#With major players in Gotham anyway!

[internetgiraffekid1673]

Bring Back the Bombshells Batgirls!

In helping a friend of mine map out who all has been Batgirl across various DC continuities, I remembered a little jaunt to TVtropes where it mentioned that in a charming little number called Bombshells, the batgirl identity is shared by a baseball team.

This reminded me to actually go READ Bombshells, and oh. My. GOSH. It is the BEST FUCKING THING EVER!

What is Bombshells?

Basically, almost every male superhero got yeeted from the story or relegated to side character/civilian, while every female superhero takes the spotlight and gets to KICK SOME NAZI ASS (it's set during world war 2). Plenty of people get spotlight, but I'm gonna argue that the MAIN characters are probably Kate Kane's batwoman, Diana of Themyscira's Wonder Woman, Mera's Aquawoman (she hates that name, lol), Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, Zatanna, and Kara Starikov's Supergirl. All the storylines tend to revolve around them.

Oh, also it's super gay. Like, every single character is a lesbian or bi, there's tons of ladies kissing and dating and having implied sex, and at least one character---one of the batgirls actually---is trans.

In summary, go read bombshells it's really good, but today I'm here to specifically talk about:

The Batgirls (and boys)

"One for the ribbon, two for the pearls! Three for the crimefighting---

So first off, Bombshells is an elseworld, so it can do whatever the fuck it wants with backstories and shit.

Subsequently; this version of Kate Kane is a major league baseball player, and her Batwoman costume is literally just a pallet swap of her baseball costume (plenty of people figure out her "secret" identity because of this, but she's not super concerned about it). She uses an actual bat as her main weapon as Batwoman, and it kicks ass. More fanfic writers, and hell, comics writers need to hand the Batfamily some baseball bats, because it gives us scenes like this:

Or this:

(Yes her bat has a gun, it's supplied by Amanda Waller through goverment money, don't question it. Her baseballs are also explosives).

Oh, and also this:

Anyway, point is, Batwoman has a bat and it's great. But this means when Gotham's bat-weilding protector gets drafted into the Bombshells to go fight Nazi's, some new faces have to pick up the slack in Gotham.

And so:

Inspired by their vigilante/baseball hero, Harper Row, Kathy Duquesne, and Nell Little pick up some bats of their own and start busting up crime! The three of them are mechanics, that old car is their batmobile, and they're the best of friends!

Of this original trio, Kathy is "the brass" or the leader, and she remains nominally in charge through the whole thing. Nell is "the brawn" and while every batgirl is good in a fight, Nell is a bit of a demolition specialist. Finally you have Harper, "the brain" who invents their gadgets, works on their batmobile, and also jokes that she's the mascot, as this whole thing was her idea.

They don't stay a trio for very long though! They're quickly joined by "the beauty" Alysia Yeoh, an old friend of Kathy's, in an effort to break Cullen Row out of a prison-like orphanage (she's the t-girl btw):

You may notice another girl crouched in the corner up there too! That's Bette Kane, Kate's niece and the rightful owner of Kane Industries who will forcibly take it over, clean it up, and use it for good on her 18th birthday in like a week!

In the meantime though, she heard about the batgirls and decided she wanted in! She crashes their jailbreak and helps them wreck shop! She mostly shares the "brass" role with Kathy---a leader in her own right.

Anyway, their now quintet quickly finds the awful headmistress of the Pinkney orphanage berating one Tim Drake, who still has a living dad somewhere, but was snatched up by a dirty cop because this whole city runs on Newsies rules (not even kidding, I'll get there in a sec). Turns out Tim and Alysia are old best friends. Anyway, Tim fills them in on the sitch: the headmisstress has been using the orphans as slave labor to build war robots for the nazis.

The batgirls (now including Tim!), bust up the basement and the robots, free all the orphanage kids, including Cullen, toss the awful headmistress and the dirty cop helping her to one Detectice Maggie Sawyer---Kate's wife---and the day is saved!

In the subsequent week, Bette takes over Kane Industries, starts funneling funds into housing for immigrants and refugees and relief and aid and all that good stuff, and also recruits the final batgirl of the team: Felicity Smoak (the chick in braids)! Thus we have a full team!

Who's who in the alt text

I'm only halfway through Bombshells, but the batgirls and their adventures are a recurring plot thread, since protecting Gotham is entirely up to them while Kate is away. They gain lots of other allies and enemies (including one hispanic immigrant Lois Lane who does straight up help them pull a newsies and make their own newspaper with the real news in it at one point), and their sections are probably one of my favorite parts about the comic. It just feels so sweet and high school, while still feeling Batman-esque/Gotham-typical.

Why You Should Care:

Now. I may only be halfway through Bombshells, but I am in LOVE. With the story and the characterizations and everything!!! And the batgirls are a personal fave of mine cuz I'm a sucker for found family and teens fighting crime and bat-weilding superheroes!

But my point is: for all that fanfic loves these tropes too, there is NO fanfiction for them (or at least not on ao3). There's practically nothing for the Bombshells continuity PERIOD, which is a shame, but also to be expected for an elseworld.

But that's why I'm here and telling you about it!

You guys! This is fanfiction! We love flinging the batfamily through alternate universes and making lots of different characters take on the familiar Batgirl and Robin roles!

Why not bring forth the Bombshells Batgirls?

If you're writing your own elseworld, I suggest you nab this adorable team, or something like it! If you're writing an alt universe crossover, feature these guys!

They are the Batfamily found family you want! They CALL THEMSELVES a Bat-family! They all move in together! They loooooovvveee each other! And, as is the nature of the Batgirl mantle, they do what they do largely as independent operatives without adult supervision!

I would really love to see these guys yeeted into an alternate universe and have to cope with just HOW different their continuity is. Not only will they inevitably be flung way into the future, since they're around in the 40s, but in most continuities they're completely unconnected from each other and are absolutely not a team of bat-weilding crime fighters! It would be so baffling for any mainline batgirl and robin to meet a team that is so disconnected from them and so unconditionally supportive of each other and so Badass Adorable!

In Summary:

I may have lost the plot a little with this, but my points are:

Bombshells is really good and you should all go read it

Bombshells has a team of adorable bat-weilding batgirls that has all the found family crime fighting tropes you could want without the bad blood of the mainline batfam

More people should write fanfiction for Bombshells

The Bombshells!Batgirls in particular I think are a great place to start with that. Nab the premise of a baseball team being crime fighters, or Gotham being protected by a group of scrappy children whenever the big bad vigilantes are away, or give these colorful kids their Bombshells!backstories.

Also use the Bombshells universe in particular when you're flinging bats across the multiverse. Yeet these babies into a mainline comics verse and let the juxtaposition and chaos run WILD! There's a million and one of these fics for the Young Justice cartoon, I know ya'll can do it for Bombshells

Also. Take every opportunity to give your Batfamily, and your Batgirls in particular, an actual bat. It'll be so much fun, I promise

Anyway, I'll probably be back with another Bombshells rant later, PEACE!

[mythronic]

Team TIM (Tim Drake Carmen Sandiego AU)

In a oneshot I'm writing called 'Reparation', I thought of a non-batfam/late batfam Tim Drake who starts off as Stray. And unfortunately, (or fortunately) I was watching Carmen Sandiego while writing it. So instead, you're getting a Tim centric x Carmen Sandiego fic DC = Disregard canon. Tim probably won't be majority shareholder in the universe? He's definitely still a gala boy, but I just can't see his character keeping the title as someone who steals shit from the rich.

There are characters here that will either not make sense or feel out of place. Just go with it pls, I wanted to keep the YJ/TT and batfam aspects and give Tim his own team and had to yoink from his friends and stuff. PLEASE comment anything if I got anything wrong. The only comics I've read are the Red Robin series, the Young Justice series (except the 2019 one, I haven't gotten to that one yet) and a little bit of Tim in the 1993 Robin series. (up to only vol12 with some Nightwing in between's?)

Anyways

Sebastian Ives

Sebastian is 100% Tim's Player. He's not exactly a hacker, but he is definitely the guy that does the research for Tim, acting as Getaway Driver and the only one who remembers to pack the painkillers and Panadol. (He still has cancer, and travelling to see urban areas actually helps because Gotham's air is polluted to hell and back)

Bernard Dowd

'Publicly' known as Pipeline, Bernard is the Zack in this dynamic. He's Tim's undercover partner in crime, the BEST distraction you can ask for and he has the sass to boot. Yes, he still does conspiracies. Yes, he takes advantages of Team Tim travelling to investigate them. (TimBerKon??? Idk I equally love TimKon and TimBern, so might as well have best of both worlds. Tim has two hands.)

Tamara Fox

Wimp turned badass. She's Tim's Ivy. She is not his first pick for gala partner, but definitely his first pick for any on scene work, especially if it's a high rise apartment he needs to crack. Tam is quick on her feet and the best climber on the team. (Bonus points if she backhands the assassins that tried to kidnap her during the RR run)

Prudence Wood

Technically the Shadow-san on the team. She's the one with experience and the know-who, she's the one with criminal contacts and who taught Ives how to use a gun. Pru also covers Tim's capers and some investigations when Tim can't do it himself. (Like how Dad-dow san covered for Carmen when she came back from the hospital)

Tag: Stray!Tim Carmen Sandiego AU

Next Post!

[chaaistained]

🔍 🗯 & 🧪 for the sparkling superhero ask game!!

HI DARLING tysm for the ask !! and also a BIG thank you for making the ask game ?!?)? i love your ideas sm 🫡🫶🏽

i will be answering for my arrowverse and spiderverse drs btw !! just a heads up ≈

(if you’d like answers for any other superhero dr — gotham academy , young justice , young avengers , smallville — just let me know!!)

