A DC AU

I saw a post a while back about an AU where Riddler runs escape rooms, and it inspired me to write this.

In Arkham, there is a small group of inmates who were grunts or something (not important), who are experimenting with a new form of rehabilitation. It will allow them to learn social skills, have some fun… learn LEGAL ways to solve problems. A guard sits these people down at a table, and they play DnD. The guard is the Dungeon Master, the inmates are players. The guard is also there to make sure nobody gets hurt, but it hasn’t really been a problem.

As this program shows more promise, they decide to first let one of the inmates DM, under the supervision of the guard. Then, the Guard just becomes a player (officially, he’s watching them, but it’s more of a formality at this point.) It gets to a point that the program has actually helped rehabilitate some of the inmates, so they decide to slowly expand the program to higher profile cases. They would include 1 Villain (not Joker, that decision was unanimous). They needed to pick someone who they felt would actually take to this kind of rehabilitation, and there was only 1 obvious choice.

Edward Nigma. Aka- The Riddler.

When he starts, he’s skeptical, but once they tell him there are puzzles that are hard, he is interested. He takes to the game like a fish to water. As time goes on, Riddler has learned enough about the game to DM for himself. They’re worried dealing with characters finding solutions he wouldn’t think of might set him off, but the opposite occurred. It seemed to encourage him to create better puzzles and riddles in the game. The other inmates LOVED Riddler DMing. He wasn’t much for combat, but that was already kinda… difficult to justify some times (“No sir, I do not ACTUALLY have a weapon, OR want to attack another inmate! It’s part of the game, I promise!”)

As Riddler became more popular as a DM, they did the math and realized he hadn’t broken out of Arkham once since he became invested in the game and later DMing. The slowly included more villains.

First, Two Face. Then Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and finally Killer Croc and Bane (when asked about the last additions, the Arkham Board admitted they simply didn’t want their 2 strongest inmates to spend every day working out). They didn’t take to the program as quickly as Riddler did, but they slowly warmed to it. Harley seemed to be the first to become invested, playing a Redemption Paladin who’s power healed wounds, and sweet words healed hearts. In this Universe, the game helps her work out some issues she hasn’t realized yet, and she broke things off with Joker.

As word spread outside Akrham about this group of Villains that met every week, people became curious, others became concerned. Rumors start to spread, that they are using the game as a cover to make evil plans! To put peoples minds at ease, the Warden allowed one of the guards to record their game on his cell phone and post it online for people to watch. The Warden believed this would simply calm the masses and it would be business as usual.

But he was wrong.

The video went viral. People all over wanted to know more about this Villain DnD game. This also corresponded to when these particular villains were to be reviewed, and possibly released depending on their progress. Almost all of them (Bane simply didn’t care for games. He would rather break the bat) were put on probation and let out. They were each given a set of dice and their character sheets, as a reward for finishing the program successfully. Upon leaving, all of them decided to meet somewhere next week to continue the game. They’re all worried about how they will make things work, but are determined to keep playing. Nigma managed to get a cheap apartment, so everyone met there.

After a couple of minutes of playing, there is a knock on the door. When he opens the door, there is a FedEx delivery guy, and he has Nigma sign for a package. When the delivery guy leaves, Nigma opens the box. Inside is a letter, on top of some shiny black chrome computer equipment. He opens the letter, and it is from Batman, of all people! He heard of their progress, and was actually very happy he doesn’t have to fight them anymore. Knowing their predicament, he proposes an idea- an online DnD show. So many people loved the video the Warden posted, imagine how many people would tune in to see them do it live.

So, the villains worked together, making a weekly DnD show. The show is called “Riddle me this!” Since Nigma would still be the Dungeon Master. They were very surprised that, once they started becoming popular, they got a corporate sponsorship from Wayne Enterprises (”I own several streaming services, and a few television networks. This seems like a sure thing” the Sponsorship offer said”). But all their money problems were pretty much solved, and they were happy.

The kicker? Batman would sometimes make Guest Appearances, when he wasn’t fighting crime. But, never as a player. Only as a guest DM.

