She will never speak to them, she will never look at them with anything but loathing, she will never forgive them. She will punish them; she will finish them.
Beggar Maid  /  Alice Monroe

☠︎︎

What would you do with a second chance?

The answer should be simple– Whatever greatest regret weighs on the shoulders, usually is the first to go: spending more time with an ill loved-one, marrying that girl, hitting the brakes quicker. We'd all like to convince ourselves that for the chance at a clean slate, a new beginning, we'd be better, less-selfish versions of ourselves. That, surely, the worsts of mankind wouldn't exist if we all had a do-over.

Now let me ask you a different question– what would you do for a second chance?

Be honest now:
Would you be good? Would you bow your head, and pray for forgiveness? Beg for it, perhaps? Is there anything you wouldn't do to, just to wipe the blood from your hands, erase all the mistakes you've made? Or would you be satisfied to let everything die the way it did?

Would you be okay with all that rot?

For people like Alice Yamada and Bruce Wayne, these kinds of questions hold no validity. The worth of a second chance is akin to a façade, a shitty promise for a world less painful, because the truth of it all is exactly this– second chances don't exist. If you aren't convinced this notion is true, then ask them what they think. Ask the boy orphaned in the cold darkness of an alley, or the girl with the slaughtered mother, if they still truly believe in hope. Because for people like Alice or Bruce, the luxury of wishes expired the moment knife and bullet split flesh, and ended their entire worlds. Second chances don't exist purely because, no matter how much you pray or how much you fight, the dead stay dead– so what's the point of getting down on your knees if you're never going to repent.

Even now, two decades later, Gotham is still plagued by the ruination of a second chance. The only difference between then and now, is how brightly Alice Yamada's hatred burns at the heart of the city. After all, fifteen years of pure rage and having nowhere to put it, is enough to make you hunger for terrible things. In the same way Bruce Wayne falls upon his own loneliness and becomes something he is not, Alice loses herself to the bitter taste of bloodlust.

Not so surprisingly, it's not the first time someone has been swayed to hunt the city streets at night. In the same bated breath that the criminals of the underground speak the Batman's name– the Ghost of Gotham is born.

The questions remain still: to those who think they can outrun the fear– outrun her– let me ask you:
When Vengeance and Retribution come for you, what do think your chances will be?

Karen Fukuhara / ALICE YAMADA
SILENT RETRIBUTION

Robert Pattinson / BRUCE WAYNE
DARK VENGEANCE

Ken Watanabe / ICHIRO YAMADA

As Described / YUKO YAMADA

Yuri Tsunematsu / JANE ITO

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Andy Serkis / ALFRED PENNYWORTH

Zoë Kravitz / SELINA KYLE

Manny Jacinto / ABEL ALACANTARA

Jeffery Wright / JAMES GORDON

Colin Farrell / OSWALD COBBLEPOT

??? / THE RIDDLER

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BLOODSPORT
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Disclaimer. The rights of The Batman (2022) do not belong to me, but instead to the producers of the movie, and the creators of Batma. I only take credit for Alice Yamada/The Ghost of Gotham, and her associated plot line.

Warning. A fair warning to all readers that this fic may contain material that may be disturbing or hard to read, such as death, blood, violence, drug use, allusions to mental illness and sexual content, and toxic familial relationships.

Dedications + Tags. potter_spellbook sukibenders gryzons sirensriot goldenveils xx_bmrxx_

Author's Note. ⚖️    Welcome to my newest hyper-fixation, and you guessed it, it once again includes Robert Pattinson. I know absolutely nothing about DC, but BEST believe I am consuming DC media left and right ever since I got hooked on this movie. Once I get my hands on some of the comics and actually educate myself ITS OVER FOR YOU HOES

⚖️   But no for real, this is probably the hardest I've worked on a character and aesthetic in a very long time. Alice Yamada, my one true love, my blood-stained girlie who really can do no wrong. I am in love with every aspect of Alice's character and her complexity, as well as her relationship with Bruce– especially considering Alice works for Bruce as a housekeeper/personal assistant. I won't go too heavy into it, but I'm fully imagining an acquaintances/friends-to-lovers/mutual pining moment (maybe a bit they fighting as alter-aliases in the streets for some tension 👀) total "I totally have no idea where these bruises came from but I'll patch up yours" moment 🫠🫠 I MEAN

⚖️    As far at the plot of this movie goes, some aspects will be changed to better fit Alice and her story, but it will still have the same murder-mystery aspect. Additionally, Alice is mute! I obviously took this trait from Karen Fukuhara's character Kimiko from The Boys, but I felt it fit the character I was designing so well that I had to steal it. She has been mute for most of her life, and will being using a lot of sign language within this fic. That being said, because this is a relatively sensitive topic, and not many characters with disabilities are in main stream media, specifically those who are hard of hearing or have muteness. I will try my very best to write Alice's character and her ailment to the best of my ability, but I am always open to suggestions and advice! (meaning, any advice on how not to write "she signed" over and over again within this book 🙏🏻)

⚖️    Like I said, most of Alice's character inspo comes from Kimiko Miyashiro from The Boys, however, I have also based her character somewhat of Inej Ghafa from Six of Crows (the Ghost/Wraith aspect of her alter-persona), as well as concepts from Alice in Wonderland, specifically the original movie and book.