#I’m making too many theories about Gotham knight

[electromignion]

Life Damage (AO3 - OS)

Link to the fic

Fandom: Gotham Knights

Pairing: Harvey Dent/Bruce Wayne

Characters: Harvey Dent, Bruce Wayne

Rating: Teens & Up

Words: 1002

Synopsis: Harvey Dent discovers the lifeless body of Bruce Wayne, his long time boyfriend. His mind starts spiralling.

Tags: Beginning of episode 1, Bruce Wayne is Dead, Hurt No Comfort, Emotional Hurt, Canonical Character Death, Death, Mentioned Turner Hayes, Harvey Dent Needs A Hug, Trans Harvey Dent, Soft Flashback in the middle, Established Relationship, Trans Male Character, ftm Harvey Dent, Coming Out, Bruce Wayne is a good ally, Harvey Dent/Bruce Wayne but nobody knows besides themselves,Good Parent Harvey Dent, Emotional Baggage, Sad, Sad Ending, it explores the scene where Harvey Dent discovers Bruce Wayne's body, Emotional Damage, Tragic gay shit,Tragic Romance, Love, love but death kills everything

[hotdadslade]

DC’s Failed Shared Continuity

This is a subject that I see touched on a lot but not really addressed, so I wanted to break it down.

DC’s core comics (That is, Batman, Superman, Justice League, etc, and not the elseworld style books like DCeased or White Knight) are generally understood to be happening in a shared continuity. That is, what happens in one book reflects in the other. The series cross over, because they take place in the same universe.

Only that isn’t true anymore.

There are a lot of plot holes that don’t really make sense, but that isn’t what I want to talk about. Instead, I want to talk about the fact that DC has absolutely no timeline, the absolute glut of events happening in and out of main books, and the fact that each DC comic is effectively its own universe, rather than shared between it.

I’m going to address the following examples, just to give people an idea of what’s going on and exactly what I mean when I talk about a shared continuity:

The fact that Alfred Pennyworth’s funeral happened before he died.

The fact that Bruce Wayne was in at least three places at once at the start of Perpetua’s invasion.

DC’s insane event schedule through 2019.

The lack of impact events are having with the readers, such as the fact that fact that the entire of South America went to war, China engaged in mass orgies, and the entire of Britain stared at the sky for days on end and almost no reader has heard about it.

City of Bane’s complete lack of impact in the larger DC universe

And last but not least: Why does this matter, and where does DC go from here?

Alfred’s Funeral is before his Death:

Alfred Pennyworth dies during City of Bane. We see his funeral in Pennyworth: R.I.P., where we see the family come together and share stories before immediately getting into a slap fight over it.

This unquestionably happens after City of Bane, because City of Bane is when Alfred died. Despite this, Ric is still around:

That little note in the bottom left makes it clear that this happens before Nightwing Annual #2.

The majority of Annual #2 is a flashback, but it specifically ends with the Court of Owls telling Cobb (that is, Talon) that Dick will soon be his, and telling him to move in. This happens in Nightwing 63, when Cobb shows up (aided by Apex Lex’s gift), and starts screwing with Dick’s life. I’ll skip over the most of it: what matters is that Talon brainwashing Dick Grayson appears the same night Perpetua’s symbol appears over the city (in Nightwing 66 and a number of other issues), Dick attacks the Nightwings, fights Condor Red, and then is freed from the mind control all in one night.

Which is great. Except this can’t happen after Alfred’s death, because the symbol of Perpetua (which appears everywhere at once) appears over Gotham during City of Bane (in Batman 81):

So we have one event happening simultaneously in Nightwing and Batman, only one happens before/during Alfred’s death, and the other supposedly happens well after.

Which leads us into...

Batman apparently can be everywhere at once

So up above we have Batman 81. Bruce is, at this point, in the city rushing to beat Bane when the symbol pops up.

Here’s the symbol popping up in Detective Comics (1014) while fighting the Freezes (the city, I’ll note, is normal Gotham at this point, not controlled by Bane):

Bruce is in Paris (in theory, after his coma) in Outsiders #6, and then arrives back in Gotham just in time for the symbol to appear in the sky in issue 7:

Even just while researching this, I realized that it happened in other issues too. The symbol appears in the sky in Batman/Superman issue 3 while Bruce is being attacked by the infected:

It also happens in Justice League, but I can’t be bothered to get pages.

This is all taking place in a shared universe, so the fact that there’s three or four different Bruce’s in three or four different books who are all doing completely different things in different areas is... baffling. DC has always played a bit fast and lose with Detective Comics and Batman, rarely defining which is happening first or what their exact order of events is, but this takes it a step beyond that.

It also leads into...

DC has how many events? and What happened to the infected?

2019 was a year. Specifically, it was the year of the Villain, but it really should have been year of the event, because DC had so many events happening almost concurrently that it was impossible to figure out what was going on when.

You had Heroes in Crisis running from late September 2018 to May 2019 (acknowledged in Batman, Flash, Green Arrow, Red Hood, and Titans, but largely inconsequential and rarely referenced again).

Year of the Villain itself spanned the whole year, with two dedicated series (YoTV and YoTV: Hell Arisen), a huge Justice League arc (14 issues!), literally dozens of tie in issues in main books, and 8 oneshots focusing on specific villains and their upgrades. 

This also tied into The Infected storline, where the Batman who Laughs infected six heroes and sent them out into the universe to torment people. This, too, got a number of oneshots and tie-in issues.

You had Event Leviathan, a six issue series which then got a spinoff and soon a sequel through the second half of 2019, which promised to ‘stretch across the DC universe and touch every character’, which has been, outside of Action Comics (which spun it off), a complete non-entity.

You also had Doomsday Clock, which launched all the way back in 2017 and only finished in late 2019. This was intended to ‘impact the entire DC universe’, with the idea that when the series ended, the rest of the continuity would catch up to it and you’d see the repercussions. It’s effectively been rendered non-canon, taking place outside the universe in a single line in Justice League.

So many things were happening, and they were all stressed as extremely important, but when the chips were down...

Most of them weren’t.

Half the Villain upgrades went away with the blink of an eye (Black Mask hasn’t shown up since his oneshot, and Riddler threw his retirement out in favor of being cRaZy in Batman). Heroes in Crisis had almost no affect. Event Leviathan is waiting on its sequel, having meant almost nothing despite the fact that an entire country was taken over. Doomsday Clock is now effectively out of canon.

Many of these (mostly YOTV itself) lead into the Death Metal event happening now, but that’s the thing: they only lead into that. There’s minimal acknowledgement of those events happening in other books. Even when huge things that should be impossible to ignore happen, they have minimal to no effect on the wider continuity. When is Death Metal happening, in continuity? No idea. What about the infected arc? What about Justice League?

Who knows? DC doesn’t seem to.

Which leads into the finale, the great big ‘are you kidding me’ moment:

Remember that time hundreds of thousands of people died, the whole of South America went to war, and China descended into mass orgies?

No?

Neither does anyone else.

In Wonder Woman issue 50 (and some issues around it), a series of dark gods emerge from (you guessed it) the dark multiverse. Each takes control over a single country, enacting their dark bidding. 

(Brief Suicide CW in the description below)

The goddess of war causes the entire of South America to literally go to war, invading and murdering each other. The mob god causes the whole of Britain to walk outside and stare up at the sky, not eating or drinking until they started to drop dead. A god of indulgence causes the entire of China to engage in bacchanalia, which is effectively a frenzied orgy of celebration and dancing. The nameless god has taken over Saint Petersburg, causing those within to commit mass-suicide impulsively.

And of course this has been happening world wide. Tens, if not hundreds of thousands are dead. We see shots of other places - mass murder in the streets of Hong Kong, for example.

We actually see other heroes in this. The whole arc actually starts with Supergirl fighting Diana, and then while she's briefly out of commission, the Justice League (Bruce, Arthur, Barry, J’onn, Victor, and Kendra) show up to help only to get absorbed by the big bad. That’s when the above panel happens, and then even more heroes get thrown at the problem.

In the end, Diana ‘wins’ - by sacrificing her brother Jason to the Dark Gods. The gods return the Justice League, and undo the damage they’ve caused on Earth. Those dead aren’t actually dead, for example. Time gets rewound... partially. We see the Justice League who only partially remember what happened, but the damage around the area is still there.

This should be, by any metric, a huge fucking deal. Literal gods appeared from the multiverse and fucked over huge chunks of the planet. Hundreds of thousands died and then were, in theory, un-killed. The heroes are aware of this, and have at least partial memories.

And yet it’s never acknowledged. 

This is supposed to be a huge event. The stakes literally could not be higher, and yet I’ve never seen this arc even acknowledged in any other book. This isn’t even a unique thing, either: all of New York (and most of the world) flooded in Doctor Fate and no one noticed outside that book.

So what about City of Bane?

But by far the most significant example of this is City of Bane itself. City of Bane was a huge event. Some of the top selling issues of 2019 were the City of Bane issues. It received numerous ads in other books, as well as major attention. It was the culmination of Tom King’s entire run, and lasted for more than half a year. It involved Gotham taken over by the titular Bane, ruling it with an iron fist and using mind-controlled villains as his own personal police force. It was a huge, game-changing event.

And outside of the pages of Batman (and Gotham City Monsters), it might as well not have happened. Any time it is acknowledged, it’s in the most awkward and confusing manner possible.

Batman and the Outsiders, Issue 6, Bruce is in Paris, Alfred gets a callout from Ra’s, and calls Bruce home: 

Bruce immediately gets on a plane and flies home, landing at the end of issue 7 when the Perpetua symbol goes up.

In issue eight, taking place immediately after, we are lead to believe that the entire City of Bane arc happened in between Bruce flying home from Paris and arriving in time to help:

This is far from the only example. City of Bane tends to be acknowledged exclusively in terms of ‘this issue takes place before City of Bane’ editor notes. The only real thing that gets acknowledged is Alfred’s absence: Detective Comics skips over City of Bane entirely (The YOTV issues taking place before, and then going straight to ‘after), Red Hood and the Outlaws ignores it, and Batgirls acknowledgement is effectively skipping City of Bane itself to go right back to talking about ‘cleaning up the city’ with a one line mention of ‘what Bane did to Gotham’. Plenty of other books either don’t mention it at all, or the mention is so minor I completely missed it.

So why does this matter?

Early on in my time in this fandom, I noted that the more a fan is into DC comics (not the fandom, but specifically the comics), the more they’d hate the comics themselves. This extends beyond what most people on tumblr would consider the ‘fandom space’ - I’m talking reddit, league of comic geeks, comic review sites, etc. The fact is that DC has created a scenario where the more you read their work, the worse it gets. Any individual comic from the examples above reads just fine on its own, but when you read multiple comics you start getting confused about why nothing makes sense. There’s no order to things, no continuity. Things are said in one issue and ignored in the next. Major events are trumpeted as changing the status quo but don’t change a thing. DC is actively pushing away their most dedicated readers, the ones who are going out and buying 5+ issues a week.

So what comes next?

The original reason this all came up was the news that DC’s upper editorial staff had been hit with major layoffs. While nothing yet has been confirmed (this happened only three days ago), the general rumors is that DC is going to be majorly cutting back the number of titles. With Death Metal almost certainly heralding a continuity reboot ala Flashpoint, now is the perfect time for DC to figure out what it’s doing with its continuity, and realistically, they have two options.

Option One: Forsake Shared Continuity.

I’m sure a lot of people would hate this idea, because shared continuity is such an intrinsic part of DC’s history, but looking realistically at sales numbers, there’s some major appeal. There’s far less work to it (important with the loss of their editors), and this isn’t to say all the books will be separate, just that they won’t all be inherently linked. Maybe they keep TEC and JL in the same canon. Maybe Nightwing, Batman, and Batgirl share too. The point is, though, that the fact that Gotham is burning to the ground will no longer reflect on Clark, who is apparently just out of earshot with his thumb up his ass doing nothing.

There’s precedent for this as well. Injustice, DCeased, Criminal Sanity, and White Knight are all stories in their own world that are selling (or have sold) extremely well. DC’s top fifteen issues sold for January to March of this year include seven issues of Batman, one issue of Wonder Woman, one issue of Flash, and then two issues of Unkillables, the Robin 80th oneshot, Strange Adventures (its own continuity), and an issue of Batman: Curse of the White Knight. If you go farther down, it’s more of the same - you have to go through every issue of Curse of the White Knight released, as well as Criminal Sanity, to get to Batman/Superman, Detective Comics, Justice League, and Superman.

I’m not sure this is the best choice, but I can’t imagine it’s not an appealing choice just the same.

Option Two: Fix Shared Continuity.

Without question, DC’s going to be (at least temporarily) paring down the number of books they have, and there’s never been a better time for figuring out what’s going on with their continuity. Less books means less to organize. A reboot and one very determined editor could help establish a baseline to work from, but that would require DC to focus on it as a priority.

I’m sure this is the choice most people will lean for, but it’s definitely the more intensive option, and we can only hope DC decides it’s worth it.

[jupitermelichios]

DC: The High-School AU: The Series: The Staff (the musical)

So I finally cast the school staff and teachers for my DC High School AU, which I thought some of you would have some fun with! I took the subject list from a fairly fancy looking private school, because only schools you have to pay for have their subject lists online, so I’m probably offering way more classes than your average state school, but hey, it’s my AU and I wanted to cram in as many supervillains, obscure heroes, and bad jokes as possible.

Admin & Staff

Principle - Amanda Waller

Deputy Principle & Treasurer - Noah Kuttler (the Calculator)

Nurse - Myra Mason (she was Dr Midnite’s nurse and love interest in the 40s & 50s, then got fridged, but I’m unfridging her and giving her a job with much better survival prospects)

Councillor - Ethel Peabody (she’s a psychiatrist from the Gotham TV show, and also in my headcanon, Amanda Waller’s sister)

Librarian - Stanislaus Johns (The Librarian. I considered bookworm for this job but he’s literally called the Librarian, what was I supposed to do, not use him?)

Admin Staff - Laura Conway (Superman supporting cast and occaisional vampire), Mabel Martin (Riddler’s secretary), Theresa Collins (Goldstar, also Booster Gold’s secretary)

Business

Loren Jupiter (aka Mr Jupiter the richest and therefore most thrustworthy man in the world) - Business 101, Business Law, Entrepreneurship

Wesley Dodds (Sandman) - Business Communications

Annabeth Chamberlain (Brimstone) - Marketing, Hospitality & Tourism (she doesn’t work in tourism, but I figure anyone who can waitress while also having the power to set people on fire and damn them to hell and keeps her job probably knows a whole lot about customer service)

Family & Consumer Science

Miss Tribb (Lobo’s childhood teacher who inexplicably survived the extinction of their species) - Childhood Developement, Early Childhood Education

Neil Richards (The Mad Mod) - Texiles/Sewing, Fashion

Tenzil Kem (Matter-Eater Lad) - Food & Nutrition

Finance

Noah Kuttler (The Calculator) - Personal Finance

Foreign Languages

Matron Bertinelli (Nu52 Huntress, who I’m declaring a sepperate character and the aunt of pre-52 Huntress because they’re radically different characters and I like both of them) - ASL, Italian

Chang Jie-Ru (Nu52 Yo-Yo) - Chinese, AP Chinese

Yolanda Montez (Wildcat II) - Spanish, AP Spanish

Barbara Minerva (Cheetah) - Latin

Health Sciences

Myra Mason - Emergency Medical Responder training

Charles McNider (Dr Midnite) - Anatomy & Physiology, Health Class

IT

Brian Durlin (Savant) - Computer Programming, Web Dev

Jennifer Lyn-Hayden (Jade) - Digital Art 101

Arnold Wesker (Ventriloquist) - 3D Animation, 3D Graphics (I don’t know why but the idea of Wesker as an animator just tickled me. Obviously his real passion is stop-motion, but he learnt 3D because there were more jobs)

English (the fancy private school called this ‘language arts’ which is so prentious it makes me feel slightly nauseous)

Wesley Dodds (Sandman) - English Language, AP English Language

Rac Shade (Shade the Changing Man) - English Literature, AP English Literature

Chloe Sullivan (the worst character in the Smallville TV show, a hotly contested position) - English Language, Communications 101, supervises the School Paper and the Yearbook

Shelly Gaynore (The Whip III) - Englist Literature, Creative Writing

Basil Karlo (Clayface) - Intro to Shakespeare

Nick Scratch (officially his supervillain name is just Scratch, but I refuse to consider that a code-name, looking at you Drake) - Communications 102: Public Speaking

Mathematics (which has a 100% villain make-up, which seems accurate from what I remember of high-school maths)

Noah Kuttler (The Calculator, because I think I’m funny) - Pre-Calc, Calculus, AP Calculus

Harlan Graves (The Underbroker) - Stats, Algebra 1, Algebra 2

Angelo Bend (Angle Man, becuase I know I’m funny) - Geometry, Trigonometry

PE (I realise this is probably too many PE teachers but there are a lot more caonical althetes than just about any other job in the DCU except maybe scientist)

Lawrence Crock (Sportsmaster, you knew this was coming) - Gym, Weight Training, coaches Baseball, Basketball, Tennis & Hockey

Lisa Snart (Golden Glider) - joint-coaches Cheerleading, coaches the Drill Team, Wrestling

Randy Hanrahan (Stallion) - PE, joint-coaches Cheerleading & Cross-Country, coaches Football

William Everett (Amazing Man) - PE, joint-coaches Cross-Country, coaches Track & Field

Matron Bertinelli (Huntress, sort of) - coaches Soccer & gymnastics

Performing Arts

Lisa Snart (Golden Glider) - Dance

Hartley Rathaway (Pied Piper) - Music 101, Music Theory, Composition, teaches Guitar & Percussion

Isaac Bowin (The Fiddler) - Music 101, AP Music Theory, leads Jazz Band, Orchestra, Marching Band

Siobhan Smyth (Silver Banshee) - part-time, leads the Choir and teaches singing

Basil Karlo (Clayface) - Theatre, Theatre 101

Simon Trent (Grey Ghost) - Theatre, Theatre 101, Film Studies

Ted Kord (Blue Beetle) - Theatre Tech

Mary Louise Dahl (Baby-Doll, from B:TAS) - Film Studies, Video Production

Betty Bates (Lady-at-Law, who is technically owned by DC now due to corporate buy-outs) - Debate

Science (do you have any idea how hard it is to pin down areas of specialisation for comic book scientists? TNT is on this list entirely because he’s the only actual honest-to-god professional chemist I could find)

Kirk Langstrom (ManBat) - Biology, AP Biology

Pamela Isley (Poison Ivy) - Biology, Environmental Science

Thomas “Tex” Thomas (TNT) - Chemistry

Achilles Milo (Professor Milo, again not really much of a code name) - Chemistry, AP Chemistry

Will Magnus (I refuse to even dignify it as a code-name) - Physics, Earth Sciences

Ray Palmer (The Atom) - Physics, AP Physics

Adam Strange (DC is just doing this to fuck with me, personally) - Astronomy

Social Studies & Humanities

Barbara Minerva (Cheetah) - World History

Maxie Zeus (ffs) - World History, AP World History (fun fact, Maxie was canonically just a normal history teacher before he got lightning powers, became convinced he was Zeus incarnate, and set out to become a criminal, making him my favourite DC mobster by a country mile)

Terry Long (aka one of the only characters to really deserve to get fridged) - US History, AP European History

Eobard Thawne (every code-name he has is stupid, but lets just go with Reverse-Flash as the least awful option) - US History, AP US History

Nick Scratch - US Government, AP US Government, AP Comparative Politics

Rex Tyler (Hourman) - AP Art History

Magdalene Kyle-Burton (Sister Zero, she’s a sometimes-nun and a sometimes-sister to Catwoman) - Comparative Religion

Michael Carter (Booster Gold) - Economics, AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics

Jonathan Crane (Scarecrow) - Psychology (there is exactly one heroic psychiatrist in all of comics, and I’d already used Dr Fate elsewhere. Scarecrow seemed like the least bad option of the remaining pool for being around children, and he does at least have teaching experience)

Adam Strange - Sociology

Betty Bates (Lady-at-Law) - Law

Richard Occult/Rose Psychic (it’s complicated, lets just say Dr Occult and leave it at that) - part-time, Criminal Justice

Technology & Engineering

Ted Kord (Blue Beetle) - Electronics, CAD, Woodworking

John Henry Irons (Steel) - Engineering, Metalworking

Will Magnus - Robotics

Visual Arts

Linda Lee/Danvers (she’s Supergirl, but I’m making her a different character from Kara Danvers/Kent because the DCU is really short on artists and I needed someone to teach the damn class, although the only thing that really makes her distinct from other supergirls is that she fucked a horse that one time and IDK how that will translate into a personality...) - Ceramics, AP Studio Art: 3D Design, Art 101

Rex Tyler (Hourman) - Graphic Design, Drawing, AP Studio Art: Drawing

Jack Knight (Starman) - Painting, AP Studio Art: 2D Design, Art 101

Jennifer Lyn-Hayden (Jade) - Photography

So there you go - I’ll be honest I still don’t really understand how high-schools in the USA work, and I have no idea what Design studio art even is so I kind of assigned those ones at random, but now it’s done and cannot be changed.

