>>43277898
i don't quite know what's going on but if there's an option to fuck a clown here i'm taking it

>>43277937

Yah, that didn't work out so great last time we tried it.


He's claiming poisoning the water supply? How pedestrian.

>>43277937
>too late

>>43277960
>>43277962
i am suddenly interested

>>43277898
Figured it was something like this.

>>43277937
Apparently getting raped made Dot lose interest if the OPs thought processes are anything to go by.

>>43278022
>wat

>>43277898
Well, now we know what the plan is, and so does the Bat.

That's...good and bad.

>>43278022

We've been playing a bit passively for that ship imo. As it is, we'll be lucky for a storybook kiss, much less the clown lewdity most have been hoping for.

However, back to the problem at hand. If J-Classic has poisoned the water, it's possible it's a retread of the '89 playbook, a combination toxin. Get Coal on analysis so we can see how true his boast is.

>>43277898
>Brock thinks it over
"Fuck it was right THERE! I knew something was up with that bubblebath! The piece of shit is all distractions, hypnotism, psychology and 'hurr people died'!"
"Honestly, I'd like a chance to compare notes before one of us dies, but somehow I don't think it's in the cards."

>>43278096
True enough.

>>43277898

You turn the TV off. It is the next day. Already you have been gathering supplies and securing resources for any upcoming struggles.

"He's claiming to poison the water supply?" you ask. "That's so... pedestrian. He just did a bunch of things, then announced he'd poisoned them. That's not a joke."

"Yeah," agrees Dwayne. "That... don't seem right. He didn't say with what. He didn't give it a theme."

"Well, now we know. And Batman knows," you say. "Has this been his whole plan? The entire time?

"I don't know why it would be," says Dot cautiously.

"Coal, can we analyze some samples?" you ask. "We can go by the plant. It's still being repaired, but we should be able to do a bit of work."

"Old Joker is just all distractions, hypnotism, and psychology," you say.

"Sounds exactly like you, Boss," says Dot.

You turn to the others. "One thing I am worried about is Joker's way of getting under my skin," you tell them. "We angered him, and then Penguin sent him the corpses. Corpses that were tied to me. He knows how I get about people. He could hit Penguin next, if he's trying to set me off."

"Maybe," says Dwayne. "Any other time I'd say they'd all leave the balance of things alone, but with you around... things are all outta whack. Can't rely on nothin' stayin' as it should."

"That may be," you say. "Because if I have my way, thing's are going to change a hell of a lot in this town."

We could claim that Duela got picked up by the bat when we pulled that last stunt, thats if we do end up having to go and see dear pops on his doorstep.

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>>43278327

You head out with Coal to the bay and take some water samples, then return to the Chemical Plant. It's still standing, but a wooden scaffolding is built around parts of it, plastic tarps keeping out the weather.

Coal runs a test. Then another. Then another.

"That's... funny," she says. "There's no contamination. I mean, no more than usual."

She tries another sample, taken from another part of the city. Nothing. The tap water. Nothing.

"He's lying," she says. "And everyone will already know it, too. I'm sure it's being reported on already by news outlets. What's the point?"

"Another distraction?" you ask. "We're running around in circles."

>>43278469
I'm considering it. Maybe get Coal to go halfway legit by undoing whatever Joker's doing and prepping our shit when she can if she can. Maybe not though.

>>43278503
I think the joker is infact telling the truth, but its hidden behind more mundane chemicals. e.g. Hormone contanimants with a little something extra added that could react with an ingrediant later.


We could also tell a half truth and say we made a deal with two face. The coin did not come out in our favour (true: we kind of needed duela around).

>>43278475
I. Think it's a ploy to keep the Bat busy. If he's busy hunting for this next thing that the water shit's covering, he's not there to keep OG from killing our asses.

>>43278475
Well, you're either looking for the wrong type of things, or the trick is in the vegetables.
That's an herbicide. Small doses might be harmless but pushed into the production lines like they were day to day amount of exposure is borderline impossible to avoid and it might add up.
If it were me anyway. Or what he did to the water isn't strictly toxic, like hormones, proteins and the like. Prions I think they're called.

>>43278475

You return to the motel and tell the others.

"Joker's lying," you tell them. "The water is fine. Coal tested water from every source."

They look at each other. "But... They're already reportin' fatalities," says Dot.

You turn to Coal. "Could he have... hidden it behind something? Like a mask?"

"Perhaps..." she says. "Something biological that reacts with something after ingestion. Even parasites, thou I've not seen any."

"Or the pipes?" asks Dot. "He coulda got down into the pipes when he was workin' for the feds. Swapped some out pipes laced with some kinda time-release chemical or somethin'."

"Or the Vegetables are the key," you say. "That was an herbicide. Small doses might be harmless, but pushed into the production lines like they were day to day amount of exposure is borderline impossible to avoid and it might add up. Then again, it could just be a plot to keep Batman busy," you tell the others. If he's busy hunting for the source of the poison, he's not there to keep the Joker from killing me."

"But does he want to kill you?" asks Coal. "I mean, I'm certain that he does, but the masked man kept talking about taking you to him. Either he wants to kill you personally, or he needs you for something."

You jokingly start to think that maybe Duela was right; maybe you did have some kind of secret code imbedded in you that he was after.

"So you're sayin' we leave this water stuff alone, right Boss?" asks Dwayne. "Seems like one big sand trap."

>>43278780
>>43278475
But it could well be a ploy to buy time. He said 3 days. Which might be the time he needs or an arbitrary amount to lure us in.
One day for each Joker currently in the deck.
It's possible all he wants is one.

>>43278837
"Probably. Just go bottled to stay safe alright? Or swap to...he hasn't mentioned meats, but he did mention meeting. But he said Man to Man to Man to Man right? But there's only 3 Jokers right now. Think he meant you or the Bat, Dot? You are in charge if something happens. Joker and I both like to carry off our plots by hiding the answer in plain sight. It's just a matter of focus. And where it goes. What he'll tell you is the truth unless it isn't, but he'll use the truth to lie to you. Hm...
One more time. What did he say and what was he hiding. I feel like even if it's in the veggies there was another meaning in there.

>>43278837
>>43278475
"Well shit, I'm not sure. If there was a way to cut water out I'd say do it. But if he grabbed imports and local bottling plants and THAT was the ruse...it'd be easier at least that way?"

>>43279145
>>43278837
"What's the news saying about the fatalities? Of course it's possible the old man got himself a new 'mouthpiece' for Gotham...God no wonder Irons hated me."

>>43278837

"And he could just be trying to buy time. Three days, right? He might need that time for something, or it's just arbitrary. One for each Joker in the deck?" you say.

"Today's Wednesday. He wants us there on Saturday. The problem is that he could very well know we'll overthink his problem, and be playing us that way. We need to find out what the Joker is trying to force us to do, and find out WHY."

You call Penguin, knowing he could be on Joker's list. "Penguin has the Joker made a move on you, besides with the Smiles?"

"Not a peep," he says. "Not like him, especially after a delivery like I sent"

"We think he knows we've been allies, and might attack you for it."

"Not likely," says the old bird. "If he's got a problem with you, then it's you who'll have the problems, not I. That's how Joker works."

You hang up.

The water troubles still weigh on your mind.

Let's go bottled to stay safe, alright? Even if they are saying the taps are safe. They've been wrong before.

He mentioned meeting. But he said "Man to Man to Man to Man" right? But there's only 3 Jokers right now. Think he meant you or the Bat, Dot?

Just remember Dot, you're in charge if something happens."

She nods.

"Joker and I both like to carry off our plots by hiding the answer in plain sight. It's just a matter of focus. And where it goes. What he'll tell you is the truth unless it isn't, but he'll use the truth to lie to you. Hm...

What's the news saying about the fatalities? Of course, it's possible the old man got himself a new 'mouthpiece' for Gotham...God, no wonder Irons hated me."


"Smilex symptoms," says Coal. He's using his old chemicals, or something similar... That's why I should be able to detect it..." She thinks.
"They've been wrong before..." she says. She sits up. "I've got some more tests I'd like to run."

>>43279371
>The water troubles still weigh on your mind.
this might be a ploy to get people drinking bottled water

>>43279371
"Maybe the herbicide and the water in combination? I'm fond of that myself. The answer IS and ISN'T one or the other. It's both. Check the herbicide first of course."

Let the paranoia begin.

>>43279371
Perhaps we don't need to care? If we get our own water supply, we don't have to think about why and what, which is impossible with the other Joker.

>>43279421
Could be.
"It could be bottled water though. Most of that is...refiltered tap water. Something in the plastics interacting with something."

>>43279523
Problem with our own water supply is simple: It would require massive effort and we have 3 days before he expects us. And i don't think its an invitation we can refuse.

>>43279371

"Bottles," she said. "That's what it was. He must have poisoned a bottling plant."

"He bypassed the filtration systems by skipping over them entirely," you say. "He knew people wouldn't trust what they were being told, especially when people started dying around them."

"He's sendin' Gotham a message," says Dwayne. "Tauntin' 'em because they're gettin' themselves killed no matter who they trust."

"He's sending us a message," says Dot. "He wants us to know that this is our fault. And his. We made people not trust the law even more than they used to."

>>43279523
You'd think but we've actually narrowed the field of what and why substantially. Or at least how.

>>43279553
They won't trust the law....but they'll trust the bat.

We could get a message to him, somehow...?

>>43279645
we literally have his phone number

>>43279645
Bats does not really do public announcements. He leaves it to the cops.

>>43279690
If it's clear people ain't listening, he might make a more public move.

>>43279553

"So we warn them, right?" says Dwayne. "Anonymously?"