🔍 : MARVELOUS MAGNIFYING GLASS . . . who was the first person to discover your secret identity? how did they react to finding out?

for my ARROWVERSE DR — technically the first person was my nanny/housekeeper/mother-figure-adjacent-friend — Belinda Liu . i had lost contact with her as required by rookie agents in a government organisation, specifically one that shouldn’t exist to the general public (aka ASIS), after years of no contact (and after realising just how corrupted and vile this organisation is) i went straight to Belinda and told her everything. i’d have to say she was disappointed, because that much is clear, but she was trying her hardest to hide it, more focused on taking in everything that recounting for her. she was also worried, extremely worried. Because of the history that my family has with ASIS, and realising that they managed to get to me as well… yeah she wasn’t happy but she had to put all that aside to help me figure a way out of the mess i’d gotten myself into

for my SPIDERVERSE DR — it was my professor, my mentor, he was my canon event, my “uncle ben”. he actually found out because i needed his help on one of my first major “missions” aka Racha (pronounced Ra-Kah — short for Arachna bcs aussies can’t talk about anything without giving it a nickname) anyway .. yeh “Racha is in over her head and needs to resort to asking for help even though she’d rather bang her skull against the wall” .. back to the point, he was . odd, my mentor. like from his reaction he wasn’t disappointed that i was The Spidergirl or Arachna as i made myself known, he wasn’t happy with it though, i guess the main emotions were intrigued and concerned, he made me give him a run down of the semantics of my webs and how the spinnerets in my wrist work and how i can control them, just a Lot of questions and a lot of silent judgement whenever the conversation veered into a topic about something dangerous i had to face

🗯 : SWIFT SPEECH BUBBLE . . . do you work alone? are you a part of some hero organization ( the justice league, the avengers, x-men, fantastic four, new avengers, etc . . . ) ?

for my ARROWVERSE DR — i’ve been part of multiple teams, first it was ASIS though calling it a team is overstating it, i was the head operative and i had a small group of agents that were called in to assist me if i needed it. there was no team in that team. We were all just out for ourselves.

then i moved to america, gotham city to be specific, and was part of the batfam for a short time, i was there for the adoption of Dick Grayson and i took a bit of a behind the scenes backseat role alongside alfred for a little while before i moved to starling city

obviously i then joined team arrow and got to work alongside ollie and laurel, felicity, diggle, roy, thea — it was fun, but it couldn’t last (lore/plot reasons) bcs i move to central city

this is where i first shift to, and i’ve been a part of team flash since day one and obviously, as a result of the growing teams and heroes, i’m one of the founding members of the justice league

in general i’m a solitary hero in terms of field work, i don’t need to have a team or backup, i tend to take on missions and recon by myself, undercover work especially

for my SPIDERVERSE DR — i’m a solo player, i did take assistance in the past : from time to time from various people in my city that i knew i could trust but it’s always with the mask on, i didn’t have a specific “team” per se, just a bunch of friends and acquaintances that aren’t connected to each other so they couldn’t connect themselves back to me — they don’t know each other but they all knew me . that is, until i lost my mentor.. and then i stopped the whole ���asking for help” thing, at least, not while i’m in the mask

eventually i become part of gwen’s spider society which is where i meet peter/noir

🧪 : TENACIOUS TEST TUBE . . . where did your powers come from? were they from a test tube like captain america? a radioactive spider like spider-man?

for my ARROWVERSE DR — i’m a human hero in this dr, tho many of my enemies and even some of my friends speculate that i have some form of meta human abilities, i don’t. i’ve just been trained very intensely, with varying skills and a broad mastery over numerous weapons and fighting styles, i tend to mix and match and meld them all into my own style, something subtle and unannounced, before erupting into a powerful albeit ruthless form of combat — it’s clean and concise and yet equally formidable

for my SPIDERVERSE DR — i do have powers, obviously aksjdjskd i was accompanying my friend and her dad to his work at Oscorp Laboratories and we both got bored so we went exploring, got separated and i wound up in some restricted section of the lab, fast forward a little sneaking in and snooping around i end up getting a call from my friend (almost getting caught) and i resort to sneaking through a closed off lab-enclosure and climbing through a vent to get back out and in that process, a little experiment-crossbred-mutation-spider jumped onto my head and clung onto my braid, burying itself into the plaits of my hair before going into hibernation or some shit because the little fucker chose to come out and reveal itself when i was all cozy and ready for bed !! i had to battle a spider, lose aka get bit, and then pass out only to wake up in a bloody cocoon… so yeah, definitely had the best time getting powers .

.

.

.

[ ask game link ]

2025 © chaaistained

[random-movie-ideas]

Son of Batman (Movie Outline)

This movie is yet another part of the Cinematic Universe the others I've written have been a part of. This one specifically follows Batman & Batgirl: Arkham Assault which ended with Batman, Catwoman, and eight criminals all being captured by Scarecrow, as well as Nightwing: Under the Red Hood, where Jason Todd was revealed to be alive.

The movie begins six months after the disappearance of Batman and nine high profile Gotham criminals during the burning of Arkham. In that time, the remaining members of the Bat Family have worked tirelessly to find their missing friend while trying to maintain order in the resultant power vacuum that occurred in the city’s underworld.

We see Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, and Stephanie Brown (AKA Nightwing, Robin, and Spoiler) interrupt a meeting between crime lords Carmine Falcone and Rupert Thorne, taking them and their forces down. From the Batcave, Barbara Gordon, now wheelchair-bound and going by the name Oracle, works with Alfred to give them support. They are in constant contact with Barbara’s father, police commissioner Jim Gordon, who has now been let in on the full secret in Batman’s absence. Working together, they manage to take them down and arrest both crime bosses.

The next morning, a news report announces the arrests. We see a fourteen-year-old boy with messy hair and dark clothing watching the report on a public television. He looks at a piece of paper with several addresses written on it and puts up his hood. Meanwhile, back at the mansion, the family are in relatively high spirits celebrating their victory. Tim and Steph are goofing off and messing with Alfred a bit. Dick instructs them to do a little recon around the city today, while he heads down to the Bat Cave.

In the Bat Cave, he talks with Barbara, looking over a list of criminal activity she’s compiled, talking about how criminals have gotten bolder with the absence of both Batman and the major players like Joker and Two-Face. Barbara mentions to him again that names like Nightwing and Robin don’t strike as much fear as Batman does, and that maybe he needs to consider taking up the cowl. Dick turns her down flat. They flirt a bit before he heads out to get things done.

He first visits Jonathan Crane at the hospital where he now works. Crane complains offhandedly about not having nearly as good equipment as he had back in Arkham, but other than that, he has nothing new to tell him. Dick then stops by the warehouse where he regularly meets with his brother Jason. The pair talk but Jason has no new leads for him either.

Across the city, Tim and Steph are wandering around in their street clothes, keeping an eye out for signs of trouble. Tim lets Steph badger him into getting some ice cream from a local vendor, where they encounter the kid from the beginning of the movie, staring at the vendor out of curiosity. Steph offers to buy him a cone and he accepts but doesn’t speak to them. He seems to really enjoy it.

Later, Tim and Steph slip into their suits and sneak into the burned out ruins of Arkham. Tim expresses concern, as everyone who had gone in came back out horrified, claiming to have seen horrific visions inside. They decide to do so anyway, because they know there has to be some kind of clue. As they venture inside, one of them triggers a silent alarm. A strange mist fills the air and they end up getting separated. Steph sees someone shambling toward her, while Tim thinks he sees a scarecrow propped up. The figure approaching Steph turns into her father Arthur, riddled with bullet holes, while the scarecrow looks up as Tim approaches. Arthur apologizes to Steph, saying he got back into crime despite his promise to her before dying at her feet, while the scarecrow taunts Tim with images of Bruce, Dick, and Jason, calling him a faker, third in line of a second fiddle title, taking it on for fun while all who came before were forced into it.

Tim and Steph both run, Steph haunted by visions of other people she cares about being gunned down and killed, while Tim’s insecurities are attacked from every angle, with every member of the Bat Family calling him a fake. They both run into each other and find themselves surrounded by their respective specters. The Scarecrow steps out of their midst, laughing at them as more mist releases from his body.

A small hooded figure appears, striking the Scarecrow and knocking him back. He goes to Tim and Steph, giving them breathing masks and telling them it’s all an illusion. They recognize him as the boy from earlier, with his hood up and a breathing mask covering his own face. The Scarecrow attacks the boy, slashing at him and tearing his sleeve to reveal a symbol on his arm. The Scarecrow steps back in surprise as the boy covers it and tells the other two to run for it. The three flee from the mist and escape the ruins.

Tim and Steph wake up back at the mansion, being treated by Alfred. Barbara is nearby, telling them that they both inhaled a large amount of a hallucinogen that invokes a panic response in its victims. She is tending to the small boy, who doesn’t seem to want her help, while Dick and Gordon are both nearby. Dick tells them off for going there when he’d forbade doing so, but the boy says they were right to go there. That if they wanted answers as to what happened to Batman and the nine criminals, the answers were there.

The boy introduces himself as Damian and says that he’s a former member of the League of Shadows. Dick and Alfred both recognize the name, saying that’s the group who taught Batman much of what he knows. Damian tells them they’re a shadow organization that has existed for centuries, subtly manipulating historical events through assassinations and sabotage. Gotham is their next target, and the scarecrow that guards Arkham’s ruins is one of their agents. He set a trap for Batman and the nine missing criminals, and now he remains to make sure no one can find out what happened to them.

Dick questions whether or not Damian can be trusted, and if he’s not the one leading them into a trap. This leads into a debate between them all, but Alfred, who’d been staring at Damian as if he recognizes him, steps in and says they should all get some sleep and talk it over later. Alfred takes Damian to a guest room, but decides to let him into Bruce’s room instead. Damian stares at a picture of Bruce, and Alfred talks to him about him for a moment. Damian dodges his questions, which Alfred takes note of, and Alfred lets him go to sleep.

