#it’s like the Riddler story problems

[whalehouse1]

One thing I love about reading the golden age comics (besides the fact they go unhinged fast) is that it’s nice seeing Dick good at stuff other than acrobatics and being sexualized. The kid is a science genius (especially physics so all you AU ppl if you wanted to make him an engineer it’s plausible), aces just about every subject, takes foreign language classes (I think it was Latin, but I can’t remember for sure), is an ace slingshot user (it’s just hilarious to me that’s never acknowledged and he’s the only hero I can think of who has this skill), he is a good kid all things considered but is absolutely ruthless to criminals. I think it was Detective Comics 46 Where Bruce just let him pick off the riffraff while he dealt with Strange. And he does it in some of the funnest ways possible. Also not that it’s a “OMG Dicknis amazing in it, but I really liked Detective Comics 47. It’s messaging was super hamfisted but it just was a nice story, not amazing or superb, just a good one that reminded a bit on how Bruce was on BTAS which I will favor above just about anything.

[stairset]

I do need to cosplay again sometime I haven't done it in years but when I did it was always pretty good

[xmalereader]

— Endless Pt. 1 —

Bruce Wayne x Endless! Male Reader

☆ — MASTERLIST — ☆

SUMMARY: The endless family is made up of 7 children, so why is their an 8th? Reader is the black sheep of the family with no purpose to fulfill the human realm. He spends his days locked away in the Dreaming where he stays under his brothers watch. It wasn’t until one of Dreams new nightmares escapes the realm and starts causing problems in the Waking, giving reader a chance to show that he can be helpful in his family by tracking down his brothers nightmare, not knowing what awaits him.

WARNINGS/CONTENT: Angst, slow burn, MDNI 18+, language, endless family, dream trying to be a good brother, mentions of abuse, black sheep, self esteem problems, mentions of death, family secrets, friends to lovers, post riddler chaos, mentions of new villains, foreshadowing, reader and Bruce balancing each other out, Gotham is shit, slight kissing, trauma mentioned, OC nightmare, non-canon works.

WC: 5k

TAGS: @circusdexxter @lordzachariah0-0 @apolo1808 @i-cant-sleep615 @kayden1 @boylicious143 @h-ib @kik1010 @toxic90sboy @multifandomsimp69 @moththesadmage @stalker0

NOTES: Finally! After a very long break I’m finally getting back into writing again! I will mainly be focusing on my series that I’ve been planning for quiet awhile and really want to focus on this Endless series that I’ve had in mind for months. I’ll try my best to update as much as possible since each chapter will be between 5k-8k words or longer in order to have fewer chapters, but other than that, here is the first part and thank you for being patient on my writing!

Blinding - Florence And The Machine

The Endless had 8 children, each with a purpose in life.

Destiny with the purpose of defining all that is, Death was destined to put the universe to rest, Dream with the creation of stories and imagination, Destruction with the power of not only destroying but of making and producing, Desire with the purpose of wanting and lust along with their twin Despair who is the personification of despair and hope, and Delirium who can create realities and manipulate the human mind.

They all had an important purpose.

All but one.

The eighth child was the youngest of them all, having been born eons later after Delirium resulting in the last sibling of the Endless family. His siblings figured that he would have a purpose just like them only to have none. The last sibling wasn’t special nor was he given a proper name that would fit his so called ‘purpose’ instead both Father Time and Mother Night left their last child in the hands of their other children.

He expected his brothers and sisters to help him find a purpose that brought balance to the human realm, but neither sibling was much help. The twins simply teased him, mocking his existence while the others grew to busy in their own duties to give him the attention he needs, a few of his other siblings were busy searching for the ‘Prodigal’ who had left his duty many years ago and was being searched in order to restore balance again.

The youngest Endless could only watch from the sidelines holding onto hope that he too, would have a purpose of his own.

As he was passed around from sibling to sibling he spent most of his time in their realms watching their work and staying in line from overstepping into their duties. He spent most of his time in Dreams realm feeling his heart warm in joy when he walked through his brothers creation. The creation of stories and imagination was a powerful thing for many humans something that his brother found joy in doing.

There were times that he spent his time in his brothers library, hidden behind many rows of books, watching from the corners as his brother speaks with Lucian and Marvin. No matter how long he spends in this dreaming he never had the chance to actually create a bond with his brother, growing afraid each time he approached him when returning a book or when trying to ask a simple question about his creations.

Delirium was technically the baby in the family before he came into the picture and Dream already struggled with creating a bond with his sister and he didn’t want to get in the way of their bond. He spent years without knowing his duty that he’s grown used to being an outsider from his siblings, spending his ‘family’ dinners alone in Dreams realm, trying to stay out of their business as much as possible.

Even if his sister, Death, tired to convince him to join them for dinner he’d refuse and continue on with his day. What was the purpose of him being there? He can’t stand their whispers of pity, so why even bother.

He felt like a burden to his own family, so instead of trying to fit in he’d slowly pushed himself out of the picture and allowing them to have the spotlight while he stood out the frame. There were times that wished to disappear like his brother, Destruction. He didn’t know much about him and the others didn’t talk about him, not because they hated him, but because of the pain it brought them when reminded of their brother leaving without a word, abandoning his duty and hiding from the world.

When wandering around Dreams library he had found a book hidden deep in the shelves that contained a photo of his brother, Destruction. He looked older than the others and with a rugged expression on his face, having facial hair on his face and perhaps a grumpy like exterior. He kept the image of his brother in mind before putting the book back where it belongs in order to keep his brother, Dream from knowing his findings.

“A nightmare has escaped.”

He was doing his usual routine, hiding in the library and nose buried in a book before his ears perk at the sound of the ravens worried tone when landing near Lucians desk and letting her know about the situation.

“Does Lord Morpheus know about this?” Lucian had asked while she looked through the new plans of the realm, showing very little interest towards the situation since she had no control over dreams and nightmares.

The raven, Matthew tilts his head to the side. “He does—“

“Then I don’t see what this has to do with me.”

“It’s that new nightmare.” Said Matthew, voice laced with worry and concern.

His words causes Y/n to look up from his book, eyes widening when hearing Matthew. He knew what nightmare he was referring to and knew how messy the situation can turn out if a nightmare were to abandon its duties. Dream always kept an eye on his dreams and nightmares and had been making changes in his realm, more like improvements. He had been changing his nightmares into dreams and leaving him with time to make new nightmares for the dreamers, having created one that lurks on your deepest fears named Pitch.

Y/n never liked the nightmare when first meeting him, his tall structure and sharp yellow eyes always made him shiver and whenever he was alone the nightmare always found him.

“Pitch is nothing but problems.” Sighed Lucian while removing her glasses.

Matthew lets out a small sound of understanding. “He reminds me of the Corinthian in some way.”

The name was familiar to Y/n, having heard about him and the troubles he’s brought into Dreams realm the nightmare was so bad that Dream had to destroy his creation and store him away. His brother had claimed that he will restore the Corinthian again, one day when he deemed the time right.

Y/n doesn’t stay longer to listen to their conversation and closes his book, leaving it on the table and standing from where he sat. He doesn’t spare the librarian and raven a glance, having grown used to their silent glances when his presence is made known, leaving the library and making his way towards his brothers chambers where he finds him pacing around the room while reading a book in hand. He’s noticed the stack of books scattered on the floor with different names from many dreamers.

He can’t help but raise a brow at his brothers mess, but doesn’t point it out when approaching him.

“I suppose you are busy?”

Dream doesn’t look away from his book and keeps pacing. “I am always busy.” His voice echos back before stopping mid pace to look over to Y/n who stood a good distance from the other Endless. Dream looks at him up and down before asking. “Is there something you need?” He’d usually brush off anyone’s needs and focus on himself, but after his imprisonment of 100 years and spending more time around humans he’s grown to change.

Showing some compassion for once.

The younger endless stares at Dream and then down at the books that surround them both. He wants to jump in and help his brother with finding his missing nightmare to be able to do something for once. “I heard that Pitch left the realm.” He starts, noticing the slight frown appear on his brothers face which makes him bite the inside of his cheek in a nervous manner.

“I can help with finding him?” He finally asks.

Dream shuts his book which causes Y/n to flinch and avoid his brothers eyes, looking away nervously after asking. He would expect his brother to be upset for wanting to step in and provide assistance to his mistake when it was his duty to fix the problem and not Y/n’s.

But his brothers words surprise him. “I’d appreciate the help.”

Y/n’s eyebrows raise in surprise when he’s accepted to help, nodding slowly as he takes a few steps closer and a bit hesitant on what to do. “What are you looking for in these books?” He asks and bends down to pick one up, reading the name of the dreamer before flipping it open and skimming through the pages.

“Pitch lurks on fear. Since I no longer have my ruby, I am unable to find my nightmares and must doing things a bit differently.” Dream being to explain as he walks over to the other side of the room to toss the book he was currently reading on top of another pile. Y/n guessed that it’s the finished books he’s read. “If I wish to find Pitch I have to find out which dreamers are most likely to be targeted by him.”

Y/n looks back at the stack of books with wide eyes. “You’re trying to locate a dreamer who could possibly lure Pitch in?” He says in disbelief and turns back to Dream. “That could take hours or days, all dreamers have nightmares so Pitch could be going after anyone.” He sets the book down and steps back to stare at the different piles, reading off names and trying to figure out his brothers outrageous system of locating his missing nightmare.

Dream lets out a dry chuckle when hearing his little brothers worries and shakes his head. “Then,” he walks over to Y/n and hands him a book. “Lets get started.” The little Endless can only mentally groan as he takes the thick book in hand and watched Dream get back to his own reading.

The room falls into a comfortable silence as the two read for what felt like hours. The sound of flipping pages echoed in the throne room and the placement thud of the book beings piled up as the continued their reading. As much as he enjoyed spending time in his brothers library he was slowly growing tired of reading dreamers lives and how they spent their time in the dreaming realm when sleeping. Even though he doesn’t have a purpose he’s starting to realize that being a Dream lord wouldn’t be for him.

It wasn’t until he breaks out into a yawn that it gets the Dream lords attention, eyes glancing up from his book and towards his brother who was half asleep at this point. Dream sighs through his nose and closed his book, setting it aside from where he sat on the steps. “You're tired, get some sleep.”

Y/n snaps his head up and shakes his head at Dreams words. “I’m fine I can keep going.” He waves him off and tries to concentrate on the book o his lap, but Dream had quickly taken the book from him and closed it. “I can tell when someone doesn’t sleep.” His voice is low as he towers over Y/n who sits on the floor and sighs to himself, rubbing his eyes and nodding his head slowly. “Okay, I’ll get some sleep.” He mumbled in return as he stands from where he sat.

