#except the lack of red bat for hood

[manesvoid]

wayne Family making me want to draw stupid things

[mutable-manifestation]

You know I've seen a few variations on "Danny is the one who can make the batfam sleep" now and most of them are powers-based or him being a tiny new orphan who is so so sad if you don't take care of yourself-based

May I propose another variation: Danny, having moved into the manner a month ago and long discovered all of the relevant secrets (without the others knowing) can tell their lack of self-care is weighing on Alfred.

Alfred is the one he's seen the most in his time there - the others have spent time with him, of course, but they all have their night jobs and work or school away from home (Danny is doing online classes so he can work at his own pace) - so he's not at all happy about Alfred being stressed.

Danny calls a family meeting.

He's built an app, he tells them, and each of them can access their own timer on their phones - yes he already downloaded it to each of them.

Yes, those are how long you've been awake, he tells them. Yes, he's sure they have noticed Tim's absence - Tim was on hour 35. The maximum allowed is 24.

If one's timer reaches 24, Danny will find them, and he will put them to sleep manually.

How? Danny hefts the Fenton creep stick pointedly.

Someone points out he could give them a concussion or kill them that way.

Danny says he's had a lot of practice judging swings.

He also maybe bribed Nocturne for a large amount of sleep dust. The bat is just for a deceptive bonk (and they will be getting a bonk, if a light one) as they go out so he doesn't have to explain himself - they'll just think he's really that good at judging swings.

Someone goes to find Tim to prove he's just bluffing. Except Tim is actually asleep.

Danny doesn't use any ghost powers, he's just that sneaky and he's keeping a close eye on the timers. No matter how they try to avoid him it simply doesn't work. He hacks the doors, he's good at combat the one time someone noticed him sneaking up on them, and he's such a good sneak that most of the time they don't notice him until it's too late (even more impressive once they actually start paying attention to their timers to try and anticipate him).

They don't all live together. That doesn't help.

Danny took a bus to Tim's apartment while claiming he was going on a jog to avoid suspicion. He hitchhikes all the way to Crime Alley to put out Red Hood. Nowhere is safe.

It becomes very obvious he knows about their secret IDs. It also becomes very clear that he only really cares about whether or not they're sleeping.

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Danny, on the run from the GIW decides to take shelter in Gotham because if the GIW have any sense they'd never set foot in there.

Even if Batman and the JL agree with thier opinion on ecto entities (as evidenced by their lack of speaking out against the anti-ecto acts) Batman was notoriously territorial and would have issue with a wildly incompetent government organization throwing missiles around his city all willy-nilly.

With that being said it was probably best for Danny to wear a disguise. Sure, they didn't know Fenton and Phantom were the same person yet but Danny Fenton suddenly turning up in Gotham after going missing in Amity is certainly going to raise some eyebrows regardless of the necklace he had that jammed his ecto-signature and made him untrackable.

Danny started off by going blond. Its something he's always wanted to do and now with ghostly shape-shifting powers he doesn't even have to worry about frying his hair or dying his eyebrows to match. After that all he needed to do was part his hair down the middle, add a lip ring or two and maybe a bit of make up.

Danny stared at himself in the mirror. He looked like a completely different person.

A completely different and very attractive person. He looked good. The newly blond man threw on a green jacket and went out to explore the town. He did not expect to literally bump into the Tim Drake. The Wayne adoptee just stood there mouth opening and closing comically. Did he offend him? Crap. He had promised Jazz he would stay off of the radar of the Waynes and the bats specifically and here he was angering one of them.

Danny decided to book it before it became a scene, ignoring the lovestruck Tim's crys for him to wait.

Back at his apartment Danny quickly changed his look to red hair tied back into a two inch low ponytail, green eyes and freckles that unbeknownst to anyone else was made up from the lesser known constellations.

The coffee at this Cafe smelled amazing! Too bad Danny wouldn't get to try it because the next this he knew freaking Red Hood was behind him asking to talk. Our favorite ghost boy wouldn't be embarrassed to admit he let out a small squeek before bolting out the door yelling, "I'm not even a criminal!"

It took Jason a few seconds to process that the guy he had tried to flirt with ran away in terror. Crap.

Day three and four were blissfully Wayne and bat free, though he did find out that Tim Drake and Red Hood were looking for his two false identities. Joy.

Day five he met the stabby Robin who very valiantly beat up two people who had been following him. Danny didn't even notice he was being followed and thanked the bird for saving him. Danny, who was shape-shifted into a very pretty girl at the moment, offered to buy him something to eat as a thank you. "Danielle" insisted and Robin allowed it. Danielle never noticed the slight pink on Damians cheeks as they went over to one of Damians favorite restaurants.

Day seven he had went out as blondie and got confronted by some girl named Barbara. She was nice and managed to convince him to come to a Cafe with her. He told her his name was David and he ran away from his parents with the help of one of his friends family members and that he was Jewish, which was true...except for the David part. He learned that if you wanna keep your story straight keeping to almost truths was your best bet. She in turn told him about Tim and how he's a friend of hers-uh oh- and that he's been looking all over for him.

Danny-David- tells her he's sorry but he didn't mean to offend Tim and doesn't want any trouble before laying down enough money to cover his half of the bill and the tip and booking it out of there

This repeats with most of the family trying to flirt with him or adopt him into the family when he's out as Danny.

Bruce Wayne approached Danny when he was waiting to board an elevator, "Hel-" was all the billionaire could get out before Danny cut him off "Hell no." And then he just got in the elevator and pressed the close doors button and was gone again.

[wolfjackle-creates]

Bad Reveal AU Chapter 2 Part 2

As promised! Here's the compilation of every snippet I've written for the 1000 follower ask game. I added an additional 300 words to the end to round out the scene.

Story Summary: Danny loves the Waynes, loves living with them. After the GIW, after his parents, he never thought he'd be able to have this again. A family, a home.

Then he overhears a conversation.

The Waynes aren't just the Waynes. They're the Bats, part of the Justice League. And the Justice League works with the US Government. The same government that runs the Ghost Investigation Ward.

It was all a lie.

AO3 link

Tumblr Links: Chapter 1, Previous

Word Count: 2.6k

-----

Three days later and they were all ready to tear their hair out. Barbara had found nothing new on the Fenton parents, even after Tim and Bruce joined her in the search. Apparently everything about the Fentons had been hidden behind the best digital security they had ever seen. Everything except the basics. And the firewalls were so good that they were almost invisible which is why no one had noticed them before.

Danny’s room lacked any sort of clue. They opened every drawer and went through everything they could find, only for nothing even slightly unusual to turn up. Definitely nothing like the bizarre energy weapon he’d used.

Jason had asked around as Red Hood to see if he could find any leads on the weapon. But every rumor lead to a dead end.

They could find nothing that might lead them to the people who wanted to hurt Danny. And Danny never came home.

Dick was currently in Danny’s room, again, trying to find anything. He was under the bed searching for hidden compartments in the frame or box spring when sharp footsteps sounded in the hall. A moment later, Alfred cleared his throat from the doorway.

“Master Dick! I believe you were instructed to leave the cave so you could rest.”

Dick pushed himself out from under the bed and sat so he was leaning against the bed frame. He flashed a dazzling smile. “Sorry, Alfred. I just had the idea to check the bed frame for any hidden messages or compartments. Wouldn’t have been able to sleep without doing it.”

Alfred sniffed. “We have already been over every inch of this room. You will not find anything new and you know this.”

Dick sighed, letting the smile drop away, and rubbed his face. He looked down at the carpet as he picked at it. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep. I just keep seeing his face. He was certain we were going to hurt him, Alfred. My own brother. How could I have failed him so badly?”

Alfred’s shoes came into view as he walked further into the room and sat next to Dick. “You haven’t failed him, Master Dick. And you know that. His fears were his own; based on experiences from before he ever joined this family. And we did not know there were problems to address. But we do now and I have full faith that you will solve this and bring Master Danny back home.”

“I wish I had your optimism, Alfred.”

“Then I shall just have to have enough for the both of us. Now, if you insist on being useful, Titus could use his afternoon walk. Normally Master Bruce or I take care of it…”

“But with B injured and the house full, you’ve got enough to handle. I’ll take care of it, Alfred.”

“Thank you, my boy. Now, help an old man up.”

Dick laughed; it wasn’t sincere, not truly, but he knew it’d make Alfred feel better. “Don’t even pretend you can’t get up on your own.” But he still did as requested and helped Alfred to his feet.

“When you’re my age, you will know what troubles I face.”

“Sure, Alfred. Now, where is Titus right now?”

Ten minutes later, Dick was outside in the late spring sun throwing a tennis ball for Titus. The dog was delighted with the game.

He rather felt like it should be raining or overcast or something. Not a balmy spring day with birds singing and bees buzzing in the clover. Danny was still missing; it shouldn’t be a nice day.

His next throw went much farther than he planned, and Titus bounded away.

Dick groaned and collapsed to the ground. He threw an arm over his eyes as he bit back his tears. Everyone was relying on him to hold it together. Damian was on a hair trigger and he was the only one who could keep him in line consistently; Tim was sunk deep into his research and barely surfacing for another energy drink every few hours; Jason and Bruce couldn’t be around each other for more than ten minutes without someone starting to yell. Duke was spending more and more time on patrol trying to find any information on the meta angle.

And all of them came to him to complain about the others. His family needed him. He couldn’t fall apart.

When a shadow fell over his face, he cracked open an eye expecting to see a cloud covering the sun. Instead he screamed and jumped to his feet as he came face-to-face with Clark.

“Warn a guy next time!”

Clark, the bastard, just laughed at him. “Hey, Dick. Didn’t expect to find you here.”

Before he could reply, Titus returned, ball clenched proudly in his mouth. “Good boy,” said Dick as he petted him. “Ready to go back inside?” To Clark, he said, “Most of us are staying at the manor right now. What brings you here?”

“We’re worried. Bruce called in saying he had an injury that would prevent field work for a few weeks. At the same time, Tim told Kon he’d be unavailable for Young Justice missions until further notice. And Damian canceled a sleepover with Jon with no explanation. So I made two of Ma’s pies and decided to come over for a visit. What’s going on?”

Dick sighed. “Danny’s gone. He discovered who we were.” He let out a hysterical laugh. “And apparently thinks that because we work with the US government it means we were just pretending to like him to gather information so we could turn him over to someone who would hold him against his will and torture him.”

Clark landed and pulled him into a hug. Dick clung on tightly. “Why does he think that?”

Dick shrugged and, reluctantly, pulled away. “Apparently his parents betrayed him once already. I think…” Dick closed his eyes and whistled sharply. “Come, Titus.” He held onto Titus’s collar and began walking away from Clark towards the manor. “We think he already has experience being held and tortured. And that it was his parents fault.”

Clark’s sharp inhale proved his horror at such a thought.

“Yeah. So now Danny’s gone and we have no idea how to search for him. Did B tell you he’s a meta? We knew he had some powers, but clearly we missed some because now we suspect invisibility, density shifting, and flight. So we’re trying to find the people who want to hurt him. But we keep hitting walls!” Titus whined when his grip tightened too much. Dick winced and let go immediately to pet the dog. “Sorry, Titus. You’re such a good boy.”

Clark draped an arm around his shoulders. “Well, why don’t you take me to the cave and you can go over everything you know. Maybe a fresh pair of eyes will help.”

Dick shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt. And maybe seeing you will remind Bruce he knows how to do more than grunt when people ask him a question.”

Clark winced. “That bad, huh?”

“Worse, if I’m honest. Danny shot him with an energy weapon before density shifting out of the cave. So now his newest kid is missing and he’s too injured to go out and search for him.”

Clark let out a low whistle. “Yep. That’ll do it.”

Dick pulled out his phone and opened the group chat. A quick text ensured everyone who was around would make their way to the cave. “I’ve told everyone to meet us in the cave. We’ll swing by the kitchen to get some plates and cutlery for the pie. Thanks for that, by the way.”

Clark ruffled his hair. “You know me, I’m too midwestern to show up anywhere unannounced without food.”

Dick gave a half smile, unable to muster up anything warmer.

Clark tried to keep up a stream of small talk as they swung by the kitchens to gather the plates. But Dick just couldn’t keep up with it. His mind was just too far away, on a young boy with blue eyes who loved hugs and had fit into the family so smoothly.

When they got to the cave, Tim didn’t even look up at the sound of the elevator doors opening. Dick followed his lead and ignored him, instead going straight to Bruce.

“You’ve got a visitor, B!”

Bruce only grunted and didn’t look up from his laptop.

Clark hid a smile. “I’m sure Alfred raised you better than that, Bruce.”

“Indeed I did,” declared Alfred with a sniff from where he was making notes in Bruce’s medical chart.

Bruce’s head whipped up at the sound of Clark’s voice and Dick bit his lip to keep from laughing. “Clark? What are you doing here?”

“Been worried about you and the kids, so I made some pie and decided to come on over. Kon and Jon are both waiting for updates as well.”

Apparently the appearance of Clark and Kon’s name was enough to finally drag Tim from the batcomputer for the first time in days. “Is Kon okay?”

Clark gave him a fond smile. “He’s fine, lad. It’s you—all of you—we’re worried about.”

Bruce looked away. “It’s Danny.”

Clark nodded and sat on the foot of the bed. “Dick’s told me a little. Let’s wait for the others to join us and you can all tell me everything.”

Dick checked his phone. “Babs said my text woke her up and don’t start discussions without her.”

Clark looked at him sharply. “Barbara is here, too? You really meant it when you said everyone’s been staying here, didn’t you?”

Dick shrugged. “Yeah, well, it’s Danny.”

Tim laughed mirthlessly. “Yeah, he’s the only one who all of us like pretty much all the time.”

Clark frowned as he looked around at the people gathered, but didn’t say anything.

Alfred bustled in with a chair. “If some of you would help me set up chairs for everyone? We might as well be comfortable as we talk and eat.”

“Of course, Alfred,” said Clark, seeming relieved. “Be happy to help.”

Honestly, with how many people were there, it only took a minute. Jason and Stephanie arrived just as they were finishing up.

“Duke messaged me,” said Jason. “He’s on his way back from patrol.”

“Damian?” asked Dick.

“I am here, Richard,” said the boy as he walked into the medbay. “I apologize for my tardiness. I was with Alfred the cat and didn’t notice your message immediately.”

