#this piece of background probably won't come up in my art or writing it's something I have for him and I've been thinking about it so ta da

[raycatz]

I have a headcanon (one of many possible pieces that can be moved around) for LU Hyrule that I like but I also have a feeling that it's maybe something some would have strong opinions on. How quickly do you think folks would block me 'xD if I were to say that the speculation that the healing houses in Zelda 2 are brothels is something that like- I've integrated into my headcanons for LU Hyrule's backstory. OKAY HEAR ME OUT. (no, they're probably not meant to be brothels. It's a nintendo game. It could be a place of worship, or a hospital, or a kind villager. (I also haven't played Zelda 2,,) BUT! If they are brothels- there are various ways to add this into a story which I think works well for Hyrule. No, he's not working- stay with me)

More background, I'm a fan of Terry Pratchet's Discworld, especially the Night Watch series in the city of Ankh Moorpork. The city has various guilds, some of which being the assassins' guild, thieves guild, etc. These are jobs that are going to be done regardless, so the idea is that by being recognized by the city as guilds, there can be rules and regulations protecting the workers and also making sure what they do abides to guild standards. Thieves in the guild can't kill, for example, because that's the assassins' guild's job and would require an extraordinary amount of paperwork to sort out. Another guild is the seamstresses guild which is a guild for, ya know

From the discworld wiki:

The Seamstresses' Guild does not have a formal school, most of the training being, so to speak, on the job. Some Seamstresses are based in houses of negotiable affection or, in older language, houses of ill-repute, although these houses are often highly spoken of. The head of the guild is Mrs. Rosemary Palm; "Mrs" indicating seniority rather than marital status. The guild enforcers are the Agony Aunts, Sadie and Dotsie, prim, silent old ladies who will always catch up with a client that has behaved badly toward the Seamstresses. A punished client who is able to complain to the City Watch afterwards is considered to have gotten off lightly. [...] The Seamstresses regulate their own behaviours like other good guilds. For instance, the Guild prides itself that a customer may safely enjoy the services it provides, and will only end up battered, bereft of money and clothing, and otherwise ill-abused, in an alley in The Shades at midnight, if his personal tastes were to run that way.

The second piece of background information is the book series Bloody Jack which I listened to on audiobook as a kid. It's about Jacky Faber, an orphan girl who disguises herself as a boy to serve aboard the Dolphin, a man of war ship tasked with hunting pirates, set in 1801. I've seen posts on tumblr where the following trope is disliked (but to be fair there's probably posts like that for all tropes under the sun and I like how it was used in Bloody Jack, so), but Jacky gets her period on the ship, has no idea what it is, and thinks she's dying. She can't ask any of the men on board about it but she does have an idea of somewhere she might get answers. She's put together what sex is, and the sailors often talk about visiting brothels, and the ladies working there would probably have answers for her if she's dying of some disease or something. So, when the ship next docks she visits a brothel and asks them if she's dying. She's very kindly given the sex-ed and period talk and great! She's not dying and they're not going to out her as a girl to the crew, thank goodness! She thanks the lady and goes back to the Dolphin much relieved.

OKKIE DOKIE! Now we take both of those and a ftm trans headcanon and apply it to LU Hyrule! ~13-15 y/o LU Hyrule in the middle of Zelda 2 gets his period and thinks he's dying. (it also works with the headcanon that Hyrule isn't getting proper nutrition so maybe his period came late.) He's recently learned how Ganon can be revived with the hero's blood and Hyrule's like, I'm cursed ohhhh shit! He looks for answers and takes the same route as Jacky. After that, I think he starts a rapport with the brothels. He's never asked to work or offered services (and if he was, it would be unless that is something he would want (and pay for), but nah he's not interested and after expressing that he's not asked again.) He's adopted as a little brother and is welcomed in the houses as a rest point.

There are headcanons where Hyrule isn't welcome in his towns because Ganon's minions are after him. I've read many variations: the townsfolk like him but he and they know he can't stay long--to him being shunned and unwelcome. With either case, I think the healing houses would be adamant that Hyrule will always have a place to stay. He is grateful, but if Ganon's minions are following him, then he doesn't want to stay in any place long, especially when it might put them in danger.

