#he praises bruce any chance he gets it's a gem

[jollyhaunt]

jeffrey "you haven't asked about bruce abbott but i'm going to tell you regardless" combs

[srose-foxfire]

Can you do write something of Dami and Rae being separated and then meeting again after x amount of years? Make it fluffy please. thnx!!

A/N: I hope this is fluffy? Enjoy! (P.S I’m sorry this is long)

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

“I want you to keep this safe for me. This will be my promise to you that I will return.”

“I will guard it with my life Raven.”

“Thank you, Damian.”She said softly with a smile and slowly turned her back to him and walked toward the blinding light before her. Damian’s heart quicken making it hard to breathe. She was leaving him again; he had been down this road one-too many times and he couldn’t let her leave him.

Damian reached out to grab her, but it seemed he couldn’t get to her. He looked down and saw both his feet were glued to the ground. He then tried calling out her name, but no words came. He strained to make just a single sound, he reached out again to just touchher. To make her look back to him and see how much he neededher in his life. Damian called out again, this time tears started streaming down his face. He continued calling out her name to no avail, she couldn’t hear him as she disappeared into the white blinding light.

-- -- -- --

Damian jerked awake as he gasped for breath, he clutched his aching chest as his heart continue to compress deep within him. His face was soaked by both sweat and tears. Once Damian could collect himself, he settle back into bed and pulled the blanket to cover his naked chest. He rubbed his forehead clean from all the sweat and just stared at the ceiling. His bedroom was illuminated from a small streak of moonlight coming from through the thick dark grey curtains. The light hit a small object on his nightstand making it shine which caused Damian to turn his attention to it.

It was a small black open ring, with a black crescent moon ending on one side and a small black star on the other end. Damian reached and grabbed it, making the small black gems on the crescent and star glimmer under the moonlight. This ring is his sole reminder that Raven will one day return to him. She gave him the ring, the last reminder she had from her mother before she was destroyed as the rest of Azarath by Trigon.

Raven had been gone for nearly seven years now, and not once has Damian been able to get a hold of her. After she had imprisoned her demon father into the sacred crystal on her forehead. Raven started using more of her magic to keep him locked and to suppress his ill-demeanors about her. Raven was fighting him constantly for three years before it started taking a toll on her health. In order to help her, Raven had to leave the Titans and go with Zatanna and John Constantine who were going to help her find a very powerful sacred ground to relocate Trigon’s prison. The two magicians believed they could help continue training Raven in understanding her magic and channeling it from a longer distance so she could have a normal life just like the one she was living around the time Damian had joined the Titans. As much as he wished it, he couldn’t understand why none of her teammates had been allowed to contact her or even help her locate this sacred place.

Damian checked the digital clock on his nightstand, it was 3:00am, he should really go back to sleep and rest up for the long night that waited for him. His father was throwing a masquerade gala to help raise funds for an orphanage. Being a Wayne sometimes came with disadvantages, having to praise and entertain the daughters of partners and businessmen that worked with Wayne Industries. Most girls Damian met weren’t very bright, most of them worried who was wearing the best design dress or who had the best hair and nails done for the night. Damian always pulled through most events but there had been some occasions that some girls would cling onto him like a leech hoping they would end up in his bed. Being Robin, helped him escape those certain leeches.

Putting all these thoughts to the side, Damian couldn’t bring himself to fall asleep fearing he would dream where Raven goes through the light and never returns to him. After Raven’s first year of being gone from the Titans, Damian realized just how much he wanted her to be in his life. It was then he finally understood he actually loved her and would ask Raven to allow him to court her when she finally returned.  

-- -- -- --

Could someone just please shoot him down or better yet some emergency rise for Robin to be needed and take Damian Wayne away for this gala. Since everyone was wearing a mask, no one could identify him. He had stood at a distance when his father announced the start of the gala and giving a very moving speech to get everyone to donate. None one and no leechhad seemed to figure out where Bruce Wayne’s youngest son was in the gala. Though he didn’t have to entertain anyone he was terribly alone and bored to his mind.

His so-called brothers ditched him at the last minute, none of them picked up his calls or answer his texts. Tim and Jason were no surprise, they hardly came to any galas or events hosted by Wayne Industries. Dick Grayson however always strides to be the best oldest supportive brother, and when he was supposed to be a goodbrother, he’s a no-show. Next time Damian sees either one of them, they are dead meat.

Looking down again at his phone it was a little pass 9pm, in a few minutes an announcer will announce a small dance will begin. Good thing this time his toes will be sparred. Not wanting to pay attention, Damian accidently caught small talk from two young men talking about which of the two were going to score to take to bed a young lady dressed in white. Damian looked up and examined the two guests, they were both well-dressed though it seems they fed off of their family’s money. Damian narrowed his eyes at them and being very discreet he followed their line of sight to see who they were preying at.

His eyes widen when he saw her. She was dressed in a sleeveless pearl white mermaid dress, following the ‘v’ shape her bosom, it was decorated with white feathers. From her waistline to the bottom of her dress; there were silver embroidery scattered, making her sparkle like starlight. Her skin was pale, but it glowed beautifully under the lighted golden chandeliers. Her hair black as a raven’s feathers was long and curled to her waist. To complement her attire and her beauty she was wearing a white mask, with white feathers fanning out from one corner of her mask.

She was a goddess, among mortals. Damian couldn’t understand why he was so entranced by her, she wasn’t her. And yet he was making his way towards this mysterious woman as someone announced the start of the dance.

“Excuse me, may I have this dance?” Damian asked with the upmost of sincerity he ever gave to an unknown stranger.  

“You may.”

Damian had to keep himself from frowning. Even though he was wearing a simple black domino mask someone could notice with how unpleased he was that the mysterious woman had her eyes hidden. He hadn’t noticed before, but the eye area was covered by a thin white lace mesh, making it impossible to see her looking back at him or to even distinguish her eye color.

Damian place his hand on her small back and guided her to the middle of the dancefloor with more people pairing themselves as a pianist started playing some keys on a grand piano to get the waltz started. Soon an accordion and flute joined in.

Being a gentleman, Damian carefully guided her left hand onto his shoulder. His left hand stayed carefully on her back, as his right took her hand in his and started turning them both. Swaying to the music, the two stared into each other, or that was what Damian dreamt was going on as they both got lost to the music. He continues leading her into the waltz, but part of him believed his soul had been lifted from his body and there was no other person in the room. It was just them, dancing.

Not being able to contain his own curiosity Damian cleared his throat, “I must ask, do I know you by any chance? You seem awfully familiar.” His partner looked away for a moment but continue to sway with him to the music. She looked back at him and gave him a faint smile before nodding her head lightly to the sides. “Perhaps I might have seen you at a different gala?” Damian continued.

“Very unlikely, this is actually my first time coming to an event like this.” She answered softly to him.

“Then can I ask for your name?”

