#anyways. Riddler and Barbara are like. Really fun in the show | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

redjaybathood · 3 years ago

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Alright, I said I wouldn't torrent it but here we are

it's not a full description of all options but rather my thoughts on it while watching. tl;dr version is: that was surprisingly fun! I would not say it's a good movie, a lot of stuff does not add app and their morals are actually more questionable than mine because I'm a honest "kill the Joker and move on with your life" kind of girl and they... are not that. But let's get into it:

1) "Robin cheats death" here we go!

So, Bruce finds Jason in the rubble, real banged up, and is hysterical. He is laughing, I suppose it should be from relief, but due to really flawed (read: half-assed) animation it reads more like deranged. It doesn't tell anything about the story but God, does it take me out of it.

Then, the POV switch.

Finally, finally we get Jason's story as told by Jason himself. And it's, you know, a story of a psycho killer (qu'est-ce c'est).

Ok but seriously: we start from depiction of his wounds, and then he rants at the frozen smiling faces of Batfam: Barbara, Dick, Bruce and a dog. So I suppose everyone is trying to keep positive, to help Jason get through it. And meanwhile, he is narrating about their faults. It does create a negative image. I mean, yeah, it's normal to lash out after horrific traumatic event, and often it's those who closest to you you're lashing out at, even if they're trying and have good intentions and all that. But you're seeing this, and you don't think: yeah, he's he's having a hard time, but that's not who he is. You're thinking: what a dick! Exaggerate much? Nobody asked you to go after the Joker!

I mean, I assume that's what an average person would think. It's framed in a way that is repulsive. And it's shown like it's true forever and ever: that's his own thoughts and in no way he's ever contradicts himself, feels conflicted or guilty about it.

Though personally: he's very uncharitable in his description. But is he wrong tho?

What makes it worse is how messy it all is. You really get the feeling: this guy is having a psychotic break in a bad way. And to polish it off, you get Jason completely going off the rails here at the end.

But God, do I love this version of Jason anyway?

It's not what I want from him or even think that could realistically happen. I mean, did the slower (as opposed to a dip in a Lazarus pit with an instant healing effect and psychosis as a side-effect) rehabilitation period and disfigurement really would have mattered that much? I am sorry, I do not think that having severe burns on his face is what would tip Jason over the barrel. The only way I see that being probable if Talia AL Ghul finishing school of young assassins actually came equipped with mental care (and that's why he's better - more rational, more focused on a mission with a clear goal and a time-frame, and a certain code - in the comics). And I just don't see it happening.

Also, the bandages? Is he still not healed enough to take them off, meaning he escaped the Manor as soon as he opened his eyes or maybe as soon as he was able to stand? Then this boy is good! Found arms and ammo, mowed down the same drug dealers he made his underlings in UtRH... All without any training from LoS, money, resources, backup... And Cheeta right under the nose of Batman and GCPD, Riddler...

Middle finger to the Black Mask! How could I not love it! I mean, shooting a rocket launcher at Black Mask, dropping him off a building and blowing him up with a conveniently placed gasoline truck? Holy shit, this man is a genius!

Ok, when Talia shows up with intentions of adopt and/or mmm make Jason Damian's father, I am starting to laugh again. How totally ridiculous this is?? What's her motivation here? I doubt it's "that boy my father and my beloved helped to fuck up is in need of a family and I can save on a babysitter". I mean, Joker is not her goal, it's her motivation for him.

And Jason's inner monologue! He's sour that Bruce left him home alone to fuck his girlfriend? Really? I think that as far as you don't ditch him if you have already made plans or make him sit on your crush's knees (that's totally a comics canon thing; Bruce made Jason sit on Selina), I don't think he would care who you fuck. And I certainly don't think he would care more than "asshole move" comment level. Not this weird grudge.

And I am so fucking sorry, but his narration is just... You can fit so many deliciously fucked up fics in this bad boy.

Though I prefer to think that Jason played himself: staying with Talia to twist Damian against both parents turned into Jason, actually, being twisted around a certain baby's finger. That's just how cute Damian is, I don't make the rules, that's what happened. I don't see him reuniting with Bruce ever or even having a mom-son relationship with Talia, ofc. I bet he rather kidnaps 3 yo Damian and goes off to live on a farm. Growing tomatoes and cucumbers and maybe even potatoes. Having a milk cow, maybe making cheese. Certainly there is a turkey and nobody in this household celebrates Thanksgiving.

That's how Damian and Jon meet, but that's just another story.

(actually, no, that's what I am using to fool myself into thinking that's not a total trash of a movie and they did not write Jason as a bitter, unreasonable, blood-thirsty man who will never be happy and dies alone, probably; that's just a vibe this Jason is letting off, imo)

2) Bruce saves Jason and dies

That's actually a very nice Jason. I would do without Bruce saying "Promise you won't kill Joker/killing won't bring you peace" (like, Bruce is speaking like someone with experience, is there something we don't know about this Bruce? Otherwise it's just a chicken soup bullshit and I would rather he focused on Jason's wellbeing rather than his rule)

2.1 Catch Joker

So far so good. Tentatively, it's the best variant. Sanest one I think. and prettiest. And funniest. It's an experience I would recommend 10/10. I cannot put it into words.

The ending hits hard. Joker is good in his role as a villain here. He makes Jason doubt, he makes you doubt Jason doing the right thing.

If Jason reaches his goal, isn't he losing?

But wait, there's more?

It turns out Jason here is even more crazy than the previous one? It turns out all his clever schemes to take over Gotham underbelly without killing is a delusion? Because he did all that - only by killing a shit tonne of people in the process and blacking it all out?

And we're supposed to believe in Joker's words, right.

Eh, I won't. Joker is a professional gaslighter - Bruce is really an amateur beside him.

It ends on a question: will Jason kill the Joker? God, I hope so! I would prefer it ASAP. But after monologue it's fine too. Like: so did I kill all those people? Alrighty, nothing stops me from killing Joker then. I am going to do my job, and fill accomplished, and then, only then, I will find a safe space to freak out.

Yeah, that would have been a HE for me, believe it or not.

2.1.2 Kill the Joker.

Whaaaat? Another choice? And I can kill the Joker? I mean, does it really have to be a multiple choice question? For intrigue, I suppose.

I waited since the eighties for that picture. Joker, lying in a pool of blood with a round hole in the middle of his forehead.

Why so sad though? Like, why everyone feel like it's actually Batman who died or something. And what's up with Luthor?

Oooooh, and it's "shit on Talia's character" time! Nice (not).

Again, though: it does not feel real. Why would Talia seek Jason out with a zombie Bruce and make them fight? That's dumb. It's even dumber than her actually having sex with mentally incapacitated zombie Bruce.

Going in, I thought this movie really hates Jason. Turns out, it really hates Talia.

2.1.2.1 Life

I mean, it's the nicest ending for Jason I expect from this movie? And it has absolutely heartbreaking ending for Bruce. Nice one, DC/Warner Brothers!

2.1.2.2 Death

That's actually an okay ending for Jason and a good one for Bruce: Bruce, being in a position he was, lost any hope, and choose to die rather than be further corrupted. I am at piece with this ending.

Jason - we know he could heal, and get his life around, so that's what makes this option heartbreaking. And yet, at this point of his story, after he killed Joker and, possibly, quite a lot of people too, without even knowing it... It's okay to end the line here.

Next: I cannot believe I am doing this, but.

2.1.1 Saving Joker

So this part confirms that Jason did kill people. I knew choosing to save Joker is a bad move! Wasn't this movie supposed to convince me it's not?

But no: Barbara rejects Jason asking for help and Dick tries to arrest him, and everything ends like after the Joker dies. Alright then, why shouldn't he kill Joker? He should. He probably would have better off not killing Bruce though.

2.2 Kill the Joker

So. How funny it is that the most stable and mentally healthy Jason so far is the one who planned to kill the Joker right from the start?

The question it's asking: what if Joker is really a changed man? What if he really is trying not to be that Joker anymore? Should Jason spare him?

My answer is obviously no.

But this is actually a non-negotiable. You can't opt out of killing Joker here. That's telling.

What you can choose, is between allowing to be taken into custody and trying to fight his way out.

2.2.1 Hands up.

That's my batshit Jason right here. I love him. You are doing great, baby! And look rough and handsome too.

2.2.2 fight his way out

Red Robin time, finally! A bird of prey, if you will.

And of course he is crazy and kills criminals indiscriminately.

I think his money are tighter, somehow, and style is less florishing than the Hush one but it does the job. Criminals losing heads for this Red Robin.

Up until he gets really unlucky.

2.2.2.1 heads

(Two-Face has to do good and save Gotham from Red Robin)

Not today, Satan!

I would do without a kid, just after saving Jason, trying to read him a lecture and pointing a electric gun on him.

That's a Tim Drake making Jason come back to Jesus? Ughhh but I will forgive it for an absolutely ridiculous Batkid.

2.2.2.2 tails

(Two-Face has to kill Jason)

That is actually even worse! Two-Face is the one who reads a lecture to Jason and makes him change his ways!

A bit anticlimactic, tbh. But the moral of this branch of the story is: killing Joker is good and great but you probably should stop at him. And I have no issues with that except for how they never showed what it would look like.

3) that's a retelling of utrh

#death in the family #jason todd #bruce wayne #joker #honestly a great food for fanfiction and yet I have not seen any stories inspired by this movie

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sammysdewysensitiveeyes · 3 years ago

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Now that I’ve seen all of Gotham, I can give my two cents about the series as a whole.

Gotham is a ridiculous, trashy guilty-pleasure show that has some good moments, but is mostly saved by really good actors, and costume/set designers that fully understand that this is comic-book noir fantasy land.

The Best:

Penguin - I can understand people not liking this take on him, he’s very different from his comics counterpart, much more stabby and emotional, plus much thinner than he should be. But I find Penguin to be the most interesting and dynamic character on the show, and Robin Lord Taylor did an excellent job making him funny, intense, weirdly charismatic, at times almost sympathetic, and always fun to watch. He is an absolutely horrible person, and I know full well he’d deserve it if he got shot in the head, but every episode is just another adventure in “Who will Penguin back-stab this time,” and “How will he somehow weasel his way out of danger?” Plus in a show where half the time is spent on a never-ending web of criminals back-stabbing each other then teaming up again, I no longer care that much about his betrayals. He’ll be teaming up with that same person again in a week, or possibly in the same episode, depending on circumstances.

Riddler - another character that is very different from his comics counterpart, but I enjoyed this version of the character. I kinda think they turned him into the Riddler too early, as they then had to find something for him to do for the rest of the series. I don’t necessarily love the dissociative identity disorder take on his personality, or his creeping on poor Kristen Kringle, but the actor certainly did a good job with the character, and he was generally witty and fun to watch. His relationship with the Penguin, whether you ship them or not, is my favorite part, the way they backstab and make friends again. It’s fun. I also really enjoyed his interactions with Lucius Fox, who seemed to understand him on some level, while obviously disapproving of his actions. Hell, Lucius should have been Ed’s nemesis, he’s one of the few people smart enough. Ed and Lee also had an interesting dynamic.

Harvey Bullock - spends the entire series being the only character with common sense, basically the tired dad sleazy uncle of the GCPD. His interactions with Gordon, especially early in the series, are him constantly going, “Jim, don’t do the thing,” and then Jim doing the thing anyway. He’s a very relatable asshole, who will reluctantly do the right thing and complain about it the whole time. His relationship with Gordon is probably when I like Gordon the best - just them broing around.

Fish Mooney - Fish was great, and I wish she’d stuck around longer. She was smart, she was powerful, she was interesting. She was also extremely callous, but so are most of the characters on this show. I guess she had to get knocked off her seat of power so that people like Penguin and Barbara could rise up, but I wish she’d gotten to play a role in later seasons. Maybe if she banged Jim Gordon she’d get to be important, which seems to be the case for both Barbara and Lee.

Lucius Fox - he’s a kind, brave, brilliant man, and I enjoyed him working with Harvey and Gordon, as well as his interactions with Ed. I wish he’d gotten more of a storyline of his own. Looking back, he’s usually just there to be helpful. The most “story-arc” he’s gotten is his decision to work at the GCP, and later to help Bruce, but he doesn’t really get enough focus on just him. He always seems to be the sidekick who’s there to supply info or technology to Bruce, Gordon, Harvey, etc.

The Pretty Good

Barbara - I like Barbara much better when she’s embraced life as a crime boss, and is running a nightclub with Tabitha than when she’s Jim Gordon’s “crazy” evil ex. Barbara winds up being a badass in her own right, and I love her role in later seasons. Her “redemption” at the end is a little cheap, but I like her co-parenting with Jim better than her just conveniently giving birth to Gordon’s child then getting written off while he raises the baby with Lee.

Lee - Lee also winds up being a badass without completely giving over to her dark side. She consistently tries to help people throughout the series. Like Barbara, I like Lee best when she’s completely disconnected from Gordon, especially in her Queen of the Narrows storyline. When she was helping Barbara give birth, I almost wished the two of them would run away together and leave Jim behind, but whatever. At least she gets to be happy in the end.

Selina - I get annoyed by the hyper-competent child trope, and while the actress is beautiful, I always found it a bit creepy how heavily made-up this street urchin child character was on the show, especially in the early seasons. I was also bored by everything Bruce/Selina related. But the actress did a good job, and I enjoyed Selina while she was trying to help friends from the Narrows, or teaming up with Barbara and Tabitha to run the nightclub.

Alfred - Alfred’s pretty cool.

Zsaz - for a remorseless murderer, he actually wound up being pretty funny and almost likable, especially in later seasons. The dude kills for a living, he’s just doing his job.

The Meh

Baby Bruce - I almost feel like Bruce shouldn’t have been on this show at all, or should have been brought in later. Baby Bruce generally either bored or annoyed me. My favorite Bruce scene was actually a scene where he and Selina have snuck into the GCPD to steal information, then he distracts an officer by claiming he wants protection from Jerome, and fake crying. “I’m sorry! I’m just so scared!” Hilarious. I mean, he’s obviously a hero, we see him do incredibly brave and selfless things, but I’m way more interested in all the villains on this show. While I know we’re supposed to see Bruce making his gradual transformation into Batman, it felt like they did too much too early. Bruce has killed Ra’s al Ghul and been through No Man’s Land before he even became Batman, what challenges are left for him now?

Gordon - I know I should like Gordon, he’s the light in the darkness, the one good cop in Gotham, but unfortunately, as the boy scout character, he’s also boring compared to the more colorful, morally bankrupt characters. He also comes off as self-righteous and hypocritical at times, as he winds up doing some shady things, or insists on “doing the right thing” regardless of who may be screwed over by his actions. Also, how many beautiful women need to throw themselves at him?

Ivy - making Ivy an unnaturally aged-up child who is portrayed as sexy sexy was very creepy and weird. I guess they tried to make her the eco-terrorist in the last season or so, but there were so many wrong turns with that character.

The “Joker” - I’m honestly so bored with dark, edgy Joker. He’s overplayed. My favorite Jokers now are Cesar Romero, Lego Batman Joker, and Mark Hamill’s Batman TAS Joker, who portrayed just the right amount of menace while still letting the character be fun. (Honorable mention to Heath Ledger, whose dark, edgy Joker was at least interesting and compelling.) This show is no exception. I was generally bored whenever Jerome showed up. Oh, he’s gonna kill some people? Great. However, the twist in Season 4 was interesting, and I give the actor a lot of credit for portraying two very different personas. He did a great job with that.

