a rational reason to anticipate that. So either Jason is just now lying to cover up his own shame for having misplaced his trust yet again, or Jason really has been harboring fears that Dick would betray him.

-The Present-

Circling back to recent happenings in the main universe: Task Force Z #8 (2022). Jason is behaving very suspiciously on a solo mission. Dick wants to know why—whether the greater good is at stake, or whether Jason is in trouble and needs help. And so Dick asks Jason to have a reasonable conversation... to which Jason responds by punching him and running away. Just the slightest suggestion of misgivings on Dick's part, and Jason chooses fight and flight. Another turn of the cycle, and Jason leaves the family circle again as quickly as he rejoined.

Task Force Z #8 (2022), written by Rosenberg

So Jason does cherish his brotherhood with Dick… but Jason is also watchful for the tiniest possible warning signs that Dick could hurt him, so he can cut off that bond before it can be used against him.

Dick Grayson is irresistibly trustworthy. Jason can't stop himself from trusting Dick. That's exactly why he can't trust Dick.

[setokaibapetty]

5 + 1 Fic Friday Roundup: Surprise Relative

Some fics where a surpise blood relation pops up. Like, sometimes the guy who raised you was lying about being your dad, sometimes a Pit gives you a baby, etc.

Imprint (AO3) - "He screwed his eyes shut, held his breath, desperately wished that he was back in his safehouse, alone and blissfully unaware. But the weight in his hands remained, and when he opened his eyes, it was to the bean-shaped 'fuck you' the Lazarus Pit had kindly bestowed upon him, arms and legs folded up against his front beneath off-white muslin while tiny lips smacked softly.'

Red Blood, Blue Blood (AO3) - "Jason Todd was living a very ordinary life in Crime Alley before his mother gets sick. Then, suddenly, Jason and Catherine have to grapple with the secret everyone has known since Jason was born with black hair and blue eyes—Willis Todd wasn't his biological father. Bruce Wayne is, and not only is he the richest man in Gotham, he has three other children who may not be glad to have an interloper in their midst."

Going Off-Book (AO3) - "Dick winces. “Tim, meet Damian Wayne. Apparently, his mom told him who his dad was when he turned eighteen and the first thing he did after finding out was enroll in the nearest police academy. He served for a couple of years and just arranged a transfer here from Metropolis.” He directs a pleading gaze at Tim. “Like I said, Bruce had to go out of town for a while, but he asked me to show Damian the ropes. Tim, I’m sorry, but—"

when the dead tree flowers (AO3) - "It wasn't solely Jango Fett's DNA that went into making Domino Squad. Palpatine had other plans for them. Thankfully, so does their second genetic donor, and he has just as few qualms about murder as a Sith Lord."

Open Arms (AO3) - "The story starts when Quinlan get's a call from the hospital; an old girlfriend has given birth and named him the father, leaving the baby at the hospital. This triggers a series of events that bring Fox back into contact with his bio family, who he is not as distant from as he might like to think."

Bonus: welcome all your bastard actions home (AO3) - "Daenerys had arrived at Winterfell three days past, a great host of dragons and roses and suns and krakens, clearly expecting Jon -- the King in the North, as uneasy that title rests on his shoulders -- to bend the knee. Instead, he takes her to the crypts to speak of ancient history."

[suzukiblu]

may I ask if you have any fic recs handy?? dw if not

Hmmm, well, let's see, what have I read recently that I especially liked . . .

. . . oh okay yeah I got way too into this, lol. wELP, such is life!!

Eyes Like Kryptonite, by dragonez. Supercorp. Lena Luthor gets an either time or dimensionally-displaced Kryptonian on her balcony who inexplicably seems to think a Luthor can help him, and then she has to deal with that. Kara does not love this development (but definitely loves Lena) and Conner just wants to get home to his family.

I Want It That Way, by WynterSky. TimKon. I cannot even explain to you how good this fucking fic is. Just--TimKon, but make it 90's. Why are you still here? Go read it. Go read it NOW.

Catherine/Bruce Medieval AU, by iselsis and PotatoLady. Catherine/Bruce, past Catherine/Willis. What it says on the tin, and also omegaverse. I am WAY too into this fic, hah, "Bruce saves Catherine and takes in her and Jason both" is so, so small a genre but so, so GOOD a genre. [ tw: past rape ]

You and me and them. Let's be pack. Let's show the world we chose each other, by Ace_of_Hearts4444. TimKon. Tim finds out Kon is a newly-presented stray omega in an AU where being packless is a Big Fucking Problem and Young Justice has some fucking FEELINGS about that fact.

The tale of a cat who stole a diamond boy, by Ace_of_Hearts4444. TimKon. I'm not really into "Tim is Stray/Catlad" AUs, but I am VERY into this TimKon concept. Also, like yes, obviously Tim is exactly unhinged enough to do this.

in the shadows, by Kieron_ODuibhir. Batman was Bruce Wayne's imaginary friend, but now he's Dick Grayson's. I could cut a bitch for more of this concept, oh my GOD. 💔

A Hummingbird Suspended, by poisonivory. Thad/Match. Thad gets out of the Speed Force and wants to fuck shit up, but unfortunately Match is very attractive and has even more unfortunately grown some morals.

Gut Feeling, by Ao3time. Lois finds a superclone in a lab and welp he's hers now. No takebacksies.

With Violet Light, by Evilpixie. Jason Todd wants to blow up the Batmobile and ends up a Star Sapphire. There's, uh, an adjustment period.

This isn't how things are supposed to go. But we've always been unorthodox., by RenkonNairu. Superbat, TimKon. Kryptonian omegas are not the same as human ones, and human alphas are not the same as Kryptonian ones. And therefore Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake are having a fucking time of it with Clark Kent and Conner Luthor, and Lex is just doing his damnedest to ruin as much shit as he possibly can. [ tw: rape ]

Talk That Slick Talk, by thebodydies. Kenan/Kon. Kenan meets a weirdly friendly stranger who's apparently trying to pick him up. Kon is literally just wearing fucking glasses, man. Also I desperately need more of this pairing, especially in this interpretation, please and thank you. [ this is just smutty kinky smut and you should immediately go bask in it ]

( annnnnd not-DC-but-still-superheroes bonus round!! )

I wanna be that guy (the girl under you), by Stackthedeck. SpideyTorch. Peter Parker/Johnny Storm + kink = gender?? [ more kinky smut for you to go bask in!! ]

[simpforfandoms]

Never Love Again

listen to the song shawty baes

100 followers WOOT WOOT 🙌

thanks y’all so much here’s some angst bc I’m a little angst whore, also requests are open so please request I'm running out of ideas

part 2

pairing: Jason Todd x reader (i don’t think any gender is specified)

genre: angst

summary: Jason Todd’s death has left a mark on you

word count: 1251

warnings: death, descriptions of abuse (kinda). I did not proof read this

masterlist

April 27th, that's when he died.

wish I could, I could've said goodbye

His funeral was held at the Gotham City cemetery. He was buried in the Wayne plot. You know he would much rather be buried next to Catherine Todd. Not Martha and Thomas Wayne, people that he didn’t even know. Bruce invited you to the funeral. When you arrived it was filled with people Jason didn’t even know. People that he wouldn’t want there. The funeral was a glorified press conference. Bruce used the funeral to explain his wards death. Of course he couldn’t tell them the truth. That Jason Todd died a hero. It infuriated you to see Bruce fabricate a whole story to keep the truth away from the public. It infuriated you that the Joker was still on the lose after what he did to Jason. It infuriated you that the whole world sees Jason as an immature child. It infuriated you that you didn’t stop him from going.

if I knew it would be the last time

You knew that him trying to find his birth mother would be dangerous, but somehow he convinced you that it would be okay. You made the mistake of trusting him. With a goodbye kiss he walked out the door. That was the last time you saw him alive. If you would’ve known it would be the last time, you’ve would’ve held him tighter. Kissed him longer. Begged him not to go. But at last the past is the past.

I would've broke my heart in two

tryna save a part of you

When Bruce told you the story of how he died, you laughed a bittersweet laugh. Of course it was like Jason to try to save someone that he barley knew. You only wish that Jason could be seen as the hero he truly is.

 I wanna pretend that it's not true

You didn’t believe he was dead at first. Even going as far to make Bruce take you to the morgue where his body was. When you saw him you couldn’t contain your self. You broke out in a sob, holding his lifeless body, begging for him to come back. Anything. Bruce had to drag you off. It was evident that it wasn’t a fast painless death. It was slow excruciating death. The love of your life didn’t deserve to die like that. No one did.

that you're gone

At the end of the service Dick came up to you to offer his condolences. You find it ironic that Dick, the person who resented Jason from the beginning, now suddenly cared for him. You tried to be nice to him. Put on a brave face. You know that’s what Jason would’ve wanted. He wouldn’t want you to cry over him. But just because you didn’t cry doesn’t mean you weren’t in pain.

cause my world keeps turning and turning

Years after his death and you still weren’t over it. You’ve went off to college, graduated, got a job at a boring tech company across the country, but yet everyday you thought about him. You only did all those things because you knew Jason would want you to continue living your life. You’ve been in countless dates none of them ever filling that Jason Todd sized whole hole in your heart. Maybe part of it is that you don’t want to move on. You don’t want to forget the time you had with him. You don’t want to know another kiss. You don’t want to feel another touch. You don’t want to give your heart away to another stranger. You’ll never love again. You’ve rather wait to be reunited with him in whatever afterlife he’s in.

and I'm not moving on

Jason lived in the apartment across from you. It was just you and your dad and Jason and Catherine. Your dad was hardly home but when he was he was either passed out drunk or hitting you drunk. You saw Jason every morning when you left to head to school. Jason never went to school, he would stay home taking care of Catherine. He would stare at you. A part of him was jealous. You got to live a life he never could. Eventually you got tired of his cold stares and confronted him.

when we first met

“Would you please stop staring at me” You said

Jason was stunned for a moment he had never heard your voice before. Angelic was how he would’ve described it. Regaining his composure he said, “Don’t flatter yourself”

“Wouldn’t dream of it” you rolled your eyes and continued the journey.

I never thought that I would fall

That was the first time of many you talked. Over the years you and Jason became best friends of some sort. When Catherine died, you were there for him. When he would come home with bruises and scrapes from stealing you would patch him up. When your dad got to be to much he would let you stay over at his apartment. When you he was adopted by Bruce Wayne you were heartbroken having to see him go. But you were happy that he got to leave this horrid place. He deserved the world. You still remember the day when he told you he was leaving. You two were sitting side by side on the rooftop of the building.

I never thought that I'd find myself lying in your arms

“So that’s it? You’re just gonna leave and never see me again?” You said voice cracking turning towards him

Jason eyes soften, he pauses, “you know I could never go one day without seeing you” trying to lighten the mood

“Jason you’re gonna go live in a mansion across the city. Be realistic.”

“C’mon y/n quit being a Debbie downer. I promise you I will always make time to see you” he said

You search his eyes trying to find any hint of dishonesty but you find nothing. You close your eyes and sigh, “I’m gonna miss you Jay”

“I know.” He said pulling you into a hug

don't want to feel another touch

Jason did keep his promise. You were enrolled in Gotham Academy with Jason. Probably because of a certain Wayne. You ended up seeing Jason everyday and spending frequent nights at the manor.

