#let. barbara. kill. the. joker.

[horsechestnut]

There are so many Dick, Bruce, or Tim kills the Joker fics on AO3, meanwhile Barbara was the one talking about how The Joker should be the exception to the No Kill Rule years before Red Hood Jason even existed.

[jennrypan]

Everytime I see anything with Canon Bruce I feel a terrible case of fuck this bitch disrespectfully disease 😶

I want him turned into a little lizard and someone to put him in a little box with holes in it. Keep him in there forever.

I miss when he was actually cool and not the guy that forced his morals on all his kids and then attacked them when they go against him, and whenever he gets mind controlled he brutally maims them despite them all being skilled and should all be able to whoop his ass. (ALLL. of them.)

Like God fucking DAMMIT. I'd like a comic rec where Bruce and Jason actually have good moments and where he's with all his kids and Bruce is actually being a good dad. (I know WFA exists but I'm talking bout actual canon comics and the art in that comic for the girls are..okay so eh. I love the batfam in it tho.)

Like i get drama but when it becomes a constant thing I'm seeing..Bruce always turns out to be a dick. (Sorry not sorry will never be on the side of the parent that canonly punched his oldest for asking about his dead brother, then throw a batterang at his second son's neck just to keep joker alive, then proceeded to continue to act as if said son is insane for killing one of the jokers, THEN proceeds to basically lobomize the same son, and left him alone and scared. I can't speak on how he treats the rest cuz I haven't spent much focus on them my bad.)

[toriafiction]

Dick deserves to do a little premeditated murder.

I've heard that Nightwing killed the joker in one of the comics? Possibly caused by Jason Todd's death? Can you shed light onto this?

Sure thing! SO, the infamous moment you are talking about is in Joker: Last Laugh #6. Dick does indeed kill the Joker, his heart stops. You’ve probably seen this moment on posts as an example of Dick’s legendary temper (rightly so, there is definitely a lot of rage involved here) but I think because of the emphasis on Dick’s emotionality, people really downplay how premeditated it all was. Dick hears that Tim is dead because of Joker’s schemes, and he decides to kill the Joker. Full stop. 

Barbara tries to talk him out of it and Canary tries to stop him, but Nightwing knocks Canary out and goes off on his own. Barbara and Batman know that Nightwing is going to kill the Joker, and both try to stop him. Seeing him walk to where the Joker is, a man on a mission, zero quips/flips, really hammered it home that he was genuinely planning on taking Joker out for good. 

So yeah, this wasn’t just beating Joker up and going a little too far in his anger, this was premeditated, first-degree murder. It is probably the only time Nightwing has ever gone after someone with the intent to kill. And it is very personal too...Nightwing didn’t have a gun or anything to take Joker out quickly from a distance. Beating Joker to death with his bare hands was drawn out. It was up close and vicious. 

Now, this is my opinion on things, so take it as you will, but this is one of the reasons why I feel like Dick’s guilt about this incident was less about him killing the Joker and more about the way he did it. See, this was not taking Joker out solely for the greater good--if it was, Nightwing certainly wouldn’t have killed him in the way he did. He went after the Joker in a rage to get revenge, and that scared him. Add that to the fact that he felt he’d let Batman down by killing and “let the Joker win” and presto. Full blown guilt complex. But that’s definitely debatable. Anyway, about his motivations. 

Explicitly, he killed the Joker because he thought that Joker had killed Tim. I’d say that Tim’s death was the final straw for Dick. He was tired of seeing the Joker hurt those he loved. When Barbara is shot by the Joker, Dick refers to waiting by her hospital bed as “the darkest days of my life since my parents death.” And when Jason dies Dick explicitly says he wants the Joker dead: 

Nightwing (1996) #62

So, it’s not like Dick’s desire for Joker’s death is coming out of nowhere. He’d held himself back, but Tim dies and he’s had enough. I think that Dick killed the Joker for all the family members that had been hurt, but Jason does have a special significance. In particular, there’s this moment after Dick beats the Joker to the point where he is incapacitated where Dick pauses. For a second, he isn’t sure if he is going to follow through with it. And then the Joker mentions Jason and Dick finishes it. 

From that point on, there is no hesitation about what he is doing. Tim has to physically pull Dick away from the Joker’s corpse to get him to stop. We have a lovely few moments where the Joker is dead:

Before Batman comes in and revives Joker (and gives him mouth to mouth...yuck). Nightwing walks away in guilt, and Batman lets him go saying that “he has to face what he’s done.” Nightwing holes himself up in his apartment, staring at pictures of Barbara before her accident, and of Jason. 

And that is the whole sad story. 

[aingeal98]

Ultimately the resolution of Jason and Cass fights comes down to the fact that while he has his own ideals that don't mesh with the bats, Jason can be flexible. DC skipped the whole reconciliation with the family but while he's willing to kill it's generally a means to an end to him, not the whole entire point unless you're talking about Joker. Meanwhile for Cass the question of killing vs not killing is dead serious to her which means any time they're working together and things start going off track it's like:

Jason: Look if we kill this guy we send a message to his boss which makes it easier for us to negotiate with him from a position of power and I just think that-

Cass, snatching one of his guns and pointing it at her own head: Go on, pull the trigger. Kill him. Kill me. Go tell Batman that you let his daughter die to make a negotiation easier. He already let you die so no problem right? You think we should die? You think our life only worthwhile as part of a plan, just because we're killers? Are we doomed? Are we rotten to the core with no hope of redemption? Go on then, kill us and kill part of your soul alongside it. You clearly don't care for it so why are you even trying? Kill yourself along with us, come on Jason let's all just die right?

Jason, slowly backing away: I think you may be projecting a tiny bit so just. Calm down before I call the suicide hotline please.

Cass, slowly lowering the gun and knocking the random henchman unconscious: Yeah that's what I thought, fucking pussy.

Jason: Mm yeah you know what I hate you actually. Fuck this mission I'll just shoot you right now if you're going to be this annoying about it.

Jason, explaining things later to Dick: So I just kept shooting at her until I ran out of bullets and we both calmed down enough to call a truce. We tracked the guy down and didn't kill anyone but I did blow up the batplane just as a last minute screw you. Is she always this uh... intense?

Dick: Yeah, one time I broke up with Barbara and she threw me out a window. She's just like that.

[cosmic-dust-poltergeist]

Pt 2 forever teen Danny adopts post-JJ Tim. Tim accepts he has a new dad.

[Pt 1: here][pt3: here]

Tim has known Danny a month, and he can say it has had a positive effect on his life. He's super understanding and accepting of all Tim's weird quirks. And when he ran away back to the Bats (which was a train wreck. B and Dick seemed relieved for 2 seconds, then tried to throw him in Arkham. Between him not selling out "Phantom" and still having JJ traits, they found him unacceptable.), Danny let him go, understanding, before accepting Tim back as easy as breathing when he came crawling back. He helps Tim break into Drake Manor directly after, revealing the invisibility and intangibility Tim thought he hallucinated to get clothes, toiletries, his phone (there's 20 missed calls, 5 are Dick, 2 are Bruce, 2 are Barbara, 1 is his parents, and the rest are his school.), his photographs, camera, and the card linked to the allowance his parents send every 2 weeks. Tim took the last thing because he doesn't want Danny to suffer for taking him in and help with expenses, Danny frowns before giving him a lecture about that not being Tim's responsibility when he finds out. Tim still buys groceries and gets them both new laptops when Danny isn't looking.

Danny modifies any electronics to be untraceable, showing Tim the whole process, so that Tim can contact his school with a fake doctor's note, a fake kidnapping story (some thugs heard what Joker tried to do with Robin and tried their own hand at it. Harley squawked about the JJ thing and how a new meta called Phantom killed Mista J, so it's all over the news. (A fake police report magically appears in the GCPD)), and how Tim won't be able to physically be at school for a while and if they could please send his schoolwork over. Tim holds off on contacting his parents, curious to see if they notice anything, and can't find it in himself to be disappointed that they don't (not even when they stopped by the manor a few days ago, they texted him exactly 1 time to scold him about the lack of food in Drake Manor).

When Tim's physical injuries are mostly healed, Danny moves them from the shitty 1 bedroom apartment to an equally shitty 2 bedroom apartment, still in Crime Alley. Tim feels slightly guilty about Danny refusing to let him sleep anywhere other than the bed, taking the floor or couch before he moves a second bed into the new apartment. Tim isn't sure what to do with the level of care Danny showers him with, but he loves it.

