#rogue gallery is now a gotham store

[wlzerd]

[martyrbat]

one last halloween — dcu halloween special (2008)

(ID in alt!)

[swiggity-swexual-i-am-asexual]

Someone said it’s a Halloween store and I love that actually.

And while it’s jumping ahead, I really love DRAMATIC reveals after a long while of identity and secret shenanigans.

So we enter in our favorite sad man in a trench coat, the staple of Danny ends up in DC somehow.

Goodness knows what Constantine needs a more or less disposable puppet for, maybe to retrieve some dangerous magic thing that will destroy whoever retrieves it from its resting place, or just curses the absolute hell out of those who touch it. Normally it’s sealed away, but some dumbass took it out, and now it’s the Justice League’s problem. Constantine knows a few ways around it, one of them being to have a puppet of some kind. Puppet masters capable of having puppets that work as well as they’d need to get that stupid thing back in place are… rare.

But there are whispers of someone like that in Gotham. Specifically, Danny has had ‘volunteers’ consisting of his rogue gallery. It was a bid to throw off the bats that, by the way, did not work and frankly backfired. One hour of volunteer work was an hour where Danny Simply Did Not See what the idiots did so long as no one was hurt and property damage was both minimal and not bothering him personally. Again, backfired terribly. But it also meant that somewhere along the lines of them talking about ‘Phantom’s creepy-ass clone shop’ became the general somewhat-misunderstanding of what Danny was doing.

Poorly, if you asked him. He was doing poorly.

So, as these things go, with the background-quickly-becoming-foreground plot of this magic whatsit giving us Problems and Red Herrings, Constantine hears of these whispers and tracks down Danny, code name, eh. It probably got the telephone game treatment, so Phantom might not be the name Constantine heard, and Danny could easily choose to go ‘well, sure, Phantom’, with or without revealing his full ghost nature. He could also use a new code name, or the weird mangled version that Constantine used. (I’m gonna say Pantomime. Cause puppets, puppet strings, the hand gestures—it’s a stretch but it kind of works.) Point is! Danny is found and is dragged, possibly literally kicking and screaming, into this whole mess.

“Saul!” he shouts to his strongest duplicate puppet. A duplipuppet, if you will. Saul is short for Assault, as this month’s theme was ‘crimes’. “You’re in charge!”

Saul salutes, immediately beaming himself with the mop he was holding.

Danny is choosing to say it’s the programming’s fault, and not something he himself would do. Jazz would say he’s trying to make a perfect him and it’s going to end badly. Danny is also choosing to ignore that.

Anyways, Danny gets dragged in with appropriate dramatic timing into some warehouse with a bunch of other Justice League members, including the batfam.

“Is he our sorcerer? The one that took this thing out?” Batman growls.

“I knew he was fishy,” says Nightwing. “Didn’t expect this though, right under our noses?”

“What? No,” Constantine says, idly wondering if that most recent bite went through the fabric and into his arm. It sure wasn’t comfortable, either way, kid had a hell of a bite force. “He’s a puppet master, supposedly.”

“Not really,” Danny spits out Constantine’s arm. No blood, somehow, and he’d been trying. Damn magic clothes. “Why would you need one, anyways?”

“Cursed object.”

“Ah,” Danny finally actually stands, not as combative as before as he slips through Constantine’s hold. “I guess I’ve got experience with those. What’s wrong with it, does it release boy bands onto the public?”

“Ah… no?” Flash says. “Kills anyone that touches it I think.”

“Oof.” Danny isn’t sure if it’d work on him, due to the Halfa thing. But he does know that curses used on his duplicates don’t effect him. Ask him how he knows. “So you wanted a puppet to do it. Aren’t they, like, a pain to get right?”

Tucker and Sam both had a bit of magic at this point, and had complained at LENGTH about it. Sam was even more miffed to find out that dolls in witchcraft were usually used for health and self care, not just hexes. Tucker was more skilled at the puppetmaster thing, but it kind of just boiled down to him using coding and magic as an artificial intelligence. And that took time.

Based on the… whatever the hell that pitch stuff running out like veins from Cursedy Cursed Thing, they did not have that time.

“That’s why I went to you, ya wank,” Constantine says. “Heard you were specializing your magic in it, and doing pretty well to boot.”

“They’re mind controlled people,” Red Robin says. “We can’t let him do that.”

“They’re not—“ Danny sighs. “You know what, I’ll show you. And then you’ll leave me alone. My business is officially, I bribed everyone appropriately.”

“That’s…” Superman frowns. “That’s not how that works?”

“It is in Gotham.” Danny stretches his hands out in front of him, a mix between asking for a hug and holding a box as far from his body as possible. His face is strained, and his brow sweats, and his hands…

They…

They droop? Fleshy goop seems to come off of his hands and forearms, faster and faster, and before anyone can even blink, there’s a flash of light and a second Danny standing there, dazed and wearing—

Was that a goddamn bathrobe?

“I got tired of losing my shirts,” Danny says to the raised eyebrows of Danny The Second’s attire. To be fair, it’d be less of a shock if it wasn’t electric pink with various yellow superhero symbols. Wonder Woman was pretty sure that she could see a bargain bin discount tag on the collar.

“Is that why your “employees” all wear shitty Halloween costumes?” Red Hood asks. “Because the maid costume bit was weird.”

“I did try to tell them not to, actually,” Danny says, walking up to the blank duplipuppet. Since it wasn’t programmed yet, it was just an empty shell, looking dazedly off in the distance. “Once their programming phase is done, though, it’s really hard to change them without doing a full reboot. In which case, it’s easier to just melt and retry.”

“They… they weren’t trafficking victims?” Red Robin says, disbelief dripping from his tone as his shoulders sagged under his cape. “They were-“

“Duplicates,” Danny says as an oversimplification.

“Really fucked up puppets,” Constantine says.

“That too,” Danny agrees. A faint green glow comes from his hands as he holds them against the duplipuppet’s temples. “I’ll ignore putting in the typical reactions and stuff—maybe a wince for pain, just to be sure that he’s not about to drop whatever it is?”

“… Does he feel pain?” Flash asks.

“No, not really, it’s like… if you program a computer to say ouch after being hit. It just knows what happens, but the human part is… detached.” That’s what Danny’s trouble usually was. Duplicates couldn’t be thought of as real, even as a part of yourself. It required a certain aspect of just not caring. Vlad was… disturbingly good at that. Kwan’s clones, back during that whole ghost bug thing, were afterimages, technically. Similar, but not the same, and much more fragile to boot. The internal justification was slightly different. Kwan never saw them as him, and Vlad never did with duplication either. Danny… he never could just not think of himself as, well. Himself.

Danny could make these empty husks all day, but to make them him, any aspect of him, even parts he normally didn’t explore? Difficult. Hence, all this.

He continued mumbling as he worked, ignoring the stares and the comments. He really needed the focus on this part, making the balance of reacting enough for them to know if something is wrong… and not reacting enough to make them think that he, the puppet, was really human.

He… wasn’t. How could he be? Danny certainly wasn’t.

Complex task management and dexterity. Listens to exact commands and instructions. All things Danny learned and struggled with, and usually couldn’t give or shortcut his way into doing very well. The complex energies required were… a lot.

There was one way to cheat it, though.

Shelf life—max, five hours.

The duplipuppet would be dead by then, Danny knew. He got these feelings sometimes, even back when he was a little kid. He really shouldn’t get at all attached to his duplicates. Just like he never got attached to his duplipuppets and other clones and just like he never memorized them all and just like he wonders if a piece of them came back to him when they die.

Danny names him. His clone, the perfect sacrifice to the greater good.

Danny didn’t mean to be so shady.

He had been working hard on his duplicates and had recently gained the ability to morph his appearance.

So he decided to challenge himself to see how long he could run a small business only using him and his clones.

The plan was to, at most, seem to have a group of quirky employees.

Unfortunately, it seems he has accidentally left more of an impression of being a shell company for less than legal reasons.

Good news is that he had did all the legal legwork properly and was not breaking the law.

Bad news was that the bats were getting suspicious and were trying to catch him in some sort of act.

Oh well, this just means that the difficulty has ramped up!

[forevercloudnine]

You said you held back a lot on your rogue gallery comic recs, if you’re comfortable with it I would love to see the rest of the comics you enjoy pertaining to the Gotham rogues!

LMAO okay well for the record, I'll reiterate that this separate list is the rogues gallery comics I would wholeheartedly recommend with zero caveats. I'll add three more to this list, but I would recommend these issues as a taste test for them:

Detective Comics feat. Scarecrow #23.3, "City of Fear"

Detective Comics #566, "Know Your Foes"

And Batman (2016) #49, "Best Man Pt. 2"

If you liked City of Fear:

This issue is set in the ruins of a Batman-less Gotham, where Scarecrow is going around trying to convince the other villains to join him on a plan that really only he is excited about. It's the set-up for Forever Evil: Arkham War, a series where Scarecrow and the Arkhamites battle Bane for control over Gotham, with Penguin as a neutral intermediary who plays both sides. It references a lot of previous and current continuity, but back when I first read it I had zero context and honestly enjoyed it more for the inexplicability. (The city's turned into a post-apocalyptic wasteland? There's freeze dried assassins being stored in the sewers? Whatever. Sure. Gotham is just like that sometimes.) The storyline ends in Forever Evil Aftermath: Batman vs. Bane. If you want to know what Poison Ivy was up to behind the scenes, read Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion #3. Mr. Freeze, Clayface, Zsasz, and Black Mask all have cameos in Rogues Rebellion #4.

If you liked Know Your Foes:

#566 one leads into a larger plot, but that plot is actually not the one I'm recommending here! The main appeal of this comic (other than the ever iconic cover) is that I find it fun to compare the rogues gallery of the 80's to the gallery now, and one of the best stories for that is the giant sized anniversary story "All My Enemies Against Me!" in Detective Comics #526. Neither of these issues have much going on plot wise, which is why I can't recommend either of them as highly as "Where Were You the Night Batman Died?", but they're a fun look at what Batman thinks of his villains and what they think of each other. Also, #526 ends with Talia and Selina literally riding off into the sunset together, which is always fun. I should probably also clarify that both of these issues feature original flavor Jason Todd, back when he was an orphaned circus acrobat with naturally ginger hair (he decided to dye it when first dressed up as Robin). Yes his only friend is a clown, yes the irony is retrospectively hilarious.

If you liked Best Man Pt. 2:

Tom King's writing is kind of like cilantro, in that some people love it and want it on everything (me) and some people are inherently repulsed by it (apparently most of Tumblr). This issue is mostly just Joker and Catwoman gossiping about Batman and the rest of his villains, and it's pretty much just a thesis statement for how Tom King views Batman's rogues gallery. If you liked his sense of humor and his meta-heavy approach to the obsession Gotham villains have with Batman, I'd heavily recommend "The War of Jokes and Riddles" (Batman #25-32), the Batman/Catwoman series, and probably his just-started Batman: Killing Time (based on the previews-- I haven't read it yet).

[curious-menace]

The rogue gallery members general reaction to encountering the batman who laughs and his creepy ass Robin's.

ok id like to preface this by saying that red death batman straight up crucified riddler and decapitated scarecrow and the batman who laughs is MUCH worse than red death batman. 

i want to enjoy the dark knights metal but it is needlessly fuckin complicated with all this multiverse oververse omniverse shit. maybe i just don't have the galaxy brain necessary to get it so i apologize if this is all wrong 

(also i know its canon that the batman who laughs has no rogues gallery left, either because he killed them or joker killed them before he turned but hey ho hypotheticals it is)

also no one talk to me about kiss fan lookin riddler from this verse. im not ready. 

Penguin

i think his first reaction was to laugh. Batman’s finally gone and he took joker with him. I mean he literally calls him "bat gimp". I seriously doubt he anticipated the fallout of batman becoming some sort of hideous joker hybrid. he still chuckled when he started seeing the news. someone calling themselves “the batman who laughs” and “the darkest knight” then he sees the robins, he even recognises damien and it makes him a little sick. he books the next flight out of goodwin before things get too hot. 

shame goodwin was burned to the ground to stop anyone leaving gotham. 

with everyone inside. 

Twoface

i dont think its an exaggeration to say he was absolutly fuckin horrified. it's rare that harvey and two face agree on something, but this bastard has to go. the murder and mayhem he could tolerate, hell even killing the other rogues, some of them needed to be stopped. but having to look at this creature and know it was once bruce? harvey knows better than anyone its a fate worse than death to be trapped in your own mind with someone else running the show. they do their best to stop the darkest knight, bring all the hired guns they can to the fight but it wasnt enough. Harvey dies, but at least he went out trying to do the right thing.

Poison Ivy

She sensed him coming, her flowers screaming at her to save herself. part of me wants to hope she took one look at that abomination and noped the fuck out of there to slaughter swamp or something. but we know ivy, she stands her ground like a tree planted by a river. she looks people like batman and joker right in the eye and down the barrel of a gun and says “no, you move” Shes not a good person, but in this verse she might as well be the hero of the story, maybe the only meta human in gotham who stood a chance against him. The batman who laughs was scared of her and thats why she had to die. if she’d just minded her own business she might still be here but no. She dares the batman who laughs to come for her, she’s going to take him out. for what he did to her plants, to gotham, to HER home and HER friends. unfortunately for her ivy was one of the first on his kill list. She doesn't go down without a fight. ironically it was her human qualities, the human drive to help people that got her killed. she heard one of the robins crying and went to investigate. the batman who laughs doesn't care about those robins, he’s got a basement full of jokerized kids to throw at people. 1 to trick her and a few more to hold her down while he doused the lot of them with weedkiller and gasoline then poof.

i doubt the botanical gardens will ever be the same. 

Scarecrow

part of me wants to say he’s loving this. He’s enjoying all the suffering and sadness and fear as the batman who laughs murders everyone and everything from the dandelions upwards . but he cant, not just because he’s not the one causing it. this is fear without meaning or purpose, this is killing hope so thoroughly that there is nothing left for people to fear, not even death. he’s not so foolish as to think he wont also be on the batman who laughs chopping block. so he makes himself scarce, works on a toxin that might be able to stop him or even slow him down so someone has a shot at it. Jon knows hes going to die, its only a matter of time before that thing calling itself the darkest knight sends one of his minions to his doorstep. He’s been working on something to try and help the rabid robins. he has a small soft spot in his cold obsidian heart for kids and looking at these creatures makes him physically ill. 

he thinks hes made a breakthrough, thinks he’s finally got a formula that will effect batman and the joker and hopefully, whatever abomination they’ve become . he decides theres no time like the present to try it out when word of the other rouges deaths reach him. he’s the last one left and thats....well its scary. His surprise attack works, the robins go down without a fight, screaming and scratching at their faces, their throats and each other. regrettable but if he stops the darkest knight now, maybe jon can help them. Just when he thinks he’s got him, scarecrow goes down. so close, he falls at the finishing line, his toxin having as much effect as a gentle summers breeze. Much like the original scarecrow , the batman who laughs likes using guns. For jon however? he makes an exception. poor scarecrow gets eviscerated by his own scythe, pilfered from arkham asylum by the batman who laughs. gotta love the classics, right?