Also going back to Discworld's Seamstresses, I think Hyrule would take on the role of the Agony Aunts- if a client has behaved badly towards a seamstress, Hyrule will make sure they have hell to pay.

Hyrule has another safe place to stay and the seamstresses have another person looking out for them.

The seamstresses are very supportive of Hyrule being trans. They joke with him with tips on how to present more masculine. They have suggestions for packing if that's something he's interested in. Safe binding. Proper menstrual care and access to needed materials, remedies for cramps, etc.

I really like the idea of the majority of the role models in Hyrule's life being women. He has the seamstresses, the Zeldas, Impa, and the fairies of which he is a brother to as well.

I also like to think that Hyrule is very sex positive! It works with the aroace headcanon (though I think Hyrule being with whichever of his Zeldas he gets shipped with is cute, too. Enjoying various headcanons is fun and cool! but shipping aside,) Even though sex is something Hyrule isn't interested in himself, I do think he's supportive of it. He's the ultimate wingman. Talking about sex or reproductive health might make others in the chain squeamish but for Hyrule it's something completely normal. He's a strong advocate for sex education, safe sex, and fantasy contraception! 👏 He's also fantasy pro-choice! 👏

Thank you for reading my TED Talk on Hyrule!

[celestialprincesse]

miss angie your writing is so mmmmmmm yummy. especially the way you write soap.

that being said, i have a request for you !❤️

soap x goth!reader ? i think he'd be a little intimidated but up for the challenge anyways. & turns out reader isn't as scary as he thought (kinda like a certain LT).

if not, that's okay ! just wanting to let you know how much i appreciate your writing !❤️

THANK YOU POOKIE!!💕🎀🥴 I jus wanna squish Johnny's cheeks and tell him I love him💖

Your presence looms like a dark cloud over the corner of the café Johnny normally sits in. As a matter of fact, you're in his seat - the same one he sits in every day for a latte and a slice of carrot cake, the type that reminds him of home. The massive, clothboundbook in your hands taunts him, tells him you're planning to sit in his seat for a whole and makes his jaw tick. Realistically, he knows that his anger is unfounded. He's never seen you before, and it's hardly like there's a sign on the table saying 'reserved for Johnny MacTavish'. He should ask about that.

The next day he comes in earlier, hoping that maybe, you won't be there in his seat, maybe you'll have taken your stompy boots and Oscar Wilde novel and fucked off somewhere else. No such luck. He's too pissed off to order his carrot cake, to sit in another spot, far from the door and closer to the crowded center of the café. He's too pissed of to smile at the lovely waitress that always makes sure to give him an extra sugar packet with his coffee or packs an extra slice of cake into a to go bag. You have well and truly pissed him off.

Who do you think you are? In your dark eyeliner and chipped black nail polish, with your black clothes and fancy books.

A week comes and goes, and each day is the same. On Sunday, however, Johnny gets there first. He lets out a triumphant huff as he plops down in his seat, orders his cake and coffee before letting his mind drift. A meek voice snaps him from his reverie. Of course it's you, probably come to gob off at him about how he's sitting in your seat and how you want it back. But then why are you speaking so softly? It's almost as though you're nervous.

"I'm really sorry to interrupt." You mumble, looking down at the worn leather of your shoes. "Would you mind if I sat with you? I've been working on a project for my art portfolio - taking pictures here every day for a month to see what changes." The sight of a small, clearly vintage camera makes the balloon of anger deflate in his chest.

"Oh, right. Aye." He nods slowly, a little bashful, as though you'd somehow seen through his flesh and bone to the simmering, unfounded hate for you dwelling in his heart. "Thanks!" You chirp sweetly, suddenly far less nervous as you drop your satchel on the floor at your feet.

"So," He chirps up, clearly trying to diffuse the awkwardness between you. "I - uh - I like yer shoes. They're very cool." "Thank you." Is accompanied by a blush burning across your cheeks, bottom lip pulled between your teeth at the compliment. "I like your hair." "Ah, thank ye. I grew it myself."

