just found out that accidentally in love by counting crows was literally made for shrek. they didnt just choose it. it didnt exist before. they asked counting crows to make a song for shrek 2 and thats how we got one of the best songs ever made. insane.
Jason is a vengeful spirit and makes it everyone's (but mostly Tim's) problem
DPxDC Prompt
Before anyone panics, that title is just a tad misleading. Okay, so you know that popular headcanon that Jason calls Tim Replacement? And how in DPxDC fics, it's common to make Jason ghostly, but with some exuse as to why he didn't know about it and didn't have typical ghost powers untill meeting the Phantom gang years later?
Cool, cool. But what if we… don't do that? And flip these two ideas on their head?
I present to you: "Jason Actually Gets To Be A Ghost, Dammit" AU.
It's a working title, we can workshop it. But the main idea is just that.
Jason dies and comes back as usual, except not as a resurrected human, revenant or a Halfa, but as a full on ghost. Specifically a vengeful spirit. And instead of landing in the hands of Talia, he comes to his senses and plans his revenge all on his own. There is no Pit or League influence to manipulate him, but there are his new ghost instincts, which he at first not even aware of, much less understands or controls, so for a couple of months he has only one thought on his mind:
Kill the Joker.
Getting back at B for not saving him would be nice too, but it's not really a priority. Joker is.
So Jason plans and scheemes and starts to lay the foundation for his debut as the Red Hood - but before he can hit the streets and truly set it all in motion, Dick kills the Joker. And just like that, everything crashes down. Because Jason feels it, with his entire being.
He was avenged.
By his brother.
…and he has no idea what to do now.
His reason for existing, for staying in the mortal plane is gone. He can move on. But it doesn't feel right, because Jason himself didn't do anything to achieve this. It is a victory, but it's kinda a hollow one (no thanks to B for saving the bastard after he already kicked it) and while Jason is thankfull and happy, he also isn't satisfied, and that keeps him lost in limbo, slowly fading without a purpose.
That is the state that Danny finds him in. Realising that he has a fading spirit on his hands, who doesn't even know that he is a spirit, our boy immediately employs to help, but it's tricky. Jason needs information about his new state of being to stabilise himself, but full on existential crisis on top of everything else isn't exactly helpful. What Jason really needs is a new purpose, something to anchor himself again, and he needs it fast. It's a race against time, but after a bit of introspection, Jason more or less accepts his situation and desides on two things:
He would go to Dick, thank him, and, if this is the end, say a proper goodbye.
And also, he would check on Crime Alley one last time.
Except when he visited Crime Alley on his way to Blüdhaven - it was closer, and he had a sinking suspicion the conversation he was about to have with his brother might be his last, so it only made sense to do it in that order - he saw Tim. As Robin. Patrolling, with no Batman in sight. And that spring up all sorts of feelings in Jason. Not becase he was replaced - he was vaguely aware about new Robin existing and low key pissed at B about puting another kid in that costume, but lost in the singleminded focus of his Obsession, he kinda ignored him until this point - and it's not that sticks out to him in that moment. No, that Jason sees is a Robin, patrolling Crime Alley, alone. It hits him with nostalgia just as much as it worries him, and before he knows it, he's following the kid across the rooftops. (Side note, invisibility is very useful for stalking. Especially if your target is a Bat. Who knew?)
This one split second decision derails all his plans about getting closure - although admittedly, those were pretty shaky - and by the end of the night, Jason has a few startling realisations.
The most important one?
This is his Successor right there.
Caring about his home district in a way only Robin ever bothered to, and there is no one to help him if something goes wrong. And that is something Jason couldn't allow to continue.
Crime Alley is his, Robin is his, that kid is his.
Baby bird would have backup, whether he likes it or not - because having no backup is how you end up in a warehouse with a crazy clown, a crowbar and a bomb.
No more dead Robins.
That simple thought burned itself into his mind, exploding like a supernova and consuming him whole.
A new anchor.
And so, newly motivated, Jason gets to work. Most of his plans died the moment Dick beat the shit out of his murderer, but some parts could still be salvaged and repurposed - now with a new awarness and understanding as to what and why he is doing. To that end, Jason trains with Danny untill he is confident with his powers and ghost instincts, properly claims Crime Alley as his Haunt - something his core was already trying to do before, but now he can do it consciously - and proceeding with the whole crime lord thing, although notably less bloody than he initially intended. He is still agressive in inforsing his rules - he is a vengeful spirit - and he is still dramatic - he is Jason Todd - but he mostly relies on ghost tricks to instill paranoia and fear in his enemies (ironically kinda early Batman style, when people still belived he was a criptid), instead of solving everything with mass murder. Not to say he doesn't kill at all - but it's nothing like mindless Pit rage or staged bloodbath just to send a message, skipping over a huge chank of character development there.