Riddler

Riddler was second on his kill list. only because the batman who laughs knew how much it would annoy riddler not to be at the top. He’s another rogue who stood a chance of stopping him if he really tried. sadly edward is nowhere near as altruistic as harvey, and could never be as strong as ivy. He likes to think his escape is for everyone's benefit. live to fight another day and all that. He learned from harvey and pamelas mistakes, took one look at this new batman and his creepy kids and said “fuck that noise” and tried to run. except he didn't really try. god if he’d only gotten out of the city, he would have been the only rogue that survived. the batman who laughs looks at him like a pathetic insect, unworthy of notice. he’d have killed riddler eventually, maybe put him in a riddle with no answer or a trap with no escape for extra irony points but he wasn't about to stop the little green cockroach from skittling away.  but of course, riddlers ego got in the way; he just HAD to try and best this new batman, no matter how much he scared the shit out of riddler he just HAD to try. and of course, pride comes before downfall. 

The batman who laughs helpfully provided riddler with some rope to help break his fall. 

Harley Quinn

some part of her was happy to have joker back. he was different, scarier but she was used to the abuse. what she wasn't used to were all the kids. she recognised damian wayne but didn't quite put the pieces together to realise it was bruce under there. she thought maybe he was just a random casualty . she tried hard to look after the kids but they act like animals rather than humans, there was nothing she could do.As time went on she found it harder and harder to sit at the right hand of this clown prince of horrors. harley has always been along for the ride, but how are you supposed make the whole world laugh if everyone in it is dead? i dont know what happens to harley in this world. either she leaves and much like joker, the batman who laughs fails to notice, shes killed by him because he was bored or she does when the world is destroyed by barbatos. either way, no happy endings here. 

Thanks for this incredibly depressing ask Ghostly T-T

im kidding, im kidding it was fun! it makes me wish i knew what the everloving FUCK was going on with this verse so i could enjoy it properly. the only comic store i know of has been closed since like march of last year and i don't know what im looking for on amazon to actually order them. i have 1 issue of nth metal but it was interesting enough that i want the collection.

if anyone knows what the collection is actually called hmu bc i wanna buy it. 

yes i could read it online but i like owning the hard copies. 

got something you wana talk about? send me an ask or a dm!💜💙🧡💛💚❤️

[bet-on-me-13]

This is great!

Wait! Imagine if Danny starts targeting the Rouges? He starts out small, and takes some low level ones like Condiment King or Calender Man. Barely anyone notices at first, just remarking that it's been a while since they have seen them.

And he keeps doing this, eventually almost all of the D Tier Rogues have been "killed" and they begin to notice something is off. It's only when Penguin goes missing that the Bats notice.

They look back at the previous months, and notice that he had basically cleaned out all of Gothams Rogues Gallery in a month without any of them suspecting a thing. They become terrified, because now he is making moves on the big players of the City, not just random civilians. And he had moved up from Low Tier Crooks to actual Rogues.

All of the Rogues realize that they're being targeted, and they try to defend themselves to the best of their ability. But it's no Good.

One day, the Joker makes an announcement to his Goons that he is gonna kill the guy, solely because he thinks it will be fun, and also cause the guy is stealing his spotlight. The Goons spread the rumor around, and everybody thinks, "Oh, okay then. That the most dangerous person in the entire city, no way he'll get killed!".

The Joker disappears.

The Batfam have long since begun taking Danny as a serious threat, but this only put him at the top of their Priority List. By now, his Kill Count is already in the 4 Digit range, including many of the most dangerous Rogues in the City.

Then, they learn that Lucius Fox has disappeared. Then, Dr Thompkins goes missing. Then, Officer Renee Montoya is gone.

All of the Batfam's Allies and associates begin to disappear. And then, civilians connected to their Civilian Identities start going missing.

The Cashier at Alfred's favorite store, Jason's next door neighbor, Duke's history teacher, all of them connected to the Batfam in some way.

Then Jason disappears from Crime Alley.

And now they have confirmation that the Killer is targeting them. Jason has disappeared, and Bruce orders every single member of the Batfam room come home, nobody is allowed to patrol alone, nobody is even allowed to sleep alone in a room anymore. The only thing, the single thread connecting all the victims is that they were alone when it happened.

Now they are terrified of the killer coming for their family.

...

Meanwhile this is all a HUGE coincidence.

Danny realized that most of the Rogues were ghosts, so he took them all first. Then he noticed the cashier at a grocery store he visited was a Ghost, then his Teacher at Gotham U, and then his Neighbor Jason.

He has no idea that he singlehandedly put the entire City on Red Alert.

A Week (He Will Take You)

~

Danny moved to Gotham for school, while there he noticed that Gotham's ambient ecto was really murky for lack of a better word.

This didn't really affect him too much besides a mild headache every once in a while but that also just might be stress from all his school work so maybe not.

Anyway

This murky ecto seemed to effect the people who lived there or more importantly the ghosts,

They were visible to the human eye like most ghosts back in Amity but instead of looking very much like a ghost they still looked like humans if a bit off putting.

They all seemed to be continuing their normal lives as if still fully alive, with the people around them none the wiser.

Danny noticed this and began approaching them to figure out what was going on.

Apparently the murky ecto in the city had made it so that they were strong enough to still continue a somewhat normal life but not be able to cross over to the GZ.

In other words they were stuck in Gotham

Danny was the Ghost King so he could easily fix this problem, all he needed to do was give them a bit of pure ecto for around a week to fully stabilize them them then he would just open a portal into the GZ and they could cross over with all their things also transferring into the GZ for their new haunt.

Unfortunately this looked rather worrying to an outsider,

Imagine you're used to your neighbor being very outgoing so you and others see them a lot suddenly this man seems to appear in their life out of nowhere an at exactly one week, your neighbor and all their belongings in their home disappear no trace to be found.

You tell people and they begin saying the same story they knew someone and them a man with black hair and blue eyes appeared in their life, then they and all their things disappear in exactly one week.

Of course the police in Gotham do the bare minimum so they're no help.

But it starts to begin a trend, especially online.

"Oh careful or the blue eyed man will make you disappear in a week"

This of course after time catches the bats attention, Gordon had already given them all the information he had.

"Young adult early twenties, dark hair, blue eyes"

That was it.

The bats look into it and from their point of view Danny is a serial killer.

But they can't find the connection between all of his victims, they range from young children and the elderly from different backgrounds absolutely no connection,

Worrying enough he doesn't just make one person disappear he has taken entire families up to over a dozen, without anyone figuring out how he's doing it or why at all.

The disturbing thing also being that he seems to take everything in their home, leaving it like it has always been empty

Like no one had been living in it.

People have tried to take photos of Danny get some kind of evidence of his existence, but when they try to do it, it either comes out completely corrupted or their devise simply shuts down fully.

Danny of course has no clue what is happening he's just happy that he's able to help so many ghosts, and is trying not to fail his exams.

~

Danny leaving the house he just helped: "That went easier than I expected!"

Neighbor peeking from the window: "Shit it's that guy! "

~

Red Hood marching down into the cave: " The fucker took many from my territory without me even realizing it!"

~

Tim: "I'm pretty sure his kill count is nearing the hundreds and he just started like maybe 4 months ago, this is bad."

Barbara: " I think I got a theory, this matches up with the new school year beginning so maybe their not a Gotham native which narrows down my suspect list."

Bruce: "Hn."

Tim: "Yes thank you B for the insightful commentary"

~

Danny trying not to fall asleep while on his way to class: "Strange I keep seeing shadows following me, oh well must be the stress!"

Bats who are pretty sure Danny is the killer: "Has he done anything suspicious yet?"

~

Just an Idea

[fearsmagazine]

McFarlane Toys Launches Batman Classic TV Series Collection Exclusively Available for Pre-order Now at Target.com!

McFarlane Toys and Target have launched pre-orders for the Batman Classic TV Series Collection in conjunction with Target's The Collector's Spot Summer Geek-Out; a month-long celebration of geek culture & fandom!

The new McFarlane Toys Batman Classic TV Series Collection is based on the 1960's classic TV series. It features fan-favorite iconic characters, including Batman, Joker, Robin, and the classic  Batmobile and Batcave playset.   You can pre-order the Batmobile and Batcave collection now by visiting Target.com

Coming soon to the Batman Classic TV Series Collection are incredibly detailed 6-inch figures with classic articulation.  Each figure has two action word bubbles accessories and is showcased in a card-backed blister with the iconic old-school look of the 1960's Batman series. They will be available in-store in August and online in September exclusively at Target. MSRP is $17.99.  All figures are sold separately.

The McFarlane Toys Batman Classic TV Series Collection includes:

Batman Classic TV Series - BATMOBILE

To the Batmobile!" Batman and Robin have many gadgets in their arsenal, but none more hi-tech and stylish than the Batmobile—ready to power on with the touch of a button. When the Dynamic Duo find themselves faced with imminent danger, laser beams, magnets, and a parachute jettison button become quite useful. And there's no need to worry about villainous takeovers, good citizen; the Anti-Theft Activator is all the Caped Crusader needs to protect his invaluable vehicle.

Designed with rolling wheels and a rotating steering wheel and packaged in a card-backed blister with the iconic old-school look of the 1960's Batman series. MSRP $29.99. Figures sold separately.

Batman Classic TV Series – BATCAVE PLAYSET

"To the Batpoles!" With the push of a Shakespeare bust button, Bruce and Dick are transported into the vast Batcave and transformed into Batman and Robin. Housing the Batcomputer and a host of gadgets, the Dynamic Duo solves crimes and is always alert for trouble in Gotham City. Now, it's time for Batman and Robin to teach the villains that crime doesn't pay!

Batcave comes with eight monitors, machines, and batcomputer, batpoles, and loft with ladder, for Batman and Robin to fight crime and keep tabs on those dastardly villains. MSRP $29.99.

Batman Classic TV Series - BATMAN

Kapow! The debonair millionaire Bruce Wayne may seem like your average cool cat, but you would be wrong! With the flip of a Shakespeare head bust and… to the Batcave! Gotham City is filled with a rogue's gallery of criminals eager to unmask the Batman, but the Caped Crusader's clever ways thwart them.  

Batman Classic TV Series - THE JOKER

Who is the impractical joker with a key to crime? With a maniacal laugh, a twisted sense of humor, and a penchant for setting cunning traps, The Joker is one of Batman's most notoriously fiendish foes. But when it comes to putting an end to The Joker's crime sprees, Batman knows firsthand that The Joker's jokes are never very funny in the end.  

Batman Classic TV Series - ROBIN

Holy Boy Wonder, Batman!" How lucky can orphan Dick Grayson get? He gets taken in by the wealthiest man in Gotham City, who happens to be Batman. He gets to live in a mansion complete with a cave, gets to kick the villain's butt, and cruises around in the world's coolest car.  

You can pre-order all the Batman Classic TV Series at Target.com

[ask-gotham-city]

So, my family and I are planning a tour across the states visiting the most famous hero cities (once the Coronavirus passes, of course). Do you know of any tourist destinations in Gotham that had to do with Batman or the Batfamily in general? Is there a place where a famous fight happened or a museum of sorts?

(G very texted me very excitedly when we got this ask so I’m going to let him take it, but I hope you and your family have fun on the trip and that you stay safe and healthy in the meantime dude! -W) 

My time has come!

We have a whole post about food in Gotham that you can find here, but there’s so much more!

We don’t technically have any “official” museums for hero fans, because NJ still classifies them as law breaking vigilantes, but there are some really cool local businesses that fill that hole.

Bat City- A family run place that showcases tools, costumes, and history all centered around the Batfamily. While the costumes are all replicas (high quality and based off picture and video), all their gadgets are real life ones that have been brought in by citizens or found by the family themselves. It’s a great place to go to learn about our heroes and the impact they’ve had on our city over the last 25 years, and everyone’s super nice! W took me there when I was starting out with this blog and it taught me so much. My favorite part was probably the batarang wall, because you can see how the design has changed over the years, tracking all the way back to the earliest found model from 1995. 

The Rogues Gallery- The title is a pun, actually, because this is a community run art museum where people can submit works depicting Gotham’s heroes and villains. There’s some reeeaally cool stuff here, and it’s a good place to go if you want to browse and see some beautiful art. They accept everything from digital to paint to sculptures and you can sign up for art shows or put your stuff up for auction through their website. I haven’t been much but it’s always cool.

The Eastside Bomb Museum- We actually have a few of these, but this is the only one that’s technically… legal. It has models of explosives used in some of the most famous fights/heists in the city’s history, including puzzle traps from when Riddler trapped the GCPD in their HQ, a bunch of laughing gas ones from various Joker crimes, etc. It’s not my type of place but it does have a lot of scientific and historical info about the events surrounding each bomb. Of course none of them are real or functional, which is why it’s allowed, but if you want something more authentic it shouldn’t be… too hard to find. Don’t know if that’s what you’re looking for though.

Sirons General Store & Pharmacy- Please go here. Oh my god. It’s this teeny tiny shop next to a Safeway on 31st st. and it’s so good. You walk in and on one side there are stickers, socks, posters, and flowers, and on the other miniature building replicas, wigs spinning from the ceiling, masks, action figures, and ceramic tea pots. It also has like, candy and drinks and books, and if you go to the back it has a pharmacy counter. The whole building is an eclectic mix of what the fuck and it’s almost completely Bat and Rogue themed, with the most random exceptions. ALSO IT’S THE ONE PLACE THAT HAS ACTUAL GREY GHOST MERCH AND I’M SO HAPPY ABOUT THAT.

As far as other activities:

GCPD Tours- If you want to see how our law enforcement wants you to see them works, you can sign up for a tour of GCPD HQ where you get to meet detectives, the commissioner, and more while they talk about the changes the police force has gone through over the years. If you sign up for the higher class tours you can even get a ride in a police blimp!

Foot Tour- If you want to go on a stroll and see the sights, I’d recommend the audio tour from gothamcitygargoyles.com. It’s an official site that has a catalogue of every gargoyle in Gotham and their city assigned names. It’s updated every now and then when a new building is put up, because yes, the city still puts gargoyles on everything and they’re wonderful. The tour takes you by each one and peppers in little facts about their history and area. Personally my favorite is the one outside my window, his name is Bartholemew and he was added in 1854.

Fansites!- I’ve listed a lot of places I know because I live here, but if you’re a real batfamily stan, check some of the official fansites for past fight locations or places I might’ve missed.

Just a heads up, if you’re planning on staying here for more than a week I’d definitely recommend picking up some masks and antivenom packs from a local store. Look for stuff with the Wayne Enterprises logo so you know you aren’t getting some bootleg crap, and pay attention to the news! That way you can keep yourselves safe if we end up having a villain attack. 

If you have any more questions for your trip I’d be happy to answer them, but in the meantime stay safe!

-G

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

DC:IRL Gotham Rogues Gallery

My original post: https://somethingusefulfromflorida.tumblr.com/post/190712516986/dcirl

There are no super powers, no magic technology or medicine, no cartoony gimmicks, just normal people going about their lives in the big city (well, not “normal,” per se).  In the real world there are no “super villains,” so in this universe these people are just mundane criminals with varying degrees of severity.  What would be the real world implications?  Nobody wears a mask.  Nobody plays a character.  What if their mental illnesses and motivations were grounded in reality rather than fantasy comic book land where “crazy people” commit crimes for fun?  What if Gotham was just New York, a regular city, not some dystopian hellscape?