“I believe the idea of a masquerade is that you don’t ask for one’s identity. It keeps everyone in a “blissful mystery”, or so I’m told.” She chuckled lightly like she had some inside joke

“You are actually correct, my apologies.” Damian told her as he continued to lead her in circles in the ballroom. They dance for almost half an hour, not speaking to each other but being content in one another’s presence. As the dance continue, Damian had whispered into her ear if she like to go out to the balcony and be away from the crowd, she nodded with a faint smile.

As they exited the dancefloor a cool soft summer breeze blew around them, making the mysterious woman’s long hair sway in rhythm. She reaches out and grabs onto the rail looking down to the busy streets of Gotham, while Damian discreetly admired her from behind. He didn’t know what had gotten to him, he thought he would never find interest in any other woman besides Raven. Part of him feared that he may be forgetting about her or the feelings he believed he had been because of his teenage hormones when Raven had left.  Damian took his hand out from his pants pocket and looked at the ring he promised to care for.

“It’s beautiful.”

Damian looked up to find his mysterious woman looking up to the night sky, smiling as she seems to count the countless stars scattered across.

“It is.” Damian answered as he put the ring back into his pocket. “If I may be so bold to ask, why did you come to this event? Are you here for business or-”

The woman in front of him chuckled lightly, before turning to face him. Leaning against the rail, she answered him. “You ask allot of questions… Mr. Wayne.”

“How did-”

“It’s not hard to distinguish you in a masked crowd, given to the fact I’ve seen you wear a similar mask countless nights before.” She turned her head to the side; her left hand reaches the edges of her mask as she slowly pulled it off her head. She kept her eyes looking down, but already Damian’s heart was beating rapidly inside his chest. He continues to look awestruck as she slowly brought her eyes up, looking right into his very soul. Her eyes were amethyst. “Hello Damian.”

A fly could just fly straight into his gaping mouth as Damian continue to stare. He tried counting the countless time he wished for her return. Hoping and praying to whatever god there was to allow him and see her again. The one girl in this world to ever hold his heart in her hand. Finally, his mind was able to wrap around the news and he couldn’t contain himself anymore. “Raven!”

Damian practically sprinted the last two steps to engulf Raven into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her body tightly, making sure this was all real. She gave out a surprised squeaked as her own hands hugged him back. “It’s really is you? Raven Roth you are really here? I am not dreaming?”

“Yes. It’s me. Damian there’s so much I need to tell you and I don’t know where to start-” Damian didn’t let her finish for his lips captured hers. He knew this wasn’t the way to reunite with his friend but the part of him that yearned for her for many years took over his control. He was madly in love with her. Raven was an empath after all, surely, she would be able to read all his thoughts as he continues expressing his feelings for her through this kiss. Never in his life Damian had felt like this; helpless and vulnerable. Yet at the same time that didn’t feel as a bad thing for Raven completed him in a way that made him stronger.

Damian could hear Raven gasping for breath in between kiss. He slowly pulled away and allowed to fill her lungs with air. He felt guilt start to consume him as he realized she may not feel the same towards him. Still having his arms around her said with a low voice, “I couldn’t wait. I am sorry, but I needed you to know how I feel about you. Raven, I love you.”

“Damian.” Raven answered softly as her hands slid up his chest and she looked up into his eyes, “One of the reasons I had to leave was because my father had figured out one of my weaknesses. He found out that I fallen in love with someone I would give my life to protect. It’s you Damian Wayne. I love you too.”

Her warm small hands came up to cradle his face and she slowly pulled him closer to lightly kiss him. They pulled away slowly, Damian could only smile warmly down at her and he reached into his pockets for her ring. “I believe I can finally return this to you.” He looked up to find Raven, had her brow raised at him. Giving him a questioning look. “What?”

“I can’t believe you have it with you, I would assume it would stay in some drawer or a box in your home.” Raven snorted.

“I did promise I guard it with my life, I can’t guard the ring if it’s not near me at all times.” Damian said proudly as he slipped the black ring onto Raven’s finger. “Perfect fit.” He whispered, something about placing the ring onto her finger made it seem like he was branding her. Raven looked up at him, she still had those beautiful amethyst eyes that held galaxies in them, she may look a little different now with fair skin and black hair as night; but she was still his Raven. His Raven.

Damian wanted to show her how much he aged into a man; show her he wasn’t the young teenager she had said goodbye seven years ago. Damian reached up slowly to remove his black domino mask. Just when he was about to grab onto the edge and pull it off, he was stopped by Raven’s hand holding his.  

“No. Keep it on. I don’t want anyone finding out I’m with Damian Wayne.” Raven let go of his hand, she trailed the tip of her finger down his chest, before poking where his heart was. “I want to be a little selfish tonight and keep you all to myself.” She reached up and give him a gentle peck on his cheek.

“I am all yours, my love.”

-- -- -- --

A/N: Wowzers can’t believe how long this took me to write. You wouldn’t believe how much I rewrote and rewrote this prompt countless times till I was able to pick one idea that best fitted with what I wanted to portray. I have another requested prompt asking about their first date, so that will be the next one you will read by me. After finishing the requests I will get back to finishing “First Impressions” and updating “Under an Autumn Moonlight”. After that I am gonna try my hand and share with you the first chapters for one of my Damirae longer fics I have planned. Hope you are excited as I am to share this story with you all.

Thank you so much for readying, till next time!

~ S.Rose

#damirae 

[zayray030]

3 Times Damian Hated Their Height Difference And 1 Time He Loved It

Summary: Damian hates the height difference between him and Raven but sometimes it might not be so bad.

The height difference between him and Raven never did bother him. Sure sometimes he would be slightly annoyed that she was tall but that's how he felt about literally everyone around him so it didn't count. That's at least until Drake discovered their relationship and had teased him constantly. How Drake had discovered it Damian has yet to find out but he has a suspicion that Logan had told him but he couldn't accuse without solid facts so for now he was stuck not being able to attack anyone.

Anyways, back to Drake. He had made constant height jokes and this time one had struck a nerve.

“So tell me demon, you choose a tall one cause of mommy issues or-” Damian wouldn't have known why Drake would have thought he would date Raven because he had jumped on him before he had a chance.

“Damian! NO!” yelped Dick as he leaped from the couch in the living room and rushed to pry Damian off Tim.

After that incident Drake had stopped making consistent height jokes. Of course he never completely stopped. Sometimes when he was feeling extra spiteful he would make one but he never crossed the line by bringing in Damian's mother.

That was as best as things were going to get.

Damian had decided he wanted to take Raven out to the mall so she could spend the Wayne fortune as she desired for a date. Of course she had protested immediately but he wasn't the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Ghul without a reason. It had taken a little pleading but she had finally allowed it and they were currently in a small cafe, taking a small break.

They were enjoying some cupcakes that Raven had forced him to try when their day went south. A tall, blond guy with bright blue eyes had approached their table, a group of guys behind him, and the look on his face immediately made Damian on edge and when he shot a lazy smirk at Raven Damian had to hold himself from stabbing the imbecile with a fork.

