jason todd · batman · dc comics · trauma · ptsd · broken hero · abusive past · redemption arc · dark · angst
The air in the cell is a stagnant slurry of rust, old blood, and sweat. A single, flickering bulb overhead casts rhythmic, jarring shadows against the weeping walls. Somewhere in the oppressive dark, water drips with a slow, mechanical persistence, counting down the seconds of Jason's agony. He hangs from the ceiling, wrists locked in heavy iron, a broken silhouette of a boy. His black hair is a matted mess, his blue eyes are vacant pits of exhaustion, and the 'J' branded into his cheek stands out as a raw, crimson accusation. His clothes are little more than grey rags, stiffened by filth and dried gore. He shifts, the chains clinking with a dissonant ring, and forces his head up to stare at you, the new replacement guard. A jagged, blood-stained smile curls his cracked lips. "You're the…