John Doe: little is known about the so-called Joker Killer, this John Wayne Gacy wannabe who murdered 37 Gothamites in the last 10 years.  He’s like the Zodiac Killer, Son of Sam, the Unibomber, always leaving calling cards for the police, daring them to track him down.  Nobody knew if he was just one guy or if there was a group of people using the Joker alias as a scapegoat to throw the police off their trails.  When the culprit was finally caught, it was revealed that he’s a phantom, he didn’t have any government records, and to this day nobody is sure how he managed to cover his tracks so well.  He was found guilty, but legally insane, so was remanded to Arkham State Psychiatric Hospital.  He doesn’t play well with the other inmates. Or the doctors. Or the guards.  He doesn’t have henchmen, he doesn’t ransom world leaders, he’s just a serial killer with a theme, not a domestic terrorist with goals.

Oswald Cobblepot: a mobbed up ex-lawyer who runs a night club as a front for his criminal activities. He’s basically Roger Stone is Roger Stone was smart enough to avoid going to prison.  He’s a public figure in Gotham, and pretends to be a philanthropist to cover for the fact that he’s very clearly corrupt.  He owns multiple buildings with his name on them, he refuses to rent apartments to black people, he molests women and brags about it on tape, and has run (unsuccessfully) for mayor, governor, senate and president of the United States on multiple occasions.  Everyone knows he’s guilty of something, but the GCPD refuses to look into his finances because some of them are on his payroll.

Harvey Dent: Gotham District Attorney known for fighting corruption, he was nearly assassinated by the mob, horribly disfigured over 50 percent of his body.  He struggles with bipolar disorder, exacerbated by his incident, but continues to fight the good fight, all the while going through therapy.  There’s a 50-50 chance he’ll recover and return to the practice as an underdog or have a mental episode and become a Howard Hughes recluse.  As a public figure he has access to all the help he needs, he is privileged not to have to suffer in silence like so many other mentally ill people.

Eduardo Dorrance: he’s this universe’s version of Fidel Castro.  A left-wing extremist from a small Caribbean island, he killed his way to head of the communist party and overthrew the government in the Santa Prisca Revolution in the 1960s.  President Kennedy instated an embargo against the island, after which the Soviet Union attempted to store chemical weapons there, which Dorrance co-opted to be used against political dissidents and human rights workers.  He is nicknamed Bane by the western world, and is one of the last holdouts of the Cold War, though he is aged and in poor health now (there are conspiracy theories that he’s actually been dead for years), and has pawned off leadership responsibilities to his brother.

Pamela Isley: environmental activist, conservationist, speaks out against climate change and deforestation, wanted by Interpol because she killed a few of the billionaires responsible for the Amazon fires.  She’s labeled a terrorist by the US government, with conservatives going so far as to call her the female Osama bin Laden.  Whether or not she really is a terrorist is up for debate, but either way she’s nowhere near bin Laden, they just want the association to stick so nobody can defend her actions without defending bin Laden’s (”see, this is what happens when socialism and radical feminism are left unchecked,” they say).  She can’t control plants or hypnotize people, but she’s not just a hemp loving hippy, she’s a revolutionary who may or may not have worked with the Dorrance regime to promote anti-government movements throughout South and Central America.

Victor Fries: his wife Nora was diagnosed with early-onset McGreggor’s disease, a degenerative neurological disorder which is invariably fatal within 10 years.  He has dedicated his life to finding a cure, but has recently come under federal investigation when a whistle blower revealed that he has been performing unethical medical experiments to test his research.  Some media outlets campaign for him, others against him; he’s fighting for a good cause, but his results are invalid because the tests were performed under suspicious circumstances outside a controlled laboratory environment.  He is at risk of losing his medical license, and his funding is being slashed as he is under review.

Edward Nygma: a local nobody, he suffers from antisocial personality disorder and OCD.  When the Joker Killer rose to prominence, he was compelled to try and outdo him, inspired by his notes taunting Gotham police.  Also like the Zodiac Killer, Nygma has resorted to cryptograms and ciphers, trying to prove his intelligence and his ability to evade detection.  So far he has done a much better job than the joker, as he is still at large, with no known suspects.  He can’t not commit crimes, he is drawn to them, he can’t stop himself no matter how hard he tries and he can’t afford medication to keep himself in check.  He secretly hopes he’ll get sloppy one day and the cops will be able to trace him, but his superiority complex prevents him from doing anything that would be personally disadvantageous.  He would benefit from therapy, should he ever find himself in Arkham State Psychiatric Hospital.  He’s resentful of men like Harvey Dent who he thinks can just make their problems go away with money (he doesn’t realize that Dent has just as many problems as he does and that mental illness can effect anyone regardless of status)

Selina Kyle: she lives in the slums outside the city proper, the sprawling crime ridden suburban cesspool that is Upstate Gotham.  She subsists as a petty thief, breaking and entering into super-rich apartment buildings and selling the goods to pay her bills.  She’s not a bad person, she’s just in a bad situation, born into poverty in a country with no class mobility.  She’s troubled, abused, and on the brink of homelessness at any given moment, she does what she needs to do to get by.  She’s not a maser jewel thief, she doesn’t break into museums or banks, her scores have much lower stakes than that.

Jonathan Crane: a doctor at Arkham State, he was arrested and tried for criminal misconduct.  He would regularly torture the patients, withholding basic necessities, making them live in filth, locking many of them up in solitary confinement for months on end to see how they would react.  He wanted to prove that his patented “isolation therapy” was the most effective treatment for any number of mental illnesses (in reality, he was just a sadist who had authority over people and wanted to show it).  He drove dozens of patients mad, making them question their own sanity by making them stay awake for long periods of time and playing audio recordings in their rooms which he denied he could hear.  He played on their greatest fears, using information they gave to their therapists against them, and would then punish them if they stopped talking.  He was sentenced to 5 years in prison, but was not labeled a flight risk because he was a celebrity (think Dr. Oz or Dr. Phil), and subsequently fled the country before he was to report to Black Gate.

Harleen Quinzel: also a doctor at Arkham State, her goal was to make as much money as possible by writing a tell-all book about one of the patients and charging exorbitant amounts of money for therapy sessions.  She honed in on John Doe, the Joker Killer, because he was the biggest name in the hospital and had refused to talk to any doctors before her (he killed one and has seriously injured seven, but he already has multiple life sentences in a state without the death penalty, so they can’t get rid of him).  They both think they are smarter than the other and can play them like a fiddle, Doe by pretending to be receptive to her, and Quinzel by treating him like he’s a victim of circumstance.  Over the years, he ends up manipulating her, having her smuggle contraband for him which he eventually uses to escape, for which she is fired and arrested.  No clown theme, no sexual relationship with her client, just your run of the mill criminal misconduct.

[plazapiner]

Batman arkham asylum ps5

Batman arkham asylum ps5 how to#

Batman arkham asylum ps5 software#

Batman arkham asylum ps5 Pc#

Highlight the Game Hub for Batman: Return to Arkham - Arkham Asylum or Batman: Return to Arkham - Arkham City.ģ. If you've completed one of the titles or you would simply like to navigate between either of them, you can do so through the following steps:ġ. Switching between Arkham Asylum and Arkham City If you purchased the physical packages for Batman: Return to Arkham or the Batman: Arkham Collection*, the PS5 console UI will default to the disc that is first inserted into the console.

Batman arkham asylum ps5 software#

As of the most recent PS5 System Software update, each title will now display as it's own Games Hub Launcher. If you purchased Batman: Return to Arkham digitally through the PlayStation Store, the PS5 console UI will have you choose which title you wish to view from the menu. The PlayStation 4 version of the game is playable via backwards compatibility on PlayStation 5.

Switching between Arkham Asylum and Arkham Cityīatman: Return to Arkham includes Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City.

Batman arkham asylum ps5 how to#

Remember that until then, you can check out our list of how to watch all the Batman movies. Meanwhile, the main studio was working on Batman: Arkham Knight, which was a generational leap.Įverything is ready for The Batman premiere in 2022. This game, which was released in 2011, was followed by Batman: Arkham Origins, a product developed by Warner Bros. The gameplay is similar, but some aspects are polished and it has a much more open world, since it is now possible to explore part of Gotham City. The Arkham Asylum formula was expanded in the next installment, Batman: Arkham City. The combat, rhythmic and easy to master, adds new skills as we progress. We play with a Batman who has gadgets and tools to infiltrate. In this title, we go into the heart of Arkham Asylum to face the Dark Knight's quintessential rogue gallery.

Batman arkham asylum ps5 Pc#

Rocksteady released Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009, a third-person action game originally released on Xbox 360 and PS3, while the PC version was released only a few months later. To enjoy Arkham VR, virtual reality headsets are required, either on PS4/PS5 (PlayStation VR) or PC. The spin-off Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate was conceived for older systems, but can still be purchased on PC, whereas City Lockdown came out for both iOS and Android. Also, an as-yet unconfirmed adaptation for Nintendo Switch was recently leaked in a store. Still, it is backwards compatible on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Games has re-released it in a compilation, although Arkham Origins was not so lucky and can only be purchased on its original platforms (PS3, Xbox 360 and PC). That is, the Batman: Arkham saga games are currently available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC. Rocksteady's trilogy is playable on current platforms. Platforms where you can play Rocksteady Studios' Batman: Arkham What is the order to play the Batman Arkham video games saga?

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (2013).

Order to play the games of the Batman Arkham sagaĬhronological order of the Batman: Arkham video games saga by release date.

Chronological order of Batman: Arkham games by release date.

Want to relive the Arkham saga without missing a single detail? Check out this article. Games has published a series of games that have not only been a hit with critics but also with gamers. There are many retro titles available, and even more casual experiences such as LEGO Batman are possible. With the release of The Batman in theaters, it's tempting to become the Dark Knight in video games as well.

[robininthelabyrinth]

Fic: That Cycle Thing (ao3 link)

Fandom: Flash, Legends of Tomorrow Pairing: Barry Allen/Mick Rory Series: Flashwave Week 2018 (Destiny Series)

Summary: "It's kind of weird, though, isn't it," Barry says, sitting in the clinic for the first time. "You know, that being a superhero or a supervillain is correlated with - well, developing a weirdo reproductive system?"

"Not really," Mick says. "See, it's not correlation. It's the other one."

"Causation? Wait, like, being a superhero means you go alpha or omega? But how?"

A/N: @flashwaveweek - Flashwave Week: ABO

——————————————————————————————

"New one, huh?" the big guy asks, not without sympathy.

"Yeah," Barry says. "Is it that obvious?"

"Kind of is," the guy confirms. "Mostly in the freaked-out way your eyes keep darting around. Don't worry. This place is totally confidential and a, what do you call 'em, a safe space."

"I appreciate that," Barry says, very sincerely. "I mean, you hear stories..."

"Pornorgraphy, you mean," the guy says.

Barry laughs. "Yeah, I guess. It's kind of weird, though, isn't it, that being a superhero or a supervillain is correlated with - well, developing a weirdo reproductive system?"

"Not really," the guy says wryly. "See, it's not correlation, it's the other one."

"Causation? Wait, like, being a superhero means you go alpha or omega? But how?"

"You know how a while back, Superman was the only major superhero?"

"Yeah?"

"You know how he and his cousin are basically the last of their species?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd like you to imagine a computer-robot-creature capable of reprogramming the human genetic code being real unhappy with that fact."

"Wait. Are you telling me -"

"The whole alpha-omega shit all of us powered folks get saddled with is designed to make us reproductively compatible with Kryptonians? You bet your ass. Literally, if you're an omega."

"That's - that absolute bullshit! Why not make them compatible with us?!"

"We've all asked that question," the guy says. "All of us. At length. Usually at volume. Everyone reacts differently to finding out about the cycles, but that reaction’s pretty consistent.”

“No wonder.”

“Either way, that’s one of the reasons why capes end up dating each other more often than not. My name's Mick, by the way."

"Barry," Barry automatically replies, then flushes. "I mean -"

"No, no, it's better this way," Mick says. "No hero identities in the clinic. Keeps fights and rivalries from the outside from coming inside."

"Right. That makes sense."

A companionable silence settles on them for a little.

After a few minutes, Barry clears his voice.

"No, it's nothing like the tabloids say it is," Mick says.

"Oh thank god," Barry says. "That stuff about, like, heats and ruts..."

"You get cramps and a mild fever and you're, like, a little more horny than usual," Mick says. "Pretty similar to a woman's menstrual cycle. Nothing at all like the mindless fuck-or-die no-standards do-anyone bullshit you hear about."

Barry sighs in relief.

"Don't get me wrong, sex helps with the cramps and stuff," Mick adds. "But it sure as hell isn't a total loss of your ability to make decisions. Unless you're, like, into that, but that's your own business, y'know?"

"Good," Barry says firmly. "That was - yeah. Not good. I don't know what I was more scared of, the omega heats where you can't say no or the alpha ruts where you don't care if someone else is saying no."

"Yeah, that is definitely not a thing! Anyone who tells you otherwise, they're being dicks. You tell the clinic what they're saying and they'll shut 'em down. Everyone respects the clinic, hero or villain."

"Good," Barry says again, then hesitates. "Uh, one more question, if that's okay..?"

"Sure, shoot."

"How do you, uh, know? Which one you are, I mean. Or which one someone else is."

"There's a bunch of signs," Mick says. "But you usually aren't one or the other, you know."

"What? You're not?"

"Nah. It's got something to do with stress, proximity to other capes, nutrition, hormones, emotional state, whatever, but most people end up swapping dynamics every few years. Pretty rare to be one or another all the time."

"Huh. I didn't know that."

"Most people don't. It's private, you know? Especially with all the misinformation out there."

"Superhero porn," Barry agrees. "Super-heroes, super-popular - and that's even before the cycle thing got into the mix."

"Yep," Mick says. "Congrats, you’re a fetish now. But what can you do?"

“Not much,” Barry agrees.

"Barry!" the nurse calls.

Barry starts. "Oh," he says, starting to get up. "That's me - I've got to go -"

"I'm sure I'll see you around, the way these things go," Mick says, waving. "But, hey - Barry?"

"Yeah?" Barry says, turning back.

"If you ever have any more questions about all this, I'm happy to answer 'em," Mick says. "Cape or no cape." Then he grins wickedly. “And if you ever want some help getting through those cycles, hit me up.”

Barry blinks, taken slightly aback – is he being hit on? He is definitely being hit on, holy crap, he’s being hit on by a very attractive man who is considerate enough to wait until Barry has a built-in excuse to exit the conversation, this is the best day ever – and then, slowly, smiles back at him. "I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks."

"Anytime."

Barry does end up meeting Mick again, sooner than expected - he's a speedster from the Gem Cities, so he's inheriting the mantle of The Flash from Jay Garrick, the older generation, and along with the mantle of the Flash come the Flash's rogues gallery, including the Rogues.

The Rogues, which include Heatwave.

Mick Rory.

Oh, well. It was probably too much to hope for that he'd be a hero.

At least, if he has to be a villain, he's a villain in Barry's jurisdiction. Heroes, Barry had discovered, are extremely territorial about their villains, always insisting on taking lead against them and butting heads over them.