“Hey, baby.” his voice was deep and suited his muscular body. Damian couldn't quite help the jealousy rising.

“Bye, asshole.” she replied immediately after only giving a fraction of a seconds worth of attention before immediately turning back to Damian. Damian felt a flare of happiness go off in his chest but it disappeared when the imbecile still hadn't left.

“Oh come on, baby.” he pouted before he immediately smirked again, leaning over her. Raven leaned back and his face scrunched slightly in anger. “I can show you a good time. Better than whatever thi dweeb is showing you.” he said cruelly, turning to look Damian up and down letting out a slight scoff indignation rose in Damian and before he could attack him he felt a calming presence take and a voice spoke in his mind.

‘Don't worry. I can handle it.’

“I said no. Come on Damian. Let's go. Call your limo driver. We're leaving!” she declared dramatically and he saw the other boy pale. Apparently he had finally realised who Damian was.

Damian didn't say anything. He just picked up the cupcake, called over a waiter, paid for their meal and stood up with Raven. He held out his arm and she took it before practically dragging him away. He could distinctly hear laughter behind them and he ducked his head in shame.

He's supposed to be able to do this. He's supposed to protect Raven. He's supposed to-

“You're not supposed to do anything honey. I love you no matter what.” said his pale lover before leaning down to peck his cheek. Damian didn't say anything. Just leaned into the girl's embrace.

If you accused Damian of using sparring sessions against Garfield he wouldn't deny it. He didn't think he could come up with a convincing enough lie anyway.

This time he was being extra brutal towards Gar and Gar couldn't deny that this time he did deserve it. That didn't mean he wasn't going to complain about it.

“Ow, common dude! I just asked if she- agh!” yelped Gar, barely just ducking away from a knife that was close to taking off his head.

“How dare you!” Damian hissed, anger and embarrassment clear on his face.

“Come on, bro! It was a normal question people ask-” Gar yelped again and jumped away from Damian's sword. He was slowly starting to regret that he had no filter when speaking to the shortest Wayne but he doubted the lesson would stick.

“Don't you dare ask me that again!” hissed Damian, grabbing the front of Gar’s shirt, eyes full of anger and hatred.

“Got it!” squeaked Gar.

Damian quickly got off of Gar before giving him a judging look. “Your form was terrible and if I had been a villian I would have easily been able to kill you. Work better Logan.” he said, scoffing at the end before walking out.

Well that was the last time he was ever going to ask Damian of Raven had ever pegged him.

He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that this was happening. If Logan ever found about this he would never hear the end of this.

Those were the thoughts Damian should have been thinking but instead he wondered if the dildo in Ravens hand was going to fit in him.

See, when Raven had noticed her boyfriend on edge she had gone to investigate knowing that he wouldn't tell her himself. In the end after weeks of researching why her boyfriend was on edge she had found out it was because Gar had made a comment about their sexual activities.

Normally, if she had found out he did that she would have stabbed him a million times. But it made her think. And eventually her thinking had led her to buying a strap on.

“Don't worry. It'll fit.” she said, sensing where his thoughts were coming. “If you don't want to do this I-”

“I want this.” he cut her off. He still looked slightly worried but he wasn't lying when he said that he wanted this.

“Good boy. Now, lie down.” she said to Damian. She smirked when she saw him shiver slightly before lying down. She waved her hand and both his and her clothes had vanished, leaving them both as naked as the day they were born.

“Stay still. If you move you won't like the consequences baby boy.” she said huskily.

“Yes, mommy.” he whimpered. Unlike how normally he would hate handing over complete power or control to anyone he was left completely free for Raven.

Raven smirked again before sauntering over to the bedside table and grabbing out a bottle of lube from the drawer. She walked back over to the bed and kneeled over Damian, pale skin contrasting heavily to his darker skin.

“Good boy Damian. Now, continue like this. I don't want you getting hurt honey.” she said.

“He's mommy.”

“Good boy.” she repeated and she saw Damian blushing at the praise. She spread his legs until his small, fluttering pink hole was left in front of her. She couldn't help but admire the twitching gem and brought a hand down to rub at the small opening.

Damian gasped and she could feel the huge effort he was going through as not to buck his hips to meet her fingers. She smiled. He was such a good boy.

She took her hand away and Damian let out a pitiful whine. “Baby. Don't be impatient.” she said sharply.

“Yes mommy.” he said, properly chastised. Raven quickly poured some lube on her hand and she quickly placed her fingers back around Damian's hole.

She took her time fingering him. She would occasionally crook her fingers so she could reach his prostate. Damian continued being a good boy and didn't move as she prepped him.

“You're such a good boy Damian for mommy. Waiting so patiently. Time to give you your reward.” she said.

“Thank you, thank you mommy!” Damian let out a blabbering of thank you’s. He was drooling and cross-eyed from Raven playing around with him while prepping him.

Raven strapped the strap on to her, thankful that she bought one of those dildos that have a vibrater for the person using the strap. Raven lubed up the dildo thoroughly before positioning it in front of Damian's entrance. She looked over at Damian and the only thing she could feel was eagerness. She slowly punched in and Damian let out another loud gasp. If she hadn't been an empath she would have been slightly worried but she could feel how happy Damian was about this.

When Raven finally bottomed out she held still slightly, waiting for Damian to adjust. When she felt him become impatient she started thrusting, failing at hiding a smirk everytime Damian gasped.

Damian was rather disappointed in himself when he came not long after without a hand on his cock but the feeling of shame settled down when Raven came soon after him, rocking into his still sensitive body. He let out a small mewl when she pulled out.

He curled into himself and tried to stop himself from shaking. Raven always made it her mission to make him cum before her and to bring him the highest pleasure.

“You were so good for me, Damian.” she cooed, and Damian felt himself become cleaner and when he finally cracked his eyes open he could no longer  see his semen on his stomach. Raven gathered him in her arms and Damian felt himself relax and he soon went lax against her.

“Thank you, beloved.” he said, finally breaking the silence that had settled into the room.

“Any time baby. Also Damian.” she added, lightly gripping his chin to face her. “No matter what anyone ever says I love you how you are and I never  want you to change because of some outdated rubbish people still believe in, okay.” and it wasn't a question, it was a statement.

“I-” Damian couldn't continue his sentence and just put his face back on her chest.

“It's okay, baby. And anyway, I think you look pretty.” she added.

“Tt. I love you two” he said. “And I like you being taller than I am. Sometimes. When no one makes a comment about it.”

“I love being taller than you as well. Now get some sleep. You're going to need it.”

“How come?”

“I talked to your dad about you feeling insecure about your height.” Damian started trying to twist out of his lover's hold but she was stronger than what she looked. “Don't worry, he doesn't know anything embarrassing. Anyway, he contacted Big Berda and her husband Scott Free. She's going to have a small chat with Gar and Tim tomorrow.”

And in the quiet night, the laugh of two birds could be heard.