As always this universe is open to prompts so if you want a chapter focussing on any of these characters just drop me an ask or a comment and I’ll see what I can do. Making Dr Occult & Rose Psychic a single gender-fluid person is already on my list to do, since that’s who I thought they were for a longest time when I started reading comics and I’m still kind of annoyed that isn’t canonically what’s going on.

[aion-rsa]

The Dark Knight: Why Heath Ledger’s Joker is Still Scary Today

https://ift.tt/2MFoX6l

It’s one of the great villain introductions in cinema history. Standing with a slight hunch at the center of a massive 70mm image, Heath Ledger’s interpretation of the Joker not so much dominates the frame as he commandeers it. He seduces the IMAX camera, which is still capturing vast amounts of Chicago’s cityscape around him, and draws it closer to his sphere of influence, and by extension us. Before this moment in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, the director’s Gotham City functioned with clocklike precision. Even its greatest villains were slaves to the need of rationalizing everything in cold, utilitarian logic.

Not the Joker.

Within our first breath next to Ledger’s clown, one senses a malevolent spirit has been summoned, and he’s chosen to manifest out of thin air at this exact moment, on this exact street corner. He’s come to claim Gotham’s collective soul, but he’ll settle for any individual with delusions of virtue who crosses his path—including you.

This is of course just a fleeting moment in The Dark Knight; a brisk tease before Ledger’s shown his makeup-encrusted face or uttered even a word. In fact, Nolan and the actor dole out the character with impressive restraint: first as a masked Mephistopheles who is primarily a sing-song-y voice until he unmasks at the end of a bravura bank robbery. Later he becomes an actual narrative presence when he shows up again more than 20 minutes into the film, demonstrating for Gotham’s criminal underworld how to perform a magic trick.

As an isolated performance, there’s an argument to be made that none has ever been finer in the realm of superhero movies. Sure, there’ve been showy turns before and since in comic book blockbusters; there have even been great interpretations of the Joker before and after Ledger. Yet what the actor was able to do in 2008 transfixed audiences because he, like the character, had the freedom to bend the film to his will—even as Nolan prevented the movie from simply becoming merely a showcase for the performance.

With the grungy strung out hair of an addict who hasn’t showered in three months, greasy self-applied pancake makeup, and a grisly Glasgow smile that’s as unnerving as it is uneven (suggesting perhaps half of it was self-inflicted to make a matching set of scars), Ledger’s anarchist supervillain was a long way from Jack Nicholson’s hammy version of the same character in 1989. For audiences, and even comic book fans baying for something darker than Nicholson, it was abrasive in its time—and electrifying, like a punk rocker leaping into the mosh pit. Indeed, Ledger reportedly based the character’s appearance in part on the Sex Pistols’ Johnny Rotten, and there is more than a hint of Tom Waits’ gravel in Ledger’s cadence whenever the clown growls.

But more than aesthetic culture shock, the enduring horror (and not-so-secret appeal) of Ledger’s Joker lies in the effect he has on the film, both in terms of its narrative storytelling and its enduring pop culture standing. Speaking strictly about this Joker as a character, the villain is off screen for far more of The Dark Knight’s running time than he’s on it. Appearing in only 33 minutes of The Dark Knight’s epic 152-minute running time, the average length of a Hollywood spectacle passes without the Joker on screen. Yet he’s omnipresent in the film, a shadow that hangs over each of Nolan’s three relatively equal protagonists: vigilante Batman (Christian Bale), police lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman), and district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart).

Nolan and his brother and co-screenwriter, Jonathan Nolan, have admitted the setup is somewhat inspired by another quintessential blockbuster, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. In both films, three disparate, combative male authority figures band together for a mythic battle against a presence so malignant and evil, it transcends being simply a shark or a madman in makeup—or even a comic book supervillain. Like that beast, Joker has no arc, no psychological growth, he’s a force of primal evil unbounded. And as the heroes’ battle against him creeps on, it seems like the sanity of their entire community is being dragged into the abyss.

This framing allows Ledger’s Joker to functionally be a catch-all stand-in for many of the social anxieties that kept American audiences up at night during the Bush years. Some of them still do today. There are of course obvious implications to the Joker being the terrorist, the non-state actor who cannot be negotiated with, and who doesn’t play by preconceived rules or notions of fairness. There is also shading of the lone wolf, the usually male gunman who inexplicably pulls the trigger. Most of all though, the Joker represents the hole in which much of humanity’s irrational predilections toward violence is collectively stored and ignored by our cultural memory… until it can’t be.

As Michael Caine’s Alfred Pennyworth famously reasons, “Some men aren’t looking for anything logical like money. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” That summation of staring into irrational, needless cruelty is what gives The Dark Knight bite. And what a sharp bite it is in moments like when Ledger’s Joker laughs manically at the Batman, our ostensible hero who’s resorted to pummeling (or torturing) the villain in an interrogation room. The clown gloats, “You have nothing to threaten me with, nothing to do with all your strength.”

This is why the Joker is such an effective villain for The Dark Knight’s parable about how best to use moral power in immoral (i.e. irrational) times—and perhaps why the thrill of Ledger’s performance was so strong on first glance that it powered him all the way to a posthumous Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category seven months after the film’s release.

Still, Ledger’s Joker, more than any other movie villain in recent memory, continues to haunt well after that Oscar night. The mental image of the character slipping his tongue out of the corner of his mouth, like a cobra, and licking his scars—a tic Ledger invented to keep his prosthetics in place while upping the creep factor—has stayed with us like a subconscious boogeyman. Thirteen years on from The Dark Knight’s release, Ledger’s depiction of the Clown Prince of Crime has gone down in the annals of cinema alongside Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs or, well, that shark in Jaws again. He’s an enigmatic and mysterious persona who is barely seen in his film, yet unmistakably casts a pall of evil over the whole proceeding.

We don’t know why Ledger’s Joker actually became the way he is, or what made him so obsessed with the Batman—to the point where he was inspired to put on “war paint” and declare his love for the Caped Crusader by saying, “You complete me!” The Joker gives multiple versions of his origin story in The Dark Knight, telling one mobster played by Michael Jai White that he’s a victim of an abusive father while later recounting to Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) that he scarred his own face to cheer up his similarly disfigured wife. Both tales are of course lies, transparent manipulations intended to prey upon perceived vulnerabilities in his victims. This touch was inspired by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s The Killing Joke where the comic book Joker provides the reader with a sob story flashback, and then confesses he probably made it up.

“If I’m going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice,” he says on the page.

Read more

Movies

Joker: 6 Actors Who Have Played the Clown Prince of Crime

By David Crow

Movies

The Dark Knight, The Joker, and Game Theory

By Ryan Lambie

The Nolan brothers understand the horror of this, and they keep the Joker a manipulative and inscrutable evil. Beyond obvious sociopathic tendencies, we know nothing about his inner-psychology and barely can ferret out his real motives beyond an odd devotion to maintaining Batman’s attention. He claims to be an agent of chaos who wants to “just do things,” yet his meticulously planned attacks belie this claim. In the end, he sees himself in a battle for “Gotham’s soul.” Like Amity Island’s Great White Leviathan, or the original incomprehensible nature of Thomas Harris’ cannibal serial killer in the earliest books, we never know the truth about why he is, and how he’s able to do what he does.

That mystery makes him live on in our own heads for years after the story ends and the credits roll.

It’s interesting to consider that effect now, after years of pop culture storytelling going in the completely opposite direction, particularly in comic book movies and other fanboy-driven media. Rather than find satisfaction in the inexplicability of evil, or standalone visions, we like to rationalize it and sympathize with it, even while glorifying it. Most of all, however, we insatiably seem to simply want more.

The need for endless content being generated by intellectual property has led to prequels, sequels, and even spinoffs that explore and too often redeem villains. Even the Joker himself is not wholly immune to this.

Since 2008, there have been two big screen versions of the Joker. Jared Leto and Joaquin Phoenix both had the unenviable task of stepping into Ledger’s shadow, with at least one of them being dwarfed by it. Leto’s attempts at “method acting” stunts on the set of Suicide Squad shows what can go wrong when scenery-chewing is mistaken with Strasberg.

Phoenix obviously fared better in his own Joker movie two years ago, making the actor the second performer to win an Oscar for playing the comic book villain. However, his film’s interpretation is diametrically opposed to Ledger’s enigma. Instead Phoenix’s film attempts to rationalize everything about the character, depicting the Joker as a mentally ill sad sack whose motivations are borrowed from other iconic movie screen villains and anti-heroes like the mother-obsessed Norman Bates (Psycho) and ticking time bomb Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver).

It still makes for a fascinating (if unoriginal) portrait, but one divorced from the terror of the unknown. We understand who Phoenix’s Joker is and why he is. Society, man. Phoenix’s Joker even outright states it before murdering not-Johnny Carson (Robert De Niro). “What do you get when you cross a mentally ill loner with a society that abandons him and treats him like trash? I’ll tell you what you get, you get what you fucking deserve!”

Technically, Phoenix’s Joker appears closer to our reality and our daily horrors. With clown makeup inspired by real-life serial killer John Wayne Gacy and preening self-pity parties resembling the manifestos of so many mass murderers, Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck is modeled as much off nightly news nightmares as comic book panels. Writer-director Todd Phillips is inelegantly blatant about it.

Nevertheless, whatever ugly truth there may be in that approach, it’s not as haunting, or exhilarating, to witness as what Ledger did in his own rock star interpretation of evil. Save for a blink-and-you-miss-it insert shot, we never see Ledger with the makeup off. And while he might indulge in mocking “society,” he is a character who says more by basking in the chaos of a city in terror, literally sticking his head out of a stolen police car like a dog with the wind in his hair and our horror on his face. It’s a more enduring image than a didactic conversation about insecurities with a father figure. Thirteen years later, Ledger’s version of the character continues to confound, horrify, and ultimately thrill. He still has the last laugh.

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[jasontoddiefor]

Sunday Batfam Fanfic Recs!

Welcome to my second Sunday Batfam Fic Rec list!

Since the first list was such a success, I’ve decided to actually do this weekly! What is ‘this’ you ask?

Easy! Every Sunday I’ll recommend Batfam fanfics of a specific theme. The first week was Batman Beyond/Time Travel, then we had a Spooky Halloween Special and, finally, this week’s theme is…

Billionaire Batfam, Social Media & Galas!

If you want to, you can request a theme and I’ll try to find fanfictions for that!

Here’s my Batfam Fanfiction Rec Tag.

That being said, have fun reading 30 fanfictions and please leave these lovely authors a comment!

Title: #BayneIsCanon Summary: Gotham ships Batman and Bruce Wayne. He's not really sure how to feel about it. #trainwreck #bayne #scandal Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17226011

Title: #gotham is trending Summary: thghhhh: ahhhhh, i'm back in gotham. can't wait to get back to a supervillain attack every other day. i've missed this. [the city of gotham, it's vigilantes, and resident billionaires - as seen through social media] Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12331965

Title: (Dance) Lessons Summary: “STOP!” Cass shouted, suddenly appearing between them. “No talking. No fun.” she gave each one a glare. “Only… dancing.” Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13205775

Title: (that moment when) A Supehero Replies to You Summary: Dick Grayson, as any good millennial, is an avid fan of Buzzfeed: Unsolved. So, when Shane and Ryan discuss the death of Jason Todd, Dick can't help but laugh. Laugh, and then film the reactions of the batfamily when they find out....in costume. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18561994

Title: a hat fashioned from tin foil Summary: nightwang @karakurachou – 8 hours ago jason todd is alive and faked his death so he could become robin: a conspiracy theory thread. Batfam conspiracy theories meet social media. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14356020

Title: and it comes back again Summary:  Bruce “I accidentally slipped and fell across the room, took out three tables and broke a desk with your body as I ACCIDENTALLY fell on you also you’re going to jail” Wayne takes his young protégé down the rewarding path of revenge. Link:  https://archiveofourown.org/works/14268537

Title: Brother Bear Summary: Dick slips a Disney reference into a speech, Tim only realizes because Jason sneaks into his own memorial gala to finish the quote. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21036350

Title: Bruce got Therapy instead Summary: “I’m twenty four and have yet to find a partner,” Bruce stated, not looking up from the paper. “While true, I hardly think that is a subject to worry over right now. Many people your age have yet to meet someone they desire to spend the rest of their life with.” “It’s...I don’t really have a problem with the fact that I haven’t met anyone.” A pause where Bruce took a contemplative sip of his coffee. Alfred patiently waited for the young man to say what was actually going through his mind. “Well, the Manor seems rather...empty, don’t you think?” He finally looked up to his butler. Alfred fully turned to Bruce, his free hand held behind his back. “I’m afraid I don’t understand what point you’re trying to make, sir.” “I’m thinking about adopting, Alf.” OR: A world in which Bruce Wayne got therapy instead of becoming Batman. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20634062

Title: Chase You Down Until You Love Me Summary: The Waynes make a sport of their high profile in the media during yet another boring gala. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4102315

Title: Diversionary Tactic Summary:  Jason, from his early days as Robin to his later days as Red Hood, has had a unique skill set. It ends up being weirdly useful and also possibly the grossest way to have a father-son relationship moment, but hey, that’s life. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12624390

Title: Favorite Parts Summary: There are things Cass loves about Wayne parties, and things she does not. What she loves most is seeing her Father act himself at those parties. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11195331

Title: Gala Night Summary: "What if I use the wrong fork at dinner?" "You won't" "But what if I do?" Bruce arched an eyebrow "Do you seriously think that none of the kids ever used the wrong fork?" [...] Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16397771

Title: Getting out of a Gala Summary: In a world where Bruce found Jason closer to nine and his fallout with Dick wasn't that bad, Jason gets forced to attend a gala. Luckily, or unluckily for him, he ends up getting out of it partway through. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15968498

Title: Gotham’s Top Ten Memes Summary: Every city has its pride and Gotham isn't different. We love our “dark and gloomy” architecture (meet us in the Batburgers parking lot Metropolis) and our Waynes, our vigilantes and most importantly: Our memes. So, without much further ado, we present you Gotham’s top ten memes. Gotham, the Waynes and the Bats through the eyes of social media. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19283281

Title: Happy Little Accidents Summary: Bruce and Lois have a quiet, friendly moment at a gala. Memories of their children make them laugh and cry a little. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21176123

Title: Mess with Them Summary: Selina Kyle is at the first gala event a young Jason Todd attends with Bruce. And she knows exactly what he's going through. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7559761

Title: Nightmare at the Gala Summary: When an amateur group of bad guys get their hands on fear toxin, they decide to use it on their next big game: the semi-annual Gotham Leaders Family Gala. And lo and behold, your favorite vigilante family just happens to be there too. But without their alter egos, they’re just another helpless rich family with easily kidnap-able kids. Will a frantic, fear toxin induced Bruce Wayne get his head together to save them? Or will he accidentally reveal his family’s biggest secret? Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14885828

Title: Of Smiles and Broken Things Summary: Tim's first gala isn't going as well as he had hoped, but at least the host is nice. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17899127

Title: Sorrowful and Immaculate Hearts Summary: A DC universe where moms are awesome and raise their kids right. Now with more melanin and queerness. Also, Gotham's in Michigan and Metropolis is in Connecticut. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Fics are in chronological order but are all standalone. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/series/440926

Title: Stay a Child Summary: “Redo it,” Bruce orders. “Aw, come on!” Dick dares to pout — a thing that he uses often, and would work on anyone but Bruce and Alfred. Sometimes. Bruce gives him a look. “I’m not going to do it for you.” “I’m going to misdo it until you do,” Dick threatens. [Two times Dick went to a gala with Bruce and one time he didn’t.] Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15098102

Title: The Art of the Gala Summary: Barry is the one who usually goes to these things. Unfortunately for Hal, Barry got called in to Central for a case, so now Hal has to go to the Gala with Bruce. Bruce is just lucky Hal loves him so much. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17654852

Title: The Bat-Signal Smashing Charity Gala Summary: Spawned from the realization that them making Gordon physically destroy the Bat-Signal at the end of The Dark Knight is absurd and hilarious. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1867965

Title: The Bats Out of the Bag (At the Drop of a Tinfoil Hat) Summary: In which Tim is Bruce's secretary, there's a gala, and questions get answered. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18762865

Title: The Gotham’s Wayne Summary: dukeofthomas [We all know who the real QUEEN of the Manor is] The Gothamites are very invested in the Waynes. Very very interested. A journey through the Gotham's favorite family: the Waynes through Social Media. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13333119

Title: The Problem with Galas Summary: Galas are an issue, because something always goes wrong, and no one knows this better than Dick Grayson. (It's a bit of a problem, actually, but he can always depend on Bruce to get him out of trouble.) Link: https://archiveofourown.org/series/906501

Title: The Wayne Deal Summary: Bruce Wayne's parents made a deal, if you do something to make yourself noticed at a Gotham Gala- enough to impress the papers, then they will leave right away. Bruce passes this deal along to the children in his custody.Each one adds their own flair to it. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17641559

Title: three bars, one city Summary: The Wayne kids join Twitter. This is widely seen as a very bad move. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18172040

Title: Unattended Wards and their Unfortunate Guardians Summary: Roy and Dick are left alone for a couple hours at a gala. How much trouble could two boys possibly cause while unattended? Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14770661

Title: Wayne Family Tweets, aka Why Bruce Wayne's Hair Is Going Gray Summary: JTW @hottoddie oh okay u hold a totally acceptable grudge for a couple years and suddenly ur “”bitter”” Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17387441

Title: Wayne Gala Summary: Alfred teaches the boys how to dance. The girls go shopping for dresses. And it only took three hours into the party for all that effort go to waste. …But that's fine. They were Waynes. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11316591

[trulycertain]

Unpopular opinion: god, Batman v Superman had some really good ideas that it chucked down the U-bend, and there are parts of it I really enjoyed. I don’t regret seeing it (and yes, I watched the Extended Cut. All three hours). I was just discussing this with @masutrout​, and here’s a slightly abridged version of my thoughts.

Look, I know no-one sets out to make a bad film, and with so many moving parts, a film getting released at all is a miracle. I know it’s not down to one person and (I’m quite glad) it’s not up to me, because I have no idea how to make films. But if I had, say, a magic lamp and a wish for an ideal BvS and DCEU in general... Here’s what I liked; here’s what I’d magically tweak in a parallel universe; here’s a rant. A 2.2k rant. An Extended Cut rant.

I know it's all desaturated and so on, but I genuinely really love Snyder's style. Dude can set up a shot, and he knows how to use chiaroscuro. In theory, I totally get why they'd look at him and go, "his shit is like comics brought to life, pick him." I wish he'd just... allow a bit more colour into it and let people colour grade properly, because the Metropolis/Gotham Clark/Bruce contrast could've been played up beautifully with visual language and colour too. I mean, I know he can do overwrought iconography and imagery, look at how they went to the trouble of CGI'ing Clark's cape in every scene because it was such a banner, and the pop of red. 

I'll admit, I wasn't always all-in on Affleck's performance, though it was one of his best in his back catalogue (I am one of the few people I know who has zero problems with him as an actor and tends to find it more the material, but I grew up on Kevin Smith films and his shtick works for me, even if he has a manner. I'm not too discerning). But. A Bruce who's tired and broken-down and greying and has lost even more, and still in the aftermath of that, tries to find hope and "I can't let this happen to anyone else" again, in the wake of one more death? God yes give it to me. A Bruce who's taller than Clark and just plain tall in general, because maybe Kryptonian ideals are different and because it'd give Bruce one more thing to desperately play down? God yes. Just... in general, middle-aged Bruce but without a lot of the Batfam stuff (which I like, I have a love for several of the Bats, but my favourite stories are always solo) with a regimen of painkillers and who's turned Wayne from an "I'll just jump into the water feature" jackass to a schmoozer and flirt and maybe a drunk. Take out the branding. I wanted Bruce as a broken idealist, not a fascist. It's actually way more fascistic than the original Dark Knight Returns, even. But goodness, the whole idea of an established, tired Batman is good. There’s a reason the comics and animations keep coming back to it.