Johnny's heart jumps in surprise at the sound of the bright laugh he manages to elicit from you with his B grade pun. It's nice, hearing someone laugh at something he has to say.

"So, are ye in art school or..?" The Scotsman keeps up the comfortable chatter between you, the sound of your two forks clinking against the china plate, in which your shared piece of carrot cake resides, is background noise for your conversation. "I was. I'm actually applying for a teaching position at the moment - hence the portfolio."

You two chat for far longer than you mean, and soon his phone is blowing up with messages from Simon (who he definitely needs to introduce you to) asking where he is and if he's coming to the gym or not.

"Same time tomorrow, yeah?" "Same time tomorrow, Johnny."

｡ ﾟ ꒰ঌ ✦໒꒱ ༘*.ﾟ

I hope this was ok! I've got like no experience with any kind of goth subcultures because I'm a little corquette croquette croquet bitch 😔 n e hoo

[vivalabunbun]

To start off, I'm sorry I'm such a boomer on Tumblr that even after years of using it all I know is how to follow, like posts, and post something myself 😭😭😭 So I don't blame you if you don't have the slightest clue of who I am. But on my part, I have been following your works for a while now and I just *absolutely* adore how you write.

I keep finding myself coming back to reread your fics despite already remembering the exact plot by heart after the first or second go 😭😭 I love how you characterize, not just Alhaitham, but the other character in the story extremely well. You explored all of their potential aspects and presented them all so naturally, and I can't imagine how much work you have to spend behind each fic you wrote. Especially with Alhaitham. Your Haitham is my canon Haitham, to simplify the progress of explaining how well you wrote him to me.

Your writing is poetic and expressive. It just pushed all the right button in me. And I absolutely ****love**** the little science-y facts and nerdy little details you put in your fic. Not to mention your taste is almost if not identical to mine too 😭😭😭😭 I'm very picky with Alhaitham's portrayal in his fanfics, yet yours made me completely settle my standards and patiently waiting for your next fic instead of searching for more.

So, I have been meaning to do a little something for my favorite writer-slash-storyteller. And here is a little Mareya fanart ✨ It's not much but I hope its up to your liking

P/s: I think that you have the tendency to get anxious about your work? I just wanna say that it's okay, you and your work doesn't have to be perfect everytime and always better than the last. Regardless of what you wrote, me and the others will still always support you 🌱 I know it's not much and it probably won't get rid of the doubts in an instance, but I will remind you of that as many times as needed ✨

P/s 2: House of Daena succs, background succs x2 ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡

I feel so honored that you drew my lil story teller 🥹😭🙏 Thank you so much!!! It’s so good and the background is 💕💕💕

Thank you so much for your encouragement and support 🥹🥹 your words are like a nice hug

I do have a tendency to doubt my writing bc sometimes there’s just so many things I want to say/ try but it doesn’t work out all the time.

How I portray Alhaitham is always a concern bc I want to explore him but not be so ooc, but it look like a lot of people feel satisfied with the middle ground I’ve been tiptoeing.

Thank you for looking forward to my next works 🥹 life has been… life so my rate has slowed but hopefully my past pieces still evoke the same joy

Ahh I love your art style 🫶✨

[eeblouissant]

Catching up on new fics and need to say that I love how you used consent as this unspoken theme. I don't have a problem with other fics in the fandom, it's so cool that there's any fics at all still being made for a 40 year old show and I love what people are doing, so hopefully it doesn't come across that way but I feel like your Dorothy is truest to the show. And I really like how you explore her vulnerabilities but, if this makes any sense which it probably doesn't, in a loving way? Both in the tone of your writing, you can tell you care about the characters and their backgrounds, but also how she's always got a safety net with the others overall, so even if she breaks or falls she won't be left to hit rock bottom, but how that also means you can dig into those more traumatic themes and hints from canon and let her be less than angel or someone who needs those reassurances etc. Your fic that centers around Dorothy's smoking habit is one a constantly thing about that encapsulates all this, it's probably my fave fic for the whole fandom. not even 2000 words but there are so many layers and it's all so Dorothy and bittersweet and feels so true and it never feels rushed or forced or superficial.

anon 🥹🥹🥹 anon !!!!!! I’ve been smiling so much my face hurts !!!!!! Oh my god, you have absolutely no idea how much this all means to me, i don’t even know where to begin!!!!!! Thank you for the (very) happy cry :’) very very happy & very appreciative. I really can’t express just how much this means !!!

