#Trust is very hard to find in Gotham but I trust you Ed (Edward Nygma)

[coreofgold]

Oswald Cobblepot tag drop!

I am not a man to be trifled with. No. I am powerful. I am vicious. I'm King of Gotham! (Oswald interacts)

The Penguin (Oswald muses)

Trust is very hard to find in Gotham but I trust you Ed (Edward Nygma)

Don Falcone wanted you to shoot me you refused. Now don't you wish you had done it? (Jim Gordon)

[howl-fantasies]

Hi, I was wondering if Y/N and Zsasz only like to listen to disco or also dance to it? Could you write what they + gotham villains think about dancing?

😁

Hello dear!

I laugh so hard imagining the two at the disco, I had this exact scene in mind :

Now to answer your question, I think they can do both. Victor knows how to groove, (remember the guys Rap scene with Oswald when Ed was stupid 😂). They don't really have the time to dance or go to the disco though. Plus it would be dangerous : too many people, poor visibility, etc. They prefer do it at home, in their flat most of the time because Zsasz would be in a goofy mood after a good kill or torture session. He would go back home and find Y/N doing whatever she's doing with the music turned on.

If the song inspires him he would just walk to her and grab her hand to pull her out of her seat and initiate a dance, oftentimes as ridiculous as the one in Pulp Fiction. 😂

Now for the next part, sorry in advance for the English mistakes, I wrote it on my phone, and English isn't my first language, I'm working on it though.

What do they think about dancing?

VICTOR ZSASZ

For Victor, dancing is something funny to lighten the mood or annoy Y/N, since he's a better dancer. Disco aside, he knows the waltz, because of his past and the galas he had to attend with his parents. He was the one who taught it to Y/N, after Falcone asked him. She wasn't happy let me tell you, and nowadays still enjoy crushing his toes on purpose during Oswald's events, because Zsasz would systematically sneer and make a comment about how tedious it was to teach her how to let the man lead.

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Y/N

For her, dancing is something she's forced to do. She doesn't like it or dislike it tbh, she just learnt to go with the flow while working with Victor. She accepts to indulge him, just him... and Carmine too, because he's someone she holds dear and she knows how old fashioned he could be during 'Family' events : dancing with Fish and her BeCaUsE tHeY aRe LaDiEs. If she has to dance in an event with a mark she'll do it but won't enjoy it.

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EDWARD NYGMA / THE RIDDLER

Ed knows classic dances and love dancing in general. First, with Kringle, then with IsabellAAAAH! He's also an old fashioned guy, like Carmine and Oswald on that matter. Riddler also enjoys to dance since he finds it refined and the proof of good education. Since he's a true narcissist, appearances are important and god knows he wants to be see as a man of culture 😌. He can genuinely enjoy it, I'm pretty sure he did dance at some point with Lee and has some fantasies about him waltzing with Oswald, him being the lead of course.

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OSWALD COBBLEPOT

Do you have a single doubt about his capacity to dance? I mean, you saw who his mother was. Dear Gertrud taught his son everything she knew about waltz and refined dances from all around the world. Oswald loves to dance but only with people he absolutely trust. He feels nostalgia when he's leading, and if he closes his eyes, he could see his dear mother in front of him praising his technique and his good look. Even if he doesn't dance during his events, his guests have to and he sharply scrutinize them. Watching people dance tells you a lot about them too, and Oswald is very good at observing and analyzing : are they naturally confident? Do they know how to cooperate and follow someone's lead? Are they close to the other dancer (if yes how so)? Little gestures or glances can betray a romantic relationship, a secret friendship or animosity.

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JONATHAN CRANE / SCARECROW

Poor Jonathan. Poor, poor Jonathan. This little fellow is the epitome of stiffness. Terrorizing an entire crowd and swiftly get out before the GCPD comes to get him, he knows how to do it. Coordinate his limbs to produce steps and even worse, doing it while leading another human being is an absolute nightmare. His genius mind can't do it, he analyses too much and can't really just follow the music. He would calculate each step, where it would lead them depending of the speed of the turn he has to make, the length of his and the other person legs, their height... See the struggle? He can't stop thinking, would sweat bullets and probably step on the other's toes. Though, if he's comfortable enough with the other and in a safe place, he would do it if it's what they want. Because he's a cute simp and loves to see the happiness on their face. 🥺 Don't you dare hurt his little fluffy heart or I'll scalp you.

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JERVIS TETCH

Same as Oswald and Ed, Jervis knows how to dance, like a Sir. And he enjoys it pretty much, in particular the waltz. A great tea party always has a few dances if he has the time and hypnotized enough guests to make them ready to indulge his caprice. Jervis would be a bit sad though since none of them would be his dear Alice, I'm sure he used to dance with her when they were little. But he would also see it as a way to honor her.

He secretly wants to invite Oswald and Ed with their plus one since they share his refined vision of dancing and would with pleasure trap Jim in this very special party to rub their gentlemeness to his face.

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JEROME VALESKA

Jerome... Uuuuh... Loves to dance, I would say. Does he knows how to? Yes, he knows the waltz. Would he perform it? Not really. Or following his own music. He's capable of imagining a unique and very bloody dance to purely enjoy himself or, waltz with someone and enjoy the utter terror on their face. His way of dancing is dominating. He would look gracious though, in his own twisted way but it would only be to mock good society and make a point : you can dance properly, even follow the rhythm (why not after all), look absolutely proper AND be a ruthless monster, a psychopath and a criminal. Look can be deceiving. Ha-Ha.

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JEREMIAH VALESKA

If he has to, he would dance. Not like he enjoys it very much but he knows how to move and lead (ask Ecco). It would be a way to obtain something he wants, a tool. Added to his good look, he would use it to charm the other and make them do exactly what he wishes. He also agrees (for once) with his twin : dancing during a gala, mixed into high society, is funny because he could blend in it, looking like a perfect well behaved gentleman but is still lethal under the charming smiles, polite small talks and perfect dancing. And he would not be the one being a total hypocrite, I mean, it's Gotham after all.

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A/N - I hope it answers your question. And I hope you liked it! 🥰 Have a beautiful day/night and take care!

[thesculptedflower]

Adorable effort

Note: I noticed while I was writing this, that I have absolutely no idea how to write for a specific body type. And I’m so so so sorry if this wasn’t what was asked in the request. I think that I don’t really explain how the reader looks in my fics because I want everyone to be able to read them, no matter their size. 

So, I really tried my best, and I hope this is at least decent, and I promise to get better and go read some fics to get some examples! 

Also, I’m sorry this took kinda long, I’m renovating our balcony and it’s taking a whole lot of time.

Request: Hi! Would you ever consider writing a Edward Nygma x plus size reader oneshot, if you’re okay with it??? Maybe the reader is a maid at Wayne manor and she’s like an older sister to Bruce. On the multiple occasions when Bruce goes to the GCPD she is with him and meets Ed, they get on. Reader answers his riddles despite getting them wrong. Thanks! @morganofthecoves1​

Adorable effort

Your life didn’t have the best kind of start. Moving from one foster family to another, being thrown in the system at such a young age had an effect on you. The constant moving made it really hard to form long lasting friendships, so you spent most of your time alone. Trouble seemed to find its way to you wherever you went, but you remained hopeful, that one day everything would turn upside down. And so it did. 

Thomas Wayne spotted you in a roadside diner, waitering customers and collecting empty dishes. He saw how you were harassed and the pain on your face made him feel for you. He wanted to save you from that place, and so he did. He offered you a job in his house, which you gladly took. Working for the Wayne’s was a dream come true. Thomas and Martha were absolutely wonderful to you, always treating you with respect. It felt good to be there and you really felt like you belonged to that manor. The workload wasn’t bad at all, for Alfred did most of the ’’manly’’ work. You enjoyed your moments with Martha, growing really close to her. The two of you would fix up the garden together, gossiping about the neighbors and you loved to help her get ready for all the galas they attended. So when Alfred came home that one night, only Bruce with him, you felt like the bad luck from your past had caught up to you. Thomas and Martha had taken you in with their hearts open, offering you guidance and a warm home, and a sibling-like relationship with Bruce. You and him had a special bond that only got stronger after his parents were murdered. He found a safe place with you, feeling like he could share his sorrows, knowing you would listen and understand. As you both grew up, he would take you with him wherever he went. And one gloomy day took you to Gotham City Police Department, and closer to a one certain forensics scientist. 

Bruce had asked you to drive him to the GCPD, because he wanted to inform Detective Gordon on something he had discovered on his father’s papers. He was so desperate to find out who had killed his parents, it pained your heart. You trusted the police, but anyone who lived in Gotham knew, that sometimes things just stay a mystery. But the new Detective seemed to take his job seriously, for now. There weren’t many officers who didn’t have some kinds of ties to the criminal underworld. 

’’I’ll go talk with Detective Gordon, and I’m not going to leave until I get him to listen to me.’’ Bruce said looking up at you. He had fire in his eyes, the same fire Thomas had. You smiled softly, placing your hand on his shoulder for reassurance. ’’With the facts you have gathered, he doesn’t have another choice but to listen.’’

Bruce smiled weakly, the pain from that night still awfully present in his mind. You watched him run up the stairs to the second level on the precinct and noticed that Gordon was already waiting for him. You decided to take a stroll around, taking another look at all the paintings and pictures of former officers and honorary captains. 

You’d been at the precinct so many times, you had almost memorized all the pictures on the walls. Most of the officers knew you and were nice towards you, greeting you whenever you walked past them. Every single time you had been there with Bruce, one man in particular had caught your eye. He was tall, dark haired and handsome. He would come and talk to you, but you could see that he was struggling. So you tried to make it easier for him, always being considerate towards him, and even answering all of his riddles - even if you knew you were wrong - whilst other officers just laughed or rolled their eyes at him. You felt awful about how they treated him. He was an outstanding forensic scientist and had helped in numerous cases, yet they still treated him like he wasn’t one of them. 

You were so in your thoughts, you didn’t notice someone approaching you with quite a high speed. You were just about to turn around when you bumped into the stranger. His hands were full of papers and his attention was definitely elsewhere than in watching where he was going. All the papers were now falling to the ground, and probably half of the precincts eyes were on you. You felt a little ashamed, a maid should be the one to help in cleaning, not causing the mess. Both of you dropped to the ground immediately, trying to collect the papers as fast as you could. 

’’I’m so, so sorry sir, I wasn’t looking where I was going.’’ You said apologetically, trying to avert his eyes. ’’It’s quite alright miss, I wasn’t looking either.’’ He answered gathering his papers. You could hear that he was a little nervous. Suddenly you felt his hand accidentally land on yours, and you both froze. Only then did you look up and meet his beautiful brown eyes, framed by strong eyeglasses. He looked equally as surprised as you when you finally recognized each other.

’’Get a room you two!’’ Someone shouted, sending a deep blush to your cheeks. And to your surprise, to his as well. You both looked away from each other. 

’’I- I’m sorry again, Mr. Nygma.’’ You said sheepishly, handing him the notes you had picked up. 

’’Please, call me Ed. And it’s quite all right, there’s no one I’d rather bump into.’’ He flirted carefully, considering you had met him on multiple occasions and the chemistry was definitely there. His hand softly brushed yours as he took the papers, sending another blush to your face. Your hands rested against each other for a while, and the smile he gave you made you weak.

His smile was the most beautiful smile you had ever seen. You returned the smile, wondering if you should continue the conversation. You definitely wanted to get to know him even more, and it was clear that he was as interested in you too. The embarrassment of the previous situation still lingered in the air, but Ed had the means to fix that.

’’What two accidents happen every 24 hours?’’ He riddled. 

You looked at him, trying to come up with the correct answer. You didn’t have much experience with riddles, other than those that Ed asked you, but you still liked the way he added them to your conversations. And he didn’t seem to be bothered if and when your answers were wrong. You thought he enjoyed winning, and at the same time teaching them to you.

