#miagani

[yurkiez]

(yk)

[lazaruspiss]

Arkham Knight Concept Art: Miagani Island

Standing Sentinel (Pre-evacuation) | Evacuation

GCT Building | Lone Protector

Bank of Gotham (Miagani Branch) | Bank Heist (Bank of Gotham)

Surveying His Domain (Grand Avenue) | City Living (Off Grand Avenue)

Penguin Weapons Cache (Converted Repair Shop)

[oculusxcaro]

Can she keep house plants alive?

Everyday Muse Questions!

Not really! It's not that she's not good at it, more that her apartment really isn't the place to be looking after anything, much less a plant that needs warmth, nourishment and sunlight. The heating broke down before she even moved in, not that Khare minds but drafts, cracked windows and more than a little mold makes the place suitable for any plant people would like to keep. Khare does like plants and in an ideal environment would love little succulents due to their easy maintainence, maybe even Lithops because they look like colourful little butt rocks and are just cute to look at.

[calamity-triquetra]

Someone who's actually Cree, or at least knows a bit about Cree culture please fact check me, did DC just completely make up the idea of there being "seven pillars of Cree life" call the "Midayo"?

Cause the literal only thing I've found by googling those terms is stuff about the Justice League of Canada character Equinox*.

*Miiyahbin Marten, not to be confused with Power Girl's son she had during that weird time when she was canonically the daughter of an Atlantean sorcerer.

[telltalebatman]

one thing i wasn't expecting from the arkham knight writing (aside from, you know, penguin's singular homophobic moment, which happens out of the blue and is never referenced or explained) was riddler's anti-indigenous racist moment

[scaryscarecrows]

I think I remember you had a post where you thought Jason had been living in tunnels. Is this where you were talking about?

(The tunnel network under Miagani Island) (Also if you have the link to that post handy I'd love to read it again!)

Success! And yep, that's it; a random area away from goons but awfully close to the Militia Tunnels.

[fractualized]

I talked about the first issue of Robin Lives! and my high hopes for it, but when #2 & 3 came around, I didn't have the time to post about them.

But this final issue… uh… Let's get into it. ("It" including gun violence and suicidal ideations.)

So as a brief recap: at the end of #3, Jason found Joker's hideout but froze when confronting him, and Joker decided to solve his Robin problem by mind-manipulating him to be a sidekick of his own: Jokey the Boy Lackey.

In #4, Joker takes his new pal to go after Dr. Stoner.

In #2, Joker pretended to be reformed but Stoner didn't buy it, expressing disappointment, which only set Joker off. And that anger reappears here, less about the offense of some nobody little man pitying him and more about insisting that nobody could actually care about the criminally insane. Of course, this scene comes off more like Joker punishing Stoner for caring— or rather, getting Jason to.

But whatever control Joker had over Jason doesn't hold.

Interesting that Joker leaves Jason alive, and Stoner too. Also, Jason is still awake in this scene, so Joker is truly not worried about him.

Compare this interaction to the opening of #3, in which Joker imagines he's watching films of old comedians with Batman, who is having a great time, and that fantasy is interrupted by an imaginary Robin, who makes fun of Joker's sense of humor. Did Joker decide that since trying to kill Robin had too many downstream effects, he should try to bring him into the joke instead? And then confronted with the real Robin's disdain for him, Joker lashes out to make him feel small? In any case, Robin has proven himself a poor fit for Joker's plans, unlike Batman.

Joker returns to his hideout to get his supplies, and he leaves a note for Batman not only with a clue to his whereabouts, but explicitly letting him know that he let Robin go!

Again with the signals that Joker regrets almost changing the game. (Though he still has, considering what happened to Barbara, which is never mentioned in this miniseries, which is disappointing. In all the brooding in #2 & 3, it's not like there wasn't room for it.)

Anyway, Bruce pulls that move where he works with a sidekick just fine until it gets too dangerous.

While Bruce goes to meet Joker, we learn that Jason has been stewing in humiliation and has had enough.

And the narration gives the first signal of how the storytelling in the last quarter of this issue is gonna go. lol

Oh, so you couldn't think of anything plausible? Anything at all? Not even, I dunno, Joker boasting to Jokey about his plan, or Jason catching sight of a map when he was in the hideout? Alright.

Anyway, Bruce finds Joker in the Miagani caves, home to the particular bat left with the note. Joker has figured out a frequency that allows him to control the bats, and he's also infected them with a psychoactive agent that he wants to unleash on Gotham.

UNLESS….

A proposal?! 😍

So it's either a swarm of infected bats or one infected Bat. Batman should forget about the dang kid, who just doesn't get the joke like they do, and join Joker!

Jason disagrees with this, which he demonstrates by popping up and shooting Joker in the chest. But we've known since #1 this doesn't end in a chest shot.

Farewell, sad clown. :(

So like Joker not planning to kill Jason, his expressions say that not only did he not expect Jason to follow through, but he was relieved when the kid did. Compare this scene to #1 when Bruce almost let him drown. Joker looked only distressed then; with Batman, he needs the game to go on. But Jason finally brings the compulsion to a stop, forever.