Your and Jason’s friendship eventually blossomed into more, slowly but surely. One day he came through your window all beaten and bloody in his robin costume. You freaked out at first until you realized it was just Jason.

“Jason what the fuck?” You whisper-yelled

don't want another name falling off my lips

He just groaned in response. You quickly grabbed the first aid kit and patched him up. He flinched at each stitch.

"Jay I need you to stop flinching"

"It hurts." He moaned

You hummed in response.

"Kiss the pain goodbye" Jason said abruptly.

You blanked out for a minute. A million thoughts flooded your brain. You thought it was joke. There was no Jason could feel the same way about you. Oh but he did. You were proven this when Jason pulled you down into a kiss.

I don't wanna know this feeling unless it's you and me

A bittersweet memory. Robin brought you together but also brought you apart. That's all you can think about before falling asleep.

don't want to give my heart away to another stranger or let another day begin won't even let the sunlight in oh I'll never love again

...

part 2

[boyfridged]

yutro i need to hear more abt ur canon oc willis todd. please.

oh the pleasure is mine! (i feel like i have waited for this question my whole life though so it will be long. and won't even cover all of it.)

obviously, willis todd was born in the crime alley. he was raised by struggling parents and an assembly of aunts and uncles, not all blood related. his family broke down due to financial trouble. there's a whole background here i have in mind: the area used to be more dominated by heavy metal industry workers, but the companies started seeking cheap labour abroad, throwing the community into an almost decade old crisis and causing them to disperse while also trying to gentrify the area (partly by exploiting the queer & artistic spots in the area that are also often found in districts with high immigrant & working class areas. that's a thing that happens in many cities) (that's offtopic but hence the fancy cinema in the area!). when willis was very young, his father was a victim of aggressive lay-offs and was soon found dead. his mother left gotham with another man when willis was 17. he did not blame her for it.

he is also a 2nd/3rd gen immigrant. i do not have a "set" ethnicity for him (although in thursday night and my other wip he is vietnamese.) it's also important to me that he speaks the language.

he's never been exceptionally good at school but he's smart and knows his way around plenty things. he spent his adolescence working many odd jobs, involving the less-legal ones mentioned in canon - "running numbers" and boosting cars, but not only. he managed to get the GED despite and enrolls into a scholarship LPN programme provided by the wayne foundation (nothing to do with bruce btw, who at the time is not involved neither in the company nor in the philantropy. it's probably based on late thomas wayne's project.) it's not his dream job but this is what is available, it's honest work and he's good enough at it. this is also how he meets sheila.

willis does fall in love with sheila, but she takes interest in him first and tbh willis also falls a bit in love with pretty much anyone and everyone he meets. he sees the best in people. they are never serious though, but when pregnancy comes into play, willis is determined to work something out. maybe sheila thinks she can be a mother for a moment too, and she is vaguely around for the first 2-3 months, except she's not being a mother anyway. and also soon she looses her freshly obtained license as a result of medical malpractice, and willis loses his scholarship because of the association with her too.

he meets shiva by accident and performs first aid on her. sandra gives him her contact details "in case he ever needs anyone gone." willis being willis thinks absolutely nothing of it.

on that note. willis just has what i'd call middle mannered boyish charm, good-spirited sense of humour and the tiniest amount of shyness/awkwardness that makes people (women especially) like him a lot. and he doesn't mind casual romance himself so his address book (or whatever the contemporary equivalent would be) grows to be quite a weird list.

he's briefly a single dad to jay before he meets catherine. they manage just fine for a while, he gets a job as a mechanic, and he is home enough for jay to speak the language too (jay does not speak it later in life though. but jay's relation to willis is a whole another topic i could write hundreds of words about). when catherine gets sick and the financial issues follow, he gets much more absent and depressed. still, every decision he takes is always motivated by the love for his family. he might not have time nor energy to entertain jay as much as he'd like to, so their past-time becomes taking naps together. and willis likes music so he sings him to sleep.

i talked about willis' parenting and his attitude irt violence here so i will not repeat myself but i do think he was relentlessly patient and that this kindness in the eyes of many made him a bit naive. but he would also stop at nothing for his family. love drives men like him into paradoxical points of no return sometimes. &he is convinced he's getting his hands bloody so that jay's never ought to be.

i think he goes on blackgate on a murder charge, because blackgate is blackgate. if he did it or not is a whole another matter; and he surely knows too much for two-face to get rid of him. perhaps contrarily to the charge, his "crime" was actually trying to take a step back and this is what got him in trouble.

[batfsm]

Jason's "brother" first appears in the digital-first chapter Truth & Justice #10 by Jeff Trammell, Rob Guillory, Jean-Francois Beaulieu, and Becca Carey. This story focuses on Red Hood's time as a homeless kid. But he isn't alone in this version of his past; one of the people who helps young Jason is Max Dawkins, an older kid who once took care of Jason like a brother. Together, the two survive their childhood. After Jason Todd is taken in by Batman, Jason leaves some money for Max to help him get off the streets. Max turns his life around, even graduating from college — but is unfortunately murdered by Scarecrow. Killing Max off was a huge mis-step on DC's part, and bringing him back could give Jason Todd's character new depth.

So is Max before Nu52 or in New52? Because I never heard of him so I think he is New52.

Almost every member of the Bat-Family still has a powerful connection to their past life. Dick has had old family members reappear, like his uncle and sister — plus he owns the circus he grew up in. Barbara Gordon still has her father, and Cass Cain, for better or worse, still has her mother and father. Damian Wayne has his father, mother, and grandfather. But Jason Todd has no connection to his past life at all. Both of Jason's mothers are dead, and Joker recently killed Jason's father, meaning Jason has no connection left to his pre-Batman childhood. Bringing Max back into continuity would give Jason at least one supporting cast member who knew him before his death as Robin and his revival as Red Hood, which is something Jason desperately needs.

Jason has Crime Alley! He grew up on the streets, he knows the people probably the best than anyone in the family. He has someone on his side, the people of Gotham themselves!

This has to be New52 because I swear Willis was dead around the time Catherine died. Or still in prison. Wait, Catherine dies by the Joker? At least here. I thought it was the drugs who did it.

(This was where I saw it said Joker killed Catherine and Willis.)

Every other Bat-Family member, including Batman, has both a connection to their past and a civilian life with supporting characters. Jason has neither; rarely is he shown in his civilian life, and he has no supporting cast that isn't a fellow superhero. There is no doubt that, out of all the Bat-Family members, Jason is the one who has struggled the most to find his footing outside the team. Every Batgirl and Robin has their own supporting cast, and Red Hood deserves the same. Bringing Max back could be the first step to fixing that.

Who did Tim have before dating Bernard? Unless I’m mistaken, which I might be, didn’t he push Ives, Bernard, Darla(?), and his other school friends away to focus on Robin? Not to mention it seems as if he had no one to hang out with when Jack made him give Robin up...

Oh, I thought it was Dick’s grandfather who reappeared? Or do they not count William as a family member? Plus, isn’t Dick’s sister his parents killers adopted daughter?

Wait, who do they consider Bruce having as his supporting cast? His kids who technically are also his partners? His best friends who are superheroes? Something that ScreenRant seems to hate for Jason? Damian literally has no friends, that they show, besides Jon who is now Tim’s age, since they got rid of Colin and his other friends, including Jon, are superheroes or villains also.

Tim has Bernard and maybe Ives. Duke has his mom, same with Steph, and that’s about it I believe.

I’m surprised they counted Cass’s parents, Ra’s, and Talia in with Damian’s support. Especially since they didn’t put that Ra’s and Talia are as bad as Cass’ s parents…now.

Actually, if you get down to it, the whole family has each other to rely on also. So Jason isn’t alone.

Every other Bat-Family member, including Batman, has both a connection to their past and a civilian life with supporting characters.

Every Batgirl and Robin has their own supporting cast, and Red Hood deserves the same.

ScreenRant really reiterated themselves here.

DC really changed everyones backstory and made them worse didn’t they?

[missbluesunflowersstuff]

(Kinda) Reverse Robin AU but in a Time Travel way

During a mission Damian it is thrown in the past. It's took a few minutes to undestend what happen, and now we have a little babybat run around the old Gotham trying to figure out how he come back to his time.

He and Batman don't get a long in the first; Damian tried very hard avoid the bat and Bruce chases him wanting to know if he is an enemy or a friend. But everything change when Grayson incident ocorred.

Damian, who tried being invisible, can't ignore that inciddent and fight together with Bruce for the first time since he got there. Obviously they both meet little Dick and Bruce, seeing that there is kindness in Robin (Damian's hero name) and that Damian also wants to help Gotham, decides to take those two boys home (Dick 8 and Damian 16)

Damian don't allow Dick patrol at first, because he is a little kid and stuff. Dick disagree but can't win for now.

"Why you dress yourself like that?" - little Dick

"My hero name is Robin and this is Robin bird colors" - Damian

"Why do Gotham heroes have such bad fashion style? When I'm a hero I'll dress in different colors" - Dick

"Wait..." Damian realize why Robin dress themself like that

Dick still get training but Damian keep saying no patrol. But one night Damian get hurt and Bruce is busy in the other side of the city, then Dick runs for help the young hero. Knowing that there is no way to stop Dick from becoming a hero, Damian makes him promise that he will always patrol alongside Bruce until Dick is ready enough to go alone.

"You turn me a babysister?" - Bruce

"I think the voices in your head will enjoy Grayson's company more than I do, Mister Wayne" - Damian will call Bruce Mister Wayne forever in this timeline

This where Batman and Robin is born. In the same time, Damian start call himlsef Nightwing.

Several months pass and now Damian have a new target, a little boy from the crime gallery. Damian is following this boy for days now, where he's live, where he getting his food and everything. The babybat is collection information about Catherine Todd and Jason Todd.

Damian plan to introduce himself properly, but the whole plan goes sideways when he sees little Jason surrounded by a group of older men, who were very angry with Jason because the boy was stealing from them all the time.

Then now Jason is ready to get hurt, he knows he can't win that fight and those men will hurt him badly until the unexpected happen and Damian save Jason. In the first the little redhood just run away from the Gotham protector. But Damian is in Jason door next day with a bag full of food (Damian decide goes at supermarket and buy stuff for Jason).

Damian start spend time at Crime Gallery and help the people there and also Todd family. He actually move Jason and his mother for a better place and help Catherine stop using drugs, and also keep both save from Jason's father.

Catherine becomes Alfred's assistant (Damian just wants an excuse to keep the eyer on her while take a care of Jason). They're happy after that for a while.

Also, Damian decide call the little stalker to play with his younger bothers. Damian know that in the past he and his sibilings don't go all well, but now Damian just want to make those kids happy because only him can bully his brother and Damian also have a lot of compasion inside him (you can see that in the way he saves Goliath and he desire to create a space for the others kids in that tournament).

Tim start play with Jason, who see Tim as a baby (Jason is protector, he is a child from the crime gallery, he knows how cruel and terrible the world is and he doesn't want another child to be traumatized the same way he was). Somehow Damian maneges to bring Steph and Cass to home (no one dare to ask).