Even though he wanted to help Dream in finding Pitch he’d need to get some rest if he wishes to keep going. When letting Dream know that he will head off to his room and get some proper rest for the night he makes sure to sneak at least one book back to his bedroom in order to keep helping out of his brother sight and not get into any trouble.

He holds the book against his chest when leaving his throne room and down a different hall in his castle. He yawns again when reaching his own bedroom, its big and spacious when entering a few books are on the shelf and small little valuables are sitting near the balcony not having a lot since he spent most of his time in the Dreaming with his brother.

He tossed the book on his bed and falls face first into his pillow, moaning tiredly and closing his eyes for a few seconds, letting his body relax against the soft blankets and pillows. The silence wakes him back up, opening his eyes and glancing over to the book he had snuck into his room.

It was surprisingly thin and the binding is all black, getting his attention as he sits up and turns around to lie on his back. He grabs the book and holds it up, reading the name on the front cover.

“Bruce Wayne…” He whispers the name to himself and flips the cover open, starting at the beginning like every other book he’s read. He knows he’s suppose to be sleeping or else his brother will use his sand on him, but he can’t help but grow eager to continue helping his brother, to be able to do something for once as he reads the book in hand.

He’s nodding off little by little and trying to concentrate on the words on the pages, shaking the sleep away and sighing as he adjusts his sleeping position and groans before flipping to the next page only to freeze, his eyes full of confusion as he sits up, fully awake as he stares down at blank pages. He’s never seen something like this in the books, finding half of the pages blank.

The mans life ends in nightmares, but the blank pages had to mean something. He quickly pulls the blankets back and slips out of bed, rushing out of his room and holding the book in hand as he heads back to his brothers throne room to ask him about the strange book.

“Dream—?”

“Aren’t you suppose to be sleeping?” Dream cuts in and slams his book shut, setting it aside onto a pile. The time that Y/n spent reading had resulted in the shift of books, having less around the throne room since his brother had finished reading a few on his own. Before Y/n can ask about the blank pages in the book his brother had approached him and takes his wrist in hand, dragging him back to his room.

“Wait—!”

“I’ve told you many times that you are to be asleep, unlike me you need the rest since your body isn’t adjusted to the dreaming realm quiet yet.” He began to explain, disregarding Y/n’s protests as he’s dragged back to his room. “But Dream—!?”

“Enough talk.” They make it back to his room where Dream shoves him back into bed and takes the book from his grip, setting it aside and ignoring the title of the book since he was focused on Y/n.

“But the book!” said Y/n as he reached out to grab it only for Dream to push him back into bed.

“You can tell me about it tomorrow, now you sleep.” He doesn’t give Y/n the chance to speak again as he uses his sand on his little brother, watching as he yawns and his eyes slowly flutter closed.

—

Y/n doesn’t dream.

He knows that his own brother does since its apart of him, but Y/n never had dreams or nightmares. He always wondered if it was because he wasn’t an Endless like his siblings with a purpose in the human realm. His siblings had dreams, but never spoke about them. Dream had their books with their dreams and nightmares written locked away from prying hands, he never read their books in order to keep the privacy and respect, never lurking in their dreams to see what they think of when sleeping. He made a rule to never do such thing, but Dream was surprised when his little brothers book wasn’t on the shelf.

He had given it time since he was still young, but after eons, nothing.

That’s why Y/n had woken up without feeling anything, falling asleep in darkness and waking up as if nothing ever happened. He’d stare at the ceiling of his room, quiet and still as he thinks about last nights discoveries. He turns to his left where his brother had left the book. He would have expected Dream to take it back instead of leaving it in his room.

He takes the book into his hands again and reads the name to himself once more. His fingers opening the book as he flips through the empty pages in hopes of finding new words only to find nothing, ending in the same way as last night.

“You can’t be dead.” He says to himself when closing the book, he’s seen how their story is written before death comes for them. It always ends with a dream before their story reaches an end, but Bruce’s didn’t have that and it made him question it.

He holds the book in hand when leaving his room, heading off to see his brother only to find the throne room empty when arriving. The books that were scattered around were gone, leaving the place empty and clean. He decides to check the library, perhaps he could find his brother there if the books were all cleaned up.

Only, he doesn’t find his brother there other than Lucian.

“Lucian, have you seen Dream?” He speaks up softly towards the librarian as she organized a few books and puts them in their designated space in the shelves. She looks up from her work and sighs. “Lord Morpheus had to attend a family dinner.” She responds back which makes Y/n’s heart race at the statement, forgetting that family dinners were every few years.

He was always invited but rarely went since he didn’t want to deal with the usual conversations.

“Found your purpose yet?”

“Still staying with Dream?”

“Why even have another endless when you can’t figure out why you are here.”

The past conversation makes him shudder, hating the feeling of being different.

Lucian can easily see the sadness hidden behind Y/n’s eyes as if showing that he’s fine when deep down inside he was hurting.

“I was curious about something,” He began to say, holding the book under his arm. “have you ever dealt with a dreamers dreams not showing in their books?”

Lucian raises a brow at his question. “Lack of dreams?”

Y/n shakes his head. “More like, disappearing from the human realm when they aren’t really dead?” He winced at his own question, unsure if he was making sense towards the librarian.

“Oh,” Lucian gives him a look of surprise. “Well, we once dealt with a boy who went missing in the dreaming. We couldn’t find him in his books and it looked like he had disappeared from the world.” She explains while shelving books. “Turns out that a nightmare was keeping him hidden, using their power and work to hide the boy from the real world. A way of escaping reality and hiding in the dreaming.”

Y/n takes in her words, glancing down at the book he had. Thinking that perhaps this Bruce is suffering from nightmares, making him easy bait for Pitch. He isn’t sure if he’s right or wrong, but he knows he should let his brother know since its an urgent matter due to pitch leaving his duties and causing a problem to his brother.

“Thank you, Lucian.” He leaves the book on the table and quickly leaves the library. He doesn’t usually attend family dinners, but perhaps this once he can make an appearance only to let Dream know about his discoveries and then leave. His siblings always took turns in hosting dinners, sharing each others realms for a short period of time together.

Last dinner took place in Deaths realm, today it’s Destiny’s.

In order to enter his brothers realm he’d have to ask permission, but since its a family dinner he doesn’t need to ask. He’s only been in Destiny’s realm a few times, liking his garden that he walked through in order to make it to the clear opening where a dining table is set and finds his siblings conversing amongst each other.

He always felt nervous around his other siblings. He’s known them for eons, but he didn’t really know them. He only saw them as his siblings who took care of him when he was a child, but as time went by and he continued to age things had changed between them.

“Look who decided to join us.”

Desires voice floats through the air as he looks over to his sibling, giving them a small nod of acknowledgment. “Desire.”

“Endless.” They said back.

Y/n mentally flinched at the name. He’s Endless, but Endless of what?

“That’s a surprise, you usually don’t come to these dinners.” They continued on, taunting him with a sly grin on their face. “Oh!” They gasp out. “Are you here to tell us that you’ve finally found a purpose or did you just come to ruin the dinner?” They and Despair laugh at their comment which leaves Y/n quiet.

“That’s enough.” Dream cuts in, stopping his siblings mocking. Desire clicks their tongue and rolls their eyes when their fun is ruined.

Dream looks over to Y/n. “Are you here to join us?”

He doesn’t know what to say, his mind feels fuzzy and can hear his heart racing in his ears. His eyes glancing over to the twins who murmured to each other, his eyes then shift over to Death who looks at him with eyes full of pity and concern—he hated that look. His brother Destiny didn’t even look at him and and Delirium was lost in her own world.

It wasn’t until his eyes land on the empty chair across from Dream. He’s confused at first, asking himself why they would have a chair for him. “Oh…”

There was 7 seats, one for each sibling.

The seventh wasn’t for him. It was for his missing brother, Destruction.

He’s now realized had he’s never had a seat amongst them.

“Y/n?”

Dreams voice pulls him out of his thoughts, looking back at his brother and noticed the small hint of concern in his voice.

“Is something wrong?”

Y/n gives his brother a fake smile. “It’s nothing.”

He doesn’t stay much longer and turns his back, leaving his brothers garden and heading back to the Dreaming where he belonged. Did he really belong to the dreaming? Dream was only being a kind brother and letting him stay in his realm until he’s found his purpose but its been eons and he still hasn’t figured out what kind of endless he is. Thinking about it makes him feel like a burden, having bothered his brother for years not asking himself if Dream has perhaps grown tired of having him around.

He found beauty in his brothers work always amazed by his creations and ideas that he can’t help but think that he’s a mistake wandering around his brothers creation.

“You are just Endless.”

Dream of the Endless.

Death of the Endless.

Desire of the Endless.

They all had a name, but him.

“How can I know who I am…” He whispers in the emptiness of his room, staring at the pile of books that he had left forgotten in his room only to remember last nights book.

“Bruce Wayne.”

He may not be someone who can lead him to Pitch, but he could be a start. He’s curious to know why his book ended in blank pages, waiting to be filled with words. Even if he was wrong at least it was an excuse for him to leave the realm to perhaps find himself something out in the Waking.

Y/n had seen the Waking and had very little interactions with mortals, but perhaps he’ll get the chance to know them at a better level. There isn’t much for him to take other than a notebook with notes regarding his brothers dreams and nightmares and his time here in the dreaming. His room never had anything valuable only a simple bed and a few books, nothing else.

He flips the book open and reads his last page.

“Gotham City.”

[nitewrighter]

When writers say the riddler is too silly for modern Batman stories, I wonder how much of that is code for “I can’t write good riddles”. I mean, even btas only had a few episodes with Eddie because Dini admitted they had a hard time coming up with them.

I suppose it brings up a problem with writing a character who’s supposed to be smarter than you.

It’s easy to have joker blow up a bunch of buildings.

You want to show a villain is tough, have them smack the heroes around a little.

You want to show a character is a genius, just have the build robots or time machines or whatever.

But very few can hit that intellectual sweet spot between “overly complex word puzzles so difficult Bruce has to pull the answers out of his butt” and “dopey puns that wouldn’t make popsicle stick standards”

I mean obviously the puns and silly little puzzles are a vital part of the Riddler, but you know, even if you can't write that, there are aspects of the Riddler that you can focus on that still feel true to the core of the character. I think the pathological need for attention can be a great focus for his character, and I think the Arkham Games did a fun job with that even if the majority of the 'riddles' were just in-game puzzles and him taunting you. There's also something to be said about like... certain facets of the Rogues basically getting offloaded onto the Joker because DC feels the need to jam Joker into everything to make it sell. Like, you have variations on Harvey's Two-Face origin story getting offloaded onto the Joker because of the Joker's (might not even be real because one of the Joker's whole THINGS is that he's an unreliable narrator) "Red Hood" origin story in The Killing Joke. So like, Bruce and Harvey are childhood friends, but then DC will bring in the Joker and kind of co-opt (one of) Harvey's origin stories to say, "Batman was, while unintentionally, intimately involved with the creation of the Joker." But like... the whole thing about the Joker is that we, as the audience, aren't ever really supposed to know why the Joker's Like That. That's the whole point of him having multiple "You wanna know how I got these scars?" stories in Nolan's The Dark Knight.