The most crucial difference though, is that when Tim inevitably comes to investigate (against B's wishes, but it's not like he was ever able to control his third Robin), Jason is really frendly and protective towards him. He doesn't try to kick the kid out of the Alley, helps him with fights, shares information for cases and overall is just nice to him, fondly calling him Successor at every opportunity and really confusing the kid in the process.
When Dick comes to asses the situation by Tim's request, him too.
New rogues popping up now and then is not even surprising by this point, but usually those don't like Bats very much, for self-explanatory reasons. They don't ask to bring more Bats on their proclaimed territory, because patrolling alone is dangerous. They don't instruct their gang to never attack a Bat, always choosing to flee instead, and what's more, to help, even at the cost of their operation, if said Bat is ever in a risky situation. They don't intentionally synchronizing their patrols with the Bats patrols, and definetly don't smile and wave when caught, only to continue on as if any of that is normal.
For the record - it's not normal.
Or, well… There was one precedent.
Selina.
Aka Catwoman, aka the notorious art thief, aka Bruce's unofficial girlfriend.
This situation wasn't exactly the same (whatever Hood's intentions were, they were not romantic, that much was clear) but their attitude towards Bats and overall vibes were surprisingly simular. Both were undoubtedly criminals and unashamed of that fact, but they weren't hurting innocents for no reason. Selina mostly stole the pieces that were contrabanded in the first place, or had some other shady history, and often anonymously returned them to their proper countries of origin. Red Hood took control of Crime Alley, sure, but his goal for this seemed to be to make it safer, targeting people like child traffickers, rapist, dirty dealers and other abusers, no matter now big or small. He was a crime lord, but he was closer to a vigilante than to a rogue - which would explain why he never tried to fight the Bats, only ever acting in self defence, and even then doing just the bare minimum to disappear if they tried to arrest him. He just didn't see them as enemies - even if B would never approve of his methods.
Tim's morals were much more gray though, and he knew Crime Alley. He made it a point to familiarise himself with it, even picking up the accent in the process. It was second Robin's home, Jason's home. Tim followed him on these very streets countless times in his stalker era, so it only felt right to continue when he done the mantle in his idol's absence.
All this to say - Tim can see how Crime Alley becomes better under its new benefactor. And Hood clearly doesn't mean him harm. If anything, the guy is kinda obsessed with his safety, and also really thankful to Dick for some reason?
It's weird, but… not in a bad way.
And then it progressively gets weirder and weirder as they get to know each other and grow closer, because shocker, but their new mistery player isn't human. He is a spirit, and apparently, the reason for his strange behavior is that the two Birds saved him. Dick saved his soul, and Tim saved his afterlife - whatever that meant - and per his own admittion, Hood forever owes them, in a very tangible, magical sense.
Which certainly explains some things, but one detail that keeps tripping Tim up is the nickname.
Successor is a very specific and very intentional word choice.
And aside from Dick, only one person could have called him that. The person who was dead… But so was their new acquaintance. A vengeful spirit, who explicitly came back for revenge, and pointedly called himself Red Hood - an old Joker alias - except he acted nothing alike. No, he hated the Joker, and it wasn't difficult to deduce why, even without Hood being pretty vocal about his demise at the hands of the clown. The name was part of the revenge, a reclamation.
It also explained his gratitude, almost reverense to Dick - he actually stopped the bastard's heart, if only for a minute, and it clearly meant a lot to Hood, probably more than humans could comprehend. But what caught Tim's attention is that he didn't talked about it like a stranger, simply thankful to the city's heroes. No, he talked about it like Dick did it for him, avenged him, specifically, in a very personal sense.
Dick killed the Joker because the clown was taunting them about Jason.
And here comes the nickname again, because… Because Bats didn't believe in consequences, and there were way too many of them, and it was the only thing that made any amount of sense.
Seeing the face of his hero - not quite grown up, but how he would look like if he lived to hit his growth spurt - and looking so proud of Tim when he confronted the crime lord about his suspicions actually makes Tim cry.
He never regretted picking up the mantle, but in the back of his mind he was always worried what Jason would think about it, about him. He wasn't chosen by Bruce, he forced his way into the family and stole the place of a dead boy. Not to mention years of stalking prior to that. He knew it was necessary, someone had to do something, and Tim was the only one who could, but it didn't mean he deserved it, that he actually belonged. Tim couldn't know if that's what Jason would have wanted, and on bad days it was eating him alive.
