#idk how to word it but to me selina is lazy in a way like. that has a poor connotation but ig i mean

[roobylavender]

I saw your post on your dislike for the Sirens concept, could you expand on why you think comics Selina would not be interested in working with Pamela and Harley? Genuine curiosity.

on a very personal petty level it is kind of hard for me to get over the fact that selina and harley’s first meeting in comics involved harley slitting selina’s throat and drugging her to incite her towards violence 😭 i feel like selina at least at her post-crisis origins was very protective of her personal agency and control and abhorred anyone who would dare override it (and that interaction even ended in her saying as much, as did the book as a whole a few issues later) so while i’m sure you could argue the instability of harley’s mental state played a part in that interaction i’m not sure that selina would so easily overcome her suspicion and distrust

on a more general level though i don’t think selina’s scope of crime really matches up with pamela and harley’s at all. volume two’s a tricky book for me bc there are parts of it i like and parts of it i hate and something that definitely falls into the latter category is this idea that selina is so power hungry as to go to delusional lengths to acquire it and wreak havoc thereby. i imagine writers were trying to maintain her golden/silver age motivation about being the queen of the underworld but i do think more considerations needed to be made in light of her post-crisis revamp and more narrowed focus on survival (and even then selina’s golden/silver age crimes weren’t awful, mostly only cartoonish and silly; her silver age rendition made her murderous for some reason but i would ignore that personally bc her creators argued her mercy distinguished her villainy). it’s true there was a stick-it-to-the-man element that was a part of that revamp and that i’m sure was also partly used to draw the overlap between these three characters, but even then, i think what pamela and harley are willing to engage in is well beyond what selina is

modern selina’s very internally focused. she’s reactive more than she is proactive. ig you could argue she’s as loath to the system as pamela and harley are, but i don’t think she’s intent to waste her time or resources doing more than she needs to to live a comfortable life (so no investment in some impassioned mission statement like pamela, and no investment in over the top, excessive chaos like harley). even beyond that, she’s generally opposed to senseless murder. so overall i kind of fail to see why she would have an interest let alone the energy to engage with both of them. to me she’s very much a one woman show whose walls only occasionally come down bc she meets children who remind her of herself and whom she takes it upon herself to protect. maybe i could be open to her interacting with pamela and harley in a purely civilian context where she faux begrudgingly looks out for them, as she always does with her strays, but i don’t think she’d be interested in committing crimes with them

[inappropriatefangirlneeds]

