Fanfic / The Gotham City Society of Fireproof Women

The Gotham City Society of Fireproof Women is an 12-part DCU fanfic written by GeneralIrritation, centered primarily around Batman, Cassandra Cain, and the rest of the Bat-Family.

• The Undying: Three years after a traumatic event that caused Batman to hang up the cowl, Bruce Wayne is drawn into a conspiracy threatening to rock Gotham to its very core.

• "The Quick Brown Fox": The Batfamily's introduction to an intriguing young woman calling herself "Orphan."

• "Through the Pink Door": One of Kate Kane's misadventures with the Justice League Dark.

• "Altmanesque": The wedding of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle.

• A Faulty Sword: An ancient goddess' plan stirs as new enemies are brought into the fold. Will Cassandra Cain's search for redemption destroy her? Is Tim Drake a worthy successor to the title of Robin? And what the hell is going on with Kate Kane and Wonder Woman?

• "Send-Off": Kate confesses a few things to her ex.

• "The Lonesome Crowded West": One of Tim Drake's last missions as Robin, featuring Young Justice crashing Roulette's underground fight club.

• "Fall Classic": Stephanie Brown goes through the most traumatic event of her life, as the Age of Supervillainy in Gotham comes to an end.

• Motherland: The Grand Finale. Fourteen years in the future, an old enemy returns as Cassandra Cain ascends to the title of The Dark Knight. And Bruce Wayne must grapple with what happens when his eternal war on crime finally ends.

• When I Paint My Masterpiece: The first epilogue. On a mission to find Crazy Jane of the Doom Patrol, Barbara Gordon runs into Lady Shiva and has a talk about motherhood.

• World's Okayest: An interquel set after "Send-Off" featuring a team-up between Cass and Superman.

• The City of Motherfuckerly Love: The second epilogue. Bruce and Cassandra work together to catch a time-traveling serial killer.

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This fanfic provides examples of the following tropes:

• Accidental Murder: Twofold in Fall Classic. Cluemaster, fully expecting Batman to stop his bomb, can only watch in horror as it kills over sixty thousand people. Stephanie, in an understandable fit of rage, hangs him over a rooftop, but is unable to pull him back up once she regains her senses and he falls to his death.
• Actual Pacifist: After his Heel–Face Turn Jason refuses to get involved in any "cape shit," partially just to spite Bruce.
  "I... will never... harm another person as long as I live. I won’t even clench my fist in anger. Time is not gonna heal these wounds. I won’t get roped into this fucked up little family you have for yourself. And I damn sure won’t go supervillain to stop you. I won’t give you the satisfaction of punching your greatest failure in the face, and I won’t give you the relief of hating yourself for doing it. Because I know you, Bruce. I know you’re only really happy when you make yourself feel like shit."
• Adaptational Deviation:
  • Instead of being resurrected, Jason Todd was reconstructed with all of his memories by the Goddess Harmonia using Fifth Dimensional energy.
  • Similarly, while Damien Wayne was never born here, Harmonia "distilled the worst parts of the worst Damian Waynes from across the multiverse into one body" aged up into his prime.
• Adaptational Origin Connection:
  • Stephanie Brown is an intern at Selina's security company, donning the mantle of Spoiler to become her sidekick and eventual successor.
  • Whereas her comic counterpart grew up in Arkham and only found about her mother's murder later in life, Astrid Arkham was raised by Ra's practically since birth to hate Batman for his supposed role in her death.
• Adaptational Villainy:
  • Hamilton Hill, while generally portrayed as a Corrupt Politician, is reimagined here as a supervillain seeking to kill everyone in Gotham.
  • Harmonia, an obscure Wonder Woman supporting character, is an Omnicidal Maniac.
  • Specifically created from the worst aspects of his worst selves across the multiverse, Damien Wayne is a homicidal maniac out to kill and steal the mantle of Batman.
  • Stephanie becomes a bodyguard in the criminal underworld as "Natalie Venora" after running away from Gotham. She won't kill or participate in human trafficking, but she's willing to oversee black market deals.
• Adaptational Wimp: The Court of Owls have nowhere near as much of their usual power and scope, having apparently been chased out of Gotham by Batman and reduced to spectators for Roulette's metahuman fights.
• Affirmative-Action Legacy:
  • Cassandra, a bisexual Asian-American, is chosen to be both the second Batgirl and later Bruce's successor as Batman.
  • The female Carrie Kelley is the fourth Robin.
  • Aaliyah Ramsay, an African-Arab, is the third Batgirl.
• Amicable Exes: By the time of the Grand Finale:
  • Dick and Barbara have broken up due to their differing views on Cass' competence, but still clearly care for each other and are happy for the other finding love elsewhere.
  • Tim and Harper are divorced after having a kid — not because of a big fight or scandal, they just didn't fit together anymore.
  • Cass and Conner's new roles as Black Bat and Superman respectively prevented them from continuing their relationship, but Cass mentions they try to get together once a year.
• Antagonist in Mourning: Upon learning of Aquaman's death, Black Manta was left in tears over not getting to kill his hated enemy himself.
• Anyone Can Die:
  • The entire series is kicked off by the Joker's death.
  • Clayface and Two-Face are killed by the Undying to test the brainwashed Zatanna's powers.
  • Jason breaks Scarecrow out of Arkham to create anti-fear toxin, and kills him once it's complete.
  • The Battle of Founders Island ends with the deaths of 377 civilian and 48 superhero, the most noteworthy being Aquaman, Miss Martian, Stargirl, Mary Marvel, and Beast Boy.
• Arch-Enemy: The Arkham Knight seems set to be Cassandra's Joker in the future, with plans to lead the rogues of Arkham in destroying the legacy of Batman.
  Oh, she would kill Cassandra Wayne. This much was certain. They were distorted fun-house mirror images of each other. This planet would not suffer the two of them to live at the same time. They would come into conflict again and again and again until there was one winner.
  And if it took forever, then… well… forever would be how long it took.
• Arc Villain:
  • The Undying: Talia al Ghul is the mastermind behind Hamilton Hill's resurrection and return as the eponymous supervillain, loosing him to destroy Gotham in a gambit to have Bruce finally abandon the city for her. After a thorough beating from Selina that leaves her in the realization that Bruce will never join her, Hill himself takes over as The Heavy, brainwashing Zatanna to kill the entire city in revenge for his corruption as mayor being exposed so many years ago. Black Manta acts as the third member of their Big Bad Triumvirate, a Psycho for Hire who gleefully continues fighting the heroes even after his initial job is complete in order to settle a grudge with Batman.
  • A Faulty Sword: The Greek Goddess Harmonia is the initial mastermind behind the attacks on Gotham, seeking to unearth a powerful weapon that could destroy the multiverse and end her suffering. Nemesis, her fellow deity and creator of the weapon whom Harmonia seeks to resurrect, quickly takes over halfway through by possessing her, shifting focus to merely destroying their home universe in revenge for her execution centuries ago. David Cain, along with the reconstructed Jason Todd and Damien Wayne, act as their Co-Dragons and The Heavy, each with their own personal grudge against someone on the Batfamily.