[pass-the-bechdel]

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

No.

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

Four (23.52% of cast).

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Thirteen.

Positive Content Rating:

Three.

General Film Quality:

Loads of fun, though tonally dissonant; works best on first viewing. Easily the superior film of the Thor franchise, though that’s not a huge achievement considering its predecessors.

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) UNDER THE CUT:

Passing the Bechdel:

Sigh.

Female characters:

Hela.

Scrapper 142 (I know, she is credited as Valkyrie, but since the name is never used to address her in the film it doesn’t count by the rules of this blog; if she didn’t happen to be referred to by her scrapper number a few times, she wouldn’t count as a named character at all).

Topaz.

Natasha Romanoff.

Male characters:

Thor.

Surtur.

Skurge.

Loki.

Stephen Strange.

Odin.

Volstagg.

Hogun.

The Grandmaster.

Carlo.

Korg.

Bruce Banner.

Heimdall.

OTHER NOTES:

The use of Immigrant Song is my favourite thing about this movie, to be honest. I don’t mean that as an insult, it’s just such a good choice.

The inclusion of Doctor Strange in this film feels like a pointless misstep, a distraction at what is really a vital early point in establishing tone, especially considering this useless scene is what leads us in to...

...the literal death of Odin and introduction of Big Bad Hela, all of which should be emotional and intense and is instead flat and dissonant in the extreme. Watching this for the first time, I was very concerned that the whole film was just gonna end up gimmicky and soulless. While it does pick up, I was also not wrong about that early assessment.

Not that I was attached to Thor’s friends from the previous films, but they sure do just kill them off without fanfare, except for Sif who just doesn’t appear at all (logically, we should assume she dies off-screen, otherwise there’s no reason for her not to be up-front with Thor at the end of the movie). Fandral doesn’t even get a line in before he croaks, that’s how irrelevant these franchise-veteran characters are. Emotional engagement in plot and character is for chumps, anyway.

*whispers* Jeff Goldblum is here.

“Piss off, ghost!”

Hulk reveal is pretty solid, if you manage not to have been spoiled (a tall order, since it was in the promos).

Heimdall is still the MVP of the Thor franchise.

Can’t believe it took this long for any movie to squeeze some real fun and heart out of the Hulk character. This is way better than embarrassingly forcing a love match on him.

The valkyrie-battle memory is soooo good-looking.

This movie is too recent to be using the word ‘gypsy’...

Thor’s story about Loki pretending to be a snake when they were kids is the good shit.

But, Immigrant Song is still the most inspired choice of the film. Not sorry.

So, this is one of those movies which I felt was pretty over-hyped, to be honest. It is great fun, don’t get me wrong, it’s fresh and hilarious and subversive and way the Hell better than the previous Thor films, plus it has a great cast and strong visuals and they used Immigrant Song really effectively...but the tone of the film is an absolute fucking mess, the plotting is a shambles, and there’s nowhere near as much heart and weight underpinning it all as what there should be for a movie involving the near-total destruction of an entire civilisation. The majority of the movie is handed over to a shenanigan-heavy side-plot of no consequence to the central conflict, while the central conflict - LITERAL RAGNAROK - is relegated to a handful of scenes sprinkled across the film, obliterating any chance of it seeming meaningful or even particularly serious. The strongest point of the story is the final act, once Thor and company finally get to Asgard to confront Hela, but the narrative doesn’t earn that strong finish; it just goes to show how much more engaging the rest of the film could have been if they had stayed on track.

This is a big part of why this movie - while a delightful surprise on first viewing - doesn’t age particularly well on repeat; this was my fourth time through, and by the third quarter, as Sakaar draaaagged through its roster of jokes and pratfalls, my attention span was waning fast. Even if the entire garbage-planet sidebar was not distracting from what should have been a very serious main plot, I’m not sure it would remain engaging long-term, since it is rather spare and low on emotional/character investment; it’s not a pitfall of comedy that has to exist (heavily-emotional and/or dark comedies are definitely a real thing), but unfortunately, this is not a movie that is very interested in what has come before it, and it expresses that disinterest by neglecting any element of the established Thor mythology which might have brought this plot a sense of meaning. As such, rather than feeling like ‘the Thor movie that finally got it right’, it’s more like a reboot, with old characters unceremoniously ditched and any sense of purpose or import in old story threads or histories gone right alongside Asgard itself.

I’ve seen people praise this film for its ‘anti-Imperialism, anti-colonialism’ message, but I feel it’s a point weakly made onscreen; any depth to that argument would require a more sincere effort from the script in addressing those scant Asgard scenes, and as such, I feel that this element - though it isn’t completely wishful thinking - is much more in the eye of the beholder than it is a function of the narrative itself. The attempt to engage with any thoughtful discussion on Asgard’s legacy is a swift casualty of the film’s overall superficiality, just the same as the devastation of Asgard and the decimation of its population is blithely underplayed because, hey, Thor vs Hulk is worth way more attention than genocide, right? It’s that tonal dissonance in the two pieces of the plot which keeps me from really relaxing and enjoying the lightness, because that lightness is both excessive and out-of-place; I feel uncomfortable being asked to just shrug and go with it, I want to be emotionally involved and moved by the plight of the Asgardians, and instead I’m stuck watching Thor get a haircut and an eyeful of Hulk dick. Under almost any other circumstances, I would be all about a hard-comedy version of Thor, especially after the generic drudgery of the earlier installments in the franchise, but at the same time as Ragnarok? Not so much.

That said? This film is definitely not without quality. Comedic quality, for sure (anything with Taika Waititi’s name attached is worth a look), and there really are some great casting flourishes (though I maintain disappointment that the Asgard plot is so undersold, because it means Karl Urban and especially Cate Blanchett are under-utilised); for the interests of this blog, it’s that Scrapper 142 aka Valkyrie who forms the highlight (and she’s a worthy highlight without the context of this blog, too). Valkyrie’s drunk, angry sauntering and her snappy disregard for Thor’s righteous pontificating positions her within an archetype normally restricted to male characters only, too loose and unseemly for a female character, who might be found dislikeable and (horror of horrors) too sloppy to be sexy, whereas a man in the same archetype is funny, a ‘lovable asshole’, and the perception of his appearance is not tied up in his behaviour the same way nor is he under the same pressure to prioritise his appeal for the audience in the first place. Angry male drunkards who begrudgingly tag along with the protagonist in the end because they’re surly but not bad, those are a dime a dozen, but a woman in the same position? A rare gem indeed. And Valkyrie is more than just a fresh twist on an old cliche; her personality is grounded, it has a relatable simplicity (disillusionment with a side-order of survivor’s guilt), and there’s a confidence about the way she and the unspoken parts of her life are presented, without need to force a connection with Thor and his personal plight in order to justify Valkyrie’s actions or relevance to the plot. She’s an entirely self-contained character who could just as easily have the story to herself with no further mention of Thor et al., and that’s the hallmark of any well-constructed character: the ability to stand alone.