Except now he knew what Jason wanted, because Jason was here, dead, but not gone, and he was proud of Tim. Even more, now that Tim knows the truth, Jason actually takes the time to organise a little ceremony to officially pass down the mantle. It's something Dick didn't do for him until much later, and Jason was sad he couldn't do it in a timely fashion either - on account of being dead and all - but better late than never. And he wants to cement it in Tim's mind that Robin belongs to him, fullsale. That Jason wants it to belong to him. Tim is the best successor he could have ever asked for, and now that Jason is back, he would always be there for him.
From there, things escalate fast. Tim has so many following questions.
Why Jason didn't came back to the Manor?
At first he was consumed by his Obsession and the thought literally never crossed his mind. And later he stayed for Tim and Dick, but he couldn't forgive Bruce for saving Joker's life. It's a ghost thing, and while some part of him wants reconciliation with his dad, he isn't ready to meet him. Because Jason could easily go on a rampage and hurt him if triggered - spirits as a whole are very emotional and not known for their restraint, but vengeful spirits are especially volatile - and knowing B, he would get triggered. So yeah, maybe later, but not yet.
Can Jason stop killing?
Kinda, but not any time soon. As a vengeful spirit, he feeds on revenge, on causing suffering to people he thinks are deserving it. He helps innocent in the process, but the act of saving itself doesn't do anything for him. And he can't just drop bad guys by the police station only to watch them go free the next morning - it's not enough, not permanent in a way his being craves. He can become a protection spirit eventually, if he really focuses on it, but spirits are pretty static creatures by nature, and while a change like that is possible, it's a slow process.
There is something they can do to help though. Ghosts feed on emotional energy, and different types have different preferences in that regard, but they also share emotions as part of communication. Between ghosts, it's a purely informational exchange, they can't feed on each other that way - or rather, they shoudn't, because emotions are what they are literally made of, what their bodies are consist of, and the amount they have at any given time is limited. Doing so irresponsibly - or by force - can mess up a ghost pretty bad (cough, Spectra, cough). It's a whole thing.
But with the living, situation is different - they produce new emotions constantly, and those can be easily converted into energy. The process can even be automated somewhat - by establishing a Fraid bond. It creates a magical connection and allows to share emotional energy between parties more easily and directly, with a side effect that any overflow of living emotions that usually just disperse into the atmosphere instead goes to the ghost - passive and harmless. It doesn't fully alleviate the need to fulfill the ghost's Obsession, but it eases up the load. Which is especially helpful for Jason, who is in the process of transition. His Obsession already shifted, but he needs time before his form would follow and acclimate to digesting a new type of feelings - and any spare energy he could get without following his previos Obsession in the meanwhile is very much appreciated.
When Tim and Dick hear about this, they agree in a heartbeat, and now it's Jason's turn to cry. He wanted to do that for forever now, to claim his brothers as Fraid and be family again, but he wasn't sure how they would react to the supernatural aspect of that. Ghosts are possessive bastards - but luckily for him, so are the Bats.
So… magic, huh?
It's one point I really want to drive home in this - Jason has all his powers as a ghost from the very begining, as opposite to learning them as the story goes on. He did train with Danny, but he subconsciously tapped into his spirit nature even prior to that, and by the time Tim properly meets him, Jason already figured it all out, actively using his powers on a daily basis, both casually and in the field. Invisibility, intangibility and flight are a given and regularly applied for stakeouts, info gathering and evasion - although he tries not to depend on them too much, keeping his already existing skills sharp as well. If his time under B taught Jason anything, it's that you should never underestimate the value of purely human abilities. Humans are honestly scary - something Danny actually took the time to reiterate, which kinda surprised Jason at first.
He assumed Danny would fight like any other meta - favoring his powers other anything else - but sinse almost all his rogues shared his powerset and were often more proficient with it than him, in reality Danny puts more focus on strategy and use of technology - not unlike a Bat. And he saw firsthand that ordinary humans are capable of - both good and bad. His friends didn't have powers for the longest time, and still fought as heroes alongside him. While GIW almost destroyed the world with nothing but their ignorance and hate - no powers necessary. So when he starts to teach Jason, it's about integrating his new powers into his already expansive arsenal and having more options, rather than discarding everything he knew before as obsolete. Which is good, because Jason wouldn't have it any other way.