Down in the Batcave, Dick, Barbara, and Jim talk it over, joined by Alfred. They agree to go in, using the gas masks Damian offered them, but only Dick and Jim would go, while Tim and Steph would stay back at the mansion to continue recovering. Dick goes out briefly to find Jason and ask him to come with them. Jason acts dodgy as well and refuses to help. Later, Jason visits someone else, who tells him he is needed for a job.

The next day, Dick, Damian, and Jim head out to the island, Jim getting them through using his police clearance. Barbara and Alfred assist them from the Batcave. Damian supplies his companions with masks and they head in. Once again, they trigger sprays of mist, but remain unaffected by them. Dick uses a map supplied to them by Dr. Crane, and they work down into the lower levels.

As they travel, Damian tells them about his life before this, how his mother had been the daughter of league’s head, a man known as the Demon’s Head, and how she’d trained him in the same martial arts that Bruce knew. However, when she caught wind of what her father was planning for Gotham, and what he had done to Batman, she sent him in secret to help stop it.

As they reach the lowest levels, they find the door blocked by the Scarecrow. He doesn’t respond to anything they say, he just sits and waits. Then someone else appears behind them. Jason appears, and at first, Dick is relieved, but Damian points out a mark on his arm, and Jason reminds them how he was restored to life in the first place. He attacks them, ripping off Gordon’s mask and going for Damian’s as well. Dick blocks him and fights his brother as Scarecrow attacks from behind, gassing Gordon with a full blast of fear toxin, some of which gets through the damage to Damian’s as well.

Dick orders Damian to get Gordon out, while he holds off Jason and the Scarecrow. Damian struggles to hold his breath and get Gordon out of the mist while the toxin starts to take hold. Gordon starts to hallucinate visions of Barbara as Batgirl, taking a shot in the back, or getting knocked off a high-rise, both resulting in her falling to her death, coupled with images of her actual injuries from the Joker, his friend Harvey on the ground after being attacked by acid, and the small broken body of Jason Todd after being beaten to death by a crowbar.

Meanwhile Damian starts to see images of his grandfather, Ra’s al-Ghul, looking down at him with contempt and calling him an embarrassment and a disgrace. Then his grandfather’s face morphs into that of Bruce, saying the same thing. He cries out for his father and grandfather, when Tim and Steph appear from the mist, collecting up the both of them and pulling them out.

Back outside the ruins, Damian and Jim both come back to their senses, Tim and Steph having inoculated them with a cure for the toxin that had been finished during the night. Barbara comforts her father over their comms, while Alfred brings up what Damian had said during his hallucinations. Damian comes clean and reveals that he is Bruce’s son from his time training under the league. Damian asks how Alfred knew, and Alfred says it’s because he raised a small boy who looked nearly identical.

Down in the asylum, Dick continues to fight Jason while the Scarecrow disappears into the mist. Dick is furious with Jason, but Jason reminds him that his goals are the same as the League’s, to truly cleanse Gotham, not just wipe up after it the way they and Bruce had done all these years. Their battle becomes more and more intense, both breaking each other’s masks. Their strength starts to waver, Jason first as he starts to be overtaken by images of the Joker striking him with a crowbar over and over again. Dick starts to see the very same thing, but with every strike, Jason turns into Tim, and Steph, and Barbara, and Bruce, and Alfred. He tries to attack the imaginary Joker to no avail, and instead, grabs Jason and pulls him through the last door and into the secret lab.

Inside the lab, Dick searches for anything resembling a cure, reasoning that the Scarecrow surely has some for himself. He finds a vial and tests it on himself, finding, to his relief, that it actually does cure the toxin. He then goes to Jason and administers it to him as well. As Dick looks around the room, he sees controls for the entire prison, ten special cells, all of which are crusted with ice around the edges, all leading to a secret train tunnel.

Jason tells Dick that they’re not here, that Bruce, Selina, and the criminals were all taken to a special prison run by the league. Dick demands to know who the Scarecrow is, but Jason refuses to tell him. Dick tells him that if the League gets their way and cleanses Gotham, it won’t just be villains like Joker and Black Mask who suffer, but little street kids like the two of them were. He can’t just let it happen. Jason relents and looks up at his brother. He says, “Is it not obvious?”

Back at the Batcave, Barbara and Alfred talk with Damian, Jim, Tim, and Steph, having lost contact with Dick during his fight with Jason. They talk about how, if the League is as far-spread as Damian suggests, the Bat Cave may be the only safe place left. A familiar voice scoffs at the idea as Jonathan Crane appears. The doctor says they’ve always known about this place before gassing the both of them.

Dick and Jason re-emerge from the asylum, telling Damian, Tim, Steph, and Jim that they need to get back to the mansion, that all of this here had been a distraction. The team try to contact Barbara and Alfred, but are met only by the voice of Jonathan Crane, telling them that if they want to save their friends, they will return to the mansion immediately.

The group returns to the mansion. They say it’s likely full of the fear toxin, and Steph jokes about it becoming a literal haunted mansion. They each strap on a gas mask and enter. Dick and Jason go with Damian, and they talk to him about him being Bruce’s actual son. Damian tells them his mom had been keeping tabs on Bruce through the league all these years, so he knew all of their names and many of their adventures. Dick tells him welcome to the family.

Dr. Crane torments the team throughout the mansion, using the smoke and mist to keep his location a mystery in lieu of the toxin working. One by one, he lures them into a trap and attacks them, taking each hostage in turn. Soon enough, Dick, Jason, and Damian are left, and they find their way down to the batcave. There, Crane reveals Barbara, Alfred, Tim, Steph, and Jim, all unmasked and unconscious from fear toxin.

Crane talks to them through the computer, saying that the League had been perfectly content to leave their little team be, as they’d never pose the threat Batman himself posed, but they just couldn’t keep their noses to themselves. Dick and Jason both try to attack him and free their friends, but he ends up catching them off guard and capturing them too. Finally, only Damian remains.

Crane talks to Damian, saying he’d heard of him, the Demon Head’s little embarrassment of a grandson, surprised to learn that he’d been the Bat’s child all along. Damian creeps around, keeping Crane talking, until he can manage to track down his actual body. He attacks Crane from behind, taking him by surprise instead, but Crane holds his own, reminding Damian that he’d received League training as well. The pair duel, but in the end, Damian comes out on top, giving Crane an overdose of his own toxin.

All the rest of the Bat Family are freed and administered the cure. They question Crane on the whereabouts of Batman and the villains, and Crane admits that Ra’s took them to a special prison where they will never escape. Damian says he knows of the prison, that it’s a horror story spread around the league. Crane is handed over to Amanda Waller in ARGUS.

Damian wakes up the next morning in his father’s bed. The entire family greets him and makes him feel at home when he arrives at breakfast. As they start eating, the team begins discussing how to move forward, to save Batman and to stop the League’s plans. In a post-credits scene, we see Selina tending to Bruce inside a dark cell, Bruce clearly unable to move. The cell door opens, and the silhouette of Bane appears.

And that's our story. This one will be followed by a two-part Bat Family finale, the first focused on Bane and the prisoners locked in his prison. What do you think? Would you watch a movie like this?

[msdrprofessorjessica]

Alchemists Apathy Character Bio: Henry Emily

My last chance to get something meaningful out before I post a special tomorrow

Hey remember when I said I was doing William AND Henry character bios? Well, here he is. Henry Emily with... this design. Now tbh, call this a hot take, but I don't mind the design that much. The problem with it is that it highlights a bit of a goody two-shoes side to Henry rather than the morally gray man that both the games and the books paint him out to be. So while I would use this design as a base if I were an artist, I certainly wouldn't one hundred percent use it.

Once again, another brief character introduction. Henry Emily is the co-founder of Fredbear's Family Diner. He made the robots, William handled the business. He had a daughter in both the games and books, and a son in the books. Sammy does make an appearance in this AU, but not as a major player. Sorry all you Sammy fans, while I like the kid, I just didn't know what kind of story I wanted to tell with the kid. Anyway, this post is about Henry. Henry is the reason for Fredbear's creation, William handled the business and Henry made the robots. He also burnt William alongside the other Scrap Animatronics in Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator. In the books, he's a deranged lunatic who made a robot version of his daughter, four versions of them actually, one ended up getting stolen by William. He then killed himself realizing what he had done. Henry's an interesting character and a lot of AU's like to paint him as this stand-up guy, the true hero behind everything... that's not the case here.

Let me get this out of the way, Henry is not a bad guy in canon, both games and books. He's the foil to William after all, but Henry isn't exactly the keen kind of guy Mr. "Let me trap The Puppet that I know houses my daughters soul in a black chubby bear and then shock her if she tries to escape". No wonder Charlie tries to kill you, probably getting tased so much she has to take her anger out on someone. Henry is a morally gray character, he's a good guy, but he's also done things that don't make him the exact perfect contrast to William's evil. Though, I have always liked the idea that some AU's give Henry. Though, my problems with Henry in other AU's stand from the fact that he doesn't usual get an inbetween. He's either a goody two shoes, or he's evil but not to the degree of evil like William. And the times he is morally gray? They kinda make him... basic. I plan to try and rectify that in a way. This AU's Henry is a little bit different.