Danny, while disapproving and disliking Tim wanting to continue being a vigilante, doesn't actually stop him (something about being a hypocrite if he says no?). Tim designs a new costume since he can't be Robin, and Danny helps create it! Tim isn't sure how Danny got the nearly indestructible materials that need specialized cutting and sewing materials, but it's awesome!

The costume's base is black. Black cargo pants, an armored turtleneck, black domino mask. But he decides that since he unfortunately can't get rid of all his JJ traits (the laughing fits, the scars, his hair is growing green??, the (bipolar depressive/) manic episodes, etc.) and the Bats won't accept him anyways, so why not lean in. Over the black base, he adds a gothic tailcoat vest. It's very dark purple with bright Kelly green lapels and buttons. The lenses on his mask and his combat boots are the same shade of green. He feels like the green ties his new vigilante look to Danny's ghost form. He also finds the whole fit awesome and a giant fuck you to both Papa J and the Bats.

This does lead to his current dilemma. He needs a new name before he debuts his new vigilante identity.

"I refuse to be Joker Junior!" Tim huffs at Danny, who's calmly making dinner.

"Like I've said before, then don't be."

"But what should I call myself? I can't use a bird or bat name either. I've never had to think of a name for if I was an independent before!" Tim flops on the floor. The kitchen and frontroom is basically one room, so Danny can still see him being dramatic without Tim getting underfoot.

"Name yourself a ghostly name."

"Huh?" Tim sits up to look at the slightly blushing man trapped in a child's body.

"I mean, you're already connected to my ghost form, since everyone is going to connect you to your old vigilante identity, so why not pick something ghostly or supernatural." Danny turns to do something Tim can't see, but Tim knows he's just trying to hide how embarrassed he is about sharing the suggestion. "You don't have to. You could pick something more personal, like Shutterbug or Mania or something."

"Huh... That would work. It'd really rub in the Bats' faces that they basically killed 2 Robins." Tim mutters before twisting himself into a pretzel. "Any suggestions?"

"Depends. What do you want people to get from your name? And what annoyed do you want people who know both your IDs to be? Phantom was a literal pun off my lastname."

"How is Phantom a pun off of Kronokori?"

"Kronokori is Jazz's last name, mine's Kronoyios."

"Huh??"

"And those are our lastnames because Clockwork, or I guess Kronos, adopted us. Our original lastname was Fenton."

"You got adopted by a god?"

"Basically, yeah. Don't worry about it. It's probably one of the least weird things to happen during that time, but that's for a different time. What do you want from your name?"

"Uhhh..." Tim takes a moment to really think about it. "It should be something loud and chaotic, but not necessarily good or evil? I don't really care if it would make people eye roll or groan if I share my ID. Maybe something that is angry? I definitely feel angry."

"As you should." Danny affirms and thinks a second. "Wraith? It's a vengeful spirit seen shortly before or after death."

"Mmm... No."

"Sprite? It's a-"

"No way!" Tim pauses and thinks on his violent reaction. "... Sorry.. It just feels childish and like I'm a 2 dimensional game sprite. Not something that can grow with me or demand respect."

"It's fine, Tim." Danny flashes a reassuring smile. "How about Bashee? They scream to warn someone death is near."

"Aren't they all women?"

"Not necessarily. Kinda like selkies, there's more myth about the women, but there's men too." Danny starts plating the food he made. "Apparition? They're closer to an after imagine of the dead."

"But are they loud?"

"Not usually...hmmmm" Danny hands Tim his plate while scrunching his face in thought. "Let's see, Dullahan, Kelpie, Sphinx, Shade- Oh! Oh! I know! Poltergeist! They're loud, chaotic, usually malicious, they bite and scratch and slam things! It also doesn't sound childish, so you can keep it for as long as you need."

Tim munches on his dinner while thinking it over. "I think that would work. Hehe! A Poltergeist under the care of a Phantom."

Danny smiles, "Glad to help, kiddo."

Tim sets his mostly empty plate down and launches himself at Danny. Danny used to the behavior, quickly gets his own plate out of the way and catches him in a hug.

"Thank you, Danny." His tone indicates he's thanking him for more than just the name.

"No problem." Danny kisses the top of Tim's head. They stay like that for a moment before Tim pushes himself up.

"I think I should talk to your sister." He grabs his plate and sits near Danny on the couch. "I don't want someone to trigger me with a dumb comment or something."

"I'll tell her tonight." Danny says, "She's been wanting to meet you. Mostly because she wants to know her new nephew, but also because she likes to psychoanalize hero types. She finds us fascinating, but is still usually chill about it. Unlike when we were teens."

"What happened when you were teens?" Tim asks curiously.

"So Jazz has always wanted to be a therapist, and unfortunately, that means she knew a lot on the topic, but had none of the tact in implementing the knowledge." Danny looks absolutely fond. "She'd corner me to try and force me to talk about my feelings. "You can't keep it all bottled up, Danny." "You're hurting yourself and others by not talking." It was very annoying for an angsty teen to hear. She was right, but her methods needed work. And she's definitely put in the work since then."

"Any chance she's going to be anything like Harley?"

"Not a chance. She hates clowns and isn't one for jokes that aren't well thought out. You have to be really clever to even get a chuckle at a pun." Danny explains, taking their empty plates to wash them. "She isn't opposed to dark humor, but only if she knows the reason for it and knows it's not your only coping skill."

"So you got in trouble with her a lot, didn't you?" Tim teases, knowing Danny still uses dark humor as his main coping mechanism.

"All the time, but I started listening to her advice when I was.. 30? 32? Somewhere in my early 30s." Danny admits. "I got really tired of wanting to die all the time. And her advice has definitely helped minimize the want, unfortunately, mental illness doesn't truly go away."

Tim thinks about that. He knows you can't cure the types of mental illness he has, and Danny has been very open about his own issues, but he can't help his disappointment.

"Hey, on the plus side," Danny speaks up as if sensing Tim's thoughts, sometimes Tim is positive the man can. The man isn't facing him currently, so it's definitely not because Tim was making a face or something. "You're legally a person, so Jazz can get you meds. At least for your bipolar. I know you've been struggling with the whiplash between your extreme emotions."

"That's good..." Tim stares at the back of Danny's head. "You're not legally a person?"

"Nah. In the eyes of the government, I'm dead. It's why I've been hiding out in Gotham. The government has no place here, and as much as I hate the guy, Bats keeps the people hunting me down away." Danny pauses. "You know, I wonder if they think I faded? I haven't made an appearance in nearly 20 years. Then again, Harley snitched to everyone in existence, so I might have to start dodging ghost hunters again. At least the Anti-Ecto Control Acts got repealed, so I won't be taken to a secret government lab to be experimented on again. Shout out to Amity Parkers for clawing their way into office."

"The dad lore of your life is extensive." Tim jokes.

Danny chuckles. "Being a lab accident made ghost child vigilante with a portal to the infinite realms in his basement and ghost hunter parents and the government after you and the other ghosts visiting your town will do that. You'll have your own out of pocket stories to tell your kids one day, well, if you want kids. Otherwise, shocking friends is just as fun. Just imagine telling someone about the last 2 months. "Yeah, hi! My name's Tim! I was the 3rd Robin because a furry couldn't get his act together and then the Joker kidnapped me and I got adopted by the dead guy who showed up and killed him!""

Tim giggles. "I don't sound like that!"

"Maybe, maybe not, but it's still something you could say." Danny grins at him, drying his hands. "Do you need any help with your homework?"

"Yeah, there's a chemistry problem I don't understand-"

Tim loves living with Danny. It's everything a Tim pre-Batman would daydream about. Just a dad taking interest in his life and interests and taking care of him.

[gothamite-rambler]

If Jason ever found out that both of them tried (and one succeeded) in killing the Joker

Jason: Okay, let me get this straight. Bruce almost killed the Joker, but then Clark beat the sense out of him, and that's why I hate him!

Bruce: He didn't beat the sense out of me! I was blinded by rage.

Dick: You're not going to bring up that he says he hates him?

Bruce: He's not trying to kill him anymore and I get a laugh out of it.

