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finniestoncrane · 2 years

Note

Omg those Yandere prompts give meeeee lifeeee! Please idk if your requests are closed or if I ask for too much but like… G1, N1 and W1 with Dano!Riddler maybe we can get some of that good Hero!Reader in there? Do what you want tho and take a break if you need! I’ll love anything you put out.

Conflict of Interest

Dano!Riddler x GN!Reader, word count: 600 if my requests were closed i'd still write whatever you wanted, even if i had no fingers i would type with my lil snoot u-u i like writing the hero stuff, actually! i thought it would be difficult but it's going ok so far lol also sad anon, please i hope this was enough of eddie being an obsessive little idiot for you but i can always do more to cheer you up 💚 request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi minors DNI!! 🔞 cw for nsfw stuff: villain/hero dynamics

Crouching in the back of the warehouse on the docks, you held your breath, trying to inhale and exhale as silently as possible, dead set on not being caught. If you could just catch him by surprise, be the one who brings in The Riddler, you could secure your status as a vigilante to rival Batman, or seem worthy enough to work with him.

You wanted to impress him so badly, to feel like you were good enough to share a space with him, to do the kind of good work he did. Which is why you had gone after The Riddler yourself. A stupid mistake. Because from the moment he sensed that someone was paying attention to him, Edward Nashton had been starry-eyed and obsessed.

First, the greetings cards, then the romantic riddles left at the crime scenes. And now he was following you back. And while sure, that did come in handy when the person who is always there when you turn around is the one you’re trying to capture, it was still unnerving to have to be on edge. He was a determined, weird little guy, and despite your best efforts, you were cornered, lured into a trap of his making.

“Here, kitty, kitty.”

He was searching desperately for you, and you could hear the irritation in his voice. The patronising tone made your blood boil. He really thought this was a game. You wondered if it was possible that this was his plan. To aggravate you, get you emotionally wound up enough that you would be easy to take down. The months of horrendously creepy attempts at flirting made more sense in that context.

“I know you’re in here…Stop ignoring me! I can smell you in the air, that specific scent. What kind of vigilante makes sure to have a signature smell? One who is desperate to leave a trail for me to follow."

Having a bit of a temper tantrum, you could hear boxes being thrown around, crates getting kicked. A loud crash followed by a shriek and a moan. Sitting still, you resisted the urge to run and help. After all, this could have been part of the trap. A few feeble groans, a weak plea for help. You were supposed to be the hero, you couldn’t ignore a cry for help, regardless who it was from.

Stepping out from the hiding spot, you followed the sounds of shuffling to find him, The Riddler, pinned to the ground under a large wooden crate, his leg crushed under a piece of it.

“Ha! You are here!”

“Is now the time to gloat, Riddler?”

You lifted the crate, his eyes widening at your obvious strength, cheeks blushing as he smiled.

“My hero.”

There wasn’t a single note of sarcasm behind it. He really was obsessed.

“You got my note! You solved the riddle! You came here, to be mine. You’re so clever, much more clever than you look.”

“Is that supposed to woo me?”

“Well, I’m hardly going to spit out ridiculous sentiments like we’re in a romance novel. What do you want me to say? ‘You’re my whole world, my Goddess. You're more than divine, you’re celestial.’ That doesn’t fit my brand!”

“Is it how you feel though?”

“No! That’s silly. But…I do think you’re pretty. And you solved all my riddles. There’s a connection there somewhere, even if you can’t see it yet.”

“You can tell me all about it on the way to Arkham then.”

He got up willingly, giddy even, at the prospect of getting to be your passenger. So much so that your nerves were on edge as he clung to your arm, getting into the car and sitting patiently. Smiling at you as you drove. Eyes trailing down your body, fixated on your fingers when they gripped around the gear stick, licking his lips and inhaling sharply.

It wasn't pleasant, but at least he had come easily. In fact, it was suspiciously easy to capture him, and it couldn’t just be put down to his crush on you. Something was definitely wrong, and maybe the connection you shared with him was responsible for the warning signals shooting through your senses.

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thecomicsnexus · 5 years

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DETECTIVE COMICS #598-600 MARCH - MAY 1989 BY SAM HAMM, DENYS COWAN, DICK GIORDANO, FRANK MCLAUGHLIN, ADRIENNE ROY AND MALCOLM JONES III

When Bruce Wayne refuses to allow illegal mind-control experiments to continue at Wayne Technology, he finds himself charged with being a traitor. During the police investigation, Wayne is forced to confront memories of the various people who trained him to become the feared Dark Knight. Wayne must not only clear himself, but also protect his secret and save his company from ruin.

SCORE: 10

I have read this story a couple of times since I was 14. And I don’t think I ever understood the idea behind it until now. This story may be a bit too boring for a 14 year old, to be honest, but it is quite sophisticated. Not bad for a screenwriter doing comic-books for the first time.

Sam Hamm was the writer of the 1989′s Batman film. He wrote the script in 1986, but the movie came out in the summer of 89. DC decided to invite him to write a Batman story for Detective Comics, as part of the 50th anniversary of the character. Now, the format was conditioned over him, two 80-page specials with a regular issue in the middle. A very inconvenient format if you ask me. According to Hamm, the script was like two feature films (so I would say around 180 pages, which is A LOT, but comic-book scripts tend to be more descriptive than film scripts).

This is Henri Ducard’s first appearance. People tend to forget he later appeared several times in the bat-books and jump to the conclusion that his next appearance was in Batman Begins (which technically isn’t even true). But I would have to say that this story may have been an inspiration for the movie, because it includes Bruce’s training, and Henri Ducard was part of that.