’’Um, falling in love?’’ You answered quietly, feeling a little shy from the content of your answer. You didn’t think Ed would ask you about something that would have an answer about love, but you liked the idea that he was that kind of man, whom would fall in love very fast and very very hard. 

Ed laughed softly, not a hint of malice or mockery in his voice. For a moment you felt hopeful that your answer was actually right, but then he shook his head.

’’Adorable effort, once again, but unfortunately incorrect.’’ 

You sighed extravagantly, making it seem you were more upset about it that you actually were. It caused Ed to laugh even more, and you felt so mesmerized. 

’’Well, will you tell me the answer?’’ You asked after a short while.

’’At dinner, tonight at 8. I’ll pick you up.’’ 

You felt so happy, that this incredible, marvelous man had seen you in the crowd, among all the officers, and that he had made his way up to you and asked you a riddle, that started all this. You rose to your tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss on Ed’s cheek, making him blush once more. You couldn’t wait for the evening, nor all the other dates you’d have in the future.

[cobblepot-comfort]

Ok, here is a chapter from my Gobblepot WIP, Oswald Takes the Bullet and Jim Bites It. Summary: Oswald, now Jim's fiance, has been kidnapped by a rival kingpin and Jim is seeking help from various quarters.

Dark Angel in Disguise

Alvarez put down the phone.  He took a deep breath and walked over to Jim and Harvey, who were in the process of talking to Ed.  Ed?  Yes, you read right, Ed.  

It would be a gross understatement to say that Jim had been dismayed to see Edward Nygma - The Riddler - both Oswald’s sworn enemy and, on the flipside,  his own potential love rival - entering the bullpen.  

“What’s he doing here?”  he’d growled, bristling and squaring up ready for battle.  

Harvey had caught hold of his arm, stopping him in his tracks.  “Hey soldier boy, stand down now. Stop right there. It’s not what you think -  he’s actually here to help us.”

“Help us?  Ed? The Riddler?  Ed, who tried to kill Oswald?!”

“Yeah I know, Jim, but that’s all changed now, believe me, it's the truth….he’s a friend….he’s our ally now.”

“How come?” frowned Jim incredulously, standing back and putting his hands on his hips.

And so Harvey was forced to explain.   All about Ed, Lee, and the Narrows - and what had developed between them and Oswald.  Meanwhile Ed and Lee stood together in the doorway, looking a tad cautious, at the very least.

“Oswald is funding Lee’s medical centre?”  Jim interrupted, scratching his head and scrunching up his blond brows with bewilderment.

“Yep, but he didn’t want anyone to know.  He didn’t want other mob bosses - well, hrm, one in particular - finding out and thinking he’d gone soft.  But I think your influence is showing, Jim. He really wants to be kinder and fairer to the poorer people of Gotham.  For instance, he decided that only those businesses that can truly afford to pay should be subject to any kind of ‘protection’.  He has a list - of ‘do’s and don’ts, haves and havenots’, that he got his secretary to draw up! No - seriously! Zsasz told me all about it (I’m not sure how impressed he was though, you know how he likes administering the, ahem,  rougher stuff….)”

“But….Harv, if he’s been doing this....it was all done behind my back!  Why didn’t he tell me?”

“He was going to - apparently, so Lee tells me, it was going to be a surprise, for a wedding gift to you….but I thought I should tell you all this now, before you get up to killing Ed.  He and Lee are here to help - honest!”

Jim hung his head and smiled sadly, fighting off the burning tears pricking at the back of his eyes.  It was going to be a wedding gift! His little devil was really a dark angel in disguise….

“Anyway, Lee and Ed are on Oswald’s side, Jim, and therefore on yours.  They just want to help get him back - they have a lot to gain by rescuing him.  And - well, I don’t know if you heard about it, but the two of them are an item now.  I know you’ve been harbouring fears about Ed coming back for Oswald, although as you know I had no idea why you’d think like that - but there’s nothing to worry about there either.  And Lee is happy too, so there’s no need to worry about her anymore either.”

Jim was somewhat shell shocked.  He clearly had a lot of catching up to do.  But he couldn’t afford to get too bogged down in the details - time was ticking on.  

This was all news to him, but he was genuinely pleased for Lee, who he had once thought himself in love with - he still cared about her, and was glad that she wasn’t alone now, and had found a soulmate - even though it happened to be Ed Nygma, or even The Riddler.  

He was also highly relieved that there was no immediate danger of Ed taking terrible revenge on Oswald - or somehow deciding that he was in love with him after all and making a desperate play for him.  He knew the latter was highly improbable, and he also knew it was irrational and paranoid of him even to entertain worrying about it - but his deep-seated guilt about the way he’d treated Oswald in the past still made him feel that he didn’t deserve his little gangster’s love, and so losing him to someone else didn’t feel impossible.  

He just couldn’t help his stupid insecurity, even after many reassurances from his pretty fiance on the subject. These words could be sweet and soft or petulant and impatient, depending on little Ozzy’s mood at the time, but they always carried the same message:   “It’s you I’m marrying and you I love, Detective, I keep telling you that…..you really need to believe me!”

But for now, all that really mattered was getting his future husband back again safe and sound - to be protected by his loving arms, never to leave them again - whatever that took.

Jim had, of course, not lost any time in roughing up Gasparo Carrara to try to beat out of him any information that could lead to finding the whereabouts of Oswald’s prison.

“You think you know me? You think I’m playing?  Think again! You don’t know what I’m capable of,” Jim had growled, as he’d grabbed stubborn, smug-smiling Carrara by the throat and rammed him up against the wall.  He’d squeezed hard on his windpipe - very hard - choking him, then loosened his grip again, but continued to keep a very firm hold on the scumbag’s neck.

That had sure wiped the smile off his face!

Carrara had pleaded, spluttering,  with Harvey to intervene, “Can’t ya *cough* do something about this?!” he’d begged, throwing up his trembling hands in terror.

Harvey had just stood there, folded his arms and shrugged.

“Well - I would,” he’d said, “I mean - speaking for myself, I couldn’t care less if you talk or not - but Jim here, well, he has a personal stake in all this, so I really can’t be held accountable for what he might do.  Besides, how do you think I could stop him anyway? I mean, he’s clearly in much better shape than I am….I’d be no match for him!” He patted his belly. “Right?” he laughed and threw up his hands.

This was the ‘bad cop disinterested cop’ scenario they liked to practise from time to time, and it tended to be pretty successful.

However,  sadly Carrara could tell them very little, despite Jim’s skilled mastery of fisticuffs and fierce menace.  It appeared that Enzo didn’t even trust his ‘right hand man’ with all of his important intel. 

Carrara had not been told the whereabouts of the hideout - he was genuinely clueless.  

Even after Ed had stepped in, with Barnes’ begrudging blessing, to use his own ‘unique brand of persuasion’ he had emerged an hour later proclaiming, “Nope!  He doesn’t know anything I’m afraid! By the way, I think he might actually need a change of shorts….just thought I’d mention that….and...someone needed with a mop here, people, ewwwww….”

However, Ed’s skills weren’t going to waste.  He got to use his creative interrogation methods on any potential ‘leads’ Harvey and Jim happened to unearth in Gotham’s dark underbelly - in addition to his forensic skills, which had come in handy in checking out the tyre tracks by the old armoury.  Now at least they knew what make and model of car Enzo had used to get there before making that tormenting phone call to Jim. Yep, a Mercedes S-Class, what were the chances with a mobster��.

“Anyway, I’d better skedaddle - I have forensic work  - and other, erm, stuff that won't wait,” Ed said with a wink, lifting his glasses meaningfully as he spoke.  “Anyway, gents - now we’re here - how about this one? What’s red and….”

“Erm, thanks Ed.  Off you go then, you have urgent work to do - right?” Harvey cut in sharply, jerking his head pointedly towards the door.

“Oh - um - ok!”  Ed shrugged, smiled toothily, and dutifully skedaddled off, Lee intercepting him just as he reached the doorway.  She slipped her hand through his arm, stopping him in his tracks, turned to him and kissed his cheek. He smiled round at her and said  “Awww. Neat!” They hurried out of the building hand in hand.

“Erm - Jim…..”

Jim turned round and saw Alvarez looking at him with the kind of expression that a messenger had just before he was due to be shot full of arrows.

“Alvarez?”  

Jim swallowed hard.  His heart began banging so hard and fast  it could almost burst out of his chest.  

“Jim...I just got off the phone with Gotham General…um….”  Alvarez’ brows tensed and he paused, glancing at the ground for a moment.  He licked his lips, cleared his throat and shuffled his feet awkwardly.

Jim just stood and stared.  His powers of speech failed him.

It was the look on Alvarez’ face - it sent a chill through him.

“What is it Alvarez? Come on, spill.”  Harvey instinctively spoke up and moved forward, ready to support Jim in case it was the ‘worst case scenario’....God forbid….  

“They -  erm, they admitted someone answering Oswald’s description..and...he has Oswald’s wallet and ID on him….so it looks pretty positive that…..”

“They found him!?”  Jim’s heart leapt for a moment, he found his voice again, and his eyes opened wide with hope - then he saw Alvarez’s expression hadn’t changed, and his heart sank again.

“Alvarez, for God’s sake tell me.  Is he…..?” Jim stopped and swallowed hard.  His world just seemed to stop turning for a moment.  He just couldn’t complete that sentence.

“No Jim, he isn’t dead.”

Jim breathed again, his head became light, his heart started beating again.  “Not dead, not dead..” he thought, “Thank God….not dead!”

 “But.. Jim....Jim, Oswald’s been shot - I mean, badly - and they say his condition is critical.  You need to get there asap.”

The whole bullpen was alive with speculation after the phone call and Jim’s response, and his and Harvey’s hasty retreat, had been witnessed.

When they found out what had happened every one of them was rooting for Jim and praying that Oswald would pull through.

“Oh Sandy, I feel for him so much!  I hope Oswald’s going to be ok!” Walters confided in her close female colleague and friend, Sandy Smith.  “I just want to give the two of them a huge hug, y’know?”

“Me too!” Sandy agreed.  “I hate that Enzo with a passion.  He’s a monster!”

“Same here.  Let’s hope we nail this bastard, and get justice for our boys.”

The journey to the hospital was the kind Harvey had hoped he would never again have to make.  

Jim sat silently, staring straight ahead at the moving road with haunted eyes.  His face was white as chalk. He kept playing distractedly with his seat belt. 

His pain and anguish was tangible and there wasn’t  a damn thing Harvey could say that would help. All he could do was be here for Jim.  It was the very least, and only thing he could ever do.

That other time, that time he hoped would be the last, when Oswald’s life had been in the balance,  the little gangster had rallied. Of course he had. Oswald Cobblepot led a charmed life. Everyone knew that!

Back then, Harvey had been in the first throes of dismay at the revelation that Jim was actually involved with the last person on this earth Harvey would have expected - or wanted - him paired off with.  

But now, it was different.  Harvey hoped fervently that Oswald’s customary resilience - and good luck - would prevail.  This time, it might be a bridge too far - he hoped Oswald’s luck hadn’t finally run out. He hoped for that more than anything.

He felt a pang in his heart that was genuine, and very deep - for both of them -  that hadn’t been there before.

He hoped to God Oswald was going to pull through.  It would break Jim’s heart if he didn’t, and a broken-hearted Jim was the last thing in the world Harvey would want.

Besides, he’d written a frickin awesome best man’s speech that really shouldn’t  go to waste…. 

[amamiki171]

“You gave up your revenge for me?”  “Trust is so very hard to find in Gotham . . . but I trust you, Ed.”  Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin x Edward Nygma/Riddler Purple + green moodboard aesthetic 

[inappropriatefangirlneeds]

Gotham s4ep20 “That Old Corpse”  Personal Review

For Jim Gordon the law is not a steel boned corset  but more of a fragile lingerie corsage..