"It'll cause even more of a panic," you say. "Maybe THAT was the whole point. Or maybe it's the fact that he's got us running in damn circles trying to play chess with ourselves."

You throw up your hands. "Call the police. Tell them, and have them announce it. If the people don't believe- it'll teach them to. And if they do, well, that's one problem solved. We have bigger fish to fry.

Joker wants us to wait and meet him on his terms. Why? We've got too many mysteries, and not enough tangible problems.

What we need to do, is make those mysteries into problems that we can actually solve.

Because as of right now, we have one problem- The Joker. And we know he can't be solved."


It nears evening, and the information is called in. All around Gotham, families who had switched to bottled water for safety panic and rush to hospitals. The hospitals are flooded with patients, some showing no symptoms, some already showing the telltale signs of pale skin and spastic laughter.

Some of them are saved. The dispensaries that had been tainted are quickly shut down, and all bottled water sold during the dates the tainting could have occurred are recalled and destroyed.

It's late now. Everyone sits around, tired. And scared.

>coal
>Dwayne
>dot

>wat say
>to who

>>43279938
Is there anything we could do a a moodbreaker? Something to get moral up? Yes, it's shitty and bad. But we've lasted this long against frankly batshit odds.

>>43280114
What kind of thing are you thinking?

>>43279938
We need to talk to dot. We've only got three days left

>>43280250
I dunno, that's the thing. I'm...not a super great people person. But we need to do something about mood. If we go and die, fine. But we're not going to have everyone miserable in the leadup to it.

>>43278022
I think it was more that dot was weirded out by the fact that we wanted to have sex with her

>>43280114
A drink and a toast, but first

>>43279938
Talk to all three of them one by one really.

Coal we need to talk about how she wants to go out.
Dwayne we should ask about his plans when this is over.

Dot is well, no idea. I dont think theres much to say that hasent already been said. Maybe just enjoy her company.

>>43280319
I just really want my fairytale kiss before we die

>>43280295
This, she seemed surprised and flustered.

>>43280403
She was also afraid we thought she was as fat as deula

They kept calling her fat but if she could pass for dot she couldn't be that big

>>43279938
>Coal
"Thanks Coal, I was kind of starting to lean that way while listening to myself talk. But, yeah. That was a good way to go with it. Whole thing was way easier to pull off that way than trying to do it that way. For what it's worth, I really appreciate everything you've done."
>Dwayne
"Dwayne, man, have we even talked recently? How're you holding up? Spike and his mom doing alright?"
>Dot
"Thanks for, helping me figure out what the right thing to do was the other day. Whole thing had me pretty wrecked there for a while...Weirdest damn thing I ever saw Harvey do too."
>Give her the coins
"He told me to give these to somebody I trust."
"That'd be why you're in charge. When the time comes, you decide what happens. Might need a bit of support, but god knows I did through this thing."
Guess he really doesn't want me being a restless spirit or something. Hopefully, they'll help you make your own luck in the meantime. Whatever you want that to be."

"Guys. I think we all know we're coming to curtain call here. When you exit stage left, just try to look after yourselves and each other yeah? I'll do my damnedest to make sure that you get that chance."
"Anyway, anything on anybody else's mind?"

>>43280449
Considering that dot WON our miss gotham pagent, she really does not need to worry about looks.

>>43280484
That said, we're not looking to go out unless it's the only option. If it's me or you guys, yeah, I'm going.

If it's possible to get your asses out, and mine too? I ain't a deathseeker. I'll take that chance with both hands.

>>43279938

You go over, and sit beside Coal.

"Hey, thanks for the save earlier. I think I was starting to lean that way myself. His whole plot was easier to pull off that way. "

She laughs. "Just one more minute and you would have had it, right?"

"I would've," you insist. "For what it's worth, I appreciate everything you've done, you know."

She nods to you. "Well... Thank you. It's good to be appreciated."

"Coal, I'd like to ask you something- how do you want to go out?"

"...What?"

"All this. How do you want to leave it?"

"Brock, I won't be leaving until I'm dead," she says.

"You've started talking like that a lot recently. Are you hiding something? Are you actually sick? I mean, I know you were joking back then, but-"

"Everybody's dying. I would just like to have some control over my own," she says plainly.


You leave the woman to herself for a bit, and go to Dwayne.

"It's been a while since we really sat down together, hasn't it man?"

"Suppose so," he says. He sighs. "All this has been somethin', I guess."

"How you holding up?"

"'Bout as well as can be expected, considerin'..."

"Joker?"

Boss, I was in this gang because I didn't know what else to do. Then I got a weird sorta way out with you, an' now... I'm supposed ta' go back."

"And you decided you won't?" you ask.

"Can't," he said.

You change the subject. "How about Spike? And his mom?"

"Spike still don't like me an' Karen bein' around each other, but he's a good kid. Been tryin' to point him at schools, an' see if somethin' catches his fancy. Really wish he'd decide to leave the gang but... I can't ask him ta' do somethin' I can't do."

"I'm hoping for the best for them, D," you tell him.

You go talk to Dot in private.

(cont)

>>43280564
Sorry if that wasn't clear. Basically part of the "you decide what happens" bit is "look if it's clear that I'm utterly and irreversibly done for, then yeah. Go. If it's not, then it's your choice which way it goes."
Throw in undertones of "I'd accept your decision on that either way" and hey. Brock's back to being simultaneously cryptic, truthful, and apparently only really good at tripping and falling flat on his face when it's one of two people. For very different reasons one would assume.

>>43280799
Yeah, fair 'nough. It's just best to be clear with the QM so miss-comms don't happen.

QM dead joker got him

>>43282190
Probably just his nets. They've been notoriously shitty.

>>43282190
That or he fell asleep at the keyboard.

His sessions last fucking forever.

>sorry my internet was disconnected
>writing

>>43282258

Man's a slave to his story. I can respect that

>>43282619
Have faith in the clown

>>43282619
hot crazy latin clown sex

>>43280788
"Hey, listen Dot," you say. "Thanks for helping me figure out the right thing to do the other day. The whole thing had me wrecked for a while, but... man, you wouldn't believe me if I told you what Harvey might have done."

"Well, she was his daughter wasn't she?" asks Dottie.

"No, Dot. She wasn't."

"....Huh." She shrugs.

"He gave me these; told me to give them to somebody I trust." You hand her the two silver dollars. She looks at them, then pockets them, understanding.

"That's why you're in charge," you tell her. "When the time comes, I mean. You decide what happens. You might need a bit of support, but... Well, God knows I did."

"We never did get to take that ride," she says.

"Patrolling for the Smiles?"

"Yeah."

"Was... that supposed to be a date?"

She becomes a bit evasive, and shrinks back. Her defenses are back up.


You address the three of them.

"Guys... I know you might not want to hear it, but I think we all know we're coming to curtain call here. And when you exit stage left, just try to look after yourselves, and each other, yeah? I'll do my damnedest to make sure that you get that chance."
They're don't say anything; the girls shuffle off to their rooms, and you go to yours.

You toss and turn all night.

>>43282933
we had all of that but the latin part already

>>43283000
i dont count that moment

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>>43282985

You awaken the next morning to a banging on your door.

"Boss! BOSS!" cries Dwayne. You open the door to him. "The League of Smiles. They're back."

"When?" you ask. "Where? Are they onto us? Or Duela?"

"This morning," he says. "An' it looks like they're just rampagin' right now. Holed up in a book depository for the time bein'.

He shows you an image on his phone- an image of the same five people you'd killed not long ago. You look closer at he image.

"This is wrong," you tell him. "This Baker is a man- the one we fought was a woman. And the face wound on their Torch is still bloody; the one we fought was scarred.

Byrons said he'd make a new League; I guess this is what he meant."

"Yeah, but what IS it?" says Dottie, taking a closer look at the image.

"Could be titles, like Joker here." Coal says as she points to you. "It passes on upon death. A religious thing, perhaps?

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>>43283256

"I know how we can find out," you say. "We go catch Merrick again."

The four of you head to the book depository, a a couple grenades loaded with compressed liquid SMILEX. Dot leads the way, as you carefully walk through the halls of the place towards the voices inside. You roll in the grenade, and hear screaming become laughter.

You step around to see the laughing bodies of the new League- each similar, but subtly different to their predecessors. The Merrymaker tries to escape. Instead, Dot tackles him and pins him to the ground.

You remove his mask.

Underneath, you find a blonde, cleanshaven man.

"Who are you?"

"Merrick Byrons. DOCTOR Merrick Byrons," he says.

There is a buzzing, and Dwayne pulls his phone from his pocket- the buzz alerting him to an important news bulletin.

"Uh... Boss?" he says, "A group callin' themselves the Court of Smiles just attacked City Hall."

You look down at the laughing man at your feet.

>>43283256
Huh. I mean I get how. It's just that logistically that doesn't make any damn sense. Did nobody call swat?
There were six to ma- hell with it, they're obviously trying to coax us out. Whatever he did yesterday might've been tagging subliminal triggers for wave 2 of the smiles as it were.

>>43283680
Nah, joker just thought "well, if hes killing them, might as well make more!"
And thus proceeded to make as many as bunnys going at it.

Frankly we only needed one. The rest can continue to cause havok for all we care.

>>43283612
Looks like things are about to get pretty dumb.

>>43283701
Not necessarily, they'll come down on us later if we don't kill them now. Right? So maybe we're approaching this incorrectly.
>>43283612

>>43283768
Yeah. Get them now, otherwise it's asking for shit later.

Plus, the less trouble he's gotta deal with, the more likely the Bat's free for our showdown.

>>43283612
Kill the assholes we have here I guess.
"He's trying to run us with these bozos."

>>43283612
"Huh, how many more Merrick Byrons we got I wonder."