(After the first the time Rogues visit Gotham, Barry abruptly realized that that means they'll be facing Batman's unique brand of massive overkill vengeance only without the vague fondness he has for his own villains; as this was followed immediately by Barry growing a spine and confronting Batman for the first time to insist that he be part of the investigation and subsequent fight, Barry understands the impulse much more.)

But, yeah. Barry goes through his first few cycles - omega cycles, currently - by lying on Iris' couch and making puppy eyes at her until she fetches him chocolate and hot water bottles, but then she gets together with Eddie and it seems a bit rude to impose.

At least Iris assures him she'll continue to pretend to be his love interest, since having one is apparently de rigueur for heroes, since everyone gets very judgy if you're feeling single for a while.

Even Batman has a love interest. Several, even.

But also, going through your cycle alone is...ugh. Mick was right, at least, in that sex isn't required (though superspeed makes taking a bit of time to scratch the itch an irresistible temptation), but Barry's starting to find that company really is.

And he's kind of short of that.

So when he heads out on reluctant patrol during the itching, annoying second night of his heat to find Captain Cold and Heatwave robbing a small jewelry store - no witnesses, no CCTV, barely anything worth taking to the point that Barry kinda suspects that the place is a Family front - he decides to tap Heatwave on the shoulder and say, "Uh, sorry, but at the clinic -"

Cold is in the middle of raising his gun but when he hears the word "clinic" he drops it with a sigh. "Of course he did," Cold says, rolling his eyes. "Mick, I'll see you when you get back."

"You do that," Heatwave agrees. "Barry, this is an anti-Family thing - wouldja mind if Len takes..?"

"Well, if it's an anti-Family thing -"

No one in Central likes the ever-warring Families.

Cold waves a hand at Mick and glares at Barry. "You be nice to him," he says, right before stalking out.

Barry flushes. "I mean - I didn't -"

He kind of did.

"It's all right if you just have more questions," Mick assures him. "Or even if you just want someone to hang around while you're being miserable. Doesn't have to be a hookup." He grins. "Unless you want one, of course."

Barry wars with himself and his own embarrassment for a minute, but Mick seems so calm and even Cold had been so casually accepting and damnit, Barry hasn't gotten laid in ages which is even longer for a speedster who occasionally time travels back in time to repeat a few days -

"The latter," Barry says, flushing red under his cowl. "If you don't mind."

"Not at all," Mick says, eyes brightening. He steps forward and loops his arms around Barry in prime speedster-carry position. "Well?"

Barry runs them out of there.

Turns out Mick was right: it really does alleviate the symptoms.

After the whole mess with Eobard and things blowing up and Barry feeling horribly guilty and nearly running himself ragged, he notices that his cycles are – different.

Less cramping, more mood swings, for one thing. Mostly going manic, actually – super hyper, super bad focus, none of which is good for super activities.

The horniness is way up, as usual, but now Barry’s suddenly eyeing everyone around him because is it just him, or did he somehow miss the fact that he’s surrounded by extremely attractive people?

It takes a few days of being twitchy for Barry to realize that he’s in rut instead of heat this time.

And, well, Mick did say…

“Oh, sure,” Mick says, holding the door to the Rogues’ hideout open and gesturing for Barry to come in.

“There isn’t, you know, a compatibility problem?” Barry asks, coming in anyway.

“Gay people existed on Krypton too,” Mick says solemnly, then cracks up when Barry gives him a look. “I don’t know, Red. I’ve never noticed a difference, whether it’s alpha-omega, alpha-alpha, omega-omega, whatever. Besides, I live with a whole coop full of alphas now; someone’s going to be shifting dynamics sooner rather than later.”

“Oh?”

“Having a lot of one type tends to result in equalization, apparently? Something about syncing up hormones. Dunno.”

Captain Cold – Len, he’d told Barry to call him – waves from where he’s lounging on the couch. “Glad to see you two lovebirds are keeping it up,” he says.

That gets both Barry and Mick to splutter.

“They’re not lovebirds, they're just fucking,” Mark Mardon opines. He’s digging into a pint of ice cream with a fork. Barry wonders if that has to do with the heightened hunger of the alpha, or the cravings of the omega, or maybe the Weather Wizard’s just a frat boy at heart. Who knows?

“We’re just leaving, that's what we are,” Mick says, grabbing Barry’s hand and leading him upstairs. “So don’t bother us!”

As soon as they’re alone in Mick’s room, he grins at Barry. “Sorry about ‘em. Can’t live with them…you know the rest.”

“Why are you all living together?”

Mick shrugs. “Supervillain thing,” he says.

“What, a shared inability to make rent?”

Mick laughs. “Nah,” he says. “We did a job, it went pear-shaped, and now some people are out to get us, so we’re huddling together for safety. S’cool, don’t worry about it,” he adds, seeing Barry opening his mouth to volunteer help. “It’ll all blow over soon enough.”

“Well,” Barry says. “I’m glad you guys are doing okay.”

Mick’s smile broadens. “I’m glad to see you too, Red.”

Mick does end up going omega after another few months, and he calls Barry on the number Barry’s given him – they’ve been texting a little, back and forth, because Barry’s really bad at doing the whole friends-with-benefits thing without also doing the, you know, friends part of it –with a request that Barry show up at a certain warehouse with his supersuit and without plans for the evening.

It’s awesome.

And, well, after that…

It’s not that they’re dating or anything, that’s for sure. They’re hero and villain, and they are not pulling a Batman-Catwoman shtick.

But Barry has Mick on his speed dial, calling him whenever his ruts or heats hit – he ends up going back to omega pretty quickly, since apparently that’s where his body’s comfort zone is – and Mick does the same, wherever he is on his cycle.

And, you know, maybe they hang out outside of that, sometimes. Mick’s pretty cool – no pun intended – and he’s very laid back, which Barry really appreciates given the usual high-key frenzy that he has to deal with as part of Team Flash.

So, yes, sometimes they go see movies, or go to dinner, or Mick will swing by Barry’s apartment and cook him something, even if it’s not exactly on their cycles.

Sometimes Barry goes to hang out at Mick’s place – which usually involves at least some Rogues, or at minimum Len, because Len and Mick are codependent best friends and Barry respects that, especially once Mick explained that Len is ace and didn’t give a damn about cycles in any direction.

(Also, Len sometimes has glowing blue eyes, usually when he's reading this big large Book on the couch, but Barry has decided not to ask about that.)

Either way, though - it works.

It’s – nice.

Barry’s happy.

Of course, Barry's hardly the only hero with a regular hookup for heats and ruts, but most of them at least pretend that said regular hookups are not with one of their villains. Barry, on the other hand, isn't much for pretending, and that means he gets the occasional Talk from his fellow superheroes.

The annoyingness quality of said Talk varies based on the person involved.

"Bad guy, huh?" Aquaman grunts. "Sure that's a good idea?"

"Truce applies in relation to clinic matters," Barry reminds him.

He gets a shrug in return. "Doesn't make it not a bad idea."

"I'm an adult capable of making my own decisions, thanks."

"You sure you're okay?" Cyborg asks, looking sincerely concerned. "I mean, he's not, like, taking advantage or -"

Barry takes poor brand-new Cyborg to the clinic and corrects his misapprehensions much the same way Mick did for him, though without the proposition.

"A villain, Barry," Oliver says flatly. "Really?"

"Huntress," Barry reminds him. He's never going to let Oliver live that down.

"She's an anti-hero sometimes," Oliver says. "But Heatwave -"

"Are you trying to say the Rogues aren't anti-heroes sometimes?"

"Not the point."

"I don't think you actually have a point," Barry says. "You want to register your disapproval. Well, it's registered."

"You know it's not that," Oliver says. "We're friends. I worry."

"I appreciate that. But seriously, I'm fine. Trust me. Mick and I have a good set-up that works for us."

"You know, if it's just a lack of other options -" Hawkgirl starts.

"I'm flattered," Barry says hastily. "But seriously, Kendra, no, I'm very happy as is." He pauses and frowns. "Tell me Oliver didn't send you."

"No, no - well, he did express his concern -"

"Punch him in the face for me, will you?"

She laughs.

"You know, it's really good that you're -" Superman starts.

"Nope," Barry says. "If this is a lead up to say something about Mick, you should stop right there. I'm totally happy to talk work and even fun hanging out stuff with you, but I'm still pissed at you about the whole cycle thing."

"...fair point," Superman concedes. "Well, good luck. My cousin says hi, too; she's hoping to get back to Earth soon and wants to meet him. Assuming you're not still too pissed at her, too."

"...it's hard to be pissed at Kara."

"It really is," Superman agrees, quite solemn. He doesn’t take any of it personally, which Barry really appreciates.

Wonder Woman just gives Barry a thumbs up, but to be fair Barry is pretty sure she's casually dating Golden Glider, so he wasn't really expecting a lecture from her.

And then one day he turns around and the urban legend of Gotham is standing behind him with a brooding expression.

"Don't tell me you have an opinion, too," Barry sighs. He’d known this was coming – Batman had an opinion on everything.

Usually a negative one.

Usually a negative one backed with data collected via an unnecessary amounts of stalking.

“No,” Batman says. “No opinion.”

“…what, really?”

Batman’s expression doesn’t so much as flicker. “Central City is beyond my jurisdiction.”

Barry blinks. “I mean,” he says, “not that I don’t appreciate that, but – and please don’t take offense here – it’s not like you really seem to pay attention to that whole jurisdiction thing for other heroes, so –”

“Central City itself,” Batman clarifies. “I can’t enter. None of the heroes can, not without your authorization.”

“…what now?”

“Well, excluding Diana,” Batman corrects, as if that was the problem with what he’d just said.

“Go back to the part where there’s a forcefield around Central City,” Barry says.

“It’s not a forcefield,” Batman says. “I’ve checked.”

“Then what?”

“A zone of no-interference,” Batman says. “If it makes you feel better, it’s been there for a while; I don’t think it’s actively harmful.”

“…okay,” Barry says. “And you didn’t feel the need to mention this before, so you’re telling me this right now for a – reason? I assume?”

“The zone appears to have changed.”

Barry isn’t very good at glaring, and certainly not at Batman, but he’s doing his best.

“Your relationship with Mick Rory.”

“Wait,” Barry says, “I thought we were talking about the – no-interference zone, I guess? You said you didn’t have an opinion on me and Mick!”

“Mick and I,” Batman says. “And I don’t. But I prefer to keep an eye on things that change.”

“You haven’t even told me how the zone changed!”

“It doesn’t just apply to Central City anymore,” Batman says. “It also applies whenever you and Mr. Rory are – together.”

Barry gapes at him.

“Just thought you should know,” Batman says, and then he’s gone.

“Oh, that,” Mick says.

“Oh, that?!”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Don’t worry about it?”

“It’s just a thing.”

“Mick!”

Mick cracks a smile. “Sorry,” he says. Barry smacks him with a pillow; there’s several within easy reach from where they’re snuggling on the couch in the Rogues’ living room. “Couldn’t resist. It is just a thing, though. It's Lenny.”

“Len? I mean, Captain Cold? What about him?”

“Well, way back when, we joined this hero group for a while,” Mick says. “Called the ‘Legends’ –”

“What, really?”

“Yes, really.”

“You guys? As heroes?”

“When I said we all react to finding out about the cycles in different ways, I mean it,” Mick says dryly. “Len seemed to think we needed to try both sides of the villain-hero spectrum to see if it was different. It isn’t, by the way.”

“Okay,” Barry says, mildly disappointed. It would’ve been interesting to go villain for a little bit. Just a tiny little bit. A nice, not-always-on-call villain, who could probably sleep in on the weekends for once instead of having to deal with a brand new crisis of the week…maybe he could arrange a kidnapping instead? Mick would definitely oblige. “What does that have to do with a magical zone of non-interference?”

“Well,” Mick says. “Len ended up doing something stupid.”

“Wow,” Barry says dryly. “Look at me. I’m so surprised. Len? I assume it was extremely dramatic.”

“Well, yeah.”

“Shocker.”

Mick laughs. “Well, anyway, he ended up sort of kind of – getting blown up?”

“He what?”

“Long story. He got better, though –"

Of course he got better.

"- and anyway he ended up in this garden that exists out of space and time, and while he was there, he stole this book - you've seen it, the Book? - and now he has this weird part-time job, sort of, except the guy he stole the book from is sort of mentoring him for a quote, ‘more peaceful transition than my brother’ because apparently there was a whole thing or something, I don't know. So Len gets to spend some of his time here, instead of being stuck in the garden.”

“Okay. So he’s a part-time…bookkeeper?”

Mick cackles. “You hear that, Lenny?” he shouts. “You’re a bookkeeper!”

“You have no idea how literal that is,” Len says, wandering out of the kitchen. He’s got the glowing blue eyes again, and he’s holding the Book – a big, gigantic tome of a book, and there’s a chain going from the spine onto Len’s wrist. “See? I’m keeping the Book. I'm the Book keeper.”

Barry snorts a laugh, somewhat involuntarily. “What do you actually do?”

“Long story,” Len says. “Mick, the pasta –”

“There’s a bowl on the table.”

“You’re the best.”

Len wanders right back out again.

Barry wonders if now is a good time to ask about the glowing eyes.

“They go with the Book,” Mick says.

Barry blinks at him.

“The eyes. They happen whenever the Book’s around. Len thinks it’s cute that you never ask, by the way.”

Barry flushes. “I didn’t want to be rude.”

Mick shifts a little, pulling Barry in closer. “Don’t worry. He doesn’t mind if it’s you. You’re my plus-one.”

Barry pauses. “I am?” he asks hopefully. “Really?”

“I mean. If you wanna be.”

“Yes. I do. Definitely. For sure. I mean, assuming we’re talking about dating.”

“Yeah, we are.”

“Then yes. Assuming you want me to…?”

“Yeah, Red. I do.”

“Okay,” Barry says, smiling. “So, that settled, how does Len and the book play into the zone of no-interference?”

“I think the book gives him certain powers?” Mick says. “I’m not entirely sure. But either way, when he tells people to buzz off, they buzz off. And, uh, when I say that I might want a bit of privacy in my, uh, relationships, then…”

Barry starts grinning wider. “Then it starts applying whenever we're together once I made the move to being relationship material?”

“Basically,” Mick says, looking relieved that he doesn’t have to spell it out. “Man, am I glad that we ironed that dating thing out before I had to admit that.”

Barry laughs.

“So,” Batman says. He’s still wearing the cowl, even though it’s an engagement party and supposed to be low-key and clinic-truce rather than heroes and villains, but he has at least condescended to accept a slice of Mick’s delicious homemade cake. “When you say ‘Destiny’, you mean – actual Destiny?”

Len grins and throws an arm over Batman’s shoulders. “Wanna see my Book?”

“…that’s not a proposition.”

“Nah, I’m ace.”

“In that case, yes. I would very much like to see your – ‘Book’.”

“Great,” Len says. “You can come to my garden and take a peep. One of my new siblings is really looking forward to meeting you…”

[lfthinkerwrites]

Endgame

Title: Endgame

Fandom: Batman

Rating: PG for some mentioned, but not explicit nastiness courtesy of one Joker.

Pairing: Scriddler, Harley/Ivy and BatCat mentioned.

