#but for the whole time it almost seemed like he was portraying alfred and it hit me SO FUCKING MUCH

[kingslionheart]

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. That's why bad things happen to me. It is about the sins of my father. And my sins.

[motsimages]

Thoughts on the drug use and perception of drug use in Gotham and in The Batman. It will be long.

TLDR: in the movie The Batman, drug use is portrayed in different people in different ways, including Batman. Is it used as a narrative device to reflect on the character?

Gotham is a destroyed city. I know they based it off Chicago, maybe New York, but given the state of it, I'd say is more Detroit in that there was industry and money, something happened, and there is no more. If it was Europe, it could be one of those mine/industrial towns in the UK or the North of Spain when there were miners and now there is nothing. It is not even interesting enough to gentrify, for some reason (probably the Arkham Asylum, not because crazy people=dangerous but because have you seen the place? No wonder you want to watch the world burn if you've been there long enough) villains seem to love it. Add to this the opioid epidemic in the 2000s and *chef's kiss*. (if Gotham was in Spain, it would have been the heroine crisis of the 80s-90s)

So in The Batman we have dropaine addicts. Drop seems to be a new kind of drug. The effect are not really explained, more shown, so they are unclear, maybe it is a mix of other drugs and "drop" is just the name, like it happens with crack or others?

It seems to be a global problem in Gotham. It is mentioned at the beginning that crime and addiction are rising issues that are not being addressed.

And in Gotham, like in real life, drug users are reduced to two kinds: junkies and the respectable ones. The respectable ones may be as addict (or more) as the junkies but they have money and access to drugs when necessary. They also have access to housing, food and life pleasures. Junkies only have occasional access to drugs.

In The Batman this is best seen in two scenes: when they go to the -6º and all the local important people are there getting high, partying with music and pretty girls, and when they go to the orphanage and there are 3 young boys in a dark room with bunk beds, who can barely even notice someone (Batman) is there.

In the disco, Selena comments on how she dislikes drop addicts. In the orphanage, it is Gordon's turn to comment with the same disgust. Each one of them deals with a different side of the same coin. Batman doesn't deal with any of them, hidden in his mansion, fighting from the shadows.

But Batman, who spends the whole movie in a personal and metaphorical travel between shadows and light, has a personal report with drugs. At the end of the movie, he gets a shot in his leg of what could be drop, to get up and fight to save Selena. Because of the instant high of whatever he took, he almost kills someone with his owns fists and he has to be stopped. Gordon looks at him worried and horrified.

This may be the first time we clearly see Batman in a movie or series using some substance to stay awake and fight. He may have taken amphetamines, adrenaline or any other. He may have taken drop. He may have awake for over 30 hours working to save people but also forced by the effect of the drug.

It could have been just a scene at the end, except at the beginning, he mentions that sometimes when he comes back after beating the shit out of petty criminals, he doesn't remember what happened. It has gotten worse over the years. So he may have been getting high for the past 2 years (or more) and it may be taking its toll on him. He needs to record, write and analyse everything so he doesn't forget.

He is a rich kid with terrible coping mechanisms. Where does he get his drug from? Who is his dealer? Does Alfred know (it is in his costume after all)? Does he perceive himself as a junkie too? Is he aware?

He thinks he is exceptional, but as the Riddler says at the end, there were other orphans too, the forgotten ones. And Batman sees them, in the orphanage. The rich men have all the resources, all the fun (he could be one of them, but he doesn't want to be, he chooses to be uninformed), but he is an orphan. Is he like the other orphans?

In other Batman movies the possibility that he is a villain or not so different from the villain is also explored, but are they using drugs in this movie to connect Batman with the average Gotham citizen? He could be a hero, he could be a criminal, but can he be a citizen? Can he be a junkie?

If this is explored in the next movie, it will be an interesting take on this particular hero and on superheroes in general.

[outoftheframework]

characterization cheat sheet - batfamily girls + additional characters / elements

Some of you wanted to see another one of these posts including the girls, so I thought I’d combine them with a few other points I was thinking about after I posted the first one.

You can read about the batboys here.

Cassandra Cain:

Age: 18-22

Appearance: Cassandra is of asian descent, typically has pale skin, shoulder-to-chin length jet-black hair, and a button nose. She has the body of a dancer, with long legs, a lean middle, and strong arms. Cass is typically wearing black and is drawn with dark, strong features to match. 

Personality: Comic Cass is almost on the complete opposite of the spectrum as the one portrayed in Birds of Prey. She is disciplined and seems to work well with teams / under the direction of Batman. She has the potential to grow into herself more as a leader. Cass can be impressionable, especially toward the beginning of her journey and with people she likes/admires, like Batman or Stephanie. Cass is similar to Dick in her capacity to love and her dedication to her found family.

Speech: She grew up training to be a master assassin completely reliant on reading body language, and was never taught to read or speak. Her portrayals range from her being completely illiterate to her having a stronger control of language after spending some time with the batfamily. Her desire to learn and express herself is a hallmark of her personality, and she can sometimes become frustrated. Cass can be expressive through her body and facial features, and in some iterations (mostly fanworks) communicates through sign language. 

Additional Attributes: Cass is a good listener and often easy to get along with. She is sometimes caught up with proving her strength/her worth, especially to her biological parents and sometimes Batman. Despite her being illiterate, do not write off Cass as unintelligent; she is on par with the rest of the batfamily. Cass likes to travel and sometimes takes long journeys away from Gotham.

Barbara Gordon:

Age: 25-30

Appearance: Barbara has red/orange hair of varying lengths, often pulled out of her face (with some fly-aways). She wears glasses often while working as Oracle, but I’ve never seen a Batgirl interpretation wearing glasses while in uniform. Her wearing contacts could be a little detail to add to your work. Babs shares some features with the Commissioner (who also wears glasses). She is tall and healthily thin. She’s often dressed in comfortable clothes or business casual attire. As Oracle, she is a wheel-chair user.

Personality: Growing up in Gotham as a police officer’s, and later the Commissioner’s, daughter, Barbara is thick-skinned, outspoken, and can advocate for herself. She holds secrets and lies easily, even to her father whom she loves. As Oracle, Barbara suffers from PTSD, which affects her mood and actions, more so in the beginning of her time with the mantle. After some time coming to terms with her injury and trauma, Barbara delves into her work as Oracle, which is a monumental help to the batfamily. She’s smart and quick-witted, and never misses an opportunity for a pun.

Speech: Barbara grew up with Jim, who definitely has a strong Gotham accent. Her speech is assertive and doesn’t typically stutter or trail off at the end of sentences. At work she speaks very differently than at home or with friends. She has a playful canter to her voice when relaxed and surrounded by trusted companions. Her voice as Oracle is smooth and clear like a radio host, as she is to provide information quickly and accurately. Her voice has a calming effect to the vigilantes out in the field.

Additional Attributes: Babs is the best at calling Dick Grayson out on his bullshit, and he typically cares about her opinion the most. She appreciates friendships but is not reliant on romantic relationships. She is one of the world’s best hackers and computer scientists, with a very high IQ. 

Stephanie Brown:

Age: 17-20

Appearance: Long blonde hair with bright eyes and pink lips. She has a cute beauty to her and tends to keep herself well-groomed. She often wears purple (her favorite color) and black. Stephanie Brown is one of those characters that artists love to give unrealistic body proportions to. Perhaps because she’s blonde? Whatever the reason, she’s often drawn with like a 10-pack and back-breaking-ly large breasts as a teenager. I implore you not to do this, but I mean, whatever floats your boat. She’s a vigilante but is also a teenager that obeys the laws of human proportions.

Personality: Steph is witty and loud. In fan works she’s often the one to suggest a fast-food run or dare someone to do something wild. Stephanie is a self-starter and dedicated to heroism after growing up with a dad involved in crime who continually abandoned and lied to her. Steph is still young and can get caught up in common teenage angst and gossip. She can make mistakes but stringently takes steps to correct them.

Speech: Stephanie is close to Jason in the degree of her accent, but with a feminine touch and a stronger control of modern slang. Sometimes uses speech fillers as in “um” and “like.” Her voice fluctuates in tone with her emotions. She likes to tease and joke around, and can purposely use incorrect grammar.

Additional Attributes: In her original continuity, Stephanie became pregnant as a young teenager (I want to say around 15 years old). She is mostly firm in her decision to not raise the baby, but some doubts and regrets still appear when she’s emotional. She found a lot of support in Tim during that time, but ultimately the decision was her own and caused her to mature very quickly. Steph’s hero name of “Spoiler” stems from her “spoiling” the plans of villain “Cluemaster,” her father. Stephanie loves waffles.

Additional Elements and Characters:

Kate Kane: I admittedly haven’t read much involving Batwoman, but here’s some basic points.

She is a female foil to Batman as his Bruce’s cousin; she similarly uses her wealth to fight crime in Gotham

She has bright red long hair and very pale skin, with a tall athletic body

Her sexuality is a main theme explored in her narratives

Jim Gordon: One of my favorite reoccurring supporting characters

Jim is of average height with a slightly athletic build due to his position. He wears glasses and often neutral colors like tans and grays.

Jim Gordon without a mustache isn’t Jim Gordon

He has a very accurate moral compass and is adept at following his gut feelings about danger. He is at foremost a detective, which contributes to his relationship to Batman.

Alfred Pennyworth: The man, the myth, the butler

Alfred lived a full and exciting life before working for the Waynes, and is trained in military medical assistance

He can put on a calm and collected appearance to take control of a situation despite his actual feelings 

Alfred is loyal to the Wayne family but will not hesitate to reprimand Bruce or the kids

Ace the Batdog or Titus?: The age old question

Titus is directly associated with Damian and his softer side/love for animals

Ace is more so Bruce’s dog, and sometimes even performs clutch actions to help out Batman and co.

Wayne Manor: These walls hold a lot of secrets

The mansion is located just inside the city limits of Gotham, with expansive surrounding land and a long, gated driveway

The manor is secured with the latest security systems to keep both enemies out and sneaky kids in

The layout changes and is up for interpretation, but it’s often described as “stately,” which implies grand and old architecture

The whole mansion is well-kept but Alfred, but some places accumulate dust, especially high bookshelves and little nooks and crannies

Gotham City: Take creative liberties

Gotham varies from a some-what functional city with corruption and violence in the shadows to a complete gothic hell scape where it’s never daytime

These can add realism or an elements of fantasy, respectively

Gotham is a mix of old and new, with modern corporations like Wayne Enterprises mixed with ornate art deco buildings like City Hall

Like real cities, Gotham is a mix of safer, more tourist-y areas and more dangerous areas like the appropriately named “Crime Alley”

Hope this helps! Feel free to add on, and remember to be civil and respect other people’s interpretations :)

[smokeybrand]

The Cape and The Cowl

A friend of mine posted a meme questioning who would win a fight between Doctor Doom and Batman. My gut reaction is to say it’s real bad for Bruce but, as i thought about it more and more, i kind of feel like its not so cut-and-dry. There is a lot of nuance that needs to be considered between the two characters rather than just a “smash the action figured together” scenario. Of course, there is the surface stuff like how would they interact generally? What would the catalyst be in order to incite said conflict? Why would Doom even see Bruce as a threat? If you think about it objectively, an all things are even, to Vic, Batman is just a crazy person losing his are on crime in a raggedy ass city. Victor von Doom is a the reagent of an entire country with a GDP that rivals some superpowers in the MCU. Like, the USA has diplomatic relations with a blip in Eastern Europe, because Doom has the military power to wreck he US in open aggression. Latveria will lose in a prolonged conflict, that’s just a question of resources, but that little country would absolutely inflict upon the US in a slow bleed. Imagine the War on Terror but with competent leadership and actual, discipline, military strategy. Why the f*ck would Doom care what the f*ck is going on out in Jersey? More than that. the similarities between the two characters is staggering.

We all know the origin of Batman. We’ve seen that sh*t how many times now? It’s like getting a new Spider-Man joint and having to watch Uncle Ben die all over again. It’s trite at this point but so essential to the character, we need a refresher every time Bats shows up onscreen. That trauma informs everything he is, as it would if you watched your parents gunned down in cold blood as a child, and then laid with their still warm corpses for however long until the police came. What a lot of people don’t know is the origin of Doctor Doom. Being a villain, Doom rarely gets his motivations explored outside of some megalomaniac Dr. No type f*ckery. However, Victor von Doom is a person. He started out life as a happy kid and learned to be Doctor Doom, just like Bruce learned to be Batman. Doom is actually a refugee. True, Doom was born an aristocrat, but Latveria was overthrown when he was still young so he was never able to be raised in that level of opulence. His mom was also murdered before he was ten years old. Just like Bruce, Doom experienced a horrific truth that would color his world perspective for the rest of his life. Doom would eventually find his way to the US as he was brilliant. Like, unheard of intelligent and it would be his exposure to the US lifestyle, after years of conflict and struggle, which would make him realize how easy life could be if someone just did what was necessary. And then Reed happened.

Reed Richards was, is, a fulcrum in Vic’s life. They have a relationship similar to Batman an Superman but the opposite. Whereas Batman values Clark’s perspective because it helps him keep perspective, Vic finds Reed to be absurd. He sees Reed for who e is and doesn’t understand why no one else can. Reed Richards is a reckless, excitable, short-sighted, glory-hog. He is. If you read the character with any semblance of realism, you’d see that. Ho many times has Sue comments on how she and the rest of his family, take a backseat to science? How many times has Reed, himself, sacrificed a relationship or to, in service to the solution of an equation? Doom saw all of that in college. Reed represents the structural issues of the world and it frustrates Vic to no end. In some continuities, the genesis of Vic going full Doom rest on an accident Reed commits because of that shortsightedness. It goes a long way to checking Reeds ego and he does become a better person for it, but it was at the cost of scarring Vic for life, both physically and mentally. Yet another example of the system, ruining Doom’s life.

