A Severe Addiction to Heroism [Western Crossover]

You already hold power, so why keep pretending that this so-called “equality of all people” matters?

[Revised version, undergoing a complete overhaul. The dragon elements have been removed. See the new reader advisory for details.]

In New Broward, people say, “Here, there is no difference between blood and wine. Here, they are one and the same.”

In New Broward, the Bloodwings scrub away the stains, and every sin is added to the tally, just as always.

[Jerusalem remembers her former glory in her misery and wandering. Now her people have fallen into the hands of their enemies, and no one comes to rescue them. Her foes see her and mock her ruin.

Jerusalem sinned grievously and became unclean, despised by all. Those who once honored her now look upon her nakedness with contempt. She herself can only groan and turn away.

Her moral downfall was sudden and without warning, yet she gave no thought to the consequences. Now she has fallen into ruin, and no one shows her compassion. She can only cry out to the Lord: “Lord, see how my enemies lord it over me. Look upon my misery!”

The Lamentations of Jeremiah]

Reader advisory:

Primarily DC in style, but not a typical Batfamily story. (I dumbed Batman down for the protagonist's backstory. Sorry, Bats.) Includes the classic comics “for one night” plot. The male lead is the textbook example of how not to be a gentleman, and he has no gender preference. He follows a no-kill rule. The writing is terrible.

The protagonist has flaws and character shortcomings, and there will be times when he gets humbled.

This is not a everyone-loves-the-protagonist story, and there is no regret-and-redemption arc for people who mistreated him. No one but the criminals has wronged him. Because of their identities and personalities, he and a certain Robin will have a conflict (but it won't last long). Batman and the protagonist's mother aren't lovers, but they are friends. No power comparisons or putting anyone down. There are psychological issues (obviously). The protagonist is not invincible. His mother, the vigilante Red Dragon, dies from the start, and he rises from being a hero's sidekick to a city hero.

If the characters seem familiar, that's no coincidence. (I'm a hardcore Batman fan, and this story originally came about because I wanted to write Batman fanfiction but was afraid of getting him out of character.)

For anyone who wants to know my preferences and avoid anything they dislike:

I'm a hardcore Bruce Wayne fan and firmly believe Batman is a good father. I don't think anyone else has more right to speak about saving Gotham than Batman, and I sincerely believe Terry McGinnis is Batman's rightful successor.

Other than SuperBat, I firmly maintain that Batman is a top through and through. I have no ill will toward any ships, heroes, or villains, including the Joker.

I was scared off by Red Hood fans, so I'll probably not write much about Red Hood. That's all.

Theme: Aspiring to nobility is a basic moral duty.