Warning spoilers below 

“I would sooner debate you all on TELEOLOGY versus DEONTOLOGY than leave her with that overgrown Boy Scout.”  * Oh eff you EDWARD NYGMA and people like you, those two concepts aren´t that hard to grasp if you explain the terms, don´t feel more intelligent cause you got in touch with terminology other people didn´t, they have no use for those words but they sure do understand what they are about you might get a compelling discussion, you know when you are faced with the necessity to break rules and law to make a living instead of doing it just to flaunt your ego, might be an interesting perspective Ed, consider this  (Overgrown boy scout though :D) This really is one of the episodes themes though. With Jim Gordon we´ve already walked all kinds of paths of the question of the lawful vs. the right thing but now we got some more steps here. 

LESLIE THOMPKINS & JIM  GORDON get a whole straight forward conversation about the whole issue: “Who doesn't want to be Robin Hood? But you're still breaking the law.” “Jim, you wish you could do what I'm doing. Helping people without the straitjacket of the law as if the law means anything in Gotham.” “If the law has lost its meaning, it's because people like you are turning your back on it.” “I am fighting back. I don't deny anything I've done. You want to send me to Blackgate? Go ahead.” “I don't want to send you to Blackgate! That's the last thing I want to do. Don't you know I wish I could let you walk out that door, turn my head?” “What's holding you back? Maybe if you let me go, you'd let yourself go, too.”  Oddly Leslie seems to have forgotten that Jim Gordon does bend the law for the right cause.Why though he was present during the Galavan thing. Jim is not exactly completely restricted by it. “Come to the Narrows.” “What?” “Where you can make a real difference in this city. You can make up your own rules about how to do it.” For Jim Gordon the law is not a corset with steel bones but more a fragile lingerie corsage. It´s nice to look at and you can flaunt your body in it if you please but it´s not restricting you. He is already quite on board with the whole doing bad / criminal thing for the sake of the good cause. Jim already made up his own rules. Just look at him torturing suspects in this episode. It´s not like he hasn´t already “let himself go”. The only real thing that´s holing him back is appearance. He wasn´t happy about Oswald´s public licence system he wanted the old more concealed mafia cooperation back. Only HARVEY BULLOCK voices the issue. They have long crossed that line. “People get away with a lot worse in Gotham every day.” “Doesn't make it right.”  “We got away with worse. Both of us.” > Oddly recently we have had Harvey Bullock be on the “hold up the rules” train, he arrested Oswald although he helped them, he called Jim out on falling for Lee´s “she is doing good” argument. This time they have switched platforms. This time it´s Harvey being ready to let Leslie get away with her crime because of her motivations and because there is worse people. Jim instead is the one to insist that not only the “good intention” matter. Less oddly this is the kind of philosophy Jim usually shows with other people. We get more and more expressions of doubt about himself but he still goes on with acting based on the other kind, the one that supports him bending rules and law. Which certainly must be less easy to suppress now that Bullock is directly addressing this.  (I´m on the other hand suspecting that with Bullock that is less a matter of philosophy than one of personal feelings. He never liked Oswald, not even before he killed Fish Mooney. I´m pretty sure this animosity was even more leading him to arrest Oswald than it was his righteousness.)

Then there is the matter of PERSPECTIVE. All the question of doing a good thing or causing a good thing doesn’t matter much if there´s different points of views on what´s “good”. When Harvey Bullock and JIM GORDON torture the guy in the trunk of their car Jim reminds Harvey of their audience. “Harvey, Harvey. Reporters, buddy.” The good cause of foiling crime outweighs the unethical deed of torture for the both of them but that´s only their judgement the reporters might see that differently. Likewise BRUCE WAYNE´s intentions of bringing JEREMIAH to Jerome´s grave were good but the outcome was detrimental to Jeremiahs situation. “I thought it would help. I was wrong, but we need to leave.” JEREMIAH VALESKA and BRUCE WAYNE is the other pair where this question is discussed most directly: “Jerome wanted to slather you in honey and have you eaten alive by corpse beetles. Now, that's mad.  Me, if I want to kill you, I'll just do it. I'll shoot you in the head. Simply and sanely. See, I don't want to kill you, because I want to show you how much I've changed things. How much we've changed things. 'Cause I could not have done any of this without your help.”  Just like with leading Jeremiah to the dug up Jerome Bruce´s intentions with the project that turned out to be bombs instead of cheap environmentally friendly energy were good. However this doesn´t matter when the outcome is death and destruction. Or does it?  He´s contributed to it! He has made it possible. What weighs more heavily the thing you wanted to do or the thing you did?  It´s also tied straight back to him feeling responsible for what Jerome did after he let him live!  And on the other side it connects  the whole issue back to JIM GORDON. He doesn´t let Jerome live. He shoots him to stop him from pressing destruction buttons. He´s trying to safe his live as well when he is about to fall from the roof but with shooting him he already risked his death.  Apart form this quite obvious bomb point I do think that there´s something to be said about JEROME & JEREMIAH here as well. Jeremiah says he would just kill Bruce without further ado, claiming he is all about the outcome, while Jerome would have delved in the deed itself. With Jerome there is much more focus on his intentions and motivation. On the other hand you could also read this as the both of them being on the same page. In pointing this out Jeremiah also flaunts his own intention, which is differentiating himself from his brother. It´s not about killing it´s also about making a point that he kills differently than Jerome?  LESLIE THOMPKINS & EDWARD NYGMA “Were you awake the whole time?” “Maybe.” “Smartest man in Gotham, huh?” “Don't just wrap me around your finger, Lee.” “Come on. Let's run.”  I´m still kind of expecting that they turn on each other, Leslie inviting Jim to the Narrows is potentially as suspicious as Edwards “not gonna happen” line last week (about the both of them joining and loving Lee), maybe I´m paranoid but I don´t like their relationship very much plot wise but they are still super cute together, how can they even have that much chemistry? How?! However both seem to have a common ground in “darkness”.  Leslie accepts hers for the sake of the good cause. Her crimes are motivated by the outcome, one that´s helping others. She doesn´t see herself as a bad person for doing crime because the cause justifies them. On the other hand Edward doesn´t care about this, he would rob a bank or kidnap nuns as long as he can make a name of himself and flaunt his ego. He delves into this darkness instead of focusing on what it can be harnessed for. He recognizes the darkness in Lee but also sees that she isn´t in the same place as he is but he seems to think she will get there, while Leslie sees his as well and his ability and thinks she can influence him to get on her path .. Edit: more 

JEREMIAH and JEROME VALESKA and THEIR PAST MAYBE? * Who are those Jerome followers? I mean I would say either you are the kind of person that likes some chaos and to trash a place while partying or you are the kind of person that can partake in an event that takes quite a level of organization but then again young people organize illegal parties and whole festivals in the woods maybe that´s not so out of the ordinary, maybe you can get a whole mix but oh well, in general I wonder about all those mobs and groups that show up, where are they when they disband? Do they wear sweatpants if they aren´t out to make trouble? *“And trust me, you're gonna want to pay attention so the TWIST makes sense at the end.” I was getting really excited when the Jerome video popped up and Jim was mid fight with Ecco, like oh what are they gonna do with this plot? Have I judged too early? But then it was Jeremiah who orchestrated the whole thing. He was not unaffected by the gas. Him telling Bruce that he sees Jerome everywhere was probably a lie, or not, who knows? Maybe seeing him everywhere sparked his change and his obsession to outdo him? But anyway That is not a twist, I guess you could claim the twist is there not being a twist which in some way is a twist but with the absent of an actual twist this doesn’t really count as a twist it´s just a suggestion of something that isn’t there that´s not the actual thing. In other words I´m disappointed.   * And it does not change anything about the fact that having someone in that prominent role that dedicated his life to something else before and who just took this path because of some gas is cheap. And I still don´t like that notion that, (assuming Jerome was right about Jeremiah) the choices a person makes don´t matter.  * But I´m gonna try to find something interesting in this. > I´m wondering if we are meant to believe that Jeremiah already started working on that energy system having in mind that this could be used as a bomb? Even before the whole Jerome thing went down? Were it his natural impulses or his subconscious that made him gravitate towards such an ambivalent project? I´d rather believe not, I want to believe his intentions were the same as the intentions of Bruce, but then again this could feed some characterization > “Like everything Jerome set his mind to, his insanity gas failed. Other than some mild cosmetic effects, he might as well have sprayed me with water. You all need to see Jerome for the utter dud that he was, so I donned the mask of madness to show you how feeble that is compared to actual greatness. Behold, the face of true sanity.”  So given his words we could read this as sibling rivalry, Jeremiah wants to come out of this on top. He´s better than his brother. He´s not only better he´s also different. Where does his all come from?   Is he really seeing Jerome everywhere and wanting to spite him? He took some time learning about Jerome´s “obsessions and goals” and came to the conclusion that: “I will outdo every one of them”.  I don´t think that mixes well with Jerome and his talk about legacy, also I´d like to have some more background where this could be base on..  > Another thing is this repeated “Progress requires sacrifice” notion that Jeremiah shows, he also says “To truly build something, you must tear down what’s already there.”  I haven´t had the impression that this is a philosophy he would support? He was more about protection and building in a constructive way, granted this was self protection but still. He expected Jerome to confront him, he feared for his life and he hid and built a defensive structure instead of going out of his way to find Jerome first and get rid of him. Which he should have done if he believes in the notion that for him/something to flourish obstacles need to be eradicated. On the other hand it was implied that Jeremiah planned to maybe kill Jerome. Which would make the defensive structure more of a trap in order to destroy him. Maybe it was both and this is meant to show Jeremiah´s struggle/split between the tendencies Jerome sees in him and the choice Jeremiah made to not act upon them?! Just this still feels a bit out of nowhere, I´d really like to have had some hints, maybe connected to his architectural work that this is a philosophy he cherishes.. > Then again maybe I´m asking for something that was in fact there. Maybe him throwing young Jerome under the wheels was his version of “progress requires sacrifice”. By making his family believe he was in danger he could leave them, which opened up opportunities far from circus life for him, he could go to school and have success ..  * I loved all the details they had this week: >The mazes on Jermiah´s walls > Jerome´s diary outside and inside > The diy flyer that called the crowd to Jerome´s grave  > That one umbrella (see below) one of the Jerome followers had * JEREMIAH´s hiding spot among the dead. This was such a good choice because you can´t escape how much it resembles his home underground, how in turn his safety maze is resembling a grave, he´s hiding dead to the world, and now Jerome obviously got into it through the gas * The shot with Alfred going through the door and the fight scene we only get a glimpse at  * I loved how Jim Gordon was a proper detective again for a moment, the tactical retreat to trap Jerome´s followers was a nice moment, as well as him basing this strategy on Jerome´s tactics of distractions .. well he couldn´t know that this was all on Jeremiah..    only Oswald figured that out! (“I don't expect you to betray the memory of that old corpse. I want you to betray whomever it is you are currently following.”) * I loved that there was a lot of openness and communication (even if sometimes not sincerely) Jim is quick to tell Alfred about the problem, JEREMIAH talks about the gas, he directly calls out BRUCE on the lie and he promptly apologizes and changes his strategy * Likewise although less kind the interactions between BUTCH GLIZEAN and OSWALD COBBLEPOT were rather open.   “There's nothing petty about my aggression.” “So, am I to starve until I guess the source of your resentment?” “You said, if I joined you …… “ //  “Shh! Did you just shush me?”  Just like Jeremiah Oswald addressed a problem inbetween them directly and the openly talked about it. * “What I want to know with a minimum of fuss,” Oh Oswald, I feel you, everything is exhausting * It´s a shame that we don´t know more about ECCO. With a show that´s supposedly about Gotham before Batman and the villains he hunts they are way too quick to push characters into those roles. I want to see them being someone different and then slowly change and develop but there are like Oh by the way here have Harley doing Harley things (assuming Ecco is meant to be her)  Edit: more * “Confusion is always an opportunity for the clear headed.” * “You, go where Jim Gordon goes. He comes under some harm, assist him. I do not need Lee blaming me if he's killed under friendly fire while I go about my business.” * “And even though I know it's not real, it feels real.” * “Dead when he came in. More dead when he was eviscerated and his brain was sliced up.” Oh Lucius  * “Which is exactly why I will not have you bumbling into the GCPD en masse.”  Bumbling! * That poor „We’re saved!” guy was funny .. * Harvey running that guys head into the metal bar was mean but takin more beer out of the coffin a funny moment again, also Harper!! * „Yes, that's right. Now you can tell me why you sound so concerned.” I don´t even know why but his tone in this makes me ship Jim and ALFRED even more. 