Dick went to his side and ruffled his hair. He ignored Damian’s glare with years of practice. “Glad you could make it. Come on, let’s get you a slice of pie.”

“I’ll start slicing,” said Clark.

By the time the pie was sliced and everyone had a piece, Barbara had arrived.

“Where is Duke?” asked Bruce.

Tim pulled up the tracking information on his laptop. “Looks like he’s only twenty minutes out.”

“He’d’ve said something if he’d learned anything new,” said Jason. “I say we just start sharing now. He’ll be back before we get through it all.”

“Agreed,” said Bruce.

Clark nodded and looked around the room. Dick just knew he was cataloging how exhausted they all looked. “What can you tell me about what happened?”

“Daniel lost his mind and attacked Father,” said Damian.

“Listen here, Demon Brat,” argued Jason, “you know damn well that’s not what happened.”

And when Tim backed up Jason, it became a shouting match. Dick buried his face in his hands. A headache was forming and he knew if he tried to intervene, he’d just make it worse right now.

“Enough!” said Alfred when it became clear the others wouldn’t calm down on their own. “We will go over it one at a time. Master Richard, you may start.”

So Dick gave all the information he knew. When one of the others indicated they wanted to add more, he let them. Alfred made sure no one overstepped. Duke arrived partway through and described what he saw when Danny disappeared and used his powers.

When everyone was finally satisfied they’d shared everything they knew, Barbara pulled out a tablet to show Clark the footage of the confrontation in the cave.

“And you don’t know where he got that weapon?” asked Clark after he watched it twice.

“No clue,” said Tim. “We’ve searched his room a dozen times since then, but there’s nothing even remotely like it.”

Jason nodded. “And I’ve been asking around. No one I can find has ever heard of one like it.”

Alfred added, “Even I was unaware he was in possession of such an object.”

Clark hummed as he replayed the last few seconds of the video where Danny density shifted through the stone. “He brought it with him when he left.”

“You’ve thought of something,” said Bruce.

“Could he have hidden the weapon inside something? Like a wall or the floor?”

Bruce hummed as he thought. “Is that even possible?”

Dick shrugged. “We know very little about what he can and can’t do.”

“Want me to take a look at his room with my X-ray vision?” asked Clark.

Bruce nodded. “Please.” No one commented on the begging tone in his voice.

And for the first time in days, Dick felt hope rising in his chest.

“And do we have any idea what he meant by Jason being in trouble, too?”

Jason shrugged. “Probably has something to do with how I died. I’m apparently the only one who can sense Danny’s empathy, too. And I mean supernatural empathy, not the normal person kind.”

Bruce agreed. “I found the most information on Amity Park when I found my way to supernatural message boards. Zatana is looking into some things for me as well. But it always leads back to ghosts. Though why Jason alone is of interest when others in the family have also died is uncertain.”

“I see. Well, I suppose we’ll find out when you get him home. Who wants to show me Danny’s room? We might as well start there.”

Of course, no one was willing to sit this one out. The biggest argument arose when Bruce insisted on pushing himself to his feet. He refused the wheelchair Alfred tried to insist he use, but a raised eyebrow and pursed lips did get him to take the crutches.

Dick and Jason exchanged a smirk at the scene. Alfred always got his way.

So, the entire group made their way out of the cave and through the halls of Wayne Manor until Clark stopped in the doorway to Danny’s room.

He let out a low whistle. “Whatever his powers are, he can definitely hide things in other objects. He’s left a lot behind.”

“Can you tell what they are?” asked Bruce.

Clark shrugged. “Some of them. There’s another item that looks like that blaster he had. Some…rope? I think? A tool box in the floor. A case that’s probably lead-lined. And a lot of stuff that I just can’t identify. I mean, a random cylindrical object. Some rectangles, maybe external hard-drives?”

Damian stepped forward, gripping the handle of his katana. “Then we will smash the walls to see what he is hiding.”

Dick rushed forward to put an arm around Damian’s shoulders and stop him from doing anything.

“Indeed not, Master Damian.” Alfred gave the boy a level look. “We want Master Danny to have a home to return to. And what sort of welcome would he feel if he came back to a destroyed room? Master Bruce, Mr. Kent, I am aware you have other collegues who can density shift. Could one of them be prevailed upon to come and remove the items?”

Damian scowled and kicked at the floor. Dick bit back his smile. The kid really did care about their missing brother, whatever he said.

Clark nodded. “I’ll call J’onn, Alfred.”

-----

Several of you guessed this is where I was going to take it the minute I introduced Clark. Didn't see anyone mention J'onn, though. (But that might be because I was sharing such small segments, so fewer people were speculating.) Let me know what you think!

I've finally gotten around to making a Subscription Post for this fic, so follow that if you want notifications!

@hailsatanacab also started a fill for this prompt that I absolutely adore, so check that out here! (It hurts, it hurts so good.)

[thatthirdtriplet]

Relationship:

Tim Drake & Jason Todd

Characters:

Jason Todd Tim Drake Alfred Pennyworth Bruce Wayne Dick Grayson

Additional Tags:

5+1 Things implied/Referenced Character Death Jason Todd is Red Hood Sort Of Tim Drake is Robin Jason Todd-centric manipulative Jason Todd Jason Todd Has Issues Jason Todd Being a Little Shit Jason Todd Being an Idiot Tim Drake Lacks Self-Preservation Instincts oblivious Tim Drake enemies to Friends sibling Bonding coffee au swearing hugs misunderstandings Tim Drake Needs a Hug Tim Drake Needs a Break Tim Drake & Jason Todd Bonding crying

Summary:

After coming back to Gotham, and despite many objections to the name, Jason becomes the Red Hood; newest ally to The Dynamic Duo. Except, Jason has a plan. A really big plan. An evil plan. A plan to get rid of Robin permanently (but not in the dead sense).

Where Red Hood isn't a crime lord on a warpath, but instead trying to destroy The Bats from the inside by pushing Robin out of the nest. Although, his plan might need a couple readjustments when things start going off script. Good thing Tim is too oblivious to realize Jason's brilliant master-minding skills.

[apocalypse-shuffle]

JASON TODD & DUKE THOMAS (generalized canon)

────────────────────

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“A Word Of Warning” (Jason Todd x Fem!Reader) and (Duke Thomas & Platonic!Reader)

| The Bats clock you as a known associate of The Red Hood and Signal ends up tracking you down for some answers.

| SFW, Jason isn’t apart of the Bat Clan, Caribbean-American!reader(just a bit; for the plot)

| This’s technically based off of a story I’m working on but because of where I have it placed in the timeline this idea with Duke (who’s who I thought of originally for it) wouldn’t really fit because Duke wouldn’t be old enough yet so yeah. (picture source: new talent showcase #1 comic)

| 4k+ words

Beg. NOTES: This is the first time I’ve ever written either Duke or Antagonist Red Hood (as opposed to just Jason or Red Hood making nice) so bare with me I’m still figuring them out, especially Duke. Also I am going to quit this app if it keeps deleted my shit, omfg.

Other notions notwithstanding you’re of the opinion Gotham looks its best right before sunset. The city’s ever present shadows coming out of hiding to climb up the horizon and take over the sun were incredibly fitting considering who kept vigil of the place. And you loved the way the weaker heat felt against your skin on cooler days like this one before you blended into the lack of light that came at nightfall.

There was just something to be said about two forces so intrinsic to the universe meeting. Of light breeze and dwindling blaze. Of sitting near the edge of a roof, feet almost dangling over the side of too dangerous, and taking it all in.

Of the blaring of cars in the late rush of the oncoming evening and the way the air shifts just a little to your left. Natural flow blocked by some anomaly. Out of place but easy enough to overlook. Too bad to whichever cape’s appeared that you’ve been listening out for that particular party trick for the last half a year. Although it admittedly wasn’t something you worried about during the day.

“Let me guess? Hands in the air?”

“Hell no,” a voice scoffs. “I’m just here as a concerned party. If I were some cop I wouldn’t’ve even let you talk before I had you in cuffs. Knee in your back too probably.”

A shrug of your shoulder is a decent enough answer in your book. You don’t feel like adding to the list of vigilantes you regularly interact with - more acceptable than the police though they were. Not even a little.

“No disrespect, but get to the point. We both know you didn’t start lurking on me just cause.”

He kisses his teeth, you can’t tell whether it’s out of irritation or not.

“Fine. I found you out. A crime lord? Really?”

There it is. You turn to him then, immediately caught up by how bright his costume is even against Gotham’s sun. Everything in the city was just a little askew and the way the sun beat down on y’all was no exception, but he somehow came across brighter.

He’s particolored yellow against the dark gothic backgrounds of your old-as-sin apartment complex, not hiding in the shadows or completely out in the open, but a third secret option: managing to be swallowed by them without trying regardless. The leftover light in the sky doing nothing to thwart how well he’s hidden. Like a moth to the dark he still manages to blur just at the corner of your vision, dark tendrils crawling up his form and sinking near seamlessly into his suit; clashing colors ombreing and turning parts of it flaxon.

“I wasn’t aware you were my keeper.”

The idea of craning your head any longer isn’t exactly appealing, and it’s not as if you’d be able to do anything if he tried something, so you look back out over the city eyes narrowing when he speaks.

“Hood might keep a close eye on the Narrows, and I might even appreciate it sometimes, but over here is still my territory.”

“Right,” you grunt. That wasn’t exactly the answer you were gearing up for. You’d expected something along the lines of his ‘boss’ having sent him. “Well what gave me away then?”

“We knew you had to have been from North considering Hood’s change in visiting pattern was only half an inch outside of the Alley, but me?” He steps out of the shadows and looking at him makes your eyes burn even without him using his powers. Bright colors in Gotham should be damn outlawed. “Hoodie and mask or not. There’s only three women with that accent in the Narrows, Y/n. I checked for multi citizenship from areas with Caribbean dialects, then found your mom, which led me to you since she was too old to be messing with the Red Hood.”

“Fuck,” you curse in a rush, gaping at the escaping light in the sky.

“Yeah, you should really work on masking that.”

“Shit.” You had thought you were. “I made sure I was yanking the whole time, there's no way. You must’ve followed me home or something.”

“Bet.”

That’s all he says. No follow up proposal, no fluffing up his sentence to cover for being called out, nothing. Just a cocky upturn of one corner of his mouth and that self assured silence.

“…Fuck.”

“Yeah,” he slips down to your left, sitting beside you. “It’s hard for you to get rid of how you elongate your a’s. It’s a super distinct ‘ah’ sound if you know what to look for and I just so happen to know. But don’t worry I haven’t told Batman yet.”

“Yet?”

“Yes, yet. I might not be the oldest hero on the block but I know bad decisions when I see them.”

“Make your fair share, have you?”

Your murmur comes out more defensive than you want. First he was telling you you couldn’t hide your accent for shit - despite having practiced extensively with Hood - and now he was telling you The Batman wanted in your business. Fuck indeed.

Would you go to jail for being associated with a known criminal? Does dating a killer count as accessory to every one of his crimes? Can you believably argue ignorance of his actions? These really do feel like questions you should’ve asked beforehand.

There’s the distinct impression he’s rolling his eyes under that visor when Signal responds next.

“Hilarious, but this isn’t about me. It’s about whether you know what you’ve gotten yourself into,” he laughs a little when you scowl. “I’m just saying. You're not the Bonnie to his Clyde - or whatever cutesy metaphor you wanna use - you haven’t done anything offensable. It's not too late you can’t get out.”

You scoff quietly and go back to watching the night’s hues slowly swallowing the day's light whole. “Who says I want out?” It’s pretty the way the colors swirl. Like a fight.

“Why wouldn’t you?” He looks away from you frowning, marring what you can see of his face, before holding his hand up. “No wait, don’t answer that, just hear me out. I get it - wanting to help - I really do and I’d be lying through my teeth if I said I didn't support it. But if you don’t know what you’re about, leave while you still can. This superhero thing gets less about creed and more about survival the further you get sucked into it and once the rest of the Bats are onto you that’s it.”

Oh that would definitely be ‘it’, but not tonight. Tapping the screen of your otherwise forgotten phone shows the thirty six minutes of time you've got before seven o'clock to get to where Hood asked you to meet near the city hall district.

“I’m sorry, do you have something better to do than listen to me trying to save your life?”

You grimace lightly, “Listen, I appreciate the concern but if you're not going to do anything but tell me shit I already know I’m just- gonna go.”

“Alright, I know a cape tracking you down ain’t fun but come on-” he cuts himself off so fast his teeth audibly clink together then all at once he’s standing again.

You tense yourself, breath catching in your throat, and roll around so you can see where he’s facing. There’s a second where nothing meets you but the cresting shadows and bronze lighting desperately spreading its fingers over gravel. It’s quiet save for the swooping breeze then Signal twitches. It’s like a chill has gone through his body, like something tugged on wrong when somebody’s hand is in your hair.

An ice struck down your spine type of grimace that has you cringing in sympathy.

Just as Signal steps fully in front of you the shadows around the concrete bulkhead a few feet away stretch outward before materializing into something person shaped. Signal shivers again like he can feel the elasticity.

“Narrows! Funny seeing you here,” a harsh mechanized voice sounds. Dark tactical gear slowly becomes discernible from the shade as the person moves closer until that telltale flash of red greets you both.

Your breath un-catches and you breathe out harshly through your nose, clambering to your feet. He was ten minutes too early and miles away from the southeast side.

“Not really, considering I live here and all, but whatever.”

In response the guy takes another step closer. Signil’s hand twitches but he doesn’t move for the eskrima you all know is at his back.

“Right, well, I don’t really appreciate people messing with my informants.”

“I’d suggest not meeting them so out in the open then,” he gives a blight shrug.

The newest rooftop occupant shakes his head with a low chuckle.

“I wasn’t. You guys are just nosy and -uh- what am I forgetting?” He snaps his fingers, somehow managing to make it sound incredibly obnoxious. “Oh, that’s right! I was also in civies. What’s next, you guys gonna bombard the owner of the bodega I shop at too?”

“I wasn’t bombarding her. I was passing on a message.”

Hood nods and his voice reverberates in a low growl through the modulator when he hums. “Mmm, okay well. Y/n?”

“Message received,” you brush some roof gravel from your clothes still trying to decide how you feel about him coming to your ‘rescue’ like this.

