#the batman in rain is one of my favourite things

[helga-heason]

Letter #9

Dear Selina,

I hope this finds you well. I’m sorry for the month-long silence. It has been ridiculously hectic around here - and I’ve been doing basically nothing. There’s a weird unrest in the streets of Gotham, like some sort of rebellion is simmering, waiting for ignition. Myself and Gordon have been watching the Danger Twins like Gotham PD watches me (like overly cautious hawks) and so far they’ve behaved, but… There must always be a calm before the storm.

Speaking of storms, I think God saw the state of Gotham and decided to be kind to us for a while. We haven’t had much rain in months. So, of course, when I went out on a walk outside last night, there was a downpour halfway back to the cave. I wasn’t wearing the Batsuit at the time, and I feel a cold coming on. Although, to be fair, I’ve gotten colds even with the Batsuit on, so I can’t entirely blame the weather. I look a bit like a drowned rat when I get soaked, and you’d probably love teasing me for it. The Rat and the Cat, how’s that for a name? And thankfully it’s not El Rata Alada this time. I hope.

I’m writing this as I sit on the edge of the platform where the Batsignal is, Robin sat by my side, my legs dangling off the side and my feet kicking back against the wall now and then. Alfred has often said that you can tell I’ve been stuck in my traumatised childhood for a pretty long time through certain habits and beliefs - this habit being one of the tells. I mean, I don’t often sit here and kick my legs. I wasn’t really aware I was doing so until I started writing this letter, when it suddenly sunk in and hit me that my legs were moving. It’s oddly calming. It’s nice to just sit here as the city moves along below me, as the wind picks up a little and a breeze blows by. I actually rather like it when there’s a chill in the air - I find it refreshing. It is a bit of a pain when it’s particularly cold and I’m wearing the Batsuit, though.

Robin’s still bringing feathers back, but sometimes she’ll bring a stray cat or two as well. They don’t live here, only Robin does, but I’ll feed them and wash them and make sure they have somewhere to go before I send them out of the Batcave. Surprisingly, I’m not heartless. Both you and Robin have a thing for strays. I wonder if I do too? It seems I have found a second job in this city, rehabilitating and rehoming Gotham’s cats. With assistance from some of the Gotham PD, I might be able to get the calico cat bandits out of your old apartment. It’s a very strange life I lead, and this isn’t the first time I’ve thought that today. Loneliness can lead us to the darkest of places, but even in darkness, there is light. The light in this case being the new homes for the cats.

I’ve often wondered if this is my true vocation in life - chasing after petty criminals, solving ciphers, visiting the mayor and a guy who calls himself ‘the Penguin’, trying to flush out Gotham’s corruption, and trying to prevent the city from being flooded again - but I know, as the rain beats down on my skin and Robin meows like some deranged raccoon beside me, I’m right where I’m meant to be. This is who I am. For the longest time I thought that it was a weakness, that I needed to be someone or something else, but after meeting you and very promptly losing you, after reflecting on everything and keeping an eye on the Danger Twins… I see now that it’s a strength. I am Bruce Wayne, and I cannot change that - but maybe I don’t need to. I can only hope that you have the same sense of purpose that I now feel.

I hope you’re well.

Yours, always, the Bat(man) - and Robin the cat.

I promise you, some day, I will tell you who I am. And if you run away, it’ll hurt, but I’ll understand why, and I won’t chase after you.

[fipindustries]

my joker

i already made a post where i descrived my personal favourite version of the DC trinity. now, under the light of the joker sequel apparently sucking ass (dont spoil it, i still want to see it) i decided i might as well share my personal favourite interpretation of the joker.

to start with i like to see him as a bit of a tragic figure, and very patently just a man. i have no interest in the current primordial agent of chaos, madness and anarchy that popular culture has been so infatuated with as of lately.

this is going to borrow heavily from the 90's DCAU and the old comics, before we had all this nonesense about the batgod who laughs or whatever. first of all he is a criminal, he commits crimes because they are useful to him. he has two modes, resource gathering and big project. first he steals from banks or extorts rich people or takes parts of the city hostage and demands the police or the mayor to give him money. he then uses the money for some absurd gigantic "prank" on the city. like releasing a bunch of rabid gorillas in tutus and boxing gloves, or making cats and dogs rain. is all about the stupid silly gags. i dont think having him return to silly cartoon gag comedy would necesarily make him any less horrifying since a lot of these things (dropping pianos on people, painting fake tunnels so that cars crash into them, hiding spring loaded boxing gloves in mail boxes that can genuenly kick your teeth out) are sufficiently horrifying on their own when you bring real world consequences into them. but the key thing is that he should be genuenly funny. to us. the readers, safely protected behind the fourth wall. where we can laugh at the jokes because this is fiction and these are just drawings on a page and so we can appreciate that the concept is actually clever and hilarious. i really dont like it when they make the joker commit attrocities and just because they put some smiley faces on top of it is supposed to be funny. is so lazy when the joker's plan consists on throwing a bunch of bombs but because they had the words "HAHAHA" painted on them its conceptually related to comedy. no! the pranks the joker pulls should actually work as funny pranks that people would probably actually laugh at if they saw them in a looney tunes cartoon or if noone died.

i like to think of the joker as someone who is a little lost in his own sauce, as someone who on a certain level doesnt get that his pranks are truly that bad. like sure, he understands its "illegal" or whatever and that people generally dont like to be blown up or poisoned. but also, seriously, what's the big deal? its funny! its all a joke! i dont think someone should go to jail for genuenly funny crimes your honor. is it really that bad is everyone is laughing at the end? and if they are not laughing, well they just didnt get the joke.

as for his relationship with batman, i always loved how they are clearly such a distinct dichotomy. batman is dark and scary but he is good. joker is funny and colorful but he is evil. its the simple irony at the core of it.

and i think this is the main obsession with him, he wants to make the batman get it. Moore already decried the killing joke as flawed and not very good, and i see where he is coming from, but one aspect of it i really take home is the joker trying to make the batman understand. trying to make him get the joke. this is the tragedy at the center of the character, he wants to connect with batman. and if there is one thing that upsets him to no end is that the batman never fucking gets it, he just comes in as a party pooper with a stick up his ass, ruins the fun, doesnt crack a joke, is all grimm and morose and scowling like a bad parody of judge dread and then goes away after putting him in jail. he is personally offended by this, he gets genuenly aggravated, how is it possible? get over yourself dude. dont you see how ridiculous you look? you are dressed like a giant bat! and im a clown! come on, you have to admit this is at least a little silly, you HAVE to at least crack a smirk!

when the first trailer for the dark knight came out there was a beat the trailer kept going back to over and over. a line that now is a popular catchphrase on every t-shirt. when i heard that line, with heath ledger's particular delivery of it, out of context (which made it sound like it was adressed to the bat directly, perhaps during their last confrontation when they are at each other's throats) i thought they got it. i thought i was going to see the joker as i had envisioned him all those years ago. because truly nothing could capture better the feeling of a man trying desperatly to make another understand its all a joke, than the pleading, growling, almost desperate question: why so serious?

[tiger-in-the-flightdeck]

💔💛💚

💔: If you had to remove one major character from the series, who would you choose?

Joe fucking West. He makes my skin crawl for so many reasons -Not telling his daughter that her mother is alive, pushing his foster son to pursue a relationship with his foster sister, controlling his daughter's life in everything from what kind of career she could go into to whether or not she should know about Barry's identity to -again- encouraging a relationship between her and her foster brother.