Also, Damian incentive Dick to leave Batman and give him the Nightwing name. Bruce and Damian have the most funny relantionship in all timeline, sometimes they're brothers, sometimes they're friends and sometimes Damian just distance himself for everything and stay in silence.

Everyone can see the boy had problems. Damian have a lot of nightmares, like a lot. He can't spend one night without nightmares. And sometimes Damian wake up scream and crying. Damian has scar for all his body, one makes illusion that he was impaled by a sword once (this one is the worst, Dick and Bruce still don't know how react to its after all those years).

Unfortunately, the bats can't live happily for long and Catherine dies while Jason is patrolling alongside Bruce. Canon events happen after that and Jason almost dies this time, but Damian saves Jason because he knows magic well enough to heal Jason body.

Things just go downhill after that. Jason doens't undestend why Damian wants save him, him after all the boys! Jason never brings joy for anymore. He never did something good in his past, he never deserver this, he should die longside with him biologic mother, this would be the best. Why Damian kill the joker in that way?

And now Bruce and Damian are yelling with each other in the hall. All the other kids hear their fight. Damian then decide go away from Gotham and Bruce closed himself. Jason then decide go away as well. Travel around the world. Jason still keep send letters to Alfred and occasionally to Tim.

Tim doesn't like to see his family fight like that (his own parents do this occasionally and he doesn't want the batfam end like his own house). Tim actually tries to get Dick back home, but fails unfortunately.

Tim turn Robin and fight alongside with Batman, while Steph and Cass goes after Damian (they and Tim made this plan because they're worry about this two idiots). When every plan fails, Steph use then her screat weapon, Tim's fake tears.

This boy just start ugly sob for Damian come back and this work!

"Why do I let you manipulate me this way, Drake?" - Damian after his come back

Damian is no a hero anymore at moment, he just vibes and sometimes work as mercenary (Bruce hates it btw but but he never controlled damian’s actions anyway), Damian also have long hair (He tries to distance himself from Bruce's image so no one suspects anything, surprisingly he became more like Talia and his grandfather as an adult. Taller and slim, with the same elegant walk)

Some time after Cass plays as Orphan, Jason come back and want be an antihero, protect the crime galery people and others. The family actually fight because "Batman doesn't kill". Bruce try to be the hero, "kill a villian don't make you better than them" but Jason doesn't want to hear (again this boy see a lot in that place, he travel the world and when he comes back that place just became worse! WTF)

All of them start fight until Alfred called everyone out.

Damian decide reunite his brothers and tell them his story. He was just a child soldier and how this affected him the wrong way, he had a big family but all his older brothers are dead now, and he also died one time, but he was brings back because Lazaru pit.

"The problem here, Jason, isn't 'kill a killer and the numbers will stay the same', the problem here is: Will you be able to live with yourself after committing this crime? Because one moment you'll stop to react the murders, and when this happen you'll die. I'll not try to stop you, I just want that you don't push yourself so hard like this" - Damian to Jason

Redhood is there anyway. Bruce is a little annoyed but he allow Jason to use the bat symbol because Bruce also miss the boy together with Alfred.

More time pass and Damian knows that everything will end soon. Then he rent an apartment near Thomas's family and start give the boy combat and management skill lessons (yeah this is because the gang).

One day a big bad stuff happen and Damian sacrifice himself to save Gotham. He die happy because this time he became the brother his brothers deserved, someone who would help them and not screw them up. He die happy for his family.

Some random thought about this AU:

Damian just turn himself in the weird cryptid he truly is in this timeline. He constantly explains things with Arabic and Chinese fables to his brothers. Is Dick in trouble on the Titans? A Chinese fable about how a warrior overcame an obstacle. Tim fell and broke his tooth? An Arabic fable about a rabi and a king. Damian doesn't care if this make sense or not, he just wants to annoy his brothers with his knowledge

Also Damian taught them to speak Chinese and Arabic

Ras and Talia find out about Damian when he and Bruce fight. The boy manages to change Ras' heart during this time (don't ask how), Al Ghul family keep like that but less evil and bloody.

All member of Justice League think in Damian as Bruce's annoy young brother. Thomas Wayne was the worsted husband at this point and they refuse to believe outside.

Damian isn't a Justice League member and refuse all the invitation.

He also fight with Oliver Queen after the green arrow kicks Roy out. (he and Ollie doesn't spoken with each other since then)

Damian also yells with Clark about the Kon situation

Damian stopped using a mask to cover his face a long time ago, he doesn't bother to protect his identity because no one is looking for him there and then this becomes a habit of him, so he never uses a mask (he doesn't care for what Bruce says)

Also after Damian got hurt and Dick saves him (in Dick first night as Robin), Damian wake up in the cave with Alfed take a care of him, and:

"Don't worry, master Damian, I put the right blood in you" - Alfred

"How?" - Damian

"I don't know how you did this, or why you're here, but I recognize Mister Martha's smile on your face. So when you're ready to explain, I'll listen to you" - Alfred

[thesandsofelsweyr]

THE CLIMB

《 CHAPTER 3/? // READ ON AO3 // TAG 》

My reimagining of how Jason escaped Arkham Asylum and ended up in Venezuela (Arkham Knight: Genesis Part 5 Retelling)

《RATING》 Unrated 《CATEGORY》 Gen 《WORDS》 2,467

《CHARACTERS》 Jason Todd, Slade Wilson, Original Male Character, Joker (mentioned), Bruce Wayne (mentioned), Catherine Todd (mentioned), Willis Todd (mentioned)

《TROPES》 Angst, Whump, Fix-It

《WARNINGS》 Implied/Referenced Torture, Aftermath of Torture, Blood and Injury, Head Injury, Delirium, Hallucinations, Flashbacks, Near Death Experiences, Suicidal Thoughts, Past Child Abuse, Swearing

《SERIES》 Part 6 of My Arkhamverse

《NOTES》

This was my first time writing Slade Wilson for public consumption so special thanks to @nonbinaryjaybird and dak for beta-ing this chapter.

If you enjoy the read please kudos, comment, and reblog 🧡

《 ALSO ON AO3 》 (comments & kudos there are very much appreciated!)

Jason stops dead in his tracks, paralyzed by the terror that cuts through him like the Clown’s scalpel. That wasn’t the voice of another ghost. That was real. He’d been so lost in his delusions that he hadn’t heard the makeshift trap door creak open or the heavy bootsteps descending the unfinished concrete staircase, approaching him. Panic grips his chest with a gauntleted fist, squeezing all the air from his lungs. Two bright beams of light pierce the darkness, illuminating him like a deer in headlights. 

“No…” His pitiful whimper catches in his throat. Any courage he’d regained from facing certain death had been sucked out of him the instant he heard that voice. How could he have been so careless? This is why I was left here to rot. This is why I was replaced. He should’ve known the Clown would never let him creep through these halls unprotected. He’d never let his prized plaything slip from his grip. His master will make him suffer for this.

He throws up a trembling arm over his face to shield his stinging eyes from the flashlights that are blinding him. His heart is galloping in his chest, racing toward that trap door that is now blocked by the pair of shadowy figures. He tightens his grip on the wall to keep himself from falling to his knees and begging these flesh-and-blood specters for mercy.

The faulty emergency floodlight flickers on again, the shadows rescind, and two living, breathing men emerge from the murk. They’re dressed in GCPD tactical gear, with helmets on and masks pulled up over their faces, hiding everything but their eyes. The larger of the two has a black patch over his right eye.

Jason licks his ragged lips with a parched tongue. He needs to explain; he has to make them understand. “This-this isn’t what it looks like,” he pleads desperately as nervous fingers pluck at his orange jumpsuit. Cold sweat drips down the sides of his face. “I wasn’t trying to escape, I swear. I-I was just thirsty. Please, it’s been days…”

The smaller of the pair pulls down his mask, revealing the round face of a kid not much older than he is; a face he doesn’t recognize. The kid’s thin lips skin back in disgust at the sight of Jason. “That’s the Batman’s partner?” he scoffs with a hint of an accent, looking Jason up and down with dark eyes. He slings his rifle over his shoulder, clearly unimpressed by the filthy, starved ex-sidekick who can barely stand. “Didn’t we just see him with another kid?”

Jason’s heart sinks and he has to choke back a sob. He’s here. He’s here and he’s close and he still didn’t come for me. He still doesn’t care. Warm tears pool in his eyes, but that other part of him refuses to let them fall. “You knew that already, dipshit. It’s past ‘time to face facts’ and man up. You’re steps away from freedom. You know the count. You counted plenty of times. Get the hell out of here.”

The taller man with the broad shoulders and the eye patch steps up to Jason, his one blue eye appraising him. Jason drops his own paler blue eyes to the floor like he’d been trained to do. “Looks like the Bat’s got a spare. Helluva retirement.”

Jason’s blood goes cold: they know who I am. Then his mind catches. That was an old fear, one instilled in him by Batman. Who the fuck cares anymore? He’s a nobody now. Just another plaything left to rot in the Clown’s funhouse. He idly wonders if these goons had dropped by to torture him on Joker’s invitation and he didn’t remember them. There are lots of stretches he doesn’t remember. Probably for the best. 

“Sorry kid, it’s nothing personal,” Cyclops drawls, and Jason hears the sound of a gun pulling free from its holster. “But don’t worry, I’ll make it quick. I wanna get back to all the shows I DVR’d, and my compadre here wants to get laid. Now, down on your knees like a good boy so we can get this over with.”

Jason glances up, and his brow wrinkles in confusion. “You’re here to… kill me?” he asks, incredulous. His brain’s still mush, and the ringing in his ears and the pounding headache aren’t helping him make sense of what’s happening here. 

“Yep,” Cyclops replies as he motions impatiently at Jason with his gun—a wordless reminder that he wants Jason down on his knees. “Your friend the Clown pays really well.”

Jason gapes at the gun and then back at the man holding the gun. “He-he wants me dead?” he asks dumbly. That doesn’t sound right. If the Clown really wanted him dead, he wouldn’t send an assassin to put a bullet in the back of his head, to give him a clean, quick death. No, when the time’s right, Joker will use his own hands and savor every single agonizing second. He’ll peel the skin from my bones, saw off my arms and legs, cut open my stomach, then rip out my guts while I watch. He’ll make me beg and beg and beg for death, and I’ll suffer until my last breath. A wave of nausea rolls through him, and he bites down on his tongue to silence a whimper.

“Uh-huh. Gave me a generous down payment to get rid of the secret prisoner he’d stashed down here. That’d be you.”

Cyclops’ words hit him like a punch to the gut. “Oh,” he says in a tiny voice. His head droops between his sagging shoulders. In the end, even Joker didn’t want him. How does someone fail at suffering? How useless am I? A stifled sob escapes his tight throat before he can swallow it down. He never thought the Clown could hurt him more than he had with all of his toys. No one in the world wanted him now. No one in the world would ever want him. Why the hell am I still alive? He still doesn’t understand what he did to deserve any of this. He fucked up, sure. Fucked up a lot. But he’d tried his best to be good for his mom, for Bruce, even for Willis… even for Joker. Yet, in the end, every one of them abandoned him. “...thrown you away like an unwanted puppy.” Sorrow and despair wring out his heart, and like the weak little coward he is, he breaks down and bawls. He welcomes the bullet this man has waiting for him. He’s ready for the sad story of his life to finally end. He doesn’t even feel like breathing anymore, so he just slumps against the wall and lets his broken body slide to the floor; a useless heap of meat.