“Well you heard the lady, Narrows. See ya later.”

“Listen man, I’m not trying to fight if I don’t have to, but do you really think this’s a good idea?”

“You know what, Signal? I like you so I’ll keep that noted, but you tell Daddy Bats if he forces the issue it’ll officially become my business. Now kindly fuck off, the suns setting.”

There’s a pause where the two of them just stare one another down and then Signal crosses his arms, feet planted.

“If I don’t?”

“Wow,” Jason groans, head falling into his hands for a beat before he looks back up. The blank face of the helmet doesn’t give anything away but the way he lets his body slump, hands falling to his sides, is telling enough. As much as you like Signal you kinda agree. “How does he put up with you?”

The vigilante shrugs, “He couldn’t stop me if he wanted; better to just get in the passenger’s seat.”

“Poetic,” he scoffs. “Alright, let me put it this way. You're a smart kid, you know nothing’ll happen if she’s seen with some unknown white guy but what about when people catch on that Batman’s interested in her? What then?”

It takes a second, and Signal doesn’t uncross his arms, but his shoulders lower and he shifts his weight to one side.

“Us poking around is more dangerous for her than your civilian identity, I got it.” He huffs. You can see his grimace even from behind. “But that doesn’t mean I got to trust her with you.”

“Wrong.” Jason rises back to his full height with a shake of his head. “This isn’t up for debate. She’s not going anywhere.”

You jerk forward, walking a few steps in front of Signal so you can stand to the side of him while still being seen by both males, scowl taking over your features.

“She - if anybody’s curious - does still possess the ability to make her own decisions. I know what I’m doing, I don’t need a babysitter.”

Signal turns to you with the most dubious head tilt. “You’re sure you know what you're doing?”

You cross your arms, “Fuck you, I’m figuring it out.”

A beat goes by of everyone collectively doing their best impression of a gaggle of directionless mimes before Signal groans.

“Say I believe you. How exactly do you expect me to keep Batman off of your tail when he figures your identity out?”

When Hood laughs it’s so hard the responder crackles in and out of clarity. He waves Signal off. “I’ll deal with him, don’t sweat it.”

The way Signal’s pressing his weight forward says for all the world that he would very much like to sweat it, but he still sighs anyway, dropping his arms to unclip his grapple. He looks to you for a second time.

“You’ll tell me if anything happens?”

The response you give is mostly shrug.

“Sure, Kid, whatever, you’ll be the first one I call,” you throw out while glaring in the general direction of Jason’s eyes. In any case, Signal being added to the list was better than Batman.

The diurnal bat accepts your words with a small smile, shoots Jason what you can only assume to be a warning look, and then swings off with an elated whoop to switch shifts with the rest of the clan.

“And don’t follow me like that again, thanks!” you call out to the vigilante’s retreating form. Mostly though the words are for Jason who’s managed to tuck himself back near the shadows, setting sun washing over him from behind and making him look a lot like a red dahlia set ablaze.

“Did you hear me good?” With the other gone you allow yourself to turn to Jason headlong.

“Y/n-”

“Nope. No,” you parry, moving closer. “What happened to ‘meet at city hall’?”

“You weren’t moving,” he throws out while pushing off the concrete to intercept you. His hands glide up your arms till he can grasp onto your forearms and turn you around, hold more cradle than control as he guides you to the wall.

You let him do it but the furrow in your brows doesn’t budge. The mask, red and frustratingly unyielding, does much the same with far less effort.

“Now how,” you click your tongue. “Did you know that?”

The second your back brushes along the wall he stops responding, helmet tipping this way and that.

“He didn’t come anywhere near touching me,” you roll your eyes. “Did you put a tracker on me?”

Jason shrugs, doesn’t bother answering you in any direction.

“What were you two getting all yuppy about?”

The corner of your mouth twitches downward and you don’t bother fixing it.

“Hood,” you ground out, body a tense obstruction as you get in his face enough he can’t keep up his examination.

In turn Jason doesn’t give an inch but the sound that comes out of the modulator is harsh, likely just a heavy sigh, but your fists ball regardless; too keyed up to parse out the difference.

“Your find my phone app works perfectly fine.”

“Oh,” you shift your gaze away from glowing eyes to look at the moon overlapping some of the last remnants of the sun's rays, features evening out. He waits until you slump back into the wall to speak next.

“You done?”

Lips pursed you give into that deadpan tone with a tiny shrug.

“Yeah I’m done.”

A beat or five goes by, you’re not sure cause you’re not watching, before he sighs shoulders coming in and out of your peripheral.

“C'mon Slick,” Jason intones quietly. He reaches to the back of the helmet and releases the catch. His brows are practically furrowed over his domino when you’re finally able to get a good look at him and he tucks the helmet into his side, pointing at you with his free hand. “I’m just watching out for you. You have got to keep yourself outta trouble.”

“Please I would hardly count that as ‘trouble’,” you push his hand away and slip off around him to walk to the roof access door. “And you told them I was your informant, really?”

You don’t react to the ‘oh my god’ he breathes out behind you but you do let the door close in his face when you walk into the stairwell.

It’s petty but the name of the game currently seems to be how petty can you get so at least you aren’t breaking any rules.

You've already made it halfway to the hallway entrance when Jason flings the heavy metal open with a low curse. “Would you rather the alternative?”

“I would rather a partner who trusts me.”

The door slams shut and the only thing lighting the way is the sickly colored lights, the palest possible imitation of the now sleeping sun, and the scarcely lit red EXIT hanging above the top landing. None of that manages to hinder how open Jason's body language has become or stop you from reading the hurt from him when you chance a second long glance backward.

“I do trust you- just not against a cape. Not right now.”

“Hmph.” You don’t stop or turn around but you slow your gait so you’re not thundering down the steps anymore. “But not never?”

“Evidently,” he grunts, coming down the stairs in that oddly silent way that doesn’t even make the air being displaced under his feet echo. “Now what the hell’s got you so up in arms?”

“There’s nothing ‘up’ with me.” The hall door opens by your hand a sliver of the way before one of Jason’s hands clasps over yours on the lever and forces it back into place. It makes you jump, he hadn’t sounded so close.

The click of the latch bolt sounds suspiciously final. You puff out a light breath. It hits the door in one streamlined wave of nerves. In the meantime Jason’s body presses along the length of your back like he belongs there; it’s so natural. You shiver and relax your hand on the handle. Allow it to slip off with his own when he lets go.

“Aren’t we supposed to be working on this shit? Talk to me, will you?”

Rocking back on your heels to mold into his warmth you close your eyes, head falling onto his chest.

“If I don’t?”

He matches your whisper with one of his own, words nearly coiling around you with his delivery.

“If there’s zero stubborn people in the world then you’re dead, Y/n. We both know I can’t make you do fuck all.”

“Hmm,” you scoff quietly. “If there’s no stubborn people left you’d have to be dead too, you know?”

“I don’t think I’d mind being dead with you too much,” Jason says while knocking your heads lightly together. It makes you snort and you turn around with another sigh to face him.

“Corny ass,” you say. Jason shrugs.

“For you, yeah.”

“Oh my god,” you laugh at the smile that tugs at his lips. “When did we trade places?”

“Beats the hell outta me,” he steps in front of the nothing you’re staring at so you’ll stop avoiding his gaze. “Now talk.”

You track the bend of his mouth. The easy smile that’s only now - finally, after a year - becoming real and you fold faster than a snapped leg in an interrogation.

“The tracking scares me,” you let out in a rush.

He tenses, that grin disappears, and you want to swallow your words back.

“We can cut the tracker-”

“Nah that’s not what I meant. I don’t…mind it when it’s you. I know what you’re doing with the information, but…” you swallow, looking over then up at the door.

Out of the corner of your eye the thin line of his lips turns into a grimace and then a sneer.

“But Batman,” he grunts and you nod, humorless laugh falling past plush lips.

“Yeah, the fucking Batman - and I know you’ve got me and I’m not gonna harp on it cause I don’t wanna stimulate the little hate boner you’ve got for the man - but this is…a lot.”

Jason bites the inside of his cheek and you watch him stew over what you’ve just said. His forehead creases and his brows raise and his frown somehow gets deeper and then he inhales.

“It’s not too late for you to get out.”

His jaw clenches like he’s just tasted something unappealing but won’t admit it and you raise a brow.

“Huh. You know Signal said the same thing?”

It takes a beat before he can pry his mouth open.

“Did he?”

His voice is too soft like you’re about to tell him someone died and it makes your heart rattle.

“Yup,” you say, voice still hushed.

“And?”

You feel the exact second your gazes meet. Feel so intricately the way watercolor blue meets copper brown as if it was a physical thing. The domino over his eyes does nothing to mask that natural intensity.

A deep breath.

“And I’m in this until it blows up in my face, consequences be damned, if the Bat’s not willing to put in the effort then I will. We deserve that much.”

“The Alley does,” he concedes slowly, “but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice yourself for it.”

You’d thought you’d known longing before Jason Todd but watching him now you know with certainty the man wears it better than you ever could. A fitting but unflattering cloak. Effective in hiding against the moon and her subjects alike.

“Neither do you.”

He glances away. You can tell because your breaths get clearer. The rush of being known flushed from your system.

Jason laughs once, more a grunt than anything. “Let’s not get into that.”

“Fine,” you shrug. “I'm just saying though. I don’t have to do everything - and I’m not going to. That self sacrificing shit is your deal not mine - but I’m still a part of this. I’m straight, okay? I don’t need you getting me out.”

“Alright,” he hums and indicates the door with his chin. “Go inside, I'll meet you in a minute.”

You’re tired, you want to be done, so you were moving before he was even mid sentence. You’d come directly from work to the roof so-. Right. The roof. Your bed would have to wait for a couple more minutes.

You stop and turn back to face him. “What about city hall?”

He waves you off with a blithe movement.

“Eh, it’s not so time sensitive we can’t put it off for one day. Now go. I gotta contact my guys, but I’ll cook tonight.”

“Oh will you?” you joke, holding out your arms in surrender and making to back out of the stairway. You’re reaching around to grasp at the handle when he starts forward with a tiny stumble and gets a hold around your waist.

“Hold on. I - ah -” his licks his lips, “I wanna kiss you.”

“Oh,” you giggle, gaze flicking momentarily down to slick lips. “Sure.”

The both of you stall on what to do for a second. His grip is loose and your hands flutter between his face and shoulders - too scared to land and too eager to touch all at once. Eventually though Jason scoffs at himself and gives you an encouraging squeeze that has you melting, and it doesn’t seem all that challenging anymore.

You laugh into the kiss he gives you, settling on having one hand cupping his jaw and the other wrapped around his bicep. The momentum of your lips is smoother this go round. Your teeth still clink together but there’s no awkward stop-start to figure out how to angle your heads or not bump noses.

When you pull apart it’s genuine disappointment that tugs at your chest that you can’t meet his eyes.

“Bye,” he murmurs.

You shake your head. “In a minute...”

The urge for another shorter kiss has you meeting again and Jason’s hands pull you closer like he’s trying to push you into the gaps of his ribcage and his mouth moves against yours with the severity of a promise. This time when you seperate the tug seems harsher. You think he feels it too with the way his breath stutters but he recovers faster. Gets in an extra squeeze at your sides before letting go. You try not to make the disappointment that flares at that noticeable.

“Bye,” you say. It doesn’t matter that he’ll be crawling through your window in less than thirty minutes, you peck him on the lips one more time anyway before dropping your hands and disappearing out into the hall. “And tell Oyoung to give me back my damn mini. I know she took it; how’s she just gonna steal a whole taser like that?”

Jason’s snort at your words follows you into brighter lighting - more reminiscent of the moon’s cool unwavering roundness than the sun's sharp edges - and the short trek back to your apartment feels weightless.

End.NOTES: Hope you enjoyed!!

Alt Paragraph: “Bye,” you say. It doesn’t matter that he’ll be crawling through your window in less than thirty minutes, you peck him on the lips one more time anyway before dropping your hands and disappearing out into the hall. “And tell Oyoung to give me back my damn curl enhancer. I know she took it; how’s she just gonna steal a whole jar?”

btw: if you’d like to leave a comment I’d very much appreciate it. this is a sideblog tho so I won’t respond.

[waspredteeth]

using this site as a notes board to shop around my Bette Kane-Battle for the Cowl AU which I will now be lovingly regarding as the “Flamebird&Not-Robin in: the dangers of dead fathers, two (2) different spy organizations run by our evil-except-not-really-mothers, and somehow everything always is either a Wayne or a Kanes fault.”

Starting off this au with a general list of the characters in it and their roles as of Battle for the Cowl:

(((Edit: I changed the format to make this easier to read)))

Bette Kane - Flamebird

I’m throwing around the idea of her being a forensic scientist/or a pro-athlete

I hc her as being the same age as Dick i.e around 26

she’s back in Gotham bc Bruce died, stays in Gotham bc she sees the absolute mess it’s in & decides to help

even if it’s dubious if anyone really wants/needs her there

still an established LA hero with a public reputation so she’s not totally unknown to Gotham

finds Damian basically homeless in Gotham/breaking into places to stay and offers to take him in

he only accepts bc he knows she’s a Kane/related to his father

correctly regards Damian as an abused child / but doesn’t have the prior extensive knowledge or experience with the League to cloud her judgement on Talia or Damian (they’re equally both victims in her eyes)

while she is leagues more adjusted emotionally than the other Bats (she almost never interacts with Bruce outside of her childhood) - she’s still a lil traumatized and unhealthily copes regarding her parental situation and Kathy Kane

also has a little bit of trauma-related amnesia with a certain section of her childhood (that will come into play)

She does remember being Batgirl vaguely, very vaguely

Damian al Ghul-Wayne - not Robin in this au

at least not yet

he goes out on his own without a definite vigilante identity until later developments

came to Gotham to see Bruce after leaving Talia

Bruce is “dead” so Damian decides to wander Gotham on his own before Bette discovers him

tentatively stays with Bette bc they are related and he needs shelter

is secretly still insecure about Bruce (bc of how they last interacted) ((Batman#655-657)) /and whether or not Dick would have accepted him, as they haven't met before this au (Resurrection of Ras al Ghul is heavily altered)

tolerates Bette, Tom, and Rory’s friendly affection but will not hesitate to leave in the early months

is struggling with his place in the world bc Bruce is gone, Dick doesn’t know who he is, and Tim still hates him. So he’s not on the best terms with the main Bats.

