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amethystroselilith · 1 year ago

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Intertwined Fates (Chilumi/Zhonglumi)- Chapter 8

Can be read in ao3

SUMMARY: Lumine finally chooses.

"You've been scrubbing that plate for a long while now, do you want to talk about it?" Lumine asked softly as she placed a plate on the rack, waiting for Ajax to pass her the last one.

Dinner was just pizza they ordered so there isn't much to clean up, but Ajax is taking way longer than usual with washing the dishes.

Zhongli was watching a movie with Qiqi in the family room, the man not having any problems spending time with his daughter... who knows when's the next time he'll be able to spend time with her like this.

"Lumi, are you feeling fine? I mean... physically fine?" Ajax sighed, he'd been so distracted in thinking of how to ask her about the possibility of being pregnant, especially at this time when everything is very complicated. Ajax is surely adding another major factor that will further make this difficult, "Did Baizhu not tell you anything?"

Lumine frowned, "He didn't seem to say anything alarming?" she bit her lip before adding, "Er, well... he suggested taking another medical test, but I'm really fine, so I didn't see the point of it. Did he tell you something else?"

"...No, not really... but... maybe you should go back and take that medical test?" Ajax suggested.

"But I'm fine, I just need to take a break. This thing is just really taking a toll on me." Lumine argued.

"And that's why we should have it checked." Ajax calmly countered, "Lumine, please. I'm anxious about you, I don't want anything bad happening to you."

"Baizhu already said-"

"Lumine." Ajax stopped her, "Please." he looked at her with pleading eyes.

And just like that, Lumine relented, "Fine. I'll give him a call to schedule me tomorrow."

Ajax seemed to have relaxed a bit, "Thank you, love."

It was one of their usual nicknames, but somehow they suddenly felt something heavy in their chest.

Though they didn't mention it as they finished cleaning up.

~~~

"Qiqi likes him, he went all over the ocean to find Nemo." Qiqi pointed at the clown fish on the screen.

"Nothing's more precious to a parent than their child." Zhongli agrees.

"Yeah, Papa said he'll also look for Qiqi all over the universe if Qiqi goes missing." Qiqi said proudly, "And the universe is big!" she thought of the moment, "Qiqi thinks it's bigger than the ocean and this building combined! So that's very big!"

Zhongli gave her a smile, yet sadness looms over it, "It is bigger than those two combined. Your Papa and Mama will no doubt go through all that for you."

"Yeah." Qiqi nodded proudly, "Uncle Aether and Uncle Xiao said they would too!" she added.

"Oh?" Zhongli smiled a genuine one before adding, "Then I will too."

Qiqi's eyes brightened, "Really? You'll look for Qiqi too?"

Zhongli nodded, "Of course, I promise."

Qiqi giggled, "Good! Because Qiqi's worried that Uncle Aether and Uncle Xiao will get eaten by a shark while they look for me."

"Really?" Zhongli chuckled.

"Yeah, cause Mama said she's afraid of sharks and Papa said he'd save her. But Uncle Aether said he's also afraid of sharks and Uncle Xiao said he'd also save him, but they're both small so Qiqi doesn't know how they'll survive."

Zhongli flinched as he tried to stifle a laugh, "I... I can assure you that even with their... height... they can defeat a shark."

Qiqi thought for a moment, "Can they...? Cause Qiqi watched them move furniture around here and they looked like they're dying moving that shelf over there together."

Zhongli looks at the tall shelf at the corner, he doubt he could move that without difficulty himself but he just chuckled, how entertaining is a child's perspective at times.

"But that's okay now, you can help them defeat the shark." Qiqi nodded, satisfied with her possible rescue plan she affectionately named 'Finding Qiqi'.

Zhongli couldn't help but release a laugh, Qiqi laughing along with him just cause he looks so happy, her little giggles melting Zhongli's heart, how much of this did he miss out on?

Tears start forming at the corner of his eyes as he thinks about how he missed watching his daughter grow up; the milestones he couldn't celebrate with her, the proud feeling he missed as he was supposed to watch her say her first word, take her first step, fear her first tantrum.

Soon he couldn't help but begin shaking, even as hard as he try to swallow the pain, things are starting to get to him as he faced the fact that he has indeed lost 5 years of their lives...

Zhongli bent down, hiding his face with his hands as he tried to stop his sobs.

Mocking voices of his parents taunts him in his head again.

They were going louder... louder... louder...

Until suddenly it just... stops.

Zhongli's eyes widened as he felt a tiny hand patting his head.

"Are you okay?"

The tiny voice silenced the voices in his head.

Zhongli wiped his eyes before facing her, "Of course. I apologize, little Qiqi. Something just... came into mind."

"Is it because you're afraid of sharks too? Well, don't worry, Qiqi will do her best not to get lost in the ocean so you don't have to save Uncle Aether and Uncle Xiao from sharks," she promised.

Zhongli chuckled before sitting up, "Don't worry, it's not that. I'm just sad about other things."

"Like what?" Qiqi tilted her head in confusion.

"Nothing, just grownup stuff." Zhongli laughed it away, "Anyway, would you like to watch something else?" he changed the subject.

"Yeah, I wanna watch animals now," Qiqi said as she pressed the button on her favorite channel.

Zhongli took note of how Qiqi watched the animal channel with interest, the show is a kid version of some animal documentary. Zhongli then started noticing the animal books for kids lined up on the shelf.

So his daughter has a fascination with animals.

He took note of that.

Zhongli may have missed her early years, but now he would like to be as involved in raising her.

He just hopes Lumine will let him, even if she left their home and made a new one with Ajax.

As they watch, Qiqi would ask questions to which Zhongli unsurprisingly know the answer, he loves reading books of all kinds from when he was young and probably up to now if given the chance. He felt proud of himself as Qiqi listened to him with fascination.

Soon Lumine and Ajax joined the room, a glass of milk in Lumine's hands.

"Thank you." Qiqi accepted the glass, "Mama, Mr Zhongli knows a lot about animals." she said excitedly.

"That's wonderful." Lumine smiled as she sat next to her daughter, "He loves to read books just about anything."

"Qiqi wants to be like that too! Qiqi needs more books," she said.

"Haha, we'll get you some more books, don't worry," Ajax said as he made himself comfortable from beside Lumine, giving the same space as Zhongli had between her from the other side of the couch.

The attention was solely on Qiqi as the grownups avoid the tension between them.

But soon Qiqi had fallen asleep on Lumine's lap and that's when they know they were done for the night.

"I... I think I'll stay with Qiqi for the night." Lumine cleared her throat as she gently move Qiqi from her lap to carry her.

"I could carry Qiqi for you." Ajax hurriedly volunteered when he saw Lumine struggle a little in shifting positions to avoid waking up the sleeping girl.

"I got it don't worry." Lumine said as she successfully stood up with Qiqi in her arms, "We really had a long day, so maybe we should all talk tomorrow afternoon? Qiqi has no school and takes naps at that time, I should be home from a quick hospital visit. Ajax will be on leave, would that be okay, Zhongli?" she asked.

"Yes, my employer's son is staying with her so there shouldn't be a problem with me not being there, but I would like to visit there in the morning and inform them of what happened," he answered.

"That's fine, I'll be home all day." Ajax nodded.

"Though, can I ask why you'll be in the hospital? Is everything alright?" Zhongli asked in worry.

"Everything's fine, to be honest, I'm just going for Ajax's sake." Lumine sigh.

"It's better to be mindful, Lumine." Ajax frowned.

"I would agree with him. Health is really important." Zhongli added.

"Alright, alright, I already set up an appointment so everything should be fine." Lumine sighed in defeat. "Well, I'll be taking Qiqi now. Good night."

They said their goodnights before Ajax begin to lead Zhongli to his room.

"If you need anything else, just go through that hallway and you'll see our- my room." Ajax corrected himself.

"I see. Thank you." Zhongli said.

They awkwardly stood in silence.

"Zhongli... I..." Ajax hesitated.

Zhongli sighed, "I hope you understand Ajax that I won't give them up easily." he said, "Although of course, Lumine still needs her input, I just need you to know that I'm not going to disappear in their lives. At least Qiqi's. She may call you her Papa but... she's still my daughter, and I know you understand that it won't be easy for me to simply walk away when I've now met her."

Ajax stayed quiet before answering...

"Of course. It is your right to be with your family after all." he said, 'And so will be mine if Lumine is really pregnant...' he added in his head.

"We should take a good night's rest. Tomorrow will be another heavy and long day for us." Zhongli nodded.

"It will be." Ajax said, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

~~~

When morning comes, Lumine and Zhongli left for their own errands after they had their breakfast. Qiqi is currently at the dining table, her animal picture books scattered on the table when Ajax just finished clearing it.

"Papa, can you also tell me more about this one?" Qiqi called.

Ajax turned away from washing the dishes and looked at the bird she was pointing to.

"Uh..." Ajax tries to remember what he knows about it, unfortunately coming up with nothing, "Sorry, princess, Papa isn't too knowledgeable about that." he chuckled, though feeling a bit bad.

It was an unusual feeling, he doesn't feel bad when he couldn't answer Qiqi's questions like that. Usually, he would learn more about it with her through other books or through the internet, but after seeing Zhongli flawlessly answer Qiqi last night, Ajax feels... threatened? He's not sure how to describe the ugly feeling, but he really hates it.

"I'll ask Mr Zhongli later then." Qiqi hummed, which just made Ajax feel worse and strangely competitive.

"I don't really know a lot about birds, but I do love marine animals," Ajax said proudly.

"Sea animals?" Qiqi repeated.

"Yeah, your grandpa used to take me with him before when he goes to the ocean." he recalls the fond memory, "Besides fishing, your grandpa is also curious about marine life and he loves to talk to me about it."

"Tell Qiqi too!" Qiqi said excitedly.

Ajax smiled, "How about you clean those books up, get the ones about the sea animals, and wait for me in the living room, yeah? I'm almost done with cleaning up."

"Okay!" Qiqi said excitedly before doing her little task.

Ajax smiled and hurried cleaning up.

His whole morning was then spent with Qiqi and sea animal facts.

Zhongli soon came home with a box of tea from his employer. He immediately made one for himself when Ajax declined. Qiqi had asked for a glass of juice instead.

They all waited for time to pass by. Ajax and Qiqi still talking about sea animals while Zhongli texts Xiao, Lumine gave him her old but still functioning phone earlier for communication purposes. Zhongli sighs as Xiao bombarded him with texts about what happened yesterday, Xiangling had told him out of worry, and while Zhongli prefers not to tell Xiao that he already knows about Ajax and Lumine, at least until they have their talk, he couldn't really blame Xiangling. Zhongli tries to distract Xiao by asking him what happened with his life instead. Zhongli would also want to know how his brother had been when he was away. Thankfully, Xiao can still sense if Zhongli wants to avoid talking about something, and so he let it go and just talks about himself. Xiao would prefer talking in person but the bakery is a bit busy and he and Aether have to take on Lumine's work as well. Zhongli doesn't mind the long wait for his reply though.

It was peaceful and soon Lumine came home.

"Mama!" Qiqi immediately runs up to hug her.

"Is everything fine?" Ajax can't help but ask already.

"Yeah." Lumine gave him a tight smile as she picked up her daughter.

Ajax just noticed she's holding an envelope with a hospital logo and he can't help but start to get anxious about what's inside. He was about to ask about it but Lumine gave him a pleading look. Ajax swallowed a lump in his throat but nodded either way.

Meanwhile, Zhongli can't help but sense the tension between the two.