Discount Bin “Harley” - she wasn’t really called Harley, but she wore a similar suit and was blond and said “puddin.” Not nearly as compelling or sympathetic as the original, TAS Harley.

Sophia Falcone - she was an interesting schemer, but I’m very annoyed that they took a big, physically imposing woman from the comics, and made her slim and conventionally beautiful.

Also:

The show did a lot of things too soon, imo. Of course, they had five seasons to fill, and they needed big impressive events, but it got weird when they tried to adapt comics stories like No Man’s Land or The Killing Joke before Bruce is even Batman. What challenges are left for him? The villains have almost all been through a lot of their development already, so what’s left for them when Bruce actually starts beating them up wearing the funny suit? Also, Bullock said at one point that he’s fifty, which means that, 10 years later, he’s close to retirement age when Batman is just getting started. Montaya was introduced in the first season and disappeared. By the time Barbara Gordon is old enough to be Batgirl, Riddler, Penguin and Joker are gonna be senior citizens.

Bruce and Selina need to both stop taking their masks off. In the last episode, Catwoman takes off her mask while she’s stealing a diamond, while physically at the crime scene, probably being recorded on security cameras, just so that we can see that it’s her. Are the GCPD just letting her steal whatever because she’s helped them in the past? Baby Bruce takes off his leather mask when he first starts crime fighting, and does a hell of a lot of beating criminals up maskless in the last couple of seasons. But no one suspects that he’s Batman later?

The show has an absolutely appalling portrayal of mental illness. Arkham seems to house both harmless and dangerous patients, but they’re all mixed in together, and the non-named extras are all hamming it up acting “crazy” during scenes there. It really plays on the “crazy = monster” trope, especially since all the main characters that experience mental illness seem to go bad. I guess they could be making a statement about poor treatment of the mentally ill, but the extras are always portrayed as grotesque and comical. It’s gross. But it’s also very similar to the way Arkham is usually portrayed in the comics.

Nothing on this show ever made sense, but that’s okay, it’s Gotham.

#gotham #my long rambling opinions

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highly-opinionated-ramblings · 5 years ago

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Batshipping masterpost

Sometimes asking yourself the question “what would it take for me to ship these two characters together?” helps you come up with really really good stories that you otherwise might never have thought of!

Very fun writing exercise. Do recommend.

ANYWAY. I like Batman, so I asked myself this question about him, and these were the results!

(Featuring: Catwoman, Riddler, Twoface, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Azrael, Mr. Freeze, Clayface, Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Aquaman)

What would it take for me to ship Batman with that character? A few key ingredients:

If they are/were a villain, a redemption of sorts. A slow process of coming to terms and actively deciding “yeah, that’s not who I am anymore.”

A connection, a distinct moment where they’re able to talk to Batman as more than just an old enemy or a League ally. A spark that generates interest in developing the relationship further.

An establishment of explicit trust. This usually comes in the form of Bruce revealing his identity to the other and trusting them (maybe tentatively at first, but even so) not to give it away.

An introduction to the kids. I am one hundred percent positive that this is, for the vast majority, not a voluntary action on Batman’s part. But if you raise nine kids to be detectives, you can’t expect to keep secrets from them for long! And once they know you’ve been sleeping with that former villain, you’re going to have to justify that to them somehow.

Then the whole cycle starts again as the villain redeems themselves in the eyes of the kids and gains their trust and acceptance too. Good stuff.

Note: my interpretations of these characters are entirely my own and by no means do all of them line up with any sort of canon. I just sort of do whatever.

Also: some of the bullet points below address some of the mental health problems in the villains, so proceed at your own discretion.

Catwoman: I really like the Gotham tv show’s dynamic between Bruce and Selina, which is to say, they were childhood friends with an early attraction to one another, but had a falling out sometime around the very beginnings of Bruce actually becoming Batman. She spends a few years as a professional thief. He sends her to prison a few times. But eventually she settles down and opens up a casino or whatever, where she deals information under the table. Alfred and the kids know her these days as an ally rather than enemy. So it’s just a matter of her realizing that her attraction to Bruce is deeper than originally assumed, and that if she wants to be with him she has to really dedicate herself to that idea, and for him to realize that she’s being serious and that he needs to prioritize spending time with her over obsessing over his work.

Bruce takes his mask off dramatically, saying something along the lines of “it’s me, Selina” and she’s like “yeah I know.” “What?” “You do this thing where you pace back and forth and nod your head up and down when you’re thinking. Never known anyone else who did that but Bruce Wayne.” “...Oh.”

Childhood friends interpretation is also great because Alfred already knows her and likes her. And she has all these embarrassing stories about 14 year old Bruce to share, which means that even the most resistant of the kids warm up to her right away.

Riddler: the first line in his Arkham file is that he has an obsessive need for attention. And Bruce KNOWS that. But it takes years for it to occur to him, incredibly sleep-deprived and staring down one of Ed’s death traps that he really, really doesn’t want to deal with today....what would happen if he just, y’know, gives it to him? The attention that he wants? And the results are instantaneous. It’s like the floodgates are open and Ed just can’t stop talking. It starts out snide and derogatory, the same way he usually talks to Batman, but the longer it goes on the more it deteriorates into something oddly helpless and vulnerable. Bruce has been so used to cocky, swaggering Ed that it never really occurred to him that this was someone suffering, who needed help. So he sits down and does his best to convince Ed that he’s not going to take him in (how many times has he been sent to Arkham? And what good has it done him, really?) and they talk. He leaves out of necessity (bank robbery in progress, says Barbara’s voice in his ear) but he goes back the next day, and again after that. Ed gets attention from Bruce without having to resort to crime to get it. Bruce gets a break from head busting and an outlet for some of the stale energy inside his head. They tell each other riddles and play strategy games and get to know each other, for real this time.

Ed stops worrying so much about proving that he’s smarter than Batman. Instead he channels all that energy into uncovering Bruce’s secret identity. It’s just another one of their games. Bruce has kept that secret for a long time and he’s confident he can keep it up, but Ed’s always alert waiting for him to slip up, to leave a clue

Option 1 for how he finds out: he sets up an elaborate trap, making it seem like he’s in danger and the only way to save him is for Bruce to take his mask off, so he does. Ed is outraged. “REALLY? BRUCE WAYNE? FUCKING REALLY?” he yells, dropping all pretense of being in danger. The robots he made for this setup drop like puppets with cut strings. Bruce gets ready to Fight.

Option 2: Some other villain reveals Bruce’s identity before he gets the chance (Arkhamverse style). Ed is outraged. “HOW DARE YOU LET ANYONE ELSE BUT ME DO THAT” he yells while Bruce tries his best to ignore him and focus on calling the JL to fix the whole situation somehow

Option 3: Bruce just tells him. Ed is outraged. “I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONE TO FIGURE IT OUT YOU IDIOT”

The kids are Not Happy about Bruce dating Gotham’s Most Annoying Super Villain

Twoface: again I gotta go with the whole ‘they were friends when they were younger and Bruce had a raging crush on him’ setup. Cause that adds a whole layer to Bruce’s part of the story, watching Harvey become Twoface and assuming responsibility for locking him up every time he gets out. One day something happens in Gotham- string of murders or something, it’s not important really what it is. Bruce goes after the person responsible and his trail leads him to Harvey. So he busts into the safe house, intending to intimidate anything Harvey knows out of him, and then throw him back in Blackgate. “Ohohoho, noooooo, you got this all wrong,” Harvey says when he figures out what Batman’s getting at. “That motherfucker put a dozen of my men in the ground. This is personal. You want me to tell you what I know, you’re going to take me with you.” And Bruce agrees. Cause he knows Harvey’s got a certain moral code that he can be trusted to stick to, and it’s the most painless way of getting what he wants from him anyway. Working with Harvey is weird, though. He shoots a couple of goons going after Batman and gives him that lopsided smile, says “I’ve got your back,” and suddenly Bruce is like 20 again and Harvey is bringing him a coffee, smiling. During their chase they have a dramatic rooftop showdown with whoever it is they’re chasing. Bruce turns around just in time to see one of the thugs push Twoface over the edge. He gets caught up in the moment and practically screams, “Harvey!” Of course, he’s able to dramatically swoop in and save him, though it’s a pretty close call. When Harvey comes to he sits up and says quietly, “It’s been a long time since anyone’s called my name like that, did we have that kind of relationship?” and Bruce panics and tries to brush it off as his imagination, but Harvey shakes his head and says “once you’ve seen it, you can’t unsee it, man. It’s you under there, isn’t it, Bruce?” And it turns out that knowing Bruce’s real identity turned out to be exactly what Harvey needed. Cause he can identify some of the duality he feels about himself in Batman, now. They spend some more time together, talking some of that out, and it doesn’t take long for Bruce’s crush to return en force.

Poison Ivy: He lets her go. He knew she was at that scene, and she knows he saw her, but he lets her go, cause it wasn’t a big deal. No one died, relatively little property damage, and that jerk deserved it anyway. The next day there’s a potted plant sitting on GCPD’s doorstep and they call Batman thinking it might be dangerous, but it’s just a lovely specimen of a rare flower, which he knows is her way of saying thanks. (He doesn’t let the police know that, though. He just puts it in the back of the Batmobile and tells them it’s nothing he can’t handle). He takes it home with him and treats it well. And she knows it, can kind of sense it, distantly. They have a few more run ins over the course of the next few months and they take it easy on each other, having this sort of mutually unspoken agreement. Eventually something happens for her to need to talk to Batman, so she digs her roots in deep and finds that flower...in the garden at Wayne Manor. She leaves a message for Batman and they meet up and talk about whatever she needed. She doesn’t mention the Manor, so he asks about it. She just shrugs and mentions something about Bruce Wayne’s recent efforts in protecting the environment. “Maybe we’re not as different as I thought, after all.” They give each other more little presents from afar. One day she sees him hanging around (where she knows he knows she can see him), and drops by to talk. He offers her a ride home and ends up spending the night.

This one I think he owns up to before the kids can figure it out. Pam’s a good source of information, and if he was desperate he’d call her even with all of them watching. They’d all think he’d been bewitched, of course. It’d take a while to convince them all otherwise.

Harley Quinn: all it takes is for him to get his first glimpse of the real her and decide that Joker victims need to stick together and help other Joker victims. After the breakup and the subsequent recovery, she’s living free (albeit under Constant Surveillance) in Gotham, and he checks in every once in a while, just to make sure she’s doing ok and not reverting to her previous, Joker-driven, rocket-fueled bad habits. One day there’s an incident in her neighborhood- maybe someone was going after her and Bruce was there protecting her, or maybe it wasn’t related to her at all. Regardless, it’s her who finds him after the explosion and takes him home and gives him first aid. He’s groggy and panicky when he first wakes up in a strange place (not a hospital, not the cave) with an IV drip in his arm (he’s not in a hospital, where did that come from!). It gets worse when he realizes that his mask was blown right off his face in the blast. It gets SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE when Harley appears in his field of vision, waving around a tablet pulled up to Bruce Wayne’s wikipedia page, in full psychologist mode, ranting about how he’s been going about dealing with his childhood trauma All Wrong. But they talk, and she promises not to give his secret away. “What would I have to gain from that? You’d stop coming to visit me then!” It takes a while for the two of them to figure out exactly what’s going on between them but once they’re both sure the others’ intentions are good, they develop a good, strong relationship.

Bonus points if, at any point in the above time space, she walks up to him one day and hands him an unmarked usb drive. “What’s on this?” “My daughter.” “What.” “My daughter! Her location and everything about her.” “Is she...Joker’s?” “I dunno. Could have been him or any one of a number of other guys. Mistah J threw some really wild parties. *shrug* The only part that really matters to me is that she’s mine. And if anything ever happens to me, she’ll need someone to look out for her, y’know?” “And that’s me???” “Well, helping people in need is one of your compulsions, after all. Especially kids, or else you wouldn’t have so many of your own.”

I usually imagine Jason as one of the ones kind of sticking up for Batman, citing how crime has all but disappeared since he started sleeping with whatever particular villain and that who are they to police who Bruce shares his bed with anyway (BONUS bonus points if he’s just entering the early stages of coming to terms with his own bisexuality and never realized that Bruce was bi, too), but that wouldn’t be the case with Harley. He’d feel pretty hurt about that, I think. On the other hand: Dick has been around since Harley’s debut on the scene, and has always thought of her as relatively harmless and even respected her to a degree, as a fellow acrobat, so he’s cool with her dating Bruce

Azrael: His JL team goes on hiatus for a little while, so he calls Bruce up like “uhhh, I don’t really have much of anywhere else to go, so can I come back to Gotham for a while?” And Bruce tells him that they’re actually experiencing a pretty calm stretch for a change, but yeah, he can come if he wants. At first he’s excited because he’s never been invited to the actual, og Batcave, but there really IS nothing going on. He meets Alfred, who offers him tea. He meets Steph and Tim, out of masks, lounging on the couch playing Street Fighter. They assure him that if literally anything happens, one of their gajillion alert systems will let them know. He goes off in search of Bruce, finds him sitting at the kitchen table making his way through a veritable mountain of paperwork. Eventually he admits that he doesn’t really know what to do with himself in the downtime. “I usually try to use time like this to do things for Bruce Wayne, instead of for Batman,” Bruce explains. “You should do something for Michael Lane, while you have the chance.” “But...but...but I’ve been Azrael full-time for years now...” “Alright, well, what did you like to do before you were Azrael?” “UHH...” Before he can short-circuit too much trying to come up with an actual answer to that question, Bruce puts aside his paperwork and takes his arm. They get in the car and Bruce takes him to like a hobby shop or something. They buy model kits and a cookbook and some yarn (”one of the kids can teach you”), and he promises that one of these days they’ll clear some space on the lawn to play football. Michael hasn’t experienced this level of anyone caring for his well-being probably ever? and all he can do is stammer something about “is there anything I can do for Bruce Wayne in return?” “You can keep me company while I file all my paperwork, I guess.” So he sits at the table across from Bruce and builds his little ATAT model kit feeling happier than he has in a long time. Bruce can tell that a little more attention would do him good, so they spend some more time hanging out which leads to having some deep conversations and building up feelings for each other, it’s all very cute

Right at the beginning of Michael developing his crush on Bruce he realizes that something’s different, but doesn’t quite realize what it is, and his mind jumps to the worst case scenario right away. He locks himself in his room, calls Bruce at work, panicking, and says he thinks his St. Dumas brainwashed obsession with Bruce might be coming back. Bruce tells him to calm down, they’ll run some tests. All the tests come back negative, but Michael is visibly shaken, so Bruce offers for him to hang around Gotham a little longer so they can monitor him, which is what leads to his extended stay in Gotham

Mr. Freeze: One day something changes. One day the realization finally, finally clicks into place. There’s a huge floating JL base in the sky and aliens living on Earth and people coming back from the dead and healing from miraculous injuries and plagues all the time. If it was going to happen to him, it would have happened by now. It’s over. Nora’s not coming back. That day he laces up his boots and loads his gun and walks over to the little diner on the corner and wrecks it. Batman gets the call, and obviously he knows that something’s different, this isn’t Vic’s MO, but he goes anyway, of course. Vic blasts away at him with his freeze gun, wildly, recklessly, screaming and ranting the whole time. Bruce dodges out of view, and Vic transfers his aggressions to the nearest object in sight: a table. He blasts that thing in half, and then in half again, and keeps going until it’s nothing but splinters and he’s just standing there, gasping for breath. “Victor,” says Bruce from behind him, “tell me what’s wrong.” “Nora’s dead,” Vic mumbles under his breath. Bruce comes around to face him and Vic is looking at him with THE SADDEST puppy dog eyes he’s ever seen. (I know what you’re thinking right now. “Mr. Freeze can’t do puppy dog eyes.” You’re WRONG, I’m telling you) “That’s the first time I’ve ever said that out loud, I think... I d-don’t...I don’t know what to do…” and Bruce is like, darn, I can’t take this fool to jail. So he brings him back to his chilly lair instead and sits him down and talks him through it a little. Leaves him with a phone number to call if it gets real bad again, but makes the first call to check up on him later anyway. This one is a sloooow burn, it takes Vic MONTHS to get over Nora, couple weeks to realize he MIGHT? be developing feelings for Bruce, couple more weeks to wrestle with the guilt of that. Learning Bruce’s identity is the thing that really brings all of it to a head. Maybe there’s an attempt on Bruce Wayne’s life and later that day Batman shows up with the same pattern of lacerations on his cheek, or broken leg, or whatever. Vic’s not an idiot. He can put two and two together. When Bruce finally takes off the helmet in front of him, it’s a huge relief. To be able to say “I know what it’s like to lose people” and for Vic to know he’s not just talking about heroing. They get closer and closer from there. Their relationship is a weird one, with a lot of compromises to make, but they do the best they can.