But like... take the Joker's obsession with being Batman's Ultimate Nemesis in The Lego Batman, for example--you actually have a lot of Batman's relationship with the Riddler in that particular interpretation of the Joker, because for the Riddler, it's all about proving himself as Batman's intellectual superior, and actually a major factor of their chemistry is that this obsession is significantly one-sided on the Riddler's end. And I think the Matt Reeves Batman also handled that "one-sided obsession" aspect of the Riddler really well, as well. Like, for Batman, it's all just mystery to solve and then you finally get to the Riddler and Paul Dano's Riddler is like "Wrow. I knew you'd find me because we're so alike and we're besties! It's allll for youuuu!" and then you have Batman fire back with "We're nothing alike--! Wait, I just remembered I'm also an off-putting loner freak. Uh oh." So like... there are ways to feel true to the Riddler even if you can't go full camp.

The Riddler WANTS Batman to find him. He WANTS Batman to solve his riddles because not only is that the only way he is 'seen' but he believes it also gives him control in how he is seen and who he is seen by--although it really doesn't because Batman has already made his assessment of "This is an egotistical loner freak who is desperate for attention and obsessed with me."

[havendance]

Year One vs Zero Year: A Tale of Two Batmen

(You can also read this on AO3 if you want)

In the introduction to the Batman: Year One collected edition, Dennis O’Neil writes about the impetus behind the post-crisis reboot—things had become dated and it was time to revamp their most iconic characters: Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman. “The writers assigned to the task had quick and clear ideas about how to update Superman and Wonder Woman, but Batman was a problem. He was fine just as he was.” Batman: Year One was not a story that was trying to reinvent Batman, it was a story that was trying to distill him, to revisit and retell his origin for a new era of DC storytelling. Whatever you may think of Frank Miller, he and David Mazzucchelli certainly succeeded with that goal.

While I don’t have a nice clear editorial quote like that for Batman: Zero Year, it’s clear that Synder was trying to do the same with the story. Zero Year is a Batman origin for the new era of storytelling that was the New 52. It has its nods to Miller—it has to, simply existing after Year One’s influential rewrite of Bruce’s origin—but it owes far more to the Batman of the golden age in it's story beats. It is not just Batman: Year One for the New 52, it is the Batman origin of the post-flashpoint comics, it's art and storytelling reflecting this Batman of a new era.

Batman’s origin has always been consistent in its strokes: Bruce Wayne’s parents are killed by a mugger. Devastated, the young boy swears to devote his life to justice. He trains both body and mind, until finally ready to begin, a bat flies through the window, and he takes it as an sign that he should become Batman—a creature that strikes fear in the hearts of criminals. It can be summarized in a page or two to get the audience up to speed.

(Batman’s Origin as told in Batman #47)

Neither Year One nor Zero Year change any of the fundamental pieces, but the narratives that surround them are vastly different. Year One seeks to tell a Batman origin grounded in reality as much as it can. In an afterward by David Mazzuchelli in the Batman: Year One collected edition he writes that “with year one, we sought to craft a credible Batman, grounded in a world we recognize”. The main enemy that Bruce Wayne faces is corruption: in the police and in the leading families of Gotham. Beside Gordon and Alfred, the other members of the Batman mythos that are present are Selina Kyle, just beginning to put on the catsuit and Harvey Dent prior to becoming Two Face, both of them surrounded by plausibility and grit. The Joker gets a single name drop at the end. It takes up four issues and covers the span of a year, covering the emergence of Batman’s mission

In contrast, Zero Year is bombastic. It’s a story full of bright colors and fantastic events: explosions, blimp chases, and Gotham city cut off and run as the Riddler’s personal fiefdom. It’s longer—spanning 10 issues—and covers a significantly shorter period of time. In it, Batman faces the Joker, The Riddler, and a bone-mutated mad scientist foe who’s name I don’t remember. Pamela Isley and the Penguin are alluded to as well. The giant penny plays a role in the plot. It calls back to many pieces of golden age lore, such as Bruce’s Uncle Philip Kane, and his love interest Julie Madison. (For a more modern retelling of the golden age Batman’s origin, see Secret Origins (1986) #6)

(The Batman: Year One and Batman: Zero Year trades. Please also note that the Year One trade contains at least an extra issue’s worth of bonus content at the end, where the Zero Year trade only has some variant covers)

There is also a difference in attitude between the two origins. Year One is a comic that is trying to escape the bounds of genre; Zero Year is a comic that revels in it. Part of it is the tone—Year One is setting itself in contrast to the Batman of the past in its commitment to realism rather than melodrama. Part of it is the art. In terms of color, the original printing of Year One and Zero Year are very similar. In Year One, this is because of technical limitations. There are only so many colors, most of them bright, and still Richmond Lewis works to create a strong sense of atmosphere to highlight the noir-type story that is being told. Zero Year uses these colors as a deliberate homage to comics of the past. It’s filled with bright pinks, blues, yellows, and greens set in contrast to each other. It’s beautiful. It’s also a clear stylistic choice.

Richmond redid the colors of Year One for later reprintings. While beautiful, they are far more subdued and muted. It’s clearly the sort of look they wanted for Year One from the beginning, but could not achieve. In contrast, Zero Year stands out from the comics surrounding it in the first half of the New 52 precisely because everything else is illustrated in this overly realistic dull and gritty style.

(Batman #405 — original printing vs recolor)

(Batman (2011) #22 vs Batman (2011) #1 — These comics have the same colorist, but clearly different philosophies guiding them)

This can also be seen in the Batman costumes themselves. While both Year One and Zero Year are drawing from the same original Batman costume from Detective Comics #27, they take different parts. Year One’s Batman suit has a simple and streamlined black and grey. The Zero Year suit keeps the purple gloves.

(From left to right: Batman in Detective Comics #27, Batman #405, and Batman (2011) #24. While the image from Detective Comics #27 is faded, note that the gloves are purple)

This contrast isn’t just in the origins themselves—it is the comics that surround and follow them as well. Year One and Zero Year are origins for two different eras of Batman. I’ve read primarily post-crisis Batman comics and am less familiar with the pre-crisis era, so I can’t say how much of the storylines that followed were specifically picking up on Year One’s influence, and how much was just the natural change in storytelling direction, but throughout the major Batman events of the Post-Crisis era, there is a throughline of sensibilities that they share with Year One. AsYear One set out to tell the grounded origin of the Batman, so do many of the foes and challenges he faces have this grounded nature to them as well. They all still have a larger than life feel, but the foes Batman faces tend to fall into the categories of crime (Knightfall, War Games), natural disasters (Contagion, Legacy, Cataclysm), and himself (all of them, but more specifically Murderer/Fugitive and arguably a Lonely Place of Dying as well). These are events that start from a realistic starting point that are magnified. Earthquakes, outbreaks of disease, a gang war—these are all things that could happen to any city. Any man could lose a son or be framed for murder. The heightened nature of these stories is what separates them from the real world.

(Even an event like No Man’s Land, with its premise of ‘Gotham getting kicked out the United States’ that stretches the suspension of disbelief, is intensely focused on what this means for the city that remains. It cares about grounding the fantastic events in real reactions.)

In contrast, post-flashpoint events tend to have this more fantastical feel. The Night of the Owls does not put Bruce up against ordinary corruption among the elite, but against a masked conspiracy with immortal assassins at their disposal. The driving force of Robin War is not the idealism of the We Are Robin movement against a city that doesn’t like or trust them, but a power play by the Court of Owls. In Night of the Monster Men, Batman and co. fight Kaiju-like monsters; there are themes of contagion throughout the story, but this isn’t a hopeless fight against that ancient enemy of humanity that is disease, it’s a thrilling, action-packed fight. One approach is not necessarily better than the other, but they are fundamentally different paradigms of storytelling. I remember reading Night of the Monster Men at the same time as the lead up to Bruce Wayne: Murdere/Fugitive and thinking that they didn’t feel anything alike.

 Unlike Year One, Zero Year does not feel like a origin point for this shift in narrative focus. The beginning of the new52, while having the benefit of being the beginning of a new era, also isn’t it—these storytelling trends could be seen in the comics leading up to Flashpoint as well. If I had to pick an event that started to show this shift, it would be Batman RIP. Morrison’s love for silver age comics and deep cuts to lore lead it to having that same fantastical feel. While the Batman of Morrison’s run is nominatively the one of Year: One, he fits more in line with the storytelling motivations of Zero Year—the callbacks to older ages (Morrisons’ Batman definitely wore the purple gloves), the extreme feats of survival, the larger than life events. Year One was an origin for an era that had come to an end.

A new Batman origin was inevitable, if for no other reason than the constant passage of time. One of the big differences between Year One and Zero Year is the sheer difference in the type of technology Batman uses in each. In Year One, there is no Bat-Computer. Bruce has his grappling hooks, his smoke bombs, his ultrasonic device that summons hoards of bats—It’s all far too simple for a Batman of today’s world. Zero Year has computers everywhere and Batman’s gadgets are upgrading to fit the glitz and advancement of the modern era. The New52 gave DC the chance to revisit it and for better or for worse, no one could call Zero Year, ‘Year One only set 30 years later’. Both works are products of their times, and both works show the audience not only the basic beats of Bruce’s origin, but also what a Batman story looks like. Together, they show the way that he has evolved as a character over the years. Maybe in 15 years, DC will put out another origin epic for Batman. Chances are, he’ll have changed yet again.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Now I have to ask: What's Alfred's place in all this? Does Eddie move in with Bruce in this hypothetical pride issue? Does Alfred have to deal with him just riddling all over the manor?