Gotham s5ep5 “ Pena Dura” Personal Review

“Your chance to be a part of this mission”    Warning spoilers below

HARVEY BULLOCK Wow they really put him in the spotlight. First JIM GORDON´s praise. “What you are is the best cop that I know.” If Nygma outsmarts them he wants him to take over. “I need your help, buddy.”. Then he actually listens to Bullock when he doesn´t want to be side lined. Although, I suspect that if it would have been physically possible for Jim Gordon to arrest Oswald Cobblepot he would have done it himself.  Then Harvey gets a moment with BRUCE WAYNE. Bruce is looking for Jim and Harvey is like “Sorry, kid, it's just me.” But in this episode Harvey matters and they have a moment before Bruce batdissapears on him before he can finish his sentence. “I see people losing their will to do good. People I love. What if we don't make it out of this?”  “Because the little things mater. Act by act, deed by deed, it means something. Even if no one notices or cares.” Harvey talks about paperwork (and wow did he basically address my question from last week, he indeed did, partly  .. ) but it´s paperwork that matters and keeps you sane. BRUCE WAYNE / JIM GORDON  & HOPE Haven just blew up but it seems Bruce is much more occupied with SELINA KYLE´s case. Granted there is more personal investment and that issue of him feeling guilty because Jeremiah targeted her about him but it´s an interesting notion to have Bruce to struggle with hope over a more personal matter. While Jim Gordon had his “hope struggle” moments last week over Haven and missing support from the Government. Seems that Eduardo Dorrance might bring a more personal twist to it.  ACCESSORY TO MURDER Selina Kyle & Bruce Wayne Bruce Wayne compares Selina killing Jeremiah to him killing Ra´s al Ghul but Alfred Pennyworth begs to differ: Selina and Bruce are not the same. On is murder and one is not: “Jeremiah made Selina a murderer. Just like Ra's made me a murderer.” “Ra's goaded you into stabbing him, Master Bruce. He used you as an instrument. You're no murderer.”  I´m not here to judge on that but I judge a tremendous neglect in the writing here: Does anyone remember REGINALD REGGIE PAYNE, the guy that arguably threatened Selina and Bruce, the guy where Bruce made a move to push him out of the window and Selina actually did it, claimed not to do regret it and that she would do it again. This would be such a great argument for Alfred´s point. Moreover Alfred has a personal reason to remember the death of someone he had a personal relationship with. One would think, he might bring that up. It´s not like he was ever holding back on things when it came down to discrediting Selina Kyle. Granted they had their nice moments but it seems his first unfavourable impression and judgement still holds.  Alfred Pennyworth is the first one that brings up the instrumentation of a person for murder. Which comes up with various terms again and again: Instrument/ murderous puppet/ being controlled remotely / tool / killing machine. With EDUARDO DORRANCE I think we lack a specific work but his just following orders credo makes him basically a tool for killing as well.  Edward Nygma  tries to figure out why he blew up Haven. He himself his first station then the electricity grants him a flashback that leads him to Oswald Cobblepot (“How could you? You have made me into some murderous puppet.” ) which gets him on his path to Hugo Strange.  Both SELINA KYLE & Edward Nygma have an element of control. Despite Bruce´s repeated claims that Ivy´s medicine changed Selina and she is not herself it´s unclear if or how much this is true. Also Bruce knows he didn´t want to kill Ra´s however with Selina we´ve not that much insight (with the possibility of the plant altering her) and only the modus operandi to judge.  EVERYONE KNOWS EACH OTHER SO WELL * Bruce Wayne & Selina Kyle. “You're no murderer.” “But Selina is.” “You're not the same. She did what she did with open eyes, and you got to learn to respect that, son.” “You're wrong about her, Alfred.”  It´s about the murder, but it is about so much more: “It wasn't your fault. You were just a scared kid.”  The savvy Gothamite knows: Ah Bruce is talking about himself, that´s what he feels guilty about. Selina Kyle promptly picks up the notion. “No. You were the scared kid. We are not the same, Bruce. I didn't do anything because I wasn't willing to risk my neck for someone else because I didn't care. That's who I was and that's who I am.” (Goes on to say she loves "Psycho" by Grim Streaker) I´d say still sounds like case of scared kid, and if it´s just on the basis that they were kids. * Someone do a good paralells meta for 4x12 when Bruce was the one drinking at the Sirens and Selina went in being like “That´s not you”.   * Oh there would just be a lot of quotes that deal with responsibilities and No1 but I´m lazy * Jim Gordon knows himself, that´s why he sent Harvey Bullock to go after Penguin.  * Then we have Jim Gordon acknowledging that Edward Nymga had him framed and more than on his toes. “We're going after Nygma. He's ten steps ahead. This thing goes sideways, you're gonna have to take over.” He should have known him better though or he would have noticed that suspicious arm reaching for the book.  * Edward Nygma  while struggling with what his body does still has a remarkably good grasp on who he is. For him it is clear:  “You're not a murderer, Ed. Except Kristen Kringle. And Officer Dougherty.” Well not that kind of murderer. Good except that issue where is list is like a couple names short. This is repeated when he appeals to  JIM GORDON  “You know me, Jim. The people that I have hurt, they hurt me first.” [I wonder if Ed appealing to the emotional side of things is meant to echo Jim´s “what happened to you” approach in 2x17 ] With BARBARA KEAN Edward´s focus is less on the motive and emotional part it´s about intellect and modus operandi: “Barbara! Am I dumb? In all the years of plotting and the betrayals between us, have you ever ever known me to do something as idiotically brutal as shoot a rocket into a building full of innocent people?”   All of them eventually have to believe that Edward was innocent because they know him.  * Jim Gordon & Eduardo Dorrance  So we finally get some more on Jim “a war hero” Gordon´s military background, which is great but idk I can´t quite make anything of what they gave us. “We hated each other in boot.” “Jim disapproved of my ops tempo.” “Yeah, 'cause you only had one speed: too fast.” “Took me a while to realize he wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty. Just being careful.” “Well, Jim's taught me a thing or two - about being careful.”  That HARVEY BULLOCK says that could provide some great meta if I wasn´t too lazy to properly look into the line of his old partner DIX in  DIX 1x06:   “He's a loose cannon. He thinks he's a white knight, jumping into the breach like some idiot in the movies” First it´s trust and old friendship with EDUDARDO and JIM: “I trust you know what you're doing.” “We do what we have to do, right?” But soon Jim and Eduardo are opposite forces: “After all this, you'd kill me for some bureaucrat?” “Mission comes first. You taught me that.”  This really makes me wonder what Jim did that Eduardo says this!!  Also SEASON 1 Backflash: “You know I hate this spook crap. I don't ask questions; I follow orders.” “Walker wants you to put a bullet in his brain.” “Call it proof of loyalty. It's what she needs from you before she can move forward with final relief plans.” “Jim, ours is not to reason why. And this is your chance to be a part of this mission. So please. You pull the trigger on him, or I pull the trigger on you.” * It mirrors the Jim and Harvey contrast with Harvey being the one talking about questions above his paycheck but after everything Harvey still follows Jim´s disruptive tendencies. It´s about personal responsibility, control, and in Jim and Eduardo´s case we could get some take on the "Nuremberg defense" issue.   * It mirrors the situation with Oswald Cobblepot. Once more an established order tells Jim Gordon to shoot a man, that´s not technically innocent but didn´t commit the crime in question. And once more Jim doesn´t kill but this time he doesn´t get to claim his loyalties lie with the established order.  [For a moment Jim contemplated just shooting Ed because look at what happened with Oswald, he just can´t have another relationship like that] * I wonder if we will get some flack for Jim´s decision to honour integrity over supplies? Just briefly, before it is revealed how it was actually and not only morally the right thing.  FRIENDSHIP Oswald  & Jim  Oswald Cobblepot still tries to count on Jim Gordon.  “Harvey, you're not thinking clearly. Maybe call your boss, see what he thinks.” But Jim isn´t there because he made a decision to not be there.  Oswald´s line of having had only two friends from which one he shot is sad. And I don´t know but after all the “friend” and “favour” stuff between them the “no friends” statement from Jim really hurt: “You know, they say you can judge a man by his friends.” “This from a man who has no friends.”  But at least their dynamic still works, once you get them together and disturbing forces out of the way they still run smooth for the sake of Gotham  “You're protecting a mass murderer. Don't look to me for sympathy.” “Fine. But not with that meathead around.”  Edward Nygma & Oswald Cobblpeot * “Ed, what have you done?” First of all the delivery of the line killed me! Which is not even an exaggeration. * “Of everything that you have put me through, this this is the most cruel.” This was almost as impressive and heart wrenching. * Also I´m just going to put the words down there. How, how did they sound so much like vows?! Oswald just touching his lips, putting his hands in front of them covering his mouth before he can muster so speak further. Oswald later walking right up to Edward pressing the gun into his heart. Could anyone deal with this?!  (Also what is so fundamentally wrong with me that this kind of totally is what I want, like that´s what I´d ask for in any friend or relationship, and on the one hand it´s like just a very basic just knowing and acknowledging each other but also this trust that should be as basic but just really isn´t and oh idk that was just a really special scene.) “What was I supposed to do? Let you die? After Butch, you were my only friend.”  “You shot Butch!” “Which is why I needed you! Edward Nygma, if I wanted you to suffer, I would never do it in some backhanded way.” “If you and I are ever at odds again, you will know, without a doubt, that I am your enemy. I promise you that as a friend.” And then Edward followed up with a “yes I do” and his own vows.  “I might have killed you, Oswald. And if that day comes I swear to you I will stare you in the eye as I stab you in the heart.” * Then a BETRAYAL? And then right away Oswald tells Edward to stay where he is because he´s going to be save while telling his men to get Nygma. Why did you have to break up that wonderful moment so quickly? Self preservation is a wonderful thing but not on the expense of those feelz. Quick, someone meta/fanfic this “betrayal” into something more palatable. Something like, Oswald only said that because he knew Edward would know to disappear at once, they just know each other ~that~ well, okay that´s better, a super thin argument but I´m fine.    * Oswald in this context saying “They want him, not me.” (*)  is so wrong because no honey, you are a double now a TWOFER, as Eduardo phrased it. With one raid they´d get Ed and Os. They are inseparable now.  * This is why they now both looked into the barrel of Jim´s gun while Jim gets told to kill them for loyalty reasons. * This is also why they both had the exact same approach to Jim Gordon this time. Jim Gordon is NOT GOOD CHANCES: Edward: “Once words gets out that you're responsible for Haven, you'll have a target on your back.” “I'll take my chances.” Oswald: “Even if I were to let you go, sooner or later, the Army's gonna come for you. Things are changing in Gotham.” “I'll take my chances.”  * “But first, did you name your dog after me?” How didn´t we get a reaction to EDWARD NYGMA´s question. I get it the whole mass murderer question but I´d like an answer to that one too, especially since they threw in that other JoJo dog business. Honestly I was not living that electrocution scene. (And it´s not only about the fact that Sofia and her dentist made him look much prettier.) but the  “You anthropomorphizing nincompoop. Dogs can't smile.”  sold me on it. It was worth it. Also Edward pretending he doesn´t want to be shocked again when this is going to be his escape and getting them to ignite the fuel was a good one “Please. Shoot me, stab me, anything but another jolt.” * Another marvellous line from Barbara Kean: “I am going to cut your face into a jigsaw puzzle and watch you try and put it back together again.”   * HUGO STRANGE is back and promptly sends a corpse sliding and then wipes hands. Icky. So those lined up hanging body bags had me distracted so I didn´t pay enough attention on the one that Edward Nygma would jump out of. However I think this made me suspicious enough to not trust the “I will write it down. That way, if I'm ever confronted, I can honestly say that I never told you.” Like usually I´d agree, that´s a good plan, makes sense but ha not this time. Love that they kind of paralleled this with Edward reaching for the book in front of Jim and Eduardo. Is that even a proper parallel?  * EDWARD NYGMA tries to control the script  “Let's skip the part where you deny making me into a killing machine.” He wants to get to the point. When Strange starts with a nebulous “I may have tinkered a little with your grey matter.” Edward is like: “Would you just …”  and Strange complies with an answer: “I put a chip in your brain.” “It allows you to be able to be controlled remotely.”  * I am wondering if Hugo Strange really didn´t know about the alter ego situation? It could be right? Either his situation was the reason why the chip worked (which negates my other question below) or maybe this will be the thing that makes Edward overcome his issue? Maybe the other side will surface again and they both got a common enemy: The chip and they unify over that task. THEORY?  * Also the fandom has been all about all the Eds and Nygmas and used various name variations and now the show comments on this and it´s not helpful at all? “You did something to access the Ed Nygma side of my personality.” “But you're Ed Nygma.” “I'm also the Riddler!” Is he thinking of himself as (an occasionally riddling) Edward right now?  * “I developed a tool.”  “A tool? How dare you?”   Haha, he sounded SO offended. * Quick question, why did remote controlled Edward go through the corpse tunnel, was his perception working while he was switched off and did he see Jim escape through it?  PLACES AND THINGS * Can we talk about how pretty the first place of that RPG selling guy ( Gerry Grekov) was. So pretty! Guy got peacock feathers in it.  * What was that movie he was watching? * The floor is Lava! The Edward Jim scene was gorgeous.  * As we established Jim knows Edward he just doesn´t know him well enough to pay attention to that arm that grew longer and longer to reach the right book. Like seriously Jim how could you miss this, even I was on my toes dying to know what he would do. And he boobytrapped the library. Marvellous! The chess riddle with the movements and the books. Marvellous! More please. The shots were really pretty too.  * Apart from Edward´s arm growing longer and longer we got his long legged self running over the cushions. Marvellous!