Tom Bronson - Wildcat (the third)

If you don’t know who he is (I think only JSA fans know if his existence), he’s the third-ish Wildcat of the 2007 Justice Society, the estranged son of Ted Grant, following the long-ago death of Yolanda Montez and way-longer ago death of Jake Grant.

And yes, he is the one that transforms into an anthropomorphic black jaguar (he got it from his mom)

Ted will make an appearance and somehow I WILL bring Yolanda back from the dead/maybe even Jake too

Tom goes to Gotham to help his dad with the city shenanigans of BfTC

jury’s still out on whether I’m making him a love interest for Bette (my brain will make crack ships of the most random characters, don’t mind it)

decides to stay in Gotham even after his dad leaves bc the Bats really are stretched thin (in his opinion) (he’s used to the large size and scope of the JSA)

becomes a brother figure for Damian

accepts him as a annoying little brother in the sense of someone taking care of a stray kitten that bites your hand

lacks literally all experience with anything Batman related before going to Gotham / so he has Opinions about the family

is constantly anxious about Gotham (he is from Brooklyn) (someone pls tell him how this dysfunctional group of people manages to do anything at any point in time in This Fucking City)

a non-Bat POV into the insanity of Bat-events happening

what’s the League of Assassins? or Leviathan? Or Spyral? Or a Red Hood? Fuck if he knows

In my mind, Grant Emerson never died (he is happy and thriving OK) (fuck u Blackest Night) (he will make an appearance) (alongside Maxine)

Rory Regan - Ragman

our favorite underrated Jewish hero

originally from Gotham, I’m surprised he isn’t used more

for those not in the know : Ragman is a magical/mythical Jewish hero consisting of a costume made of rags which contain the countless souls of sinners who will eventually gain redemption within the rags if they help the current Ragman

Rory can use their strength, minds, and skills to help him as Ragman

Ragman (the suit) was canonically created to protect the Jewish population of Europe around the 1500s after the Golem of Prague was also made

Bruce makes an appearance in his 90s series actually / and Rory makes a cameo in a couple issues of O’Neil Batman

I’m planning on making him a more homegrown hero who tends to the homeless/poor/criminals that the Bats don’t get to- the whole “Tatterdemalion of the Justice” thing

is here bc we need another non-Bat pov of Gotham (he’s way more familiar with Gotham than Tom)

and I also like Gotham being more diverse in terms of vigilantes

bonus mentor for both Bette and Damian

he likes Bette bc shes 1. Jewish 2. a lighter hero than the other Bats 3. is a little easier to communicate with

he knows Damian is struggling and tries to support him in any way he can (as Rory also has daily struggles about his own morality bc of the Ragman suit/entity)

has been in Ragman in Gotham for about as long as Bruce has been Batman / he has seen some shit

The Ragman suit canonically slows the aging of the user, so Rory is older than he looks

he only just now started working with Oracle bc he understands the need for a semi-formal organization of Gotham heroes (he does appear in BfTC: The Network)

Kathy Webb-Kane - Agent 0/Headmistress

The leader of Spyral

not a child of a n*zi/ Otto Netz does not exist in this AU

still the first Batwoman

not romantically involved with Bruce bc ew

formerly married to Nathan Kane - the oldest Kane sibling of the little dynasty (Martha’s older brother)

after he died, she inherited what fortune he had that wasn’t taken by the Kanes

formerly Bette’s legal guardian/adopted mom after her dad died when she was 9

yes there will be mommy issues/familial conflict bc Spyral is an antagonist

conflicted about Bette bc she does still care for her, but she has a mission that she was committed too long before Bette was even born

clearly remembers being Batwoman

Spyral is still a spy organization connected to St. Hadrian’s Finishing School

currently targeting Talia/Leviathan, Damian, and Jason

also begins targeting Bette after she starts investigating in search of Kathy

Talia - Head of Leviathan

okay so. Resurrection of Ras al Ghul happens, but not the same way. Talia tries to go against Dusan on her own with Damian after learning of the body snatching plot

Inevitably, Ras comes back. He manipulates Talia and Damian into staying for a little longer. Things do not work out, and Talia deliberately sends Damian to Gotham bc Bruce isn’t dead (yet).

Bruce dies, and Talia loses hope in trusting any of the Bats to help her and Damian (she and Dick never got along, her relationship with Jason is strained)

So she creates Leviathan as a way to combat her father

BUT it’s not the same organization at all. It’s more of a spy organization with the direct purpose of taking down Ras/implementing a better version of his ecological agenda without as much murder and bloodshed.

Leviathan also is technically against Batman bc obviously Talia has never aligned completely with Bruce either. But she doesn’t purposefully try to kill him or Damian.

She’s a very conflicted character here, and she’ll show up in person to see Damian and learn of his status. As a mom, not a villain.

She’ll have a bigger part later on as Leviathan comes into conflict with Spyral.

Wants to take Damian back but is terrified that she’s not a good mother, that’s she’ll only make her precious son worse, and that Ras will just take something else from her permanently again (familial trauma x2)

So she flip-flops between helping Damian and trying to stop him from being a vigilante out of fear for his safety - which Damian detests (mommy issues 2: electric boogaloo)

Leviathan becomes a target for Spyral after it starts gaining followers that aren’t former League traitors and gains a wider influence among the eco-conscious and those who genuinely want Ras al Ghul gone forever

Dick - Nightwing/Batman

basically the same as og Battle for the Cowl

he becomes Batman and struggles under the mantle

doesn’t take in Damian so Tim stays Robin and in Gotham longer

he doesn't meet Damian until after Bette starts taking care of the kid so they don't have the same connection as in canon

he slowly becomes endeared to Damian the more they interact as the plot goes forward

while he’s still dismissive of Bette at the beginning, he’s forced to trust her when it comes to Damian and Spyral

He comes very close to like seventy mental breakdowns over the whole story

Tim - Robin

stays Robin bc Damian doesn’t need the role when he gets to Gotham

so no, there isn’t any conflict regarding the mantle until way later, and by the time Damian becomes Robin - Tim is already Red Robin

Bc Tim is Robin, he stays in Gotham for a while after Dick becomes Batman

that doesn’t mean there isn’t any tension bc there’s still the whole “Bruce isn’t dead” thing

Unlike canon though, Tim has words and can communicate before he leaves so Dick actually knows that Tim has at least a barebones theory of what happened to Bruce (doesn’t mean that Dick fully completely believes him and he’s still grieving so he doesn’t want anything dangerous to happen to Tim)

(this also means that the zombie Batman thing doesn’t happen)

Tim still leaves on his League pilgrimage and becomes Red Robin out of necessity

He still pushes people away, and he still is an asshole to Stephanie

Ras is very clearly manipulating him out of his own goals to strengthen the League and act against Leviathan

When he comes back to Gotham, Tim fights with Damian over the issue of Talia and Leviathan (bc he sees it as another fully evil organization, slight bias put into him by Ras)

Stephanie - Batgirl

the same as the comics

technically more on Barbara’s side than Dicks after BfTC

still a sister figure for Damian

will eventually meet with Bette bc it’s a crime that they never know each other in canon

is carving out her own legacy and path as a hero and Batgirl

still dealing with insecurity over Bruce

Cassandra - not Batgirl or Black Bat

will eventually become Batman

doesn’t show up until after the initial Battle for the Cowl

becomes Batman entirely on her own (for a bit there’s like three Batmen running around)

exclusively works with Oracle and Steph, comes to work together with Dick

doesn’t interact as much with Bette or Damian until they cross paths investigating Leviathan

Barbara - Oracle

still the same

does not interact as much with Dick&Tim bc she’s still running the Birds of Prey on top of training Steph

will interact with Kathy and Bette eventually bc I need the Batgirl interactions

Jason - Red Hood

is Batman briefly during BfTC

still takes in Scarlet as a pseudo-child

he won’t play a big part in the Bette/Damian part of the story

will eventually become a target for Spyral bc Red Hood is a crime boss with some wide connections

Bruce - dead (lol)

still time traveling and everything

tim will still investigate

the omega sanction/Barbatos hullaboo still happens

[solidwater-arts]

Woe, OCs be upon ye

Closeups here (link)

[ID: An alignment chart in which each quadrant has a drawing of a different character. There are three horizontal rows and three vertical columns. The rows are labeled "My life is a living hell", "I have no idea how I got here, even less where I'm going" and "I'm having a great time", and the columns are labeled "and I have nobody to blame but myself", "and God will regret letting me live", and "and I'm making that everyone else's problem".

All the art has a messy pixelated style. From left to right, top to bottom, the characters drawn are as follows:

- My life is a living hell

and I have nobody to blame for myself. The character is a humanoid with a head similar to a magnetic drawing board. The head is pink with green accents, and it has handles on each side vaguely resembling a cobra hood. They have a drawn on face with a stressed expression.

and God will regret letting me live. Lucy is a pale woman with wavy long dirty blonde hair. Her color scheme is dull and muted. She has blue eyes and a pink dress with a yellow undershirt. She has messy angel wings and a broken halo. She has a tired expression.

and I'm making that everyone else's problem. Pink is a crewmate from Among Us. They have a strawberry ice cream cone on their head, and their outfit has small yellow and blue accents. It's looking into the distance with a concerned expression.

- I have no idea how I got here, even less where I'm going

and I have nobody to blame but myself. Dr. Malacoda is a white man with messy brown hair that covers his right eye. He has vibrant blue eyes, rectangle glasses, and he's wearing a white dress shirt, a black tie, and a white lab coat. He's nervously looking to the side.

and God will regret letting me live. Gabriel is a demon with reddish skin and messy short black hair. He has visible body hair, stretch marks and acne scars. He has black horns and black bat wings. His eyes have yellow sclerae, grey irises, and red slit pupils. He has long dark red eyelashes and a goatee. He is wearing a black tube top, and a black fishnet sleeve with red accents on his left arm. He has a black choker and a few piercings. He is posing with his left arm above his head and he has a mischievous smile.

and I'm making that everyone else's problem. Spam is drawn in a sketchy style in white on a black background. They have messy hair and a tattered suit, and their eyes are covered by scribbles. They have a puppet mouth. They're laughing with their hand near their mouth in a tense position. The background is littered with warning signs, crosses and pop-ups in the primary colors.

- I'm having a great time

and I have nobody to blame but myself. Darling is a brown person with long brown hair in a low ponytail. They are wearing a purple jacket and a pink binder. He is blushing and smiling. The background has yellow and black stripes and pink hearts.

and God will regret letting me live. Coral is a crewmate from Among Us. They have an anglerfish lure. They are leaning against the wall and smiling smugly with an irregularly drawn mouth.

and I'm making that everyone else's problem. White is a crewmate from Among Us. They are wearing a golden crown that floats above their head. They seem to be smiling maniacally, although their mouth isn't visible. It is doing a cutting motion across its neck, indicated by a yellow dotted line. /End ID]

Here's some of my guys! The first one is nameless (they/them) (I promise their lack of a name is plot relevant). Then there's Lucy (she/her), Pink (any), Dr. Malacoda (he/him), Gabriel (he/him), Spam (they/them), Darling (any except she/her), Coral (they/them) and White (they/it). The nameless one is a TADC OC, Malacoda and Darling are SCP OCs, Spam is from a DR AU, Pink Coral and White are from Among Us, and Lucy and Gabriel are fully original. Ask about them if you want

Alt under the cut, it has eye clusters, a noose, and blood.

[ID: The same alignment chart as before, with some changes in the art.

The background of Dr. Malacoda's quadrant has multiple eyes staring at him. Spam has a bright green noose around their neck. White is covered in blood. /End ID]

[siconetribal]

Put It On My Tab: Chapter 3

Pairing: Jason Todd x Fem!reader

Tag: @vbecker10

Warning: Cursing

Summary:

Everyone deserves time off, and the vigilantes of Gotham are no exception to the rule. The boys decide to take a weekend to let loose. Who knew a few drinks would lead to a stranger in bed?

Author Note (updated 12/15/22):

I don't know how or why this got deleted, so I'm posting it again. Here are the links to the other parts for new readers:

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4

PLEASE READ WARNING ALWAYS.

Aside from the occasional whirring of the computer fan trying to cool down the tower and the creak of the computer chair every time Jason moved, the room was silent. Leaning back again, he let his head hang back and let out a loud groan, swiveling to one side until his monitor was just in sight. Still not on yet. He fussed with his hair, the pop of white in the front mixing with the black before falling back into its usual place. He was disgruntled and now growing impatient. “Another fifteen minutes, the hell is going on?” He muttered at the lack of message from “IAmBatman”.

Though he was not an avid gamer, he did dabble in the periodic pastime. When his brothers insisted he try online gaming, he did what any moody loner sibling did and ignored them. However, after enough pestering, he caved and gave it a shot. He lingered in the town/lobby area of the game, buying or creating items, until he felt prepared enough to look at the request board that he usually ignored. There were a bunch of different requests floating around, but he had no intention of randomly selecting one. He needed a good quest where he could contribute. He was not going to ride a bus, nor did he want to be the bus. It was a simple enough restriction…or so he thought.

Very quickly it became clear that at this hour only those who were very skilled or not skilled enough were around. A middle ranger like him was too good or not good enough. Not wanting to be a quitter, Jason stuck to his restrictions and scrolled through the board. He would exit the list and reread again, hoping a refresh would populate new ones. After the fourth refresh and seconds from him rage-quitting out of frustration, an interesting username caught his eye. There, in black ink, was “IAmBatman” requesting help. He could not help the loud snort that came from him as he accepted the task. He needed to see this avatar for himself. It had to be some buff male avatar all black or modded to look as close as possible to the black cowl wearing vigilante. What greeted him was an avatar that was outfitted to look like his vigilante alter: Red Hood.

Jason nearly choked on his water when he saw it. The player had a username calling himself Batman and was dressed up as Red Hood? This had to be some sort of prank. Grabbing his phone, he opened the group chat with the other bat-boys and demanded who was behind this. Anyone available was utterly confused and insisted they had no idea what he was asking about. Snapping a picture, he sent it and asked again. The response? Damian demanded to know what buffoon would mix the two, Dick was sending laughing GIFs, and Tim wanted to meet the genius who was trolling him. It was obvious none of them has a clue on whom this player was, but they all wanted to meet him now.