The kids don’t particularly mind Bruce going out with Vic. He’s not so much a villain as he is just a guy who’s been dealt a bad hand in life and done the best he could with it. But having around makes the already-cool cave soooo much colder, which isn’t so fun.

Clayface: There hasn’t been an incident with Clayface in years. He’s older, little calmer, little more mature (I like the New 52 plotline of him joining Kate’s crime busting team, but this little scenario works even without that part thrown in). Still, when Bruce hears he’s back in town, he figures he should probably pay him a visit anyway. Just in case he’s planning something. But he goes to the address he was given, some apartment building in Kingston, opens the door, and finds Basil. Not Clayface, Basil Karlo, sitting in a chair by the window reading a paper. “Haven’t seen that face on you in a while,” he says, still unsure if it’s a trick or not. “Oh,” Basil shrugs, unsure if he should be worried about being tossed in jail again or not. “Well, it’s my face. The one I’m most familiar with, takes the least amount of concentration to keep up with. I did make some changes, though, see? Few gray hairs, few lines on my face. Do I look older?” “Yes. It’s a good look.” He keeps checking in with him, cause you can never be too careful, and then because he actually starts to enjoy Basil’s company. Their relationship is one of the more light-hearted ones on this list. They get wine drunk and make out on the roof of the apartment building, very giggly.

“If I learned anything at Arkham, it’s that there are some things that you know are wrong with you, but there are also things that are wrong with you that you aren’t even aware of, and that you couldn’t identify or fix even if you tried.” “One of the psychologists told you that?” “No. I shared a cell with Tetch for a few weeks. That dude is so much more messed up than you realize.”

Superman: Clark calls him up saying something about a mystery in Metropolis that has everyone stumped, and maybe the World’s Greatest Detective wouldn’t mind helping him out? So Bruce drops by to lend him a hand. The ‘mystery’ turns out to be a group of unfamiliar aliens who’re out to get Superman (I don’t care why. Maybe they’re holding some kind of grudge, maybe they’re bounty hunters, maybe they want to sell him off into space-gladiator slavery, whatever). These antagonistic aliens have been very careful in their preparations- they’ve done all the math, and come up with special weapons specifically designed to hit Superman hard enough to knock him out. But they didn’t plan on Batman being there with him, which throws them off just enough that Superman is able to chase them off successfully. In the midst of that fight, though, Bruce takes a hit. A hit calculated for Superman. It breaks several of his ribs and punctures a lung. Clark panics, scoops him up and flies him to the nearest hospital at record speeds. They’re able to stabilize him at Metropolis, and then they send him back to the Watchtower for further treatment. When he wakes up he’s pretty disoriented and confused, but Clark (who had been listening for a change in his breathing and heartbeat from a couple rooms away) comes rushing in, ushering him back to bed and promising to explain everything. Bruce is woozy and wonky enough from whatever drugs they gave him that he lays back down and lets Clark hold his hand protectively without argument. He listens to Clark’s explanation, mumbles something about calling Alfred, and promptly falls back asleep. Clark feels so guilty about his injury that he won’t leave his side for weeks, even following him back to Gotham once he’s well enough to leave the Watchtower.

“God, when will they finally just kiss already,” Jason says, taking cover with the rest of the family in the cave. “I know, right,” says Steph while Tim, Cass, and Duke (and Alfred) all nod in agreement. “SHUT UP,” yells Damian, having a hard time adapting to the idea of his dad and his best friend’s dad getting together

Any Superbat is good Superbat but I enjoy it best in the context of ‘they’re old enough by now to be embarrassed about how angsty and competitive they were when they first met, and they both have huge extended families, and the rest of the JL has been watching them dance around each other for YEARS, JUST KISS ALREADY DAMMIT’

Wonder Woman: I don’t usually imagine Bruce as a flustered kind of guy, but Wonder Woman is everything he wants to be when he grows up and he can’t help it. She’s so effortlessly cool, calm, and collected. And she’s a natural charmer, the public loves her. She always manages to come at things with a fresh perspective that has helped unstick his too-logical train of thought numerous times. She paid him a compliment once and he sat in the batmobile in the parking lot thinking about it for like twenty minutes. One day they get assigned to a League PR thing together that turns into an assassination attempt (surprising no one), but everything turns out ok. Minor damage to the surrounding buildings, a few people injured in the mass chaos, that’s all. She goes looking for him after returning from talking to the local cops, and finds him with a toddler girl on his hip, holding hands with her six yo sister, helping them look for their parents. And she just has to stop and marvel for a minute at how soft his voice is??? How the toddler isn’t even crying??? He bends down to hug the little girl bye after returning her to her fam and Diana almost has a heart attack. “I see that the gods have blessed you with an affinity for children of all ages,” she says. By the time he straightens back up he’s Batman again. “What do you mean by that?” “I can never get kids to warm up to me like that in situations like these...I always thought it was because I was just too big and imposing. How did you do it?” “Oh. Well. You know. *gestures vaguely* You just gotta give them what they want.” “And what is that?” “Security. A promise of safety from an adult that they can trust.” She doesn’t quite get it but she watches him, and talks to his sidekicks sometimes. It amazes her how much kindness and love are hidden under that mask of his. When he smiles from the heart he could melt glaciers. So she starts to press, just a little, just to see how he’ll respond. And once she figures out exactly how flustered he can get, too, it’s all downhill from there.

Martian Manhunter: This one is literally one of the sweetest, most pure relationship dynamics I think I’ve ever written, which really caught me by surprise! The way I think of it is like this: When they first meet, Bruce is really, really uncomfortable with the idea of having J’onn in his head, so J’onn tries to keep telecommunication with him to a minimum. So when Bruce gets his attention during like a meeting or something and subtly lets him know he needs to talk, J’onn knows it must be important. So he opens up a private channel and helps Bruce deal with whatever it is (I don’t know exactly what that would be, only that it’d be some kind of sensitive topic best kept between the two of them). And over the course of that, all those one-on-one mind convos, Bruce starts to get used to talking like that with J’onn. In return, while they’re working together, he helps J’onn get used to human physical contact. It starts with small things- handshakes, little pats on the shoulder- until J’onn is comfortable returning them. One day J’onn has a bad day and it’s Bruce that comes to find him, to comfort him. He doesn’t really say anything, just puts his arms around J’onn and holds him close. Most humans- and hell, even most Martians- wouldn’t have done that for him. What else was J’onn supposed to do but fall in love with him?

I really liked the scene in JL8 where J’onn was trying to, like, share a memory with Bruce or something, and instead he ended up unintentionally stumbling into some of Bruce’s trauma memories, which freaked both of them out pretty badly. I think that little scene would fit quite nicely into this scenario. Bonus, if it happens in the really early days of the League, it doubles as the moment when J’onn first learns Bruce’s secret identity.

Flash: It’s been a longtime headcanon of mine that Barry is very active in the Central City community, not just as Flash, but as himself, too. Namely, he spends a good deal of his free time volunteering with the local homeless shelter slash food bank. I mean, come on, just by the very nature of his powers, is it any surprise that he has a vested interest in ending hunger in his community? One day he stops Bruce in the hall in the Watchtower, and clumsily explains that he needs to ask a favor. The shelter has been looking to expand their operations for some time, but right at the last second one of their backers pulled out. They’re short 7k for the payment on the property they needed to make tomorrow, and Barry didn’t know where else to turn to get that much money that quickly. He promises to pay him back, somehow, eventually. Bruce cuts him a check right there for 10k, and tells him to consider it a gift. Later he even publicly endorses the program on social media, saying he thinks Gotham should implement something similar. Barry invites him down to see the building he paid for, so Bruce rolls up his sleeves and spends the day volunteering with him. It’s a chance for both of them to see a side of the other that they’ve never seen before. Bruce watches Barry shine like a ray of sunshine, bringing light and laughter to a room full of people at their very lowest. Barry watches Bruce inspire trust and confidence in complete strangers, like magic. Not to mention, that smile- Barry tries not to use his powers out in the open if he can avoid it, but he discreetly flashes over to stop a tray or something from falling, and of course it doesn’t escape Bruce’s notice. He grins at Barry from across the room and Barry’s heart fully stops for a second.

I like to think of Bruce as a little older than Barry. Just a little, just a few years. Just enough that Barry always feels like an inexperienced, incompetent baby in the face of The Batman

This one throws the kids for such a loop once they find out about it. “THIS is what you’re attracted to, Bruce? THIS???”

Green Lantern: what I know about Hal is that he’s sassy. And what I know about Bruce is that if anyone he doesn’t have the ability to tell to go to their room is sassy with him, he gets snippy. So he and Hal butt heads a lot. One day Hal is venting to Superman in like, an elevator or something about how Bruce just Doesn’t Get It, Clark, He Doesn’t Understand Me, and Clark says, “well, Hal, can you honestly say that you understand him, either?” And suggests that maybe he should spend some more time actually getting to know Bruce before passing judgement. Hal takes that to mean ‘maybe I should go to Gotham and spy on Batman for a day’. When he spots him doing his best to hide inconspicuously on a nearby rooftop, Bruce rolls his eyes and ignores him. Dick spots him too, though, and invites him to the cave in hopes that maybe they’ll be able to settle whatever their argument was about (Jason, Tim, and Steph break out the popcorn and get themselves front row seats for the Drama). But in the end, an up-close perspective was exactly what Hal needed to realize that there was more to Batman than had been meeting his eye. He watches Bruce juggle ten different comm feeds while giving a press conference AND directing his kids’ efforts in the field at the same time, and he earns a new respect for Bruce. He gets where he’s coming from now, and why he’s always so cautious all the time. The guy has a lot to lose. So he mans up and apologizes. Bruce accepts the apology graciously, says he realizes that they’re fundamentally different people but that he values Hal as a comrade and respects his prowess with the ring, and Hal is like, ‘ah. We Are Friends Now.’ He spends more of his time on Earth with Bruce, and along the way he trips and falls headlong into a debilitating crush on him. Like, a visibly obvious crush. Bruce finds it adorable.

Green Arrow: Bruce and Ollie get invited to the same billionaire shindig one day and neither of them can think of a good enough reason to not go. Ollie’s recovering from a bad ankle sprain, and Bruce hasn’t slept in days, so instead of socializing with anyone else there they just sit in the corner and hang out with each other. Midway through the event Bruce closes his eyes and does this forceful little sigh through his nose. Ollie knows him well enough by now to know that small outward signs indicate big amounts of internal emotions with Bruce, and this is about as frustrated as he’s ever seen him out of mask. Normally his act is impenetrable. “What,” he asks, imagination running full speed ahead thinking about what might have happened, “what’s wrong?” “Firefly just broke out of prison,” Bruce growls, reaching for a refill of whatever he’s drinking. “Wh- Wait, who?” “Pyromaniac, serial arsonist in Gotham.” “How exactly did you learn this?” (read: do you have some kind of spider sense I don’t know about?) Bruce just gestures to his microscopic earpiece. Ollie offers, probably against his better judgement, to take a trip to Gotham and help catch Firefly. Bruce, barely able to see straight at that point (bad combination of sleeplessness and alcohol), accepts. So Ollie gets the full treatment, a trip to the cave and tea from Alfred and a haranguing from the kids and a trip to Blackgate with Firefly, even. In return he offers to have Bruce over in Star City sometime. Ollie is usually a little on edge around Bruce, but then he starts to see the real him and finds out that he does, in fact have a sense of humor. They have goofy adventures together and it’s all very cute

Aquaman: Arthur is hotheaded and when he gets in a Mood, the sight of Bruce and his stupid unmovable face just makes him angrier. But once during a mission, when Arthur is busy working himself into a panic, not knowing what to do, it’s Bruce that snaps him out of it. Grabs him by the shoulders and demands that he get a hold of himself. And it’s enough of a shock that it actually works- Bruce tells Arthur the plan, and Arthur does it without argument. No one is more surprised when it works than he is. He is SHOOK. Eventually he swallows his pride enough to go up to Batman and admit, “I think I’m still too emotionally invested in this, can you help me?” Bruce agrees, of course. He does his best to explain how he always keeps his emotions in check, especially when lives are on the line. It occurs to Arthur to wonder what kind of toll that takes on a person. He decides that Bruce could probably use a little vacation of sorts, and invites him to spend a day with him in Atlantis. A day in the life of a king, if you will. Bruce rolls his eyes and agrees, just to play along, but he ends up really enjoying it. Yes, there are a dozen-odd irons in the fire waiting for him when he gets home, but this time he finds that he actually has the energy to deal with them for once. Which is a good enough excuse to go back and do it again, and spend more time with Arthur in the process.

Dami is usually super resistant to Bruce dating anyone, but he would be ok with Arthur, I think. Like, “you bagged a king? Ok, respect”

Extra notes:

I feel like a lot of my thoughts about Clayface and Martian Manhunter specifically could also apply to Killer Croc, too, in a way. I mean, he’s not EVIL. He’s just never really been treated like a person, and so he embraced his image as Killer Croc instead of continuing to face that rejection. But if anyone can look past his exterior and see the needs of the man within, Bruce could. Feels a little weird to think about but maybe there’s something there.

Polyshipping is GREAT may I interest you in some ot3s??? SuperWonderBat is one of the more obvious ones, and I love it (cause Diana gets to play with TWO flustered boys) but BatLanternFlash is also top tier. And then there’s the villains! RiddleBatCat is one of my favorites! Also TwoRiddleBat and BruHarlIvy. The possibilities are endless!

I considered adding Lex and Slade to this post, but in the end I left them off. Cause it’s hard for me to see those as anything but weird, inherently unhealthy relationships. They’d make great black ships though : o

When talking about Bruce dating someone else from the JL, there’s DOUBLE the kids to embarrass. Can you imagine you’re like, Roy Harper or something, somebody’s sidekick, and you walk in and find BATMAN in bed with your mentor???? WILD

This post really got away from me, haha. Thanks for reading! Hit me up if you ever need someone to talk about Batshipping with (especially rarepairs, I got you fam)!