Bruce, after his trauma, has kept a strong support system. First and foremost, since day one, he had Alfred. Doom had no one. Bruce then built a family, adopting all of the children and surrounding himself with love. Doom’s one true love died and was dragged down to hell. We know this because he punches out Mephisto whenever he can. Also, his mom is down there, too. Bruce eventually met Diana and Kal, becoming fast friends and life long confidants. Outside of Catwoman, I think Diana makes for the perfect romantic partner of Bruce and that is shown in several continuities. Reed just reinforced Doom’s disgust with the machinations of the world, eventually further degrading Doom’s tenuous hold of his ability to trust in others, by psychically maiming him. The negative impact Reed had on Doom’s life is f*cking profound, man. I’m not saying Doom should have taken it as far as he did, but it’s hard to argue against trying to kill a dude who had ruined years of your work, destroyed you reputation, and physically maimed you forever. That doesn’t seem wholly outrageous to me. I think it’s called justifiable homicide? The only reason Doom stopped trying to murder Reed is because Valeria was born. Valeria became the first person Doom felt real affection for, since the death of his wife. I think Morgan le Fay could be another, but that might have just been a time-space booty call. Valeria Richards and her relationship with he Uncle Doom, is what gave Vic the strength to be better. Bruce had that love his entire life, even immediately after his darkest day. Doom went decades without it.

Up until Valeria was born, all Doom had was his time spent as a destitute street rat, struggling to survive, to inform him about life and the world at large. That brazen cruelty for sure emotionally crippled him in a lot of ways, I'm not even going to start to defend his arrogance or superiority complex, but trauma does that. That's why i think Bats would eventually come around. They've both seen the absolute worst of the world and, in a lot of ways, go about righting those wrongs in the same way. If you pay attention, and the writer is worth their salt, you'd see that Latveria is an autocratic socialist paradise. Latverians are among the most literate, healthy, and happy people in the 616. Jobs are plentiful and crime is almost non-existent. Mans even cured cancer, which he made available to the world, if those people choose to make the trip to Latveria for treatment. The world of 616, at large, likes to paint Vic as this evil despot but, if you interview a laymen of Latveria, they’ll sing his praises. Most people forget that, before Doom returned for his birthright, Latveria was a whole ass occupied state. Think the relationship between Israel and Palestine. Latveria was basically falling into doorknobs for Symkaria and pretending that they weren’t in an abusive relationship. Doom showed up and changed all that. It was a bloody f*cking conflict, for sure, and i am certain Vic committed war crimes, but the end result was a free Latveria with a strong international presence. Doom is a hero to those people but a villain to other nations because of how he rose to power and, more importantly, how independent he made hi country from the world system. Doom did what was necessary to free his people, a march too far for Bruce and that’s why Gotham is the way that it is.

People who don’t know the character like to paint Vic as ego-maniacal villain, and that was valid when comics were just "hero smash bad guy", but we've grown beyond that. Every pop culture interpretation of Doom, outside of the comics, has him as this stoic, arrogant, asshole, dictator bu that’s just not an accurate portrayal of how Doom is in a modern capacity. Vic is definitely an autocrat but he’s no dictator. He can be cruel at times to specific individuals but he is generally benevolent to his people. He doesn’t portray himself as a strongman but he does let it be known he’ll nuke anyone or anything if it means furthering his overall goals which, currently, is the safety and security of Latveria. His country isn’t a police state and his people are free to do as they please but their is a line, just like everywhere else in the world. Doom just has a shorter one and enforces that with extreme prejudice. I’m not going to sit here and say everything is great in Latveria, it’s definitely not, but it ain’t so hot in 616 America either. How many Civil Wars have they had? What about that whole  tidbit with Hydra Cap? There is nuance and gray nowadays, areas that both Bats and Doom comfortably call home. Batman is, objectively, not a pure hero. He is, at best, a chivalric anti-hero and similarly, Doom is more of an anti-villain than the mustache twirling, boogeyman, mastermind pop media portrays him to be. Batman and Doom are basically the same person, with the same motivations, only Doom is willing to go much, much, further than Bruce; A difference in method you an attribute to their respective upbringings.

If Doom had the same support system as Bruce, he’d create miracles. We’ve seen glimpses of that throughout the years. Dooms last run culminated with him essentially obliterating an entire universe where he had the support necessary to build a proper utopia. Our Doom couldn’t fathom the choices made by this variant Doom because of how broken he is. If Bruce was alone in his formative years like Victor, he’d commit atrocities. We’ve seen glimpses of that over they years, too. There are various narratives that explore just such a tragic turn of events, explored in the Death Metal series of books. Dawnbreaker immediately comes to mind. Bruce and victor are the same side of the same coins. It's literally a crap shoot as to which side of the alignment chart either leans. And as if to inform my point further, we just recently had Joker War. That book went a long way to exposing the absolute necessity of raw force, in order to properly “save”Gotham. Joker was able to completely dismantle that entire city by attacking the machinery put in lace to make it run. He effectively proved that The Batman was part of the problem and would never be the solution because Bruce doesn’t go far enough. He puts out fires but never address the sparks which start those blazes. He doesn’t go far enough. He never will. His code won’t allow him to. But Doom can. Doom did. Honestly, if you really want to keep it real, what is Bruce's endgame? What does a healthy Gotham City look like? It looks a lot like f*cking Latveria.

So to answer this question outright, i don’t think they even fight. The way this hypothetical was set up had three rounds: the first being a standard donnybrook, the second being prep time, and the last being god mode. To be perfectly honest with you, it wouldn't make it past the first round. If i had to say, with pedestrian or normie level understanding of he characters, Doom sweeps all categories. For Round one, Doom’s armor trumps all of Batman’s gadgets. For Round Two, Doom has more resources at his fingertips for prep. For Round The God Emperor Doom exists. He created several realities and killed a few Beyonders. Batman sat in a chair which gave him access to all the wisdom in the multiverse, and realized there were three Jokers. Doom all the way. My informed opinion as someone who adores both these character more than most would have me think there wouldn’t even be a conflict to begin with. I think they’d investigate the inciting catalyst, meet in person with intent to attack if necessary, size each other up until one of them made the proposal to just talk, they'd converse, and the fight would end with both of them walking away from each other with begrudging respect. Doom would admire Bruce's will and Bruce would understand the necessity of Doom's position in the world because, if you can make it make sense, Bruce will usually agree. Batman, for all of his shortcomings, is not naive to the world. He’s seen the same darkness as Doom. Doom, for all of his pompous arrogance, understands the struggle to maintain faith in those around you, even if that noble aspiration is misplaced. Bruce is one bad day away from Doom and Doom is a decades worth of days from being Bruce. They mirror each other and i think they’d see that, taking each other as cautionary tales before becoming collaborators. I don’t see them ever really becoming friends but i don't think they’d ever be true enemies.

[yicruz48]

hey, what did you see in Adam Glass' instagram? :ooo I am really curious (and worried af).

Sorry It took me awhile to respond, I just got out of work:)

Here is the conversation Adam Glass had with a reader who (AS MANY OF US) is angry about Damian’s regression. 

So basically summarizing and sliding my opinion on the matter:

Adam has basically revealed DC’s plans for Damian in the future (either intentionally or not). 

Adam Glass’s run tried (emphasis on ‘tried’ because that definitely didn’t get through in his writing to the readers) to explore Damian’s darkness (and its connection to his humanity). 

DC Comics plan (A plan that Glass supports himself), is to lead Damian to his own destruction in order to for him to discover himself and his identity and to come out on the other side better I guess. 

But I personally have a lot issues with these statements and plans. 

I can fully agree that Damian before rebirth had a lot of development yet to be explored. Damian by no means is a perfect character and still has some flaws in his thinking when it comes to his obsession with his bloodline, his insecurity with his position in the bat family, his toxic loyalty to his father, his attitude towards villain's and other people and so on.  

But the problem is that Glass terribly executed this during this run. At the beginning of his run Damian stated motivations for creating essentially a torture chamber were: 

-> Him seeing a planet die in No Justice. Which as I’ve said before (many times) I really don’t think Damian would’ve give a fuck about because the Justice League tried their best and sacrifices had to be made. And out of all the Batfamily Damian would’ve understood that the most. 

-> His favorite Arab restaurant was blown up by Black Mask, a villian who like many other villains found a loophole in order to get out Arkham. Fed up with Villian’s always escaping and getting away with things (such as blowing up his favorite restaurant and safe haven) he decides to creates his own prison (aka torture chamber). But if you currently read TT, you’ve probably forgotten his information because Glass never emphasized again after the special. How are we the readers, suppose to assume Damian was truly affected by No Justice and his favorite restaurant  being destroyed when it wasn’t mentioned ever again? It is the job of the writer to make this clear by reminding his audience of this every once in awhile. You can not expect the readers to remember these details and make connections without it.

If Damian was truly affected by these events, then it was Glass’s job to go more in depth about how it affected him negatively and his decision-making in the future. One issue and never mentioning it again wasn’t enough. It makes Damian seem like he just used No Justice and his favorite restaurant  blowing up as an excuse to build a prison which destroys his development.

And due to solicitations and wips from Javier Fernandez on instagram, it seems like more reasoning will be given about Damian’s suddenly going all killer and hunting down villians:  

Which by looking at these, it seems he will be influenced to go down this path because of Dick losing his memories (thanks to KG Beast) and Alfred dying in front of him (thanks to Tom King). 

But I have one big issue with this that my friend @wesavegotham brought to my attention and that is incredibly important to keep in mind:

In order for a character to suddenly begin killing and going down a dark path there needs to be a trigger; or an event that happens that pushes this character to make a change in their opinions. 

Yes, we may be given reasons as to why Damian starts potentially killing but these reasonings came far too late. 

-> Dick losing his memories happened about more than 2 years ago and as if a few days ago we just received the news that Dick will return most likely in Batman issue  # 99.

->Alfred dying happened almost a year ago. 

Using these as reasonings NOW after so much time has passed since these issues came out AND months has gone by in DC Universe no longer makes these reasonings triggers. 

As in the name, “Trigger” occurs right AFTER the event happens, not months after it happens because then it becomes a weak reasoning (aka excuse) to start killing.

If you only read Teen Titans, then this may be satisfying reasoning's to go killer.

But most people who read comics, read more than one comic. Those of us reading Batman, Detective comics and Nightwing along with Teen Titans,  it just gives us the impression that Damian is using these reasons as excuses because we know months has past in other comics. Which again, makes Damian look bad and unjustified in his reasonings. 

If you were going to use these as triggers in order for him to start killing maybe mentioning them a bit in issues beforehand would’ve been a obliviously good idea in order to legitimize these reasonings for most readers who read  more than one comic. You could’ve had one of the Teen Titan’s asking Damian directly why he was acting differently earlier in the run and Damian shunning them for prying in his personal issues. Or having a member of the group who knows this information being aware of it as a possible reasoning for Damian’s change in opinion (Wallace West ii knows Wally so he may be aware of the situation with  Nightwing, Emiko’s older brother works with the Justice League, so she may be aware of Nightwing’s absence). Even just Glass writing the members being aware of some attitude change in Damian (and connecting it to something probably personal) would’ve cut it if you had to delay shedding Dick and Alfred as reasonings for this attitude change for future issues. 

As a writer, it is your job to sell the reasonings as to why Damian changed the opinions he previously held in Tomasi’s run and Glass didn’t sell it for me. If you wanted me to seriously consider the events of No Justice and the restaurant blowing up as initial triggers for Damian’s change in direction then you needed to advertise and sell to me your reasonings for this. As a consumer, I received no following advertisements to convince me. Again it is the job of the writer to make this clear. I am not gonna clearly remember an issue that came out nearly two years ago ESPECIALLY since I read multiple comics.  

If you are going to destroy a character in order for them to later be “reborn” you needed to convince me why the destruction was necessary for their development and why a rebirth is essential for this character to grow when he already had a whole book dedicated to his redemption (Robin: Son of Batman). 

When Damian killed Nobody earlier in Batman and Robin (2011) and killed someone in Batman Incorporated both Tomasi and Morrison made it clear why he decided to kill them and break his promise with Bruce. Which both were connected to the fact Damian was afraid of losing his father and family. 

Even Damian’s first kill after meeting his father (Spook) was justified by Morrison. Damian killed Spook in order to show his worth and ability to his father in the only way he knew at that time; by killing his enemies. You couldn’t really blame him for not knowing better when he raised to think killing anybody was justifiable.  

Again, I am not frustrated by Damian going down a dark path in order to grow as a character. I am angry that it was handled so poorly that it portrays my favorite character in a bad light as if people didn’t already see him in a bad light and bash me for liking such a character like Damian.    

[feynavaley]

Cultural Dissonance

His body was weightless, comfortably curled upon the leather seat. The hum of the engine was like a secure blanket, lulling him to sleep. For the first time in weeks, the tension had left Matthew’s muscles and his body melted into a rejuvenating sleep. He felt like he could have spent the eternity just like that.

If it weren’t for the obnoxious tap against his right shoulder, of course.

“Mattie Mattie~ Time to wake up~”

Matthew grunted and curled deeper into himself, hiding his face between the seat and the crook of his shoulder in a clear indication that he wasn’t intentioned to abandon his rest.

Unsurprisingly, his tormentor didn’t get the hint.

“Come on, Mattie! You’ve been sleeping for three whole hours, it’s time to wake up! I’m bored!”

Alfred punctuated his words by turning on the radio full volume.

Matthew whimpered against the sound blasting in his ears, but an attempt to cover them with the collar of his coat proved futile. He was finally forced to uncurl his reluctant body in order to access the controls of the radio.

“Happy now?” he grumbled as he switched off the infernal sound.

Alfred gave a content hum of assent. His blue eyes looked bright and alert behind the glasses, his skin glowing and rested. There could be nothing further from the picture of a person who had just endured a transatlantic flight and then three hours of driving across English highways. Alfred was so lucky.

Matthew, instead, was still so sluggish he could barely put two words together, his brain a muddled mess.

“I wasn’t disturbing you by sleeping…”

“But you’ve had enough sleep already! All the time on the plane, plus those three hours! And I’ve been driving in silence for-e-ver. Time to spice things up!”

Said that, Alfred once again turned on the radio – at a reasonable volume, this time.