But I sidetracked. Other than the basics, Jason has various fire abilities in alignment with his core - including the All-Blades, which are natural to him in this version. He's not using them all that often, but when he does, it's mostly to scare the shit out of people, since he can choose whether they would hurt someone or not depending on his intentions. So he can get away with stuff like stabbing someone through the heart, or pretending to set someone on fire, or some other dramatic bullshit like that. His guns are still his go-to weapon of choice, and he doesn't employ the fireworks for every lowly goon, but generally, Jason is pretty open about his magical affinity. Not advertising it per say, but not really hiding it either, if only for the simple reason what it would be more trouble than it's worth.
After all, Jason isn't a Halfa like Danny. He doesn't have a living form, and while he remained mostly recognizable as a ghost, he looks human about as much as Jonny or Ember look human. Generally able to blend in as long as no one is looking too closely, but once you pay any amount of attention, you can't unsee it. It was actually a big part of initial shock for Jason, because stuck in his Obsession as he was, he didn't notice, until Danny pointed it out. He was distantly aware about green hue of his eyes and white stripe in his hair, but that was kinda it, and his mind quickly discarded any visual inconsistencies as unimportant.
Just like he didn't stop to notice he didn't need food and sleep like before. In retrospect, he probably would have died several times over with how much he was neglecting his body in those first couple of months - if he wasn't dead already, and adhering to new, magical rules. Realising it post-factum was… scary. But also weirdly liberating after Jason had time to get used to the idea. He still likes to cook and eat, but it's fully a hobby now, as he doesn't need human food to survive.
But back to the main point - Jason is a ghost and he looks like a ghost, with all their typical overworldly features. He appears more ghostly when he's overwhelmed with emotions - more prominent fangs and claws, blazing Lazarus green eyes and red fire hair (which is a referense to Jason having red hair in his original design), with his body overall shifting into flames and smoke - but he never not appears ghostly. His Red Hood getup isn't a physical costume either - not all of it anyway, his guns and some protective gear are real - but like any spirit, his form depends on his self-perception, so it just comes and goes as Jason needs it. Very convenient and way quicker than changing the human way.
Tim isn't jealous.
He's not.
And yeah, technically it means Jason has several forms, but there isn't such a clear divide between them as with Danny's forms. He can conjure himself a helmet, but the face behind it doesn't change - kinda the reason for the helmet in the first place - and that face is always ghostly. Actually, the funny thing is, he looks more human as Red Hood than as Jason, because more of his skin is covered. But other tells are still there, creating an uncanny valley effect, which he actively uses to his advantage to keep his enemies on their toes. Most of Gotham underworld knows there is something up with Hood, but very few know the specifics. Including Batman - he clocked pretty fast that the new crime lord was some kind of meta and even narrow it down to being magic, but both are very broad terms that can mean basically anything. So "interdimensional spiritual entity" wasn't his first leading theory, until he gave up and called Constantine.
Side note, it was also why he tried to dissuade Tim from investigating Red Hood on his own - magic was way too unpredictable and dangerous of a variable for his liking - but of course, it just made Tim more curious. And he wouldn't abandon Crime Alley just because of that anyway - Tim considered it his territory to look after, for Jason, and no one could take that from him. Something Hood was weirdly supportive of, with his only concern being the proper backup - but it made sense in retrospect. And in this version Jason never made threats against him, so no Titan's Tower.
(I mean, we can keep it, but the only thing that would happen is Jason would come to check on Tim, grill his friends about the importance of backup and that they should check on the kid more often too, and loudly complain about the Tower being too easy to break into all the way through. What do you mean you don't have ghost-proof walls in every one of your bases yet?! You known me for two months! It's like eternity in Bat time! What the hell is B thinking?! And even if he is an idiot, Raven was part of the team since its conception, there is literally no excuse for not having protective runes all over this place. So, yeah. If any fighting happens at all, it will be in the sparring room.)
Oh, and it also means that Jason's body is still in his grave. As I said, he is a full ghost, so he didn't dig himself out, but rather just… appeared? Formed? However you want to call it. That part of his memories was really jumbled though, and one more thing Danny used to break the "you're dead, dude" news to him. That was… probably the most difficult thing for Jason to process about all this. That he is still there. That that naive fifteen years old boy, who tried to see better in people and got blasted to pieces for it is still six feet under.