Summary: Nothing lasts forever. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Notes: I have two main ‘verses’ I write. One is PI verse and the other is my Oneshot verse, where most of my Scriddler stuff is set. This won’t be the last Scriddler oneshot I do by a long shot, but it is how I see their story ending.  You can also consider this a happier antidote to what’s coming in PI verse...

On some level, Edward always knew he and the rest of the Rogues gallery were operating on borrowed time. 

Life in Gotham, as a civilian, crime fighter or rogue, was a delicate balancing act. There was an unspoken understanding that there was only so far the game could go, only so many lines the players could cross before game over. 

One day, everything finally fell apart. One day, the Joker went too far.

Edward always knew the clown would ruin it, somehow. 

Joker had, in his infinite ‘wisdom’, decided to make Gotham over in his own vision. To that effect, he had poisoned Gotham’s water supply with his venom. Hundreds of people had been hospitalized, including Commissioner Gordon. Edward wasn’t sure how many had died. In the ensuing scuffle with Batman and his foes, the youngest Robin had fallen ill as well.

Even after seeing his own son in the grips of Joker venom, Batman still would not kill the clown. Batman would never take a life, not even Joker’s.

Batman wouldn’t. The boy’s mother was another story entirely.

A week after the Joker had been taken into custody, he’d been taken from the Asylum by the League of Assassins. What exactly happened after that would remain unknown, but Joker’s mutilated body had been found hanging in front of City Hall the following morning. A clear message to the rest of the Rogues.

In his own way, Joker had been a stabilizing force in Gotham City. As long as he lived, the mob bosses would only go so far to antagonize the Rogues, while the Rogues’ ability to team up together was tempered by the desire to keep Joker out of their schemes. Now that the clown was irrevocably gone, chaos ensued.

Joker would have enjoyed that too, the bastard.

Falcone, Maroni and the few other mob heads still active in Gotham City saw an opportunity to reclaim what they’d lost when the age of the Rogues had begun. They’d entered into an alliance to forcibly take over Joker’s old territory. A group of Rogues, headed up by Dent, were mobilizing to fight back. Factor in the dozens of jumped up thugs who were left unemployed by Joker’s demise and the city was spiraling into anarchy. Some of his fellow criminals saw an opportunity. Edward, always three steps ahead of everyone else, saw the writing on the wall.

As tempting as the thought of clawing his way to the top of heap in Gotham’s Underworld was, Edward was rational. He was forty now. He wasn’t getting any younger. While he wasn’t a shrinking violet, the amount of violence he was witnessing was making the prospect of getting involved in this war very unappealing. And truth be told, he’d been active for nearly twenty years. He’d had a good run. Perhaps it was time to consider a graceful retirement.

“You’re absolutely certain about this Edward?”

Edward nodded and took another sip of his drink. “I’ve considered every possible scenario Oswald. This is the only option I have that leaves my freedom and wealth intact.”

Oswald didn’t look convinced. “Surely, people have made you offers.”

“Of course,” Edward snorted. “Falcone offered me a permanent position in his organization if I helped them. Dent was more honest at least. He said, I could join with them, or I had the choice between being shot or being run over by a truck. I never did care for taking orders from anyone.”

“No you certainly haven’t.” Oswald agreed, puffing at his cigarette. “You know, there is another option. As you know, I’m staying out of this petty squabble.”

Edward knew. Oswald was a smart man. He knew that no matter which side ‘won’, it would be a Pyrrhic victory at best. Losses would be sustained on both sides, and Batman and his cronies could be counted on to deal with the winners. And when both sides were taken care of, it would be Oswald Cobblepot ruling over the remains. “I could easily offer you a position Edward.”

Edward shook his head. “Thank you, but no. To tell the truth Oswald, I’m not enjoying the game much anymore. I haven’t since before the Joker got what he so richly deserved, but now...”he sighed. “I’m tired. I’m ready to move on.”

“And what does Crane intend to do?”

Edward fiddled with his ring finger. The gold band he wore under his glove had never felt heavier than it did now. “I...we haven’t discussed it yet.”

Oswald mercifully said nothing about that. “Well. I don’t agree with your decision, but I respect it.” Oswald held out his hand. “My door is always open to you my friend.”

Edward shook his hand. “Until the next lifetime Oswald.”

“So it’s true? You’re leaving Gotham?”

“Are you going to try to talk me out of it Selina?”

Selina shook her head. “No. Honestly Eddie, I’m relieved. This city...sometimes I wonder why I’m still here.”

Edward thought a certain masked vigilante had something to do with that, but didn’t say anything. “Harley’s not still in town, is she?” Harley had left Joker for good years ago, but Edward didn’t think Talia al Ghul would ignore her past association with him.

“No,” Selina answered. “She and Ivy left last night. Said they were going to South America for a bit. So, where are you and Jonathan going to go?”

Edward fiddled with his ring finger. “I don’t know. I...I don’t know that Jonathan’s coming with me.”

Selina looked shocked. “Jonathan’s not seriously going to join in this mess, is he?”

“I..we haven’t talked about it.”

Selina slapped her palm against her forehead. “Eddie! He’s your husband! How have you not talked about this?”

“He’s been shut up in his basement since we heard about what happened to Joker!” Edward snapped. “He hasn’t talked to me!” Edward could and should insist. But there was a part of him that felt that if he did, then Jonathan would want to stay. The longer he out it off, the longer they could stay together.

Selina sighed. “Ok. This might be the last time I see you for awhile. I don’t want to spend it fighting. But you will talk to him.”

Edward rolled his eyes. “Yes Selina.”

Selina nodded. “Good boy.” She paused. “You’ll need to go soon,” she said seriously. “Batman thinks that things are going to start getting bad in the next few days. He’ll be so busy trying to help contain it that if you and Jon take off and lay low, he won’t come looking for you.”

Edward nodded. “Right. Just promise me you won’t do anything stupid like trying to be a hero.”

Selina laughed. “Who me? Please.” Selina got up out of her chair and hugged Edward then. “Don’t completely disappear. I’d like to stay in touch with you.”

Edward returned her hug and pretended his eyes weren’t welling up a bit. “I won’t. Stay safe Lina.”

Two days later and all of the necessary arrangements were made. Edward had moved his money into an offshore account, barring a few thousand in cash, he’d sent Nina and Deirdre the last of his old equipment and he’d let go his last few remaining henchmen. All that was left was to decide where to go. 

And to talk to Jonathan.

Jonathan was sitting on their sofa, reading an old textbook of his. His eyes looked up at Edward as he entered their home. “You’re home late,” he drawled. “What have you been up to?”

Edward fiddled with his ring finger. Now or never. “Jonathan,” he said. “We need to talk.”

Jonathan put his book down and looked Edward straight in the eyes. “Oh?”

Edward wet his lip. “It’s about what’s happening in Gotham.”

“You’re referring to the upcoming war I assume.”

“Yes, yes I am.” Edward took a breath. “I can’t stay here Jon. I’m leaving.”

For a long moment, Jonathan said nothing. His expression was as cold and impassive as ever. “Did you hear me Jonathan?” Edward asked. “I’m leaving!” Surely, Jonathan cared about that. Why wasn’t he reacting?

“I see,” Jonathan answered. “That’s a relief.”

Edward blinked. “It...is?”

Jonathan got up off of the sofa. “Edward,” he said. “Follow me.”

Edward did as he said and followed him down into the basement. What he saw made him audibly gasp. Jonathan’s basement was almost completely bare. All of Jonathan’s papers were packed into boxes on the floor, his chemicals were stored away and his desk was cleared off. Nightmare sat in his cage, observing the two men.

“This is what you were doing?” Edward asked. 

“Yes,” Jonathan answered. “I’m fifty years old Edward. I’m getting too old for this nonsense.”

“But-what about your research?”

“I’ve spent over twenty years collecting data. That should be more than sufficient. If more is required, I don’t need to be in Gotham to do it.”

“And just when were you going to tell me about this!?”

“Tonight. I wasn’t sure what you were intending to do. If you had said you wanted to stay and get involved in this nonsense, I was prepared to sedate you and take off with you.”

Edward’s mouth opened, then shut again. Jonathan took advantage of his silence and grasped his hands. “I married you Edward,” he said softly. “There was no scenario in which I would have ever left you.”

Now tears were freely streaming down Edward’s face. “Jon...” he wrapped his arms around him and Jonathan held him tightly.

“So we’ve ruled out Metropolis, Keystone City, Central City and Star City for obvious reasons. You don’t want to go back down South, which I’m in full agreement on. What about San Diego? The weather’s nice, it’s close to the Mexican border if we need to flee-”

“Too many damn Californians,” Jonathan interrupted. “What about Maine?”

Edward pulled a face. “Maine? Jonathan, the winters there are godawful. You’d freeze to death! What about the Southwest?”

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “You want to live in a desert?”

“Alright, fair point. What about Boston?”

Jonathan considered this. “I think that would work.”

“Boston it is.”

The next evening, the car was packed. Edward had sent most of their things off to their new address in a Uhaul, leaving only their personal effects and Nightmare, who was cooped up in his carrier. “Nightmare hates that thing,” Jonathan groused.

“Well he’s not flying loose in my car. I spent over $300 getting the seats cleaned the last time.” Edward took one last look at the house. They’d had some good times in that place. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

Edward started the car and began driving along the main road. In no time at all it seemed, they were on the main bridge out of Gotham City. Edward took one last look at the Gotham skyline reflected in the rear view mirror. He’d spent his entire adult life there. Were they doing the right thing? What would they do with themselves?

Edward felt Jonathan’s hand grip his shoulder gently. “We’ll be alright Edward,” he said. “As long as we’re together, we’ll be alright.”

Edward took his eyes off of the rear view mirror and looked at the open road ahead of them. “Of course we will be,” he said. “I am a genius after all.”

Jonathan rolled his eyes. “Of course you are.”

Five years later

“Darlin’ I’m home!” Jonathan called out as he entered their apartment. Thanks to the fake credentials Edward had managed to secure and his own powers of persuasion, Jonathan had managed to get a job teaching psychology at a community college. It might not be as prestigious as Gotham University had been, but it was still satisfying. Jonathan had almost forgotten how much he had genuinely enjoyed teaching. “Edward? You here?”

“I’m in the bedroom!” Edward’s irritated voice called out. Jonathan walked in to find him scowling in front of their mirror. “Look at this!” he complained. “I found another gray hair!”

“It’s a natural part of aging Edward,” Jonathan said, placing his briefcase on their bed. “You should take it gracefully.”

“You’re one to talk,” Edward groused. “You’ve been going gray for the better part of ten years!”

“Beats dying Edward.”

Edward’s face softened a bit. As they had both predicted, the gang war that had erupted in Gotham had more than a few casualties. Sionis, Falcone, Elliott, Walker and Lynns had died outright, Freeze had disappeared and most of the others had been transferred to an out of state facility after the fighting had destroyed Arkham. Still, it wasn’t all bad news. Oswald Cobblepot was the undisputed king of the Gotham Underworld now, defanged as it was. Harvey Dent had apparently finally reformed. Harley and Ivy had visited them in between their travels. Selina kept in contact too, constantly sending them pictures of her daughter, who was now three years old. And of course, Jonathan and Edward were still together. “I suppose we did get a happier ending than we probably deserved, didn’t we Jon?”

Jonathan leaned down and kissed the top of Edward’s head. “I’m not complaining.”

Edward smiled and pulled Jonathan down for a proper kiss. Life was a bit boring at times, but life was good.

What neither man knew was that someone had been watching them. Bruce Wayne had arrived in Boston after receiving a tip that Jonathan was teaching there. He’d been observing them for almost a week now and the worst thing he’d seen them do was bicker over the copy of a Boston Globe. Bruce walked away from where he’d been watching their apartment building and back towards his car. He’d been away from Gotham and his family long enough. He’d keep an ear out for any potential trouble, but as far as he was concerned, there was no need to bring in Edward Nigma and Jonathan Crane.

[collectorscorner]

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[oc-tipstricksandreviews]

Any chance of a review for my Batman OC? I’d really appreciate it. Also, uhm, it’s a really long bio, so… sorry? ^_^; I may or may not have gone overboard…

Full Name: Lily Amelia Dangerfield

Nicknames: Wildcat Lily knew that she needed to have a codename of sorts, when she started playing the ‘costumed identity game’, to help separate those actions from her normal life. While undergoing training, she was given the nickname ‘Little Cat’, which –coupled with her lifelong fondness for all kinds of animal and the nature of her burgeoning powers, as well as various terms used for thieves– helped her settle on this. It was also, in part, a way to reflect a degree of independence from those who trained her in the first place.

Feral After a particularly-devastating encounter with Black Mask, Lily abandons the entire ‘Wildcat’ persona. However, feeling that what drove her to heroism in the first place was not done, she created an entirely new persona. Lily’s choice of her new codename was partially a way to acknowledge the new and much broader scope of her powers –regardless of how much it actually scares her– but also to serve as a reminder to herself to not live up to what it could imply… not completely, anyway. She also was getting a bit sick of people comparing her to Catwoman, simply because they both used the word ‘cat’ in their codenames.

Little Lily A longstanding nickname used by her family, thanks in no small measure to her rather diminutive stature. Especially since starting high school, however, several friends and classmates have taken to using it as well. The fact that there is a girl in her class whose name is Lillian, and who is significantly taller than she is, helps a lot.

Emery Roosevelt When Lily started to dabble on the wrong side of the law, she created an alias which she used for every ‘costume-connected’ action and interaction that she could. There is even a somewhat illegal bank account at the Gotham City Bank that is under this name, which her criminal employers paid her by. After turning away from most of that lifestyle, she still uses it for much of her costumed activities. Her grandmother has an interest in name etymology, which is an interest that Lily has at least partially adopted; her alias connects to Lily’s real name in multiple ways… ‘Emery’ and ‘Amelia’ come from the same root, while ‘Roosevelt’ –meaning ‘rose field’– links with ‘Dangerfield’ in terms of a thematic feel, coupled with a trend in the Dangerfield family of names that refer to plants.

Age: 15 at the start of her hero’s journey.

Birthday: March 17 – Feast-day for the unofficial patron saint of cats, Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, as well as being Saint Patrick’s Day.

Gender: Female

Eyes: Bright amber in colour, with shades ranging through the whole gamut of golden-yellow, orange, golden-brown, and even some flecks of burnt-red. They are rather large and set at a catlike tilt –having shifted slightly since her powers started to come into the picture– and are framed in long lashes that are darker than her natural hair colour. She rather likes using eye-makeup, with a preference for dark brown or black mascara, black eyeliner in ‘cat’s-eye’ patterns, and colourful and sometimes rather thick eye-shadow.

Hair: Naturally a light ‘golden-platinum’ shade of blonde, Lily’s hair is almost dead-straight, fairly thick, and generally kept at a length that reaches about halfway down her back, coupled with fairly long bangs as well. Typically, she simply lets it hang loose, but she will tie it back into a ponytail or plait when she needs it out of the way. Lily takes a degree of pride in her hair and cares for it extremely well when she has the opportunity, making it very silky to the touch and keeping it fastidiously de-knotted. On occasions where she has coloured it –typically using temporary dyes and mostly done before going on an ‘outing’ as an added piece of identity-security– Lily favours vivid colours, due to the sheer contrast to her natural colour.

