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Princess of Gotham

Chapter 17: Clowns Without Jokes

My life was never pink. It was closer to black than pink. But deep down I always knew that there were people who suffered even more than I did, so I shouldn't feel so bad. Everyone told me that. I learned to act, hiding my fears and sadness under a mask and playing a perfect-looking character.

And I knew I wasn't the only one suffering, my own family had demons they refused to accept. I knew that there were people my age suffering worse wars against enemies so atrocious that just describing them made your body tremble. And I thought about it every day of my life.

My mother was killed in front of my eyes, her last words directed at me. My father left me in front of an orphanage after that, saying he would come back for me, and he did come back, years later and only to tell me it was his worst mistake. I found out that my father was equal to or worse than the Joker himself.

But at the same time, I feel it's nothing with all that my cousin suffered. Losing an arm, eye, lung, and ear in the explosion that gave him his powers, being sold to Lex Luthor as an object of experimentation.

My reasons for killing Slade Wilson were very personal. To end a war that had been forming in my head for years. And that those two scumbags were free complicated my plans and the overprotection of my adoptive family tied my hands behind my back.

"We are on the street parallel to yours, to the north, there is an avenue, try not to let them get there," I heard Sound-Road say over the intercom. We had reached that street a few seconds ago and it wasn't long before the rest of the support would arrive.

"Eclipse, I would really appreciate your help right now," said Callan, who was standing next to Sam, sounding quite tired. I didn't think too much about it and took my shadow to get to the other street.

"Shooters, get into position, that includes you Arrow," I said, shortening the path down one of the alleys.

Callan having a beast on her side made her often uncontrollable. But no worse than many of us. Her anger made her very powerful, even defeating me at my best moments.

"Hakan, head towards the exit to the main avenue with Sound-Road. Try not to let anyone enter or leave this area," I informed him over the intercom while hitting one of the drugged clowns with my shadow.

I received no response, which made me think he had received my order. Pandora joined me seconds later, her spear skills easily comparable to the most capable warrior Shade had ever trained.

I received no response, which made me think he had received my order. Pandora joined me seconds later, her spear skills easily comparable to the most capable warrior Shade had ever trained.

"I never leave home without it," I said, holding my shadow in my left hand. It was enough to keep them away, but we would need more than that, and by orders of Batman and my own father I was forbidden to shoot at any civilians, but technically they were not civilians, or at least they were no longer civilians.

The sound of an explosion was signal enough for me to draw my gun and load it, signaling Callan to back me up.

The wolf attacked one of them as dinner, while three bullets ripped through the body of another one of them. We were so focused on them that we didn't realize there were more than seven of them, the other four were running away to the place we had already speculated they would. Olive speared the last of the ones surrounding us. Well, this was getting out of hand. But nothing Pandora's healing skills couldn't fix.

Another bomb, this time closer to us, but it didn't worry us. The shadow reached around two clowns who were trying to escape. Olive placed her hand on the shadow, and when it disappeared, the two men were writhing on the ground.

As a green gas began to become visible, I motioned for Pandora and Callan to put on their gas masks. Cheis and Sam were watching me from the rooftop of one of the buildings waiting for my orders, I simply signaled them to shoot the guy who had pulled out the gas bomb. Shade and Sound-Road arrived in time to dissipate the gas and get us breathing easy.

"We'll need more than gas masks if we're going to be facing those clowns," Sound-Road suggested as the police began to arrive, "Even if the Bat-family forbids us to go near the Joker, we can't let his helpers attack.

"Mike is right. While Batman takes care of the clown, we should have a team to track the helpers while the rest of us go after Slade," Scorpion said, standing next to me.

"We could create our own weapon against them. A gas that by itself is just as powerful as laughing gas or Scarecrow's gas, but in combination with one of these, it would act as a neutralizer," Shade said when we were all resting in an alley near the Wayne building.

"I'll tell Jim to schedule a meeting for tomorrow afternoon after school," I said, pulling my phone out of one of my belt pockets.

"Which you will attend," Olive told me.

"Right," I replied as if I didn't want to.

It was very often that when I stayed with my father I did not attend classes, not because he did not force me, but because he was almost not there and preferred that we spend time together, and when I stayed with Bruce he forced me to go with my cousin to the academy. I turned to see my cousin and signaled that we would talk later.