Just like William, Henry was born at an unknown date at an unknown time. Henry's story is the exact opposite of William's in this AU. While William was the rich one who had everything he wanted and then some, Henry was often left alone with nothing. But his family was happy and that was always something to look forward too. Happiness. Taking an interest in old Disney and Mickey Mouse cartoons, Henry began to make up his own characters, taking inspiration from all different types of animals. Elephants, lions, penguins, all kinds of animals. Henry was truly inspired when he visited a local diner known as "Goldie's Paradise Diner". There, he was entranced by the magic of the mascot suits for the bear and the rabbit, and the third act that involved a jester and a wooden puppet. Henry would make his own designs for a golden bear and a golden rabbit, and around high school, met up with someone who was interested in the doodles. This was the start of the friendship between William Afton and Henry Emily. They even went to DisneyLand together once. By the time they got to college, Henry had fallen in love with a girl named Selina Kyle (haha Henry, you saved her from a life of crime in Gotham City). Selina and Henry fell in love as they both worked at an ice cream store together. Henry would eventually marry her out of college, but not before acing his final project in robotics by creating a prototype animatronic that was planned to be wearable. The prototype was scrapped later on in favor of better designs, Henry used his old drawings as a base and viola, Fredbear and Spring Bonnie were created.

If you didn't see it in the William bio, I'll reiterate it here. Sorry Willry fans, it's not happening in this AU. They got wives and that's good enough for them. If it's any consolation, Henry is Bisexual and William is Pansexual. Though, I imagine William and Henry being quite opposites from each other. While William is the egotist and views himself as better than everyone else, Henry fails to see his creations as good, and is constantly working on new projects involving animatronics to better himself, finally make something he's proud of. The moment Henry sees a flaw, he tries to fix it. He even tried making the springlocks not cause death... to no avail as he was springlocked one time. Luckily, he was rushed to the hospital and recovered. Though, the reason they knew he needed to go to the hospital was because his wife was pregnant with twins, Charlotte and Sammy Emily. Both of them were born one second away from each other, but Sammy was born first. Henry truly loved his family, he saw them as things to protect with all his life, unlike William, who could not give a flying fuck what happened to his family.

William and Henry are quite the polar opposites, Henry's shy, William's outgoing. William's an egotist, Henry puts himself down too much. The moment The Big Bite happened, Henry immediately shut down the location while William wanted to keep it open. Henry tried to find the flaw in Fredbear when William saw no flaws in the animatronic. Henry closed down Fredbear's and did everything in his power to forget about Fredbear's, it was where his daughter died after all. Henry was so focused in his work after that, wanting to make sure that the rest of his family was safe, but because he focused so much on their safety, he never spent any time with them and even forbid Sammy from going to Freddy's. Henry did abuse his children, but not like how William would. Henry at one point slapped Sammy away, and immediately felt pity over it. Simply telling him to go away in a calm voice. One day, Selina and Sammy were gone, divorce papers were on the table, already signed. Henry was left alone, and the worst part was that he got a call from the police, asking him to see them. Henry was a suspect in the missing children's case alongside many others. Eric Smith, Ralph Gardner, and his partner William Afton. They were all let go due to lack of evidence but at least a month later, William and Henry were fired from Fazbear Enterprises after a restructuring of Fazbear Entertainment. Henry sadly took his things and left the next day, planning on trying to move on from Fazbear Entertainment. He tried to get in contact with his wife and son, but he couldn't find them.

Henry turned back to the only thing he knew would comfort him, animatronics. More springlock characters that would never make it into restaurants, more toys that reminded Henry of Charlie, and then a set of animatronics that were cheaply made. These would end up being the Mediocre Melodies. Henry would use them on a nationwide tour, hoping to find his wife and son in the crowd. But when it ended and he was still at square one, he gave up. Henry left himself alone with his creations, the only thing that brought him peace. He shut himself out from the outside world, but that didn't stop Fazbear's horror stories from leaking in. Another bite, a franchisee program, more children dying. It was absolutely crazy, and Henry wanted nothing to do with it. However, when he heard of Fazbear's Fright burning to the ground, he looked to find that his son's charred body was found in the building. Henry breathed heavily after reading that Sammy was found dead in the building, being burnt to death in the fire. Henry decided that enough was enough and started to link incidents to each other, and what he started linking made him disgusted. But he knew it was the truth, William Afton was a vicious murderer, and he needed to stop him. Henry recorded himself one recording, talking about what he had uncovered and cursing himself for not realizing it sooner. But he developed a plan, to call them all back. All of them. Together in one place.

It took two years until Henry was able to execute his plan in 2025. Creating the Lefty animatronic to lure and encapsulate The Puppet. Using Charlie's bracelet code to lure her, using the music box to calm The Puppet, and in case Charlie or Melody tried anything to ruin the plan, they would be shocked. Henry knew that his daughter was inside of The Puppet, but felt this was the only way to keep her in check. As for the others, he knew Afton would come, but Elizabeth and the other Funtimes needed to be lured. He managed to accurately simulate a child and use that to lure the Funtimes to his location. Then, he would purchase a location off of the Franchisee program and hire Michael on as a co-owner. Michael was unaware of the trap, or unaware of Henry's involvement. Henry kept it that way, he didn't want to take any risks. Michael lured all the animatronics and salvaged them. By the end of the week, there was a fire. Henry burnt it all to the ground, with everyone inside. No one survived, not even Henry. Henry freed the last remaining souls, and burnt himself alongside it, allowing the nightmare to finally be over.

While Fazbear Enterprises struggled to get back into business, Henry's plan had worked. Afton was gone, and the remaining souls he set out to free were freed. He and the others went to live in a plain of happy memories and go on adventures with the Fazbear characters. As for what Fazbear Enterprises did, they initiated project "Clean Slate". Seeing as how they couldn't paint their owners in a bad light, they went out of their way to rewrite them to be good people. William was seen as a caring and loving father who killed to bring back his son and daughter, and Henry was a goody two shoes man who was oblivious and clueless to William's crimes and would plan to stop him. It worked and that's how the owners were viewed as. Henry's past had seemingly been forgotten, but if Henry were able to see that, he wouldn't care. He accomplished what he set out to do, and seeing his son and daughter again made him the happiest he could ask for.

[havendance]

Scattered Batman: War Games thoughts

It honestly wasn't as bad as I was afraid it was going to be. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of parts that were bad, but it also moved at a quick pace and I have definitely read comics that were way more of a chore to get through

Still way too much torture though. I purposefully skipped all the scenes where Steph got tortured but other people also got tortured in this and why is there just so much?

I do like that Bruce actually asked for help/called in the cavalry at the begining of the event rather than running around making things worse a bunch of times. Of course the only help he called in was Batgirl and Nightwing, but baby steps!

I actually enjoyed most of the entire first act of war games. It was focused mainly on chaos exploding on everyone being on the ropes and doing damage control. It was quick moving and I like seeing the bats on the ropes. Plus, there was the

I did like both Cass and Tim's storylines throughout.

And then of course, act II onwards just went downhill. Look, I wish Zeis had succeeded in killing Black Mask when he was disguised as Oprheus because he just sucks.

Anyway, I already talked about the torture stuff :/

The thing is, I think because I skipped the bad parts and I knew both that Steph was going to die and that she would eventually come back going into this arc, her death actually made me less made than say, Sarah Essen's death in No Man's Land which is in some ways much less egregious (I'm still annoyed about that). If I HAD been a comics reader in 2004 and not a possibly-illiterate child whose mom wouldn't let them read comics at that age anyway, I probably would've been pissed! But context is everything.

But to backtrack a little, Bruce was like "I was never going to implement the war games plan" but he also had Orpheus going undercover to get control of the hill? It certainly looks like you're laying the groundwork my dude. I mean, he still could have been planning to not go all the way and made the contingency plan in question recently, but still. Out of universe, it's clearly laying groundwork for the War Games event.

Hmm, what else did I want to bring up. Oh yeah. Bruce, trying to take control over the entire GCPD is definetly a major overstep. You deserve to be wanted by them after that. Seriously dude, you didn't even have control over the GCPD during No Man's Land where there was no goverment. Your whole stchick involves acting outside of the law. You can't just do that dude.

Also, him hijacking Oracle's systems was also an asshole move. I think it is interesting the way that they had the interection of the urban legend batman mythos with the event. He's out during the day, being captured on camera for the first time in ages and it's in the middle of a major disaster. Terrible PR all around. The batman is real and this is his fault. I do think that's a fun move.

I am here for Barbara beefing with Batman, he was a dick to you during the event! But also the whole tower blowing up thing at the end was clearly because it was required by editorial. You're telling me you don't have knockout gas or batgrade tasers in there? Your only option was to blow up your home base?

Like, he also was a major presence during No Man's Land, but that was No Man's Land.

Anyway, this was clearly an event that was designed to make some major changes to the status quo. I will probably have more opinions on these changes as I read more comics, but for some initial thoughts:

Batman & co wanted by the GCPD. I'm a big fan of this one. Make him have to face greater odds with fewer resources than he's used to!

Stephanie dead. Lame :/

The Birds of Prey no longer based in Gotham. I am tentatively optimistic about this. I did like the era of Oracle being a key player in Gotham, but her being an idependent force not tied to them is defintely something she deserves! Of course, if this just results in her being exiled to Birds of Prey rather than playing a major role in the rest of the universe that'd be disappointing.

(Of course I also primarily only read Bat books, so uh, I don't think I'd see this either way.)

Tim and Cass in their Blüdhaven era: why not? I've heard good things about this.

Black Mask being a key play: grump grump grump I don't like him.

[taiblogcomics]

Joke's On Us

Hey there, sugar skulls. Now that we've refreshed ourselves with a somewhat decent Mountain Dew flavour, let's ruin the mood with a much worse comic book. What fun, right? What I love best about Taiblog is the diversity of review topics, said nobody ever~

Anyway, here's the cover:

So we went from a bunch of characters in a white void, to just one character in a red void. Is that an upgrade, downgrade? I dunno. I do know I always kind of hated this Joker design. Like, exaggerate the man, sure. It's a comic book! We're used to fun exaggerations. But he is, at the end of the day, just a man with a weird bleach job. Falling in a vat of chemicals should not give him teeth like that. The other details of this are good, though. The Joker has Jimmy Olsen's accoutrements to imply something bad has happened to Jimmy. And something bad has, he's starring in Countdown!