Skin: Light tan with a creamy cast and a plethora of freckles on her face, shoulders, forearms, knees, and thighs… and plenty in between. She doesn’t really tan in the conventional manner so much as she grows new freckles, which she often jokes is why she has so many in the first place. She does have several scars from various incidents, but what she doesn’t want to potentially explain away, she covers with makeup or clothing. Any that she does leave open to be seen, she’s probably coined two or three different stories about how it happened, on top of the actual truth.

Race & Ethnicity: Half-Human and half-Farfarmniflatch, by birth –not that she knows. Due to various circumstances, she would also classify as a Metahuman, as well. Her mother’s ethnic background is European, predominantly Scandinavian, to be exact. [Also, I swear I did not make that race up… It exists in the DC universe, and an example of one is Rita Lopez a.k.a. ‘Monstergirl’.]

Build: For her small size of 5’0” at age 15, Lily is actually somewhat lanky, being more limb –especially leg– than she is torso. She is lithe and lean, covered head to toe in wiry muscle, and more than capable of performing acts of flexibility that wouldn’t be out of place in a circus. Everything about her body, including her facial features, is slender and delicate in appearance, which gives her a rather elfish look when coupled with her height. Her body is developing in a way that suggests that she’ll have the potential for ‘decent’ curves, if she carried more fat on her tiny frame.

Civilian Attire: Overall, Lily’s sense of style is probably best described as being ‘contemporary’ or ‘alternative’. She likes clothing that has clean lines in the hem and cut of the fabric, loves wearing denim or leather, and adores hoods, gloves, and boots. Buckles, zips, laces or drawstrings, and metal rings are also common throughout her wardrobe. As far as colours go, she especially likes rich and warm colours such as purple and red, but doesn’t like wearing green –somewhat ironic, considering her birthday.

Super-Attire #1: As with many costumed figures, Lily’s suit covers all of her body and even includes a mask that covers her entire head. Her costume is mostly black –or rather a shade of dull purple that is so dark it’s practically black– with deep red stripes. The mask is the same colouration and has a catlike design, complete with ‘ears’ (which is where she tends to ‘store’ her bun’d hair), with orange lenses over the eyes. Shoes and gloves are blended into the suit itself; the shoes are split-toed (parkour shoes), and the gloves are full-fingered with the inner two being coloured red. Lily also incorporated some ‘armour’ into the mix, padding the elbows, shoulders (including across the top of her back), and knees with leather, but overall it’s fairly basic in terms of its construction. Also included in her ensemble is a belt around her hips –with several pouches secured to it– connected to a pair that loop around her legs for greater security during acrobatics and climbing. She will abandon this suit for another one after a particularly devastating encounter with Black Mask, along with creating a second codename for herself.

Super-Attire #2: Lily didn’t change her costume very much when coining a new masked identity. The only particular changes she made was to the aesthetic side of the equation, rather than to the practical side. In truth, the only real difference is in the addition of a ‘sleeve’ for her newly-acquired tail, which she eventually gets rid of entirely, and simply allows the limb to be bared while costumed. The aesthetic changes are as follows… The primary colour of the costume is now a rich warm purple –far less dark than the previous version. The stripes are now black, lined in crimson, and pierced through with another, smaller, crimson stripe. Black is also present from toe to just above the knee, from the first knuckle of each finger and thumb to just above the elbow, and down the entire length of the tail-sleeve, fading into the purple in each case. All of her fingers –and both thumbs– are now purple, with a crimson line running down the digit from an equally-red knuckle pad. Her belt ensemble is now completely black, as well. She upgraded her mask design –not only by making it a different colour– in the sense that she’s included makeshift sensory-insulation, in an effort to help her concentrate while in costume.

Morality: Lily begins her costumed career as a low-grade ‘villain’, being a thief –albeit one that prefers to target those who she believes can afford to lose a bit of their wealth. Later on, following a rather disastrous incident with a member of the Gotham Rogues Gallery, she starts to try her hand at a more hero-like lifestyle. In truth, she’s probably best described as either ‘neutral’ or ‘anti-hero’…

Motivation: Redemption, guilt, and self-blame… and addiction.

Personality: Lily can be described as being catlike in many ways, and it’s something that she believes may be connected to her initial abilities. She is extremely curious –sometimes to the point of reckless endangerment– and is also very playful, mischievous, and hedonistic. If she can be lazy and comfortable, she generally prefers to be… unless her occasional habit of being contradictory raises its head and she refuses to stay still for more than five seconds; she has, in the past, wanted to be both warm and cool at the same time, without the potential excuse of being ill. If given half a chance, she is an extremely tactile person, regularly invading the personal space of others –seemingly without a care– while tending to be hyper-aware of her own.

Highly intelligent and determined, Lily is an avid learner of any and all information that she can get her hands on, with the topics ranging wildly –from knots to soufflé, for example. Lily learns things quickly, too, especially if she is able to do so in a tactile or kinetic manner. Learning by listening, however, is probably the worst way to teach her anything, thanks in no small part to her regular bullheadedness. Despite all this, she is prone to being rather foolish or simply too reckless for her own good –or that of someone else– especially when her emotions get the better of her.

When Lily puts her mind to something, she is very dedicated to finishing what she’s started. This dedication also extends to the interpersonal scale, when someone manages to meet her often-rather-variable standards. Her loyalty is typically hard-won, but equally tends to be unshakable; any grudges that she holds are just as difficult to break, while being much easier to garner. This ‘all or nothing’ approach stems mostly from her sense of pride, as she believes that she’s a good judge of character… unfortunately, she’s not actually as good at it as she thinks she is.

In the event of feeling indebted to someone, no matter her other opinions on them, she will go above and beyond the call of duty to pay them back. Lily hates the feeling of owing anyone anything, but by going slightly overboard with repayments, she can validate asking for a favour from them at some later time, should she deem it necessary. Naturally, this is also something that can be manipulated rather easily by others, once they realise it… not that she’s especially quiet about it, when such topics come up.

Lily possesses a strong sense of morals, albeit a slightly twisted one, which she will adhere to –come hell or high water. She refuses to actively target anyone whom she knows to be worse-off than herself, empathising with them to some degree thanks to her own history. She also does everything she can to keep from targeting anyone who is suffering from a chronic illness or other such condition, whether directly or indirectly. Children are also largely safe from her less scrupulous activities, but only if they’re younger than her… or look like her brother in any notable way. Regardless of her moral code, however, she is more or less an adrenaline junkie with blossoming kleptomania. She loves to acquire things that are furry, shiny, sparkly, or glittery, and harbours a great deal of jealousy towards those who have the fame and fortune that she doesn’t… especially without bending or breaking the law.

As far as Lily’s temper is concerned, it’s usually released in loud and reasonably quick bursts of sometimes-violent anger that flares up out of seemingly nowhere, and may last for just a minute or two before simmering back down. She likes to joke, following these outbursts, that they are her ‘literal hissy fits’. In the instances where Lily tries to instead bottle her emotions up –particularly after her abilities first manifested– her temper is much more than simply explosive… it can be outright dangerous, as her negative emotions build like a physical force that needs some form of release… After her abilities grow beyond a certain point, the ‘bottling approach’ becomes a slippery slope to triggering a practically-uncontrollable rampage. Unsurprisingly, Lily much prefers the smaller but more frequent bursts over the larger but less frequent ones.

Having initially grown up almost in the country, Lily loves anything to do with the outdoors, although she’s not as fond of city-based outdoor stuff. She also adores animals of almost all kinds –even more so after realising that she could converse with them to some degree– with a particular fondness for cats, if only because of the purring.

Last, but definitely not least, Lily has a more or less ‘built-in’ fascination for the metahumans and aliens that inhabit the world. Everything about them excites her in ways that she can’t really explain, but she certainly does know that –if given half a chance– she’d love to meet each and every one of them. Fantasies of proving herself ‘worthy’ of being counted among the number of empowered beings of that world permeate her thoughts more often than she’d readily admit. Lily gets this from her father, along with her dislike of being told what to do and her propensity for finding the violent option to be more fun.

Habits & Quirks:

Checks and double-checks windows and doors of wherever she’s staying for the night, even before moving to Gotham.

After Reed comes into the picture, teaching him new things and just taking him for some exercise around the city is one of her primary relaxation methods.

Scans every room she enters for exits.

Loves to have potato crisps and tea in the same ‘meal’.

Hates people walking close behind her.

When she’s nervous, she can barely stay still. At the very least, her hands will be doing something –fiddling with whatever she can as a way to work out the built-up energy.

If allowed to, she’s prone to sleeping though the day and staying awake during the night. She especially loves seeing both dawn and dusk, although they tend to disappoint her somewhat in Gotham’s city limits.

If she dislikes someone, she’ll practice her knowledge of other languages with them. Ironically, this actually got her some impromptu lessons in Italian, courtesy of various members of the mob.

Hates the smell of soy sauce.

Always watches a movie with popcorn, and can barely focus on it if she doesn’t have any.

Fears: Aside from the concept of experiencing another death through an empathic bond, Lily isn’t overtly afraid of anything; that’s not to say that she’s fearless, however, as there are other things that can get under her skin. Overexposure to confinement makes her rather antsy, potentially to the point that she may suffer a panic attack in extreme circumstances, and this is mostly due to the fact that it leaves her vulnerable to many forms of attack. Lily also has a pronounced and pathological dislike of drowning, although –strangely– suffocation inspires a much less potent reaction.

Good Traits Rundown: Curious, intelligent, determined, playful and likes to joke, avid and quick learner, dedicated, loyal, pays her debts, strong sense of morals, won’t attack or otherwise target certain people if she can help it, temper is usually fairly fleeting, loves animals and is liked by them in return…

Bad Traits Rundown: Hedonistic, lazy, reckless, mischievous, contradictory, ignores the personal space of others, bullheaded, foolish, holds grudges, proud, not actually that great a judge of character, easily guilted into doing things for other people, moral code is a bit twisted, adrenaline junkie and kleptomaniac, jealous of those better-off than herself, can be violent, potential for becoming obsessed and in a bad way…

Physical Powers: Initially

Retractable talons on all digits [ref: Sabretooth in ‘Wolverine Origins’ movie], shorter on toes than on fingers. She took to wearing gloves and closed-toe shoes whenever she was going to be seen by people who didn’t already know about her powers.

Lily’s eyes changed after her abilities manifested, getting slightly larger and a bit more tilted. Her pupils altered to become vertical slits, although it’s not especially obvious unless looking closely or when she’s in extreme-light situations, and they now function more like those of a feline than a human.

She has the capacity to rapidly grow or shed fur or scales on all or part of her body, although it takes her some time to figure this out.

Enhanced

After a particular encounter with Black Mask, Lily’s body will permanently change once again, this time leaving her with a long and fully-prehensile tail, covered in sleek blonde fur.

Her ability to grow and shed fur or scales will expand to various other body-coverings found in the scientific classification of ‘Animalia’, including bone-like formations –although this particular variant will only ever be able to be used on parts of her body.

Special Abilities: Initially

Proportionate physical abilities of a cat her own size. This means strength, speed, stamina, agility, nimbleness, reflexes, dexterity, flexibility, etcetera… She also has the senses of a feline, including a sort of ‘proximity sense’ centred around her head that is her equivalent of having whiskers, and is not dissimilar to ‘spidey-sense’.

Lily possesses an empathic connection with vertebrate animals that she has any particular familiarity with, and she can ‘connect’ with one fairly quickly, as well. Once a connection is forged, she can then conduct a slightly crude form of conversation with the animal. Lily can have a bond with no more than three animals at once, and one of those ‘slots’ is dedicated to her pet dog. She also has an empathic ‘twin-bond’ with her brother… or rather, she used to.

Enhanced

Her physical capabilities expand to encompass everything found in Earth’s vertebrates. This includes her senses, and will cause her more than a few issues while she gets used to them yet again.

After a particular encounter with Black Mask, Lily gains the ability to transform into a sort of variable and mismatched werebeast-like form, wherein she has very little control or even notable humanlike thought processes. Changing forms requires some sort of ‘stress stimuli’ for a very long time –although she may never be able to fully-control when, what, or how this happens. The first transformation of this sort is what she believes left her with a tail in the first place.

Weaknesses: While there are several very-obvious perks to Lily’s powers, there are also cons to each part of her power-set. Her claws, like those of a cat, are subject to being extended outside of her conscious control –while stretching or when startled are particular examples. She’s also just as able to be hurt by them as any other creature. Lily’s tail is also primarily controlled by her subconscious, moving ‘on its own’ unless she concentrates on telling it what to do. It is highly-sensitive, and it’s quite easy to cause her to black out from pain when her tail is mishandled. Both claws and tail are hard to hide, at the best of times. Her ability to grow and shed fur or scales, etcetera, is a rather draining thing to do, as well.

Enhanced senses always have the same basic drawbacks; she is easily overwhelmed by them, even to the point of passing out… not to mention that, if her ‘proximity sense’ is triggered, she may be left jumpy or even somewhat paranoid. Lily’s enhanced physical capabilities, while incredibly useful and potent, take a very long time for her to get accustomed to –she still, after years, makes mistakes with them. There is also the matter of her stamina… she can entirely misjudge how much energy she’s got left, and it’s more than possible for her to literally run herself to death.

Even Lily’s empathic abilities and conversing with animals have their drawbacks. Out of a desperate need, she will often go out of her way to put the wellbeing of said animals over her own or that of other people, as she can feel the pain or even death of beings she’s connected with. She can also have difficulty telling the difference between people and animal conversations, especially if she’s tired or otherwise distracted –her dog, Reed, is the only exception to this, as she can almost immediately recognise his ‘voice’.

Lastly, she has little to no control over her transformation abilities; she can barely instigate it at will, she has almost no say in the physicality of the form, and has extreme difficulty controlling herself… let alone thinking clearly or even like a human while transformed. She also can’t turn into anything ‘more normal’ than a great big werebeast-thing.

Origin of Powers: Lily’s powers come from two types of sources. One is the fact that her father –unbeknownst to her– is actually a member of the Farfarmniflatch alien race. This is where the capacity for transforming herself actually comes from, although –given that she’s only half-alien– her capabilities with such are not as wide-spread or well-controlled as a full-blooded Farfarmniflatch. The other source is an amalgamation of at least three –possibly more– different mutagenic compounds that her body has been subjected to.

The first one to come into play had –decades prior– been introduced to the water supply of the city she initially lived in. It was part of a plan to steadily transform the population into metahumans, to be thusly recruited into various projects, including as super-soldiers. The secret organisation [yes, I will be doing some more work on this bit, such as determining who the fuck these peeps even are] responsible for it was working in conjunction with a portion of the local government and a prominent corporation with a stake in the area as well, along with other similar groups in various locations around the world.

The second mutagen was –quite literally– fed to her, during their training. The purpose of this one was to introduce certain traits or capabilities into her system, and had been in use by that group for many, many years. It was keyed specifically for animalistic mutations, and this is where she believes her abilities actually come from, having learned about the concoction on her final day training with them.