<You know you’re dressed as Red Hood, right?> He sent into the chat.

<Yeah, so?> IAmBatman responded.

<Your username…it’s Batman.>

<Who says I’m not?> He stared at his screen and rolled his eyes. <Have you ever seen me and Batman in the same room?>

<I’ve never met you.>

<Which means you haven’t, so you can’t say I’m not.> He let out a small chuckle at the silliness of the argument.

<OK, “Batman”, what’s the plan?> And that was how he made friends with “IAmBatman”. Now, here he was sitting and waiting for the fake crusader to sign in.

I know I’m not the most punctual thanks to my line of work, but IAmBatman is never this late without giving some kind of heads up. Did something happen? They did say they’re living in Gotham, troubles everywhere here. He frowned, tapping his fingers on the table. Another eternity passed by (five minutes). “Forget, I’m logging out. I’m just gonna read, I waited long enough.” He fixed his posture in his chair and wheeled it closer to the table, grabbing his controller. With a few presses and pushes, he was staring at the dialogue box that asked him if he was ready to sign out. His thumb was primed and ready to confirm it, but he could not. Frustrated with himself, he exited the screen and went back to idle. I don’t need  to log out, I’ll just grab a book and read. “If they come on, and I miss it, I miss it. So what? They can wait, just like I’ve been.” He pushed his chair back and hopped off the seat, making his way over to his filled bookshelf. Searching through the titles, he grabbed the one he was currently working on and made his way back to the desk. 

“Now, I’m just going to sit here and enjoy my book. If they log on, and I miss it, oh well. They can wait as long as I did.” Kicking his feet up on the table, he leaned back and slouched a little into the perfect slight curl before opening to his bookmark. Now his night would not be a waste. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he jumped into the world within the pages.

What felt like the tenth eternity of the night rolled by as he heavily dropped his feet to the floor and sat up. How many times have I read that stupid line? If anyone asked me, I wouldn’t be able to tell you the fuck I even read! He audibly groaned, scrubbing his face with his hands. Did he dare look at the clock? He widened the gab between his index and middle finger to peek at the clock on his wall. “For fuck’s sake, only three minutes?!” He nearly chucked the book in hand at the offending time piece on the wall. “I’m going to go insane, this is it! This is how I, Jason Todd, actually die. Insanity from waiting online for some stranger to come play games with me.” He slouched further in his chair, letting it swivel side to side. Maybe if I do this long enough, I’ll melt into the floorboards. He scrunched his nose and furrowed his brows. This is really pathetic. A ping from the speakers made him jump, the chair sliding backwards as he fell forwards, narrowly saving his nose from smashing into the edge of the desk as he scrambled to get up.

<Hey, sorry I’m late. My shift ended late. Are you still there?> All the anger and frustration he had built up instantly flew away as he blindly reached back until he grabbed the arm of his chair, pulling it back under him as he typed back.

<Yeah, I’m here. Took ya long enough. What’s with all these late night shifts, I might think you’re actually Batman 🤣> he replied.

<Crime stops for no man!> He snorted.

<Ok, caped weirdo, what’s with all the late night shifts?>

<Let’s just say I had an expensive date one night, and now I’m stuck paying off some debt 🙄>

“Expensive date, paying off debt? The hell kind of date is that?” He muttered to himself. <I think you owe me a little more detail than that after making me wait here all night.?

<Can’t we just go kill some dragons instead? 🥺>

<After you tell me how a date got you into so much debt.>

<Ugh, fine, rude!>

<Good girl>

<Who said I’m a girl? I could be some sweaty, hairy old guy living in the apartment building basement.>

<Yeah, and I’m the Queen of England 🙄>

<Well, Your Majesty, it’s rude of you to assume my gender when we’ve never met.>

<I can tell by the way you type. Trust me, I know a lot of sketchy guys, you’re not a sketchy old dude.>

<Oh yeah, what if I’m a super skilled sketchy old dude that’s pretending to be a girl?>

<Wow…so sexy…you really know how to get a guy going. Quit trying to distract me and tell me what happened already!>

<Alright, alright! Jeez, so pushy!> She replied and Jason smirked.

I knew it! He thought with a smug smirk, watching the three dots appear and disappear a few times on the screen as she typed. He watched this repetitive animation run for a good handful of minutes, his curiosity rising with each passing second, until a small paragraph of text appeared on his screen. Leaning on to his right arm, he leaned in closer to the screen as he read. “Couple months ago, spent the night with some dude during her high school reunion dinner, they spent the night at a hotel, he trashed the room, and she’s stuck paying the bill.” He muttered aloud to himself as he summarized the details. “Damn, that sucks!” <What kind of asshole does that?! Can’t you fight the hotel and tell them he’s the real culprit?>

<I wish! I don’t know a damn thing about the guy! We met for the first time that night and I had the room under my name so legally I’m the one responsible for any damages and fees that may be incurred from said damages. So, because of that, I’m working extra shifts and overtime to get as much money as possible to clear the charges without asking my friend for a loan.>

<Damn. Do you remember anything about this guy? I can beat the shit out of him for you. I’m pretty good in a fight, if I do say so myself.>

<I feel like saying that automatically means you’re terrible and I’ll need to save you from yourself 🤣. Thanks for the offer, though.>

<Ow, rude! We’ve never even met! How can you tell if I’m strong or not?>

<Just like how you can tell if I’m a guy or a girl by how I can text and assume I’m not Batman.>

<Nice try, but I have sources close to hm. You’re not Batman. Also, was I wrong though?”

<Would my saying yes or no actually prove your right or wrong? “

<Touché, well, the offer still stands. If you need me to teach that shithead a lesson, just say the word.>

<My hero, now can we go beat up some giant lizards for items? I need to vent out the frustration of having to deal with the rich snobs of Gotham who like to complain about the color of our cups during the holiday season.>

<What, it’s not December yet.>

<I know, that doesn’t stop them. Now, ya joining me or not, wonder boy?>

<Yeah, yeah, let’s go!> He chuckled, following her avatar.In the blink of an eye it was nearly dawn and the two of them finally called it quits and logging off. The boss monster was a lot harder than they anticipated, but they finally managed to get the upper hand and reap the rewards. Crawling into his bed, he pulled the covers up to his shoulders and rolled onto his side. She was safe, and he managed to get some great gameplay time after a boring night of patrol. Maybe life was not so bad after all. Yawning, he closed his eyes and let sleep finally creep over him. Yup, a good night. His eyes flew open as he practically went flying out of bed at how fast he sat up. Two words had suddenly come hurdling to the forefront of his mind. Two words he skimmed over in his eagerness to get the hunting on the road. The same pair of words that made his eye twitch from how close they were to his old title as Batman’s sidekick. “Holy shit, there’s no way! It can’t be, but who else says that?!” He let out another loud groan as he dropped backwards on to his mattress. IAmBatman was the girl from the hotel room. Tonight was going to be a long night.

[the-witches-you-couldnt-burn]

Be you’re own hero

MGI Bracket War 2: ROUND ONE

Prompt: “Write about a hero or a villain deathly afraid of doing their job.”

This could be read as romantic or platonic

Ao3

“I guess this is karma getting back at us for trying to quit.” Ladybug’s head tilted upwards and banged against the stone wall behind her.

“There’s no such thing as karma.”

She raised an eyebrow at the hooded man. He was slouched against the wall parallel to her, his arm rested on his raised knee, that hand hung freely whilst the other spun his switchblade in between his fingers.

Marinette pushed herself off the wall, her arms rested on the floor in front of her.

“So what would you call this then?”

“A series of unfortunate events, fate, cursed, hexed, heresy, chance, destiny. Many different words that all end up meaning the same thing.” He flicked his knife up and caught it as it clicked into its sheath. “But you’re smart enough to know that.”

“Wow thanks,” Marinette sarcastically replied with an incredulous look on her face. “Was that meant to be a complement?”

“Tsk. Figure it out.”

Silence returned to their small cavern. Their only light being her yo-yo which is trapped between a boulder that’s blocking their exit.

“Soooooo. . .” Her voice trailed off before she popped her lips. “If you won’t call it karma, then what would you say this is?” She saw his head shift in her direction, it was too dark to see but his white masked eyes seemed to glow. She smirked at him, “You never answered my question.”

Robin whistled, “A coincidence.”

“How is that any different from karma? It’s just another synonym.”

“Karma is the belief that if you do good in life, you’ll get good things in return, the same goes if you’ve been bad. Life doesn’t work like that. It is merely a coincidence that we’re here.” He clicked his tongue and went back to flicking his knife.

“So in your opinion; a coincidence is karma that lacks hope that what we do in life matters.”

He froze. He didn’t expect that. Women had always confused him but this was different. What confused him even more was, that she showed exceptional skills in her heroism work

“I resign”

The room froze. All eyes turned to stare at the scarlet bug. Her wary eyes scanned the room and her shoulders were hunched, she was expecting a fight.

Superman was the first to speak up, “What?”

“I’ll train my replacement, I’ll even supervise them!” Words spewed out of her mouth at lightning speed, even the two speedsters in the room had trouble keeping up. “But I just can’t do this anymore.” She opened her yo-yo and took out her Justice League badge. She walked towards the large steel meeting table and placed it down with a click.

The room was packed to the brim with heroes, sidekicks and support. They were discussing an upcoming intergalactic mission. The blue holograms paused and the papers spread across the table fluttered in the light fan breeze.

“My lady.” She spun to her right, blue pigtails swishing behind her. Chat’s green eyes were welled with sadness, he approached her with a claw cradling his chest. “Why.”

She tensed, pursing her lips. “I just can’t do this anymore.” She walked out the sliding conference room doors. Those with supersonic hearing, heard her call for Kaalki to teleport her away from here. The miraculous team said their quiet goodbyes before following their leader, shell shocked.

“Can you believe that?” Red Robin exclaimed, “LB! Ladybug of all people is resigning from JL!” He flopped into his gaming chair that sat before the large bat computer. He reached over to sip his coffee, his hair was falling out of his man bun, making him look more of a lunatic than usual.

Red Hood whistled, agreeing that this was unexpected. The rest stayed in silence as Tim began to ramble his ‘two days of no sleep’ rant.

Dick approached Damian, already half changed out of his uniform, spandex trailing behind him. He pulled his arm out with a pop and lowered his white singlet top. “What’s your opinion little D?”

Damian clicked his tongue, brooding over dick’s choice of nickname, ‘little D’. He was now taller than Dick yet he still got called condescending names.

“Good for her.” He succinctly said.

Tim’s rambling stopped.

“Damian?” Babs asked. She turned to look at her unofficial sibling to see what they made of Damian's reaction. She found Bruce, now dressed in loungewear, at the cave’s entrance. He raised a dark eyebrow at his youngest son, prompting him to continue, but Damian didn’t.

“Damian, do we need to have a discussion about this?”

“What’s there to discuss Father? She made a choice, and that choice is to leave heroism behind her.” He jumped up off the medical stretcher he was sitting on and walked over to the eldest Wayne. He took off his cape with one arm and placed it in his father’s hands. Bruce looked down then back to Damian, his perfect poker face masked his confusion. “Heroes and villains are being seen as black and white, grey is whatever Todd is but that’s not my point. I resign as well, Father.”

The teen tried to walk past and up the stairs but his biceps was caught. “Damian. . .” Bruce paused, licking his lips. His mouth had gone dry from all the words dying in his throat. “Out of all of you I never expected—“

“Expected me to quit?” Damian cut him off, a smirk appearing amongst the scratches on his face. “You're the Greatest Detective in the World, Father.” He stressed each syllable of Batman’s title, “Have fun figuring this out.”

“What’s your favourite colour?”

“Blue.”

“Damn I had you pegged as a green guy.” Marinette chuckled, “Can I know why?”

“Tsk, who doesn’t like blue?”

She tilted her head, while his answer is correct it wasn’t his real answer; she was good at reading lies.

“True. But I asked why you liked blue.”

He clicked his tongue again. “It’s the colour of the sky.”

She smiled and settled back against her rock wall. Wiggling her body until she became comfortable, her suit kept some of the cold out but there still was discomfort.

“What’s yours?

After what felt like hours he finally was reciprocating questions back to her.

“Pink”

He clicked his tongue, “Knew it.”

Her smile scrunched up her face as she shook her head. “Of course you did, smart bird.”

She tapped her chin thinking of a new question but Robin beat her to it. “Why did you try to resign?”

“Why did you?” She teased back with a forced laugh.

“That’s classified—” he shifted, leaning towards her, arms crossed. She felt his body heat invade her personal space. “—and I asked you first.”

“I just couldn’t.”

“While that may be true, I’m asking for the reason why you resigned.”

His teasing tone went unnoticed as she drew her knees to her chest, curling up into a little ball. He had flipped her logic for the favourite colour question back onto her. “Well. . .” She broke away from her far away gaze pointed at the floor to make direct eye contact with him. His hood hung off his face now that he was leaning. She was right, his white mask eyes did seem to glow. “I never wanted to be a hero.”

He held his breath, once again caught off guard by her answer.

“I was thirteen and it was the first day back at school. Hawkmoth, Paris’ Supervillain, had manipulated one of my classmates into being an akuma. Uhhh, akumas are Hawkmoth’s minions that try to take away mine and Chat Noir’s miraculous. I found my miraculous and was forced into being Ladybug after the new student was almost crushed by a flying car.” Her chest heaved as she paused her diatribe, but Robin didn’t speak over her, he just sat there and listened.he had moved back to his original position. “There was a quote I read as a child; ‘Be the hero you needed as a child’, I was a child but I had to be the hero I needed. I couldn’t do this anymore because I already lost my childhood, I didn’t want to lose my life as well.”

“Same.”

“Huh?”

“I had the same reason for resigning.” Ladybug waited and he did indeed continue, “I was raised in the league of assassins, fighting was the first language I learnt. I know how to kill someone forty-seven ways with a spoon.” He reached down and felt along the floor between them, he cut his finger when he finally found what he was looking for. His katana was shattered into pieces, its hilt was still trapped somewhere against the boulder. “I’ve had this katana since I was ten, it was my grandfather’s last gift to be before he passed away from an assassination. Afterwards my mother took me to stay with my Father, she thought it would be safer for me. But then I became Robin.”