Jason: Exactly, I like causing him minor inconveniences. But okay, you backed out. I get it, with you, I get it… But then Dick killed him. At the very least, he was declared dead, and you… Jumpstarted his heart?

Bruce: Yes.

Jason: And he technically would have died if you hadn't?

Bruce: Yes.

Jason: And instead of giving your oldest son an award or parade or something good… You brought him back to life? My murderer, Barbara's attempted murderer, and the man who has caused us all… So much fucking grief… You gave him a second chance at life?

Bruce: Yes… That's the gist of it all.

Jason buried his head in his hands.

Jason (talking to himself): It's okay, Jason. Don't freak out, or nobody will stop you from shoving a pencil up his urethra.

Dick grabbed the pencils and pens off Bruce's desk and tossed them in the top drawer.

Jason (keeping his face covered): Bruce… I mean this in the nicest way… What point was being made when someone else killed the Joker? Someone who deserves every single good thing in the world?

Dick (happy): Ah…

Bruce: The guilt of killing someone would weigh on his mind. Eat away at him…

Jason (lowering his hands and turning to his brother): Dick, how did you feel when you did it?

Dick: For the moment, I was punching him, it felt oddly therapeutic and euphoric. I felt awful afterwards.

Bruce: Plus, we're not prison executioners.

Jason: Oh, bullshit! I used to see you body slam villains, beat them to a coma, and threaten to amputate people! That's cool as Batman?

Bruce: They survived and yes it's cool, because I am Batman!

Dick: Hmm, he does have a point. Can you forgive Bruce for reviving the Joker?

Jason: I have... I'm just bitter. I did die, but I can let it slide.

Bruce: Thanks Jason, I mean that sincerely.

Jason left in a cursing under his breath as Bruce sent him money quickly.

Dick: Is your way to apologize money based?

Bruce: Partially. I'm a gift giver, money can be a gift. You don't have to call me a great father, I'm aware I am.

Dick chuckled, shaking his head silently.

[babisawyer]

while I was playing arkham knight I was like wow, jason/barbara is kinda sexy ngl. I am now finding out that everyone seems to fucking hate that ship lmfao

[eyepatchdate]

me staring at the short story that was unlocked by the screenshot of robin. i am chewing through my own bones rn.  what does this MEAN.  HELLO I DIDNT KNOW THERE WAS /DRAMA/?????

[chaoticwriting]

THE FATHER 2

Part 1

After the last incident, Danny totally expects the public to be afraid of him or even persecute him for killing the Joker. He did kill in front of a live stream after all. What he doesn't expect is the public giving their full support to him. Almost every single news media paints him in a good light, saying he is just protecting his children and bringing up all his previous charity.

However, there is one big problem Danny doesn't foresee. Danny doesn't even know about the problem because his children are the one that are suffering from it.

-Gotham Academy-

Emma: *Slamming her phone on the table* For the love of god, stop making thirst trap of my dad. He is too old for some of you (He is 20).

Becky: I know right. This is like the sixth thirst trap video that I see of dad.

Carl: I hate this so much. My crush just accepted my confession but on the condition I will introduce her to dad.

Larry: And you agree?

Carl: What? No! Of course not.

Emma: Ugghhh, this is the worst. Maybe we should ask Uncle Tucker to remove all of Dad's thirst trap online. I'm so done with this.

Larry: I don't know. This is the first time girls decide to talk to me voluntarily. I really am enjoying this attention.

Carl: You're happy now until one of the girls decides to confess to you and just as you thought because she likes you, it is because she has a crush on dad.

Larry: I know you just experienced it but you don't need to curse me like that.

Carl: Hmph.

Larry: Hey, has anyone seen Colin? I haven't seen him since last night.

Becky: *Whispersing* Don't you hear? Colin got shot after he went to patrol the night before yesterday. Dad grounds him cause he tries to sneak out injured last night.

Carl: Oof. Colin really doesn't learn does he? Dad has super sense. He literally can't sneak out.

Larry: Yeah. I don't even know why he wants to be a vigilante so much. I guess he is just kind of something. Couldn't be me to be honest.

Emma: Of course he is not like you. You are not even capable of waking up by yourself in the morning.

*Riiiinngggg*

Becky: Well that is our break then. Let's go to class.

Larry: Eh, it's not like Miss Brown gonna scold me if I am a little late anyway. She has been trying to get Dad's number from me for a while now.

Carl: Does dad even have a girlfriend? Or boyfriend? Hell, a partner? I never saw him gone on a date once so far.

Emma: Chances are probably super low. Like to say he is dense is an understatement. A woman tried to flirt with him once but he just replied to all the flirting with the straightest face possible.

The rest: *Giggles*

-Gotham Libraries-

Contrary to what his kids have been believing in, he actually knows when someone is flirting with him. It's just that he takes note from the dense anime protagonist and uses it in daily life whenever he is not interested in a person flirting with him. Which is like daily.

But here is the problem. He can respond to a flirt very easily. He learns a lot of that from when he was dating Sam. But he never actually flirts with someone first. And he isn't sure just how to approach the problem.

Having decided that he has stayed long enough, Danny picks a random book from the space section and brings it to the checkout table.

Danny: Hey Barbara.

Barbara: Hey Danny. Borrowing another book?

Danny: Yeah. I just finished the previous one last night. It is a good book. Thanks for the recommendation.

Barbara: You're welcome. How's the kids doing? Still causing trouble for you?

Danny: It's the same shenanigans everyday. Going to lectures, doing paperwork, taking care of the kids. What about you?

Barbara: It's the same with me. Barely any people come to the library these days. Usually it's only either you or my friends.

Danny: Oh. Errmm, Barbara.

Barbara: Yes?

Danny: Would you be free this weekend?

Barbara: Are you asking me on a date?

Danny: Depends. If it is, what would you say?

Barbara: Hmmm, let me think.

Danny fidgets as Barbara taps her finger on the counter. Barbara loves to tease Danny since he is so cute when he is nervous.

Barbara: I think I am free this weekend. So I am available for a date.

Danny's face beams a smile as he hears that.

Danny: So is that a yes?

Barbara: What do you think, big guy?

Danny: Then I will come pick you up at your apartment then?

Barbara: Come pick me up at my dad's house. I will be ready at 5.

Danny: Okay. Have a good day.

Barbara: You too.

Danny then walks out of the library, skipping a little. He has been gathering courage to ask Barbara out on a date for a long time now. They first met when Danny first borrowed a book from a library. It's nothing crazy. Just interaction between two people. But after meeting up a few more times, Danny realizes that he might have a crush on her. After getting convinced by Tucker and Sam, Danny decided that today is the day he asks her out. And he succeeded.

Now, it is just to make sure that the date goes well.

-Clocktower-

Batman: That's it for tonight. Everyone returns back to the cave.

Black Bat/Spoiler/Red Robin: Roger.

Oracle: Hey, B. Can I have a day off this weekend?

Batman: Why?

Oracle: I have a date that night.

Spoiler: You are dating someone?

Oracle: It's not official yet. He only just asks me out on a date this morning.

Batman: Yes. Keep your comms up. In case a breakout happens your way.

Oracle: Okay.

Red Robin: Who are you going on a date with?

Oracle: Danny.

Spoiler: As in that Danny?

Oracle: Yes.

Spoiler: Oh wow! You work fast. How do you know him?

Oracle: He always comes to the library to borrow books. I met him long before he became famous so it is not so hard to talk with him.

Black Bat: Is he nice?

Oracle: He is very nice. It's very hard to even make him mad. The only time I remember him being in a slightly bad mood is at Christmas. He doesn't like it apparently. Wait, Hood is entering the line.

Red Hood: Oracle, you betray me!

Oracle: Tough luck loser. How do you know anyway?

Red Robin: I told him just now.

Red Hood: Yeah! You dare ask him out on a date first before me? I will remember this.

Oracle: He is the one that actually asks me out. We are going on an official date this weekend. I'll take a very nice picture of us together so that you can see from afar.

Red Hood: But your status still isn't official yet. I still have a chance.

Oracle: Over my dead body.

Red Hood: Oh, I will.

Spoiler: Errr, guys. What is happening?

Red Robin: They have a bet on who will get to date Danny first. Apparently Hood gets a massive crush on this guy after what happens in the livestream. Oracle gets the news and they quarrel a little bit. After that I propose a competition between the two.

