Jason Todd: Robin, Red Hood, Arkham Knight Appreciation 2020

[Sergard]

I don't remember reading the one with Steph, but it rings some bell. I'm going to see if I can find that one too.

I have a few with Death. I remember one short (gen) and other a bit longer (it was JayDick). I may have one new timetravel fic archived in my bookmarks that I haven't posted yet.

You know what? Give me a few hours and I'll post them, post the JayBats list, and update the old timetravel and de-aging post. First the JayBats, because we already have it done.

Cool. Thank you.
If you find some simple slice of life stuff about the batfam hanging out/bonding, I'd love to read that too.

[Zaresh]

So.... ✧＊✧＊✧ Here we go!! "In Which Jason is Batman", or in short: JayBats.

This is a list of fan works that feature Jason filling the cowl of the Batman. As usual, I'll mention ships, target audience and other stuff that may be of interest depending on likes and dislikes.

This one is currently ongoing. "one day at a time" by @Nyame is a fic in which a Jason that had to take on the cowl as a last resort, finds himself timetraveling back to when he emerges from the pit. It's very fluffy and kind of soft. It doesn't seem to have any conflict in the story, so it may be a bit weak depending on personal tastes. But anyways, I'm enjoying it so far (@Sergard too), and it does deal with Jason as someone who had to become Batman in the past. Gen, teen audience target, with perhaps a ship in the future and past Jay x Artemis.

"More to Being a Father than Having a Kid" is a long, long series by @Romiress based in a what if of Arkham Knight. It's definitely very mature target: lots of very explicit sex and some really strong depiction of violence. Fair warning: it's one of those fics in where it seems that almost everyone if not everyone is gay or bi, and I know that can be offputting for some people. Jason is shipped with Joey Wilson, surprisingly. The whole work is a Bruce x Slade ship feast. But in any case, it is a fun and enjoyable read that actually touches a lot of genres. The reason to add these series in this list is because Jason becomes the Batman in the third episode and stays as such for a while: "Don't Call It Revenge."

I've already listed "Well, When You Go" by @dnawhite76 and @Prubbs before, in one of my posts. Bruce dies again, and in his will, he leaves the cowl to Jason. It's targeted mature, because of the violence mostly. It counts as a ghost story, or as horror, I guess, besides drama, I mean. It also is JayTim shipping, even if it's not strong in the shipping department.

"feels like the world is resting on your shoulders" by @VioletSauce is a gen target, nice short story with Jason that glances as his tenure as Batman.

I think Jason took on the cowl at some point in the Batman: Arkham Compendium series, but I'm not sure.

In case I've left out any fic that you guys want to recommend, as usual, feel free to do so and I'll update this list. These are just the ones I've found, remembered or saved in my bookmarks, and have enjoyed their reading to certain degree. Just remember to add some brief summary, warnings if they need to be addressed, and a few thoughts if you like .

[Zaresh]

Post with works that I'm going to add later in the "Family Matters" list. By the way, I need to redo that post, because I want to add a few works and I doubt I've any more space there. Separating the brighter fics from the darker into two different posts (old and new) is probably what I'm going to do.

Family bounding. I'll just add soft stuff, keeping the angst at bay.

+ I'm not listing Life's a Game here because we already did earlier. I'll add it to one of the lists later, though. It's too good to leave it out.
+ "In Case Of Emergency" by @LananiA3O is one of those works that I read, enjoyed and forgot to save. I found it the other day looking for JayBats fics, he he. Short story post BftC, with Barbara, Cass and Jason. Gen, Teen readers.
+ It's not finished, it has some heavy headcanons that fanfiction usually plays too much about characterization of certain characters (Tim, mostly) and it's slowly updated. Because of the 1st and the 3rd reason, I'm not going to list it in the main post. But @Sergard, you may enjoy this work: "Mutual Understanding" by @lowflyingfruit. Basically, the four Robins get bodyswaped and have to deal with it, learn how's being in each other's skin. It's totally gen and teen readers aimed.
+ This one is not exactly domestic, but it was bonding time as far as I recall. Sibling bonding between Tim and Jay, so gen, aimed to teen readers. It's about the all-blades. "Mystic Blades and Little Brothers" by @CloakedSparrow.
+ Past summer @GoAwayOlivia published a sequel to "Jason Todd: The Not-So-Outlaw" that may be of your interest. It's slightly angsty, but it's straight family bonding, very comforting and has a lot of feelings in it. Title is "One Step Forward (Two Steps Back)". It's gen for teen readers. The original work has a lot of domestic stuff, btw.
+ Last of this batch, I think. This fic is pretty good, and I'm going to list it here even if it's a bit too reliant in the hurt and the angst. But it's pure family bonding in the end... It's family drama, but about bonds and feels. I don't know. Anyways, I think you may like it because it does shows some domestic stuff here and there. Tittle is: "never be the first to believe" by @ohnomydear. Gen, and even if it says that it's rated for teen audience, I think it's more mature like, because it's really emotionally heavy at places. It also has two selling points for me: it uses Ric for something actually good and useful, and it plays with the consequences of the beating in RHATO #25.