💛: What is a popular ship you just can't get behind, and why?

I think I've mentioned this before, but Bruce/Selina. It doesn't make any sense to me. They don't seem to like each other at all, after the 'We're on opposite sides' thing is taken away. Bruce/Talia is another one, but it's actually even more confusing to me, but I'm not sure if it's considered popular.

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character?

Okay, I couldn't narrow down my favourite character, so I'm gonna give you several!

Len- Any time he is written in a way that it isn't obvious that, at his core, he cares about people. Not just his Rogues, but regular citizens. Especially kids. This is a man who doesn't particular enjoy violence, but will fuck your shit up if you so much as scare a kid.

Harvey Dent- Harvey and Two-Face are two separate entities. While 'Face is the crime lord mob boss, Harvey himself is so fucking full of love and devotion and an intense desire to be good. And he fucking hates 'Face. They actually hate each other, but he fights him so hard. If you're writing a Harvey and I don't get the impression that he is the saddest man in the world, would do anything from Bruce or Batman, and that he wants to take care of Gotham, then you aren't writing Harvey, you're writing a dude with scars.

Jason Todd- Jason. Todd. Is. A. Dork. This is a boy who steals his brother's toys and whistles innocently. He grins and waves before blowing up a building with a rocket launcher. When waking up bare ass naked with a hot woman, he shuffles around covering his junk while nerding out over her spaceship. He gets bullied by the family dog. He Grrrs at people. He gets all sweet and doe eyed when he's drunk. Stop writing him as a dark grumbly edge lord! He is soft! He is dork! He is baby!

Conner Kent- If you aren't writing Kon as the saddest boy in the universe with identity and self worth issues bigger than all out doors, then you aren't writing Kon, you're just writing Some Guy. He is also not a dumb jock. He is a tiny (*glares at Johns' TT run*) little twink who collects Magic the Gathering cards, is a Trekkie, freaks out if he's going to miss his favourite show, and if he's going out as Conner instead of SB, he usually dresses quietly and in big frumpy clothes that conceal his body (someone let this baby explore his gender, goddammit).

Tim Drake- Don't waste my time if it isn't blatantly obvious that the Timmy you're writing isn't just one bad day away from snapping and raining hellfire and destruction across the land while he stands at the top of a pile of skulls laughing maniacally as the screams of the damned are echoing around him.

Tim Drake, 2.0- Don't waste my time if it isn't blatantly obvious that the Timmy you're writing wouldn't lose a fight with an arcade claw machine trying to show off for his boyfriend.

[imthatweirdratinthecorner]

✩₊˚. about the rat ✩♬ ₊˚.🎧⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

🎀⸝⸝🍓⋆𓍢ִ*ੈ hello!! im rat ✮ she/her ✮ minor ✮ desi ✮ literature girl ✮ sagittarius ✮ enfp ✮ slytherin & ravenclaw ✮ cabin 7 ✮ hopeless romantic ✮ songwriter ✮ poet ✮ love rain ✮ guitarist ✮ dog lover ✮ coffee!! ✮ artist ✮ crochet 🎀⸝⸝🍓⋆𓍢ִ໋*ੈ

gonna add more stuff under the cut :p

𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴𝓼 𝓲𝓶 𝓪𝓫𝓼𝓸𝓵𝓾𝓽𝓮𝓵𝔂 𝓸𝓫𝓼𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱: six of crows, keeper of the lost cities, everything alice oseman (my favourite author <3), percy jackson, the raven cycle, not my problem, one of us is lying, dc icons: harley quinn, better than the movies, the perks of being a wallflower, little women, the hunger games, i kissed shara wheeler, little women, harry potter (fuck jk rowling tho obviously), agggtm

𓍢ִ໋₊˚*ੈ🎀⸝⸝🍓⋆𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒₊˚*ੈ🎀⸝⸝🍓⋆𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒₊˚*ੈ🎀⸝⸝🍓⋆

𝓼𝓱𝓸𝔀𝓼 & 𝓶𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓲 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓼𝓱𝓾𝓽 𝓾𝓹 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽: anne with an e, sherlock, gilmore girls, hsmtmts, spider-man: into the spider-verse, the amazing spider-man, tangled, pixar cars, modern family, little women, never have i ever, friends, (500) days of summer, the perks of being a wallflower, dead poets society, 10 things i hate about you, whip it, this is us, nimona, and a whole lot of bollywood films. i also really like loki, batman, & the sturniolo triplets :]

𓍢ִ໋₊˚*ੈ🎀⸝⸝🍓⋆𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒₊˚*ੈ🎀⸝⸝🍓⋆𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒₊˚*ੈ🎀⸝⸝🍓⋆

𝓶𝔂 𝓯𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓶𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓬 𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓼: conan gray, arctic monkeys, olivia rodrigo, metro boomin’, lana del rey, wallows, the sukis, cigarettes after sex, prateek kuhad, the local train, anuv jain, nirvana, tv girl, pink floyd, eminem, tyler the creator, the smiths, cage the elephant, beach house, late night drive home, gracie abrams, the backseat lovers, frank ocean, teen suicide, hotel ugly, sabrina carpenter, panic! at the disco, guns n’ roses, joshua bassett, girl in red, taylor swift

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩ feel free to message me anytime or send me weird asks!! my discord is punkratloser, send me a request if we’re moots! alr hope you like my silly little blog <3

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩ i tag most of my original posts under #text or #rat rambles (or both), plus i have #rat vents and #​rat’s being a hopeless romantic again, which i think are pretty self-explanatory.

[wrathbites]

i wanna see what you can do with #12 candles pls

Send me a number and I'll write a micro story using the word or phrase

They bury Bruce Wayne in broad daylight, sun shining and cameras flashing, the city's favourite spectacle denied his privacy even in death.

They bury their Bruce (father, son, partner, friend) under the cover of darkness, the quiet affair he'd have preferred. Free of his armour and mantle, the responsibility carried on his shoulders now passed to his children, shared between them.

And it's their choice to carry his legacy, never the burden he feared it would become, braced on all sides by the friends and allies made along the way.

Alfred steps out from under the span of Diana's umbrella, no candle in hand to shield from the rain. Just as before, so many years ago, but Bruce isn't in his arms this time, silent and shaking with his loss, no. He's silent and still in his coffin, an impossible thing Alfred never expected to see.

There are no speeches here, no people to please, not a single reputation to uphold, and so he allows himself a moment of weakness at last, waiting for a request that'll never come, for a voice he will never hear again.

"Goodnight, my boy. Rest well."

One by one the candles go out, each extinguished with a puff of breath, a murmured goodbye, the first step in many of an endless grief.

~

And all at once they flare to life on a scream that cracks earth and sky the following night, when there are none around to witness.

Ancient in power and terrifying in fury, Gotham calls her favourite son, her Batman, home.

[the-red-butterfly]

20 Questions for fic writers

Tagged by @bad-at-names-and-faces and @i-did-not-mean-to

Thanks guys!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? I have 96 works in Ao3 BUT I have 104 on Fanfiction (yes, I still post there don't judge me.) I think there are just like 3 works that I have on Ao3 that I didn't pu up on FanFiction.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 411,089 (Not too bad, not too bad)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Primarily I write for Tolkien works, Star Wars and Batman (bat fam to be more specific). But I'm very much a, write one for each thing I love kinda gall. Honorary mentions include Sandman, Frozen, Twilight Avengers, Merlin and Teen Titans.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Lonely Stars Drifting In The Black (Star Wars) (so not surprised XD)

Kudos: 2,276

The Unexpected Pop Of Things (Lucifer TV)

Kudos: 1,265

This Isn't What It Looks Like (Lucifer TV)

Kudos: 762

Death of a Star (Lucifer TV)

Kudos: 760

Alone Never More (Batman comics) (you are just an okay story, why are you here? 😭)

Kudos: 729

(I'm kinda surprised and offended that I didn't put Lucifer on the honorary mentions and it still took places 2, 3 AND 4 👁)

5. Do you respond to comments? Oh yes (though I might take a couple of months if I some slip my mind). Almost all of them. I tend to not answer back to emojis because I'm like... I don't know what to answer?