Last time, we kicked off this grand tale of god-awfulness by introducing a few of our major players. Darkseid has an action figure collection. Mary Marvel is out of her coma, out of powers, and out of friends. Trickster is joining the Rogues on a grand plan to put them back on the map. And most pertinently, Jason Todd watches Duela Dent get murdered by the Monitor, only for another Monitor to come in and stop his colleague. The other Monitor then goes to the Source Wall and asks it how to stop the Great Disaster. And instead of "CANCEL THIS SERIES EARLY", it responds with Ray Palmer's name.

Well, speaking of Jimmy Olsen, we open in a dirty alley in Manhattan. I'm sure that narrows it down for you. He's tracking down a lead for a story, and Superman's helping. More specifically, he melts the lock off the door with his heat vision--from outer orbit, mind you. That's precise to the point of impossibility, but since it's Superman, I'll give it to him. He warns Jimmy that his target is unpredictable, then wishes him good luck before flying off into space. Thanks, very helpful, Clark. I'm sure Jimmy will be fine, given the cover.

Anyways, it turns out the guy he's meeting is Jason Todd, who's wrapping fighting a bunch of orange ninja clones. And I don't mean Naruto. Even Jimmy sums up Jason Todd's recent return to life as "it happens", which probably shows how dumb the frequent resurrections are if they're being treated as this banal even in universe. And this was 2007, it only gets worse! Blackest Night hasn't even happened yet! But I digress. The real question is, how does Jimmy Olsen know Jason Todd by name? Did Superman tell him Red Hood's identity? Is it public knowledge post-resurrection? Is it just Countdown's poor writing? Let's go with the last one.

As Jason cleans up his fight, Jimmy fields an interview. (And lemme say, it's a little confusing writing up a rappaport between two guys whose names both have five letters and begin with J.) He wants to know the details on Duela Dent's murder. Jason first asks how he found him, and Jimmy just shows his Superman signal watch. Which I guess is also public knowledge. Jason quips it must be nice to not do your own legwork, and Jimmy doesn't comment. Regardless, the gist of the interview is that, since Jason didn't recognise the Monitor(s), he concludes they must be aliens. And Jimmy should be familiar with that.

Meanwhile, Mary Marvel is chasing her own mysteries. She's talking to DC's resident blind seer, Madame Xanadu, who notices magic stuff beyond Mary's questions. She's only asking where Freddy Freeman is, but Xanadu is much more intent on telling Mary she's going to be tested in the future. Her path is unclear when it comes to whether her magic lies on the light or dark sides. She also tells her to stay away from Gotham City, which seems like good life advice in general. And if she feels lost (which, who wouldn't after such cryptic answers), she should find a guide.

Speaking of Gotham, though, here's three wordless pages of Batman fighting Legion of Super-Heroes' Karate Kid. He manages to take Batman's utility belt, which apparently just comes off with no repercussions. With no transition, Black Lightning shocks Karate Kid, knocking him out. Batman notes that Karate Kid seems to be having an amnesiac incident, since he's dressed like (and responding to the name of) C-list Titans villain Trident. The fact that he's having such an identity crisis and managed to attack Batman in the Batcave is a bit concerning.

So the Rogues are hanging out in a run-down shitty place, doing hookers and blow. No, literally. No disrespect to the ladies, of course, work is work. But this place is seriously filthy, so I hope they're getting hazard pay. Heat Wave lays out some lines of cocaine on the table, and Mirror Master appears in the reflection to snort one. But the main point of the scene, other than to show the shitty lifestyles of the Rogues is to illustrate that the rest of them don't trust Trickster and Pied Piper, which we also established last issue. Great! Next scene!

Following his talk with Jason, Jimmy finally decides to pay off this issue's cover by going to talk with the Joker, who's currently in Arkham Asylum. I wanna dissect his logic a bit here. First of all, Duela did occasionally call herself "Joker's Daughter", so that seems like a connective line. But the real moment that gets him going "Hmm" is something Jason says after he postulates the "But it was aliens" meme. "It's a crazy theory, but we live in a crazy world. And there's a guy in Arkham who wrote the book on crazy." Apparently Jimmy takes this as a legit tip for his investigation.

To wrap things up, Jimmy's led to the Joker's cell. Jimmy interrupts the Joker's taunts by telling him his daughter's dead. Joker briefly feigns remorse, and then taunts Jimmy to come closer so he can tell him what he knows. To give Jimmy credit, he's smart enough to stand back behind the line of approach and not get goaded by Joker's taunts. Joker gives up and replies that his daughter isn't dead… because he doesn't have a daughter. He erupts into laughter, and will offer no more info. As the comic ends, Killer Croc breaks out of his restraints and is about to attack Jimmy, just as he quips "Well, that was a dead end." Wah-wah-waaah~

Now you begin to see how this series is going to go, yeah? We've got over a dozen protagonists (which we still haven't introduced all of) and eight different viewpoints to juggle. So some characters are only going to get a couple pages or even less per issue. So not only do you have to keep track of eight different viewpoints from week to week, some of them might be barely worth updating you on--or might not even get updated at all. And since this series was not so tightly plotted as its predecessor, this will quickly start to unravel as the series progresses.

And honestly, this is kind of a nothingburger of an issue in itself. Other than introducing Jimmy Olsen and Karate Kid as two more of our protagonists (and if it wasn't giving headlines each time the POV changes, would you even think Karate Kid was the protag? You'd think it was Batman and possibly Black Lightning), did this one really advance anything? Despite being one of the protags, Jason Todd did nothing but beat up some entirely unrelated Mortal Kombat fan characters. Jimmy Olsen had a pleasant chat with the Joker and ended on a cliffhanger. Mary Marvel got advice, Karate Kid got amnesia and knocked out, and Piper and Trickster got in a fight instead of getting sex and high. Isn't this fun~?

[dramatisperscnae]

Well. That was unexpected. Dick raises an eyebrow behind his mask, straightening up at the sudden snap. For a man who apparently didn't care what he was called enough to pick a name himself, this guy certainly had at least one strong opinion on what not to call him.

Fair enough.

"Michael." He repeated the name mostly as an acknowledgement. Absolutely not this guy's real name, that was pretty much certain, but it would work as well as anything else. Hell, for all Dick knew the guy was Catholic and drawing on the name of the archangel. Odd outfit to go doing that in, but then again if someone had never met him before Nightwing probably didn't evoke the image he put forth himself at first hearing, so who was he to judge?

Michael's opinion on dying got a sigh out of Dick, though he wasn't going to argue. A life was a life, sure, but anyone fighting in Gotham's alleyways with that philosophy wasn't going to last long unless they had a matching will to survive. Spite tended to work best, in Dick's experience, but doubtless Michael would figure that out soon enough himself given he'd clearly already met some of Gotham's major players.

"Yeah, she really doesn't. And her kiss is killer, literally; she works with plant toxins of all kinds, and her kiss can kill or control depending on various factors. You she'd probably try to control; you're an unknown element in the city, she'd want to use that to whatever advantage she can. You'll also want to watch out for Two-Face," he added, his distaste obvious in his tone. "He's…predictable, but only as far as a literal toss of a coin. And he knows the law just about inside-out; used to be one hell of a lawyer, they say. Fortunately I think he's still back in Arkham, so he shouldn't be an issue anytime soon."

Hopefully, anyway; Harvey didn't tend to cause too much trouble on his own, but if Two-Face got too loud for too long - or if someone else busted him out - then there was generally hell to pay.

"Don't call me Westley." It came out instinctively; his tone firm and harsh to leave no room for argument, a bite to it. Westley was too close to the man of Fisk's right hand man, Wesley. It was a temporary name, one picked at complete random, but Matt wanted no association with Fisk or Wesley in any way. He didn't even want to think about either of them while he was in Gotham and working on Bruce Wayne's case.

"Call me Michael." Matt offered, his voice calmer. Like it had been before. His middle name. It would be easy to respond to it. Though a name so close to Wesley's made his skin crawl and would most likely get his attention just as easily but there would be anger and attitude with it, something Nightwing didn't do anything to deserve. The man had been nothing but nice to him in the conversation and didn't deserve the attitude that came with Daredevil. He wasn't Daredevil here, only the Man in Black. Nightwing wasn't a friend, a possible colleague. His help would be pertinent when it came to the in's and out's of Gotham.

"Dying to save innocent people seems like the right way to go. Doesn't really matter if it's Gotham or my city. A life is a life." A simple shrug of his shoulders before Matt began to mindlessly pace. He didn't like the idea of standing around chatting casually for so long while Gotham was being overrun with villains, like vermin infesting a home. Times like this always made him feel like he wasn't doing enough, especially when he wasn't doing anything. "I'll stay away from the clown. Sounds like Batman has his hands full with him already." He paused in his pacing, head lifting to tilt in Nightwing's direction curiously. "What is with the one calling herself Poison Ivy?! And why the hell is she so determined to kiss me?!" She had smelt off in a way that he ensured he kept a healthy distance between them. "Knowing my luck she's trying to spread some deadly version over herpes. She doesn't like to be told no, does she?"

[masquenoire]

@riddleroyalty​ asked:

if all the rogue gallery villains were in high school right? black mask got a yearbook, who would he cross out? who are favorite & least favorite classmates?? ( im sorry, i re copied this and pasted it without editing it)

I don’t have Photoshop so this wasn’t at all fancy but I tried! Roman is not particularly keen on his fellow rogues and only likes a select few, jackass that he is!