Oh, by the way: Comicfan is an author to go about JayArt, but they also have a lot of slice of life stuff, iirc. And the Arkham Compendium series has one-shots with that kind of stuff too.

Edit again: and there is a bunch of works in the original "Family Matters" post as well.

I'll see if I can find those two fics with Death I mentioned earlier, and the one about Steph that you talked about.

[Eto]

So can Pup Pup actually talk or is it just Bizarro’s imagination. Been a while since I read those issues.

[Jackalope89]

So can Pup Pup actually talk or is it just Bizarro’s imagination. Been a while since I read those issues.

Originally, only in Smart Bizz's head. Recent issues? He somehow can.

[Eto]

Originally, only in Smart Bizz's head. Recent issues? He somehow can.

Pup pup is so damn cute omg.

[Zaresh]

This is my last "fic" post today.

So those two works that I had about Jason and Death, or some version of Death, at least.
+ "Lazarus" by @Gravity_Sun, is the JayDick fic I mentioned. It's tagged explicit for a reason; it has sex, violence and heavy stuff. I remember finishing this work feeling very sad. Not Death of the Endless.
+ "What Possesses You" by @KatastrophicTodd. Another sad story, another inmortal Jason story, too. But this one is gen (no ships) and, as far as I recall, was a half-way between teen and mature targeted. Death of the Endless shows up, but her role is small. But it is a story about Jason and death.
+ The Dreamscape series also features Death of the Endles and Jason (obviously).
+ There was a fic that I remember reading, but I can't find. It was a short story, no more than maybe 2,000 words, about Jason in a diner where he meets Death again (and I think it was Death of the Endless); and they talk. It was a nice read, but apparently either I've forgotten to save it, or it actually was a chapter of some bigger fic and I'm remembering wrong.

These few are the ones I can recall, or that I remembered to add to my library; but there seems to be a dozen and half of works with both Death of the Endless and Jason Todd in AO3.

Ah, @Sergard, you may like this work too. It's pretty slice-of-life-ish, even if it's about ghosts; and it's Steph and Jason bonding. I think I didn't add it to the list about Ghost Stories yet, so I'll leave it here: "Six Senses (And None of Them Common)" by @Hinn_Raven. It's absolutely gen, and safe even for work by pre-teens if I recall.

Was the following work the one you were talking about? The one with Stephanie time travelling and saving Jason: "Oops I did it again" by @youngjusticewriter (it's a series of short one-shots)

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Yep, Pup Pup is cute. It could be great if they were to release some plush doll of him.

[RedBird]

Originally, only in Smart Bizz's head. Recent issues? He somehow can.

If I recall correctly, I think the reason given was that 'Chairzarro' moved his digital consciousness into Pup pups inanimate form, though honestly I'm still confused about how that 'works'.

I love pup pup, but I think I much preferred the more subtle approach of just having it be a toy in real life who is only alive in Bizarros mind, acting as an imaginary figure of guidance than an actual living toy. We'll see if it gets expanded on in future issues but I'm hoping there's some kind of justification for changing him like that, thus far it has felt pretty random and unnecessary.

[Zaresh]

If I recall correctly, I think the reason given was that 'Chairzarro' moved his digital consciousness into Pup pups inanimate form, though honestly I'm still confused about how that 'works'.

I love pup pup, but I think I much preferred the more subtle approach of just having it be a toy in real life who is only alive in Bizarros mind, acting as an imaginary figure of guidance than an actual living toy. We'll see if it gets expanded on in future issues but I'm hoping there's some kind of justification for changing him like that, thus far it has felt pretty random and unnecessary.

Oh, right! I totally forgot that when we were wondering about it a few week ago. They explained it in the annual, right? I think it was in the annual. Edit: no, wait, it was later than that.

[RedBird]

These few are the ones I can recall, or that I remembered to add to my library; but there seems to be a dozen and half of works with both Death of the Endless and Jason Todd in AO3.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really really want Death of the Endless to take part and/or have a role in Jasons Death/Rebirth. I just love the idea of some of my favorite characters and franchises interacting like that, and providing a proper fleshed out story into either how Jason returned, or what happened to him on 'the other side'.