As for the theme. Ducard figures out that Bruce had to create the Batman persona to be able to think like the criminals, as his conscience wouldn’t let him do that for too long. I will discuss this a bit more in the spoiler section, I don’t think this is interpretation is correct, but it works a lot in the context of this story.

I am pretty sure this story was also my introduction to Denys Cowan’s art, which I didn’t like at the time, and I am still not used to it. But it is good.

Spoilers after the break...

I actually read this story after Knightfall, and the whole idea of Bruce ending up in a wheelchair and some blonde guy coming to replace him until he magically recovered, was a bit too much to tolerate twice. To make things worse, Bruce is very guilty at the end of the story, I didn’t like that at all. But with time I understood what happened, but to me, Batman was guilty of “Roy” Kane’s death. And by the way... Roy Kane is clearly an homage to Bob Kane, and I find it odd that they kill the character off. I guess at the time people were already very aware that he wasn’t a good person. Even in the tribute pages, artists would credit both as creators, Kane and Finger.

As for Bruce getting in the mind of a villain, that literally happens in this story a couple of times, and technically, the villain dies because of this (no one seems to care about the death of the villain, but two people die because of Batman here).

Now, I am not really sold on the title of the story. I don’t think it describes it at all. It was kind of forced into it.

I do recommend this story but only if you are already familiarized with the character and you like analyzing stories. I don’t think it will work for you if you are into action stories.

#1989 #modern age #denys cowan #malcolm jones III #dc comics #comics #review #batman #detective comics #henri ducard

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bat-lings · 6 years

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I love everyone in the batfam no matter how problematic, but the Rhato 25 discourse bothered me. As a Bruce fan I didn't like the complete crucifixion of his character by the Jason diehards. Personally I feel Bruce was justified (the brutality felt like a publicity stunt for shock value, which I didn't like), but seeing these same fans (that hate Bruce for daring to hurt their fav) then celebrate when Jason did the exact same thing to Damian in the teen titans annual. It's so hypocritical.

Oh, Anon, I fear you inadvertently put the finger on the exact thing I despise about current storylines. I agree in that they’re taking the shock value too far and that every character suffers for it.

Frankly, I have more of a problem with what the fans are served than with how they reacted to it.

Fair warning, I’m gonna get very critical with the writing of the two events Anon mentioned. I’d be extra interested to hear about those events from the perspective of someone who actually enjoyed them, but it’s not worth your good mood if reading a post basically trashing said storylines upsets you.

I’ll respectfully disagree about Bruce’s behavior towards Jason. It was excessively brutal and nothing justified it. The scene can be summed up to shock value, to the point it would need to be entirely rewritten to exonerate Bruce. Jason relapsed into lethal force for understandable reasons. Even if we consider nothing excuses Jason; even in an alternative scenario where he’d have shot the Penguin out of the blue, Bruce’s behavior would be plain wrong.

Bruce went after him, assaulted him, and kept on beating him while Jason wasn’t defending himself.

Let’s forget this was Jason for a second. This is not the kind of violence Bruce should resort to against any criminal. I don’t just mean that hey, this isn’t ideal morally speaking, I mean that Bruce Wayne, as a character, as the man who was always written to believe in redemption/rehabilitation, as the man who willed never to use lethal or even unnecessary force, can’t do this and pretend to be remotely what Bruce’s character is supposed to represent. I hate it every time Bruce is written to use that kind of empty violence, preboot or reboot. Miller went down that road too and it never fulfilled my idea of entertainment.

Then you add on the fact that Jason’s his son, and it makes it all so much worse. Bruce legit puts the blame on Jason, not only during the confrontation (“I told you if you left me it’d be your choice”), but also in a later issue when Lobdell serves us a disastrous attempt at a reconciliation scene. “I love you but you deserved a kick in the ass.” Like, I don’t think Lobdell could’ve portrayed a more abusive father-figure if he wanted to.

As a comparison, have similar confrontations between Bruce and Dick in preboot.

[Batman (1940) #600]

So here there’s an actual fight. Dick is actively participating rather than being used as Bruce’s punching-ball. Power-wise, they’re equals.

You want a true equivalent to the scene between Jason and Bruce, where Dick suffers from a power-imbalance + Bruce being toxic?

[New Titans (1988) #55]

Note how it doesn’t go further than a punch because it’s bad enough that way and doesn’t need to escalate further to drive the narrative home. There’s no “I love you but you deserved a punch” bullshit later on either.

Even in Teen Titans: Year One where Bruce was particularly terrible (too much imo), he’s brainwashed when he hits Dick and nothing in the story/framing exonerates Bruce for his global behavior.

Those confrontations had a place in their narratives other than shock value. Bruce’s descent after Jason’s death, his mental state in Murderer/Fugitive. They illustrate how fucked up Bruce is at a specific moment due to specific events and context. They’re not casually dismissed afterwards by a hug and a dubious line. And again, they don’t require Bruce to beat Dick half to death to drive their point home.

By the way, this is reconciliation.

[Batman (1940) #605]

This is a component of the circle of abuse.

[Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016) #27]

“I love you. If only you weren’t so stubborn, you wouldn’t deserve an occasional kick in the ass. Like when I inflicted you severe physical trauma. But I love you anyway. Aaah, the woes of father-son relationships!”

There was no narrative reason for Bruce to take it that far with Jason in rhato. It’s just physically more violent and emotionally less impactful, because it’s so damn cheap and because it tries to pass abuse for a normal familial dissension that can be cured with a hug. I can’t get emotionally engaged with that kind of writing.

