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wolfjackle-creates · 3 months

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Ghost!Robin Arc 2 Part 3

Ghost!Robin once again won this week's WIP Wednesday poll. This week's poll is up as well if you want a say in what I work on this week (though the poll is slightly different this week).

Story Summary: Everything changed the evening Jason met Jazz's brother. Danny introduced him and his entire family to the ghost that is, apparently, haunting him. The ghost of the Robin he had been.

The ghost of the person everyone he's ever known wishes he still was.

All he wants is to make it go away.

First, Previous

Word Count: 1.6k

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“All right!” said Danny, clapping his hands. “I got us close to the Far Frozen, but it’s rude to show up in another ghost’s haunt. So we’ve a little bit of a flight ahead of us.”

“How long is a ‘little bit?’” asked Jason. He refused to look behind him at the lack of a portal. He’d come here for a reason and he trusted Jazz. That had to be enough.

“Oh, maybe fifteen minutes? Twenty?”

Jason closed his eyes and tilted his head back. At least Bruce would be pissed if he knew where Jason was at this exact moment. “Lead the way,” is all he ended up saying.

In the distance, Jason could see islands floating in the air. Between them were stand alone doors with no walls.

“What are those islands?” he asked Jazz.

“They’re haunts,” she said. “Homes for individual ghosts. Islands tend to be reserved for ghosts who want visitors—either to fight or play—and doors for the ones who want to be left alone.”

“Danny referred to the Far Frozen as a haunt. Is that the same thing?”

“Yes,” said Jazz. “But the Far Frozen is home to hundreds of ghosts led by Frostbite. Those islands you can see will only be home to one, maybe two ghosts. The Far Frozen is much bigger.”

Jason wasn’t sure what he thought about that. In front of them, Danny and the interloper had pulled ahead a ways. He could tell Danny was talking, but they were too far away for him to make out the words.

“It’ll be okay, Jason,” said Jazz after a few moments of silence.

“Things were finally starting to go right with my family,” he admitted quietly.

“They won’t give up on you.” Jazz slipped an arm around his waist. “They care about you.”

Jason snorted. “They care about who I used to be and put up with who I am now. It’s not the same.”

“They care about both who you were and who you are. I’ve seen how Dick acts around you. You could go full super villain and he’d join you in the descent.”

“He just feels guilty for not being there when I died, the idiot.”

Jazz huffed a laugh. “You know, I don’t know why I’m surprised you died. It really is just my luck.”

Jason didn’t answer. It was strange that the one person he’d been interested in dating seriously since his return had ties to death and the afterlife. He shivered, what did that say about him? That he couldn’t just fall for a normal woman?

Jazz noticed. “I think we’re getting close. Temperature’s dropping. Can you feel it?”

“I suppose it is.” His getup, far too warm for the Jersey spring they’d left, wasn’t leaving him sweltering anymore.

Sure enough, just a few minutes later, Danny was turning and waving them closer. “Look!” he said, once they were close enough to hear. “You can see the Far Frozen!”

Ahead, partially obscured by a green fog, a great wall—or was that a cliff?—of ice rose up from nothing ahead of them. They still had some distance to go to reach it, but they’d arrive before long.

“I’m just going to announce our presence,” said Danny. “It’s only polite.”

Jason wasn’t sure what Danny did, but for a moment, it felt like he was being pushed in on from all sides. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. Then, as soon as it had started, it was gone.

“Frostbite will send someone to meet us, I’m sure.”

Jason just grunted and Jazz nudged him again. “Be nice,” she whispered.

The ghost stuck his tongue out at Jason. It took all of his fraying self control to limit his response to just an eye roll.

Danny led them towards the top of the ice and, just as predicted, by the time they were nearly there, a contingent of actual yeti’s came forward to greet them. Five of them, each at least twice Jason’s size, flew down from the island. Each carried what looked to be weapons. Jason tensed, hands immediately reaching for his own.

“Great one!” boomed the largest and first of the party. “It has been too long since you’ve come for a visit. I hope you are not injured?”

Danny laughed and rushed forward to give the yeti a hug. Jason could barely see Jazz’s brother through the being’s fur and arms. Any response Danny gave was muffled by the creature’s fur.

He must’ve said something, though, because the yeti was letting him go and peering at Jason and Jazz and the ghost. Jason tensed under the look. Was that an angry glare? He didn’t know the first thing about the body language of yetis.