He wonders if this has something to do with the bad omens he encountered on his way home.

~~~

Three adults sat across the table.

Qiqi was in her room taking her afternoon nap after their lunch.

Everything was cleaned up and it was time for the main event of the day.

However, no one seems to know how to start the conversation as they stare at the mug of steaming tea Zhongli made for all of them.

"I..." Lumine tried to start but her words died down.

"Er, what if we start about your... medical results?" Ajax made the first move, he knows that this result will have a huge impact on their situation.

Lumine bit her lip as her fist clenched on the envelope.

There was a pause before Lumine slid the envelope to him.

Ajax took a deep breath before opening the envelope, eyes eagerly searching for the answer he needs.

And when he saw it...

"Oh..." was all he could say before putting the results down.

Zhongli's eyes naturally went to the paper, and he froze at the familiar results.

It was the very same one that told them they were having Qiqi.

"I... I see." Zhongli breathed out, "That's... that's another thing to heavily consider as well." he stated.

"I was really overwhelmed with... us... that I didn't realize I didn't get my period." Lumine said, "This is really big news for me... er, all of us." she bit her lip.

"...So what now..." Ajax sighed, "I won't leave you alone with this, Lumine. I can't." he said, "I'm sorry, but I can't." his eyes met Zhongli's.

"You can't expect me just to leave, do you?" Zhongli frowned, "I really apologize for this, Lumine, Ajax. You may have moved on from me, but I still love you and our daughter." he pleaded Lumine, "I'm sorry, but I never intended on letting you go. I may not have your heart anymore, but you can't just cut my ties with Qiqi, that's too much."

"Don't say it like that..." Lumine said with hurt in her eyes, "You... you always have a place in my heart, and I've always wanted Qiqi to know you're her father. Ajax and I tried, but she won't be able to understand it yet."

"You're carrying my child." Ajax said, "Letting go is impossible for me." he added firmly.

"I guess... it'll be your call, Lumine," Zhongli stated.

"You can't just overwhelm her like that, pregnancy in this stage can be delicate," Ajax argued.

"Well, it's obvious that I vote for myself and you vote for yourself. Lumine's the one who breaks the tie." Zhongli stated, "I don't want to burden you, and I wish I could say that you can take your time... but..."

"With everyone around us, we don't have time, yeah I get that." Lumine bit her lip, "Waiting any longer would complicate things more... especially with my mother." she said, "And I don't want her influencing me in any way when deciding this."

"Then... what's your decision?" Ajax asked though he was not sure if he was ready for her answer.

"If... if you do choose him, then... I have no choice but to respect your decision. Choosing him is the logical choice, he already engraved himself in Qiqi's mind as her father, and it would not cause a problem with your mother. But I do wish to see Qiqi. I want to be there and watch her grow up. Even as 'Mr Zhongli'." Zhongli finally decided. When they made their vows, he promised to carry the burden with her, married or not, Zhongli will always keep that vow in his heart.

What Zhongli said stunned Ajax, while what he said does lead to a less complicated outcome, Ajax can still see the love Zhongli has for her, and Ajax knows deep inside that Zhongli still and will always have a place in Lumine's heart.

Zhongli is... Lumine's first choice after all.

"I... I guess if I could let you go before, I could... try my best to do it the second time." it was a lie and Ajax could feel the bitter aftertaste when it left his lips, "But I too want to be there for my child."

The first sentence had both alarmed Zhongli and Lumine, but they didn't comment on it right now.

The two men are willing to sacrifice their future for her, and Lumine is just as torn.

"This doesn't make this any easier." Lumine sighed in frustration.

"Just say the first thing that comes into your mind..." Ajax tried to help, "Might as well rip the band-aid off."

"The first thing that comes to my mind, huh..." Lumine repeated.

"It is known that whatever first thing that pops in your head is what you truly desire." Zhongli said, "When envisioning your future, who do you see standing with you?"

Lumine answered quietly.

"Who?" Ajax tried again.

"...th..." Lumine tried again, face heating up.

"I'm sorry, Lumine, but we can't hear you." Zhongli said, "Perhaps you can think of this until tonight."

"Yeah, I guess you really need to think this through."

"...of you!" Lumine said louder.

"Uh...?" Ajax and Zhongli looked at each other, "You need to be a bit specific-" Ajax chuckled awkwardly.

"You." Lumine said, "Both... of you."

"Yes, what about both of us?" Zhongli asked.

"That's it," Lumine said in embarrassment and frustration.

"I'm a bit confu-" Ajax was cut off.

"I choose both of you." Lumine made it clear, "I... I was thinking about it the whole night. And I just tried thinking of who pops in my head, but... it's both of you... I'm sorry, but I can't seem to let go of either of you." she bowed her head in embarrassment, "You want me to break the tie, but I can't imagine myself without the both of you by my side."

They fell into deep silence.

"Well... you seem to have chosen the most complicated path." Zhongli broke the silence, "But I can't say I'm not relieved." he added with a relieved smile, "If sharing with him is the only way to be by your side, then I'm willing to accept this choice." he smiled at her.

"I never really imagined a future with sharing you with him, but it's a whole lot better than being alone." Ajax smiled at her, "It's... going to be difficult explaining this to other people, but I know I'll overcome anything with you by my side."

Their smiles lifted the heavy weight off her shoulders, "I was worried that it'd gross you two out, that I'm being selfish."

"Oh, you are greedy, but I don't mind a greedy little princess, but please keep it to the two of us. I don't think I would share with any more than with him." Ajax smiled but Lumine can feel the seriousness.

"I... I'm not planning, don't worry." Lumine promised.

"Then I have no problems with this." Zhongli said, "But we need to think about how the others will react."

"Eh, if anyone gets a problem with them, I'll punch them." Ajax shrugged.

"I mean our family and friends, Ajax." Zhongli sighed, "Although I feel like they would respect our decision, I'm more worried about your parents, Lumine. And explaining this to Qiqi as well."

"I could explain this to Qiqi." Ajax volunteered, "We already explained about Zhongli being her real father before, I think we just need to make her realize that that's you, Zhongli. Qiqi's already warmed up with you so I don't think it'll take too long for her to accept you as her father, but you should expect questions about your disappearances." he said.

"She doesn't know about the plane crash." Lumine said, "We were warned that it might give her some sort of trauma or fear with planes, so we just said you were in a better place."

"I suppose I could just make a story about being asleep for too long and forgetting things? Er... I'll think of an excuse so leave that part to me." Zhongli said.

"Well, I guess your parents... well, more like your mom, will be hard to convince," Ajax said.

Lumine rubbed her temples, "We can think of that for another day, Dad said he and Mom will be out for a vacation with her friends and they'll leave tonight. I think I need to rest for a while." she said tiredly.

"Of course. I could make you some snacks to eat. Do you have any cravings?" Ajax asked.

"I'm still full from lunch, but I would appreciate some sweets right now." Lumine hummed.

"Alright, I'll see what I can make." Ajax hummed as he thinks of something light and sweet to make.

"Would you like to lie down by the sofa?" Zhongli asked.

"I would appreciate that, thanks."

Lumine and Zhongli made their way to their living room, the blonde woman immediately sitting down to relieve her sore back with the soft cushions. Zhongli sat beside her, making sure she was comfortable as he remembered the times when she was pregnant with Qiqi. Usually, he would cuddle her as he play with her stomach, even if it was still flat, but Zhongli decided to give her some space first, Lumine may have decided to take him and Ajax but Zhongli knows they have yet to talk about boundaries or rules about it. So for now, he settles with just sitting right next to her.

They were enjoying a movie when they suddenly heard a loud crash in the kitchen.

Lumine immediately stood up to check on Ajax with Zhongli following her close behind.

"Shit..." Ajax cursed as he dropped an empty bowl, his eyes however did not leave his phone as he try to read the simple message all over again, hoping it would change.

"Is everything fine, Jax?" Lumine asked with worry.

Ajax gulped and looked at her,

"Your mom's coming here soon."

#chilumi/zhonglumi #chilumi #genshin impact #zhonglumi

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letterboxd · 3 years ago

Photo

Blurring the Line.

As a new Space Jam film beams down to Earth, Kambole Campbell argues that a commitment to silliness and a sincere love for the medium is what it takes to make a great live-action/animation hybrid.

The live-action and animation hybrid movie is something of a dicey prospect. It’s tricky to create believable interaction between what’s real and what’s drawn, puppeteered or rendered—and blending the live and the animated has so far resulted in wild swings in quality. It is a highly specific and technically demanding niche, one with only a select few major hits, though plenty of cult oddities. So what makes a good live-action/animation hybrid?

To borrow words from Hayao Miyazaki, “live action is becoming part of that whole soup called animation”. Characters distinct from the humans they interact with, but rendered as though they were real creatures (or ghosts), are everywhere lately; in Paddington, in Scooby Doo, in David Lowery’s (wonderful) update of Pete’s Dragon.

The original ‘Pete’s Dragon’ (1977) alongside the 2016 remake.

Lowery’s dragon is realized with highly realistic lighting and visual-effects work. By comparison, the cartoon-like characters in the 1977 Pete’s Dragon—along with other films listed in Louise’s handy compendium of Disney’s live-action animation—are far more exaggerated. That said, there’s still the occasional holdout for the classical version of these crossovers: this year’s Tom and Jerry replicating the look of 2D through 3D/CGI animation, specifically harkens back to the shorts of the 1940s and ’50s.

One type of live-action/animation hybrid focuses on seamless immersion, the other is interested in exploring the seams themselves. Elf (2003) uses the aberration of stop-motion animals to represent the eponymous character as a fish out of water. Ninjababy, a Letterboxd favorite from this year’s SXSW Festival, employs an animated doodle as a representation of the protagonist’s state of mind while she processes her unplanned pregnancy.

Meanwhile, every Muppets film ever literally tears at the seams until we’re in stitches, but, for the sake of simplicity, puppets are not invited to this particular party. What we are concerned with here is the overlap between hand-drawn animation and live-action scenes (with honorable mentions of equally valid stop-motion work), and the ways in which these hybrids have moved from whimsical confections to nod-and-wink blockbusters across a century of cinema.

Betty Boop and Koko the clown in a 1938 instalment of the Fleischer brothers’ ‘Out of the Inkwell’ series.

Early crossovers often involve animators playing with their characters, in scenarios such as the inventive Out of the Inkwell series of shorts from Rotoscope inventor Max Fleischer and his director brother Dave. Things get even more interactive mid-century, when Gene Kelly holds hands with Jerry Mouse in Anchors Aweigh.

The 1960s and ’70s deliver ever more delightful family fare involving human actors entering cartoon worlds, notably in the Robert Stevenson-directed Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and Chuck Jones’ puntastic The Phantom Tollbooth.

Jerry and Gene dance off their worries in ‘Anchors Aweigh’ (1945).

Mary Poppins is one of the highest-rated live-action/animation hybrids on Letterboxd for good reason. Its sense of control in how it engages with its animated creations makes it—still!—an incredibly engaging watch. It is simply far less evil than the singin’, dancin’ glorification of slavery in Disney’s Song of the South (1946), and far more engaging than Victory Through Air Power (1943), a war-propaganda film about the benefits of long-range bombing in the fight against Hitler. The studio’s The Reluctant Dragon (1941) also serves a propagandistic function, as a behind-the-scenes studio tour made when the studio’s animators were striking.

By comparison, Mary Poppins’ excursions into the painted world—replicated in Rob Marshall’s belated, underrated 2018 sequel, Mary Poppins Returns—are full of magical whimsicality. “Films have added the gimmick of making animation and live characters interact countless times, but paradoxically none as pristine-looking as this creation,” writes Edgar in this review. “This is a visual landmark, a watershed… the effect of making everything float magically, to the detail of when a drawing should appear in front or the back of [Dick] Van Dyke is a creation beyond my comprehension.” (For Van Dyke, who played dual roles as Bert and Mr Dawes Senior, the experience sparked a lifelong love of animation and visual effects.)

Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke and penguins, in ‘Mary Poppins’ (1964).

Generally speaking, and the Mary Poppins sequel aside, more contemporary efforts seek to subvert this feeling of harmony and control, instead embracing the chaos of two worlds colliding, the cartoons there to shock rather than sing. Henry Selick’s frequently nightmarish James and the Giant Peach (1996) leans into this crossover as something uncanny and macabre by combining live action with stop motion, as its young protagonist eats his way into another world, meeting mechanical sharks and man-eating rhinos. Sally Jane Black describes it as “riding the Burton-esque wave of mid-’90s mall goth trends and blending with the differently demonic Dahl story”.

Science-classroom staple Osmosis Jones (2001) finds that within the human body, the internal organs serve as cities full of drawn white-blood-cell cops. The late Stephen Hillenburg’s The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (2004) turns its real-life humans into living cartoons themselves, particularly in a bonkers sequence featuring David Hasselhoff basically turning into a speedboat.

David Hasselhoff picks up speed in ‘The Spongebob Squarepants Movie’ (2004).

The absurdity behind the collision of the drawn and the real is never better embodied than in another of our highest-rated live/animated hybrids. Released in 1988, Robert Zemeckis’ Who Framed Roger Rabbit shows off a deep understanding—narratively and aesthetically—of the material that it’s parodying, seeking out the impeccable craftsmanship of legends such as director of animation Richard Williams (1993’s The Thief and the Cobbler), and his close collaborator Roy Naisbitt. The forced perspectives of Naisbitt’s mind-bending layouts provide much of the rocket fuel driving the film’s madcap cartoon opening.

Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, Roger Rabbit utilizes the Disney stable of characters as well as the Looney Tunes cast to harken back to America’s golden age of animation. It continues a familiar scenario where the ’toons themselves are autonomous actors (as also seen in Friz Freleng’s 1940 short You Ought to Be in Pictures, in which Daffy Duck convinces Porky Pig to try his acting luck in the big studios).

Daffy Duck plots his rise up the acting ranks in ‘You Ought to Be in Pictures’ (1940).

Through this conceit, Zemeckis is able to celebrate the craft of animation, while pastiching both Chinatown, the noir genre, and the mercenary nature of the film industry (“the best part is… they work for peanuts!” a studio exec says of the cast of Fantasia). As Eddie Valiant, Bob Hoskins’ skepticism and disdain towards “toons” is a giant parody of Disney’s more traditional approach to matching humans and drawings.

Adult audiences are catered for with plenty of euphemistic humor and in-jokes about the history of the medium. It’s both hilarious (“they… dropped a piano on him,” one character solemnly notes of his son) and just the beginning of Hollywood toying with feature-length stories in which people co-exist with cartoons, rather than dipping in and out of fantasy sequences. It’s not just about how the cartoons appear on the screen, but how the human world reacts to them, and Zemeckis gets a lot of mileage out of applying ’toon lunacy to our world.

Bob Hoskins in ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit?’ (1988).

The groundbreaking optical effects and compositing are excellent (and Hoskins’ amazing performance should also be credited for holding all of it together), but what makes Roger Rabbit such a hit is that sense of controlled chaos and a clever tonal weaving of violence and noirish seediness (“I’m not bad… I’m just drawn that way”) through the cartoony feel. And it is simply very, very funny.

It could be said that, with Roger Rabbit, Zemeckis unlocked the formula for how to modernize the live-action and animation hybrid, by leaning into a winking parody of what came before. It worked so perfectly well that it helped kickstart the ‘Disney renaissance' era of animation. Roger Rabbit has influenced every well-known live-action/animation hybrid produced since, proving that there is success and fun to be had by completely upending Mary Poppins-esque quirks. Even Disney’s delightful 2007 rom-com Enchanted makes comedy out of the idea of cartoons crossing that boundary.

When a cartoon character meets real-world obstacles.

Even when done well, though, hybrids are not an automatic hit. Sitting at a 2.8-star average, Joe Dante’s stealthily great Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) is considered by the righteous to be the superior live-action/animated Looney Tunes hybrid, harkening back to the world of Chuck Jones and Frank Tashlin. SilentDawn states that the film deserves the nostalgic reverence reserved for Space Jam: “From gag to gag, set piece to set piece, Back in Action is utterly bonkers in its logic-free plotting and the constant manipulation of busy frames.”

With its Tinseltown parody, Back in Action pulls from the same bag of tricks as Roger Rabbit; here, the Looney Tunes characters are famous, self-entitled actors. Dante cranks the meta comedy up to eleven, opening the film with Matthew Lillard being accosted by Shaggy for his performance in the aforementioned Scooby Doo movie (and early on throwing in backhanded jokes about the practice of films like itself as one character yells, “I was brought in to leverage your synergy!”).

Daffy Duck with more non-stop banter in ‘Looney Tunes: Back in Action’ (2003).

Back in Action is even more technically complex than Roger Rabbit, seamlessly bringing Looney Tunes physics and visual language into the real world. Don’t forget that Dante had been here before, when he had Anthony banish Ethel into a cartoon-populated television show in his segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie. Another key to this seamlessness is star Brendan Fraser, at the height of his powers here as “Brendan Fraser’s stunt double”.

Like Hoskins before him, Fraser brings a wholehearted commitment to playing the fed-up straight man amidst cartoon zaniness. Fraser also brought that dedication to Henry Selick's Monkeybone (2001), a Roger Rabbit-inspired sex comedy that deploys a combo of stop-motion animation and live acting in a premise amusingly close to that of 1992’s Cool World (but more on that cult anomaly shortly). A commercial flop, Back in Action was the last cinematic outing for the Looney Tunes for some time.

Nowadays, when we think of live-action animation, it’s hard not to jump straight to an image of Michael Jordan’s arm stretching to do a half-court dunk to save the Looney Tunes from slavery. There’s not a lot that can be fully rationalized about the 1996 box-office smash, Space Jam. It is a bewildering cartoon advert for Michael Jordan’s baseball career, dreamed up off the back of his basketball retirement, while also mashing together different American icons. Never forget that the soundtrack—one that, according to Benjamin, “makes you have to throw ass”—includes a song with B-Real, Coolio, Method Man and LL Cool J.

Michael Jordan and teammates in ‘Space Jam’ (1996).

Space Jam is a film inherently born to sell something, predicated on the existing success of a Nike commercial rather than any obvious passion for experimentation. But its pure strangeness, a growing nostalgia for the nineties, and meticulous compositing work from visual-effects supervisor Ed Jones and the film’s animation team (a number of whom also worked on both Roger Rabbit and Back in Action), have all kept it in the cultural memory.

The films is backwards, writes Jesse, in that it wants to distance itself from the very cartoons it leverages: “This really almost feels like a follow-up to Looney Tunes: Back in Action, rather than a predecessor, because it feels like someone watched the later movie, decided these Looney Tunes characters were a problem, and asked someone to make sure they were as secondary as possible.” That attempt to place all the agency in Jordan’s hands was a point of contention for Chuck Jones, the legendary Warner Bros cartoonist. He hated the film, stating that Bugs would never ask for help and would have dealt with the aliens in seven minutes.

Space Jam has its moments, however. Guy proclaims “there is nothing that Deadpool as a character will ever have to offer that isn’t done infinitely better by a good Bugs Bunny bit”. For some, its problems are a bit more straightforward, for others it’s a matter of safety in sport. But the overriding sentiments surrounding the film point to a sort of morbid fascination with the brazenness of its concept.

Holli Would (voiced by Kim Basinger) and Frank Harris (Brad Pitt) blur the lines in ‘Cool World’ (1992).

Existing in the same demented… space… as Space Jam, Paramount Pictures bought the idea for Cool World from Ralph Bakshi as it sought to have its own Roger Rabbit. While Brad Pitt described it as “Roger Rabbit on acid” ahead of release, Cool World itself looks like a nightmare version of Toontown. The film was universally panned at the time, caught awkwardly between being far too adult for children but too lacking in any real substance for adults (there’s something of a connective thread between Jessica Rabbit, Lola Bunny and Holli Would).

Ralph Bakshi’s risqué and calamitously horny formal experiment builds on the animator’s fascination with the relationship between the medium and the human body. Of course, he would go from the immensely detailed rotoscoping of Fire and Ice (1983) to clashing hand-drawn characters with real ones, something he had already touched upon in the seventies with Heavy Traffic and Coonskin, whose animated characters were drawn into real locations. But no one besides Bakshi quite knew what to do with the perverse concept of Brad Pitt as a noir detective trying to stop Gabriel Byrne’s cartoonist from having sex with a character that he drew—an animated Kim Basinger.

Jack Deebs (Gabriel Byrne) attempts to cross over to Hollie Would in ‘Cool World’ (1992).

Cool World’s awkwardness can be attributed to stilted interactions between Byrne, Pitt and the animated world, as well as studio meddling. Producer Frank Mancuso Jr (who was on the film due to his father running Paramount) demanded that the film be reworked into something PG-rated, against Bakshi’s wishes (he envisioned an R-rated horror), and the script was rewritten in secret. It went badly, so much so that Bakshi eventually punched Mancuso Jr in the face.

While Cool World averages two stars on Letterboxd, there are some enthusiastic holdouts. There are the people impressed by the insanity of it all, those who just love them a horny toon, and then there is Andrew, a five-star Cool World fan: “On the surface, it’s a Lovecraftian horror with Betty Boop as the villain, featuring a more impressive cityscape than Blade Runner and Dick Tracy combined, and multidimensional effects that make In the Mouth of Madness look like trash. The true star, however, proves to be the condensed surplus of unrelated gags clogging the arteries of the screen—in every corner is some of the silliest cel animation that will likely ever be created.”

There are even those who enjoy its “clear response to Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, with David writing that “the film presents a similar concept through the lens of the darkly comic, perverted world of the underground cartoonists”, though also noting that without Bakshi’s original script, the film is “a series of half steps and never really commits like it could”. Cool World feels both completely deranged and strangely low-energy, caught between different ideas as to how best to mix the two mediums. But it did give us a David Bowie jam.

‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ is in cinemas and on HBO Max now.

Craft is of course important, but generally speaking, maybe nowadays a commitment to silliness and a sincere love for the medium’s history is the thing that makes successful live-action/animation hybrids click. It’s an idea that doesn’t lend itself to being too cool, or even entirely palatable. The trick is to be as fully dotty as Mary Poppins, or steer into the gaucheness of the concept, à la Roger Rabbit and Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

It’s quite a tightrope to walk between good meta-comedy and a parade of references to intellectual property. The winningest strategy is to weave the characters into the tapestry of the plot and let the gags grow from there, rather than hoping their very inclusion is its own reward. Wait, you said what is coming out this week?

Related content

Rootfish Jones’s list of cartoons people are horny for

The 100 Sequences that Shaped Animation: the companion list to the Vulture story

Jose Moreno’s list of every animated film made from 1888 to the present

Follow Kambole on Letterboxd

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onebadwinter · 4 years ago

Text

The Joker Tropes Part 2

Taken From Here and here

Nether Realm Studios especially seems to love making Joker out to be evil incarnate. In Injustice: Gods Among Us and its sequel, he loses all his cred (and life) once he nukes Metropolis; Harley ditches him entirely, Batman just completely gives up on indulging him any more, even Guest Fighters like Hellboy consider him worthless, and non-Batvillains such as Grodd and Brainiac and even Darkseid loathe him for either Metropolis, or just in general principle. Mortal Kombat 11 shows that even the MK cast see him as a scourge upon the realms, and also express distaste toward him for either his nuking, a previous outing, or because he's seen as a buffoon who cannot be taken seriously (this is usually the case for other villain characters).

About the only person who can tolerate him for long is Lex Luthor, only because they both have the same level of hatred for their respective enemies. Even then, Luthor prefers to keep his distance from the Joker, if only because a bored Joker screws with everything For the Evulz.

In the animated series, he claims to have been beaten as a child when interviewed by Harley Quinn. It is unknown if this is true. According to Batman, he's simply making it up.

In one issue of New 52, he claims to have been driven insane by an abusive grandmother, who also bleached his skin to its present pallor.

In the same continuity, he is one to a baby gorilla he adopts, trains up as a gun-wielding henchman, and ultimately gets killed off for laughs.

In the comic book adaptation of Injustice, it's implied Harley fears Joker would be one, and gives their daughter to her sister, lest he kill the child. It's left ambiguous whether the Joker's even aware of the ruse.

Averted in one story, wherein one of Arkham's doctors realizes Joker's faking insanity just to piss off Batman as revenge for his disfigurement. Another doctor finds the report and excitedly reveals it to the current head doctor, only to learn that the Joker left it for everyone to read, since the paper's written by Harley Quinn, and therefore worthless as evidence.

In Batman: The Man Who Laughs, it's established that the name "The Joker" was given to him by the media, and he liked it so much that he decided to call himself that.

The same happens in Joker (2019), where Murray tells the audience to "look at this joker" when talking about Arthur. Arthur took it to heart.

Batman: Arkham Knight takes this even further by revealing that being forgotten is the only thing the Joker truly fears.

Just to demonstrate how much disregard he has for his henchmen, a reoccurring motivation for offing his own lackeys is failing to laugh at one of his jokes. Or laughing too late. Or laughing for too long. Or laughing at the wrong joke. He's... unpredictable.

The Joker loves it when people laugh with him, whether genuine or not, but if someone laughs at him, they're most likely already dead.

Joker loves attention and being above the normals, so never imply that he's not interesting or unique. Terry exploits this flaw in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker just to drive him to a Villainous Breakdown.

The Batman Who Laughs. Since the character's first appearance in Dark Nights: Metal, the mere mention of him is enough to put The Joker in an uncharacteristically un-jolly mood and is a good way to get on his bad side. In fact, the dislike of this twisted version of his archnemesis is so great, that when Lex Luthor and The Legion of Doom started cooperating with him against Joker's protests, he quit the legion (after non-lethally jokerizing every other member of it) in disgust.

If you're going to hurt Batman, do it right. One of the supplementary stories for Joker War had him beyond furious with Bane - to the point of promising him he'd kill him in a way he would never see coming - for showing so little imagination in killing Alfred in City of Bane without even letting Batman listen to it to torture him. By his reckoning, if you have a great gag to break the Bat, use it to break the Bat - don't blow it by having Robin be the only one to witness it.

