azure411

[azure411]

Dawn Following a dark night.

The sun is shining in Gotham. The streets are clean. People eat, drink, and talk safely; the batman has been retired for some time now. People wonder where he went, if he died, why there was no replacement, but an answer is found near immediately. All of the rogues that plagued the people of Gotham have all long since been reformed, or at least contained well enough that they won’t be running amuck. There are the occasional criminal events, but the police have been reformed a dozen times over, handling each with care and precision that would make Superman blush. Such is for the best, as Bruce was already getting to an age where he couldn’t bear to continue the life of a vigilante. Alfred’s passing a decade back hardly helped, giving him a sense that it was time to rest. Perhaps that is why, on this beautiful sunny day, the Bat family are huddled around his bed.

“Bruce never wanted people to know! It was enough that he could keep people safe and hopeful, which he did!”

“This isn’t about what Bruce wanted, Selena. Bruce never wanted to take on a ward either, but he trained half a dozen of us, because it was what we needed. And also because he deserved to have people in his life. What he deserved now isn’t the memory of a city-cryptid or a rich kid. He deserves to have his entire Legacy known. He wasn’t just Bruce Wayne or Batman.”

Later that day, people are seen reading the news on phones, in the paper, computers, or even just spreading it by word of mouth. It can’t be said that there isn’t a dry eye, but everyone in and outside the city take notice. Some break down, crying where they are. Others pour out a glass in memory. Talia al Ghul pours herself a glass by the fire, thinking over decades with the man she loved. Superman calls an emergency meeting, bringing in both past and present Justice leaguers. From within a cell, the Joker is crumpled in a ball, shaking as he buries his head in his chest and claws at his scalp. There’s a paper crumpled against the ground, the headline reading “Bruce Wayne, dead after a heart attack at 73. Family reveals that he was the legendary Batman.”

The wake is held at the Thomas and Martha Wayne community center in down town Gotham. People pile outside, determined to show their respect even if they cannot fit into the building. In the front rows are several friends and ex adversaries of the batman, Gordon aided by a nurse, all the original members of the justice league, the titans, and all of their protégé’s. Selena Kyle-Wayne begins, stepping up to the podium in a dark veil, hiding away the whites and silvers of her hair.

“Hello, for those unaware, I am Bruce’s wife. I won’t be giving a eulogy, as I think there are those better suited to speaking on who he was, but I do want to say my piece. Gotham was a hard place to grow up. When I was a girl the Mafias ran everything, and you could hardly count on the police for anything. So many of us were so concerned with doing enough to survive that we never tried to live. Bruce knew the darkness in Gotham better than anyone, his parents being taken before his eyes. And I think that is why he did everything he did. He had so much money and power that he devoted himself to combatting that darkness. He wanted people to understand that things could be different, that they could live. I see how deeply he touched so many of you, and I want to thank each and every one of you for attending, even if the center wasn’t large enough to hold you. I’ll be opening things up to the public for anyone who wants to speak before we have the main eulogies.”

Stepping back towards the bat family, Dick and Damien putting a comforting hand on either of her shoulders, people form a line to say a few words. Some are average citizens, speaking about being saved by batman or working under Wayne, others are ex henchmen that turned their lives around when they were hired by Wayne Tech right out of prison, and others are students that went to college using the Wayne Education Fund, which is awarded to countless high school students in Gotham every year. People are surprised to see Killer Croc step up to thank Batman and Bruce Wayne, one stopping him and the other giving him a new purpose in construction work. But as the line comes to an end, Superman, a black suit jacket framing the familiar “S”, steps up to the podium.

“If there’s no one else, I’d like to begin the Eulogies. If I’m being honest, I never thought I would be here. Bruce always seemed so… Invincible to me. He always had a habit of surprising me. He’d appear out of nowhere, and disappear just as fast. But, I think I might be the only one surprised in this case. Everyone he was close with was terrified he could die. Even he knew that it was only a matter of time before some punk with a gun got lucky. That’s why I was so surprised with how he never killed any of his enemies on his patrols. I mean, for me it’s natural. No need to go too far when bullets feel like raindrops, y’know? But for Bruce, he must have been so pressured to go too far. Going out and risking you lives for others so often would make most of us think its kill or be killed. But Bruce never did, never thought he would be willing to go that far. He never told me exactly why, but I think it was hope. I think he saw how even the most dangerous enemies could grow if they had the chance. I remember the lecture he gave to Diana about using a shield instead of a sword, ‘we’re here to protect people, not kill them!’ He wanted to protect the people trying to kill him, because he saw how they and all of us could be better. So, as we formed the Justice League, and when we made difficult choices, it was him I looked to. None of us were afraid for ourselves, we just wanted to make a good choice for others. But Bruce was willing to die for the choice he thought was right, to protect his ideals. And so, that integrity stick with me, as I think it should stick with all of us. Thank you. Now, Doctor, if you’re ready.”