>>43283768
While i agree with your assesment, i suggest we use the men we have control of in the gang to scout these groups out and confront them on our terms instead of trying to assault the same places the police will be trying to deal with. Less chance of a bullet to the back.

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>>43283612

"Some subliminal trigger from everything yesterday?" you ask the others, motioning for Dottie to finish off Merrick. "Joker could be activating new waves of Smiles to come after us.

The problem is, they'll come down on us later if we don't kill them now. And the less trouble he's gotta deal with, the more likely Bat's free for our showdown..."

You turn to Dwayne.

"It's impractical for us to go hunting each group down individually. And we can get Penguin back in on this, too- it seems that his vendetta against them may not be over.

D, get the men we have to scout out the Smiles and take them out in groups. They go down easily to Smilex; pass out some of the grenades from the Armory."


You return to your motel room. Via phone calls, you coordinate the routing and hunting of at least three separate Leagues of Smiles, each with its own Merrick Byrons.

"Does this remind you of anything, Joker?" asks Coal. "Anyone?"

"You mean Duela?"

She nods. "Artificial personalities. Maybe even implanted memories."

"Duela would have had much better memories if hers were fake," you say, "And who would make somebody with her personality willingly?"

>>43284000
I'd rather not do that. They know our face and god knows what else now.
No reason to lose our guys. We can however steer the cops and maybe a marksman or two like Shame or the like against them. Snipers you know?

>>43284163
>"And who would make somebody with her personality willingly?"

Damit man, you know exactly who.

>>43284222
he was making a deula is a bitch joke

>>43284163
are our memories implanted?

>>43284431
Huh good point.

Can we actually remember our past propperly and clearly?

>>43284163

"Cute," she says, "But I'm serious. You said she had some kind of episode when she was near Joker. This could be connected."

"But we'll never know now," you say. "Duela's gone."


You lie down in your room, alone, and drift off to sleep.


It is Friday at dawn. The last day before you meet the Joker face to face.

You go to Dwayne's room and sit down. The girls are already there. "What's the situation today?" you ask, picking up the phone. Dot takes it from you.

"Don't worry about it," she says. "Whatever it is- just ignore it."

"...Why? What is it?" You can only assume it's something bad.

"Because I want you to do something else today," she says. "Let's just... do something else. Is there something you want to do? Something you... never got a chance to do?"

"Something you wanted to say?" asks Coal.

"Just... You know," says Dwayne. "Like a vacation." He tries to smile.

"Putting my affairs in order," you say.

",,,Just in case," says Dwayne. Dot elbows him in the ribs and tries to smile at you.

>wat do
>there's no going back

>>43284488
>JUST DO IT.

>>43284488
Small laugh

"Man i still remember being scared of you when you walked into my room carrying that damn present with the note inside it"

sit back and think.

I would probably go with an good solid meal, eat out someplace decent but not fancy. After that I suppose we could spend some time setting our affairs in order, or just go with the guys suggestions.

Tonight we should have a drink or two, but none too many, and get out cloths in order to be presentable tomorrow.

Take Dot for a drive and just talk for a while.

>>43284604
Speaking of clothing.

Should probably go with a bit of our own styling. I was thinking purple trenchcoat over black suit, white shirt under.

Or something like that. Not JUST coping off OG.

>>43284821
Might as well. Dont deviate massively, but not a carbon copy.

If we want to make our own style of Joker, I think having a purple suit coat, orange vest, white dress shirt with a green bow tie.

Probably purple dress pants and green dress shoes. Maybe our hair dyed green and slicked/oiled back?

>>43284917
>no orange bow tie

>>43284488
'Get the bomb arm, round up the last of the smilex, we'll need a distribution system to cut their numbers. Maybe there would be things I'd like to say before...there's just nothing that won't probably...anyway.'
'Bats got me thinking that somewhere in there something was done to my head. I'm a bit worried it's a thing like that, but I'd also like to figure this thing out.'
'I'd like to say there's things I want to do, but right now..I'll need that sauce from Mitchell, and I don't really want to make today too painful for you guys either."
"So I'm caught between 'just hang out' and 'prep for whatever is coming.' but we need a plan which is why I got GPS'd, so Coal, tell the cops what's up and that I agreed to turn myself in, after I go down there so they can bust it up if needed. I'd like to know what -he's- doing today to piss me off in case it has a vital clue."
"And...well, I'm going to watch some Chaplin and some B-Movies. Maybe some Red Skelton"
"If you guys just want to hang out I'm fine with that."

>>43284951
It was either orange bow tie with green vest or orange pants. And the purple suit + green vest is pretty iconic Joker, we want to be similar but different.

>>43284488
>Just some drinks, movies and something at home with friends. Tell Dot you love her you idiot
>Prep for war a bit after, before bed.

>>43284997
Can use the normal colouring, just have a trench suit or such. Or go for a green shirt, orange vest, orange bow tie, purple suit.

>>43284997
I was fine with "white with magenta shirt" for cracks about not wanting to go out dyed anyone's colors but our own.

>>43285038
>" Tell Dot you love her you idiot"
Been there, done that.

>>43285074
Eh, not exactly directly.

>>43285127
We said it to her face, Pretty damn direct. She knows.

>>43284488
I guess the thing that worries me about all these memory implants is that I don't know necessarily that if I even do make it through this...whether or not I'll be me.

>>43284488

You laugh.

"I still remember being scared of you when you walked into my room carrying that present and the note."

"Yeah, well..." says Dwayne. "We was all scared that night."

"Let's get a meal," you tell them. "Somewhere decent but not fancy. After that we can get affairs in order. Then we'll have a few drinks, and I'll lay out my work clothes for tomorrow."
The four of you go out, eating at a small cafe near the motel. You don't talk about business.You don't talk about much of anything at all, really. Just idle chatter. If someone didn't already know you were a group of four murderers and criminals, you'd seem like four mismatched friends. You go to speak to Orson Weatherby in his office- his own personal office, with a window and everything- and be sure that all account access belongs to Dot. You shake his hand, and congratulate him on a job well done. He beams with pride at your praise.

You settle up what few gang matters you have left. You pick up your bomb arm, and what is left of the Smilex.

Coal implants a GPS tracker beneath your skin. You tell her to call the police once you're in telling them that you agreed to turn yourself in

A few hours later, you are all sitting in Dwayne's hotel room, having drinks as the television plays in the background.

A guest arrives- a dark-skinned woman with black hair in a suit, two huge suited men behind her. You greet Nightjar with a hug, and pat the twins on the head. And later, another guest- a dark-haired man. Mitchell Mayo enters the group awkwardly- never one of you, but always accepted. You pour your partner a drink, and you drink to each others' health.

You drink to those who aren't here. You drink to fallen friends. And lost ones.

>>43284488
"I did intend to visit Knock before this went..like it did. But at this point, I don't know. Seems a little on the nose don't you think?"
>Laugh about it a little
"Maybe just go for some pizza and a couple beers or something. You know?"

So somber, try to laugh, remember the good. Eat drink, be merry at all that

>>43285248

A little while later, your friends sitting around talking and relaxing.

Dot puts a hand on your shoulder. "C'mon," she says. "We got patrol. The Smiles are back, ain't they?"

You ride with Dot for an hour or so, leaving the city and driving the twisted forest roads outside of town. "I don't think the Smiles are out here, Dot," you tell her.

"You never know," she says seriously.

A little while later, satisfied that the Smiles are not living in the woods, the two of you turn back around, and head for the motel again.

You sit in the parking lot together for a few minutes. Dot looks at the steering wheel.

>wat do

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>>43285427
>DO IT.

>>43285482
Yeah. Go for it. Nice and slow and gentle, though. Give her the chance to pull away if she wants.

>>43285427

She squeezes and releases the steering wheel repeatedly, not looking at you. Finally, she squeezes the wheel until her knuckles are white.

She leans over and gives you a kiss on the cheek, then rushes out of the car and back into the room.

>>43285427
"Well that's the look of somebody thinking really hard. Want to talk about it for a bit?"

>>43285608
Well i guess anons got their wish.
Head back, smile. Then go get our outfit sorted out.

>>43285608
I can live with that

>>43285608
Pft haha. Christ she's about as bad about that shit as Brock is.

>>43285608
Honestly better than expected.

>>43285608
yee

>>43285651
shes literally a schitzoid

she has problems with physical relationshios

That was kinda sweet, in Dot's odd little way. Could've been much worse.

>>43285608
This is what the long game gets us boys
I'm so happy this is the path we chose

>>43285608

You do not follow her. What she did was probably hard enough.

You go to your room, and lay out your clothes for tomorrow- a regular black suit and white shirt. You lay out a purple coat with them, though- just so you're flying the colors, as it were. Finally, you put the orange bow-tie you'd picked out with Holly.


You lie down on the bed, and close your eyes, your head still swimming a bit from the alcohol from earlier.

You start to drift off to sleep....


You hear a knock on the door. You pull your gun, and go to the door. Looking through the peephole, you see nothing but the clear night outside the motel

>>43285679
Not necessarily, she's emotionally disturbed. Sex and emotions can interact or be wholly or largely separate for some folks. Although for her, that probably took a lot. I was mostly laughing because the first thing Brock did after getting interested was basically the exact same thing complete with his own stress responses beforehand. It has nice symmetry.

>>43285804
Who's there?

>>43285804
"Who's there? And it had better not be a one word answer"

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>>43285804

A dark haired woman stands before you in a heavy coat. For a moment you think she is wearing a light on her head, but... no. The moon shines through a gaping wound in her forehead.

"May I come in?" she asks.

"Who are you?" you ask the woman. "There's no need for names," she says. "It would be rude of me; I haven't enough for the whole class. But I am called the Absence. And I can assure you, you have nothing to fear from me."