It’s a reboot, it’s entitled to change characters, but it’s simply not a Bruce I recognize nor one whose existence I’m particularly eager to acknowledge.

As for the Jason-Damian confrontation…

I don’t care that Jason didn’t want to fight and tried so hard to de-escalate the situation until Damian pulled out that mystery drama-box. I don’t care that Damian’s a trained fighter. Frankly, I don’t care about the specifics. At the end of the day, an adult beat the shit out of a child. A child who was framed in earlier appearances to be his little brother. A writer/editorial team/whoever the hell made the conscious choice to put those characters in the specific situation where an adult would beat the shit of a child family member.

You know, for all that I hate TT#29 for its cheap violence (and Jason’s less than ideal portrayal), it at least had the decency to oppose two characters of roughly the same age. And in this continuity, Jason was revived to be a villain. I may not like it but it’s expected that he acts villainous towards the fam, or Tim here. Plus Tim and Jason were never ever portrayed as brothers in post-crisis. They’re strangers. Them beating each other simply doesn’t have the same significance.

Have another preboot parallel where neither perpetrators are villains.

[Red Robin #14]

Here the writer puts Tim in a situation where he has to defend himself against a ten-year-old. There’s a punch, and then the violence stops. That’s it. Much like the preboot Dick-Bruce confrontations, it doesn’t need to be taken further. The story delivers its point without any ten-year-old getting beaten senseless by an older ally.

Seriously, how does this…

[Batman (2016) #16]

…exist in the same continuity as this?

[Teen Titans Annual 1 (2019)]

How is this a good way to portray familial dissensions/confrontations of any kind?

You’re the writer. You decide if the 20 something is gonna throw hands with the 13 year old. You decide how the father figure reacts to the son’s actions. You decide how far each confrontation goes. You decide whether two characters that were explicitly portrayed as brothers are gonna bleed each other out. You decide whether the father figure is abusive. You decide what happens, how it happens, how it’s resolved, and how every element is framed.

Physical violence is just another narrative tool that should be used to construct a story. You can’t just throw it in, dial it up to 11, and hope it’ll make your scene impactful. It just proves you don’t know how to write a vivid scene without relying on cheap tricks.

Anon, I get your frustration, I don’t like what’s done of Bruce either. I made a post about his parental failures in preboot ( bat-lings.tumblr .com/post/180901354160/do-you-think-bruce-was-a-bad-father-im-starting); none of them ever reached rhato’s caricatural empty brutality. Bruce is less and less well received by fans as he’s sometimes instrumentalized in sequences that don’t fit his character. It’s not fair on him.

But I can’t seem to disconnect with what we are given long enough to worry about how we react to it. And to be fair I’ve seen as many posts hating on Jason’s recent actions than hating on Bruce’s.

Tbh bad writing/ooc-ness aside there’s little anyone can say to exonerate either character here. The fans are reacting vividly because they’re faced with a story that has little else to sell other than vivid brutality. We all go “gasp!”, pick sides, and that’s it. It’s hard to breed interesting discussion among fans with that configuration.

The good news is, each of those characters have seen better days, and not everything in reboot is as bad as the above sequences. Also we have fanfictions :D

#jason todd #damian wayne #bruce wayne #tim drake #dick grayson #batfamily #meta #asks #zae chatters

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scandalsavagefanfic · 6 years

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1/2 So your soulmate fic got me thinking (It's fucking awesome by the way!) But what about the soulmate AU where you have you mates name on your wrist? Ra's has had JASON TODD printed on his wrist for centuries and has long stopped believing he'll find him when lo and behold his dear detective adopts a boy with the same name. Jason's always wondered about this Ra's al ghul guy even after he finds his file on the bat computer...Jason never dieing and just creepy courting form Ra's.

Sorry it took me so long to get to you!!!

This is going to be a two parter!

Rating: I don’t know how to rate things that aren’t Explicit so... this is probably T at best but the next part may get... sexy ;)

Words: 2527 (see below the cut)

Waiting Game - (Read on AO3)

Ra’sal Ghul has been watching and waiting for years now. There’s no need to rush,he has all the time in the world and the boy was still a child.

Hekeeps his distance, deliberately staying out of Batman and Robin’s way.

WhenBruce Wayne adopted a new young ward with black hair and blue eyes, Ra’s had scoffedat what was obviously either narcissism or a predilection that the Demon’s Headwould never have suspected but would certainly make the Dark Knight even morefascinating.

Thenhe had learned the boy’s name and knew he would have to play things differentlywith this one than he had with the first. So he had been quiet these four yearswhile the Detective took care of the child’s fundamentals training. Waitingpatiently for the perfect opportunity while the boy grew into a strong,intelligent young man.

Ra’srubs at the centuries old mark on his left wrist absentmindedly while he andhis men keep a close watch on the warehouse. This is the chance for which he’sbeen waiting. Batman is too far away to help and if Ra’s was a colder man, orif the boy were any other, he would allow the monstrous clown, product ofBruce’s own misguided ideology, to teach the man a lesson. A lesson aboutleaving one’s enemies alive. A lesson about taking half trained children intowar.

Thechild has been betrayed by his own blood, a woman the Detective doesn’t knowand should never have trusted with something so precious. Ra’s watches theboy’s birth mother smoke a cigarette, unperturbed, as the brightly coloredbeast beats her son bloody with a hefty length of cold metal. He can hear thesharp snap of bones through the wet thud of torn flesh and muscle from beyondhis perch over the skylight.