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batmanisagatewaydrug · 2 years ago

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Gotham 4x11

hey so is Ra's actually dead. like what. lmao.

Crystal Reed is giving I think one of my favorite performances in the whole show. she's not playing it to 11 like most of the mains and regulars but there's this very controlled chill to her Sofia Falcone that I really enjoy.

"tell me how sleeping with Jim Gordon helped reclaim Gotham" girl that one was just for funsies

I think the show is trying to convey that Bruce had a grody little teen threesome last night but if he did then he crawled back into his sweater and rich boy pants immediately after and then fully fell asleep that way lmao. lol even.

personally I'm operating on the assumption that these girls were extremely drunk and naturally gravitated towards the safest guy at the party, the depressed but polite and very protective turbo-virgin who knows karate

it's insane how all these men are discussing relocating Sofia like she's a fucking yorkie they can just kennel up and move and not like. you know. an intelligent and autonomous adult woman.

omg RIP daddy falcone

it took like 74 episodes but Jim FINALLY made a speech about the honor and duty of being a cop and didn't get ignored or actively booed out of his place of work

if we're being honest though that might be because Pyg slaughtered enough of the dirty cops that they're now the (slight) minority and peer pressure is winning out

Tabbyyyyy you are carrying this team on your BACK

curse Victor's sudden but inevitable betrayal but oh my god Oswald tell me you weren't so stupid that you didn't even bother to make sure the kid actually got somewhere safe

stop clapping for Jimbellini there are still 20 minutes left in this episode for everything to blow up in his dumb lil face

Brucie babie for the love of god you are breaking your evil butler's heart

RED ALERT ALFRED PENNYWORTH HAS ONCE AGAIN HIT A SAD TEENAGER IN THE FACE

it's been AT LEAST several days, probably more, since the last episode but Ed is STILL locked in a gross bathroom fighting with his reflection. Lee has presumably been sliding very flat foods under the door for nourishment because she's a good person

oh no she was Too Good and now he's in love with her jesus h

truly god help any woman who has more than 30 seconds of positive interaction with the Riddler

Tabitha dear god there's no way he's worth all that

although I guess Butch was probably the best of Tabitha's partners that we know of, given the other two are her homicidal brother (yikes) and Barbara (worse)

Sofia Falcone fucking rules actually this crazy bitch owns my heart

I feel like we're supposed to be sad that Bruce is legally emancipating himself but he literally has a visible bruise from where Alfred decked him so??? pop off baby boy

damn if only they hadn't felt the need to recast Ivy as an aged-up adult woman this would have been such a fun time for her to run back into Bruce and take advantage of his freewheeling downward spiral to rob him blind. could have been a really solid storyline, let her start leaning into seductress Poison Ivy without letting grown men get skeevy? would have created a solid conflict to snap Bruce out of this, could have even necessitated Alfred saving his ass? would have been a lot more fun than whatever the fuck all of this is :/

I know I was busy being in college but I would have been such a good writer for this show

David Mazouz is still crushing it though the range of emotion he's able to hit as Bruce is really incredible.

Thee Batman (2022) was ALSO ripping off Gotham having a heavily scarred Joker making friends with an inmate placed directly next to him with whom he inexplicably has unfettered communication

anyway welcome back Jerome I missed your crazy lil ass

yeah hi we're doing this again because I had fun last night. yeehaw.

Gotham 4x10

another tasteful depiction of mental illness courtesy of Gotham!

The Batman (2022) was actually ripping off this episode of Gotham when it used Ave Maria

less than four minutes in and we've already got one (1) character who's a.) a scary mentally ill person and b.) a scary Black person and c.) a DEAD Black person all in one. god I hate this show

OH NO NOT RIDDLER BANGS

Pyg claiming that he "terrified the city for months" when he was in like three episodes has me in shambles what the fuck is the timeline of this show

guys I'm really sorry I don't have a lot of funny goofgoof commentary for this one but this is actually just a pretty tight ep for Gotham. like not a single plotline makes me want to put my head in a cement mixer that's pretty big here

Jimbles really just ordered one of his cops to escort a woman all the way to FLORIDA surely you can't make an employee do that with no notice

damn I guess Oswald's a dad now fr

arguably THEE cuntiest thing Oswald has ever said or done I LOVE this for him. and he's not even lying his parents actually did love him. what a FLEX.

oh okay oswald is super duper NOT a father actually. jesus christ in heaven.

oh okay yes he is I guess. the whiplash in this episode is crazy. but either way the kid is leaving so. but god man this little freak just can't stop caring about people no matter how much it gets used against him I'm emo

spoke too soon about there not being any plotlines that make me want to put my head in a cement mixer because THE EVIL HALLUCINATORY REFLECTION RIDDLER IS BACK god damn it ALL

can I not know one day of peace

#gotham time

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asilentguardian · 4 years ago

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My Thoughts on Gotham

My mom and I finished watching Gotham on December 29th, and this analysis has been sitting in google docs since then. Some of this is a bit incoherent, some of it I wrote as I was watching, and some of it I wrote after finishing the entire show. So here it is. 2,000 words or so of rambling about Gotham.

My thoughts on the show as a whole: Gotham changed my opinion on a lot of Batman’s villains. I used to be indifferent towards Penguin, now I love him. I used to hate Firefly, now I love her. While there were one or two decisions that I disagreed with, the portrayal of these characters was satisfying and the tone of the show as a whole was refreshing. The writing was good for the most part, however there are issues with sexism and homophobia that I personally noticed.

And now I’m going season by season cause I’m a nerd.

Season One

Season one is a bit of a mixed bag for me. It seemed to me that the show writers and the younger actors were still trying to find their footing and decide what kind of world their Gotham was. Some episodes are slow, but overall it’s intriguing and I was invested after a couple of episodes.

The pilot has a lot of moving parts and it still works. They did a good job of intertwining all of these characters before starting them all on their own paths.

I can’t imagine anyone else playing these roles. I am really happy with the casting choices for this show. Jim Gordon, Harvey Bullock, and Bruce Wayne especially.

Fish Mooney is an interesting but welcome edition! To be honest, the first time my mom and I tried to watch Gotham, we hated her. The second time around, however, I LOVED her and her role in the rise of Penguin.

Having Edward Nygma start at the GCPD was a really cool idea! I think they executed his descent into madness perfectly. I wanted Ed to prevail and to be a goodman just as much as I wanted to see the Riddler emerge.

Speaking of the GCPD, the corruption and the conflict within the precinct is very believable and compelling. It’s easy to believe that Jim Gordon is a young and optimistic detective who believes wholeheartedly in doing good. I also appreciate the fact that Jim Gordon doesn’t lose that drive for good throughout the show. I also don’t find it too cheesy, even if it’s a common trope.

The Batman universe is huge so I was expecting references and easter eggs at every turn, and I was half right. There's plenty of references and cameos but they work and they aren’t essential to the plot which helps casual fans keep up with the story.

A lot of seeds are planted during this first season, and it’s rewarding to see them pay off. I don’t feel as if the first season suffers from the thing that a lot of movies do where they are clearly trailers for the next part in the franchise.

I think my favorite episode of this season is episode 20 “Under the Knife.” The stakes are high and the story line with the Ogre is definitely unexpected and horrifying but in the best way. Also Ed kills Dougherty and it’s very satisfying.

Season Two

Rise/Wrath of the Villains!

Theo Galavan and Hugo Strange were the big bads of this season and I think they were written and acted very well.

Something I’ve noticed about some of the villains on this show and their interactions with children and Bruce in particular is that they’re... unsettling. I suppose that’s intentional and I definitely think it makes some of the villains more intimidating, but it’s really creepy. There are a lot of adults that are preying on Bruce’s innocence in this show.

Theo Galavan was not my favorite. He was intimidating for a bit, but I kinda grew bored of him. I did enjoy the nod to Azrael.

Hugo Strange! I was kinda indifferent to him when playing Arkham City but I enjoy him in this show! Loved when he showed up again in subsequent seasons and you immediately knew some Fucked Shit was happening.

So Mr. Freeze. I’m not too sure how I feel about Gotham’s take on this story. The casting is solid, but killing Nora? Not the move. Actually very angry about that to be honest. The Mr. Freeze episode could’ve been so much more compelling and emotional but instead it was a way to move Lee and Jim’s relationship forward :(

They managed to make Firefly not annoying, but I only found Firefly annoying before because of that stupid boss fight in Arkham Origins. But I liked Bridget.

Penguin and Nygma’s relationship is very fun in this season! More on them later, but at least in season two it’s very enjoyable to watch them learn to trust each other. My mom and I adored their story line.

I LOVE Nygma’s character arc in this season. His interactions with Gordon are some of my favorite bits from this season. They are very rewatchable and I find their relationship to be one of the more intriguing ones in the show.

Overall season 2 was decent. Some of the villains were forgettable, but the relationship arcs and character arcs that were compelling kept me interested.

Episode 15, Mad Grey Dawn, was one of my favorites this season. Seeing the Nygma v Gordon thing play out was so so so fun. I really loved being able to follow Nygma’s logic and feel Gordon’s frustration at being framed.

Season Three

Mad City/Heroes Rise!

There’s A LOT I have to say about season 3. I liked it. There’s a couple of big issues I have with season 3, but overall it was compelling and I enjoyed it.

While I’m not usually one for the “this character has a darkness inside of them” trope, I really didn’t mind it with Gordon. I thought it was believable and interesting enough to be engaging. bounty hunter Gordon was pretty fun, too. And hot. Anyway.

The Mad Hatter v Jim Gordon stuff is intense. Episode 6 where Gordon is forced to choose between Valerie and Lee is where the “dark side” trope lost me a little but I do like that they make a point to have Gordon always make his way back to the light. Valerie’s exit felt very rushed and sudden? I don’t know if the actress was written off for some reason, but it felt very weird.

So. Penguin and Nygma. I don’t know if I would necessarily call it queer-baiting, but it definitely doesn’t sit right with me. Here’s the thing about Gotham’s queer representation: it’s not good, but it’s not bad. There is 100% an issue with making all of your queer characters villains. And there’s a HUGE issue with having Barbara’s attraction to women only be present when she’s a) acting as an antagonist to Gordon’s work at the GCPD (Montoya in season one) or b) on the side of the antagonist and framed as crazy (Tabitha in season two). Also, notice how in season five she’s “sane” when she’s with Gordon. It’s homophobia luv.

However, in the case of Penguin and Nygma, the added layer of Penguin’s love for Nygma makes their arc a little more interesting and compelling (there’s still an issue with queer love being framed as toxic and obsessive in this show, but if I don’t stop talking about that this post will be miles long).

The Ivy thing is certainly a new plot device, but I don’t hate it. Took a bit to get used to, but older Ivy makes sense and to be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of child Ivy. Not that her character was bad, but I personally found her a tad annoying.

SEASON 3 EPISODE 14. THE GENTLE ART OF MAKING ENEMIES. I HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THIS. Bruce’s character development in this episode made me extremely happy. I haven’t talked a lot about Jerome-Joker yet, but I really like him. Joker is one of those characters you can take a lot of liberties with and it can either really work or really suck (looking at you Jared Leto). Gotham’s version of Joker, while a bit rushed, is a good fucking Joker.

The reason why I like s3e14 so much is THIS is what the Joker vs Batman relationship is about. This is why they are perfect foils. Batman always has a reason, a method. Motivation and a cause. He believes in Gotham and he believes that EVERYONE has the capacity for good. Joker does things just for the hell of it (i.e. kidnapping Bruce). His point is anarchy and chaos. His point is that everyone has darkness and that they are “one bad day” away from giving into that darkness (subtle nods to The Killing Joke, very nice). This is illustrated SO beautifully in this episode. However, I do see an issue down the line of Joker knowing who Batman is instantly, but I digress.

The birth of Riddler! The development of Penguin and Riddler’s animosity! mwah!

Also. Bruce standing above Gotham in an early version of the suit. There’s no ears or cape but my mom and I were VERY excited. I felt so giddy.

Bruce’s vow not to kill was beautifully framed, props to the DP on that one. It felt nice to hear a live action version of Bruce Wayne say that. (Note from the future: yes he breaks it. Sorta. I’m mad about it, but I explain my feelings in depth later).

Season Four

A Dark Knight!

Alright. Season 4. To be honest, it took me a while to warm up to this one.

Scarecrow. Love his costume. Love his escape. Scarecrow is one of my favorites because he’s creepy and cool and terrifying. Well done. The episode where Jim goes after him is really brutal. He goes there alone, not even Harvey by his side, and he is forced to stare his biggest fear in the face. I loved it!

The Pax Penguina. I’m easily won over by references to old literature and history. This show has made me actually like Penguin. I used to find him annoying and didn’t understand why he was people’s favorite, but this show has proved him to be a competent and cunning villain. I love to hate him. It’s fun seeing him at the top of Gotham.

Riddler’s escape and Nygma’s return. His friendship with Lee and Grundy (Grundy!!). Ed and Lee was certainly an interesting choice. I didn’t hate it, it just seemed really odd. I enjoyed Lee’s rise to power though!

Sofia Falcone. Not really a fan tbh. Didn’t trust her from the start and it was SO satisfying to see her get shot in the head. Talk about a ruthless mastermind. To be fair, I did love to hate her in the beginning, but then she kinda got on my nerves? The actress that played her was really good though!

Captain James Gordon. Yessir. What a legend. One step closer to Commissioner. But also ouchie he had to go behind Harvey’s back. That subplot hurt so good.

Professor Pyg is. A lot. Gotham is a mature show, but it’s hard to like Pyg even as a villain. He’s unsettling and his episodes are a bit too much. I tolerated him but it just got to be gratuitous. I will say that I am relieved that they weren’t heavy handed on the cross-dressing thing. Would prefer not to see that played for a joke anymore, and this show does not need to vilify queerness more than it has.

Jerome and Jeremiah! ahhhhh!!! What wonderful interpretations of the Joker! Jerome was great, but I think I’m partial to Jeremiah. Maybe because his costume looks so much like the Joker from the animated series and Mark Hamill will always be my Joker. Either way, I LOVED their story line in season 4.

Kinda love Barbara being involved in the League. Very sexy of her. Also very sexy of her to not be dead.

Alright. Here we go. Ra’s Al Ghul and Bruce Wayne. I have mixed feelings about this. So Bruce kills. Technically he’s not Batman yet, and obviously Ra’s didn’t stay dead, but he already took the oath. I have a hard time staying with any adaptation that makes their Batman a killer, but this one wasn’t awful? And then technically Barbara uses Bruce’s hands to kill Ra’s in the finale. I’m upset that they went with a “what if Batman kills” story line in the first place, but the resolution wasn’t too terrible.

Those last three episodes of season 4. Wow. My mom and I couldn’t stop watching. The nods to The Killing Joke were cool but not too on the nose. The stakes felt high and I was so deeply invested because this story line in particular was very well crafted and planned out and it definitely shows. There’s so many loose ends at this finale, and somehow it works and you still have hope. But holy shit, those bridges coming down, the utter panic and confusion as you’re wondering “is X person okay? what happened to X?” wonderful, chefs kiss.