I can’t believe people have really seen beyond the surface of what I write (i thought I was insane, adding in so many layers but sorta kinda failing to articulate them properly, or so I thought? I was sure that I was kind of just living in my own head here 😅), but wow, it means the world to hear.

One of the shows biggest themes, and one of its most important imo, shows that women “of a certain age” can and do have healthy & active sex lives/a healthy relationship with sex. And while I’ve seen a good few (incredible 👀 by the way) fics talking about or portraying this between the girls, whether you seen them being platonic or romantic - i had yet to see fics touching on the topic while also displaying Dorothy’s trauma/how she would respond. The body always remembers, the mind may heal, and heal Dorothy has - but there will always be a sort of response, memories hidden just beneath the surface. I like to imagine it like crumpling up a piece of paper - you can unfold it and lay it flat, press it flat with a book if you like, but the wrinkles, those memories, will always be there. That piece of paper isn’t ruined, just wrinkled. A little more delicate. Dorothy’s just a little more delicate than the others. And that part of her is so so soooooo criminally underrepresented and glossed over imo. (Since we’re on the topic of vulnerability, everyone go read @/hecatesbroom’s essay on vulnerability in tgg RIGHT NOW !!!!!!!!! you will not be disappointed!!!!!! someone teach me how to link things neatly please 😭)

I don’t know if it means anything (or if this is too personal) but I write and speak about Dorothy as a survivor of very similar trauma, so I tend to project a little onto her (while also trying my best to stay true to her character, i have this thing about sticking to canon very strictly haha. But while I was working out my portrayal i definitely pulled from bits and pieces of my own healing journey). I like to take my negative experiences and use them in my art as a sort of coping mechanism, so at least I can make something good of them? Does that make sense?

Anyway - I’m really really glad that the consent theme has seemed to get through (to more than one person, too! ahh :’) ), and that it was clear there’re many more layers there. Dorothy is gentle, she really is so gentle. I think lots of us can be blinded by the facade she puts up, and I truly believe it is a facade - one very well perfected after years of putting up - but behind closed doors she really isn’t that. She presents herself as the “fixer”, “the great balloon pricker”, but she needs to have that safety net ready & known more than the others I think. Purely because of her experiences leading up to (now, canon, etc)

ahh & i had completely forgotten about that fic, oh my :’))) i really don’t have the words - you’re just too sweet 😭🤍🤍🤍🤍 i wish I had added more to that one, but I’ve never really enjoyed writing looooonnggg pieces like that. About 2000 words is all I’ll ever manage, if that 😂. It’s been a good few months since I’ve read that one over, i never read my work over after it’s published, so I can’t comment on it the same way I just did the last.

thank you thank you thank you for this you have no idea how much it means :’) i will be thinking about this for the rest of ever,,, truest to the show??!!! Watch me sob right now

[mortimer]

honestly, I don't believe you should need a formal engineering degree to work with a cnc. like obviously there's basic knowledge and safety training you definitely should have, but that aside I think many people can and should use them! we actually had a 3 axis back at my secondary school and some of us (myself included) got to use it for text engravings, it was very educational! supervised ofc

also I recently saw a work where they cnc'd away the background of a picture of flowers, iirc it was done with a 3 axis but because they worked the design out so well beforehand, it actually looked a lot more intricate than what you can usually get out of it - all of which is to say, I actually think cncs and especially 3 axis machines can be an incredible tool for artists, just the right balance of precision and limitation, so I think it's great that you're coming at it from an artist background rather than an engineering one.