Originally Conrad Veidt from The Man Who Laughs.

Later portrayals base themselves on his actors, with Cesar Romero a popular candidate, and after Jack Nicholson came in, artists such as Alex Ross base him on him, such as the actor's distinct widow's peak and slicked back hair.

During Knightfall he and Scarecrow killed several members of a SWAT team, and one of his last actions in Batman: No Man's Land was to kill Commissioner Gordon's second wife, Lt. Sarah Essen.

One of the alternate realities seen in Zero Hour! was one where he killed Commissioner Gordon instead of crippling Barbara.

Part of the reason Gordon takes over the post of Commissioner in both The Dark Knight Trilogy and Batman: Arkham Series is due to the Joker killing Gillian Loeb. Additionally, the first game in the latter series, Asylum, he sees several of Arkham's guards killed by him and his men.

He's holding a dead cop's corpse in his intro in Injustice: Gods Among Us and using it as a puppet. He also talks to the body of one of the Regime enforcers who captured him once he breaks out and heads to Gotham.

Whether he was driven insane or was already insane and became completely bonkers.

Where he is on the spectrum between "wacky prankster" and "utterly depraved and sadistic sociopath and murderer".

Whether he is a senseless, performative terrorist wreaking havoc for kicks or a deceptively cunning and competent criminal mastermind. Or both. Usually both.

He's no Batman, but sometimes he is a proficient hand-to-hand combatant, Knife Nut or marksman, and other times a flimsy wimp who goes down in one punch. In some of the grittier settings, his raw strength, numbness to pain and viciousness are enough to level the playing field with Batman.

Whether he actually loves Harley Quinn varies. In the animated series, (where Harley first appeared) the writers haveoutright said he's a sociopath incapable of loving anyone, and just sees her as a useful mook. Some other works imply he really does love her on some level (although he's usually still an abusive asshole.)

He can either be Faux Affably Evil, Laughably Evil, just a Monster Clown, or some combination of the three.

At least one such incident implied he would be interested in Batman... but only after he was dead. Again this may only have been a tactic to get under Batman's skin or truthful admission. The readers will never know for certain.

His plot in The Killing Joke is to put Jim Gordon through the wringer hard in the hopes of driving him mad. He'll also try to drive Batman over the edge (particularly, drive him to break his "no killing" rule), sometimes by cutting off all of Batsy's human connections.

The Dark Knight reworks it into Driving Gotham To Senseless Violence with wanton acts of destruction or terrorism, just to prove everyone's as bad as him deep down.

Ironically, a 1952 story has the Joker get himself falsely committed to an insane asylum, to question a patient who knew the location of a cache of money. The end of the story has him Laughing Mad due to a prank Batman used to disguise his identity.

He didn't have his signature laugh. This seems to have been a way to "goofy up" the character to make him less terrifying in the days of the Comics Code Authority. Later on, he'd learn to giggle while remaining terrifying.

He actually committed crimes for moneynote , and wasn't really interested in causing chaos or terror for a joke's sake.

Building off of that, his plans weren't really "insane" until the Silver Age (at which point it's not even fair to say this was exclusive to him), nor was there any question of the character's mental stability.

His obsession with Batman wasn't there, much less the idea that he would pass up chances to kill the Bat or learn his identity. This aspect was probably introduced to explain the Bond Villain Stupidity he (and every Batman villain) had become infamous for in the Silver Age.

His clown-like complexion was actually makeup in his early appearances. He even removed his makeup to disguise himself as a cop, which was referenced in The Dark Knight. It's later revealed that the look is permanent after falling in a vat of chemicals.

The Brave and the Bold #111 and #191 have him team up with Batman to clear his name after being framed for several murders. The first instance turned out to simply be a framing the guilty part occasion but the second instance was actually genuine on Joker's part (except the person Joker seemingly murdered turned out to be faking their death).

He also does this with Batman whenever The Batman Who Laughs is involved (specifically in the Dark Knights: Metal series).

He abruptly ends a partnership with Red Skull when his Nazi affiliation comes out. Red Skull simply wonders why he is so surprised when he thinks that the Joker would make a great Nazi. The Joker is NOT happy about this, proclaiming "I may be a criminal lunatic, but I'm an American criminal lunatic!" It even provides the trope's image. And yes, folks, even an equal-opportunity murderer like the Joker despises the Nazis!note

The exception is mentioned again in the Last Laugh arc where the Joker immediately refused to join the American Neo-Nazi Aryan Alliance group in the Slab after he was offered membership. Joker: I'm evil and all that, but you guys are just plain mean.

Will not harm dumb animals and doesn't condone it. There's no humor to be had in that. Higher primates apparently do not qualify but a lot more effort went into that one.

While in Arkham with villain Warren White, AKA the Great White Shark, Joker calls him the worst person he ever met. He states that while he may kill people, even he doesn't steal their kids' college funds.

Sees nothing funny about someone parking in a handicap spot when they're not handicapped. However, he does think it's hilarious to hurt them in ways that will make certain they'll always be able to park there.

A girl named Janey Bennett, whose class was studying criminal behavior, became pen pals with the Joker while he was in Arkham. When Janey revealed that her father, the mayor of Motor City, was abusing her (exactly how isn't specified, though it was implied to have been really bad) the Joker broke out and, convinced that the authorities would be of no help, tried to force the mayor into admitting to his crimes and giving him Janey (so that he could find a better home for her) by threatening to contaminate the city's blood supply, going through with it (because the ends justify the means) when the mayor refused to give in to his demands. He originally intended to give her to Batman as well so he could protect her but at the end decided to give her to her mom. Joker: I mean, stealing a city blind is something I can admire... but being mean to one's own daughter... that just makes my blood boil.

For a rather literal form of "standard", the Joker's team-up with Carnage in Spider-Man and Batman: Disordered Minds fell apart in part because the Joker, known for his love of theatrics, found Kasady's desire to get straight to killing boring. Conversely, Kasady didn't like the Joker's flair for theatrics.

The Joker absolutely loathes The Batman Who Laughs, to the point where he drops his usual joking demeanor and is deathly serious whenever directly referring to him, even willing to work together with Batman to face him when it comes down to it. When Lex Luthor goes behind his back to make a deal with The Batman Who Laughs (going against the only condition Joker has for joining his plan), Joker responds by Joker-gassing the Legion of Doom, putting Lex into a series of deathtraps, trashing Lex's Power Armor, and quitting the Legion. In the process, he tells Luthor how he had planned on ruining the Legion utterly on the verge of victory, and as nightmarish as his plan sounded, he claims it is nothing compared to what the Batman Who Laughs is going to do.

While he still gloated about it and found Commissioner Gordon kneecapping him funny after remember that he'd crippled Barbara, the actual act of killing Sarah Essen in the penultimate issue of Batman: No Man's Land is one of the few times the Joker wasn't happy with something he himself did, considering he's seen walking away while scowling afterward, leaves the babies he originally planned to murder unharmed and immediately turns himself in to the police.

Emperor Joker sees the Joker disgusted with a corrupted Jimmy O Lsen tormenting the Superfamily and Batman when they're turned int animals.

Later one he is disgusted when his minions vandalize the Moai on Eastern Island.

Again, when he rescues Lex from The Batman Who Laugh's infected minions in Hell Arisen, the mere mention of his alternate universe rival prompts him to have a very uncharacteristic Freak Out. The Joker: I told you. I told you not to deal with him. You should have shot that thing in the head the second you had it in a cage! It is wrong. It is a wrong thing.

Played more straight in his relationship with Punchline. Only time will tell if it lasts.

There’s also a comic storyline when Hush informed that a dirty cop Office Halmet killed his wife Jeannie. The Joker wanted nothing more than to kill said cop in revenge. Then there’s Batman: Three Jokers where, despite it being being heavily implied he was abusive, the “Comedian” Joker is seen setting up fake tea parties with dolls, clearly trying to substitute them for his wife and child showing that he does miss them and desire to be a family with them.

While The Dark Knight is one of the few times the Joker's clown-like appearance is the result of make-up, he does sport a Glasgow Grin.

While Joker still has the permanent clown look, it's combined with the Glasgow Grin.

While Batman: Endgame would see the skin of his face restored with a chemical called Dionesiumnote , at the start of The New 52, the Joker had the Dollmaker skin his face and then, after he recovered it, spent Death of the Family wearing it like a Leatherface-esque mask. And even in Endgame, his restored face ends up badly burned as the result of the finale battle between him and Batman, though it still ends up restored again.

Gotham sees neither Valeska escape this. After his death in season 2, Jerome (the proto-Joker) ends up resurrected in season 3, but because Dwight thinks his attempt to revive him failed, Dwight ends up cutting off Jerome's face ala Death of the Family and Jerome ends up stapling it on when he catches up with Dwight and while he later has it properly reattached, there's still scars from what happened. Jeremiah, Jerome's twin and the show's true Joker, ends up with the "perma-clown" appearance due to Jerome having the Scarecrow brew something up to spray in Jeremiah's face, but season 5 sees his fateful fall at Ace Chemicals badly scar his face and sear off most of his hair with only stringy patches left.

Averted entirely in Joker (2019), where his clown appearance is entirely makeup, and the worst it gets is painting his iconic smile on his face with his own blood from a car crash. Not even a Glasgow Grin or anything, the blood is from his hand and his face only has a few normal cuts on it.

While Batman is a rather serious character who refuses to kill anyone, The Joker is a rather comical character who revels in death.

Joker's gadgets tend to be rather goofier but much more lethal, such as the Joker Venom that he often uses to kill his victims.

While Batman gets along well with his sidekicks Robin and Batgirl, Joker frequently abuses his sidekick Harley Quinn and has tried to kill her before, not to mention all the times he has been a Bad Boss by killing his henchmen for any reason you can think of, sometimes for no reason at all.

While Batman's backstory is well known, even by the citizens of Gotham who know of the tragedy of the rich Waynes' in Crime Alley, no one knows anything about the Joker's backstory, but most versions he tells are consistent in two things: he was a nobody, and possibly someone poor.

In most adaptations, his voice is high-pitched in contrast to Batman's Badass Baritone.

Why he went by the name the Red Hood has changed over the years: The Killing Joke claims he was a failed comedian driven to crime to support his pregnant wife. The trauma of his disfigurement from jumping in the acid and his wife's earlier accidental death drove him insane. However, even this backstory is questionable, as the Joker himself calls it "multiple choice".

In Injustice 2, an intro with Atrocitus has the Red Lantern wondering what drove the Joker to nihilism.

In the animated series, he claims to have been abused as a child when interviewed by Harley, but according to Batman, it's just another ruse to escape Arkham.

The purple suit and matching pants with either an orange and/or green shirt with a bowtie or tie, remains the definitive Joker look one that many artists and costume designers have given spin on. He is sometimes known for wearing a cool hat but other times goes hatless. Heath Ledger's custom-designed purple long-coat, trousers, blue shirt and green Waistcoat of Style with a tie has likewise become iconic and famous for its contemporary and downright stylish update on the classic look.

The original Red Hood outfit which is a black suit, white shirt, bowtie with an opera cap and a bizarre red dome is also quite famous.

The Hawaiian tourist outfit he wore in the notorious scene in The Killing Joke.

The white suit he wears in Miller's The Dark Knight Returns as well as the white nurse maid outfit with red wig in The Dark Knight is also quite notable.

The Future Joker look from Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker which went with a mime look (black body suit, slicked-back hair) is also quite distinct and unique.

The first issue of Batman with Joker's debut has him described as having "burning, hate-filled eyes" and the moniker, "the harliquin of hate".

The Man Who Laughs had Bruce dosed with a light version of the Joker Venom and he felt his perspective shift into a paranoid vengeance were he felt everyone deserved to be punished for his parent's death just for existing.

Death of the Family had Batman describe how Joker's irises are always narrow when looking at anyone but Batman and that it is usually an indication of negative feelings toward something with Bruce mentioning that his eye are the eyes of someone who hates everything he sees.

In the Justice League storyline "Rock of Ages", Martian Manhunter has to put in incredible effort to reorganize Joker's mind long enough for him to give up the cataclysmic Philosopher's Stone. The briefly sane Joker immediately says My God, What Have I Done? verbatim as he hands it back, before quickly losing his mind and going back to the laughing madman.

The famous example from the end of The Killing Joke, where Batman tries to convince him to allow Batman to rehabilitate him before their vendetta kills them. Joker considers it for a long, somber moment before quietly reflecting that they're both too far gone.

Batman: Cacophony ends with Joker being pumped full of an inhuman amount of antipsychotic drugs to keep him under control while in recovery from a near-fatal stabbing. Batman takes the opportunity to have a relatively-sane conversation with him, though it's somewhat subverted by Joker still being a homicidal sociopath even while heavily sedated.