"Superman was just a story. Superman was just the dream of some farmer from Kansas." I forget the exact phrasing, but everything about that idea, and this idea that Superman is as much an ideal for Clark to live up to as everyone else, and he’s daunted by it? Yeah. There’s something in there.

I loved everything about Jeremy Irons' Alfred. Seriously, everything. Tech guru, little less RP, little rougher around the edges, clearly has some scars of his own. Absolutely biting, even more than most incarnations, and gets all the best lines. Yes, keep that, it'll do.

I liked the voice changer... halfway. To me it makes way more sense than putting on a voice, which is a bit daft and way more variable. I just wouldn't have gone that heavy on the processing, so that Bruce sounded less like a hacker from 1999. I also thought it was a good way of representing how Bruce desperately tries to emotionally distance himself when he’s the Bat, and how his anger has made him colder.

Batman as just a rumour or an urban legend is great, and a wonderful contrast to Superman, who’s this bright, transparent... common god. Bruce never did it for credit, he did it to get it done. It’s stretching the bounds of credulity, sure, but in this strange, semi-operatic storytelling with heavy myth feel, it makes a bunch of sense thematically.

Bruce meeting Martha Kent, and their first meeting being him saving her life. Even this broken-down Batman who thinks he’s a mess. Actually, just more Martha in the DCEU in general.  I mean, I get why they didn't lean into it so much because they maybe wanted Bruce and Clark to feel more like equal peers, rather than Bruce being too dadly, but... god, again, more Martha. In JL, in something, if nothing else. Martha who's lost a son (Jason); Martha who later has a son in another city trying to do good and is worried as hell about them (Dick's canonically in Bludhaven PD at this point); Martha who is one of about five people in the world who knows who Batman is and hasn't spilt that information; Martha who saw Bruce at the cemetery and might have some really interesting things to say to him, angry or forgiving; Martha who is one of the few people who's seen the good in the Bat (when Bruce himself couldn't)... Man, I was so, so glad that fic leaned into that. I would read a regular comic book of just Martha and Bruce Being Reluctant Friends and Worrying A Little About Their Kids, But Maybe In An Enemies-To-Friends Way Because Holy Shit You Had A Fucking Spear What the Fuck.

No, really, wait, I’m going to go on about Martha again.  The scenes in BvS where she was basically saying, "God, don't kill yourself for them, come home, if they're gonna hate you they don't deserve you..." On the one hand she could've been a contrasting voice to Jon, but this way also makes sense. "I know you want to help but please don't kill yourself..." It was always both parents in the comics who affected him equally, even if the Donner films had his father's death, iirc. It was Martha who pushed to keep him, Jon who taught him not to break people and show off, Martha who taught him how to cook and be gentle with things and in Superman: Birthright, which MoS is heavily, badly based upon (I love that miniseries, time to read it again) she researches alien sightings in the hope he won't be alone. I get why they went for a more "grounded" Kryptonian uniform thing, but Martha made his costume, in the original canon. In all canons, she was a huge help in creating the "Clark Kent" persona (yeah, sure, maybe a woman would have something to say about making yourself quiet and shrinking in a room and having to look helpful and nonthreatening all the time, but Snyder and Goyer were never gonna be the kind of people to explore that and even Waid, whom I love, barely touches on it). Every other film or comic book is crap, dead, or crap and dead dads. Clark's relationship with his mother and father is hugely important.

Getting to see Bruce doing the society beat, and just a little more philanthropy would've been great. You don't have time to build that character? Sure, OK. Take out the Flash dream sequence and the sleeping-with-random-women, maybe don't have a totally unnecessary but kinda hilarious shower scene, and replace it with some identity weirdness where Bruce and Clark are stuck interacting as civilians a little more. Or something about what the hell happened with Jason and the manor, though I don't mind most of it being unexplained. There, still building character, still serving a purpose, you can fit a brief scene into your three hour movie. Civil War had a ton of "Steve Rogers and Tony Stark brood or sit in rooms talking to each other."

If they were going to throw away all the secret-identity potential, they could at least have done it interestingly. That scene at the gala made it clear how hard they both had to act, and Jesus, the idea of Clark eventually, finally finding someone else who has to lie and cut off what they can do, who has to bumble almost the way he does... That could've been interesting and also maybe worried the shit out of him. Or made him want to talk to this crazy billionaire who goes round combat-booting people in the face and try and get what his deal was, which could've led to more interesting misunderstandings. 

And then there's Diana, who's not a bumbler but a "nothing to see here, rich eccentric" type too (no wonder she and Bruce had weird insane chemistry in that "sizing each other up/I know exactly what you are" way), and why the hell does Clark basically never see her? I actually don't mind the whole "she's only here for her photo and never meant to get involved, so she's only needing to chase Bruce," that makes sense, but after Doomsday?! In Justice League?! She understands what it is for the world to be frightened of you, resistant to you, the urge to go and hide where it's safe with your family, the loneliness. I mean, just imagine MoS!Clark meeting her and the goddamn relief of it. And the way it could've played off the whole Jonathan Kent is a creepy "kill em all" weirdo now thing, if they insisted on keeping it.

Similarly, please god please show Clark being a journalist more. Perry chewing him out more. A mild hint of office politics. That's the perfect place to leaven a rough film with a dose of humour. People wouldn't have been so bothered by "Is she with you?", which is actually not that terrible a line next to some Marvel "zingers", except for it being so tonally inconsistent. A gentle thread, a few moments of it. Maybe have Clark save someone and have to scrabble to keep his identity a secret, like in MoS - maybe a minute, you could go for some physical humour or a mild sight gag. Obviously, this'd be pre-bombing the courthouse. Relatedly... 

Take out Nairomi and the branding. They serve very little purpose, story-wise, basically never come back into the plot, and only serve to make Clark and Bruce look like dicks unnecessarily when if you want to inject flaws, you have a ton of opportunities to do it with how they deal with people and their loved ones, how they deal with perps, and their brooding moments. 

Seriously, Bruce kicking the shit out of people and investigating shipments from the Black Zero and World Engine crashes would be enough to worry and piss off Clark, as would the whole "I am the night"/lack of transparency shtick. I mean, for a start, John Byrne retconned their first meeting that way in the 80s and that issue is actually great (Clark is trying to arrest Bruce when they meet, because he's young and idealistic and maybe a little up himself and he's been Supes for about five and a half minutes). Look: Clark is being revered and hates it. He blames himself for Black Zero, at least a little. He has excellent reason to be desperately projecting brightly-coloured not-a-threat and also hate that someone else is terrorising a city and violence is being revered, especially when Metropolis and Gotham are still so raw. I mean... Snyder and Goyer did the fucking stupid offensive 9/11 comparisons. Look at how that affected people and still does to this day; emotions run bloody high, and the entire point of Clark is that he's still human and terrified and guilty. And with Wallace O’Keefe and all the threatening notes... look, there's already a good plot in there! 

Meanwhile, Luthor clearly knows Bruce has been sniffing around the K shipments and could've just tipped off Clark about that as well, saying, "He clearly is gonna use it for his own power, and with how sinister and opaque and violent he's already been, he's gonna hurt people." Having his heritage used against people is one of Clark's worst nightmares, it was implied pretty clearly in MoS, and you'd still have the righteous anger. No branding needed. Kryptonian artefacts and the entire masked violent vigilantism are already enough "this is someone who thinks he's above people and can decide their lives" to piss Clark off. He could even investigate that as himself rather than Supes. You need it to be an unanon tip-off and Keefe wouldn't have access to that information? Sure, OK, just filter it through Mercy Graves and make her a "worried confidential source." I mean, she's in the movie and completely wasted. Why not actually, you know, do something with her? Clark wants to believe the best in people, and he might dislike Luthor personally, but he doesn't know Luthor's out to get him yet - or wouldn't, if the writing was better. Again, Birthright, the text Goyer repeatedly ripped from, did this brilliantly. The brand... it's overkill. Grimdark overkill.

I actually... look, I had a really fun, if baffled, time with this movie, but goodness I’d like to see what it could’ve been. And now all the film sites are waving goodbye to Batfleck again while running DC retrospectives due to Birds of Prey, and Cavill’s blue tights are in doubt, it seemed like as good a time as any.

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

Tony, Steve, Clark, and Bruce: A Cross-Universe Comparison

I saw a post that, in my opinion, unfairly compared Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne, and this inspired me to write a comparison of the four characters listed in the title above. I believe many people misunderstand a lot of what these characters believe and stand for, so I want to express what I find their stances and motives to be in relation to each other.

As a note, the interpretations of these characters have varied widely, given the multitude of comic book authors and the somewhat differing portrayals on screen. For this analysis, I will be focusing mostly on the film interpretations, as they are better known, with the exception of Superman; this is because on screen, he is intended to be a reimagining of the character. In order to stay true to his nature, I will mostly be using the Superman developed in the comics (particularly the one presented in the Dark Knight Returns).

On the surface, Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne appear to be two fairly similar characters. Both experienced traumatic youths, including the sudden deaths (which were both murders) of their parents. Both Tony and Bruce are incredibly wealthy and intelligent, with almost unlimited technical resources making up for their non-superhuman physical abilities. These two characters, however, are actually closer to opposites than doubles.

In actuality, these characters are each more similar to the other's counterpart: Tony tends more towards Superman's more conformist vision for the world, having gone from a rogue, or individualist, to someone who recognizes his own potential for ignorance and damage and decides he needs to be held accountable. It is Steve Rogers, not Tony Stark, who is the MCU counterpart of Batman.

Steve had initially, at least on a surface level, been portrayed as the ultimate conformist: he gave his life to the army, in order to become a medical experiment who fought and acted at the behest of his country. But in actuality, he maintained his individualistic and rebellious spirit, growing further into that attitude as the franchise progressed. This is why, by Infinity War, Steve has embraced his Nomad identity, fully shirking any responsibility to the larger government, and instead, seeking after his own goals.

This individualist attitude is encapuslated best in Endgame, where Steve says to a high-ranking government official: "I'm not asking for forgiveness. And I'm done asking for permission." This implies that he had, at some point, asked for permission in the first place, but this is not the case. When the Accords were introduced, Steve spoke out against them, refused to compromise, and essentially fled, becoming a rebel and fugitive in the process. Any time an authority, government or not, gives him an order he doesn't agree with, he dismisses it outright.

These actions and attitudes are mirrored almost exactly by Bruce, who not only appoints himself sole arbiter of right and wrong by enforcing his vigilante justice, but also avoids police detainment and other efforts to force him to comply with the law. The law is not sufficient for his purposes, so he does not abide by it. He has no problem with allowing himself unchecked power; for example, in the Dark Knight, he constructs a surveillance system that invades the privacy of every citizen of Gotham to find the Joker. Although he does destroy it, to him, the ends justify the means. He does not believe there is anything wrong with allowing a decision of such magnitude to be left solely in his hands, and in fact, he would not want anyone else to interfere, even a government. He firmly believes he knows what is best--and he intends to plant himself like a tree and say to the government, "No, you move."

Bruce is much more cynical about humanity than Steve, which is understandable, and offers insight into their differing ways of acting on their similar beliefs. Steve was raised in poverty and was bullied, but experienced minimal trauma in his youth, whereas Bruce was traumatized at a young age. Despite having privilege as a child, Bruce was darkened by his trauma, making him use his position of power in decidedly more violent ways than Steve, who was able to grow into a position of power without the scarrings of a traumatic youth. This is what causes the apparent difference between them--on the surface, no one would call Bruce and Steve similar, as Steve is viewed as a "good" character, and Bruce as morally grey at best. Ultimately, however, they act similarly: Bruce uses his troubled past as a justification for inflicting his own form of justice on those he deems criminals, and Steve uses his supposed moral high standing to do the same thing. Both of them also view the advantages they have over average humans as indicative that they are supposed to take action--but, because of their superiority, this action is taken on their own terms. It is similar to the theory of the Superior Man in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. The Superior Man, expresses the main character, would not be bound by the laws of society. He could break and form them as he pleased, as they only exist to keep the average members of the populace in check. Much of the same attitude is presented by Steve and Bruce, who, as stated, use their physical advantages as an excuse to do whatever they deem "necessary". Because of this the two characters, although they express their idealogies in different ways, share many of the same views.

Another cause of the difference in public interpretation of their characters is that the narrative justifies Steve's decisions at every turn, but Bruce has more of a penalty to pay for his actions. Ultimately, Bruce is also justified by the narrative: he gets a happy ending in the Dark Knight trilogy, at least. (As an aside, this is perhaps a commentary on how in the end, the rich are able to get away with anything, and can do whatever they please with no real consequence. Although I will not make a statement on the veracity of such a claim, it is nevertheless a possibility that the films endeavored to make a pint about it.) Bruce does, however, have to face some costs for his decisions. He is driven into hiding for eight years after taking the blame for Harvey Dent's death, which was caused by a chain of events in which he--and his occasionally selfish decisions--played a major role. Additionally, in the comics, Batman lost several of his companions, with Dick Grayson giving up the role of Robin, and Jason Todd dying because of Batman's oversights. This distinct cost to his actions results in him appearing to be less of a morally good character; in the perception of the audience, if Bruce really made the right decision, would it not then have resulted in victory? It is a firmly entrenched idea, in America in particular, that good will always triumph over evil--and so, if there is any element of good that does not unequivocally triumph, it must not have been purely good.

The similarity between Steve and Superman comes from their acheiving this ideal, this unequivocal goodness, but it is not present in Batman, leading many to wrongly think that Steve and Superman are birds of a feather; in fact, Tony is much more similar to the do-gooder Superman, who feels compelled to utilize his assets and abilities to help the common people. Tony likewise focuses much more on helping others than on correcting injustice as Bruce and Steve do. This is the ultimate distinction between the four characters: whereas Bruce and Steve believe it is their moral duty to correct the injustices they perceive--confrontational heroics--Tony and Clark see their abilities as an opportunity to help others--supplemental heroics.

In other words, Tony and Clark recognize it is not their role to define what is good or bad on an ultimate scale, and instead step in and offers aid in the areas in which they know it is needed. For example, Tony provides scholarships for underfunded college students in order to help them pursue their dreams. He contributes on a larger scale with his technology, allowing much public access to his inventions, such as BARF, that would be good for the common welfare. In this way, he contributes a lot of good without creating his own definition of good; instead, he does what the public perceives as good, just as Clark does when he saves people from accidents or other catastrophes.

Tony often fights, however, to keep the weaponized side of his inventions--namely, the Iron Man suits--private. This is because he had previously been involved with the government in the weapons business, and realized that there was no accountability there, neither for him nor for the government. Countless people died, and there was nothing to keep the people involved in check. Thus, his position on individualism versus conforming to the government depends on each party being kept accountable by the other; he will submit to governm ent authority, as it makes him liable to some higher power and prevents him from making potentially world-altering decisions on his own, but he also maintains enough control that he can exert pressure on the government in return if they begin to grow too large.

This seems to cause him to differ some from Superman, who does not keep the government in check; this is because of a difference in situation. Ultimately, because Superman is so powerful, the government could not actually keep him in check, and so he voluntarily submits to their authority as a way to keep himself accountable. He knows full well that if the government were to "step out of line", he would certainly be able to subdue them, but he recognizes the old adage that "absolute power corrupts absolutely," and does not want to take that chance.

Superman realizes, just as Tony does, that it is not his right to determine what is right or wrong since he is just one man. Unlike Tony, however, Clark is powerful enough to exert his will over everyone. To prevent himself from acting on this temptation, he submits himself to human authority. Thus, Tony and Clark have very similar idealogies: neither fully relinquish autonomy, but prioritize accountability over the freedom to do whatever they would like, because both have seen the consequences of unchecked power.

As a slight aside, this surrendering of control develops to become the source of the conflict between Batman and Superman in the Dark Knight Returns, the comic which not only revitalized the comics industry but also inspired Batman vs. Superman. In this comic, Superman has almost completely relinquished autonomy to the government, and Bruce has become the ultimate symbol of resistance, inspiring violent gangs to assert their forms of justice on the streets. The conflict between the two of them is ultimately reduced to a conflict between their two opposing ideals: conformism and individualism. This also provides great examples to illustrate the difference between confrontational and supplemental heroics: in the comic, Superman sacrifices himself to divert a nuclear missile from its target city, nearly dying in the process; Bruce emerges from retirement to become Batman again, because he believes the condition of society has gotten out of hand and needs him to correct it. He, too, nearly dies in the process of doing so. Ultimately, both survive and go on to continue striving towards their various ideals, allowing each other to function without interference. This is supposed to represent how there is a place for both approaches, and neither is necessarily right or wrong; rather, they balance each other out.

In the end then, it is clear that despite their superficial similarities, the characters commonly related to each other are in fact very different on an ideological level. The reason the pairs (Tony and Steve, and Bruce and Clark) work so well in the same franchise is because they serve as foils and complements to each other: one member demonstrates confrontational heroism and individualism, and the other in turn demonstrates supplemental heroism and conformism. They represent the ongoing battle in the real world between differing beliefs and ideals, and it is precisely this conflict that makes their interactions interesting to observe--whether on screen, or on the page.

[geek-gem]

Joker 2019 Sequel Cast And Ideas

This was a draft I’ve been working on for a long while now. I forgot when I started it. Maybe two weeks but I’m not sure. I’ve seen Joker three times. The film has made a billion dollars. Including Joaquin Phoenix seems like he wouldn’t mind being the Joker again. Also Todd Phillips has said he wouldn’t mind a sequel unless the story is right. Which I agree with him.

I just wanna mention I really like Joker 2019. Especially the Arthur Fleck interpretation of the Joker. Including you can see the popularity among Tumblr especially women. XD But yeah to be honest I’m both ways. I don’t mind if it’s just a stand alone. But also I loved this version of the character. It’s the version that got me to appreciate the Joker as character. Which may sound stupid.

Especially despite what Todd Phillips has said....I want this Joker to meet his Batman in his universe. The idea of a continuation to Joker has been on my mind for a long time now. Yet the problem and I have mentioned it before.

A half of it is like, “Yeah this is the kind of a movie that's the perfect continuation to Joker. It’s artsy and has lots of meaning”, but also it feels like, “What the hell is this? What’s with so many characters in this story? Why are there many references? This doesn’t feel like the kind of film Joker 2019 was”.

Including I have wondered it feels like a movie that would deserve a super cut. Something like Batman V Superman with it’s ultimate edition(Which added more scenes that explained things). Or even the It supercut I’ve read about. Which is basically the two It films put together with I think more footage too. Including it being 7 hours.

But the main focus of this story was between the relationship between Bruce Wayne/Batman and Arthur Fleck/Joker. Including it’s about the end of the Joker. But also for Arthur Fleck, giving him a proper send off. So a franchise wouldn’t be built. 

I am planning on making a synopsis of the general story. It’s what I think a sequel should be to Joker. But I would trust with what Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix would want to do with a sequel. This is just my fan fiction of wanting to respect of what had came before. Expanding upon Arthur’s journey as the Joker. Including to give this character a emotional conclusion as he meets the Batman and Bruce Wayne during his final week or more of living. 

So this is all rambling. I’ve been hesitant to post this because again it’s just rambling and notes. But I think I should share this. Be warned there are spoilers. Including if you have been going in deep in the theories about Joker 2019. You may be disappointed by possible choices I’ve made in this. Because doing this kind of sequel may disprove certain theories or confirm certain theories. I’m deeply sorry this is very long.

Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck/Joker. 

A mentally ill man disregarded by society and became the, “Joker” in 1981. 20 years later, now 50 years old and known mostly as his alter ego. An anarchist with no motive wreaking havoc in Gotham as much as he can with followers behind him. 

But as years gone, things have changed. With more people are slowly stop believing his cause. Including with this, “Batman” helping the police closing in on him. Old emotions have started to flow through Arthur again. Bringing back memories of why he became this way. Even if he does not fear death, he thinks his final days are probably upon. As each day he grows older and the world is moving on without him.

Including just like his final days will like how in 1981 will forever impact him. Once he crosses paths again with Bruce Wayne. Along with who people thought was a urban legend, “Batman”. With Arthur realizing he isn’t the only freak in Gotham who suffered so much.

Notes: The story of this Joker continuation is something. I’ll be honest I want to respect the legacy of these old comics characters. While also putting them in this world Joker 2019 created. But also the direction I’ve been thinking about for Arthur/Joker may bother a lot of Joker fans. 