Ra’spresses his thumb into name that has been printed on his wrist for over 600years once more and gives a brief nod to his men. They’ve waited long enough.Jason Todd knows he’s dead, knows his adoptive father won’t arrive in time tosave him. Knows that there is no hope.

Hismen have their orders. They crash through the windows and doors, easily killingthe Joker’s men and subduing the ‘man’ himself. Ra’s spares a moment to touchthe boy’s face gingerly, softly sweeping bloody locks of hair out of his eyesbefore he passes out. Then he turns to the woman held between two of his men.She looks confused.

“Youdeserve a much longer, more tortuous death than the merciful end you will soonmeet by my blade,” he says icily, “But you brought him into the world when Ihad long since lost all hope of finding the one whose name I bear on my flesh.And for that alone, I am grateful enough to end your otherwise worthlessexistence quickly.”

Heenjoys the terror in the wicked woman’s eyes when she glances to his wrist andsees her son’s name. She doesn’t have all the context, she doesn’t know who Ra’sis or what it means that the broken little bird is his soulmate, but she knowshe’s formidable. Knows she has showed her character.

Toher very minimal credit, she doesn’t beg. Doesn’t plead for her life. Just bowsher head in acceptance. Ra’s obliges.

Witha single swift stroke, he separates her head from her shoulders.

“Come,”he barks at his men, “he needs immediate medical attention. We have already lingeredtoo long.”

TheJoker’s manic laugh bounces around his mind until they reach the transport andare able to sedate him.

———————————————————————————————————-

Jason blinks his eyes open to a room he’s never seen before. The walls arestone and there’s an open balcony beyond the foot of the bed to the left.Sheer, silken curtains of gold flutter in the evening breeze that wafts pastthe entrance.

Thewhite linen sheets he’s carefully tucked into are soft and decadent. The downpillows and comfy mattress cradle his stiff, sore body, and it’s like what heimagines lying on a cloud to be like.

Jasontries to sit up only to hiss in excruciating pain at the slight twitch of hismuscles.

Joker, he thinks angrily. He’s lucky to be alive.

Actually…he’s surprised to be alive.

Ifhe doesn’t move, the pain remains a low, dull, throbbing ache pulsing throughhis body. It doesn’t hurt too badly. Except when he looks down, sees themarks of his torture, the red seeping through the numerous white bandageswrapped around his body.

Thedoor to his right opens abruptly, causing him to flinch involuntarily. Jasonsqueezes his eyes shut and grinds his teeth together to stop himself fromcrying out in pain. When he opens them again, a tall, lean man is gazing at himfrom the foot of the bed.

Avery familiar man.

Jasonswallows and stares back, the mark on his wrist burning. He’s never met Ra’s alGhul before. But after finding his file in the Batcomuter… he has spent a lotof time looking at the man’s face, pouring over his profile, learningeverything he can about him.

Abouthis soulmate.

Onecorner of the older man’s mouth is turned up in a surprisingly kind smile. Thesilence is so thick and heavy between them, Jason feels like he could reach outand touch the air. It is very clear that they both know.

Hedoesn’t dare speak. Couldn’t if he wanted to. He wouldn’t even know where tobegin.

“Howare you feeling?” Ra’s al Ghul asks gently.

Hisvoice is deep and melodious, his words accented and confidently spoken. Thesmooth, soft sound makes Jason’s mouth go a little dry and he licks his lips invain before answering.

“I’m…sore,” he mutters finally, tearing his eyes away from the villain’s to hide thefact that he’s obviously trying to underplay how terrible everything feels.

Ra’stilts his head before allowing his eyes to scan down Jason’s body, smilewidening when Jason shivers under his attention. Then he moves around the bedto sit near Jason’s hip and reaches for the nightstand to retrieve a bowl ofgreen, watery, liquid and a small stack of cloths.

Jasonwatches quietly as the Demon’s Head carefully peels away the bandages fromseveral of his injuries. He’s surprised when the jagged edges of the gashes inhis skin and the dark bruising he expects turn out to be much less… extreme thanhe’d thought. His wounds look half healed.

“AsI am certain you are aware, the waters of the Lazarus pits have miraculoushealing qualities,” Ra’s begins as he dips a cloth into the water and dabs atJason’s wounds. He chuckles when Jason cringes at the words. He must know thethings that Bruce suspects about the pits, about the madness that comes withcontinued use, because Ra’s cuts him off before he can protest. “I anticipatedyour hesitation. You have not been fully immersed. If you had, you would becompletely healed already. The small amount I have used to save your life andlimbs will have no effect on your mind, even if your mentor’s fears werefounded.”

Ra’ssmiles up at him conspiratorially, switching the dirtied cloth for a clean oneand starting on another rip in his skin, “Incidentally, they are not founded.”

Jasonstays quiet, watching awestruck, as his injuries heal and fade before his eyes.Not totally gone, but much better than they have any right to be after…

“Howlong have I been here?”

“Lessthan two days.”

“Twodays? Batman… he’ll… he’ll be worried…” Jason searches the other man’s face forany idea of what his plans may be now. He knows Ra’s won’t concern himself withBruce’s feelings. But he feels adrift, unable to get his bearings, he can’t geta read on his situation.

Theassassin doesn’t answer for a long moment, while he finishes caring afterJason’s broken body. When he changed each dressing, he replaces the items onthe side table and shifts so that he’s more directly facing where Jason ispropped against a pile of pillows. Then Ra’s’s fingertips are grazing overJason’s left hand, gently twisting until the soft underside of his wrist facesupwards.