[betelgeusing]

hold up bear with me I need to scream right quick bc JIM GORDON IS A STUPID THOT AND I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE

jimbo just met a lady right? he’s been unlucky in love lately and she’s beautiful and charming, she might be the one!

SEVERAL THINGS THAT SHOULD RAISE RED FLAGS FOR OL GORDO HERE

1. he shot and killed her brother like 6 months ago

2. she’s Carmine Falcone’s daughter she’s been steeped in politics drama and intrigue since birth

3. she’s like a decade (or more) younger than he is yet she’s showing interest in him lmao but seriously buddy wise up because--

4. HE SHOT AND KILLED HER BROTHER, WHOM SHE WAS BY ALL ACCOUNTS EXTREMELY CLOSE TO, LIKE SIX MONTHS AGO

he’s like “hey sorry I killed your brother” and she’s like “it’s fine :) you did what you had to do:)” JIM ARE YOU A DETECTIVE OR AREN’T YOU? HOW CAN YOU INTERPRET THAT AS “FULL SPEED AHEAD CAP’N” INSTEAD OF “I NEED TO STAY AWAY FROM THIS WOMAN BECAUSE SHE HATES ME AND IS GOING TO ACTUALLY KILL ME”

five minutes later

dennis reynolds voice don’t be a dumb horny bitch the whole time, jim

if she doesn’t kill him then I’m going to. Jim you idiot

[roobylavender]

People always make fun of Barbara when she was Batgirl but honestly a lot of her pre-crisis issues were really cool. They weren’t alway perfect but it was easy to understand what they were trying to do and say—especially the issues that were outside of the usual The Batfamily issues that are mentioned when people speak of her time as Batgirl. It’s harder to find issues with her individually because they are scattered, but they were actually enjoyable and Kesel did a good job of trying to make all of it into one origin. Barbara being too liberal for re-election was kinda funny.

To add to the last ask, there is a review that made a connection that said Barbara went from a small town girl to Gotham City’s most invaluable player and Barbara Kesel (the writer) really helped shape a more relatable and enjoyable origin story for Barbara than Dixon ever did. If you were ever to do a comparison against Batgirl:Year one, there is just one that feels more genuine. You get the childhood and the relationship to a parent that was still loved but escaped their pain the only way they knew how (people speak of Joker trauma in regards to JT but honestly the parent connection here would make more sense as a form of bonding) and then you also get shown the dedication and interest of this character through little details. It’s that life outside of the cape that a lot of writers really lack in many comics now. A new thought formed as I was typing but Barbara was also imo much more enjoyable when she was out of her cape and doing her work within the city and speaking to civilians then the time she ever wore a cape. Those are the highlight of the majority of her issues as a Batgirl.

flawed gems has so much heart and soul to it! i know people find barbara's little crush on or aspiration towards batman to be somewhat juvenile but i personally prefer it a lot to her wanting to be a cop, esp since she outgrows the crush/aspiration anyway and even reaches conclusions beyond bruce or gordon about the viability of vigilantism in the long term. i still have a lot left to read from her pre-crisis issues but i almost wonder if people call them bland bc they think nearly anything pre-crisis is bland. there's something odd about people severely disliking stories that don't adhere to an overarching continuity and simply exist for the purpose of conveying an important point or message that ultimately allows readers to believe in heroes. older stories have their problems but i feel like they're generally more possessive of some integrity in that sense

[anastasiaskywalker4]

MisterLuu

That is actually the best pairing DC can make out of Trinity aside Lois and Clark. Or Bruce

and Clark for that matter. They both fit Bruce well, though Diana is even more matched with

him. In fact she's the best match romantically for him out there. At least so far. Though

number of fanfiction and arts on the net would suggest that that spot is reserved for

Superman not Wonder Woman :D

Except maybe for Silver and Julie - all Batman's love interest are abusive and downright

toxic. Selina, Talia, Adrea, Jet. Because in terms of comics and not relationships it fits

Gotham mold. People just tend to forget it after rebirth run. Yeah the one that made Batman

impotent and unable to do anything without the Cat around. Exactly that one. And tend to

forget how terrible as human beings his lovers really are.

Going back to the point. Both Talia and Selina tried to kill him multiple times in the past, or

those close to him. Whatever right? Who wouldn't like a lover that tried to end you few times

over. Both assaulted him physically and emotionally. Repeatedly. Both scared his body and

his mind. Repeatedly. Both tried to seduce his wards (adopted sons if u like), just to get to

him. In Talia's case that was basically pedophilia. That's just sick and makes you want to

puke. Both are possessive bitches, Cat threatening his flings while they are in bed while

Talia, well Talia can even go as far as beheading (to her credit she was right with this one).

Both makes him a goddamn hypocrite. Both face no repercussions after a cold blooded

murder while at the same time he berates Diana like a dick when she came to look for his

friendship and support after Max incident. Difference is she had no choice while Selina or

Talia most certainly had. Great move Bats, hypocrite much? And most importantly they both

lie and betray him, and leave him. Over and over again. Again, that's a constant with Cat

and miss Al Ghul. Diana never showed any of those traits with any of her lovers.

Get any counselor or psychiatrist to read actual Bat love history throughout the decades

and they would be writing books on how disfuncional they are. For a love-hate dynamics

they work fine. Or for some adrenaline fueled sex, but that's it. Hell, he even banged Dinah

when they were on adrenaline high. It all has a clinical term. Trauma bonding. As opposed

to authentic bonding. Which he could have with WW, had even one of them tried.

They did not though. Out of fear of ruining their mutual respect and deep bond. In

pre-flashpoint it may have been a thing if Diana acted on it. Again, Diana, not Bruce, so cut

the crap on how he was deflecting her. He was in doubt, yeah, but clearly was ready to give

it a go. She was the one that got scared even though she was clearly had over bat hills in

love with him. Even Martian stated this to Supes. Pre Crisis ? Not really. Some flirting and

kissing, nothing more. Post-flashpoint, New 52 and Rebirth ? Also not, though DC like to

tease those two. Forever Evil gets a hint that Bruce feels more than friendship towards her,

much to Selina's dismay. And that goddamn tension when they got to spends decades

together in another realm. Mostly from Diana side again. But no. The real canon love that Diana had for Bruce was during pre-flashpoint, not counting alternative universes. And it

was so strong that it showed her loving him more than her mother and sisters. And her

lasso forced her to admit it when facing Mera. But Bruce was "dead" at that point. So yeah,

never acted upon this. Pity. You could see she regretted it.

Aside their comics history in canon universe, realistically speaking Diana is way more

similar to Bruce than Selina will ever be (or Talia for that matter). Even though at a the first

glance they are nothing alike. She's the light , he's the darkness. She believes in love and

trust, tries to see the good in everyone. He's cunning, distrustful and downright realistic to

her idealistic approach. She's honest and straight while he will not hesitate to lie or to use

violence to get results. And you know what? It makes for great couple chemistry and

tension. It may be a cliche, yeah, but Yin and Yang dynamics work. That's why Clark ends

up with Lois all the freaking time. Even on elseworlds he and Diana are a thing only after

Lois is out of the picture. But that's not the most important thing. Yin and Yang provides for

a tension yes, but it would never last in the long run. For a relationship you need also

something in common. And Bruce has that in spades with Diana.

They might be on opposite side of the spectrum but than you realize how much alike they

really are. They are both kindred spirits. Both born fighters, warriors at heart. Arguably two

of the best in the world. At least Diana is according to Batman. And judging by Wonder

Woman's choices in man that is a highly important trait to her. Both endlessly fighting for

others. Both have utmost respect and admiration for each other. Both tirelessly train to

make themselves physically and spiritually better. Constantly. And to make the other better.

Their sparring sessions are legendary. And heated. Both with a great heart and

compassion. I would argue that Bruce's compassion is even bigger than Diana's. Even

though their methods might differ they share the same goal, which he has with no other

woman. Both have the heart of a warrior and are pushed by the circumstances of their

upbringing to reach for impossible dreams. They are also two of the most stubborn and

obstinate people in DC universe. Both perfectly capable of operating solo, and yet both

performing the best in a team. And yes, Bats is a great team player. Both natural leaders

that other heroes follow without hesitation. Both selfless and able to sacrifice for those they

value, trust and love. None of the other Bat trollups have any of those traits. Not to mention

they emotionally and physically find the other highly attractive. One being a literal goddess

and the other perfect male specimen. As for Batman, his relationships tend to collapse due

to a lack of trust. He's either unwilling to bring his romantic partner fully into his world or he

can't bring himself to trust completely. While Selina got his trust now, it's recent

development. And a mistake judging by latest issues. Again. One would think he's smarter.

When it comes to Diana, he trusts her. Fully. She's not privy like BatClan is to his world, but

they aren't that close in mainstream DC. She's not a psycho with daddy issues or a violent

narcissist. List can go on. Selina on the other hand doesn't have that much in common with

Bruce than she has. Not even close. He loves her, yes. But I don't see Di leaving him

countless times over the choices he makes. Or lying, or betraying, or trying to sleep with

Dick to spite him or... you get the point. Though there is one thing that gives Kyle an edge.

Immortality. Diana won't die unless killed. It doesn't make for a great long term relationship

prospect. But then again, those are comics, and he's a goddamn Batman. He would find a

way :)

The thing is - there is no other woman that fits his world as much as Diana does. And Bat is

capable to loving deeply and going to great commitments with a special woman. He showed

it with Andrea, he showed it with Silver. Problem is he always got burned. Every time he let

his guard down and opened himself. And he would have to do it when it comes to Wonder

Woman. She deserves that. It's hard to imagine with current Bruce, but it is most definitely

possible. It would be harder than with an ex criminal or an assassin though. Because there

would be much more on the line. The other two would crawl back anyway if he messed it

up, Di wouldn't.