Spoiler: But both of you don't know that Oracle is already close with Danny. Girl, that's dirty.

Oracle: All is fair in love and war.

Batman: What is his background?

Red Robin: As far as I can see, he is pretty clean. There is even what I suspect some vigilante works that he might have done because he is related to the disbandment of GIW that were supported by both his parents and his godfather. But after some digging into the old GIW files, there are traces of Danny and his friends helping the local ghost hero fighting either other ghosts or the agents themselves. There was also the unexplained money that he suddenly had early on in his career as CEO but so far, it doesn't seem like anything bad.

Robin: Hmmm.

Red Robin: What is it brat?

Robin: I feel like his face is very familiar.

Batman: Explain.

Robin: I need to confirm this with mother. But I am fairly certain that his ancestors have connections with the Al Ghul.

Red Robin: As in blood related?

Robin: No. But there is a book that mother finds about a man who has a very similar appearance to him. The book tells the tale of a kind immortal who spends his lives helping others while learning stuff from them.

Spoiler: A cult of assassins teach young children to be kind?

Robin: Shut it, Brown. I am not finished. The part of the story that interests me is the tale called The Beheader of Demon.

Spoiler: I take it back. That sounds like something a cult of assassins will teach young children.

Robin: The tale tells a story of the immortal meeting a demon who kills people just to find immortality. When the demon finds out that the immortal is well, immortal, he pursues the immortal, trying to kill him and forces the immortal to give away his immortality to him.

Red Robin: What happened next?

Robin: The Demon's head is severed and the Demon's subordinates run away bringing the Demon's body to the pool of revival.

Spoiler: So is this a true story?

Robin: Mother confirms it is a true story. I do not know whether he is a true immortal or not. However, I do know that his ancestors or maybe even him, is good enough to beat grandfather even if he has backup.

Red Hood: What about the other tales?

Robin: There is nothing of note. Some mention of the immortal's supernatural ability, like summoning the dead or the ability to move mountains and divert rivers.

Red Robin: That is not something to take note of?

Robin: No. Because in those stories, the only consistent thing about him is that he is kind. Never harm someone unless provoked.

Batman: Compile all the tales into a file. Red Robin, lists out all the possible powers of target.

Oracle: Oh wow. My date is now a target. How could this get better?

Red Hood: If he is really dangerous, I volunteer to stalk monitor them while they are on the date.

Oracle & Batman: No!

Red Hood: Tsk! Party pooper.

Batman: Red Robin and Spoiler, follow them. Priority is keeping Oracle safe.

Red Robin & Spoiler: *High five* Let's go.

Oracle: Ugghhh, you all better don't mess with my date. Or else I'll make sure you regret it.

Part 3

[horsechestnut]

My biggest comic pet peeve might be whenever they try to insinuate that Barbara being Batgirl had any bearing on the events of The Killing Joke.

[omgfangirlland]

The Shadows That Nurture 5

Chapters 5 and 6 are done! Yippy! Chapter 7 is going to be a slice-of-life type of thing because I don't want to time skip straight to the bats finding out quite yet. Also, did y'all know that Gothamite also means an inhabitant of NYC? Whenever you see me use that just know I mean an inhabitant of Gotham City.

Enjoy!

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NYC was hell on earth and that’s coming from a Gothamite.

Sure- did a rogue attack 3 times a week, maybe more, in Gotham? Yes. But NYC felt lawless and without rhyme or reason. Every day something was happening, every day a building went down if it wasn’t a whole street, every day a hero would almost run you over while you were just trying to chill in the air.

At least on the third Tuesday of every month, there would be no robberies in Gotham, at least if something happened to the city and Batman wasn’t around the rogues would keep the people safe. Here it seemed to be everyone for themselves, and the rent was heinous for the type of bullshit that went down, in Gotham it was pennies compared to NYC. The constant feeling of being watched didn’t help either it irked at the back of your head every time, only stopping in the safety of your home.

The shadows stopped talking to you as well, you could barely hear them anymore, your theory being that NYC was simply too bright compared to G. City. Visiting Midnight City helped keep you connected to them, it felt somewhat like Gotham. But Darkwing felt too much like Batman, making you paranoid, so you never truly lingered for long. You missed them. Missed the rogues, the garden, the kids, the manor. The house really grew on you.

But you liked it. You liked the chaos, the myriads of heroes, the aliens that kept trying to conquer the world, and you enjoyed how the heroes knew that sometimes the best course of action was to kill the threat.

You were still bitter about how Joker took Jason from you, about how Mr. Wayne hid that from you, so seeing Omni-Man, War Woman, Immortal and so many more deal with clearly deadly threats as they should be dealt with felt nice. They would never let Joker live, the clown wouldn’t have millions of kills, and he wouldn’t have gotten Barbara and Jason.

Of course, you’ve heard rumors that while Batman doesn’t go out of his way to kill, he lets others do the dirty work, everyone in Gotham has. You’ve seen Lois Lane cover some of the bigger, worldwide alien attacks that the Justice League helped with. Batman didn’t seem to have a problem with killing or seriously injuring them. He was either a hypocrite or afraid to lose it once he did kill a human, either way, both were bad options.

So, you put up with it, found yourself a studio apartment owned by an old woman, overlooking the fact that the whole building may have been owned by a gang, and kept on doing your online schooling. Kept on making art, donating to charities and shelters, found yourself a nice job pet sitting, and even did some volunteering at local shelters when they needed an extra hand.

You got better at flying, getting so fast you could go around the globe in 5 minutes. It was fun visiting the places you heard Bruce talk about to the others, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, and China. You were planning on visiting every city in every country with this newfound freedom. It was fun, and Bruce didn’t even notice as you used more and more of your allowance.

Sadly, your moments of peace and happiness always seemed to last for a short while. You were happy with just flying, it opened opportunities you didn’t even think were possible, but you’ve never seen a meta whose ability was only flying, not if they didn’t have wings, and maybe paranoia settled in.

Were you just dreaming? Was this just a really long dream? Were you dead? Would you go off the rocket when or if other powers showed up? What will you do when they do show up? You wanted to be an artist, to paint until your heart gave away. But if people needed help you wouldn’t be able to stay on the sidelines knowing you’re more than capable of lending a hand.

You knew you already had some strength power active- you wouldn’t be able to fly that fast without your skin peeling right off. Maybe it just made your skin stronger? Well, that’s how you ended up in a forest, or deep in a park- you weren’t sure, you flew without thinking, your thoughts and theories eating at you until you had to act.

The tree in front of you had an average-sized trunk, maybe on the smaller side compared to the others around you. You’ve been staring at it for a bit, debating if this really was something you wanted to see if you could do. “Ignorance is bliss” flew through your mind, but the full sayings of these quotes always rang at the back of your head. “Where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise”.

Your fist met the trunk with a small thud, you didn’t feel any pain, nothing was happening, so you bit your lip, closed your eyes tight, and punched the trunk harder. You heard the wood splinter before you saw it, your eyes flying wide open at the sound. The trunk had a dent in the shape of your fist, not quite all the way through. You still felt nothing.

Maybe you shouldn’t have tested out your strength this much, Ivy would have been quite mad at you for destroying so many trees, each one thicker than the last, but you were simply curious and made sure to clean up after yourself. It was weird. If you hit fast enough your arm could go right through quite cleanly, but there was no pain, none at all… Is this how Superman felt?

In your excitement, you didn’t even notice the figure above you, watching your every move or the flying orb camera doing the same. And while the figure kept watching you grow in your powers for a year, watched you help around in small ways, mostly clean up and small muggings, the orb stopped after a few months.

It took a while for you to be able to lift as much as you could now, for the first half of your newfound power you had to break stuff like big rubble down before you could lift them, you still found it amusing how Red Flash stayed quiet about you, but how could he not when you shushed him the first time he tried to tell the others. The man wasn’t about to fuck with Cecil’s worker, even though he might have said a word or two to the old man’s face about child labor.

Despite all that you truly felt happy, fulfilled even. You were doing art, helping people, and despite still working on having friends during the day part, you were glad you left. You were on cloud nine, well, literally more than figuratively. You were flying above the clouds, basking in the sun. Nothing could cloud your life anymore.

…Where did the sun go? Your eyes opened, blissful expression turning into a frown as your eyes caught a dark figure flying just a few paces over you, its eyes glowing, a wide grin showing a full set of teeth, cape billowing behind it.