Lily came into contact with the third compound while performing her first clandestine job. It took her to the laboratory where the mutagen was being created. She was supposed to steal research data and destroy evidence, but things didn’t quite go as planned. Lily was spotted and had to deal with security, which in turn resulted in her getting essentially bathed in the concoction; contact lasted for hours until she managed to get it all off, with the mutagen sinking through her skin and a few open wounds in the meantime.

When Lily’s body finally gave in to the mutagenic mixture, including a dash of Lazarus via Gotham’s groundwater, she somehow managed to survive a fever that would generally have been considered to be pretty much lethal in its intensity. She didn’t, however, initially obtain the fullest extent of what her abilities could become. As time goes on and she not only becomes more familiar with them but is also regularly pushed to her limits, they will mature… growing and expanding in ways that she doesn’t anticipate. The more stress she is under –physical, mental, or emotional– the faster this evolution happens…

Skills:

Clothes-making and mending – Lily was taught how to sew by her grandmother, including some seamstress skills, while her grandfather started to teach her how to work harder materials like plastic, metal, and wood. She continued learning these skills even after his death.

Gymnastics – She was notably-talented at this from an early age, and even managed to reach a regional competition before pulling out of it due to her grandfather’s failing health.

Contortionist – Even without her powers, Lily was always naturally-flexible in the extreme.

Parkour and ‘urban exploration’ – Lily’s fascination for exploring the places she goes developed from an occasional hobby to an outright pastime, particularly after beginning her costumed career. Parkour was just part of the parcel, and is something she engages in, even on her ‘days off’.

Light and quick on her feet – Capable of turning almost on a dime, Lily’s nimbleness is one of her favourite traits. The fact that she learned how to walk almost silently is also a plus.

Trained as a ninja of sorts, primarily thievery and assassination – Trained by a martial-arts branch of a multinational criminal organisation –not that she knew it at the time– Lily has the know-how to be devastatingly dangerous, although she definitely prefers not to kill if she can get away with it. She learned the battle and stealth skills they taught her at an astonishing rate, thanks to a knack for both topics. From there, she developed her own quick and highly-acrobatic fighting style, with a growing bestial edge as her powers develop further.

First-Aid and some ‘higher-grade’ medical skills like suturing – Another set of skills taught to her by her grandmother.

Family:

Paternal Grandfather (adopted) – Basil Anthony Dangerfield… A retired army pilot, and a craftsman by trade. He proposed to his to-be-wife while he was bleeding profusely onto her, after an accident with a saw. Basil was always a ‘good man’, by almost every way of measuring it, including being an active member of the community. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with cancer when Lily was still just a kid, and died shortly afterwards.

Paternal Grandmother (adopted) – Rosemary Dianne Dangerfield… Trained as a nurse and then –later in life– expanding her knowledge and skills with the intention of becoming an accredited doctor, she and Basil were teenage sweethearts who actually managed to stay in love. She’s not taking his death well, however, and her health is ailing because of it.

Maternal Grandparents – Aaron & Heather Jensen… A builder and a teacher, respectively, the Jensens were unhappy about their daughter’s choice in fiancé, and refused to help in any way with their wedding. Because of this, Lily has only met them once, when she was around about two years old, and doesn’t know anything about them other than that. Heather was suspicious about whether or not Lily and her brother were even Jarred’s children –believing that Jarred was actually impotent, which was part of the reason behind the animosity from both of the Jensens towards him– and tried to get Dahlia to have them properly tested. She never brought it up to Jarred, the twins, or even to her parents-in-law.

Father (adopted) – Jarred Laurence Dangerfield… A businessman on the rise with his own company, Jarred had big plans for his family. He was madly in love with his wife, and had wanted to marry her since they met in university, despite the barely-masked hostility of her parents. When the car crash that killed him happened, he was dead before those attending the scene could get him out of the vehicle.

Father – Unknown member of the Farfarmniflatch race… He came to Earth while tracking radiation trails from shards of Krypton. While he didn’t find much of what he initially came for, he did partake in the locals with some fervour. Included in this is a one-night fling with Dahlia. She was tipsy and discussing human biology with so much enthusiasm that he found it amusing. However, he regretted having sex with her the moment they’d finished, and he left before she woke. It’s likely that he has no idea that he became a father from that event…

Mother – Dahlia Marie Dangerfield… Before her death from the same car crash that killed her husband, she had earned a PhD in biology and was part of a research team that studied infectious diseases. Her one-night-stand with an unknown man just one day before Jarred proposed was a secret that she kept very close to her chest, mostly out of shame. About a week before the accident, however, she discovered something odd in the blood samples the team was working on, and intended on bringing her discovery to the attention of the rest of them.

Twin Brother – Florian Aster Dangerfield… He had dreams of becoming a stunt-man for films and television. Aster went through the same training regime that Lily did, matching her progress step for step; he even developed abilities of his own –reptilian-like ones– and coined the codename ‘Basilisk’ for himself, coupled with the alias of ‘Julius Roosevelt’. They were a package deal, and almost never apart for longer than a few hours, if that. He died while on a mission for Black Mask, leaving what remained of the family completely devastated.

Nationality: Australian

History: Lily was born in a bayside city in south-eastern Australia, called ‘Batmania’ [equivalent to a real city, and that’s actually what it could have been called… I found it too funny to pass up]. Her early life was fairly simple, focusing on school, friends, and her family –especially her partner-in-crime, Aster. After the car crash that killed their parents when they were seven, however, the twins went to live with their grandparents on a vineyard at the outskirts of the city.

For a couple of years, life was good. Basil and Rosemary instilled into the twins not only a love of life and everything to do with the outdoors, but also a strong sense of responsibility to always repay one’s debts. Unfortunately, this drive would be called into practice in a way that none of the family could have anticipated…

Basil was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer, and –Rosemary being too proud to do so– Lily and Aster sought out any help they could find; Lily wound up garnering it from one of the worse sources possible. Her gymnastics ‘career’ had attracted the attention of a number of less-scrupulous individuals in the area, and when a ‘friend of a friend’ said that they could help move the small family to America, where there were more specialists in that particular variety of cancer, Lily didn’t think it through. All that was needed to pay the help back… was to undergo a bit of battle and stealth training, and steal a little something for them. Aster found out about the arrangement and insisted that he go through it with her, refusing to let his sister do anything dangerous without some kind of help from someone who actually cared.

The ‘friend of a friend’ was part of a multinational crime syndicate that dealt with all manner of illicit items and actions [no, this isn’t the League]. The chapter in that area was focused primarily on producing drugs, but also had a sort of ‘ninja dojo’, which is where the twins went through the training they agreed on, speeding through their lessons at a rate that shocked everyone. This prompted those working there to send word to the chapter in the city they were sending the Dangerfields to, so as to –they hoped– continue to use their talents. Unknown to the twins, part of the ‘training’ they put them through included the introduction of a mutagenic compound into their bodies through the food and drink that they were served at the ‘dojo’.

The job went down without much of a hitch, and started the twins off in their adrenaline-hunting lifestyle. Rosemary allowed this to happen; she was distraught and preoccupied by her husband’s failing health, and the twins told her that they had joined a sport team that was trying to gain a foothold in the area. Having no reason to challenge the explanation, she did nothing to stop them.

The family moved to Metropolis in Delaware [I think…], but despite everyone’s best efforts and all of the money that Lily and Aster had earned, Basil lost his battle to survive. In her grief, Rosemary –once a pillar of strength in their lives– became little more than a wreck. The syndicate chapter in the city attempted to get the twins to continue working for them, but Lily was hesitant to continue to steal and Aster refused to do anything for them without his sister. As a result, they watched uneasily as the rest of the family’s finances slowly but surely disappeared.

At the start of the school holidays before the twins were to enter grade 7, they moved again, this time to Gotham City in New Jersey [I think…] –getting a place in the Bowery area of the city’s East End. This proved to be both a good thing and a bad thing… The change of scenery –prone to gloomy weather as it is– helped to break Rosemary out of the emotional slump she was in, but the urge to do something dangerous and more than a little bit illegal started to tickle at the edges of the twins’ minds; why should their peers have all these fancy things and not them, all because of some medical tragedy? They managed to refrain, however… then things changed.

After only a few days in their new home, both twins fell terribly ill. Dangerously-high fevers and potent nausea left them bedridden for well over a week, before vanishing as suddenly as they came. Being low on funds for both medical care and any form of medication, Rosemary cared for the siblings as best she could. In the wake of their miraculous and even somewhat synchronised recoveries, their grandmother started to retreat back into herself once again, her fears of losing her only remaining family reigniting her grief and depression from the death of Basil… leaving the twins to once again try to pick up the slack.

Seeing no other real options, they returned to what the syndicate taught them, focusing on theft and doing their best to only target those who could afford to ‘spare a few bucks’. On their first outing of this kind, the twins learned what the mystery illness had done to their bodies –awakening powers inside of them that they’d never even dreamed of– and even that they’d gained a greater ‘knack’ for animals as well… although, arguing with an irate alley-cat was an adventure unto itself, as was trying to smooth said argument over. The pair decided to make good use of these discoveries, and became a duo of ‘super-burglars’, donning costumes that Lily had designed and made herself, and coining new identities for themselves as ‘Wildcat’ and ‘Basilisk’… even creating the ‘Emery Roosevelt’ and ‘Julius Roosevelt’ aliases to function alongside them.

For a time, they were quite successful, managing to avoid both the GCPD –and any security personnel– but it was inevitable that they’d eventually be caught by someone… While conducting an attack on Roman Sionis a.k.a. ‘Black Mask’, a prominent member of the criminal underbelly of the city, the twins were caught by his underlings. Instead of being killed outright for their attempt –as was expected– they were instead given an ultimatum; work for him, or he’d kill them for trying to steal from him. Having very little choice, the Dangerfield twins agreed. The druglord kept them working for him for about a year, before loosening their leashes, letting them think they’d been forgiven. The reason he showed what could be called ‘mercy’ for the two is this: he figured that they had far too much guts for their own good, but were young enough to potentially be taught otherwise… Roman had every intention to keep the twins on his payroll.

The last mission before they were let ‘loose’ actually went quite awry. They had been tasked with targeting the Falcone family, following the falling-out of an already-tentative truce between Roman and Carmine Falcone –among other prominent mob leaders. Unfortunately for them, the Falcones were expecting a hit of some sort, and the pair very nearly died. While they did manage to injure several of Carmine’s men, the job was more or less an utter bust. On their way home from this failure, they came across a sodden pile of fur, which followed them back to the Dangerfield residence –despite their attempts to make following them difficult. The pup –named ‘Reed’ for his wood-like colouring and seemingly-never-ending energy– became a fixture in their home rather quickly, however, not counting a couple of days spent trying to keep him hidden from their grandmother.

For two more years, they continued to earn money and infamy. Other members of Gotham’s criminal population started to seek out their services, even to the point that they were hired to conduct a hit for someone almost immediately after they’d been hit through someone else’s direction. Lily started to bring up the potential for them to ‘get back to the old game and move into the big leagues’ and do work just for themselves, but Aster felt that they had little to no choice but to continue as they were; he wasn’t sure that they should truly launch into the ‘unaffiliated vigilante or villain game’, like so many other costumed figures in the city. The money they were earning largely went to taking care of their now-ailing grandmother, a goal which allowed them to almost completely disregard their growing addictions to the adrenaline rush, and to validate their actions whenever concerns of the legality of what they were doing arose. All the while, the twins somehow managed to avoid being caught by someone ‘on the right side of the law’.

Things took a turn for the worse when they were hired by Roman once again. The job quickly flew out of their control, ultimately resulting in Aster’s death. Lily was traumatised by it, not just because it was by her suggestion that he was in the situation that killed him, but also because they’d been using their shared empathic bond as a form of silent communication –like every prior job they’d undertaken.

Lily, after doing what she could to numb herself to what had occurred, returned to inform Roman of their failure. He didn’t take it well and –in an effort to ‘persuade her to take his time and money more seriously’– revealed research that he’d done on the twins’ true identities; he’d managed to learn that not only did they have more family in Gotham, but he’d also narrowed down where they lived and attended school to the span of a few blocks each. In a panic, Lily lashed out, even killing a couple of his underlings in the chaos. She didn’t, however, escape without any trouble…

Things spilled out onto the streets. While Lily was under fire, several innocent bystanders –who had the misfortune of being nearby and not quite fast enough to run away or hide effectively– were caught in the crossfire. With more deaths on her conscience and multiple injuries to nurse, Lily eventually managed to lose all of her pursuers. She blamed Roman for the deaths of the bystanders almost as much as she blamed herself, and being weighed-down by all that guilt, Lily couldn’t bring herself to return home… even though she knew that it would likely destroy her grandmother even more.

Reed tracked her down the next day, dragging a boy Lily’s age with him. This boy was Taron Dawson, who –feeling sorry for the injured girl he’d found– took her back to his place in the Cauldron area of Gotham, where he lived with his concerned yet incredibly laid-back uncle, a night-shift doctor. To her shock, Taron and his uncle worked to treat her wounds, and even offered for her and Reed to stay with them for the foreseeable future… all without asking any questions other than to know something to call them both. She gave them her middle name, only, unsure if she could trust their generosity.

During her recovery, she spent a lot of time thinking about what she was going to do. Fear kept her from even contemplating returning home, but she knew that she would never be able to stay out of further trouble. Reaching the conclusion that her conscience needed some form of easing, Lily decided that she would, at long last, drop working for other criminals and would instead try to atone for what she considered herself to be guilty of –even the inevitable death of her grandmother, as she couldn’t see herself returning home before that happened. If she could make a more positive impact on the city, then perhaps she would be able to sleep again…

~*~|LATER EVENT|~*~ At some point, Lily will once again find herself in Roman’s grasp. He’ll put her through multiple forms of torture as a way of not only punishing her for her transgressions against him, but also to –he hopes– break her spirit enough to get her to be controllable again. Unfortunately for him, the ultimate result of the torture is that her abilities will evolve, and she’ll gain the ability to fully-transform. She breaks out of his grasp while going on a werebeast-y rampage, only ending when she runs out of steam, although she may be found and restrained before then… by Batman, for example…

Potential Arkham Diagnoses:

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD] – Primarily courtesy of Aster’s death. Much of Lily’s attitudes towards other people is at least partially governed by the trauma of feeling her brother die. It makes forging new connections with people difficult for her, thanks to a persistent fear that she’d be forced to face that situation again. Animals, on the other hand, have more pronounced survival instincts, and so she finds it easier to connect to them. Possible triggers include talk of being close, being physically close, etcetera.

Sociopathy – As an adrenaline junkie with a fondness for thievery, she naturally has some disregard for the rules and regulations of society. Lily doesn’t think like a law-abiding citizen, and never has.

Kleptomania – Summed up in a few words… she’s addicted to stealing.

Violent Outbursts – Lily’s temper, commonly being released in vibrant explosions of emotion, naturally leads to some bouts of violent temper as well. Couple this with her lack of fine mental and emotional control when transformed… It should also be mentioned that, under the right circumstances, she’s more than willing to kill.

Obsessive-Compulsive Need to Prove Oneself – While not always a bad thing, in Lily’s case it translates as a need to measure herself against the yardsticks that various other costumed individuals embody. She’s compelled to compare herself to people like ‘Poison Ivy’ or ‘Superman’, and –if possible– best them in some way.