Is he even truly Jason? He remembers his life before, but implanted memories are a thing, and he clearly isn't the same. Would his family even want him back like that? Would Bruce want him back like that - a restless soul, hungry for people's suffering? Shitty people, sure, but would the distinction really matter to him? Batman refuses to be judge, jury and executioner, but Jason has to be - at least until he could rewire his core to protection - and at the time it wasn't an option yet. He eventually came to terms with it, and is mostly at peace with himself now, but it's one of those things that never really go away.
(Also, there was definetly a meltdown about Sheila's grave being next to his, the Wayne name not being on the headstone, and the funeral being held while Dick was still in space - with all three contributing to Jason not coming home sooner. He screamed at Bruce about it later, and they sorted it out, but, yeah.)
Anyway, the point is, I like the idea of Jason who gets to relish in his magic, to embrace it. He is a spirit, and he's already past the point of struggling to accept it. It's just his afterlife now, his new normal, and he enjoys it.
Which really confused Tim at first, because when he questioned Jason about it, he just… told him. Everything. In detail. Or, well, to the best of his own understanding, giving him Danny's contact for anything he doesn't have an answer for. But he always tried to answer, always humored his need to know everything, and not in a "I got a villain to monologue" way, but instead, like Tim's curiosity mattered. Like he mattered.
And it was about magic of all things! Bats and magic famously don't mix, but after a couple of these improvised lectures with Jason and later Danny, Tim is fully convinced it's the fault of presentation and attitude, rather then some innate unability to grasp it. Tim had had his encounters with the magical community, and they all talked about it like something you just don't question. Because then the magic would stop working, or it would melt your brains, or you would attract unwanted attention, or any number of reasons why you shouldn't meddle with it, so just shut up and leave the experts to deal with it.
In stark contrast, Danny was a scientist at heart and talked about it as something complicated, yes, but there were still rules and correlations and finally some real explanations - including as to why some things are better be left alone. It's because magic, at it's core, is a soft science. Psychology, rather than Physics. Or, more accurately, Physics that are run on Psychology. Magic is all about convincing some higher entity, or the fabric of reality itself, to please-pretty-please change in a way I want you to - and you need a very specific mindset for that - in addition to magical affinity, having enough energy at your disposal, and using proper tools and language for structure.
A mindset that is directly in conflict with Bat brand of skepticism, because if you doubt something would work, then good luck trying to convince others in that. The whole thing heavily depends on emotions and intentions, will and belief, and those are highly personalized, so the results can't be consistent 100% of the time. A new person in a magic equation means a new variable to consider, and in this case it's a big variable. But you can still work out educated guesses based on averages and prior data.
And that. Tim can do that.
He is a detective - all the Bats are - and a big part of detective work is actually understanding people. Their motives, their reasons, their habits - all to predict their next move. And Tim was always good at it, was trained in it since before he could walk (thanks Janet Drake). It was how he figured out Robin's identity at age nine, and how he strongarmed Bruce into giving him the mantle just four years later. It's also why his infiltration work is so efficient and smooth. Sure, B has his Brucie mask, perfected over the decades in the public eye, and a couple of other roles he can play just fine, but it was never something what came naturally to him. Tim, on the other hand, has dozens upon dozens of aliases, all fitting him like a second skin. He knows what people want to see and hear in any given moment, and how to use it for his advantage.
Hell, he can lie to Batman.
So surely he can gaslight some pecky laws of nature, as a treat?..
The answer is yes. Yes he can.
The minute Tim stops thinking about magic from the logical perspective, and starts thinking about it from the social engineering one, it all suddenly clicks into place. He still needs some external source to give him connection to magic - he has the blessing of Lady Gotham, like other Bats, but it on its own isn't enough to power spells - but luckily for him, Jason is right there, in all his spirit glory, and they just conveniently established a Fraid bond.
Am I suggesting warlock Tim? I'm suggesting warlock Tim. Those two together will be unstoppable.
On that note, Dick and Tim both get summoning sigils for him. Batman was too late for Jason. Jason wouldn't be too late for his brothers.
No more dead Robins.
As for Bruce, they will have a confrontation eventially, from where it transitions to the larger Batfamily, just with Jason being a known magical entity, which tweaks some things one way or the other. I imagine stuff with Steph would go differently, because she was the fourth Robin - which means Jason extended his claim of protection to her, which means she wouldn't be able to fake her death - because Jason would know if she was actually gone. I'm not sure when in the timeline that is, but I'm ignoring it anyway, since here Jason was never in a coma or with the League. He never left the city, and came back into Bats life way earlier than in canon - meaning he would be there even for the events that he usually misses.