generally speaking, I'm a huge fan of doing stuff that produces physical results, be it crochet, wood turning or 3d printing but my weakness is that while I write and did theater and thus can by some definitions be considered an artist, I'm not very good at visual arts, especially 3d ones. closest I'm halfway decent at is pottery and you can't compare that to modelling 3d assets so when I print stuff I usually just use other people's stls or tools (eg I used heroforge and similar for dnd minis) and I kinda feel like if I got a cnc I'd fall into that same rut.

but say, as an artist with access to a cnc machine, if for some reason I were to get one, would you take commissions? I can't remember if there's a standardised file format for cncs but if there is, that would be really cool. this is not like a firm request and I probably won't get a cnc but like... would that be something you'd even consider?

yeah i am actually currently employed as a digital fabrication technician! my comment about the lack of engineering experience was more about being at a disadvantage for getting jobs than operating & doing maintenance on the machine.

and yeah i wouldn't be strictly against doing commissiony things with the cnc but no there is not a standardized format. The downside of anything with digital fabrication is that EVERYTHING is proprietary. I'm currently using shopbot and fusion360, but I'm gonna lose access to fusion after this year more than likely. You can generally bring in meshes to whatever CAD program, fusion or rhino or what have you, but since a CNC is going to make your part subtractively rather than additively you have to take that into consideration with whatever you're making (undercuts and 3-axis machines are not friends.) But once you have the piece you need to toolpath it, and whatever post-processing you use has to be specific to the machine you're using. And fusion is nice because you can do your toolpathing and post-processing all in one place, but iirc Rhino doesn't support that and you have to have a separate program to do your post. (<-- i could be making this up i haven't worked with rhino in a minute.)

But yeah basically. I would be open to it but because everything is so shop-specific I would almost rather manufacture shit myself. Also, on a semi-related note, I do plan on doing a soft-reopening of my store in the coming months and since I have some crochet stuff that needs to go, I will be selling those... and possibly commissions as well depending on scale etc.....

[straye]

✨ Self-appreciation time~! List five of your favorite works, be it in the form of pieces of writing, graphics, icons, drawings, code, and so on. Then, if you're feeling up to it, pass this on to five more blogs! ✨

UNPROMPTED ASK :  ALWAYS ACCEPTING !

i am very sorry to you anon if you sent this twice to me because i actually got one of these a little beforehand; I've dragged my feet because I've had to think: hm, what of mine do I like that I've made? ( or maybe this is two people having sent this completely separately and honestly u know what thank you to both of u strangers ). fair warning that i don't do graphics, really, nor code and icons are icons ...... but i do have some writing that ive done that im proud of and like, one piece of art that i adore. Rambling aside, let's get to the meat and jam that I've deliberated for probably a week and some in no particular order of favorites:

this art i did of tenzing and kogami. i haven't finished it and i probably won't, but tenzing and kogami's brief father and daughter relationship

this headcanon I’ve made establishing kogami’s Lao background. sure you can say 'self projection' much, but i don't care. i've never been happier incorporating something that means so much to me ( my own journey of coming to love the kind of asian i am ) into a character that has been part of my journey to self love and happiness. besides, it would just make him assimilating so fast into southeast asia make a teensy bit more sense teehee.

i remain pretty impressed that i was insane enough to calculate the amount of cigarettes kogami had at his desk and just how much it might have cost on average.

the fact i have over 5 playlists for kogami and these are among them.

and honestly? it’s hard but I’d say a good bit of my analyses in my study / meta tag. I think about psycho-pass and Kogami so much it should be embarrassing but when you’re someone like me you feel proud about something making you feel so passionate for once.

I hope this sated your curiosity, nonnie. 💖🫶🏻 I had to think about my answer for a good bit.

[ladyryukyo]

chris/jack, 1k words

fluff, sappy, domestic, established relationship

i did it. i wrote cheeseshipping fic. even worse, i enjoyed writing it. i'm posting this now so i can wash my hands of it and never use the term cheeseshipping ever again.

Chris usually prides himself on being a pretty diligent kind of guy, conscientious and hardworking, putting in extra hours, more sweat and time than the average person. When the WBBA headquarters get too busy and the office is too noisy for him to get a lot done, he often takes his reports home with him and fills them out at the kitchen table while his dinner is slowly getting cold next to him, untouched and forgotten.