[retroreaderr]

Edward Nygma/Reader | The Perfect Crime

this is it guys this is singlehandedly THE most cheesy fic i have e v e r written. right here. you know what? i don’t even care. i love this boyo too much to care. you heard it here first guys. im gay as fuck for this boy. also yeah ive been binging gotham and i love ed sm for consistency sake let’s just assume this is like, early season 1 ed ok? ok. –🕷️💋

Knock knock.

“Ed?”

The door to the lab was flung open suddenly to reveal a rather bubbly man, who all too enthusiastically cried your name,  “Good morning!”

“Good morning,” you smile back, “I figured you’d appreciate this,” you hand over his mug, a small stripe of steam rising from the coffee inside. He eagerly took it from you, grinning.

“Thank you,” he finally raised his gaze to meet yours, “Come in, please,” he stepped aside to usher you in.

“Did you analyze those blood samples for me?”

He made a small noise as he sipped his drink, and nodded slightly after setting the mug down.

“I did.”

“And…?”

He tilted his head slightly, “What can you catch but never throw?”

“Ed -”

“Come on, it’s an easy one,” he looked over at you with pleading eyes.

“A cold. But what does that -” he held up a hand to cut you off.

“Correct. Anyways, it was very interesting results, really. The victim had large amounts of dextromethorphan in his system.”

“Cough syrup?”

He nodded, “Yes, but -” he suddenly turned to sift through a stack of papers, most likely post-mortem medical reports on the victim, on one of the tables before handing it over to you, “ - He had no cold.”

“So what? He overdosed on Nyquil?”

“No, look,” he walked closer, looking over your shoulder to read the paper for a moment.

Your breathing hitched slightly when you felt his hand brush your arm as he reached out to point at a specific sentence scrawled onto the paper. You looked to where he was directing you but couldn’t read the words: you were completely frozen with him so close. He soon seemed to realize just how close he was as well, as his tone softened and his voice wavered slightly as he spoke now, “There were small amounts of arsenic in his blood.”

“So he was poisoned?” you turned your head slightly to look up at him and there was a small moment of silence as you stared at each other, only inches apart.

He broke the silence, however by clearing his throat and stepping away, though he was horrible at hiding the blush that had formed on his cheeks. He turned away then, facing one of the lab tables that was littered with various types of equipment.

“Yeah. Poisoned…It was minimal amounts though. I looked into it a bit further, there were signs of long-term exposure to arsenic in his system.”

“What kind of symptoms?”

“Oh, uh..” he fumbled trying to rearrange a few test tubes. He finally gave up, turning back to face you. He nervously pushed up his glasses before thinking, “Uh…Just…Standard symptoms. Headaches, nausea, vomiting…lung problems.”

“So…Like a cold?”

“I’d say more like a flu but, sure…Like a cold,” he agreed.

You smiled, “So the victim was being poisoned, most likely through his food or drink…Thought he was getting a cold…And then started taking the medicine, which would explain it in his system?”

“Sounds plausible enough. I wouldn’t have detected it if I wasn’t specifically looking for it, really,” he shrugged.

“Kill someone quick and easy, everyone knows. Everyone thinks it’s murder. Kill someone slowly and meticulously, no one knows. Everyone thinks it’s natural…It’s the perfect crime,” you thought aloud.

“Not my idea of a perfect crime, really,” Ed chuckled, “We still got ‘em. Guy was rich wasn’t he? Had private services? My bets are on the cook, they could’ve easily slipped the arsenic into his meals, he wouldn’t have known the difference -”

“What’s your idea of a perfect crime, then?” you interrupt his rambling.

He seemed caught off guard by the question, “Oh…I don't…”

“I’m just curious, is all.”

He looked over at you again, the curiosity in your eyes, the genuine interest you seemed to take when talking to him, it was unlike anyone else at the department. You went out of your way to talk to him, you enjoyed his stupid riddles and consulted him when you had a problem. You trusted him. You were his friend…

And yet what seemed like you just being nice meant the world to him. He was a complete mess around you; Just talking to you made his day infinitely better, and yet he still had such trouble doing it. He would stumble over his words, his heart would pound, his mind would turn to mush each time you so much as smiled at him.

“I find that the perfect crime would be committed by the perfect thief. Someone that maybe didn’t even know what they were doing, really.”

You looked at him, confused.

“The thieves that take things you can’t prove are gone,” he stared down at his hands for a moment.

“It starts off small, stealing glances, and it’s alright because you do just the same. Then you start paying attention to the little things they do, and that’s when they start to your breath away,” he took a step closer with each word, once again you were simply inches away from each other, “They steal your heart.”

You looked up at him, and you could feel yourself shaking.

“And then what happens?” you whisper closing the small gap left between the two of you. You ran your hands down the length of the lapels of his lab coat.

“Then you get back at them.”

“What…?”

He leaned down, pressing his lips to yours, gently at first until you reciprocated. You were barely able to process what was really happening, but you scarcely cared. A million thoughts raced through your mind but you couldn’t truly comprehend any of them:

Ed was your best friend! What was even happening? Of course, you had fallen for your closest companion, and apparently, he had fallen just as hard in return. He loved you back, he loved you back, he -

One of his hands made its way to the side of your neck, the other at your waist, though you could tell he was unsure about it all.

His grip on you tightened slightly as he pressed harder against you, which was (what you guessed was) his attempt to deepen the kiss. When you didn’t return the favor, he pulled away, fear suddenly taking over.

“I - I am so sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking, I -”

“Eddie.”

He stopped talking, instead tensing up. Though the nickname made him weak he was still terrified of what you had to say.

You giggled, “I take that as your retaliation?”

He shook his head in confusion.

“Stealing a kiss. That was what you were going for, right?”

He was speechless, he had just kissed you and you were completely nonchalant about it? You had liked it, even? He simply nodded slightly, still confused.

“Ed?”

He blinked a few times before looking at you.

“Do you have dinner plans for tonight?”

He shook his head.

“Pick me up at…Say, seven?”

He nodded. You smiled, reaching up and placing a chaste kiss on his cheek before turning to the door.

“See you then…And thanks again for helping with those blood samples.”

All he could do was make a small sound, something akin to a forced Uh-huh as you walked out of the room, completely composed.

For the first time, Edward Nygma was utterly lost for words.

[jameszmaguire]

hey so i basically 'watch' gotham through your content and like. what the FUCK happened with nygma and oswald since oswald literally froze his ex

okay anon,you’re in for a wild ride, strap in and fasten your seatbelt. this was a delight to write, i was giggling the whole time. this show is a big ball of insanity and nonsense, and it is so much fun

the abridgedguide to what edward nygma and oswald cobblepot have been up to around eachother on gotham fox

so, it allstarted in season 1, when eddy was young and innocent and working in forensicsat the gcpd. ozzy, newly gotten into some power in the shady underbelly of thecity, pranced into the precinct thinking he was the shit. it basically endedwith oz wanting to secure his authority and ed discretely throwing shade inreturn, and that’s it for interactions in season 1

then, season 2aka everything goes balls to the walls crazy rolls around. there has been somecharacter development on both sides, mostly to do with murder and sticking itto the people who never took them seriously. oz has kinda overthrown the orderof gotham’s underworld, declared himself king of the city in one very catharticscene and now tries to cope with his new power. Turns out, he’s not so good atnot making enemies, which leads to some double-crossing, some betrayal, hisbeloved mother dying and also people attempting to murder him

ed, in themeanwhile, has gone off the deep end, and murdered a few people, one of thembeing his girlfriend (big drama). while out in the woods because bodies don’tbury themselves, he finds ozzy at his lowest point, barely alive, and decidesto take him in, because, hey, every future batman villain is in dire need of amurder mentor. so, he nurses ozzy back to health, gets him out of his pants andfeeds him (i’m not making this up). they get take-out. also, there is a pianoduet at some point.

ozzy regains hishealth, leaves ed’s apartment, plots his revenge and fails so spectacularlythat he ends up in arkham asylum. they brain-wash him for a bit there, hebecomes nice, gets outta there and then ed rejects his attempt at renewing thefriendship, because he’s found enjoyment in the murder lifestyle and nice ozzydoesn’t work like that no more

so ed goes onkilling folks, then gets caught in one of the best episodes ever aired of thisshow, and promptly thrown into arkham, because, y’know, that’s how it goes. ozzyin the meantime finds his long-lost father, bonds over niceness, then hisstepmom murders the dad in an attempt on ozzy’s life. this triggers the evil tocome back to oz, and he murders her in return, but not before feeding her herown children, ‘cause that’s the sensible thing to do in such a situation

back to his evilroots, ozzy reconnects with ed while visiting him in arkham, and ed, like thesupportive dude he is, encourages the revenge fantasies. and, to everybody’ssurprise, the revenge plan (now with new and improved formula!) works out andozzy regains his power

this leads intoseason 3, where ed is released; ozzy of course comes to get him, and theyindulge in the newest plan – ozzy running for mayor, because some writer in thegotham staff clearly stans batman returns. and because appointing your friendsis swell, eddy is his chief of staff. ed is also genuinely supportive and smartenough to actually help during the campaign, and so ozzy wins

more importantly,he then realizes that he has fallen deeply truly madly in love with ed, planson telling him, and because gotham writers are the worst, they decide that thisis a good moment in the story to introduce ed’s new heterosexual love on firstsight interest, who, what are the chances, also looks almost identical to thatgirlfriend of his ed killed in season 2. y’know, because that is a good omen. So,there is some insane jealousy on ozzy’s part, and because he can, he decides tohave her killed. y’know, because that’s the sensible thing to do.

ed naturallyfalls right back into ozzy’s arms, but because oz royally sucks at not pissingoff people, there is more betrayal and back-stabbing and ed finds out about thekilling order, effectively turning ozzy’s most trusted and most bestest friendagainst him. he then leads ozzy on a merry chase, destroys his reputation, hispower and most of what’s left of his dignity, and then, for good measure, stabshim in the abdomen and drops him into a river

ozzy however,being resilient as a cockroach and having help from another future batman villain,survives once more. while he’s being nursed back to health, nygma tries to beevil and stuff, but finds himself haunted by some very fun hallucinations ofozzy where he is either dripping wet or dancing and singing romantic songs (iam still not making this up)

they meet upagain when they are both individually caught by an admittedly super-boringthird party (there was more betrayal and backstabbing and honestly, this showmakes it so hard to keep up with who’s betraying whom and for what reason) andlocked into adjacent cages. creating one of the most entertaining scenes inthis show’s history, they promptly proceed with either throwing tantrums likethe mature five-year-olds they are or bickering like an old married couple whichthey also are. at the end, they figure out that working together might be thebest option, and stage an amazing jailbreak that ends with the good ol’ “i’llkill you” “not if i kill you first” agreement

the entirety ofthis relationship culminates in the season finale, where they play cat and musewith one another, using every dirty trick and amnipulating the hell outta oneanother, showing just how well they know each other, all the strengths andweaknesses. it ends with ozzy getting the upper hand, telling ed that he wasthe only time he let love weaken him (call-back to when ed was nuring him backto health where he said that men who love nothing cannot be bargained with andare therefore stronger). ozzy then lets mr freeze turn ed into a majesticicicle, and then decides to exhibit his frozen lover in his new club, because,y’know, it’s what you do

that is the mostcondensed version of events i could come up with. i don’t know if it’s useful,but it explains why they ended up where they are now. in all honesty, the twoactors have so much chemistry around each other and they are clearly having somuch fun that it’s just a delight every time they’re on screen together

[nygmobblepot-slut]

My Nygmobblepot Journey

Alright, this is my entire Nygmobblepot journey from start to present. Here we go, it’s a long one...