“You must be the one who is courting Princess Jazz. Greetings. I am Frostbite, ruler of this section of the Realms. Welcome to my haunt. King Phantom has expressed his concerns for you health and I will, of course, be pleased to offer any assistance myself or my people can.”

Jason just blinked back, then turned to his girlfriend. “Princess Jazz?” his voice sounded strangled even to his own ears. “Any other secrets you’ve been keeping from me?”

Jazz rolled her eyes and poked him in the side. “Not important.” To the yeti, she said, “Thanks, Frostbite. Any help you can give will be beyond helpful. I didn’t even know that Jason had died until last night, let alone that he was being haunted by his own ghost. We’ve been calling his ghost Robin and his living self Jason to make it easier on everyone.”

“Well, then, young Robin and noble Jason, come. Follow me and I will see what I can learn of your condition. I must admit I have not heard of a case like yours before. But, before the Great One first came to us, we had never had the chance to examine a living ghost in any capacity before.”

Jason grunted. “I though Danny said you were the expert in the field.”

Frostbite nodded. “I am. However, that is simply because everyone else knows nothing. That I know something is all it takes to be called the expert in this situation.”

Jason’s stomach sank. This was going to be completely useless, wasn’t it? Why did Danny have to raise his hopes like that! “So you don’t think you’ll be able to do anything?”

Frostbite bared his teeth—a threat or a smile? “I never said that. I’m sure there’s plenty I can learn from an examination. I just won’t make any predictions until I’ve got some results. To do so would be conjecture and the height of incompetence. Now, come, all of you. When the Great One announced his presence, I had some of my people prepare an examination room.”

Danny groaned. “Oh, come on, I’m not that bad!”

The yeti ruffled his hair with a paw as big as Danny’s entire torso. “Your majesty, you have never once made a surprise visit unless you were injured. I am glad that, at least this time, you are not the one hurt. However, you have still come seeking medical advice.”

“Danny!” scolded Jazz. “What have I told you a million times?”

Danny looked at her with confusion. “To get more sleep?”

“No! Well, yes, actually. But not what I was talking about!” Jazz left Jason’s side to smack Danny on the back of his head. “You don’t just visit friends when you need things from them. It’s important to spend down time with your friends, too.”

Frostbite laughed. “Fear not, Princess Jasmine. I am not upset with his majesty. He has only just taken up his crown and has many responsibilities. I am merely relieved he still turns to me when in trouble. Now come, follow me to the examination room.”

Danny talked animatedly with Frostbite as they made their way through a village. Jason and Jazz followed a few steps behind.

Jason couldn’t help but stare. Every building was made of ice. Rather than sharp edges and plain facades, they bent in graceful curves and had been decorated with ice and snow sculptures. Sculptures here were as common as gargoyles and grotesques in Gotham. As they wound through the streets, residents left the buildings to greet Frostbite and Danny. It felt more like they were part of a parade than just passing through.

And above it all loomed a giant castle. No other word could describe it. Delicate turrets pierced into the sky and stairs wound around the outside of the walls while banners added some much-needed color to the structure.

By this point, Jason wasn’t even surprised when they were led to the castle. The inside was just as ornate as the outside and Jason stared in wonder at the statues that decorated the hallways and the patterns pressed into the walls. It was like something from a fairy tale.

So much so that when they finally made it to the examination room, it was rather a disappointment. It looked just like a regular doctor’s office, though the machinery was different.

“Thank you for accompanying us, Your Majesty, Princess Jasmine. However, I must ask for the both of you to leave as I examine my patients.”

“Of course, Frostbite,” said Danny. “We’ll wait outside.” He waved to Jason and made another of those trilling sounds that was repeated by the interloper.

Jazz squeezed his hand. “I love you. Everything will be fine, you’ll see. I’m just outside if you need me.”

Jason pulled her in for a hug and whispered in her ear, “Love you, too.”

Then he was alone with the yeti and the interloper. He refused to look at the ghost of his past and instead addressed the doctor. “So what now?”

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Hope you enjoy!

Jason would be doing so much worse without Jazz right now.