Matthew would have wanted to retort that Alfred was the one who had slept on the plane, that three hours weren’t enough to recover from how overworked he was… but there was no point, since Alfred had already made up his mind. Besides, he had decided on his own to be the one driving after noticing how exhausted his brother looked. Matthew owed him a bit of company.

With a sigh, he straightened up against the seat and rubbed his bleary eyes. Out of the windows, the English countryside ran along the highway. Small cottages and farmhouses sprinkled here and there in the distance testified the presence of civilization, but Alfred and Matthew were the only ones on the road. Well, them and an approaching vehicle, still only a small point in the distance but steadily getting bigger… and right towards them.

Matthew had a moment to take everything in. The car coming. The swapped, unfamiliar position of the driver’s seat. The English road. And the car running towards them at maximum speed.

“What the fuck is that?!”

“Alfred, you idiot!”

Out of instinct, Matthew jumped toward his brother and grabbed the steering wheel. Together, they jerked the car into the left lane just as the other car passed by them, honking.

Matthew’s ears were ringing.

“You can let go, Mattie. We’re fine.”

Matthew heard the words but he couldn’t move, his muscles locked by the adrenaline rush. It wasn’t until Alfred slowed down to a stop at the side of the road that his heartbeat slowed down. He still needed his brother gently prying his fingers away from the steering wheel before he could come back to himself.

“You…”

He had to stop, unable to put into words the mixture of fear and rage threatening to overwhelm him.

Alfred shrugged and offered him a thin, apologetic half-smile.

“Well, nobody got hurt so it’s all fine and well?”

Matthew could have lost it right there and then. The fading adrenaline threatened to turn into blind rage, his muscle tensed in preparation… but they still had hours of driving left. It wasn’t the right moment to bring Alfred to a breakdown.

“Get off. I’m driving from now on,” he snapped, glowering at his brother.

He could still lecture Alfred and drive at the same time, after all.

******

Something good had come out the scare, after all. Now, Matthew was wide awake, the previous sluggishness just a distant memory. He was alert enough to drive carefully, enjoy the road, and chat with Alfred, whom he had fully forgiven one hour earlier. There was something soothing in the sharpness and repetitive motions that driving gave him, he wasn’t in the right mood to stay mad. He was almost glad he had ended up being the one driving… Not that he would ever admit it to Alfred, of course. (Even if from the cheeky smile his brother addressed to him from time to time, Matthew was forced to deduce he knew.) Everything was going quite swimmingly.

Up until the flashing lights at the entrance of a service area signalled the presence of a police patrol.

Matthew dutifully slowed down a notch, a knot growing in his throat as he gave a quick check – he was driving just right under the speed limit, the lights and mirrors were correctly adjusted… everything seemed to be in order. But the anxiety only rose as a policeman signed at him to stop.

“It’s just a routine control,” Alfred reassured him in a soothing tone, offering his arm a squeeze.

Matthew wished he had even a tiny bit of his brother’s confidence. However, he was aware he couldn’t show any hesitation. Ignoring his thundering heart, he stopped in front of the policemen and offered them a smile as he rolled down the window. His driving license and passport were smoothly transitioned from his sweaty hands to the strong ones of a middle-aged, portly officer.

Matthew had checked numerous times before leaving, he didn’t like creating disturbances by appealing to his status of personification when something went wrong with his ‘human’ documents. Everything should have been in order.

…Then, why was the friendly face of the policeman slowly contorting into a frown?

Matthew’s throat was dry. He tried to smile as the officer raised his eyes from the documents to Matthew’s face, but could only stare at the stern expression.

Alfred leaned over him to get a closer look.

“Something wrong?”

The policeman sighed and passed the documents to a colleague that had just reached him.

“Son, I don’t know how things work where you come from, but you’re in England now. And in England, we don’t allow seventeen-year-olds to drive a car. I’m afraid you’ll have to come with me.”

******

That had to be among the most embarrassing moments of Matthew’s life. He kept his eyes stubbornly trained on the floor, analysing the dirt caked around the tiles. Another curious glance from a policeman or somebody working inside the police station, and he would have died of shame. He couldn’t believe he had overlooked such an important detail.

He buried his head in his hands when a pair of familiar footsteps approached him.

“Still pouting, Mattie?” asked Alfred, just back from his short trip to the vending machine.

He could have left at any time. Since he was of age, nothing was detaining him. But of course, he had decided to wait with Matthew and witness his humiliation, often adding to it with his cheeky remarks. Matthew wanted him gone.

And the worst part was still approaching – with another pair of familiar footsteps as an equally familiar voice talked with the same policeman who had stopped them. The words were clipped with irritation.

“Man, this is hilarious,” Alfred declared.

Matthew wished the earth could swallow him.

His prayer wasn’t granted. Arthur’s steps finally halted and Matthew had to lift his head.

He immediately wished he hadn’t. Arthur was staring at him with such a mixture of rage and disappointment that it physically hurt.

“I can’t believe you, Matthew. I was so sure I could trust you to be sensitive… How could you be so careless?”

Matthew had no words to justify himself. He could only stare at Arthur and let the embarrassment consume him.

He had been so focused on Arthur that he had almost forgotten about the policeman accompanying him, who startled Matthew when he cleared his throat.

“Now there, Mr. Kirkland. The boy is far from blameless, but somebody must have allowed him to get his driving license. As his legal guardian and an Englishman who knows the laws of England, this was quite an oversight on your part.”

For a moment, Matthew thought he must have heard wrong. He blinked, but the policemen was still standing in front of Arthur, with his arms folded across his chest as he stared at the apparently younger man with a stern expression.

Arthur’s face bleached; his fists tightened in fury.

“Excuse me, are you trying to insinuate—”

“Priceless,” Alfred whispered, offering a conspiratorial wink to Matthew.

Matthew dropped his face to his knees, his cheeks burning with humiliation. He would have wanted to retort that, by forcing him to drive, Alfred had been the cause of everything… pity that Alfred was clearly having the time of his life.

Why did everything always have to turn against Matthew?

(word count: 1536)

———

Note: There are reasons (100% based on canon) I write Canada as younger than America, I’ve already detailed them other times [x] [x] [x]. As for why I write him underage, it’s mainly because I think getting into situations like this one would be very fitting with the way he’s portrayed in canon, haha. This guy’s so unlucky...

[fifielady]

Something; Love

@hetaliamondaychallenge​‘s “If you meant it, kiss me” prompt challenge

Rating: T

Ship: USUK

Note/s: My internet connection suddenly cut off just as I finished this up last night ;-; but at least it’s working now. I know it’s a bit late and this is a bit rushed but I hope you guys enjoy this.

Acting is a distinguished art that involved elements crucial to the point that if done right, everyone involved will be completely enthralled and would forget for even a moment they were a mere spectator detached from the wonderfully different world onstage. Arthur Kirkland, a junior, loved it. The stage, the power, the act. He relished being both on the stage conquering the attention and the hearts of the spectators and out of their view making very sure that the play would go exactly as he instructed them all like the 'theatre tyrant' as he is. (Christened to him ever since he stepped foot inside their highschool's exclusive theatre troupe-- err, drama club.)

However! Oh God, in all things he thrived in his world, how Arthur hated improv. Well... fine, he didn't outright hate it. Improv is an art and he would not drag that down. But, oftentimes, it would drag the whole detailed and scripted act. Worse, it could undermine the whole premise of the plotline! And Arthur would outright shove the person who even dares to deviate from the scene into hell and torture them with his endless taunts to force them to utter the name of that Scottish play every single time they enter his theatre. In actuality, it was the school's theatre, then again, Arthur knows that he'll be stage director his senior year next year so he may as well call it his now anyway.

Hmm, wait... Where was he going with that train of thought exactly--

"Why?!" Alfred shouted as he deflected Arthur's lunge with his sword, every word that came out was further intensified by the clash and clang of their improvised broom-swords."Why do all this when you had it all?!"

-- Ah, yes, this. Arthur spun left when his 'enemy' thrust his broom inches from Arthur's stomach. This was one of their club's monthly destress-from-the-current-play-we-are-doing-this-spring activities. Their current stage director, Elizabeta, was a god-sent in Arthur's eyes to let everyone in the club, techies included, engage in impromptu dramas and stories; competition was always there, of course, and the club was divided into two groups.

"Ha! I had it all?" Agh, Damn it all! He pivots and strikes Alfred's upper thigh just to spite the man who caused this mess. "It-it seems you are mistaken, I have nothing. Nothing!"

Usually, Arthur Kirkland and Alfred F, Jones, would be separated into their respective groups named after the feuding families of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers (They had personalized red and blue shirts and all). Usually. Also usually, Elizabeta happened liked to mix things up and then proceeded to regroup everyone.

That was how Arthur ended up 'dueling to the death’ against their club's upstart but excellent freshman actor during their impromptu plays. Alfred Jones was the kind of person who devoted himself to the character he portrayed. The kind of person that was so very kind, sometimes naive, and wouldn't hurt a soul to gain notoriety on the stage (which was done quite often in these kinds of environments). Arthur liked that. It didn't hurt him to like like Alfred as well as he liked Alfred's compelling air onstage.

But his feelings for the other won't alleviate the fact that he was angry because someone had the nerve to switch Arthur's 'best-friend-betrays-and-kills-the-crown-prince-because-of-politics' impromptu plot to something that of a dramatic romance just because he forgot his line and muttered something completely different in context in the middle of the fight! And Arthur was left to quickly bite a response and then his character's motives suddenly changed. ("I love my father's kingdom but you have my heart! You know this." "Lies! If you loved me as much, you would've stopped your father from attacking my family!) Someone just had the nerve to throw him off his balance and now--

The traitor used all his strength as he flung his enemy's sword, throwing it far away from the other's hands. It thunked near their audience, almost hitting a student, but both of the actors never took their eyes away from each other. Arthur growled and pushed Alfred down the dusty floor on his ass. The fallen crown prince lay there with his broom-sword meters away and the tip of his former friend's sword centimetres on the left of his chest, where his heart should be. Both of them were panting. sweating out the tension that suddenly overcame the room.

Arthur thinks it was both a wonderful and terrible scene. Wonderful in a sense he's bested the other and continued to his planned narrative for their act. And terrible in a way that if this were the reality they both lived in, the best of friends torn by society's expectation, it would hurt not only the prince but also his heart.

With steely eyes, Arthur uttered the last line of their act, "I have nothing left. Nothing to lose." He thrust his broom and Alfred shouted as if someone had really pained his heart physically and emotionally.

Arthur’s heart clenched.

But in true Alfred F. Jones fashion, he smiled a smile Arthur saw when it was only them alone under the mostly atmosphere of the library with blue eyes untainted by their acting, never lying, and completely threw Arthur's precise and thought-out chess plan in the trash. He gripped Arthur's broom, muscles quivering for effect, and whispered, "You had me... and my... love...!" Alfred went lax.

Applause.

Once again, Alfred won over the narrative and his heart.

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

Arthur listened to the last goodbyes and see-you-laters of the exiting students. His group won this month's supply of cheesecake reserved in the cafeteria thanks to their performance. It was mostly him and Alfred but he recognizes the efforts of his groupmates into contributing to their act. Personally, Arthur thinks his performance was sub-par today; he may be overly-critical of himself but he knew that when Alfred forgot his line and did improv ruined his tempo.

Alfred. His acting today almost wasn't acting at all. Those eyes and that watery smile that had held his emotions for all the world to see. Was it... love?

No. Arthur shook his head. It couldn't be. Alfred was an actor just like Arthur was going to be a stage director. Excellent and good at what they're supposed to do in their grand world onstage. Flawless.

It was upsetting, somehow. Arthur wouldn't lie that he wished it was real. Not the stab and kill my love part but the one that what Arthur was spared from the pain of unrequited love. It would be lovely, "--If he actually meant it, that he loved me."

"And if I did?"

Arthur spun around faster than his cues onstage. There was Alfred, leaning on the doorway with a no-nonsense look on his face. The intense red of the setting Sun illuminating and heightening every line he’d said and say. "What...?"

"And if I did? If love you, what would you do?" Tight, Arthur’s lungs felt like someone was choking him in the inside.

"Alfred, the activity is over, there's no need for you to continue the act." He deflected, frowning. A mix of dread something else he couldn’t describe fluttered in his chest. Suddenly, he knew this feeling; it was hard to breathe.

"What if I stopped 'acting' when I improvised my line and confessed with my real feelings. What if I told you that I meant what I said. That I love you." Alfred strode to him, purposeful and his face looking a little flushed. "What would you do, Arthur?"

Alfred doesn't lie, he acts. But not right now. Alfred was telling him, Arthur Kirkland, that he loves him. Bleeding hell, yes. He knew the other man wasn’t planning on letting him go any sooner if Arthur didn’t give him a reply in this very moment

"Well, if it were true that you love me," he licked his lips, "If you meant it, kiss me. And maybe, I'll say I love you too."

Alfred pouted but then the corner of his lips curved to a smile. "'Maybe'? Aren't you being too mean on me today? You just stabbed your best friend with a broom."

Arthur smiled back and chuckled, happiness made fluttered in his heart and warmed his cheeks. "How about a kiss for the prince for his troubles?"

"Mn, yeah, that's acceptable. A kiss for your prince from my boyfriend, right?" He leaned down a bit and was wiggling his eyebrows so much, Arthur was tempted to smack him instead. Tempted indeed.

However, a kiss on Alfred's lips was a million times more tempting. Arthur leaned a bit up into those lips and did just that.

They had something. Love.

end

[tessatechaitea]

Justice Society of America #8

Oh no! Hate! It must be stopped!

That caption sounded sarcastic, didn't it? It sort of sounds like a centrist arguing against somebody saying something that nobody should be on the other side of. "Of course Black Lives Matter! Nobody is saying they don't! Why even bother bringing it up?! You're just causing trouble!" is the kind of thing that has made me hate people who identify as "non-political" or "centrist" or "libertarian" or "Proud Husband. Father. Christian." Nobody needs to hear from you if the only thing you have to say is that nobody needs to be fighting for the things they need to be fighting for! "If it's already a crime, why do we need more stringent laws for punishing crimes motivated by hate. Aren't all criminal acts hateful?" says the person ignoring reality for their own selfish interests of which I can't even begin to guess. Enough about people who have chosen to be non-people. Let's discuss a comic book from 1993 that probably takes a stronger stance against fascism than a frightening large number of Americans today.