Mainly considering this story where it’s basically what I call, “Jokers Downfall” because it’s final days or week or so on. While showcasing 20 years the man who was once Arthur Fleck truly changed. Becoming an, “Agent Of Chaos” creating destruction wherever he can.

It’s this time in his life as he meets people old and new that causes him to act differently. In some ways you get the evil Joker that you usually think of. But for this story kind of has a, “Softer” Joker. Because of his meeting with certain people, especially Bruce Wayne and Batman. The man that was once Arthur Fleck is still there. Including as Joker becomes less of how people see him, being honest of who he had killed, and other things.

But including to make sure this doesn’t turn into a long running franchise. Even though I have thought this feels like the third part in a trilogy. This story is a way a definite end for Arthur Fleck. In his own and for the best of everyone a ending that only suits him. 

Yet this doesn’t mean he doesn’t get redeemed at all or you condone his actions. It’s more like a proper ending to a man who had good intentions, but because of how society treated him and the choices he made. It’s an ending where the only, “Happy ending” probably for him is his death. But also the addition of maybe along the line some how, he gains a best friend. Someone who understands him. Showcasing he’s not alone. Especially proving Murray Franklin’s words, “Not everyone is awful”. 

But the tragedy in all of this. This revelation happened 20 years later. Because Arthur has destroyed his chance of returning to who he was. Or even change for the better. The best thing for Arthur/Joker in this situation despite this sounds rather harsh. Is for him to embrace death as the world around him has changed. But also to as he reaches closer to death. He truly that he wasn’t alone, one spot or more empathy from someone in the likes of Bruce Wayne/Batman and whoever else.

Including the other thing. Confirming whether or not Arthur is Bruce’s legitimate older brother. Considering there or theories based upon the flies Arthur had taken. It’s something I need to think about.

Jay Ryan as Bruce Wayne/Batman.

A young man who lost his parents during the riots in 1981. Traumatized by his parents deaths. He vowed to bring vengeance upon criminals. It’s been 20 years since that night, now 28 years old. He’s been mostly keeping a low profile as the, “Batman”. Fighting criminals and stopping the mobs. Gaining the trust of the citizens and even the police. Despite them being suspicious still. While making sure no one figures out it’s Bruce as this vigilante. 

Because of him and the Joker being now out in the open more. He’s set his sights on the man who inspired the man who murdered his parents. Yet what Bruce figures out as he looks more deep into who the Joker is. Including who was Arthur Fleck, and what made him what he was. Bruce discovers that his father, someone he looked up for all his life. Finds out his father wasn’t truly the greatest. Including was one of the reasons for Arthur’s decent into madness.

Along with trying to hold back his anger as much as he can as he learns more information and not wanting to kill. Bruce slowly uncovers what made Arthur how he is now. Which results in not just wanting to bring Arthur to justice, but to even try to save this man who suffered so much.

Describing his batsuit: To fit the aesthetic and tone of this world that Joker 2019 is featured in. Including to compare with next to Arthur Fleck's Joker attire in Joker 2019. With the help of a friend named Lucius Fox. Bruce's batsuit could be similar to the likes of the batsuits from The Dark Knight trilogy.

But mainly in a weird way to fit this more realistic world. The batsuit seems similar to the likes of the outfit worn by Hunk and Vector from the Resident Evil series, and also the likes of SAS soldiers. But without the likes of a gasmask unless if needed for any necessary situation.

Especially like the 1989 batsuit, there is body armor on the chest to protect Bruce from bullets.

This batsuit is basically personally accustomed for Bruce Wayne's needs and his war on crime. It still has the cape, the bat ears, and the spikes on his gloves.

The concept of Batman in the world of Joker 2019: This is something that's been on my mind. Because reading the process behind Joaquin Phoenix's Joker outfit of how he would look. But also the idea of Joaquin Phoenix's Joker is basically supposed to be what if the Joker existed in real life.

Before Joker 2019, The Dark Knight Trilogy was maybe the best example of showing how the Batman mythos could exist in reality. The challenge for this Batman was to try that again. But this time not recreate what Christopher Nolan had did basically copying him. Yet the idea of it is how would Batman realistically look in this universe.

It's a interesting challenge. Mainly the design is what makes me think. While I know the concept of a Batsuit looking like something similar to the likes of SAS and the other examples I mentioned. It's to compliment the realistic approach taken for Joker. Basically how Christopher Nolan did for Batman and Joker before.

Including to me we've had comic accurate Batmans and Jokers before so to me it's okay to change things up a bit, be creative. Yet I understand a direction like this would get hatred. Especially how people were reacting to Joker at first.

But I keep telling myself this. The concepts I keep thinking is it's like a smaller version of Batman 1989 and The Dark Knight. Because both Batman and Joker were two major characters in those films. Yet there have been ideas of showcasing a Batmobile. The biggest challenge of that is how would that look realistic. Yes we have the Tumbler as a example and that's good. 

Including the training Bruce had in this universe. After talking with a friend and making some funny jokes. Alfred in this universe was part of the SAS when he was younger. Bruce did some smaller forms of training(Such as karate as a friend mentioned as an idea) before having Alfred help get connections to get secret training from the SAS in the United Kingdom. Including any other possible special forces training that Bruce may need in his war on crime. 

I have wondered of using Batman's first appearance as an inspiration. But I have thought of other inspirations like Ben Affleck's Batman, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Batman Arkham Origins, the Telltale Batman series. I just wanna make the best realistic Batman I can make.

Especially for this take including I remember hearing Ben Affleck’s take on Batman would of been about his mental state. This is kind of familiar. But it’s also showcasing that this Bruce Wayne is the anti thesis of who his dad was in Joker 2019. Showcasing the good Bruce does when he’s not Batman. Such as using his wealth to help those around him. I do think people might dislike the idea of a, “Softer” Batman. Yet considering the direction of this story. It’s something I wanna take and it seems fitting for a sequel to Joker 2019. Especially as a conclusion to Arthur’s story showcasing after he became Joker. The events in 1981 started a chain reaction that changed Gotham City. Including the lives of Bruce Wayne and Arthur Fleck. 

About Jay Ryan as Bruce Wayne/Batman: This is something that’s been bothering me. Casting Bruce Wayne/Batman is such a huge deal. While yes all of this is fan fiction right now. Originally Jay Ryan was my choice for the DC Black Clark Kent/Superman. But I decided to have him as Bruce Wayne/Batman. 

From what I’ve read he’s gotten experience from shows like Beauty And The Beast(Where he plays Vincent Keller the beast), and Mary Kills People(Where he plays a detective named Ben Wesley). Mainly my experience of seeing him in something was in It Chapter 2 where he played the older version of Ben Hanscom.

Mainly my biggest concern is not just his age. Yet he looks quite young anyway and there are similarities with Dante Pereira-Olson who portrayed a younger Bruce Wayne in Joker 2019. But also his performance next to Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck/Joker. 

Which is interesting a younger Batman against a Joker who’s been doing his thing for 20 years. A weird similarity between the DCEU’s Superman and Batman. I have thought of Nicholas Hoult. But I think people may not like the choice. 

Yet when I look at it. The direction of this Batman isn’t meant to be something like Batfleck. Who had been Batman for 20 years. This is a Batman in this universe started being Batman(like in the comics) at the age of 25. Starting in 1996. Yet he’s still young and learning. Including like I mentioned he’s a, “Softer” version of other versions. Who’s the reason why Gotham is doing better now. By donating his wealth to the people of Gotham. Basically what his father never did in this universe maybe.

Brad Pitt as Jim Gordon.

The commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department. Who was present during the riots of 1981. A good cop who is trying to help everyone the best he can in Gotham City. Especially with corrupt cops being around. He’s been on trail of the Joker for some years now but without any luck. With Batman helping more he’s close to catching him. 

Little does Gordon realize the chaos that might ensure when Joker and Batman finally meet. Which will result in something more greater than the riots in 1981.

Notes: Originally actors like Bryan Cranston(who voiced the character in Batman Year One), and Tom Selleck. But considering Bryan already voiced the character, and Tom seems like it would be type casting. Because of his character’s role in Blue Bloods. Brad Pitt was chosen because of the early reports of him being James Gordon in Matt Reeves The Batman 2021.

Especially to give the cast that, “Oscar” feel or so. Considering the last film had Robert De Niro. I wanted to give Brad Pitt that chance to shine.

Sophia Lillis as Barbara Gordon.

The young daughter of Commissioner Gordon. Only 17/18 years old as of now. While her father is concerned of trusting this, “Batman” vigilante. She believes Batman is trying to do the same thing as her father. But just on the other side of the law. 

An intelligent and also brave young girl who wants to help people. While wanting to help this case somehow by trying to be a detective. She never expected that in her life she would get this deep in this search for the Joker.

Especially when she ends up meeting the proposed, “Clown Prince Of Crime” himself. Someone she has only heard stories about, but never thought she would meet.

Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond.  

A young women Arthur had fallen in love with during 1981. But then Arthur discovered he had been hallucinating his entire relationship with her. With Sophie now in her late 40′s. While not close to Arthur. Because of the, “Batman” trying to find out answers about who Arthur Fleck was. Sophie discovers a bit more about how Arthur felt about her. Especially with Joker remembering her again and maybe some how can restart what they had. 

Notes: There is this idea of when Batman decides to investigate who Arthur is. He tracks down anyone who may of had a connection with him. With cameos from characters like Sophie, and Gary are in this film. Because they have met him before. Mainly with Gary knowing a bit more on Arthur because of working with him. 

Just a important detail, Sophie doesn’t die. But I wanted to bring back these certain characters that had met Arthur during his transformation into the Joker. Including in this story. I decided to do a little retcon(Unless it could still be in there) by adding in the scene from what I heard about the old script. Of Arthur in his Joker outfit meeting Sophie one final time before leaving to go meet Murray Franklin. Basically apologizing to her about the incident of him being in her apartment, giving her flowers, money, and telling her he’ll be on the Murray Franklin Show.

While this may seem weird. It’s this idea that because of the road he was taking, and knowing he might not see her again. He just wanted to say something one final time to her. Despite in the movie they never had a actual relationship.

It’s this idea that after 20 years. Joker still had these feelings for her and telling her the truth of how he felt. Including how he was feeling about her. But Sophie being honest with her after everything he’s done, it probably wouldn’t work. Yet he doesn’t get angry. It’s more like he understands because she’s right in this case.

This was a character I wanted to bring back somehow. Again these are all just my ideas. Especially this was the, “Softer” Joker I’m talking about. Because it’s at this stage, he doesn’t seem to care. Because Arthur is slowly coming back and Joker just doesn’t care anymore. 

Mark Hamill as Jack Napier. 

The old boyfriend of Penny Fleck who is the reason behind Arthur’s, “Condition”. Who was released 20 years earlier. Now working among the regular people. Including trying to stay low and make sure no one knows who he is. Because after all those years of spending in jail, he is still the cold hearted man who had beaten Arthur. But now living as a hermit, not making any connections with anybody. 

During this time, Batman questions him about Arthur and where he may be at. But also when Joker discovers who Napier is and that he still lives in Gotham City. He decides to pay the old man a visit and confront him.

Notes: This is a weird addition. Because in a way it doesn’t add a whole lot except that Batman part. Mainly the addition of Penny’s boyfriend being in this story is to give the people what they want. To have Arthur/Joker give him what he deserves. Including to close a chapter in Arthur’s life. 

Mainly the scene is this weird dark comedic scene with Joker, Barbara(who’s being kept hostage by the Joker), and his followers go to Jack Napier’s apartment. With Joker revealing who he is(Despite the added Batman meeting I had thought about to give his role more meaning) to Jack Napier and what he did to him as a child. With Jack Napier admitting to not regretting abusing Arthur. Including saying Arthur deserved it. 

Joker(Even if he was already planning on doing this, Jack Napier not regretting his actions made the choice even more easy) holding a customized sledge hammer, repeatedly beats Jack Napier with the hammer to the head. Basically beating the old man to death. With Joker admitting this is a vengeance to with Napier had beaten Arthur’s head. 

It ends with Joker all tired from beating his abuser to death. Traumatizing Barbara(Which was the reason he brought her there to witness it. To show in his case, “Parents are fucking awful”) in the process. With Joker literally asking as some sort way to calm her nerves down by asking her and his followers if they want to order pizza. With Joker literally stealing Napier’s money off his corpse to pay for a possible pizza.

Including it was tough thinking of who to cast as this character. Including it’s a small role. Originally it was Clancy Brown. But I decided Mark Hamill as a easter egg because he had voiced the Joker in multiple Batman media. Such as Batman The Animated Series, and the Batman Arkham series. Especially his name being a callback to Jack Napier from Batman 1989, the Jokers real name from that film.

Douglas Hodge as Alfred Pennyworth.

Bruce Wayne’s butler, caretaker, and legal guardian after Bruce’s parents were murdered. He knows Bruce is Batman and tries to assist him the best he can. A best friend and father figure to Bruce during the most dire of times. But when Bruce discovers that his family had possible connections to Arthur’s decent into becoming the Joker. This puts a strain on their relationship as Alfred was possibly keeping this secret from Bruce. 

Sally Field as Dr, Leslie Thompkins.

A doctor who has dedicated her life to help Gotham’s unfortunate, including a surrogate mother to Bruce Wayne after his parents were murdered. She knows Bruce is Batman yet despite the dangers. She supports him being the Batman. 

Elza Gonzales as Selina Kyle.

A woman who Bruce has been dating for a while. The woman who would later or is possibly Catwoman now.

Emma Stone as Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn.

One of Jokers followers he’s gained along the way. A intern psychologist who was assigned to the Arthur one time. But soon fell in love with him and escaped with him. But compared to other interpretations, there isn’t really a abusive relationship between the two. Mainly just the idea Harley fell in love with Arthur/Joker but he doesn’t share the same feelings towards her. Which overtime her, “Love” for him slowly fades away, possibly helping the police track Joker now. Realizing she was never really in love with him. 

Notes: To be honest it’s difficult to deal with Harley in this story. Because there is a reason why I said this feels like a third part of a trilogy. Because Harley sounds like she would be something like from a first sequel. Including this is what I have said there seems to be too many characters for this one story. 

Especially with this angle because this Joker, while not abusive with her. Yet he doesn’t share the same feelings for her. With Joker or in this case Arthur still having feelings for Sophie after all these years. Especially it’s also the fact I’ve seen a person’s reply on a piece of Joker and Harley art(With the 2019 Joker and DCEU Harley with Batman) of this Joker probably wouldn’t abuse his Harley. But we don’t know about that. 

I’m sorry if I seem to disregard this element. I’ll be honest I’m not big on the Joker and Harley ship. Mainly because of the whole abuse thing and just let Harley stay with Poison Ivy. Especially I guess this adds to the, “Softer” Joker thing I mentioned.

But yeah Harley is such a big character that just it’s interesting to imagine her in the world of Joker 2019. Yet I’m trying to be careful with what I do with these characters.

Also Emma Stone isn’t this permeant casting choice. It was just a casting choice I went with him because choosing a suitable actress for Harley is difficult. Including crap now I’m thinking of having a Poison Ivy cameo to just give Harley a girlfriend or whatever.

Especially I have wondered of putting Vicki Vale as a cameo. Maybe Emma Stone but I don’t know. As of now in this development Emma in Harley.

Leif Gantvoort as Bob the goon.

A follower of Joker who in 1981 helped Arthur Fleck escape from Arkham State Hospital. Ever since then Bob has been Jokers, “Number One Guy” basically his right hand man/2nd in command. He’s a man who believes in Jokers cause or if he even has one. These days he helps Joker with his acts of terrorism. Being one of his most devoted followers.

Notes: As you can tell it’s Bob from Batman 1989, basically in the same role in a way. Yet it probably won’t end the same way like it did in the 1989 film.

 Other notes: I just wanna say I do have plans of showcasing Black Mask in this. But not as an important character. Mainly in a scene where he is talking to Joker, criticizing him for having no motive and everything he’s doing is doing nothing for anybody. Which results in Joker just straight up murdering Black Mask by shooting him in the face. All because Black Mask criticized Joker and what he was doing. 

Mainly Black Mask’s men are shocked but don’t do anything. Because they just lost their leader and Jokers followers are there too in the meeting. In a way Joker kind of saved Gotham from Black Mask and his criminal army. But it also unleashed more chaos.

Especially Black Mask would mention Penguin as a reference of him being a, “Deformed freak” who is a weapons dealer and crime lord like Black Mask of sorts. Including Killer Croc was supposed to be in this as a minor character who Batman takes down. With Killer Croc being described as a cannibal with a skin condition making him look like some sort of reptile. But I feel this may be too much and Killer Croc deserves his own film maybe. I wanna put Scarecrow and Harvey Dent in some ways. But it’s already too much.

[softlywithhissong]

KS Meta & Ending Predictions

Let me try to address what I think provides foreshadowing and clues to the KS ending. Koogi weaved a lot of symbolism, imagery, parallels, themes, and straight-up meta style hints throughout KS. Sure, some of it might be coincidence, but all of it? I think not! Koogi loves drama and she definitely planned the story out way in advance, which allowed her to plant the foreshadowing. My thanks go out to Koogi for all of her effort and hard work. :)

There are several recurring themes I have noticed throughout KS. Themes which I think could help us predict how the story will end.

WARNING! IT’S VERY LONG! Things I Noticed, Theories, and Predictions:

The Joker and Two Face - I think KS was influenced by these famous comic characters, and also by The Dark Knight (the film, which features both characters).

Examples of The Joker theme in KS:

Both Sangwoo and Bum are associated with story elements and imagery that invokes The Joker. In chapter 9 - in the “cops and robbers” card game where the stakes are their lives and “the one who holds the Joker at the end is the robber,” note that the Joker card shown is peering through binoculars and by representing a robber, this could be a reference to Bum’s stalking, robbing possessions from those he stalks, and breaking and entering into Sangwoo’s home. “You’re going to be the masters of your own fate! What a joke! But it’ll be exciting, like a rollercoaster,” Sangwoo says, but by calling it a joke, he indicates sarcasm, a lack of sincerity, and reveals that he either finds it amusing knowing their fates are subject to him or he finds the whole idea of anyone mastering their fate (or controlling it) a joke. He turns things around in chapter 10 so even though it looks like the “cop” wins, the “Joker” actually survives/wins/”gets away” - a very Joker thing to happen. In the Summer Special (chapter between 29 and 30) there is killer clown imagery, where Sangwoo is a clown with a knife chasing Bum but instead of killing Bum, he turns back into Sangwoo. This Sangwoo as the killer clown imagery appears again in chapter 37, when Sangwoo puts on a killer clown mask - one with a gruesome smile and green hair - in the amusement park gift shop and says, “You’re supposed to scream when you’re scared. We’re here to relieve stress, not make things worse. [...] Telling you to scream on purpose feels weird.” Most of you probably know, but The Joker is also referred to as the Clown Prince. And in hindsight, the sledgehammer - a type of “mallet” -  used in chapter 2 could be an incredibly subtle reference to the mallet weapons used by Joker or Harley Quinn. The abusive relationship between Sangwoo and Bum is another similarity, with the Joker and Harley Quinn’s relationship being an abusive one, as well as the fact that both relationships feature two criminals committing crimes together. The Joker is also known to laugh hysterically and maniacally and Sangwoo would often display hysterical laughter (often while crying) but Bum has also been shown to laugh hysterically at the end of chapter 66 while hiding his face (and possibly tears) in a bouquet distinctly featuring the colors purple and green (The Joker’s colors). And Bum and Sangwoo’s outfits tend to usually have an element of purple or green. Bum’s also shown getting therapy in chapter 66, which brings to mind how the Joker and Harley first met. Bum also expresses an interest in seeing Sangwoo in the hospital where he is under police custody, which if you remember in The Dark Knight, sneaking into a hospital and escape from police custody are both things the Joker does. Also prominently featured in the film is the two boats social experiment - a social experiment that KS also features at least twice (though arguably more). It’s based on game theory and the “prisoner’s dilemma.” It’s shown twice in KS where two people are pitted against each other with each having to choose between rational self-interest or what’s in the best interest of the two collectively. In the police station in chapter 34, Bum chooses the latter and even though the police lied about Sangwoo pinning a murder on Bum, Sangwoo also refused to incriminate either Bum or himself. In the film, a prisoner steps up and chooses to preserve the lives on the civilians’ boat at the risk of his own life, proving that moral choices are not limited to only the so-called “good guys” - people are complex and “bad” people can do good things and “good” people can do bad things. Both boats refused to explode the other to save their own lives, and in doing so, both boats survived. Given that as of chapter 66 in KS, Bum and Sangwoo are possibly set on a course of mutually assured destruction, they face a similar dilemma. The facial damage Sangwoo endured in chapter 65 and 66 is also a similarity with Joker, The Joker typically having facial disfigurement - his clownish visage a result of toxic chemicals, the brief stint where his face was removed before being returned, and his scars that feature significantly into his character’s story in the film. The Joker and Sangwoo are also both an intelligent psychopath with a warped sense of humor. Both are adaptive, able to create new personalities to fit the situation, and often utilizing misdirection to outsmart their opponent. This can be seen when the Joker character has a twin, or when he utilizes costumes to get his target to mistake his identity for that of someone else, or happen in card games where there are two jokers and when jokers are “wild,” they can represent other cards. Sangwoo also utilizes disguises, changing what he wears and his appearance in order to not be recognized. Remember that time in chapter 11 and 12 when Seungbae got involved in a traffic accident, only to realize much later that one of the drivers was Sangwoo whom he had met already. He observed, “The atmosphere and the way he spoke was completely different from when we first met... I didn’t even recognize him.”