What. The. Fuck.

Tag list: @bat1212 @trashlanternfish360 @shycreatorreview @syrooo @a-lurking-fae @alittletiredcry @kittzu @plsfckmedxddy @blackhood1229 @nxdxworld @leeiasure @dandelion-delusion

hope I didn't forget anyone 😬

[gaea-a]

RAGE ;;

[🍃] oh, someone give me the idea :) There will probably be a part two if you guys love this work, hehe

warnings:

pure angst ; fem!reader ; jason todd & mom!reader ; deaths ; Possible spelling mistakes, thanks

...

..

.

You couldn't feel your arms. Your whole body felt numb.

Unlike what many said, killing someone wasn't easy; you wanted to throw up the little you had in your stomach. Your body was shaking.

Your eyes filled with tears; your head was spinning. Your hands were warm from the blood on them.

Your scrambled mind just replayed every single memory you had with Jason. Oh, your little boy. You had promised to protect him the first time Bruce brought him. He was so small, so smart, so beautiful, and so precious.

You remember his first smile. You remember his innocent yet mocking jokes. His witty responses when he responded to your grumpy husband. You remember his little hands 'fixing' your hair, but he had actually put a rose in from the vase—much to Alfred's chagrin, but he still didn't say anything and smiled amusedly.

You remember his beautiful blue eyes shining with excitement when you told him you were going to make his favorite cookies and how he would excitedly exclaim that he was going to help you.

You remember the first time he called you “Mommy” with a loving little smile, showing how he was missing one of his canines due to his baby tooth falling out.

You remember how his cheeks had started to get chubby from all the snacks you gave him and his skin had started to get less pale. He had started to look healthier.

You remember his giggles as he got ready to go out on patrol and Bruce gently scolding him not to run and to be careful.

Your little Jason…

How were you supposed to go on without him by your side? Without your little boy… How is a mother supposed to go on knowing that her son’s killer was on the loose? And her husband, the one who was supposed to have killed the madman, let him go… free.

He was free. That clown, the murderer of your little boy, was free… He escaped from where they had locked him up even though Bruce promised you that that man would never come out again.

‘Liar…’ you thought at that moment.

How was a mother supposed to go on…?

Your pain turned to rage within days. It was a rage that burned you to the bone and made your chest ache from the pressure of heavy emotions laden with deep hatred.

You remember when Bruce brought his small body, oh so small, bruised and lifeless. The heartbreaking scream that left your throat was heard and echoed throughout the cave. Heavy tears fell from your eyes as you clung to his little body and cried inconsolably.

You didn't even realize that your steps took you outside the mansion, taking advantage of your husband and Alfred taking their eyes off you. Your head covered by a heavy, long hood that made you look small. Your red, swollen eyes with dark circles were hidden under the fabric of the hood.

You didn't notice the vibration of your phone; surely they were calling you… but your mind was somewhere else, and your body was moving on its own. It was no longer you.

You didn't notice when you entered the abandoned warehouse where you saw the Joker's henchmen enter. You found it, and yet your unbalanced mind didn't notice any of that. You were just a robot that was looking to find the culprit and make him pay.

You also didn't realize what you were doing when you sneaked out and ambushed the clown from behind with your small knife.

Your pain, your fury, the injustice you felt made you commit a crime.

You killed him.

Your broken, red eyes looked at the body of the clown-dressed man lying there; your hand, still holding the small knife, began to shake. You really did it.

You killed your son's killer.

You didn't know what to do. The fear of seeing Richard's, Barbara's, Alfred's, or Bruce's face when they saw what you did, what your pain made you do. Your breathing became labored; your throat tightened painfully.

Jason… Oh, your little Jason, what would he think of you right now… Would he be scared to see what you became?

You fell to your knees as a broken sob left your broken lips. The knife was still in your shaking, bloodstained hand.

You had nothing left to live for… Your life was destroyed, in rubble. One way or another, nothing would be the same; you consoled yourself, but it was only a pathetic attempt to calm yourself down.

Silently you raised your hand to your throat, closing your eyes, remembering your little Jason. The memory of his smile made your pain lighter. At least you did justice… at least it was all over. You asked everyone for forgiveness for abandoning them too… just like Jason abandoned you.

You took a breath before bringing the small knife to your throat.

But before the knife managed to make contact with your skin and you managed to take your life, someone's body crashing into you stopped you, causing the small knife to fall from your grasp…

[shyjusticewarrior]

Jason Todd's Will

Jason: Here's my will and testament. I leave my crowbar to Tim Drake. Do whatever you want with it except letting Dick or Damian use it- they know what they did.

Jason: I leave my books to Barbara Gordon, and my Batburger rewards card to Duke Thomas. Everything else goes to whoever kills the Joker.

[scriptseekstories]

Queen Bee’s Hive

Chapter 8- Reliving the Moment

A/N: a certain moot from a certain blog found me because my dumbass keeps forgetting I have more than one blog 😭 anyways, hope you enjoy 😼

Oh yeah like trigger warning with gore of a wrist injury and whatnot-

Violence was all Jason ever knew. From the moment his drugged up of a mother abandoned him, to the time he was raised out of the Lazarus pit. Anger was all Jason ever felt, from when he had to survive on his own, to when he wanted to make Bruce pay for keeping Joker alive.

Those weren’t good combinations, his anger and violent tendencies caused him the most shame and regrets, especially towards his family. He tried to be better for them, for himself, and for the citizens in order to have the feeling of safety again.

Yet despite it all, despite trying for redemption and growth, one person fully slipped through his fingers, one who he never apologized to, one who even with his previous promises, he couldn’t seem to ever treat them the way he used to all those years ago.

You were a balance between the good and the bad of his past. He held the moments of playing with you dearly to him, he saw just how much you needed him when Bruce and Dick never bothered to see you. Yet after his death… he couldn’t bare to look at you.

You were a reminder of how hard he pushed himself to be Robin, how much he still craved for Bruce’s love even if he hated him, you were just a memory from the past he hated, yet couldn’t let go.

He cringes now whenever he reminded himself how he punched you, threatened you when he came back, how years after he mocked you. He wishes he could take it all back, to erase the scared look when he attacked you, the way your eyes welled up with tears when he harshly teased you for being a baby.

It was never your fault but his own.

“Any updates?” The static voice of Dick from the comms interrupted his self pitying, causing Jason to narrow his eyes and gripping the rooftop railing he leaned against with Cass.

“If there was, I would’ve told you,” He snapped back into the comms before wincing when Cass looked up at him with worry. He hated those looks, “I’m sorry… I’m just not in the mood for your stupid comments,” He sighed before hearing Dick’s usual reassurances before closing out of the comms.

Patrolling as Red Hood and Orphan for the past few days were getting to him, even though he wanted to go alone to brood, Cass knew better than to leave him with his emotions.

“Talk…” She mumbled out, slowly resting her hand on Jason’s bicep. He still held his eyes closed, but soon took a deep breath while staring down at the city, eyes moving to acknowledge specific things.

“Things have done to shit lately, a-and it feels like I’m not in control anymore…” He confessed, lifting his mask up over his mouth to rub it, pacing around while Cass watched with sympathy in her eyes. No one else was taking it harder than Jason and Bruce.

“That Hansen kid, the one where his parents reported him missing for four days and I still haven’t found him. I just- UGH!!” He grabbed a pipe connected to an air conditioner and threw it buildings over, placing his hands behind his head in frustration.

“I can’t focus! I don’t know if it’s guilt, but I hate it! (Name) dying, kids and adults alike are going missing! Barbara can’t open their stupid phone!” Jason ranted, pacing around like a caged animal while Cass watched with a frown and saddened eyes.

“And the worst part is that… that monster that killed them is still out there! Probably rotting away or killing other people! How many missing reports have been filed for the past week?!” Jason felt completely helpless, not knowing if his little crook friends he helped try to find a new path were dead from the same beast that killed you.

Cass didn’t say anything but slowly made her way towards him, standing beside him before slowly wrapping her arms around Jason’s waist, resting her head against him.

“I miss them too…” She didn’t need to see his face under the mask. She was trained to understand the tiniest detail of the human, and she can sense when Jason felt utterly tired and felt like crying.