Cause I'm thinking of the way Alfred and Eddie's interactions went in the podcasts, Alfred having to give him the shovel talk and all, but ofc in this case the situation would be different since this wouldn't cause an Egypt dinner situation and all

okay well first of all this isn't about the podcasts, this is an original piece that DC is hiring me to publish for them in a fantasy world where they're willing to let Batman suck a dick.

anyway in every universe Alfred is opposed to Bruce doing things that put him in danger, which is why Alfred is generally having a pretty terrible time and has to be a 24/7 megacunt to avoid spending all of his time screaming in to the void, so he clearly would not LOVE this! there has to be a better way, Master Bruce!! there was no actual reason you had to kiss the Riddler with tongue, Master Bruce!!!

also no there's no way in HELL he's living in Wayne Manor that's insane. I'm picturing this story being very like that episode of BTAS where the Riddler's like "no I'm normal now ;) I'm a legitimate businessman ;)" and he's just fucking around Gotham high society. he's probably genuinely making a lot of legitimate money; I've talked about this before but one of my favorite traits people give the Riddler is like. "man who is very brilliant and very able to make a ton of money completely legally but unfortunately he has Problems Disorder and keeps shooting himself in the dick." I think in the story I'm pitching here he's probably being really annoying and ostentatious with it (hello, flirting with Bruce Wayne) so he's staying in the penthouse of like. an extremely expensive and tacky Egyptian-themed hotel. you know, for the sphinx motif?

guys am I putting too much thought into this. does anyone know how to get an interview with DC.

[phantom-dc]

Dad Hood - part 14

Bruce was getting a weird feeling. He thought that with Jason coming clean about having a kid and with he misunderstanding about Jason being cloned cleared up that things would go back to normal. But the way his sons were acting told him that there was still something he didn’t know. It likely had something to do with Danny, but he wasn’t sure what. Danny was a sweet kid, always eager to help others and make new friends. Bruce had still no clue what Dick, Tim and Jason were hiding from him and it nagged at him. He was suspicious that it was something big, otherwise one of them would’ve ratted the others out by now. If not to him then to Duke, Steph or Cass. Even Alfred didn’t know what was going on, and there were times Bruce suspected him of being an all-knowing being only pretending to be human. Bruce decided to keep an close eye. It’s not like he could investigate the Joker case any further before J’ohn came back from Mars anyway.

‘Grandpa Bruce, is daddy’s doll dry yet?’

Bruce looked down. Danny was looking at him with big eyes, waiting for the paint on their self-made Red Hood action figure to dry. Checking it with his finger, Bruce found it had dried and was ready.

‘It seems he is, champ. Here you go, you can play all you want with him. Be careful not to break him, ok?’

After Bruce handed Danny the action figure, Danny got really excited. He immediately ran back to his other toys so he could play out the stories his uncle’s told him about. Though they were made child-friendly, of course. Danny immediately gathered the Batman, Nightwing and Red Robin toys. He even had a Mr. Freeze and Riddler toy. Mr. Freeze had no problem with his visage being used as long as a portion of the money went to his wife’s cure. Riddler had seen it as a contest with Batman, so his toy even came with pre-recorded riddles! Seeing Danny play with them, Bruce turned to the other people in the room.

‘Dang, Bruce. You’re really playing into the grandpa role, aren’t you?’

Jason smirked at Bruce. It was a good thing that there wasn’t much happening in Gotham. With things calm in the city, he could stay a bit longer and the family could bond. Jason couldn’t remember the last time things were like this. He started to wonder if he should tell everyone how Danny took care of his Lazarus problem… Nah, they would just ask more questions and he really didn’t want to put his Soul on display again. Never again.

‘You’re not going anywhere, Red Hood! We’ll skin you alive and turn you into a coffee table!’ Danny said, holding the Mr. Freeze toy.

Dick, Jason, Tim and Bruce looked at Danny. Where had he picked up that language? Sure, Jason wasn’t always able to watch what he said around Danny, but he never threatened to turn someone into furniture? Maybe he should try it though. He bet he could make it work, with his reputation and all.

‘You are going down! The Red Hood never loses! Pew pew!’ Danny was pretending the Red Hood toy could shoot lasers from his hands.

Dick thought it was adorable. Did Danny think Jason had laser guns? Did he see those in cartoons? Maybe Danny liked those sci fi cartoons that were popular nowadays. With all the glow-in-the-dark stars Danny put up in his room it was obvious that Danny loved space. He wonders if Danny had those stars in his old house.

‘I am the Question Mark, and you will question why you ever thought you could win!’ Danny was holding the Riddler toy, and for some reason putting up a mad-scientist voice.

Bruce was worried. What had Danny been through that he knew about stuff like this? The threats and the obvious mad-scientist. Did the person Danny was copying the voice off the same one as the person that tried to clone him? It made him think. After Jason had told him that Danny had adoptive parents out there, he had avoided the issue. He’d been too happy to have a new family member. But now? Would it be safe for Danny? He should investigate these ‘parents’, so he could decide if it would be safer for Danny to stay here. If he was going to stay, Bruce knew that he would be fine. Everyone loved Danny, and Jason was being a very good father-figure to him. Bruce could tell that Jason loved his son very much, and would do anything for him. Somewhere, deep down, Bruce wished he could say the same thing.

‘You’re defeated, Question-Mark-man! No evil people will harm the innocents while the Red Hood is here!’ Danny put the Red Hood toy’s foot on the Riddler toy, in a triumphant pose.

Jason smiled. It was nice to be his kids hero. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Bruce looked at him with a very proud look in his eyes.

‘Jason, I must say, I’m proud of you. You’re a good father.’

And then Danny phased the Riddler toy into the floor.

Bruce, Jason and Dick were looking at Danny. Danny, who had just phased a toy into the floor. Seeing the gears turning in Bruce’s head, Tim quickly scooped up the kid and left the room. As Bruce slowly turned to look at Jason and Dick, Jason decided to make the first move:

‘IT WAS DICK’S FAULT!’

Dick was shocked by that. They immediately started arguing. Dick accused Jason of throwing him under the bus. Jason accused Dick of leaving Danny alone in public. Dick threw back that Jason didn’t warn him about Danny being so much to handle. Jason asked why on Earth he told his 5-year old child that he puts people in the ground, this never would’ve-

‘ENOUGH!’

Bruce’s voice boomed through the room, silencing the 2 brothers. He was furious. His grandson was the reason the Joker was dead, and his own children tried to hide it from him! Bruce took a deep breath. Dick and Jason were looking guilty. Bruce was reminder of how they looked when they got into trouble as kids, but this was serious. The fight the two had did reveal a few things to Bruce.

‘So, Danny is a meta? And you, Dick, told him that bad people are to be buried alive?’

Dick didn’t look him in the eyes:

‘He wanted to know what Jason did for work, and I was overwhelmed and it just came out? I knew I messed up as soon as I said it, but Dany didn’t seem to care. I never thought he would-’

Bruce cut him off. He needed more information, not excuses.

‘Does Danny realize he killed someone?’

Jason said Danny didn’t, at least Jason thinks he didn’t. Danny never showed signs of that, but with all the things that Danny does do it might have slipped through. Jason still isn’t sure what things Danny tells him are real and what is a child’s interpretations. Bruce sighed. That was good, at least they didn’t have another trauma to deal with.

‘Ok, we can deal with this. But I do need to know what Danny can do before we can make plans for him. Is phase-shifting his only power?’

Jason looked at Dick with a strange look, that promised nothing good. He pulled out a tiny black notebook, scribbled something in it, claiming to be updating the list and handed it to Bruce.

Invisibility

Cryokinesis

Flight

Soul-pulling-out-powers???

Destructive scream

Super strength

(Flying) Superspeed

Photokineses

Shields

Doesn't need to breath (as often)?

Color changing (Camouflage? Different form?)

Phase-shifting

Bruce read it over. He looked at Jason.

‘Jason. This is like half the Justice League’s powers.’

Jason just nods. Dick tells him this is only what they’ve seen Danny do. They have no clue what else he can do. Danny’s memory is iffy, and couldn’t give them a list himself.

‘We need to figure out where Danny came from. We put this off long enough, but this amount of powers is concerning. I’m guessing you were hiding more form me, so the both of you need to come clean about everything.’

Jason sighed. He knew this was coming. He told Bruce everything. How Danny just showed up, to the Lazarus blood, to being cloned, to being younger than he should be and everything. By the end, Bruce had turned slightly pale. The three decided to use the Bat-computer to find out more.

When they got there, Tim was already working on Danny’s case. He managed to track Danny from the orphanage in Europe that Talia had left him at. There Danny had been adopted by a family called ‘the Fenton’s’, but he had lost sight of them after they moved to the US. No matter how hard Tim tried, he couldn’t find anything. It was almost like there was some sort off wall blocking all information. As much as he hated to admit it, Tim didn’t think that technology would help them much further. Bruce thought for a bit. If technology couldn’t help…

‘Good thing Constantine still owes me a favor, then.’

First - Previous - Next - AO3

[multifanatics]

Waiting Out a Storm

A/N: I put nearly everyone in this so I could get a taste of their characters. I nearly fell asleep writing this so hopefully its not horrible.

Warnings: Sexual content, General fluffiness, Anxiety due to storms, There could be more that I didn't think of.

Edward Nygma // Riddler

It’s raining and he’s unable to hear himself think against the loud noise of the wind.

He’s annoyed nonetheless, he can’t get work done in these conditions. 

Makes himself hot chocolate and steals all the blankets in the house. 

If you're nice to him he’ll maybe share one blanket but don’t count on it. 

If the power goes out and there’s nothing to do. 

He’s offering you to warm him up. 

He gets cold and hates being cold. 

He’s miserable and makes it your problem more than it is his.

If you seem nervous or scared because of the storm he may be more accommodating to letting you have blankets. MAYBE. 

One way or another definitely leads to sex.

Victor Fries // Freeze

It’s snowing in Gotham? It’s Christmas for Victor. 

The wind and heavy snow he’ll be outside the entire time.

That is of course if you aren’t at all nervous due to the blizzard. 

If you are that’s alright, He’ll stay inside for you. 

Making sure you are warm enough. 

You both are going to sit on the couch and watch your favorite movie. 

Power goes out? May not be what you want but he’s willing to play chess or any other type of board game with you. 

If you ask him, he may be willing to try and keep you warmer. Even if his body temperature is lower then the current storm. 

Keeps you wrapped up in blankets no matter what. 

His body temperature can handle the negatives but yours can’t or at least shouldn’t. 

Harvey Dent // Two Face

Harvey hates storms, while Harv doesn’t mind them. 

Harvey will cuddle you under piles of blankets clinging to you for warmth. 

While Harv will more than likely be found outside if the coin allows him to be. 

Otherwise Harv is indoors and clung to you in a much different way than Harvey. 

Harv typically has his hands on your hips, chin on your shoulder everywhere you go. 

While Harvey is much more a pile of blankets and cuddles.

Human furnace and knows it. 

Harv would be much more open to fucking for warmth, even offers. 

Harvey strikes me as the kind of man who would build a pillow fort during a storm if you’re both anxious or the power is out. 

While Harv would be fine just falling asleep.  

Jonathan Crane // Scarecrow 

One of the first things you told him was your fear of storms. 

And now he gets to watch how you react.

He does not leave your side during the storm for personal reasons that can range from your warmth to your fear.

Horror movies, blankets, and hot chocolate. 