Sangwoo in KS ch 41 quote: “I don’t think. I don’t plan.“

The Joker in The Dark Knight quote: “Do I really look like a guy with a plan? [...] I just do things. The cops have plans. They’re schemers. Schemers trying to control their little world. I’m not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are. [...] I just did what I do best. I took your little plan and I turned it on itself. You know what I noticed? Nobody panics when things go ‘according to plan.’ Even if the plan is horrifying. [...] Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order and everything becomes chaos. I’m an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It’s fair.”

The Joker in The Dark Knight quote: “You just couldn’t let me go, could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You truly are incorruptible, aren’t you? You won’t kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness and I won’t kill you because you’re just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.” B: “You’ll be in a padded cell forever.” J: “Maybe we could share one. They’ll be doubling up at the rate this city’s inhabitants are losing their minds. [...] I took Gotham’s White Knight and I brought him down to our level. It wasn’t hard. You see madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little push.”

Examples of the Two Face theme in KS:

Again both Sangwoo and Bum have imagery that associates them with Two Face. In the Summer Special (between chapter 29 and 30), Bum’s gallery image had color blocking, which at first made me think of Harley Quinn, but it’s actually more like Two Face’s typical costume. Sangwoo’s facial damage shown in chapter 66 is obviously reminiscent of Two Face’s scars, as seen in The Dark Knight. In the film, Two Face gets severe scarring over half of his face from an explosion. Also in the film, he escapes from a hospital. Similarly to Sangwoo who had an abusive father and Bum who had an abusive uncle, Two Face suffered mental health problems before he was scarred. He had an abusive father who would play a cruel game with a rigged outcome. His scarring served as a turning point, giving him more of a split personality. “Two Face” also refers to when a person lies a lot, and given that Bum’s gallery image resembled Two Face, this could be in reference to his lies - both early in KS out of self-preservation while trying to endear himself to Sangwoo and recently in chapter 66 where he lied to police. Something also worth noting is that Two Face outed a girl, thinking that with no one else to turn to, she would have no choice but to love him, which is clearly similar to what Bum did in his flashback in chapter 19. However, there is another KS character who displays an awful lot of similarities to Two Face and that’s Seungbae! He works in criminal justice - Harvey Dent (Two Face) as a district attorney and prosecutor and Seungbae as a police officer (demoted from detective based on bad behavior at a previous precinct). They both have horrible tempers, often flying into fits of rage. Seungbae displays this frequently throughout KS with his many overreactions, his use of excessive force, his horrible abuse of Bum in chapters 28, 29, and 35 - where even though he thought of Bum as “the victim” he still grabs him harshly by the wounds he himself pointed out. And then, even though he is basing all of his wild accusations on the flimsiest of coincidence, his own stalking of Sangwoo and harassment of Bum, and no real evidence, he attacks Sangwoo and physically assaults him in chapter 35, pulling him out of the van by his ankles in a disturbing reminder of how he grabbed Bum’s legs on the wounds and building a pattern of abuse and violence. One half of his face gets burned in chapter 63 and 64 like Two Face’s did. Both Seungbae and Two Face cite police negligence in the death of a loved one. Will Seungbae go bad in the end like Harvey Dent (Two Face) did? We’ll see.

Bum in KS ch 29 quote: “Ugh... LET GO!!“

“I’m saying I’ll save you!” Seungbae yells, while squeezing Bum’s clearly wounded wrist hard enough to make it start bleeding again. :(

Bum: “HA... HAHA. You’ll save me? How?”

Two Face in The Dark Knight quote: ”You think I want to escape from this? There is no escape from this. [...] I’ve done plenty wrong, Gordon. Just not quite enough. Yet. It’s not about what I want. It’s about what’s fair. You thought we could be decent men in an indecent time. You thought the rules could be bent but not break. You were wrong. The world is cruel. And the only morality in a cruel world is chance. Unbiased. Unprejudiced. Fair.”

The Bait and Switch - Misdirection! KS is filled with misdirection, a trick to get the reader to pay attention to (or believe) one thing so that they can be surprised by a different thing. A common form of misdirection shown in KS is mirroring, where many characters wear the same clothes as other people - taking on someone’s identity and leading to cases of mistaken identity. In chapter 41, a girl at the ski resort happens to be wearing the same outfit as Bum, causing Sangwoo to briefly mix up the two. Sangwoo will sometimes deliberately create this effect, though - like when he dresses up Bum in chapter 3 or when he dresses up Jieun’s corpse in chapter 22, and possibly even in this latest confrontation with Seungbae where he was wearing a very similar outfit. He also will change his demeanor and appearance sometimes with a hat and glasses, like he did in chapter 11, when Seungbae failed to recognize him.

Metamorphosis - There are several examples of symbolism in KS which represent change, a transformation that is not always for the better. Butterfly symbolism appears in chapter 34, frog symbolism shows up a couple times, and the poison apple symbolism is prevalent throughout. Acquiring a new identity could also count as metamorphosis, whether by living under a new name or adopting a new (possibly murderous) outlook on life.

Escape - This theme includes escape through mistaken identity and misdirection which could very well happen. But escape has also already been hinted at in KS. In the Christmas Special that came out before chapter 36, there are several methods of transportation that are associated with escape shown, including 2 hot air balloons, 2 (possibly 3) sailing ships, the helm wheel on the mantle (imagery of a sailing ship). Season three of KS sees Sangwoo take Bum on a vacation trip, first to an amusement park “to relieve stress” and then to a ski resort to “enjoy” the break, escaping the stress of home. In chapter 51, Sangwoo shows Bum the movie Fantastic Mr. Fox, which is about not being able to escape your nature (like in the scorpion and the frog) as an animal at heart, and embracing it to escape.

PREDICTION: I think that at least 2 of these themes will be featured in the ending of KS. Any 2. So, maybe a Bait and Switch and Escape, or Two Face and a murderous Metamorphosis? Which 2 themes do you think have the best chance of showing up in the last chapter? And who do you believe is The Joker of KS and who is the Two Face?

And if you know of any examples of these themes that I missed, feel free to share them! :) And THANK YOU for reading my incredibly long post. XD

[littlebitwriter]

THE BATMAN 2021 POTENTIAL PLOT THEORIES, CASTING IDEAS & MORE

The official casting announcement for the title character of Matt Reeves’ 2021 film THE BATMAN had been announced a little while back. It is a done deal with Warner’s and Matt Reeves having agreed to Robert Pattinson’s visions for the character and to really make the character his own. This film will be a standalone with no connection to the now pretty much dead DCEU. Set in its own universe with opportunity of introducing different Batfamily members meaning Red Hood movies, Nightwing movies, Batgirl movies, Ace The Bathound, the possibilities are endless which not long ago weren’t with the ‘Snyder verse’. This film and potential Batman franchise will be its own standalone film(s) much like the Joker (2019) film arriving later this year in October, which also much like this film takes place outside of the DCEU continuity.

One of the most exciting things for me about Pattinson’s casting is the possibility of the Batfamily and I also like the direction they will be taking with the character. From what I hear Reeves is not opposed to storylines from The Animated Series as a reference point for their trilogy. I’ve been hearing things about Mask of The Phantasm which gets me giddy as a school girl and I think that film is the epitome of comic book adaptations, especially for the hero’s journey arc, as well as a lot of the other emotional aspects of a superhero that we don’t really see in Marvel or DC films. The fact that they are even open to including ideas from that animated motion picture that should have everyone screaming their heads off with excitement. I have heard more than one source talk about Mask of The Phantasm when speaking of Reeves’ script and that has me super thrilled.

Showing the detective side of Batman is going to be exciting since that hasn’t really been portrayed in live action before. Since they are potentially using the animated series for reference, as well as Frank Miller and Matt Reeves has expressed his fondness for the early years of Batman and it won’t be a full adaptation of stories like Year One or Long Halloween or Dark Victory of course, it will potentially be a bit of a combination between Frank Miller and Scott Snyder potentially bringing in elements from Zero Year. They are planning a trilogy but that doesn’t mean actors playing certain characters can’t be signed on for other films such as launching a Nightwing film for example. There will also potentially be quite a lot of Arkham villains. I’m hoping in Matt Reeves’ trilogy there will be quite a lot of animated series influences with Batman sticking to the shadows and having it pretty much be the equivalent to the animated series in live-action in parts. Also I’m excited to see more of Batman’s brilliant mind which is something Matt Reeves is going to really bring forward to the screen. There is a tremendous amount of things I am super excited for I have a couple of potential ideas for where this film and potential franchise can go. Considering they are going to film soon take all this with a grain of salt this is all fan theoretical nonsense. Here are my weird theories based on what we’ve heard.

The film will be set in the 1990’s and will be loosely based on The Long Halloween though mostly on it’s sequel Dark Victory and it will be a noir detective driven murder mystery with Batman trying to stop a dangerous serial killer copycat. It is a normal time in Gotham aside from muggings, murder, consipracies, criminal activity, and of course the Gotham rogues until a new copycat killer starts bumping off gothammites and criminals left and right it is up to the batman to uncover the mystery to find and stop this deadly mimic before it is too late. The scope and feel of the film in my mind would be inspired by particularly Dark Victory and Mask of The Phantasm (which in its own right is a murder whodunnit story with a massive twist ending that blew people’s minds even to this day.)

Matt Reeves’ The Batman (2021) will star of course Batman, Alfred, James Gordon, Catwoman and Penguin as the main leads though Robin will appear in some capacity and considering Grayson played a huge role in Dark Victory his inclusion would be very important and omitting him from this adaptation I think would be a very bad move since it would remove the heart of the story because in my mind seeing a young Robin work with Batman is something very much needed. Side characters would include Two-Face, Firefly, The Riddler and another villain who will play a key role in this story overall. Batman will visit many iconic locations in Gotham City such as Arkham Asylum to question his famous rogues as well as other locations.

The film will mirror The Long Halloween although it would not be an origin for Two-Face because I’m sure many people still have that tragic story in there head from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. One thing I’ve been hearing constantly about the film is that the focus will not be on origins and it will show a living, breathing, established Batverse with this young interpretation of The Caped Crusader at the center will eventually lead to more of a Bat-family cinematic universe and help Warner’s make some of that MCU/Disney money.

With this film taking place in the nineties there is potential to establish a young Dick Grayson before the solo Chris McKay directed Nightwing movie. Also we live in a time where people love Robin regardless of who is taking the mantle, he is an iconic character who deserves respect.

As for Catwoman she is expected to have a role in the film. I think one of the runner ups for the role of Selena Kyle may not be a bad Catwoman. Her and Pattinson really look the part of Bruce Wayne and Selena Kyle so I could see them having some good chemistry and I can see her being a very good Catwoman. The Penguin is going to appear in this movie as it is his first film appearance since Danny DeVito in Batman Returns. He’ll be a crime boss but more swanky nightclub owner of The Iceberg Lounge and black market dealer rather than a murderous flightless bird. Batman could have a scene with The Penguin interrogating him for intel on the serial killer and outside of that I’d see him playing a fowl role in this film. I’d see Penguin being played by Josh Gad. As for the Riddler’s role he will focus on a battle of wits with the Caped Crusader since the character uses his keen intellect to challenge The Dark Knight over his lack of brawn, I’d like him to be like John Glover’s Riddler from BTAS. I don’t really see him as the sole mastermind behind the killings but he will pester Batman and it’ll be a great take on The Riddler hopefully. I’d see James Macavoy play The Riddler. Firefly is said to play a role I don’t see him being the killer but maybe he could be one of his victims. I can see some of the victims this killer hunts down would also be rogues too. Very Mask of The Phantasm style where there’s this killer bumping off mob bosses and costumed croanies.

As for the killer himself… The Joker is the crazy killer. The Joker being the clown mastermind behind everything would be perfect and a total wild card especially if Warner Bros. hid his reveal until the film’s release. That means no promotional material, no announcement and the actor would have to be cool with not getting a ton of publicity until after the film’s release. That would be very cool. That twist would have people talking for years. The actor I’d be interested to see portray The Clown Prince to Pattinson’s Dark Knight is Macculy Culkin. He’ll have to dodge questions left and right but he would be a great addition to this cast as The Joker.

CAST

Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman

Ralph Fiennes as Alfred Pennyworth

Bryan Cranston as James Gordon

Vanessa Hudgens as Selena Kyle/Catwoman

Josh Gad as Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin

Finn Wolfhard as Richard Grayson/Robin

Oscar Issac as Two-Face

Johnny Depp as Mad Hatter

Milo Ventimiglia as Firefly

James Macavoy as The Riddler

Macculy Culkin as Joker

This is my dream for The Batman 2021 movie. If it was anything like this, I would be very, very, very happy.

(Batman/Robert Pattinson fan art above by Diego Riselli)

[wintryknight13]

Time For My Death Sentence

I always wanted to share my thoughts on old shit. And since severals years have passed, I'm sure I (a ghost) can freely give unpopular opinions on things without getting noticed (I know I'm pressing my luck). Maybe not a minority reception, but small nonetheless. Alright, here goes the list:

1. I hate pineapple pizza. (Easy enough)

2. I can't stand SJWs. They make me think liberals are plain stupid and delusional (and I lean a bit more to the left). I can go on a long rant about them but I won't do it here. And plenty have already beaten me to it.

3. Fandoms are horrible (yeah yeah I know I shouldn't generalize but truly, the most vocal ones just ruin it for me)

4. Supernatural was good for the first 6 seasons. Afterwards it gotten repetitive, inconclusive, and irritating.

5. Big Bang Theory too, for 4 seasons. I hate when it turned into a Rom-Com like it's FRIENDS. I'm glad it's coming to an end (hopefully)

6. I love the high school musical trilogy, I don't care if it's corny or dumb.

7. Twilight doesn't deserve all the hate it got. It wasn't even that bad (except for Breaking Dawn, I can understand that)

8. I still very much enjoyed the second half of Death Note even after L's Death. I love Near and Mello (And Matt!).

9. Ah, My Goddess! is the best and only Rom Anime I ever enjoyed. Keichi and Belldandy are a wholesome couple.

10. I hate the Germany = HRE conspiracy in Hetalia. There, I said it! I always saw them as 2 different people. I'm also not a GerIta shipper. Oopsie.

11. Naruto Ending sucks ass, I'm sorry. It ended with shitty couples and cheap power-ups and Bigger Baddies (A Goddess WTF) and unresolved themes/problems and the LAST movie and emptiness and many more questions. All just for the spin-off Boruto.

12. Fire Emblem needs to get rid of avatars and waifus. It's getting ridiculous.

13. I like Young Justice (not a super fan), but I hate the time skips and overload of new characters. I love Wally(RIP?), but could care less about Spitfire, they're like my least favorite couple.

14. I hate the New 52 DCAU art style. Just, no.

15. With the exception of volumes 1-3, RWBY is utter trash.

16. Legend Of Korra was decent. Tho my only favs were Bolin, Varrick, and Tenzin.

17. I love Gotham, but I hated the mismatched rom drama and resurrecting dead people schtick.

18. I Despise Disney Remakes. They are all TERRIBLE.

19. Speaking of Disney, I MISS 2-d animation. Those were beautiful times.

20. Lyrical Rap Music with meaning is 10x better than that mumble shit.

21. I wasn't at all affected by Hughes' Death in FMA (I'm wading dangerous waters). I mean yeah, it was tragic, but I didn't cry or lost sleep over it.

22. I'm too late in the game to like or enjoy KPOP. BTS is alright tho.

23. Polar Express is the BEST Christmas film. I dgaf what anyone says.

24. I like Jason Todd's white tuff, regardless if it only lasted for about 2 issues. Keep doing your thing, Fanart.

25. If you look past the flaws, FF13 isn't that bad. I enjoyed it. Lightning was a good MC.

26. What's a girl gotta do to get some manly ukes/bottoms around here?! It's all just submissive, girly pretty boy content! (Sorry, inner Yaoi Gal talking)

27. Feminism is stupid. Just wanna put that out there.

28. Y'all need to stop making Bruce the bad guy/father in Batfam Fanfics.

29. Alice & Zouroku, After The Rain, Gakuen Babysitters, and Monster are such underrated animes. Different genres, but all so AMAZING.

30. Amber is my least favorite character from Darker Than Black. Change my mind!

31. Jason Griffith was the ideal voice of Sonic The Hedgehog for me. Nothing can prove me otherwise.

32. Katniss didn't deserve Peeta. He's too much of a sweetheart to have kids with that Skank.

33. Percy Jackson needs a TV series. The movies didn't do my treasure justice!

34. Since we're on Percy Jackson, wasn't much of a fan of Percebeth. I love them as separate characters. Together? Meh.

35. I prefer the original, female, flat-chested, in-depth, badass, beautiful Saber in the Fate Series. The other versions can't even compare.

36. Alice from Detroit: Become Human should've been a human girl instead of an android. The weight and beauty of Kara's story is lost, and via replays Alice just becomes a nuisance.

37. Rise Of The Guardians NEED a sequel.

38. Marvel is good at movies. DC is good at animation. That's my gospel truth and I'm sticking with it. Ultimate Spiderman and the Dark Knight Trilogy are the exceptions.

39. I never seen Steven Universe or BHA. Too overrated.

40. Pokemon: I Choose You was the worst Pokemon Movie I've seen. From the lack of Brock & Misty (And Team Rocket. Honestly, where did the original backstory went?) to Pikachu fuckin speaking for the first time.

41. Just because America is indeed not the best country in the world, doesn't mean all other countries are automatically better.

...I know there's more, but this is what I got from the top of my head. Respond however you like. I litted the fire, after all. Heh, it's probably a good conversation starter.

[douxreviews]

Batman The Animated Series - ‘Two-Face’ Review

"At last we meet, face to face... to face."

Two-Face has one of comic's most tragic origin stories and it has inspired some of the very best Batman stories over the years such as Jeph Leob and Tim Sale's The Long Halloween, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, and this two-parter.

'Two-Face' is Batman: The Animated Series at its absolute best. Brilliantly written, exceptionally directed, and stunningly animated, it's the series' first true masterpiece. This is one of those episode you force a friend who has never seen it before to watch so they can see why you never shut the fuck up about it.

I already rambled on in a previous review about how BTAS always made the effort to make us understand its villains, now I'm going to talk about how it also made us feel sorry for a lot of them. In Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's The Killing Joke, the Joker theorises that all it takes to drive someone insane is one really bad day. The makers of BTAS obviously subscribe to that theory since that is how so many of the Batman's villains come to be. Most of Gotham's worst criminals start out as perfectly ordinary people who are living perfectly ordinary lives when something horrible happens to them (or someone they care about) that sends them on a one way trip into madness. And there is no more perfect example of this than Gotham's own District Attorney, Harvey Dent.

This story wouldn't have worked as well as it did if Harvey was just some random city official we'd never met before. We might not have seen that much of him before this episode, but we saw enough to know that he was one of the good guys and, more importantly, Bruce Wayne's best friend. Very probably his only friend. The friendship between these two is at the very heart of the story. Yeah, Two-Face might spend most of the story pining for his fiancee, Grace, but that doesn't carry nearly as much dramatic weight as the pain Bruce feels for letting his friend down.

If Batman is Gotham's Dark Knight, then Dent is its shining white knight. He's the hero people can look up to and believe in. He doesn't have to resort to costume theatrics to bring down crooks like mob boss Rupert Throne. His weapon is the law, but it's currently shooting blanks. Judges in Thorne's pocket are undoing all of Dent's good work. Frustrated with working within a corrupt system, and struggling with the strain of running for reelection, Dent is starting to unravel, exposing his own deep dark secret.