Season Five

Legend of the Dark Knight!

Oh gosh. I have so much I want to say, but I don’t know how to put it into words. I loved this season. I loved the post apocalyptic vibes of Gotham. Loved the rise of the villains into the people who will one day face Batman. Loved Gordon’s leadership and rise to Commissioner. There’s a few things I have issues with this season, but I’m just so in love with that finale. What a beautiful send off.

I loved how the finale was crafted, how we didn’t see the full Batman suit till the end. I did, in fact, cry when that thing was revealed. The score was beautiful. It felt so much like an episode of The Animated Series, yet so unlike any other piece of Batman media. It was so refreshing to have everything wrapped up nicely, so refreshing to have hope and satisfaction in a finale.

Overall, this version of Gotham City feels like a living, breathing thing that is lived in and flawed. It is wonderful. The set designers did wonderfully and it feels so timeless in the way that the Animated Series did as well. I think that’s part of the reason why I loved this show so much. It made me feel the same way that the Animated Series did.

I know I’ve missed a lot of details and plot lines, so if for some reason you are interested in my thoughts on a particular thing in this show, my inbox is open!!

#long post #gotham #my stuff #my writing #aspeaks #meta posts

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dreamychick · 5 years ago

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Still have Gotham feelings. Some are probably unpopular/nitpicky but they're how I feel. Spoilers for Gotham Series.

The evolution of Edward Nygma into the Riddler is the absolute best thing about Gotham and no, you can't change my mind.

The relationship between Alfred and Bruce is the Second best thing.

The costumes and make up of the villians are all fucking awesome.

I like how they gave Harvey more depth.

I really. Really. Really. Really. REALLY. Hate Jim Gordan. He's obnoxious. Judges everyone to his standards but never holds his own self accountable. He can make mistakes. But they can't.

They introduced the Joker way to early and gave way to much of his backstory.

Cameron does a fucking phenomenal job of both Jerome and Jeremiah. Perfect face. Perfect voice. Perfect mannerisms. Just a perfect cast.

I don't like that the Joker knows who Bruce Wayne is since a main part of his character is supposed to be that he doesn't care WHO Batman is, he only cares about the cat and mouse chase.

I think the 2nd to last episode should have been the finale. It would have been perfect. Everything set up and all of the characters looking to the future. Everyone knowing what's to come but uncertainty still there.

Having the last episode be 10 years later is stupid. Nygma and Oswald were jailed for 10 fucking years? Really? And then they reduce them to comical idiots. Like in the comics I get making them more humerous. But after proving for 5 seasons they're both smart. This shit is just demeaning. Gordon is trying to retire only to...not when Batman comes back. The only reason they even introduced the retirement thing was soley for him to have something to do. We see Selina all grown up but never see Bruce. Bruce becomes Batman, who cares it's not really a well earned reveal. Barbara gets completely absolved of her past because.....baby? How many people has she killed? But she got a pass.

Jeremiah gets hit in the face with a spray and gets the crazy forced on him. And I know, he says it didn't have an effect it just turned him grey, but that's not true. Because his motivation is still to be obsessed with Bruce. Just like Jerome. He states he's sane but then still goes along with Jerome's after death plan. Jerimiah wasn't doing crazy shit before and now all of a sudden he is. Just seems stupid. If you wanted him to be crazy just like Jerome maybe explain more how he was just as crazy as Jerome as kids. Or show him being crazy before he gets caught by Jerome.

The freaking league of shadows is killed so damn easy multiple times. How did any of them get into the league if they were gonna be so easy to kill?

Why did Bruce Wayne Billionaire not have a better security system? He gets kidnapped and broken into way to many times. And having characters, Selina, point it out doesn't change that it's stupid.

Jonothan Crane didn't get enough time. (I just love him and wanted more)

Bane kind of comes in and becomes the shows plot lord the last minute.

I hate Jim Gordon. Pretends to be such a damn boyscout.

The fact that most of the show is more about a gangster turf war is a different take on the story and I love it.

I'm torn between liking that they showed lesser known characters, like Jane Doe, and being upset that it was more as an easter egg since they're not very developed.

Why can Victor Zsas not hit a damn thing when he's shooting?

I like how they show all of the different kinds of mental illness that runs rampant in this city.

The science of many of the villians is well explained. Even if it's not realistic.

Hugo Strange is never given a real reason why he's such a sadistic fuck. I love that shit.

Lucius is smart as hell and comes in with fun toys whenever you see him.

Did I mention that I hate Jim Gordan?

Selina and Bruce's relationship is awesome.

Gotham was such a good show. I really enjoyed it as a character study show. Watching the characters grow and become what they've turned into and why is so good.

Having the show circle around Gordan makes sense but does not make it any easier to watch the parts that focus only on him.

There's alot I could say about this show. Probably could talk for hours about it honestly. Cuz I have lots of feelings. About wasted oppurtunities. Shit that was amazing. Shit that was complex. Too simplistic. My opinions about what I like or hate just because it doesn't suit me. No valid reasons at all, just because.

Really liked Gotham. And honestly. I'm going to pretend that the show ends with Ed and Oswald looking to the future of rebuilding their gangs, Bruce goes off to learn how to be Batman, Alfred is rebuilding the Manor, Gordan is working to make Gotham a safe place for his new baby, Barbara looks toward changing into being a mom toward Barbara, Joker is "Brain Dead" and Selina is left alone to figure out wherr her future is headed. Everyone is looking toward their respective futures. We don't have to be told what happens. You don't have to show us. People who read the comics already know what's coming. And people who haven't....well it doesn't explain anything anyway, just introduces new ideas and then leaves it. It's all tacked on for no reason.

Leave us looking toward the future. Our imaginations will take care of the rest.

#gotham #gotham spoilers #feelings #DC #late night #ramblings #dc comics

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aileysmirnov · 5 years ago

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◇◆Ailey Villains Gallery: Scarecrow◇◆

Scarecrow's face claim: Adrien Brody

Secret vs Scarecrow! How did they met?

Ailey (Secret) and Scarecrow met 'thanks' to Batman:

One night in Gotham, Scarecrow infiltrated the Iceberg Lounge with the intention to Kill some of Penguin's Henchmen.

With a more "upgraded" (and letal) version of his fear gas.

Just as a way to send a message to Oswald who had stolen some of his gas and now was selling it for a very high price on the dark market.

To prevent Batman from intervening, Scarecrow convinced Riddler and Dr Pig to create a "distraction" (if murdering almost 11 people between the two and then make an "spectacle" about it, can be called like that) for the Bat.

And unfortunately when the "Caped Crusader" realized it was a trap (thanks to one of Riddler's "funny" riddles) he was already too far from the building.

Too far from stopping Scarecrow.

He analyzed all of his options pretty fast: he couldn't send Damian, he was with him, Dick was in Blüdhaven, He already send Tim after Riddler and Steph after Pig, Cass and Barbara where in another state with the Birds of prey, Duke and Kate where teaming up to solve a crime involving a new rising homicidal cult and Jason…he wasn't in good terms with Jason…again…and he losed his track at least 2 weeks ago.

And so…he reluctantly took the phone and dialed the number of the one person he could think of.

Ailey was doing the usual: shouting angrily and throwing a tantrum towards her employees (like the good little tyrant she is) for a last minute cancellation of 4 of the stellar models for the upcoming Winter collection of SVELLYO. When all of a sudden she received a call from the one and only: Bruce fucking Wayne.

—B! What a perfect timing! Is not bothersome at all!—she remarked the words sarcastically annoyed a tone that sounded like the venomous hissing of a snake.

—Listen Ailey, I don't have time for thi-

She cut him off

—What a coincidence! Neither do I, B's man! Byee~

—Ailey…—He didn't shout at her but his more menacing (than usually) tone, make her feel like he did; it was a voice tone that Bruce normally just used when he was with Joker and when he used it. Oh boy, You just knew the man ain't taking any shit.

—Listen to me. And listen. C A R E F U L L Y. Scarecrow is in the Iceberg Lounge it's 2 minutes away from you by flying. I need you to go after him and prevent whatever he's up to against Cobblepot.—He said a little more ""nicer"" (if it's even possible) this time, but still with a hint of frustration in his voice.

—yeah…well…I also need this little favor, B—Bruce was about to fucking lose it in that moment, there where lives in danger and this CHILD was just thinking of herself!! But before he could lash out at her with a "I'm dissapointed" speech; Damian took the phone.

—He said he'll do it, you have my word. Now…Go! —Robin said without thinking twice

—Thank you, my zelenyy*! I'm on my way! —and with an Angry Bruce Lashing out at every single thing on earth on the background, Ailey hanged up, wrote a quick note to his secretary, asking him to give all of her employees a rise (including him, of course) and sprinted out to SVELLYO's roof top; without a word to the perplexed staff.

Once she stood there.She could feel the cold night breeze hitting her face and without any doubt she jumped abruptly from one of the highest points in the city.

Her eyes opened at the middle of his falling, adrenaline and renewed energy cursing trough her veins, her blonde hair replaced with a glowing rose gold, a metalic blue growing in her gaze and her outfit conveniently transformed on an all black bodysuit with slight hints of gold on the bottom of her sleeves.

His whole body defying gravity, flying through the night sky with the same grace and glory of a swan and leaving a subtle trace of light glowing pink as she passed by.

She arrived at the Iceberg Lounge back entrance at least 5 seconds earlier from what Batman had predicted.

Penguin's henchmen where all gathered in what appeared to be a small cellar on the very back of the casino, they were complaining about an out of the blue"meeting".

Secret (Ailey) assumed it was Scarecrow's way to get them all in the same place and avoid any unnecessary complications.

With extreme caution she stood and watched near the skylight, trying to fade away her own slightly glowing nature with the moonlight.

Her eyes searched quickly inside the room, ans she soon spotted atleast 6 gas tanks oddly put in some of the poorly lighted corners of the cellar.

But no sign of the maniac

Or so she though until the abrupt pain in her neck and the obscure presence behind her sooner than later make her realize; she wasn't alone.

She could feel the infernal pain from the toxin filling his lungs and cutting her breath and her vision becoming a little bit dizzy.

—You should know better than spying on people, dear…It might not end up being what you expected—his voice was deep and unforgiving, a condescending tone and the weight of countless sleepless nights leaked through every word.

She tried to speak but only felt her throat closing.

—Now, now, dear…all will end up soon. —His tall and lanky figure covered by worn out clothes to match his own psychotic aesthetic made him look intimidating. And without any glimpse of empathy he proceeded to toss her body aside with a kick like if she was a filthy dead rat, and continue to watch expectantly to the ignorant henchmen above.

He was waiting, waiting for one of them to foolishly reveal where his beloved toxin was and after a couple of minutes one of them casually mentioned a secret basement where the most important items waited patiently for whoever was able to afford his almost ridiculously expensive price.

Crane smiled wickedly to himself…he had just what he wanted…almost.

He activated the slightly hidden tanks of fear gas and watched in admiration as some of the henchmen faces started to change into a horrified expression.

—Head's up, asshole!—He didn't even had time to process the situation properly, when Secret's hands where at both sides of his head, the tip of her fingers illuminated and emanating Rose gold strings of pure energy attaching themselves to Crane's mind.

And at that exact moment he remembered: the pain, the panic, the fear.

The very first time he tested his toxin, was on himself: he was laying in to that dirty old shack for what felt like an eternity; he screamed and begged and yet the hallucinations didn't leave him, his mind was racing with the most horrible thought it could possibly even consider, everything so real and yet so distant. He felt hopeless.

And the delicate strings clinging tight around his mind. Lord, what a bittersweet nostalgia! He felt the same, the same way as the first time, he could hear the screams, the voices, the endless discontent. But couldn't find anything around him…just…hollow and for some strange reason…that scared the shit out of him.

Ironically it had been years since the last time Crane felt genuine fear.

When Crane woke up, he was already in that horrible place: a worn out cell from Arkham

But strangely he didn't feel any kind of anger or frustration. No…he felt…elated in the best way possible almost like if he had reborn!

And so…he stood there; staring blankly at the small window with an almost devilish smile across his face.

Waiting for the next encounter

◆◇◆◇

Ailey felt so proud of herself, she had successfully managed to knock out Scarecrow, control the gas leak and save Penguin's henchmen! All alone! And even took the liberty to recover all of Crane's toxin samples Penguin had!

She couldn't wait to see Bruce's face, Oh that man owed her BIG TIME!

When Bruce and Damian finally arrived at the Batcave, he was welcomed by her.

She looked like a 10 year-old who approved one of his test and was proudly showing off the paper to his parents.

Wich made Bruce smile…a little (even if he doesn't admit to it)

—See? You can trust me, B!—she said handing him the samples.

—So you send him to Arkham? Hmm…honestly I didn't though you'll made it…but good job…I guess…?—Damian admitted, while taking off his mask.

—Well, I'm glad I'm not THAT disappointing, sir! —Her tone expressing the sarcasm and slight frustration and offence in every word. Which Damian only replayed with a faint little smile.

—…Good Job, Ailey…—Bruce spoke for the first time since they arrived

—…and thank you for your help…—He completed with a slightly more """friendly""" tone (which just means less stiffness in his voice but still maintaining his authoritarian tone)

—yeah…well…don't thank me yet…we had a deal!—She said while playfully floating around him and touching the ears of his Bat-suit; Bruce could only do as much as to touching the bridge of his nose trying to contain his very obvious nuisance.

—…What do want? —He said sighing heavily.

—Nothing much, really! I want You, Damian, Dick and Katy modeling for SVELLYO winter collection catwalk, next week! —

◆◇◆◇

OMG! That was fun! I was going to put a small and cute little drawing of Ailey touching the ears of the Bat-suit but I still haven't finished yet! So yeah…I will edit it once I have it done!

Anyway! I loved writing this, and I will be uploading more content for Ailey, wich now she has her official anti-hero name! And is called

🥁🥁🥁🥁

Secret!

Shout out to @melyaliz / @insideoflit for the name idea! I honestly struggle so much with names 😅

Thanks to @Shiro.GURu (on insta) for helping me with this! Love ya, girl <3

Tagging: @lobodesaturno @snowflake2sstuff @lord-carstairs @weam0theblueblues @morefarthanaway

#batfamily #bruce wayne #batman #OC #scarecrow #antihero #dc comics #damian wayne #robin #jonathan crane #ailey #greek mythology #adrien brody #edit #hedcanons #imagine #villian #lol bye

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lfthinkerwrites · 6 years ago

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Like Father, Like Daughter, pt. 3

Title: From the Case Files of Edward Nigma, PI

Fandom: Batman

Rating: T

Summary: Ellen gets a lead on where Marisol is being held and unknowingly attracts the attention of a potential ally.

Previous Chapters: 1/2

AO3 Link

12:15 AM

Bolton emerged from the apartment building with a smirk. Sanchez wouldn't be a problem anymore. As he walked to his car parked across the street, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number. His call was immediately answered. "This is Dr. Hugo Strange."

"It's me," Bolton answered.

"Well?" Strange demanded.

Bolton grinned. "It's all taken care of."

"Good. You can be competent when the occasion calls for it. Is that all?"

Bolton frowned. "Don't you want to know-"

"Absolutely not. I've given your 'colleagues' the necessary tools, but that is as far as my involvement goes. Neither myself or the Mayor can be connected to this in any way. Clean up your mess with as little fuss as possible." The call disconnected with a click. Bolton scowled. Would it kill the good doctor to show him a little appreciation every once in a while? He shrugged, then dialed another number. This time, the phone rang three times before it was answered.