He let out a hollow chuckle. “All my brothers and siblings were vigilantes, some didn’t even have a background in combat, so I wanted to join them. I wanted to show them I was the best, that all the hard work I put in during my younger years didn’t go to waste.” He looked at the palms of his hands before he limply hung them again. “I guessed it did. All I wanted was for my father to be proud of me and he was, but I realised; it just wasn’t worth it anymore.”

She shifted to sit beside him, he looked down at her curiously. “May I?” She asked, and he nodded. She rested head on his shoulder and hugged his arm.

“You’re the first to ask.” He mumbled, that broke her heart.

“We both just wanted to live.” She whispered, not expecting a response.

“Yes. . .” His voice hissed, “There’s another saying I’ve heard ‘Either die a hero or live long enough to become a villain’.”

They settled into silence, their breaths evened out as they both fell asleep.

A blaring siren woke them up. Her yoyo’s screen was red and showing deprecating oxygen levels, ‘Warning oxygen levels below 40%’.

“We can’t wait here any more to be saved. We need to find a way out.” Damian’s rough voice still full of sleep resounded throughout the small space. He turned to her, herher eyes disoriented from the abrupt awakening. “You should detransform so you can get your yo-yo back then we can try to come up with a plan.”

“I can’t” her voice came out panicked, her breath caught in her chest “What if the cavern collapses without it?”

Damian shifted to stand on his knees, he looked up at the rock above them and the wire caught in between it and the crevasse’s wall. “A 15mm titanium cord being removed won’t do anything to that boulder ladybug.” He tilted his head and looked at her.

“I still can’t.” Her shaking hands waved in front of her.

“Would you rather we stay here and potentially die? We haven’t heard anything from the teams; they're not coming to find us anytime soon.”

“I’d rather we find another option that doesn’t involve me losing all my memories.” She yelled, her voice echoing and causing the rock to shake. Robin dove at her, his gloved hand covering her mouth, silencing her cries. He felt her tears soak onto his hand, he stared up at her in shock.

“What. . . What do you mean?” He slowly moved his hand to her jaw, keeping it near in case she screams again and causes another tremor.

“You reveal your identity, you lose your memories. It happened to the Grand Guardian and it’ll happen to me as well. I don’t want to take that risk.” She sobbed, her breathing started to hyperventilate.

“Well what about your lucky charm?”

“We’ll have five minutes to use it then find me a place to hide and recharge my kwami. I don’t think we’ll make it Robin!” She whisper-yelled at him, her voice breaking.

He removed his hood and used his other hand to clutch her two hands in his. “How about we make a deal?” She looked up at him, cheeks red and eyes blotchy. “We be each other’s last person to save, we be our own heroes.” He took of his cape and put it around her, “And if you do detransform I promise not to look.”

“Ok.”

[fleurdelanuit13]

FFXIVWRITE 2023: Prompt 26 - Last

((this picks up where Dowdy left off))

Lyla stood with Lalai and Zhai'a. Of the three coffers they'd been gifted by a certain legendary archmage, only one remained unopened. It was the one intended for Zhai'a. He waited patiently as Lalai and Lyla pulled piece after piece of ancient attire and weaponry out of their chests. How the weapons had even fit in those chests was another matter, but it was one that they did not yet care to investigate...

Lyla and Lalai's new Seventh Hell attire and Vanargand rods were appropriate for black mages, but Zhai'a hoped his coffer did not contain the same reward. He was not a black mage and he did not want his associates at Stillglade Fane wondering about him if he showed up in robes such as those.

Lyla too was a Hearer and conjurer of Stillglade Fane, but she was no ordinary member. She was could and did get away with all manner of things due to her abilities and connections. Zhai'a doubted that he could enjoy the same lenience as she, even if it was granted to him. He maintained a reputation of trustworthiness at the Fane that he quite liked.

Not that Lyla was not trusted, but she was not as... agreeable as he was. It would be a lie to say that none at all disliked her for her attitude, just as it would be a lie to say that she did not dislike some of their peers at Stillglade.

Compared to Lyla, Zhai'a was just a normal Hearer upholding Gridanian law. He was diplomatic, he did not hold grudges for decades, he was not a mercenary, he did not study illegal magicks, he did not provoke the elementals, he had never caught greenwrath, he did not—

"Zhai'a?" Sound sliced through his thread of thought. He heard Lyla first and felt her tail tap him. "Nelhah, hello?"

Lalai was more impatient and impish in general. "Helloooo, holier-than-thou Hearer who severely needs to remove his head from his—"

"Nophica's scythe!" Zhai'a exclaimed. "Both of you hush!"

Lalai turned to Lyla. "See? I told you he was not possessed."

Lyla shrugged slightly. "You would know," she said.

Lalai smirked. "I am the expert, aren't I?"

"Well?" Lyla asked Zhai'a, gesturing at the chest with her lips. "Will you open it?"

Zhai'a huffed. "Really, neitherrr of you possess an onze of patience." He tied back his sleeves and with the two of them hovering like bats above his shoulders, the Keeper opened his coffer.

When Lyla had opened hers, a hat and robe sat right towards the top. They practically leapt out. The contents of Zhai'a's did not do that. In fact...

"Is it empty?" Lalai asked.

"No," Lyla said, adjusting her glasses.

Zhai'a saw a glint within the chest. "There is something."

He reached in, but not before gauging how likely it was that the chest was a mimic... His fingers found what turned out to be a very dark layer of velvety fabric. There was a bundle of some sort wrapped up in it. Zhai'a carefully removed the bundle with both hands and unwrapped it. It appeared to be a bright red and black half-robe with a white collar and ornate embroidery.

"I suppose the lack of a hat is acceptable since there is a hood," mused Lalai.

"It seems... very short," Zhai'a said after, holding it up to get a better sense of the length. It had a belt, but he could tell the robe would end well above his knees. "Perhaps it is unfinished. Is there no more of it inside?"

Lyla examined it as Zhai'a looked into the chest again. "No, it's finished..." she said, surprised and awestruck. "Oh wow... No wonder it's like this."

Zhai'a looked closely at her expression. "Hm?"

Lyla showed him the fabric. "Just look at it. This goldwork is extensive," she explained. "It's throughout the garment, except for the belt, and it's all aetheroconductive thread too."

Lyla looked at this robe and then hers. "Huh..." she mumbled, and Zhai'a noticed the puzzled and slightly crestfallen look on her face.

"Are you disappointed?" he asked.

"No, just... surprised," Lyla claimed, but the way her tail swished told him that she was bemused.

"Well... I do not really need a new—"

"There's more in here, you know," interrupted Lalai, who looked close to falling into the coffer.

Zhai'a returned to the chest, if only to make sure Lalai did not fall. He peered in again and retrieved the rest of his reward. There were boots much like his own, strange gloves, surprisingly nice bottoms, and... something else wrapped in silken cloth. Zhai'a had to unravel about thirteen layers before he found the thing.

"What... is this?" he muttered after handing the last of the cloth to Lyla. What sat before them was possibly the strangest object Zhai'a had yet seen. The three mages were perplexed.

"A blade?" Lyla proposed.

"But it's so..." Zhai'a did not know how to describe it. The blade started straight, then curved in different directions. It resembled a rooster's head. Zhai'a picked it up. It certainly felt real, but... "How would one even use this?"

Lyla put her hand to her chin in thought. "I suppose you could slash with it?"

Zhai'a grimaced. "I would rather not," he said firmly, and at that, the blade grew warm in his hands. Light enveloped it for a moment, then burst into little illusions of eggs and stars.

A Hatching-tide prism!? Zhai'a thought as sparkles rained down around them.

"Look," Lyla said, pointing at his hands. Resting in them was no longer a blade.

Lalai almost laughed. "Is that a... baby chocobo?"

"It's cute," Lyla added.

It was. Zhai'a now held a bright yellow and orange figure of a chocobo chick. He rotated it and looked at it from all angles, as if it might have a secret switch somewhere. There were two little blue crystals on the side of its head, but they only made the chick look more anxious.

"A fleeing baby chocobo," Zhai'a specified, then mumbled, "This must be in jest..." He supposed he could decorate his office with it.

"It might not be fleeing," Lyla offered. "It could be kicking." She held up the short half-robe. "And this is very real."

"Perhaps the cloth was there so that you could sell it..." Lalai said.

Zhai'a furrowed his brows at her. "Really, Lalai, I thought you would have more respect for something that was a gift from your esteemed mentor."

"Greatness is the depth of pocket, Hearer," the Lalafell said. "You've really learned nothing while working with us, have you?"

They heard Lyla murmuring to herself as she studied the robe again. She spoke too quickly for Zhai'a to follow, but he heard something about islands and Gyr Abania.

"Have you had a breakthrough?" Zhai'a asked when she paused.

"Possibly," Lyla said, then paused to choose her words. "The short of it is I think this particular piece was designed for mobility and aether efficiency, recovery, and such. I believe it's intended for red mages."

Lalai titled her head as if she hadn't heard Lyla correctly. "Red mages?"

"How did you even reach such..." Zhai'a stopped himself from asking about her strands of logic. "Lyla, if I understood your reports correctly, red mages did not exist until long after Lady Shatotto's time."

"Right," Lyla said, "but they exist now and I saw a red mage wear one of these in Kugane."

"But why red mages specifically?" Lalai asked. "Could not all mages benefit from such enhancements?"

Lyla nodded. "Yes, and any can wear it just the same, but red mages regularly get close to their opponents, they would better benefit from enhanced recovery, and red magic does not draw on ambient aether for its spells as we do. It's similar to thaumaturgy that way."

"Ooh I see," Lalai said.

Lyla traced the embroidery with her finger. "On a longer robe, this could all be spread out, channel aether in larger quantities, different ways, and so on. On here, this goldwork—" the Keeper indicated the subtler embroidery that was everywhere on the red fabric, "—will aid the mage's internal aether circulation." Next, Lyla pointed to the thicker embroidery on the white collar and black middle part of the robe. "And these aid in casting."

Zhai'a crossed his arms and closed his eyes in thought. "So you're saying Lady Shatotto just happened to find this odd half-robe and an even odder chocobo chick contraption, and decided that this would be the perfect gift for me?"

Lyla just shrugged. "The robe should fit you and it would help your spellwork. You could even wear it under your normal one."

Zhai'a's tail flicked. "Is there a flaw in my spellwork?"

"... No," Lyla said after too long of a pause. "Not exactly."

Zhai'a's ears went half-flat. "Why did you hesitate..."

Lyla turned away and began packing up their stuff.

"Well, I am not one to question Lady Shatotto's decisions," interjected Lalai. "Shall we get something to eat? I'm famished."

((for the curious, Zhai'a's new gear is:

- Vermillion cloak of casting

- Abes gloves

- Astral silk bottoms of casting

- Brand-new thighboots

- Chicken Knife))

[roobylavender]

Remembering Shelia and Catherine and Talia and just women in general that helped shaped Jason Todd, and DC and fans just undoing all that and making characters like Tim and Dick the more important characters in Jason’s narrative....misery

This is such an interesting panel but also what do you think about post that talk about the lack of women in Jason’s narrative I guess? Like this post

i hope it's okay to combine both of these asks but yes, it grates on me so much! i may be stretching it a little but i really do think it's a consequence of the fact that post denny o'neil editorial largely only viewed the women in the bat mythos as passive figures as opposed to active figures. i suppose you could argue against that on the basis of stephanie's batgirl run but even that was the product of significant outcry which wouldn't have been instigated had she not been so uproariously killed off in the first place. even talia's allegedly "active" role was created in response to damian's character, rather than any of her motivations across the morrison run being squarely her own. and i won't try to form a coherent thought about gotham city sirens bc i am sure we're all well aware by now that that book was nothing more than the product of an outdated paul dini fantasy based on a cartoon that was by that point two decades old

i can't remember the exact wording i used but i think i had a tweet last year where i joked that bat editorial went from denny o'neil facilitating the maintenance of women playing active roles while nonetheless sometimes restricting them to their archetypes, to paul levitz and his underlings deciding to render near completely the women in the bat mythos as reactionaries to every other person's story. we went from moderately okay and in need of improvement (though i’ll note shondra was a prominent, really distasteful exception) to outright disastrous, imo. and under the red hood was perfectly placed in the immediate aftermath of that editorial shift! it no longer mattered that catherine had imbued jason with plenty of love that he remembered and cherished, it no longer mattered that love and compassion were what propelled jason to save sheila, or to express anger and grief over gloria before that. and like that post mentions even talia, notwithstanding her questionable portrayal by winick, was excised from the narrative despite the fact that it was her love that initiated his renewal. even onyx, who posed a potentially hefty challenge to jason's newfound way of life, was excised because the new craftsmen of the stories believed jason's only potential to clash was with bruce and the other robins. barbara may not have been a prominent feature in jason's old stories but she was nonetheless way more present alongside the post-crisis version of his character than dick ever was, and yet

it repeatedly speaks to this denial of the importance of women in the mythos and i really don't think bat editorial has ever recovered. idk if it ever will like mark waid can certainly work magic and i'm glad he appears to be in charge on a big picture level but he's only one man and he can only focus on so much. even the few women currently working within bat editorial seem to premise their writing on nothing more than caricatures. it's miserable 💔

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

The Truth of Heart

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/z4mN8di by Flame_343 When all was said and done Tim had forgiven everyone that has wronged him. All except one, that he has kept hidden for a reason. Now, the batfam has found footage of the truth.   Who will it be? Words: 893, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), Nightwing (Comics) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: Gen, M/M Characters: Damian Wayne, Titus | Damian Wayne's Dog, Damian Wayne's Pets, Bruce Wayne, Robin (DCU), Batman Ensemble, Jason Todd, Alfred Pennyworth, Alfred the Cat (DCU), Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Dick Grayson, Nightwing Relationships: Batfamily Members & Batfamily Members (DCU), Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Duke Thomas & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Stephanie Brown & Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown & Bruce Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain & Barbara Gordon, Stephanie Brown & Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson & Alfred Pennyworth, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Damian Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth & Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain & Damian Wayne, Batfamily Members & Damian Wayne Additional Tags: Tim Drake Has Issues, Tim Drake is Red Robin, Tim Drake-centric, Tim Drake Needs a Hug, Hurt Tim Drake, Tim Drake Has a Bad Time, Tim Drake Has Self-Worth Issues, Tim Drake Gets a Hug, Tim Drake Needs a Break, Tim Drake Needs Help, Tim Drake Lacks Self-Preservation Instincts, I'm Bad At Tagging, Damian Wayne Gets a Hug, Damian Wayne Feels, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Damian Wayne is Robin, Damian Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Jason Todd Gets A Hug, Jason Todd Feels, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating, Bruce Wayne Has Issues, Hurt Bruce Wayne, Stephanie Brown is Spoiler, Stephanie Brown Needs a Hug, Past Stephanie Brown/Tim Drake, Mute Cassandra Cain, Cassandra Cain is Black Bat, Cassandra Cain is Orphan read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/z4mN8di

[the-broken-truth]

Broken-Style Remix: Yandere Mother Talia Al Ghul

Broken: When it comes to Yandere Mothers, Talia Al Ghul is one of my favorites; considering how obsessed she is with her baby daddy. Recently, I came into a Yandere Talia Al Ghul Image made by @anxiousnerdwritings & with their permission, I have been allowed to make this Broken-Style Remix! Now, let the words weave together!!!