As a whole, this movie is far from bad - when I call it overrated, I am very much talking about the fact that it’s mostly a string of shenanigans with minimal narrative underpinning, and while that’s not a terrible thing in itself, I do think the hype around this movie implied that it had something more to offer than just laughs and a retro look. For me personally, the lack of emotional engagement and character stakes is close to a fatal flaw, and so while I enjoy this movie on a superficial level, it gives me nothing I need in order to really dig it (for others, obviously, this is not a problem). It always rubs me the wrong way to see something completely disavow previous chapters in the same story - there’s a big difference between developing an idea in a new direction, and simply ditching whatever you didn’t like about what came before - and I would have preferred to see this film make its changes with at least a modicum of respect for the foundations it is building upon (basic as the previous Thor films were, they weren’t catastrophic embarrassments). And yes, ultimately, the burying of the Ragnarok plot under a pile of Planet Garbage (feat. Jeff Goldblum) is just a little unforgivable in my mind, and it’s the first thing I think of whenever this film pops up; I really, really wish that Ragnarok were not part of this plot at all, that the Sakaar part of the story (i.e. the part that The Powers That Be were actually invested in, clearly) formed the bulk of the second film in the Thor franchise instead, since that movie basically sucked and took itself too seriously, and then the Thor film which took itself seriously could have been actually about Ragnarok. Basically, I wish that Marvel had gotten their shit together sooner rather than later with this part of the franchise, because while this worked out fine for them monetarily, narratively it’s just not a step I can get behind.

[whothefuckiscassandracain]

Batman: No Man’s Land - a novel by Greg Rucka

Last but not least, before we head off into Cass’ first Batgirl run, let’s take a look at Batman: No Man’s Land. This one was fun to read, since I practically missed the first half of the event by reading only Cass’s comics issues. Warning: long post is very long. Lots of quotes instead of pictures, this time. More below the cut.

Our first mention of Cass in the novel comes from Oracle, in one of her apocalyptic journal logs, in which she describes Cass as follows:

Can’t be older than 16, if a day. Pretty young woman, Eurasian, very smart. And functionally mute, in that she seems incapable of using language. […] I don’t know if it’s a psychological or physiological trauma, but I’m beginning to suspect she was never taught how to speak or read or write. […] She’s been unable to give me her name—though whether that’s because she doesn’t have one, doesn’t know it, or doesn’t like it, I’ve no clue. I’ve taken to calling her Cassandra. Communications difficulties with her notwithstanding, Cassandra has become, in the last couple months, one of my most reliable people. She’s fast and strong and very sneaky, and to top it all off, she’s fairly imaginative, so that her reports end up being a somewhat entertaining game of charades, aided by scraps of paper and pencils. She’s a horrible artist, but I understand her concepts more often than not, so we’re getting by. (NML, page 26)

Clearly, Cass is very dear to Oracle. Once again, her aphasia is the main focus of her characterization, which makes sense, since, at this point, Cass, together with a few other kids (Alex, Charlie and Vanessa) is essentially Oracle’s eyes and ears in No Man’s Land. Aphasia: 20

Cassandra’s first proper appearance occurs between the pages 47 and 52, when she follows a terrified scream on the street, only to realize that she has been lured into a trap by a cannibalistic street gang. Although she manages to hold her own pretty well, Huntress (in Batgirl garb) arrives to help her. Once the fight is over, Cass tries to say “thank you”, but all that comes out is a croak and she explains to Huntress that she is mute, although:

It was more complicated than that, but Cassandra nodded, knowing that it would be nearly impossible to explain the how and the why. And even if she could explain those two things, she would have to explain the rest, the darkness of it all, and the evil, and she didn’t want to tell anyone that. Not ever. (NML, page 50)

Poor Cassandra is very clearly suffering from major PTSD. We also see her demonstrating another of her quirky gestures, namely how to say “thanks”:

She thought for a moment, then presented both hands, palms up. She looked at Huntress, smiling, then brought her hands together, lacing the fingers. (NML, page 51)

Huntress others Cass to stay at her place and have some food, but Cass declines, in spite of being hungry and cold, because Oracle warned her that Huntress was a criminal and Cass should stay away from her, and because she wants to finish her job (finding intel on Black Mask) first. By the time Cass manages to at least mutter “Guh byh-eeee”, Huntress is already gone. Aphasia: 21 Unusual Mannerisms: 6

A short while later, Gordon and his team start a gang war between two rivaling street gangs in order to allow them to reclaim more territory, including Oracle’s clock tower. Cass reports this fact to Oracle, who is deeply disturbed. The mission succeeds, although new complications arise, including Helena Bertinelli showing up as the new Batgirl, Black Mask leading a cult-like gang on a conquering spree, an attempt on Alfred’s life, which is foiled by Batman (Bruce’s first appearance in NML), and Gordon striking a secret deal with Two-Face, while Bruce strikes a deal with Penguin. Neither really gets what they want, as both villains turn on them and Two-Face ends up taking over Batman’s territory, which results in the loss of six innocent lives.

Not too long after, Cass delivers new information to Barbara, this time bringing along a note form Alfred, who has taken up shelter at Dr. Thompkins clinic, helping her treat the wounded. At this point, master assassin David Cain sneaks into No Man’s Land, a minor detail that will become more important soon.

Meanwhile, Dr. Thompkins successfully talks Cassandra into spending a night at the clinic, rather than constantly being on the move, or better yet: Cassandra fails to talk her out of it. It is here that we learn just how deep Cassandra’s appreciation and respect for Leslie Thompkins is, mostly because the doctor looks like she could be blown away by the breeze and would never hurt a fly, yet has incredible strength in her. This leads us to a scene similar to what we saw in Batman Chronicles Vol. 1 #18, with Cassandra performing her warrior bow for Thompkins, which leads to this heartwarming exchange:

Cassandra shook her head, then presented both hands. With her right she made a fist, seating the face of it against the palm of her left hand, extending both in front of her at waist height. Then she bowed, looking the doctor in the eye. Dr. Thompkins’s wrinkled face wrinkled some more, and then she surprised Cassandra by returning the bow, saying, “You are quite a warrior, aren’t you, dear? Thank you for the compliment.” Cassandra went to sleep happy. (NML, page 184)

Aphasia: 22 Unusual Mannerisms: 7

The next morning, Cass meets Huntress gain, who is checking in on the clinic every now and then, and uses a number of gestures to communicate to her that Cass is a courier for Gordon’s daughter. Sadly, Huntress misinterprets this as Cass working for Gordon and starts badmouthing Gordon, which has Cassandra feeling horrible for telling a lie and uncomfortable because she does not like where the conversation as going. She ends the talk by giving Huntress the same warrior bow she gave Leslie. Helena returns the gesture. Aphasia: 23 Unusual Mannerisms: 8