“Wait, is he crying?” The kid aims a kick at his sore ribs, and he moans as he doubles over. “At least die like a man.”

“That kid’s got a point, you worthless waste of space,” Robin sneers, disgusted.

Cyclops kneels in front of him, and he can’t help but shrink back; a learned response from over a year of non-stop abuse. He keeps his eyes trained on the black and white floor tiles. “So it’s true, then? You were Batman’s partner?”

Being reminded of the man he thought had loved him, the man who’d replaced him without so much as a second thought, hurts like another kick in the ribs, and a broken sob shakes his cadaverous body. Then that sob’s sucked back in when a heavy hand seizes his jaw, thick fingers digging painfully into his thin flesh. His face is yanked up, and his eyes go wide as his body stiffens. “Answer me,” Cyclops demands cooly, a cold flame burning behind his one blue eye.

“Yes sir,” Jason hears himself reply out of habit and cringes. His training runs deep. Like Pavlov’s dog, but with crowbars and cattle prods in place of the bell. His tongue flicks at one of the empty holes in his gums—one of the punishments for his bad manners—before his eyes fall back to the floor. 

Cyclops releases his jaw. “I’ll be damned,” he laughs as he straightens. “I remember this little punk,” he gestures at Jason with his gun. “Always running at the mouth, never knew when to shut the hell up. The Clown must’ve taught him some manners. Oh, how the mighty have fallen, eh?” He holsters his gun. “Guess it’s your lucky day, Boy Wonder,” he says, grabbing Jason up by his scrawny bicep, as if he weighs no more than a doll. “I’m in the mood to gamble so you get to live a little while longer.”

The man’s words slowly sink into his sluggish brain, then the stomach-churning realization takes hold: these men are taking him away from here, away from his home, away from his master. Jason tries to twist away, but Cyclops’ broad fist is locked around his upper arm, tight as a vise. “I-I can’t leave here,” he squeaks as terror mounts inside him with each hobbled step. “He’ll think I escaped!”

“He? Who’s he?” the kid asks. “The lunatic who locked you up down here?”

“You-you don’t understand,” he stammers on, “what he’ll do to me when he finds me.” Or would he? Does he even still care enough to punish him one last time? The Clown’s threat echoes in his ear, prickling the little hairs on the nape of his neck as if the creep’s looming over him: “I’ll have more than teeth and fingernails to add to your little scrapbook.” Jason can’t risk it. He can’t face that agony again. That humiliation… that mutilation… 

The floodlight flickers off and on again: a portent, a promise of pain. Goosebumps erupt all over his wan flesh. “Not my problem,” Cyclops says dryly as he drags him along toward the stairwell. Towards the exit. Towards freedom. The stairwell doorway yawns open, a dark maw waiting to swallow him; to chew him up then spit him out, like every other time he tried to reach that salvation beyond.

Icy dread sinks its teeth into him, sending a chill skittering down his spine. This has to be another game. He loves his fucking games. And it wouldn’t be the first time Joker recruited others to play with his toy. He thinks I’ll go with them, he warns himself, remembering Dr. Haywood. The ‘J’ on his cheek tingles. He wants to hurt me again, like he did before I became his partner. He wants to punish me. He wants to… he wants…

“Attention!”

His terror takes control. A burst of adrenaline surges through his veins, and he wrenches his skinny arm out of Cyclops’ iron grip. Then he bolts: half-sprinting, half-limping back towards the safety of his cell. His shattered ankle screams in agony, but he’s so crazed by fear that he’s barely fazed. Besides, that excruciating pain lancing up his leg is a mere bee sting compared to what the Clown will do to him for failing this test. He’ll break my other ankle. He’ll break every bone in my body before he… he… Jason clenches his jaw full of broken teeth, wide eyes fixed on the hallway, and his cell beyond. His heavy breathing is torturous beneath his splintered ribs, but he doesn’t dare stop. He’ll curl up in his corner and await whatever punishment he has to endure for leaving his cage. He’ll show his master that he’s loyal. He’ll prove he can be a good partner…

A deafening boom thunders through the narrow corridor, drowning out all other sounds, then searing pain explodes in his shoulder as the bullet tears through that abused tissue. He cries out as his knees buckle and he collapses. Blood’s bubbling up through his jumpsuit. He wraps his shaking hand around the wound, pressing down on it to try and staunch the bleeding. Hot blood seeps through the cracks between his fingers. He tries to push himself back up on his feet so he can keep fleeing, but his knees give way and he falls flat on his face with a grunt. Undeterred, he pulls himself down the hallway, clawing at the tile with his free hand, slithering over the dirty floor, leaving a trail of blood beneath him like a gigantic slug.

He hears a deep chuckle as the two men leisurely stroll up to him. Then a strong hand is under his arm, hauling him to his feet, ending his comically feeble escape attempt as soon as it began.

“Look, kid,” Cyclops explains in his ear as he steadies him. “You’ve got two options: the easy way or the hard way. You can start walking, or I’ll put the next one in your knee and drag your ass out of here. Either way, you’re coming with us.”

“What? You’re bringing him with us? I thought you had a deal with this Clown guy.”

“This kid’s got some valuable secrets. The kind of secrets that your kind of people will pay a helluva lot more for than 2 million bucks. And by the looks of him, the Clown’s already loosened his tongue for us. Never had much faith in that pasty-faced psycho anyway.”

“Crazy Yanqui,” the kid spits. “The Dons won’t give you a dime for this rat bitch. C’mon. Finish the job, and let’s get the hell outta here. I’m freezing my nuts off in this city.”

Cyclops ignores his sidekick, and shoves Jason forward, nearly sending him sprawling. He stumbles ahead, jarring his ankle again. This time the pain is blinding and he yelps. He sucks in a gasp through gritted teeth as he regains his balance. 

He weakly shuffles ahead as he grips his bleeding shoulder, panting as he goes. Every other hobbled step earns him a rough prod from Cyclops. Without the fog of fear clouding his addled mind, it’s obvious once again that he’s on death’s doorstep. He glances up again at the dark stairwell only steps away and he can’t help but giggle. “That’s more like it, you pathetic fuck.” His giggle balloons into laughter, and soon he’s cackling as hysterically as the Clown. He can’t help it. It’s so fucking funny. These men are dragging him out of this pit. His suffering is finally at an end, but he’s not gonna make it past the trap door he tried to reach so many times before because he’s about to drop dead. His side starts to ache from his boisterous laughter.

“He’s lost his mind,” the kid comments, but it’s only a soft echo in his blood-starved brain. Jason takes another step, then the ground tilts up to meet his face.

Darkness.

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

a red fern

by bristledbees Jason can feel their hands, extending trying to drag him down. Back into that pit. He can’t go back. or a rewrite of Jason Todd's life (with extra scenes from my imagination and changes to canon here and there) Words: 2858, Chapters: 1/50, Language: English Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics), Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death Categories: Gen Characters: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake (DCU), Catherine Todd, Damian Wayne (Mentioned), Barbara Gordon, Jim Gordon (DCU), Joker (DCU), Roy Harper, Stephanie Brown Relationships: Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Catherine Todd & Jason Todd, Batfamily Members & Jason Todd, Alfred Pennyworth & Jason Todd Additional Tags: Character Death, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gunshot Wounds, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon Rewrite, my canon now bitch, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Miscommunication, Past Child Abuse, Parent Death, Kid Jason Todd, Good Kid Jason Todd, Child Death, Torture, Tim Drake and Jason Todd are Siblings, Dick Grayson and Jason Todd are Siblings, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent, Alfred Pennyworth is Bruce Wayne's Parent, Homelessness, Necrophilia, it's easily skipped and not any main characters, Jason Todd-centric, No Batcest | No Batfamily Incest (DCU), Catherine Todd is Jason Todd's Parent, Drug Use, Pre-Robin Jason Todd, Jason Todd is Red Hood via https://ift.tt/GpWqAeN

[beyond-abyss]

Batman Essay 1 ~ (9-5-23)

Batman’s numerous protégés remind him of something inside himself. Each young vigilante exudes a specific aspect of Bruce Wayne’s personality, inspiring him to train them. Sometimes the more influence Batman has on one of his protégés, the more they pull away from being just like him. The way Batman chooses to live, and the mindset that compels him are almost entirely impossible to imitate, no matter how much someone tries to follow in his footsteps. In fact, the harder a protégé tries to be like Batman, the more they realize that his very influence saved them from being like him. The one exception is Jason Todd. The harder Jason tries to be the opposite of Bruce, the more like Batman he becomes. In my educated opinion, Jason Todd is the most like Bruce Wayne in personality than all of the other members of the Bat-Family.

Understanding Batman becomes easier when his protégés are considered. Dick Grayson reflects Batman’s desire to save people, and the heart that guides him. Barbara Gordon reminds Batman of his own adaptability and intelligence. Tim Drake is Batman’s endless curiosity, the desire to understand why. Damian Wayne has Bruce’s stubborn attitude, unyielding in his convictions, to a fault. Stephanie Brown is Batman’s desire to punish criminals. Cassandra Cain reflects Batman’s loneliness. Duke Thomas is Batman’s sense of justice, his righteous will. Many of them share more traits with Batman than their strongest attribute, but I believe that Jason Todd shares almost all the same traits as Batman.

Batman, at his core, is a little boy who was terrified by a random evil he was helpless against, and resolved to take personal responsibility for preventing anyone else’s violent death. Bruce wrapped himself in his fears and rage, becoming Batman, but inside, the force that drives him is grief: the pain of love lost. Jason Todd is the same. Raised in an environment of fear, young Jason Todd watched his father taken by the prison system, and his mother Catherine taken by drugs. He had to fend for himself on the streets. Growing up in a state of constant fear makes it incredibly difficult to trust anyone. Nightwing told Jon Kent, “Batman’s natural state is distrustful. Try not to take it personally. Something happened to him when he was a kid. And now he looks for danger in every situation and tries to control it,” (Superman Son of Kal-el). Jason and Bruce are ruled by the same unwillingness to trust others, to rely on anyone else, because they fear the helplessness of the heart.

The core of Batman is his helpless heart, the fear of the grief that still echoes through him. Time and time again, audiences are shown that what Bruce Wayne fears the most is losing more people that he loves. So often Batman pushes away his Bat-Family when he is going through more trauma. Jason Todd is the same. He carries the same helpless heart as his core. Early in his solo series Red Hood and the Outlaws (N52), Jason and his two companions are required to give up their most cherished memories as collateral, returned upon their exit. Starfire and Arsenal quickly take back their most cherished memories, but Jason Todd walks past and says, “Keep it.” The memory that he left behind was of a night he was too sick to be Robin, and stayed home. Bruce joins him on the couch, demonstrating that in that moment, spending time with Jason when he needed him was more important than going out as Batman. They watch TV together and young Jason falls asleep on Bruce, safe and happy. The fact that it’s his most cherished memory reveals that at his core, Jason is his heart, but just like Bruce, Jason fears that love becoming grief. He literally pushes away what he loves most, just like Batman.