Riddler had Batman run combat, because he was better at it, and he had Batman play the BBEG, which made them laugh every time.

THE MC STAND MASTER POST TO END THEM ALL

The master post of all the stands for the main character.

Motorhead:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/134213801863/stand-feature-1-mot%C3%B6rhead

Tenacious D:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/134555401388/stand-feature-2-tenacious-d

Ace of Spades:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/135028903338/stand-feature-3-ace-of-spades

Slim Shady:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/135270063203/stand-feature-4-slim-shady

Helter Skelter:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/135653314873/stand-feature-5-helter-skelter

Light Up The Night:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/136627416798/stand-feature-6-light-up-the-night

Space Oddity:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/136913090963/stand-feature-7-space-oddity

Danger Zone:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/137374735448/stand-feature-8-danger-zone

Velvet Revolver:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/137651770853/stand-feature-9-velvet-revolver

The Stand:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/138236328883/stand-feature-10-the-stand

New York Minute:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/140778495368/stand-feature-11-new-york-minute

Hip to be Square:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/141958954033/stand-feature-12-hip-to-be-square

The Wall:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/142349726008/stand-feature-13-the-wall

Red Light Special:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/142738829716/stand-feature-14-red-light-special

Take On Me:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/145209904943/stand-feature-15-take-on-me

Wrecking Crew:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/145767389523/stand-feature-16-wrecking-crew

Danger! High Voltage:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/146272905211/stand-feature-17-danger-high-voltage

Maneater:

http://7su2.tumblr.com/post/147363879523/stand-feature-18-maneater

Killing off characters: the shoulds and shouldn’ts

1. Why you should

The death is a major plot point

It reveals some shocking plot twist

It supports your themes/what you’re trying to say with your book

Your novel explores the afterlife

You are George R.R Martin and the selling point of your work is that everybody dies

It suits the genre/mood of your novel

2. Why you shouldn’t

The character isn’t serving any purpose (this isn’t the Sims)

You want your readers to be shocked for the sake of being shocked

You want to be edgy

You think your MG story needs more gore

You want to romanticise grieving/loss

3. How you should

This really depends on your genre and target audience

If you’re writing something that isn’t intended to be graphic/traumatic, you can stick to the impact the death has on the other characters. If your novel explores illness, focus on that rather than on the disturbing death scene itself. Perhaps you’re writing a drama/tragic romance - you might want to ease up on the gore here. For these genres, I would suggest focusing on the emotional aspect of the death - the sobbing, the last words, the bright white lights (whatever floats your boat). Think of Mufasa in The Lion King - the actions are suspenseful, but we don’t see him being trampled with his guts spilling everywhere. But it’s still one of the most impactful deaths in fictional history.

If you’re writing in a more mature and gritty genre (like thriller, dark fantasy or crime), you can go all out. If there’s blood and guts, you readers probably want to see it in vivid detail to get their violence fix for the day.

Whichever genre your novel falls into, you should also go with what feels comfortable to you. Even if you’re writing adult dark fantasy, you don’t have to write graphic violence to make a character death impactful.

4. How you shouldn’t

Please don’t let your character have a three-pages-long monologue after they’ve been stabbed in the throat. It’s not realistic and it’s often very boring. Yes, a few well-written last words can have a great impact. Just make sure that your character would realistically be able to speak at that point and that it doesn’t become a cheese fest.

Unless you’re aiming for very dark/nihilistic humour, afford your characters some dignity in the way they kick the bucket. (e.g. don’t use the phrase “kick the bucket”). Having someone slip on a banana peel and then choke on a pretzel is a little ridiculous and will make the entire story seem silly. Once again, this really depends on what you’re going for. If your genre is serious and your character is important and beloved, try for emotion rather than whimsy.

Don’t let your characters die only to be resurrected again and again and again. Look, I love Supernatural (long may they reign), but even I have to admit that the Winchester brothers’ luck with death has become a bit ridiculous. Doing this takes away from the impact of the death - it removes the fear and suspense, and will leave your readers emotionally stunted.