Bruce, of course, is upset, and he was not planning to drink Joker's toxin.

That face kills me

"WHATCHA GONNA DO OLD MAN"

When Bruce gets up to the ledge, Jason is gone. And while Arkhamverse Bruce nicely carried Joker's body out of Monarch Theater, here he seems to simply panic, per the first panel below. Which is quickly followed by a lot of shit that sure seems too easy??

Alert, alert! 🚨 WFA has breached containment again!🚨

There are versions of this that I could buy. None of those versions have Bruce simply hugging out Joker's murder within hours of him dying.

The next three pages are an unbelievable speedrun of the aftermath. Let's go one by one.

The Three Jokers-esque rundown of why Jason couldn't be held accountable for Joker's death is all fair enough. And it is in character for Bruce to take the blame for Joker's death, and boy howdy does it make the batjokes feels dance when Joker's death prompts the death of the Batman persona.

But Bruce putting all his bad bat-decisions into the dead persona doesn't really reckon with him having made all those decisions. In an earlier issue, Sara notes that Batman was a fantasy Bruce used to run away from facing his pain, and him now running into his parents' roles just feels like the same thing.

Also being told that Jason was "nearly catatonic" and not showing it is just odd.

Next page!

This page is also weird. I suppose if the logic is that Bruce's sin was bringing a child into the vigilante life and he needed to give up the cowl to atone… No, it's still weird, because Dick was also a child brought into that fight. Just writing him off as already damaged goods so Batman can stay around feels like it undermines the meaning of Bruce retiring.

I'm setting aside whether or not Dick would really want to be Batman, because I don't have a dog in that fight. But making him a Bruce clone does not feel right.

Maybe that's the point, though?? That the cycle is just starting all over again, inescapable? Is this just TKJ? 🤔

Before we follow that line of thinking, next page!

Ohhhhhhh, poor Sara. I thought you could still get out of this as a confidante. But no, you're the narrator and you're so familiar with Bruce and his family because you're ✨in love✨ now. We didn't have to do this. There's literally no point to making her a romantic interest. Sure, I can see going with her instead of an established one because they're all in the crime game and Bruce is escaping that here, but still. And don't tell me "it took years" in an attempt to gloss over how we don't even know this lady. WE DON'T KNOW THIS LADY. This development feels tacked on. I hate it.

Though I mean, Bruce only falls in love after Joker is dead. That's something. 😂

And then we have Jason getting multiple degrees related to mental health care and eventually becoming a higher up at Arkham Asylum. Way different than the Jason Todd of today, but hey, this is an alternate universe and—

what

WHAT?

Uh… 🎵 Cue game show music! 🎶 Congrats to the jaydick fans out there! You are the next batjokes!

I have no idea what to think here. You could theorize that Joker's brainwashing lingered, I guess, and influenced Jason to take his place later. Or perhaps that Jason studying mental health made him ponder the Joker too much and he "infected" himself with his late tormenter? Or are Batman and Joker truly inevitable in any universe and Jason is just helplessly compelled to take on the role?

I don't know! This all was going so well and then it just ends with a bunch of stuff that happens!

I wonder if it was always supposed to end this way? I reread all the issues today, and some of the narration is strange if #4 is indicating that the Sara telling this story exists at a point where she knows that Jason is now Joker. Like some of it you read and think, "Ohhh, the inevitability here isn't about Jason shooting Joker; it's about Jason becoming Joker." But then other parts conflict with that, like in #3 when Sara talks about Jason feeling like it's impossible to victimize others, as if it's a present fact. Clearly he does not feel that way!

Also, at the end of #3 when we saw Jokey, I was excited at the prospect of Joker seeing himself in Jason, and perhaps vice versa, and the emotional struggle that direct compare/contrast could bring. And the first couple pages get at that a little, I guess? But certainly not enough that the final two pages aren't completely out of the blue.

You could say that since Jason takes on Joker's old identity as Red Hood, he's just doing the same again here, but there's still no lead-up to it!

In the end, I guess this is just a sad story about how even when Bruce breaks away from his violent coping mechanism to really promote healing, he still fucked over his kids and it's just too late? I mean, fair enough, but still. Could've used one of those big exposition pages to at least drive more at that. 🤷‍♀️

The next mini-series I'm pinning my hopes on is the Two-Face one in December. Christian Ward stuck the landing in City of Madness, so let's see if he can do it again!

[aangelinakii]

QUIET NIGHTS LIKE THIS.

— the bat and the cat.

summary : gotham knows you as the bat. you protect the streets, rid it of its unforgiving filth. however, there seems to be one cat who keeps running from your claws.

note : okay i am OBSESSED with this request like i almost peed myself reading it anon is GENIUS !!!? && sorry it took so long to publish !!!!!

tonight was one of the quieter nights, something you were unsure whether to revel in or be cautious of. every single time.

as you glared down at the streets from your gargoyle perch, you brought a couple gloved fingers to your ear, pressing against the titanium of your cowl. "oracle," you gravelled into the night. "do you have eyes on anything? tonight's quiet. too quiet."

after a moment, the crackle of oracle's microphone feedback came in your ear. oracle. barbara gordon. after working with her father, she'd connected with you; her stance as oracle, tech aficionado, helped her delve into the grit of gotham without sneaking past her father's rules. as a lieutenant, officer jim gordon knew a lot about what to expect from these ends.

this way, she could help you fight the crime without leaving her bedroom.