Goals:

Learn to drive, and get a car or motorbike of her own.

Become fluent in at least two other languages than English, and ‘Animal’ doesn’t count. She’s taken lessons in Italian and Japanese. Spanish is on the short list for another one to try, and is actually the one that her grandmother tried to get her to learn at first.

Have both the money and the freedom to travel the world.

Survive and perhaps even excel at the whole ‘hero thing’.

Learn just what the full extent of her abilities even are… This is one that she will have particular difficulty with, thanks to certain traumatic events…

Uncover the truth regarding the syndicate that trained her, and about the situation regarding her original hometown.

Get revenge on Black Mask, in particular.

Schooling & Desired Occupation: Lily has finished primary school, and is in grade 10, also known as sophomore, in high school. She has a few potentials for what she wants to do when she’s an adult; veterinarian –or some other job that deals closely with animals– is at the top of her list, but vying for that space are things like acting and working on special-effects for film or television. She’s doing her utmost to stay in school, including keeping it as secret as she possibly can that she’s wound up without a place to call home.

Likes & Dislikes – Food: Her favourites are Italian cuisine in general, omelette, pie, and musk-flavoured candy… her least favourites are lettuce and anything in the same family as it, coffee, bangers-‘n’-mash, and boiled candy.

Sexual Orientation & Details: While she’s not above playing with anyone –especially if it gets her something and so long as it doesn’t actually go anywhere out of her control– Lily hasn’t really given much thought to the topic as a whole. There is at least one person she has some interest in, but things are complicated between the pair of them, so she hasn’t really done much about bringing that fact to the guy’s attention. Lily has a particular aversion to people who don’t seem to permit her to have thoughts and feelings of her own. When someone matches her beat for beat, though, it leaves her with a case of the butterflies. A sense of humour, a love of a challenge or adventure, certainly an appreciation for animals, and being able accept someone with powers… these are all things that she finds important.

Pet: Reed, a mixed-breed dog that is part German Shepherd and part Siberian Husky, he’s big and more than a little bit intelligent. His thick fur is mostly chocolate-brown with black ticking and swathes of creamy-white on his throat, belly, and legs –akin to the typical white markings found on huskies– all of which contrasts strikingly with his icy-blue eyes. Reed was abandoned on the streets of Gotham as a pup, but he found Lily and her brother in the aftermath of a job that nearly killed the pair of them… and then he followed them home. Their grandmother was hesitant, at first, to let the dog stay, but his goofy and eager nature won her over. At the time that Lily starts her ‘hero career’, he’s around two years old, and has since become one of her most trusted allies.

Relationships – Friends & Allies: Reed [OC] Ever since they met, Reed has been an almost-constant companion for his Person, and is dedicated to keeping her alive and well. As Lily is able to converse with him to a degree, his responsiveness and helpfulness is almost unmatched throughout the country. Also, she absolutely adores him.

Ariana Bourke a.k.a. ‘Aranea’ [OC] More of an occasional-ally than a true friend, the two of them sometimes help each other out on the field. As Ariana is older, she feels it’s her responsibility to help Lily when she can and gladly accepts favours in return… but she also has a decidedly-different set of morals and aims, which can easily lead to conflict between the cat and the spider.

Lillian MacDougal [OC] A classmate affectionately known as ‘Big Lily’, she is one of Lily’s primary anchors to reality. At school, they are nearly inseparable, which constantly eats away at Lily’s conscience –she desperately wants to tell her friends about her ‘other life’, but is also scared of how they’d react, among other things. While Lillian has noticed something ‘off’ about Lily, she has yet to press for any details outside of the occasional question. Her father is a member of the GCPD, and is someone Lillian deeply admires.

Nathan “Nate” Ackerman [OC] Another classmate and close friend, Nate actually knows more about Lily’s escapades than he lets on. He’s been following all costumed incidents that he can find any information about for a year or two, thanks in no small part to his mother having been killed by the Joker. He’s also the school’s biggest geek, according to many of their peers, and tries to help Lily out where he can with these skills… secretly at first, naturally.

Relationships – Enemies: Roman Sionis a.k.a. ‘Black Mask’ He is the one who not only introduced her to working with Gotham’s criminal underbelly, but is also the person she was working for when her relations with organised crime really crumbled. Due to what happened, she greatly dislikes all who are connected to that section of Gotham’s population, but focuses her dislike primarily on the bigger names like Falcone, Maroni, and Cobblepot, and leaves going after their hench-people for when she actually feels a need to. He, on the other hand, seems torn between punishing her severely for what happened and getting her back in his employ… or both, if possible. In truth, with such a large part of her costumed career being spent in the employ of the mob, several members of the mob believe that she belongs to them.

Jack Napier a.k.a. ‘The Joker’ Technically, these two have yet to meet. This is more on behalf of her friend, Nate, but Lily dislikes what he does for fun.

Tabitha & Martin Lear a.k.a. ‘?’ & ‘?’ [OCs] [Connected to the whole ‘master plan to mutate the world’? These two are just names, at the moment…]

Relationships – Neutral & ‘It’s Complicated’: Selina Kyle a.k.a. ‘Catwoman’ Lily has no particular issue with Selina, but she is deemed by many others to have tried to copy the more well-known cat-burglar. This rubs both of them the wrong way, for various reasons. Selina decided to look into the younger thief, keeping an eye on her and ‘trying to decide if she’s “mini-me material”’. On the other hand, Lily holds a decent amount of respect for Selina and what she’s managed to do.

Taron Dawson a.k.a. ‘Thunderbird’ [OC] Taron confuses Lily to no end, as he will seemingly switch ‘sides’ at the drop of a hat. He quite likes her –and has since they first met– and she’d like to reciprocate, but their differences of opinion and regular butting of heads stand in the way… along with the fact that she’s frequently bewildered and frustrated regarding his intentions. Despite this, he regularly takes the time to meet with her and chat about anything and everything… the fact that Reed likes him is another piece in his favour. The irony of a bird chasing a cat is not lost on either of them.

Bruce Wayne a.k.a. ‘Batman’ Lily has yet to meet the Batman, but she respects him a great deal for Batman’s hero status and everything that he’s done. Bruce Wayne, however, is someone that she harbours a lot of jealousy for, thanks in part to not knowing about the Wayne family tragedy. On the flip side, Bruce considers her to be a reckless child who knows very little about the world she’s been pulled into, and would definitely like it if she gave up the costume entirely –one less person for him to be aware of. There is some possibility that they’ll wind up working together in some way, whether temporarily or permanently is still uncertain…

Commissioner James “Jim” Gordon & the GCPD Naturally, Lily generally wants nothing to do with any cop. She’s terrified of being put in jail, but is also completely addicted to the costumed life. Having been a thief –and other things– for hire by the mob for some time, and then becoming an unrecognised vigilante… they aren’t especially fond of her activities, to put it mildly. That being said, describing them as ‘enemies’ is not quite right.

Other: Lily is very rarely seen without some kind of bag, usually a backpack, and her favourite one is an over-the-shoulder single-strap backpack that she’s modified with a second strap that loops under that same arm; she always keeps a notebook and about four different pens in it, along with her wallet, a bag of treats for Reed, usually some form of snack for herself, and a few other odds and ends –not least of which being her house-keys for her grandmother’s home.

I don’t see any potentially bad quirks about your character. It seems fine to me.

If you want me to look into greater detail on any aspect, go ahead and shoot me a message or an ask

[oneeyedscarecrow]

What are the most common villain pair-ups for collaborative crime-doing?

this was interesting to think about, because often strong friendships/relationships/hanging out don’t necessarily translate to doing many jobs together. Which makes sense, I guess, just because you like someone doesn’t mean your gimmicks are going to go together great - like Jervis and Jon will break out together, share hideouts, etc, but not actually set up crimes together that often (unless that crime is ‘jervis we need to rob a corner store or something we’re out of money and also food’)

what I’ve thought of for common pair-ups so far are: 

- Jervis and Mary Dahl. Their aesthetics are very compatible, he can reach things on… well, relatively high shelves, or mind-control someone to do it for them, and they both enjoy putting on shows. Plus, Mary can sneak his tech into places with the ‘lost little girl’ routine, and while Jervis might be a genius he’s not the best at plots; Mary can be far more inventive than him when thinking of ways to use his tech. And they both love singing the most annoying, repetitive songs they know in the Batmobile on the way back to Arkham. 

- Jonathan and Basil Karlo (Clayface, for those who learned his actual name as recently as I did). Earth 451 Basil is a former creature/monster actor, and Jonathan grew up adoring several of the movies he was in. Suffice to say that the moment he learned Basil had entered the Gallery, doing some sort of crime thing with him became his new dream. Basil’s prickly and doesn’t get along with everyone, but Jon’s sincere fanboying+ability to enthusiastically discuss the philosophy and morality of monster movies with him won him over, and they’ve been semi-regularly working together ever since. Basil enjoys reviving his old monster roles, especially when he gets to loom over cops who moments earlier were insisting the monster sightings were ‘just fear-gas hallucinations’. Jonathan enjoys recording the effect of actual monsters on the human psyche. 

- Jonathan and Ivy. They go back a while, so half the time their collaborations are just excuses to get oversweetened coffees and catch up, but they also have way too much fun experimenting together (that time they bred a flower that released a fear-gas-like substance when it bloomed was awesome. for them, not so much Gotham). They share a few beserk buttons (stupid people, rapists, people who litter) so often find themselves going after the same people or organizations. Plus, scarecrows and growing things just go together. 

- Jack and Basil, although hardly anyone knows it. Jack will often ask Basil over to be his stunt double for some particularly intense physical comedy ideas he has (this has not helped the Joker-is-immortal rumors) and get him a cut of the profits. They don’t get along that great outside of work, but Basil finds the challenge of impersonating the Joker fun enough to keep agreeing to plots.

- do Harley and Jack count? I mean she started out as a hench but she’s definitely part of the Gallery proper now, and they don’t work together all the time anymore, but when they do it’s fabulous

- Oswald and Harvey often coordinate to take out any organized crime that might be moving against the Rogues. Or thinking about it. Or, y’know, just being organized crime. Oswald’s good at finding it but doesn’t like to get involved with fights up close and personal, so he just points Harvey at the problem. 

there are probably more but this is long enough for now. thanks for the question, it was a lot of fun to think about!

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1271

Monday, July 22, 2019

 I finally got some nice fishing weather, cloudy with a slight breeze, for a solo trip out to the lake this morning. A great time was had by me. Lots of exciting news coming out of the San Diego Comic Con this past weekend. Hearts were all a-flutter but I am dead inside now and wasn't fazed. I am happy that they cast a Chinese Canadian in the lead role for the Shang Chi movie.

 Domino: Hotshots #5 - Gail Simone (writer) David Baldeon & Michael Shelfer (art) Jim Charalampidis (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Yay Neena Thurman and her Hotshots. The day is saved and I await the next story. I really hope this goes on but if this is the last issue then I am satisfied. This was a great story overall and I loved the art.

 The Unstoppable Wasp #10 - Jeremy Whitley (writer) Gurihiru (art) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Nadia and the G.I.R.L.s beat the bad guy and we have another happy ending. Wow, it looks like this is the last issue of this title too and I'm sad that it won't be on the racks anymore. I've enjoyed reading every issue and I will be recommending the collections to fans looking for some fun stories.

 Immortal Hulk #21 - Al Ewing (writer) Ryan Bodenheim (art) Paul Mounts (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I've been curious about who this Major General Reginald James Fortean is that heads Shadow Base and now I wonder no more. This issue tells his origin story and it's so complete you'll totally get where he's coming from when it concerns the Hulk. The last page means very bad things are in store for the big green galoot down the road.

 Daredevil #8 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Lalit Kumar Sharma (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) Java Tartaglia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). No Devils, Only God part 3. Wow, what a great issue and the costume was nowhere in sight. Matt manages to turn a nice Italian family dinner into a major debacle. Hell's Kitchen is heating up while Mayor Fisk plots. This book is climbing the charts.

 Blossoms 666 #5 - Cullen Bunn (writer) Laura Braga (art) Matt Herms (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). I wouldn't still be reading this if it wasn't for the terrific art. It's sick and twisted and made even more enjoyable because these are Archie characters. I am waiting to find out who the Ant-Christ will be.

 Batman #75 - Tom King (writer) Tony S. Daniel & Mitch Gerads (art) Tomeu Morey & Mitch Gerads (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). City of Bane part 1. Tom King turns this title upside down as he winds up his tenure slated to end with issue #87 or so. Now we know who climbed out of the pit at the end of the last issue. Bane is the mayor of Gotham City. Batman's rogues gallery all work for the GCPD. This new Batman has a new sidekick who is a lot more powerful than a Robin. The negotiation between Bane and the POTUS caps off this unbelievable reality. Batman is going to be a very interesting book to read the rest of this year.

 Loki #1 - Daniel Kibblesmith (writer) Oscar Bazaldua (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Loki is the new King of Jotunheim. If you want to know how that came about go read War of the Realms. It's not easy for the God of Mischief to sit still, so this debut shows us how Loki has evolved to fill the shoes of the ruler of the Frost Giants. I like the humour in this and if the shenanigans are fun, I will keep reading.

 Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #1 - Matt Fraction (writer) Steve Lieber (art) Nathan Fairbairn (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). I wasn't going to read this new title after the snippet I read in Superman Leviathan Rising #1 but I wanted to give Matt Fraction a chance to wow me since I've enjoyed his previous writing gigs. I liked Jimmy's misadventures 50 years ago and these short stories are similarly silly, but I've outgrown them. Not even the mystery of how he winds up banished to Gotham City will keep me hanging around.

 Spider-Man Life Story #5 The '00s - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Mark Bagley (pencils) John Dell (inks) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Someone coined the term the aughties for the decade between 2000 and 2010 and I thought that was quite clever. I love how Chip is incorporating Marvel continuity into these stories. Here we have the Civil War raging between Iron Man and Captain America while Morlun is hunting Spider powered people during Spider-Geddon. Peter and Mary Jane are living in Portland with their twins Claire and Ben while clone Ben Riley pretends to be Peter Parker in New York City and fights crime as Spider-Man. Peter is forced to come out of hiding to fight Morlun and the battle ends with a thrilling conclusion.  I can't wait to see what happens in the next 10 years.

 Silver Surfer Black #2 - Donny Cates (writer) Tradd Moore (art) Dave Stewart (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). What a cosmically epic issue as the Silver Surfer fights Knull, God of the Symbiotes. Yeah, that's right. Black costume and Venom Symbiotes. That was surprising, but then an ally pops up and it's an even bigger surprise.

 The Superior Spider-Man #9 - Christos Gage (writer) Mike Hawthorne (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Otto gets the keys to the city of San Francisco after all he's done to protect it from Terrax and Master Pandemonium and during War of the Realms. I loved how his arrogant reaction to the ceremony leads to more emotional growth for the reformed super villain. The cover shows Norman Osborn rearing his ugly head but he doesn't show up until the last page. This Norm must come from some alternate universe because he's got six arms and a henchman named Spiders-Man. 'Tis to laugh. I also got a chuckle from the old timey bad guy from 1982 that Otto fights in the main story. I'm getting to like the Superior Spider-Man more and more.