Theolder man drags his thumb over the delicate script spelling out his own name,the touch setting fire to Jason’s every nerve. Finally, he turns piercing,unnaturally green eyes up to meet Jason’s blue ones.

“Hescours the world searching for you,” Ra’s responds quietly, “Desperatelyseeking his lost son.”

Jasongulps, he can’t look away. He’s trapped by the intensity of those ancient eyes.Dual desires battle for priority in his mind. The need to find Bruce, to lethim know he’s alright wars with the need to take this opportunity, to get toknow his soulmate.

Oncehe returns to Bruce (if Ra’s allows him to return to Bruce), he may never getanother chance.

“Ihave kept my distance these last several years,” Ra’s continues, as though hecan read Jason’s mind, “To facilitate a sort of truce between myself and theDetective. So that one day, when I sought a meeting with you, he might be moreinclined to agree. I have been alive for a very long time and as such, I am avery patient person. A few years while you grew into the deadly young man youwere meant to be is a small fraction of my eternity, so I was content to wait.”

Ra’sgives his hand an affectionate squeeze before dragging his fingers up Jason’sbare arm to delicately palm his cheek. The familiar letters that spell his nameflash on the golden skin just below his lips. “But I have also already waited avery long time. Centuries have come and gone while I slowly lost hope therewould ever exist a ‘Jason Todd’. And so, upon discovering Wayne had adopted a boywith that name, I found myself once again hopeful for something I had come to believeI would never have. I have kept a close eye on you, unwilling to completely trustyour wellbeing to anyone else. Even Bruce.”

Jason’sbreath comes faster, chest moving up and down quickly, the more that voicespeaks. Then Ra’s’s thumb slides over his lips, pulling on the lower one, justa little, just enough to show his teeth and make his eyes go wide with want.

“Andit is a good thing I did so. Batman was never going to make it in time toprevent that maniac from murdering you. It was well after the building wasdestroyed by the Joker’s bomb that your mentor finally arrived.”

Thedirect reference to the event smacks across his consciousness like ice water.

“My—mymother… is she…”

Ashadow passes over the Demon’s face, a darkness that, if Jason is honest withhimself, frightens him a little.

“Theincubator who brought you into the world only to later make a ratherspectacular attempt to remove you from it, did not survive.”

“Did—didyou… kill her?”

Thosegreen eyes bore into him. He feels like the seconds they stare at each otherdrag into infinity.

“No,”Ra’s says flatly, and Jason releases a breath he didn’t know he was holding, “ButI will not say that I am disappointed with her fate.”

Ra’sal Ghul leans into his space. His breath catches again when the assassin pausesless than an inch from his face, searches for something, and smiles when Jason’slicks his lips.

Thenthey’re connected. Ra’s’s mouth is pressed to his and the man’s tongue tenderlyand briefly dips between his teeth to touch his own.

Thenhe’s gone. But Jason can still feel the warm air of his soulmate’s breathghosting across his lips.

Awicked smile meets his gaze when he opens his eyes.

“Ihave a gift for you,” Ra’s growls low and vicious. He glances down Jason’s bodyagain, then his expression softens. “You still need a couple days to recover.When you are well, I have something for you.”

———————————————————————————————————-

Thebodies in the rubble were killed by swords before the building ever blew.

Bruceknew. Even before he found Sheila decapitated, Joker nowhere to be found. Buthe tore through every inch of the debris anyway.

Thenhe started tearing through every hideout and palace and stronghold of Ra’s alGhul’s he could find.

Helikes to think that if he’d known, if he’d seen the name on Jason’s wrist thatfirst night they’d met, that Bruce wouldn’t have brought him home. Wouldn’thave taken him in, introduced him to Batman’s world. That he would have had thesense to help Jason less directly, from a distance. To hide him from the Demonwho is meant to be his soulmate.

ButBruce knows it wouldn’t have changed anything. He knows himself well enough. Hewould have convinced himself that he could have kept Jason safer if he wasclose.

Hehadn’t known though. Jason had lived with them for two months before Bruce hadcaught sight of the damning words.

Jasontold him he had hidden it most of his life, after he searched the name anddiscovered it was a man’s name. He didn’t want the bullies in Crime Alley makingfun of him.

Andthen, when he had come to the manor, started training as Robin, he had diligentlydone the homework Bruce had assigned. He had read up on Batman’s rogue’sgallery.

FoundRa’s al Ghul.

Aname he would have never known if it weren’t for Bruce’s interference with hislife.

Whenhe confronted Jason after seeing the name, Jason had shyly admitted he didn’ttell Bruce because he was afraid. Didn’t know if his adoptive father would getrid of him, would hate him because his soulmate was one of his greatest adversaries.

Brucehad held him close and reassured that nothing could make him hate his child, nothingcould take Jason away. But he had sat Jason down and had a long, frankconversation about how, soulmate or not, Ra’s al Ghul was a cruel, evil man.Jason had to understand, for his own safety, for their job, for their family…he could never be with Ra’s.

Ithad been easy. Too easy, in retrospect. Bruce had taken the League’s silence,Ra’s’s absence, for granted. Willing to take the win without the fight becauseit was so rare that he didn’t have to fight.

Heshould have known that Ra’s would find out. He should have looked into what hewas doing, kept an eye on him. He should have seen that Ra’s was waiting in theshadows.