"actually, i have eyes on some cams near bristol," oracle explained, the clicks of her keyboard distant in your ears. "someone's attempting to break into a penthouse from the side of the building. i'd get there quick."

but you were already swinging through the streets, grapple gun tight in your grip.

when you reached miagani island, you found the penthouse quick — miagani was nice, but not nice enough for a penthouse at every turn.

embedded in one of the many windows was a hole in the glass; entry.

"they've broken in," you spoke lowly to oracle. "did you see them go inside?"

after a few clicks echoed in your head, oracle hummed. "yes, about two minutes ago they jumped in after laser-cutting the entryway. i'd advise go in, linger by and wait for their return. if they've stolen anything, which, inevitably, they have, you may be able to stop them before they can get too far."

with a nod, despite oracle not being able to see it, you pulled the trigger, grabble shooting from its barrel, and you swung towards the entry.

holding your breath, you readied yourself for impact; instead, you sailed through, the line sinking back into the barrel, and your booted feet landed softly upon carpeted floor.

inside the penthouse, it was dark, quiet. whoever lived here was either out or asleep, but you could tell an unwanted intruder had been about; if not for the cut hole that gave it away, you noticed the circle on the ground glinting in the moonlight and billboard advertisements, a suction stuck to it from where it had been pulled out of place.

something from the next room over shifted, and your senses heightened, ears aching to hear something.

the floor creaked. part of you wondered if it was the homeowner, or the cat burglar.

regardless of the answer, you pushed forward, the black of your suit and flow of your cape allowing you to sink into the shadows.

as you turned the corner, a door ajar, you could make out a dark figure quietly shifting through drawers at a desk. although barely making a sound, they seemed urgent, voracious to find something within this office.

finally, the movement stopped, and a barely-there hum echoed through the darkness. whoever they were, whatever they wanted, they'd found it.

soft feet tread along the carpet, moving across the room, and you edged closer, breath silent.

they were unlocking something, the jiggle of the key in a lock evident to you, along with the creak of a cupboard opening. then the unmistakable spinning of a safe's combination lock.

this was definitely the intruder.

without wasting any more time, no longer keeping the gap open for them to hear a click of the lock, nor the gap in the door, you swept inside.

immediately sensing your presence, the burglar looked up, ears pricked up.

from your disguise of the shadows, you stayed quiet; watching, anticipating.

a man, dressed in black as you were. the leather of his catsuit reflected the pale moonlight leaking in, and you could make out a pair of pointy cat ears poking from the top of his mask.

before he could turn back and resume his lock-guessing, you edged forward, pushing him against the bookshelving, and he grunted, clearly taken by surprise.

he didn't fight back for a moment, breath hitched, stormy blue eyes boring into yours.

"i was beginning to wonder when i'd meet you," he chuckled dryly, wrists going limp under your hard grip. "i've heard a lot about you, bat."

"haven't had the pleasure," you gritted out, not wanting to give anything in your voice away. you'd been on national television enough times for people to recognise the tone of the way you spoke; it was difficult at first trying to come up with a way to speak to people under this cowl.

the cat burglar's mouth curled up in a smile, revealing perfect white teeth, a sharp canine peeking out from beneath his lip.

before giving you a chance to react, he pushed forward, and utilised a fraction of his strength to swap your stance. with a gasp, your spine hitting the bound spines of organised books.

"then let me introduce myself." his words were carefully calculated, like a ticking time-bomb on his tongue. he knew how to use them, knew when.

his grasp faltered and he took a step back, returning to his post before the safe, as if you wouldn't mind. his gloved fingers found the turn-lock once again, and you caught sight of a sharp claw along each nail.

upon hearing another click, the burglar redirected his attention back to you.

"they call you the bat. you may call me the cat."

you'd rather not call him anything, just get him out of here without anything stolen, without alerting anybody, without having to hit him.

"step away from the safe," you ordered, voice deep, mustering up as much intimidation as it could.

but the cat only chuckled, turning back to it, pressing his ear against the metal. "i think you have me mistaken, detective," he purred, grinning as the safe gave one final click and swung open. "why, i'm not here to steal anything."

his hands snaked down to the utility belt at his waist, a pouch hanging from it. with his movement, you felt yourself stiffen, alert in case he pulled a gun.

out of the pouch, the cat pulled a long line of pearls, evidently connected in a necklace once its entirety was revealed. unlike having stolen it as presumed, he replaced it within the safe's velvet interior, smiling up at you all the while.

"i am merely making a return." his soft lips curled to a pout. "or is that against the law?"