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? This was kind of a hard question and it took me way too long to answer, so here, have the three runner ups.

A Crime Of Passion (Twilight: New Moon)

Ends with: Carlisle being forced to drink blood and being unable to deal with it.

At The End Of The Earth (Hellboy del Toro movies)

Ends with: John Myers being mauled by wolves and his last thoughts being of how alone he feels and of dying alone.

She's not a very good mother (Batman comics)

Ends with: Janet Drake dying as she chokes on poison and regrets she wont be able to do better by her son. She always thought she'd have more time.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Unlike the last one, this one was so easy to pick because, yeah... I'm an angsty girly for sure so the pool for REALLY happy endings was SMALL.

Drizzle Bt The Sea (Teen Titans cartoon)

It's quite short and all around just happy in vibes. Just Robin and Jericho playing by the sea under the rain.

8. Do you get hate on fics? I don't remember that I ever have? Thought I thought a couple might get hate, they didn't.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I tired it ONCE. And you know what happened? The sex was interrupted by trauma and they characters had to top to talk about the whole thing.

There is also that other one time but we're not going to talk about it.

But all in all I'm much more interested in exploring gen stories ✨

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? I LOVE crossovers. I don't have many, but I am plagued mentally by them. I have 3 posted (only one on Ao3). And I'm not sure which one's craisiest. But the 2 on FF are both Rise of the Guardians crossovers, one with Avengers and the other with LES MISÉRABLES. What was younger me smoking? I would really like to know.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I'm aware 👁

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? I think someone might've asked one or two times? But I honestly don't remember, if it ever happened, it was ages ago.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Oh yes! It's always so fun to me. I've done it a couple of times with @slightly-crimson-tornado and I'm currently working on one with @pushing-daisies-renaissance ✨

14. What’s your all time favourite ship? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Steve Trevor x Diana Prince I think. Close runner up is definitely Satine Kryze x Obi-wan Kenobi. And I'm VERY fond of Bruce Wayne x Selina Kyle.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I have a stupid amount of wips so I'll just go by posted ones. I have this story idea that I REALLY Like but I came up with it ages ago, and though i still like the idea I'm doubtful that I'll ever give it the time it deserves to go back to ):

Because the truth was too terrible (Avengers)

It's a story about Natasha being trapped inside her mind and Thor getting in to wake her up. I'm still pretty fond of the general gist of it. But it's OLD now.

16. What are your writing strengths? Aaaaaahhh. Trauma management? Like, they way people go about it and navigate it; how they talk about it with others? At least I THINK that's my strength. People keep complimenting those things XD

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I am too flowery with wording and I get sick of myself. It's out of control and I sometimes can't help it.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I love it. If I can't get help I'll just wing a google translate, or god forbid do some research on structure. I'm BAD at it, but I love it and use it frequently.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Inazuma Eleven (anime) hehe. Love of my youth, protect me.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? I love this this Twilight one-shot I wrote some years ago. It made me suffer a lot (for reasons you can find in the author's notes) but the idea has always had a tight grip on me. I really like it (and hope to got I can get the sequel out one day).

A Crime Of Passion (Twilight: New Moon)

BUT two honorable mentions. One, my Star Wars series where Obi-wan get's rescued from Death Watch by Jango Fett. And Two, my VERY self indulgent crossover between Avengers x Merlin, I love the story and I'm really super fond of what I've gotten down so far.

Celestial Bodies Of The Lonesome Variety (LSD) (Star Wars)

Of The Old Things Hidden In The World (Merlin x Avengers crossover)

Ya know, just in case you feel like it, tagging @slightly-crimson-tornado , @cilil , @dottie-wan-kenobi , @fishing4stars , @arlenianchronicles , @scary-grace

[rustingcat]

For the ask game, 8, 16, 22 and 49 :)

8. Do you collect anything? If so, what?

As an obsessive person, I had several collections over the years; My biggest collection was a key chain collection full of small plushies and other trinkets (I still have it somewhere), I was also really into collecting those specific sticker album (and to this day when I see a pack of cards with a similar packaging, like pokenon for example, I get this small high and obsessive need to have it), and probably my weirdest collection was the cab numbers I wrote down and collected on the road when I was little in this tiny notebook I had (I just wrote down their cab number for some reason), oh and that reminds me of my tiny notebook collection.

Yeah, you really hit home with that question 😅

16. Describe your favorite hoodie. How long have you had it? What makes it unique?

Does a robe count? I don't really use hoodies, but I love soft robes to wear around the house and the first one I got was a batman one I got as a gift from a friend like a decade ago, its very used at this point, but it's still my favourite.

22. Iced or hot drinks?

Hot tea, please!

49. What’s your favorite thing to do when it’s raining?

Just be able to sit cosily inside while watching the rain is a blessing. Playing a game, drawing, or reading is a bonus.

Those were some really cool questions! Thanks for picking them!

Ask game

[hopeworth]

carry you home in my teeth (red hood squad outsider pov with a lot of ocs)!!

wip tag game

this is a favourite of mine, so im just giving post-crisis red hood jason some 'outlaws' that work for him outside gotham. they all met him during lost days working mercenary jobs and they were actually the ones who helped him escape arkham at the end of post-crisis

i'll write mostly in mission fics, and this first one has damian follow jason into an active warzone for undisclosed reasons. the title is actually referencing dick who's on a rampage to bring damian back to gotham like a lion holding a kitten up with its teeth by its scruff

there's a lot of superhero discussion as well which is probably the most enjoyable thing about writing this. here's a snippet under the cut :3

[The Boss looked over at him, then patronisingly patted Robin’s head. The kid shook it off, snapping his teeth in an attempt to bite the Boss’ fingers off. “This,” Boss said, “is my idiot little brother.”

“I’m not your brother, Hood.”

“Fine. My brother’s idiot little brother.”

Robin tried to bite him again.

Louis whispered back to Rain, “I thought Boss was trying to kill Batman and Robin a few months ago?”

“Yeah,” Rain said under his breath, “Boss also says he works alone.”

Red Hood was a man of many contradictions.

“I can hear you,” Boss said. Rain just said back, faux disciplined:

“Yes, Boss.”]

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #633

Top Ten Fictional Cities

If there’s one thing I like in my fiction, it’s a good sense of place. You want to be immersed in an alternative world; so it’s nice to know where you actually are. Of course, tons of fiction is set in real places: whether that’s an historical drama like The Crown necessarily inhabiting the palaces Queen Elizabeth did actually occupy; or a film such as The Full Monty being specifically set in contemporary Sheffield; or even the bulk of the MCU taking place in what’s supposed to be a believable version of New York. Plenty of films and shows and books and everything else revel in their location; how many times have we heard “the city is a character”, usually when describing urban crime dramas (or, frankly, Batman films)? But it’s true; a great location can ground a story, or it can transport you. There can be a realness even to the most fantastical of fictional locales.