This had been his plan for today as well... but.

But Jack has set up his canvas and painting supplies in the living room, in full view of Chris' seat at the kitchen table. The radio is playing lowly, a slow and melodious song that Chris hasn't heard before. The sun is beginning to set and Jack, sat in front of his canvas, elegantly swinging his paint brush in patterns that only make sense to him, is gorgeous, face bare from makeup, with golden light setting his red hair aflame, lips slightly pursed, eyebrows drawn together in concentration. He looks like a statue, fine-boned cheeks and the graceful arch of his eyebrows made from the finest marble, like someone with exceptional talent took the time to carve out every detail of his face with painstaking precision. He himself looks like a painting.

Not for the first time, Chris wishes he had an ounce of artistic talent in his fingers, to be able to capture this image forever, but since he only has this moment, he tries to commit every detail to memory, greedily soaking in every twitch of Jack's fingers, every half-smile that graces his lips when he adds something to his painting that pleases him.

With an inaudible sigh, Chris gives up on getting any more work done and pushes his reports to the side. His half-eaten soup is definitely cold now, so he grabs it and stands to make his way to the kitchen and heat it up again. As soon as he stands, Jack calls out to him.

"No, wait!"

Confused, Chris pauses mid-movement, chair pressing against the back of his knees. "Jack? What is it?"

Jack throws him an exasperated glance, fondness smoothing the stern wrinkle on his forehead. He gestures towards the painting.

"Please sit back down, exactly as you've been before, love. I promise it won't take long but I really want to finish this before the light vanishes entirely."

Chris blinks. "You were drawing me?" he asks, perplexed. Absently, self-consciously, he runs a hand through his hair, ruffling it, then immediately petting it down when he realizes what he did. "Can I see it?"

Jack smiles at him, the corners of his eyes crinkling in a way that makes Chris' heart flutter in his chest. "When I'm done," he promises.

Chris smiles back automatically, helplessly, and slowly sits back down, trying not to let his discomfort show on his face. Jack is so lovely, radiant and bold and bright, with or without makeup. He already is a piece of art by himself, his charisma, his whole presence, the way he holds himself. Chris is more than content to fade to the background at Jack's side, to let Jack shine all the brighter, bask in the attention and awe from everyone around him as he deserves.

This. This is way out of Chris' comfort zone.

He sits stiffly and tries not to move or think about what his face is doing for what feels like half an eternity, until Jack eventually sets his paintbrush aside. It is considerably darker than before, the sun having set almost completely now, the sky streaked with dark pinks and purples. It has probably not been an eternity, or a half of it, but Chris' ass is a little numb when he squirms slightly in his seat. Jack turns towards him and holds out his hand, beckoning him to come over.

"Come. You wanted to see it, right?"

Chris doesn't want to admit it but he is a little apprehensive. Jack's work is always beautiful, no doubt. Chris has done his best to be worthy of the time and affection Jack gifts him with but he doesn't know if he can be worthy of his talent, his art, the very thing he is most passionate about in the entire world. Still, when Jack wiggles his fingers in his direction, even this silly motion somehow full of grace and purpose, Chris follows the request without hesitation.

When he sees the painting, Chris sucks in an audible gasp of air. Jack shoots him a curious glance but doesn't say anything. Chris can feel his eyes on his face, scrutinizing his every reaction. He doesn't know what to say.

The painting is gorgeous but that doesn't surprise Chris and it is not what made his heart skip a beat in - wonder? Awe? Plain old shock? It depicts their dining room bathed in golden light from the setting sun, dust particles swirling through the air looking like burning sparks or tiny stars blinking in and out of existence. The shadows of their furniture in the painting are longer and the warm lighting makes it seem the way Chris imagines a dream might look in the waking world. In the middle of the picture, there is a figure with messy hair and tired eyes slumped over a table. The figure's visible exhaustion does nothing to diminish its handsome features or its expression, which is pleased or fond or maybe even amused, affection sparking in its warm eyes, lips faintly tugging upwards as if by an invisible string.