All of the Bat-Family have love at their core. They all want to help people, save lives, and stop crime. I argue that Jason Todd shares the same brand of helpless love as Batman, where everyone else has learned how to let people get close instead of pushing love to arm’s length. Batman has a reputation for not trusting anyone, even his closest friends. He infamously has plans to take down the Justice League, preparing for any eventuality where he cannot trust the people dearest to him. Jason Todd is prepared to ditch his companions at any time too. He alienates Roy Harper (multiple times), he prepares to shoot Bizarro once, and he concocted a plan to erase his own mind and take on the League of Assassins alone, never letting his best friends in on the plan. Jason chooses to maintain his distance from the Bat-Family, despite repeated attempts by his siblings to get close to him. He intentionally makes himself out as the bad guy to push them all away. Especially Bruce.

As Bruce occasionally pushes away his family, so too does Jason Todd purposefully alienate the Bat-Family with his methods of crime-fighting. All the Bat-people fight crime, but most of them do not rely as much on fear and violence as Batman does. Nightwing leans into being friendly and asking his friends for support. Oracle is cooperation and persuasion. Tim Robin is outsmarting your enemies and beating them before they begin. I have seen Spoiler demonstrate that crime fighting can be efficient with as little danger to civilians as possible if you think like the bad guys do, turning their methods of subterfuge against them. Cassandra Batgirl is faster and more precise in defusing dangerous situations. Signal can get someone to stop committing crime without laying a hand on them. Damian Robin uses the same fear and violence that Batman does, with difficulty, because he has less experience trying to be nonlethal. Red Hood fights crime by committing crime. Red Hood has a reputation built on fear and violence, because he has a lethal record. Many criminals know the Bats don’t kill, so they fear Batman less than their murdering bosses. But criminals know all bets are off with Red Hood, as he is known to behead, blow up, and annihilate people. Jason Todd chose to be Red Hood specifically to alienate himself from the other Bats.

Red Hood appears to be as different from Batman as you can get, but although their methods are opposed, their personalities are parallel. Jason Todd and Bruce Wayne both want to save people and stop criminals to try and feel less helpless themselves. Jason and Bruce both grew up in a state of fear that all the other Bat-people lacked. Dick Grayson put it best when he said to Batman, “You and I were both about the same age when our parents were murdered. … But when my parents were murdered, you found their killers that very same day. Then you brought me into your home. You protected me. You gave me a great life. Because of you I never grew up wanting revenge. I grew up wanting to protect and help others because you protected and helped me,” (Robin 80th). Bruce lived in fear after his parents were killed, and he traveled the world alone trying to learn skills so he’d be prepared for any situation. He guards his heart, wrapping it in rage so he’ll never be let down by people he loves leaving him. He uses his fists to try and solve problems that can never be solved with violence. He uses his incredible intellect to wear a mask and keep people at arm’s length instead of letting them help him. Jason Todd is the exact same. Lived in fear, traveled the globe alone learning and preparing, guards his heart and looses his rage upon the world for disappointing him. Uses violence to stop violence. Chose a mask that would intentionally alienate him from his family. Just like Bruce.

The only way Jason and Bruce differ is Batman’s unshakeable sense of self and incorruptible mission. Batman fights crime, and doesn’t kill. Jason Todd, on the other hand, has an identity issue. He has been Robin, Red Hood, Red Robin, Nightwing, Wingman, and even Batman. He uses nonlethal methods when he’s in Gotham, but doesn’t bother holding back outside city limits. He fights crime, but also commits crimes. Jason thinks of himself as neither good nor evil, just following what he thinks is right. He’s a survivor (as his childhood shows), but sometimes he also wants to die (“Maybe I was better off dead,” RH&tO Rebirth). He alienates himself from the Bat-Family, but always comes when they call. Jason lacks the unyielding purpose of Batman. Bruce Wayne defines himself by being Batman, but Jason Todd can’t seem to make up his mind about who he is underneath his masks. Jason is, however, solid in his personality. A little boy afraid of the random cruelty of crime, living with the grief that people who love you can leave you all alone, but determined enough to do something about being so helpless. At the end of the day, the key is compassion.

Bruce and Jason are both big softies with warm hearts pretending to be dark and scary with violence.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Five Stages of Mamma Mia

Fandom: Batfam, DC Comics

Summary: AU where Catherine Johnson is Jason's bio mom and Jason doesn't know who his father is. (Jason Todd is Jason Johnson for fic reasons).

Chapters: 20/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Jason Blood, Catherine Todd Mention, Bruce Wayne, Willis Todd Mention

Relationship(s): Past Catherine Todd/Jason Blood, Past Catherine Todd/Bruce Wayne, Past Catherine Todd/Willis Todd

Additional Tags: Canon Divergent AU, Mamma Mia-inspired AU, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Father-Son Relationship(s), Jason Todd Experiences the Five Stages of Grief

Chapter Twenty: I Wonder (Departure)

Jason felt hands grabbing his arms and legs, pulling him in every direction. “Urghhh… No,” Jason mumbled. He shook his head as he kept his eyes shut. The hands were freezing to the touch but not firm enough to feel corporeal. It felt like a bad dream. “No… Let go.” 

“Help us,” one of the people whispered. 

“Let go first,” Jason gently replied. Mr. Blood taught him not to panic. Fear would cloud his intention, making anyone there perceive him as a threat. Jason swallowed hard and waited for the hands to release him. One by one, they released him. “I’m gonna open my eyes. Okay?” 

“Okay,” a soft voice answered. Jason squeezed one of his fingers, opening one eye slightly. He knew he wasn’t in the physical realm. He blinked hard at the woman in front of him. “Don’t be afraid. We don’t want to hurt you. We’re looking for our son.” 

Jason glanced at the man next to her. 

“I know you… I mean—. You’re—. I’ve seen your portraits. You’re Bruce’s parents,” Jason whispered. The woman smiled and nodded. Jason’s thoughts raced. “He’s okay.” 

“Bruce didn’t come with us… So, we were wondering if he got lost. Time is—. How do you know Bruce?” Thomas asked. Jason raised his eyebrows. 

“That’s a long story… Do you know you’re—? Do you know where you are?” Jason questioned. He didn’t want to say it outright. 

“We know we’re gone, sweetheart… How do you know Bruce?” Martha questioned. 

“He’s my dad… I mean—. Not my biological dad. He—. I’ll live with him sometimes… And sometimes I live with my other dad… He’s not my biological father, either. They’re—. It’s complicated, but Bruce is okay. I don’t know why I’m here. I just—. I found out Bruce isn’t my biological father, and I woke up here,” Jason whispered. He kneaded his forehead with his palms, trying to remember an excerpt from one of Mr. Blood’s books. “Bruce is okay… He’s kind. I—. How am I here?” Jason panted as he looked around at the shapeless landscape. It was intangible, colorless and colorful, devoid of light and un-darkened. “I was fine a minute ago. I was—.” Jason started to tear up, but he sucked in a breath, desperately looking for something to hold onto. 

Thomas and Martha reached out. “Sweetheart, it’s okay… It’s not so bad—.”

“Martha, look at him, though. He doesn’t belong here,” Thomas interrupted, “Something about him feels different.” 

Jason couldn’t contain his fearful thoughts, and he started crying. “Oh, sweetheart—.” 

Words clustered in his throat, blocking his airway as he choked and gasped for air. He wanted Bruce, Mr. Blood, or Catherine, but the words lost themselves on his frightened tongue as reality sank in. He had no idea how to get back to the living. And if he couldn’t get back… That meant he’d never wake up again. “Maybe you’re here for another reason. I don’t think you’re deceased,” Thomas reassured him. 

*

Meanwhile, Bruce took Jason’s pulse, and Mr. Blood tried to establish a link. “Are either of you getting anything?” Dick questioned. Bruce ran a hand through his hair. 

“It’s faint, and he’s cold. Jason, are you getting anything?” Bruce questioned. 

Mr. Blood pressed his forehead to Jason’s. “I know it’s futile,” Mr. Blood snapped at Etrigan. 

“Bruce, I can’t find him. He isn’t—. He’s not there. His body is here, but I can’t find any trace of him in his body or anywhere in this—. Jason isn’t in this plane,” Mr. Blood replied.

Dick frowned and shook his head. “No. He can’t—. Jason was literally speaking to us a few minutes ago. He’s breathing. Does no one else see him—?” 

“Dick,” Bruce interrupted, “If he isn’t in this plane, can you find him in another?” 

“It’s not my area of expertise… I wouldn’t know where to find Jason. Bruce, you need someone who can travel between—. You need someone who can astral project,” Mr. Blood whispered. 

Dick grabbed Jason’s hand and squeezed it. He pictured Jason’s little, sad face the night they met. Bruce left the room with his phone in hand. “Is he—? How did this happen?” Dick asked.

“I don’t know. Jason’s a crafty little fellow, so if there’s something foul at play, he’s already aware of it. Jason’s smart. He’s read half the books in my library,” Mr. Blood mumbled, “I haven’t told Bruce this because I don’t want him to worry, but Jason has a natural knack for magic… And that isn’t something that—. I can’t train him to be that good… He just—. He is. Whatever ability he has, he was born with… And it feels ancient.” 

Dick took Jason’s tie off. “What are you saying, Blood?” Dick questioned. 

“I don’t know… I just—. Jason’s not a normal human,” Mr. Blood replied, “If someone can reach him from this side, he’ll be fine.” 

“How long does he have?” Dick asked. 

“It’s still too early to tell… The longer Jason’s away from his body, the more difficult it’ll be to return. It’s like driving a long distance. It depends on how much metaphorical gas he has in the tank,” Mr. Blood explained. 

*

Jason held Martha’s hand as Thomas looked him over. “What’s your name, young man?” Thomas asked. 

“Jason,” Jason answered. Martha doted on him. 

“That’s a lovely name. Is Bruce—? What’s he like?” Martha asked. 

Jason shut his eyes, thinking about his time with Bruce. “Bruce is—. I didn’t expect anything from the men I thought were my father… But they’ve been everything to me. I don’t know what I would’ve done without meeting them. I thought I was okay, but I wouldn’t have—. I wouldn’t—. Am I dying?” Jason whimpered. Martha pulled Jason into an embrace. Thomas rested a hand atop Jason’s head.

“I don’t think so… You’re the only warm thing here… And you’re solid. Nothing here is solid,” Thomas replied, “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Not that we aren’t happy to meet you. You seem like a lovely young man. It’s just—. This is no way to meet our only grandson,” Martha reassured him. 

Jason sniffed and wiped his tears away. “I’m not your only grandson… Bruce has an older son. He’s grown up now, but he’s kind… And I—. Everyone likes him. You’d love him,” Jason corrected. 

Martha and Thomas exchanged smiles. “Two grandsons… Well, look at that,” Thomas grinned. 

Martha held Jason in her arms, rocking him gently. “We’ve got to find someone who can send you back home,” Martha whispered, “I’m sure Bruce is worried sick about you.” 

Thomas sat beside her, reaching over to pat Jason on the back. 