With that, a pale older woman walks on stage with Poison Ivy in tow. She has a pair of spectacles framing her eyes with pale white hair tied into a bun, tinges of blonde, pink, and blue still hanging onto the tips of her hairs.

“Thank ya, Supes, That was wonderful. For all of ya here today, my name is Docta’ Harleen Quinzel, and if ya don’t know, I used to go by Harley Quin. Some of ya here today are probly surprised to see me up here. Good ‘ol Brucey McBats an’ I weren’t always playing for the same team. There was a few times I can think of where he probably swung off with a fracture or five courtesy of yours truly. But, I gotta say, he was a good guy, even when I didn’t so much deserve it. He was always so gentle with me when he would tie me up for the cops. I don think he wanted to hurt me, or anybody, more than he had to to stop us. When I was in Arkham, he would come now and then to talk to me as the bats, mainly trying to get me to leave the Joker, son of a bitch that he is and was. I later found out that I, and a good numba’ of otha’ crazies were being bank rolled at Arkham by him. I don’t think I woulda made my breakthroughs and found my new doll if not for that.”

She pauses a moment to lay a hand over Ivy’s as it rests on her shoulder.

“I ended up wantin’ to go back to psychology an’ therapy, so I hadta go back an’ go back to get recertified. There he was again to help me, the Wayne Education fund to pay for me. I think…”

She chokes up a bit, voice shaking as she continues.

“I think that Bruce Wayne believed in me more than anybody, even my own parents. I’d have died a dozen times over if he didn’t save me as Batman and as Bruce Wayne. So, even if he an I weren’t exactly friends, I wanna take this chance to say thank you. Thank you, Batman. Thank you, Bruce Wayne. You saved me when I didn’t know I needed saving. I hope heaven ain’t to gaudy for you. Now, I think the original Boy Wonder has a few things to say. Come on up.”

With that, Dick Greyson takes the Podium, the Bat Family standing behind him. He wears a Nightwing Suit without a mask, long grey hairs mixed in with his black ones.

“Thank you, Doctor. Its great to hear what an amazing effect Bruce has had on so many people. All in the family would have liked to get up and speak on him, the way he helped us an such, but there’s so many that we decided I would be the only one to take the stage. He did so much for others. When his parents were killed, he decide that we would do anything to try and stop anyone from going through that again. I think that’s why he took each of us in. He wanted to raise us, as best he could, to help people and deal with our situation before we became like him. That was something he was terrified of, that we would go down a wrong path and end up just like him. Despite that, I don’t think anyone, not even superman, can claim to have helped so many others. It was probably because Bruce was willing to give everything for others. He was too afraid to really be anything like a parent to us, so he gave us what he thought we needed. He was afraid that people would be hurt when he could do something to stop it, so he gave his nights, body, and mind fully over to the city and its people. He gave everything he could. I remember hearing people criticize his rule against killing his most dangerous threats. I think Superman and Dr. Quinzel are right about the role it had in reforming so many people, but its more than that. In a life where Bruce gave so much, that was the last thing he held onto. It was the last piece of himself that he held onto. He wasn’t willing to sacrifice his soul to making Gotham a safe place. I think that’s why so many of us can believe in him. For someone so obsessed with making the world a better place, he still had a sort of purity that he wasn’t able to give up for it. But, with everything that Bruce gave to make the world a better place, he can’t do that anymore. Gotham hasn’t needed a Batman for a while now, but the world does still need heroes. I think, that if we are each willing to give a fraction of ourselves over to making tomorrow a little brighter, we can make sure that Bruce’s vision can stay alive. Even if he never wanted people to end up like him, I think we would all be very lucky to walk in his footsteps. This isn’t an ending, folks. This is just the beginning, so buckle in, hold onto your seats, and enjoy the ride. Thank you all again for attending. I hope that a little bit of who he was can live on in each of you. Please take care to get home safe.”

With that, people get up and begin to file out of the center, chatting with one another as they do. The next few days are sunny, good for the burial. Between Alfred Pennyworth, and Thomas and Martha Wayne is a new headstone, reading “Bruce Wayne, a beacon bright enough to light up a dark night”.

The city soon announces that they will be renaming Crime Alley to Wayne Alley.