Andnow, not only did his son almost die due to his carelessness, but he’s beenwhisked away by a dangerous enemy who has a natural claim to the boy’s heart.

Hedestroys the third abandoned League of Assassins headquarters he searched inthe last two days.

Hemust find Jason. Before it’s too late.

#Jason Todd #Ra's al Ghul #Ra's al Ghul/Jason Todd #Ra'sJay #soulmate au #ask

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massmurdera · 7 years

Text

Best/Worst of 2017

Objectively speaking, 2017 was a tire fire of a year in America and I knew that going in. I’ll leave out the Trump bullshit and how I feel. Americans/people like being outraged, but it gets old to wake up every day in a panic. I did when Deflategate was happening to Tom Brady, but that had no real-world implications. Everyday, I was waking up to check Twitter to see what bad shit was happening. I think I did a solid job cutting it out as best I could and not letting it make me go mad.

It was a mostly boring year and then it picked up towards the very end. I might not feel good about America and where we’re I think we’ heading while holding out hope that this ends soon (I’m naïve and think we’re completely/totally fucked) but I guess I feel all right about where I’m going and how I feel about those close to me in my life. I’m controlling what I can control. Things could be better, but I’m all right.

TV Funniest go-to show: Desus and Mero Late Night/Politics: John Oliver Favorite TV show (non-Game of Thrones): American Vandal TV SHOW (non-Game of Thrones): 1) Legion 2) Stranger Things 3) Godless 4) Dark 5) Sneaky Pete 6) Mindhunter 7) Marvelous Mrs Maisel 8) Better Call Saul 9) the Deuce 10) Fargo 11) Ozarks 12) 13 Reasons Why 13) Lethal Weapon 14) Riverdale 15) Mr Robot 16) This is Us TV Comedies: 1) American Vandal 2) Big Mouth 3) Nathan for You 4) Rick and Morty 5) GLOW 6) Veep 7) Brockmire 8) Atypical

I’m biased that a family friend of mine co-created American Vandal and his brother is on the show too in a minor role but it REALLY is great. It sounds stupid that older family members scoffed at or were bewildered by, but it’s far smarter social commentary than it appears. It nailed high school so well.

BEST NEW CHARACTERS Funniest: Hormone Monster/Monstress (Big Mouth) Best Jeff Spicoli that should get a spin-off: Dylan and the Wayback Boys (American Vandal) Best Philip Seymour Hoffman: Edward Kemper (Mindhunter) Most fun/crazy role: 1) Aubrey Plaza (Legion) 2) Susan Sarandon (Feud) Perfect role: Marc Maron (GLOW), Nikki Swango (Fargo) Best drunk: Brockmire Sorely Overlooked: Clayne Crawford in Mel Gibson’s role (Lethal Weapon) Star-Making: Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why); Rachel Brosnahan (Marvelous Mrs Maisel)

DISAPPOINTING FROM GREAT SHOWS: Curb Your Enthusiasm; Fargo; the Americans; Game of Thrones; Silicon Valley; Veep Shows I half-watch but could give up on: Big Little Lies; Feud; Preacher; Runaways; Shameless; the Sinner; SMILF; SNL; This is Us; White Famous WORST Shows: 1) Twin Peaks 2) the Leftovers 3) the Defenders 4) Taboo 5) Top of the Lake Didn’t work but should have: Vice Principals -had moments Absolute Worst: any and all political panel/news shows (Fox News, CNN, MSNBC). Burn them all to the ground.

Still need to watch: American Gods; BoJack Horseman; Brooklyn 99; Carmichael Show; Catastrophe; Good Place; Halt and Catch Fire; Handmaid’s Tale; Master of None; Punisher

Overall: the new shows were damn good, but the established great shows were all letdowns.

MOVIES 5 STARS: CLASSIC: 1) Get Out 4 STARS: 2) Free Fire 3) John Wick II 4) Dunkirk 5) Star Wars 6) Logan 3 ½ stars: Brawl in Cell Block 99; Good Time; Logan Lucky 3 STARS RENTALS: WATCHABLE: Atomic Blonde; Baby Driver, Babysitter, Big Sick; Blade Runner 2049; Fate of the Furious; Okja; Shot Caller, Spiderman, Split; War for Planet of the Apes; Wind River; Wonder Woman 2 STARS-DIDN”T LIKE BUT DECENT PARTS: Girls Trip; Guardians of Galaxy 2; Ingrid Goes West; Lego Batman; War Machine Most boring/dumbest critic favorite: Personal Shopper Cool twist made up for okay movie: Split Coolest soundtrack/score: Good Time, Dunkirk Most Over-the-Top Violent: Brawl in Cell Block 99 Overrated: Baby Driver, Wonder Woman Disappointed: Lego Batman

NEED TO CHECK OUT AFTER I READ BOOK: Lost City of Z; It HAVEN”T SEEN: Call Me By Your Name; Coco; Columbus; Darkest Hour; Disaster Artist; Florida Project; Justice League; Lady Bird; Molly’s Game; mother!; Mudbound; Phantom Thread; the Post; Shape of Water; Thor; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri

I’ve got catching up to do. But I think the year in movies wasn’t good.