And I really do love a fictional locale. Whether it’s the unrecognisable cityscapes of the likes of Blade Runner or The Fifth Element – ostensibly set in real-world cities such as Los Angeles and New York many years hence (“many years” in Blade Runner’s case being, er, 2019) – or places that are made up entirely, it’s great to see the wildness, weirdness, and even the realism that these made-up metropoli deliver. Think about it: how many of your favourite fictions take place in not-real location? Of course you can look at total fantasies like Lord of the Rings, or sci-fi stories that exist on other planets; but whether it’s as crazy a place as Roger Rabbit’s Toontown, the sprawling cities of games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Crackdown, or even the fictionalised township of Derry, Maine in several Stephen King stories, across the gamut of genre, medium, and audience, we have places that aren’t real giving us stories that feel real.

Because, again, the best settings reinforce the fiction they envelop. I don’t want to pre-empt the list itself, but look at how Gotham and Metropolis reflect the heroes that live there. This can be both sublime and ridiculous: the way the fictionalised cities of Grand Theft Auto serve not only to reinforce the themes of the games they inhabit, but also work as subtle (and not so subtle) parodies of American life; but also the way you’d get a place like Duckburg in Duck Tales, or even Far, Far Away in the Shrek movies, that really don’t have much purpose other than giving fantastical cartoon characters a home and allowing for some wince-inducing puns when it comes to the names of shops and stuff.

Blimey, I’ve wanged on a bit this week.

Anyway, I love a made-up city, that’s what I’m saying. And that’s what this list is, if you hadn’t guessed. Now, as usual, I’ve given myself rules; one is that these are supposed to be cities. There’s one that I’m not certain of (I’ll come to it) – it might be a town, technically, but I’ve allowed it on the basis of its iconicness (is that a word?). Also, they have to be fictional; so the likes of Marvel’s New York or Blade Runner’s LA are out. As are, frankly, the in-all-but-name cities of GTA; I don’t really think Liberty City is any more fictional than the New York inhabited by the Avengers, it’s just got a made-up name to go along with its made up buildings and locations. This has also stretched to Neo-Tokyo from Akira, which is really just Tokyo with a hole in the middle. However, I am allowing Mega-City One.

I think that’s it. Let’s go on a city break!

Gotham and Metropolis (Batman and Superman comics, from 1938): yes, once again I cheat at the start. Two cities! But often they’re thought of as twin cities, so, y’know. Whatever. Anyway: they are always a yin and a yang, the light and the dark, reflections of their principal heroes. Metropolis, shining city on the hill, beacon of the future; Gotham, dark and brooding gothic vision, its windswept alleys awash with rain. They’ve been called New York in the day and New York in the night, and as representations of the beauty, optimism, darkness, and danger of cities – of American cities; of America – they’re perfect. So perfect they’re almost certainly the first fictional cities you thought of too. So perfect they can be high-tech futurescapes, twisted neon-drenched, fume-belching furnaces, or just broadly realistic interpretations of real places (in Donner’s Superman, Metropolis is literally New York, Statue of Liberty and all). No fake place is as redolent. They are the ur-cities. And, of course, they have the best superheroes.

Coruscant (Star Wars stories, officially from 1997): the retro-futuristic art deco stylings of its skyline is one thing – the hovering platforms in the clouds, the vast curving domes of the buildings – but the fact that the entire planet is one big city is its big talking point. Taking the concept of sprawling metropolis (small “m”) to its most ridiculous degree, it’s a crazy sci-fi concept in a film series built on crazy sci-fi concepts.

Autobot City (The Transformers: The Movie, 1986): the notion of the Autobots – long trapped in their crashed spaceship – building a permanent city on Earth was cool enough. But the fact that it can transform into a bristling battle-station is even better. And its design is cool; a sci-fi version of a medieval fortress, moat and all. Gets extra points because, depending on who you believe, it may turn into an actual Transformer, or just have one sleeping beneath it. Fun fact: in the original script it was even referred to as “Fortress Maximus”!

Springfield (The Simpsons, from 1987): it’s a hell of a town; the schoolyard’s up and the shopping mall’s down. This is the minor controversy, because I don’t know if Springfield is a city or a town; but to hell with it, chances are if you didn’t think of Gotham or Metropolis, you thought of this place. Over thirty-odd years of the series, Springfield has developed into a believable, if exaggerated, township; we know some of these locations like the back of our hand. Moe’s, the Power Plant, the burning tyre yard, Springfield Elementary, yada yada yada. It’s a perfectly realised unreal place.

Minas Tirith, the White City of Gondor (The Lord of the Rings, 1954): technically, I believe that “Gondor” is the realm and the huge walled city. Its seven walled levels climb upwards, providing multiple rings of defence, and looking somewhat like a giant swirl on top of a colossal cupcake. The promontory rock jutting out the front, and the beautiful citadel on its topmost level, make for an incredibly striking and unique design, as well as offering functionality. It’s an amazing, fantastical, incredible location.

Mega-City One (Judge Dredd, 1977): whilst this city does contain New York, it also stretches across pretty much the entire eastern seaboard of the US, so it’s, y’know, big. Possibly the poster child for sprawling post-apocalyptic metropolis, it’s a vast, corrupt, horrible place overseen by a fascist police force. Pick your depressing sci-fi trope, it’s here. Interesting to ponder what it says about the British view of America, really.

Ankh-Morpork (Discworld stories, from 1983): possibly lower down the list than some would have it, because (whispers) I’ve not read much Discworld. But as a place, it’s incredibly well-realised, a brilliant multifaceted fantasy location that feels incredibly real and dynamic and lived-in, and (typical for Pratchett) reflects our own world so perfectly.

Rapture (BioShock, 2007): it’s part-city, part underwater laboratory, yeah? But the notion of a man-made utopia going to pot is a common sci-fi go-to. Here, the distinct areas of the city, and how they reflect the various obsessions and perversions of the pseudo-fascist nutters who ran the place, are beautiful to behold and terrifying to ponder. Plus, as an emergent and interactive bit of design, the location is tremendous to wander around, the retro art design great to behold, the distressed and decaying façade of gaudy old-timey whimsey disturbing but also quaintly amusing.

Zootopia (Zootopia, 2016): cities in talking-animal movies usually just look like real cities but there’ll be dreadful puns, like a burger place called “McDognald’s” or something. Zootopia tries to imagine how all these different animals would co-exist, with fascinating results, including different temperate zones, vast tubes connecting different areas, and buildings of varying sizes that result in our relatively-diminutive leads towering kaiju-like over the proceedings.

San Angeles (Demolition Man, 1993): I was worried this was a bit of a cheat too, as it’s an amalgam of two real cities, but this new metropolis emerged from the ashes of a devastating earthquake so – like Mega-City One – it counts. And for once we have more of a culture than a design that stands out; true, the three seashells and sexy curvy cars are a highlight, but it’s the way this city imposes its morality, the way the future erased 20th century vices, and the way – frankly – everyone speaks that sets this out as a fascinating little town of tomorrow. Be well, San Angeles. Be well.

[innestahtinen]

did the thing that i did with music with movies as well, but with 381 instead of 500. made a list of all the new ones I've seen, no point including old ones, or it'd be Wicker Man and Truman Show at the top.

there were some tricky matchups: like Batman Forever v 8 hours of JFK assassination news footage and Gregg Wallace: The British Miracle Meat vs Magical Mystery Tour.