"Bolton? That you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Where are you guys?"

"We're still at the place on 55th."

"Kid been giving you any trouble?"

"Nah, we've been keeping her doped up on that stuff we got from Strange."

"Good. Meet me at the old shelter on 45th and Marshall in an hour. There's been a couple of dead junkies found down there. We'll make it look like an overdose." A noise suddenly caught Bolton's attention. "Hold on a second." He whipped around. No one was out on the street that he could see, but there was an alley located between the apartment building he'd left and the next. Bolton walked into the darkness, one hand going to the pistol on his belt. Nothing but trash cans and a large dumpster. He had taken maybe ten steps in the alley when he heard a rustling behind some garbage cans to his left. Bolton pulled out his pistol. "Come out!" A black flash ran past his feet. Bolton cursed and took a step back, only to relax when he realized that it was a stray cat. He shook his head and walked back out to the street, returning to his phone call. "Sorry about that. Anyway, we're good to meet in the narrows, right?"

"Yeah, but Bolton...she's just a kid. Do we have to kill her? It's not like she knows who we are."

"She's a liability, Morton. Besides, Sanchez has to learn a little lesson about shooting his mouth off. I'll see you in an hour." Bolton hung up his phone and walked off towards his car, without another look behind him.

As soon as she was sure the man had gotten into his car, Ellen peeked out from her hiding place behind the dumpster. That was too close. She'd tried to stay as quiet as she could when she heard the man come out from the apartment building, but when he had mentioned Marisol, she couldn't help the indignant squeak that had come out. If the Old Man were there, he'd have something to say to her about that. She watched his ugly red car start, then pulled her bicycle out. As soon as the car was in motion, Ellen followed. She was able to keep sight of the car as far as a block down 11th street, but a light turned green and it sped off, faster than she could ever hope to catch up with.

"Damn it!" she swore, smacking her palms against the handlebars of her bike. Well, she really should have seen that coming. What was that address she'd heard him say? 45th and Marshall? Ellen bit her lip. That was in the middle of the Narrows neighborhood. She'd never been allowed to go there in the day, let alone in the middle of the night, God only knew what was down there-

Ellen set her jaw. Marisol was down there. And if that man got there before she did, Marisol would die. Ellen wouldn't let that happen. Swallowing her fears, Ellen made a left turn on her bike, down Marshall. Hold on, Marisol. I'm coming.

Ellen noticed the further she pedaled down Marshall that the buildings were becoming gradually more run down. She crossed the intersection of Marshall and 25th and knew she'd officially entered the Narrows neighborhood. Her heart beat in her chest from the exertion of her bicycling and from the thrill of being in such a notorious place. The only people she could see out on the street now was the occasional homeless person. It was Saturday night-well, Sunday morning now, she guessed. Where was everybody?

She'd reached the intersection of Marshall and 27th when she hit the breaks on her bike. Right in front of her were two men, huddled under a street light. They looked up at her with surprise. "What the Hell-it's a kid!"

Ellen swore and tried to go around, only for one of the men to block her. "I need to get through. Get out of my way!"

"What're you doin' out so late little girl? Wait, are you wearin' a mask?"

Ellen narrowed her eyes at the men. "None of your business!" She tried to go around again, only for the man in front of her to knock her off. She fell to the pavement with a grunt.

Another one of the men walked up to her. "We'll take your backpack too, little girl. Hand it over."

Ellen glared up at the man. "Screw you!"

The two men laughed. "Maybe when you're older," The first one said. "The backpack. Now." The man pulled a switchblade out from his pocket and Ellen's eyes widened under her mask when she saw the blade. "Don't make me ask again, little girl."

Ellen slowly pulled her backpack off. "You're making a big mistake, asshole," she said. "Did you see the question mark on my shirt?" She pointed at it for emphasis. "I'm the Riddler's kid."

The men exchanged a look with each other. "The Riddler?" one asked the other. "I didn't know he had a kid."

"He doesn't. Least, he didn't when I ran with his crew back in the day."

Jesus Christ, did every jackass in this city know the Old Man? Did he have some kind of beacon on him that attracted other assholes to him? While the men were talking with each other, Ellen unzipped her backpack and pulled out a hammer and a can of pepper spray her Gramma kept in her bedroom in case of emergency. She placed the pepper spray on the ground for now, then tightened her grip on her hammer. She crouched up, her eyes on the knees of the man closest to her. The man further away noticed her, however. "Oh shit, dude!"

Before the other man could react, Ellen lunged forward, swinging the hammer with all her might at the man's knee cap. It connected with a crunch and the man let out a scream of anger and pain. "Fuck! You little bitch!" he collapsed to the ground, his hands hugging his wounded knee to his chest. "Fuck, you broke my knee! Tommy, get her!"

The other guy lunged for her and Ellen jumped back, barely escaping his grasp. She reached down to grab the can of pepper spray and when the man charged towards her again, sprayed him dead on in the face. The man let out a shriek, covering his eyes with his hands. "Fuck! Denny, you're on your own, man!" The man ran down the street as fast as he could.

Ellen stood there, shaking a bit from the adrenaline. Holy shit. She'd taken on Narrows guys and she'd survived. Hell, she'd won. She let out a shaky laugh. If the Old Man could see her now...The first man, Denny, looked up at her, afraid. "Who-who are you?" he asked.

Ellen opened her mouth to say something, only to close it when she realized she didn't know what to say. Every superhero had some kind of catchphrase, didn't they? What should she say? 'Riddle me this-' no, she didn't want to copy the Old Man. 'Let's get dangerous?' Nah, been done before. 'In the name of the Moon, I will punish you?' No, too anime. Finally, she squared her shoulders and said in the deepest voice she could manage, "I'm Enigma, chuckle fuck!" She'd have to work on that. She then sprayed Denny in the face with her pepper spray, trying not to laugh at the shriek he let out. She then placed the pepper spray and the hammer back in her backpack, put it on and walked over to where her bicycle lay on the ground. She pulled it up, hopped on, and continued her way down Marshall, her heart soaring. If she could handle those idiots, she could get Marisol out, no problem.

She didn't realize that from the rooftops, someone had been watching her and was now following her.

Stephanie took another look down at the streets through her binoculars. "It's 12:45 and there's no sign of life, Oracle. I'm gonna stay here fifteen more minutes and then head up towards the West End."

"Good idea," Barbara said through the communicator. "Bruce doesn't want us patrolling this close to the Narrows anyway."

"And since when have I ever done what Bruce wants?" Stephanie joked. She put the binoculars back in a compartment on her belt and sat down on the roof of the building she was perched on. "Speaking of, has he spoken with Jason?"

"He's tried," Barbara answered. "But you know Jason. It didn't go well."

Stephanie didn't know Jason at all actually. She'd never met him when he was a Robin and after...she shook her head. And she thought she and Bruce had their issues. At least she'd never killed anyone. Jason didn't have any issue with her that she knew about, but that didn't mean she wanted to cross paths with him. "Great," she said. She sighed. "At least the rest of the city's quiet tonight, right?"

"Right," Barbara said, and Stephanie could tell she was glad to change the subject. "I just got done talking with Cass. She took down an armed robbery at the Fine Arts museum about an hour ago, but other than that, it's been a pretty low key night."

Stephanie huffed. "Cass has all the fun, I swear-" a sharp, pained cry caught Stephanie's ears. She turned towards the sound. It was coming from the Northeast, maybe two blocks away. Marshall and 27th. The Narrows. "Hold on, Oracle. I just heard something."

"What?"

"I'm not sure, but it sounded like someone's in trouble. I'm gonna go check it out."

"Where exactly are you going?"

Stephanie hesitated. "Marshall and 27th. I think."

"Batgirl, that's the Narrows."

Another shout reached Stephanie's ears. "Oracle, if someone's in trouble, I have to check it out. It doesn't matter where they are, right?"

Barbara sighed on the other end, which meant Stephanie had won that argument. "OK. But be careful. If you see Red Hood, don't engage. Just leave."

"No need to tell me twice," Stephanie said, pulling out her grappling hook. She aimed it at the neighboring building and took off, running across the rooftops. She made it to a building that overlooked 27th and Marshall and looked down to the street. A badly dressed man was lying on the ground, clutching his knee in pain, next to a bicycle that kay on the ground. He wasn't alone though. A slight masked figure stood over him. Stephanie realized that it was a girl. Stephanie leaned over to get a closer look and almost fell off the roof when she recognized her. "Oracle," she breathed into her communicator. "You're not going to believe this."

"What is it?"

"You remember when Damian and I ran into Nigma and his kid at Jezebel Center last December? Well, his kid is here. I think she just took out a guy who tried to jump her. And she's wearing a mask and a costume."

"You're joking. Please tell me you're joking."

"No way. It's her." Stephanie watched as the girl, what was her name, spoke to the man. She could just make out the girl calling herself Enigma and calling the man lying on the ground a 'chuckle fuck' before she sprayed him with what looked like pepper spray. The man yelled out in pain again and Stephanie shook her head. "Holy cow. Think Nigma knows what she's up to?"

"I don't want to be the one to tell him if he doesn't. What's she doing now?"

Stephanie watched Enigma pick up her bike and hop back onto it. "Looks like she's going down Marshall. I'm going to follow her and see just what she's doing out here."

"Good. I'm calling Bruce to tell him what's going on. The last thing anyone needs is for Nigma's kid to get herself on the news for breaking the Costumed Criminal Ordinance. Or worse. When it's safe, catch up to her and get her back home before anyone else sees her."

"Got it. Batgirl out." Stephanie hung up and quickly began to follow Enigma from the rooftops. Seeing her like this brought back memories of Stephanie's first days on the streets as Spoiler. Except, her motivation for putting on a costume was to prevent her father from committing crimes. What was Enigma doing out here? Did Nigma have any idea where his daughter was and what she was doing? Did he care? Stephanie followed Enigma for over fifteen blocks until she came to a stop on Marshall and 44th street. Enigma pulled over to a side street and pulled her backpack off. Stephanie watched her lock her bike to a street lamp before she put her backpack back on and walked up the street to the old abandoned homeless shelter. The old abandoned shelter that had two parked cars outside of it. "Oracle," Stephanie spoke. "I followed her to the old shelter on Marshall and 45th. There are two parked cars outside and she's walking around the building trying to look through the windows. Something weird's going on down there. What did Bruce say?"

"He's not happy. He tried to get ahold of Nigma, but he's not picking up. He said, and I quote, 'get her out of there.'"

"Sounds like Bruce." Stephanie watched as Enigma tried in vain to jimmy open a boarded up window. "I'm going down now." Time to find out just what was going on.

The thrill of winning the fight with those two idiots had worn off the moment Ellen caught sight of the abandoned shelter and the two cars that were parked in front of it. Neither of them was red, so that meant she'd beaten the Ugly Man there. She hoped that meant Marisol was still alive. There were no lights on in the building that she could see, but the windows were boarded up now. Ellen walked up to the front door and, screwing up every bit of courage she had, she turned the knob. Locked. Damn it. She should have expected that. Ellen took a step back and glared at the doorknob. More than anything, she wished she knew how to pick a lock. She'd have to try to get one of the windows open. Ellen walked around the side of the building and picked a window that was just at her level. It, like all of the other windows, was boarded up with pieces of wood nailed onto the frame. Well, she could fix that.

Ellen pulled her backpack off and set it on the ground. She opened it and pulled out her hammer. Hammer out, she got to work to try to pull out the nails. They were in deep, so it took considerable effort on her part to pull even one out. As she worked, Ellen thought about just how she was going to manage to get Marisol out without being caught. Hopefully, the people who were guarding her would be just as stupid as the guys she'd fought earlier tonight. But what if they weren't? Ellen frowned as she finally succeeded in pulling one nail out. Ok, maybe she could distract them somehow and get them out of the shelter. Then she could get Marisol and they'd make a break for it. But wait, the creep from outside her apartment had said something about making her death look like an overdose. Did that mean she was drugged? Marisol was taller than Ellen was, how was she going to manage to carry her out if she was drugged? How would she get her on the bike without her falling off? Ellen paused in her work and considered her options, biting her lip. There was a pay phone just up the block and she had about two dollars in change in her sweatshirt pocket, she had a location and proof now that Marisol was in danger, maybe she should call the Old Man-Ellen shook her head. He'd be too busy throwing a tantrum over what she'd done to listen to her. And anyway, by the time he could get here, if he decided to care, that creep would be here and it would be too late for Marisol. Ellen was on her own. With that thought in mind, Ellen returned to her work, pulling out another nail. That was half of one board. It was starting to come loose now. Once Ellen got it off, the next should be easier, she could sneak in the building without being seen and figure out her next step from there-

Ellen felt more than heard the presence of someone behind her. Gripping her hammer tight, she turned around ready to fight them off, only to have her mouth drop open in shock when she saw just who it was. "You-"

Batgirl raised a finger to her lips. "Don't make a sound."

Ellen squeaked a bit but quickly nodded. She couldn't afford to get caught now-well, too late for that. Any other time, she'd be thrilled to see Batgirl again, she could feel her face flush now, actually. "What-" she whispered. "What are you doing here?"

Batgirl raised an eyebrow. "I could ask you the same thing," she answered. "Does your Dad know you're here?"

Ellen frowned a bit at the mention of the Old Man. "As if!"

"Does anyone know you're here?"

"You now, I guess," Ellen shrugged. "I can explain."

"I'd love to hear it."

#from the case files of edward nigma #PI verse #riddler's daughter #stephanie brown

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burnt-toast-life · 2 years ago

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Anyway here’s some fun Gotham stuff and like recap and rant on where I am. If you plan on watching the show this is a lot of spoilers for season 3 lmao. I forgot what episode I’m on but yeahg anyway:

GCPD plotline:

Cop stuff is boring actually um. The captain or whatever is infected by some virus from Alice so he’s a villain now. I guess the virus is spreading so a few others do this also ?? I don’t know it’s stupid I don’t care

Penguin + The Riddler:

Penguin murdered Ed (Riddler)‘s girlfriend, Ed went into a depressive state because of this and Penguin is acting innocent and he did this to have Ed all to himself so. Gay rights I guess?? 😭

Ed also snapped and tortured Butch and Tabitha bc he THOUGHT they may have killed the girl. They did not. He realized this later on. He still doesn’t know who DID though.

Barbara figured out who killed the girl after talking w Butch because she already figured out Penguin has romantic feelings for Ed and put two and two together. Is planning to team up with Butch to start a war against Penguin. So now there’s a war bc of the gays I guess lmfao

Side note, what Penguin did is obviously screwed up but the girl wasn’t exactly innocent either. She manipulated Ed by dressing as his dead ex and constantly used that against him until she died. So yeah she was p toxic tee bee ache. Don’t think she really deserved to be murdered and I’m not twisting things in favor of a gay pairing either like this show is insane. She and Penguin are insane. Ed I’m sorry for your love life it’s fucked.

Bruce, Selina, + Ivy:

Ivy came back!!! She is a really good thief now which to be fair Selina is also and iirc they robbed stuff together before Ivy was kidnapped and fell in a Sewage system BUT Ivy is a lil more insane and reckless with it. Stole a necklace from some mobster. Bruce discovered it had a key in it later on. Necklace owner is now dead, and there are a ton of guys trying to murder the trio (namely Ivy) right now. Insane behavior.