If the power goes out? Horror stories with a flashlight like they do at camps in October. 

Cuddle him and tell him about your fear he was a psychiatrist after all maybe he can help… or make it much worse by accident, possibly. 

I’m in the middle of him waiting for you to offer sex or he doesn’t enjoy it during a storm. 

I see him as a “No power, no problem.” kind of guy and somehow getting everything he needed done. 

He gets cold and sort of carries around a blanket like a cape. Over his shoulders and occasionally encasing him if he stands still. 

Paranoia is his specialty, don't try to hide it from him, he’ll find out anyway. 

Jervis Tetch // Mad Hatter

Tea party in the dark even if the power is working.

Definitely at least a little bit anxious himself. 

Is against any kind of “more heat” ideas you can think of. 

He has a routine, hiding in blankets and drinking tea in the dark and silence.

Though since you’re there maybe it doesn’t have to be silent. 

Sharing blankets is a must with him, maybe not all cuddly but definitely share your blankets. 

Can be clinging if he’s extra anxious. 

He keeps the power off even if it’s working. He can’t hypnotize the lights to stay on so he rather not have the surprise. 

Super sweet if you are anxious as well. 

Recites his favorite poetry, books, or lines from a movie.  

Joker 

His current hideout has a backup generator so don’t worry about the lights going out

What? If there’s no lights how is he supposed to know if people actually enjoy his jokes? 

He’s nowhere to be seen except you know he’s in the same place as you. 

He takes this time to get more work done. 

If you need him for warmth you can sit on his lap while he works. 

If he doesn’t have anything to get done? He’ll drive you mad with a bunch of different jokes. 

He doesn’t cuddle and he won’t screw around during a storm. 

Gives you blankets then sits next to you.

He doesn’t get cold, maybe a little bit but it’s not something he can’t handle.

If you’re anxious he can always offer a kiss and some jokes. 

Oswald Cobblepot // Penguin

It’s storming? Since when? 

He has to look outside to know it’s storming. 

He’s not at all phased by any type of storm unless he’s caught wind of someone plotting against him. 

You need to voice to him you’re nervous and want him to stay around otherwise he’ll be off working. 

If you voice to him you are anxious he’ll offer to watch a movie or something. 

He’s burying you in the warmest blankets if you say you’re cold and you have goosebumps. 

He’s actually very understanding and not very bothered by you at all. 

It was about time he took a break anyway. 

He has backup generators for backup generators he has power in all ways that matter. 

If you want to screw around he’ll cockwarm but he’s only going to mess around if the mood takes him.  

Harleen Quinzel // Harley Quinn 

She complains. 

She hates the cold but surprisingly doesn't mind storms. 

Harley will cuddle or at least fall asleep on your chest or shoulder.

Will steal your blankets. 

Clingy in a non clingy way. She’ll go up to you and stare at you until you get a clue, if you don’t then she minds her own business. 

Definitely down for messing around, much more teasing. 

She will do whatever the hell you want too.

She’ll talk about the days before she became Harley Quinn, and how much colder the cells are at Arkham. 

If you manage to snuggle up to her she’ll share her blankets. 

She clears all anxiety with her degree. 

Pamley Isley // Poison Ivy

Claims its nature letting go.

LOVES storms and doesn’t mind the cold. 

Checks on her plants during the storm. 

Disregards you unless you pay attention to her.

Say you're cold and she will make the best herbal tea. 

She’s calming your anxiety with talk of which plants grow better in the cold and why they need the cold. 

She understands nature and wants nothing more than to ensure everything she likes is alright. 

She shares her blankets with you. 

Would watch whatever. 

You fall asleep and she’ll leave you a few blankets and go outside to enjoy the storm.

[riddler-green]

Tea for three. Prologue

Summary: You have been a patient/prisoner of Arkham for several months since you were charged with a crime you did not commit. But what happens when you meet Batman's latest enemy? the man of the hour? In which you help Batman on his cases, you're Edward's new favorite person, and Jonathan is part of your past that you want so badly to return to.

Edward Nashton x reader, Bruce Wayne x reader, Jonathan Crane x reader.

A/n: Holaaa everyone! here I am posting another story that I thought of in a sleepless night, I think it's one of my most ambitious fics that I've been planning but that makes it cooler! I should clarify that this fanfic is mixed with the 2022 movie with the Nolan saga (but in such a minuscule way that it's barely imperceivable). I'm back from my vacation so I'll update my other work soon! ♡

I also want to clarify that English is not my first language, so an apologize for the spelling mistakes. ✧˖°. (My English is rusty :´p).

(Also this fanfic is published on AO3) ✿

Warning: Fluff and angst, Obsessive Behavior, Canon Compliant (the flood occurred, sorry) Movie spoiler (Batman 2022) if there is another warning I did not put, please let me know.

Words: 5,400

You stroll as two guards lead you to a room, you don't know where they are taking you but it's not like you could complain either. The guards behind you ignored you all the way chatting with each other as if they were not watching an Arkham patient, they let you into the individual visiting room. Still, you nicknamed it the interrogation room because you only come here when that person requests your presence.

You sit down without a problem in the stiff metal chair, the approving noise of the iron partition sounds throughout the place, and you hear one of the guards closing the door leaving you alone with him.

At first, it was tedious, even traumatic in a way to come to this room to talk to the person who captured you and brought you to Arkham without hesitation. You couldn't refuse to see him, not when the caped man is a colleague of an important commissioner. No matter how many times you told him, how many times you yelled at him that you were innocent, he either didn't believe you or just wouldn't listen. You got tired of telling everyone around you that it wasn't your fault, none of them listened to you.

The metal partition rises completely, and little by little you see the almost imperceptible figure of the knight of the night. He kept silent without sitting down, standing in front of you analyzing you as everyone does nowadays, but you no longer care what he thinks of you, you are practically a hopeless case for him.

"Hello?" your greeting sounded confusing, you were not expecting a visit from him, but you have an idea why he comes to you, on certain occasions he shows you cases of different indoles, also that he has found some clue of the…

"I'm looking for the Riddler" He doesn't greet you and moves closer to the glass that separates them, you can take a better look at him, he's still the same since the last time you saw him, his attire nor his face have changed at all, but you notice something different in his voice, is it tiredness you hear?

"The Riddler?" you look at him unclear as to what he means "Who is that?".

"A serial killer" he informs you, you often hear those terrible words from him, how often does Batman chase killers like that, it's like there's one every week, it's cruel but it's the truth, Gotham is the cradle of evil, hell on earth, some would say.

"And what have I got to do with him?" you ask hesitantly.

Batman leaves a gray folder in the crack that connects the two rooms as if it were a mailbox "I need to know your perspective".

For a moment you thought about rejecting whatever is in that folder, but your curiosity won you over, you slowly grabbed the folder somewhat heavy because of the many sheets stored, on the cover of the folder you can see a CLASSIFIED in capital letters, that fuels your interest even more and you open the folder.

It's a lot to take in at once, you open your eyes from the initial shock, you haven't seen so much blood since your clinical internship days, you close the folder for a few seconds to recover, and you look Batman in the eye with a frown, he didn't even warn you how grotesque the case could be. 

Batman looks back at you completely seriously, he looks immutable and silent. You open the folder again and are greeted by the same disturbing images "Wow, it's something " you comment uneasily.

You see the evidence, black and white photos of the murders stapled to the autopsy reports, it is amazing how this man can have such information. the more time you spend reading the events and the evidence the more disturbed you become. 

Mayor Don Mitchell Jr, mayor of Gotham for several years, you saw him once at a social event done by Gotham University, he was happy and smiling maybe because of the excess alcohol in his veins. but now you look at the crime scene, his face completely wrapped in duct tape.

"No more lies..." you whisper reading the message on the corpse of the mayor, then that was with an already established motive, to give a statement.

On the other hand, Commissioner Savage's body is barely recognizable, the cage on his head says it all.

This is no ordinary killer.

What have you gotten yourself into, batman?

"why are you showing me this?" you manage to ask him even with the murders fresh in your mind, you don't think you will sleep tonight.

The already-seated masked man repeats to you "I need to know your perspective".

"As a patient or as a psychologist?" technically you can no longer practice your career since they took away your degree, but he doesn't correct you, you peruse everything that was offered, the riddles, the pictures of all the letters he has left for Batman, descriptions of the crime scene, write-ups of the witnesses who found the bodies.

"Both" he declares.

The handcuffs on your wrists do not give you much freedom to move your arms but do not prevent you from handling the documents in the folder, if Batman thought this might interest you he was right, for better or worse you did not stop seeing file after file.

"How extravagant," you say your first impressions "Brusque with his victims, he really is angry" You turn the page to see the pictures of his riddles "But he is also ingenious, this is not prepared from one day to another, he has been planning this for a long time, I would say years".

"Angry at who?" the man in front of you asks but you don't answer him instantly, you take your time carefully reading all the research, it's a lot for only one killer and few victims, but it's nothing that can be used to find him.

"With the world" you turn the page to see Commissioner Savage's crime scene photo "The pattern is evident, the mayor...the commissioner...does not kill ordinary civilians." 

"Do you think it's political?".

You barely smile at the mere idea that this is just politics "No, this is too intimate for him, riddles are an essential part of his life that he knows how to use to his advantage...and I only come to one conclusion..." you shut up and rearrange the documents to close the folder. 

"What is it?" batman questions you with intrigue in his voice.

You see him again, he must be desperate somehow to find this Riddler who asks for the opinions of third parties, of "crazy" people like you, something he dislikes, he prefers to work alone, that's his emblem. Deep down it angers you to no end, he hasn't caught your living nightmare and he's already looking for another asshole.

"That" you passed him the folder through the crack in the partition between rooms, and he retrieves it in his hands "Is revenge, Batman, and a very wicked one."

"Give me a diagnosis" he speaks faster, and the anger starts to seep into his face and it satisfies you to sometimes see him like this, frustrated Batman...yeah that's a first.

you smile and relax in your stiff metal seat "You should ask Dr. Crane for that, he's more prepared than I am, don't you think?".

"He refused" You'd know he'd turn it down, he's not like Batman or you, he doesn't even like to play Clue.

"yeah, he doesn't have the hobby of playing detective" you shrug your shoulders "I can't give you a diagnosis because it's little, he has left only what he wants us to know, maybe he includes you in this because he admires you or because he wants to kill you, who knows" you blurt out everything you think without any shame, in your mind you are already putting together a criminal profile with only what he gave you, but you won't tell him that, he doesn't deserve your help.

The masked man's posture tenses and he begins to clench his fists, your smile grows. 

"all that, all those little clues he leaves you make me think this is all a big riddle on his part" You pointed to the folder held by one of his gloved hands.