This advert on the inside front cover would be better if the picture over "very rare" was a cow. I mean, it wouldn't work for baseball cards but I would like it better.

I think the best part about actually living in a world where superheroes are real is that day in 5th Grade when Hawkman and Hawkwoman visit your class to talk about Egyptian archaeology. The issue begins by catching up with Hawkman and Hawkwoman as they continue their quest to steal Egyptian cultural artifacts. You have to give them a pass on this though! In 1993, people just believed archaeology was a thrilling way to bring treasures into museums for everybody to share! It's not like we had hundreds of years to reflect on how terrible this practice was. You have to do some cultural math by subtracting the number of years Western culture believed whatever it did was right and just from, I don't, negative 100? Do you think we'll have learned some humbleness and respect in one hundred years? Most kids who grew up in the 70s wanted to be boring ass truck drivers but by the 80s, thanks to Indiana Jones, they wanted to be boring ass archaeologists. Kids aren't the greatest at determining what a fun adult job might be. Did you know there are people who get angry at the supposition that digging up and taking cultural artifacts and treasures from other countries to bring back to your own might be theft? Generally they're the same type of people who believe that all advances to civilization were brought about by white culture. They hold this opinion through absolutely no evidence at all. How do I know they don't have any evidence? Because if they looked for evidence, they'd wind up reading history and realize their claim was too ludicrous to continue defending.

You might think Hawkgirl is commenting on the gigantic sarcophagus the native archaeologists are opening but I know she's making an innuendo about Hawkman's cock because she's doing that thing with her hat where she lifts it up and down and waggles her eyebrows.

It's not really much of a joke though because nobody expects Hawkman's penis to be as large as a fifty foot long sarcophagus. I mean, I'm sure it's big but it's not going to be unwieldy! It's probably almost exactly the same size and shape as his mace. Interlude: here are some Facebook posts I made on several different July 26thes because I guess I think of it as a holiday to entertain my future self every July 26th? Whatever the case, I love Past Me more than Future Me and possibly even more than Present Me. Because of the Hays Code, Alfred Fatcock had to change his name to keep making films. How patriotic would you consider a person who got a flag pregnant? War Games is my favorite movie because it taught me that trying is pointless. The first item on my bucket list is to buy a bucket. End of Interlude. Can you tell I'm stalling because maybe eight issues of this comic book was too much? Here's an adult riddle: What's twenty-five feet long, wrapped in bandages, and has an eye in the middle of its head?

This guy's penis!

I don't recognize the guy with three eyes but I'm sure he's some immortal wizard named Amn Thoth or something. While the Carters discover ancient mummy curses, Johnny Quick tries to convince Rex that his hour of strength doesn't come from a drug at all but deep inside him. He doesn't need to pop pills to be a superhero; he just needs to balance his chakras and figure out his mantra. Then he'll tap into some deep spiritual part of himself that is probably just a meta(l)gene and whammo! Hourman is back and straight edge! But Rex doesn't buy it. Especially since learning his mantra isn't going to cure his son's cancer (which he got from taking Miraclo). Also in the hospital is Wesley Dodd who is doing therapy to recover from his stroke. Plus his friend Bishop Tumutuu who was some guy who fought against Apartheid. And because the Bishop is in the hospital, the white supremacists are gathering outside to not wish him well.

Shouldn't they hear what they have to say and debate them to better strengthen their own side of the argument on why all people should have equal opportunity with all rights and freedoms promised by this country?

I'm absolutely for freedom of all speech. But the problem that the American media and a lot of people on the Internet have fallen into is the idea that all speech needs to be discussed and debated equally. That's the whole "freedom of speech" trap. Whenever somebody on Twitter wants to debate some terrible topic that nearly all kind and forward thinking people realize is a monstrous and terrible idea and you simply mock them for their terrible beliefs or tell them to shut up, they think you're clamping down on their free speech. No, sir. You were able to say the stupid thing you wanted to say. What you actually want is for a Constitutional Amendment that forces me tor respect what you said and debate it as if the matter has yet to be resolved. The media does this all the time by allowing both sides of an opinion to debate which only legitimizes the side with the terrible take. Sure, we should allow racists to go on CNN and declare their stance on race relations. But the people on the other side shouldn't be debating that topic with them. They should just laugh at them and point and tell them how terrible they are. Maybe get some of that slime from You Can't Do That on Television for rebuttals. Freedom of speech needs way more mockery and far less debate if it's going to recover. Hourman responds to the white supremacists with a "None of my business!" because he's a terrible centrist who believes that if the status quo isn't making his life rough, why rock the boat? Also his son is dying of cancer so maybe he's a bit distracted. I shouldn't be so hard on him when he's wracked with the guilt of probably killing his son with his drugs. The white supremacists begin making trouble so it's time for the JSA to put an end to hate! Or will hate win out? I mean, this comic book was written in 1993 and I don't feel like hate has backed down.

Sure, he's against metahumans now. But just wait until one of them decides to wear on of those stupid hats and silly robes!

Watching the speedsters begin to get pummeled by the huge mass of white supremacists, Hourman accidentally balances his chakras! He's suddenly powerful without the drugs or the black lights or the Doctor Fate deep muscle massages! Now if he can convince his son that the power of Miraclo has been inside him all along, his son will have the strength to battle the cancer! Why did I use an exclamation point on that previous sentence when I don't really fucking care about Rex Tyler and his son! Hourman crashes out of the hospital window to save Johnny Quick. He lets Jesse do her own thing because he's heard about women's lib and also she's not an old man whose powers have significantly dwindled over time.

My adrenal gland just got bigger too!

In the end, the Bishop is saved and even Wesley Dodd joins the fight! Or he just absentmindedly shot off his sandman gun and coincidentally put the Bishop's assassin to sleep. It's hard to tell since he's still suffering from his retirement party stroke. The issue ends with Green Lantern surfing the television when he comes upon Carter Hall's interview program where he's interviewing the mummy they dug up, a man named Edmund Kulak. Since Green Lantern recognizes him, I guess he's one of the JSA's foes. According to the Who's Who, Kulak can use his third eye to cause everybody on Earth to hate each other. I guess that's why the white supremacists were acting up (and also wearing eyes on their hats and robes). Having a magical reason for racism is always a better comic book story than acknowledging a lot of people are racist of their own free will. Imagine all the angry letters that the pre-Comicsgate generation would have had to write in! "I'm not racist but I don't think you should portray all white people as racist because that is racist! Logic for the win!" That might seem like I created a 1993 Strawman but have you read the letters reacting to the Tales of the Teen Titans Spotlight on Starfire about Apartheid? My pretend letter was practically verbatim of one or two of the letters Mike Gold had to respond to on that series! Justice Society of America #8 Rating: B-. I think I've read enough old stories about old people fighting immortals. The whole mortality angle is really bringing me down!

[batmandarknightrisise-blog]

The Dark Knight Rises: Film Review

The real world threats of terrorism, political anarchy and economic instability make deep incursions into the cinematic comic book domain in The Dark Knight Rises. Big-time Hollywood filmmaking at its most massively accomplished, this last installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy makes everything in the rival Marvel universe look thoroughly silly and childish. Entirely enveloping and at times unnerving in a relevant way one would never have imagined, as a cohesive whole this ranks as the best of Nolan's trio, even if it lacks -- how could it not? -- an element as unique as Heath Ledger's immortal turn in The Dark Knight. It's a blockbuster by any standard.

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The director daringly pushes the credibility of a Gotham City besieged by nuclear-armed revolutionaries to such an extent that it momentarily seems absurd that a guy in a costume who refuses to kill people could conceivably show up to save the day. This is especially true since Nolan, probably more than any other filmmaker who's ever gotten seriously involved with a superhero character, has gone so far to unmask and debilitate such a figure. But he gets away with it and, unlike some interludes in the previous films, everything here is lucid, to the point and on the mark, richly filling out (especially when seen in the Imax format) every moment of the 164-minute running time.

the dark knight rises full movie in hindi filmyzilla

In a curtain raiser James Bond would kill for, a CIA aircraft transporting terrorists is sensationally hijacked in midair by Bane (Tom Hardy), an intimidating hulk whose nose and mouth are encumbered by a tubular, grill-like metal mask which gives his voice an artificial quality not unlike that of Darth Vader. What Bane is up to is not entirely clear, but it can't be good.

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Although it's only been four years since the last Batman film, eight years of dramatic time have elapsed since the climactic events depicted in The Dark Knight. Batman and Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) have been in suspiciously simultaneous total seclusion, much to the consternation of loyal valet Alfred (Michael Caine), who, upbraiding his boss for inaction, accuses him of “just waiting for things to get bad again.” They do, in a hurry. But in the interim, Gotham has scarcely missed him, as he's publicly blamed for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent and hasn't needed him anyway since organized crime has virtually disappeared.

Bruce begins being dragged back into the limelight by slinky Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), a spirited cat burglar who lifts his fingerprints and a necklace from his safe while pulling a job at his mansion. It was always a question how this ambiguous feline character (never called Catwoman herein) would be worked into the fabric of this Batman series, but co-screenwriters Jonathan and Christopher Nolan, working from a story by the director and David S. Goyer, have cannily threaded her through the tale as an alluring gadfly and tease who engages in an ongoing game of one-upmanship with Batman and whose selfishness prevents her from making anything beyond opportunistic alliances.

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Commandeering the city's sewers with his fellow mercenaries, Bane begins his onslaught, first with an attempted kidnapping of Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), then with a brazen attack on the Stock Exchange, which, at the film's 45-minute mark, has the double effect of luring Batman out of hiding and bankrupting Bruce Wayne. The latter catastrophe forces the fallen tycoon to ask wealthy, amorously inclined board member Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) to assume control of his company to squeeze out Daggett (Ben Mendelsohn), who's in cahoots with Bane.

Nolan has thus boldly rooted his film in what are arguably the two big worries of the age, terrorism and economic collapse, the result of which can only be chaos. So when virtually the entire Gotham police force is lured underground to try to flush out Bane, the latter has the lawmen just where he wants them, trapped like animals in a pen waiting for slaughter. And the fact that Gotham City has, for the first time, realistically used New York City for most of its urban locations merely adds to the topical resonance of Bane's brilliantly engineered plot, in which he eventually takes the entire population of Manhattan hostage. Nolan has always been a very serious, even remorseless filmmaker, and never more so than he is here.

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Inducing Selina to take him to Bane, Batman gets more than he bargained for; physically, he's no match for the mountainously muscled warrior, who sends the legendary crime fighter off to a literal hellhole of a prison, with the parting promise of reducing Gotham to ashes. Seemingly located in the Middle East, the dungeon resembles a huge well and has been escaped from only once, by none other than Bane, who is said to have been born there and got out as a child.

Here, as elsewhere, there are complex ties leading back to the comic books that link characters and motivations together; with Bruce and Bane, it is with the League of Shadows, which occasions the brief return of Liam Neeson's Ra's Al Ghul, last seen in Batman Begins (in 2005). A solid new character, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's resourceful street cop John Blake, is a grateful product of one of the Wayne Foundation's orphanages. Many of the characters wear masks, either literal or figurative; provocatively, Batman's mask hides his entire face except for his mouth, the very part of Bane which is covered. This is just one of the motifs the Nolans have used to ingeniously plot out the resolution to their three-part saga, which involves at least one major, superbly hidden surprise.

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While Bruce Wayne languishes in the pit rebuilding his strength for an escape attempt, Bane spectacularly and mercilessly reverses the entire social order of Gotham City: 1,000 dangerous criminals are released from prison, the rich are tossed out of their uptown homes, the remaining police hide out like rats underground, and a “people's court” (presided over by Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow) dispenses death sentences willy-nilly. With virtually all bridges and tunnels destroyed, no one can leave the island, which is threatened by a fusion device, initially developed by Bruce and his longtime tech genius Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) as a clean energy source but now transformed at Bane's behest into a nuke, which he promises to use.

Some of the action scenes, such as multiple chases involving the armed motorcycle Bat-Pod (mostly ridden by Selina) and the cool new one-man jet chopper-like aircraft called The Bat that zooms through the city's caverns like something out of the early Star Wars, have something of a familiar feel. But the opening skyjacking, the Stock Exchange melee and especially the multiple explosions that bring the city to its knees -- underground, on bridges and, most strikingly, in a football stadium -- are fresh and brilliantly rendered, as are all the other effects. The film reportedly cost $250 million, but it would be easy to believe that the figure was quite a bit more, so elaborate is everything about the production.

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But the fact that all the money has been put to the use of making the severe dramatic events feel so realistic -- there's not a hint of cheesiness or the cartoonlike -- ratchets up the suspense and pervasive feeling of unease. One knows going in that this film will mark the end of Batman, at least for now and as rendered by Bale and Nolan, but for the first time there is the sense that it could also really be the end for Batman, that he might be sacrificed, or sacrifice himself, for the greater good.

Needing to portray both his characters as vulnerable, even perishable, Bale is at his series best in this film. At times in the past his voice seemed too artificially deepened and transformed; there's a bit of that here, but far less, and, as Bruce becomes impoverished and Batman incapacitated, the actor's nuances increase. Caine has a couple of surprisingly emotional scenes to play and handles them with lovely restraint, while other returnees Oldman and Freeman deliver as expected.

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Bane is a fearsome figure, fascinating in his physicality and blithely confident approach to amoral anarchy. With the mask strapped to his head at all times and his voice altered, Hardy is obliged to express himself mostly through body language, which he does powerfully, and at a couple of key moments his eyes speak volumes. All the same, the facial and verbal restrictions provide emotive limitations, and his final moments onscreen feel almost thrown away; one feels a bit cheated of a proper sendoff.