Best Documentaries: 1) the Defiant Ones 2) Get Me Roger Stone 3) the Keepers 4) Jim & Andy BEST NETFLIX STAND-UP SPECIALS: 1) Dave Chappelle 2) Patton Oswalt 3) Ali Wong 4) Marc Maron 5) Neil Brennan 6) Bill Burr 7) Rory Scovel 8) Mike Birbiglia

Burr’s my favorite comic and seeing him live he is the best comic alive but it didn’t translate live. And he cut out so much of his best stuff. Chappelle might be more natural and have a sense of the moment though. Overplayed controversy -outrage over Chappelle’s jokes. Yeah, I don’t think they actually saw his act and just listened, out of context, to the jokes. He’s still as good as it gets. People just want to be outraged and have things be PC. Comics maybe hype that up, but it’s true. Underrated/Lost moment no one saw: Def Jam 25th Anniversary Special wasn’t good but Chappelle’s 7-minute improv off-the-cuff bit is secretly funnier than anything he did in his 2 specials. I don’t think any other comic alive or ever could have pulled that off as smoothly/naturally.

Worst special: Amy Schumer (like her, but she wasn’t ready to be released and nothing worked: felt like she wanted in on Netflix $ guys like Chappelle/Seinfeld were getting. I get the fairness, but uh, Chappelle’s specials felt like an event.

OTHER SPECIALS (comedy album/non-HBO) SOLID: TJ Miller; Joe DeRosa; Kurt Braunholer; Brian Posehn Didn’t totally work for me but I like them: Jerrod Carmichael, Tiffany Hadish

STILL NEED TO CHECK OUT: Ari Shaffir; Jerry Seinfeld; Brian Regan; Jen Kirkman; Judd Apatow; Hasaan Minaj; Michelle Wolf; Chris Gethard

Just loaded with too much good comedy. It’s never been better with podcasts, Netflix.

Favorite Podcasts: 1) Chapo Trap House 2) Pardon My Take 3) Frotcast 4) Bill Burr 5) Fuck the Chargers 6) Inactives 6) Revisionist History 7) Dollop 8) My Favorite Murder 9) Hound Tall Best Dollop Episodes of the Year: 1) Falling Pilot 2) Falling Pilot 3) Uber 4) Trump 5) Trump part 1 & 2 5) Enron 6) Phantom of the Open Dollop can be hit-or-miss. But the hits? Are as good as podcasting gets for history, comedy, and understanding the times we live in now. They would make for classic movies/docs. but specializes in overlooked, ridiculous stories that may have had massive historical ramifications (Dope Lake, Falling Pilot qualify for that except the ramifications part). Every once in a blue moon, they nail something timely (Enron) or current (Opium; Uber; Trump). They are the calm in the eye of a storm of utter insanity. Best individual episodes: -Bertcast (#217: Dave Anthony/Gareth Reynolds)-funny stand-up stories -Joey Diaz on Rogan/Bertcast -Tom Segura/Bert Kreischer Weight Loss Challenge (Joe Rogan) first episodes of the year)-funny/strangely inspiring. They did another challenge later in the years -Revisionist History-Miss Buchanan’s Period of Adjustment (Brown v Board of Education)-the unintended and disastrous consequences still felt today of why the decision was awful in a way you didn’t consider. It’ devastating to hear -Crabfeast #292 (Gareth Reynolds) talks about being hired to entertain kids birthday parties for 5 years as a side job while trying to make it in comedy. I love stories of failure/struggle at shit jobs Funniest podcast: 600 Dollar Podcast-bummer it ended Frotcast is my next favorite for humor (Best of 2016/2017 episodes are most accessible rather than just being dropped in). Bill Burr always. Best guest on a podcast: James Adomian as Gorka (Chapo Trap House) Best political: Chapo Trap House (and, yes, I am a Grey Wolf) Best Sports: Pardon My Take Best fan hate/schadenfreude: Fuck the Chargers Most underrated: Butterfly Effect (Jon Ronson)-only 6 episodes 3 hours 30 minutes; does what Malcolm Gladwell does but more long-form on the porn industry History: Dollop (over Common Sense/Hardcore History) Best local radio show/podcast: Matty & Nick Overrated/Lukewarm/Forgettable: Crimetown; S-Town; Pod Save America, Larry Wilmore Crimetown and S-Town’ are basically just accents. I didn’t like them the way other people did. Pod Save America is for boring people who don’t listen to podcasts and don’t know or bother for better alternatives. They are inoffensive dudes: it’s VERY basic. I think ‘Lovett or Leave It’ is better depending on the panel. Worst: Missing Richard Simmons Other podcasts I enjoy-Binge Mode, Bodega Boys, Dumb People Town, Emotional Hangs, FOFOP, Handsome Rambler (Hannibal Burress), Lovett or Leave It, We’ll See You in Hell Need to check out more-Crab Feast, Cum Town, In the Dark, Mogul Listen to if they have a good guest -Bertcast, Joe Rogan, WTF, You Made it Weird BEST EVENTS: 1) Pats-Steelers AFC Championship 2) Pats-Texans AFC Divisional 2nd half 3) Chance the Rapper: Boston Calling 4) 1975: Boston Calling 5) Thrice/Circa Survive: House of Blues sadly I couldn’t see Thrice or the stage at all in the mezzanine but I wasn’t mad 5) My Favorite Murder: Wilbur 6) Turnover: Royale 7) Hannibal Burress: Boston Calling 8) Frightened Rabbit: Boston Calling 9) Norm MacDonald @ Wilbur Theatre: Netflix taping 10) watching my friend mosh to Converge while I held his sweatshirt