-I started watching Gotham with a completely open mind. I knew very little about it and the characters, as I'm not necessarily a huge Batman fan I guess. (I've just not watched it is all.)

-Personally I like to find ships when I watch shows because it makes the show more interesting to me however with this one I didn’t really have any. 

-I did have favorite characters though, and right from the beginning too. My top two were Oswald Cobblepot and Edward Nygma. Naturally. 

-I loved them so much. I wanted them both to rise to the top and be happy. I relished the moment they first talked in the GCPD. I mean come on, my two favs talking for once?? That’s insane. I loved it. 

-THEN THEY BECAME FRIENDS. Ed saved Oswald and one thing led to another and suddenly my two little children were friends. I was ecstatic, could not have been more happy. 

-I was happy with just that, my “jump to conclusions” brain didn’t even think it possible that they would ever like each other as a romantic partner. 

-Then stuff started to happen and I was like wait a minute. Wait just a frick frackin minute. How had I not thought of it before? OF COURSE! Oswald and Ed! They’d be beautiful together. A power couple beyond belief!

-At that point, a couple episodes before Oswald actually admitted his love for Ed, my brother was insisting that that could never happen. It wouldn’t happen. That’s ridiculous and clearly crazy. 

-I almost believe him, but there it was right in my face. The way Oswald look at Ed, the way they acted around each other, I couldn’t deny that it was a thing. It was totally a thing. 

-When Oswald admitted he was in love with Ed I literally ran around the block because I had to much energy to get out of my system. This beautiful thing had snuck up on me. I didn’t know how to handle it. 

-I became so invested in their relationship. not that I wasn’t already because I enjoyed them just being friends, but to the extreme. I was so obsessed with the possibilities. My family thought I was crazy. 

-Then IT happened. The glorious truth was about to come out, I was finally about to witness a possibly legit Nygmobblepot moment on screen. Then SHE happened and fuuuuucked my entire life up. 

-I was beyond pissed okay, beyOND angry. I had been given this hope, been teased, and then was spit on. Why in the world would they fuck everyone over that bad? 

-I was perfectly content with my boys just being friends. I was happy with them being friends. And now? They’re literally enemies. 

-I didn’t ask for a ship. I mean I wouldn’t even be complaining if it worked out but it didn’t. And now two of my favorite characters are heartbroken and so am I. I feel personally attacked by the way this played out. 

-I understand that it probably never would’ve worked, but damn it they didn’t have to suggest it even would. I was content with them being friends, I would’ve understood if they stopped being friends, but why did it have to go that way? 

-To watch two characters who made each other so strong and happy, absolutely rip each other apart was so hard. 

(Warning! *Spoilers*)

-They didn’t kill each other, which gave me some kind of hope. It’s probably a mistake to hope but I can’t help it. 

-And now with this new episode? Sofia taking care of Oswald like that? Kind of reminds me of something a certain someone did for Oswald nearly two seasons ago. The only person Oswald had ever fallen for, Ed. 

-If Oswald falls for her it’s going to probably kill me. 

-For one, she’s got an ulterior motive. How could she not? He doesn’t know that and she’s manipulating him into trusting her which will fuck him up even more when she screws him over. 

-Two, he’s weak now having just gone through some terrible relationship issues. It may’ve technically been a friend break up, but it was still a break up. So he’s really not in the best mindset for falling for someone. 

-If anything I’d want Oswald to go back to his previous mindset about power over love rather than jump right into this new thing that he used to despise and look down on. I know he’s grown and changed but I don’t want this woman to make him weak and break him, furthering his doubts about love all together. 

-Then we have Ed, sweet stupid Ed. I kind of like the way he’s being humbled a little. I think he’ll get his intelligence back eventually but it’s interesting to see Ed deal with some challenges that don’t involve his love life for once.

Alright so to wrap it up I’ll put my semi-realistic-but-probably-won’t-happen theory...

-Okay so I’m thinking that one of the ways Nygmobblepot could become a thing again is going to happen over time. 

-It’s a possibility that both boys will be hurt and lost beyond personal repair. Grudges and egos set aside, they’re both so beaten down by life that they need each other to bring themselves back. 

-Obviously, Oswald could get tricked into something with Sofia, trusting her would be a mistake but he wouldn’t see this until after. Somehow he needs to loose everything, have no one. All his money, respect, and loyal servants are gone. He has nothing. He already looks on edge as it is, he’s fragile and sad and it wouldn’t be hard to take advantage. 

-It would go a little bit differently for Ed. He’d with Zombie Butch/Grundy now and is trying desperately to get his brain back in working order. Somethings got to happen to make him loose hope. He’ll get money with the fighting and try to fix his brain, but maybe nothing works like he thinks. What he needs is time, and to exercise his brain, reteach it. But he’s broken too, and he’s loosing hope. 

-But there’s got to be a way. Who is Gotham would be willing enough to take all that time and help him? Certainly not his new pal Grundy, or anyone else he use to associate with.

-Maybe Ed would go to Oswald and in his own head, just be ‘using’ him to make himself smart again. He apologizes to his ex-friend, and Oswald, who at this point has no one either, accepts his apology thinking it’s sincere. 

-Then they get started, Oswald takes the time to sit with Ed and help him get his brain unfrozen again, and says little riddles until Ed understands them. With practice and patience Ed gains back his intelligence bit by but, but also he’s starting to realize that Oswald was truly a good friend. 

-Once their both feeling like themselves again they can rebuild their empire and get back into the underworld of Gotham.

-If they’re able to put the past behind them it may be possible for them to be friends again.. or maybe eventually more. But I’d settle for just friends. 

So that’s it, my Nygmobblepot Journey. My thoughts on all of it, good and bad. But I want to know, what’s yours? Where do you think the show is going and what has been your reaction so far? 

Use ( #my nygmobblepot journey ) so I can read your journeys too!

[justgotham]

When will the increasingly malevolent Edward Nygma finally embrace his super-villainous identity as The Riddler? According to actor Cory Michael Smith, the man inside Ed's greener and greener suits, the big reveal is now.

With "Gotham" returning after a winter hiatus for the remaining seven episodes of its third season, Smith has finally stepped into the center ring as Gotham City's emerging prince of psychotic puzzles who uses his razor-sharp intellect in the service of increasingly malicious and attention-seeking antics.

And, as Smith reveals, after all the lengthy, deliberate setting of the table and plenty of time to chart out Ed's evolution, it's been pretty easy being green -- as long as it's in a suit and not a question mark-covered leotard.

Moviefone: Here you are, right at the doorway of becoming The Riddler that we've all been expecting him to become. Tell me about getting him to the point where we left him, and where we're about to go.

Cory Michael Smith: It's been quite a long ride here. Where we are at this point: he just killed the mayor, who happened to be his best friend, and also kind of his mentor in villainy. Frankly, the only person that he would trust to kind of guide him into this lifestyle. Perhaps the only person equipped to deal with him and guide him that way.

So he's kind of in this crisis at the moment where he has to decide what his next move is. Does he continue to run the city by proxy, and pretend like he has no idea what happened to Oswald, until a new mayor is elected, and then maybe he finds a different job in the government? Which I don't imagine is what he wants. There's that path.

Or, this thing that he's kind of preparing himself for, that he kind of yearns for, this challenge, and this exciting option, which is, have a coming out party as a villain. Find your identity. Figure out someone to kind of replace Oswald as this person who can help you find your identity, figure it out, and then, like, go for it, man! So that's what this first episode back is all about.

What was fun for you playing, first, the bond and the friendship that Ed and Oswald had, and then how it all turned ugly? Tell me about that arc for you and what was the kind of delight as an actor to play.

First of all, it's imitated real life. Not the bad part, but the good part; Edward admires Oswald as a villain and as a leader. He was happily No. 2 to Oswald. I certainly admire Robin [Lord Taylor] , and I've enjoyed everything he's done in this show. So it was kind of this really easy thing to be like, "Oh my gosh, now Robin, a dear friend of mine, and I get to work together and be like buddies." So it just kind of was easy and fun.

Jeff Neumann/FOXThen as I figure out that I lose the second person that I've fallen in love with, it tasted like this second opportunity at normalcy somehow, which wasn't ever the plan, but it found me again. When that was stolen from me, and I found out that Oswald was the culprit -- this was the only person I ever really, outside a relationship, trusted, or admired in such a way that I became their friend, they let me be their friend, and then this is how they kind of repay me. First it was Jim, sort of trying to pretend like he was my friend, and now it's Oswald.

I just think there's a lot of scar tissue there. This is someone who never really had friends, and wanted them, and then all of a sudden had his best friend, and is lied to and betrayed, and has a love stolen from him. So the kind of turn and fall into wanting to hurt someone was kind of, I think, easy for him. It felt like this is just justice, and this is vengeance, this is Oswald's language, so it seems only fair that I would use his vocabulary on him.

Is Ed almost an entirely different person from the Ed you started playing?

Absolutely! Yeah, I think a theme in the journey of Edward is issues with identity. I've leaned really hard into, every time something happens to him, and he's seeking for an answer, or he wants to change, or he's trying to change, he's making these declarations about how he's going to live now, and how he's not going to live, I've made sure that he really committed to each thing he was doing, and tried a new kind of life and existence.

One of the most freeing things that happened was when we had two Edwards, and there was a physical manifestation of all of the qualities about himself that he thought were outside of himself. The kind of swagger, and confidence, sexuality. These are things about him that he was intimidated by, and never practiced as sweet little Ed at the GCPD.

So when he kind of accepted the fact that this was him, and this was his identity, or that fate has given him of maybe he's a bad person and he doesn't deserve a good life, accepting that, and accepting all of these colors that were a bit murkier, really freed him up to be a fuller human being, and constantly surprised himself with his capacity and capabilities.

So this season, for example, I made a really strong choice for him, when trying to intimidate people, to really lower his voice, and try to offer a sort of commanding presence by altering the way that he was communicating with people physically. And the thing that happened, in my experience as Ed, was that people actually responded to that. So Ed kept doing that.

That wasn't something that I had planned out. It was like an experiment of his. Of like, "Oh, how do I make people think I have purpose, and I have strength, and I have power?" And it worked, and people were listening to him. I've really allowed him to explore identity and try stuff out, and then respond to the fellow actors and adjust accordingly.

You took your research and the character's 60-odd year history very seriously. What has it meant to you to really do such a defining version in a mass media format with The Riddler, to go deep with the character in a way that nobody else has really been able to do? And in a way that probably hasn't really gone that far in the comics even?

Look, I certainly feel privileged for a couple reasons. One, that I get to contribute to a part of the mythology that really hasn't been charted extensively at all; two, that we now have three years in the can, and hopefully more to come. It's my first time I've done long form television, and there's such a joy as an actor, not only to be able to tell a story of a character over a long period of time, but to tell a story of a character that's as dynamic as this, and that has gone through such a change in three years. It's so exciting and invigorating.

Lastly, I feel really privileged because the audience, they were receptive from the beginning, and they gave him a chance, and they went along with what started as a pretty slow journey, and I felt a real commitment and support from our audience with what we've done. So I feel really grateful for that.

You're getting more and more shades of green in your wardrobe.

Yeah, man. Yeah. We're getting really green!

Tell me what's been fun about plotting that evolutionary direction, and working with your costumers to get Ed to full-on Riddler green.

This season has been super fun because we kind of found the shape and template of the suit that we wanted. Then it was just about gradually changing the colors of green. So over the course of Season 3, I must have had, I don't know, eight to 10 different colors of green that we were working with, leading up to the green suit that we introduced in [Episode] 15, which is quite a vibrant green, especially for "Gotham," because most of our characters have a bit more of a darker, dull tone. You'll get like a splash of color here and there, but I am wearing a very bright, glittery green suit.