Hathaway invests her catlike woman with verve and impudence, while Cotillard is a warm and welcome addition to this often forbidding world. Even though Nolan and Bale have made it clear that The Dark Knight Rises marks their farewell to Bruce Wayne and Batman, the final shot clearly indicates the direction a follow-up offshoot series by Warner Bros. likely will take.

PHOTOS: The Christian Bale Directors Posse: 6 Auteurs Won Over By the Actor

As before, the production values are opulent and sensational; nothing short of the highest praise can be lavished on the work of production designers Nathan Crowley and Kevin Kavanaugh, cinematogtapher Wally Pfister, costume designer Lindy Hemming, visual effects supervisor Paul Franklin, special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, editor Lee Smith, composer Hans Zimmer and sound designer Richard King, just for starters.

The only conspicuous faux pas is a big continuity gaffe that has the raid on the Stock Exchange take place during the day but the subsequent getaway chase unfold at night.

Nearly half the film, including all the big action scenes, was shot with large-format Imax cameras and, with both versions having been previewed, the 70mm Imax presentation that will be shown in 102 locations worldwide is markedly more vivid visually and powerful as a dramatic experience; the normal 35mm prints, while beautiful, are somewhat less sharp.

PHOTOS: Brief History of Catwoman

Despite all the advanced technology deployed to make The Dark Knight Rises everything it is, Nolan remains proudly and defiantly old school (as only the most successful directors can get away with being these days) when it comes to his filmmaking aesthetic, an approach indicated in a note at the end of the long final credits: “This motion picture was shot and finished on film.”

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Top Men

I’ve never seen all of Raiders of the Lost Arc in it’s entirety. This thing came out when i was a kid and was the opposite of what i was about back then. My thing was giant monsters, space robots, and neon cyberpunk. Indiana Jones spent the majority of his time in a f*cking desert. That sh*t seemed boring to me. As i grew older and my tastes expanded, i found myself kind of into a lot of the things portrayed in that initial film. Archaeology, lost history, biblical mythology; I find that sh*t fascinating. Ancient lien theory actually intrigue me a great deal, mostly it’s utter dismissal on both sides of the argument, so when Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull came out, i was all for it. Once it hit DVD. I did not see that sh*t in theaters. To my surprise, i rather enjoyed it. Apparently, however, that is not what an Indiana Jones film was supposed to be. As i perused Netflix, i noticed that Raiders was available for streaming. I figured, what the hell? It’s been probably thirty years since i last watched this thing. Let me see if i agree with the general consensus that this movie is, indeed, a proper classic of cinema.

The Great

The best thing about this movie, i think, is definitely the score. Holy sh*t, man, the music in this film definitely makes the picture. John Williams is a goddamn genius, man. Dude rarely creates something that isn’t all sorts of classic.

After that absolutely epic score, the next best thing about this film is easily Harrison Ford. If you made a movie about Han Solo but placed it on earth, during the thirties, and turned him into an archaeologist instead of a scoundrel, you’d have Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones, jr. Ford gives such a charming, electric, charismatic performance as Jones, it’s no wonder the character became a staple of the American cinematic lexicon.

The Better

 Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood makes this film for me. She is the standout, only outshined by Ford’s Indiana, himself. She’s outstanding as Indy’s foil and absolutely necessary to sell the character. She’s caught a lot, sure, but it’s almost always by numerous men who probably outweigh her by a few pounds and, even then, she never just surrenders. You rarely hear her scream and she almost always lands her own solid licks in a proper fight. Lucas sure knows how to write dope female leads when he tries. When he doesn’t, we get Willie Scott. I’ll get to THAT broad when i review Temple of Doom. I got A LOT to say about that chick, man.

The action in this thing is brazen, dangerous, and appreciated. They don;t make movies like this anymore. Everything in here is practice, Every stung, fight, explosion, and set piece was done with physical, real life, stuff. You don't see this level of film making anymore because of all the CG effect proliferation which was, in part, championed by both Lucas and Spielberg. That sh*t is kind of hilarious to me. One of the greatest action films ever made, rife with practical effects, is directly responsible for the mitigation of the very thing that makes this movie so special.

Speaking of the direction, Spielberg is in fine form with this one. 80s Spielberg is hard to touch. He sh*tted classics during this decade, solidifying his place as one of the greats to ever do it. ET, Poltergeist (even though people say it’s Toby Hooper was the one who helmed it, Spielberg definitely ghost directed this thing), The Goonies as Second Unit Director, Empire of the Sun, The Color Purple, and Temple of Doom, all came out under his watch. Dude was prolific as f*ck.

The writing on this flick is decent. George Lucas understands how to craft a story. He has a formula and he follows that sh*t religiously but it works. He wrote Star Wars. He wrote Indiana Jones. He wrote American Graffiti. Dude knows his stuff and it really shows in Raiders. The characters feel real and actually pretty charming. I found myself rooting for Marion almost immediately, masterclass in character introduction.

The Good

I like the narrative crafted for this tale, the actual story. There are a lot of great ideas put forth, creative use of biblical imagery and christian mythology. I love that sh*t. It’s why i adore Dan Brown’s stuff so much. Say what you will about The DaVinci Code, i love that mess and it really is kind of a mess. This story is not. It get right to the point, focusing n the characters and their relationships rather than the actual Christ Judaeo-Christian imagery. In the 80s, that was absolutely necessary but i think it makes for a stronger, cleaner, narrative overall.

I rather enjoy this cast. Everyone is quite god in their respective roles, overall. I had no idea Alfred Molina was in this so that was a nice surprise. It’s always fun seeing people i know later in life, in the young, vibrant, beginnings of their careers. John Rhys-Davies was also fun to see. I know him from Sliders but seeing him in this was a real treat.

This movie is absolutely gorgeous. It’s definitely nature porn, even if most of it is sand and brown. The shot composition if this thing is spectacular. I was kind of impressed with how vivid this world looks even though there is so little of it shown. There is a ton of it show, yes, but most of it is in the desert or some sh*t. You can only see the same kinds of rocks so many times before you hate seeing those rocks. Raiders does a great job of shooting those rocks in interesting, dynamic ways, so the setting never overstays it’s welcome.

But them melting Nazis, tho.

The Bad

So, there really isn’t a whole lot of bad in this. Admittedly, Raiders is a near perfect film. I can concede that. But i still wasn’t really entertained by it. I still was gripped with what i saw. I don’t understand the allure of this franchise on a personal level. Objectively, sure, it’s fantastic. But, for me, this sh*t is boring.

Raiders feels like one, long ass, chase scene with spots of exposition before another, long ass, chase scene. The dialogue is charming, the chemistry between the leads is palpable, and the action is some of the best on film, but blergh. I was never captivated nor did i care about anyone in this film.

The Verdict

I don’t like this movie. Absolutely disconnected from it. I find it plodding, pretentious, and a little boring. I do understand why everyone who holds this film so dear, absolutely hates Crystal Skull. There is a distinct shift in tone between the two and it’s actually quite jarring. This is coming from someone who doesn’t even really like the franchise at all. It’s kind of surreal how alien that Indiana feels to this Indiana. That said, as a proper film critique, Raiders is f*cking phenomenal. Objectively, this is a near perfect example of a film in this genre. There is inspired direction, great performances, gorgeous scene composition, rich cinematography, and characters that have stood the test of time to become stalwarts of US culture. I mean, i knew exactly who Marion Ravenwood was when she was introduced in Crystal Skull and i had only seen Raiders once when i was, like, five or six. That tells you exactly how beloved this movie is within the cultural zeitgeist. Raiders f the Lost Ark is an absolutely great film. It is to the action genre as Alien is to sci-fi horror, and y’all know how high in regard i hold Alien. That’s not praise i heap flippantly. All four of these flicks are on Netflix so might check them all out eventually. Maybe. That said, personally, i do not like this movie at all. Still doesn’t do enough to shake my giant monster, space robot, neon cyberpunk sensibilities.

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of DC: Week of November 27th, 2019

Best of this Week: Batman: Creature of the Night Book Four - Kurt Busiek, John Paul Leon and Todd Klein 

Kurt Busiek is amazing at humanizing and retelling the stories of our favorite heroes.

He managed to do so during his tenure on The Avengers and even more so on his breathtaking Superman: Secret Identity. He delves into the mindsets of characters and creates an emotional attachment between them and the reader that draws you into their individual struggles and his work on Creature of the Night is no different. He manages to juxtapose the story of Batman from the perspective of a fan of Batman in the "real world" and despite the long wait, it proves more than worth it.

Batman: Creature of the Night follows the life of Bruce Wainwright, inheritor of the Wainwright family fortune and company after their murder by a home invader. Throughout the series we see him deal with his family's death by doing his best to live up to their ideal, making the City of Boston better through philanthropic pursuits and smart business decisions. Though, he has a dark side to him, believing that he's managed to conjure an actual Batman-like protector for the city and believes it to be his stillborn brother, Tommy.

The last book saw Bruce obsessed with the origin of The Batman, how he was able to solve crime and how his company was succeeding because of the various arrests and takedowns, finding out that "Batman" had been the cause of everything. He had gone after Bruce's business opponents, exposed their wrongdoings and essentially cheated their way to the top. This sends Bruce on an unfortunate Spiral, thinking that all of Boston was corrupt and that maybe the other business people and Bruce's own allies might have had something to do with their deaths.

This issue begins with a splash page of a page from Batman; specifically where Thomas and Martha are killed by Joe Chill. It's also taken extreme damage likely from the Batman entity that Bruce believes to exist. This shows just much Wainwright's own parents deaths has affected him and his mindset. We also get a few shots of Bruce's messy office. John Paul Leon makes sure to draw the readers attention to just how much Bruce's life is beginning to spin out of control. His floor is full of trash, booze and even a bra from who knows and Bruce himself is found by his assistant Robin, passed out among the mess.

In his stupor, he asks her about coffee before flinging himself off of the roof, turning into the Bat entity himself. Robin isn't surprised and we learn that she's known about Bruce's supposed abilities since the first time she and Mr. Jepson, one of Bruce's employees (his Alfred so to speak), saw him transform two years prior. If I remember right, the moment when Bruce was on the roof was when he found out about what Tommy had done and it's implied that Bruce was up there alone the whole time.

Unfortunately, Jepson suffers a heart attack after seeing his boy like that and is admitted to a hospital in and out over the next few months or years. Jepson's failing health leads Bruce to continue winding down, violently stopping crime while knowing that it's not actually doing anything better. At the same time, Robin is tasked with taking care of him by Mr. Jepson as she's been with them both for a very long time, Bruce even played her way through college. When Bruce goes to jail over a bar room brawl that left the other guy hospitalized, Robin bails him out. 

These scenes are grim and paint Bruce at almost his lowest, drinking in some decent looking bar and getting angry at even the smallest of slights. A man bumps him and Bruce decides to make a big thing of it, so they take the fight outside and Bruce gets his ass kicked while being watched by a small crowd. As it goes on, the Bat entity, or at least what we perceive as the Bat Entity from Bruce’s perspective, emerges and begins to absolutely wreck the other man. Leon uses minimal, flat colors for the entire issue and these pages are some of the more dynamic of them. Leon makes Bruce look animalistic and his eyes are colored red, signaling the change and after his arrest, he’s unshaven and looks like a mess.

Bruce and Robin’s relationship together serves as the main crux of the book with her watching him as he goes down his dark path and doing her best to get him back on track. Bruce, however, is still caught up in his parents murder and the continued injustices that Boston is home to every night. Both of them are fighting losing battles and growing darker with each passing day. Their relationship reaches a particular low after a still drunk Bruce plants an unwanted kiss on her after she picks him up from jail. This is particularly horrible because of their aforementioned history together. She tells him that he needs to see a therapist or help of some kind.

Initially, he thinks that he might disagree, but says yes and explains what he’s been going through to his doctor. It seems like a very cathartic moment for him, getting everything off of his chest and eventually being prescribed antidepressants. For a while, he returns nearly to his normal self. Jepson and Robin are happy for him, but we learn later on that he feels like the antidepressants make him feel sludgy and confused. He feels like he needs to wean himself off of it for a little while, having had fear that they would break his connection to Tommy or kill him. 

Bruce immediately begins to become more paranoid, asking why someone would want to kill Tommy. He starts to believe in some grand conspiracy to ruin him and his family and he decides to go to a private room in his company’s offices. Leon colors this scene with a light cool blue, giving off the feeling of Bruce’s cold “logic”, though the reader can likely also interpret this as Bruce turning inward to himself. He’s lonely and with only Tommy to really talk to, he’s not exactly the most reliable of narrators. He truly believes that everything that’s happened to him, including Jepson’s sickness, has been part of a carefully orchestrated plot to plunge Boston into darkness.

In an amazing reference to when Dick Grayson first discovers the Batcave, Robin opens the door to find Bruce alone in the room. Framed against his immensely large connection board, Bruce kind of looks like a crazy person. He berates her for not respecting his privacy and asks what could possibly be so important for her to find him before she informs him of Jepson’s passing. What was initially small paranoia morphs into FULL conspiracy paranoia with Bruce being absurdly sure that someone is targeting him for getting close to the real culprits behind his parents death. Robin tries to comfort him, but he tells her that she needs to run for a little while and she calls him delusional and pleads with him to get help. 

Unable to handle the truth, Bruce flies away and later has a hallucination of Batman’s greatest villains surrounding him, telling him to take the pills. Joker, Catwoman, Two Face, Penguin and Riddler surround and taunt him. Leon makes sure to draw them as normal, potentially actually being there, but as Bruce’s mental state continues to unravel, they begin to deform and swirl into a mass of laughter and color/ As they begin to overwhelm his senses, Bruce tosses his antidepressants off the roof of the building as the background is colored a bright white - a clearing of the head in a way. 

Bruce returns to his board and begins to connect the dots, trying to find out who benefits the most from the deaths of his parents. He notes local politicians and other people he couldn’t hurt as Batman and then has an epiphany. He goes to confront Detective Gordon Hoover, the man who had been in charge of Bruce’s and various other related cases before his retirement. He destroys one of Gordon’s walls when confronting him and soon after, Robin arrives and checks on the detective. He tells her that Bruce has gone insane and that all of this was coincidence at best before telling her where he went. 