Ivy used her weird like. Some kind of spell thing?? To basically mind control Alfred so she’s also on an evil agenda. Dunno what she’s doing exactly tho

#liveblog tag

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justgotham · 7 years ago

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The following article contains spoilers for Gotham Season 4, Episode 16: "One of My Three Soups,” which aired on March 29, 2018.

Writer Charlie Huston doesn't have a ton of TV credits to his name; he's written one Gotham episode, "Stop Hitting Yourself," and was the co-creator of the short-lived TV adaptation of Brian Michael Bendis' Powerscomic. What Huston does have, though, in addition to a background crime and horror novels, is comic book credits — he's written for Moon Knight, the Punisher, Man-Thing, and even Wolverine.

That knowledge of comic books and shows benefited him in writing his second episode of Gotham, this week's "One of My Three Soups," which is easily the most classically "Batman" episode Gotham has ever seen. It introduces the perfect blend of classic Batman elements while still maintaining the originality Gotham fans have grown to love over the years.

Here are some specific elements from "One of My Three Soups" and what makes them so great.

The Ultimate Team-Up — Batman villains go it alone sometimes, but nothing is more fun than a rogues gallery team-up. Gotham already found strength on this front when it realized Penguin and Riddler could be funny, exciting, and even sexy together. Same for Penguin and Ivy 2.0 (R.I.P.), minus the sexy part.

But nothing can compare with the moment in this episode where Scarecrow, the Mad Hatter, and the (maybe) Joker broke out of Arkham together and immediately began wreaking havoc on Gotham.

Whether it's Tetch's hypnotizing guards, Scarecrow making explosives as easily as toilet hooch, or Jerome just being Jerome, the escape from Gotham is so gleeful it almost harkens back to the Christmas episode of Batman: The Animated Series when the Joker flew away on a Christmas tree rocket.

The Bat and Cat Chemistry — It has always been hard to think of David Mazouz and Camren Bicondova in terms of a romantic pairing because, you know, they're kids. David is 17.

But even I, a middle-aged old-timer, has to acknowledge that "One of My Three Soups" finally proves a romantic subplot between this incarnation of Bruce and Selina can be done well and without seeming all that creepy!

We've seen Bruce and Selina fight off enemies together before, but never has there been an occasion where we've seen their methods and attitudes placed into such complementary and contrasting relief. Bruce feels responsible for Jerome still being alive to torment Gotham and wants to stop him and Selina just wants Bruce to be safe. Okay, AND Selina doesn't really think a Gotham full of Jerome-flavored chaos is very good for her thieving ways.

Which brings us to another important success...

The Dark Knight Rises — We've seen Bruce wear a mask before. We've seen him skulk into the night before. But this is the first time we've seen him do that thing where, like a rich ego-maniac with a hero complex would, he starts blaming himself for everything.

Bruce really believes Jerome's existence is somehow his fault. He can't kill Jerome, but he does feel like keeping Jerome in jail is his responsibility. I think this is one of the first times we see Bruce ghost on the GCPD, and specifically on Gordon.

It's also the first time we've seen Selina call out Bruce for having an extremely over-inflated sense of self-importance. Part of why Catwoman isn't a straight-up hero in the Batman mythos is because she doesn't really see a benefit in it for her or for Gotham. And she's probably right! If she tried to save the day every time, she'd probably wind up doing more harm than good.

And that's exactly what we're seeing with Bruce. Jerome would've been killed by his uncle, but, no... Bruce stopped it. And Jerome could've been shot by Selina, but, no... Bruce stopped it. Bruce has his Batman rules (no killing) but also an obsessive need to enforce those rules on everyone around him. It's Batman 101 and we've never quite seen it in the flesh on Gotham before. But we have now — and it fits seamlessly in with the rest of the show.

The Gordon Gotham Deserves — James Gordon, in the context of Gotham, has always come up short in a way that's frustrating to a lot of hardcore Batman fans. Gordon is usually the consistent one, the guy you know you can rely on to do the right thing, the hero that functions in the light so Batman can operate in the shadows. But Gotham's version of James Gordon has never been that guy.

Until now. And what's so great is how Huston makes the turn in Jim's characterization feel completely natural. Yes, Gordon is responsible for the Pyg coming to Gotham; yes, he lied to cover it up so he could get the glory; yes, he has killed.

But carrying over from the previous episode where Bullock told Jim he'd have to quietly live with his sins, we're now seeing Gordon act the part of the hero. Here, we see Jim being both leader and cheerleader to the GCPD, inspiring them to keep the city safe in a way he's never done before: jump off buildings and insists that, if Jim tells them to save themselves, they'll just leap anyway. At which point Gordon says something that completely redefines his character on Gotham: "Save each other."

Huston found a way to show that Gordon could be a leader with the quick wits to save the day, but, more importantly, that he's the leader who can inspire everyone else around him. That's something Batman can't always do, which is what makes Gordon so necessary in the Batman mythology.

The League of Assassins — Dealing with the League of Shadows (aka The League of Assassins) is tricky for many reasons, not least of which because it already exists in a different form on the CW show Arrow. Of course, there's also the fact that you're dealing with a Gotham City crowded with maniacs, many of whom also have superpowers. But here is a place where Gotham's ability to reinvent really shines.

Barbara Kean is already a character who's very different from anything we've really known of Barbara Gordon's mother in the past. Who she might become is an X-factor. There's been some hinting that she might become Harley Quinn, but now we're seeing an alternate option — that Barbara Kean might be the Demon's Head, aka Gotham's version of Ra's al Ghul. Which, for a show that often gives its women characters the short stick, is pretty darn cool. I'm not sure how Batman it is, but having the League involved is certainly a cool step.

Is this the best episode Gotham has ever had? I mean... neither Penguin nor Riddler are in it, so I'm not sure I'm ready to commit to that. But Huston has built something that plays from the comics, the 1960s Batman show, and Batman: The Animated Series in a way Gotham never has before.

And, it should be said that Ben McKenzie, who plays James Gordon AND directed this episode, has found the perfect degree of overacting to push his performers to a point that perfectly fits what Gotham City really ought to be (at least in this humble fan's opinion.)

#Gotham #Jerome Valeska #Cameron Monaghan #Jim Gordon #James Gordon #Ben McKenzie #Camren Bicondova #Selina Kyle #Bruce Wayne #David Mazouz #Jervis Tetch #Benedict Samuel #Jonathan Crane #David W. Thompson

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wearetakingthehobbitstogallifrey · 7 years ago

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Gotham 4x15 (spoilers below)

-And we open with Martin, the adorably creepy lil child who will probably turn into a genius supervillain someday, considering with what a sweet smile he follows the instructions that will lead to the demise of his ugly captors. I hope he lives long enough for that, because if there is one thing I don’t want to see on Gotham again it is the murder of a child *cries quietly thinking of Alex*

And OMG it is Ed/the Riddler who just rescued him, “sent by Uncle Penguin” lol ALSO Ed is gonna take Martin out of ice cream that’s sweet. I mean the kid probably needs therapy and a psych check but yes, he definitely should get some ice cream, Sofia tried to murder him once already

-Sidenote: I love the Gotham skyline with the distant beautiful skyscrapers but if you look closer, at the darker buildings, shorter, uglier, with smoke and smog, you’ll see all manner of poor and broken things

-OMG so Samson just killed a man in front of his family and I am sOOO ready for Lee to somehow get back her power and absolutely destroy him (she looks so good in black...)

-WAIT I THOUGHT JIM AND HARVEY MADE UP IN THE LAST EPISODE WHY IS HARVEY ALL LIKE YEAH AFTER WE TAKE DOWN SOFIA I TAKE DOWN YOU?? (come on Gotham, why do you have to be so realistic as to make the healing process long and painful? or wait, he just said, I will personally make sure you pay, so maybe he’ll just have Jim pay for all his alcohol therapy from now on? please? I need my cop brotp!)

-LOL SELINA BREAKING INTO WAYNE MANOR AND RUMMAGING THROUGH ALL HIS CANNED GOODS

Selina: DUDE WHY DON’T YOU HAVE ANY FOOD

Bruce: ummm cause I was a jerk and kicked Alfred out for a few months and I lived on like takeout and club food and Alfred hasn’t had time to hit up a grocery store?

aww Selina wants to return the stuff she stole from the family whose patriarch Ivy turned into a miniature garden AND she doesn’t want to bother Barbara with it, because, yeah, like Barbara would care? SO SHE GOES TO BRUCE INSTEAD! AND HE DOESN’T LET HER DOWN OR CHASTISE HER OR ANYTHING HE JUST SEES SHE IS TRYING TO MAKE WHAT AMENDS SHE CAN AND HE IS LIKE GIVE ME LIKE FIVE SECONDS I’LL GET YOU SOME CASH AND HE GOES OFF AND SELINA JUST—SHE JUST SMILES! BECAUSE BRUCE HAS HER BACK AND SHE HAS HIS! THESE TWO! WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME!

-BAHAHAHAHA Oswald guessing the answer to the rhyme and then guessing the meaning of the answer a split second after, too late

mmhmm sweet old grandma in the candy store used to skin people and stuff like par for the course in Gotham good grief

-YAAAASSSSS VICTOR ZSASZ THE SASSY ASSASSIN IS BACK AND MAKING HILARIOUS HAND MOTIONS WHILE LOOKING QUITE UNIMPRESSED WITH SOFIA’S RAGE ISSUES

-so like Victor’s all cool with killing the Penguin off (and is gonna take a buddy along with him) but I still want to know what would happen if he ever found out Sofia was behind her dad’s death...

-GUYS CAN WE JUST GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE OR SOMETHING FOR HARVEY BULLOCK, WHO HAS GOT A LOT OF ISSUES AND SOMETIMES SAYS HE IS A COWARD BUT THEN WALKS DOWN THE MIDDLE OF A HALLWAY TOWARD NOT ONE BUT TWO EXTREMELY DEADLY ASSASSINS POINTING A GUN AT THEM

“I DON’T KNOW WHY YOU TWO ARE HERE AND I DON’T CARE. WALK AWAY” you’re a good man Harvey

-Victor: Harvey do yourself a favor and walk away, give us Penguin and live to get drunk another day, hmm?

LOL

BUT ALSO

HARVEY SAYS NAH

*sirens go off and Victor and whatshisname look mildly irritated at being interrupted*

Victor: it’s okay we’ll come back

-EXCUSE ME BRUCE AND SELINA ARE ON A DATE IN A STORE LOOKING FOR THAT STUFF SHE STOLE THIS IS AMAZING

Selina: you’re different

Bruce: *looks back at her, with a side smile* HOW. DO YOU LIKE IT. DO YOU LIKE ME. DID I GET HOTTER. ARE YOU MORE IN LOVE WITH ME

I mean he didn’t say that exactly but that’s totally what he was thinking

Selina: you’ve been the world’s greatest DOUCHEBAG but now...you’re nOt (OK LIKE THE INFLECTION OF HER VOICE SHE IS SO FREAKING HAPPY TO KNOW THAT HE HASN’T REALLY TURNED INTO THE SPOILED BRATTY JERK SHE SAW AT THE BAR)

-OMG THESE FREAKING KIDS I LOVE THEM SO MUCH LOOK AT THEM ALMOST LITERALLY DANCING AROUND EACH OTHER FLIRTING AND BRUCE TRIES TO APOLOGIZE FOR BEING A GRADE A JERK AND SELINA IS LIKE SAVE IT *SMILES* YOU’LL PROBABLY BE A JERK AGAIN LATER AND SHE tOUCHES HIS chEEK with her HAND AND SLIDES IT ACROSS HIS SKIN ALL SEDUCTIVELY AND BRUCE IS ABSOLUTELY DONE FOR HE JUST SMILES AND SAYS I MISSED YOU TOO BUT HE IS INTERNALLY SCREAMING AND WILL NEVER STOP

Selina: *messed up*

Bruce: great

Selina: YOU REMEMBER WHAT I SAID ABOUT BEING A DOUCHEBAG?!

-At this point, a brief, glorious fight ensues, in which Bruce and Selina beat up the bad guys and Selina CATCHES A GUY’S ARM WITH HER WHIP SAVING BRUCE FROM GETTING SHOT AND THEN BRUCE PUNCHES HIM OUT

Bruce: *destroys a guy and takes his stuff, also drops hundreds of dollars of cash on him* JUSTICE

-so Oswald and Ed are teaming back up which should mean for some fun times for some people and death times for other people...but Martin is safe so that’s good. LOL and Ed gives his hat to Oswald to hold? but Penguin does NOT have time for Ed’s explanations, come on Oswald, let Ed have his day

-ohhh dear I have a feeling that Ed/the Riddler is gonna be pulled back and forth between Lee and Oswald for the foreseeable future? or are they going to team up to destroy Sofia?

-BAHAHAHAHAHAHA ED’S BACK UP PLAN TO LEE HELPING THEM IS TO PUT OSWALD IN ICE AND HAND HIM OVER TO SOFIA LIKE “A CHILLY TROJAN HORSE” OMG

Oswald: HELL NO

-So Grundy...is living in tunnels under the city?? with...loads of candles?? ?

-Ed: guess what I’M SMART AGAIN

LOL look Cory Michael Smith kills this role that’s all I have to say

-UM Ed pretty sure you’re about to get beat up by Butch Gilzean (so wait BUTCH is the one who likes atmospheric candles?!)

-some days I look at Oswald and I’m like....boi you’re short

-Lee: *tries to work with Oswald and Ed to destroy Sofia*

Ed and Oswald: *disappear*

Lee: *eyeroll* WHAT DRAMATIC IDIOTS I’VE GOTTA DO EVERYTHING mYSELF

-LOL I’VE MISSED HARVEY HAVE-SERIOUSLY COMPLAINING ABOUT JIM TO JIM

Harvey: how did Nygma get in touch with penguin anyway

Jim: I don’t know

Harvey: nothing is ever easy with you is it. It’s always like, find Lee and then she’ll point us to Ed and then we’ll find Penguin and he’ll tell us where to find Pen

-ALSO

RIGHT AFTER THIS

PENGUIN APPEARS (HE HAS NO MANNER OF LUCK AT ALL)

-OMG HARVEY “We’re looking for an Arkham escapee, about yea high, mommy complex” LOL

-honestly I’m kinda surprised that Oswald hasn’t had a heart attack yet the way he gets so worked up about stuff

-sooo Jim agrees to let Oswald go if he gives them information, and then he goes to shake his hand? I mean, like they have this really bizarre not exactly a friendship thing...I guess it’s Oswald has always considered himself Jim’s friend (in whatever strange way that is) and Jim doesn’t consider Oswald a friend but he knows him well enough to use that to his advantage...and honestly they’ve helped each other out of enough scrapes

-but also Harvey is now the WE DON’T MAKE DEALS WITH THE DEVIL. Which like I totally get and Penguin has proven himself to be a volatile, murderous element, but its weird to see Harvey so worked up about being a clean cop when he used to hobnob with crooks all the time...is it just because he had grown to respect Jim’s honor and goodness so much? And when Jim fell off his pedestal, Harvey was destroyed by that? And wants Jim to be better again?

