I’m reading every batjokes fic on Ao3 in ascending word count order. Here are my personal favorites and recs from 2k-5k!
Batch Brew by stuckoncloud9
This hysterical coffee shop AU is also Bruce/Riddler, Bruce/Scarecrow, and Bruce/Two-Face in addition to Bruce/Joker, but no matter who you ship Bats with it’s astonishingly delightful. One of my favorite characterizations of Bruce in all of fanfic.
contact high by venetianAnarchist
This fic is much loved for a reason, as it’s more or less the perfect porn-with-just-enough-plot. Extremely funny and manages to up the ante every paragraph.
The Bitterest Joke by Dracze
If your heart is too intact, you can find no better way to rip it to shreds than with this fic set in the Mother Panic Gotham AD comics. A grieving Joker endlessly bargains with an absent Batman, and it’s unforgettable. Pairs well with This Knife, Like Silence
Exactly What It Seems by Dracze
Lex Luthor and Joker hook up and Lex reveals as much to a mortified Batman, and the results are filled with laugh-aloud lines and a very entertaining Luthor POV.
green, the color of greed by distortopia
If the tag “Clownfucking Syndrome by Proxy” doesn’t lure you in I don’t know what will. A wonderful look at Bruce’s repressed desire that manages to have so much batjokes flavor even while Joker is technically absent.
high caliber by mitzvahmelting
Established relationship between characters who are always at each other’s throats can be difficult to pull off, but this fic imagining Joker bringing a gun to their bedroom really manages it with aplomb.
how glad i am you could not resist by harlequintessential
Incredible unfinished fic set during Arkham Knight in which a greiving, angry Bruce Wayne is tormented by the Joker he hears in his head. The writing is fantastic and the sense of unravelling is compellingly vivid.
More Than Enough by Dracze
A very sweet Christmas fic that still feels completely in-character, featuring a wacky and wonderful Joker POV and all the warm fuzziness you could want on a winter night.
The Neighborhood on the Other Side by DesdemonaKaylose
When Bruce gets hit with fear toxin, he and Joker share an intimate moment out of time. Really gorgeous writing and fantastic characterization.
Primal Cut by Vampowerment
An eerie and unsettling Joker story taking place after the end of Batman Endgame in which Joker lives a normal life as a butcher but still finds himself preoccupied with Batman. Creepy and captivating.
The Proposal by stuckoncloud9
THE batjokes happy ending, read it and shriek in glee
That Which Is Not Dead Can Eternal Lie by messageredacted
The Batman/Cthulhu mythos crossover you didn’t know you needed. Somehow, it works spectacularly.
this knife, like silence by distortopia
A kind of flipside to The Bitterest Joke mentioned above, this fic follows a Bruce whose Joker has simply disappeared without a trace...it will eviscerate your emotions. Have a pack of tissues on hand.
Wayne, Bruce Wayne by Naphorism
A James Bond AU for the Telltale verse that’s ridiculously fun and campy and true to character
You’re My Excuse to Travel by synthwave
Conveys what is possibly the most potent sense of longing ever put to page in fanfic, and does so with an exquisite blend of melancholy and gentle humor. It’s not overtly sad but it will make your heart ache.