Here's the ten:

The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023, d. André Øvredal)

Mothman (2010, d. Sheldon Wilson)

Tetris (2023, d. Jon S. Baird)

Evil Dead Rise (2023, d. Lee Cronin)

Guardians of the Galaxy, vol. 3 (2023, d. James Gunn)

The Adventures of Thomasina Sawyer (2018, d. Brian Brooks II)

The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot (2018, d. Robert D. Krzykowski)

There Will Come Soft Rains (1984, d. Nazim Tulakhodzhayev)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016, d. Burr Steers)

Me and the Big Guy (1999, d. Matt Nix)

For a note, Godzilla: Minus One would've probably been high, it was on the top 12, but I remembered that I fell asleep in it, so it's gone.

also not sure if Tetris is actually my third favourite movie I watched for the first time this year, or if I just like Tetris a lot. Column A and Column B

my letterboxd wrapped says my most seen actor was Desmond Llewelyn (which makes sense, watched 17 Bond movies), my 'most watched theme' was "Action Comedy and Silly Heroics", with an example being Once Upon a Time.... In Hollywood.

The mean year was 1994, the median being 2004, and the mode being 2023 with 25. the decade with the most was the 2010s, with 104, the least being the 1920s, with 0. the furthest ahead i got was in July, with 46 days. the furthest behind was 20 days, in November and December. the month with the most watched was March, with 50

scenes that fucked me up this year, in no order (with reactions); (from the 16th September)

baby management in The Nightingale (hand covering mouth, oh shit)

roller coaster in Pinocchio 3000 (fuuuck (but to myself, brother asleep nearby))

book photos in Midsommar (proper attention given, was half-watching while reading on phone) also liked/hated the hallucinated dead parents' eyes opening

peep-hole in Evil Dead Rise (this one was a while ago, and at time of writing I've watched 142 movies, so I've forgotten, I do apologise)

Toby stirring on deck in The Last Voyage of the Demeter (eyes widened slightly, lips curled around teeth a bit)

any Deadite eyes in Evil Dead movies.

'LeBron James spawns in Sarajevo exactly one year before the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.' - "u/JodieMcMathers", 22nd December 2023

[grigori77]

Reasons to love The Batman (2022)

Like always, MASSIVE SPOILER WARNING!!!!  Seriously, if you ain’t seen the movie yet DO NOT READ THIS unless you just don’t care about getting spoiled.  Seriously, I warned you ...

...

...

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Incredibly creepy POV opening, that is a BOLD WAY to start the movie.

This may actually be the most no-holds-barred, unflinching PG-13 I’ve ever seen.  Seriously, how is this NOT soft-R-rating territory?  I’m not complaining, I was HOPING they weren’t gonna pull their punches with this one.  Just saying ...

Michael Giacchino’s score is MOODY.  After Elfman’s super-Gothic and Zimmer’s pure epic this is a good choice.

Reeves’ take on Gotham is a genuinely terrifying place.  The DC universe’s darkest and most dangerous city has never been a more wretched hive of scum and villainy ...

Perhaps my favourite thing about this whole movie is the fact that FINALLY we’re getting to see Batman being The Dark Knight DETECTIVE on the big screen.  I mean yeah, there’s still some great action, but he’s finally proper SLEUTHING THIS SHIT ...

Also this Batman is still a really badass fighter, but he’s not a FLAWLESS fighter.  He’s still pretty raw, and he still takes a few licks himself.  That’s just so much more REAL.

Best Batcave EVER.  Seriously ...

Andy Serkis’ Alfred is so DONE with Bruce’s shit already.  I love it.  And the way they referenced his younger days as a special forces operative and MI6 spook just SENT ME.

Pattinson is FINALLY free of that Edward Cullen baggage.  He put that sparkly bastard to bed.  He’s amazing.

For the first time since the Tim Burton movies, they’re genuinely properly exploring the PSYCHOLOGY of what made Bruce become the Batman.  Our boy is a mental and emotional DUMPSTER FIRE and I wouldn’t change him for the world.

Zoe Kravitz OH MY GOD.  I am IN LOVE.  Selina Kyle has always been my very favourite DC antihero, and Zoe gives THE BEST, most thoroughly faithful take on Catwoman EVER.  They even gave her the right haircut.  That means so much to me.

The Bat / Cat dynamic is played to absolute PERFECTION.

Jeffrey Wright’s Jim Gordon is amazing.  I mean Gary Oldman is the man but Jeff just NAILED HIM.

Selina’s contact-lens-spycam sequence is fantastic.  I can’t believe how tense it is considering it’s not actually technically an action scene ...

The way all the Batman gear is so well realised, it thoroughly convinces as something that an admittedly ingenious reclusive billionaire and his similarly talented butler could have cobbled together themselves.

Seriously though, the Batsuit, the gadgets, and most of all THE BATMOBILE.  It’s a fucking souped-up NASCAR hotrod and it actually DRIVES like one, too.  There’s no finesse to any of this stuff, it’s pure function and I love it.

Also that nighttime freeway chase in the pouring rain is AMAZING.  Definite strong candidate for action sequence of the year right there ...

Colin Farrell is unrecognisable as the Penguin.  He’s also acting his socks off.  He’s brilliant.  This Oswald Cobblepot is a pure lowlife thug with delusions of grandeur, that is just SPOT-ON.

The scene where Peter Sarsgaard’s corrupt DA is a walking bomb and Batman’s just having a conversation with the Riddler through him ... wow, just wow.  Genius scene.

“The Sins of the Father will be visited upon the son.” gave me goosebumps because I totally knew where that was going and it did not disappoint.  Glorious emotional fallout ...

Really though, the fact they went full-on HUSH with Paul Dano’s Riddler was the best way to go.  First time ever this guy is a genuine, credible, realistic THREAT to our Dark Knight on the big screen.  And yeah, Dano knocked it right out of the park ...

“He’s my father!”  The whole “Carmine Falconi is Selina’s FATHER” part was like “Wow, they really went there, sweet.”  It made me really happy.

That corridor fight lit only by muzzle flashes.  OH MY GOD ...

Batman and Riddler meet for real in Arkham Asylum.  More gooesbumps.

How they made the whole case hinge on that tiny little detail with the carpet tool was perfect.  Just like a true classic murder myrstery ...

... and then that reveal of the double-bluff.  Inspired.  I did not see that coming AT ALL.

On paper that could look like a somewhat disappointing anticlimax for a big action showdown.  The way they pulled it off, on the other hand, made it AWESOME.  Phenomenal way to do it.

And when Bruce finally, TRULY becomes the Batman, Gotham’s Dark Knight defender, it’s not through beating the bad guys, but by SAVING PEOPLE.  Perfection.

Wait ... is that who I think it is in that cell in Arkham?  Yeah, I’d recognise that laugh anywhere ...

That epilogue is so powerful.  Way to end it, guys.

[sardonic-the-writer]

Hello!I don't think I've ever written an ask for you before but I just saw your lil post about asking batman 2022 reqs before you lose motivation and I'm here exactly for that even if you don't write a fic about it maybe you can share some thoughts about it like hcs,or just something's that came to mind about it Dano!Riddler x vigilante!reader

//this has nothing to do with the ask but Also an cool theory I saw earlier seen some things about how Batman targets the lowlife criminals in Gotham to kind of live his trauma again and that's one of the reasons why he doesn't targets the high society.//

/This could be going on before the movie

What I was gonna request is the reader is an vigilante that sometimes work with batman if their paths cross but they mostly target the corrupt high society(if needed they would kill too) possibly protecting people who have dirt on the politicians so politicians don't get rid of their wrong doings before the Gotham learns about it and stuff.