It is so obvious, through the painting and through the way Jack is watching him taking it all in, how much Jack loves the figure in the painting, him, Chris. It is so obvious how much he loves Chris.

This is what has Chris' heart hammering loudly in his ears. The realization that Jack has been seeing him the same way he has been seeing Jack. Beautiful, ethereal, mesmerizing. Gazing at him with such overwhelming affection and love, just like Chris has been doing to him all this time.

He startles out of his thoughts when Jack takes his hand in his.

"Do you like it?" he asks, smiling almost shyly.

"It's amazing. You're amazing," Chris breathes and presses a kiss to Jack's temple, who allows it for a moment before cupping Chris' face and angling his lips towards his own.

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of DC: Week of March 27th, 2019

Best of this Week: Detective Comics #1000 - Various Writers and Artists

Possibly more controversial than I'm thinking it'll be, I'm glad Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo did the job of reintroducing Slam Bradley into the DC Universe. Slam Bradley, of course the way I choose to remember him, was one of DC's first characters and the precursor design to modern day Superman. He was a 1930s dick (detective in this case) who made his name in infamy with racist depictions of Chinese people being swung by their braids with toothy grins. He's likely the reason DC won't reprint some of the early Detective Comics works in a compendium.

This is without a doubt, a great celebration for one of the greatest comic book characters of all time, if not THE greatest. The difficulty in reviewing something like this, much like Action Comics #1000 (if I reviewed that one, I don't remember) is that so many stories have their ups and downs, hits or misses and there's so much ground. But some of these were so good that this book is getting an entry all on it's own this week.

He's been made better in recent years with a badass run as a side character in Ed Brubaker and Darwyn Cooke's Catwoman (2001) as a cool former police officer with a son by the name of Slam Jr. on the force. He was probably some of the best parts of his short time there and was very compelling in interactions with Selina.

Kevin Smith and Jim Lee have arguably done some of the best and WORST Batman projects ever, but through the good and the bad, both have immense talent and their tale “Manufacture for Use” added a beautiful layer to the significance of the metal plate that his emblem is made out of.

The book is simple enough, a montage of Batman fighting his greatest villains shows in the background while his alter ego, Matches Malone, has a conversation with a merchant peddling in the various pieces of gear left by villains. He has Harley hammers, crazy quilts and even freeze guns, but there's only one weapon Malone is interested in; The Gun belonging to Joe Chill. The weapon that killed The Wayne Family.

He and others had been leaving Batman clues since his first days as a hero to have him join a guild of detectives, solving unsolvable or very difficult cases and knowing that Slam is one of the detectives along with Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, The Question, Detective Chimp, Elongated Man and his wife, Sue Dibny is relieving and fantastic.

I'm glad DC hasn't shied away from him given his past history. Even his inclusion in Superman of China based on his former character, warts and all, seemed like DC was kinda ashamed of it, but here he is, as awesome as he was later in life!

Upon seeing it, Alfred questions why Bruce would keep it as a trophy, nothing the ridiculousness of The Penny and the Dinosaur, he sees the gun as strange or even perverse. Batman, however, wishes to never see it cause anyone pain again, melting and forming it into an oval adorned with the symbol of a Bat.

Batman has dedicated his life to stopping crime in Gotham at all costs, but not everyone see his methods as being right or just. Doctor Leslie Thompkins has been looking over Bruce since his parent’s murder and oped that he would take his pain and do something productive with it, actually fix Gotham, but instead she sees how vengeance has consumed him, turning him into something of a violent monster himself and she’s not wrong. They meet each other on the anniversary of his parent’s murder in Crime Alley and are beset upon by a group of teenagers whom Batman viciously slaps the hell out of. Dr. Thompkins stops him out of fear and Batman looks like the real villain here.

If that isn't chilling...

