Just realized I haven't left a comment on this chapter despite having read it. Lol. Well, I'm torn. On one hand, it was awesome how they managed to defeat Wally. On the other... they sent Wally, one of the few people who tried to make things up to Jason, to a literal hellhole where he'll be "degraded, demeaned and debased in ways that still give him nightmares" I think were his exact words. I'm sorry but... Jason is beyond redemption at this point. He should be shot and killed like a rabid dog. He's actually getting worse and less sympathetic as time goes on, not better. I kinda totally agree with future Damian at this point. I would have been fine with trapping Wally in an alternate dimension that he couldn't escape from but the fact that it was a place that gave Wally nightmares and it was someplace he told Jason in confidence... it would be like Jason trusting someone with his nightmares about the Joker and then that person trapping Jason in a world where he's powerless and tortured by the Joker forever.

Sorry but the rest of the chapter doesn't really tell me anything beyond Jason is worse than he was in the beginning and now a complete cultist. And since I'm of the firm belief that anyone who joins a cult and uses it as an excuse to do terrible things should be executed without trial for the good of humanity and not even tried to be redeemed or rehabilitated... yeah. Sorry. But that's basically my takeaway after reading this chapter and a day to stew on it. Lost all faith in Jason and not very interested in seeing future chapter now that I believe he can't be redeemed.

Did like the more detailed explanation of the LoS's hierarchy. Was interesting.

I almost fotgot
I do not like that Tim is so devalued in this fic. Not in a bad way, make no mistake. Its beautifully characterisque and it does make sense on the grand scale of things - considering that in the source material the other Robins are significantly well, grandiose.
However Tim Drake is - by multiple accounts - the reincarnated Sherlock Holmes in DC universe. Nothing to be sniffed at at all. I know you aren't necessarily abiding by canon as the law - with Dick being black and all. But still, there are enough parallels that I kind of expected Tim to be... more?
I don't know if I'm understood. I'm not really in the best of head spaces so I can't bring myself to express myself as clearly as I normally would.
So if you don't understand I'll be happy to elaborate by the time you come around to replying the review :)

Its a beautiful piece though. I love everything that makes this profoundly magnificent

It is criminal that this does not have as much clout as it deserves

Really interesting story but a bit confused because of the time jump changes. My main focus is on Dick/Nightwing right now. Uh, what happened with him and his great grandfather after he was captured or did I miss a chapter? Thanks!

Usually when fanfic writers twist canon to fit their stories like you have, they make the heroes into total dicks. At least you’ve done it in a way that isn’t that far out of character for Batman and some others.

Loved it.

This is amazing!

Guest Aiden:

Will you ever stop outdoing yourself?

Damn. One of the best DC stories I have seen, period. Someone needs to hand you the keys to their universe.

I would love, if you have the time, to see you do a Teen Titans story which fleshes our the history you gave here. From Jericho, to Grant, to Raven, to the Markovs, and everyone else.

Speaking of the Markovs, I love how you adapted the Judas Contract storyline into a harsher, darker outcome. And more logical. After all, Tara was Deathstroke’s mole. She probably would be successful in killing half the team at least.

The friendship between Jason and Brion. One thing that I loved this chapter showing was the similarities Jason has to Bruce. Because Jason has been contrasted directly against Dick for the past 5 chapters, it was easy to see the dissimilarities between him and the Bat-fam.

But when Jason and Brion talk about Tara, Jason sounds like Bruce would. And Brion even pointed that out!

“Shall we meet for tea and brooding sessions!” That line was a killer.

Wow, somehow you managed to make Jason’s backstory 10x more tragic. So we now know that around the time Jack told Jason he hated him, Jason had:
1. Lost his other best friend four months ago.
2. Lost his girlfriend the previous month.
3. Potentially lost Barbara due to the events of TKJ
4. Lost his mentor Jim Gordon due to the events of TKJ.

I love how you recontextualize the Felipe Gonzalez arc. And how you rewrite The Killing Joke’s ending to have Jim die tragically. Which, given the Joker’s plot, makes complete sense!

Last but not least, I love how you are setting up a juxtaposition between Jason and Tim. How Tim has more or less suffered what Jason has (losing his two best friends, etc), but how they handle it differently.

I also love the rewrite of Jason and Tim’s Titans Tower confrontation. I always did think Tim was written to be too arrogant and bratty in the comic version, and performed unrealistically well against Jason. This one shows a realistic skill difference, but also in return does loads for Tim’s character. He’s snarky, witty, but very thoughtful, compassionate, and hopeful.

11/10. AWESOME JOB!

Guest Aiden

LOVED THIS CHAPTER

11/10

You keep raising the bar in your fiction. Every new chapter is better than the last.

I love how this chapter acts as a culmination to every chapter that came before. Like a mid season finale should.

Where to begin. In Chapter 1, there was a throw away line about Jason’s time with the Titans ending badly. Then the flashbacks - which, can I mention that I really love your flashback style? The flashbacks showcase Jason’s Titans days, and just why he is so bitter with Dick.

Except that what I love most about the Titans flashbacks is that neither character was in the right or wrong. Dick didn’t rig the test out of malicious intent. He really was trying to make Jason as good a Robin as possible. But it’s also clear that jealousy was plaguing him, and his good intentions became corrupted.