It also means Jason is a bit younger here? Like, sixteen, sixteen and a half when he first showed up as Red Hood - going on seventeen by the time he and Tim build a rapport? It would probably also factor into things and shift the events even more. I'm not sure how exactly, but now that I think about it, Batman's attitude towards him would be softer if he knew he was dealing with a minor - even if said minor is clearly dangerous. Then again, if he knew the magic was involved, he would be carefull not to judge Hood by his appearance - he is way too familiar with Klarion for that. So… It could go either way, really - but my bet, it would make Mr. Contingency more paranoid, not less. Especially considering that if the timeline is shifted back, he would still be somewhat in his grieving (read: asshole) phase - not at his lowest point, but not over it either. Not that Bruce could ever be truly over it, but you know what I mean. There is a reason Tim patrolled Crime Alley alone, after all.
Other than that, with Jason being effectively an ally from the beginning - and a powerful ally at that - there would probably be less deaths overall, maybe even including the Drakes? I still want Steph to be Robin, but the circumstances of that would need to be different. (Also, from what I heard, her reasons for that were kinda bs? So yeah, we're changing that.)
The other thing is Damian, because Jason is very protective of Tim in this version, so even one murder attemt wouldn't fly with him - much less multiple - much less for the precived goal of taking Robin for himself. Tim is his - his Successor, his Robin, and as already stated - No more dead Robins. It would probably trigger Jason pretty hard, giving the family a glimpse at what a pissed off spirit looks like. Doubly so if by that time he's much further in his transition to being a protection spirit, so yeah, he's mad mad. Maybe even to the point that Danny had to intervene.
In the end, Jason calms down, but not before Damian gets set straight about how things work here. If he wants the Robin mantle, it's Tim and Steph's call to make, so the kid better try to impress them - not try to get rid of them - and he already has a negative marker on his score in that regard. And no, Bruce couldn't override them on this, for the simple reason that Robin never belonged to him. It's Dick's legacy, and the last time B tried to give it to a new kid without asking if he could do that, it tore them apart, with consequences spanning to this day, and even Bruce isn't so emotionally inept as to repeat that mistake.
Damian is predictably grumpy about it, but surprisingly, actually complies. He understands power, and Jason just established himself as higher in the hierarchy. And when he finally gets Robin, it would be with collective support and agreement of all four of his predecessors, since Dick, Jason, Tim and Steph are all generally much closer to each other thanks to the Fraid bond. There is still some miscommunication now and then, but this Dick would never give Robin to Damian without telling Tim, or refuse to belive him about Bruce being alive - because they're much more aware about each other's emotions. And again, Jason would know if someone in the family actually kicked it or not. (He and B still aren't close, but he eventually extended the Fraid bond to him, too. Jason can be mad at his dad and still consider him a dad.)
Duke might be fun too, having someone else with powers to bond with and not feeling as alone as a sole meta in the family. Every time his imposter syndrome flairs, and he feels like an outsider, others just collectively point in Jason's direction, and the feeling promptly subsides. Duke didn't hold the Robin mantle officially, but he was behind the "We All Robin" movement, and it's as good as being one in Jason's books, so if the kid thought he could escape the claim, tough luck.
Babs and Cass don't have direct connections with Jason as far as I know, aside for some general stuff, but I wanted to mention them anyway. I'm sure there can be some interesting interplay with ghost technology and empathy respectfully - I'm just not sure how exactly it would manifest or where in the new timeline they would fit. But they are as important as everyone else - obviously.
Oh, and as a personal guilty pleasure - Greta! Aka Secret! She is so underutilised in DPxDC ideas it's not even funny! You're telling me, that there is a ghost in DC canon, who was a part of Young Justice, has history with government persecution, and even confirmed to exist between life and death not unlike a Halfa? And you don't do anything with that?! Yeah, no, we're fixing that right now. With Tim already knowing about ghosts and actively dabbling in magic, there is so much potential for their dynamic! She doesn't have to be a main focus or anything, but the girl is there, she is Fraid, and I will die on this hill.
And Danny is also there, I guess, as Jason's mentor and periodic exposition mashine, but the core of the AU is in Jason and Tim's relationship, with DP crowd being almost a cameo. Danny is there to justify all the ghost lore and establish where Jason got his supernatural info and skills, but that's kinda it. He and the others from Team Phantom don't operate in Gotham, and they already solved all their ghost problems, so the story isn't about them, but they are Jason's Fraid too, his safety net, with everything that that implies.
So, yeah, that's the AU! God I hope it makes sense...