Jason closed his eyes, trying to find his way back to his body. Jason didn’t know much about astral projection, and he’d never been brave enough to attempt it. Thomas knit his brows together, and Martha shrugged. “I don’t know how to get home… What if I can’t—?”

“I’m sure someone here can help, Jason,” Martha reassured him. There was no concept of time there, so she had no idea how long they’d been gone, and she feared Jason wouldn’t return home. “It’s alright, sweetheart. It’s going to be fine.” Thomas took Jason from Martha. 

“And when you get home… I want you to tell Bruce something,” Thomas replied before whispering something in Jason’s ear. Jason nodded seriously.

[yvtro]

Sorry, I'm sure it's come up in the past but I don't know if it's specifically tagged: Could you describe what you dislike about Cheer? I have issues with it too but I always see people say it's bad but never get to see why, so I'm curious if it aligns with my own interpretation.

tldr, it's all about classism and how it sticks to retconning jason's robin days to make him an 'angry robin,' a take on his personality that was never true in his original characterisation (i talk about it a bit here). not only that, the story even adds up to the already exisitng paradigm to make it look like jason didn't even care about being robin. no one has ever went that far before.

so let's talk about these flashbacks.

in general, they just widely fuel the narrative that frames jason as a “wild” child from the streets who is drawn to violence. the fact that alfred has to tell him that “he should be training or else bruce will be displeased” is so massively out of character for everyone involved. then we have jay saying ugh robin. so not badass. why can’t I just be batboy– which i will not even comment on. jason’s love for robin and how diligent he was in practice were one of his most important traits in the original run. and here? they make him treat robin like a joke, disregard the legacy, and even make some crude comments about dick too. he doesn't even seem to understand the concept. on top of that, he is also fascinated with guns, which is once again adding up to the whole rhetoric that he was always doomed for life as a criminal. this all happens within like the first half of the first issue.

now, to the current timeline and the whole storyline, which:

1. is once again based on the concept of the war on drugs (please spare me all the “it’s a supervillain, it’s not the same,” because the reader WILL and is supposed to draw references to jay’s family background,) and, among the others

2. has jason arguing that a petty thief deserves death because he will never stop. jason todd, whose first meeting with batman was stealing his tyres, and who had enough of social awareness as a child to know that being labeled as a criminal for trying to survive is not right. who was also sensitive and compassionate enough to never hold a grudge toward his neglectful parents (the 80s iterations of catherine and willis todd were not outright abusive, the fact that they couldn’t take care of jason was in many ways caused by the circumstances). jason todd, who died trying to save a woman who was as morally corrupt as they come. but apparently none of that matters in that continuity.

enter bruce, the 1% bruce wayne, who has to wealthsplain to jason that poor people deserve a chance to be rehabilitated. bruce wayne explaining that to jason todd who was homeless as a child, and about whom bruce said that he needed to take him off the streets so that he won’t become a criminal. bruce, who obviously is not plainly classist, but who also doesn't have even an ounce of experience with poverty that jason has. okay.

and see, the thing is, i am willing to compromise with the modern take on jason and agree that it would be interesting for him to come close to what he sought out to destroy. it's not the most novel, but i could see jay who detaches himself from his kindness for the sake of survival. this version of events is ugly, it’s sad, it’s a bit questionable, but dramatic irony makes it appealing enough. (and there's still space for character development there, for jason to realise it) but this is not what zdarsky is doing in 'cheer', since jay's robin days are even more bastardised than they have ever been before. he is shown as some hopeless cynical beast of a child rather than an idealist, a tender-hearted kid that he was.

and then there are also the 'death in the family' flashbacks, which perpetuate the concept that jason got killed because he "did not listen." the flashbacks in which jason solemnly informs the reader that he never trusted bruce nor did bruce trust him, and that "neither of them lived up to the idea of the dynamic duo." and that makes me wonder– if jason never trusted bruce, why would he be so shaken by the fact that bruce did not avenge him? in fact, why would he care about batman post resurrection at all, if his life as robin was so awful?

it’s all such an unnatural characterisation of not only him, but also how people who come from such communities are in general. coincidentally I just reblogged this post by @martyrtodd that I think explains it quite well. people from the lower-economic class tend to focus on giving back and form really close ties with each other. for jason to be so dispassionate about it and focus so much on violence even before his death is an obtuse concept.

[ayamari-no-goshi]

Chasing Shadows (11)

AO3 -> first, last, next

Fandoms: Danny Phantom (DP) / DC universe

Summary:  THIS  IS A CROSSOVER.  As Bruce Wayne begins to slowly recover from the loss  of his son, two   separate mysteries open up old wounds. Who is the unknown leaving clues   hinting at a return to Gotham, and who is the phantom pretending to be   his lost son? Is it just a coincidence they’re active in Gotham at the   same time? Or are they connected?  

Warnings: rated T for violence, mentions of death, and questionable mental health

Parings: none

Notes: originally uploaded to AO3. Cross-posted to tumblr

“That’s like the fifth time you’ve reviewed those flowers. If you haven’t found anything yet, I doubt you will.”

Bruce glanced up from his workstation to where Babs was looking at him from her current set up in the Cave. It still wasn’t to the same level as it was in the Clocktower, but it was still somehow more advanced than his. It was a testament to her skills.

The now mostly dried flowers and a still of the lotus design Jason used for his second clue were laid out in order in front of him. The newest additions were a calypso orchid, placed on Catherine Todd’s grave and a spring of wormwood placed on Shelia Haywood’s a few days prior. The orchid was an easy enough reference – it was named after the nymph Calypso who nursed Odysseus back to help after he washed up on her shore. She kept him there for seven years while the rest of the word believed the hero had died. It was an unsettling parallel to Jason’s time with Talia. Bruce suspected it was also chosen due to it being used to represent love for the deceased in funerary bouquets and rebirth in some cultures.

The wormwood was a more puzzling choice at first. In the language of flowers, it represented bitter sadness. There was some evidence it was used as an herbal remedy in the past which might be why it was chosen, but more recently, it was more associated with madness and murder. Was it Jason’s way of hinting at the Lazarus Pits again? Or was it his way of further suggesting his biological mother was directly involved in his death.

“It feels as if I’m missing something,” Bruce admitted as he picked up the orchid again. “Were these just ways for him to hint at his resurrection and return?”

“That’s a possibility,” Barbara admitted as she abandoned her equipment and wheeled over to him. “Jay always did have his own flair for the dramatic.”

“True.” Before his death, Jason talked about possibly joining his school’s theater club. He would have excelled in it. The happy memories of his son were quickly replaced by images of his broken body, a frequent occurrence. Whatever life Jason would have lived had been destroyed by the Joker.

That reminded him. He needed to check on the restoration of Jason’s mask footage. With the new information that came to light, he owed it to his son to see for himself what happened that day.

“I still haven’t been able to find any recent signs of him in Gotham,” Barbara continued, disregarding his sudden change in mood. She knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t tell her even if she questioned it, “but I think I might have found Danny. I’ll send the files to you to review, but it looks like Jason enrolled him in Gotham Heights under a false identity. His school file has his guardian listed as a ‘Jay Flannagan’.”

She sighed before continuing. “I miss the days when we weren’t trying to track someone with the same skills as us. There’s only a P.O. box associated with that name. Wherever Danny’s staying must be under a different identity. Or, it’s completely under the table. There are rumors some places in Crime Alley that will skip the necessary checks and paperwork if a person is willing to pay rent in cash.”

“Both are possible,” Bruce acknowledged. “If he was by himself, he’d probably chose the latter. However, he’s caring for Phantom, it seems more likely he’d choose the former.”

“I agree. I’ve been trying to hack into the nearby security feeds for Danny’s school, but he’s proving hard to catch. Jason taught him well. But I have noticed occasional glitches in certain feeds. Poorer cameras seem to have strange reactions to his powers, so it might be a sign he’s passing near them. I’ll let you know when I have more data, but we might have a larger problem.”

“What do you mean?”

“We got a warning from both Jason and Danny about the G.I.W., and it looks like they’re starting to pop up in Gotham. There have been a lot of sightings of government types in white suits around the remains of the Clocktower and where some of the better documented sights of Phantom occurred. Right now, it just appears they’re getting some type of reading and taking samples, but we’ll have to keep an eye on them. There are multiple reports that they’ll get civilians involved if they believe a ghost or other similar entity is nearby. They might push Danny into hiding.”

That was problematic. Right now, Phantom was their best chance at being able to find Jason and stop whatever he was planning. He had set up a meeting with Dick in a few days, but if this group was as dangerous as suggested, then there was a good chance they’d scare him off. Bruce couldn’t risk that happening. However, there was also a chance their presence would also force Jason back into the city earlier than he had planned as there was a high probability Phantom had the ability to contact him.

“We’ll have to keep an eye on them,” he agreed. “However, locating Phantom is the first priority.”

…

Tim didn’t want to be at the Manor at the moment. He couldn’t handle seeing Bruce’s grief reopened all over again, so he was dressed as Robin and pretending to be on patrol. Instead, he was sitting on one of the taller buildings of Gotham next to the gargoyle Jason loved to visit when he was still Robin.

Being who he was, Bruce made the decision to restore what he could of the audio and video of Jason’s death. He needed to verify for himself what his son went through even after getting the truth directly from his mouth. Since they couldn’t convince him not to watch it, he, Dick, Cass, Steph, and Babs all sat through it with him in an attempt to give him some sort of support.

He should have listened to Dick. He shouldn’t have watched. Saying it was horrible didn’t do it any justice.

 “Jason, you need to disarm the bomb!”

 “…I can’t…”

Those two phrases kept haunting him. Every time the words replayed in his mind, Tim was struck by the resignation in Jason’s voice. He knew. He knew he had no chance of escaping and accepted he would die. And the woman who led him to his death had the nerve to try to order him around instead of trying to help him. It wasn’t fair. None of it was fair. Jason had tried so hard to be a good hero. And his last act was to attempt to shield the woman who betrayed him.

Jason, his hero, his Robin, had been killed because he trusted his mother. He trusted the woman he hoped would love him. It just wasn’t fair.

“I was told I’d find you out here.”

The voice startled him so badly that he nearly fell from his vantage point. Turning, he found Jason, in his Red Hood gear. The slight tilt to his head suggested he was curious as to what Tim was doing. For a brief moment, Tim thought there would be a repeat of what happened in the graveyard, but Jason’s posture wasn’t threatening. He must have known what he was thinking as he took a seat as he reached for his helmet. There was the hiss of some sort of mechanism unlocking before he pulled it off and shook his head. Tim briefly wondered how hot it was under it.

“Why do you wear a domino mask under it?” he questioned as he took a hesitant seat on the other side of the gargoyle. If Jason was willing to talk, he was okay with that.

“Habit.” Jason’s answer was short, but there was no obvious hint of anger. “And dramatic flair.” If that was the case, maybe that’s why he had the white streak. In the dark, it almost looked like it was glowing.

“Oh…” What else was he supposed to say to that? So, he changed the subject. “Not that I don’t enjoy you being here,” Tim wanted to make sure he didn’t accidentally anger Jason. They weren’t sure of the extent of the Pits effects on him and how much of his actions were his own. “But why were you looking for me?”