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#dpxdc #jason todd #jazz fenton #anger management ship #jason gets his first exposure to a ghost settlement #he still cant refer to Robin by name #Robin is over his attitude #the dislike is very mutual #which will not cause any problems whatsoever #no siree

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berlingotesque · 3 months

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What are your ships for Batim? :D

VERY GOOD QUESTION- I know my answer should be rather straightforward but I feel I have to put some context to my answers since they may seem contradictory/paradoxical otherwise, so bear with me-

Sammy x Norman : Well. I think that one was pretty obvious, anyone who's seen more than 3 of my posts knows that I'd die for these two. They're just so PERFECT for each other, from their complementary personalities to the fact that their relationship allows us to delve deeper into batim's historical and social context. Sammy and Norman have one of the few relationships that develop the most during the game's lore : Norman originally complains vehemently about Sammy's frenetic behavior, only to end up lamenting to Buddy and Dot how 'Sammy isn't the same anymore'. What's interesting about this statement is that he says it in relation to Sammy's strange behavior : clearly, the two men have grown close enough for Norman to differentiate Sammy's extravagant habits from his ink-influenced behavior.

Furthermore, Sammy is a very gray character morally, a perfectionist who is extremely socially maladjusted (surely due to the fact that he's coded on the spectrum and autism wasn't properly diagnosed at the time), naturally ostracizing him. For his part, Norman comes from a rural background (which surely earns him the animosity of the people at the studio, given the historical context and the fact that he could very well be poc) and also seems ill at ease socially : to me, it's fascinating to see two characters excluded from their peers because of differences they can't change (being autistic or poc and gay) getting closer to each other, to the point where Sammy, who is deeply misanthropic, naturally compliments Norman by describing him as very bright. To me, Norman is the perfect partner for Sammy : ready to apprehend him as he is, since he's completely free of social conventions, without taking any shits from him.

I think Sammy and Norman can really get the best out of each other, during a historical period when being different was strongly proscribed. I think I'd have trouble enjoying Batim as much without their dynamic at its heart (considering how narratively rich it is) : Norman is Henry's confidant, Sammy is Joey's, both remain morally gray deuteragonists fundamentally opposed to the ink machine, while remaining fascinated by its powers. And who wouldn't love a good old enemies to lovers ending tragically with the unwitting murder of one by the other ? After all, Norman's main flaw is that he's too curious for his own good, and it was Sammy who inevitably led him to his doom..

Allison x Tom : what more can I add. She's everything. He's just Tom. I've always been drawn to characters/ships with a vibe completely opposite to the vibe of the work they originally came from, and the 'turning poison into positivity' energy that Tom and Allison bring to Batim has always fascinated me. In a world as tragic as their own, I find it touching to see these two find beauty in all the ugliness and manage to ask themselves 'what if we were happy after all ?' It's really striking and brings a narrative richness to the work, since they directly mirror what failed with Sammy and Susie : Allison is perfect, but that was never what was at stake in Tom's eyes. Tom was looking for humanity, not perfection, and he managed to go beyond the image of the muse to discover a friend, unlike Sammy with Susie. They're literally Romeo and Juliet but, well... Not dead.

Joey x Henry/Henry x Linda : oh boy. These three... Let me get it straight right away : Henry and Linda are perfect for each other. She's exactly what he needs to be happy : she's present, patient. There's no denying that he loves her immensely. But Joey... oh Joey is undoubtedly Henry's soul mate. The subtlety is that Joey can't bring him the stable happiness Linda can : Joey tugs at him, pushes him over the edge. He knows exactly what to do to push him beyond his own limits. The love Joey offers Henry is an uncomfortable but unconditional one, one that would allow Henry to go beyond what he thinks he's capable of achieving because no one knows Henry better than Joey ! And let's be honest, Batim only exists because Joey refuses to move on, to live his dream without Henry in it. He's stuck in unrequited love and refuses to learn to live with it. And that's the tragedy of this trio : Henry sincerely loves Linda but is truly himself with Joey, which prevents him from hating OR loving him (And Joey exploits this information by remaining extremely toxic and convincing himself that he can wear him down lmao). Henry is stuck with this dilemma : Existing peacefully with Linda or living painfully with Joey. And that's why I love the dynamic of this love triangle : because there are no solutions that will satisfy everyone.

Joey x Sammy : okay, don’t get me wrong : these two are HORRIBLE for each other. Does Sammy periodically want to quit just to piss Joey off? Yes. Isn't Joey's fascination with Sammy intimately tied to his refusal to forget Henry, who was a genius like Sammy? Yes. Nevertheless, it's impossible for me to read The Illusion of Living without feeling embarrassed and like I'm reading Joey's diary : whether you ship them or not, Joey is practically canonically smitten with Sammy. I sincerely don't think Joey and Sammy can sustain a healthy relationship with each other, but oh boy, surely that won't stop me from exploiting their bizarre obsessive love-hate relationship, where it's hard to determine whether they're going to throw hands or make out.

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