We have now finally caught up with Cassandra’s first comic book appearance, story-wise, as Cass returns to Oracle for a reading lesson. They start with the letters of the alphabet, for which Barb praises her. Cass tries to thank her and it is here that we see just how hard speaking really is for her:

Cassandra pushed the tip of her tongue against the back of teeth. “T-aaans…” “Thanks.” “Ta-ah nks…” (NML, page 187)

As in the comics, Oracle has just about taught her how to say “Stop”, when Jim arrives and chides her for leaving the door unlocked, before giving her a hug. Cass’s reaction here is the first indicator in the novel of just how screwed up her own family life was:

Cassandra got up, moving out of the way as Gordon passed her to hug his daughter. She could see Oracle’s smile, how they both closed their eyes briefly. Her own father had only offered her a hug once, and that had been so many years ago, just before she had left. She felt both awkward and embarrassed watching them, as if she were intruding on something she had no right to see, and so she left, slipping silently out of the apartment and back into the hallway. She could hear their voices, the soft tones, and she reached the stairs knowing that jealousy was dogging her steps. She wrestled with it all the way to the lobby, trying to see the emotion for exactly what it was. She didn’t want to feel sorry for herself. (NML, page 187)

Just as in the comics, Cassandra catches sight of her father as she exits the building and it scares her out of her socks. However, all of that goes straight out of the window as she realizes that Cain is here to kill Gordon and Cass jumps in to rescue him. Not only is she fast as the Flash about it, she also proves that she can be fiercely stubborn when it comes to protecting people:

She scared them with her approach, two of the men stepping back and freeing their weapons from their holsters, and Gordon’s surprise was alight all over his face. She didn’t care, didn’t think about it, just grabbed him around the waist, passing the Blue Boys on either side of the Commissioner, and then driving him back into the lobby, shoving him down and covering him with her body. […] Cassandra pushed herself up, still holding the Commissioner, dragging him forcefully back into the lobby, […] Gordon started to get up and Cassandra caught him by the arms, shoving him back, toward the stairway. […] Cassandra moved directly in front of Gordon, then wrapped her arms around his middle, using her right leg as a brace, trying to keep him from continuing. He tried for a second longer, but Cassandra held her ground, and Gordon finally got the message. (NML, page 188-189)

Fast As Lighting: 10 Fiercely Assertive Protector: 7

The following interrogation, in which both Jim and Cassandra become increasingly frustrated with the obstacle that is her aphasia and in which Barbara recognizes the mark of Cain that Cassandra draws for them, culminates in this heartbreaking little gem, right after they finally work out that Cain is Cassandra’s father:

Cassandra nodded and couldn’t look at any of them, avoiding their eyes. It didn’t matter; she could feel their stares, the heat and accusation in them. It didn’t matter that she had never wanted to be like her father. It didn’t matter that there had never been any choice. She was a killer, too, and try as she might, she had never been able to escape that. (NML, page 195)

Aphasia: 24

Cassandra then gets the jump on both Barbara and Jim by jumping out of her seat and locking both of them in before anyone has a chance to react. Cain is waiting for her on the other side, opening fire, but not aiming at her, and Cassandra once again demonstrates that she is the speedster on the team:

It all seemed to slow down for her then as the adrenaline poured in, and she moved forward, slapping the gun from Cain’s grip. She was terrifying in her speed, and she knew that, because this was her strength, this was her language. These were the words her father had taught her, and she spoke fluently, her right leg snapping a kick that caught him in the middle, collapsing him double. Before he could straighten she had finished the sentence, a short burst uppercut that sent a spray of blood from her father’s mouth and one of his front teeth into the air. (NML, page 196)

Aphasia: 25 Fast As Lightning: 12 Fiercely Assertive Protector: 8

Throughout her fight with Cain, Cassandra keeps flashing back to her first kill (according to the novel at the age of 10, even though according to the comics she was 8), which she describes as her father simply having asked her to “just talk”. This memory upsets her so much, that she finally manages her first full, correct word: stop. For a moment, Cain even seems to be shocked and compassionate, but as soon as he hears Gordon trying to break through the door, he is back in assassin mode. Just as in the comics, Cassandra decides to push him through the nearest window, demonstrating both her protectiveness and a serious lack of regard for her own life:

Then they were in the air, falling with the shards, and Cassandra, for a moment, felt almost happy. (NML, page 198)

Better Off Dead: 5

Thankfully, Batman arrives in time to rescue both Cain and Cassandra, although Cain manages to get away. Confident that the assassin will need time to recover, Bruce takes Cassandra to a nearby park where he buried the men who had died during Two-Face’s takeover. He tries to talk to her in a number of languages, including sign language, but of course she can’t answer. She makes him mimic punches instead, and as he goes through a number of Tai Chi Quan routines that Cass always seems to be one step ahead in, he finally realizes what’s going on. And Bats is not happy.

Batman stopped and looked at her, again grateful for the lenses in the cowl that shielded his eyes. He didn’t want the girl to see the sudden pity he felt for her. […] “I knew David Cain once, long ago, […] He used to say that the only way to truly be a warrior was to make your actions as fluid and easy as your speech. He used to say that combat itself was a discourse, the finest form of conversation. At the time I thought it was hyperbole.” Batman reached out, touching the girl’s cheek. “I didn’t realize he was insane enough to actually force that philosophy on another human being.” (NML, page 204)

The two of them then “talk” about how Two-Face hired Cain and how Batman is planning to deal with him, using drawings in the soil. Despite the conversational difficulties, Bruce manages to make it clear to her that he is not going to kill Cain, nor will he let Gordon die. He then leaves, telling Cass to return to Oracle and stay out of this mess. Aphasia: 26

Cass, being a good future batkid, of course, promptly does not listen to him and instead goes to Two-Face’s base on her own. Within about five minutes, she proceeds to knock out all his guards (including the ones with guns), threaten Two-Face, grab the money he was going to use to pay her father, and leave again. She soon finds Batman and her father battling on a rooftop, drops the money bag right in between them, and lights it on fire. Rather than be angry at his payment literally going up in smoke right in front of his eyes, Cain once again shows that, even though he trained Cass to be a killer and he did do horrible things to her, he does have some compassion and affection for her:

The battle mask that David Cain had worn crumbled, and Batman saw tears in the man’s eyes. He wasn’t looking at the flames. Cain extended a hand to the girl. She turned her back on him and walked back to Batman’s side. Cain stared at her for a moment longer, then seemed to slump, almost shrinking from within. The girl looked at Batman, then took his hand in hers. She still wouldn’t look at Cain. Cain nodded, then turned away. Batman heard him say, “Take good care of her.” (NML, page 215-216)

From this point onward, Cass practically spends all her nights sleeping on Oracle’s floor (NML, page 223) and later her couch (NML, page 229). Bruce also starts training her, this time with Oracle’s approval. This eventually leads to him and Oracle introducing Cass to Nightwing and Robin. Interestingly, their reactions seem to be inversed, compared to the comics, with Robin instantly getting along with her and Nightwing being more reserved:

Robin arrived first, and I introduced him to Cassandra, gave him the short explanation of who she was and why she was in my inner sanctum. They took to one another pretty well and pretty quickly, and it made me remember how young Cassandra really is. […] Nightwing was suspicious of her, and even a little bit hostile at first, but it was clear that his real anger was for his mentor. (NML, page 249-250)

Batmom: 2

Bruce eventually explains to them why he wants Cassandra to be the next Batgirl (would never take a life, surrender, or let an innocent be hurt), but it takes Barbara’s blessing for Dick and Tim to fully accept it. Barb hands her the costume. When she comes back into the control room, dressed in her Batgirl finest, we get a rare glimmer of Bruce being a Good Batdad™:

“Ready?” Batman asked her. Our new Batgirl nodded. It was hard to catch, and I think the others missed it. I didn’t. Batman, for a second, smiled. (NML, page 252)

Batdad: 3

After this point, things start progressing rather quickly. Bruce tears Helena a new one, then proceeds to take back his territory, piece by piece. One of the GCPD SWAT officers breaks off and founds his own violently protective gang, one of the loyal officers has a baby, Bane eradicates all city records in a bid by Lex Luthor to gain the rights to rebuild Gotham and make it his own (a plan which Bruce foils by having Barb and Tim produce perfectly forged certified copies of every record they can find before Bane destroys them) and Joker finally joins the madness, which brings us to Cassandra’s next appearance.

Cass has taken up the habit of including Leslie’s makeshift clinic in her rounds and checking up on her from the shadows whenever she can. She gets a quick hug from Leslie and an offer of tea from Alfred before leaving the camp and promptly walks into Joker and Harley. She takes the fact that he’s walking into the MASH sector with an ax in his hand pretty well and swoops in just in time to exchange a few blows with Harley and keep the situation from escalating, but to her surprise, Joker does not attack her, because he was looking for Batman, not Batgirl. For the first time since watching Barbara and her dad, Cass is truly confused:

Dumbfounded, Cassandra watched as Joker and the others calmly walked away. She didn’t understand. It didn’t make sense. She didn’t know what to do. (NML, page 300)

We fast-forward again once more, and this time there is actually good news: in Washington D.C., Lucius and his campaign to get Gotham’s No Man’s Land status revoked have finally born fruits and the city is scheduled to have basic infrastructure and services again by New Year’s. This announcement has everyone hugging each other and cheering:

[...] even Cassandra was managing to make a little noise, squeaks and rasps. (NML, page 368)

However, Cass’ cuteness does not stop there! As the medical aid starts pouring into Gotham, Cass visits Leslie’s clinic in civilian clothes to say goodbye to her and Alfred. She hugs Alfred “quickly, the way she did every movement once she had decided upon it” (NML, page 374), and answers his question of whether she wants anything in particular by making what is possibly the cutest Joker impression ever:

Cassandra shook her head, then put the index finger from each hand at the corners of her mouth, pulling down on one end and pushing up on the other, making a crazy face. (NML, page 374)

Thankfully, Alfred understands her much more easily than everyone else seems to, although that’s not necessarily a good thing. He tries to shoo her away, but Cass indicates that she’d be happy to hear the rest. It’s not good:

“Joker, my dear. You don’t know him very well. He’s the worst of them. When he’s quiet, like he is now, it’s normally for a very wicked reason.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “You be careful. She nodded. Alfred forced a smile back into place. “Very well, then. Off with you. I have much work to attend.” Cassandra departed, wondering what, exactly, was so dangerous about Joker. (NML, page 375)

The answer, of course, is that Joker then goes on to successfully abduct every new-born baby in No Man’s Land, kills every one of the rogue police officers, nearly kills Huntress, and sets in motion a plot that ultimately leads to Joker shooting Jim Gordon’s new wife, Sarah Essen.

Cassandra, however, is not around for any of that (at least not in the novel). Instead, her last appearance here comes during Christmas dinner, as Dick and Alfred are fighting over who gets to carve up the bird. Everything in this scene is adorable, from Alfred’s dignified threat that there will be no dinner if Dick doesn’t sit down, to Dick’s reply that he won’t eat if he can’t carve, to Bruce’s assurance to Leslie that they do this every meal, and, finally, to Cass’ epic reaction to the madness:

She nodded, then said, “Stop.” Alfred and Dick froze. Leslie covered her mouth in surprise. Cassandra grinned, reached across the table, and took the carving knife. Then she set about cutting the bird. (NML, page395)

[itsiotrecords-blog]

http://ift.tt/2rkUSsI

We think it’s fair to say that we at TopTenz have a man crush on Bruce Lee, and judging by how popular the articles and videos we’ve dedicated to him are, we think that’s a feeling you share. So we reached out to the biggest Bruce Lee fan we had on staff and asked him to write another list of facts about all of the things Bruce Lee accomplished during his short but explosive time on this mortal coil.

#1 Bruce Lee Made a Sidekick More Popular Than a Main Character While it’s likely you remember Bruce Lee for his roles in Enter the Dragon, Fist of Fury or that one movie where he does a flying kick off of a 30 story building because someone called him gay, Lee’s first major role was that of Kato in the ill-fated Green Hornet series. As we’ve discussed before , Lee secured the role of Kato in an impressive demonstration of skill that included him showing that he could kick a man in the head while wearing a three piece suit. Lee incorporated his skills as a martial artist into the role of Kato and the character quickly became the most popular aspect of the show, even though he was supposed to be the Green Hornet’s sidekick. While the show only ran for one season, Kato and his lightning fast attacks were sufficiently popular to make Lee a household name. In fact, Kato was so popular that when the show aired in Hong Kong, locals simply referred to it as “The Kato Show” because as far as they were concerned, Kato was the only reason it was worth watching.

#2 Bruce Lee Made Experts Agree That He Was Unbeatable When we say something like “Bruce Lee was probably unbeatable in a fight,” you’re going to take that with a huge pinch of salt because we’re obviously biased. However, this isn’t just an opinion touted by Lee’s fans — it’s almost universally agreed that he was the finest fighter to have ever lived. Just to be clear, we said “fighter,” not “martial artist,” as in experts from numerous fighting disciplines have agreed that Lee would have been able to hold his own against, if not beat, anyone in a fight. For example, Jackie Chan has gone on record as saying that Lee had the fastest punch he’d ever seen, while Chuck Norris responded to the question of who’d win in a fight between him and Lee with “Bruce, of course. Nobody can beat him.” Numerous boxers have also praised Lee’s skills. Sugar Ray Leonard described him as “second to none” while Joe Lewis described him as the “number one contender” for the title of greatest martial artist of all time. Experts examining Lee’s hand speed have also concluded that if he’d ever been serious about boxing, he could have been more than a match for champions of the sport like Manny Pacquiao. Amongst fans of combat sports, arguing about who’d win in a fight between two vastly different fighters is incredibly common, so the fact that this many experts on the subject have all agreed that Lee would win against anyone is an achievement on par with making an internet commenter admit they were wrong.