She enters the room and sits down at the small table, motioning for you to join her. You sit across from the woman, her hands folded in front of her as if she were a CEO expecting a report from an assistant. She sits in front of the window, her face dimly lit by the moonlight around her. The moonlight shines on the table through the hole in her head.

"The Absence of what?" you ask her. "Hope," she says. "Fear. Love. Identity. Everything. I consider those who are lost and forgotten to fall under my domain- Nobodies. People like you." She looks at you dispassionately. No hint of compassion or malice in her voice. Nothing. "There's a service I sometimes offer to people like yourself. Before you die- and rest assured, you will die- I find that it sometimes helps to have someone to hear you out. Someone who keeps an open mind."

"So...What, like Last Rites?" you ask. A small smile crosses her face. "Something like that," she says. "A small mercy for someone who was never given any. And won't be again."

"You could have quit an any time," she asks. "You could have fled the city. Or turned yourself in. You could've run to Superman. You could have exposed yourself as a fraud the first night and simply refused to play. You could have even killed yourself. At any time, you could have done those things, or any other thing a logical person would have done. But you didn't. Why?"

>Why?

>>43285891
"I'm not a very logical man. Perhaps I'm not that strong in terms of sanity, or morality, or other things like that, but... no that's about it."

>>43285891
>>43285891
I used to have a reason / excuse to justify to myself why is was doing what I was doing, but now......

I honestly don't know. I just want to keep my friends alive..... Keep Dot alive.

>>43285891
"At first I did it to survive, because I want to live. Then I did it because I thought I could make something better of it, better than those who came before. That fell through when the calender man, under the origonal joker, and the FBI got involved. Then It was back to survival again, but not just for me. Now I do it because its what I've been doing, and since i took the role this far, I may as well play the act to the final scene and face my final curtain call with a smile".

Plus: We all die anyway, saying we are going to die is a meaningless statement. Saying we are going to die tomorrow has merit.

>>43285891
>But you didn't. Why?
you said it yourself i am a nobody, what would i have gotten if i had ran? nothing i would simply would have returned to a nobody life untill the end of my nobody days. but the choices i made brought me among those who are appear to be giants to one such as I.

>>43285891
"Everyone's got to die for something, just got to make sure it's something important to you."

>>43286035
Ah yeah, we got basically asked this before didnt we?

We got the chance to go back to normal. But normal has a very bland and meaningless taste after this sort of life. You find yourself playing a role, and come to like it.

>>43285891
Fear, at first. Of what they might do.

Then? Then they weren't jailers. We fought together, bled together. Friends. I wasn't about to abandon them.

And I'm still not.

So...gotta see it through. We started it, we finish it.

>>43286083
>We
"I finish it"

>>43286099
Nah. We. All the mad, jibbering voices in his head. We all see it through. Our choices. Our end.

Why? If I hadn't, you'd just be asking some other poor sap the same question. This was the hand I got dealt, I just tried to play it as best as I could.

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>>43285891

"I used to have a reason- or an excuse- to justify myself. Now? I don't know. I want to keep my friends alive. I want to keep Dot alive. Everyone's got to die for something, just got to make sure it's something important to you.

At first it was fear. Fear of what they might do. Then they stopped being jailers. We fought together. Bled together. We were friends. I wasn't about to abandon them, And I'm still not. I've got to see it through. We started it, I finish it.

She gives you a questioning look. "Is that why, young man? Is that really why you persisted? Because I think you played to win. When you saw there was no easy victory condition you created a new one. You've told yourself that you're in control, and you've been fighting to maintain that illusion, even when you've seen that you aren't. Remember Mister Day, and how he used the emotions that drove you to control you?" She sees your surprised face. "Yes, I know about him. And what The Joker has been doing. Everyone else has been steering you, but you. You've been twisted, used, broken, and manipulated, but you still believe you have some kind of agency." Though barely perceptible, you believe you hear a hint of sadness in her voice. "You still think that there was something to win."

You shake your head. "I am a nobody. You said it yourself. What would i have gotten if I had ran? Nothing. I would simply have returned to my nobody life until the end of my nobody days. But the choices I made brought me among those who seem like giants to people like me. If not me, you'd be asking someone else."

"You talk about choice," says the Absence. "But when have you made a choice? When have YOU made a choice of your own?"

>when?

We...haven't, really, have we? At most, we made a choice...of how to REACT. But never anything purely on our on. We reacted to what was on around us. Never really free to make our own paths.

>>43286349

....by jove, you're right, we've never really driven the action, so to speak, we've always been reacting, waiting for things to happen and meeting.


Only time that comes close to agency is when we fried ourselves and Irons.

>>43286278
>>43286349
The hell you on about?
No one ever gets the straight up choice in life. No one is ever free to dictate their path free from outside influence.
We can wax lyrical about lack of agency, but every turn, was my choice, in reaction and action. Yes I was pushed and manipulated, but it was still how i reacted which was my agency. No one else chose what i did. They steared and pushed and prodded, but they did not choose for me.

I chose, even if it was a shit choice, i chose.

>>43286278
>>43286426
What about when we decided to turn Duela? It wasn't an apparent or easy choice.

>>43286426
And yet when faced with Irons we broke his games and beat him with our choice.

The joker may have wanted us to do that, but we still chose how to do it. There is no set path we followed. Pity us as pathetic and abused, twisted and full of folly. But we still chose our own course through the currents of the world.

>>43286278
At the very beginning. I could have fled, but I didn't. There were many times when I could have escaped, but I didn't. I've been manipulated, yes, but aren't we all being manipulated by someone?

>>43285891
"I had hope that I could use this to do something better. Not at first, at first I was just looking for the angle and trying not to die. Out of curiosity. It's not that I wanted to save or hurt anyone. It's that I wanted this city to understand they had a choice. Not live in fear, you know? That this city and these people are good enough."
"They always were."
"They're stronger than-"
>Adjust lapel
"Or the Bat"
"Somewhere in here, my people became my family...and how can I just leave them to the old man, you know?"
"So, even if I do die, even if I am a nobody, as long as I can take him with me. As long as they're alright. That's enough."
"Besides, even if I am a zero, I'm still the Joker. Gotham's the 'City of Fools' right? Everything starts there, you can't break zero, after all."
"The Fool can become whatever it wants, so, if it protects my friends, I will become that man's reckoning. Even if it kills me."
"Not to mix my metaphors but-oh hell, I just can't afford to do fear right now. It's too expensive, and I've always hated it."

"The thing I don't get is how this city doesn't -understand- they're stronger than him. That's all I wanted them to know. If I can't have that...then the least I can do is cancel him out, you know?"
"I might not be able to live, I might not be able to beat him. But I have to have faith that I can kill him. What else is left?"

Everything I have done, I have decided to do myself. Everyone does. I could have brought the gun up to my head and pulled the trigger at any point and everyday I did differently I made a choiceexcept that god aka GothamQM is probably pulling some meta bullshit about how even though everything was a writein since he always chose what option was taken meaning that the only way we changed the story was in how much effort he put into hiding the railroad tracks or something because this pretty much the E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy of quests or some shit like that

>>43286278
Sparing Duela, the first time anyway. Doing my damnedest to keep the guys together even when their competing personalities nearly had them eat each other.
The thing is, the only thing I've ever really wanted to control is my own life. Not others', I just want them to know what their options are. Except in the case that I want that man gone from this city permanently, even if it kills me.

Ay QM, you thinking about a possible sequel in the Beyond Universe?

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>>43286278

"I...haven't, really, have I?" you admit to the woman. "At most, we made a choice...of how to REACT. But never anything purely on my on. I reacted to what was on around me. Never really free to make my own paths."

She smiles. "Very good."

"But what about at the very beginning- I could have fled, but I didn't. There were many times when I could have escaped, but I didn't. I've been manipulated, yes, but aren't we all being manipulated by someone?"

"Young man- let me ask you something. Do you think you ever could have walked away from that choice? Could it have ever been made any other way?"

"Or what about when I faced off Irons?" you tell her. "I broke his games and beat him with my choice. The Joker may have wanted us to do that, but I still chose how to do it. There is no set path I followed. Pity me as pathetic and abused, twisted and full of folly. But I still chose my own course through the currents of the world."

"YOU chose your own course?" she asks. "Have you really defined who YOU is?"

"...Or maybe I've never really driven the action, so to speak. I've always been reacting, waiting for things to happen. The only time I came close to agency is when we fried myself and Irons."

She nods, "That's one thing nobody told you to do."

"...But listen, lady," you tell her. "No one ever gets the straight up choice in life. No one is ever free to dictate their path free from outside influence. We can wax lyrical about lack of agency, but every turn, was my choice, in reaction and action. Yes I was pushed and manipulated, but it was still how i reacted which was my agency. No one else chose what i did. They steered and pushed and prodded, but they did not choose for me. I chose, even if it was a shit choice, I chose."

She leans towards you. "...But did you?"

>>43286765
"Is this the part where you reveal an imprinted personality, just like the Merrymen, or Duela for that matter? Or maybe I've literally been an android the whole time? Gotta admit, being a robot would come in handy right now."

>>43286765
Duila. We chose there. We had every reason in the world to kill her twice over, and we didn't.

>>43286765
"Yes."

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>>43286765

"Let me tell you a secret. There's been many Jokers. And there's always been one Joker. There's been many Riddlers, and there's only one Riddler. There's been many of you, and of me. After all this time, you're still convinced that the world is a rational one. But it's not. There are threads that run through it, but never just one. The same stories play out time and time again, with subtle differences from every angle. Sometimes you just stop existing, and sometimes you were always someone else.

...But none of that has to do with you. Or, rather, all of it does, but not right now. Not this you."