"I don't think he's going to stop until he sees everyone on his list dead."

What you told him seemed to affect him, because he suddenly gets up and goes to the door without looking at you, and he found no news "I can't waste time" he whispers with disdain, he leaves the room and you stand watching the door where he left.

So it's a riddle against the clock, huh? you think.

The sky in Gotham looks like a landscape worthy to take a picture of, from here you can see the buildings of different heights, the traffic between highways, and the bridges, even if you force your sight you can see people walking.

"Do you like the view?".

You continue to look through the window reinforced with bars and tempered glass, the bars cover part of the landscape but you can still admire the beautiful gray sky full of clouds ready to rain.

"yes..." you say putting your hands between the bars without stopping to think how happy you would be just to be out of this abyss. you didn't appreciate the beauty of the freedom you had before you were here.

"What do you like most about the view?".

You take a few seconds to respond, the handcuffs on your wrists started to itch on your skin, that itch so normalized on your skin that you don't do much to get rid of that itch, you didn't look away from the window, this simple reinforced window brought you comfort for all these months.

"Everything."

"You hear the voice of your therapist repeat your answer and nod, will your cafeteria still be open? The Gotham Library will have finally added new books? the university will have already changed that horrible lamp in one of your favorite classrooms? 

Batman already caught the Riddler?

"What a good answer actually, but I need you to sit down for a further conversation, soon the session will be over" The doctor's professional tone makes you tense up, you feel like you are not talking to a human but to a fucking robot, that's how you have thought them since you were imposed to this therapist.

You listen to what you say and sit in the other chair where you are supposed to be for the whole session, however, Mr. M has let you have the sessions while you watch from the only window, you are grateful for that, even if you didn't like him at all.

"I have been informed about your good behavior this week, if you continue like this you can be given more access through the hospital" Mr.M speaks calmly looking through several documents held by a wooden board.

Fuck you, you thought but didn't tell him, you don't have the luxury of being rude to him. you'll never get the same freedom you got when you were still an average citizen of Gotham and it saddens you, it makes your blood boil to remember every moment of your existence that you're here unjustly.

"Thank you" You speak as little as possible because you know you would break down in tears just remembering that you are another day of your life wasted locked up among so many criminals.

"But" Mr.M stops looking at his documents to turn to look at you "I was also told that you refuse to take your medication, why is that?".

"Why don't I need them" you speak cuttingly again, the itch in your wrists grows and you scratch with your fingernails without realizing it.

"you have to take his medicine...it will make your recovery process more enjoyable" he grabs his tablet with documents and writes again, Mr.M does not scold you but you perceive it like this, you want to go back to your cell, you feel so ashamed that your skin gets hot, how did you come to this? How did you fall so low that you are the one they have to medicate? 

"Fine" you lie to him, you dislike the taste of the medicine they force you to take, you know perfectly well what they prescribe you, you studied for it after all.

But everyone seems to forget that.

Only Batman can recognize your abilities, but he does not help you at all in your case.

And well, you paranoidly believe that Jonathan is only talking to you out of unconscious guilt.

"Okey" Mr. M gives a soft smile "Just one last question before our time is up" he checks the time on his wrist watch "Have you made a new friend? Have you managed to get along with anyone?".

You avoid the gaze of your therapist "No" you denied, another issue you don't want to address, your notorious loneliness in this hospital. If it weren't for your unique best friend who works here, you would be all alone.

"Why?."

You don't answer him, you also question the same thing, you haven't had an interest to socialize with the other patients since you arrived, and there are still things that are not clear to you.

Mr. M sighs dropping his papers in a file cabinet near him "Well, I'll leave it as homework for you to start seeing new people, making a friend sounds excellent."

"I'll try" You don't lie to him.

"Perfect."

It's been a day since Batman visited you and you had your weekly session with Mr.M, you haven't been able to sleep due to the tremendous curiosity of the new assassin the bat is looking for.

Just when you thought nothing could surprise you in this city since your accident, along comes a man with a question mark and puts the whole city in check, that's the city to him, a colossal chessboard, the DPGC, the Gotham elite, the citizens, they are all pieces in the game, and Batman and he are the only players.

Batman said he didn't have time, Does that mean that he has to catch him these days? how curious, with the Joker, it took months to find him, you were only intercepted in a couple of hours, and the Scarecrow...

no, you don't want to think about him.

You get distracted thinking about the Riddler again, you do your daily service arranging books in the small library of Arkham, your safe place where few or no people stop around these parts, here it is not necessary to use your wrist and neck cuffs, but your uniform is still on, and the plastic bracelet with your information identify you as a patient.

You yawn as you place a couple of worn-out books on the shelf, you felt like a bookstore worker, sometimes you usually fantasize that you are one to take away your boredom, but others usually burst your dreamy bubble.

Today, one of the guards decided to turn on the old-fashioned TV set in one of the upper corners of the library, you stand near a bookcase to see what channel they put on this time, usually they only put on the sports channel to watch the game of the moment.

But on this occasion, the guard put on the news channel, and you immediately put down the books you have to accommodate to concentrate on what is shown on TV.

The guard is still standing and so are you, both watching a live breaking news broadcast. The news anchor reports a new Riddler attack.

He bombed a prosecutor at the mayor's funeral.

The guard's face looked more and more frightened, you watched the news with morbid curiosity. Batman's new opponent seems more sadistic than you thought, that detailed report confirmed it.

But seeing their repeated acts on TV was shocking, you even heard the guard who put on the news say in a low voice " We are doomed. "

You silently agree with him, for the first time you are relieved to be locked away from all the chaos going on right now.

You saw how the explosion managed to reach Batman, surprising you as the guard, the man takes off his distinctive security guard hat when he sees the video, on the other hand, you are still stunned, not believing it, somehow you forgot that this man dressed in black and wearing a cape is still a human of flesh and blood, he simply can't die like that, not when he has things to save, people to capture.

He hasn't found your living nightmare yet.

Before you pull your hair out in frustration the news anchor states that Batman is still alive, the guard satisfied by the information puts his cap back on and returns to his guard position which is the entrance to the library.

You are still looking at the report, and suddenly the image of the man who calls himself the Riddler appears. You hadn't seen him in such detail until this moment, the photos in the Batman report were extremely blurry images, but this time he is in HD, he is completely wrapped in green clothes, and the only thing you can see of him, is his eyes. 

His voice is altered but you can notice that venomous tone of his he asked prosecutor Gil Colson some riddles, but in the end, he couldn't answer what Riddler wanted.

You sigh while grab another couple of books and start arranging them one by one. If Batman is still alive it means this isn't over.

"I knew I would find you here".

"It's not like I can go many places" You smile slightly turning to look at the man who spoke to you. 

Jonathan Crane, the living legend of the hospital, with tailored suits, no wrinkles in his coat, and a well-made tie that matches the sweater he wears under his coat. There isn't a single time you haven't seen Jonathan without his perfect appearance but maybe it's just you idealizing as usual. 

Jonathan gives you a polite smile "Right" Just by hearing that you know he won't stay to chat for long, he tends to contradict you most of the time just to annoy you and agree with you when he's busy.

"Are you coming to get a book?" you ask him the first thing that comes to mind.

"No, I wanted to talk to you before I left," he says adjusting his glasses "I'm going away for a couple of weeks to blüdhaven University to give lectures, it will be a simple thing" Your smile doesn't falter, you are touched that he lets you know when he won't be able to see you, and how he manages to keep the conversation so casual. 

As if they were still colleagues.

"Is that so? What will you talk about?".

"Childhood traumas" he reveals looking at you without any shyness, he has a barely perceptible smile but you notice it. 

"why am I not surprised?" you resume your work in arranging books "Although you know how to pick interesting topics, I wish I could attend" You recognize that Jonathan has been too devoted to his work and student life, he is that kind of strict professor who gives his students nightmares from the assignments and exams he gives. His lectures are fascinating, to say the least, you attended many.

"I'll tell you about it when I get back, in the meantime" From inside his suit he pulls out a  flyer in half "It's something extremely summarized but it'll do" You take the piece of paper and stuff it in one of your pockets. It's not the first time Jonathan smuggles things to you, god, you can even be sure he gives you something every time you see each other. 

"Thank you" you thanked looking at his face, he also remains silent looking at you, the eye contact between you is not something out of another world either, on your part, it's a habit that started when you were still studying, you can't help but want to observe everyone around you, analyze them somehow, see their behavior.

Jonathan does the same, but more rigorous and practical, he is direct and not afraid to say it, you see his hair combed to his liking, his glasses clean without any smudge, his eyes examining you. 

You leave your admiring mode when you diverted your gaze a little to the old TV that is still on, the news keeps showing the latest events of the hours, repeating the most recent crime of Riddler.

Your smile dims as you recall the video of the explosion, the prosecutor begging for mercy and the bomb stuck in his chest.

"Did you see what happened at the mayor's funeral?" you whisper to him in a low voice trying not to let anyone hear them, you look with your eyes for the guard on duty but you can't find him, Jonathan must have asked him for some privacy time, at times you forget the influence that the man in front of you has generated with years and effort.

He turns his head for a few seconds watching the news on TV and turns to look at you again with a sensible and neutral face. 

"yes, I saw it, I was there when it happened".

"What?" you utter with surprise "You were there?" there was no sign of a lie on his face to make you think he wasn't telling you the truth.

"Some teachers from the university we went to give condolences when the show happened" Jonathan clarifies simply, you approach him to talk closer, he doesn't seem upset "So it's true? Riddler attacked that prosecutor?".

"He killed him."

You shut up for a moment because of his statement, it's true, Riddler killed him, and almost Batman too.

"And Batman? Did you see him in action?" at this point you sound like first-rate gossip, but still Jonathan answers your questions, but is no longer as pleased doing so, the moment you mention Batman. 

"He arrived when most of the people had already been evacuated."

"Wow" you blurt out surprised, if you didn't know him better you would have been uneasy with his calmness when talking about the experience, he says it without any fear because that's exactly what's so special about Jonathan in your eyes, he's not afraid of anything.   

"Batman looked you up, didn't he?" Jonathan changes the subject quickly and you nod your head, you move away from his side to reach for a cart full of books to be arranged "He wanted my opinion on the riddler, can you believe it?" you laugh "I told him to look you up better, but you turned him down."

"That's right" he assures leaning on one of the bookcases for comfort, he looks at you picking up a book and you place it among several other books on another bookcase "I don't lend myself to that sort of thing".

"I know, killjoy Crane" you scoff boldly.

"Whatever you say" he sighs "I have to go, there will be a meeting at the university" Before you could say goodbye properly, he approaches you to give you an extremely momentary hug, it was so fast that you couldn't return the hug because he had already separated from you. You swore you could smell some of his cologne.