I called it a night on patrol and sent word to everyone else. I didn't want to go home at that hour, and Dad would probably be out patrolling or drinking at a bar somewhere too. I looked for a good place to sit for a while and think.

When I finally found it, I took off my visor and pulled a tracking device from my belt. I turned it on and waited for my target to arrive.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" asked a voice from behind me.

"I just wanted to ask how you were doing, you weren't answering me and I was starting to get worried," I said, lowering my voice so no one could hear us.

"I'm the one who should be worried, you've been acting really weird lately," she replied, stretching out her hand towards my face.

"I know, it's just... Everything is coming together and my mind is totally scrambled. And that bitch is in town. I don't know what to do anymore," I sobbed, dropping to my knees, taking my face in my hands.

"It's all right, everything will be all right. No one can hurt you as long as I'm alive," he said, sitting down next to me, wrapping me in an embrace.

"Thank you Asset," I said after a while.

jason: bruce, mataste al joker, ¿verdad?

bruce: ¿cómo te explico?

jason, haciendo su plan de secuestrar al payaso: mamaste

normalmente no hago posts en español pero se me acaba de ocurrir un headcanon de jason: (si hablara español) sería el wey que le diría 'mamaste' a cualquier delincuente que lo hiciera enojar jsjsj

like,

jason: podemos hacer esto por las buenas o por las malas, dime quién es tu informante

delincuente: *escupe en el zapato de jason*

jason:

delincuente:

jason: mamaste *procede a dispararle en la pierna*

no necesariamente se lo dice solo a delincuentes y villanos, la usa en todas partes porque es su maldición fav, le gusta como suele intimidar a las personas:

jason: dick, ¿sabes dónde está mi barra de granola que guardé en la mañana?

dick: ¿la que estaba en la barra de la cocina? ¿una con arándanos??

jason: si.

dick, sudando frío: a

jason: mamaste

dick: *huye por su vida*

Princess of Gotham

Chapter 18: News in the Woods

The Justice League is an "organization" of "global" heroes and is non-governmental. The government should not tell them when and how to act. These heroes claim to be the ones who bring peace to the world. The ones who end wars and the ones who are going to end crime.

It supports other young hero groups like the Teen Titans or the former Warriors Society. Sure, there are many more but the names were so irrelevant that they faded from my memory.

And at the time, that was the topic of conversation in the living room of the Todd family apartment. The news was misreporting some events that had occurred months before.

"What I don't understand is why Superman hasn't come out to clear all this up, isn't he the public face of the league," my brother said and then stole a handful of popcorn from me.

"If big blue comes out to show his face, now they will say that he is on the side of the bad guys because he is also an extraterrestrial. The one who should come out should be someone from the earth. But I don't think that would be a good thing," he said. There was a certain tension in Jason when he spoke of the Man of Steel, but who wasn't afraid of Superman?

"So, you're saying that the most normal among us would have to come out. What would it be...Batman?" I commented, tossing the bowl to my brother so he could finish his snack.

"You're right, it's weird," Jason agreed, starting to search for the remote to change the channel.

"These acclaimed heroes ruin the lives of so many and then act like saints, asking the government to pay them with our taxes. Don't you think it's suspicious that an alien spacecraft has arrived on our planet out of nowhere?" The commentator on TV was going to make me lose my appetite. Can you hate a person you only know through TV?

I enjoyed being with my father and brother, without any worries, and just talking about whatever was on TV. We rarely got to do that, as we always finished patrol late or someone was absent. Those moments were more important to me than the names of those other hero groups.

"There is an organization that is in charge of overseeing travel to other planets in this universe, isn't there?" asked my father, who was sitting in one of the individual armchairs. My brother and I just looked at each other, trying to read each other's minds or talk telepathically (which we wanted to, but couldn't do), and then just shook our heads.

"It's supposed to be a job that belonged to the previous Shade, don't ask me, I don't get involved in those matters anymore," I answered, lying down on the couch.

"You could ask a Lantern, those guys spend more time in space than on a fixed planet. Ask anyone but the Reds, we should never have trusted those guys," James said, then popped another handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"You'd better go to sleep, Bruce is going to scold me if you don't go to school." Jason and Bruce's relationship was never the best, at least not since my father came back to life. They tried to get along, but with the messes that James and I were bringing it wasn't very easy to make that relationship more bearable.