JEREMIAH VALESKA “Verisimilitude trumps precaution, you see.” “That bullet is making you sentimental.” * So the present is some resurrection. How did they reverse all the decay. Is it the same bodies. Magic, Science.  Also am I paranoid or might there be some connection to Hugo Strange´s “The last body you procured for me was gangrenous. Completely unsuitable.” line. Unsuitable doesn´t mean unusable. * Jeremiah knew Mr. Wayne, didn´t he. I´m too lazy to look things up but there was a connection. Is he also doing this for himself. Family reunion cause he never had a (good) one?  * Sorry but EDUARDO DORRANCE is boring, get on the program Gotham doesn´t do boring. Clearly Eduardo Flamingo was the superior Eduardo. * “I'm gonna wring this nerd's neck.” Careful Eduardo, this other nerd is just in the progress of saving your life.  * “You left the Army for this city?” You know, I keep saying that people would probably better be off just getting the hell out of there but the reaction to this line showed me I´m as stupid. I mean not that it´s something new all the bathtubs alone had sold me. And army, army instead of riddles like that and freedom to wear leather, pink hair, how´s that even considered competition. * THERESA WALKER why did she need Edward Nygma? If they had a public trial, execution then yes but Eduardo didn´t seem to be concerned about getting him alive, they could have just sent in some random guy? They got all those military people in now I´m sure they could have done less before and it´s probably less effort than commissioning a human drone? * “We need shock and awe.” “Shock and awe is my default.” I wonder if this was foreshadowing because after all the Haven thing could fall under that strategy. They only sent in military after this devastating and shocking destruction. OSWALD COBBLEPOT BEING HIMSELF AGAIN? “Edward, I believe the time has come for a change of scenery.” What is Oswald Cobblepot up to?! What did he store down there, what are his plans? He didn´t seem to be too worried about the military. He must have some kind of plan? Also the “Please. An invasion is tanks, infantry. These are scouts.” line gives me hope that he is prepared.  (*) On the other hand him thinking the military would not go after him too, only Edward, while he was “on top of” the list seems to point into a different direction.  Also someone any (head)canons on Oswald Cobblepot and knowledge about military, has he been ever connected to military terms? He´s been in Jim Gordon´s soldier vision/dream thingie, I don´t know why this line stuck so much with me, but the dismissive patronizing smug deliver was marvellous.