“Dick says we get back,” Cass finally said after the beeping from their comms indicated that Dick was gathering the rest of the Robins. She turned and walked away a little to confirm the signal, not noticing Jason not moving.

When she didn’t even any sort of acknowledgment from him, Cass looked up to peer over at Jason. He was in a mid crouch position, but he was frozen in place. Her eyes instantly captured the way his own eyes swirled with two emotions.

He was scared.

“That thing…” He uttered out, the shine of orange and pink reflected from his mask, eyes staring down at a faint glow he will never forget.

He was furious.

“That fucking thing that killed them…” His fists clenched, breathing ragged

“No!!” Cass managed to say before seeing him take off into the night. She tried to follow, but he jumped down and disappeared. Cass cursed to herself before tracking her location to Dick and attempted to follow Jason’s trail.

Jason kept on running, gliding onto the ground and hopping up the buildings, like a savage animal looking for the one who took away his family. Jumping off a roof, he landed firmly onto the ground, where that… thing turned to face him, tilting its head.

“You get to live… when the corpse you have eaten was found by their family to suffer…” His breathing was unsteady, guilt and rage mixing together to have him take steps forward.

The beast didn’t react, simply staring him down as if he wasn’t important. Did that thing believe you weren’t important? Was that why it killed you? It made him even more furious.

“They wouldn’t have wanted you to live, I’m going to do what Batman couldn’t all those years ago for me,” His hand reached for his gun in his belt, clocking it before aiming it towards the monster’s head.

BANG

꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁

Someone was here.

Your drones were your eyes in the city, scanning around like normal civilians to keep an eye out on misuse of your honey, or harassment of your worker bees. You deal with them before it’s been dealt with by the Bats.

You couldn’t afford to have Batman or the Robins to run amok in messing up your operations. You spent all this time ever since you turned that old warehouse to test out your abilities, figure out what made you a bee and what made you more special.

What you could figure out before testing, was that you can fly, but only in dire situations. You can crawl on walls and make your honey from your mouth. You can also listen to your hive, hear out what your little queen bee desires and protect them.

What you found out later after testing your body, was that whoever tastes the honey you make, you can sense them, feel their emotions and see through their eyes. Whoever tastes enough of your honey, you can control them, have them make their own honey that you can sell and distribute.

That was the honey you can use to help the world. Plants, animals, humans, you can help them all for the greater good. Your honey can change the world if they all just get a little taste to have you protect them, to rebuild what the earth has lost.

The only effects you ignored was the antennas that sprouted from your drones and workers’ heads.

It didn’t bring them any pain, no screams no discomfort when they first appeared on their heads. In fact, when you awoke that day it was when you figured out you could sense them all. You witness how they even got excited with their new attained antennas, tugging at them and watching them twitch.

Last but not least, your stinger. Your abdomen downward your back always swirled and glowed, yet you never figured out if it was the venom that you could shoot out from your little stinger. You never had the chance to use your stinger, so you concluded it to be a mystery for now.

Speaking of which, it brings us to now. You watched the sunset slowly going down, another day of building your hive. Lately, you’ve been having some strange… hallucinations. From the corners of your eye you could’ve sworn that there were people not part of your hive watching you, yet none of your drones or workers sensed them.

Your antennas vibrated, causing you to stop mid action from handing a drone a crate full of honey jars. The poor teen drone looked confused before sensing the signal too, hurriedly hiding behind you.

Your patrolling drone, she spotted figures on the roof, and you sensed her warnings soon after. Question is- which ones were they?

“Keep o-on with our route… I’ll handle them,” Your antennas twitched against his, and your worker nodded, pushing the crates of honey jars into the truck and shutting the doors. The truck slowly rolled out of the alleyway and you stood alone.

You waited, your glow now dim to lessen your obvious presence. Your head snapped up when you heard a shout from the roof, and you got into a defensive stance when a shadowy figure landed right in front of you.

“You get to live… when the corpse you have eaten was found by their family to suffer…” The raspy voice from the figure made your little hairs stand on end. You watched as the moonlight illuminated the figure to be Red Hood, hunched slightly as he walked closer.

‘The hell is this guy on?’ You wondered to yourself, your legs moving back ever so slightly. You never fought before, and the last time you even had a glimpse of these heroes they tried to kill you.

“They wouldn’t have wanted you to live, I’m going to do what Batman couldn’t all those years ago for me,” He croaked out, voice shaking while he lifted a shiny object in his hands.

Your eyes dilated, chattering on your thorax feeling your sense go off the rails. He had a gun, and he pulled the trigger.

BANG

Your body moved before your brain did, and one moment you were in a stance, the next you were sticking to the wall digging your claws into the bricks. You watched there a bullet hole was smoking out of the ground, right where you originally were if it hadn’t been your instincts.

‘He really shot me!!’ Your mind was racing, panicking was an understatement. You never got too close to the Batman or the Robins, knowing that they could easily break a few bones yet never kill. Red Hood was different, pull the trigger with no mercy.

But this wasn’t him from what you heard from stories… his body was rigid and erratic. He was filled with rage and is taking it out on you, yet you didn’t know why.

You needed to lead him away from your hive. You let out a guttural shriek before bending your legs to lunge yourself onto the side of a building, skittering up to the roof and waited. It only took a minute until Red Hood jumped onto the same rooftop,

You had to keep dodging. You never got into fights before as far as you could remember, you couldn’t risk causing damage to a body you don’t even know the strengths and weaknesses yet.

All you could do is try to run away from the direction of your hive, so that your drones and workers would be safe. Eyes flicking up to the buildings around you, you dodged another bullet shot at you just as you grabbed the lid of a trash can and hurling it at Red Hood.

He easily avoided the lid with another shot from his gun, looking to as you scattered up the brick wall, breathing uneven when you tried to open your wings to fly over the city.

You didn’t get far.

Feeling a sudden burning jolt of hot electricity throughout your body, you let out a scream of pain when Red Hood shot a taser at you, seizing any escape as you fell into the ground below.

“H…H-Hu…” You whimpered in pain, hunched over while small sparks of electricity formed around you as he stalked closer to you.

“This is for (Name),” Red Hood muttered with hate under his breath, fists clenching so hard veins bulged along his bicep. With a push from his boots, he lunged forward, arm raised with the intention to strike a hidden knife he had in his glove to go through your eye.

The knife didn’t go through.

You twisted your body so your other pair of hands flew out and grabbed his wrist, flicking it upward so that the knife would clatter onto the concrete. Red Hood instinctively used his other first to strike you, but you expected as much, using your other hand to grab his. Slowly, you stood back up, eyes staring him down with your glow become brighter from what looked like to be anger.

₵Ɽ₳₵₭

Red Hood let out an ear piercing shout of agony, watching his wrist bend in an unnatural direction, spurts of fat spilled out of the openings with blood shooting out. Your little eyes flickered to the injury, before snapping your attention back to Red Hood’s mask.

One swift move you swung him and thrown his body off the roof, making him groan just as you jumped off the roof too, the ground shaking as you landed. He didn’t react fast enough before you latched onto his jacket again. Lifting his body into the air, you used your scary strength to slam him into the ground, causing a crater form around Red Hood.

“Fuck!!” He hissed. He always got up after being pushed around like this, but you weren’t letting him catch his breath. You got tired of this wannabe of a mercenary trying to catch your drones, Batman tracking your hive down, the Robins attempting to kill what you grown.

With a hateful chatter, you reeled your arm back before landing a sick leaning punch into Red Hood’s stomach, sending him flying back and slamming into another wall. Hunched over, Red Hood felt like vomiting as you lunged again with quick speed, you crawled over him.