There is also another aspect to this outside comic universe. His partners tend to be minor

characters compared to WW. She has her own series, JL, JL dark and every major

crossover/event happening in DC. They don't. And so does Batman. Both are one of the

most popular DC characters.

Besides changes to Bruce writing that are needed to make this work (cough.. pre flashpoint

Bats... cough), it would require fitting it to their distinctive titles. And frankly Diana can easily

function without any love interest and generate money. It's even easier that way. It fits her

as an independent, strong female character. Arguably most iconic of them all. And It's most

certainly easier for DC with a tease here and there than an actual WonderBat in mainstream.

Maisterluu wrote this is a comment on a YouTube video which is dow in the comments. They make really good points for ww and bats. No hate to other DC ships with ww and bats.

[failinggrade]

ok! also! can we talk about The Batman and the case it (almost) makes for complete police abolition? Every major player in the city’s justice system down to the petty street cop up to the DA and the Mayor are corrupt mother fuckers looking to make their next dollar by manipulating and polluting funds that should be used for things like hot school lunch programs, infrastructure updates, public art —whatever the fuck gotham needs.

The Batman himself (to me!!!!) isn’t a good guy because as selina kyle and bella real (the only two Black women in the movie!) both point out …he uses his riches not to invest in systemic change in gotham but to run around serving vigilante justice. if you’re black in america you know what vigilante “justice” actually means. redistribute your wealth bat boy!

even the scene where jim gordon is like “we’re not ALL bad cops” ok but you dip shits were running around completely unaware of the severe level of corruption within your own police force? there was a white supremacist actively plotting terror on his lil reddit discord 4chan server pretty openly and y’all had no clue? what do you do successfully? quickly.

anyway great movie but ACAB, even the super ones.

[mirrerover]

High on the Fumes

“Straying a bit far from the nest, Dickiebird,” Jason says. He’s got one hand shoving his mask back up into his hood, revealing just his mouth and the sharp line of his jaw, while the other digs in the pocket of his leather jacket, fishing for cigarettes. A beaten-up carton gets waved in Dick’s general direction, offering a cigarette Dick never accepts. Not like this. Not in the Nightwing suit, at least.

They’re currently overlooking Crime Alley, seated on the edge of the roof, legs dangling off the side. Jason hadn’t seemed surprised when Dick had dropped down next to him on the ledge. But Red Hood wouldn’t be Red Hood if Jason didn’t know the coming and goings of the various vigilantes creeping on Gotham's rooftops at night.

“Ran out of bad guys my side of the pond,” Dick says in the easy way he says lots of things. The patented Grayson charm. “What can I say—I’m just that good.”

That actually pulls a laugh out of Jason. A genuine one. One that has his mouth stretched apart in a smile that makes Dick think beautiful.

“No criminals in Blüdhaven. I knew moonlighting as a police officer would be bad for you. Six months on the job and they’ve already got you on their payroll.”

“Thought you’d be proud of me for lasting as long as I did.”

“Sure thing, Princess.” There’s a fancy Zippo in his hand now, one Dick has never seen before, lighting the first cigarette of plenty to come. Dick wonders if Jason lifted it off some crook he left for dead. “You probably broke some departmental records. Most Blüdhaven cops are on the take before they’ve even stepped off Academy grounds.”

Dick chuckles the way you chuckle when watching your own house burn down to ashes, all your mortal possessions still inside. Blüdhaven is a corrupt cesspool with no fast and easy fix. Maybe not even a slow and difficult one—and she’s all Dick's. He stuffs the thought somewhere deep and hidden and eagerly shifts his eyes to Jason so he can forget. Just for a while.

It’s hard to read Jason’s face, hidden in the shadows of his hood, but the body language is clear; no apparent stiffness or major sore spots. Jason looks relaxed, if not a little tired, fingers nimble when they lift the cigarette to his lips. So the bloodstains aren’t his own.

“Slow night?”

Jason shrugs. “Petty criminals, mostly.” His lips tighten into a harsh line. “Some creep who thought he could set up shop and play pimp. Fuck that. My girls work for themselves.”

His girls. And that, Dick thinks, is the difference between Bruce and Jason. Bruce has his villains, his meta humans, and when that well runs dry there’s the League. A galaxy full of nemeses for him to fight.  Big players and even bigger stakes. Abstract concepts of freedom and peace, and the liberty of dealing in absolutes. Jason has his people. The concrete reality of kids not being cornered by predators and sex workers keeping money in their own pockets. And his people love him. Prefer the Red Hood taking an iron pipe to the face of their abusive ex-husband, their kid’s drug dealer, or the rapist next-door, to the untouchable Bat Symbol high up in the sky.

Maybe Dick’s been staring too hard or maybe Jason can tell he’s thinking of Bruce because the next time he speaks, he’s extra crass: “I need a cock so far up my ass I’ll be seeing stars, a good meal, and a shower with better water pressure than the usual geriatric-taking-their-midnight-piss nonsense that’s rife this side of the city.” He sucks long and hard on the cigarette, posture thoughtful, before releasing the smoke in a slow exhale. “Not necessarily in that order.”

Dick snorts. Maybe there’s more than just the one big difference. “That really something you wanna yell off the rooftops? Thought you were some big bad crime lord.”

“The fuck's that s'posed to mean, Big Bird?” Some might assume that toting around eight severed heads in a duffle bag once would make it hard to take the moral high ground on anything. Dick knows for a fact that Jason doesn’t really give a shit about either morals or the high ground but it doesn’t stop him from taking both and making them his bitch. “Think I’m weak for taking it up the ass? How ‘bout you dial back on the homophobia, you bigoted prick.”

It might be more impressive if Dick was a little less familiar with Jason and his rage. Jason doesn’t settle his actual grievances with his words. This is foreplay.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Little Wing. Got the best thighs this side of the equator. Ain’t nobody calling you weak, babe.”

“Don’t you forget it, asshole.”

Dick hums, lowering himself onto his back, arms stretched high above his head. There’s a weird serenity to being verbally abused by Jason as the Eastern sky is starting to brighten. The sound from the street feels distant and Jason feels so close, their thighs mere inches apart. When Dick lets his head rest on his arm, Jason’s broad shoulders fill up half his vision and he knows if he buries his nose between his shoulder blades it’ll smell of leather and smoke and sweat.

Jason twists his torso towards him. “Were you even listening, Fingerstripes? Just told you I want a cock up my ass before the night is through. Need me to grab a pen and a piece of paper and spell it out for you?” Jason gives a depreciating grunt. “And Daddy dares to say that you’re the smart one.”

“Jesus, Hood,” Dick teases. “Can’t tell if you’re trying to go for seductive or insulting.”

“Shows how shit your instincts are. I’m doing both. You turned on yet?”

Dick shrugs good-naturedly, arches his back and gives Jason the Grayson smile, blinding, crooked, winning. “Little bit.”

There’s another laugh, another smile. Another beautiful in Dick’s head. Then Jason’s lying down beside him, shoulders brushing, and voice bleeding a warm: “thought you would be, you big slut.”

When Jason finishes his cigarette he kills what’s left of it on the concrete. Wordlessly lights another. The new Zippo burns big and bright.

Dick lowers one arm, carefully drags his fingers across the busted knuckles of the hand holding the lighter. Sometimes, those hands will leave red streaks on Dick’s skin and Dick won’t know if the person it came from is still a person at all. And he thinks Jason painting him with blood should probably bother him more than it does. But it’s hard sometimes, between the night job and the day job and the things he sees during both. Between Bruce, who puts principles before people, and Jason, who puts people before Bruce, is Dick, who doesn’t want to choose between either, who wants to have both—but let’s Jason mark him up with the blood from Gotham’s criminals, anyway. So, maybe he’s made his choice.

"Make me a coffee tomorrow morning," Dick says, Jason's hand warm beneath his own. "With those fancy beans. From that specialty shop where they roast and grind the beans on the spot and you watch them like a hawk 'cause you're both anal and a snob."

"Just the coffee?"

"Just the coffee."

"You're one cheap fucking lay, Boy Blunder."

“Only for you,” Dick says. "The Bat family discount.” Dick wonders if there’s a little something special in those cigarettes when that doesn’t get him punted off the roof immediately. The vicious elbow stab to the gut seems rather mellow.

“Asshole,” Jason murmurs under his breath. The vitriol dripping off that single word makes Dick honest-to-God giggle, chest feeling light like flying.    

He thinks they’ll stay here a little longer. Maybe one or two more cigarettes—all Jason. Dick will smoke after. After the sex, and the shower and the sleeping and the coffee. Long after the morning is gone. When Dick has been stripped of his suit for hours and Jason the same for his mask and guns. Then Dick will sit naked in the afternoon sun on Jason’s windowsill, grab that Zippo and smoke.

One cigarette. Just then.

----------------

@wethatake I wrote a thing. Can you believe it? I sure can’t

[harristops]

Wasn’t Seger also on the Flash?

Yup! The 2011 WPS WNY Flash team might have been the greatest team ever assembled, tbh, because it featured some of the greats in:

Ashlyn Harris

Ali Riley

Abby Wambach

Christine Sinclair

Marta

Yael Averbuch

Whitney Engen

Candace Chapman

Alex Morgan

McCall Zerboni

Gina Lewandowski

Caroline Seger

If this was an NWSL team today it would have the power of the Thorns offense, NCC midfield, Gotham defense, and Pride GK'ing all rolled into one. To this day, it is one of the greatest teams assembled, in my opinion, and the fact they won their 2011 WPS championship on the back of Ashlyn Harris' PK save, an absolutely historic moment.