WORST EVENTS: 1) My cousin at Boston Calling -just a disaster I won’t explain, but it was the probably the most disappointing thing that I experienced all year and shit on my weekend with my friend from LA. I basically had to become a babysitter and ditch my friend. 2) Pats-Texans AFC Championship Game -freezing 0 degree cold January game (expected) in the upper 300-level section and ours was the ONLY one not standing for a playoff game. Sat next to two kids under 8. Then someone brought in a newborn fucking baby that, no hyperbole, could not have been more than a month old. Insane. We snuck into the 200-level section at halftime and it ended up being a fucking party and playoff atmosphere that I wanted, expected, and had enjoyed before. 2) Migos -last minute replacement for Solange: just looked/sounded completely unprepared and they knew it. Crowd didn’t seem to be into it (Boston is mainly white) and didn’t know the lyrics to chant back: when they did so, it failed, and they were laughing it off but knowing it wasn’t a good setting for them. 4) Bon Iver -I liked his new album but doesn’t translate well live and to festivals. Super boring. Watching white people LOSE their shit to lukewarm Kenny G-esque saxophone solos (5 people playing the sax) was ridiculous.

MUSIC 1a) Brian Fallon-’If Your Prayers Don’t Get to Heaven’ 1b) Brian Fallon-’Forget Me Not’ 2) Menzingers-’˜Lookers’ 3) Lorde-’Perfect Places’ 4) Carly Rae Jepsen-’Cut to the Feeling’ 5) Turnover-’Breeze’ 6) Vallis Alps-’Fading’ 7) Kendrick Lamar-Humble’ 7) Calvin Harris/Frank Ocean/Migos-’Slide’ 9) Night Game-’the Outfield’ 10) Kesha-’Praying’

Album: Menzingers-’After the Party’ New Artist: Khalid Late pass: Turnover Late pass song: Lord Huron-’the Night We Met’

WORST POLITICAL: the chaos that comes with Trump-Waking up everyday in anxiety to check what happened on Twitter in America with politics/everything. It was, objectively, a trainwreck tire-fire. There’s too much news (which he obviously likes, even if it’s bad: he likes the attention and is a cable news addict). So, yeah, I don’t want to just be overloaded with it all the time, so fuck you forever. A year’s worth of shit is dumped every week. Thing is, I don’t hate Trump the most. He’s a stooge and he’s only doing everything the Republicans want anyway. It’s just that he’s such a dunce.

Worst music moment: 1) Katy Perry dancing w/ Migos, her music videos 2) Taylor Swift album rollout 3) Eminem’s cringe-y Trump freestyle that sounded as bad as Hamilton

Favorite debacles: Uber, Juicero, Fyre Festival Only because I can’t enjoy the Trump presidency debacles since it’s everyday life. Favorite Online Writer: Drew Magary Best health choice: switching to shoes with arch support -I can’t wear any of the major shoes like Nike anymore. I’ve got super flat feet. I was walking around for 2 months feeling like my foot was broken. I was in agony. Instant relief when I got better shoes. Most Confused thought: How the hell is Martin Shkreli the only evil rich asshole to go to jail? Sweetest/Coolest: Remember, Remember the 5th of November and beyond (super dumb inside joke to only person that might read this BS). I’ll leave it at that. I mean, I totally want to write about it, how awesome/funny it is, a phone call I made to my friend that was 12+ years in the making that he didn't expect. But yeah. I’ll just say it’s really sweet and just not jinx it.

Look ahead 2018 MUSIC: 1) Brian Fallon 2) Thrice 3) Chvrches 4) Wonder Years 5) Arctic Monkeys 6) Carly Rae Jepsen 7) 1975 8) Bruce Springsteen 9) Justin Timberlake NEW HBO: 1) Barry-Bill Hader as an assassin 2) Confederacy 3) Mosaic NEW NETFLIX SHOWS: 1) Maniac 2) Altered Carbon OTHER NEW SHOWS: 1) Corporate 2) the Terror 2) Counterpart 3) the Alienist 4) Waco 5) Good Girls RETURNING TV: 1) True Detective 2) Atlanta SHOWS ENDING: the Americans BOOKS: 1) Stephen King-’the Outsider’ 2) new Game of Thrones? 3) Michelle McNamara Gillian Flynn is overdue for a new book MOVIES: 1) Death of Stalin 2) Incredibles II 3) Soldado: Sicario II 4) Bodied 5) First Man-Chazzelle 6) Where’d You Go Bernadette-Linklater 7) Predator -Shane Black 8) Halloween -David Gordon Green/Danny McBride 9) Widows -Gillian Flynn/Steve McQueen 10) Creed II 11) Deadpool II 12) Hold the Dark 13) Scarface-Coen brothers 14) Black Panther 15) new ‘Cloverfield’ NEW COMEDY SPECIALS: 1) Bill Burr 2) Chris Rock 3)Tom Segura 4) Bert Kreischer, 5) Mike Birbiglia

Biggest bummer: no Game of Thrones until 2019, but I’d rather they not fuck it up

LOOK AHEAD TO 2018: -moving out of parent’ place in 2 weeks while still saving up to buy a house/condos -uh, I just turned 31, so that took forever. I have a decent amount of $ saved up to secure a house, but I want a decent one. -brother’s wedding in April -and bachelor party -cousins getting married and engaged -happening in droves -Pats playoff run and maybe the last best stand in the Belichick-Brady era. Brady could easily play 3 more years, be a top 3-5 QB (he still is the best, most durable/toughest, consistent), break every record, but something to be said about going out on top. -Shows/Tours Hoping to see: Boston Calling, Bill Burr, Brian Fallon, Bert Kreischer, Thrice, Chappelle, Pats -Gaslight Anthem reunion shows for 10-year anniversary of ‘the 59 Sound’ AND hopefully coming back again

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