He even gives multiple reasons on how he came Back from the Dead in Injustice 2 and will go along with whatever his opponent thinks is true, despite being Dead All Along in story mode and only appearing as a hallucination to his ex-moll.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns sees him kill David Endochrine and Ruth Weisenheimer, who were clearly based on David Letterman and Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

During Knightfall, once he realizes that Azrael isn't Batman, his plan's gone to hell, and one too many criticisms from Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert stand-ins, he kills the stand-ins.

In one of the issues for the The Batman tie-in comic, The Batman Strikes, he terrorizes a stand-in for Conan O'Brien. This becomes darkly Hilarious in Hindsight as the real O'Brien voiced Endochrine in the animated version of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. In the series proper, Harley's debut had the two of them terrorize a stand-in for Dr. Phil for the climax.

If you want to know how truly terrifying The Batman Who Laughs is, look no further than the way Joker acts whenever discussing him. He doesn't laugh, he doesn't smile. He becomes calm and serious and simply tells whomever he's talking to that the TBWL is "a wrong thing that shouldn't exist". Someone HAS to be scary if the very thought of him makes Joker act like a calm rational sane person.

In Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, the clown has a massive Villainous Breakdown when Terry mocks him for his failed attempts to break Batman.

On the rare occasion Joker gets bored and leaves Gotham, expect everyone to think of him as just a silly clown, until the bodies start piling up.

One issue of the Robin Series had him talking about having Abusive Parents, only for a psychiatrist to tell him it's the seventh story he's told now.

Batman lampshades on this to Harley in the animated series, thinking it's another lie to gain sympathy.

The Killing Joke claims he was a failed comedian driven to crime to support his pregnant wife. The trauma of his disfigurement and his wife's earlier accidental death drove him mad. However, even this could be a lie, as he himself calls it "multiple choice".

It's even discussed in Injustice 2, as Atrocitus wonders what drove the Joker to nihilism. Despite only appearing as a hallucination to Harley in story mode, he spews out multiple theories for his Unexplained Recovery and will say Sure, Let's Go with That in non-canon fights. Was he resurrected by someone, or is he from another universe? Did he escape from either the Source Wall or the Phantom Zone, or is he just an apparition?

Shadow of the Bat #38, Tears of a Clown: He celebrates his anniversary of the day he was a still sane, but hapless comedian, and was thrown out of an exclusive Stand-Up Comedy club for an unfunny act the patrons mercilessly heckled. It was the last straw as he agreed to provide to his family by pulling a job for the Red Hood gang. So he kidnaps all the patrons and reenacts his act with control collars that will kill them when they laugh. Oddly enough, the patrons are hardcore Stand-Up Comedy fans, so they can't remember the number of times they've booed someone. However, even this origin story could be a lie.

It's come to be his primary disfigurement over the original skin bleaching.

In Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, Terry McGinnis exploits this by delivering an epic Boring Insult so the clown will have a Villainous Breakdown.

King Barlowe proved to be a big one in his Thanatos Gambit in the episode "Joker's Millions" of The New Batman Adventures. In a spiteful Video Will, he gives the clown his millions, revealing in his tape that most of it was fake. Expecting the clown to splurge on it, he won't have enough to pay off the IRS, allowing Barlowe to get the "last laugh" after his death, without the Joker coming after him.

Alan Moore's "I go Loony" from The Killing Joke, an in-panel song-and-dance tune that was eventually made into an actual song belted out in Batman: The Killing Joke.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold has "Where's the Fun in That?" from the episode "Emperor Joker".

Batman: Arkham City ended with him covering The Platters' "Only You (and You Alone)", Batman: Arkham Origins had him cover Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold, Heart" and Batman: Arkham Knight had him provide an original composition, "Can't Stop Laughing".

Action Fashionista: This incarnation of the Joker has a wide variety of garish outfits for every occassion — most of them straight from the comics.

Adaptational Attractiveness: Metal teeth, lack of eyebrows, and tattoos aside, he's still being played by the youthful-looking real life Pretty Boy Jared Leto; especially since the last two cinematic Jokers were a creepy middle-aged gangster with a botched face-lift and a filthy, scarred vagrant (even the mentally unwell clown-for-hire doesn't scream Mr. Fanservice one bit). This version looks more like Marilyn Manson.

Adaptational Nice Guy: A very downplayed example. While he's otherwise the same Clown Prince of Crime we all know and love to hate, he appears to genuinely care for Harley, and even throws her out of a falling helicopter to save her life. Almost any other iteration of the Joker would do that to save his own skin or rid himself of her.

Adaptational Skimpiness: This version of the Joker tends to be shirtless a lot more than he has in any other medium. It mostly seems like an opportunity to show off his tattoos.

Adaptation Distillation: Leto's Joker seems to be less of the "evil philosopher" that Heath Ledger portrayed him as in The Dark Knight, and instead seems to be a cross between the garish, larger-than-life Mark Hamill version from the animated series and the Arkham games, and the creepy, deeply twisted Brian Azzarello version. David Ayer had also stated that he looked specifically to the Golden Age Joker for reference, providing reason for many to believe that Leto's Joker is a modern re-imagining of that incarnation.

Advertised Extra: Heavily featured in Suicide Squad promotional materials, barely appears in the film for more than seven minutes. According to Jared Leto, several of the scenes he shot were not included in the theatrical cut.

Ambiguous Disorder: In Suicide Squad, most of the time the Joker seems... not all there compared to Harley. In addition of psychopathic tendencies, the Joker has random bouts of maniacal laughter, confusion, and slurred speech-like patterns. All attributes that stem from punch-drunk syndrome. Considering he has faced Batman one too many times, it makes sense that the Joker's mental stability is finally catching up to him.

However, come Birds of Prey, they broke up, mirroring the comics where they do have an Relationship Revolving Door. It appears to stick, as Harley publicly calls it quits between the two of them.

His tattoos are very reminiscent of the Joker in All Star Batman and Robin.

Ax-Crazy: Like all the incarnations before him, calling him a violent psychopath is one of the biggest understatements you can make.

Bedlam House: Spent some time at Arkham Asylum, where he met Harley. Then he broke free from it with the help of both Harley and his gang.

Chewing the Scenery: An important part of the character is his theatricality.

Cool Car: A bright purple sports car with underglow lights and a "HAHAHA" license plate.

Dented Iron: It's subtle, but the numerous scars on his body and metal replacement teeth in his mouth are clear signs that his frequent run-ins with Batman are taking their toll.

Disney Death: He seemingly dies in the crash of his helicopter... only to come back to free Harley from her high security prison at the end of Suicide Squad.

The Dreaded: In true Joker fashion, everyone is terrified of him.

Establishing Character Moment: One that takes place before he even makes his official debut in the setting - he killed Robin (a minor) and vandalized his outfit to mock Batman over his inability to save him.

Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Insofar as much as the Joker can love anyone, anyway, but he does seem to genuinely care about Harley. Eventually, subverted.

Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: He considers the brutal murder of a minor as a joke he played on Batman. When he's torturing Harleen Quinzel, he promises not to shatter her well-kept teeth while flashing his own hideous metal dentures. When Harleen later has him at gunpoint, Joker just says "please don't kill me, I'll be ya friend" in a snarky tone.

Evil Is Hammy: It's not The Joker if he's not Chewing the Scenery. And, sure enough, he does.

Evil Is Petty: The graffiti on Robin's costume seems to imply that Joker murdered him just to prod at Batman. It is confirmed in Suicide Squad that Joker and Harley killed him.

Evil Laugh: It's kind of his thing. One notable example is when he chuckles while surrounded by an arsenal of weapons.

Fake Shemp: Indie rocker Johnny Goth stood in for Jared Leto in Birds of Prey, in the flashback where he and Harley torture and tattoo the big mafia thug Harley later bumps back into.

Foil: To Batman as usual, but with some new additions. After 20 years, Batman became more jaded and cruel, while the Joker somewhat mellowed out and his criminal activity became more professional. Batman didn't settle down until the death of Superman while the Joker grew attached to Harley Quinn.

In Suicide Squad Griggs' smug indifference about his gambling debt immediately becomes pure terror when he realizes the Joker has gotten involved.

He is so feared that even the likes of Black Mask would rather steer clear of him. Harley's enemies only start gunning for her in Birds of Prey when it's become clear that she's no longer with him.

G-Y

The Ghost:

There is an allusion to him in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ("HA HA HA Joke's On You, Batman" painted across the chest of the dead Robin's empty suit in the Batcave), but he doesn't actually appear.

He gets mentioned a lot in Birds of Prey, but he's only seen very briefly in some flashbacks, always from the back (including footage from Suicide Squad). There is a whole Deleted Scene where he and Harley have a domestic dispute. Harley leaves the house through the window and the Joker throws her stuffed beaver out through the window. In the film proper, she's just kicked out of the house, with no shot of Mr. J.

Greater-Scope Villain: His role in Batman v Superman. Despite not actually appearing his murder of Robin by this point has driven Batman down a darker, more vengeful path that goes against Batman's traditional moral code; the one that the Joker is always trying to prove is wrong. Batman's rage towards Superman blinds him to the possibility of Lex Luthor being the real threat long enough for Superman to die fighting Doomsday. In a way the Joker's actions contributed to Batman's failure.

Guttural Growler: This Joker is noticeably more snarly than previous incarnations.

Handshake Refusal: He doesn't like to shake hands, as Monster T finds out.

Hell-Bent for Leather: Wears a purple crocodile skin duster at some point in the film.

Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Despite being a homicidal sociopath, he seems to truly love his girlfriend Harley Quinn. Then in Birds Of Prey, he coldly and violently breaks up with her.

Joker Immunity: He appears to die when his helicopter is shot down about halfway through Suicide Squad. To absolutely no one's surprise, he shows up alive and well in the final scene. It helps that he's the Trope Namer.

Knife Nut: And by God, does he have enough blades.◊

Lean and Mean: This Joker, while muscular, is quite lean, especially compared to the heavily muscled Batman.

Love Epiphany: Well, "love" is pushing it, but Joker realizes his affections for Harley when she dives in the chemical bath that ultimately turned Joker into what he is. Symbolic in the sense she was agreeing to join him in madness. Further adding to the complexity of the scene; Joker was tying up a loose end, having used Harley to escape from Arkham. He lead her to her demise and intended to leave her for death but at the same moment realized she had entered his world and his madness. Joker never anticipated the amount of utter devotion Harley would have for him, something inside him just couldn't walk away from her, so he jumped in to save her.

Manipulative Bastard: He manipulated Harley into helping him escape Arkham because she fell in love with him. When she served her purpose, he would have had her kill herself jumping into a bath of chemicals to prove her feelings. He instead saves her from this demise because he has a Love Epiphany in the moment.

Monster Clown: Like the previous film versions, Joker is an Ax-Crazy criminal with clownish makeup. Green hair notwithsanding, his white makeup, red lipstick and absence of facial scars make him look closer to a mime than his predecessors.

Noble Demon: In Suicide Squad, his whole motivation is to rescue Harley Quinn. His commitment is so strong he doesn't even waste time with pranks or petty acts of cruelty. Everything he does is for someone else.

Only Known By His Nickname: He's only known as The Joker, or "J" / "Mr. J".

Outlaw Couple: He and Harley Quinn are lovers and partners in crime.

Sadist: Even though there was only a few select scenes of him, one of them is him torturing Harley. It's disturbingly obvious that he is positively gleeful over it. And he doesn't seem to have lost any sleep over murdering Robin, either.

Pet the Dog: David Ayer confirms that while he did push Harley out of the falling helicopter, his intent was in fact to save her life.

Satellite Love Interest: To Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad. His characterization revolves entirely around Harley, not even getting involved with the main plot.

Scary Teeth: Several of his teeth are made of metal. According to David Ayer, Batman punched his teeth out after he killed Robin, leading him to replace them with metal teeth.

Screw This, I'm Outta Here!: Although he has a presence at the start of the film, The Joker appears to have left Gotham City to be controlled by Black Mask in Birds of Prey, with Roman saying that Joker has already skipped town.

The Sociopath: He's chaotic and remorseless, much like his previous versions. Special mention goes to his murder of Robin, which he topped off by spray-painting a cruel taunt for Batman onto the boy's costume.

Tattooed Crook: His torso is covered in jester-themed tattoos. He also has a few on his arms and face.

Villain of Another Story: He mainly appeared in Suicide Squad, but his biggest act of villainy to date — killing Robin — happened some years before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, in which he doesn't appear. The spray-painted message on Robin's empty suit ("Ah ah ah joke's on you Batman!") in the latter film can't be anything else than his doing.

Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?: Is seen with a rather impressive arsenal of guns and knives. And even says to warden Griggs, at some point, "I can't wait to show you my toys." note Notably, he manages to hijack the gunship which was sent to extract Waller and the squad so he can rescue Harley.

Would Hit a Girl: In the past, the Joker electroshocks and manipulates Dr. Harleen Quinzel into allowing her to fall into a vat of chemicals, in order to become Harley Quinn.

Would Hurt a Child: He killed Batman's sidekick, Robin, while the boy was an underage minor.

You Gotta Have Blue Hair: His hair is bright green.

"Knightmare" Joker

"You won't kill me. I'm your best friend..." Appearances:

Zack Snyder's Justice League

"You need me. You... need me... to help you undo this world you created, by letting her die."

The Joker meets up once more with Batman in the nightmarish alternate future where Darkseid has conquered the Earth and Superman turned evil. But things aren't the same anymore between the two legendary foes.

See also the Knightmare page for more on that setting's characters.

Break Them by Talking: He deliberately tries to agitate Batman by reminding him of how many people have died on his watch.

Cop Killer: He wears a bulletproof vest with at least two dozens police badges on it. Whether these were good cops killed prior to the apocalypse or servants of the oppressive regime of Superman after the apocalypse is not detailed.

Costume Evolution: He has ditched his garish gangster suits for what looks like either a medical gown or a butcher gown, complete with orange gloves and a bulletproof vest with a dozen police badges pinned on it. He got rid of his "Damaged" forehead tattoo, let his hair grow and put red makeup around his mouth, looking closer to more common depictions of the character.

Enemy Mine: He and Batman had the worst kind of enmity imaginable, but the Earth being conquered by Darkseid is enough of a Conflict Killer for them to call a truce and work together to try undoing this mess.

Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: He utters the line "We live in a society" while gazing upon the devastated landscape in the trailer. This is clearly a Meme Acknowledgement, and it's quite awkwardly used given the context (is there really any society left in this post-apocalyptic world?). It doesn't appear in the actual film, however. The line was improvised by Leto.

Evil Laugh: Even with the world being in such a sorry state and him still being sane enough to acknowledge how bad the situation is, he'll still let some laughs out, even though they sound more subdued than ever.

Evil Versus Oblivion: Even he sees the necessity of teaming up with Batman to try undoing what Darkseid did to Earth.

Future Badass: He survived the apocalypse brought upon Earth by Darkseid and looks like he's geared for guerilla actions.

My Card: He gives a Joker card to Batman as a symbol of their truce. Shall the Dark Knight want to break that truce, he'd just have to tear that card up. The card could be seen strapped on Batman's assault rifle in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!: Joker gets a high reminding Batman how costly his mistakes in the past have been.

The Nicknamer: He nicknames Mera "my little fish stick" and Robin "Boy Wonder".

Progressively Prettier: Despite being worse for wear, this Joker is arguably even better looking than his previous appearance, with his over-the-top tattooed gangster image toned down and his androgyny played up. Ironically, this version also more closely resembles the Heath Ledger incarnation.

Thousand-Yard Stare: He has such a stare when looking at the devastated horizon as he starts talking to Batman.

Villain Has a Point: While he’s the one who killed Robin, he gives Batman a minor What the Hell, Hero? for sending “a Boy Wonder to do a man’s job.”

Vocal Evolution: His voice is much softer and higher pitched than it was in Suicide Squad.

#TheJokerInformation

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violetrose-art · 3 years ago

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Beetlejuice Headcannons and Ideas

This is just a list of the headcannons and ideas I came up with for Beetlejuice (the movie and the TV show). I might add more later on, so watch out

-After a while, Lydia started to develop feelings for Prince Vince and while she was visiting the Neitherworld with Beetlejuice, she eventually confessed her feelings for Vince and they fell in love. And Beetlejuice immediately went into overprotective uncle mode

-Queen Aranea, Prince Vince’s mother, is something of a witch and she enjoys brewing potions and creating spells

The Giant Squark is a giant squid/shark hybrid that is native to the Neitherworld and they’re ferocious predators the dead fear

-Aranea met King Sebastian, Prince Vince’s father, at a drive-in movie. She was working at the theater and Sebastian, who was Prince at the time, noticed her and he was instantly smitten… and Aranea was smitten with him, too. But she knew a commoner like her could never be with the Prince of the Neitherworld, so she decided to disguise herself as a princess to fool Sebastian’s parents. It worked for a little while, but when everyone found out the truth, Sebastian stood by Aranea and he told her that he loved her for who she really was. And he told his parents that if they couldn't deal with that then he and Aranea would leave. But of course, that didn't happen

-Prince Vince was born and raised in the Neitherworld

-Sebastian abdicated the throne when he thought Vince should be ready to rule. He tolerates the boy, but he doesn't like his son’s gloomy disposition

-Aranea can transform herself into a Giant Squark

-Sebastian can transform himself into a chimera

-Vince can transform himself into a four-headed hydra

-When Lydia married Vince and became Queen of the Neitherworld, she developed supernatural powers of her own, including the ability to transform herself into a giant red and black spider

-Sebastian has two pet hounds named Basher and Slasher

-Lydia and Vince have a daughter named Mona

-Juno had become Lydia’s royal advisor when Lydia and Vince were crowned King and Queen

-Mona’s best friend is a young albino girl named Anna-Maria Bloodworth… and she’s the child of Bloody Mary

-Heaven and Hell do exist, but the Neitherworld is more similar to a purgatory

-When he was alive, Beetlejuice was a conman as well as a crazy drug addict and after a while, he started to hear voices in his head. The voices got louder and louder until finally, he couldn’t take it anymore and he decided to kill himself, which led him to end up in the Neitherworld

-Beetlejuice was supposed to assist Juno in helping her clients understand and readjust to their new afterlives as well as help them get rid of any unwanted guests. And he quit because he thought he could do so much better at getting rid of the living than any ghost ever could

-Adam and Barbara were high school sweethearts when they were alive

-Juno was a higher up at a very successful company, but the pressure to be perfect was a little too much for her, especially at her old age. And at the end of it, she ended her life

-Beetlejuice started out as an ordinary ghost, but he wanted to be more than that. So he went to see a sorcerer and asked him to be more powerful than any ghost in the Neitherworld. The sorcerer agreed, but the price Beetlejuice had to pay was his sense of reason and most of his sanity

-Both God AND the Devil created the Neitherworld together. It started out as a thought and after a while with help from a bit of witchcraft, it manifested itself into the freaky and wacky Neitherworld we know today

-Sandworms were ancient beings created by a group of gods and they feed on the dead. That’s why Beetlejuice and most of the Neitherworld citizens are so afraid of them

-Miss Argentina used to be an ordinary beauty pageant queen from South America when she was alive. She was a champion, but when she lost a SUPER big pageant at the peak of her career, she thought she lost her thunder and had a bit of a mental break. Her loss combined with all of the stress she was under to be the absolute best drove her over the edge and she decided to end her life, even though she keeps saying it was an accident

-There are all sorts of strange and crazy creatures in the Neitherworld. There are rats the size of bears, vicious butterflies, monsters made of goo, demonic clowns, cats, dogs, and rabbits that are very similar to Cerberus and Orthrus, and so many more

-The Neitherworld has nobility, but very strange nobility

-There are some rather cruel and nasty punishment methods in the Neitherworld, mostly taking inspiration from medieval torture methods as well as a few magical ones

-Maxie Dean and his wife died after Beetlejuice smacked them sky high with hammers

-Halloween is a pretty HUGE deal down in the Neitherworld and I'm sure they do, kind of like how the inhabitants of Halloweentown go to the human world to spread Halloween spirit

-A necromancer from a long time ago wrote the Handbook for the Recently Deceased so it could help out new souls that aren't used to being dead yet

This is all I've got so far, but feel free to tell me what you think and tell me which one is your favorite

#Beetlejuice #Tim Burton

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strengthcfcharacter · 5 years ago

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Beyond Belief Sentence Starters Part 5

A selection of sentence starters taken from The Thrilling Adventure Hour’s Complete Beyond Belief Vol. 5:

“Did you forget what happened the last time we opened this window?”

“The unpleasantness with the bee, yes.”

“While the memory of the bumblebee still makes my skin crawl, we cannot live in fear.”

“I only hope we will not regret your decision.”

“Well that was ominous in both tenor and timing.”

“The bogeyman made us choose which one of us he would eat. We chose ___.”

“Oh, how very clever of me.”

“Don’t you want to know why I came by unannounced?”

“I was always afraid to visit Manhattan due to its excessive verticality.”

“I never had an original idea in my head!”

“It is a treat to see you ___. I only wish the circumstances could be a little bit completely different.”

“What a polite and accurate ghost-boy.”

“A haunting doesn’t make considerations for time served.”

“Your wife/husband is mocking the devil!”

“He may pour a bucket of water on us, but do not worry, for in that bucket is not water as you might expect, but glittery paper!”

“He really isn’t that kind of clown.”

“Honk your nose once for yes.”

“Shoo, will you? Shoo! It’s not merely the domain of flies to shoo.”

“Now is not the time for a leisurely stroll down memory lane! This bee is indoors! Circling like a very small air shark!”

“He has a knife for a bottom and he can at any time tooshie-stab any one of us!”

“The devil’s making a deal with me.”

“People are lining up to be tortured, but not to torture. Time’s have changed.”

“Far be it from us to send him away like a sad balloon.”

“Look at you, like you don’t own a cape just like this one.”

“We have blood on hand? As a mixer?”

“How much sympathy is polite in regard to the complaint ‘I haven’t recently savoured mouthfuls of blood’?”

“Have you seen a werewolf? They’re huge, strong, with teeth and claws! Come on, they’ll tear you up, man.”

“Money is no object… well it’s some object, I don’t have that much.”

“Are you aware that it is currently Christmas Eve?”

“Hang up the phone please, are you trying to call the whole outdoors?”

“Some Christmas spirits will put me in the Christmas spirit!”

“You do not interact with me with that tone of voice.”

“Why aren’t you holed up somewhere engaging in cowardice?”

“I don’t hurry, you know that.”

“Are you safe from the rash of murders due to your active role in them?”

“Doesn’t take much for a dog to say ‘just kill someone’ and for a person to look at a sweet face like that and say ‘alright’.”

“My dog’s not a murderer and neither am I one of those.”

“I want you to apologise to my dog.”

“Oh, I’m too crazy now to put ice cream on a cone and give it to you?”

“One is only truly alive when concluding the life of another.”

“I cannot stay mad at you, you look delicious!”

“Don’t worry ___, I have concocted a plan to save us, and it goes a little something like this… HELP!”

“Do help us, we’re far too lovely for such peril!”

“Now the other part of the plan is for someone to come and help us.”

“I cannot believe it, you are combining your utter dumbity?!”

“You have to move if I’m to close the door. You don’t want to get it on you.”

“Well what are you waiting for tall, dark and spooky?”

“‘We’re leaving the comfort of home?’, he asked, dread mounting.”

“He’s occasionally a werewolf.”

“The Interrogation Room is clearly the clever name of a bar.”

“I am head over heels, which as I say the expression does not seem different from the usual posture with which one employs.”

“We take this very seriously, apparently.”

“Ooh! Let’s employ the old routine of good cop, drunk cop!”

“May I suggest drunk cop, rogue elephant instead?”

“Destruction is my boyfriend, I make out with death and I’m going steady with despair.”

“I can’t decide if she’s more like a pillow made of clouds or a cloud made out of pillows.”

“I cannot watch… and yet I decidedly cannot not watch.”

“My love is not selfless, it is… the other thing.”

“I can do upwards of 50 push ups in a single effort.”

“I can drink 50 drinks in a single effort.”

“Then let us make with the smooches.”

“Do not make me bust this door into the type of wood that is kindling.”

“If ___ and I are to be damned, at least we’re damned together.”

“It’s worse than sobriety!”

“Do not make the subtext text! Where were you raised?”

“Our love blew up a succubus!”

“Themed parties are such a chore! You know the dress code will be something they made up like ‘beach formal’.”

“Bring me a wine that insults me to my face and makes me like it.”

“One simply does not kill one’s guests. Where did you go to finishing school?”

#meme #specify muse

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trickstermelon · 6 years ago

Note

In your College!Au about the Zexal characters, what would they do after college?

i think Kaito and Chris continue doing their astrophysics, probably make a bunch of breakthroughs on intergalactic space travel and teleportation with the help of the Barians– but then Kaito gets bored and decides he wants to be a teacher. A bunch of big universities want him but tbh he’s happier helping a bunch of middle schoolers grow up. Chris is happy to say in the research field, but takes a liking to biochemistry later on.

fuckin Thomas is a movie/broadway star– known for doing big dueling-centric action movies and really macabre plays. might meet Dennis. he loves the spotlight, but also spends a lot of time messing around with his other hobbies like doll-making and fashion design. Probably opens his own line of toys if given the chance

Trey finally settles on a technical school actually, I think he’d be interested in clock creation and upkeep. Has his own cute lil aesthetic shop that also doubles as a library/bookstore centered on marginalized voices and uncommon perspectives in history. (this will get long, more under the cut)

Yuma’s loving his national park job, his main focus has becoming an artifact and historical site historian/preserver. He also loves doing educational tours. Tori teamed up with him and uses her graphic design and marketing skills to 1) get grants to help maintain and protect nature 2) get more people to visit and learn.