Concerned with his continuingly deteriorating state of mind, Robin ventures to Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo, a place very near and dear to Bruce as his family had a huge stake in it when Bruce was a child. He’s absolutely destroyed the entrance way and is in the Bat exhibit when Robin finds him having a complete mental breakdown. Leon absolutely smashes the art in this sequence, portraying Batman as fighting back against his enemies. They swirl around him in the same mass as earlier (with Ra’s al Ghul thrown into the mix for whatever reason) and Bruce says that he has to tear Boston down to make it better.

Robin, having had enough and sensing that Bruce might do something he’ll regret, asks him if that’s something that Batman from the comics would do. This manages to snap Bruce out long enough for Robin to reach him. She asks him who he’s talking to, who he’s fighting against and Bruce struggles to answer, seeing Batman’s Rogues gallery slowly swept away by the mass of bats around them before disappearing himself. Much later, we pick back up with Bruce who’s dating the girl he met in college way back in Book Two. He’s back on his medication with a modified dosage and Robin is doing well too. He realizes that there was no conspiracy and that he’d been holding on to his pain, causing him to almost have a psychotic break… though he still maintains one really important familial relationship.

Though the gap between Books Three and Four were absurdly long, the quality of the story was well worth the wait. Kurt Busiek doesn’t write as much as he used to, but with this book, he shows that he hasn’t lost a single step along the way. This was an amazingly character driven story that kept me interested throughout. John Paul Leon’s art was a big part of that as well with just how beautiful it was. Together, they managed to craft an underrated masterpiece. I loved the story of obsession and inspiration and how Batman can influence just about anyone. Bruce Wainwright turned out to be a really interesting character, both because he was very much inspired by Batman so much so that he modeled his life after him and because of his mental illness.

I can only hope that this book succeeded well enough that Busiek and Leon come back for another book together or Busiek does a third of these with Wonder Woman as the hero inspiration. Overall, high recommend.

[unavenged-robin]

Juxtaposition - 3

Part 1 + Part 2

Tim hadn’t meant anything by it, honestly. He just happened to stumble into the kid while having a camera in his hands, and that was all. It hadn’t been his fault if Damian was too busy drawing and didn't notice him: the brat was supposed to be a baby ninja, after all. Another thing he was not responsible for was Damian being... photogenic. He would never use the word cute, not even to save his own life.

Point is, the kid was sitting there, under a tree, surrounded by his pets - Titus' big head on his leg, Alfred the cat curled up by his feet - his head bent over an old sketchbook, and a look of total focus on his face, and Tim didn’t even think about it, he raised the camera to his eye and took the photo.

Click.

Damian lifted his head, looking annoyed but not surprised. So maybe he had known about Tim being there. Maybe he just hadn’t care enough.

“Taking photos of people without their explicit consent is a felony, Drake”, he said, narrowing his eyes at Tim. “I could report you and have you arrested.”

Tim snorted and plopped down on the grass in front of the kid.

It was such a beautiful day. The sun was warm over the skin and the wind was like a gentle caress on the face. Even the colors looked like they were happy to exist; they were so intense they seemed to vibrate under his stare: the blue was so blue the sky could’ve very well been the ocean, the green was so green the whole garden could’ve been just one, giant new leaf of a young tree.

And Damian, Damian was a spot of red and black in all that green, like a tiny ladybug resting in the grass, and his eyes were also the greenest green Tim had seen for a while. He had smiled at the kid with a contented heart.

“You happen to be a minor, brat”, he reminded him with a bit of teasing in his voice. “And I'm listed as one of your legal guardians. That means that, until you're eighteen, I can pretty much do whatever I want with you.”

Damian looked up from his sketchbook to squint at him. His cheeks were sun-kissed and his nose was getting too red under the warm light of the afternoon, and Tim remembers how in that moment he had the sudden, shattering realization that he felt a not insignificant amount of affection for his brother. And that had not been the only time he’s ever felt that way, but it had perhaps been the first one.

Damian had dismissed him without a second thought.

“You are not my legal guardian.”

“I am too.”

The words stayed there for a moment, lingering between them, then Damian had frowned at him, out of curiosity more than outrage, Tim thought, as he choose to believe him.

“Why?”, he asked.

Tim turned his eyes away, lifting his face to observe the branches of the tree above them swaying slowly in the wind. He didn’t want to ruin the quiet.

“Because this family is a mess and Bruce wants to be sure that, if he decides to go take another stroll in the past again, you won't be left on your own”, he explained anyway. It was both a surreal and a serious affair, and they both knew it.

Damian had considered it for a moment, gnawing pensively at the tip of his pencil.

“I won't be left with you anyway”, he decided with a shrug. “You would have to go through Grayson's body to get me.”

Tim remembers how he had laughed at that.

“Yeah, that's true”, he had said. “Neither of us need to worry about it.”

*

Tim stares at the ceiling of his own bedroom like he expects some kind of answer coming down from there, along with a few friendly spiders he’s never had the time to chase away.

That afternoon used to be a good memory, once upon a time. Now it comes at him at night, haunting him with its bitter taste of unforeseen omen, and Tim wonders if Damian ever thinks about it, if he remembers it as clearly as he does.

He hopes not. He hopes that, at least for the kid, it’s not ruined.

There’s still some good stuff attached to that memory, though. Damian had wanted that photo, marched down to this very apartment to get it. And Tim had developed the film just for him, showed him how to do it and pretended not to notice how invested Damian was. That had been nice too: teaching the kid something new, something harmless they both enjoyed. Damian had let Tim guide his hands through the various proceedings, he had even obeyed every instruction with a minimum amount of huffs and scoffs. That had been another good day.

Fast forward, Tim hadn’t been there for Damian’s eleventh birthday, but he had bought him a camera and asked Alfred to pack it up in the most childish, colourful wrapping paper he could find, and to give it to the brat when he looked less willingly to throw it away without even bothering to unwrap it. And of course he hadn’t expected much in return, but to his surprise Damian had actually texted him a short and very formal thank you. That meant the little gremlin had loved the gift. Tim had been happy about it.

Those memories still makes him smile, even if now they leave a bitter aftertaste on his lips. Nice moments like those had been a rare thing, little pearls lost in the sand of the constant fights, the misunderstandings, and the mutual disinterest.

And now the world was all chaos and fragile things, and none of them really know what to do. Not Damian, freshly deprived of the only two father figures he had ever known; not Tim, who had found himself responsible for him; and sure enough not Jason, who had just got himself trapped in the whole mess.

Tim sighs and gets out of bed. The clock radio on the nightstand marks four o'clock in the morning, but there's no way he’s going back to sleep tonight, he's sure of that. Better to make some tea and keep working on tomorrow’s case. At least that’s the plan when he gets into the kitchen.

He goes as far as to put some water on the heat, then the memories of that afternoon comes back to needle him. There must be a box somewhere, filled with the photos from the first film he had developed for Damian, the first photos the kid had ever took in his life, as far as Tim knows. And e hadn't told Damian this - of course he hadn’t - but he'd made copies for himself. At the time he hadn't even ask himself why: he had just wanted to do it, so he had gone and done it.

He finds the box tucked away on the highest shelf of his library, covered by a thin layer of dust. Housekeeping’s never been his strongest suit.

A faint gurgling from the kitchen reminds him of the tea he was making. Tim retrieves it, pushes some jasmine leaves into the hot cup, then goes and sits on the couch. He shoots a quick look at Damian's room, but the door is closed and no light seeps from under it, no noise comes from the other side. The boy should be asleep.

For some reason he can’t explain, Tim feels a pang of guilt as he opens the box.

Damian’s photos are all there and Tim picks them up with a smile. It's funny looking at his family through the kid's eyes: everyone looks a lot taller, everything seems bigger. It's a bit of a déjà-vu, because Tim remembers well enough how the world looks like on a child scale.

The first bunch of photos are reserved to Damian's pet, of course. Here’s Titus, sleeping on the library’s rug or sitting at Damian’s feet, and Alfred the cat curled up on the windowsill. There’s Batcow eating some grass in the back of their courtyard, Goliath with its wings spread out, getting ready to fly. Tim knows Damian misses them. He wish he could at least give them back to him but he has no space for pets in his apartment, and they can’t go home anyway.

He puts those photos aside, and the next one hits him like a fist in the stomach. Here, in front of him, there’s Dick. He's smiling down, his lips upturned, the affection so clear in his eyes. Tim tries to imagine whatever absurd excuse Damian had tried to made up to justify his wish to have a picture of him, and he can’t think of anything, but it’s pretty obvious that Dick had seen right through the kid.

Damian is the subject of the next photo. Even if it hadn't came up right after Dick's one, Tim would've known anyway that Dick was the one who took it. It's the expression on Damian's face to give it away, that little not-really-annoyed-but-pretending-to-be-anyway scowl that holds the same affection of Dick's smile. He can see that moment so clearly in his mind. How Dick would’ve said something like you can take a picture of me only if I can take a picture of you, and Damian would’ve rolled his eyes and then indulge the blackmail with a secret happiness.

He laughs heartily at the following four photos. They are a set of unfocused, very awkward selfies of Damian and Stephanie, with her being the head of the operation, since Damian's arms would be too short to even attempt it. Damian’s glaring in the first photo and openly laughing in the last one, and Stephanie had been quick, albeit a little imprecise, at capturing that moment. The result is a blurry picture with a very strange angle, but it’s still one of Tim’s favorite.

There are a lot of pictures of Bruce. At first they were taken from a distance, and they portray him from behind, or busy doing something else: bending over his desk to write a letter, sitting in the armchair reading a book, standing in the kitchen with Alfred sipping a tea. They all give the idea of stolen moments, even if Bruce had probably known what the kid was doing. Tim could see him playing along, waiting for Damian to decide what worked best for him.

And of course Damian had eventually decided to make Bruce a part of the new hobby. The other shots still have a formal setting, very different from the spontaneity of the photos of Dick and Stephanie, but Bruce smiles in almost all of them and there’s a complicity and a quiet happiness that makes Tim’s heart ache. He misses Bruce. And he can only imagine how much Damian’s missing him too, how all this time apart is affecting him, his memories, his relationship with Bruce.

Tim brushes a cold fingertip over the pictures and wishes he could fix, if not everything, at least some of it. They can’t have Dick back, but Bruce is still there, still alive, and breathing, and living a life that doesn’t include them anymore, and if anything, it hurts almost as much as believing him to be dead.

He takes a quick look at all the photos again and he wonders how it is possible that none of them ever realized how important those moments were, how much they would have missed them once they were gone. For all the unspoken things and the cruel past, for all the miscommunications and the fights and the bickering, the truth of what there used to be between them as a family it’s just there in his hands: it was love, love and nothing else.

He hopes that Damian can see it too.

He flips through the pictures one last time, and this time he’s forced to notice how there are no photos of himself, or of Jason, for that matter. It shouldn't have been unexpected, but it stings anyway, even if only a little bit.

Tim’s considering what to do with the photos, if put them in their box and hide it again, or leave everything here on the coffee table for Damian to find, when he hears soft footsteps behind his back and the decision is taken out of his hands.

“Hey”, he says when the kid circumnavigates the couch to come standing in front of him.

“Want some tea?”, Tim offers, lifting his own cup.

Damian shakes his head no and curls up next to Tim, tucking his bare feet under him. He looks still half asleep, which is kind of a blessing right now. Tim has a good feeling about how Damian will take the news of the existence of those illegitimate copies of his pictures, but you never know.

“Mine are still in my room back at home, I believe”, Damian whispers, as he reaches out for the box. Tim lets him have it, and watches him closely as the boy collects all the pictures in his hands.

“Alfred would never let anyone touch your room while you’re away”, he reassures him, and since Damian’s just got to the picture of Dick, he slings an arm around the boy’s shoulders and pulls him closer.

“We’re going to need an album for them”, he says gently. “Like one of those Alfred has back home. We can make a new family album or something. Show it to him once everything goes back to normal, you know?”

Damian nods as he leans against Tim’s chest. He’s still warm from the bed, and his hair is a mess, but also soft under Tim’s chin. He’s wearing one of Jason’s old shirt because for the second week in a row Tim forgot to do the laundry, and he smells like Dick’s aftershave because that’s what Jason’s using now.

Tim holds Damian a bit closer. They are all trying to pick up the pieces as best as they can. It’s not easy.

“We could go to the park tomorrow”, he adds, because why not. “Bring Jason with us. Take some new photos for your album. What do you say?”

Damian moves closer to him, eyes still transfixed on Dick’s face.

“Yes”, he answers softly. “I would like that.”

[fyeahbatcat]

What are your thoughts on Gotham's finale, and the show's overall handling of Selina Kyle, and the BatCat relationship? Any missed opportunities, or things you would've done differently?

tbh I the finale was not what I was expecting, which I guess is insome ways a good thing. I kept thinking, “the show’s almost over. Where’sBatman.” Then I remembered something they said early in the series; thatthere’s a price you have to pay DC Comics to use Bruce Wayne’s image and a separate price you payto use Batman, and it crossed my mind, more than once, that maybe Fox couldn’tafford Batman and we were only going to see him from the back of the head. Rihanna.this_is_the_most_ghetto_shit_i’ve_ever_seen_in_my_life.png.But they ended up delivering on that at the end for a whole 8.5 seconds.

I was expecting Bruce and Selina to have a reunion at the end, butI was expecting something a little more dramatique. I have to keep in mind thatwhile this is the end of Gotham, it’s really only the beginning of the story sothe way Bruce and Selina “ended” things makes sense. I liked how Selinaconfronting Bruce was raw and emotional. Ten years between them, but nothinghad changed. They still knew each other well, like when Selina knew right awaythat Bruce was watching her, and obviously their feelings hadn’t changed. Eventhough we didn’t get to see it, this love story is just getting started.