"breaking and entering is."

another chuckle stung the atmosphere, and the cat cocked his head to the side, as if an attempt to scrutinise you closer. "touché..."

heaviness hung all around for a few beats. just you, the bat, and him, the cat.

before he was jumping toward the door, tugging it open. he lingered in the threshold, eyes glowing in the night. "i'll be seeing you around, bat."

and he was acrobatting down the hall, back towards the window he'd entered through, and you were quick on your feet to follow.

but when you turned the corner, he was gone, all remnants of him disappeared completely.

apart from the circle in the glass leading out to the rest of gotham, along with the sting on your wrists from where he'd touched you.

[thesandsofelsweyr]

(Delete if weird or not allowed)

I pictured AK!Jason in a date with his s/o at nights, specifically when he doesn't risks his ass off to fight some thugs or keep Gotham's little order, I would picture him in one of those fancy (or not so) restaurants where you can listen to live jazz music and the kind of restaurant with the small scented candles on the middle of the table with some glasses of wine.

By this, what kind of dates would AK!Jason enjoy when going out with his s/o?

Your restaurant description reminds me of a place I found while replaying: Riverside Lounge in Grand Avenue Station on Miagani Island. It caught my eye because it looks like a great date spot 😉

While AK Jay is uncomfortable showing his branded face in public, he also likes to show you off while showing you a good time, so getting to enjoy good food, wine, and music at a laid-back joint with muted lighting, a casual dress code, and live performers who can take the crowd's attention off of his beloathed J is an acceptable date in his book. (Bonus points if the restaurant's a hidden gem in his old neighborhood.)

If he's gotta go out for the date, he also enjoys taking you to the community theater for a live performance (again, Park Row spots are preferred.)

Eventually he realizes that when you're at his side, he doesn't have to worry about stares because all eyes are on you. So you get to show him off on your arm at glamorous spots with formal dress codes where you get to dress up like a celeb at film premiere and he's forced to wear a tailored suit �� He's still gonna slouch, but at least his beautiful face isn't hidden beneath a hat and a hoodie.

[fiction-is-the-new-reality]

Pt 4: If only you knew

Old Friends and Tears

word count: 2k

warnings: major violence, adult language, and angst

previous part series masterlist

It feels like you can’t stop driving away from the tunnel. Like you can’t put enough distance between it.

You keep thinking about Arkham Knight following you, which spurs you to drive faster and further. After making a loop around Miagani and ensuring that no one has followed you, you swiftly turn into an alley.

Switching off the bike, you take a few heavy breaths, calming your thumping heart. Your mind is still whirling from the fight.

You nearly jump out of your skin when a voice calls down to you.

“Almost didn’t recognize it was you.” Nightwing flips down into the alley. Stepping off your bike, you walk towards him, meeting him halfway. Dick opens his arms, and you lean in to hug him. He tightens his arms and slightly rocks you back and forth.

One of Dick’s many underappreciated talents is giving amazing hugs.

“Look at your fancy new suit. You’ve finally made it big.” He grabs your shoulders before pretending to wipe away a tear.

You playfully roll your eyes, “Always so dramatic. What are you doing here?”

He gasps and tosses a hand over his heart. “What? Not happy to see me?”

Giving him a deadpan look that he only laughs at, he finally tells you. “Bruce is looking into North Refrigeration, which is a job I’ve been working for months,” you interrupt in shock. “So he called you?”

“....Not directly. Alfred asked what I knew about North Refrigeration. He said Bruce was about to look into them. Figured he wouldn’t mind the extra hand.”

“Oh, so you invited yourself over, got it.”

Dick shakes his head before he gets serious.

“I heard about Barb. How are you holding up?”

“I’m just ready to have her back, even if I have to kick Scarecrow’s ass myself. What about you?”

“She can take care of herself. I’m surprised Scarecrow hasn’t thrown her back at us.” You both chuckle. You look at his eyes, which show unspoken fear. He’s worried about her, not like he’d ever say. The ever-persistent Nightwing, always the big brother, always calm.

“I know. I find it strange that Arkham Knight knew she was Oracle and, more importantly, where she was.” You sigh before continuing. “It makes me wonder if he’s been lurking and watching before all this.”

“You never know. It’s made it very clear that no matter how careful you are, there’s always a risk.”

Before you can respond, he presses his fingers on his earpiece. After a beat of silence, he speaks, “I gotta run. Bruce is waiting for me, but I’ll see you before I return to Bludhaven. I promise.”

“Call me if you need me!” You shout as he scales up the side of the building. Once he’s back on the rooftop, he waves goodbye before dashing away.

You roll the bike to the back of the alley and throw a black tarp over it, hoping it’ll blend in with the shadows. You decide to go back to the rooftops for a while. It’s easier to keep watch when no one hears you coming.

Getting up to the roof the same way Dick did, you walk to the opposite side and look out over the roads. You watch as groups of men run around beating each other, tipping over trash cans, and occasionally almost getting hit by cars.

Nearby, a piercing screech echoes out, making you wince. Startled by the unexpected sound, you quickly turn your head, scanning the area for any signs of movement. Your eyes land on a bird flying in the distance. You watch in sheer horror as the “bird” approaches. As it comes into focus, you realize it’s an enormous bat-like creature, and it is now barreling directly towards you.

