Chapter 169 - My OC Stash #69 - But Doctor, I Am Pagliacci by Acyl (DCU) (1/2)
-Recommended by Denzel_theking & chiller~ It's quite an interesting fic with a level-headed Joker trying to figure out the mystery of Batman not existing at all. But then big twist, we have this more sane Joker becoming this world's Batman, check it out!
(″ロ゛)
Sypnosis: Jack Napier, a.k.a. the Joker. After years of madness, he's finally sane. But there's something wrong. Something's not right. According to his psychiatrist, there's no Bat. Nobody in Gotham City has heard of a superhero named Batman. The Justice League doesn't have a guy who dresses like a bat.
And that's wrong. That can't be. Because if there's one thing that Jack knows, it's that there can't be a Joker without a Batman.
Rated: T
Words 100K
Posted on: forums.spacebattles.com/threads/but-doctor-i-am-pagliacci-dc-joker-au.808805/#post-63241049 (Acyl)
PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)
-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)
Chapter 1+2 (exceptional)
”That can't be,” Jack whispered.
The doctor looked at him. Her expression was sympathetic. Empathetic. Jack was getting vaguely sick of seeing that expression on people's faces. He understood why, of course. But it didn't make things any better.
”Forced visual hallucinations aren't unheard of,” the doctor murmured. ”And I guess you could have seen some kind of figure that… ”
As she spoke, the doctor spun her pen between her fingers. The ballpoint moved back and forth, the blue plastic contrasting with the red of her nail polish. Jack had noticed the nervous tic. It was one of Doc Quinzel's many tells.
Perhaps it was wrong of him to expect a psychiatric professional to have better control over her own body language. She was a doctor, not a machine. Whatever the case, Quinzel was an expressive woman. It was easy for Jack to read her mood. He knew what she was thinking.
”Look,” Jack tried again, leaning forward slightly in his chair. ”Sure, you think I'm crazy. Because, yeah, I was. Crazy. Totally cray-cray. But I'm not making this up, okay? Batman, you know? Superhero? Guy in a bat outfit with pointy ears? The Dark Knight? Protector of Gotham City? Am I ringing any bells here?”
”Well,” Quinzel said, carefully, ”there is a guy with a knight theme. Maybe you're thinking of Azrael?”
Jack made a face. Then he covered his face with one hand.
”No,” Jack stated, flatly.
”I don't know what to tell you, Jack,” Quinzel said, shrugging her shoulders. ”The local superheroes are the Creeper and Ragman. I've never heard of this Batman, or anyone called Robin.”
Jack sighed. ”No offence, doc, but unless you really follow the cape-and-tights set, is there maybe, just possibly, a chance that you haven't heard of Batman because… ”
Quinzel bit her lip. She tapped her ballpoint pen against her notepad, the nib moving aimlessly across the paper. At least, it didn't seem to Jack like she was actually writing something.
Finally, Quinzel spoke again. ”I'm accredited with the Justice League.”
Jack blinked. ”What?”
”The Justice League has a programme that… it's not important,” Quinzel said. ”The point is that I did check the League's database. There isn't anyone on their public roster that fits your description.”
Jack thought quickly, his mind going over what the doctor had said. ”Public roster. Key word, 'public'. The Bat doesn't exactly do high profile. What if… ”
Quinzel closed her eyes for a second, her brow furrowing. ”That's possible, I suppose. But, Jack, there's nothing in your case file that talks about a… Batman. That is the kind of thing which is included in, ah, supervillain case doc_u_mentation. They want us to know who to call in case of an emergency, if nothing else.”
Jack inhaled, sharply. He held his breath, counted slowly in his head, then exhaled in a rush. There was no point in getting angry. He wouldn't gain anything from losing his temper. Doc Quinzel was trying to help. She wasn't his enemy.
No. The Batman was.
Except… if she was right, the Batman didn't exist.
”There was that time,” Jack said, ”I took over damn near every radio in Gotham City. Had one hell of a transmitter, pumped a ton of power. Taunted the cops. Then Batman stopped me. Unless you're telling me that never happened, and I imagined the whole thing.”
”That happened,” Quinzel replied, reaching for the thick binder on her desk, before stopping herself, and letting her hand fall. ”I wasn't at Arkham then, but it was another, er, criminal that turned you over to the police. Brute Nelson.”
Jack frowned. ”Nelson? No, I… ”
”That's what I read,” Quinzel said, almost apologetically.
Jack shook his head. ”Alright. Fine. Then there was the time I went to New York and tried to… ”
He winced. He didn't like dredging up the memories. But he also couldn't run away from everything he'd done.
He forced himself to finish the statement. ”Tried to gas the entire UN General Assembly. Because I fancied myself a terrorist, or something. Then Batman and Superman arrived, and… ”
”Superman did,” Quinzel interrupted, quietly. ”Just Superman.”
Jack started to protest. But the words died in his throat.
”The whole incident was televised,” Quinzel continued. ”It was the UN building, and they were in session. Superman came in, and, well… ”
Jack clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his palms.
”The fish,” he said, desperately.
Quinzel's eyebrows went up. ”I'm sorry? Excuse me?”
”The Joker Fish,” Jack clarified. He suppressed the urge to groan at his own insanity, and carried on. ”I injected fish with… mutated them to, er, look all… ”
He lifted a hand to his face, and mimed an exaggerated smile with two fingers.
”Oh, yes,” Quinzel said. ”The fish incident, yes.”
”Right,” Jack muttered.
He wasn't really smiling, of course. No, the expression on his face was a scowl, by now.
”I guess,” Jack said, ”you're gonna tell me that Batman didn't save the day? Batman didn't turn up to foil my evil seafood plot? Who was it, then? Aquaman?”
This time, Quinzel did open her binder, leafing through the pages. It took her a few moments to find what she was looking for.