-Victor: *shows up*

Me: you’re here to do bad things and impede the good guys but nevertheless I am so glad you are here

Victor: do you need Penn? is he important? yes, that’s his yes face

Me: *cracking up* I do indeed love you Victor

-LEE SAVES OSWALD (in a dinky little car that all those bullets should have gone through like it was paper)

-Barbara’s having a few issues...resurrection will do that to you (I’m pretty sure she legit died earlier, has that been made clear yet? I don’t remember, but there was that thing with Ra’s...was it confirmed she was dipped in the Lazarus pit?

-how on earth is Ed gonna get out of this mess? Oh he’s not. Oops

-Sofia: kill Penguin!! GET PENN!!!

Victor: yeah sooo Penn, Penguin, where are we priorities-wise? BAHAHAHAHAHA

-Penguin: *goes off on one of his rants* you can’t freeze me yet!!!

Victor Fries: ...don’t care

ICONIC

-I THOUGHT THE BATCAT SCENES COULDN’T GET ANY BETTER I WAS WRONG!!! So like Bruce and Selina are in Bruce’s kitchen, and Selina is just...fidgeting with the jewelry and Bruce is prepping ice for his bruises but then Selina asks him to return the jewelry for her because she feels so GUILTY and Bruce my beautiful wise understanding compassionate son tells her JUST what she needs to hear—that the guy’s death was NOT her fault!!! HE IS SO QUIET AND KIND TO SELINA

Selina: *hunched over the counter, darting quick looks at Bruce* (OMG SHE PROBABLY THINKS HE WILL BLAME HER TOO)

Bruce: *looking handsome and serious in his black turtleneck* *leans over the counter and gazes at Selina* you did NOT kill Roland Charles

Selina: but...I was there...and what am I supposed to say—I stole your jewelry, I’m sorry?

Bruce: sometimes that’s enough

AWWWWWWWW MY BEAUTIFUL PRECIOUS CHILDREN I’M SORRY I CAN’T I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH I MEAN JUST LOOK AT THEIR FACIAL EXPRESSIONS THROUHOUT THIS CAMREN AND DAVID ARE SUCH FREAKING GOOD ACTORS MY GOSH THE WAY BRUCE AND SELINA LOOK AT EACH OTHER WOW

-Sofia’s goon is torturing Ed yet the man still has not a single hair out of place like what kind of gel are you wearing again?? ?

-Ed: *RIDDLES AWAY*

Sofia: TELL ME WHERE PENGUIN IS

Ed: I AM TELLING YOU YOU’RE JUST TOO STUPID TO FIGURE IT OUT LOL

-Penguin rolls in all frozen in ice and Ed starts laughing OMG I GET IT OSWALD USED ED’S BACKUP PLAN AFTER ALL

-Victor Z: *looks at Ed, then Penguin, then Sofia* I’m not even gonna ask

-Jim and Harvey walk into the weird looking place where Penn is

Harvey: *in his flattest voice* what fresh hell is this

Me: yeah WTF

-Penguin has the chance to go save Ed (with whom he has had ISSUES) or to go wreak his revenge on Sofia...I’m betting he goes to save Ed. Make good choices dude

-GAH THEY SHOT JIM

-IS THIS THE FINAL SHOWDOWN WITH SOFIA?!

-YAASSS HARVEY STILL CARES ABOUT JIM AND WANTS TO PUT HIS HEALTH BEFORE EVERYTHING

AND JIM IS STILL A BRAVE SELF-SACRIFICING FOOL AND GETS SHOT AGAIN

AND SOFIA STALKING/FLOATING DOWN THE KITCHEN HALLWAY LIKE A DARK ANGEL OF DEATH

-LOL Victor and Headhunter fail in their mission AGAIN

Victor: can’t catch a break today. let’s go get a milkshake

BAHAHAHAHA

-AHH JEEZ SOFIA KEEPS SHOOTING JIM STAHP

-Sofia: beg me for mercy

Jim: GO TO HELL

YAASSS SOMETIMES JIM IS AN IDIOT BUT HE IS STILL FREAKING AWESOME

WAAAAIIITT OMG OMG OMG LEE JUST KILLED SOFIA SHE DID THAT

LEE YOU ROCK!!!!!

-Ed is so DONE with stupidity

-aaaannnnd I called it. Oswald ditches his revenge schemes to go save Ed

Oswald: trust is hard to find, but I trust you Ed

Ed: a horrible decision really

But for real though these two psychos are friends again and there are going to be hijinx upcoming you can be sure of that

Ed: I have a STRONG desire never to see this pier again

Oswald: SAME

-aww Harvey is sitting by Jim’s bedside...THE BROTP LIVES

-WIAT WHAT SOFIA IS IN A COMA SHE ISN’T DEAD?!?!!?! SHE HAD A BULLET IN THE BRAINPAN SQUISH! HOW

-I freaking love Harvey, telling Jim to get over himself and take the hard path of not confessing but keeping his job, living with his guilt, and working hard to save Gotham.

Harvey: it’s what this city needs

Me: that’s what Gotham needs right now, not a fallen hero, but a white knight...Bruce will cover the dark vigilante who works outside the parameters of the law for you

-Lee: *gets all vicious on a crook who freaking deserves it*

Me: good on you...but also...yikes

-um light is spilling out of Barbara, I’m gonna take a guess and say that isn’t good?

#gotham 4x15 #gotham spoilers #batcat is the most beautiful thing i have ever witnessed omg #lee thompkins did thaaaat!#harvey bullock and jim gordon are brotp again and i love it and victor zsasz is the best #bruce wayne #selina kyle #where was alfred though?#oswald and ed are partners in crime again #i love this show so freaking much #gotham season 4

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batmanisagatewaydrug · 2 years ago

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SEASON FIVE MOTHERFUCKERS LET'S GO!!!!!!

5x01

the opening recap is So Long but I did need it because I genuinely forgot that Ra's died again. stay down bitch.

OH THERE'S A TIME SKIP AND IT'S BEEN OVER A YEAR. OKAY. COOL.

how is Jim still wearing his badge. jesus christ. suck the boot a little harder why don't you.

oh okay listen. this is going to be vital for y'all to have a prayer of understanding the rest of this liveblog. we open on day 391 where Jimbles, Harvey, Oswald, and that little green bastard all gearing up to??? apparently face down the us army together?

and then we jump back to day 87 so I have to assume the rest of the season is going to be a prolonged "how we got here."

okay proceed

the Scarecrow is running an entire chunk of the city... how... he's a teenager with hallucinations who makes toilet wine...

oooooh the Big Bad of this season is FEMA

forget the badge why is Jim still wearing a TIE. for gods sake Jim. there doesn't even seem to be electricity.

death by firing squad for whoever slapped this wig on Cory Michael Smith

hey wait a second. how the fuck can Bruce not just like. pay someone to smuggle food into the city. or citizens out. somebody out there would take that money. what are we doing here. even just a helicopter flying over to drop MREs or something come on.

death by two firing squads for whoever decided Barbara needed those pseudo bangs jesus christ

cannot stop thinking about the Gotham prequel novel claiming Alfred was in his 60s. Sean Pertwee was in his mid-50s when the show ENDED.

uuuuugh god okay I believe in a compliment sandwich so uuuuh. one pro of establishing that a LOT of rogues were active prior to Batman is that it really drives home that people would be scared shitless by another guy on the scene attacking people out of the dark. he's just another monster in the dark, right? furthers the initial distrust that the GCPD would feel towards him as well.

where was Donal Logue's emmy for his delivery of "they got the beans"

oh okay Bruce is actually doing my plan about flying in food hot damn. he didn't do it until his girlfriend was personally affected but still

a GLIMMER of an interesting narrative as Selina survives an attempted murder and ruminates on being a fridged woman

hey Oswald I'm just spitballing here but maybe starving your underlings and forcing them to dress like they're in a labor camp is. going to come back to bite you in the ass.

anyway readers he's acquired a bulldog and named it Edward because he and the Riddler are neither boyfriends nor exes but a secret third thing (trapped in a perpetual state of breaking up with each other)

Jim this wouldn't be happening if you had ever just once let Oswald suck your dick

oop red alert the last surviving woman of color in the main cast has been murdered! that's what we in the commentary field call A BAD FUCKING LOOK!

I'm saying this as the #1 penguin girlie there is. his plot armor is getting ridiculous and it's insane that no one managed to kill him.

actually extremely funny that while every other rogue is busy carving up Gotham the Riddler is busy blacking out and waking up in dumpsters.

once again in spite of my better judgement I am having fun :/

alright fuck it I'm trapped in the office with two hours to kill

#gotham time

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optimisticcritique · 7 years ago

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Gotham 4x05 - Re-watch Review

Preparing myself for Gotham’s return...while I am still watching 4x12 live, my reviews will probably not finish before it airs. We’ll see.

More quality hard workers in Gotham. I should be surprised but I’m not.

This is so depressing...but yay to Grundy!

More heated disagreements for Harvey and Jim. They should really just hug it out.

Bruce feels guilty, angsty, emotional, and angry. Ready to make rash and impulsive decisions. All sounds like regular emotions, especially for his age.

That poor family. Wow, there were not a lot of people there. Were they late or was that all there was?

“Instead, you’ve been placing him in harm’s way”. I’m sorry Jim, have you met Bruce? If only you knew everything that was going on.

I’d love to see Jim try to take care of Bruce for a day (last episode doesn’t count) and watch him. It would be a lot harder than he thinks. Alfred can take the day off. Maybe go on a cruise, go hiking, visit someone in arkham, or beat up some thugs. You know, an average vacation.

Wow, what lousy security. It is almost as if these guards were not legit and did not care that Babs had a weapon to break Ra’s out...

So, what’s the exact status of the Babs and Ra’s relationship? *Currently in love with a dusty corpse, possible resurrection still pending. I can see that being a great Facebook status to use one day.

Yeah, Babs. I am still a bit unclear on Ra’s motivations too.

I feel Barbara is the type of person that always has something with her for any given situation. Need lipstick? Got it. Need booze? Got it. Need a way to escape an almost inescapable prison because you murdered a young boy? Got it.

Some people believe Ra’s vibrated his sperm/a baby into Barbara to get her pregnant. Some believe it was his life force to bring him back to life. Try explaining that to a non-Gotham fan with no context.

It’s alliiiive!

And Grundy has been born! Odd. It isn’t even Monday.

His shirt is non-existent but most of his pants are in tact #familytelevision.

Born on a Monday, chr-crap. Am I the only one that always gets this song in my head every time I hear it?

Imagine if Butch wasn’t the only one to be thrown in the swamp and was reborn. Gotham vs. zombie apocalypse for season 5!

Mr. Penn has returned! <3 So wise, so patient.

I actually created a Mr. Penn fan club. So far I’m the only member but it’s really hitting it’s stride!

I am surprised it took so many seasons to see Oswald actually icing his leg and showing genuine pain from it. I know it is Gotham and there are a lot of people that want him dead but he should really consider seeing a doctor.

Oswald’s face when Sofia touches him says two things. One: What? Did you just touch me without physically trying to harm me? Two: Not having any of it. Not interested.

I forgot how many times “I’m a Falcone”, “Falcone name”, and “my father...” are mentioned by Sofia in 4A. I should start a drinking game.

“Add a question mark, will you?” Savage. Also, let’s be real Oswald. You wouldn’t murder Carmine’s only daughter that easily. He’d be coming for you.

I wonder if things would have been better for Oswald if he just went along with Sofia’s game-knowing she is playing him-and just plays her back in return.

The real problems in life: Inability to think 3 steps ahead AND inability to solve riddles. Yes, there is a medication that fits those exact symptoms.

Smartivia...Ed, come on, really?

Ed has a very big mouth. Dentists must love him.

I would call Ed a drama queen for reacting in that way but, to be honest, I would probably react the same if I was unexpectedly stabbed in the hand.

Fake gun lol I wish it was the same one he threatened Oswald with. Too bad I doubt it.

Hey, where did he get a fake gun anyway? How could he get a fake on in Gotham but not a real one? Did he just steal it from a child on the street?

I was wrong. He is definitely a drama queen.

That’s a lot of pills at once, Ed. What if they were real pills?

Sometimes I forget Ed was frozen on ice and didn’t know that Butch or Babs “died”.

Grundygma is born.

“Man talk too much” - Edward Nygma/The Riddler in a nutshell. Yeah, he’s always been someone who never shuts up, whether his brain works or not.

Alfred and Jim working together >>>>>> Jim criticizing Alfred’s parental skills, which Jim knows nothing about because he is not a parent yet.

Does everyone just expect terrible security in Gotham? Is it common knowledge? I mean, Bruce seems to break in with such ease, not worrying about being caught.

You really should of thought about whether you wanted to stab him or not before walking inside his cell and breaking into the jail. And taking off your mask.

What was your exact plan Bruce?

Corrupt. Always corrupt workers in Gotham.

All the weapons gag. Alfred, you are truly amazing.

Jim making fun of Alfred for under crackers...we need more moments like this.

Alfred should really have more scenes with other people more often.

I want to know how the hand grew exactly? Is he part lizard?

Grundy and Ed is the friendship I never knew I needed.

I love how Grundy assumed Ed was just hungry. He doesn’t want to be my friend? It’s just his empty stomach talking.

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach... Ed isn’t secretly in love with Grundy is he? Will that be his next love interest after this season?

Sofia playing the long game.

Does Ed honestly think flailing is enough to get free?

“I assure you, we are not friends” Grundy’s face says: Dude, I just gave you a hot dog! Really? Did that mean nothing to you?

Grundy/Ed hug <3 Oh yeah, I’ve given and gotten hugs like that before. You know, the ones where someone nearly suffocates you to death. Good times.

Only Oswald can be a sassy eater... and be strangely entertaining when eating.

I love the small details of having a guy test his food. It’s the little things.

Oswald’s thoughts as he takes bite: “Oof emotions creeping. Remembering happiness and sadness... Nooo! Must not feel! Must leave before emotions get me!” I feel like this is a relatable feeling for Nygmobblepot fans when watching old scenes. Or fans of any ship or character in this show in general.

Oswald seems either ashamed of his leg, protective from it hurting worse, or both. Probably both.

Sofia playing the mom card. You’d think Oswald would be paranoid, given a similar situation was happening with Carmine in Season 1.

Sofia likes to tell a lot of stories from her childhood.

Ra’s really does know how to hit the right points and push someone into murdering him.

I am still surprised Bruce stabbed him. I still think Ra’s will come back though... somehow.

And emotionless Bruce is here. Not a fan of emotionless Bruce.

Cherry!

How does Cory feel about being called things like “string bean” and “squirt”? Always wondered how actors feel when being called those things.

And...here comes Lee! Drinking, of course. The trio is finally here.

Over all: Great episode. I did initially get disappointed over Ra’s death happening so soon and Bruce going full blown angst but, when binging episodes, it isn’t such a big deal. Not when you know Ra’s will likely be back and Bruce will grow. I enjoyed the pairings and interactions in this episode. Edward and Grundy bond. Sofia gets closer to Penguin. Jim and Alfred working together to get Bruce. Bruce and Ra’s being honest with each other, only for Bruce to stab him. Just going deeper into what is soon about to come...

Previous Review: 4x04 Next: 4x06

#optimisticcritque gotham review #gotham #4x05 #the blade's path #be prepared for at least 3 reviews on Thursday #forgive me when I clutter the gotham tag that day #I was exhausted when writing this so I hope it all is okay

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