Grabbing his mask, you lower jaw unlatched from your upper bone, slowly stretching out while your thorax wildly swiped at Red Hood’s mask. His eyes watched through his broken lenses, eyes glowing Lazarus green as he struggled frantically, kicking his legs around to try and get you off of him when-

“I̍̅̀̎̊’l̙͖̑̾ͣl̙͖̑̾ͣ b̶̡͙̖̹̻̙̠̯͓͐͘è̷̛̗̳͚̙͇̘͍͕̊̑̿͘͜ b̶̡͙̖̹̻̙̠̯͓͐͘ā̤̓̍͘c͕͗ͤ̕̕ḳ̯͍̑ͦ b̶̡͙̖̹̻̙̠̯͓͐͘è̷̛̗̳͚̙͇̘͍͕̊̑̿͘͜f̵͖̜̉ͅo̯̱̊͊͢r̴̨̦͕̝è̷̛̗̳͚̙͇̘͍͕̊̑̿͘͜ y҉̃̀̋̑o̯̱̊͊͢ư̡͕̭̇ ḳ̯͍̑ͦṇ̤͛̒̍o̯̱̊͊͢w̦̺̐̐͟ ỉ͔͖̜͌t̲̂̓ͩ̑, b̬͖̏́͢ư̡͕̭̇ḿ̬̏ͤͅb̬͖̏́͢l̙͖̑̾ͣẹ̿͋̒̕,”

Red Hood felt your steel like grip disappear from his helmet, causing him to drop onto the floor. His lended were cracked, so he saw fractured parts of you slowly backing away from him, shaking.

Your hands shook violently, your eyes going blurry and scattered. Your head began to hurt badly, as if what you were seeing was actually too painful to remember. You let out a wretched screech, a mixture of a human scream and an insect hiss before aggressively slamming your clawed fist into the side of a dumpster can, glowing eyes glaring at him.

“Next time will be your head, j̸͈̆͌̂̋̑́͂͜͠â̸̠̋y҉̃̀̋̑b̬͖̏́͢ỉ͔͖̜͌r̴̨̦͕̝ḑ̴̞͛̒,” You dripped out with a feral hiss, before using the giant dumpster can to throw it at Red Hood to block his vision when you finally managed to use your wings and escape.

Your glow dimmed out completely to avoid detection, getting on all fours to crawl through the shadows, sensing that you were being followed, but just for a moment as you saw another figure jump in front of Red Hood.

That you didn’t bother to deal with, you felt like something was about to explode in your stomach. Your wings eventually crash landed you into another alleyway, where the deserted buildings of Gotham stood.

“Queen Bee, all jars safely ported to Penguin,” A signal through your antennas vibrated through your body, making you chatter ever so slightly in acknowledgment. You crawled your way through the open window of an abandoned apartment room, trying to stop your shaking.

You then heard a buzz, causing you to look up and focus your vision to comprehend that there was one of your little bees perching on the windowsill.

“All r…report back to t-the Hive, we lay… low for now,” You panted, causing the bee to wipe its limbs together and flying out of the window. You felt the shaking going away, leaving you to breathe properly, your glow back.

You took the underground sewers to avoid detection, with the providing of Killer Croc guiding you. Yet while you returned home… your brain was still messing with you. What were those words… who told you them… who was Jaybird…?

“The hell… is going on with me?”

꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁꧂ ꧁

Jason laid in the alleyway just as Cass found him. She panicked seeing his wrist twisted in a sickening way, yet what made her feel dread was his eyes. Eyes filled with fear… Jason Todd felt fear.

“Breathe…” She said while applying a spray to his wound to avoid anymore pain. He swallowed harshly, feeling his mask being taken off, where he finally was able to fully see Cass with her mask off too, and Dick who had a look of concern.

“Red Hood!! The hell were you doing?!” Dick scolded after figuring he was okay other than his wrist. Jason didn’t respond,

“T-That… that thing was here… I-I thought could avenge… (Name)…” Was all he could say. His anger and rage faded, now filled with confusion and disorientation. His mind was foggy, finally realizing how stupid he was to just run and attack that monster.

“We all do, but we have no idea what that thing is capable of,” Dick gritted, before taking a deep breath and hugging Jason. “We’ll avenge them, I promise. Barbara is making progress in getting through their phone,” Dick whispered before nodding to Cass.

They waited for the Batmobile to arrive so they could transport Jason without any further injuries. That gave him to think, to finally think about you. Your death… it didn’t make sense how your body was hollow, how that beast held you when they crash into the warehouse.

When that thing didn’t even say his name… but what you used to call him before it all…

Buzzzzz

“Bumble…?”

A/N: Ohhhh shit!! We got Jason connecting a few dots! Not really, but certain things never add up. Guess he’s finally paying attention to you in the wrong way.

Taglist: Taglist: @pix-stuff @jellystar-star @moon0goddess @bad4amficideas @lettucel0ver @lithiumval @degenerates-posts @ryuushou @deathbynarcisstick @silverklaus @artistwithcreativeburnout @middevil465 @jsprien213 @1abi @oliviaewl @redkarmakai @nxdxsworld @the-dumber-scaramouche @sc3n3mo-t3to @tw-om-gi-hs-56387 @bunniotomia @welpthisisboring @rad4bean @ithoughtthinks @reeyy0-2 @ceramic-raven @danart501 @esposadomd @ilovecoffe0

[ladyrosemone]

The Other Side Of Paradise

Using Google Translate here! 🗣‼️‼️ This is an intermediate of part one, as the Batfamily's point of view just like you had yours, official part two coming soon! Also my question box is open (I think) and without further ado, enjoy the read! (Thanks for enjoying the read 😭🫶🏼)

Tw!: Profanity (use of prostitute as a derogatory insult), murder, murder scene described, negligence.

Tag List: @tsuniio, @simpingpandas, @dakotali, @softycheol.

Dick is always first.

The first child acrobat of the circus, the first son of Bruce Wayne, the first Robin, the first brother, the first everything.

And he was proud of that, from being an orphan to the pride of Gotham it was not an easy path and much less a happy one, but amidst so much pain and loss he is grateful for having a constant; his family.

Dysfunctional and somewhat shaky, where violence and beatings are the language of love, they find comfort in knowing that they have each other.

He has Alfred as his honorary grandfather, who is the wisest person he will ever meet again.

Bruce, who even with his flaws is his father, who gave him a chance and never abandoned him, making him the man he is today.

Jason, the most distant but beloved of his brothers, knows that he can always count on him and his strength at all times.

Tim, his chair boy, his best confidant, and the best detective in the world, trusts him with his life over anything he can't find.

And Damian, his little brother, his favorite boy in the whole world, the Robin to his Batman, what he wouldn't do for his sharp-tongued brother; even when he came to the mansion threatening and stabbing everything, never gave up on him and the result was completely worth it.

His sisters are also dear to him; Stephenie and Cassandra are strong and independent, but also loyal and loving. Barbara may not be a sister -she still has her father- but she has earned a place in the family and is considered sister as much as Steph and Cass.

Of course he will never leave Duke behind, the newest, the ray of sunshine among them all, he expects great things from him.

Dick is always first.

Dick is the last one to remember you.

Jason hates remembering his life before the well.

He doesn't want to forget, there are memories that still keep him sane; his mother, when Bruce adopted him, his first patrol as Robin. You.

But if it were up to him, he would never talk about them again or even acknowledge their existence. They are chains that bind him, quicksand that make him sink whenever he tries to move forward and personally he is fed up.

Because no matter how many villains he catch and how many more kill, how many people save, nothing will take away the guilt of not having saved that person. Don't save you.

Of not finding the strength in himself to look for you now, because for you, there is nothing but shame and shame for himself. The first friend he had, the first brother he had, his first great loss, his only great regret.

Jason hates remembering his life before the well.

Jason hates being the first to discover your new identity.

Tim is a genius.

Genius falls short, his brain works like a computer within a computer within another; Wires instead of neural conduits and electricity instead of energy is what happens in that brilliant brain of yours.

He was never an ordinary person, he is ambitious and resourceful, intelligent and determined to get what he wants.

That started with the mantle of Robin.

When Jason was still in the portrait, he wanted to be part of the duo; He trained and prepared, ready to help from the Batcave until the Joker thing happened. And even when it felt bad to carry the title of the bat's henchman, he felt proud that his perseverance took him to the top.

And it was the beginning of his destiny.

Robin, Red Robin, the robin's mantle is and will be a part of him that he will never let go, but he is also the one who remembers every detail of every case of every villain of every attack in Gotham, is the one they turn to when they need to confirm exact information. Nothing escapes him, ever.

Tim is a genius.

Tim passed you by and lost.

Damian is the perfect heir.

His father is the most powerful man in Gotham and Batman himself, his mother is a skilled and lethal assassin, daughter of a dynasty of the world's fiercest assassins, and he is the result of the cross between the two.

He is perfect.

That is why he will never deign to look down on the unworthy; Richard is fine, Jason is worthy because served his mother and grandfather, Tim still doubts it, women are strong allies and that new boy has potential. Alfred and his father, of course, are worthy of his obedience.