Overall, I think that Bruce and Selina’s relationship was uniqueto the world of Gotham and in many ways this worked. The biggest problem that Ihad with how the relationship was portrayed on the show was the inconsistency. Iget that they were probably going to a frenemies/will-they-won’t-they kind ofthing but even by tv standards it got a little ridiculous. It was to the point whereBruce and Selina went from *dating* to not speaking to each other like everytwo episodes; especially after the mid-way point of season three. They spent allthat time building up the relationship which led to the big rooftop moment andit appeared that they were finally going to get together and it was great butthen they broke them up before we even really got a chance to enjoy it. Theworst part of it was they came up with the dumbest reason for breaking them up.Selina’s mom was a grifter who was using her, and this was somehow Bruce’sfault, and then he was mad at her because…she was mad at him??? Make it makesense.

Then they spent almost all of season four barely speaking to eachother just to be thrown together in the last few episodes because they neededto be on good enough terms to justify using Selina as a stand in for BarbaraGordon for their replication of the most misogynistic Batman comic ever published.I think that the writers became too enamored with the romantic tropes and makingBruce and Selina have the type of relationship they think they should have, rather than one that worked for show. Thisis why I think relationship was better in the earlier seasons. When it comes toGotham batcat: when it’s good, it’s very good.  When it’s bad…yeesh.

I have a loooooooooot of issues with the some of the directionthat they took Selina over the course of the show. Gotham had a reputation fortreating their female characters like garbage, there’s not a whole lot that I cansay to defend them on that. For one thing they had Selina getting abused by menway too often. First, they had Alfred bitch slap her in the second season whenshe was…what fourteen at the time. I like Gotham,generally, but I’m not okay with Alfred straight up slapping little girls. Thenshe was very nearly murdered by Bruce’s clone because she rejected his romanticadvances. Then came TKJ thing, and Selina gets shot just to give Bruce man-pain.

But honestly out of all of that stuff imo the worstthing they did to Selina was in the premiere of season five. They involvedSelina in an incredibly harmful trope that quadriplegic people are better off deadand resolved it with a magic fix one episode later without making even a vagueattempt at showing disability as something that you can live with. This is especiallyegregious because Selina was used as a substitute of Barbara Gordon in thestoryline, and post TKJ (thanks to efforts of Kim Yale and John Ostrander) Barbarawasn’t forgotten and neither was her disability. She was still written as apowerful hero in her own right, and one of the most prominent superheroes witha disability. It’s 2019. How they handled it with Selina was not only badwriting; it was irresponsible.

I feel like with Selina they didn’t do quiet enough todevelop her character independently and they didn’t go deep enough into her characterbeyond tropes and pop culture references. The best solo arc that they had forher was her friendship with Bridgit Pike. It was like they were always on thecusp of doing something great with Selina but never really followed through. Forexample, in season 3 they did the homage to BatmanReturns but that experience didn’t significantly change her. In BMR Selinagetting pushed out of the window represented a rebirth. The meek helpless secretarythat she was died, and she was reborn as a woman who refused to let herself bepushed around. On Gotham Selina was pushed from the window and she…started usinga whip…five episodes later.

They also teased that Selina was going to get cat-likepowers in season five, and then she didn’t. I’ll take this moment to go onrecord and say that I’m never a fan of giving Selina superpowers. It’s corny.My point is: Gotham would always make promises that they didn’t deliver on and sometimesit was very frustrating.

The biggest missed opportunity to develop Selina’s characterwas how they got rid of her mother after three episodes. This arc made no sensewhatsoever. Selina being abandoned at a young age was obviously traumatic for herand shaped a lot of who she was. At the beginning of the series she avoidedgetting attached people and firmly believed that one can and should only look outfor themselves. But by her reaction to reuniting with Maria, a part of her obviouslystill desired that relationship. They addressed her hurt and betrayal in a way,but they were really just using it as an excuse to break up Bruce and Selina.They made it about their relationship rather than her and her mother’srelationship. The Batman mythos are so contingent on father/son relationshipsand this was a chance to show a complex mother/daughter relationship for once. Ijust think it was such a wasted opportunity.

Perhaps Maria could’ve shown Selina the con artist lifestyleand that’s how she developed her skills for her future career as a world classthief. The opportunity was right there staring them in the face and they wasted it.

I know this post seems very critical, but I’ve talked a lotover the years about the things that I liked about Gotham and all of the thingsthat I didn’t like have just been festering. You’ll see more as I continue my Gotham top 20 challenge.

[felicitykings]

☕️ BATCATBATCATBATCAT

AHHHH THANK YOU!

this is going to be really long, i can feel it, so i’m putting it under the cut. 

Send me a ☕️ and a topic and I’ll talk about how I feel about it

okay, here goes: i loved the way that this show had these two entangled from the start. having selina as the sole witness to the wayne murder besides bruce was an interesting twist and it felt almost like fate. of all the alleys she could have ended up in she ended up here, and while she was witnessing the most horrific event of bruce’s life - as awful as that was -, their destinies were now entwined.

having them meet and develop a bond as children really added depth to the bond that they inevitably share. other than me being a sucker for the childhood freinds romance trope, it made their connection feel more emotional and mental rather than just physical. they just connected. like the reason they know and understand each other so well is because they’ve been there. they’ve seen every single shade of each other and stuck with each other through all of it. it’s safe to say that (with the exception of alfred on bruce’s side) they know each other better than anyone else. and it’s clear in the relationship that they share. frequently over the course of the show, they’re able to get through to each other in a way that no one else does. they call each other out on their shit and (i believe david and camren have said this as well) they each leave their arguments taking on board what the other has said. bruce realises he’s been an ass and strives to do better and apologise for it, and selina makes an effort to make more of herself (’i’m tired of just surviving, i want more’) and opens herself up a little more.

the parallels between to two of them were also really well done. you always got the sense that they were both walking the line, and while bruce always fell on the ‘right’ side of this line, selina could fall both sides. and this in itself gave them an interesting dynamic. that they could be so similar and yet so different. and this is just another reason that they worked as a pairing (in whatever form that took). selina could always pick up the tasks that bruce couldn’t (stealing things for him and using violence in a more extreme sense than bruce). and they both influenced each other - selina helped bruce see that things weren’t always quite so black and white sometimes and that some things are necessary for survival and bruce often pulled selina back towards a moral centre if she fell too much the other way.

and even with all of this they always remained individuals and they never lost sight of that individuality no matter how strong and deep that connection was. they didn’t sacrifice any part of themselves to be together and most of the time they respected each other’s differences. selina did her best frequently to ensure that bruce didn’t have to kill, because she knew that that wasn’t who he was and that he wouldn’t be able to deal with it (even if she herself would be able to) and while she encouraged some of his darker side, she made sure that he stayed the same pure hearted kid that she met (it’s good you’re changing just don’t change too much’). and while bruce struggles to accept some of selina’s darker acts in favour of insisting that they’re the same, he never tries to force her into being anything other than herself, even if it hurts him to watch her spiral. another thing i loved about them was that, while they were amazing together (a true power couple honestly), their stories never revolved around the other. they remind me lot of that post that compared soulmates to a pair of socks. they’re each a whole complete sock on their own and can manage perfectly well on their own, but they’re amazing when they come back together as a pair. they had their own storylines going on and yet that connection remained very strong regardless. no matter how far away from each other they drifted, they always came back together. their bond is inevitable. they could have not spoken for months or been so mad at the other but even they, they still protected each other. we saw this in season 3 with selina. she breaks away from bruce in the fallout of her mother’s return and hasn’t seen him for months and yet when five shows up and she realised bruce is missing, she stands up for bruce and decides to tell alfred so that he can find bruce. and selina at various points throughout the show saves bruce’s life. even if it almost breaks her rule of self-preservation. she often tells bruce that she’s unwilling to go somewhere that puts her life in danger (’i’m not going back’), but when bruce is the one in danger, more often than not, she does. she checks on him in 2x03, helps save him from galavan in 2x11, stays behind to get him, gordon and lucius out of arkham at the end of s2, comes to help him in 3x11 and proceeds to stand protectively in front of him and alfred when they’re threatened, she goes to the diner in 4x16 and saves him from the fear gas in 4x21. and bruce similarly puts his own life in danger to save her. and it never comes across like selina is a damsel for him to save. most of the time she saves herself. they’re true equals and i love that about them.

also this show gave them so many lighthearted moments as well which truly emphasised that love is at the basis of their connection. they truly care about each other and make each other happy. you see that the connection they share isn’t just based on destiny or their similarities, there’s a genuine emotional bond there which is truly what ties them to each other. they flirted/bantered, went on dates, comforted each other, and selina was the first person to get bruce to act like a kid and just have childlike joy in something since his parents died (despite alfred’s best efforts for the first part of s1). jim told bruce that there would be light and selina gave that to him. so much so that even alfred knew how connected they were regardless of his own feelings about selina, and he let her stay at the manor after all.

as you can probably tell by now, i have a lot of feelings about gotham’s batcat, they were really well written and brilliantly portrayed by david and camren. they worked really well together on screen and brought the writing to life. they made you believe that these two loved each other through everything they went through. the good, the bad, all of it. what they meant to each other was never in doubt. there’s a whole lot of a soulmate feel to them. the fact that they always come back to each other, the fact that selina could calm bruce even as he’s living his worst fear (4x21), how similar they are and the fact that even after a 10 year separation, they can sense each other’s presence still and their connection has not dimmed. and while it hurt a little to know that they weren’t together at the end of the show, their rooftop scene gave me a lot of hope. selina finally verbalised her feelings for bruce (to him)  - a rarity - and asks what will happen now. he tell her that he doesn’t know (it’s up to her) but that he’ll never leave gotham (her) again, before telling her to ‘return the diamond’. it sounds almost playful and their game has begun. he knows she won’t return the diamond and she knows he won’t force her to, and now she knows that he did see her steal it and didn’t do anything to stop her. (after all she’s got him wrapped around her pinky.

just some thoughts to finish off with. there are a few lines in this show that i feel really sum up their relationship. the first: ‘why can’t we just be us?’. selina doesn’t like the label of ‘girlfriend’ or ‘couple’ but on a deeper level the ‘us’ fits them a lot better. bruce and selina’s relationship transcends a lot of these labels. they’re more than just a couple and they are a lot of different things to each other. so many things that ‘girlfriend’ and ‘couple’ doesn’t seem to do their connection justice and feels like and oversimplification. secondly ‘i’ll be here whenever you need me’ and ‘whose side are you on, bruce?’/’yours. always.’. this is what their bond is. they’re almost on their own side. no matter what selina is always there when bruce needs her and vice versa. as i’ve said no matter how far they drift apart, it doesn’t matter because they are always there for each other.

[dungeonecologist]

WILD ARMS 2 - Raline Observatory

The Raline Observatory is a neat set piece, albeit one riddled with issues in English.  It distracts us with side characters, but actually sets up a pretty core feature of the world that will come back much later in conjunction with the Live Reflectors (which are about to become defunct once we finish this quest and unlock our flying ship) The name however is yet another mistransliteration from the Japanese for “Ley Line.”

Ley Lines came from the observations of one Alfred Watkins, an amateur archaeologist/explorer of the 1920s (as was not terribly uncommon at the time) who made note of the arrangement of major historical landmarks in straight lines across the British country side, from which he questioned the meaning, cause, or function.  In the 1960s this work was incorporated along side Chinese fengshui to theorize that a kind of natural flow of energies across the Earth existed, and that spiritually attuned cultures all across history had been drawn to places where such streams of energy intersected, either by divination or by the consequence of ideal circumstances for settlement or ritual structures stemming from said concentrated energies.

Here, it those theories are applied rather literally, and will be revisited more explicitly at a later point in the story.  Not coincidentally, this dungeon is located on a string of volcanic not-quite-islands, volcanoes being a rather on the nose example of a point at which energy has built up and been released from the Earth, literal energy obviously but in many belief systems spiritual energy as well.  Oddly there aren’t actually any apparent Ley Lines on the Filgaia map; the dungeons are all pretty evenly distributed.  The only semblance of patterns* are that various locations that come in 4s are deliberately scattered across 4 quadrants, but that’s less meaningful and more just practical when you don’t want your game’s marathon of dungeons to take place right next to each other.

*(The ones I’ve marked here are the 4 Live Reactors: red, the 4 Diablo Pillars: Blue, and the 4 Ray Points: Green.  Perhaps the only real deliberate design here is that the finale dungeon which is tied by lore to the Raypoints, is located right in between the 4 of them; the intersection if you draw lines between opposite points.  On this note: the Raypoint dungeons may also be a mistransliteration, meant to be “Ley Points.”)

Anyway we get into this neat abandoned lab setting and immediately have a boss thrown at us.

I think I’ve mentioned both the Kobold, and accidentally the Salamandra, now but among those iconic elemental monsters is also the Undine; Generally portrayed as a beautiful humanoid water nymph.  The boss monster, Undines (I don’t know why there’s an “s”, the Japanese even reads ウンディーネ:u-n’-di-ne) is very much not.  Actually, given the circumstances I’d almost assume this was some kind of mistransliteration, but the boss card even says “Elemental Spirit,” so what else could it be other than a water spirit? (although when I looked over the epithet in Japanese the phrase is 素体 精霊獣, so what they translated as “Elemental” actually means something more in line with “base form” as in a chemical element, not an alchemical one.)  Also of note are its moves: Hookey Bust, Intafada, Reject all Fools, and Shocking Guinea.

We’ll start with Shocking Guinea, as it might be the most straight forward; it alludes to Undines being a manufactured monster, and presumably kind of a lab experiment.  It has turned on its creators so perhaps it was inhumanely experimented on until it lashed out?  This move is also perhaps the outlier in the set.  Intafada I can only assume refers here to the literal meaning of “shaking” or a small tremor and not the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in Gaza in the early 90s...  Ignoring the bizarre language choice for that, the move Hookey Bust is a little confusing but suggests one of two things to me; either being caught playing hooky, or rolling a losing number in a game of dice.  The former fits with the idea of an escaped experiment, but the latter along with Intafada and the general jester look of Undines seems to suggest shaking and rolling dice?  That in some vague sense seems to match with the Reject all Fools, if it means Fool like a court jester.