You see, Harvey has spent his whole life trying to be a good person. He worked so hard at it that he suppressed all his negative impulses. This has had the unfortunate side effect of creating his very own monster from the Id: the aggressive, violent, short tempered, gravelly voiced, coin flipping Big Bad Harv. Harvey's been able to keep his alter-ego under control before, but he's coming out more and more, and often very publicly. Fishing for dirt on Gotham's hero, Thorne's minions stumble onto Harvey's secret and the mob boss tries to use it to get the D.A. in his pocket. Big mistake. Big Bad Harv takes over and attacks Thorne and his men. Batman tries to intervene and save Dent, but just ends up bungling the rescue. One explosion later and Harvey Dent is no more, replaced by Two-Face, one of Gotham's most notorious criminals.

I'm going to stop now and take a moment to talk about how exceptional Two-Face's character design is. As is so often the case with this show, the elegance is in the simplicity. Timm and his team never made the mistake of over complicating how the villains looked. Partly because it would've made them more difficult to animate. Of course, just because it looks simple doesn't mean it doesn't have a deeper meaning. Two-Face's black and white suit is a possible references to the Taijitu, the symbol in Chinese philosophy which represents the dualist (yin and yang) aspect of Taiji (supreme ultimate). Yeah, this is that kind of kids' show.

But Two-Face is more than just a triumph of character design. He is easily one of the show's most complex and fascinating villains. It would've been so easy for the writers to just make Two-Face Big Bad Harv unleashed. But that would be obvious and not all interesting. Instead, Two-Face is a sort of melding of the two sides of Harvey's personality. He has all of Big Bad Harv's rage and violence, but it's tempered (occasionally) by Harvey's sense of order, which has been twisted so that everything is determined by the flip of a coin. It is testament to how well Two-Face is written that his obsession with duality never becomes a cheap gimmick, but is a symptom of his mental illness. Because that is ultimately what Harvey Dent/Two-Face is. He's a mentally ill man who placed his job before his own well-being and didn't get the help he desperately needed until it was too late.

Fortunately for Dent, he's up against a Batman who is more than sympathetic to the mentally ill, one who understands that, for all their crimes, his villains are probably the ones who need Batman's help the most. The other day I saw a post on Tumblr (yes, it's still a thing) where people talked about how well this series tackled the subject of mental health and how this Batman is portrayed as a more empathetic character who understands that many of his adversaries are sick people who just need help. Or as one person so brilliantly put it "The story of one fucked up, traumatised little boy, doing his best to help other fucked up traumatised people."

I Know That Voice

Rupert Thorne was voiced by John Vernon (National Lampoon's Animal House, Dirty Harry, The Outlaw Josey Wales).

Comic Book Connections

Two-Face/Harvey Dent was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane and first appeared in Detective Comics #66 (Aug, 1942). The character was originally named Harvey "Apollo" Kent, but this was changed to avoid confusion with Clark Kent. Rupert Thorne was created by Steve Englehart and Walter Simonson, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #469. In the comics he was a corrupt politicians rather than a mobster.

Notes and Quotes

--It's rather fitting that the series' first two-parter (production-wise at least) is about Two-Face.

--Despite having such a important role here, Grace is never seen or mentioned again after this story.

--First appearance of the Bat-cycles and can I just say I love their design.

--The final scene of Part I is terrific, one of the series' best moments, and looks simply stunning in HD, but there are some notable animation errors. For example, when Harvey is first shown in the hospital, his chin, neck, and hair are all undamaged. Also, his left hand is normal at the end of the episode, but is damaged by the start of Part II, although it is possible he later did that himself so that his left hand matched his face.  

--In the scene where the psychiatrist is trying to bring out "Big Bad Harv" when the lightning strikes, Harvey's face briefly flashes as Two-Face.

Candace: "My, this guy is crazy." Rupert Thorne: "Yeah, crazy like a fox. That little tantrum probably bought him another 10,000 votes."

Thorne: "So what do you say, Harvey? Do we have a deal?" Harvey: "There's just one problem." Thorne: "What's that?" Harvey: "You're talking to the wrong Harvey."

Two-Face: "Don't bother to adjust the picture. For the next five minutes, I'm in control." --Harvey is obviously a fan of The Outer Limits.

Thorne: "All men have something to hide. The brighter the picture, the darker the negative."

Alfred: "Remember, sir. Harvey Dent is no longer the great man we once knew." Batman: "I have to believe that somewhere under that monster is my old friend." Alfred: "That may make him even more dangerous."

Four out of four monsters from the Id.

Mark Greig has been writing for Doux Reviews since 2011

[lyonrhodes]

One Bad Day #5: Paint the Town

Red Hood x OC, Batman/DC Fan Fic

Summary: Dora has lived in Gotham her whole life and is accustomed to the rampant crime and corruption. Her life gets worse when Black Mask takes over the city. She thinks all hope is lost but a new vigilante appears, calling himself the Red Hood. However, he’s not your typical knight in shining armor. Dora must decide: does she dare fall in love with a revenge-driven killer? (Romance, Crime, Action)

Chapter 5: Paint the Town

Two days later, Dora went to One Police Plaza to make her official statement—Red Hood was that big of a deal, there was a task force dedicated to taking him down working out of the GCPD’s central headquarters in Old Gotham. Dora arrived at the giant building only to find the entrance roped off by yellow tape. There was a crime scene right on the front steps. Cameras flashed and people chattered in the large crowd that had gathered as close as they could get. At the fringe of the scene, news reporters discussed the event in front of cameramen. The crowd was so dense, Dora couldn’t see what the fuss was about.

“Hey, you!” Bullock stomped up to her from a food truck he had been standing by, tossing aside his half-eaten gyro.

“What?” she asked.

Bullock snarled. “What do you mean ‘what?’ Your boyfriend dropped off a little present for the GCPD.”

She had no idea what boyfriend Bullock was talking about because she had been single for well over two years. However, the familiar contemptuous look on his face quickly made her realize he was talking about Red Hood—and she didn’t like that.

“What’s going on? Why the crowd?”

“As if you don’t know,” Bullock spat impatiently.

Bullock was too bitter to tell her, but after he escorted her inside the GCPD building—roughly by the arm—Montoya took over and shooed Bullock away. He snorted and stomped away, muttering under his breath. Although Dora wasn’t fond of either of them, she preferred Montoya over Bullock. She was still wary not to be fooled by their good cop/bad cop routine. At least Montoya believed Dora hadn’t deliberately sicced Red Hood on the men harassing her—she hoped.

While recording her statement and filling out a stack of paperwork with some mousy intern from the DA’s office, Dora learned from Montoya that Red Hood wasn’t keeping every head he took as a personal trophy. Regarding the incident she had walked in on when she arrived at the GCPD, Montoya told her—over her morning coffee—that it appeared Red Hood had dropped off the head of a corrupt businessman named Adam Hunt on the GCPD’s doorstep in order to send a message. This Adam Hunt had allegedly—and Montoya emphasized the word allegedly—laundered money for many of Gotham’s criminal organizations. He had been on the GCPD’s watch list for years, but they could never gather enough evidence for a solid conviction, let alone enough to charge him with any legitimate crime. When the DA intern left, Montoya offered her theory that Hunt’s lawyers were just too damn good, and revealed that she suspected the ADA and a few judges were in Black Mask’s pocket.

“I guess Red Hood doesn’t care about the burden of proof,” Montoya told Dora while they filled out yet more paperwork in the bustling bullpen. Uniform cops, detectives, and jail guards were scrambling around the office, shouting at perps, into their phones, radios, and each other. “This Red Hood guy considers himself judge, jury, and executioner. I’m not sure if he’s deranged or just sick of waiting for justice to be done. If the latter’s the case, I can’t blame him cuz kinda get it. Pero no le dices a Bullock que yo te dije eso.”

Dora didn’t promise anything, but she and Montoya shared a lingering look that made Dora think Montoya was as frustrated with the corruption and ineffectiveness of Gotham’s law enforcement as she was.

After filling out all the paperwork, the detectives set Dora loose and didn’t bother her again. She assumed they were too busy chasing after Red Hood, who was literally painting the city of Gotham red and watching it burn.

Day and night, everything Dora heard and read on the news was about either Red Hood, Batman, or Black Mask—or any combination of them. It was a veritable free-for-all, each one pitted relentlessly against the other two. However, it was plain to see that who everyone feared most was Red Hood. As the newcomer, he was the most unpredictable and therefore the most dangerous. There had been dozens of arsons in his name. In some cases vehicles and whole buildings were blown up. Gotham’s citizens were afraid to leave their homes for fear that any public place they visited or transportation they used might be rigged with one of Red Hood’s bombs. The city was being terrorized and demolished, one building at a time, by an unhinged pyromaniac in a red helmet. Wherever Firefly was nowadays, Dora mused, he was being put to shame; and Batman was struggling to keep up.

What the media didn’t know (and apparently the cops were keeping quiet) was the fact that most of the buildings that were bombed were fronts, hideouts, drug labs, brothels, casinos, speakeasies, and stashes of Gotham’s worst gangs. Not to mention the steady stream of severed heads that were dumped almost daily on the steps of One Police Plaza were those of crime bosses and their highest-ranking lieutenants. Dora knew this because it was all the Alibi’s customers would talk about. She even noticed that the shadiest and most delinquent of her clientele weren’t coming around the bar as often.

It was plainly obvious that Gotham’s criminals were scared shitless. They were scrambling, like rats trapped in a box, panicked into a frenzy, desperate for survival.

Despite the seemingly rampant destruction reported in the news, all the innocent Gotham citizens that lived on Park Row and the other impoverished neighborhoods were beginning to feel safer. Outside of Red Hood’s own crimes, organized and petty criminal activity in Gotham had actually decreased since his debut. In the week after the massacre in the alley, it seemed like Red Hood was gaining more notoriety, yet getting further away from being caught.

The streets were buzzing with support for Red Hood, and Dora noticed it everywhere—from bargoers in the Alibi to people waiting in line at Starbucks and all over social media. The common topic of conversation now was whether you should support Batman or Red Hood. The people that favored Red Hood had taken to wearing red hoodies and baseball caps. Still, some people insisted neither Red Hood or Batman were the answer, believing that the GCPD and the courts were the only legal way to fight crime and protect the innocent.

But to Dora, there could be no mistake. Her neighborhood of Park Row was now a safer place to live. Whenever she needed proof to reassure herself, all she had to do was open her bedroom window at night and take a moment to listen to the city. She no longer heard drug dealers and addicts yelling at each other in the alleys, the hookers and johns catcalling on the street corners, or gunshots and sirens echoing through the air—all things she used to hear on a nightly basis before Red Hood came along were now gone. No one had to take her word for it, everyone in Park Row noticed how quiet it had become.

And Rochelle thought so, too. After initially being scared—literally to death—of Red Hood, it seemed like Rochelle had become one of his biggest fans in the weeks since his first appearance in that alley. She wore red to work nearly everyday.

“Well, he comes on a little strong, yeah—but you can’t deny the effect he’s had on the town, Dee,” Rochelle told Dora one night at the Alibi after last call. “Crooks are too scared to try anything. Maybe that’s just what it takes in a shithole like Gotham. The city’s so infested with monsters, we needed a bigger one on our side. Batman and his crew weren’t enough. And I don’t know if it’s just me, but it seems like he’s sighted around here in Park Row more often than anywhere else.”

Dora found Rochelle’s about-face somewhat confusing, remembering just how afraid she had been when she first encountered Red Hood, the same night Dora had. When Dora asked her about that, she answered, “Well that was before I realized what he was doing, y’know? He’s made life much better for Ben and me.” (Ben was Rochelle’s fiancé.) “I’m not sure what Red Hood did, but he came around our building once, then our landlord suddenly wasn’t threatening us to call ICE on me anymore.”

“Yeah, that’s great, I guess,” Dora replied. The jury was still out in her own mind. In the days since Sergei’s murder, she had felt the relief that came from knowing she didn’t owe Black Mask half her profits every month, but it was only because of a vigilante that was basically a terrorist and mass murderer, nevermind that he only targeted other criminals. She still had nightmares and recurring pangs of guilt about what happened that night. And she hadn’t forgotten that she owed Red Hood protection money instead of Sergei and Black Mask now, however much less it was. She didn’t want to think what Red Hood was capable of if she didn’t pay up. What made it worse was that for some reason she still hadn’t quite figured out, she had hidden that fact from both the police and everyone else, including Rochelle and her own family. Dora had no idea what kind of trouble she would be in if they found out. It was like she was in the middle of another gang war, and she had barely survived one already.

After relieving Rochelle for the night, Dora was in the process of locking up, when someone knocked on the Alibi’s front plate-glass window. Dora saw Holly’s face beaming at her through the smudged glass pane. She undid the locks and let her in.

“Damn, Dee. How many locks do you have on this door?”

“Six deadbolts,” Dora replied, exasperated as she locked them all again. “Can never be too careful in this neighborhood... But hey... I haven’t seen or heard from you all week.” She noticed that Holly was favoring her right leg as she walked in. “Are you okay? What happened to your leg?”

“Oh? This? It’s nothing. Half-healed already.”

“Why haven’t you been replying to my texts?”

“Texts?” Holly looked confused for a moment. She felt around her pockets for a phone but came up with nothing. An amused expression appeared on her face. She said, “Oh. You only had my old work number. I threw that phone out.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t need it anymore. Gotta get myself a new phone, I guess...”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m no longer turning tricks!” Holly pulled Dora into a tight hug, giddy with laughter, a bubbly noise that Dora had never heard from her before. Holly seemed like a wholly different person.

“What? Are you serious?” Dora pulled Holly away, and looked her up and down properly. The younger girl wasn’t dressed in her usual outfit—a form-fitting dress that left nothing to the imagination. Tonight Holly was wearing sneakers, jeans, and a t-shirt—and no make-up whatsoever. She looked like the sixteen-year-old girl that she actually was—poignantly reminding Dora of just how far Carla could fall if she didn’t get her act together soon.

“Serious as a heart attack.” Holly laughed again. “This Red Hood guy, Dee… He saved my life.”

“Yeah, I was there, remember? He saved my life too. And Rochelle’s.”

“No, I mean aside from that first time. You know Stan, right? My pimp?”

Uh oh. Dora felt her stomach drop. She could only nod, but the feeling of dread was already weighing down her stomach. Red Hood killed him.

“Well, Red Hood came around and… just…” Holly rolled her eyes, but the smile never left her face. “He tore Stan a new asshole, let’s just say—”

“Is Stan still alive?” Dora had to ask. Does he still have his head?

“Yeah, Dee, don’t sweat it. He’s still breathing.” But Holly snorted and shook her head, smirking. “Barely.”

“And you saw him? You saw Red Hood do it?”

“Yeah! After taking care of Stan and his goons, he rushed all the girls out, and rigged the brothel to blow.” A blush bloomed on Holly’s face as she massaged her ankle. “I tripped down the stoop and hurt my foot, so he picked me up, threw me over his shoulder and fucking parkoured his way down the block until we were safe!”

Taking a second to imagine it, Dora found herself impressed. The next second, she actually felt a twinge of jealousy. Rochelle and Holly had both been helped by Red Hood, both once more than she had. But almost immediately she was ashamed of herself. Get your head out of your ass. Think straight. That dude is dangerous.

Then something else occurred to her. She frowned. “Wait. Hol, what are you going to do now? With Stan gone, you’re out of a job, aren’t you?” If Holly were a little bit older, she would offer her a job at the Alibi, but it was already bad enough that she had let her drink there.

“Not quite.” Holly grabbed a bottle from the bar shelf and some tumblers from the counter. “Red Hood took over. With Stan gone, he set the girls up in a new place, with a new front, and a new madam. We have a madam, now, Dee! Not a slimy old pimp! How classy is that? Her name’s Ma Gunn. I’ve never heard of her before and she’s super old, but she’s legit as fuck. Turned tricks herself back in the day, was in the high-end escort biz for years. She’s Australian and posh as fuck, and doesn’t traffick and doesn’t force anybody on dates they don’t want to go on.”

“That sounds great, but if you’re not going on dates, what kind of work do you do for her?”

“I’m too young for dates she says, so I take care of matchmaking and scheduling mostly.” Holly put a cup of vodka in Dora’s hand, her smile beaming brighter. “Ma’s still having girls work the corner and the bars and her new brothel but she’s trying to set up an escort service for the whales and high rollers. I set up dates, book drivers, restaurants, hotels... I guess I’m basically a sex concierge now.”

Holly clinked glasses with Dora and downed her shot in just one gulp. However, Dora didn’t do the same. She never had a taste for vodka thanks to Sergei and his men. “Congrat—” Dora was interrupted by a loud bang muffled by the walls.

Holly wheeled around. “What was that?”

“I think it was the backdoor. Sometimes it swings open when it’s windy.”

Holly frowned. “I was just outside. It’s not windy tonight, Dee.”

Dora recognized the sound of the back door slamming closed. Someone had come into the kitchen. “Maybe it’s Rochelle,” Dora wondered aloud. “Or my mom.” Those two were the only other people than Dora that had keys to the Alibi. “I’ll check it out.” Dora made sure her pepper spray was hanging from her belt loop, then grabbed the aluminum baseball bat from under the bar. She had almost reached the kitchen door when it swung open. A short person burst out of it.

It took Dora a moment to recognize the figure because they were wearing an orange hoodie with a backpack strapped tightly to their back. “Carla?” Dora gasped.

Her little sister slid to a halt, pulling off her hood, her sneakers squeaking on the floor.

“Carla? Your sister?” Holly asked, head bobbing between her and Dora. “Aw, she’s so cute, Dee. She looks just like you. But, oh… Hey, what’s wrong?”

Carla was frantic, sweating bullets, out of breath, with a bone-chilling look of dread on her face.

“What are you doing here?” Dora asked. “What’s wrong?”

Her little sister didn’t answer any of their questions. Instead she vaulted over the bar and pulled open all the drawers and cabinets.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Dora yelled. “You’re not allowed back there! Stop!”

“Where’s Dad’s gun?” Carla shouted desperately. She fumbled underneath the counter. “Where is it?”

“What the heck do you need Dad’s gun for?”

“I…” Carla looked up at Dora, finally holding still for moment, but the quivering tears in her eyes made it clear she was panicking.

She looked her age now, or less, Dora thought; every part of her was shaking. “Carla, talk to me,” she asked as gently as she could. She handed Holly the baseball bat and held Carla’s face, wiping the sweat from her forehead and the tears from her cheeks. The girl trembled in her hands. “Talk to me, it’s okay.”

Carla didn’t look at Dora, but at Holly instead, blinking her wet eyes in confusion.

“That’s Holly. She’s my friend. She’s cool,” Dora explained.

Carla whimpered and shrugged off her backpack. “I’m sorry, Dee…” She unzipped it. Dora looked inside and her jaw dropped.

Holly peeked over her shoulder and gasped, “Holy shit.”

The backpack was stuffed full of bricks of white powder, tightly wrapped in plastic.

“That’s a lot of fucking coke!” Holly exclaimed. “What the fuck, Carla? How’d you get your hands on all that?”

“I was running product for my crew, but then some guys from another crew tried to steal it… I ran… but I don’t know if I lost them. I’m so sorry, Dora!”

“You’re part of a gang?” Dora didn’t know whether to feel angry, sad, or disappointed. What was certain, though, was how worried she was about her little sister. “Carla…”

But a loud banging penetrated the walls again. Carla yelped and jumped out of Dora’s grasp. “No! They found me! Fuck, Dora, we have to get out of here!” She grabbed a handful of Dora’s t-shirt and pulled her toward the front door. “They got guns! We have to run!”

Ptnng! Ptnng! Womp! The sounds made it clear that the men after Carla had shot the lock or hinges off the back door. The sound of several heavy footsteps came from the kitchen.

Dora looked at the six deadbolts locking up the front door all the way across the bar. She cursed. At the rate it usually took her to fumble through them, they would never escape in time. They were trapped.

[v0.3.15.1]

[crazyfreckledginger]

Meeting At A Gala

This beautiful fanart

This fic includes Bruce Wayne (Batman), Alfred, Dick Grayson (Nightwing), Jason Todd (Red Hood), Tim Drake (Red Robin) and Damian Wayne (Robin).