"Lady," you say, baffled, "I don't know if you're a priest or some kind of lunatic."

"Do you remember when Bruce Wayne with public with his support of The Batman?"

"...What? No?!" you say, shocked.

"I do. You don't. Because it hasn't happened," she says plainly. "And it won't- unless it does. I know just enough to know that I know nothing."

"Young man, let me ask you one last question- do you understand yet why I came to see YOU? Me, specifically?"

>Do you?

>>43286880
And then laught. Propperly.
Because apparently we are a madman.

>>43286897
"You said its because i did not matter. So now i think with this game of questions that is not entierly the case. Care to enlighten a tired clown?"

>>43286897
"For my dashing good looks?"

>>43286897
"Seeing as I don't know you? That seems...unlikely. I just thought someone put you up to this to get me out of Gotham."
"Still, if life really is like the funny pages, I'll be back again assuming I'm popular enough right?"
"But honestly. Why are you doing this?"

>>43286897

"Because the QM has a boner for you?"

FULL META!

>>43286897
"Something about how I don't fit in properly, the piece that doesn't fit quite right? I don't know, you said it was because I was about to die, and at least implied it was soon."

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>>43286897

"Seeing as I don't know you? That seems...unlikely. I just thought someone put you up to this to get me out of Gotham. Something about how I don't fit in properly, the piece that doesn't fit quite right? I don't know, you said it was because I was about to die, and at least implied it was soon. Still, if life really is like the funny pages, I'll be back again assuming I'm popular enough right?"

"Even if it was, you'd never know."

"Then it must be for my dashing good looks?"

She laughs.

"You said its because I did not matter. But now I'm starting to think with this whole game of questions that that's not entirely the case. Care to enlighten a tired clown?"

The Absence shakes her head. "You don't understand. The people that don't matter are the ones that matter the most to me,"

She sighs.

"It's a shame, I suppose," says The Absence. "You really are an interesting case. Perhaps if we'd met earlier... Oh well. There will be others, perhaps."

She shakes your hand, stands, and lets herself out.

As she leaves, you see the moonlight shining through her skull. You watch until she disappears into the darkness. As you think back over your conversation with the impossible woman, you can't even be sure if she'd ever been there at all.

Well that was rather rude.

>>43287105
Is this A Christmas Carol deal?
"You don't just shoot the Joker, it doesn't work that way. Huh? Hopefully that translates to both in the deck."

>>43287246
And yet i hear nothing mentioned about the application of knives.

Words are tricky bastards and you should really look at what they mean down to the bone.

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>>43287105

You awake the next morning, and dress yourself.

You know where Joker waits, and you know your friends are right next door. You leave without seeing them.

You drive to the Toy Factory. And at the stroke of noon, exactly three days after Joker's broadcast, here you stand on his doorstep.

And at the stroke of noon exactly, the door swings open.

You step inside.

The Joker waits for you inside, sitting behind a charred desk. The commissioner's desk, you recognize. From when you'd burnt GCPD.

"Good Afternoon, Joseph," says the Joker.

>wat do

>>43287309
Doesn't seem to cover explosives either.
Also that rule doesn't strictly apply if you're a Junior. Just ask Tim Drake.

That smacked a bit much of Morrison for my taste...

>>43287362
"Good afternoon, Nice desk firesale?"

>>43287362
>wat do
afternoon Mr J, i'll have to admit if i knew you had the desk i would have brought the commissioners name placard.

>>43287362
"You wanted to talk?"

Joseph, who's Joseph??

>>43287362

"But my names Brock."

"Or were you Brock all along?"

>>43287441
Same person as amy, abel and adam.
Joker will tell us in time. Or just ignore it and keep calling us joseph to annoy us because of no other reason.

>>43287362
You do know that's not the name you gave me right?

>>43287362
"Sup pops."

>>43287362
"Please, call me Joe."

>>43287488
This seems fitting.

>>43287362

"Please, call me Joe. Joe Kerr."

He laughs.

"Catch a nice desk on a firesale?"

He keeps laughing.

"I'll have to admit if i knew you had the desk i would have brought the commissioners name placard."

He laughs some more.

You let him calm down.

"Ha.. Ha... Hoooooo." He slaps the desk in front of him. "Well now, you and me have business, don't we sonny? See, you've been me. But now I'm me. So we need you to be... Well..." He stands, and points a gun at you. "Not you."

>wat say

Oh, Joseph Kerr, natch. Multitasking really isn't my strong suit. Usually it's Hearts.

>>43287603
I don't suppose you need a ghost writer? I'm good with jokes.

>>43287603
>Which me are we talking about?

>>43287603
So, any ideas what happened to Not Duela Dent?
Is there any way we could shake hands and part as friends?

>>43287603
So do we have anything on us?
"Feel like that sets a dangerous precedent there, letting people know they can just shoot Jokers."

>>43287603
>So we need you to be... Well..." He stands, and points a gun at you. "Not you."
hmm how about i be Mr Freeze then, a little face paint, a space suit and a freeze ray and know one would be the wiser.
but seriously though Not me has been who've been having the most luck with. who would want to be, as they say a Nobody when i can be someone else

>>43287603

"I suspect it won't be as easy as wiping off my makeup and changing my wardrobe."

>>43287744
I like this too.

>>43287603
"Too late. You gave it to me. Oh, I'll admit I'm not you. I'm more Cesar Romero I guess. But the thing is? Thanks to you or thanks to me I should say, I am you. So, the thing of it? I -am- the Joker. And a hack like you can't just shoot the Joker."
"Posioned bottled water? Really? It was just so...predictable. And -that's- -not- -me-"

We should do either the "you wouldn't hit a guy with glasses" or confuse him with me/you statements.

And then break out Chekhov's Pie

>>43287826
This is the kind of thing that will get you killed.

>>43287603
"I could be a simple goon working for you. You know I am capable. And frankly i would love to watch a master at work."

>>43287861
Oh god, no. No sucking up like that.


We got the bomb-hand. Maybe we don't live, but maybe we do. Either way, let's see if we can wipe the smile off that goddamn face.

>>43287861
I feel like this kind of statement gets you killed.

>>43287603
Okay I know you guys are probably suffering from fatigue, but you need a plan for once. Like do you actually wanna beg, or do you wanna stall in an attempt to turn the tables? Like do you just want to live, or do you want him to die?

Do we have the old exploding arm gag set up? How about our cool belt?

>>43287982
Eh, twas worth a shot.
>>43287984
Probably. I just cant write that sort of thing without it coming across as crindge, so i stick to simple.

>>43287982
We also have a knife, a holdout pistol and the claymore mine vest Red made, you know along with our kitted out utility belt.

>>43288001
Begging will get us killed. Joker is an old school psychopath. Stalling is good, since it opens other options. Just living would be a fucking great thing to get. Even if it means this version of us, as a joker, dies. Leastways then we might have a chance with Dot still, or a normal life to some degree. Might end up never mattering again, but we would be alive.

>>43288036
the problem is he's pointing a gun at us now. So unless you can get him to fall for the old "Behind you!" gag, the most you can hope for is taking both of us out with a bang. Which is still pretty good, admittedly.

>>43288036
Also grenades, a tracking device inside ourselves and a regular gun along with the flag-gun.
And Mitchell's secret sauce.
Which we might want to draw.

>>43288058
Eh, this is the last issue, and I don't think there's gonna be a sequel. Sure when facing cancellation, you could just do the open-ended "and the adventure continues" thing, pretty much hoping to be scraps for future cameos, or you can make it memorable.

>>43287603


"Which me are we talking about?." you ask.

"The you that's made yourself more of a nuisance than you're worth." says Joker.

"I suspect it won't be as easy as wiping off my makeup and changing my wardrobe."

"Surprisingly it's easier than you might think." he says, waving his gun.

"I don't suppose you need a ghost writer? I'm good with jokes," you suggest.

"The key word there is 'Ghost.'" He cocks the gun.

"Any idea what happened to the girl? Is there any way we could shake hands and part as friends?"

"She was supposed to be with you," he says.

"Feel like that sets a dangerous precedent there, letting people know they can just shoot Jokers."

"You ain't the Joker."

"Too late. You gave it to me. Oh, I'll admit I'm not you. I'm more my own guy I guess. But the thing is? Thanks to you, or thanks to me I should say, I am you. So, the thing of it? I -am- the Joker. And a hack like you can't just shoot the Joker."
"Posioned bottled water? Really? It was just so...predictable. And THATS NOT ME."

"The point wasn't the water," says the Joker. "It was a trust building exercise."

"You need me to be somebody else," you say. "How about I be Mr Freeze then? A little face paint, a space suit and a freeze ray and no one would be the wiser.

Seriously though, Not Me has been who've been having the most luck. Who would want to be, as they say, a Nobody, when i can be someone else?

>>43287603
"Well it's been fun, shake?"
Yes, ceramic coating insulates.

>>43288116
This is why just taking every single write-in isn't really a good idea. Should you QM again in the future? A filter might be good.

>>43288167
We need to be waaaay more subtle.

>>43288167
Not even gonna get close.

>>43288197
Or clever enough to set up a gag that will leave Joker unable to resist the comedic inertia.

But that's not happening.

Honestly, you guys should be glad you lasted this long.

>>43288116
We could just straight up leave town and never come back. Very simple solution.

>>43288252
Nah, that's boring for both of us. Right now what we need is a distraction.

>>43288109
By being a bootlicking pussy? Nah, fuck this guy.

>>43288278
Howso?
We basically got a crash course in running a gang. Pick another name, another costume, some plastic surgery and set up another gig in another city. Be fun for us.

>>43288294
May dislike the joker, but the man does deserve some modicem of respect, he is old school that way.

>>43288278
Bombhand. I think it's the only thing we got on us that we can reach before he can yank the trigger.