I would love to have a reunion of this team so badly. There's a pic of Ash hugging Sinclair after the PK shootout that always gets me:

Anyways, just me in my feels over the dynasty team that was the 2011 WNY Flash. It's crazy to think the majority of the players on this team were either WWC champions and/or Olympic Medallists.

[pl-panda]

To Marry a Vigilante: Part 17

MASTERLIST || First || Previous || Next

To Marry a Vigilante: Part 17

------

The altercation with three footballers had several outcomes. First, Marinette was no longer treated as someone weak. Quite the opposite. The smarter part of the school now had a healthy dose of respect for the small french girl when they saw the camera recording Chloé ‘leaked’. The more sport-inclined part of the faculty was devastated by the loss of the three star players, for which they blamed Marinette. 

Erica washed her hands about the whole incident, declaring that the poor souls must’ve just rashly reacted to the gossip going around the school. It still hurt her position a bit. Chloé and Allegra masterfully countered any of her minor lies and started spreading gossip about the head cheerleader instead. It was turning into a cold war, where neither side could get any advantage over the other for long. 

The initial background search turned clean on both of them. Lila’s mother was an orphan, raised in one of the covenants in the mountains before studying law and politology. She now headed the French Embassy, after previously working in Germany, Belgium, and Spain. Lila’s father was a mystery and his name was not given at any point. The Italian girl often changed schools. Usually, she didn’t stay even one semester there. Lack of any family and trusted friends made her move around with her mother often. Boarding schools were too expensive for a then-starting diplomat. At some point, Lila started to thrive in each new school. Her files were nothing but praise since then. 

Erica Layton was born Erica Blake, then Boyle when her mother married a wealthy CEO. Before, she ran a smaller Blake Industry, which merged with Boyle enterprises after the wedding. When Mr. Boyle was shot during one of the Two-face’s robberies, Erica’s mother started to date again. Until last summer, when she married a star baseball player, Lance Layton. The business was clean-ish and there was nothing that could be used against them really. There were some cases of inner nepotism and a bit of discrimination, but it wasn’t even worth a real investigation. Erica herself was truly a mean character, but her good looks, influential family, and good grades made her the “Gotham Academy Golden Princess.”

Damian wanted to get his vengeance. He tried hacking, but Barbara stopped him. It wasn’t as if anything he got that way could’ve been used against her and forging evidence was wrong, and would only hurt them in the long run. Marinette stopped him from going after them as Black Cat, which only agitated him further. He hated the feeling of powerlessness. Well, he loved Marinette more so he wouldn’t go against her orders. 

Sabine also did her best, but she was similarly blocked by Barbara, who went as far as to lock the Bat-computer. A woman of many skills, Sabine was still unable to beat Oracle at hacking. She did make sure to always be available and near the school to intervene if any of the teachers tried to punish Mari unfairly. She was doing the same for Chloé, who she slowly came to treat as her child too, just like Cassandra. 

Allegra tried to get her mother involved, but Catherine Hamilton-Kane was a woman of high morals and would not use her influence to fight dirty games. “That’s how corruption took seed,” she declared. And Gotham Academy, as a private school, was beyond her reach anyway. It still gave Allegra enough power to at least counter Erica and her mother, who was at best negligent and at worst co-operating with her daughter. 

All in all, Marinette and Chloé settled into some form of routine. The school was much better than Françoise Dupont. It was bigger, which meant Lila had a harder time setting up her court. Erica’s power also suffered a major hit when the ‘outcasts’, as the blonde witch called them, took a bit more active role in the events going around. Claude, who was one of the lead actors in the theatre club made sure that no one aligned with Lila or Erica could join. Felix started to slowly push Erica from politics, engaging in subtle games at every front. Even Jon helped by taking over the school newspaper. The guy that was running it previously happily handed over the reins. 

There were few minor dramas at school, like the Witch Club, haunting at the theatre, or the weird carnival. Damian and Marinette didn’t pay it much attention. Claude dealt with the ghost quite easily and met Katherine Karlo, who became his favorite actress ever since. Professor Trent was against including her, but when the usually cheery boy threatened him to quit and take over half of the crew, the discussion was over rather swiftly.

Of course, akumas didn’t make it easier. In fact, they were the biggest holdback. Whenever Chloé and Damian did something too drastic, Lila, Erica, or someone associated with them would become an akuma and then their work was in ruin. Every akuma on their side would earn them ‘pity points’ and serve as ammunition against the Waynes’ front. 

The investigation proved fruitless. Sure, akumas could’ve been traced, but they actually made sure to never come from the same spot. Sometimes, it was a rundown building, other times a flat over a crowded restaurant; a hotel; a public toilet at the bus station. Adrien was moving and making sure not to fall for what got his father. They had no idea how he could be so stealthy. The cameras never saw anyone even similar to him at any of those places. Sabine was now running the rooftops as Shadowbat, not wanting the press to associate the Miraculous team with Batfamily too much for now. She had been using her old assassin suit (still fitting perfectly) with a bat logo on her chest as her outfit. She mostly just worked with Cass. Black Bat and Shadowbat. They were probably most feared of all dynamic duos in Gotham. Silent, ruthless, precise, undefeated.

Of course, peace couldn’t really last forever. About six weeks since Christmas, when Marinette’s birthday was closing in, the first real hiccup appeared. 

--------------

Just before lunch, Marinette’s phone vibrated, as well as several other people’s in the class. When the bell rang, she went to check it. From past experience, she knew that mass messages to students were usually bad. It had Erica and Lila plastered all over it. It was a link to the tabloid article. It opened with a photo of Damian and Allegra, sitting in a coffee shop and drinking coffee. She only read a bit of the content, far enough to reach the first quote of GA student, before storming out. People were giving her pitying looks as she walked toward the cafeteria. She didn’t want to do anything rash until she spoke to Chloé and Allegra. That was a new kind of low for the Mean Girls front. They even dared to attach a message of fake condolences to Marinette. 

Unknowingly, the Bluenette was channeling Damian the whole way, making people jump out of her path. Nobody ever saw the Angel (not that anyone would call her that within Damian’s hearing range, or where one of his multiple informants could inform him) so angry. Suddenly, everyone remembered how she took three football players in less than twenty seconds without getting more than a light bruise on her neck. 

The cafeteria was completely silent the moment she entered. Everyone expected her to rage at Damian, who was waiting next to the doors to intercept her immediately. To their utter and infinite surprise, she instead grabbed his hand into hers and squeezed tightly. A small smile made its way on her face and Damian smirked too. Nobody (but the ‘outcasts’) had any idea what that was about. Didn’t he cheat on her recently, or for a long time?

The two walked past the baffled crowd toward where Allegra and Chloé sat, already waiting for them. There were no words exchanged between the four, but the two blondes nodded like it was a signal. 

Marinette and Damian jumped onto the table in a synchronized show of grace and agility. Everyone stared at them. 

“Hi!” Marinette smiled. Next to her, her boyfriend was glaring at certain people in the crowd. “First, I wanted to thank all of you who actually meant it when they gave me their condolences. You had good intentions, even if they were completely misplaced.”

“Tt. I did not cheat on my Habibti. Not with anyone, and especially not with my cousin!” Damian growled at the silent cafeteria. They didn’t dare to respond vocally, but some lowered their heads in shame. While the relation between Bruce Wayne and Mayor Kane was not that well-known, they didn’t hide the connection. “The first cousin once removed to be precise.”

“Point is, the article is full of fake news and we’ll be dealing with it later. Still, I appreciate your effort.” She smiled at those who weren’t angry. Then, her face turned to the cold mask and she channeled Damian. “Now onto those who mocked us or tried to use it to break me and Damian apart. It won’t work. Stop. Don’t. I can’t see any situation where we would break up, and even then, there is no chance either of us would lower ourselves to dating any of you. I trust Damian with my life. I’m his and he’s mine!” She declared. 

“I’m hers and she’s mine.” Damian echoed. They raised their joint hands before turning to one another and sharing a quick kiss. Many people cooed at the romanticism of the scene. 

Erica and Lila were on the verge of a stroke. This was harder than either anticipated and they were, in fact, slowly losing more than they gained. 

A black butterfly entered through the window behind Marinette. As soon as she saw it, she acted without thinking and grabbed it. Everyone looked at her in panic. They saw the muscles in her forearm tighten and after a short moment a bit of some dark substance leaked through her fingers. When she opened her hand, the butterfly was turned into a gooey mess.

“Not today, Hawkass Junior.” She seethed. Then, she left to clean her hand with Allegra and Chloé following her. She rarely was left entirely alone, especially at school. As they walked, people gave her a loud applause. 

--------

“Why did it not work!?” Adrien raged in his hideout. Next to him, Nooroo was floating with his head bowed. 

“She… she touched it only with her skin. There was nothing to akumatize… master.” The little creature added, forced by the magic of the brooch. 

“But why didn’t the akuma pass through her fingers!?” The hero-turned-villain seethed.

“She… She damaged it before it could…”

“I paid a handsome sum of money to have that article published! It was supposed to either break them up or give me my own Scarlet Moth!” Adrien stomped around his hideout. “Now it’s all for naught! I want their Miraculouses! I want my family back!”

Another figure walked from behind him and pulled him into a hug. In the darkness, the only visible details were her silhouette and a predatory smile on her face. 

“Don’t worry. We will get what we want soon enough.”

“Did you decipher it?”

“Almost. There are several symbols on it that I have no idea what they mean.”

“Hm… I think I might have an akuma just for the occasion. It will require some setting-up though.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll deal with it. Meanwhile…” She said, her grin widening

“No. Get out of here, Witch.” He snapped.

“Spoilsport.” She muttered and walked away. Adrien felt anger bubbling inside him. Someone was so getting akumatized that day.

-------

Masterlist // Next