#3 Lee Was a Cha Cha Champion As proof that there wasn’t anything Bruce Lee couldn’t accomplish if it involved using his feet to kick other people’s asses, allow us to blow your mind by telling you that Bruce Lee was the 1958 Hong Kong Cha Cha Champion. Lee supposedly only learned to dance as a way of impressing girls who didn’t appreciate the fact he could do two fingered push-ups and jump eight feet into the air, but as he became more invested in his martial arts training he realized that a lot of what he learned dancing could be translated to kicking ass. In particular, Lee was interested in how various dance steps helped him become more agile and balanced on his tiny cat feet.

#4 His Fighting Style and Philosophy Lives On (Through the Power Rangers) Some would say that a man’s achievements can be measured by what he left behind when he departed the world to go dropkick angels in the face. If we apply that logic to Bruce Lee you can directly attribute him to one of the most awesome aspects of your childhood — the Power Rangers. Jason David Frank, the guy who played the Green and White Ranger in the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, has said that Bruce Lee is one of his biggest heroes and that he’s incorporated both his fighting style and philosophy into his own particular style of Toso Kune Do. The same can be said for Frank’s Power Rangers co-star Jonny Bosch Yong, who also studied Lee’s personal fighting style of Jeet Kune Do. Speaking of which…

#5 Bruce Lee Invented His Own (Awesome) Martial Art Jeet Kune Do, henceforth shorted to JKD, is the hybrid martial art Bruce Lee developed when he realized that classical martial arts were too rigid in their structure for modern fighting. Lee studied many different combat forms to create JKD, including boxing, Wing Chun and even fencing, and it consists of what Lee felt were the best aspects of each. The martial art itself focuses on explosive, efficient movements designed to end a fight with as little energy expended as possible. Lee focused on the concept of “non-telegraphed” attacks, punches and kicks that explode from the user’s body with no visible wind-up to catch an opponent off-guard. In other words, Bruce Lee invented a fighting style that revolves entirely around the idea of spontaneously sprouting fists from your body to punch people in the neck, then had a Power Ranger learn to use it. If that isn’t an achievement, we don’t know what is.

#6 A Black Belt Couldn’t Stop His Punch (When He Knew It Was Coming) Lee was keen to show off some of the more fantastic things he could do. For example, during a tournament in 1967, Bruce Lee approached a black belt named Vic Moore and asked him if he’d like to take part in a test of skill. Moore agreed and Lee casually explained that he was going to stand several feet back and attempt to punch Moore in the dome. All Moore had to do to win was stop or intercept the punch. Moore was allowed to tell Bruce when he was ready, giving him the absolute best chance possible the block the punch. Moore agreed to the terms and both he and Lee stood apart from one another for a few moments while Moore composed himself. After psyching himself up Moore nodded to Bruce that he was ready, but before he could move Lee had closed the distance and thrown a punch that stopped an inch from his nose. Lee did this eight times before Moore was forced to concede that Lee was simply too fast to block, although Lee never heard  him because by the time Moore finished talking he was half-way across the room (probably).

#7 He Was Also a Kick-ass Poet and Philosopher Although poetry and martial arts may seem like they’re diametrically opposed, the two share a surprisingly strong bond. Lee was always keen to strengthen his mind as well as his body, presumably so that he could beat someone with psychic powers if a fight came to that. Lee was famously a very well-read individual, and he had a vast library on the subject of philosophy and poetry. But Lee didn’t just read — he did what he did in every other aspect of his life and jumped right in. His most famous philosophical gem is probably his “be like water” quote, but that’s far from the only thing Lee wrote. People studying his private notes, letters and writings have discovered that Lee was a remarkably astute individual. Then there was his poetry. While Lee never published any of his work, his notes revealed him to be a consummate poet who even translated some of his favorite pieces by other poets so he could share them with his loved ones. Aw.

#8 He Never Stopped Moving or Exercising Whether he was at home or at work, there was never a moment in Bruce Lee’s life that he wasn’t actively improving his body. Eyewitness testimonies liken the actor’s body to “warm marble,” a quote that was reportedly uttered by the wife of one of Lee’s directors after she sheepishly asked to feel his biceps. Others talk about him casually doing one armed pull-ups in-between takes. Lee’s widow has noted that he would do thousands of sit-ups and push-ups per day, and that she’d sometimes walk in on him watching TV while doing the splits. Lee would occasionally run five miles backwards just to test himself, and would ride 10 miles on an exercise bike while wearing a sauna belt because he felt it would help him develop his core. While he was training Lee would never stop moving his feet, feinting and doing his signature shuffle even when practicing against boards or pads because he didn’t want to get complacent. And when he trained with other people he insisted that they did so in full pads while constantly trying to resist his attacks and movements, because Bruce Lee did everything the hard way.

#9 Lee Taught the Best Karate Fighters in America How To Fight After Lee became famous he was inundated with requests for private lessons from celebrities. While Lee was initially hesitant to teach such lessons, the money was too good to ignore and he went on to have a host of celebrity clients. To his surprise, a number of accomplished martial artists also sought him out and begged for private lessons. Lee was happy to provide such training and many of his students (including Chuck Norris) went on to publicly thank him for his training. To give you an idea of the pedigree of fighter Bruce had seeking his advice, at one point Lee was training men who had won every major karate championship in the United States. There just isn’t a word to describe how insane that is. That would be like Usain Bolt teaching a cheetah, an antelope and a peregrine falcon how to move faster and then having them all thank him on national TV.

#10 He Changed How Asians Were Viewed in Pop Culture Perhaps Bruce Lee’s biggest impact on the world is how he fundamentally changed how Asians were portrayed in pop culture. Prior to Lee, Asians in film and television were either bumbling racist stereotypes or absent altogether, something Lee hated and wanted to fix. But after the cancellation of The Green Hornet he was unable to find work, simply because nobody wanted to cast an Asian man as a lead character. If that wasn’t bad enough, Lee learned about the show’s cancellation when an executive named Bill Dozier sent him a note reading “Confucius say, Green Hornet to buzz no more.” Rather than letting racism get him down, Lee went back to Hong Kong in 1971 and appeared in the films that would catapult him to super-stardom. After the release of Fist of Fury, Lee awesomely wrote to the head of Warner Bros saying “This Chinaman will invade the States, one way or the other.” A year later, Lee was working on the film that would make him a household name, Enter the Dragon, the first “Chinese martial arts film” to ever be produced by a Hollywood studio. Sadly, Lee died just six days before the film premiered. He never saw the impact it had on the world or on the way Asians were portrayed by the media. But in death Lee had the last laugh against everyone who passed him over because his race, because Enter the Dragon would go on to become one of the most culturally significant movies ever made and Lee himself has been crowned one of the most influential people of the century by Time. Boy, we hope Bill Dozier felt really bad when he read that issue.

Source: TopTenz