[azure411]

I find this election so incredibly frustrating because this is the obvious outcome. The Democratic Party hasn’t had an identity aside from “we aren’t white supremacists” since Obama left office. And while that is an important stance to have, it leaves a vast majority of their potential voters unsatisfied. Leftists are made to choose a lesser of two evils where one wants to kill them and the other doesn’t care about them. The moderate right aren’t going to vote for them unless they see the exact harm that comes from the extreme right and care about it. The result is a toxic symbiosis where the democrats (who reasonably should be getting 3/4 of the votes), don’t do anything in fear of alienating their voters, and end up turning them away by disillusionment anyway. And so the far right is given the opportunity to scoop up all of the moderate right and get about 50% of the vote while a significant number of the left choose not to vote by nature of hating do nothing centrists. It’s only when the toxicity of the right is present in society for four years that the left unites and beats them in the polls.

That isn’t to undercut the clear misogyny that harmed the campaigns of Harris and Clinton, but they were doomed from the beginning by stagnation from a lack of strong stances in their party.

[azure411]

I’ve been considering something like this off an on for a while, and I think that seeing the necessity of insulin firsthand on the capitol steps may be the only thing to inspire legislation.

I would also say that if something like this were to occur, it should coincide with a larger hunger strike.

[azure411]

I gotta say, I think shipping wars are the weirdest thing I have ever seen. Like, I see potential relationships as something for me, and they live or die based on canon. Like, I was into Amedot at one point, but the second I found out Peridot was AroAce coded, It was dead for me. Like, it is insane to me that there are shows people still argue about ten years after they ended

[azure411]

This has been a long time coming for me, but this starts to get to the heart of what I love about One Piece. It takes concepts that are seen as undesirable, particularly in Japanese culture, and turns them on their head.

Sanji, Brook, and Franky are all considered perverts to some extent, but how they are perverts is very important. Franky takes pride in it, treating it as an extension of his open, emotional nature. Brook may ask every woman to see her panties, but it is always a polite casual request. He doesn’t spend all his time trying to get a peak. Sanji is the most standard, but it still seems to be a service oriented, almost deification of women, and he never pushes boundaries. This is putting the bar low, but compare these three with characters like Mineta, Jiraiya, and Roshi, and you’ll see what I mean.

Usopp is shown as a lying coward, but those attributes only accentuate his bravery and creativity. Nami's greed is similarly subverted each time she gives up all of her money for the sake of someone else, spotlighting her compassion.

In a similar vein, the Okama, Ivankov, Bon Clay, Yamato, and Kiku who would be most rejected by Japan as not fitting into their prescribed gender roles. However, whether it be Kaido or the celestial dragons, they each directly oppose the authoritarian powers that seek to oppress them. The representation in one piece is shaky, but making lgbtq synonymous with resistance to oppression may be one of the best narrative choices I have ever seen.

Luffy? Well Luffy, only possibly matched by Blackbeard, is the most selfish person in the world. The subversion for him is the fact that what he wants is always good natured, from saving people, to feeding the hungry, to supporting freedom. When he says he wants to be pirate king, that means being the free-est in the world. Now imagine his altruistic selfishness if he didn't need to hold back.

Going into some spoilery territory, I think that Blackbeard plays this concept straight, mirroring Luffy's change bringing positive selfishness with negative change bringing selfishness. Shanks then acts as a guardian of the present, trying to preserve order and the wellbeing of people. It is then Imu who acts as Shanks' mirror, being a negative guardian of the present, preserving oppression and corruption. The kicker is, neither really seem to act out of self interest. Because Shanks is selfless, and Imu doesn't have anything he could want.

Luffy still not realizing that he is who the Iron Giant is talking to when it is calling him Joyboy is very funny

but it also reinforces the themes surrounding Luffy and the concept of Joyboy and Nika.

Because while Luffy in gear 5 looks similar to how Joyboy has been depicted, he is not literally a reincarnation of Joyboy. He is not the second coming of a god, he is - first and foremost - Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will be King of the Pirates. And him still not acknowledging that he could (even potentially) be the "Joyboy" that the robot is referring to solidifies that.

And what is particularly impressive to me about this thematic throughline, is that it is able to coexist with the belief of characters like Bonney, Kuma, the giants etc. that Luffy is the second coming of Joyboy, of Nika. Because Luffy isn't that. We the audience know that Luffy awakened his devil fruit, and that his resemblance to the Nika and Joyboy of history is because they both had/have the same fruit. We know that Luffy is still Luffy. He has not been possessed by a god (hell, we don't even know if deities actually exist in the would of One Piece, as we have only ever seen the worshipers of them), or by the previous wielder of the fruit. Luffy is still Luffy. If anything, his awakening has amplified who he is, not changed him. And it is in this way that Luffy sort of becomes a Schrodinger's Chosen One.