“What the fuck!” You exclaim out loud, running towards the edge of the roof.

It gets to you before you can jump onto the street below. You crouch down, hands covering your head. It swoops overhead, and a piercing shriek fills the air, chilling you to the bone while the colossal wings whip chilled wind around you. The large beast lands on the street below, and men yell in panic, filling the air with their screams.

You stand there blinking momentarily, watching it move in a circle, screeching out what sounds like mournful cries. You take in the pale clammy skin, the white hollowed-out eyes, and the sharp teeth protruding from its mouth. As you think about your next move, it’s too late. The creature takes off into the sky again. The massive wings bring it toward your rooftop and you crouch low, bracing for its talons to cut you. Once again, you’re spared as it veers left at the last second. You begin running after it but aren’t fast enough to catch up. It rockets up into the sky and you lose sight as it flies behind the skyline.

“What the fuck?” You whispered.

On the other side of Gotham, the Arkham Knight enters a room where Oracle is being held. He leans against the doorway and watches her silently. Barbra glares back.

The silence is broken. “What the hell do you want?”

A robotic chuckle is let out. “Oh, Barbra, Barbra, Barbra. When did you become so rude?”

“Probably when someone manhandled me out of my home, got me thrown from a car, and locked me up in this room.”

“Hmm, yes, that was a bit rougher than I had intended. But honestly, you have Batman and that other birdy to thank for that.”

He stalks over to her and circles around the chair. She stays steady, showing no fear in the face of danger. A skill most will credit to Batman, but it’s a trait directly from her father.

She slightly jumps as his hand clamps down on her shoulder, and his helmet lets out an echoing hiss as he opens it. He tosses it on her lap. She glances down, wondering what he was doing.

“Don’t worry Babs. You’re just a pawn in this game, so as of right now, you’re safe.” Why did he sound so familiar? Why did she know that voice? Barbra racked her brain trying to figure out who that voice belonged to.

He walks around and her eyes land on his face, a gasp leaves her mouth. Her eyes must be playing a trick on her. Scarecrow must have injected her with fear toxin or gassed the room and she just didn’t realize it. That would be the only logical explanation as to why Jason is standing in front of her dressed as the man who has been terrorizing Gotham.

“Jason? H-How?” Her voice, barely above a whisper, is breathy with surprise.

“I know. Long time no see Babs.” He’s fully facing her now and she can see how the years have affected him.

His blue eyes, were bloodshot and sunken, with dark purple circles underneath. On his left cheek, a scarred letter J grabs her attention. And her eyes linger on it. She notices a recent scratch on his throat before he turns away from her.

“Jason! Why? Why are you doing this? How could you do this?” Her pain laces her voice. Tears glisten in her eyes, and confusion wrinkles her face.

“Like I said, you can thank Batman. Everything that has happened and that will happen is all because of him.” He walks towards the door.

“He mourned for you! We all did Jason.”

“Bullshit! It took all of about three months before I was replaced. Three months before I was forgotten! I was still alive while you guys were moving on!”

“We didn’t know, Jason. Please understand.”

Jason’s out the door before Barbra can say anything else. Once the door closes, she lets the tears fall out of her eyes.

Jason clicks his helmet back in place before entering the surveillance room. The monitors light up showing him the streets of Gotham. The Batmobile speeding after the tanks and the APC’s. A screen to the left side of the display catches his attention.

It’s Vulture. The one that escaped him. He watches as she take on a checkpoint with eight of his men inside it. His eyes tracked her every move, learning her fight patterns.

As Vulture knocked down a medic, one soldier holding two stun batons crept behind her, pressing the sparking stun batons against her back. Jason leans in as he watches her collapse to the floor. The three militiamen circle over her as she lies on the ground.

One bends down and once he’s close, she wraps her legs around his shoulders and springs her body upwards. They crash to the floor and Jason watches as the head of the militia bounces against the ground.

She stands, her hand reaching down to her waist, and pulls a small blade from her belt. It’s then hurled at the soldier with the batons, causing the baton in his right hand to slip out, dropping to the ground. With a leg sweep, Vulture disarms him, snatching the baton in a single fluid motion.

She swiftly turns to the other soldier and uses the baton to jab at his crotch, forcing him to drop to his knees. As he’s on his knees, she quickly flips to the other side of him, gaining some distance from the last soldier. She brings the baton down on the kneeling soldier’s neck, sending him sprawling face-first onto the ground.

Now she’s facing the last soldier. The soldier runs and grabs a wooden crate off the ground. He launches the crate towards Vulture, but she pulls the crate out of the air and to her chest. Using the wall for leverage, she launches herself into the air, smashing the box directly onto his head. He stumbles back, and her roundhouse kick connects with his chest, sending him sprawling onto the ground.

She stalks over to the unconscious head commander and smashes the communicator, making the checkpoint walls collapse.

Jason presses the comm in his ear.

Having let go of the communicator, you allow it to crash on the ground. A crackling noise comes from the commander’s earpiece, followed by the Knight’s voice.