Okay you know what, I gave the translators too much credit.  The moment I started digging things got all kinds of muddled.  The move Reject All Fools in Japanese is 理解できないモノは拒絶: “[I] reject things [I] don’t understand.”  I take it the translators interpreted 理解できない モノ as “things/people that can not understand” i.e. “Fools,” but it might also be, “things/people that cannot be understood.”  I make the distinction because I think it has to do with ghost stories and belief in the supernatural, although what “supernatural” would really mean in a fantasy setting isn’t super clear...

The move Hookey Bust is 学校の怖い胸像: “Scary Bust of School” as in a scary sculpture found in a school, which I’m pretty certain is a reference to the trope of Japanese middle or high schools having a kind of local hauntings where some kind of ghost turns out to be the anatomical model in the science lab or the nurse’s office.  It ties into the science lab/experiment theme going on all throughout here.  Spooky science lab also explains the “shiver”/”shake”/”tremor” we get from Intafada.

Speaking of terrible translations, the baffling Lilly Pad monster appears here, a bizarre imp with a little sword and cape, and boobs on its head???  The katakana here is I believe meant to be a transliteration of Lilliput, as in Lilliputians from Jonathan Swift’s novel, Gulliver’s Travels.  The actual design doesn’t make much more sense in light of that, as they aren’t especially tiny, but at least the basic idea gets across, as opposed to the entirely nonsensical Lilly Pad.  I’m not sure they add to the theme going on exactly, but the visual aesthetic of a tiny or shrunken person does resonate with some classic mad science lab cliches.  

And we also have the Jelly Blob, which is just a staple of RPGs by this point.  Technically speaking I think the origin is, again, Dungeons and Dragons, with he Gelatinous Cube and Ooze monsters, and in turn any number of variants on the both as well as the off shoot Slime family of monsters.  Again, very in line with the science experiment vibes.

The one thing that presents a tiny hiccup in this is the Pas de Chat; in Japanese simply named Laughing Haunt.  It might be a stretch, but I think it’s just another reference to school hauntings, like the Hookey Bust reference.  It’s the only way I can think to fit this into the overarching themes of the dungeon.  The “English” name, Pas de Chat, is a ballet term referring to a jump in which the legs are brought up toward the opposite knee in quick sequence before landing.  It is French for “Step of the Cat.”

I have no idea why it looks the way it does, but it does display some interesting animations with leaps and twirls that is understandably evocative of dancers.  It also fights with a pair of stiletto daggers.

I kind of neglected to mention, but throughout this whole dungeon we’ve been followed by the wacky comedy relief duo, Liz and Ard. (Toka and Ge in Japanese: You get one guess as to what the word “Tokage” translates to.)  As we reach the end of the dungeon they of course spring on us that they too are after the rare Germatron mineral, and that they are apparently Odessa’s free lance monster engineers.  The two jump us with a second boss fight where the two showcase a host of battle tactics about as wacky as everything else we’ve put up with from them thus far:

Liz, the self-styled lead researcher of the duo can throw concoctions to ail the team, but that also hit himself and his assistant, Ard.  Meanwhile Ard is a tank and a powerhouse, even as the inevitable Poison ailment from Liz’s attacks chips away at his HP.  But to add to it, his strongest attack deals huge recoil damage to himself trading off for yet more offensive power.  If you focus your attacks on Liz and heal as needed, Ard will likely kill himself even before Liz falls.  An appropriate end to the mad science theme of the dungeon all around.  And naturally, we’ll be seeing more of the lizard duo as the game goes on.

[chronicbatfictioner]

A Real Boy - Chapter 6

Bruce Wayne was everything the media portrayed - and none of it. In the media, he was a dork - and that was Tim's conscience being nice. He would bumble his way through an interview while tripping over his own feet and laughed a little too loudly and too cheerfully for someone who was supposed to be in eternal mourning. Yet in the realm of his own house, under the gentle lighting and fading sunlight streaming into the kitchen nook that they were going to have tea at, he looked large and imposing and dark. Tim could feel the hair on his nape stood on end.

"Bruce! Look who got in!" Dick announced cheerfully, as Zitka huffed a little on his side. Bruce looked up from the large tablet he was holding, and Tim had to school his own thought to not think of this man as someone who would eliminate evil supernatural beings for fun and that he shouldn't be counted as evil. And by 'he' Tim meant himself. Nope, he's not. Tim was just a kid. Surely Bruce wouldn't think of him as a threat?

When he spoke, Tim was floored.

"Ah, the Boy Who Lives." he said in booming baritone, nary a hint of the high-pitched, vapid playboy persona he would display for the media.

Tim's eye-roll was involuntary, but Dick caught it and laughed. Even Jason was snickering at him.

"Really, Mr Wayne, of all the things you could call me..." Tim groaned.

"What? Dick made me watch the movies and then read the books - 'as reference,' he said." Bruce said. "And call me Bruce, please. 'Mr Wayne' made me sound old."

"You are," Tim blurted, and quickly added, "...older than I am, frankly. I mean it's just a sign of respect to call you mister and all. And my parents taught me manners and they're useful in the boardrooms and whatnot. But some people just..."

"Tim, breathe." Jason said. Tim breathed. "He's not gonna like, unsheathe a sword and lop your head off. So chill."

"Yes, I'm not gonna do any of those. First of all, I have no sword in my present right now. And foremost, Alfred does not appreciate bloodstains on his good China." Bruce pointed out. "Have a seat, both of you, please, indulge! It's rare that Dick and I have company during tea time!" he gestured toward the set of chairs across him. His eyes might not have focused solely on either of them, yet Tim realized that from where he sat, he could have seen the entirety of the kitchen from the indoor entrance to the backdoor exit. The large window next to him would have given him a good vantage point of the backyard.

A standard for warlocks, really. They would sit in a place where they could see threat coming in - from whatever form of threat. The house was heavily hexed and protected with a plethora of spells that would render any stranger uncomfortable - this Tim could feel right away, and the changes thereof once Alfred mentioned about adjusting it.

And somehow, it warmed his heart a little when he realized that Alfred was so willing to lower the house's defenses especially for him and Jason. Alfred was also manually pouring tea to cups for him and Jason. Whether the old man was humoring Jason, or knew that he could behave like a normal human being, Tim couldn't tell. But he didn't mind. He was certain that Jason, too, didn't mind.

The tea was hot and fragrant, and there were tartlets that Tim indulged happily - it has been a while since he'd eaten anything homemade; and he was quite certain that Alfred would have made the tartlets manually. They drink and ate somewhat a little quietly. Tim noticed that Dick was feeding Zitka chunks of fruit out of a basket, and that Jason was watching them with amusement in his eyes.

"Alright, then. Now that the formalities are done, boys are fed, how can I help you, Timothy?" Bruce asked.

"I..." Tim hesitated and looked at Jason. "Well, Jason brought me some news that he thought I should share with you..."

Bruce's eyes refocused on Jason. "From the Acres of All." he stated, not asked.

"From S'aru." Jason replied. "He's aware of the place I was trained at, and its proprietors. He's just never gotten a chance to go there." he added, telling Tim.

"Oh, okay..." Tim remarked. "Anyway... maybe Jason should reiterate..."

"No, it's your call." Jason sighed. "You should reveal things I've told you on your own discretion. I mean, it's not like you'll want to tell random strangers that you have pink toothbrush, right?"

Tim sent him a death glare as Dick snickered. "I do not have pink toothbrush!"

"Zitka said you looked familiar to her." Dick remarked.

"She did?" Tim perked up. "I mean, wow. I didn't even see her back then..."

"See her?"

"Uh... yeah... I was... I guess I should've told you first and foremost. I was there when... your parents--" Tim stammered, feeling his cheeks started to burn when Dick didn't say anything. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to bring up bad memories..."

Dick smiled, "Oh no, I remember you, alright. You took a picture with us before we started the show, didn't you?"

Tim perked up again. "Yes! I mean, my parents and I did. It was..." he swallowed around the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat. "...well, the first and last time I went to a circus-- with my parents." he smiled, and knowing well that his smile was lame and forced; a distorted mirror of Dick's cheery smile.

"Sorry that your first ended up badly for you." he said. "But anyway, yeah, I guess you wouldn't have seen Zitka because I haven't earned her, yet. She came to be with me once I moved in with Bruce. It was a little soon, since I was only ten, but--" he shrugged. "Circumstances, you know how it goes. Plus, she was an inheritance from my mom."

"I imagine your warlock ancestors must be squirming in their graves that you brought in a magi-fae kid home..." Jason smirked at Bruce. The latter grinned back.

"I bet they were... lest they have ran out of squirms when my motherjoined the household." Bruce replied. "So, now that we've established our familiarites - no pun intended, Zitka - what was it, then, that brought you to my home?"

Tim inhaled slowly, rearranging the things Jason had told him a few nights ago. "'The rise of the Untitled is coming, and they're heading for Gotham to open the portal of the Underworld and bring forth the elimination of non-magickal beings.'" he quoted.

Bruce and Dick was quiet as they stared at each other, neither paid attention to when Zitka stole a whole apple from the table.

"That's... a heavy premonition." Bruce remarked.

"S'aru doesn't understand embellishment." Jason replied, shrugging. "He's like, the All-Seeing being. Only he's also a lazy bum who doesn't like to move around and too far away from his beloved hookah. Kind of like Alice in Wonderland's Caterpillar, only he doesn't change to butterfly." he told Tim.

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know literature is a part of a familiar's training. Or did you pick that up from Tim?" he asked excitedly. Excitedly - to the point where Tim and Jason literally glared at him in confusion.

"Not all familiars - like not all mages - live in the medieval era, Mr. Wayne." Jason retorted. "Some of us enjoyed the outside world's depiction of our world, some even have their own technological stuff, like social media." Tim's head turned so fast toward Jason that his neck cricked. "What? Ever seen those cute or scary cats or other animal accounts on Photogram?"

"Seriously??" Tim and Dick chorused. Tim was almost sure that even Alfred's cool demeanor changed just a tick.

Jason exchanged his glares between the two of them. "Some of them may be the work of a human who has nothing to do than to pretend to be their cats, but some are..." he shrugged nonchalantly. "Anyway, yes, magnificent tea, Mr Pennyworth, since my magi seemed to have forgotten his manners." Jason told Alfred with a big, disarming smile that was almost as bright as Dick's.

"Wow... okay, Zitka, you don't plan to open your own Photogram account, do you?" Dick asked Zitka, who trumpeted softly. "Right, I'm..." Dick turned around to glare blankly at Bruce. "wow, Zitka said he's right. And I'm starting to worry about who my Photogram followers actually are."

"They don't follow anyone but their magi, Grayson... isn't that obvious?" Jason smirked.

"You're not thinking of having a Photogram account, do you?" Tim demanded to Jason. The latter shrugged.

"I don't see the benefit of it just yet. Maybe once you're settled, or my presence is announced or whatever. I'd love my own account to the BookNook, though." Jason beamed at him. Tim had to actually will himself not to gape.

"...You seriously read." he stated.

"Well, then, our library might be... entertaining for you." Bruce quipped, smirking slightly. "Right, Alfred?" On the side, Dick groaned.

"Yes, indeed. Master Richard may only liked written words that can be quickly summarized and preferably read-to for him. You, however, may prefer a physical form that can be..." Alfred suddenly quieted his voice for a moment before continuing. "...that is, if your Magi is alright with it? It is getting quite late, and I do not believe Master Tim's driver's license allowed him to drive at night."

Tim shrugged. "I can drive just fine."

"Yes, but my conscience would not allow me to look away from it," Bruce explained. "Plus, it's Gotham. It's... not safe out there for anyone to be out at night," he added, emphasizing on 'anyone'.

"You know I'm a magi, right?" Tim protested. "and I have my big and strong familiar with me..."

"It's not just the dangers from the real world, Timmers..." Dick intoned. "We... Bruce and I and some of our... allies - we have known that there is something brewing that's dangerous for everyone and everything we held dear. We sure won't wish you to stumble into it accidentally."

"It might help to allow these young men to understand your stance, Master Bruce..." Alfred suggested quietly. Bruce looked at Dick, probably to ask for his opinion.

"I dunno... he's still really young..." Dick sighed.

"As were you, Master Dick..." Alfred reminded. Dick grimaced. Tim thought that they might have had this kind of discussion a few times too many, as Dick opened his mouth to say something, only to be met with Alfred's cold glare and tick of eyebrow, and Dick deflated.

"Fine, fine... tell him." Dick grumbled.

Bruce nodded. "Alright, I hereby cordially ask you both to spend the night, gentlemen. There are... things that I would like to discuss with you that might require time, and as I've said before, I don't like you driving at night. So, will you stay?"

"I don't bring an overnight bag..." Tim still hedged, a little uncomfortable with the offer, in spite of realizing that Bruce had meant well and not likely to... do anything untoward. "It's just... I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude. Just that it's kind of weird."

"Oh, I understand. Very well, then. At least stay for dinner, it should be in a few hours. Afterward, you can let me know if you would stay or not." Bruce remarked.

"What are we supposed to do in a few hours?" Tim couldn't resist asking.

"Well," Dick's grin was a little unsettling. "...we can always go play in the dungeons."

That strangely felt like a challenge. And Tim's brain, a millennial brain that never understood that it would be safer to back away from a challenge, overrode his self-preservation instincts and said, "Sounds great!" followed by an inward cringe and a glare toward Jason and a deep suspicion that Jason was the millennial voice agreeing to such mischievous and potentially-dangerous summon.

"Oh no, I did not say you may play in a dungeon! That was on you. I, on the contrary, prefer to roam about in the library!" Jason protested.

"You're not much help as a familiar, are you..." Tim groused.

"I can only do so much for a kid who has no self-preservation instincts, Timmy." Jason replied smugly.

"I do, too, have self-preservation instincts!" Tim protested. Lied.

"Suuure... anyway, if he does a bad touch, feel free to holler." Jason quipped. Dick chortled heartily.

"Oh, man! I think Babs would love you," he told Jason as he got up from the table. "Come on, guys! Let's meet the brain behind all of these magicks!"