Okay maybe they get an riddle about an lead on some corrupt politicians and they get to investigation but instead of them investigating the politicians they investigate like "who the hell knows my secret identity and how did they get this info"

And they track it down to the hotel in front of their favourite diner that is conveniently in front of the favorite place of the corrupt society (iceberg lounge) and ho and behold it's the cute regular!!! Maybe how their relationship would evolve from their on maybe them pretending they don't know it's Edward who sent them an box or something it could get spicy 🔥 or angsty becuase it's kinda creepy to stalk the gorgeous regular in the diner(the reader😗)

It's up to you

Okay have a nice day 😘

A dangerous hum of radio static and pattering rain filled the silent, yet oldy tense, atmosphere inside of a car. It was parked just on the side of the road. Almost as if waiting for someone.

The feeling of buttery soft leather on a steering wheel glided across (Y/n)'s fingertips as they drummed five fingers across it. A glossy gaze stuck itself to the dimly lit cafe they stared at mercilessly.

Careful nerves riddled every fiber of (Y/n)'s body as they watched for any movement. Cooks bustling around behind an almost comically average diner counter were dismissed (along with the idle chatting of costumers sitting in booths) as they searched for the real target.

Edward Nashton.

(Y/n) themself could hardly believe it when they had finally managed to pinpoint the face of that very name. Circle rimmed glasses, a cubby baby face, and hair the color of sand? He hardly looked anything like a criminal mastermind that would torture people for fun. The shy kid that hung out in the corner of the cafeteria yeah, but a murderer? Never in a million years would (Y/n) have guessed that.

Or that he had been hiding right under their nose the entire time, playing up the role of an unsuspecting regular at the very diner they were looking so intently at.

But they supposed that was the life of a vigilante. Expecting the unexpected. They probably should have figured that out the second that Bat-fucking-man showed up at their doorstep, emo eyeliner and all, asking them for an alliance with that sandpaper low voice of his.

Of course (Y/n) had accepted, albeit a bit cautiously seeing as he had found out their civilian identity, but they figured if he spent his entire life dedicated to helping the public then he wouldn't turn in someone trying to do the same. They did make sure of it however, forcing the eerily quiet introvert to shake on agreement with all seriousness.

The remaining days of working with the fellow vigilante himself involved fancy gadgets that even (Y/n) couldn't have dreamed up in the best of their brainstorms, and few snippets of dialogue that mostly came from their own chaotic mind. But they got the feeling Batman didn't really mind the occasional jokes, seeing as his lips would twitch the slightest bit upwards anytime they made a light comment regarding his "inside out underwear suit" as they called it.

All of this ran in circles through their head like out of line ants at a picnic as they continued to sweep the perimeter of the shitty cafe.

Questions swirled and danced together, casing (Y/n)'s eyes to dilate in and out of focus.

Why them.

Why had Edw- the Riddler sent them messages as well as the Batman.

Why hadn't the Batman seemed more surprised when they'd both found that first note addressed in their name, almost seeming as if he couldn't look (Y/n) in the eyes.

And why of all things had they not noticed the masked figure breathing down the very hairs of their prickling neck until now.

Air warped around (Y/n)'s arm with a violent sting as they jerked their elbow back suddenly, the clothed flesh making contact with a hard object. Muffled yelps of surprise and pain made them huff out a small laugh with a satisfied smile.

The vigilantes' small victory was short lived however, as most tended to be. Kicks with ferocity and heavy camping boots were delivered to the back of their seat, being surprising effective as their figure jerked forward and face planted into the horn of their steering wheel.

The car honked loudly while startling a few people in surrounding apartments, helping to cover the shout of anger that (Y/n) released. In the millisecond they had took to inhale the air required for that shout, a soft and silky cloth slid its way around their vulnerable neck. The small tussle ended with (Y/n) involuntarily being pulled forcefully against the back of their black leather seat with hands reached for their slowly reddening neck, hot puffs of stuffy air being blown against their cheek as their captive rested.

A small bit of silence ensued, alloing (Y/n) to gather up enough saliva to speak properly.

Or at all.

"What do you want from me Riddler." They said hoarsely, resisting the urge to snap and instead settling for a low growl. All it did was make him giggle like a manic and the oddly comfortable feeling fabric to tighten its grip around their airway. They gripped at their neck a bit more with the primal instinct to fight.

"Please (Y/n)." He continued to giggle. "Call me Edward. We have known each other for quite some time after all."

It was strange to hear him talk without a filter. To hear his voice up close and personal, practically ticking their ear with soft little laughs of joy. Rain from outside the hood of their small car flitered in as if trying to soothe (Y/n). 'Its alright.' The weather seemed to say. 'Nothing to worry about. Relax.'

But they knew if they listened to the temptation of leaning back and pretending this was all a dream, that they'd never wake up.

"Well, Edward" (Y/n) obliged with a harsh rasp in their voice. "Do you think you could let up on my airways a bit"

Nothing was said besides another little giggle that slipped from Edwards lips, but the feeling of tight tension cutting into their neck slackened, bringing release.

The feeling of slight pleasure was showed by a sharp intake of sweet sweet air; cool clear relief flooding (Y/n)'s lungs.

"Is that better?" He said with a lit in his voice. Like he was patronizing them.

"Don't treat me like a child Nashton."

"As sharp as every I see (Y/n)." He teased them lightly. "I take it that smart little brain of yours solved my latest riddle?"

They thought back to a few days ago, when their trusty accomplice showed up in their living room with two unopened letters in a blacked gloved hand, one addressed to him and the other to (Y/n) with scraggly handwriting. The papery contents on the inside seemed to mock you with its childish formatting and hallmark brand name, even if the written message in the flap was far from immature.

𝐖𝖊 𝒉𝞾𝐫𝐭 𝒘𝑖𝐭𝚑ᴏ𝓾𝔱 𝒎𝙤𝝂ⅈ𝓃ց. 𝙒ⅇ 𝛒ⲟ𝗶𐑈𝗼𝓃 ɯi𝕥𝕙о𝝊ｔ 𝚝൦𝞄𝑐ｈ𝐢𝔫𝘨. 𝕎𝟈 𝕓ⅇ𝖺𝗋 𝘁ℎ𝔢 ｔꮁս𝔱𝐡 𝐚𝙣ᑯ 𝐭𝒉𝖾 𝖨ｉ𝖾𝙨. 𝚆𝕖 𝓪𝐫ⅇ 𝙣𝝄𝕥 𝘁𝖔 𝔟𝖊 𝘫𝕦𝙙𝐠𝘦𝐝 𝒷𝝲 ⲟ𝛖𝓻 𝙨ｉｚϱ. 𝒲𝙝𝞪𝔱 𝕒𝓻ℯ ｗ𝘦?

(Y/n) and Batman had collectively mumbled the answer together. It had made no sense at the time and still didn't.

"Words. Its words, isn't it." They gargled out. Edward released a gasp of false surprise, patting their head in the process.

"Good job (Y/n)! Yes it is!" There was that laugh again, one that made (Y/n) shiver with disgust and fear. How could this sicko find time to be amused when so many lives hung in the balance

"Are you going to kill me now that I've solved your stupid fucking riddle." Harsh words clawed their way out of their lips, regret nowhere in sight. But Edward only looked disappointed that they would ever think such a thing, sighing and shaking his head.