[dreadhaus-literature]

{A/N} ٩(♡ε♡ )۶

I~ have been playing (and just finished!) Batman: The Telltale Series, and I want to talk about it, because I just have...a lot of feelings about it.

So uhm, be mindful below the cut. (♡´艸`)

First things first, I will admit I wasn’t expecting to...get into this game, lol. I decided to play it on a whim, just to sorta...I consider myself “toes wet” with DC (I know Bunny tends to give me more credit than that because she’s a peach ♥) but I figure, this’ll get me more ankle deep, even if it’s not like “canon” or anything--which, comic canon is weird and fluid so whatever, I’m not being real strict with the Telltale TL being canon.

Anyway.

So I figured I’d just play it and see some babies and enjoy that...but I got into it. Being able to be in the driver’s seat, making decisions as Bruce and really simulating his life endeared me to him and his universe more than I anticipated.

It’s one thing, to read comics and see writer’s words coming out of character’s mouths and being all, “Yeah, okay,” but when you’re making the decisions, it personalizes it. And unsurprisingly, I played a compassionate, empathetic, emotional Bruce Wayne, not some stunted machismo machine in a bat cowl like some writers and fanboys want him to be.

So I guess it’s safe to say this made me love him more.

I noticed something, playing--and it’s true Telltale style, like the Walking Dead games, where you have a wheel of sentence choices that determine your path--and it’s that Bruce runs into the same sort of problem that I see with Steve Rogers. I don’t see it quite as much with Tony, but Steve has a problem with writers wanting him to be some white bread, bulging bicep “JUSTICE FOR BREAKFAST LUNCH AND DINNER” machine when there’s so much more to him than that. It’s like uh, like the recent Civil War re-read that I did with Monica, that line where he’s criticizing his soldiers by calling them “Nancies” and basically comparing them to women--but Steve Rogers, MY Steve Rogers, guzzles his respect women juice because he respected and loved the absolute fuck out of Peggy Carter. But it’s writers who put that shit in his mouth and make him say and do things that then make me side-eye the fuck out of him.

And I’m realizing Bruce has the same issue, and I realized that playing this game, and seeing how he talks to people and really playing up the fact that he does have a heart and he does have feelings--and don’t get me wrong. I’m fine with emotionally stunted characters, I think it’s cute, but I’m on about those buttplugs who like, don’t write Bruce treating his sons like his sons because it makes him “soft” or when they make him treat Alfred or Clark/his teammates like shit or when he openly beats his own kids, like??? Fuck off, that’s not what I’m interested in and to be honest I don’t think that’s who Bruce Wayne is supposed to be.

So playing this game and going the compassionate route, going the route of making Bruce appreciate Alfred and Lucius and Harvey, people who support him and are his friends/family, it reminds me when we were reading the War on Jokes arc and seeing Bruce initiate the “I love you’s”. That shit about melted my heart and to be honest was right up there with his penchant for adopting kids that really made me notice him. To make me give a shit about him and not just because he’s Batman.

Which, by the way, I fucking love that he says that? Like Tony says it, “I am Iron Man,” and it’s cute they share a catchphrase or whatever, but I love that Bruce says it with a straight face and at the most ridiculous times.

I won’t go into like, a full rundown of the game or anything--to be honest I wasn’t going to talk about the game at all, but I surprised myself being so into it and full of feelings about it that I just wanted to talk about it somewhere.

I think I’ll start with the character designs, because it was real hit or miss.