But guys, why doesn't The Joker just shoot the Joker?


In all seriousness though, preen his ego, get him talking about this great gag he pulled on us and Gotham. Then we can give him a hand.

>>43288294
No, I'm saying just living and going somewhere else isn't really good enough. That doens't make a very good story.

>>43288116

"We could just straight up leave town and never come back. Very simple solution."

"And it was never an option" says the Joker.

"No, it wasn't." says Batman as he steps out of the shadows. "You made sure of that."

>>43288363
The trick is, you need to give him a chance to talk about how great he is, without making us seem boring so he just shoots us.

Could definately crack a suicide joke in there somewhere Im sure.

>>43288116
One thing we could do is talk to Batman at the end of our sentence. Not that Bats is there but it'll be enough to at least get Joker's eyes somewhere else.

>>43288419
uhhhhh

>>43288391

Duela sits on a train, somewhere in the midwest. On her lap sits a small handbag containing everything she has. She twists a silk handkerchief between her hands.

An old lady sits across from her. "Where are you coming from, miss?" says the smiling old lady.

Duela's eyes remain on her handbag. "Gotham," she says. "I came from Gotham."

The old lady looks worried. "Oh, my. I've seen the news. Gotham's been having some trouble recently, hasn't it? Is that why you're leaving?"

Duela stretches in her seat as best she can as another stabbing pain spreads through her abdomen. No doubt some lingering after effects of when he'd poisoned her. She coughs into her handkerchief. "No," says Duela. "I was just visiting. I got out before things got really bad."

"Gotham's always been bad," says the woman. "My late husband and I went there once. Terrible place, really." She offers a hand to Duela to shake. "I'm Abigail Bradley," says the old woman. Duela shakes her hand.

She traces the letters sewn into her handkerchief with her fingers- "J.D." "Julia," says Julia. She remembers the the gun to her head that drove her from the city, and the shiny silver dollar that saved her life. "Julia Dent... Not THAT Dent," smiles Julia, noticing her companion's worried look. Abigail smiles back. "I get that a lot. No, I went to Gotham to see my brother. We were both adopted, but it had been years since we'd seen one another. Our father..." Julia pauses, "Our father was a bad man," she says. "But he can't hurt us anymore. I think we both just needed to let him go."

"And did you?" asks Abigail. Julia does not respond.

Abigail drops the question. "What was his name?" she asks softly.

"What?" asks Julia, looking up again from her bag.

"Your brother. What was his name?"

"I...don't know," realizes Julia. "I never asked."

>>43288419
Ah man, timing is everything.

>>43288440
The intercom on the train interrupts the strange conversation. "Passengers, we are now arriving in Central City," says the Conductor. "Please proceed to the nearest exits."

Julia stands and smiles at the old woman. "This is my stop," she says. "It was nice to meet you, ma'am." She leaves Abigail on the train, just as she's left Duela back in Gotham, and steps off the train to a new life in Keystone City.

The next nine months of Julia's life were without serious complications- no more than those she caused for herself, at least. Julia Dent was not a good mother by any stretch, but she did try. Sometimes that counts for a lot.

>>43288391

"Batman at daytime? Honestly did not see that coming."

>>43288391
Unsurprising, but kind of wish we'd gotten Joker on the ropes before the Bat showed up. In any future quests you guys participate in, you really need to work on your teamwork.

>>43288469
That's one way to leave a legacy I guess.

>>43288469
Well fuck, we had a kid.

"I know what you did to Carter, Joker," says the Batman. He points to you. "And I know what he did to you, too."

Joker laughs.

>>43288507
Huh, I didn't think we finished in her

>>43288391
Huh.
>Lookit the other Joker
You know, you didn't tell me you were friends with Count Chocula.

>>43288488
Really we need to work on our joke material. These sessions run so long that propper synergy was never going to happen.

>>43288508
batman, how have you been good buddy?

Quest goes in the subject line.

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>>43288508


"Wait -" you try to say, but the word doesn't come out. "Well I couldn't have the kid around while I had him taking his place, now could I?" says the Joker, pointing at you.

"I came to Gotham to go to college, and-"

"BZZZZT! WRONG!" laughs the Joker. "You came to Gotham for treatment. Nothing but a blank slate, really. And boy, did you get it." He grins. "You were a real good listener, kid. That's the nice thing about catatonia. HA HA HA HA!"

"-you gave me your name," you continue.

"I gave ya a lot more than that. I just had to find you an identity while I had you hangin' around the city. Somewhere where somebody just showing up wouldn't get looked into. Nobody's going to think a new college kid is the wrong kid. I just had to get rid of the real one," he says.

"Once I traced back Brock's identity I looked into it some more," says Batman. "You didn't match any of the photographs. I did some digging, and finally found the real Brock being held outside of town. Then I found out about Arkham's 'unregistered patients'- the nameless cases with no hope for recovery. The ones they hid from the medical boards. All to save money. We had the real Brock brought here in protective custody."

"HA HA HA!" laughs the Joker. "And who do you think was doing the protecting?! You put too much faith in lawmen, Bats."

Batman continues. "I knew Agent Irons was involved with criminals, but he was doing it for the right reasons. But I also knew you were somehow involved. Once I saw the committee I knew you were on it- there was no record of a Questioner anywhere. It wasn't until you killed Brock that I realized how far your power in the Bureau went."

>>43288541
Well that took long enough.
I figured you guys had gotten bored by now.

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>>43288566

"It was never just me, Bats," Joker says. "I had people all through that investigation. They'd been snooping around town for years now; plenty of time for me to slip a few guys in. Once that Irons character stepping up and dying to start his little witchhunt- even going crying to the governor and ol' Cueball down in Washington- I figured I'd have to do something. And then I figured, why not do EVERYTHING?! Why not give fatso everything he wants and let him choke on it?"

"You wanted me to think you died that night so you could slip out of town," says Batman.

"I needed a vacation," says the Joker plainly, straightening his lapels. "Besides, the Questioner had to be in Central City to receive his invitation."

"But you've been coming after me before all this?!" you shout. "The entire time! You sent Calendar Man after me! You fed Duela information so we'd fight! Why?"

"Hey, Calendar Man did it on his own. I... may have tipped him off, though," says Joker. "Gotta hand it to him, Day can do good work when he puts his mind to it. He seemed awfully upset when I told him you were celebrating Halloween without him. Poor guy never gets invited to any parties. And as for the 'Joker's Not-Her,' well, I needed things to escalate. Same reason I had Karlo kill the girl. See, I just didn't want you getting complacent. You could've hunkered down and tried playing Godfather, and I needed you out making enough of a mess for Irons to get his wish granted. " Joker grins. "I'm a regular Fairy Godmother."

"You were the one who ordered Holly be killed?" you ask. "Why? She was your henchman."

He laughs. "So? You don't think I left all my henchmen with you, do you? I gave you the ones I didn't want any more. They were all just hand-me-downs, kid. I figured the girl would give you puppy dog eyes until you two started doin' the horizontal tango. Then I'd have an easy switch to flip when I needed to sic you on someone.

>>43288508

Who shot who with the what now Batsy?

>>43288508
"Oh, neat. Story time? I do love watching Holmes crack the case."

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>>43288602

The big one was always trying to buddy up to the rest of the help, the accountant was annoying, the men were getting too comfortable under the young guy, the two big twins were just.... yeeech. Weird. And I just didn't like the fat kid." He smiles. "And poor little One-Eye. I liked her, but she just didn't have her heart in things anymore." He sighs wistfully. "I guess she got into a routine. I liked her back when she was having 'episodes.'"

"And YOU just let him do it!" you shout at Batman.

The Joker laughs again. "Yeah, Bats. You just let me do it. And you wanna know why? It's because he knows you ain't the only one, kid. You were just one of the prototypes. But now, I got people like you all over. And any time I want, I can snap my finger and let them loose all over this town. It's just all a matter of playing to the psychoses."

"That's why you were able to manipulate Duela- her whole identity thing. The theatrics, and the comic book delusions..." you realize. "...What about me?"

"Best I can figure it, kid, you just do what your told," he says, tapping a finger to the side of his head. "By ANYBODY, even if they ain't SOMEBODY, understand? Never did work out that little bug. Ah well, plenty more where you came from. HA HA HA HA HA!"

"See, the problem with you?" says the Joker...

"...is that you just ain't that funny, kid." He pulls the trigger.

Fucking great. Hand me downs, so from the previous guy before you to have this mugshot.

>>43288602
I mean what, was this not obvious from last thread?

If anything it's a bit of a let down.

>>43288602
>You could've hunkered down and tried playing Godfather
i would have won the election you know, playing godfather for a bit is worth it for a punchline like that

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>>43288659

bang

>>43288602
Bomb him. If we gotta go with'm, fine. But no. Motherfucker ain't getting away. Not...no. Not if he's the one that had that done to Holly.

In her. Goddamn. ROOM. The ONE PLACE she felt safe. YOU. SHIT.

>>43288659
"You say that, but i still got a laugh out of the bat when you didnt. Ha, ha ha."

.....motherfucker Bioshocked us. Now that's not funny at all

>>43288659
He's not wrong, you guys aren't very good at funny.

Of course, neither is the Joker himself like... 70% of the time, but you know, whatever.

Honestly though the twist is predictable enough that I'd hope our guy is just pretending to be shocked. The QM pretty much gave the game away last thread.

>>43288701

You see the Batman tackling the Joker. For a moment you think he might have missed.

Then a trickle of hot blood trickles into your eyes, blinding you to the outside world. Time seems to slow for you, as you feel the twisted white-hot metal slug tear into your brain. Memories are shredded and seared away, as you fall to the ground on the concrete floor.