@anxiousnerdwritings's version: LINK

SUBTITLE: THE ONE YOU THREW AWAY

Talia Al Ghul wanted things thing and would do anything to obtain those things - Complete Control & Undeniable Power. She was the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul - The Head Demon of the League of Assassin & Immortal Mad-Man, well...not anymore; now Talia was on the Throne as Head of the League of Assassins, but there was a time before everything went to hell. Talia always wanted to have power but she also wanted someone to share it with - that came in the form of the Protector of Gotham - The Masked Savior, Batman. Talia was entranced by his power and skill, he would have been a perfect partner to rule with if he wasn't so hesitant to kill but she could sculpt him to fit her mold one way or another but first she needed to get him on her side. Her father thought of him as the perfect heir but there was no way the protector would join him, so Talia planned and that plan was to give herself and Bruce an heir - the perfect combination of the two of them. However, a wrench was thrown into that plan when inside of one - there were two.

A Son & A Daughter.

A Son that mirrored his father in young as he would in adulthood, with the exception of the emerald eyes that Talia possessed - the eyes of an Al Ghul. He was given the name Damian.

Her daughter was another story: she grew to look just as Talia did in her youth but she had her father's calm blue eyes - the eyes of a protector. The eyes of a Wayne. The eyes of a savior, not a killer - she was flawed with those eyes. She was named Bellatrix - just as her father, she would be expected to be a great warrior.

When it was time to hone their skills, it was clear that they were the perfect combination of the Al Ghul and Wayne Genes - Damian more. He was the perfect killer, merciless and quick; he wouldn't give his enemies time to speak. No, enemies were too kind of a word to describe them - they were his prey while he was the hunter. He didn't care how many he had to cut down; he would never tire until all of them were dead at his feet.

Bellatrix - on the other hand - was a different story. It was clear she had the skills, it was obvious that she had the power, but the main issue was that she wouldn't finish the job; she lacked the most important trait of the Al Ghul Bloodline - she refused to kill. Talia feared this - she was just like her father and she didn't want weakness into the pain; especially since she was the eldest of the two. She either had to fix the problem or completely remove it.

And she would much prefer the latter.

Ra's loved his grandchildren all the same - he didn't care of Bellatrix didn't kill, he was pleased enough that she was able to complete impossible tasks alone and come back unscabbed. He would praise her and he would train with her in his free time - the two of them were fond of meditation to keep themselves centered.

"Remember Granddaughter: If you are completely centered then there is nothing you can't overcome. Knowing your center is knowing your true power." - That is what Ra's would tell her during those times.

As time passed on, Talia noticed that Bellatrix gained in power and knowledge every day while her son showed just how much of an Al Ghul he was every time he went on a mission, but that didn't matter to Talia - that girl...that mistake...was a single dot in the way of her son's rightful place as Head of The League & she had to something about it.

And she did.

One night - Talia told Bellatrix to accompany her to the desert for recon and the girl agreed, thinking it was going to be a mother-daughter experience. The two of them sourced their bounds but found nothing, Bellatrix looked around the dunes to see if there was something hiding in the desert's darkness until her body made her move and she dodged just in the next of time as a blade came in close contact with her throat. She reached for her sword, only for her hand to be grabbed, and turned it to her back. She was then grabbed from other directions before being kicked in the back of her knees and came to her knees in the sand. She struggled and looked at the cloaked figures that held her until she looked at her mother.

"Mother! Help!" She begged for her mother.

"Why would I do that," Talia walked over to her bound daughter as one of the assassins handed her a sword, "When it took me so long to get you here?" Talia looked into her daughter's eyes with emptiness.

"You...You planned this? Mother, why would you do this?" Bellatrix asked.

"This is something I should have done from the start, after all - My Beloved needs an heir, not a burden. You are a stain on the Al Ghul Name, an Al Ghul that refuses to kill is not an Al Ghul; hell, you aren't even an assassin. You're a defect, a flaw, a wrench in my plan to have my beloved rule behind me as King and Queen of the League of Assassins."

Bellatrix's eyes widened at the sight of her mother raising her sword.

"And all defects must be eliminated." Talia growled as her arm thrust forward - Bellatrix's eyes widened and her jaw locked to keep herself from screaming as the blade ripped through her chest and came out on the other side.

Talia lifted her foot - the other assassins released the girl - and kicked her to the dirt and watched her groan in pain before going limp in the cold desert night.

"Dispose of the body. I have to deliver the news that the heir has been killed and watch my one true child take his rightful place." Talia didn't give her daughter's body a second glance as she turned and walked away to her jet that was waiting for her.

She should have checked her vitals.

[Timeskip - Years Later]

Years had gone by but Talia still thinks back to the night she stuck her sword through her daughter's body and left her for dead; she was so certain that was what she wanted by there was something missing and for once in her life, it had nothing to do with her Beloved Bat. She tried to put those thoughts aside for she was on a mission.

After the death of her father, she found some research on a mind-control agent that she could use to have the one she wanted most but the League was too thin and most were doing other tasks while some were rebuilding the complex, thus the Head of the Demon Clan had to deal with it on her own, which she was fine with.

However, something felt different - she wasn't sure what it was...but she knew something was going to happen tonight.

Talia did what she had to do and secured to the agent before making her way back to the roof - only to have two people walking for her.

One was a tall man with a red helmet, a brown leather jacket, a gray Bat-Armor with a Red Bat Insignia on the chest; Talia could see the pistols and ammo belts around his waist.

The second was a feminine figure: She was around the same height as Damian, wearing Bat-Armor that looked a lot like a Ninja's outfit with a sword on her back and a dark blue Bat Insignia on her chest. Her hair was long and black but tied in a ponytail, except some hair that freely fell in her face and covered some of the ribbon eye mask around her eyes.

"I guess my beloved couldn't make it to see me?" Talia asked as she placed the agent in her pocket.

"We were the closest in the area so he sent us to what it was about - didn't think we'd find his batshit crazy baby-momma here." The Red Hood said as he folded his arms.

"Too bad, he might have convinced me to surrender but I don't have an issue with breaking children who stand in my way." Talia said.

"You never had an issue with killing them, why would you have an issue with breaking them?" The female said.

"What did you say?" Talia said as she looked at the female figure.

"You don't remember the child you killed? The blood of the Al Ghul you spilled? The child you detested because she wouldn't kill so you decided to kill her instead?" The female stepped forward and reached for her eye mask, "You don't remember my voice...Mother?" She pulled it off and Talia's eyes widened when they locked with the blue eyes of her late daughter - the one that was supposed to die. The stain in her plan.

"You lived? After all of these years, you dare come to face me again?" Talia narrowed her eyes.

"Rather cold to say to your kid who came back from the dead, Lady." He looked at Bellatrix, "Bat-Fang, you wanna deal with her while I wait on the old man?" He asked.

"You read my mind." Bellatrix stepped forward and pulled her sword out, "Arm yourself."

"I guess some stains are harder to wash out." Talia said as she pulled her sword out, "I'll make sure you don't come back."

Emerald and Sapphire locked with each other before the thunderclap of the coming storm sent them both into attack mode. Their blades clashed against each other as the two women danced in a deadly dance, Talia was focused but at the same time confused - how was Bellatrix this focused when the anger in her eyes was so strong? Talia tried harder and used more power but that was the opening Bellatrix needed.

Talia watched as the girl grabbed the sword with her left hand before delivering a swift but devastating kick to her gut, sending her skipping like a stone against the roof as she released the grip of her sword. Talia picked herself off the ground and glared at her eldest as the girl place her own sword back in its sheath and shatter Talia's into two halves, letting the shards and sword halves fall to her feet before she charged at her mother. Talia's guard went up as the two of them locked in a brawl.

'What is going on here? She was never this fast or ruthless! What is...'

Her thoughts were cut off as Bellatrix grabbed her foot and began to swing her until Bellatrix let her go and got stuck in a window. Talia opened her eyes from the impact just in time to see the glare on her daughter's face as she came soaring and her fist connected with Talia's face, sending them both into the abandoned building. Talia groaned from the pain but more pain was added when she felt her daughter grab her by her hair and pull her to her feet.

"What do you have to say now, Talia? Am I still defective?" Bellatrix asked before she punched the Assassin Leader in the face, making her crash into a crumbling wall.

"Am I still a flaw?" Bellatrix asked as she spartan-kicked Talia through the wall and into the living room, making the woman fall on her back.

"Am I still the wrench in your perfect plan? Am I?!" Bellatrix barked as she grabbed her mother by the next and punched her in the face, making her back hit a window. Talia's version was blurry from the pain but when it came together - her eyes widened at the murderous gaze in her eyes.

"Am I still not an Al Ghul?" Bellatrix punched her in the face again - sending the woman crashing through the window again but this time, she felt on a lower roof of a building just as another thunderclap echoed through the sky and the rain began to fall. Talia grunted at the pain but opened her eyes to watch her daughter jump out the window and walk over to her; glaring down at her with blue eyes.

"How... How did you survive?" She asked.

"You should have checked my vitals before you left me to die; once you were gone, I took care of the assassins that you had hold me. I'm not proud I shed their blood but I knew if I didn't, they were going to make sure I was dead." Bellatrix answered.

"You survived... You killed... And now, you have me helpless." Talia smiled at her, "I'm so proud of you, My Baby Girl." She cooed.

"What?" Bellatrix glared with confusion.

"You are everything I want in a perfect heir: You survived my trap, you killed those who held you captive, and you reduced me - the Leader of the League of Assassins - to this pitiful state. My darling, you are perfect." Talia smiled at her daughter.

"I don't know what you are thinking but I'm nothing like you want me to be and I never will be." Bellatrix reached down and took the mind-control agent from Talia before turning and walking away.

"You can walk away now, My Sweet Child, but know that I am coming for you. I will bring you home and you will be what you were born to me - The Perfect Al Ghul Heir. Run while you can, my dear, Mother is coming for you." Talia laughed at Bellatrix as the girl jumped off the small roof, leaving the woman alone.

Talia looked up at the rain in the sky and smiled before picking herself off the ground, touching the side of her lip, and looked at the blood - her blood - that her daughter spilled.

'It was a mistake to let you go but now that you are back, I shall have you once more and we shall be a family. You can't escape your blood, Bellatrix; you're an Al Ghul...and you belong to me.'

[scandalsavagefanfic]

Hello! I am a huge fan of ur writing. I've loved everything I've read of yours. I've read alot of what you've posted, except for a couple of the tags that are squicky for me (so I'm very thankful you tag very thoroughly). No judgement for the squick, it's just not for me. & when I'm having a bad day, I usually just go thru ur ao3 and find something to reread. I think about Therapy's Bruce & Jason every damn day. While I obvs appreciate ur darker more "problematic" content (I really vibe with some of the themes you write about bc of my own trauma, & so it's very cathartic to read about in a fictional setting), I am truly a sucker for ur more happy content. The Happily Ever After verse also lives in my head rent free. Idk more wholesome stuff just seems more special when you write it. Anyways. I would die for you. But the point of this ask is cause I'm curious as to why you don't like Urban Legends? I'm sorry if you already talked about it here or on twitter and I missed it. I was just wondering because I really enjoy your take on things and would love to hear why you dislike it. I've been enjoying it so far personally, but I am always open to DC comics criticism.

Aw thank you so much! I'm so flattered by everything you just said. You're so sweet ❤❤❤❤❤

I haven't talked about Urban Legends here or twitter (I haven't been very active in either place lately. Just a lot going on and no energy 😔) but I'm happy to do it here.

Before I start though, I just want to add a standard disclaimer and make it clear that if you like it, there's nothing wrong with that and you don't have to let me ruin it for you lol. Like what you like.

That said, since you asked...

I said this when I was talking about it on discord, that there is a difference between hope and expectation. I always hope that a new story centered on Jason (or anyone really, but things have been especially egregious for Jay for 15 years) will be good or at least treat the character with a minimal level of respect (to be honest, the bar is super fucking low). But my expectations always temper my hope, to keep it from getting unrealistic. Because my expectations are based on experience.

The long history of Jason Todd, since even before his resurrection, has been one of retroactively trying to make him "a bad seed" in order to absolve Bruce of any responsibility in his death.

I don't even expect DC or their writers to start honoring the fact that Jason was not an angry, reckless Robin (and less of the later than Dick or Tim and definitely Damian). There plenty of ways that retcon can be folded into his history and be compelling and sympathetic. And if they're going to stick with that retcon, I'm only asking that they do it in one of those compelling and sympathetic ways because Jason was 15 when he died, heroically, in one of the most selfless acts in comics, to save a woman who literally handed him over to be brutally murdered. He was 12 when Bruce plucked him off the streets, he'd been homeless and fending for himself for at least two years. I personally think that Jason's story hits harder for him and Bruce if their original, canon relationship, of Jason as starry-eyed and eager to learn and absolutely devoted to Bruce and Bruce to Jason, is preserved. But Jason's origins does leave room for a meaningful interpretation of him as angry and frustrated at the lack of meaningful results of Bruce's methods.

And that's really where my irritation at stories like Batman: Urban Legends, Cheer and Batman The Adventure Continues has it's roots.