When I first saw it in the fitting room, I was like "Wait, wait, wait, is that the suit?" They were like, yeah. I said, "Have you shown the producers pictures of this material?" They were like, "Yeah [director/producer] Danny Cannon loves it." "Danny loves this color green in our show?" I lost my sh*t, because I was like, this is really bright. When I do scenes with people and they're all in black leather, I'm going to look like a Christmas ornament.

But it's been quite fun, and it feels right to me, because there's something about Ed's coming out that is like, it feels flamboyant, and I like that all of a sudden he's saying, "Look at me. I am ready for the attention, I am ready for this, and you all need to look at me. Look at my bright green suit." I added a line in 15 on the day when we were filming it. I have this scene, because the mayor is obviously missing, I am speaking to the cadets, and it's their graduation. And I'm like, "You all look fabulous. How do I look?"

It's the first time that I wear my suit, and I loved it so much. It was the first time I got to wear it, I was on set, everyone was, like, freaking out. So I had to add it, because I just thought it was such a delicious moment where he was like, look at me. Does anyone like my green? No one notices but him. I just wanted him to like relish in it.

As you mentioned, the two people closest to him are out of the picture right now. Does anybody kind of fill the void early on in the rest of the season? Do you get to do some scenes with some other characters that maybe you haven't gotten to play with as much?

I do. There's this interesting ... I don't know that you can call it an alliance yet, but I have a relationship with Barbara, and she is the person who kind of lifted the veil on Oswald's actions and intentions.

So there's a sort of interesting partnership between the two. They both have needs and wants, and they're not necessarily complimentary, but they try to help each other out get what they want, and it's a very interesting companionship they develop, and it's certainly been fun working with Erin [Richards].

It seems like you're still going to have to wait for scenes with David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne, because that seems like something that's really more going to happen further down the road. Tell me what you're looking forward to in getting to play that dynamic.

What I'm really excited about is ... we've already been introduced -- it was in Arkham Asylum, so he knows who I am, but I didn't know who I was at that point. So to be reintroduced in, like, the classic way of, "This is Bruce Wayne, and this is The Riddler," is kind of exciting.

Also, what I'm doing here at the beginning of Edward kind of calling himself The Riddler, and pursuing this title of villainy, the reality is, he doesn't know what he's doing, or what he wants to do with it, or how he's going to act, or present himself, or behave. So I have everything starting really intense and forceful. He's like really aggressive and brusk.

So what I'm excited about going into Season 4 is him kind of like figuring out exactly what his presentation is of a riddle -- like, really finding his elegance as the Riddler, the showmanship, the grace. I'm like really excited about Edward finding his way to that, which I think should take some time.

If they ever ask you to put on a Frank Gorshin-style leotard, are you up for it?

Oh boy! If they want to pay for my personal training months in advance of me putting on a friggin' leotard, then that's cool. But otherwise, I really dig the suits.

I think they're classy. I think it fits into the version of Riddler that I really like, which is someone who is a showman, and is elegant. I think it's most appropriate based on where we started, which was this like clunky, socially inept, gawky, awkward, tense guy that was like scooting around the GCPD to becoming this man who has some prowess, and some power, and is like smooth in his presentation.

I think it's actually quite intimidating to have someone be so slick present you something, and your life is on the line, rather than someone trying to scare you and intimidate you. Like I said, I think that's kind of where I want to work toward.

I've always liked the iteration of The Riddler as kind of a psychopathic game show host.

Yeah. "The Riddle Factory" is my favorite. It's great. I like the guy that is a bit of a showman. I just want him to be able to be really slick, and classy, and then explode from that. But until you learn how to be a graceful, elegant dancer, then the snapping out of it won't be as impactful.

[writingwithadinosaur]

“Guard Dog” - Part 3

“Guard Dog” - Part 3

Victor Zsasz x Reader

( Part 1 / Part 2 )

My Masterlist - Here

Other Characters: Oswald Cobblepot, Edward Nygma, Harvey Dent

Word Count: 1905

Key: Y/N = Your Name, L/N = Your Last Name, Y/N/N = Your Nickname, H/C = Your Hair Color, E/C = Your Eye Color

Warnings: Cursing, previous home invasion and held hostage,

Summary: You’ve gotten used to living with your boys.

Author’s Note: This is very much a filler part. I have two more parts planned that are going to be 100x better!

If you would like to be tagged in any future pieces, please let me know! And as always, feedback is greatly appreciated!

<3  - DreaSaurusREX

Tags: @luciebell-writes @welcome-to-cobblepothell

You and Victor got your bags into your room. Yes, you had your own room, but you and Victor talked about how you wouldn’t sleep alone. It was more for the space in the closets/drawers. You were working on unpacking your clothes when Victor had a thought. He came up and put his hand on the middle of your back.

“I’ll be right back. I have to talk to Oswald about something really quick. You gonna be okay?” You thought for a second. As long as you kept yourself busy, you should be fine for a bit. You nodded yes, smiled, he kissed the side of your head and headed to the office. You focused on unpacking and hanging your clothes in the closet.

Victor knocked on the office door and waited for it to open. When it did, he suddenly felt a bit nervous. It obviously didn’t show, but he certainly felt it. He had to ask his employer for a personal favor for the first time.

Oswald and Edward were sitting at the desk, talking about some new plan. Victor walked up and stood to the side of them until Oswald spoke first.

“Is (Y/N) having any problems moving in?” Oswald asked, a bit of worry his voice.

“No. She’s doing okay so far. She’s unpacking her things right now. I was helping her when I had a thought. She works for Harvey Dent. And knowing her, she is going to try to go back to work tomorrow even though she is still not back to normal. Now, I know that I never ask personal favors but--” Victor was cut off by Oswald putting his hand up in a halting manner and finishing his sentence.

“You want me to talk to him and get him to give her some time off. I understand why and I agree, she needs to heal. How much time do you think she will need?” Victor was a bit shocked by Oswald’s willingness to do this. He quickly thought of an estimate time.

“At least a week. I’m going to let her relax and adjust to living here for a couple of days before working with her.” Oswald nodded and reached for the phone, dialing Harvey Dent’s number. Victor couldn’t hear Harvey, only Oswald’s side of the conversation.

“Hello. Is this Harvey Dent? Hi, its Oswald Cobblepot. I have some news regarding your employee, (Y/N) (Y/L/N). No, no, she is alive. She has had quite a tough time though. Well, to put it very bluntly, there was a house invasion that involved some… physical contact. No. Not that. Thankfully. But she was beaten and is still very shaken. She is staying with me as I am a very close friend of her’s. Yes, that was my thought too. Would be a week off be okay with you? Wonderful. I will let her know. Mmhm. You too. Goodbye.”

Victor could gather what the conversation ended with, but he waited for Oswald to confirm his thoughts.

“She has the full week off and he is willing to let her have a couple days more if she isn’t okay enough by Monday. He was very understanding and worried about her. She must be a wonderful employee for Dent.” He smiled. Victor knew how much you loved your job and how hard you worked. There would be nights where you brought back stacks of papers and kept working well into the early hours of the morning.

“I know she is. Dent is lucky to have her working for him. I’ll let her know about her time off. Thank you, Oswald.” Victor started to turn to leave when Oswald’s voice rang out again.

“I meant it when I said that (Y/N) is like family. Edward and I will always have open arms for her when she is in need.” They both exchanged thankful glances before Victor left and told you the news.

~~~~~~~~

The first couple of nights were rough. But you had Victor there, and it meant the world to you. Over the past few days, you tried your best to help out around the house and not be a problem for Oswald and Ed. It was mostly cooking for the boys. You ended up cooking breakfast and dinner most nights, sometimes lunch. You of course cleaned up afterwards too.

You also tried to do more things alone. Nothing was going to get better if you couldn’t get back to somewhat normal, and Victor agreed with this thought. It started with just sitting in a room by yourself with Victor in the next room over in case something happened. Then you moved to sitting outside by yourself. Surprisingly, it was calmer outside than inside. You were actually pretty okay around the house, but you feared for what would happen when you went back to work tomorrow.

Victor was out scouting a hit that Os wanted while him and Edward spent most of their time in the office. There seemed to be something going on between the two of them, but you thought it was none of your business and stayed out of it.

It was around 5 o’clock when you decided to start making dinner. You found a recipe online for this chicken noodle bowl that you thought would be a nice change from the usual things your boys ate. It was too quiet, so you put on some music while you worked.

You were frying the chicken when you felt hands snake around your waist. You panicked, somehow got out of their grasp and went to grab a knife. When you turned back around to face your attacker, you saw Victor instead. He was standing at least 10 feet away from you with his arms up. He had a look on his face that you hadn’t really seen before. It was a face that was full of sorrow.

You drop the knife back on the counter and grip the counter, focusing on your breathing. Victor approached you slowly.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I thought you were okay and just-” He stopped talking. He honestly didn’t know what to do. You knew he wanted to get close to you, but he was worried that you were going to snap or something. You pushed the knife down to the other end of the counter to show him that he could approach you. He saw this and went to grab your hand, but instead you turned around and hugged him tightly.

“No, I’m sorry, Vic. I just…” He held you and shushed you a bit.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I understand. You aren’t 100% again. You don’t have to apologize. I should have been more careful.” You both hugged for a bit longer until you smelled something burning and remembered the chicken. You broke away and quickly took the pan off the burner. The chicken wasn’t burned, it was just the oil around it that smelled. You sighed and then felt a hand on your shoulder. Knowing it was Victor, you weren’t scared.

“Anything I can do to help?” You knew he wanted to try to make things better, but you needed to calm down, and cooking did that. You kind of wanted to be alone.

“I think I got it. I’m just gonna finish dinner, and I’ll let you know when it’s done.” You turned to him and you saw that he was worried, but you knew this was better for you. You grabbed his hand and leaned up to kiss him. “I promise I’ll be okay. Cooking helps. It’ll be done in about 45 minutes. Can you go let the other two know?”

Victor looked at you for a second and tried to find out if you were really going to be okay alone or not. He figured he would trust you.

“Yeah. I’ll go tell them. Please come get me if you need anything?” It was rare to see him this worried, it was cute and heartwarming. You squeezed his hand and gave him a small smile.

“I promise, babe.” He leaned down and kissed your cheek before starting to walk away when you thought of an idea. “You could always just be in here with me later.” You could tell that that didn’t come out clearly because Victor looked at you with a very confused face.

“I mean, if you have any work that you can bring in here, you can work on your stuff while I cook.” You got really flustered for some reason, but Victor thought it was adorable. He smiled at you and chuckled a bit before responding.

“I’ll find something to do. Be back in 5, sweetheart.” And he was gone.

~~~~~~~~

You never understood why Oswald had such a large dining room table. Sure it was meant for parties, but he hasn’t really thrown any in awhile. But he insisted on eating there, so you had Victor set the table so the four of you were sitting at one end of the table while you finished cooking. You had set down the last plate of noodles as Os and Ed came into the dining room. You all took your seats and enjoyed the food and conversation.

A few minutes in, Oswald decided to change the topic. He knew it was a long shot, but if he could find out anything about Harvey Dent or what he was working on, it would help him have a leg up in Gotham.

“So, even though you have been taking this time off work to rest, how do you enjoy working with Harvey Dent? I’m sure you have a lot of stories you could tell.” You instantly knew what Oswald was trying to get at.

“Yes, I do really enjoy my job. Sometimes it’s more like a secretary position, but he brings me on cases pretty often. But you know I can’t tell anything about the cases I’m working on, Os.” You saw him get a bit upset, but he understood that you wouldn’t budge. But he wanted to keep a conversation going.

“Well, thanks to people like you and Mr.Dent, crime has gone down in Gotham.” Oswald sounded very sure of himself, but you knew that his information was actually wrong. You took a drink of your water before responding.

“Actually, that’s not really true. The crime rate hasn’t gone down in years. In fact, with everything that has been going on recently, it has increased. The press and the GCPD are just focused on the bigger things as opposed to the daily petty crimes. Hugo Strange, Mario Falcone, and Jerome Valeska coming back from the dead? Of course no one is going to mention any other crimes or cases like the ones Harvey and I work on.”