Olive, Jared, and basically the vast majority of my fellow Warriors Society heroes were in the same school year, but at different schools. And let's just say that being surrounded by rich kids from the cradle was not my thing. Although according to some "friends" of mine, they didn't understand why.

My brother and I got up, took the plates and glasses we used to leave in the kitchen. We each went to our rooms.

I still hadn't forgotten that I had to talk to someone important. The gas idea was very similar to something that had been used in the past. Although honestly the last thing I wanted to do was talk to the person who had helped us back then, but when the Joker's venom problem came up, he was the first person I thought of.

I picked up my phone, wandering through the contacts I didn't even know I had. I clicked on my target's name and the call icon.

"For the last time. I won't help you with your crush Jerni... Oh excuse me, your highness, I didn't read the name right and I thought it was...- The boy on the other side of the line started to say.

"Don't call me your highness, I left the title a long time ago," I interrupted before he said something inappropriate.

"Yes, I remember."

"He spoke to you to ask you a favor, not to discuss politics," I interrupted again, "We will talk about all this on another occasion and with fewer worries," as I knew he would soon ask, I decided to answer him first. I began to walk around my room, picking up the things I had left lying around in the afternoon.

"You know I'm always available. Work is work. Although if you need my help, it must be something important" That guy never shut up?

"The Joker and the Scarecrow, I need something to neutralize the gases they use," I informed him quickly before he brought up another topic of conversation.

"If it is for your team, let me tell you that you already had something like that. I'll send you the formula in the morning, ask someone to read it and do it," he replied.

"Okay, I need it as soon as possible." I was hoping at least one of the guys knew chemistry."

"Of course, boss." He said, laughing at the end, "I don't know what time it is in your city, but good evening.

"It's nighttime, but it's the intentions that count," I laughed too. I liked those moments when I could laugh with the people I considered friends.

"Andrew out," was the last thing I heard.

I got up from my bed where I had sat after throwing my clothes from the floor into the laundry can. I opened my closet to put my suit in.

I stood for a while admiring my suit, holding the fabric between my hands. Lightweight, sturdy, with small details in some areas simulating scales. A three-piece suit, with optional long gloves, when I didn't wear the trench coat and a pair of high-heeled boots, because, according to the person who helped me design it, I needed to look taller.

The blouse was a dark gray, reaching to black, sleeveless, and with a high collar. The pants were the same color, they were tight. The trench coat was black on the outside and wine red on the inside, with lots of little pockets. The fingerless gloves went past my elbows.

The visor was the best part. Although at first glance it was a simple piece of plastic that helped my blindness (myopia) it was actually more than that. It was connected to one of the most advanced computers in the entire universe.

When I finished admiring my suit, I folded it up and put it in one of the locked drawers where I kept other things important to me, and went back to bed. The next day would be a heavy day, and I knew it.

This is the Dumbledore we should've had and we missed:

A Dumbledore that should've been an example and a father figure for the students.

A Dumbledore that fights for the injustice of the Wizarding World. The discrimination against muggleborns. Someone who never lets kids fight a war that isn't up to them. But lets them fight for their rights and their opinions.

Someone that understands kids and teens and their needs according to their age. Someone that has fun when he needs to have fun. And also someone who is an authority and scolds when he needs to scold.

Imagine a Dumbledore that is friends with James Potter and encourages him to change and grow up from his immature self. To realize what it is important in life. To try to gain Lily's love by showing her his true self. Not by showing up.

Imagine Dumbledore being a parent figure for Sirius. Letting him know there is nothing wrong with him if he is different from his family. Being a gay guru for him and helping him realize his feelings for Remus. But making sure he doesn't lose himself for love just like he did for Grindelwald.

And imagine him helping queer youth, because he is queer himself.

Imagine a Dumbledore giving Remus confidence. Letting him know that he is not a monster and he deserves happiness and love. Asking him how he is every month. Inviting him for tea and distracting him around the full moon. And with his power, helping him destroy the prejudices people have of werewolves and doing the impossible to change the law against them.

Imagine a Dumbledore making Peter be more sure of himself. Encouraging him to study, letting him know that he is not stupid, that he just needs a bit more effort to learn. Making sure he is not sad about feeling alone or being scared about the war. Because he is the most vulnerable of the Marauders. Making sure Peter knows his friends love him no matter what.