Brian Michael Bendis is a GREAT Batman writer. Checking out his 15 pages in the Batman Walmart 100 Page Giants, much like Daredevil, Batman is a character that is PERFECT for him. “I Know” drawn by frequent Bendis collaborator, Alex Maleev, is amazing. Penguin started becoming disillusioned with the meetings put together by villains like The Joker on how to finally get rid of The Batman, Penguin begins to muse about who had the money to fund Batman. I believe he proposed the idea to the others, but they all shot him down, citing times Batman showed up when Bruce was a hostage or how he “blubbered like a baby.”

Penguin didn’t let it go, however, and prepared Suicide Bomb Penguins to attack Wayne Manor while Bruce was hosting a ton of high profile Gothamites. It would have been the end of Bruce Wayne.

Warren Ellis writes some very character driven stories, but when he has to get technical, he is a master as good as any. In “The Batman’s Design” he goes over Batman’s methodology when taking on criminals, treating things like a chess game that he’s already won. He leads the criminals to a trap and plays them like a fiddle, setting off an explosion that knock out or send some flying, determining a sniper’s location and just being so terrifying that the leader just hands him a bomb switch before his ass gets destroyed.

Becky Cloonan does a great job of alternating between cool and warm tones for when Batman is in the shadows vs contending with explosions he’s setting off. Batman looks slim, but imposing regardless. This is definitely some of her best art so far!

Now… if you ask any of my friends from when I was in The Navy, they’ll tell you about how I waited in line for Batman: The Arkham Knight. I was excited. I was elated. The conclusion to an amazing trilogy of games that shaped a newfound love for the character for me! And it bloody sucked. I HATE Arkham Knight with a passion. If it’s not The Batmobile, it’s the Joker, if not the Joker, it’s the Knight himself, if not him, then Scarecrow as the shitty final villain.

I really loved the noir tone that was set by Elizabeth Breitweiser’s colors over Steve Epting’s art. Things are very dark and cool. Batman is shrouded in shadow and Doctor Thompkins acts as a small light by comparison. There is great contrast when action happens with warm tones as Batman slaps the teens and Batman standing in the shadows as Leslie and the kids are under the one light is powerful.

Suffice to say, I was not pleased when it was said that The Arkham Knight would finally be appearing in comics different than his video game counterpart, but… I dunno, I kinda like him here.

His characterization seems to be that of someone who has lived in Gotham and has seen Batman’s methods of treating the poor citizens, the weak and the sick. He sees Batman as a cancer, a darkness that needs to be exterminated for Gotham to truly thrive. The best thing, there’s precedent for this kind of character.

One of the first few arcs for Detective Comics involved a cool set of villains known as The Victim Syndicate, people who have been hurt or grievously injured in Batman’s relentless pursuit of crime. These guys put Batman’s team through the ringer, almost turning Stephanie Brown against him completely as Tim Drake had been presumed dead at the time. Another casualty of war. If I remember right, The First Victim noted that there was someone or something coming for Batman soon and if that’s the Arkham KNight, then I am excited.

The Victim Syndicate was one of James Tynion IV’s best ideas during his run and I really hope whoever the creative team is for Detective Comics thus forth lives up to the quality. Peter J. Tomasi and Doug Mahnke are both amazing, so I have high hopes if its them.

But Penguin had an epiphany. Ending Bruce Wayne would not end Batman. Batman would become focused. Driven. Possibly to the point of killing. Bruce Wayne is the only thing keeping these villains alive, so Penguin relents and never reveals what he believes he knows, until years later when Bruce is old and mute… but who says that Bruce has lost a step? He zaps Penguin who is taken away as Bruce tells him that he knew, pretty much calling him a “coward ass bitch” as he’s taken away.

Overall, while there were few misses, this collection of stories had great ideas, great characterization, heart and was just fantastic. Looking forward to another 80 years!

This one was just cute. The Batfamily interacts with each other and take a FANTASTIC family photo drawn by Tony S. Daniel. Starring, Batman, Alfred, Nightwing, Batgirl, “Robin” Damian Wayne, Red Hood, Batwoman, Catwoman, “(Red) Robin” Tim Drake, Spoiler, The Signal, Cassandra Cain Ace the Bathound and Huntress. It’s a well put together double splash page and everyone, even Bruce seems happy.