  • Motherland: Ra's al Ghul and Astrid Arkham return to Gotham, the former raising the latter into the Arkham Knight and loosing her to destroy Gotham so Cass will be forced into becoming his bride.
• Armoured Closet Gay: Stephanie takes an immediate disliking to Kate Kane, angered at her apparent bravado and confidence while she's struggling with her own feelings towards Cass.
• Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: The Army of Nemesis eventually combines into a singular Colossus, which the Atom has to grow into a huge size to fight.
• Back from the Dead:
  • Former mayor Hamilton Hill is brought back to life after cardiac arrest by Talia.
  • Harmonia is brought back using the Blade of Resurrection by Kate and Diana to stand trial in Olympus for her crimes.
  • As part of a gambit to gain the Arkham Knight's trust, Cassandra gives her Dick's location and allows Astrid to murder him, before stealing his body from the morgue and resurrecting him with a Lazarus Pit.
• Batman Gambit: Cass manages to pull it twice.
  • By anonymously feeding the Arkham Knight information, she ensures Astrid won't harm any of the Batfamily, which would jeopardize the safety of her unknown mole.
  • Ra's never actually checked whether the Venom he was using was real — it's a bunch of vats of green liquid hidden under Gotham, what else could it be? Turns out, Lemon-Lime Kool-Aid, which Cass switched out for the real Venom years ago.
• Big Bad: Ra's al Ghul, immortal head of the League of Assassins, is the ultimate villain responsible for almost every major conflict in the series. It's his desire for a male heir that drives Talia to become so obsessed with Bruce, leading to her resurrecting Hamilton Hill and attempting to wipe out all of Gotham, while David Cain was assigned to create a powerful bodyguard for him, resulting in Cassandra's horrific upbringing. Ra's himself finally gets involved in the Grand Finale, plotting to finally raze the city that has caused his defeat time and time again.
• Big Bad Wannabe: William Larch, the Obviously Evil villain of World's Okayest, is a pathetic Smug Snake who is woefully unprepared to deal with superheroes interfering with his operations, and once he's exposed is easily arrested.
• Big Good: Mister Mxyzptlk during the events of A Faulty Sword, warning Wonder Woman and the Batfamily about Harmonia and Nemesis' plot.
• The Bus Came Back: Killer Croc is stated to have disappeared into the Gotham sewers during Batman's three-year hiatus. He returns as the champion of Roulette's tournament.
• Bus Crash: Hamilton Hill is offhandedly mentioned as having died to a stroke in Arkham sometime prior to Motherland. Alfred has also died over the time skip.
• Canon Foreigner:
  • The Army of Nemesis, a regenerating and multiplying stone army.
  • Aaliyah Ramsay, Talia and Black Manta's daughter, who becomes the third Batgirl in the epilogue.
  • Matilda Ann Row-Drake, Tim and Harper's daughter.
• The Chessmaster: Cass manages to completely sabotage Ra's' plan before it even gets off the ground and effectively neuter the threat posed by Astrid. She notes that the Batfamily is only in any actual danger from the pair maybe two times due to her planning.
• Decoy Protagonist: Bruce himself, while the unambiguous main protagonist of The Undying, gradually fades out of the limelight as the series goes on. Though he still receives some of the strongest and most consistent character development, Cassandra's quest for redemption is the centerpiece of A Faulty Sword, and her machinations to prove her worth as the next Batman catapult her into the main hero role for Motherland.
• Disc-One Final Boss: Harmonia is possessed by Nemesis halfway through A Faulty Sword, with her sister proceeding to hijack her plan and co-opt her Co-Dragons.
• Doom Magnet: Gotham itself, already plagued by numerous supervillains, is subject to three massive terrorist attacks within a few years of each other.
• The Dreaded: Black Manta has a terrifying reputation among the supervillain community. The moment Dick sees him, Barbara's only advice is to just run.
• Earn Your Happy Ending:
  • Cassandra and Stephanie, after years of heartache and a decade of being apart, finally get together and ascend to the respective roles of Batman and Catwoman.
  • Bruce, becoming more well-adjusted due to continuous therapy, has found happiness in retirement with Selina (herself now the CEO of Wayne Enterprises).
  • Kate has become an immortal admiral on Themyscira ("Lesbian Candy Land") with Diana.
  • Barbara and Dick, while not together, have found happiness with other people (Simon Baz and Bea Bennett respectively).
  • Tim and Harper have a kid, the former entering into a relationship with Violet Paige while the latter returns to active duty with the Justice League as Bluebird.
• Easily Forgiven: Dick, mostly because of the complete lack of civilian casualties that result from Cassandra's intricate planning, is surprisingly not that upset at her for getting him murdered by the Arkham Knight. The same can't exactly be said for the rest of the Teen Titans... or his wife.
• Enemy Mine: "The Great Gotham Team-Up," where Batman united a large majority of his rogues gallery to stop Bane from taking over the city.
• Everyone Is Bi: A good majority of the female characters are gay or bisexual, something lampshaded by Aaliyah and Carrie (two of the few straight women).
• Evil Counterpart: Like Cassandra, Astrid was raised to be a weapon by the League of Assassins. Whereas Cass broke out of their teachings, however, Astrid fully embraces being a psychotic murderer.
• Evil Parents Want Good Kids: Talia and Manta are surprisingly okay with their daughter becoming Batgirl.
• The Friend Nobody Likes:
  • John Constantine is generally regarded by Bruce and the Justice League as a creep who stalks Zatanna.