Hit:

Harvey Dent*

John Doe/Joker

Bruce Wayne (...eventually)

Miss:

Selina Kyle

Alfred Pennyworth

Oswald Cobblepot

Now, take my criticisms and compliments with a grain of salt, please~ My tastes are eclectic at best and I like things that are different/out of the norm, so. And it has nothing to do with the character, this is strictly aesthetic.

Let’s start with the hits--Harvey.

I’m sure my love for him here is unsurprising~ But lemme talk about it anyway.

He was a big beefy boi in this game and I was 👀 from freaking jump. I went into this game blind so I had no idea he was even in it, but he was noticeably the biggest boy (okay well almost, there was this one bigger Frankensteinesque dude I didn’t recognize and whose name WAS NEVER GIVEN TO ME) on the block--haha lemme give him Brenn’s title as the Buffest Boy on the Block. He filled his suits OUT and I was here for it. I loved his facial structure, which surprised me considering I didn’t think I’d be keen on Telltale’s art styles.

As for the * up there on his name, I want to say that I went the route of saving Harvey from himself, so I didn’t let him turn fully into Two Face (this go ‘round at least) but I did see that ridiculous mask they gave him and that’s a huge thumbs down for me.

Lemme see them beautiful scars pls.

He looks delectable as Two Face so the only negative is that mask they tried to give him for whatever reason. 0/10, would take that off immediately.

Next up is Mr. John Doe, aka Joker.

And I have to say, like Bruce, he really surprised me--one, because I didn’t know he was in this either (IDK SHIT ABOUT DC STUFF, SO) but two, because I wasn’t prepared to really pay him all that much attention. Harvey’s a given; he, like Arthur, I had a soft spot for anyway because of Kayla’s rampant hatred (thus, giving me a need to love them as unloved characters) but Joker? Everyone loves Joker, so I was tipping toward, like, patting him on the head and sending him on his way kinda thing.

Nope. No. He showed up and I was like ???? WHY ARE YOU SO CUTE ALL OF THE SUDDEN.

Seriously, this art style fucked me up when it came to him. He’s stupid adorable in this game.

I MEAN WHO WOULDN’T WANT TO KISS THIS FACE?????

I’m fucking annoyed by it, I think because I was prepared to just breeze by him, but like I don’t wanna slap him or anything but it gives me the same cute aggression small humans and kitties do. I wanna squish his face and just coo over it, that smile is infuriatingly infectious.

Idk why I find him so cute in this particular style but it was like getting punched in the chest, like he showed up and saved me/Bruce and all the sudden I’m like, murder whoever you want just keep...smiling?

And don’t get me wrong, I’m all for his edgy styles, there are some where he’s almost monstrous-looking, grotesque and the like and you know that tickles my fancy but this particular Joker tickled another fancy of mine. He was almost like a puppy, here.

Eager.

So yeah. I guess I have a crush on Joker now.

And last but not least on the Hit list--Bruce Wayne.

And I’ll admit, as I did up here, that this look took me a little while to come to appreciate. Reminds me a lot of how I felt about Peter from ItSV, but I love that look on him now and that’s how I feel about Bruce. This grew on me the more I played, although when I started I thought he looked way too much like Archer.

And it seems I wasn’t the only one.

And while, like with Peter B., this particular incarnation won’t be my favorite Bruce Wayne look, there’s a softness to this particular incarnation that seemed to really suit the way I played him--which might be why I liked it.

There was a nice touch, though, because when he slipped on the cowl, when he became Batman, there was a decided shift not only in his personality but his physicality, too--

Which reminded me of something I’d read where Clark does the same thing.

So yeah, this incarnation took a little to grow on me, and it may not be my favorite, but I did come to at least appreciate it.

Now let’s talk about the Misses, starting with Miss Kyle.

And it’s weird, because as Catwoman she was stunning and there’s this one scene with her eyeliner on fucking point and it was SENDING ME. Good fucking god I was a dumb dyke through the whole scene, I doubt I could remember a word she said.

But there on the left, her hair was like some weird mix of a bob but too long and uneven to be one? And don’t get me started on her baby ponytail; it seemed too...childish? Sloppy? For her.

And something was off about her mouth. Idk if it was Telltale’s style or if the graphics were a little stiff but her mouth bothered me the entire freaking game.

I feel bad about saying Alfred was a miss but again, this is just from an aesthetic point. The man is a saint otherwise and I won’t say a cross word about him.