——————————————————-

Your PoV

Gotham was not the most beautiful city I have been to. Not to mention the crime rate here. However, helping out The Dark Knight once in a while was comforting in a way. How did I meet him would you ask? Well, I saved his life a few times, yes believe it or not, and blurting out that I know his real identity, giving proof of my theory etc…

My thoughts were interrupted by little amounts of cold liquid falling from the sky. Looking up, I saw more and more raindrops falling from up above, falling on the streets and cars i was walking by. Shit I don’t have my umbrella, I thought. I paced faster, towards my apartment. Taking out the key before arriving at the front door, making sure not to slip, I bumped into a man. “Wach where ya goin’!” He howled before walking away. Wow that was rude, I thought, still looking at the figure disappearing into an alley. Unlocking the door, I made my way upstairs. After arriving at my apartment, I took a quick shower and put on some comfy clothes. I started walking towards the kitchen when a sound of metal hitting metal spread in the hallway. Looking towards the front door, I saw a few letters lying on the floor. Picking them up, I started opening them. Sighing while skimming through my electricity bills and my rent, I stopped at a fancier looking envelop. My name was inscribed on the front in cursive. Gently opening it, it looked somewhat like an invitation.

Bruce Wayne has the pleasure of inviting you to the official 2017 Wayne Gala. Each member present will increase the amount of money funded for charaties, most noticeably Gotham’s orphanage.    

This gala will include an all-you-can-eat buffet, champagne and much more.

P.s. Come in a fancy dress not your vigilante suit ;)   was written in a scrappier handwriting.

Batsy getting all fancy for a party, I thought smirking.

—————Time skip to a couple days later—————

Tonight was the night of the famous Gala and I decided to put on a fancy yet not too complicated red dress.  

I’m ready, how do I get there again? I sent by message to Bruce.

Alfred is coming to pick you up! he replied.

Since when do you know where I live? I asked, making sure to add a smiley face.

I needed to make sure you came home safely, wouldn’t want a teenage vigilante getting hurt do I? He asked adding a smirking smiley face.

Wow I never knew you would be so sarcastic! I texted.

Well I do have sarcastic sons, some more so than others, but I have picked up a few things along the way. You will be meeting them by the way! He wrote.

I suddenly became nervous What if they don’t like me? I thought. My train of thought was interrupted by a black limousine parking in front of my apartment.

Gotta go, my ride’s here! I quickly sent Bruce

Making sure that I had locked my apartment and taken my purse, I hurried downstairs.

“Hello Miss (Y/N)!” A elderly man with a British accent greeted.

“Hello Sir!” I greeted back.

“Oh please call me Alfred” He said warmly.

——-  Time skip to arriving at Wayne Manor——

It’s beautiful I whispered to myself, awestruck, upon entering the front gate.

Alfred kindly escorted me towards the large staircase to the immense mansion in front of me. I was welcomed by Bruce Wayne himself.

“Hello kid!” He smirked.

“Ok so first of all hello to you too, second of all do not call me that! How many times do I have to tell you, are you losing your mind old man?” I asked smirking back.

He laughed lightly at me and brought me inside. He guided me through numerous corridors made of marble towards a colossal ball room “Woah” I whispered. “So the drinks are in the far corner, the food on the opposite side and the bathroom in the room behind seating area” He directed me.

“There is so much food” I squealed excitedly.

“I know, hence why you are here, I know how much you love food”, he said cockly.

“Ooouh I’d say that hurt, but it didn’t!”  

Laughing, “Well I better get to welcome my business associates and other important guests!” he said, walking away, leaving me alone. I decided to wonder around a bit.

Jason PoV

“Ugh all of these people are so fake!” Tim moaned from across the table

“Shhhh! Don’t say it so loudly, people will here you!!” Dick shushed him.

“I hate to say this but Drake is right” Damian stated

“I’m bored” I pouted playing with the butterknife that was neatly placed on the table. Looking back up towards the crowd, “and there isn’t any decent looking wo–” I stopped when my gaze locked onto a young women in a red dress. My brothers looked back at me when I didn’t finish my sentence, then followed my gaze to the same young women.

“Woah” Tim and Dick said at the same time.

Snapping everyone out of their thoughts, I chirped up “I call dibs!!!” Before standing up and pacing to the women, my brothers quickly following behind me.

Your PoV

Looking at the men and women dancing in the ballroom made me feel sad and insecure. I finally decided to go get a drink.

“Would you care for a dance?” a voice spoke up.

Slowly turning around, a tall yet not too muscular man in a nice balck tuxedo and red tie was smiling at me. He had black hair and a white streak. Wow he’s handsome, I thought smiling. “Sure” I answered enthusiastically. Proposing his hand to me, I gladly took it whilst he guided me to the dancing area. Putting his spare hand around my waist and mine on his shoulder, we started dancing in sync. After a few minutes of dancing and looking deeply into each of our eyes.

“I’ve never seen you around here! Have you recently started working with Bruce Wayne?” he asked.

“Oh um no I don’t work for him, I’m a bit of a private detective and I’ve made a few investigations about him. It happened to be a misunderstanding. Nothing too serious and since then we have been friends.” I lied, suprising myself of how convincing I sounded.  

He hummed in response. Putting his forehead to mine, he mumbled “I never got your name!” He said looking straight into my eyes, the closeness making me blush.

(A/N: If y'all thinking I’m taking Paul Wesley as a Jason Todd then you’re wrong, wow that sounded violent, I’m sorry. It’s just the gif that shows what I am describing.)

“It’s (Y/N)” I smiled looking at the ground.

“And are you single?” he asked, hopeful.

“Are you trying to seduce me?” I asked shyly.

“Depends, is it working?” he answered looking for an answer in my eyes.

“I barely even know you and you’re already making a move on me?” I questioned.

“Well I can’t think logically when the most beautiful girl I have ever set my eyes upon is right in front of me!” He smirked.

Taking in a breath, I blushed a deep red and I looked at the ground with a shy smile.

3rd Person PoV

Jason examined (Y/N)’s actions Damn that’s cute!, he thought smiling back at her.

Back at the table, Dick, Tim and Damian observed the whole scene unfold before them.

“I can’t believe Todd got the girl before any of us, well except for Drake.” Damian argued.

Tim glared at his younger brother and retorted “Doesn’t suprise me you didn’t get her!”

Dick interrupted the raising fight by standing up.

“He’s leaning into her!!” He warned before racing towards them.

Your PoV

The man in front of me started leaning into me. What are you doing!! You don’t even know this guy’s name!!, I scolded myself. I suddenly put a finger to his lips to stop him from kissing me, making his eyes shoot open. Suddenly he was pulled away from me and I was met with a shorter black haired man with a blue tie. He had a similar body structure.

“Hi!!” He said with a goofy smile. “I’m Richard, or Dick for short (A/N: Short eyy!?).

”(Y/N)“ I whispered.

“Sorry about the quick change, that was my brother, he’s always looking for one night stands and stuff” he lied, looking everywhere but me.

“Riiiight” I agreed, unconvinced.

“So a dance?” He squeaked out.

3rd Person PoV

Jason joined the table pouting like a little baby whilst staring at (Y/N) and Dick.

“You look more like a kid than you usually do Todd!” Damian pointed out.

“Why would Dick do this to me!! I had the girl!” He criticised.

“Dick obviously wants the girl to himself” Tim stated.

“No shit!” Jason said sarcastically.

“Anyway he isn’t going to get her!” Damian informed.

Both brothers looked towads the youngest curiously.

“Obviously I’m the best suited to be with her. Being the blood son of Bruce Wayne and the best Robin” he said, whispering the last part.

“Riiight, whatever helps you sleep at night Demon” Jason mumbled whilst Tim rolled his eyes.

Your PoV

After half an hour of dancing and having a nice conversation chatting with Dick, I politely asked to leave, which he accepted.

Sipping some champagne from my glass. Truth be told I bribed Bruce into letting me drink, at least no one knows I’m underage.

“Aren’t you underage?” A younger man, if not boy asked, also with a glass of champagne, as if he read my thoughts.

“Kinda ironic coming from you don’t you think? You don’t exactly look 21 either.” I smirked.

“Touché!” He acted while raising his hands in the air. “A secret for a secret?” he asked.

“Sure!” I chuckled.

“Sooo, do you have a name?”

“(Y/N).” I said for the third time tonight.

“Tim!” He said enthusiastically.

A younger boy pulled up a chair next to me. I looked at him suspiciously.

“I’m Damian Wayne! I excuse the behavior of my brothers, they have always pursued women, except for Drake over here, no one would go out with him, which doesn’t surprise me. So don’t bother with him!” He informed.

“Oh no, you are all brothers?” I facepalmed.

“Yeah!” Tim said.

“God, I didn’t expect Bruce to introduce his sons this way!”

“You know Bruce? Personally?” Tim asked.

“Well not very personally, I work a night shift!” I said.

“Oooh! But-”

“She knows about us!” A familiar voice interrupted abruptly. Turning around I saw Bruce and the two men I danced with.

Dick and his brother sat at the same table as we did whilst Bruce explained who I was.

“So you lied to me?” The red tied man asked, acting hurt.

“Well, I didn’t know who you were did I? And I still don’t know your name except for Dick’s brother!” I teased.

“Todd, Jason Todd” He smirked, sounding like 007.

“No offense but you’re not cool enough to be a James Bond!” I teased again.

He gasped exaggeratedly.

“Wow (Y/N) I didn’t think you could get even sassier than you already are!” Bruce sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Get over it!” I mouthed. He chuckled before strolling away.

“So you’re going to work with us?” Tim asked.

“Maybe, well I don’t really do teams, maybe a partner but not much more than that! I’m willing to help out once in a while though!” I explained.

“Can I be your partner?” All four boys said simultaneously, then glared at each other.

I laughed, flattered by their interest.

“You can take turns?!” I suggested.

“Yes!!” They agreed.

Looking at my watch, wide-eyed, I said, “Yikes it’s getting late for me, I need to go, see you guys around!” I marched away.

“Wait!! I didn’t get your number!!” Jason yelled. Dick looked at him smirking as if to say why would she give it to you? “Well, how are we going to contact her?” He stated like the rest of his brothers were complete idiots. Soon enough, the three brother’s eyes widened and started running in the direction I was in, only to discover that I was gone.  

—–-———————————————-

A/N: First one shot up!! Let me know what you think about it!!

Tagging: @lumifuer

[burningcollectionsandwich]

could john doe be autistic? telltale batman theory

A couple of months ago, I was looking at random batman stuff when I came across “batman: the telltale series” and “batman: the enemy within”, and let me tell you, its probably one of the best games ive seen since undertale and even corpse party (corpse party is and will remain my favourite game though… unless I change my mind). I loved the story and the characters, but one of them stood out to me, and that was John Doe. Now let me be clear, I do not, and I repeat NOT class John Doe as the joker at all (unless you choose the choices in order to make him the joker), no I class John as ‘the joker, if he got rehabilitated’ or just simply as John Doe. And me being the type of person who automatically likes anything that has to do with the joker because I find his personality and the overall character incredibly interesting, when I finished watching all the john scenes (im not even kidding, I spent days watching every scene I can find with John in it), even though he doesn’t act like the joker, I loved his personality. One day when I was watching it, I noticed some key things that stood out in Johns personality, which are kind of similar to………………….and then it clicked in my brain. Could John Doe from the batman telltale series, be autistic? Now I know “John Doe” has traits or all the symptoms of antisocial personality disorder and possibly schizophrenia, but I could not help but find other symptoms to Asperger’s syndrome/autism, though this is only with john doe, not with the original joker (trust me I tried looking but he’s just the definition of antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy). I did some research and watched the batman telltale series repeatedly, and here’s the evidence I collected. Behavioural symptoms: •    Often verbalizes internal thoughts that most would keep private – this isn’t shown quite often in season 1, however in season 2, John does say/shout out his thoughts depending on the situation. For example, (in season 2 episode 3) when he was asking Bruce about dating advice, and Bruce pretended to be Harley, John yelled “why won’t you love me?!” in front of everyone at a café. Another example is (in season 2 episode 1) when John yells at the man who shh’ed him in church by saying “you shh me again, you’ll be mourning the loss of your teeth!”, he did calm down and stated “that outburst, its antisocial I know”. He also yells “at least he went out with a bang right?” when talking to Tiffany about her dead father, At his funeral. Another scene is (in season 2 episode 2) when Bruce starts the car for John after struggling with it for a few minutes and he says “you are literally my hero Bruce. –I mean wow”. another quote is “Bruce is strong and smart, and handsome, I mean, super handsome, its nuts you guys, and-… where was I going with this?”. on the vigilante ending (season 2 episode 5), when first meeting Alfred, he states “wow. The Alfred. I’ve been taken polaroid photos of Bruce for years and you’re in the background in at least a third of them”. • Appears to lack empathy – this is very clear in both season 1 and season 2, John will attack/kill or steal anything from anyone without feeling empathy towards anyone, apart from Harley and sometimes Bruce, and will laugh when seeing violence himself. Many examples of John not showing empathy to anyone is: laughing at Victor Zsasz when he’s murdering someone (season 1 episode 4), laughing when Bruce defends him from Willy by knocking him out (season 2 episode 2), laughing when Harley threatens one of Bruce’s workers (season 2 episode 2), laughing when Bruce/Batman beats up Bane (season 2 episode 4), laughing when exploding the Gotham bridge with a lot of people still on it (season 2 episode 4). On the villain ending (season 2 episode 5), he has no empathy for the people he and Harley kill with the virus. On the vigilante ending (season 2 episode 5), he stabs 3 people while injuring tiffany with a joker-rang through the hand, he also throws joker-rangs at a lot of agents, which impale them, he also shows no empathy to bane when he either hits him with his car or drops a smock deck on him. • Has a difficult time interacting with peers – this is mostly shown in season 2. (in season 2 episode 2) When Bruce is inspecting John’s house or ha ha-ciesta and he looks at the beer bottles, John explains that in order to talk to Bane, he has to give him his favourite bottle of beer so Bane doesn’t tear his head off, even stating “he’s scarier than anyone I met in Arkham”. He also says to Bruce that he has a hard time talking to Harley as it is indicated in a previous statement that she loses interest quickly when talking to John, though this could be the fault of Harley, not John. John also despises the riddler because he always interrupted him when he was telling a joke “making him look like an idiot, in front of Harley and the other guys”, riddler even calling john a “white faced prick” (season 2 episode 3), though this can be seen as just a normal rivalry and not a difficult time interacting with people. • Talks excessively, especially about one specific topic – John talks a lot, and I mean a lot in season 1 and 2. He does switch topics in conversation depending on the situation but most of the time, he is either talking a lot about Harley or a lot about Bruce. The Harley topic is clear in nearly every episode of season 2, and Harley even stated to Bruce when John went to get her a slushy “he thinks the world of you” (season 2 episode 2), indicating that he talks about Bruce to the pact a lot. John does talk about Batman to but not as often. He mostly talks about how he’s best friends with Bruce, constantly saying “we’re two threads in the same stitch”. • Frequently has one-sided conversations – John shows this (in season 2 episode 4) when Bruce finds him surrounded by corpses he had murdered, and when Bruce disagrees with John on if he should trust John or not, John will yell “you’re supposed to be on my side!”. He will also say “it’s been hard knowing that you haven’t been straight with me, Bruce”, even though John has his own secrets that he hasn’t shared with Bruce, and Bruce knows this. He also says “You steered me wrong, at every turn” to Bruce when Harley abandons him (season 2 episode 4). On the villain ending (season 2 episode 5), john blames Bruce entirely for making him become the joker after Bruce didn’t believe him about the murdered agents. On the vigilante ending (season 2 episode 5), john claims “I believed in you, batman. like I never believed in anything, and it was all a lie!”, and when batman wants Waller to leave Gotham, john goes against that idea shouting “this is so very disappointing. You’re a hypocrite! Your letting her off the hook, because of what? Because she has a badge?!”, john also believes that Bruce/batman is becoming or is very similar to Waller near the end of the episode. • Is unable to understand societal norms – this is shown in season 2 on many scenes. The main examples of this are: John talking very loudly and saying inappropriate comments in church (season 2 episode 1), and John believing that girls like men who are desperate (season 2 episode 3). Another scene is when he takes selfies during a funeral (season 2 episode 1). He also does a pinkie swear with Bruce in the middle of a pub, even though he is an adult (season 2 episode 2). John also believes that his green hair is ‘natural’ due to him not remembering his hair colour before it turned green (season 2 episode 3). • Does not understand the concept of personal space – this is not very shown as John keeps his distance when he’s around people, but the times that this has happened is when he randomly hugs Bruce after Bruce chooses to believe him about the murdered agents (season 2 episode 4) or when he takes selfies with someone, he raps his arm around their shoulders and takes a photo (as seen in multiple photos on his wall, he even does it too batman). Sometimes when john is speaking to someone, he would sometimes inch closer to them but that is not much of an issue, until he leans his head forward while he’s talking, which causes the person he talking to, to move back slightly. Other times include: grabbing Bruce’s arm in the church (in season 2 episode 1), grabbing batman by the shoulders after john gave him the laptop and/or teaching john how to throw a batarang (in season 2 episode 3), punching Bruce (multiple times in different episodes), and even carrying batman in the vigilante ending (season 2 episode 5), when interrogating Waller, he gets really close to her face in order to make her talk, which still doesn’t work. • Flat tone / speaking style that lacks pitch – john’s voice has a bit of a lack of pitch when he’s speaking to anyone, though this could change depending on what mood he’s in. multiple times in the game, it shows that john sometimes mimics another person’s voice, in season 1 episode 4: he puts on a high pitched voice (presumably a woman’s voice) saying “ahh ohh someone save my baby”, he also put on a deep voice (presumably mimicking Harvey dents voice) saying “I’m going to find your drugs”. In season 2: he puts on a deep voice (presumably mimicking batman) saying “just get it john” (episode 2), also in the vigilante ending (episode 5), he puts on a deep voice again (mimicking child Bruce) saying “no Alfred, I am the knight”. John also alters his voice when he’s being sarcastic, for example (in season 2 episode 4) when john is upset with Bruce and says in a weird voice “just manipulate her john/just be yourself john”, or he’s in an awkward moment for example (in season 2 episode 3) if you take too long to take the laptop of john, he pulls a confused face and says “you did want this didn’t you?, I’ll just leave this rrrriiiigggghhhhttttt here” while putting the laptop in batman’s hand, then finishing the sentence with a very high pitched “K”. Physical symptoms: • Unusual body postures, gestures and facial expressions – John has rather bad posture when sitting and/or standing, as his back is always hunched. For facial expressions, the main facial expressions that John portrays is the very wide and toothy smile/grin, a frown, a shocked face, and one that’s I’ve been noticing a lot, the confused/thinking face (the best scene to see this facial expression clearly is when John says to Bruce that he thinks he’s fallen in love, and Bruce asks “are you in love with me?”, John pulls that face soon after the comment (season 2 episode 4)). On the villain ending (season 2 episode 5), whenever he’s been insulted or when he first walks into Wayne enterprises, he always smirks, which hasn’t been seen in the previous chapters before. • may perform repetitive movements, such as hand or finger flapping, or rocking back and forth – mainly during season 2, when John is either happy and excited/grateful, he will always interlock his hands while crouching a little bit. He does clap in season 1 and in season 2 but this only happens when he’s presumably excited (he does this when he first meets Batman (season 1 episode 5), he does this when Harley comes back and says she’s going to be the new management instead of Bane (season 2 episode 3), and he does this again when he is in the elevator going to the secret lab (season 2 episode 4), he also claps his hands when he first meets Alfred in the vigilante ending (season 2 episode 5)). Another repetitive movement that John does, mainly while talking, is finger pointing, this can be seen whenever John is talking to anyone, but mainly towards Bruce and sometimes Harley. In the vigilante ending (season 2 episode 5), john repeated puts his hands/fists/knuckles on his hips, though this could be john thinking that he’s a super hero. • Apparent insensitivity to pain – many examples of this are shown in season 2: John gets shoved by Catwoman and is knocked on the floor, He doesn’t react (season 2 episode 3). John gets a black eye from Harley, we are not sure what his reaction was there but he doesn’t seem fazed by it when Bruce arrives (season 2 episode 4). He gets punched in the face by Bruce and he doesn’t react (season 2 episode 4). He gets slapped in the face by Bruce and he doesn’t really react, though seeming a little surprised (season 2 episode 4). He gets tazor-ed by Tiffany, he does fall to the floor but soon after he just stands back up coughing and laughing (season 2 episode 2). In the vigilante ending (season 2 episode 5): he gets picked up by his neck and thrown to the floor by bane and he laughs (while saying “ow, god”), he gets shot in the shoulder by the agency (he does show pain as he crouches on the floor while bleeding, but minutes later, he stands up and laughs), he gets punched, electrocuted and gets his face hit off a railing multiple time and he just laughs, he also gets a batarang through the hand and a couple of minutes after either getting head butted or electrocuted, he just sits there as if it’s not in his hand (which is pinned to the table). On the villain ending (season 2 episode 5): he gets stabbed multiple times and he laughs, he gets kicked and punched repeatedly and he laughs, true he does go into cardiac arrest but when he gets out of it he just lies there giggling and talking to Bruce. • Poor handwriting skills – this is only seen a couple of times, but johns hand writing is the kind of writing that looks messy, but readable. For example, (in season 2 episode 1) when Bruce opened the card john gave to him, john wrote his name into the card, and the writing looks a little bit messy. His writing is also shown (in season 2 episode 5) on the villain ending on the various cards, the side of a van and on the tombstones, still messy but readable. Cognitive symptoms: • Lack of social skills – though this may be caused by an unknown amount of time locked in Arkham asylum, John has a notorious lack of social skills, though in this case he does talk to a lot of people, he just doesn’t know how. The main examples are all the things he says when he’s in the church (season 2 episode 1), and when he tries to convince Harley that he is the only man to do the job, which lead to him getting a time out by Harley (season 2 episode 3). • May have one or a few very select interests that one is extremely knowledgeable about – even though being a rather smart character, John knows a lot of information about different things, but the main things he is extremely knowledgeable about is the Vikki Vale’s drugs, Bruce (even detecting that he’s Batman) saying “you forget, I know you. The real you. Always hiding behind some kind of mask. Playboy, business man, criminal….bat. you can’t fool a friend, someone who really takes the time to look” (season 2 episode 4), and Harley, stating “let me talk to her, I know her better than anyone” (season 2 episode 4). • may engage in violent outbursts, self-injurious behaviours, tantrums or meltdowns – this is very clear in season 1 and 2. For violent outbursts: John beats up 2 guys knocking them out (season 1 episode 4), he cuts Zsasz’s face with a knife (season 1 episode 4), he hits Bane/Mr Freeze with a batarang/gun/sharp pole (season 2 episode 4), he hits an officer over the head with a crowbar (season 2 episode 3), he tries to punch Bruce when he disagrees with him (season 2 episode 4), he murdered a bunch of cops/agents (season 2 episode 4), he explodes the bridge (season 2 episode 4). On the vigilante ending (season 2 episode 5), john snaps and ends up stabbed three agents to death. For self-injurious: if in an angry mood, John will repeatedly hit his head off any hard surface (the church chair (season 2 episode 1) or the elevator wall (season 2 episode 2)). For tantrums or meltdowns: the bridge scene and the fun house scene can be seen as a meltdown but more of an outburst of violence, he lashes out at a man in church after Bruce rejects his offer (stating his has a hard time dealing with rejection (season 2 episode 2)), etc. • Inappropriate laughing or giggling – this is shown a lot in season 1 and season 2. When John is talking (apart from some situations), he will automatically start laughing or giggling, but he has stated (in season 2 episode 4) that he laughs when he’s nervous, though we are not sure if this is a lie or not. All throughout the villain ending (season 2 episode 5), he is constantly laughing. On the vigilante ending (season 2 episode 5), he also randomly laughs or giggles when he’s talking to someone or himself. • No real fears of danger – this is shown in season 1 and mostly in season 2. In season 1: he cuts Zsasz’s face even though he knows he has outbursts of violence (episode 4), John is unfazed when there is a riot going on in front of him in Arkham asylum while workers and patients are getting killed all around him (episode 5). He randomly drinks a drink when he’s threatened by a cop with a gun pointed at him (episode 5). In season 2: he starts laughing when he’s threatened by Willy with a knife pointed at him (episode 2), he doesn’t seem fazed when Tiffany points a tazor gun at him or when he gets shot with the tazor gun for that matter (episode 2), he runs into the lower floor of Riddler’s hide out (out of curiosity) even while knowing the place is a death trap (episode 3), he jumps onto a roof ledge just to stand with Batman (episode 3), he stands there smiling when the secret lab was about to insinuate them (episode 4), he looks around the corner when a machine gun was firing at them (episode 4), he hits Bane/Mr Freeze (possibly the strongest people out of the pact) with a gun/pole/batarang when Bane/Mr Freeze tries to kill Bruce (episode 4), he blows up the bridge even though he is still on it (episode 4), he leans and falls off the ledge of the bridge backwards (episode 4). On the villain ending (episode 5), john is unfazed by Bruce/batman threatening him, or when he fights him. On the vigilante ending (episode 5), john (and batman) fight bane who was the strongest in the pact. • may “day dream” or “zone out” when overstimulated – the best example to show of this symptom is on the villain ending (season 2 episode 5), when john asks batman what he thinks Harley would do if she found out about him giving the map to Jim Gordon, whatever batman answers with, john turns around and seems to zone out asking “what do you think that means, Dr Leland?” and answers with “uhh it makes me feel uncomfortable when you put it that way Dr Leland”. Psychosocial Symptoms: • Social isolation – he was in Arkham asylum for an unknown period of time (Dr Leland stated “John has been with us for quite some time”) (season 1 episode 4) • Lowered self-confidence – during the interrogation scene (in season 2 episode 3), John says that he did try to stick up for Bruce (“internally”) but said “I’m sorry, I’m not as strong as you” • Difficulties with social interactions – as stated before, John struggles to start a conversation with the likes of Bane and Harley (though this could be the fault of Bane and Harley) • Depression – after being punched and left by Harley, John enters a stage of depression while drinking an unknown amount of alcohol (from what I can see, I would say that he drank at least six bottles of beer), he also shouts comments like “I don’t want to do this anymore, not for you, not for her, certainly not for Gotham. I don’t care!”, “I’m John Doe, the lonely hearts club”, “you’ve got some real nerve you know that, buddy. Remember at the café (just be yourself John/just manipulate her John), then I stuck my neck out for you, way out! Bane nearly ripped my head off. And for what? Her flew the cope, and I have nothing. You steered me wrong, at every turn” and “I don’t want to find her. My heart can take another kicking. I don’t ever want to see her again, she ruined me, I-I can’t.” (season 2 episode 4) • Moodiness – John does have a lot of mood swings and outbursts of anger as stated in the previous symptoms, this mainly happens when someone rejects him or disagrees with him. • Troubled romantic relationships – in the villain ending (season 2 episode 5), john and Harley’s relationship seems to be a pretty stable one, until Harley finds out that john gave away the map or john stops Harley from killing Bruce, then she proceeds to try and strangle john while saying “I’ll kill you”. John also runs away leaving Harley behind with Bruce (batman) and Selina (cat woman), while Harley says “I’ll kill him” again. • Lowered self-esteem – (in season 2 episode 3), when Bruce asks why john has green hair, john aggressively said “I don’t know what’s with your black hair?” and then states “I’m sorry buddy I’m a little sensitive about my style”. Harley also states (in season 2 episode 4) “keep it with ya brucie, I can’t afford any more mishaps” while looking at john, who looks down with a sad looking face. • Feelings of being “unlike” his or her peers – in the vigilante ending (season 2 episode 5), john believes that he’s a hero above all else, apart from batman (at times). For example, when Waller says “think whatever you want, you will never be a hero”, john becomes extremely angry and shouts back “How. Dare. You. Your worse than me! That makes me the hero! And this is what hero’s do to Gotham!” The symptoms I don’t think he has is: behavioural symptoms: • Lack of interpersonal relationship skills and instincts • Inability to express one’s own feelings • May not make eye contact or may stare at others • Not pick up on social cues and may lack inborn social skills, such as being able to read others' body language, start or maintain a conversation, and take turns talking • Have a formal style of speaking that is advanced for his or her age. For example, the child may use the word "beckon" instead of "call" or the word "return" instead of "come back." • may be extremely literal or have difficulty understanding the nuances of language, despite having a good vocabulary physical symptoms: • Heightened sensitivity and overstimulation to loud noises, bright lights, unusual textures, or strong tastes • Poor coordination • Clumsiness • Poor fine motor skills • Difficulties using gross motor skills Cognitive symptoms: • Difficulties with changes or upsets in routine • Difficulties picking up on the subtle changes in tone, pitch, and voice that accompany regular conversation • May be unable to understand sarcasm or jokes • Poor organizational skills • difficulty making friends of the same age, children with AS may feel more comfortable with adults or much younger children psychological symptoms: • Difficulty making and keeping friends • Challenges in finding and maintaining steady employment • Anxiety • Tendency toward shyness