“Don’t get too happy, birdy. I’m still seeing and hearing everything all over Gotham. Maybe I should be the new Oracle.”

Your blood runs cold.

You snatch the earpiece out of the commander’s ear and the Knight laughs on the other end. Pushing the button down on the comm, you respond.

“Maybe you should stop being such a coward and show your face. Or do you hide behind that mask because your face is too mangled?”

The laughter from the Knight is unlike the previous ones. It is not mocking you or sarcastic. It’s dark, and you can feel the hatred behind it. It sends a shiver down your spine.

“Just wait, this mangled mess will be the last thing you see with your dying breath.”

You waste no time leaving the scene.

The projectors around Gotham whirl to life. It’s a holding cell, and the camera zooms in on the person inside. It’s Barbra, slumped over in her wheelchair. Scarecrow’s scratchy voice comes through the speakers.

“How does it feel to see your city on the brink of ruin, your friends in the clutches of death?”

The screen distorts and then it’s Scarecrow’s face on the screen.

“You stretched yourself too far this time, Batman, and now your failure is all but complete. As that final, dying breath escapes her body, she will know you are the one who failed her.” The audio screeches out as the screen turns black.

You press down on your comm.

“Alfred, where is she being held?”

“Master Bruce said a safe house in Chinatown. He’s on his way now.”

Shit. You’re nowhere near Chinatown.

“Thanks, Alfred.”

You begin driving your bike as fast as you can, zipping around corners, and taking shortcuts through the infrastructure of Gotham.

As you get to the middle of Chinatown, you stop the bike and grapple to the nearest building. Listening closely for anything that will point you in the right direction.

Closing your eyes, you try as hard as you can. A minute of stillness passes, and then, like a whisper on the wind, you hear it. The distant, muffled thuds of gunshots punctuated Scarecrow’s voice, raspy and echoing. Your legs start running before you even realize it, your heart pounding in your chest as fear takes over. With a rush of wind in your ears, you leap from the rooftop to the next, landing softly in front of a heavy wooden door.

You’re about to open it when Bruce comes out. Without Barbra.

“Where is she? Was it a trap? Is she somewhere else?”

His blue eyes lock on yours. You can see the pain in them. His jaw tightens.

“No, no, no, Bruce.” You’re pacing back and forth.

“I was too late. Scarecrow he….was punishing me. He killed her.” Voice heavy with guilt.

“You’re lying! She’s in there.” You need to get into the building. You need to see that she’s fine and that she’s not really in there. Heading for the door, Batman blocks you.

“No, I’m not letting you in there.”

“You don’t give me orders! I-I need to see Barbra.”

He speaks your name softly. “She’s gone.”

You turn your back on him, taking a few steps away. Bruce does the same.

You dodge Bruce with a quick movement, adrenaline surging through you, your eyes fixed on the door as you sprint towards it. His arms reach out and grab you, pulling you into his chest and lifting you off the ground, like a child throwing a tantrum. You thrash in his arms, your movements frantic, as you try to break free from his hold. His grip on you becomes a vise-like clamp, his muscles tightening as he pulls away from the door.

“Stop it, Bruce! Let me go! It’s Barbra, Bruce, it’s Barbra, please!”

“You don’t need to see. It won’t change anything.” He holds you until you’ve calmed down.

Bruce, let’s go, setting you on your feet. Your shoulders sag and you look at the ground.

“I’m headed to GCPD to talk to Ivy. She was immune to the fear toxin.”

“You’re hoping she’ll help against the Cloudburst?” Your voice sounds small, even to your ears.

“She doesn’t have a choice.”

taglist: @thegirlwiththeyarn @geminizmoonz @emilia527 @anime5005 @babypaperwitch @skypperlegacy @rwylm-things @mayo-0-o @ex-cla-ma-tion @pheonixfucu @not-herexo @g0atmansbridge182 @theg0ddesshera @redhoodedangel @just-lost-inbetween-worlds @marigiano @lilocapoca @misaki-kira8 @blackcanary130 @ykyouluvme @kiwi03 @xbonniepricexx @definitelynotanalien @ghostlyleech @pinkmaggit666 @0littlestwolf0 @stupid-ninja @reanie-xoxo @kittykatchicha @bunz-lover @justalittleb1tcrazy @gghoulpool @snackeyalleyjuice @comealivedaya @thefandomdiaries07 @peter-parker-tony-stank-trash @awstrck @gemini-bichxx-blog @jennifermoyas @xdrin @harleycao @screamingsilence3 @ex-pinguina @ppiglovestravel-blog @catsinhatswithbats @jazminjacuinde @honeywolflower8364 @lillianmorningstar

[thatstheproblemwithnapkinman]

random shit i've learned researching gotham city and the wayne family

bruce is a descendant of a native american tribe called the miagani that lived on the land that would become gotham

the city is literally cursed, an evil warlock was buried alive and his evilness seeped into the surrounding land, corrupting it

the miagani sealed a shaman in a cave (probably the bat cave) but when colonists arrived they freed him and he killed them all

there's an old family called the orghams...