"What about the others?" you think to yourself. Worried about your friends, even to the last.

Dwayne and Karen would finally get together, and out of this business. Dwayne has suffered for anything he's done many times over, and Spike needs someone to keep him on track. The two of them deserve some peace. Perhaps they'd move out of Gotham, and out into the country, into a nice big house with a big yard for grandchildren.

And Spike? With his brains, he could do anything he wanted. He might end up wealthy from some shrewd tech dealings. Who knows? He might even meet that girl he likes. Of course they wouldn't get together- the real world doesn't work like that. But she might drive him to use his past experiences to go into law enforcement so no one else has to suffer. Having been on both sides of things, he'd have a special kind of insight into how criminals work.

Knock was hurt- badly. You know that. But he's strong; too strong to let anything keep him down. He'd never fight again, of course, but maybe that's for the best. He was always a leader, not a soldier. That's why he'd find himself drawn to religion. Whether he believed or not wouldn't matter- and you suspected that would be something he'd wrestle with for the rest of his life- Knock would help his boys in a different way. He'd live the rest of his life in pain, but every young man in his town would know that they could always turn to the scarred priest if they were in trouble.

>>43288602
"Huh, guess you don't know me after all."

>>43288760
Coal might be able to take back her position at the university, even if she did hate it. Then again, she's now an expert in supercriminal toxins in Gotham. She might be able to go back into law enforcement or even government work, if she were under observation. With the Joker back in town, somebody would looking for a way to neutralize his chemical weapons. You wondered though- what would make her happy? You didn't know. She'd always seemed so inscrutable. Her only concern had seemed to be the freedom to do what she wanted scientifically, and your safety. What if she'd been telling the truth the other night? If so, you had no question that someone, SOMEWHERE would be able to cure her. Whether she'd ever find happiness, though... You really couldn't hope to guess.

It had surprised you how Nightjar had taken to the twins, like a mother duck with two enormous ducklings. Too attached to keep putting them in harm's way. In some small way, you think they might've been what she'd needed- some kind of human attachment beyond the treadmill of greed she'd set herself on for all those years. She was still Penguin's girl, of course, and she'd still work for him. But with Penguin's increasing desires to go straight, you suspected she'd have ample opportunity to change her focus to more non-criminal activities. And that's how she'd live- comfortably well-off with two adopted sons. Never as rich as she could have been, and her social status might be tarnished by silent derision for the invalids she kept- but then, she'd never really needed those things anyway.

>>43288760
And this is why you guys need to be faster on the uptake and better with the jokes. Now we get the faux-drama.

>>43288784

And Dottie... She'd always been your favorite. Beautiful, talented Dottie, with too many scars to count- scars every kind. She'd told you once that she'd never get out of gangs, and go start a life somewhere as a waitress, but maybe that's exactly what she'd do now. Long days and hard nights of hard work for little money, all working her way up towards what she'd always wanted- she wanted to be a star.

She was good with makeup; she'd probably be able to conceal the scars of her old life easily. Her mismatched eyes would give her a striking sort of character. Dottie was a different kind of beauty; she'd never find her way as a traditional celebrity. But stage? Were she to find her way there, you think, then that's somewhere she'd have a chance to thrive.

She'd never have to worry about not getting too close to others- a curtain would always separate them. Could she sing? You'd never known. Years of having her voice rasped by heavy smoking could have taken her singing voice from her, or it could have shaped it into something rough and husky. You'll never know, now.

But either way, after years of suffering in gangs, always half a step away from death and always ready to take it, Dottie might have a chance at what she wanted. You try to imagine seeing her name on a small poster pasted up by some local theater.

>>43288813

You lose the thought, though, as the bullet hits the back of your skull. The bullet ricochets off the rear of your cranial cavity and tears another trail through your brain, shredding what brain matter is left. Your vision is gone completely, and your hearing has gone too, save for a ringing in your ears. Your entire body is numb and in a cold sweat. You think you might have thrown up. At least you know your friends will be safe, though, even if the Joker had said he wanted to be rid of them.

Dwayne will not be dragged from his car on the way to Karen's by a crew of Joker's men, his bones broken as he's stuffed into a trunk far too small for him. You're sure his size would be enough to protect him from something like that, no matter how many men they had. Though you had to admit, Holly's stun gun had stopped him, though it hadn't knocked him down. More than one, though...

But no. The car wouldn't take him down to the docks where he'd once worked. He wouldn't be dragged, bloody, bruised, and broken into a shipping container and dropped into the bay. As the metal container sinks to the bottom of the river and the air belches out of the pitch-black interior, the container would quickly fill with water, leaving the broken man to float painfully to what small air pocket still remains. He wouldn't be able to keep himself above water for long, though. He'd sputter for breath but take in gulps of water instead until he'd finally black out and die. Alone, in the dark, at the bottom of the river. If that happened, of course. And it wouldn't.

>>43288684
Yup.

This is allot of mental spiel for a deadman.

>>43288835

Spike's mother would never open the door to a crew of clown-faced thugs, her face bashed in by a bat as they drag her into the living room and pulverize her. Karen wouldn't curl up, scream, and as they shattered her bones and beat her to a bloody pulp. If it did happen, you imagine some of the men would go upstairs to find Spike before he could come to his mother's aid- at least he wouldn't see her in that state. The laughing men would open his gut from pelvis to sternum and string his intestines down the stairs. They'd leave his stomach in the kitchen to taunt him. I mean, if that happened, of course. But it won't.

Nobody could hurt Knock worse than he'd already been. You take solace in that. And you're glad nobody would ever try. No one would enter his hospital room dressed as a nurse and undo the stitches that held his amputated extremities. No one would ever decide to do one step better, clipping fingers from hands, the nose from his face, plucking eyes from the sockets- even going so far as to remove organs. Every part would not be carefully placed into its own pile. You thank god that that wouldn't happen.

>>43288845
It's meant to be dramatic. But I don't think the audience is into it.

Is this the QM's first time doing a quest? It's an okay start I guess, but definite room for improvement.

>>43288856
Coal would not be dragged through the chemical plant. If she were, you know she wouldn't kick, scream, or even fight- she'd remain stoic to the end. Not even when they removed the lid from the (purely hypothetical) barrel of chemicals would she struggle. She'd hold her head high and proud in defiance. Only when they pushed her head into the (again, completely hypothetical) green liquid would she react, kicking and bucking as the chemicals hiss and bubble.

A high-pitched noise might be heard from beneath the liquid- something that might be a scream were it done beneath liquid. If someone were to scream underwater, though, you know that their lungs would probably fill with water. And in some kind of acid...? You don't want to think about the results. And you don't have to, of course, because it wouldn't happen. Those men wouldn't leave the remains of a middle aged woman hanging like a damp rag out of the barrel as the chemicals start eating into the floor. And when the chemicals have eaten her, what is left won't fall like meat to the concrete floor. Because there are no chemicals, and there is no barrel, and there are no men.

>>43288867
I'm kinda bored with it all, honestly.

>>43288867
I'm curious to see where it goes, at least.

Im enjoying it op. Keep going

We get it. Everything that was worked for gets burned to the ground cause Joker wins.

>>43288884

Nightjar wasn't yours- not technically, anyway. But she was associated with you, and she was seen with you. Still, that would be no reason to think that Joker's men would ambush her and slice open her cheek in a half Glasgow smile, forever marking her as being half the Joker's property. She wouldn't be shunned by her peers in the gang as a possible traitor, or her peers in society for her deformity. She would never be exposed as being tied to crime, and ruined financially- and you're glad.

You're also glad that she won't, after years of living in fear of the night the Joker returns to claim the other half of his property, put a gun in her mouth and cover the wall of the low-rent motel she is forced to live in with her brains. Housekeeping won't find her dead the next day, her black hair matted with blood and brain, a black bloodstain around her on the cheap carpet. And you're especially glad that she won't die as just another poverty stricken woman, without even enough assets to afford burial and no one to claim her. She wouldn't have her body cremated and added to another mass grave outside of town, leaving only a name in a town ledger. Yes, you're very glad that won't happen.

>>43288890
Same. The QM is leaving everything up in the air.

>>43288913

She'll be taking care of the twins, and they'll all be very happy. The twins won't be led away in a car by a couple of men, and told to sit in the back seat. Good thing, too, because they'd probably listen. Even though they might think something is wrong, like children, they wouldn't be able understand just what. The men wouldn't drive them to a spot outside of town and tell them to get out, before having them walk out into the woods. The two huge childlike men would not take cautious steps into the dark woods, afraid of the darkness and afraid of the strange men, whimpering softly to themselves.

Each would not take each others' hands to offer comfort to his brother and assure himself his brother is still there... just before gunfire from the mens' machineguns rip through the twins. They'd fall in a heap on the forest floor as the men drive off, not even bothering to bury them. They'd be left for animals to pick at. A hiker might find an oversized thumb or hand a few days later, but after a police search, they'd only find enough parts to assume there was only ever one of them. I mean, they would if that happened. But again, it WON'T. You're sure of that.

>>43288884
>pushed her head into the (again, completely hypothetical)
>hypothetical
When you start to use this word OP, you're starting to lose me.
Are you trying to emulate Church's "death" and sayings at the end of the Last RvB season?

>>43288890
Eh, it kind of seems like punishing the players for a lack of investment, only you can't really penalize someone for not caring enough.

>>43288926
Is he though?

>>43288952

And Dottie... Dottie wouldn't have to go down fighting. No matter how big the group was, you know she would be able to take some of them down, but in the end- she's only human. She would tire eventually, and they would have her, holding her down as she snarls and bites and spits like a rabid animal. With a knife- her knife- they'd open her throat, even as she still tries to kick and claw her way free.