Of course I am not a doctor, I can’t diagnose this, but there was a lot of evidence so I decided to check it out, and no I’m not saying that john is autistic just because I’m autistic, that’s just weird and very very low. If anyone finds anymore evidence or any other symptoms, let me know and I will add/edit it. (also, I am not too sure if some of these symptoms are in the correct categories (cognitive, behavioural, etc) if they are, please do not hesitate to tell me and I will correct it). This post is not making fun of autism or any mental disorders, this is just a theory that I created to see if it was correct or not (I would never make fun of any mental disorder) comment down below if you agree or disagree with me my laugh sounds really similar to johns/jokers laugh and I don't know whether to find that amusing or worrying Well that’s it from me bye

[inappropriatefangirlneeds]

Gotham s4ep11 “Queen Takes Knight” Personal Review

“Killing you would have been a kindness” Warning spoilers below

* Okay this episode was so good, it had me running a couple full circles especially on the matter of the FALCONE FAMILY FEUD. I lowkey spoilered myself about who it will / might be that dies and I was getting nostalgic, I did not want Carmine to die, he´s after all a good character. As soon as Carmine had summoned SOFIA FALCONE I went from naaah don´t kill off Carmine (don´t make this another he´s dying anyway thing) to Fucking Hell Sofia Fucking end this Asshole. * Carmine scolding Sofia for sleeping with Jim because of Mario was so insufferable to watch. Can we just retire that trope of fathers having any say in their daughter’s romances?! Also if the fandom can come up with the thought of her just and merely using Jim Mr. former mob boss should be able to construct that theory as well which would have saved us from an insufferable judgmental moment. * Sofia´s line nailed what crap appeared to be happening: “Another day, another man sending me out of Gotham.” “We're both just trying to keep you alive. Tell yourselves that. But what I know is that neither of you believed in me. It could've been so different.” Then she even kissed Jim Gordon before leaving which on the one hand was a very satisfying “FuckYouYouFuckingFuck” to her father but also felt so wrong and awful because it appeared that was the only thing left to do for her to show some agency both against her father controlling her and against Jim getting the upper hand. Ugly moment. But then, I don´t know how they did it, I did not straight up believe it was Sofia responsible for the shooting but I was suspicious. Could it have been her? It´s possible, just alone the way how she delayed the departure .. on the other hand the blooddrop from the rose thorn was not necessary maybe that was just a scene for dramatics not plot relevant .. but then again if she indeed is responsible for Pyg this would make a wonderful parallel: Her getting shot there and her hand getting stabbed at the table..  Great scene. Also now that we know: Take this old man! You raised someone as ruthless and nasty as yourself! Maybe even a tad bit more. 

* SOFIA & OSWALD I feel a bit confirmed about this: The moment when Oswald was talking about their parents and taunting her seemed to be pretty important to me. I really had a feeling of uhoh you fucked up when she reacted to it, I don´t know if I´m interpreting too much into this but I could imagine that Oswald wasn´t so much boasting as gauging her, and he learned something about her from her reaction, something that bothers her, something that might be used against her .. The way SOFIA FALCONE reacted that night told OSWALD COBBLEPOT that she wanted and was struggling for Carmine´s approval, the way she reacted told him that she did not have his approval, which made it a quite good call to contact Carmine behind her back. What a shame that it did not work out.  Also what an irony that Oswald “people that underestimate me die” Cobblepot is right here underestimating the ferocity and resolve of Sofia.   *“And if he would have shown one iota of appreciation for everything I have done for this family, for him, he would be alive.” APPRECIATION: Sofia Falcone never got it from her family while half the city bows before her just because of her name. Oswald Cobblepot got it from his parents while half the city laughs at him and calls him names. * SOFIA FALCONE & JIM GORDON “My father had his moment of truth. This is yours. How many cops died under the Pax Penguina? Not one. It was you who couldn't stomach it. It was you who came to the Falcones for help. There is a direct line from your decision to a dozen police officers who have been brutally murdered.” “You're insane. Why not just kill me?” “Because, Jim, I need you at the head of the GCPD. I need Someone you can control.” “You've been planning this since the day we first met. This isn't about Gotham. This is revenge for me killing Mario.” ”You want to arrest me, arrest me. But I will talk.  And the cops that died, the friend that you betrayed, will all have been for nothing. The GCPD will crumble. Penguin, or someone worse, will take over, and you will lose Gotham forever. Or take on the sin as your own. Keep the GCPD, let them think you're a hero, but live knowing who you are, what you've done. That is my revenge.” Oh *sigh that crap logic again. I´m all for calling Jim out on his issues but this would have so much more impact if that blame did not come from someone actually being at fault. It´s not like Jim forced Sofia to do any of this. I mean if I buy a kitchen knife and someone takes it and murders someone then that’s as much a direct line but I really would not take the blame for that murder. Sofia makes her own decisions.   * HARVEY BULLOCK & JIM GORDON   Harvey would be much more suited than Sofia to call out Jim, although he´s again stepped into shady territory with suggesting Jim to utilize a war.    He is still enabling Jim´s recklessness. Despite having lost faith in their personal connection he is still there to back up Jim thinking he´s on top of things and can just do what he deems best. “Get him to do something you can really bust him for. And then yank his ass off the street once and for all.” “You're saying start a war.” “I'm saying get him to start one. You know he's gonna come for her. I don't give a tinker's damn about Sofia. The way I see it, everything that's happened, down to Don Falcone lying in that box, comes from you deciding months ago to go after Penguin. This is all on you. So finish what you started.” Both Jim and Sofia are saying the same thing in some way. Jim should face what he did and draw the consequences, just not exactly the responsible ones. Harvey says he already got his hands dirty now he should put them to good use to and get rid of everything. Sofia illustrates how Jim´s shortcomings have led to more blood on his hands then he bargained for and threatens that this can become even more, it´s there but he better not let it become more. The last scene with Harvey hurts even more in the context of the Pyg case:  “So everything turned out well. You didn't even need me.. They, uh they believe in you. Don't let 'em down.” HARVEY BULLOCK hands in badge and weapon thinking he is not needed anymore, probably still being eaten up by guilt that Pyg got him tricked to shoot at another officer. That´s a stark contrast to the episode trying to tell us that Jim Gordon is the one to blame for all the deaths cause by the Pyg. * JIM GORDON or how I stopped worrying and learned to love the LAW It´s a comedy, a travesty , it´s glorious. Harvey Bullock is the person to enable Jim to go on with some questionable things. Risk a war. Play gangster against gangster. Actively pit them against each other.  Jim verbally rejects being “used” by the mob  first “I can't allow her to turn the GCPD into her own private army. We've come too far.  This has to be by the book.”  but then goes on to act against the book again. Him preaching “The law is the law” at the GCDP is quite the moment. On a side note: Sofia Falcone seemingly coming up with a more lawful solution to Jim´s issue  (“So you're baiting him into committing a public atrocity.”) while actively withholding information of her own criminal involvement in the situation .. is this even irony anymore?  Despite the rousing speeches in the precinct, in the Jim Gordon department crime and crime fighting are more entangled than ever. * “Nobody has to die. We only want Cobblepot.” Jim Gordon coming for Oswald like Zsasz was coming for Jim Gordon that long ago day was beautiful though * Also on the risk of sounding like a broken record, what about that wealthy Gothamite that Oswald killed in front of witnesses. * “I like to call it Operation Save Bruce Wayne.” Everything is pain and all hurts. BRUCE WAYNE is running away from everything. Parties help him to not think about things. When running is not enough because ALFRED PENNYWORTH comes after him to dump those issues on him (again) he pushes him away, instead of going travelling into misery land with him. Alfred is fired. And while Alfred is absolutely right with this not being a solution at all Bruce has a few points when he states that he is not what Alfred thought he was, what his parents wanted him to be. This was a really whole lot that was expected from him and I can´t really blame Bruce that he wants to cast away that weight. “All you're offering me is pain.” “Well, there is no life without pain. There's no love, there's no joy.” “I don't know about that. I'm having a fair amount of joy.”  “You're bloody miserable is what you are, mate. I can see it.” “Alfred, I know you care about me. But I'm asking you to stop what you're doing. I'm not who you thought I was. I'm not who my parents might've wanted me to be, and I'm okay with that! But I'm not okay with it.” Oh shut up Alfred, I don´t wanna hear that either. Bruce.. pass the booze, will ya. * Edward is not in control. His mirror is talking back again.  * The Grundy moment was awesome:  “Ed angry at Ed?” “That is surprisingly perceptive.” * Are they going to mirror TABITHA GALAVAN and LESLIE THOMPKINS. Leslie told EDWARD NYGMA she is not  looking for a remedy because he is actually fine but she did not tell him so because she is afraid he will change back and she likes the current Edward. Edward regaining memory / mental capacity is nothing she wants and she is treating him with kindness. While Tabitha wants Butch Gilzean to get his memory back, she believes violence is the answer for this. This is remarkably uncreative but well. It seems it worked. (Ugh, I don´t even want Butch back) 

>>> So everything is about Parents, control, trust and identity?   Bruce Wayne breaks loose from Alfred Pennyworth. Sofia Falcone kills her father Carmine. While Sofia knows her identity, which is tied to her family name and embraces it Bruce Wayne rejects the identity that he inherited from his family.  Edward voices the theme of loss of control. Penguin as well as Carmine get taken away all their influence. Jim as well. Jim moreover gets a few moments to decide who he wants to be.  The Sirens bargain has paid off for now, Sofia kept her word..... >>> This episode is a medieval nightmare!  EDIT: Omg it even is in the title .. that´s not just about chess .. The church scene has everything the church scene with Kriemhild wearing Brunhilds belt has. Noble peoples interaction was so much about gazes and gestures and there is so much of this wordless communication in that scene.  They could have even toned the dialogue down and it would have had the same effect. Victor getting up once he is in the line of sight of Sofia Falcone tells everything everyone needs to know. We don´t need Oswald screaming after him when he walks past him instead of returning back to his side. This is a slap in his face in public. This is as a severe gesture as one can make. * Moreover medieval is how Victor kneeled for royalty. “End of the day, he's a Cobblepot. You're a Falcone.”  * Then all those highly symbolic details. Victor putting a bullet to rest with Carmine is such a strong visual and so was the rose scene. While Percival gets an epiphany from the blooddrop in the snow Sofia seems to be mystified. Her delaying the departure was her sticking to her plan the blood on her finger seems to be a diversion from this,  maybe it should have illustrated how she´s hurting herself with hurting her family. Could it say anything that it is her mothers roses that drew the blood?  * Some things felt a bit dream like as well, not as much as Jim´s first visit in the south or Leslie first leaving town but Zsasz turning on Oswald “What's to tell? You blew that kid sky high.” Was an almost nightmareish turn of events * Also just all this grave dialog: “Blood will run, Jim. Mark my words! Blood will run!”  “Killing you would have been a kindness. You've no idea what you've brought to your city. I imagine when you find out the truth, it will destroy you. That's a comfort”  ”The sun never shines here” * Jim take that trench coat and put it back to where you found it and keep it there. Or better burn it. Burn that thing. * Alfred .. that blue vest & those golden sleeve garters .. never take them off again honey. * Harper is awesome! * ”Yay Teamwork” Okay that was good. If only that weren´t just a gimmick slogan and they would have built a good story around the Sirens working together. * Yay for having Barbara at least somehow acknowledging that Carmine hasn’t been nice to her.  * “He will with me” Carmine telling Jim that Oswald loves respects him more was such a burn. I guess Penguin´s daddy kink is a tad bit more severe than his uniform kink ..    * “Well, every cop in Gotham is behind him. I'm guessing he has great leadership skills.” Zsasz showing his soft spot for Gordon again. Also his damn face while doing so!  * I liked VICTOR ZSASZ  better when he just mostly did what he has been told. So when´s he and Sofia gonna break up? The way he kneeled for her I can´t imagine him snatching food from a plate in front of her, but I want him to do stuff like that again.  Also I´m just gonna lean out of the window super far. I know it´s quite impossible the way they shot it but can Zsasz just be still with Oswald & Martin. That would be sweet. * Is Mr. Penn okay ? What did Tabitha do? “Jim, not now”   uh why does it work for him I keep saying that but issues don’t just walk away like that, Victor teach me how to do that!