“I can tell you’re afraid of me. You don’t have to hide it.” When Tim didn’t elect to respond to that, Jason continued, “Dove sent me after you.”

“Dove? You mean Phantom?”

Jason ignored the question. “So, you know how he can see ghosts?”

“Yeah…? Oh!... So, he knows?” Tim hadn’t expected that. With everything else going on, there were times he almost forgot. Almost, but not quite.

Jack Drake hadn’t been the best dad, but he really tried to step up in the last year. While it didn’t do much to erase the childhood of loneliness brought on by all the trips he and his wife took, he still tried to change. It meant a lot to him, but he’d been killed, just like his mom and stepmom.

“Guess your dad directly came to him or something like that. He apparently had some choice words about me hurting you. Not that I’m surprised about that.” He shrugged before raising an eyebrow at him. “A fake uncle? Really? I get wanting space, but seriously, that’s taking it to a different level.”

Tim could feel himself flush. “I don’t want to be adopted by Bruce,” he admitted. “I was never supposed to be a permanent part of your family, just a placeholder until he didn’t need me anymore. Right now, he’s my guardian, and with my dad’s passing…”

“…I’d be a hypocrite if I told you to stay at the Manor,” Jason eventually told him. Each word sounded as if he was carefully choosing them. “But don’t force yourself into exile either. As annoying as Dick can be, he’d love to have to bunk with him for a while.”

“That’s okay. I don’t want to be a burden.”

“You won’t be. Hell, you might be able to help him remember to actually eat something decent for a change. But, if that’s not good enough, stay with that team of yours. Even if you don’t want to talk about it, they’ll still be there so you don’t self destruct.”

Tim flinched at those words. The phantom words of a soft “… I can’t...” filled his ears again, and unwanted tears dripped down his face.

“Ah shit.” He could feel Jason move closer. There was no feeling of animosity, but a questioning hesitance as he moved his hand as he he was considering reaching out for a comforting touch. Pulling it back, he muttered, “Didn’t mean to upset you.”

Shaking his head, Tim tried to ignore how Jason’s features were slightly blurred. It was probably just his tears, but he almost looked like he wasn’t entirely there. Somewhat unnerved, he reached out to see if the older teen was solid. When his hand touched his arm, he couldn’t help but sigh in relief. Jason had stiffened at his touch but let it happen without pulling away.

“It’s not… B restored what he could of the footage of what happened…. What happened to you.”

“And he let you watch that?” The outrage in his voice wasn’t what Tim expected.

“Most of the video is too distorted, so it’s mostly just audio.” When that didn’t lighten Jason’s mood, he tried a different tactic. “Dick tried to convince me and the others not to, but I felt like I had to be there… not just for B, but for you too. After the first attempt to restore it didn’t work, he couldn’t bring himself to try again. So, without knowing about… about the betrayal, he put together the most likely series of events. After that, you became a warning to other heroes of what could happen if they got too sure of themselves. It never sat right with me.” He sighed and hugged his knees. “To me, you were just as much as a hero as Nightwing and Batman. I felt like I owed you that.”

Jason didn’t say anything for a few moments. “You… don’t owe me anything. Months ago, I would have thought otherwise, but not now.”

A wary sort of hope surged through Tim. Jason didn’t completely hate him, which was good, but there was still some sort of barrier. “But you’re not happy I’m Robin.”

“No. It’s…” The older teen shifted as he ran his hands over his face. The weird haze over his features hadn’t gone away. He hadn’t noticed it during dinner the other day. Was it something that came and went? “It’s more I’m angry he let another child in those colors. There shouldn’t have been anymore Robins. There shouldn’t have been any more child soldiers. As much as he claims he cares, we’re never the priority in the field. He’ll always, always choose the mission over anything else.”

“What about you and Phantom?” He figured it was better to deflect instead of arguing.

Jason’s mood seemed to darken as a muscle moved in his jaw. “I don’t want him out there,” he hissed before his tone became more resigned. “Unfortunately, his anchor, what keeps him tethered to both life and undeath, is his drive to help others.”

“Oh!” That was a very revealing statement. His eyes widened slightly. “So that’s at least part of the reason he’s helping you plant your clues and keep tabs on us. It’s a safer alternative.”

“Got it in one.”

“Do… do you have something similar? Constantine told B you’re a Liminal too.”

Instead of immediately replying, Jason took out a cigarette. Surprisingly, he didn’t light it but still placed it to his lips. “Didn’t know there was a proper name for ‘fucked up zombie’.” He fell silent again before quietly stating, “I hope there isn’t.”

Tim pretended he didn’t hear it. Instead, he decided to focus on the older teen’s self-depreciating tone. Was it related to his coming back to life? Had he not wanted to? Phantom was worried he wasn’t planning on living through whatever he was planning which gave some credence to that idea. It… it was troubling.

Before Tim could finish sorting out his thoughts, Jason stood and stretched. “Make sure you let yourself grieve. Trying to push it in a box only works for so long before it affects everything else. Being around others helps.”

It almost sounded like he was speaking from experience. Tim couldn’t dwell on it more as he realized Jason was moving towards the ledge. “Wait, are you leaving?”

He could tell Jason rolled his eyes, even with the domino mask, as he tucked his helmet under his arm. “No, I’m going to stay and chat until sunrise. Of course I’m leaving. Have things to do, buildings to destroy, and I’m on a tight schedule.”

“But!” He couldn’t let him slip away again. “Everyone wants you to come home. You haven’t even seen Ba… I mean Oracle and Agent A yet. And… and we’re working on finding ways to reduce the turnover in Blackgate and Arkham that isn’t just focused on dealing with the breakouts. I mean, we’re doing that too, but…”

“When I come back from my trip, I’ll see what’s changed,” the old teen gave him a searching look that was replaced with a dangerous smirk. “Impress me enough, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll tone down what I’m planning.”

That… that wasn’t a confirmation that he’s stop killing or even come home, but it was something. For now, Tim would count it as a win.

“Before I leave,” Jason continued, “brooding isn’t a good look for you.”

“Excuse me? Isn’t this the place you used to go all the time?”

“Yeah, but I made it look cool.” It took a moment to realize that Jason was joking with him. It was almost a surreal feeling. “But secondly, keep those G.I.W. goons away from Dove while I’m away. They will kill him if they get their hands on him, and it won’t be painless. If, and only if, you have to move him for his safety, take him to the Tower for safety. I’m serious when I say I don’t want him anywhere near the Cave.”

Tim wasn’t going to admit he was a little jealous of how much Jason seemed to care for Danny. “But I’m surprised you’re willing to risk leaving him alone. Unless… that’s what you’re doing! You’re going after the G.I.W.!”

Jason’s response was nothing more than a predatory grin. That wasn’t good.

“I… we can help. Please! Phantom told us they can hurt you too!”  He had to do something. If Danny was to be believed, the organization was a lot more dangerous than they originally believed. Bruce, Alfred, and Dick couldn’t lose him again. He had to stop him from going.

He gave an amused huff. “Worried about little ol’ me? Don’t be. I know what I’m doing.” Before Tim could even get another word in, he leapt off the roof.

When he didn’t hear the tell-tale sound of the grapple, he rushed over to make sure he was okay. But there was no sign of Jason, even with thermal vision. He had just vanished into the night. Great, now he had to be the one to explain his formerly dead son was about to go do something most would consider suicidal.

…

With how empty and broken Bruce currently felt after finally learning what happened to his son, he was surprised at how fear was currently clawing its way through his entire being. Tim’s report about how Jason was planning to go after a powerful government organization terrified him. Not only was there the concern over what exactly Jason might do during his crusade, he now had to worry what would happen if the G.I.W. somehow got their hands on his son. He lost Jason once, and he couldn’t lose him again.

The current trouble was determining where and how he would strike. There were a few G.I.W. bases scattered around the country. Logically, it would make the most sense for Jason to go after the main base, but depending on what he knew of their organization, he could choose to strike at a different location which held more importance. More information was needed, so he had recruited Babs to help him hack into their systems.

On the surface, it appeared to be an organization mostly designed to study ghosts and other similar entities, but he knew there was more to it. However, whenever Babs attempted to get information better protected, the G.I.W. databases went into lock down. It baffled everyone as there hadn’t been any evidence of such security when she started. To make matters worse, whatever security the G.I.W. had seemed to be able to locate the general geographic area where the attempted hack originated as more of their agents were detected on the streets of Gotham within a few hours.

It was a nightmare. Not only did it put Phantom at greater risk, but there was also a chance this would push Jason to act ahead of schedule and recklessly escalate. So far, he’d proved his actions were rather meticulously planned. It had only been when Phantom or Stephanie were in danger that he moved unexpectedly. And with how protective he was regarding the boy, there was no telling exactly what he would or wouldn’t do. Until he or any of the others could get in touch with Phantom or Jason, they would have to increase patrols in the city. He was also going to have to call in the big guns.

…

Dick sighed as he toured the G.I.W. compound closest to Gotham with Superman. The workers seemed nice enough, but it was clear from their tense stances and hesitant looks towards the field agents in the white suits that their impromptu visit wasn’t welcome. Without knowing exactly what Jason would do to expose the organization, especially with them increasing their presence in Gotham, Bruce decided to request members of the League make impromptu visits to the G.I.W. bases at approximately the same time under the guise of a potential threat. He hoped it would get them better access to the restricted information as well as deter a more violent response from Jason.

Currently, they were waiting in a meeting room for their guide to get permission to take them to some of the lower levels with completely not suspicious guards outside the door. Somehow, there wasn’t any piece of technology in the room that Dick could use to plant a bug to either listen in or attempt to hack into the system more securely without taking the time to hack the security camera.

Unlike him, Clark was bound by technology. “There’s lead in the floor. There isn’t as much in the walls on this floor, but it’s still enough to make it hard to clearly see anything,” he mouthed as they waited. That wasn’t a normal architectural design. Clearly someone didn’t want anyone with x-ray vision seeing the lower floors. “But something’s not right.”

“What do you hear?” Dick whispered as he turned away from the camera. While Dick could read lips, Clark couldn’t, but that didn’t mean much when the man had super-hearing.

“Screams. Laughter. Pleading. Fear. It’s strange. That fear is on an infra-sound frequency. Hmm?” Before Dick could ask what was wrong, Clark had suddenly turned and stared at a wall. After a moment, his concerned expression turned into one of bafflement. “Nightwing… your br…”

“You mean Red Hood?” Dick quickly interrupted, somewhat worried what that meant. Was Jason in the building?

“Yes, Red Hood… well, he just shushed me.”

“He’s here?” After a moment of processing what he was just told, he added, “Wait, what do you mean he just shushed you?”

Clark gestured vaguely towards the wall. “He’s currently in the outer wall. I’m… not sure if he’s checking for something or planting something. But he somehow noticed I saw him, and he just put a finger to his lips before moving. He’s currently heading south.”

“Great. O, I’m going to need whatever schematics you can get me,” Dick muttered into his comm before looking directly at the camera. “Look, we have a situation,” he shouted. “We need to get into one of the walls.” When there wasn’t an immediate answer, he looked over at Clark and smiled. “You heard me warn them.”