The ragged gash in her throat would pour bright red blood down the front of her shirt, and down into her lungs. Wordless panting and wheezing is all she'd be able to muster. Whether she'd drown in her own blood, suffocate from lack of oxygen, or simply bleed out, you can't imagine. No matter what, though, she'd take far too long to die. Not a graceful death, a courageous one, or a tragic one. Just an animal being put down.

No, you think. None of that will happen. You like your other ideas much better. All those horrible things... You just don't think they would be funny at all.

The thoughts leave you as the Joker's low velocity bullet finishes its job- your brain is rent into nothing more than a few gory chunks.

You smile a final smile, but you can't remember why. Then every thought leaves you.

You slip out of consciousness for a final time.

Batman and the Joker would fight, just like they always have. And Batman would win, just like he always does. And as always, the Joker would eventually get away and return to do it all again. And then, some time later, the cycle would repeat again.

And in an old cave beneath a mansion, a handsome square-jawed man would put some final notes on a case file, and close it for the last time. His job for the night complete, he would leave the cave in the darkness, and step into the morning light.

And no one would ever think of you again.

>End of Midnight in Gotham

>>43288986
Honestly kind of glad I didn't really participate in this quest until now.

>>43288986
Not gonna lie that ending was kinda shitty, but I stuck it out. Thanks for the trip boss

>>43288986
You're pretty good.

>>43288986
So, then. You said there was stuff you wanted to over once it was all done?

>>43288974
He has handed us two sets of thoughts. Pick your own ending. In true joker style.

>>43289032
Kind of, but one seems a lot more likely than the other, doesn't it?

I enjoyed the ride, dunno what else to say.

Well done QM, and thanks.

>>43288986
Neat. I especially liked the part where there was no other way it could end. Or how the final moments are completely uninteractive. Or how we're apparently not even the hero of our own story.

>>43288986
ok now time to tell us the path to the good ending and make us feel stupid.

>>43289032
Eh, my gripe is that we're not in any of it. And that's kinda disappointing, given how much we've worked for it, there's never a happy ending in Gotham. It's sad, as I go to quest to be happy, and this one was the opposite.

But hey, it finished, so there's that.

>>43289052
Honestly? I feel like it went into prescripted cutscene mode the second it had our guy react with shock and horror at learning the twist, as opposed to being amused/bored/leveraging it to at least leave the Joker a scar to remember us by.

>>43289066
Yeah. Ending is a bit ehhhh, but the ride itself? Fun as all hell. Overall, glad it happened.

'sides. What's a comic if you don't ignore the parts you don't like?

>>43289103
Dude, we're a villain, of course we don't get a happy ending. I just hoped it would have been a twist behind the twist.

>>43288986
Wait a minute, so we never used our bomb-arm?

Also, either OP is doing another post, or he's gone.

I wonder how you feel right now OP?

>>43289130
Your favorite comic?

>>43289069

that was the good ending

Everything up until the last 2 scenes it at least felt like we were doing something, like if we did things right, we could escape the fate ascribed to us for having Joker's mantle conferred on us. But once we got to those last 2 scenes, it all got thrown out the window it felt like. None of it mattered.

Good ride, just those last bumps are a pain.

>>43289216
Oh, the storm is about to begin.

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>>43288986
I didnt want a happy ending...
but i also didnt want the "go out like a little bitch" ending either...

7/10
I want a reboot

>>43289158
We never came up with a plan to use it. I think the time limit was until Batman showed up.

Like I've been pretty critical of the QM, but you guys bear a decent amount of the blame for never really coming up with any plans, working together, or being funny. But I feel like at least a small part of that is due to ultra-long run times and no structure, but still.

>>43289216
Ha. But was the worse ending funnier?

>>43289216
Was the bad ending we live and watch everyone else die?

>>43289224
This

>>43289234
Just wait a few months. Reboots all the times in comics, baby.

>>43289234
Yeah I'm cool with the Joker killing us, I wish that we just made him work for it.

Like got into a knife fight with him and lost, that'd be something at least.

>>43289224
Basically

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>>43289216
>that was the good ending
>mfw
really guy
was there nothing we could do

>>43289304
Apparently the correct answer was always "be a pussy"

>>43289234
Honestly the twist that I was hoping for was that it'd turn out that Joker picked the wrong comatose guy, and we were part of someone else's plan like the League of Assassins or Court of Owls. Still ending up with us dead, but just seeing the look on Joker's face before we died would have been worth it.

>>43289245
>>43289304

the bad end was if you didn't get raped

>>43289380
...............

>>43289380
...how?

>>43289404
>>43289401

no babby

>>43289380
Ah. Leaves something behind. Interesting.

>>43289380
Ah, so Duela was the only wild card whose fate really was up in the air.

By getting knocked up and sent out of town, we helped her become... if not a 'good' person, at least an 'acceptable' one.

I mean, I guess that's technically better than nothing.

>>43289428
...Are you fucking with us here? I'm not sure if you're really the QM or someone who cracked his trip at this point.

>>43289278
I know right.
Red got to go out like a pimp.
That's what i want, to die like a boss, even if the point of the story is that we were just a small cog in the big machine that was Gotham, I still want to have the satisfaction of going out with some dignity.
But hey what can you do.
apparently fucking nothing

>>43289513
>>43289513
I feel like we should've survived somehow and had this grand revelation. Then laugh.

Then laugh a bit harder.

>>43289513

For serious. It's not the dying that upsets me. It's that we died no flair and that there didn't seem to be any way of avoiding it.

>>43289473
you might have helped all your friends. she's just the only one whose fate was set in stone.

and harvey did that. everyone else fought to bring her back

>>43289513
>But hey what can you do.
>apparently fucking nothing

bingo


>>43289506
no? why would I be? you had a child that was raised by a woman who, while unstable, was willing to support it to the best of her ability

>>43289568
Agreed.

>>43289585
Plans on QMing in the future? Like the ending rubbed me the wrong way, but it isn't the worst I've ever seen.

What would you say you've learned from the experience?

>>43289568
Mh. I'll third.

Still...it's not nearly enough to ruin the whole of the experience for me.

>>43289585
Well OP, tell me how you feel.

>>43289658
Hurry and answer this guy before I run off and try and forget about this as much as I can and run off to Shoggy. And while there are deaths in his writefaggotry, at least those deaths FEEL fulfilling and that they mean something.

>>43289636

I made the first thread as a joke out of the worst idea i could come up with (joker has protegee)

people got real mad over it for some reason, and all I had to do was write these threads. so I kept making them. I just wrote whatever I wanted pretty much. some people liked them too so that was ok too

like, I was checking the archives for an image somebody did of a character, and apparently all of the quest threads bitched people out for talking about this quest. which imo is pretty fucked up.
My trip is GothamQM#ysosrs
Go hog wild with retcons.
That's what comic books do
>>43289658
about?

>>43289824
>I made the first thread as a joke out of the worst idea i could come up with (joker has protegee)

to elaborate: i then had to come up with an actual reason why he would do something so out of character

>>43289824
Now I'm dead certain you aren't OP. At least that guy took some pride in his writing.

>>43289824
Ok, I laughed.

Bravo, mate. Thanks for the ride, even if the ending wasn't to taste, the ride was a good one.

Have a good one.

>>43289824
Well, that may be the most novel reason to QM I've heard, and the fact that you've got at least a handful of people following you the whole time shows you've got some writing chops, though unpolished.

Just... if you do QM again, I'd like to see what you can do with the goal of having people enjoy themselves.

So a Question for everyone here.
If this was an actual story in an official comic, would i improve the ending?
I feel like if i wasn't so connected to Brock and I was just reading about him, i wouldn't be so damn salty and would like the ending alot more.

>>43289894

I can be proud of something and have started it as a joke too.

>>43289928
That's. Perfectly possible.

>>43289928
Eh, I wouldn't mind losing to the Joker if he at least proved why he was better beyond drawing his gun first and having seniority.

Like I don't know, I feel like the absolute best case scenario for a happy ending was Arkham.

>>43289928
Maybe, the thing with quests over story is reader investment into the story by dictating character actions and reactions. When reading about something already made, you enjoy the product. When contributing to something being made, the ties you form to the character are much deeper.

>>43289969
Are you proud of it OP?

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>>43289982
he also built your brain tbh

>>43289928

Not really, everyone getting blown to hell around Joker and Batman has been done to death for me. And I say this as staunch fan of both characters.

>>43289982
Batman did feel a little...limp, there, too. Joker had the gun on us, what, like 4 minutes? And even tackling him didn't take his aim off. Didn't feel right. Think'o all the bullshit he's pulled before, it feels like it shoulda gone in our shoulder or something, at least.

Either way, I'm happy about the two possible endings. While I'd favor just the one, having both is better then just bad end all day. After all, if little sister got away, and she was even more apart of this then anyone else, why couldn't the others?

>>43290052
Yes. It did what it was supposed to do.

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>>43290057
I'M SO SALTY RIGHT NOW
but really man thanks for doing this, your amazing and you should do it again if you got the time. have any ideals?

>>43290101
Which was?

>>43290176
make people react.

>>43290165
probably not but if other people did something batmanny i would read it

somebody suggested a batman beyond continuation of this, so since ive given out my trip they can do it themselves

Guys, what if our whole 'death thoughts' were us overanalyzing things like Duela did? Like, we thought we were supposed to die there, and so our messed-up brain told us we did die. We could be shot on the shoulder or chest, but our brain thinks 'nonono, THIS is the way it's supposed to be' and 'corrects' it to having our brain pulped.
We could be comatose in Arkham.

I just felt the ending is a bit forced, and didn't really show what's really happening. But otherwise, I thoroughly enjoy the quest.

>>43290266
How did you want them to react?