Enough de-aged Danny content. Don't get me wrong, it's great, but it's time for someone else to have a turn being tortured!
A magic user had been causing chaos across multiple cities, working their way across the U.S. in a line. The Justice League had been able to follow the path of their attacks to predict that the next victim would be one of four cities, so they split into groups to stake out all four and attempt to catch them when they showed up.
Everything had been going fine. The magic user had indeed targeted one of the predicted cities and the heroes present had been able to corner them. With their plan failing, the magic user cast a final Hail Mary spell hoping to at least buy themself time to escape. It worked because everyone was too distracted by Batman disappearing in a flash of light to prevent them from getting away.
Now the JL was in a panic trying to figure out what had happened to their missing member. None of the tracking software the man had been wearing was responding and when they attempted a locator spell, it fizzled out. It had been able to tell them that he wasn't dead, but otherwise was unable to track him. According to their magic users, that likely meant he was in another dimension. Though finding out which one, as well as retrieving him, would be much more difficult.
They would need to gather the necessary components for a cross-demensional locator spell, but even that would only get them the dimension. It would take another spell to get them to that dimension and then they would still have to find him. It would take a lot of time and materials before they would get their teammate back.
While the magically inclined began working on the spells, the rest of the JL, joined by the Bats brood of birds, set their sights on the magic user that started this. They still needed to be caught. Plus if they were able to find out exactly what spell had been cast on the Bat, it might give them a clue towards where he ended up.
~Elsewhere~
The first thing Bruce registered is that he was somewhere else. Not where he had been just a minute ago and not anywhere else he'd ever been either. It appeared to be a suburban neighborhood, the homes close enough that it wouldn't be going out of your way to pay a neighbor a visit but with enough space between them to have privacy. Noise complaints were probably seldom an issue. He didn't know the exact time but the moon was high in the sky and none of the houses he could see had any lights on.
The second thing he registered is that he was a lot... smaller. Taking stock of his new form, he seemed to be around 7 or 8 years old. Gone was his crime fighting suit, replaced by a simple black t-shirt and jeans. He didn't have any of his gadgets, trackers, or even a cellphone with which to contact his team and let them know he was alright.
His inspection was cut short by the sound of a door opening. He watched as a young man peeked out of the house directly in front of him, the porch light flickering on as he blearily rubbed his eyes. Evidently, Bruce's arrival had made some level of noise. Enough, at least, to awaken and catch the attention of someone used to not hearing their neighbors.
"Is someone there?," He asked as he scanned the street before him. His gaze landed on Bruce and he stood straighter, shaken from the last dreggs of sleep by the sight before him. He stepped fully out of the house and looked up and down the street, likely trying to find an adult or something that would explain the young child all alone in the middle of the night.
"Hey there," He said softly, approaching Bruce, "are you alright?"
Bruce was able to get a better look at him now. He seemed to be mid-20's, likely between Dick and Jason in terms of age. He had shaggy black hair in a wolf-cut, bright blue eyes, and a lean but muscular build.
"Are you lost?"
It wasn't until the man spoke again that Bruce realized he took too long to respond. After taking a moment to consider, Bruce nodded, deciding the best course of action would be to play along until he had more information. He seemed slightly relieved to have at least gotten a response but still had an overarching aura of worry.
"Is there anyone with you? Or somebody we can call to come pick you up?" The man asked. Bruce shook his head and the man hissed a curse under his breath, "Okay. Um, well why don't you come inside. It's late, but we can get you some food and rest and find you some help getting home in the morning. Does that sound alright?"
Bruce nodded again. The man stood and offered a hand to Bruce to hold, which he hesitantly took.
"Can you tell me your name?" The man asked as he led them towards the house.
"...Bruce." Bruce's voice was small and much higher pitched than it had been in a long time. The man smiled at him.
You know that trope of Danny looking like Bruce, or Bruce looking like Jack?
Well, what if this time, Danny looks like Thomas Wayne?
Younger, of course. But with Jack's 6'8 height and Maddie's aristocratic features? Once Bruce saw Danny in full light, hair tied back in a ponytail, he starts to question if this is his dad. Not his world's version. But a version. He's in the past of a different timeline.
Turns out, the man only looks young. Danny's ID says he's 32. Barely 7 years younger than his dad was when he died. Bruce obviously could not do a DNA test. He had no gadgets, or Cave, nor even his money. But this man was also a doctor. Though, what kind seemed up for debate. There's a laboratory that used to be Danny's parents, but was now his. That Bruce was obviously warned from going down in to.