"uh yeah, see ya" You are barely able to utter the words without getting over the small contact they made, he has said goodbye to you like this, but you are still not used to it.

Jonathan smiles at you picking up his briefcase that you didn't see in the first place, walks to one of the tables where the TV control is, picks it up, and turns off the TV "I don't like you watching that" he tells you already heading for the exit where the guard re-enters the library.

You wrinkle your forehead due to irritation. Sometimes you don't understand Jonathan.

You genuinely thought your head was going to explode from the pain. 

Being in Arkham meant being cut off from the outside, you had no idea of the chaos that erupted overnight, the perverse game of Batman and Riddler was so forceful, that Arkham unexpectedly came into the spotlight when the green-masked man was captured. An alert in your head went off when you heard from a very nervous guard. You thought it was almost impossible for Batman to catch Riddler, and that he's here being processed to this hospital gives a lot to suspect.

The report Batman showed you are not wrong, the madman of riddles is too elusive to be caught in such a short time.

Why? You ask yourself, why did he let himself be defeated?

The hospital was in chaos with the arrival of the new patient in the middle of the night, nurses running around, and security guards moving patients to different cells temporarily, you were taken out of your small cell to another one just as small and almost the same.

Even with suspicion in your being, you don't understand what all the fuss was about, not even when they paraded the Joker through the main hall in a straitjacket as if he were a villain from some movie did they get as upset as they are now with Riddler.  

You sat on your new bed just as hard as the one in your previous cell, not wanting to catch the social panic you try to meditate, Mr. M advised you to do so and since then you put it into practice.

Maintaining a state of relaxation is difficult but you have practiced it for months, you started the breathing exercises, and as you slowly inhale and exhale your thoughts begin to melt one after the other, calming you down, and making your anxiety about all the fuss disappear.

You exhale again and inhale hard again, you could be doing this all day, you have nothing to worry about, you're in your world, locked away from society, and must be recovering from whatever Riddler did as his closing snap.

You open your eyes and stop doing your breathing exercises, you hear a laugh. But not just any laughter, but a loud and annoying laughter, you instantly get up from your bed and run towards the door with a small glass window. The laughter was not your imagination, and you can recognize it now that you are closer to the door.

You don't see any guards guarding this section of cells, how strange. The laughter continues unabated. It must be some neighbor of your cell because of the proximity of the noise and you have an idea of who it might be but you ignore it for only a few minutes, you can't take it anymore and yell "Can you shut up for once?".

Your cell neighbor stops laughing and you can finally feel at peace, but instead starts a conversation.

"Scarecrow?" you close your eyes just hearing that horrible nickname he gave you at some point during his hospital stay. relatively the two have been in Arkham for a similar amount of time, both trapped by Batman and calling them the dark knight's worst enemies. 

But you could never compare yourself to someone like him Joker. 

You had a chance to get to know each other when you let him participate in common activities, you don't want to remember the first time you spoke to each other, it ended badly, period.

"Don't call me that, asshole" you insult him and he sounds pleased with your response.

"Ah! Are we sensitive today? It's a holiday! Let's celebrate!" 

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"our guest of honor has arrived, only his final trick is missing!" he continues to speak in that animated voice that irritates you.

When you talk to the Joker you get that feeling that he is speaking in another language, but he is not, you understand what you are saying but at the same time, you don't. You also realized that he knows too much to be just an Arkham patient. 

But everyone at the hospital can assure you that your neighbor is not an ordinary patient at all.

This time you managed to understand his words, Riddler still has an ace up his sleeve, how could the Joker find out about that?

"Did Batman interrogate you too?".

"Of course he did...I'm his favorite!" he replies in the same arrogant manner as always "but I don't forgive him for being so crude on our anniversary."

"So you saw it, huh? I don't think this is a coincidence" You suppose the Joker must have seen it too, of course, he may be reciprocally insupportable but he's not stupid.

The clown laughs, but you don't, you didn't say anything funny in your opinion.

"Poor little Riddler, he thinks he can be just like him."

You ponder what he says, returning to your bed as you sit up again, the sky begins to clear and you can see it through the tiny barred window.

What if this assassin wanted to imitate Batman in some way? 

"What a bizarre introjection you've made, Riddler" you whisper.

First, there was an explosion.

You felt the whole cell rumble, you woke up instantly and got up from your bed to run to the door even with your eyes swollen from sleep, naively you thought it was some kind of earthquake. You stuck your face to the glass of the door in search of a guard or nurse, whatever it is that will help you get out of this cell, you don't want to die here.

However, the section was still empty, there was no one in the guards' small surveillance cubicle, and you could only perceive the monitors on, showing the news. 

You heard a completely strident noise, there was no earthquake. You turned slowly to the window, the color was changing from gray to orange.

It can't be.

you rush to see what's going on, you grab a piece of your bed to climb on it and reach the high window of the cell, you level yourself by holding your hands on the rusty metal bars, and you catch a glimpse of what caused such a noise. 

You saw the light of an explosion, the combination of yellow and red colors coloring the sky, the smoke, the fire. The explosion happened far away from Arkham, but you can still see it in detail, then the noise became present, and you grimace at the impact on the walls, but it was not over yet.

Explosion after explosion went off all over the city, from bridges to seawalls, a scene so hard to believe if you weren't watching it right now.

The sight takes your breath away, you are so stunned that you almost fall to the floor witnessing such an act, this is what the Joker is referring to? the Riddler's final trick?

not even the scarecrow did so much damage to this city, you underestimated the man with the riddles.

You could not take your eyes off the explosions, there were too many and well-armed to generate so much destruction. The second thing was the water, the waves and drains getting out of control and flooding several streets.

You grip the metal bars tighter, not believing this is real, but it is. Not just bombs but a flood, was that what he had under his mask? Is Gotham drowning with innocent people? 

It makes sense now, his cooperation when caught, the guards' restless attitude, and Batman's uneasiness.

All.

Suddenly you focus on the bustle of what seems to be your cell neighbors, you didn't notice when they put the other patient in the cell next to yours. The noises came together to form a horrifying atmosphere. The laughter of the Joker, the excited laughter of your other neighbor, and the explosions that went on and on. Even with your breathing exercises, you could not relax in the face of this horrifying event.

Slowly you let go of the bars and stop looking in the window, slowly you understand one thing.

Someone beat Batman.

Thank you very much for reading! And sorry for the mistakes!*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧.

[dreadfutures]

Fan Work Friday

Rules: If you’re tagged, MAKE A NEW POST to showcase one fanartist and/or fanfic for any fandom you recommend (with links), and tag someone to give their recs next! Don’t forget to reblog the rec you were tagged in, and include these rules! :)

Bonus: Choose works by people you aren’t super tight with, or choose older works that maybe haven’t gotten some love in a while. :)

Fanartist: @kiivg

The first time I saw one of kiivg's pieces, I had the thought: I've never seen anything like this. Then I did a double-take, because even though I can't pinpoint it, this style strikes me as quintessentially storybook. It should be on the cover of a comic, or it should be a bonus chapter illustration in your favorite novel--both because of the striking style and the amount of STORY King packs into each single standalone piece.

The first of King's works I saw was one that I consider really KING now: oriented so that I had to tilt my head to get the full picture. I find it only pulls me in deeper, looking really closely at every detail before I get the full picture. Here's one of my favorites (give it a reblog!):

Definitely give King a follow. When they do post art, they have plenty of Dragon Age, Cyberpunk, and BG3 art to wow you with!

Fanfic: its free son - SlinkySpiders

The note I had in my bookmarks was: "there are elotes in gotham and this author is my hero"

SURPRISE this is a fanfic for the Robert Pattinson The Batman film, which I think is a nearly perfect hopepunk movie, and the first Bruce Wayne I've ever seen on film who NEEDS A ROBIN. So here, have a batdad and his kid.

I love an awkward man trying his best to be a parent to a kid who has the same problems he did. Let's parent our inner childs through real children, that's my weakness. Also, Dick gets to be childhood friends with Barbara Gordon, so that's great.

It's "unfinished" but I think it does just fine for what it is, and I hope people enjoy!

Rating: G Pairing: Bruce Wayne & Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne & Alfred Pennyworth, Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne Chapters: 2 (unfinished) Length: 11,678 Summary: Three years after the events of the Riddler, Bruce finds himself taking care of an eleven-year old, completely out of his depth.

That's my post for this week! I'm excited to see what everyone tags me in. It's been great to find new artists and fics through this game. :)

Tagging:

(again, for any fandoms! let's spread the positivity <3)

@thedreadblog | @noire-pandora | @wolfsskull

@demarogue | @thevikingwoman | @anneapocalypse | @fiadhaisteach | @victoriousscarf

@kiastirling

@warpedlegacy | @rakshadow | @rosella-writes | @effelants | @bluewren | @breninarthur

@ar-lath-ma-cully | @inquisimer | @crackinglamb | @theluckywizard | @nirikeehan

@oxygenforthewicked | @exalted-dawn-drabbles | @melisusthewee | @blarrghe | @delicatefade

@leggywillow | @about2dance | @plisuu

[5-7-9]

I have to talk about this again, the only time Duke has ever been shown to be a guy to repress his emotions was when this anti-woke anti-SJW comic decided to make Riko a “dragon lady” villain trope

See, I just read an amazing Duke centric meta (as in commentary writing, not powers) fanfic, so this is important to note.

The reason why I’m so adament about Duke being the most honest person you could ever talk to, is because of a concept about “unheard voices.” An experience many marginalized people get, when you’re in a crowd trying to say something different, the majority will be louder.

Or when it gets taken from you by force.

Or when it gets taken from you by force. Even when you try to admit a crime to the feds to gain back the reputation the very same cops stole, to clear your name, they’d never let you.

(By they, i meant the writers, please don’t blame the court of owls for being a shitty offensive plot device). When it comes down to how Duke first appeared in Year Zero, Batman wasn’t in commission for so long, Duke was gonna take up a challenge against Riddler. He wasn’t a genius then, but after being put into such circumstances, he had to actually get smart or else. It was certainly a choice to keep doing that, but he was forced to at the beginning.

Being dishonest and repressive would remove that aspect of being talked over by others, because if he never talks, then we can’t blame others. The fault is put on him. It would be Duke’s fault for not asking for help. It stops being a story about being ripped of agency because of Gotham city making choices for its residents, and starts being about Duke’s turmoil.

Not that we can’t do both, but that’s exactly the issue, the comic doesn’t want to do both. Whether or not it held some amount of sympathy for Riko, it utilizes a rightwing talking point that makes marginalized voices seem extreme to the point of satire, usually to dismay what marginalized people are actually saying.