1st january 1800 two guys fought over a piece of magic amber in the batcave

the classic architecture of gotham was designed by one guy and was then copied all over the city

bruce wayne is related to morgana le fae: his ancestor is a guy called sir geVain who is king arthurs nephew and morgana is arthurs half-sister

a witch cursed the waynes just before she was hung by nathaniel wayne, which is so fucking funny bc she'd just been in love with a time-travelling bruce

people keep dying on the land that is the wayne estate

thomas wayne (bruces dad) escaped the caribbean when cuban forces tried to unite the region under communism

so many waynes grew up without both parents (either 1 or 0)

[fishthefrank]

Me watching AK riddler humiliate me on the screens in front of everyone in Miagani while doing one of his puzzles.

[the-antiapocalyptic-man]

Solomon Grundy. His living body was known as Cyrus Gold, head of the infamous Gold family, known for both their criminal enterprises and purported involvement with witchcraft and black magic. After most of the family was massacred by a group of vengeful Miagani locals--known at the time as "Bat-People"--Cyrus was resurrected by the sole survivor, his daughter Gilda.

Unlike typical Grundymen found in Undertown and similar subterranean communities, Solomon's resurrection isn't a one time thing or something that requires external mystical maintenance, but an inherent attribute of Gold's new body. Gilda, through some unknown ritual, directly tapped into the Black Flame of Nekron and embedded it in her father's body. No matter how damaged Solomon's physical becomes, it will always rebuild itself using extant necrotic matter manipulated by the Black Flame. The only known comparable feat accomplished by a Homo Magi was the resurrection of Joseph Zarrick by his father, the dimension-hopping W.I. Zard.

Grundy would go on to fight Alan Scott and Aloysius Fox throughout the Golden Age, becoming a recurring foe of the Justice Society and eventual founding member of the Injustice Society of the World. Unkillable as ever, he continued to live into the modern day, but it was only the return of Nekron that would reveal Grundy's destiny beyond the invisible black stars of distant space.

Gilda had an extraordinary life of her own, and always made sure to see her father on Holidays...

[batmanego]

i've been thinking a lot about the racial politics in RDR2 lately, as the racial politics of that time in america have always compelled me (and were directly relevant to my family) and i like RDR2 and i've been toying with the idea of a larger essay on it but i'm worried that i'll never finish it. so if i don't i'm making this post just so i can get my basic thoughts on the wapiti tribe down on paper.

the wapiti tribe is uniquely frustrating to me as it's clear that RDR2 was trying to make up for their godawful treatment of natives in RDR1 and be at least somewhat conscious of the state of things for natives at the time, but it's just.. so... lukewarm.

i'm always going to have issues with the usage of fictionalized tribes. i have issues with the miagani in batman. i have issues with the red star tribe of red dead revolver, the precursor to the red dead redemption games we have now. and i have issues with the wapiti of rdr2. the wapiti are a fictional tribe, yes, but they pull heavily from the real-world lakota people. they speak lakȟótiyapi (despite 'wapiti' being a shawnee word???? i suppose it could be an exonym, but i digress). their existence is based around the lakota people, but the lakota themselves are absent from the game. why? why make a fictionalized tribe and then pull from a real one? so you don't have to worry about getting sued? that's cheap. that's lazy. work with the tribe. it can be done. native people are not ephemeral or uncontactable.

when i think about the wapiti tribe i can't help but contemplate the fictional native (or, more accurately, the fictional native tribe as opposed to the individual), and the comfort it brings to the colonizers. the fictional native and the dead native go hand in hand. the dead, extinct native is suffering in perpetuity, immortalized in time as a martyr to the indigenous cause. being killed by the white man forever.

the fictional native, too, often falls into this trap, particularly in games like RDR2. people love to cry over the dead native (and the fictional native) and mourn "what could have been". this is in part because the dead native (and the fictional native) require no more work on the part of the colonizer. the dead native (and the fictional native) do not call for land back. they do not call for reparations. they do not live among you as people, and so you are not required to see them as such. they allow you to confront your history, but gently. they give you the opportunity to turn away when you are uncomfortable. the dead native (and the fictional native) does not intrude on the workings of everyday life for the colonizer. the alive native (the real-life native), on the other hand, inconveniences the colonizer with demands of monetary assistance, land back, and forces the colonizer to continually acknowledge and live with the fact that they are living the way they are in no small part due to the suffering of the native.

i think often of kim tallbear, a professor of native studies at the university of alberta and author of native american DNA: tribal belonging and the false promise of genetic science's quote: “i think what people are scrambling for is this ancient noble savage or noble indian in their bloodline. they’re not very interested in contemporary indigenous people who are alive, who are living in a still very colonial society at a severe income and class disadvantage, people living with multiple generations of trauma from residential schools, from other forms of discrimination and systematic exclusion” (emphasis mine).

this isn't to say that depictions of the real life suffering that people went through should be ignored or written out of the narrative. i'm grateful that RDR2 acknowledged (in their own lukewarm way) the suffering of the time. but with the rest of the racial politics of RDR2 (see: arthur saying he understands the wapiti because hes an outlaw?????? see: arthur's general unawareness of racism as a structure of society) it feels often to me while playing that the devs, while making a historical game, are uncomfortable with actually engaging with history in any meaningful way.

in any case, i'm one person and i'm by no means an expert on the native experience (being racially white and raised away from the culture and only beginning to try to reconnect some 7 or 8 years ago) and i would genuinely like to hear other people's thoughts on this, particularly lakota people.