I love how Jason wasn’t completely in the right either. He does essentially throw a tantrum (in past as a 14 year old and in present as a 20 year old) when arguing with Dick. In the past, he did try to punch Dick in the back of the head. I loved how easily Dick put him on the ground.

So many times, writers don’t let the POV character objectively lose. I really love how you show Jason lose to Dick past and present in embarrassing ways. The present fight was much closer, and actually swung in Jason’s favor. Then Jason let his hatred and bloodlust overtake him, and Dick went from weaponless to standing over a defeated Jason in like a minute.

The fight scene. INCREDIBLE to read. GORGEOUS fight scene. Loved it.

And the Jason & Jack bromance. Again, it just feels so genuine and real. I love how Jason is vulnerable with Jack in a way he never is with anyone else. Not Talia, not Bruce, and certainly not Dick.

I really loved your characterization of Wally West. Hope to see more of him! I also love how Wally admits to being a bit of a jerk to Jason when he first met the 2nd Robin, but that Wally clearly is an older, wiser person who now essentially seems to be the one most devoted to redeeming Jason. Can’t wait to see how it plays out.

Wow. Just wow.

So few times can a writer do both action and emotional scenes well. You do both!

I LOVED the Al Ghul backstory. It showed just how powerful and influential the family is. And why Talia is so cruel. What Adonis did to her and her brother...

Speaking of brothers. Jack and Jason. That scene in the bar? Written so well. First, I love how you kept your continuity when you mention how Jack telling Jason to ease of alcohol was a reversal of what happened in high school.

Second, I love how tragic Jack’s backstory is. This is one of the best OC’s I’ve ever read in a fanfic arc. Too few times are writers willing to allow a character to have flaws. To be..human. Jack was so human in this chapter, and in how he reacted to figuring out his best friend was Robin. He was livid for being lied to, which is very realistic.

The best detail in my opinion is how when Jack yells present day Jason about his dead cousin, Jason doesn’t realize he’s the story’s subject for 90% of it. Because Jason thinks Jack still hates him.

I got such a laugh out of Jason thinking Jack’s cousin was “an interesting chap.”

Then the way Jason tried to console Jack without telling him that he was alive? I loved that part.

10/10.

Guest Aiden:

I think you outdid yourself with that fight scene! Wow, I absolutely loved it. I loved the detail in all of the move sets. In fact, I’m guessing you’re a black belt in some form of martial arts, given just how detail oriented you are in this regard.

Again, I love that Jason is extremely skilled, but NOT invincible. He nearly died in that fight scene.

I really loved the relationship between Dick Grayson and Jason Todd. So many times when a dichotomous relationship is presented like this, an author will just bash one character. But here? Jason, the narrator, clearly doesn’t like Dick. But I can also see in the way you write Dick’s scenes that there is more to the story.

I love that detail about Jason winning the fight because he practiced to defend against a specific move Dick makes for 9 months straight. It allows Jason a win without crushing the threat Dick poses!

One last thing. Although it was short, I loved the sequence between Jason and Jack. Their friendship really did seem human - weird thing to say, but fictional friendships rarely seem like that. I love that Jason’s whole motivation for finding the coke lab is to save his friend. And when Dick berates him and essentially tells him to go home, it really grates at Jason.

On that note, the relationship between Jason & Jack provides a perfect contrast to the dynamic between Jason and Dick.

10/10

Guest Aiden:

I really love the detective work you have in this chapter. It was an absolute joy to read. So few Batman works - TV series, movies, games, etc - remember he is a DETECTIVE! And he and any Robin specializes in the art. This was a breath of fresh air.

I also really enjoyed the Talia Al Ghul flashback. I’ve always been a fan of more conniving portrayals of Talia - when well written. This looks like one of those rare marriages. I absolutely love Jason’s relationship with her. It’s somewhere between mentor & student; boss & employee; and MILF/young man.

Loved the detail and realism in the fight scene. I love how you manage to portray Jason as extremely skilled, but not invincible. He takes a couple hits from Deborah.

Lastly, I appreciate the detail you went into for Jason’s suit. Specifically the layers of body-armour. Something so rarely explored in works regarding characters to whom this is very important!

Guest Aidan

I really enjoyed this chapter. I also really appreciate what you have done with 1st person. With 3rd person, I feel that writers never really show the internal emotions of a character - certainly not beat by beat the way that 1st person does.

Of course, many 1st person writers forget it is the character speaking, not the author. Thus the character discusses things he shouldn’t know.

But when one character is written consistently in 1st person, it allows for a truly in-depth character study. Where we directly witness the character change.

A terrific example was in the sentence in which Jason starts to think of Bruce, but catches himself and calls him Batman. Such a small thing, but it really shows your detailed approach.

Speaking of detail - the way you write fight scenes is amazing! So few works of written fiction have engaging fight scenes. This? I felt like I was watching it on television - it’s that good!

This is probably one of the best characterizations of Jason I have ever read, and I have read a lot. :)

Your writing is amazing! I really enjoy the details, characterization, and wit of the characters.