Because the narrative of One Piece does not present him as a chosen one. He awakened a devil fruit, but not because that was his destiny, or because he knew of some greater prophecy surrounding it. Luffy's actions are for no one but himself and his friends (as in he is not making his decisions with the knowledge of a prophecy, whether it be to fulfil it or avoid it). He is not guided by fate, and anytime we see Luffy follow in the footsteps of another by inheriting their will, it is his own choice. Luffy chose to pursue being the next pirate king, and chose to keep Ace's promise to Tama (and the people of Wano). But certain characters within One Piece do view him as this pre-ordained return of Joyboy. And they are not treated as idiots for this, their faith in the return of their god is treated seriously, and with respect. And their faith IS rewarded, just not necessarily in the way they were expecting. They DO get Joyboy, but not as a reincarnation or a possession, but as a person who can choose to take up the mantle of Joyboy, if he so wishes. And even if he doesn't, Luffy cares enough about freedom (both for himself and others he cares for) that they will still get Joyboy, even if that isn't his name.

[azure411]

The fact that Law left Wano, on which was a trans man and trans woman who helped them immensely, and did not give them the old switcheroo with his fruit, has lowered him out of my top 20 characters

[azure411]

Help a disabled woman keep her utilities on as they're about to go out!!

Monday, June 24th: Hello everyone, I’m Gem, a bi, mentally ill, and disabled woman in desperate need of help, as things have gotten worse for me as I'm still struggling to get groceries and keep my utilities, on which are almost out of credit.

As most of you are already aware from my previous posts, I have been struggling financially these past few years due to COVID-19 and my welfare benefit (Universal Credit) being under continuous reviews, which is due to my worsening mental/physical health and the UK’s controversial changes to how benefits are assessed and assigned. After a lengthy health assessment, I was declared unfit for work and received the basic ADP, which I won't receive until June 28th.

To be quite honest, these past few months have been absolute hell for me, and with no other income, I've been relying on the kindness of others to get by. However, due to my outstanding debt, previous donations have all gone towards paying my rent, late bills and bank fees and I am still struggling to get groceries and keep my utilities on which are almost out of credit and about to be cut off as well as paying off debt to PayPal!!

I know this is a lot to ask, but if anyone could spare any amount to help me, even if it’s just £1/$1/€1, it would save my life, and sharing definitely helps just as much.

£49.80/£225 @ 5.37pm June 25th (utilities - £100 + groceries £50 + fees £75)

PayPal

[azure411]

Heloo

Im wafaa from Gaza ..i need your help if you can

Please donate to save my life and my family 🍉🇵🇸

My link in bio

Asking for help is not easy .l request a small donation of € 10 or €20 from each person .€10 will save my family and help me cover travel expenses and rebuild.what's left of my home

you can deliver your regards through link ( please see my bio)

https://gofund.me/27fab415

I truly hope for the best for you and your family. I can’t donate, and I am sorry to say so. I was fired from my job this past week and I was already behind on rent and medical bills. I hope this gets to people that are less worthless than me

[azure411]

Beast is The Weekend

Wuh oh wuh oh sick alert

[azure411]

Honestly thought it was gonna say “Trump reflects bullet with ear”.

I’m a bit disappointed honestly

[azure411]

Waitin’ for one of these little fellers to come spiraling in to take out my thyroid.

A spinner shark shows off its signature feeding strategy

[azure411]

I think a lot of it was escapism. Like imagine if police precincts were all like the 99. Better than the klansmen in button ups we have.

i'll never get over the way brooklyn 99 woobified the literal NYPD what the hell was that. and everybody ate it up with a spoon too

[azure411]

Reminds me of a debate round I had in 19-20. Basically they were arguing that we need “More female heroines”. The issue is that having female characters take up central or heroic roles doesn’t actually solve the issue, just as swapping who they end up with wouldn’t. Instead, female characters need to be considered in their own right and given a level of complexity that they carry some narrative on their own rather than supporting a male character’s arc, or being more vaguely heroic and therefore well written.

Hi Katara

[azure411]

I wonder how often it is that people can point to one moment and say “that was when my life became irrevocably worse”. On one hand, I think most people deal with piling stressors that may reach a breaking point, but I can point to the singular day and moment I stopped being somewhat okay. And I wasn’t even central to it.

[azure411]

Professor Utonium, filling DILF with D since 1998

the thing about Professor Utonium is he didn't accidentally create 3 daughters, he purposely created 3 daughters who accidentally have superpowers. the sugar, spice, and everything nice was intentional, only Chemical X was an accident

this guy became a girl dad on purpose and I am so proud of him for achieving his dream!

[azure411]

I won’t defend the pie-man, but the royal family is the royal family for white supremacists

[azure411]

God I hate Gianforte, for countless reasons, but particularly because I was at a question and answer thing at Boy’s state in 2018, and he refused to answer my question about the ramifications of attacking a reporter. Coward