  • Green Arrow is seen as somewhat obnoxious by the rest of the Justice League. When he and Black Canary break up, everyone votes on which one they'll invite to Bruce and Selina's wedding (knowing bringing both will end badly) — only Clark votes for Oliver, and only because he knew no one else would.
  • Violet Paige is notoriously abrasive, to the point where Cass' default reaction to learning someone's met her is "I'm sorry."
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: Tim beats himself up over getting punched in the face once on an otherwise successful mission, and according to Selina is a walking pile of neuroses who "will punch himself in the dick if [Bruce] told him to."
• Insane Troll Logic: Hill reasons that he can't become a supervillain until he's burned everything he's ever loved, which is why he kills his son. As he rants to Batman about he sacrificed everything to put on the mantle of the Undying, Bruce rightfully points out that he shot his son of his own accord.
• It's Personal with the Dragon: In A Faulty Sword, only Kate and Wonder Woman ever encounter Harmonia and Nemesis before the latter releases her army to destroy the world. Most of the conflict instead comes from their Co-Dragons:
  • David Cain is the abusive father of Cassandra, and the one who trained her to be "The One-Who-Is-All."
  • Jason Todd makes Tim question his worthiness as Robin.
  • Damien Wayne is obsessed with taking Stephanie as his own, on top of wishing to kill Batman and take his place.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Bruce doesn't really like Constantine, and dismisses his concern over Zatanna's disappearance as her just trying to avoid him. Turns out he was right to be paranoid, as she's been kidnapped as part of the Undying's scheme.
• Man Behind the Man: Talia resurrected Hill as the Undying in another scheme to get Bruce to leave behind Gotham. Ra's, meanwhile, is the one who raised Astrid to hate Bruce.
• The Multiverse: Harmonia's end goal is to destroy every alternate reality. According to Mxyzptlk, this fic takes place on Earth-803. When someone points out that Power Girl comes from Earth 2, he explains that every Earth with a Power Girl has a pocket dimension they simply call Earth 2, as it's the first alternate Earth these universes come across.
• Omnicidal Maniac: Harmonia's ability to hear other versions of herself across the multiverse drives her insane. She subsequently tries to use the Army of Nemesis to destroy the multiverse, and free her alternate selves from their similar torment.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Mister Mxyzptlk is much less comical than usual portrayals, as he takes the threat of the Army of Nemesis very seriously.
• Pet the Dog: Astrid Arkham's mother was an Arkham psychiatrist who gave birth during a riot, helped along by the Joker, Scarecrow, Two-Face and Clayface.
• Plot-Triggering Death: The Joker's death at Harley's hands is what caused Bruce to hang up the cowl, and set off a chain reaction ending with a majority of the supervillain population reforming before the beginning of the story.
• Put on a Bus: Talia and Black Manta go completely of the grid after the events of The Undying. Motherland reveals they settled down to raise a daughter.
• Reformed Criminal: After the death of the Joker and the disappearance of Batman, many of Gotham's rogues hang up their own capes:
  • Harley Quinn, with her PhD in psychiatry, gives ancillary analysis on the fellow inmates to the Arkham staff in exchange for a shared cell with Poison Ivy (simultaneously distracting her from any murderous tendencies).
  • The Condiment King became a saucier in a midtown restaurant.
  • Jenny Duffy, "The Carpenter," put her death trap building skills to use by making obstacle courses, getting her own reality show.
  • Selina Kyle, with Bruce's help, started her own security company.
  • Ratcatcher ended up in the employ of Violet Paige.
  • The Riddler was one of the longest to remain a supervillain, but by the time of Motherland has become a famous profiler for the FBI who's helped catch eight serial killers.
• Rogues' Gallery Transplant:
  • The Riddler heads to Star City to annoy Green Arrow after Bruce hangs up the cowl. According to Oliver, a lot of people think one of his other rogues, Citizen, is another Gotham reject.
  • Black Manta joins forces with Talia in her scheme to destroy Gotham, in exchange for the League of Assassins helping him destroy Atlantis.
  • Nemesis, a minor Wonder Woman villain, harasses the Batfamily here. Before long, the threat posed by her army drags in almost every hero in the setting to stop her.
• Superior Successor: Cass' first act upon (properly) taking up the mantle of Batman? Defeating Bruce's longtime enemy Ra's and dismantling the League of Assassins for good.
• Take That!: Mxyzptlk apparently doesn't think too much of Dark Nights: Metal.
  "There's also a Dark Multiverse, but that’s complicated. And also stupid."
• Took a Level in Kindness: Bruce, after three years of retirement and therapy with Harley Quinn, is noted by Dick and Barbara to be much warmer and more forgiving then when they worked with him. The one time he does blow up, he quickly realizes what he did wrong and apologizes.
• Took a Level in Badass: Over the course of the timeskip Stephanie goes from a relatively average fighter for a cape to the only person to ever make Cassandra Cain seriously work in a fair fight.
• Unholy Matrimony: Talia, after her latest scheme to win over Bruce fails, eventually falls for Black Manta. While not actively supervillains after The Undying, the two are still unapologetic murderers and sadists.
• Wedding Episode: Altmanesque, which sees Bruce and Selina get married.

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