It’s not even that I dislike this particular look of his, it’s just, I have a favorite look of his and this is so far from it (and most of his normal looks) that sometimes through the game it would take me a half second to remember this is supposed to be Alfred.

It was like with Bruce, only it didn’t grow on me quite the same.

Like I said, I just have a favored look of Alfred’s (I’d dig up the picture but it’s on my phone and I’m lazy) and this just didn’t make the cut.

Uhm and lastly, Oswald.

Out of the Rogues of Gotham I feel like I don’t know Victor Freeze and Oswald Cobblepot...nearly well enough to be talking about them. But the game dealt with Oz so...I’m here talking about him.

And really my issue with him is that...to me he was barely recognizable because I only know Penguin by his typical outlandish look--short, round as a goddamn beach ball, and with that insane curved/hooked nose.

So I may be wrong in that he does look like this sometimes? I really wouldn’t know, like I said I don’t know Mr. Cobblepot very well at all. I just was surprised he looked like this and when Bruce was all, “Penguin?” I was also ?????? but for a different fucking reason, lmao.

I didn’t put Jim up here because he’s always on point regardless of what he looks like, so. 10/10, no notes for you, Jim. ♥

So moving beyond eye candy, the actual game itself, like I said, it was a surprisingly endearing way to be introduced to Gotham. It’s one thing to read the comics and see this particular writer’s vision of what Gotham is and who Bruce Wayne is, but with me in the driver’s seat and getting to make decisions, I got to shape Gotham and Bruce/Batman the way I would like them to be (at least as much as the game allows, lol) and there’s definitely something to be said about that.

I made sure to try and stick at least somewhat to how I think Bruce would have reacted to some things--especially as Batman. I like to stay true to superheroes’ brands (in terms of gameplay, writing is another story) so I kept the no-killing and tried to be...less violent than I might have been if I were, say, Frank. Which helped me win over Jim, so~ Haha but I uhm, I went the compassionate route with Bruce as Bruce Wayne, I was supportive of those around me and appreciative of them.

Unsurprisingly there was a Bruce/Selina aspect to the game, and I played that more as myself, because like Bunny I don’t really like them together. Selina is fine on her own, I see what she was saying about that, but seeing the way Selina is with people--she says things to hurt Bruce just to do it, and I’m...not down with that. Emotional maturity is a thing, lol, maybe she could steal some of that.

Ha-cha~ That joke isn’t funny but I said it anyway.

But I get it. I...palmed Bruce’s face out of the way and just gave the emotional answers as myself and I could see beyond Selina’s words to what she’s hiding--or trying to. You hurt others to keep yourself from being hurt, I’ve seen that sort of behavior before and I get she’s hiding her feelings by lashing out--a lot like a kitty with her claws out. So I have respect for her as a character because of the complexity, it’s just not how you go about having a relationship with someone, lol.

Like she stole some shit from Bruce, was fine to do it, so I retaliated by stealing some of her tech because i’m a petty ass bitch and she got bitey with me about it.

Like girl.

I also, like I said, went the route of supporting Harvey...because of course I did. I defended him every chance I got, funded his campaign...even after he told me he was distancing himself from me (let me LOVE YOU) and when he started to snap and Two Face was trying to get out, I refused to fight him and encouraged him to get help.

In the end, when Harvey turned on Bruce and literally tried to kill Alfred, Jim asked Batman if Harvey should “rot in prison,” or be sent to Arkham to get help.

I...know Arkham is corrupt and that’s a whole thing in and of itself but I went the compassionate route and sent Harvey to get help.

In the end, I saw Harvey in a cell. He refused to come out and help the inmates during a riot, but the poor baby actually looked kind of afraid?

And not to like, go off on a rant or anything but it was interesting seeing this take on Harvey/Two Face. I could relate to it, in a way, because it reminded me of my Alters and how I created Drette and especially misi to sort of allow myself to be and feel things that I typically try to hide.

Two Face started to show himself and though he...wasn’t nice to Harvey, he did defend him and insist he was there to protect Harvey, that “no one will ever hurt or take advantage of him again”.

Touched my heart. ♥

Selina was also playing Harvey, 100% using him for her own means and she said, about him, “Poor guy just wanted to fall in love so bad.”

AND THAT BROKE MY HEART.

He did seem very lost in this game, like this need to be Mayor and to be this big shot attorney was trying to fill a void, make up for some inadequacies he felt he had.

I’ve always been a sucker for broken toys.