There's a picture, on the mantle, of a black haired woman who looks very similar to his mother, except for her purple eyes. And another picture of two newborn babies. As well as a bunch of family pictures. There's pictures of the babies firsts. Their two birthdays so far. A gothic styled wedding. A few of Danny in a cap and gown, receiving more than one doctorate.
Danny catches Bruce staring at the pictures and smiles.
"Well chum. I'm not sure what you'll like, but unless you have allergies I think a quick Alfredo will do. Already have the pasta in the fridge. So I got the stove going and some Parmesan and butter mixing." Bruce looks at him blankly. "You can stay here tonight. I'll fix up the guest room while you eat. We can get you to the police station in the morning and see if we can find your family. You might end up staying here until they do, if you're alright with that. You don't need to answer right now. You don't even need to tell me, as you can tell the officers or a social worker. Nothing really needs to be thought out. You can relax. Though I do understand if you can't. I don't know what happened to you or what lead you here. You don't need to tell me."
Danny seemed to ramble the longers Bruce didn't respond. Poor guy, but Bruce is a but stunned at the situation still. Probably his mind also reverting in age? Not losing memories. But definitely losing maturity. And this giant man acting like such a dad, while having a face so similar to his own dead father, has Bruce's more childish instincts latching onto him. Bruce wouldn't have connected or trusted this quickly otherwise.
"Okay."
(Time moves more quickly in this world than in the DC timeline. Maybe, by the time the retrieval group arrives, Bruce is a young man. Or, maybe, he's physically 30? It's not like Danny doesn't try to find Bruce's world once everything is revealed. But reality hopping isn't that easy. He's looking for a needle in a haystack.
Yes, Danny thinks this is a highly abused, desensitized, and disassociating child.
And, yes, Bruce gets to go home, 20 days later in his original world and 20 years after getting adopted by Danny, Sam, and Tucker. He has Ellie (Eleanor), Dan (Jordan), and the previously collapsed clones given bodies (Vicky -Victoria, Will -William, Azzy -Aster, Lian -Julian) as siblings. Paired with new skill sets, technology, and support. And is now, physically, is almost two decades younger.
We are officially through our first week of Green with Envy!
Thank you so much to our colourists for getting us off to an amazing start! This might sound crazy, but we’ve already got over 200 colours! And some of those are animated!? Not to mention some of the creative methods of doing colours that have also popped up!
All signs point to this being a truly crazy year for us, so keep an eye on the Green with Envy 2026 tag and our Scoreboard, because I’m pretty sure our colourists are only just getting warmed up.
Three weeks remain. What mayhem might unfold in that time…?
(Thanks to our lovely mod @echo-084 for the colour!)
if bruce were to die, i think many of us are in agreement dick would take upon the mantle and burden that is the Batman. but do you think hed ever move past it, or allow himself to do so? do you think there would ever be a point where there is no Batman?
that would depend upon Cass. if Bruce died in the suit Dick would make a grab for the cowl but if he got it and how long he has it would depend on if Cass gets there first and if she can persuade him that she would do a better, less burdened job of it. i think Dick would end up with it for a few years before an inevitable mental breakdown where he has to let it go or die in it as well and then Cass puts her foot down and wrestles it from him so that he can heal outside of it.
honestly i don't see anyone being Batman outside of Cass, it was never meant as a legacy title and Bruce wouldn't want it to go past him and maybe Cass. perfect successors are almost impossible to find so i can see Batman stopping with Cass even if the batsymbol itself continues on with others.
hbo supernatural is truly just [neon cross glowing in the darkness] [permanent 2006 hairstyles] [dean covered in tattoos and talismans] [using alta vista on a library computer] [sam doing lines of coke in gas station bathrooms] [the boys having scars and permanent injuries] [utterly inhuman and unknowable angel lit by the glow of a vending machine] [foggy parking lots at night] [sam and dean saying fuck like they should] [cracked country roads in the middle of summer] [john casually calling sam slurs] [hell is real billboards in ohio] [dean chain smoking after selling his soul] [nosebleeds that go on for hours] [death of the american dream] huh
Show me the Danny Phantom universe where post Spectra anytime Spectra showed up in Amity to cause trouble its not Danny or the Dr's Fenton or Red Huntress who shows up to stop her its Jazz wearing a hazmat suit with two Ecto-Blasters holstered to her hips and carrying the Anti-Creep Stick ready to beat her down for bringing shame to Psychologists and Councilors everywhere.
germansingergirl
yousharknotpass
kaledo-art
baratheonpilled
dededos
kianamaiart