"Now why would I do that?" He asked. "You're of immense value to me dear. I prefer you alive, not dead."

"Really? With the way you're choking me it's kind of hard to believe that."

"Now I know you believe I'm only out to kill, but that's just not it!" Edward said confidently. Like he was speaking to a class instead of a violent vigilante that he currently had at his mercy.

"I'm not doing this simply because I lust for blood like some people. I just wish to see the corrupted brought to their knees like the true villains they are. I'm not in the wrong here. If anything, I'm just as good as you."

"You are nothing like me. Don't ever say that again you sick shit." (Y/n) responded with venom. They were offended that he'd even consider thinking that much less say it out loud.

The man behind them opened his mouth to counter their statement, but a ding rang through the car. Some shuffling was heard as (Y/n) heard was assumed to be Edward fishing in his pants pocket for a phone.

With a sigh and a pat on the head, Edward started to tie the ribbon around (Y/n)'s neck to the head of their car seat without another word. Protests and foul insults spewed from their mouth as he did so, some questioning as to where he was going while the others just insulted his dick.

"Nothing against you, but I can't have you following after me." He said while double triple and quadruple tying the knot. "I hate to be leaving you but duty calls."

A small kiss was placed on (Y/n)'s cheek as he left, exuberant giggles following his figure. They just attempted to bite him while they had the chance.

Only after Edward had climbed out of their car and walked away into the night did (Y/n) reach a slightly shaky hand up to the side of their head, pressing down to make sure the earpiece was still there.

"Did you get all that Batsy?" They asked, blinking once to get rid of the feeling that his fancy ass contacts left on their iris's.

All that sounded back was a silent wave of quiet static. But it was enough of an answer for a wide smile to break out on (Y/n)'s face.

"We've got you now, Edward."

[sparkie96]

FIRST LINE OF YOUR LAST 20 STORIES!

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line.

Tagged by @rinn-e (thank you thank you)

A/N: I'm gonna list some of my wips along with the last couple just to spice things up.

1. Pantoran Diplomacy (The Clone Wars AU; Omegaverse; Rated M; Obikin / Obi-Wan x Chairman Cho): This wasn't how it was supposed to go. They were supposed to make peace with the Talz and be on their way.

2. Little Girl Lost (Titans 2018; Dick Grayson-Centric. Rated T for Canon Typical Stuff): Although some nights of patrol were dull while in costume as Nightwing, he could at least get around and exercise or go from rooftop to rooftop doing his old Flying Grayson Routines. 

3. Intel (Batman: Bad Blood AU; Helena Bertinelli/Huntress-Centric; Rated T for Language): The sound of rain pelting the windows outside was all but drowned out by the sound of the old jukebox blaring out guitar ballads of a band no one knew the name of, nor did anyone care really.

4. Give In B-Man (Arkham Knight AU; Harley Quinn/Joker and Batman-centric; Rated T for Canon Typical Violence): Henry held the gun level with Batman's head, forcing the Dark Knight to stare down the barrel.

5. I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus (Resident Evil and Devil May Cry crossover; Chreon and Baby Nero-centric; Rated T for Language): Though there was Christmas back at Fortuna and at the Orphanage, Nero really didn’t get to experience any of that due to how the Nuns and elders had treated him as well as the fact that a lot of the people there didn't even believe in a Santa Claus. 

6. Long Journey Home (Resident Evil; Valeveira; Post Raccoon City and events of Resident Evil 3; Rated M for Canon Typical Content): The fact that she was alive right now was a goddamn miracle...Hell! 

7. Piecing Myself Back Together Again (Devil May Cry; Pre-Devil May Cry 5; Vergil-Centric; Rated M for Canon Typical Violence, Gore, etc.): According to their father way back when, he and his brother had been destined for great things. 

8. Korkie is a Kenobi (Just Not in the Way You Think) (The Clone Wars AU; PreObi; Omegaverse; Going to be Rated M for Canon Typical Violence, Language, and Content): Obi-Wan had been secretly dreading this trip.

9. Atone (Titans 2018; Omegaverse; eventually DickKon; Dick Grayson and Jason Todd-centric; Going to be Rated M for Canon Typical Violence, Language, and Themes): "I was wrong, Grayson...or do you prefer Richard? Dick? Ah, hell it doesn't matter."

10. Little Boy Found (Resident Evil and Devil May Cry Crossover; Chreon-centric and Baby Nero-centric; Omegaverse; Rated M for Canon Typical Violence, Language and Themes): It had been a long ass drive up to the Burton Mountain House, but damn, it had been worth it.

11. DickKon Prompt (Titans 2018; DickKon centric; Omegaverse; Rated M for themes and language): Dick let out a muffled sound, holding the wrist of the hand covering his mouth.

(I don't have 20 atm but I am working on a bunch of wips and they're not exactly in the "written" stages yet, so they're jumbled and all over the place! Sorry it took so long! Thanks for the tag!)

@fonulyn @willshowerthots @gffa @alicethelizard @locus-desperatus @priscilla-a-moreno @hipsterteller @janny-aqua (whoever else would like to do it!)

[rabbitholeofleaves]

The Batman

So as a bit of background on my Batman experience and feelings. I am not a big fan of the dark knight returns, when I was in high school I thought it was pretty cool and edgy but I really don’t like how everyone thinks that Batman has to be that way. The Batman stories that interest me are when we see other sides to his character, one of my favourite versions of Batman is the animated series, I love that despite his scary intense appearance that he wants to help people and make things better. I liked Ben Affleck as Batman even if the Batman he was playing wasn’t the kind of Batman that I like. With that said I’m also a sucker for a noir style story so as you might imagine, I really enjoyed Matt Reeves’ The Batman.

So where to begin. The visual aspects of this film are very striking, Gotham feels like a claustrophobic city where people are trapped like rats in a cage or a sinking ship. This feels appropriate for the Batman that we get, a man who has thrown himself fully into vengeance but only sees the city getting worse no matter what he does. The rain feels oppressive and the shadows feel violent in their opaqueness. One of my favourite shots in the movie is when a spray can rolls into the shadows and disappears with the painter staring into the shadows in terror. They really nailed the striking fear into the hearts of criminals (even though the morality of graffiti isn’t something I’d necessarily consider criminal). The Iceberg Lounge was also very well presented, I got some real circles of hell vibes from the different parts of the club we saw. Overall this movie feels like it is in Gotham and it feels like a city that could swallow people whole if they’re not careful.

The story. I really liked the story, I don’t want to get too spoiler heavy here so I think I’ll just say that I’m glad this didn’t follow the usual superhero movie big strong guy smash formula for solving problems. Having the villain be more cerebral and having Batman have to fight on those terms made the film feel different from the standard superhero movie, I also enjoyed Alfred working in a cipher like it was a morning crossword puzzle. This film sets up what could be a really interesting world with a batman that doesn’t just hit things real hard but also uses his brain a little bit. The riddles were fun enough and I particularly thought the answer to the first riddle was clever. There was a cameo that I think the movie would have been better without but I totally get that some things are maybe expected from a Batman movie. The story follows batman trying to solve riddles and find a killer but it also touches on some elements that are more believable now than they maybe would have been in the past. The internet is a hell of a rabbit hole to fall down. I think of the main themes that I liked from the movie was the need for balance to solve problems, batman being “vengeance” isn’t enough, there needs to be more, like say a Bruce Wayne to help Gotham as well.