Plus there is still a chance to tell that story without any issues like retcons, just how in fact new52/rebirth Jason came back to life is still up in the air after all. Post Crisis was through the Prime wall punch, sure, but so far nothing has confirmed that that was the case for this version of the character. And whilst there's nothing inherently wrong with the prime punch, it is very detached. There's no meaningful story you can write that ties Jason back to it, it's just, comic book wibbly wobbly multiverse time nonsense. Some random super dude did something over here, and now presto, Jason is back over there. It's just hollow. It gives no meaning to Jasons character. Where as with Death at the very least, you know she had to have actually known him at least once, you can easily inject some drama into that.

[Jackalope89]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really really want Death of the Endless to take part and/or have a role in Jasons Death/Rebirth. I just love the idea of some of my favorite characters and franchises interacting like that, and providing a proper fleshed out story into either how Jason returned, or what happened to him on 'the other side'.

Plus there is still a chance to tell that story without any issues like retcons, just how in fact new52/rebirth Jason came back to life is still up in the air after all. Post Crisis was through the Prime wall punch, sure, but so far nothing has confirmed that that was the case for this version of the character. And whilst there's nothing inherently wrong with the prime punch, it is very detached. There's no meaningful story you can write that ties Jason back to it, it's just, comic book wibbly wobbly multiverse time nonsense. Some random super dude did something over here, and now presto, Jason is back over there. It's just hollow. It gives no meaning to Jasons character. Where as with Death at the very least, you know she had to have actually known him at least once, you can easily inject some drama into that.

Though, wouldn't she need a reason to return him to life? Not that I'm opposed, it just feels like it would be needed for such a powerful (if very sweet) being was to suddenly send him back.

[Zaresh]

Though, wouldn't she need a reason to return him to life? Not that I'm opposed, it just feels like it would be needed for such a powerful (if very sweet) being was to suddenly send him back.

It wouldn't be the first time Death has pulled some trick like that. Or Destiny, iirc. Weren't there two immortal characters in The Sandman?

Also, making Jason the link of the Batverse* to the Vertigoverse* side of the DCU could work, with his current background (way better than Bruce with John or any other character). It's not like the Dreaming is disconnected from the DCU, to begin with (specially nowadays).

_{* you know what I mean, right?}

[RedBird]

It wouldn't be the first time Death has pull some trick like that. Or Destiny, iirc. Weren't there two inmortal characters in The Sandman?

Also, making Jason the link of the Batverse* to the Vertigoverse* side of the DCU could work, with his current background (way better than Bruce with John or asny other character). It's not like the Dreaming is disconnected from the DCU, to begin with (specially nowadays).

_{* you know what I mean, right?}

I know exactly what you mean, cause that is exactly what I really hope for. Jason being a DC bat character linking to the Sandman 'vertigoverse' in a way that weirdly makes sense considering the unique circumstances of his rebirth, plus the newfound mystical powers he possesses/wields.

Though, wouldn't she need a reason to return him to life? Not that I'm opposed, it just feels like it would be needed for such a powerful (if very sweet) being was to suddenly send him back.

Like Zaresh said, it wouldn't be the first time the Endless characters have done things they shouldn't have, or usually wouldn't do. Also it doesn't even have to be by Deaths own will that Jason returns, maybe it could be something within the 'Vertigoverse' that leaves her just as baffled, but forces her hand, where upon she just carries out the task.

[Jackalope89]

Fair points. Admittedly not that familiar with Vertigo, but if it works, it works.

[Sergard]

Oh, right! I totally forgot that when we were wondering about it a few week ago. They explained it in the annual, right? I think it was in the annual. Edit: no, wait, it was later than that.

#RH:O #39 - I looked it up. I had totally forgotten about it. I wonder why. The chairzarro story makes sense and is not complicated. There's even a Pinocchio reference ("the plushie who became a real boy.") which is especially funny because the third annual was full of Wizard of Oz references.
On the other hand, I still know the only shortly mentioned information that Cloud9 is named Clara and that she's from Detroit. (I'm surprised that Devour knows her real name.)

@Zaresh, thank you for all the fanfic recommendations. I'll include the links to your posts in the fanfic overview.

I know exactly what you mean, cause that is exactly what I really hope for. Jason being a DC bat character linking to the Sandman 'vertigoverse' in a way that weirdly makes sense considering the unique circumstances of his rebirth, plus the newfound mystical powers he possesses/wields.

@RedBird: Do you have some Sandman universe recommendations? The universe sounds interesting but I don't know where to start and what titles are good.



On another topic, I'm a little perplexed that there aren't any news on the Robin 80th Anniversary comic. I would have at least expected some shop exclusive variants. But so far I haven't seen any.