Imagine a Dumbledore that helps kids that are lost, or are forced to take the wrong side. Not by punishing them but by helping them realize their beliefs are wrong or they are more than their pureblood families. Like Regulus, or Barty.

Imagine a Dumbledore that doesn't discriminates muggleborns. In fact, he gives them more importance and love, to demonstrate that they deserve attention as well. And a Dumbledore that gets angry and wild when an injustice occurs.

Imagine a Dumbledore that is Minnie's best friend. Someone that not only cares for her and the rest of the teachers as staff. But as human beings. Someone that understands their personal problems. Imagine Dumbledore helping Minnie realize she deserves a happy ending as well, no matter how much she had suffered. And how much she had lost. Perhaps helping her encounter her past loves again.

Just imagine Dumbledore going against the Magic Government and annoying parents who want to keep the school a conservative elite pureblood place. But tries to transform it into a respectful school for anyone no matter their blood status or skin color or religion or sexual orientation.

Dumbledore should've been a Godfather that is always for students, teachers and staff no matter what. That helps when he is needed. Someone in who people should trust. Students should've loved him as a father. And Dumbledore should've loved the students as his own kids.

Dumbledore shouldn't have been someone that manipulates people. Not someone that gives a false image of himself. Not a selfish asshole that only thought about winning a war. Not someone that used everyone as a pawn in a larger game.

I think Dumbledore had the potential to be a king, a saviour, a role model, a real hero. But he wasn't. He just tricked everyone but he was a coward.

How curious... Such a strange and delicate thing. Adrift in the waters of fate... Which way will you wander I wonder?

—The High Priestess (The Arcana)

Vesuvia from The Arcana

Part of my 5 color challenge. I tried to record my process while drawing this but my device is slow as f****, so no speedpaint for now.

Dashboard

On Wattpad, I'm starting to write the prequel of my story. As you probably don't know, once I finish the first story it's gonna go to edition, again.

And once I finish publishing it here, it's gonna go to edition, maybe with changes maybe not. The prequel will also be up here once the first part is completed. I won't let you without content.

Right now my laptop is in reparation and I'm using my mom's desktop, so it'll be more difficult for me to edit and write these few days. Fortunately, after this class week, I'll have another two weeks of vacation.

Do it! Do it! Do it!

The Señora urge to make caldo de res when is hot as hell outside 😔 why are we like this??

The view from my window

A nice sketch I made

Princess of Gotham

Chapter 23: Confidence Movements

Actuality

"Are you out of your mind?" Assana shouted as soon as we were safe with the rest of the team, "What were you thinking? Do you know how worried we were about you?" She continued, standing in front of me with a frown on her face.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, still being held by my brother.

"It's either I or all our big problems are coming out at the same time," said Oswald, sitting on the edge of the roof of that 14+ story building.

"We must be alert, it is likely that all of them are allied," said my brother, turning to look at everyone, "We must warn everyone about these issues," he said, turning to look at me, at times I did not pay attention to what they were saying, as I was watching my shadow, looking for weaknesses and strengths.

"I will end the patrol, go home," I said, separating from my brother to start running to another building, a little away from the other patrol locations, so I could send a message.

But when I arrived, I met Robin and Red Robin.

"... We should report to Eclipse," said Robin, as he put his phone in one of the pockets of his suit.

"Report to me what? I asked, approaching what in theory would be my uncles, but due to the small age difference, I never referred to them that way.

"When did you arrive?" Damian asked me, turning quickly and walking over to where I was, "And what happened to you?" I could tell by the tone of that question that I still hadn't recovered from everything that had happened just a few minutes ago.

"You didn't answer my question," I said, the shadow coming out of my hands, like a threatening signal. Damian and Tim knew what I was capable of when I wanted something.

"Eclipse, calm down. It's nothing important" Timonthy tried to grab my hands, in an attempt to get me to stop threatening the youngest Wayne son. The shadow was quicker and grabbed him by the wrists. Something in me changed or he watched me closely, as his gaze changed and he tried to let go, "We found Slade Wilson," he said quickly. If they already knew, then we had to move faster before they interfered.

I let go of Tim, causing him to almost fall to the ground. Our plan had to be executed that same week if we were to catch him once and for all. I was even weighing the option of going alone.