Oswald just nodded and went back to eating. Edward then chimes in with some facts about the most common crimes in Gotham, which leads to more and more talking. Victor was involved in the conversation in the beginning, but then he zoned out and began to think.

You were going to be going back to work tomorrow. Would you be okay enough for that? And what if something happens? Word has spread now that we are together, so now there was that target on your back. Something needed to be done about this. I think it’s time to try training.

Part 4 - Here

[rockyrants]

Photographs of War- Chapter 1

For the amazing @selene-yoshi-chan​ and her incredible pieces of WWII AU Nygmobblepot and Gordlock. I had to make this a multi chapter fic because of reasons.  Read here on Ao3

Summary: The year is 1944 and American forces have finally entered the European Theater in France. Never knowing which day could be their last, Technical Sergeant Oswald Cobblepot finds himself slowly falling for the only other man in his platoon that seems to want to take the time to get to know him; Medical Specialist Edward Nygma finds a friend and maybe something more; Second Lieutenant Jim Gordon fights for his own brand of glory and recognition in the eyes of a man he's looked up to since the war began; and First Lieutenant Harvey Bullock tries his damnedest to not let his feelings cloud his judgement as the leader of G Company. 

Raiting: M for now, might go up to E depending on how the characters treat me.  Warnings: None for this chapter. 

Dear Mother, 



I finally received your letter last week. It has been difficult getting time to write back to you as we’ve been marching non stop. Don’t worry, we haven't come under any fire.  Lieutenant Bullock says that there’s no reason to be worried, but I can see he looks more and more drained the closer we get to the border. 



It’s beautiful here. I can see why you loved it and why it was so hard to leave. We might be entering the front lines soon, but I can hardly get a word out of the upper ranks. 



They tell me that we’re getting closer to your home town. I’ll bring something back for you, I promise. Thank you for the chocolates you sent me. Don’t worry, they didn’t melt. I would share them but I don’t particularly have anyone to share them with. 



I promise that I’ll be home as soon as I can. I hope I am making you proud. 



Love, 


Oswald

Oswald Cobblepot, Technical Sergeant, kept his lamp as steady as he could as he wrote out the letter to his mother. Usually he would have written pages upon pages of a letter, but even he had begun to feel weary as his regimen marched through the North of Italy towards Germany. He carefully folded up the letter and began digging through his sack, looking for an envelope.



“You should be sleeping.” A voice whispered harshly behind him. Oswald jumped and turned to face their medical specialist, Edward Nygma. 


“I don’t report to you.” He hissed back out, doing his best to not wake any of the other regimen members up. He could have sworn he had an extra envelope in his bag. He needed it. If his mother didn’t hear from him she’d start to get worried.

“I start with an ‘e’ and end with an ‘e’ but usually only have one letter, what am I?” Ed asked with a smile. Oswald turned to him, blinking.

“What are you on about?”



“An Envelope.” Ed said, holding up the paper item. He handed it to Oswald, “I noticed you were writing a letter so you can have this. I don’t plan on doing much writing while we’re stationed out here anyway.” He pushed his glasses back up on his nose. 


Oswald took the envelope from Ed carefully and turned back to his letter. He wrote out his mother’s name and address with care and tucked the letter inside.



“You’re from Gotham?” Ed asked. Oswald turned to look at him and nodded, “I mean I guess I’m not surprised. Word among the upper ranks is that you were pretty ruthless in your training.” 



“Then you’d know probably to not get too close to me.” Oswald said coldly, tucking the letter back into his sack. He would mail it as soon as they got to an actual outpost. He looked to Ed, “Shouldn’t you be over with the other medical officers?”


Ed nodded to the group of soldiers, “Shouldn’t you be with the others as well?” 



“I couldn’t sleep.” 



“That makes two of us.”



“Cobblepot, I swear to God if you don’t shut up and go to sleep I will come over there and smother you with your own knapsack.” Harvey Bullock’s voice rang out clear as day, “If you’re not on watch, you go to sleep. That’s how this works.”


Oswald’s cheeks went red and he laid back on his knapsack, looking up at the sky. 



“Can I sleep here?” Ed asked gesturing to the space next to Oswald. The smaller man shrugged. Ed settled down, “I’m Ed by the way, Edward Nygma.” He offered his hand to Oswald to shake. 

“Oswald. Cobblepot.”



“Interesting last name.” Ed said, settling down.



“…I’m first generation American. My mother is from here.” Oswald tugged his thin blanket higher on his body. 



“Where about?” 



“You ask an awful lot of questions, you know that right?” He said, looking over at the medical officer. 


Ed folded up his glasses and tucked them away in his case from home. He looked up at Oswald and shrugged. 


“I like to know things about people. Helps to keep them calm if I have to work on them in the field.” Ed explained, settling down as well, “It helps to let them know there’s a world outside of… of all of this.”

“Where were you stationed before this?” 


“I did a brief stint in the Pacific. Midway. I was supposed to stay studying for another year but after all the bombing my Dad took me out of school and sent me out there to help. Thought it would be more useful.” He itched the back of his neck, “He sent me over here after everything settled down. Thought I could be more useful in the cold than I could in the heat.”

Oswald sat up, “You don’t do heat very well?” He asked with a small smirk. 


“Not so much.  I’m from Gotham, too, you know how cold our winters get. Put someone like us in the humidity of the Pacific? It’s not a pretty picture.” He offered Oswald a smile, “Wounds are easier to treat in non-humid climates too. Less chance for infection.”  He swallowed, “I think he was surprised I actually came back from Midway.” 


“Danzig.” Oswald said after a long pause, “My mother’s from Danzig. You asked earlier where she was from.”  

Ed sat up, eyes a bit wide. 

“Is that why you’re-”



“I avoided getting into this mess until I knew we were coming here.” He said with a small laugh, “I can’t justify fighting in some war in the Pacific with territory I don’t care about.” 



“You must be very close with her.”



“I have to be. She’s all I have.”

He looked over his shoulder at the other troops and fumbled around in his bag for a moment before pulling out the chocolate that his mother had sent him. He broke off a small square and handed it to Ed. 


“You know back at camp this would have gotten you in a lot of trouble.” He said with a smile, nibbling on the square of chocolate.



“You’d be surprised at how much contraband I can hide. Probably one of the reasons I was transferred here.”  Oswald broke off a square for himself and stowed the rest. 



“You’re a transfer, too?” 


Oswald nodded, “I was stationed in North Africa before this. My Lieutenants weren't too fond of me. I was only with this platoon for… five days before we dropped off.”

 

“Sergeant Cobblepot.” Bullock called out again, “One more fucking peep out of you and I swear to all that is holy on this earth, you will be doing watch duty every night until we get to the front.”


“Is that a promise, Sir?” Oswald called out, causing the few troops who were still awake to chuckle. A rock flew through the air and hit the ground right near Oswald’s head. Oswald dodged it, rolling closer to Ed. Oswald looked over at his new found friend and found him smiling.

“You get yourself into a lot of shit, don’t you?”  Ed asked.



“Not on purpose.” Oswald smiled.

 

“Me neither.”

“I’m gonna kill him.”  Harvey said as they marched on through the forest.  He rubbed his tired eyes. 



“I would think of all people, you would be used to sleeping with noise.” Jim Gordon, Second Lieutenant, hiked his gun higher-up on his shoulder. Harvey shook his head. 



“No. Not out here.” The man said with a slight frown on his face. Harvey glanced behind him when he heard a small laugh. He saw Ed and Oswald marching together, he rolled his eyes, “Nygma.”


“Yes, Sir?” Ed looked from Oswald to the leading officer, his smile dropping. Harvey motioned for him to join him up front. Ed jogged to catch up with him.

“What are you doing out of rank?”



“I was just-“



“Ed.”



“No excuse, Sir.” 

Harvey sighed, “Look, Nygma. I did your old man a favor after he took such great care of me the last time I was over here. We saw a lot of shit together. And trust me when I say that when you’re getting fired at you want to make sure the guy next to you is keeping you safe.” He took a deep breath, “Cobblepot is not that kind of man. He got transferred to us because he needs a firm hand after what happened to him in Africa.”



“What happened to him?”



“The point is, he’s shifty. Don’t be hanging around him.”



“The fewer of me you have, the more I am worth, what am I?”



“Ed. Not now.” Harvey rolled his eyes.


“A friend.” Jim said with a small smirk. He knew that Ed’s riddles constantly got under Harvey’s skin, but he didn’t mind them. They kept the marches interesting. Ed beamed at him. 


“Correct. I think he’s pretty harmless. You know he’s from Gotham too. You always say we have to look out for each other and if no one’s looking out for him we-”

Harvey slapped a hand over Ed’s mouth, silencing him. 



“Shut up.” He held up his hand to still the platoon. He looked back to Ed, “Go back to your rank.”  He motioned for the platoon to get down and take cover.



Oswald frowned as Ed jogged right past him to go and take cover with the other medical officers. They ignored him as much as they could. Oswald narrowed his eyes. Why did they ignore him so much? Ed was able to keep up with the rest of the troupe just fine. He wasn’t lagging behind or causing anything bad to happen. Why on earth was he-


The first round of gunshots firing from the woods shocked Oswald out of his thoughts. He sat up on his elbows just enough to peer over the bit of dirt he was hiding behind to see where the fire was coming from.  He aimed his guns and began firing away. A bullet whizzed past his head and he pressed his face into the dirt to hide from it. It was no different than being at home he told himself. No different. He raised his head again, adjusting his helmet before firing again. 



Harvey reloaded his gun, back pressed against the dirt he hid behind. He looked over at Jim. 



“How many?” He barked out.

“Can’t be more than ten the way they’re shooting.” Jim called back, lifting his head, “We’re not gong to hit any of them well enough from this distance.” He looked at Harvey. 



The Irishman raised his eyebrows and shook his head, “Don’t-”


He spoke too late however. Jim was already up and walking towards the enemy, not even bothering to squat down as he fired at them. A bullet nipped him in the arm, but he hardly let it phase him. He just kept firing, keeping his finger on the trigger.

Oswald shook his head, but pushed himself up from his position laying down to follow Jim, firing at the enemy. 


It was over just as quickly as it began. Corpses littered the forest floor in front of them. 



“JIM THATS ENOUGH!” Harvey barked out, grabbing the man’s shoulder. He stared at him, “Everyone okay?!” He looked back at the troupe and then he caught sight of Jim’s bleeding arm, “Medic.” He called with a disgruntled huff, “You’re gonna get your stupid ass killed one of these days charging in like that. Next time I say ‘wait for my command’ you wait for my command. You’re a lieutenant. Act like one.”



Jim grinned, “I thought I was.” 



Harvey walked past him, pushing Jim’s head a little bit as he went. He opened his map from his pocket and went to map out their location. 

Oswald huffed, catching his breath, checking himself for any injuries. He saw Ed unpacking a few bandages, running over to Jim. He sat the man down on a nearby log and went to bandaging him up. Oswald tipped his head in curiosity as he watched Ed patch Jim up with the utmost dexterity. Yet his gun looked just about untouched. Interesting.

Oswald walked over and picked up Ed’s weapon. He checked the magazine. Not a single shot fired. He glanced back over at the medic. It seemed that Nygma was just full of surprises. Oswald made his way over to Harvey. 


“Can I help you, Sergeant Cobblepot.” Harvey half growled out, “I should be reprimanding you too for following Lieutenant Gordon without orders to do so.” 



“You make a higher pay grade than him. That’s all.” He looked to Harvey, “Nygma didn’t shoot anything.”



“He’s not supposed to.”

“What do you mean he’s not supposed to?” Oswald said with a sneer on his face and a quizzical look in his eye. Harvey rolled his eyes and pushed himself off of the tree he was leaning again.



“You see those things on Ed’s face? Those are called glasses, Cobblepot. He can’t see his target very well so him and I had a private discussion about him focusing on fixing our soldiers rather than run the risk of accidentally shooting them.” He folded up his map and walked over to Ed and Jim, “Good to go?” He asked. 