Caswell became a judge, Cathy became a like, pet show judge on top of her vet business and pushes for the proper breeding of animals for health instead of looks. Flip Teaches Clown School.

Barians:

Rio finally settled on a full time boxing career, doing legit fights as well was WWE type events to combine her love of performance with sport. She and Tori married soon as Tori go out of school. They travel a lot, but Tori is luckily able to do a lot of her stuff on the road.

I think Shark finally became a singer. There’s theories he’s immortal because he sings about historical events like he was there, plus a lot of pop punk/punk rock. Still hasn’t settled down officially, may be running from his feelings on tour, but is sorta kinda in a poly relationship w Durbe, Yuma and Thomas-- and technically Vector, Kaito, Chris and Mizael it’s a looong vine m’dudes. Does a lot of charity events.

Durbe is a translator and probs some sort of diplomat/lobbyist? Plus owns a small ranch that does horse care/riding lessons on top of some farming stuff. Vector lives with him/has turned part of the barn loft into a living space and likes the steady scheduled work of farm labor (particularly loves the goats and cats) when he’s not being a personal money advisor (he likes to screw over loansharks/insurance comapnies/etc to stop them from screwing people over)

I think Mizael is still p much running Barian world in the others absences, doing a lot of work with (or against) Eliphas to make sure both barians and astrals get along. He still spends a lot of time on earth helping scientists figure out dimensional travel and making out w his bfs

Alit is a published poet and writer! When he’s not writing he and Rio compete in the ring babyyy. May or may not run a romance/relationship advice blog under a pen name but like. Almost everyone know’s its him.

Gil is a chef at a big fancy like, traditional food restaurant-- and also does a lot of food kitchens. He and Alit still live together w 3 dogs, Gil does a lot of his costume designs and gets some freelance tailoring jobs.

they all get happy endings cause thats what they Deserve

#animationexhilaration #zexal #aaaaaa #took so long sorry #barians #Yuma Tsukumo

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cutiecrates · 5 years ago

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Cutie Reviews: DokiDoki July 19

(I just realized I accidentally forgot to change the previous months month in the title. Again <_< hope nobody was too confused about that.)

It says I was only gone for about a week but it feels like it’s been at least two since I last wrote anything. It was not intentional at all- it just seemed like things kept getting in the way. But I’m out of my rut and my health is doing fine, so I really wanted to get back on track. Especially since I was almost caught up!

Before I begin this review however, I wanted to take a moment to talk about a present my friend got me for my birthday:

My pictures don’t do them justice o3o the gold one is ACTUALLY golden, and the brown one has flecks of gold on it, and the split one is cotton candy!

These are macarons from the brand ma-ka-rohn, there was 14 of them in total. They have a constantly changing menu, and you can buy as many as you want according to my friend. They make regular flavors like vanilla and birthday cake, to unique ones like galaxy and various cereals! They’re also gluten free, and for order over $69.00 you get free shipping! They have a variety of holiday sets, a macaron club, various offers, and each individual macaron costs $1.99. A very fair price if you ask me.

The packaging on these was extremely heavy duty (layers of giant bubble wrap, plastic wrapping, plastic containers), so I’m not entirely sure why the rose one was smashed, but it was still in one piece and edible.

I’m not sponsored or affiliated with them, but you can bet I’d recommend these if you ever wanted to try macarons or like me, really like them but want to upgrade that flavor profile and try more varieties ;P I might start adding these to the review selection on the blog~

Alright, we’ll be returning to the actual reason we’re here now. I was just so excited and in love with these that I just had to share them with you guys.

This months theme: Kawaii Cove

“Splash into July’s Crate with this month’s theme Kawaii Cove. Your crate is sure to help you enjoy summer from exploring the deep blue with your new adorable marine plushie to cooling off with Sumikko Gurashi ice cubes in a refreshing drink. Dive in!“

Suteki Crate & Photo Prize

To go with our blue, watery theme, we have a lot of cute summery items from Sanrio; including plushies and pillows to practical things like bags and a bento set. The Suteki Crate pretty much sets the mood for this box and I feel like it was a perfect match.

Meanwhile, the photo prize for this month is a Jinbei San Kokujira Plush.

Marshmal Park Marine Plush

Everybody knows a buddy makes relaxing or vacations even more fun, and for summer we have the perfect companion! You’ve seen these guys on the blog several times, but each time they just get cuter and cuter. This collection is perfect for this box!

Marshmal Park, for anyone new or unfamiliar, are a series of marshmallow or mochi-like stuffed animals that can be stretched and squished on. They are very soft and smooshy, and are great for hugging and cuddling. This marine set includes a seal, shark, clown fish, angular fish, or the whale shark, which is the one I received.

I really like it ♥ he’s very cute with his pastel polka-dot pattern and face, and the detailing on him is very smooth and perfect, not a single strand or stitch out of place. He’s also very filled and huggable, I hate getting things like these and being letdown by their low-stuffing (such as the dog from the June box), but thankfully that rarely ever happens and that was a different brand I believe. This one has never disappointed!

Sumikko Gurashi Pouch

(sorry for the blur o_o)

Our next item is a pouch, which can come in handy in many situations and look cute doing it. For this months box we could either get a penguin, or polar bear dressed up as a penguin (I love polar bear so I’m very happy I got this one), both featuring a super-soft plush-like surface that makes them feel really soft~

Besides the sewn on details on the front, the back also features a sewn Sumikko Gurashi logo. What I thought was really fun was that the zipper (which is pastel pink!) is at a 90 degree angle!

I love stroking the material of this pouch x3 it’s so soft~ It’s also very cute and it doesn’t feel tight, so I feel like I could get away with carrying a decent amount of items in here- the only thing you need to watch out for is that it doesn’t get wet due to the material its made out of.

He goes perfect with my whale shark ♥

Hello Kitty Marine Notepad

The adorable marine theme continues with a miniature notepad featuring Hello Kitty and various sea animals :D There was a few various designs, each with paper vaguely similar to it. I’m not sure how many varieties there are because the booklet features a dolphin design, while the one I got has seals and otter; they’re so sweet looking~

Now, to go with this we also get a

Tuxedo Sam Scented Marker

This cute, double-sided marker features Tuxedo Sam and two amazing scents; not only adding a pop of color to a picture or notes, but a yummy scent too~

Don’t let the caps fool you though, because these are highlighter bright. This marker also demonstrates the scent gimmick, which I thought was a really cute touch; the yellow side is Vanilla while the blue is soda. If you combine the colors, they make cream soda. This marker is worth/costs 3 Sanrio Points (as usual I have no idea, I just kind of assume thats what it means. It might even be part of a lottery for all I know).

I love this marker :3 now only is it very functional being duo-sided, but the scent is wonderful and for being 3/4 months old, it’s still working fine. The vanilla scent is extremely strong and long lasting, while the soda is lighter (and keep in mind I applied the vanilla first, and did this “swatch” when I took the pics) and seems to fade over time. Combined, the scent is pretty light (which might be my fault because I didn’t want contamination) but I did notice a difference.

I didn’t have much to say about the notepad because... you know, it’s a basic notepad I get in several boxes, other than saying the marker obviously bleeds through the pages, there isn’t much to say about it. I do like it though, it’s very cute.

Sumikko Gurashi Ice Cubes

and now we’re on to our final item, this cute set of Sumikko Gurashi ice cubes ♥ Since I was little we’ve had sets of these, my very first was a set of sea animals (ironic huh?), I was heartbroken when we realized they were old and had to be thrown away (but I kept one of the whales, they were my favorite). Not too long after we replaced them by a fruit set.

So as you can see, we get 3 of the Sumikko Gurashi, including my 2 favorites Neko and Polar Bear, along with Lizard; who I don’t have particular feelings for but seem to get a lot of in these boxes.This set was made for me.

I prefer these to real ice cubes, I love them way more and your drink doesn’t get watered down (but as a pro tip, if you’re serving drink to a party or friends, freeze the liquid and turn that into ice cubes :D so if you need them the watering down doesn’t occur!). You still need to freeze them but it’s well worth it, and they look so adorable bobbing around in the drink!

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Content - 4 out of 5. Like last time, I will agree that these items weren’t necessarily new to me or very unique- but they were fun, and very cute! The quality is there and they’re practical, I didn’t feel disgruntled or bored with this box like I did the previous ones. I admit that the items are on the smaller side this time around, but sometimes its necessary. I’m not sure they were worth what we paid, but we did have a lot of singular item variety, which I think is always fun and makes the box more special.

Theme: 4.5 out of 5. For our 2nd out of 3 summer boxes (technically 1 out of 2 though because June didn’t do a summer theme), I really like this. The Suteki Crate and items match the water theme exactly and I loved how all the colors were very similar, which helped provide further blending. You could bring all of these items with you on a trip or just use them casually. My only minor complaint is that they wouldn’t be durable in water, with the exception of the ice cubes. This box could have been a good opportunity to include items that could handle water or had water-esque details in design or gimmick, to play up the theme more.

Total Rank: 9 out of 10 Cuties. I liked this box, it was really cute and fun for the time of the year. I know there are ways they could have made it better, but I don’t take for granted what we got either. I know everything will be well-loved by me and I’ll be using the products.

♥ Cutie Scale ♥

1. Marine Plush - He’s so sweet looking, and I love the pastel polka-dot coloring, because I love dots, and pastels! I've been keeping him with me as of late and he makes me feel better.

2. Scented Marker - It’s very cute looking, even if I have a bunch of highlighters by now. I like its functionality and the scent is a bonus I’ll gladly welcome.

3. Sumikko Gurashi Ice Cubes - They’re so cute and fun to look at x3 It doesn’t hurt that it included my favorites.

4. Sumikko Gurashi Pouch - These are another item I see way too frequently, but I can’t get over how adorable it is~ I feel like with each one I get, I’m putting away the old one. I definitely want to use this one!

5. Hello Kitty Notepad - I felt really bad about this because we know I love Hello Kitty, and I thought the notepad was very cute. But I get so many that I can only use so many >3< I really wish they would take a break on these...

#cutie reviews #dokidokicrate #tuxedo sam #hello kitty #sumikko gurashi #macarons

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haxxy · 6 years ago

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oh the fruit asks are REALLY GOOD! Will you answer all of them (or as many as you like)

*rubs my lil hands 2gether*

I already answered banana, plum, nectarine, pomegranate, and papaya so I will do... all except those ones... enjoy this heaping serving of fruit salad...

peach: do you have any piercings or tattoos?

I have my ears pierced, that’s all. I’d like to get a tattoo sometime though, once I’ve got the funds, the time, and the ability to commit.

raspberry: favorite flower?

I LOVE... SUNFLOWERS... so much! I love them! They are big and yellow and they make me happy to see!

lemon: do you have any pets? what are their names?

I don’t have any pets but I do have some *xylophone noise* animal skulls

mango: what is your trademark?

Eyes, I guess? Eyes, the color purple, sunflowers (yay). I’m sure some people associate clowns and frogs with me too, tho those are kinda in tumblr vogue rn

passion fruit: how would you describe your style?

I like to describe myself as like... goth flavored, in the way that sparkling water is fruit flavored. I feel like if I was slightly more pretentious and willing to learn about bands and genres I could be a metalhead, I’ve already got the hair and the oversized band shirt and the big stompy leather boots. I don’t really have much of a set style though, idk. Check out my clothes wishlist on amazon if you’re really curious, ig?

pineapple: sexual orientation?

panromantic pansexual

strawberry: favorite desserts?

all desserts are good desserts ye baby. I really like plain cheesecake though, and like... good chocolate chip cookies... stuff with dark chocolate in it... fresh fruits with whipped cream... the DECADENCE... I love dessert...

cherry: can you play any musical instruments or can you sing?

I can kind of sort of play the piano (I took lessons for like... oh fuck, eight years maybe?? jesus...I still kinda suck tho). I’d like to think that I can sing okay, but I’m not like, the type to belt out tunes or anything. I enjoy singing to myself tho.

grape: if you could take a vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Japan would be super neato, or like... the west coast. I’m kinda afraid of both of those places tho, (tsunami phobia, yay!), so that’s fun!

blackberry: is your life an action film, a comedy, a romantic comedy, or drama?

Probably a drama... not enough funny stuff has happened to balance out the tragic stuff for it to be a comedy, and god my life is DEFINITELY not a romantic comedy. And action film... nah, not enough explosions.

cantaloupe: what are your parents’ names?

Barbara and Ronald

guava: dark & dramatic makeup or natural makeup?

I mean, I don’t really wear makeup so neither for me + whatever floats your boat for everyone else.

tangelo: if you could be any mythical creature, which would you be?

I’m really not sure... I wouldn’t mind being something like a mermaid or a naiad, but it would also be cool to be something more ghosty or creepy... I really don’t know!

coconut: favorite perfume?