I didn't wait any longer. I had to get home to ask my father to sign a permission slip for me to miss a few days of school.

On the way, I informed Jim and my brother about Red Robin and Robin and asked them both to find their last locations. We had to act fast before he moved out of town and disappeared completely.

When I got home, I noticed that the lights were still off, which meant that my father probably still hadn't arrived. Or at least that's what I wanted to believe because when I walked into the living room, the first thing I saw was 4 cans of beer, 2 empty brandy bottles, and a half-drunk bottle of tequila, blood, and Red Hood's guns lying on the floor.

"I had left... Batman in the kitchen... Hahaha... And when I came back... Poof... He was gone..." Jason was drunk, probably seriously injured, and saying nonsense.

Although the phrase itself gave a laugh, and probably would have been true, in a very strange context, it didn't help me much to know if he was okay, I let out a small laugh as I tried to imagine the situation. I walked into the dining room and saw him, sitting in my brother's chair, which was the closest to the door, and with his head leaning on the table.

"Now what happened to you?" I asked him, trying to sound more angry than worried. Something of ours.

"I got depressed..." He said, still without turning to look at me, "There will come a day when... You leave... And I don't want to..." From the way he spoke, I could tell he was about to cry. I began to pick up everything, avoiding touching the guns for fear that they were without the safety catch, I would ask my brother to put them away.

"I don't know what nonsense you're talking about, and clearly, you'll be the first to leave me. But I need to check that you are not hurt," I said. I didn't want to take desperate measures like talking to his favorite brother.

"No, you're going to break my heart." When Jason Todd drinks too much, he says a lot of stupid things. "I want to die."

"I give up," I said, before turning to the living room and sending an urgent message to Timonthy, though it would probably only make him worry since we had barely seen each other. Was I glad he was coming? No. Did I need his help so I wouldn't be tempted to hit my father to talk some sense into him? Yes.

My brother would be the wiser option in these situations, but he was more likely to join him, getting drunk and falling unconscious.

"Jane, play some depressing music," my father ordered me, still leaning on the table, another bottle in hand, "If you don't.... I'll start singing... Here I go..." He said, just waiting for Timonthy to arrive soon.

The minutes passed and Jason kept singing a repertoire of Mexican lady songs, or so I would like to think. I had never seen him like that, which in a way was funny, I was thinking about taking out my phone and recording him when he started the fourth song. Timonthy arrived almost 15 minutes later, entering through the living room window because apparently none of us know the doors.

"I'm sorry I'm so late, I was talking to Damian about something about Batman being in the kitchen and I don't know what other nonsense," he said, trying to approach me. I quickly pointed him to the dining room, where my father was trying to remember the words to a song.

"En mi mano izquierda tomé tu retrato, y en la otra mano una copa de vino, y brindé contigo sin estar presente, y brindé contigo por tu amor ausente" He began to sing, moving from side to side the bottle in his hand.

"Believe it or not, Jason also mentioned something about Batman in a kitchen," I said, handing him a glass of water, it was a tradition between us, something common but special for us, which on recent occasions I had forgotten to do.

"It's just that I... I had left Batman in the kitchen... And when I came back... Poof... He was gone" Jason interrupted his song, only for us to notice that he was getting worse and worse. When he finished talking, Tim turned to look at me and I just shrugged.

"Okay, this is weird. I'll take him to his room, give him a sleeping pill. In the meantime, try to pick up everything you can, and if you want you can make me a coffee." When he finished talking, he got up to go carry his brother, not before winking at me.

With a small vacuum cleaner, I removed the glass that was still on the floor. I arranged the dining room chairs and heated water for coffee. The guns were still on the floor.

"Luckily for me, Jason didn't have the guns on his belt. Your bad luck, they're here," Tim said, pointing to the floor when he came into the living room a few minutes later.

"Here I go," I said, forgetting my fear for a moment and taking them as if they were a toy. I checked how many bullets he had left and without Tim noticing I put the safety on." It's been a long time since I practiced my aim." I turned to him, raising the gun.

"You're insane," he said, laughing at the end.

"I've heard that so many times," I began to say, turning on the lights so I could see a little better.

The sound of the front door opening interrupted my little joke.

"I'm home, family."

Note: The song is called "Me bebí tu recuerdo" by Galy Galiano

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