Jim moved his arm around, “It barely got me.” He said with a shit eating grin.



“I expect that kind of behavior from a private. Not someone like you.” He helped Jim to stand, “Don’t get yourself killed, you putz.” 



“I’ll try my best not to.” Jim said, hiking his gun back onto his shoulder. 


Ed tucked away his medical supplies and went to go pick his gun back up, only to find Oswald holding it.



“You didn’t shoot.” Oswald said, looking up at Ed. 

The taller man took the gun from Oswald’s hands carefully, making sure the safety was on before hooking the strap over his shoulder. 


“I’m not a very good shot.” he admitted, pushing his glasses up more on his face, “If it weren’t for my dad I probably wouldn’t even be in the military in the first place.” He said, helping Oswald to stand, “You go in guns blazing, don’t you?”



“Somebody has to. Else we would just run out of ammo and then sit here unprotected. Though I prefer to let men like Lieutenant Gordon go first.” 



“You weren’t hurt were you? I know Jim got nipped by a bullet but-”


Oswald held up a hand, shaking his head, “No. I’m not as tall as him. I’m fast. It would take a lot to hit me.” He said. 



“Moving out!” Harvey’s voice called out. 



Ed smiled, “I’m sure it would.” He picked up his supplies and jogged back to join the rest of the medical team. Oswald watched him go. Eyes squinting curiously. This one would be fun to pick apart.

[cobblepot-comfort]

Oswald Takes the Bullet and Jim Bites It Chapter 43 - Dark Angel in Disguise

Oswald has been kidnapped by a homophobic gangster.  In seeking alliances from  some unexpected quarters, Jim finds out something surprising about his kidnapped fiance.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14157339/chapters/45422188

Dark Angel in Disguise

Alvarez put down the phone.  He took a deep breath and walked over to Jim and Harvey, who were in the process of talking to Ed.   Ed?  Yes, you read right, Ed.  

It would be a gross understatement to say that Jim had been dismayed to see Edward Nygma - The Riddler - both Oswald’s sworn enemy and, on the flipside,  his own potential love rival - entering the bullpen.

“What’s he doing here?”  he’d growled, bristling and squaring up ready for battle.  

Harvey had caught hold of his arm, stopping him in his tracks.  “Hey soldier boy, stand down now. Stop right there. It’s not what you think -  he’s actually here to help us.”

“Help us?  Ed? The Riddler ?  Ed, who tried to kill Oswald?!”

“Yeah I know, Jim, but that’s all changed now, believe me, it's the truth….he’s a friend….he’s our ally now.”

“How come?” frowned Jim incredulously, standing back and putting his hands on his hips.

And so Harvey was forced to explain.   All about Ed, Lee, and the Narrows - and what had developed between them and Oswald.  Meanwhile Ed and Lee stood together in the doorway, looking a tad cautious, at the very least.

“Oswald is funding Lee’s medical centre?”  Jim interrupted, scratching his head and scrunching up his blond brows with bewilderment.

“Yep, but he didn’t want anyone to know.  He didn’t want other mob bosses - well, hrm, one in particular - finding out and thinking he’d gone soft.  But I think your influence is showing, Jim. He really wants to be kinder and fairer to the poorer people of Gotham.  For instance, he decided that only those businesses that can truly afford to pay should be subject to any kind of ‘protection’.  He has a list - of ‘do’s and don’ts, haves and havenots’, that he got his secretary to draw up! No - seriously! Zsasz told me all about it (I’m not sure how impressed he was though, you know how he likes administering the, ahem,  rougher stuff….)”

“But….Harv, if he’s been doing this....it was all done behind my back!  Why didn’t he tell me?”

“He was going to - apparently, so Lee tells me, it was going to be a surprise, for a wedding gift to you….but I thought I should tell you all this now, before you get up to killing Ed.  He and Lee are here to help - honest!”

Jim hung his head and smiled sadly, fighting off the burning tears pricking at the back of his eyes.  It was going to be a wedding gift! His little devil was really a dark angel in disguise….

“Anyway, Lee and Ed are on Oswald’s side, Jim, and therefore on yours.  They just want to help get him back - they have a lot to gain by rescuing him.  And - well, I don’t know if you heard about it, but the two of them are an item now.  I know you’ve been harbouring fears about Ed coming back for Oswald, although as you know I had no idea why you’d think like that - but there’s nothing to worry about there either.  And Lee is happy too, so there’s no need to worry about her anymore either.”

Jim was somewhat shell shocked.  He clearly had a lot of catching up to do.  But he couldn’t afford to get too bogged down in the details - time was ticking on.  

This was all news to him, but he was genuinely pleased for Lee, who he had once thought himself in love with - he still cared about her, and was glad that she wasn’t alone now, and had found a soulmate - even though it happened to be Ed Nygma, or even The Riddler.  

He was also highly relieved that there was no immediate danger of Ed taking terrible revenge on Oswald - or somehow deciding that he was in love with him after all and making a desperate play for him.  He knew the latter was highly improbable, and he also knew it was irrational and paranoid of him even to entertain worrying about it - but his deep-seated guilt about the way he’d treated Oswald in the past still made him feel that he didn’t deserve his little gangster’s love, and so losing him to someone else didn’t feel impossible.  

He just couldn’t help his stupid insecurity, even after many reassurances from his pretty fiance on the subject. These words could be sweet and soft or petulant and impatient, depending on little Ozzy’s mood at the time, but they always carried the same message:   “It’s you I’m marrying and you I love, Detective, I keep telling you that…..you really need to believe me!”

But for now, all that really mattered was getting his future husband back again safe and sound - to be protected by his loving arms, never to leave them again - whatever that took.

Jim had, of course, not lost any time in roughing up Gasparo Carrara to try to beat out of him any information that could lead to finding the whereabouts of Oswald’s prison.

“You think you know me? You think I’m playing?  Think again! You don’t know what I’m capable of,” Jim had growled, as he’d grabbed stubborn, smug-smiling Carrara by the throat and rammed him up against the wall.  He’d squeezed hard on his windpipe - very hard - choking him, then loosened his grip again, but continued to keep a very firm hold on the scumbag’s neck.

That had sure wiped the smile off his face!

Carrara had pleaded, spluttering,  with Harvey to intervene, “Can’t ya *cough* do something about this?!” he’d begged, throwing up his trembling hands in terror.

Harvey had just stood there, folded his arms and shrugged.

“Well - I would,” he’d said, “I mean - speaking for myself, I couldn’t care less if you talk or not - but Jim here, well, he has a personal stake in all this, so I really can’t be held accountable for what he might do.  Besides, how do you think I could stop him anyway? I mean, he’s clearly in much better shape than I am….I’d be no match for him!” He patted his belly. “Right?” he laughed and threw up his hands.

This was the ‘bad cop disinterested cop’ scenario they liked to practise from time to time, and it tended to be pretty successful.

However,  sadly Carrara could tell them very little, despite Jim’s skilled mastery of fisticuffs and fierce menace.  It appeared that Enzo didn’t even trust his ‘right hand man’ with all of his important intel.

Carrara had not been told the whereabouts of the hideout - he was genuinely clueless.  

Even after Ed had stepped in, with Barnes’ begrudging blessing, to use his own ‘unique brand of persuasion’ he had emerged an hour later proclaiming, “Nope!  He doesn’t know anything I’m afraid! By the way, I think he might actually need a change of shorts….just thought I’d mention that….and...someone needed with a mop here, people, ewwwww….”

However, Ed’s skills weren’t going to waste.  He got to use his creative interrogation methods on any potential ‘leads’ Harvey and Jim happened to unearth in Gotham’s dark underbelly - in addition to his forensic skills, which had come in handy in checking out the tyre tracks by the old armoury.  Now at least they knew what make and model of car Enzo had used to get there before making that tormenting phone call to Jim. Yep, a Mercedes S-Class, what were the chances with a mobster….

“Anyway, I’d better skedaddle - I have forensic work  - and other, erm, stuff that won't wait,” Ed said with a wink, lifting his glasses meaningfully as he spoke.  “Anyway, gents - now we’re here - how about this one? What’s red and….”

“Erm, thanks Ed.  Off you go then, you have urgent work to do - right?” Harvey cut in sharply, jerking his head pointedly towards the door.

“Oh - um - ok!”  Ed shrugged, smiled toothily, and dutifully skedaddled off, Lee intercepting him just as he reached the doorway.  She slipped her hand through his arm, stopping him in his tracks, turned to him and kissed his cheek. He smiled round at her and said  “Awww. Neat!” They hurried out of the building hand in hand.

“Erm - Jim…..”

Jim turned round and saw Alvarez looking at him with the kind of expression that a messenger had just before he was due to be shot full of arrows.

“Alvarez?”  

Jim swallowed hard.  His heart began banging so hard and fast  it could almost burst out of his chest.

“Jim...I just got off the phone with Gotham General…um….”  Alvarez’ brows tensed and he paused, glancing at the ground for a moment.  He licked his lips, cleared his throat and shuffled his feet awkwardly.

Jim just stood and stared.  His powers of speech failed him.

It was the look on Alvarez’ face - it sent a chill through him.

“What is it Alvarez? Come on, spill.”  Harvey instinctively spoke up and moved forward, ready to support Jim in case it was the ‘worst case scenario’....God forbid….  

“They -  erm, they admitted someone answering Oswald’s description..and...he has Oswald’s wallet and ID on him….so it looks pretty positive that…..”

“They found him!?”  Jim’s heart leapt for a moment, he found his voice again, and his eyes opened wide with hope - then he saw Alvarez’s expression hadn’t changed, and his heart sank again.

“Alvarez, for God’s sake tell me.  Is he…..?” Jim stopped and swallowed hard.  His world just seemed to stop turning for a moment.  He just couldn’t complete that sentence.

“No Jim, he isn’t dead.”

Jim breathed again, his head became light, his heart started beating again.  “Not dead, not dead..” he thought, “Thank God….not dead!”

“But.. Jim....Jim, Oswald’s been shot - I mean, badly - and they say his condition is critical.  You need to get there asap.”

The whole bullpen was alive with speculation after the phone call and Jim’s response, and his and Harvey’s hasty retreat, had been witnessed.

When they found out what had happened every one of them was rooting for Jim and praying that Oswald would pull through.

“Oh Sandy, I feel for him so much!  I hope Oswald’s going to be ok!” Walters confided in her close female colleague and friend, Sandy Smith.  “I just want to give the two of them a huge hug, y’know?”

“Me too!” Sandy agreed.  “I hate that Enzo with a passion.  He’s a monster!”

“Same here.  Let’s hope we nail this bastard, and get justice for our boys.”

The journey to the hospital was the kind Harvey had hoped he would never again have to make.  

Jim sat silently, staring straight ahead at the moving road with haunted eyes.  His face was white as chalk. He kept playing distractedly with his seat belt.

His pain and anguish was tangible and there wasn’t  a damn thing Harvey could say that would help. All he could do was be here for Jim.  It was the very least, and only thing he could ever do.

That other time, that time he hoped would be the last, when Oswald’s life had been in the balance,  the little gangster had rallied. Of course he had. Oswald Cobblepot led a charmed life. Everyone knew that!

Back then, Harvey had been in the first throes of dismay at the revelation that Jim was actually involved with the last person on this earth Harvey would have expected - or wanted - him paired off with.  

But now, it was different.  Harvey hoped fervently that Oswald’s customary resilience - and good luck - would prevail.  This time, it might be a bridge too far - he hoped Oswald’s luck hadn’t finally run out. He hoped for that more than anything.

He felt a pang in his heart that was genuine, and very deep - for both of them -  that hadn’t been there before.

He hoped to God Oswald was going to pull through.  It would break Jim’s heart if he didn’t, and a broken-hearted Jim was the last thing in the world Harvey would want.

Besides, he’d written a frickin awesome best man’s speech that really shouldn’t  go to waste….