I don’t wear a ton of perfume, so idk. I really like this one scent of lotion I have though (bright sunflowers by bath and body works) if that counts

lychee: satin or lace?

Lace. Satin’s too shiny...

blueberry: what do you want to dress up as for halloween?

I want to buy... a good quality witch hat! I know it’s basic, but it would make me happy! I have plenty of spooky clothes to wear with it!!

apple: what do you use more, tumblr or twitter?

tumblr. I used to use twitter a decent amount, but I’m not so crazy about it anymore. This hellsite will always be home.

kiwi: what’s something that fascinates you?

OH! The relationship between psychology and spirituality/religion is something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. I had one of my coworkers, back before I stopped working at the end of the summer, ask me if I thought he was like... delusional because he felt that he could sense things and stuff like that (he’s wiccan). I told him that if the way he was feeling wasn’t like, upsetting to him or negatively impacting his life and his judgement that I thought it was fine, yknow, but ever since then I’ve been really thinking about how psychology and religion kinda interact. Like, I’m sure that there are atheist psychologists out there who think that the prophecies of saints and stuff like that were just psychotic episodes, right? And there are probably religious people who might experience symptoms of mental illness that they interpret as spiritual. Obviously you can’t just dismiss the beliefs of others, even if you don’t agree with them, and I think it would be super neat to do some research about like, how to address the concerns of religious clients, etc... how to best combine the scientific approaches of psychology with a client’s beliefs and stuff like that. SORRY this is an incoherent text dump, but hopefully yall get what I mean.

watermelon: do you have a job? if so, what is your job title?

Yeah... The Bitch (me) is a fuckn uhh... McD crew member. My coworkers lovingly describe me as a mini-manager though bc I somehow have my shit together more than a lot of them.

cranberry: favorite time of the day; morning, afternoon, dusk, or night?

Dusk and night are both *kisses fingers like a chef*

orange: do you have long eyelashes?

YEAH! If I put on mascara I can’t wear my glasses bc my lashes touch the lens, that’s how long

apricot: what do you do when you’re sad?

I sleep and lay around like a beached whale and binge youtube videos

star fruit: favorite sea creature?

I kinda dig moray eels and their weird double teeth. sharks are cute too

dragonfruit: do you drink alcohol?

Yeah, sometimes.

#long post under the cut #witchfinder-major-saucepan

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italicwatches · 6 years ago

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Animal Sentai Zyuohger - Episode 43

Okay, let’s squeeze this in. It’s Animal Sentai Zyuohger, episode 43! Here we GO!

-We begin in the Big Bow, where Azald is playing darts. With nobody else playing the Blood Game, Azald is out of urgency-fucks to give…But Genis reminds him that Kubar’s little rebellion was absolutely a fine entry in the game. You’re going to need to outdo it to get anywhere…

-While down on Earth, Misao arrives at the cabin, having finished his proper hospital release! And he’s brought Mario a fine gift, a top-notch whetstone for his carving tools.

-Of course, the zyumen don’t know Christmas, so Yamato has to explain the holiday to them, much to Mario’s bogglement…But the idea of a Christmas party has everyone fully engaged…When the girls grab Tusk and Leo and they’re off. Because they realized they haven’t done right by Mario. This man took them into his home, welcomed them into his life, treats them like his own family…A Christmas present might just be a small gesture, but it’s a symbolic one, and one they’re going to live up to.

-Opening!

-Episode 43: The Christmas Witness

-So thus begins the hunt. Their first effort is a lovely knitted sweater. …Except they don’t have anywhere near enough scratch to buy it. Leo and Amu indulged in foods, and Tusk spent not only the spending money that Yamato and Mario gave him, but his part-time job check, on books. It’s not like he knew there was a gift giving holiday coming up!

-But then, a vibe. What’s coming down? A devilish painter of an MotW, who puts emoticon masks on people that won’t come off! And he can even paint things into existence, like a Buddha statue manifesting in the middle of the street and causing a bunch of crashes!

-Our four arrive, already transformed…Aaand get a samurai sent after them. A samurai, a monk, and a clown! One of these things is not like the other. So the MotW makes his escape, while they finally fight off the painted foes…

-Back at the cabin, Yamato and Mario are putting up the Christmas tree. They haven’t had a party here since Yamato was a little kid…And then out comes the question about the others going back home for New Years. It’s…Complicated…

-Mario figured it was complicated. …Are they in a situation like yours, Yamato? No, no. Yamato’s staying away from his home. They…They can’t go home.

-…Whatever happens, Yamato, you can tell him anything. He’s always got your back.

-Back with the others, they’re grumbling about their lack of success in war and in Christmas both, when they pass by what looks like a stationary shop selling Christmas cakes? Surely you’d want to get your holiday goods from a bakery…

-But the owner comes out because this IS a bakery! That monster just painted over it with the facade of a stationary shop! And now he’s got no customers, at what’s supposed to be his busiest time of the year!

-And then Amu gets a plan. They need work, you need sold cakes, pay them to take a stock down to the park and sell them old school.

-And that’s how they find themselves down at the park…But nobody cares. Okay, they need a gimmick. …Right, fuck it. All out? All out.

-Which is when Misao races into the cabin, because big trouble! Check the news! …Oh god the others are selling cakes in full animal costumery. Why?!

-And to make things even messier, Mario has to go jump on the next flight to Canada! Why Canada?! To get a very rare wood at a very good price. Have fun with yourselves and he’ll be back before New Year’s, he promises!

-So that’s two absurd wrinkles in one shot, as Yamato and Misao have to go see what these ridiculous idiots are doing at the park…And…

-And, they’re actually having a lot of fun, and everyone seems happy, and Yamato can’t help but think, this is how it should be…You know?

-They’re soon back at the cake shop, with a hearty pay…And then it’s to the store to buy that sweater. …But they forgot to account for sales tax, and are literally like 500 yen short. FUUUUUCK. But Yamato finds them, and he’s got the difference, guys. And no complaining. He owes his uncle at least as much as the rest of you. …But the bad news is, he’s not going to be there for the party. He’s heading overseas for a few days. …Nope nope NOPE he is getting this sweater before he goes! Come on they gotta catch him!

-Of course, then they get vibes. And the MotW is on them! Welllll shit. This is, quite possibly, the worst time. Yamato and Misao step up, and the rest of you keep going! They’ve got this guy!

-…And then Azald corners them. Mother fuck! And that’s when Mario hears explosions as he’s heading to the airport, and turns to investigate and make sure people are okay…

-When the entire crew is rocked by explosions, their armors failing…And Mario sees his nephew and friends faced down by horrid monsters! He’d got to do something to help them!

-They’re angry enough that the animal faces come out, and all the things that Mario thought were tricks of the light were nothing of the sort…And Instincts Awakened! Champion of the soaring sky, ZYUOH EAGLE! Champion of the surging waves, ZYUOH SHARK! Champion of the savannah, ZYUOH LION! Champion of the forest, ZYUOH ELEPHANT! Champion of the snowy drifts, ZYUOH TIGER! Champion of the world, ZYUOH THE WORLD! Animal Sentai, ZYUOHGER!

-This planet, is under their protection! Eagle charge in, and Mario remembers that hero saving his life…And realizes, his nephew’s been fighting all this time…

-Instincts Awakened! Gorilla brings out the big guns, and The World flips to WOLF for cover fire to deal with Azald! While the others go Beast Unleashes on the MotW, cutting into him from all sides as they throw down a zyuman-only finisher! The masks, the facades, it all finally breaks as he falls…

-Which just leaves Azald. Well, until he calls for Naria to bring on a Continue. Which she pops into the slot before anyone can stop her, of course. Wellllll shit. And he starts painting mega mooks into existence! And lots of them, too! So this is bad.

-The World gets sent to back them up, while Gorilla flips to WHALE! He’s got Azald!

-Animal Kingdom Combination! WILD TOUSAI KING! Mecha fight. The mooks just keep on coming, which makes things even more complicated…

-As Whale manages to put a shot into Azalea’s chest that locks him up…But as soon as Cube Whale comes in and he sees Azald, he just starts firing full force into the bastard! Azald’s forced to pull a retreat, until Whale manages to get his partner to focus….

-Back at mecha scale, Complete Animal Combination! WILD TOUSAI DODEKA KING. Even bigger mech! Mecha fight. ZYUOH DODEKA DYNAMITE STREAM! Explosion!

-And Mario is very boggled. Most of all, why Yamato didn’t tell him about any of this…But he’s got to focus. Get that wood, come back, have a real talk with Yamato.

-In the aftermath, they didn’t manage to get their present to Mario in time, but they’ve still got plenty of hearty food and friends to share it with…Though Yamato keeps thinking of that moment in the park. Could that moment come to pass again…? …He can only hope.

-Credits!

Real talk I totally did not expect him to actually be surprised. But I do wonder if we’ll get to explore that character side of things next time, to say nothing of the mystery of Azald, next time in episode FORTY FOUR of Animal Sentai Zyuohger! Wait for it!

#where I watch #recap #tokusatsu #super sentai #animal sentai zyuohger

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aion-rsa · 5 years ago

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Joker: DC Comics Reading Order - The Best Stories With the Clown Prince of Crime

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Has the Joker movie inspired you to read some comics? We've got some suggestions!

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The Joker is the most recognizable villain in all of comics, and as such, there are as many takes on him as there are creators who have worked on a Batman comic. Fortunately for us, for every Jared Leto out there, there are fifteen awesome comic stories. So if you’re coming out of the Joker movie with a thirst for more good, thoughtful, interesting stories using the Clown Prince of Crime, we’ve got some comics for you.

Batman: The Killing Joke

This is probably the most influential Joker story of all time. Alan Moore’s dense psychoanalysis of the Joker is formative to just about every writer who came afterwards, and Brian Bolland’s stunningly gorgeous pencils combined with John Higgins perfect colors to create an eerie, dark, vicious story that has become the generally accepted origin for the character.

read more: The Many Joker Origin Stories Explained

The story bounces back and forth between showing how an unnamed, down on his luck schmo got wrapped up in a heist that ended with him at the bottom of a pool of chemicals, and showing that schmo, now a criminal mastermind, kidnapping Commissioner Gordon and trying to drive him to the same kind of mental break that the story implies is at fault for the Joker’s creation. It’s the first one to really draw strong parallels between the Joker’s mental state and Batman’s, casting the two of them as two possible outcomes to the same break.

And did I mention it’s incredible to look at? Whether you’re a comics scholar or new to the medium, I can almost guarantee you’ve seen that cover, with the Joker holding a camera sideways in front of his face telling you to smile.

Buy Batman: The Killing Joke on Amazon

Batman: The Man Who Laughs

Ed Brubaker isn’t often talked about as a seminal Batman writer, but he’s defined entire swaths of Batman’s world over his career, and The Man Who Laughs is a big one. This book, drawn by the great Doug Mahnke, takes a look at the Joker’s first interaction with Batman. He’s poisoning people all over Gotham City, and he has a plan to poison the reservoir. Batman works to stop him.

It’s a much more straightforward, less avant-garde Joker than he can get in later times, but the story is told with a modern sensibility and outstanding art from Mahnke. Brubaker (and Greg Rucka, who we’ll talk about in a few) writes detective Batman as well or better than anyone in a generation, and The Man Who Laughs is full of really great detective work with Bruce piecing together who the Joker is and what he’s trying to do. And the fight sequence at the end of the issue is good, classic, straight up Batman/Joker brawling. If you want a way to ease into Joker stories, this is a great one.

Buy Batman: The Man Who Laughs on Amazon

The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge

It’s not often an entire character can be distilled down to a single panel of comics, but Neal Adams effectively did that in Batman #251. Adams is a tremendous artist who changed the entire industry with his panel layouts and action sequences, but the Joker’s “ta daa!” hands and his smile next to a bearing down shark as he says “We resemble each other!” is incredible.

read more: What the Joker Controversy Gets Wrong

This one-off story has the Joker breaking out of a pre-Arkham Asylum mental hospital, hunting down the five ex-henchmen who might have betrayed him to put him away. Only one of them did, but he’s covering his bases, and the issue ends with a wheelchair-bound ex-aide precariously balanced over a tank with an angry shark in it. Batman gets dropped in and has to beat the shark and then save the henchman. It’s one of the best Batman sequences of all time, and the issue captures so much about the Joker that makes him great: his meticulous planning and forethought and his absurd, violent sense of humor. This one is collected in The Joker: The Greatest Stories Ever Told and will likely be wrapped up in a Neal Adams omnibus sooner rather than later.

Buy The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge on Amazon

The Laughing Fish

Detective Comics #475-476 is another quick story that was incredibly influential on how both Batman and the Joker were portrayed moving forward. That importance stems from two things: the ridiculous, malicious joy of the Joker’s plot, and Marshall Rogers’ art.

The plot was turned into the episode of the same name for Batman: The Animated Series. A fish wholesaler has made fish that look like the Joker for branding purposes, and the Joker, mad he can’t monetize his own visage the same way, goes on a killing spree to get his rights back. This is darkly hilarious, especially the deeper you dive into the metaphor - the mid ‘70s was a big time for comic creator rights, and Rogers was a big part of that. This comic is basically an effigy for comic creators rights.