“I did.” It wasn’t too often Dick got to see the man of steel’s mischievous side on a mission, but he really must want to get further inside. “I’ll try to give you as much support as I can.”

“N, wait! Someone’s hacking the comm!” Babs alerted as static filled it.

“What? Do you know who it is?”

 “No! It’s…”

“Don’t bother coming after me, Dickie-bird. You have a more important role to play.” His brother’s voice came over the comm.

“And just what would that be?” Clark demanded.

There was a sense of surprise on the other end. When Jason was still Robin, it was rare for anyone in the Justice League to have access to their private comm lines. “It’s been a while, Big Blue,” he eventually greeted. “I only need you to be a witness to what these monsters are doing.”

“What are you planning?” Panicked, he looked over at Clark. “Where is he?”

“I can’t see him anymore. It sounds like he’s moved to the lower levels. How’d he get there so quickly?”

Jason chuckled. “Picked up some new tricks. Supes, let me ask you a question. If you were aware of an organization that would want to dissect aliens to figure out what makes them tick, kill them, or even use them as mindless weapons, what would you do?”

“Everything I could to stop them, legally.”

“See, I’d like to do it that way, but if you forgot, I’m dead.” Jason’s words were playful. “I don’t have a way to stop them legally. Besides, according to them, I’m not even sentient.”

“Hood, what are you planning to do?” Dick demanded as he rushed out of the room, much to the dismay of the agents who were guarding the door. He could feel the sensation of Superman leaving at high speeds behind him.

 “It’s already in motion.”

“HOOD!!!” The floor shook as multiple booms, the breaking of glass, groaning metal, and the whooshing of air overwhelmed him. The dusty smell of concrete filled the area. As he recovered his bearings, he immediately checked for signs of damage as both Babs and Clark asked if he was okay. “Yeah… just disoriented. No evidence of injuries on me or the guards who were trying to stop me. No immediate signs of structural damage where I am.”

“The entire south wall collapsed. It doesn’t appear any of the employees were near it.” Clark stated over the comm. “Maybe it was planned that way. You might want to put on your re-breather. There’s lead dust everywhere. …But I can still hear crying coming from underneath the building. I’m going to investigate.”

“Understood. I’m going to help with the evacuation.” Ignoring the guards, who were trying to keep him from going further into the area, Dick pressed forward after radioing for assistance and returned to the central office he’d been allowed to tour earlier. There was a huge hole in the south wall, just like Superman said, but it appeared most of collapsed down instead of either outward or inward. Jason knew what he was doing when he destroyed it as there wasn’t too much debris in the main part of the room.

As he assisted the people in the room, all of which appeared to have thankfully minor injuries, he got an update from Clark. The Man of Steel seemed unsettled as he requested his assistance on one of the lower floors. Since he couldn’t access it from the stairs, he moved to the now open wall and carefully made his way down. He stopped when he caught sight of Clark floating in place. Anger radiated off the man.

“Supes, what’s…?” Dick’s words died on his lips as he got a better view of the room. His stomach churned as he caught sight of what could only be described as the husks of once living people were strewn around the room. The acidic smell of something similar to ozone lingered along with the smell of dust and smoke. Old and new blood along with other unknown yet faintly glowing substances were splashed around the room. Faint whimpering could be heard from further in.

Whatever Jason and Danny had said about this place didn’t do the horror justice. Maybe they didn’t know the extent, or maybe they did. No matter what the truth was, Jason knew this needed to be exposed, and now that Dick had seen it for his own eyes, he was going to make sure it was shut down. Permanently.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Notes:

I chose Flanagan as a fake last name for Jason for its meaning.

Flanagan - From Irish Ó Flannagáin meaning "descendant of Flannagán". Flannagán is a given name meaning "blood red"

Plant notes :)

Stop 11 Ogygia - the island of Calypso. Calypso was a nymph who was kept away from the world as a punishment. She helped nurse Odysseus back to health. Calypso orchids are rare orchids named as such because of how they're hidden until they bloom. Orchids have a super creepy creation myth in ancient Greece – the demigod Orchis attempted to attack a priestess during a Dionysian celebration… and was torn apart by wild beasts. And in ancient Rome, they were a symbol of rebirth. And in modern funerary bouquets, they represent ever lasting love for the deceased.

I also included wormwood to hint at the Lazarus Pit as it is what healed Jason. As a flower, it represents absence and bitter sorrow which matches how Odysseus felt during his seven years on Ogygia.

This plant was used for millennium as an herbal remedy. Some of you might know it’s a main ingredient in absinthe aka the Green Fairy, which if you’ve never had it, tastes like black licorice. The thujone, a chemical in the plant, needs to be removed to be sold in several countries. While not well studied, it’s believed thujone has toxic properties and has been known to cause seizures, kidney failure, vomiting, and other effects.  There are concerns the chemical has psychoactive properties and can cause hallucinations – this is a bit unclear as the few studies around that aren’t great. But in 1905, there were murders that occurred, and the man who committed was said to have “absinthe madness,” as he had been drunk at the time (though absinthe was just one of several alcohols he consumed). This high-profile case helped push the belief the drink caused madness and resulted in it being banned.

I have a small bottle of it from Slovakia sitting in my kitchen. It actually has a sprig of wormwood in it.

[darker-dc-dimensions]

Jason Todd

Arkham Locked

Emojis used: ⚰️🧪

(this image is just a placeholder for now)

General Information

 First name: Jason

Middle name(s): Peter

Surname: Todd

Age: somewhere around 19-20

Date of birth: August 16

Race: Mixed. Hispanic on his mother’s side. Catherine was also Hispanic.

Gender: Cis Male

Sexuality: Unlabeled

Current residence: Arkham Asylum, the street

Relationship status: Single

Social status: unknown at this point

Universe (AU universe of origin): Arkham Locked

 Traits of Voice

 Accent (if any): Crime alley accent

Language spoken: English

Other languages known: Spanish, Russian, French, German, Japanese, Cantonese, Turkish, Arabic, League of assassin’s dialect, Mandarin, Latin, Portuguese, Hebrew, Thai, Vietnamese, Kryptonian (the basics), Ancient Greek, Sign language. (Most taught to him by Bruce Wayne)

Volume of voice: speaks at a very low volume, mumbling and whispering most of the time when he finally does speak.

 Physical Appearance

 Height: 6´0

Eye colour: Bright Lazarus green

Skin colour: Pale from lack of sunlight for a very long amount of time

Distinguishing features: His eyes as they are an almost glowing green. The scars littering his body, autopsy scars, a J carved into his cheek, the white part in his hair.

Build of body: Hes tall and skinnier than he was in the past as red hood, this comes form lack of food, drink, and sleep. He’s been starved for a longer time in Arkham, but the Lazarus pit keeps him muscular to some degree.

Hair colour: Black with a white tuft in the front. Used to have dark red hair as a kid but started coloring it at around 9. It became naturally black after the Lazarus pit.

Hair style: a medium length hairstyle, mainly because he hasn’t had a haircut in a while. Its not too long but it gets in his eyes, curls around his ears, and runs down his neck. Shaggy and dirty hair.

Tattoos: None

Piercings: Has his ears pierced but hasn’t worn them in a long time

Typical clothing: The Arkham inmate uniform, a stained white t-shirt underneath. Scuffed black shoes. All his clothes are stained with mainly dry blood.

Is seen by others as: A mindless bloodthirsty beast, though Jason is mostly tame if you don’t attack him first. A killer with little care for others existence, but in reality, Jason doesn’t even go out of his way to kill he just relies in his instincts.

 Health

 Sleeping habits: Sleeps very little because sleeping means you are vulnerable

Energy level: Has a medium energy level, since the Lazarus pit keeps him going

Eating habits: Eats whatever they are given at Arkham. After getting out he just eats whatever he comes across, eats human flesh as well.

Memory: He remembers picture perfectly, which only fuels the fear and anger making the Lazarus pit even more powerful. His perfect memory makes him remember all the horrible things done to him clearly as well.

Any unhealthy habits: too many honestly, starving himself, extreme insomnia, self-harming, etc.

 Relationships

 Parents: Willis Todd (birth parent), Catherine Todd (Step mother), Sheila Haywood (Birth parent), Bruce Wayne (Adoptive Father)

Siblings: Dick Grayson (adopted), Tim Drake (Adopted), Damian Wayne (Adopted), Cassandra Caine (Adopted), Duke Thomas (Adopted), Stephanie Brown (Adopted), Jean-Paul Valley (Adopted in spirit but not on paper)

Any enemies (and why): Too many, the Batfam (though its mainly only Bruce since the others don’t know he’s alive), multiple gang leaders, etc.

Children: none

Friends: none

Best friend(s): Used to be best friends with a guy named Ji Yeong, but they haven’t been in much contact since Jason was taken in by Bruce and lost contact after Jason died.

Important friends/relatives (explain): doesn’t have any

Love interest (if there is one): he used to have a crush on Ji Yeong when they were kids and up until he died, nowadays Jason doesn’t focus on feelings much anymore.

 Combat

 Peaceful or violent: He’s peaceful for the most part as long as you leave him alone.

Weapon (if applicable): Mainly his hands and teeth. Uses super strength and the abilities given by the Lazarus pit to fight.

Style of fighting: Its more compared to an animal than any kind of real fighting knowledge, there’s some style in there after being trained by Bruce and the League of assassins, but he relies mainly on instinct and the Lazarus pit.

 Others

 Occupation: unemployed

Current home: Arkham asylum, where he can sleep when he’s out.

Favourite types of food: Tamales, Elotes, Birria (most kinds tbh), most stews and soups, Shakshuka

Favourite types of drink: Carbonated drinks of most kinds. Hot chocolate (specifically the one Alfred makes)

Hobbies/past times: Doesn’t have any hobbies at this point, likes to recite poems and books he’s read to himself under his breath as it helps ground him.

Guilty pleasures: Fast food, the greasier the better. Street food.

Pet peeves: When people try to touch or grab him. Having to speak too much or focus too hard.

Pets: doesn’t have any pets.

Favourite colours: red, Lazarus green.

[shadows-of-a-memory]

jason todd

back to gotham masterlist

romantic

one-shots

none yet

series

sisters by blood (sweat, and tears)

(ouat!crossover) (oc used) there’s a few things the tv show got wrong, as all shows are wont to do, with the story of emma swan and the inhabitants of storybrooke. one major plot point: emma wasn’t alone upon her return with henry. she brought with her her twin sister, elizabeth, and niece, catherine. this is the tale of the forgotten twin.

platonic

one-shots

broken vessels shatter least

bruce has made an executive decision—one that neither you nor your many siblings agree with—but an order you have to follow. in order to keep your identities from being discovered, he is being arrested, put on trial, maybe even going to jail, on falsified charges of child abuse. the worst part of it is, he’s making you and your siblings testify against—lie about, slander—him.

series

born of opposing sides

(mcu!crossover) the problem with being one of bruce wayne’s children is that it takes a lot to get away from him. in your case, it took the extreme of faking your death to keep him, to keep alfred, to keep your siblings, safe from you away from you. as time passes and you’re forced back into the worlds of corporations and superheroes, albeit very different, unfamiliar ones, you can’t keep ignoring the home sickness. but what will it take to finally face your past?