The cast. I would not change a single actor in this film, I can’t even pick a favourite person because they were all perfect, obviously Colin Farrell as the penguin had incredible makeup so he is unrecognisable but his acting is phenomenal as well. Pattinson is a really good Batman, I look forward to seeing him try and reclaim his Bruce Wayne-ness in future films, Kravitz was excellent as Selina Kyle, she really made her sympathetic which is really important for the character. Serkis is one of the best actors working just now and while he is not in the film a lot he is another great choice for Alfred. Turturro as Falcone was again an excellent choice, he gave a very good sleazy monster performance. Jeffrey Wright has been one of my favourite actors for a while now and his Jim Gordon is amazing, he feels like a good cop in a bad city and you can see the bond developing between him and batman in this movie which I look forward to seeing more of in the future. Paul Dano did an amazing job with the riddler, his dark and unhinged take on the character is worlds away from Jim Carrey and it works so well, the riddles feel heavy with malice and rage and his sudden bursts of violence and anger really show how troubled he is. His first scene is powerful and sets up the duality of his personality.

In summary, if you like dark crime movies you should see this film. If you like batman you should see this film. If you liked the long halloween and the other stories that have been mentioned as inspiration in interviews then you should see this film. The inspirations can be seen pretty clearly without it just lifting pages straight from the comics. So I guess I’m a fan of Robert Battinson.

[faithdevotion]

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Munday Styles and Preferences. | @therogueprincedaemon

What types of threads are your most favourite?

I'm sinful and I go for darker themes, and you find those on crime, mafia, fantasy & horror threads. 😈 I love smut & drama. Give me all of it. While I don't and won't ever push anyone to write those because it also depends on what we plotted and the mood, I think what keeps me motivated are threads that involve any of either, or a thread I know I plotted thoroughly with my partner and has a lot of potential. Also angst because... my heart </3 heh.

What types of threads are your least favourite?

The typical coffee date ones or the waaaay too soft. YES gimme all the feelings with our ships but the thread can't be only focused on fluff. It gets extremely corny for me and while I am corny sometimes, I go "mehhhhhhhh."

What kinds of threads do you think you are best at writing?

Uhh, who? me?

skfsfmsdj well I honestly believe I'm "best" at threads involving drama and building a relationship with another muse what can I say heh

What is the strangest muse you have ever picked up to write, or the most difficult?

I've written for so long and I have so much experience that, I've had many muses over the years BUT the strangest one? I'd say Ethan Hunt from the Heavy Rain game because.. the character itself was deeeply troubled. I think the most difficult one for me was, without a doubt, Batman or Connor Kenway from the Assassin's Creed series. However with the last one I received high praise. Batman is such a complicated muse to write and I admire those that nail the character because he's complex.

Is there something petty or minor that would cause you not to follow a person?

I don't like those that can't understand we have a life and we can't be here to write 24/7 or if they don't get a reply within x days they will drop everything and just unfollow, so I'm cautious now with who I follow because that makes me so angry. I think we all have lives and things outside writing that are more important than someone being petty or vague posting over not getting replies. I admit I have threads that I haven't responded to in weeks or months and I'm glad no one has ever said anything to me about it. When I re-established this blog two months ago, I didn't follow a lot of people I used to write with over that "rule" they had, because I'm not only a roleplay blog, I'm a person behind a screen that has a life like everyone does. If people are going to treat us as robots? Yeah, leave. I'm not here to put up with that. At all. And I used to write with people that didn't even follow me back and just treated me as a rp blog and nothing else. I have more self respect over myself and my blog now hehe.

[purplejiniee]

spoiler thoughts about The Batman babyyy, let’s gooooo!!!

just fyi: I saw it a day early at a staff screening where I work & I’ve been to see it again this morning.

I could talk all day about the vibe of the film and how they nailed the look and feel of Gotham. this is exactly what I think of when I imagine Gotham - dark, dreary, dirty, raining 90% of the time, almost all the film is set at night, the contrast of the run-down areas of the city and the gothic architecture of Wayne tower (even though we don’t see that much of it) was perfect. the Batcave being in an abandoned/disused railway underneath Wayne tower? yes!!! 

the way everything felt lived-in and there wasn’t anything overly flashy or “new”, you could really feel the history of the city which worked well with the point that nothing in the city’s really changed in the last 20 years

probably one of the best opening sequences in a Batman film to date - the reveal of The Riddler standing behind the mayor in the dark was so creepy and unsettling and I loved it. I loved that this Riddler was terrifying, like his animalistic squealing when he attacks the mayor was so disturbing and the fact that you never see his face until very late on in the film added to how threatening he was.

you never really see the kills (apart from one, but it’s a gunshot so it’s not that graphic anyway) which shows that Se7en influence of what you imagine can be so much worse than what you actually see and I always love that. 

the way Batman feels scary and intimidating to the criminals of Gotham, they really got that sense of fear in the opening, seeing the criminals looking into these dark alleyways and doorways, the possibility that Batman could be there, the way they’re more scared of him/seeing him than the police. 

I loved, loved, loved that you hear Batman’s footsteps way before you see him, just these slow, heavy, clunking steps that make everyone pause before the realisation hits them that, “oh fucking shit, it’s Batman”

also love that no one really calls him Batman apart from Riddler, it’s just one of those little things they keep doing that I enjoy because it makes him seem otherworldly (even though he is just a man in a suit).

everyone’s saying it, but thank god we finally got a proper Batman detective story that feels like a true noir story. loved the use of the contact lenses that record everything, the way Batman silently observes crime scenes, being this ~presence~, kind of out of place, but noticing things that the police have missed.

Bruce being overdramatic as fuck, spray painting a mind map all over the dining room floor, organising evidence and looking through his father’s old project folders, all while being shirtless for no reason. (then immediately going to meet Selina as soon as she asks for help)

bisexual Selina Kyle rights!!!!!!

probably the best interpretation of Catwoman we’ve had on screen to date

me wanting to scream/chew glass every time Selina called Bruce “vengeance”, “honey” and “baby”, their fight scene, when they’re in Selina’s apartment and she says she has “a thing about strays” while looking Bruce dead in the eyes and I just KNOW that’s when Bruce knows he’s whipped!! 

when Bruce says “look at me” and softly holds Selina’s face while he checks she’s put the contact lense in and then says “looks good”, which obviously means the lense is in right, but I know it also means that she looks good because I am a BatCat stan, this is my OTP, my heart is full and I am thriving from all the good content this film gave me.

not one but TWO!!! BatCat kisses I’m !!!!!!!!! and then at the end when Bruce subtly/not so subtly ducks his head towards Selina as if to go for another kiss... it’s a wonder no one heard my internal screaming. 

one of my favourite scenes was when Batman goes to talk to The Riddler and he starts talking about Bruce Wayne and how he’s not an orphan in the way Edward is an orphan. the way Bruce freezes up and you can see tears in his eyes as Ed keeps talking, BUT THEN when you see that sudden shift and realisation in Bruce’s eyes when Ed says that Bruce is “the only one we didn’t get” and it clicks that Ed doesn’t actually know who he is and then the scene flips when Ed starts breaking down because this wasn’t how it was supposed to go/that Batman was supposed to be working with him. god, I just fucking loved that scene so much, the acting was incredible. 

everyone who doubted Robert Pattinson owes me £100 thanks   

feels like I have much more to say, but I think these are the main points that I had to talk about for now, and sorry in advance to everyone I work with who has to hear me not shut up about how much I love Batman, this film and BatCat for the rest of time.   

(haven’t decided where it ranks on my personal DCEU list yet, but I’m gonna say top 5 at least)