Every time one of these stories comes out, I think (or hope, rather) that this will be the one that remembers and respects the origins of the Jason and the Red Hood, that takes into account the changed sensibilities of comics readers in the 30 years since Jason's death and the subtle, 20 year, retroactive campaign to make him the "bad Robin". The "born bad" trope is played out and literally no one likes the message it implies. That some kids are just bad eggs and there's nothing parents or the adults around them can do. Especially when it's played as the kid's fault. If Jason's time as Robin is going to be characterized by anger, then it should be rooted in anger at the social injustices he witnessed as he grew up in an impoverished, crime-ridden, area and the horrors he faced raising himself when every day was a battle for survival. There are topical, meaningful, stories to tell with that backdrop.

But those are never the stories we get.

⚠⚠ Spoilers for Batman: Urban Legends, Cheer ⚠⚠

I'm particularly disappointed in Urban Legends because for the first issue, it looked like that was the kind of story we were going to get. I was put off by the first flashback of Jason being mesmerized by Bruce's guns, and I got that feeling in my gut that it was a bad sign. Jason depicted as impatient and overconfident and the scene with the guns is heavy-handed foreshadowing that got my spidey-sense tingling. I had a inkling then (in the first three pages) of how this story was going to play out, but it was early and I could still see many narrative paths that could lead to a satisfying story. My concerns were soothed somewhat and the little flame of my hope fanned, with the flashback of Alfred scolding Bruce, with Barbara's concern for Jason. A bit of worry returned with the way Jason ruthlessly pursued an addict who didn't appear to be a dealer and with the ending of the issue. The stuff with the addict sat wrong with me but the ending was tempered some by how despicable Tyler's dad was written. The scene was clearly set so that the reader could sympathize with Jason's decision and the scene with the addict could be brushed aside as a side-effect of comics over-the-top need for constant action, so I still held hope.

Issue 2 made me uncomfortable and it's where my hope starts to take a backseat to my expectations. I can dismiss Jason's self-deprecating internal monologue as unreliable narration, except that the flashback reinforces his thought process to explicitly show that it's not unreliable narration, and should be taken at face value. Jason faces physical abuse at the hands of his mother's drug dealer and when the flashback continues later, Jason kills the drug dealer. To be clear, this is a pre-Bruce Jason. His mom is still alive. He's like... 10. He kills this guy for shoving his head into a wall and implying Jason's mother paid for her drugs with sex. This is a scene that serves a single purpose. To show that Jason has always been prone to violence.

In the spirit of full disclosure, there is the small chance the drug dealer might not be dead. But the story obviously wants the reader to think he is, and it hasn't done anything to change that yet.

Starlin already did this story with The Diplomat’s Son in 1988 and he did it infinitely better. AND that’s still technically canon. So now I’m supposed to believe that Jason lost his cool bad enough to kill two douche bags before his sweet 16? Like it’s totally normal for abused kids raised in poverty, who’ve led hard and heartbreaking lives to just... haul off and kill people? That’s bullshit, and when taken with the Jason in the third issue, who is little more than an idiot thug, this story is really doubling down on some fucked up stereotypes.

Which brings us to the most recent issue. I went into this installment with very low expectations. I thought this story was going to be about Jason, through this experience with Tyler, a young boy with a similar background to Jason's, coming to the realization that Bruce's way is the best way and that Bruce did his best by Jason.

That would be annoying (in no small part because it takes increasingly absurd levels of plot armor to keep Bruce's no kill rule relevant, let alone irrefutably right). But I can probably live with that, if only because maybe if Jason officially falls back into line with the Bats crusade, maybe I'll get stories that treat him with respect, stories that don't relegate him to comic relief, dumb brute, or a background body with no lines in a story about the Joker burning Gotham (like Jason would just fucking stand there quietly for that).

And that may still be where the story is going, Jason realizing Bruce is right.

But holy shit do I not have the right words to describe how fucking insulting and gross issue three is.

From start to finish--including the flashback--Jason is written as cruel and fucking stupid. Like straight up dumb.

The entire issue is Bruce explaining the fucking basics to Jason like it's his first day. And Jason flies off the fucking handle and terrorizes a doctor he knows isn't a part of making the Cheerdrops, beats the shit out of some random addicts, and finally, when he can't accomplish anything on his own because he's a dumb brute he calls Barbara for help and rushes in with no information where he's promptly incapacitated and must now wait to be rescued by Batman.

This panel is the least of the issues sins but I can’t screenshot the entire story but it’s representative of the tone for the whole issue (and retroactively tainted the prior two issues).

This is beyond insulting. The only conclusions Jason comes to in this issue are the ones Bruce leads him to by talking to him like he can’t make the simplest connections. And like... in this story Jason can’t make the simplest connections.

This (and the Jason throughout the entirety of this issue) is a far cry from the Jason we fell in love with in Under the Red Hood, who was competent and strategic and intelligent enough to seize control of Gotham’s underworld from Black Mask (who’s no fucking slouch, he’s the first and only person to unify organized crime in Gotham) AND elude and manipulate Bruce until the time and place of his choosing.

This is a far cry from even the Red Hood and the Outlaws Jason who is competent enough to fight the League of Shadows and Ra’s al Ghul (among very dangerous and skilled others) and smart enough to create antidotes for mind control nanotech viruses.

As he should be, by the way. Jason Todd is one of the best, most comprehensively trained fighters in DC’s stable of non powered vigilantes. He’s not irrational or hot headed. He’s pragmatic, tactically minded, and patient. He’s a detective. Right now. Has been since he was 12. Bruce doesn’t have to make him one because he already is. 

Jason is not a stupid thug who uses his fists because his brain doesn’t work. And I can’t tell you how so very exhausted I am by this narrative. 

This is actually the most egregious example of Jason’s skills and intelligence being not just undermined but dismissed entirely. Even Morrison’s Jason had some degree of competency. 

The one, single redeeming factor of this story is the art. It’s beautiful. And Marcus To is a godsend he seems to be one of only a couple of artists who remember that Jason was a child when he was Robin and I’m literally only buying this book because of him. 

Anyway, I’m sorry. I didn’t want that to come out so... um... passionately lol. I’m just very very tired. My intention with this isn’t to ruin it for you, if you like it, that’s fine. 

But this issue shot this story to the top of my "Vehemently Despise” list. 1) Batman: Urban Legends (Cheer), 2) Battle for the Cowl/Morrison’s Batman and Robin, 3) Batman The Adventure Continues.

I hope the next issues somehow salvage this dumpster fire. But I’m not expecting it.

(Damnit. That sounded harsh again. To reiterate, I’m not trying to judge anyone who enjoys it, I just personally hate it and you asked me why lol 😅)

[kathryn-133]

Regulus Black is Skull De Mort (P1)

A time-travel fic where after the arcobaleno curse is broken and (the still growing into their adult bodies) 10-year-old arcobalenos are flung into the past, replacing their past selves.

Except, knowing Voldemort is defeated by Harry Potter, 10-year-old Regulus (but really decades old Skull) runs from home upon Sirius leaving for his first year at Hogwarts to track down the rest of the Acrobalenos. Cue Viper and Skull revealing that the former is a squib (because ?!) and the latter is forced to reveal that he is not really a cowardly civilian but Regulus Black, a wizard, because he is really stubborn on preventing Sirius' death and he doesn't care that he has to change the timeline if he has to.

Cue...

Regulus/Skull dragging the strongest seven into Hogwarts by falsifying their magical level in order to get acceptance

Viper having a heart attack by Skull using his flames to multiply wizarding currency for the group

Reborn tailoring his robes to be a suit and refusing the ugly pointed hat for his fedora instead, Verde doing the same for a lab coat version, Fon and Lal uncaring about it aside from its lack of efficiency in movement, Colonnello thinking it's cool and ripping it by accident on the first day, Viper customizing it with a hood, and Skull making sure it's purple in colour

Regulus/Skull giving both Sirius and the Marauders a shock by appearing on the platform 9 3/4 after a year of running away from home and being missing only to return dressed entirely in purple and 6 odd friends with none of them being pure blood or halfboods except for one squib

The Acrobalenos making bets on their houses and threatening the sorting hat to put a certain member into a certain house because they have their money riding on this

Skull/Regulus standing up and openly threatening everyone in Hogwarts on the very first day that if anyone tried to lay a hand on any one of the six acrobalenos associated with him, they'll be ending up in the hospital for the second time (the first time by the acrobaleno they had offended/fought)

Reborn and Skull redecorating the Slytherin dorm/common room (also kicking out their other roommates into the common room) because Reborn is unimpressed by the dungeons and refuses to live in anything that doesn't fit his eccentric extravagant tastes and Skull is the same even if they both have completely opposing eccentric interior aesthetics (reborn threatens to kick skull out and to keep the room for himself but never does because he is a softie but he refuses to admit it, so they decided on a silver and black theme with traces of golden yellow and purple) but where did they get the furniture and paint from ???

the strongest seven discarding their house colours because Fon might be a Hufflepuff but yellow is not his colour, neither is a huge amount of bright red on Lal and blue on Verde's clashing green hair is a horror that Reborn still laughs out loud about to Verde's ire

their animal companions chilling around the castle (Oodako usually chilling in the lake) and Leon nearly eating Professor McGonagall as a cat but Reborn assures her that it's because Leon mistaken her as a threat and it won't happen again soon

Colonello's falcon Falco becoming the unfortunate mail deliverer for the acrobaleno

Reborn relentlessly flirting with both professor McGonagall and Lily but still acting like a gentleman to James' annoyance

Skull and Colonnello keeping their traditional Mafia Land annual invasion with Skull blackmailing his Slytherin House (and threatening them if they do anything outside of his permission) into invading Gryffindor House to lay out traps that triggers pranks into their dorms and Colonnello trying to find a way to defend his house by bullying the rest of his housemates into military training as if they were soliders and not his fellow students

The seven of them all speaking in a mix of italian, english, and japanese (and the occasional mind telepathy link by Viper) to the rest of Hogwarts confusion (especially Sirius, because since when did Regulus speak Italian, American English, Japanese, and Russian?? How did he get such a perfect accent in less than a year)

Reborn regularly stepping on people's robes in front of him to see them yelp and fall backward on their butts between classes

Reborn regularly watching people (but really the first years) try to climb up the moving stairs and finding it hilarious

Reborn guiding first years to their classroom in the wrong directions to generally mess with them before telling them how to get to their class correctly

Skull and Reborn regularly creating a commotion during meal time because Skull shrieks really annoying into his ear and Reborn responds by threatening him with bodily harm

Skull/Regulus trying out for Seeker once again and deciding to pull off stunts in mid air that leaves EVERYONE on the field having a heart attack

Lal and Colonnello trying out for it too only for Colonnello to get whack off of his broom by a bludger thrown by Lal who yells he needs more training to work on his reflexes in mid-air on a flying broom against a flying projectile

Fon trying out too because he thinks it seem fun but ultimately being unable to play because Reborn made one taunt at him about his lack of flying broom talent and a pissed Fon whack a bludger outside of Hogwarts with his incredible arm strength, broke the bat with the sheer force of hitting the bludger which came flying back to smack Reborn right in the face that lead to Skull wheezing in laughter as he fell off his broom and landed on a broken nose Reborn

Lal mastering the ability to cast hexes from Skull first out of the group but still instinctively whipping out the gun from under her robe to people's faces as a reply which Reborn and Colonnello also does but Colonnello has yet to master the ability to effortlessly carry guns on his body without being caught and has to carry a new rifle on him each time it gets confiscated by a professor

Verde and Reborn refusing to call the professors "professor" because they don't have their PhD, and insisting that they should be "professor" because at least they know how to do science and math and takes to mockingly calling each other "professor Reborn" and "professor Verde" while calling teachers by their first names

Reborn criticizing their teaching style and forcefully making himself the home tutors of the younger students in his house with Skull making sure he doesn't drive them to an early death

Verde being stubborn about the existence of magic and trying to use science to explain everything, Reborn actually agreeing with him but also loves to antagonize him by pointing out the existence of Dying Will Flames, while Skull state that it's both science and magic because he uses physics in his stunt works and potion is essentially chemistry and the other not caring

Verde and Viper being scandalized at the lack of internet nd technologies in this ancient castle and being determine to set one up with Viper selling access to muggle born and half-blood students

Verde, Reborn, and Skull being the nerds to the jocks in their group (Colonnello, Lal, Fon, also Skull) and their one goth (Viper) as the three nerds aims for the top spot in their year (Verde selectively aiming for potions and arithmetic)

Viper setting up a complex network of informants from inside every House and somehow getting blackmail material on every authority member in Hogwarts and the Ministry

Reborn intimidating the house elves into giving him fresh coffee in the morning and Skull shrieking in his ear about his mean treatment and forcing the hitman to grudgingly apologize to them

Regulus/Skull deciding to start a riot for campaigning House Elf's rights and roping the rest of the Acrobalenos in it even though Colonnello is a little freak out about the house elves, Reborn is in it for the sake of chaos, Fon is the polite one about it, and the rest don't really care but someone made a comment about Lal and now she's in it to destroy some bitch

Skull making Reborn use his reptile/bug speaking ability to open the chamber of secrets and neglecting to tell them about the gigantic basilisk living there until Reborn is hissing at the gigantic reptile challenging it to try and kill him as he is the world's greatest hitman, Lal and Colonnello is shooting and yelling at the thing to die for already, Fon is wrestling the end of the basilisk into place with his superhuman strength, Verde is rapidly shouting out logical ways on how to kill it from the top of his lung, Viper is yelling at them not look at it in the eye unless they want to die, and an eye-closed Skull is completely ignoring Verde's suggestion and clinging to top of the basilisk's head trying to blind the basilisk by either poking it in the eye with his wand or casting a spell

Verde immediately determine to do some tests on the dead basilisk and the Acrobalenos carrying basilisk venom on Skull's insistent in order to destroy the horcuxes in the future and Viper's warning them not to use it on anyone that annoy them

Viper selling the basilisk remains (after Verde takes enough samples to satisfy his experiments) and hording the profit from it

All of them promptly ditching their dorms to live in the chamber ignoring Reborn's grumbles of downgrading from a dungeon to an underground chamber as Skull and Verde immediately set on creating a secret staircase from the Hogwarts to the Chamber

Skull enchanting a motorcycle that he had somehow gotten which the group uses to pile up on and visit Hogsmeade on weekends/whenever they skip class