[scaryscarecrows]

"Christ." Antoine's voice is hoarse, like he's just taken a drag off his cigarette. "Okay...I want a drone patrol back on Miagani, heavy Serpent redeployment. As soon as the sensors confirm it's safe, I want foot patrols back on the streets; do not wander off alone, Medical's saying they're overwhelmed from the damn airships and your concussion will just have to fucking wait."

Jimmy grimaces. The Knight's been missing for well over an hour, since the Cloudburst went up, and given that Batman is...a little more vicious than they expected, nobody's totally convinced he's not...well...dead. Still, though, he sends the drones out, pulls a handful of Serpents from over where they're hovering around ACE Chemicals, and frowns.

"Bastard's taken out a lot of my cameras," he says. "You want to try and repair anything?"

There's a long, considering silence.

"No," Antoine says at last. "We don't have the time or the manpower. Look, we give it another two hours unless shit hits the fan."

"Thought Scarecrow was in charge?"

"Boss had a contingency. If we don't find him, we--motherfucker!"

Jimmy's first, panicked, thought is that Batman got him. But no, Antoine keeps going, and he doesn't sound broken, just pissed off.

"Where the hell have you been--told you that was goddamn stupid--I did not plan on having to initiate the damn Komodo Protocol--"

Komodo? Jimmy's seen that mentioned, in files, but nothing concrete. He's not actually sure what it is, which is annoying, but for all his digging, it hasn't come up.

"Drouot," The Knight's voice cuts in. Antoine shuts up. "Listen up, all of you. The Batman is on his way. Slow him down to the best of your ability. Scarecrow unit, get him out of here, now. If he fusses, patch him through to me. Knight out."

[rae-raewrites]

How about some headcanons of Arkham Riddler, with reader getting jealous? Just something about seeing him interacting with Ivy, or how Catwoman always calls him Eddie in her sensual tone, it just drives reader crazy with jealousy, thinking that Edward may leave them for someone better or prettier.

Is this just gonna be y’all giving me the best prompts possible? Because I’m in to it! (This one is long but only because I got so much inspo from this so thank you anon!)

Arkham riddler seeing his s/o be jealous

For a flirtatious as ivy can get let’s be honest Selina is gonna be seen as the REAL threat here

It doesn’t help you found out Eddie left out trophies for HER! A whole 35 of them!

A few flirtatious winks and words do nothing good for anyone with their own self doubts.

And yet here you are.

Edward nigma without a doubt is the most powerful man in Gotham despite what people will try to dispute. Brains,money and power. All of it.

Yet he chooses you.

It doesn’t make any sense!

Selina has worked on and off for Eddie for years so they clearly have a mutual understanding.

However that can only go so far especially when you can’t help but clearly give a look of agitation when she stops by to hand deliver Edward his packages.

Your pretty sure she can tell it bothers you but she certainly doesn’t make a fuss about it.

But let’s not act like doesn’t Edward start to notice eventually either.

He’ll be right in the middle of talking with Selina when he starts to notice you basically death glaring her into her soul.

Leads him to some pondering afterwords. Were you really jealous of Kyle? Really? Nonsense! Unless….?

It was a hypothesis.

Something to be tested and he was a man of testing nonconformity

It was a simple “my dear” towards Selina that clearly set you off.

When you rushed out of the room into his office slamming the door behind you apart he couldn’t stop smirking. Selina however was a bit concerned.

“Are they gonna be okay?”

“Nothing I’m not prepared to deal with,now go run along and retrieve that energy cell. I have to go quell my Aphrodite.”

He finds you grumbling at his desk. Green light illuminating your skin

“My my what a fitting color.”

“What?” You sneered out. Dangerously. He was treading a fine line clearly.

“Green. Dear. Your green with all the envy in the world.”

“Over her? Please!”

He’s positively glowing with pride as he sits himself on his desk and lifts your chin up with a finger.

“Oh really? A couple of words of affection had you storming out of the room! What’s wrong my sweet? Not wanting to share Gotham’s smartest?”

Now you were basically forced to admit it.

“Fine! I’m jealous! But she knows what she does……….”

“My ruler of riddles you need to understand your in competition with no one.”

“Prove it.”

In that moment he went to the place he always went i times of vulnerability. His riddles.

“I can break, I can be clogged, I can be attacked, I can be given, I can be kept, I can be crushed, yet I can be whole at the same time. What am I?”

The answer came to you simply but you had to stop yourself for a second.

Oh

“ the heart”

“And my dear you won the fight for mine a while ago. You’re intellect may not be on my level yet but you certainly beat the likes of cat woman by the whole length of miagani ”