And speaking of broken toys, Joker’s whole deal really wasn’t touched on much in this game (it is in the second one, which I’ll probably start after work) but I want to talk about the fact that I was like one of like 15% of people who promised Joker a favor and I’m fucking weak over it.

Lemme set the scene--Bruce, stuck in Arkham, befriends Joker (because I fucking made him) and Joker says he’ll get Bruce out of Arkham “but you’ll owe me a favor~ When I get out of here.”

And you had a choice, to owe him a favor or not.

I was 0% hesitation to shake his hand, lmao, and I didn’t think much of it until I got to the end of the chapter and it was like, “You and 15% of others agreed to owe Joker a favor.”

And I was like...? Oh shit that probably was a bad idea, lmao.

HE’S CUTE, LIKE I SAID. TF YOU WANT FROM ME.

And Bruce’s little Codex journal (which was adorable, btw) updated to include the favor I promised and he wrote, “Not a big deal to owe a favor to a psycho who will never get out of Arkham, right?”

Which- 1) You’re adorably naive if you think he’s not getting out. 2) I legit didn’t consider it being a bad idea.

So I owe Joker a favor to be collected later and I should probably be concerned because the end of the game showed Joker out and fanboying over Bruce in a bar.

SO. (oﾟ□ﾟ)o  YEAH. TBC.

There were other highlights to the game, like getting to comfort and protect a little boy (BE STILL MY MATERNAL HEART) and for FUCK’S sake, Oswald taking over Wayne Enterprises for a bit.

The entire thing was infuriating as fuck, like I mildly wanted to kick Oz in the face repeatedly by the end of the game, but the scene where Bruce gets his company back and he’s looking at all the shit Oswald did while he had it--I was absolutely in hysterics.

First of all, Oswald used COMIC FUCKING SANS to cross out Bruce’s name and write “Cobblepot Enterprises” on the website. I fucking lost my mind. It was so childish and petty and the YELLOW font looked SO OUT OF PLACE WITH BRUCE’S SRS BUSINESS FONT EVERYWHERE ELSE.

But it gets better.

Oswald had his team hack Gotham’s public records and not only did he change Bruce’s Ivy League diploma to Sociology BUT HE FUCKING CHANGED BRUCE’S MEDICAL RECORDS TO SAY HE HAD SEVERAL STD’S.

WHEN I TELL YOU I FUCKING SCREAMED.

I had to pause the game because I was laughing so hard I couldn’t hear Alfred.

AND BRUCE FACEPALMED AS HE READ THE LIST and my god. I lost years off my laugh, laughing that hard.

I’ve talked quite a bit more than I intended to so I’ll wrap this up but before I do, I want to touch on one more thing and I think it’s that DC really did a good job with making Alfred the reason Bruce is a good man, a hero.

I haven’t read or seen or consumed all the Batman media that’s out there, but this is the fourth or fifth time I’ve seen Bruce’s parents turn out to be absolute shits. I mean this time it was only his father who was a dickhead, but the times his parents turn out to be garbage people vs actual decent human beings is like 6 to 1. And the one time I’m thinking of was some alternate dimension so I’m not even sure that counts.

So as someone who has pretty fucked up parents I think it’s nice to see a story where your parents don’t make you who you are. That timeline where Bruce’s parents lived and he turned into this spoiled, entitled brat, where it really showed that Alfred was the one who molded and shaped the good man who grew up to be Bruce Wayne, Gotham’s Golden Son...I think that’s so important. I really like that side of Bruce’s backstory, I think it’s something that isn’t as touched on as much as it should be.

There wouldn’t be a Batman without Alfred and it isn’t just because Alfred is always there at the end of the com when Bruce needs him.

And you can bet your sweet butt I made Bruce say that to Alfred at the end of the game. And Alfred got all teary and I got all teary and this is that qUALITY CONTENT.

Also? I’m super ashamed at the amount of people I saw in the stats who turned on Harvey and abandoned Alfred. I was in the minority a lot of time for shit I def shouldn’t have been in the minority for.

Half the time the stats would roll and I’m left looking at the PISS POOR CHOICES OF THE COMMON MAN LIKE

Y’all some worthless motherfuckers.

So yes! This was a lot of fun to play and I’m absolutely giddy to start the next game, especially since I get to see Puppy!Joker in it. And he’s going to be friends with Bruce because I’M IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT NOW, BATMAN.

Buckle up, Brucie, we’re full speed ahead toward Crazytown. ٩( ᐛ )و