And you? You are worse than a disappointment.

A stain, a mistake, someone who should never have existed, rotting his perfect legacy, you should be thankful he didn't kill you when he had the chance.

It's not that you deserve it, you don't deserve anything from it.

You are so insignificant to him that not even in his dreams did he worry about your whereabouts, of course he knew that you were no longer there, he had to watch you in case you stole something when you left like the thieving prostitute who was probably your mother, but when you did not return, he felt triumphant for having taken care of -without killing- the family problem.

Damian is the perfect heir.

Damian feels like his throne means nothing in front of you.

Bruce is a father.

He never considered himself one, maybe he wanted it once, when his own father was alive to learn from him, but that dream died when his people did it in the alley.

Despite everything, he tried to be a father to Dick, and his efforts, although questionable, worked. Then Jason with his bright eyes and bubbly personality, taken away too soon, let go too soon.

Even now, so near and so far, it is his greatest loss as Batman, as Bruce Wayne.

Tim was...complicated; arrived when he had not overcome his grief and treated him in the most atrocious way he had ever imagined treating his children. Still, he proved to him time and time again that was more than expected.

Damian was unexpected of an unexpected union; son of Talia Al'Ghul and grandson of Ra's Al'Ghul, he awaited a bloodthirsty and indomitable child. Which started badly ended well, his youngest son is on his way to writing his destiny far from his ancestry, and in his heart knows that did the best he could.

Barbara, although not their daughter, is part of their family, Stephenie and Cassandra are their beloved daughters, and Duke is officially their new son.

Bruce is a father.

Bruce is not your father.

Do others really have a voice in this narrative? You barely remember them, you barely knew them, much less you care about them. Yes, even Alfred.

"I don't understand, there's nothing more" Tim murmurs, looking at the images on the Batcomputer, reading the documents at the same time, his eyes bloodshot and his fingers trembling from the coffee laced with an energy drink that just drank "There must be more"

"You searched enough, you should get some sleep" Barbara intervenes, in her wheelchair "I'll cover you"

"No, there's something I'm overlooking" he insists "I know, I just have to look carefully"

"Tell me it's not that thing again" Jason complains, arriving at the Batcave with his Red Hood suit on, barely removing his helmet.

Dick nods, his usual smile not drawing his face, just a grimace "We're close to finding it, just...something's missing"

The image is clear; a party room, with people dancing and laughing, as precise as a painting but recent that appeared in the newspaper. All of these people are families of dangerous underworld groups.

Lords of drugs, weapons and human trafficking, ex-convicts and people who work for villains are...enjoying the party.

It wouldn't be relevant if it weren't the photo before the tragedy.

⚠️ Description of crime scene, bodies and blood under the cut ⚠️

All of them, women and men, young and old, nothing more than a combined mass of blood and bones, guts scattered on the walls and decorations of the room.

The floor, the stairs, everything contaminated, women's bodies -which were getting smaller, then only limbs such as arms, hands and finally, fingers- arranged on the main staircase. They all point to something;

⚠️End of scene⚠️

A painting.

In the two photos, the painting of a house is what steals the attention; nothing special, nothing grand, just a painting of a gray wooden cave house, with the background of a distant city and without a signature, almost overlooked as another photo if it weren't for the canvases and the paint under his fingers when he touched it.

In both photos the painting is at the top of the stairs, in both the light was shining on them and in both it draws attention before anything else.

Why? What does it mean? What does it tell them?

"There must be something more than that, hidden among the corpses" says Damian, the most obsessed -besides Tim- in discovering the identity of the one who, for months, has left them clues after helping them anonymously, only a pseudonym in your name; The Savior.

Or that is how those who bring your messages to them have referred to you, speaking of you as a Saint, a savior among men, God himself who came down to protect them.

And they can't let that continue.

They must know if you are dangerous, if you are a potential threat or potential ally. They must discover you.

Alfred arrives with more coffee, because he knows his words won't be heard at that point; When the family becomes obsessed with something, they hardly let it go until they get their fill of it.

His eyes pursue that house; small and misaligned, painted in a very specific way, too specific.

Jason doesn't like to remember the past.

"Wasn't there a phantom surcharge on the accounts months ago?" He says in a low voice, almost lost if the echo of the cave had not returned the word to him.

"There are many like that" Tim murmurs without thinking about the matter "Hey-!"

Jason pushes him aside, typing furiously and searching through files, searching and searching remembering remembering until...A contract, simple and almost empty, with a late date and an unknown signature, the name blank but with an address and a photo; the photo of the painting.

The house.

"How did you...?" Tim was surprised, looking at that contract as if he had never looked at it before, reading carefully, sleep and fatigue fleeing his body.

Bruce looks on without speaking, but those who know him know that a war of insecurities is raging inside him; How did it happen? Who was it? When did do it? Has access to all he private accounts? Do has know their identities?

The clue has been revealed, the answer discovered, and the game is just beginning.

"I think it's time to arrange the pawns on the chess board" you say in your luxury suit, the highest in the tallest building in Gotham, looking at the flashing lights that fill the streets, looking at the outskirts of Gotham, looking at your next move, looking at the wide-screen camera that's embedded in the painting's window.

[damian-navarro-art]

BATGIRL & ROBIN

Finally guys after all the sneak peeks… my Cassandra Cain and Mia Mizoguchi Short Story! CASS AND MAPS!

Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think!

I’ve been posting it on my instagram all this month and last week on my twitter but i had totally forgotten to post it in here, for 2 months there wasn’t a day i wasn’t thinking on them and i would have loved with all my heart to do something even longer but… building up a story, thinking over and over the layouts, drawing and coloring with this level of detail all on my own is really hard and i can’t but feel guilty of taking this long for just this 7 pages, but as little that is, with all my heart i just really hope you like them :’) , I tried to put many little easter eggs and references but i will mention some at the end to not spoil your reading.

Okay, so some of the esster eggs:

PAGE 1: that Adam West Batman & Robin climbing a building shot which actually came to me from Bruno Redondo’s cover of Nightwing actually , and the rest of the panels hugely inspired by Batman The Animated Series!

PAGE 2: a portrait of Niccolai Tapes( The Mad Monk) on his early years and at his side Matt Wagner himself! , then a newspaper with a Batman based on his first appearances and a reference to the events from Batman vs the Mad Monk by Matt Wagner, and then ofc all the room filled with a bunch of objects taken exactly from the same pages of Matt when he draw The Monk’s Castle on the same book. and finally the book of Dracula for the same reason ;) , all this layout was inspired by one of the most iconic pages from American Pax by Frank Quitely

PAGE 3: all the vampires were based physically on Voldermort’s Death Eaters! but also the girl in black is Dala! Mad Monk’s more loyal acolyte which in the book she always desired to become a vampire but never could! , but from left to right, Barty Crocuh Jr. , Dala as Bellatrix, Peter Pettigrew, The Monk was “Voldemort” , then Snape, Lucius, Narcissa and Fenrir Greyback, and that last panel was a BLADE reference 🙂‍↕️🙌

PAGE 4: this whole Cass yellow panels with speedlines were supposed to represent the same kind of panels that Damion Scott drew when Cass was moving really fast in her Batgirl run, the whole layout was based on a page of Jamal Campbell from his Green Arrow run

PAGE 5: shot referencing the killing joke joker and batgirl cover, you can see a “Red sun” mode on the bat-flashlight apart from the Ultra Violet setting, them. Maps bites the Monk as she used to do a couple times in Gotham Academy, and Cass final attack is a reference to one of the moves she does in her 2000s run to stop the heart beats of a thug , and those circles were inspired by David Aja’s work on his Iron Fist and run!

PAGE 6: the building on the background purposely resembles the Bat ears, the GCPD have the uniforms from BTAS and you can see also Detective Montoya and Jack Ryder interviewing her :), Maps little hearts are taken from Karl Kerschl who used to do them on Gotham Academy a couple times, and finally the Grapple Gun reference from all the time Maps mentioned it on Gotham Academy 🙂‍↕️,ohh and the box of the gift was also the same feom Shadow of the Batgirl when Barbara gives her suit to Cass!

PAGE 7: Frank Miller’s Batman and Carrie Kelly cover 🙂‍↕️🫶

THANK U GUYS 🫶