This is reminiscent of when minorities finally get some ground to stand on, to be heard, and become sellouts when they collab with and endorse other majorities. Which, is true, honestly. Which is unfortunate because Riko is meant to be the enemy in here. There could be a sympathetic side here, of saving Riko from herself, if Duke got another run. But what is there to save Riko from? She’s right.

Duke doesn’t ask for help because he’s repressed, that’s not it at all. But it is true that Duke doesn’t like asking for help. Things like not having anyone to help, like in Year Zero. Or the police trying to track down his parents, look how “trusting” the cops could be.. Or when Thompkins and Darryl were too busy to do enough (yeah and then the betrayal from Darryl didn’t help).

The second time Duke is shown to repress his emotions was when Outsiders decided to pick up after that SAME anti-SJW comic!!!!! OMG!!!!

I don’t entirely believe this, or I don’t entirely want to continue watching Duke regress his character arc

Duke is a team player, just exclusively with those he trusts. He has asked for helped before. This is the biggest problem with ignoring We Are Robin… because it always goes back to We Are Robin 😅 His first team.

[2-guns-b1tch]

Talk To Me

Arkham! Riddler x FemaleReader

+18 Minors DNI!!!!

After 10 months I'm finally done with this chapter ! Sorry to leave everybody waiting, but I was having trouble writing this chapter, but it's finally here. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Masterlist

CHAPTER 4 / AO3

"What about this one?" Harley asks, taking the book off the shelf and showing it to you.

"I've read that one, but I didn't like it that much. Too many of sex scenes."

Harley rolls her eyes, huffing a laugh. "What did you expect? It's a Smut book!"

You shrug as you continue to scan over the books in the romance section. "I know, but there was no character development. And I was getting tired of reading about how the main guy had a huge cock and how wet the romantic interest was all the time.”

Harley returns the book back the shelf, shaking her head at you. "You're the only person I know who reads an erotic book waiting for plot."

Since it was your day off, you had decided to run some errands and, luckily, Harley had agreed to come with you. Going through your to do list could be boring sometimes, but Harley always managed to make things more fun. Plus, a little help never hurt anyone.

It was a particularly cold day in Gotham. Although it had rained earlier, the clouds were still dark and heavy with water, the wind howling through the busy streets. At least the bookstore you and Harley were in was warm. The smell of new books accompanied by the scent of freshly made coffe from the café on the back created a cozy atmosphere that made you want to stay a little bit more.

"Still on the topic of erotica,” She raises her eyebrows in a sugestive way. “How’s your romantic life going? Any lucky guys caught your eye?" Harley says while looking at the cover of a book with a shirtless muscular man holding a woman in his arms.

"I've been so busy with everything lately. I hardly have time for myself, let alone a relationship. But what about you? Are you seeing someone?"

"Well..." Harley bites her lower lip as she wraps a lock hair around her finger. "There's this guy I met."

You turn your full attention to her, smiling excitedly. "Tell me everything! How long have you been talking? Does he work at Arkham too? Do I know him?"

"Okay, calm down!" she giggles, looking around as a light blush covers her cheeks. "I met him at Arkham and we've been talking for the last few months. He's pretty funny."

"And what's his name?"

"His name is... Jack. You don't know him." She quickly turns back to a pile of books."What are we looking for again?"

"Edward finished the puzzle book I gave him, so he asked me to bring Frankenstein this time."

Harley laughs. "Okay, we're definitely not going to find that here. Let's look in the Horror section."

The two of you head deeper into the bookstore, the old wooden floor creaking beneath your feet. You loved being surrounded by books, so many amazing stories just waiting to be discovered. You remembered your childhood, how easy it was to get lost in words, every turn of page made the world a less scary place, your problems fading for just a few moments. You used to imagine yourself as one of Peter Pan's lost boys, or Alice falling down the rabbit hole to her Wonderland. Anything that distanced you from your own troubled reality.

You find the Horror section and you start browsing over the columns of the books in search of Frankenstein while Harley walked aimlessly between the shelves, looking for nothing in particular.

"Has the Joker ever asked you to bring him something?" The words left your mouth before you realise. You didn’t want to ruin the mood talking about work, and besides, Joker was Harley’s patient, not yours.

"Not really. He knows I'm not allowed to take anything into the maximum security ward."

It made sense. As much as Edward didn't have a clean record, he definitely wasn't as unhinged as the Joker. So he was allowed to interact with other patients and his cell wasn't as protected. Just the thought of being in the presence of the Joker makes you feel a shiver run down your spine.

Dracula. Carmilla. Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde. You skim over the titles in the row of books arranged side by side. You've never been much of a fan of the horror genre. Gotham was dangerous enough and you didn't need any more paranoia in the middle of the night. Was that why Edward wanted a book like that? To some people he was like one of the monsters in those stories. Maybe he just wanted to see himself in a story where one of the characters wasn't so different from him, even if they were the villain.

You finally find what you were looking for. You pull the book, running your fingers over the dark green velvet cover. This edition looked older, having only the title and the author's name written in gold letters on the front. Edward would definitely like this one.

"You won't believe what I found." Harley's voice comes from behind you, pulling you from your thoughts. She’s holding a small book, a smile stretching her lips. "It's a joke book!"

Harley flips through the pages until she stops at something she likes. "A book just fell on my head... I only have my shelf to blame." She reads aloud.

"Oh, my God. That was horrible!" You cover your mouth, but it's impossible to hide the laughter that escapes you.

“That’s a good one. I used to be addicted to soap, but I’m clean now.”

"We're not going buy this one." You say, heading towards the cashier.

"Oh, we totally will." Harley speaks, following you.

You and Harley finish buying the books, and when you open the door to leave the bookstore, a gust of wind hits you. The clouds that were silent just a few minutes ago are now alive. A loud thunder crashing over the city noise.

You hesitate at the door, unsure whether you should risk venturing into this weather or wait for the threat of rain to pass. Before you can say anything, Harley pulls you by the hand, guiding you down the street. Halfway through, drops of water begin to fall from the sky. At first it's just a thin drizzle, but little by little the rain starts turning thick.

But you can't even get mad at Harley. While other people are trying to protect themselves from the rain, Harley jumps into the puddles of water in an almost childish way, not seeming to care that the two of you were soaking wet. She throws her head back in an laugh and you can't suppress the smile that forms on your lips.

At that point you decide not to worry about getting a cold or how your clothes would take hours to dry. Instead, you allow Harley's warm to pass through you. You just keep the book under your coat so you don't get it wet and let Harley guide you.

------

When you finally arrive in the therapy room, Edward is already there. You catch him hunched over the table with tensed shoulders for just a second before he snaps his head towards you and fix his posture.

"Good morning, Edward." You say as you walk around the table, sitting in your usual spot opposite him.

Edward watches you in silence as you grab your purse and take out your things to start the session.

"You're late." He notices, his voice quiet.

You check the clock on the wall. "For only 5 minutes."

"It still means you're late."

It’s not unusual for patients to be attached to a specific routine. This brings stability and security to them, so making even the smallest change in the pattern can easily bother them. But you expected a tic related to time would be Tetch’s thing, not Edward’s.

You smile apologetically. "The asylum is big and it takes me a while to walk here. But you're right, I'm late. I'm sorry."

You wait patiently for Edward to say something sarcastic or some comment about how important and smart he is to wait for people like you. But he just nods weakly, keeping his eyes on his lap.

You tap your pen a few times against your clipboard, trying to break the foreign silence that filled the room.

"Is everything okay? You're strangely quiet today."

Edward scoffs a laugh. "At least you're smart enough to appreciate what I have to say. Most people would rather I shut up."

"I always want to hear what you have to say. That's why I'm here."

Edward squeezes his lips into a thin line, looking disturbed by something. His eyes travel across the room for a moment before landing on you again. He swallows hard a few times, a light sheen of sweat forming on his forehead.

"I... I've got something for you." He babbles, the words coming out choked. "It's a... well, I- Oh dammit."

He lets out a frustrated sigh before putting something down on the table and retreating back to his chair.

The object Edward left on the metal surface of the table wasn’t some kind of riddle or puzzle. It was actually a small sculpture of a cat in a sitting pose that fitted in the palm of your hand. You pick it up, realizing that Edward must have made it from a bar of soap. Your fingers caress the delicate details, the small nose, it’s pointed ears, the tail that wrapped around it’s body.

"The details may not be entirely accurate, since I don’t know the exactly appearance of your cat and I didn't have the necessary materials and-" Edward starts chattering but you interrupt him.

"Is this Meg? I loved it!" You hold the sculpture firmly between your fingers, placing it against your chest. "It's perfect."

"You... Loved it?" Edward clears his throat, adjusting his posture. "Well, of course you did. I couldn't have expected any other reaction. I did an excellent job, even with the inadequate materials." A pink flush appears on his cheeks, spreading across his face and up his ears.

"Is this some kind of apology because of our last session?"

Edward adjusts his glasses over his nose. "You could say that my behavior was not entirely appropriate. I may have been a little rude. But don’t think this is an apology, I’m not nice."

"But where did you find the tools to do something like this? You're not allowed to be near sharp objects." You remember him.

"My abilities know no bounds, Doctor. Nothing can stop a brilliant mind like mine," after a second he adds. "I used a spoon."

A smile spreads across your face as you imagine Edward with his tongue tucked in between his lips, his brow furrowed in concentration as he methodically carved out the details in a piece of soap.

"Since we're exchanging gifts, I have something for you, too." You pull Frankstein's copy out of your bag, pushing it towards Edward.

"You remembered..." He comments as he strokes the velvety cover of the book, looking surprised.

"Of course I did. Did you think I would forget?"

"It’s not that. I just thought that because of the last session you might be... upset." Edward looks almost embarrassed, but it's still too early to know for sure if he actually feels any kind of remorse. One step at a time.

"I forgive you, Edward. Even if this is not an apology. I may have been a little harsh too, but now we're even."

You smile at Edward and for a second he surprises you with a soft smile of his own. It's not like the smirk he usually has on his face or the kind he reserves for his cruel comments. This time it's sincere. You think it suits him.

"Very well," you continue, checking your notes quickly. "Today I would like to talk about-"

This time, it's Edward who cuts you off with a groan. It looks like things are back to normal.

"This is so boring, can we talk about something else? I feel like my neurons are dying every day I spend in here." Edward complains, resting his chin on his cuffed hands. "Anything would be a more interesting mental stimulation."

"Do you think I'm going to change the session just because you gave me a gift?"

"Maybe?" He grins, his lips stretching like the Cheshire Cat.

You decide to give in this time, since Edward was in such a good mood. You place your notes on the table and lean against the chair.

"Well, what do you want to talk about?" You ask, placing your hands on your lap.

"Let me see..." Edward taps his chin a couple of times before speaking again "How's the weather?"

You huff a laugh. "Weather, really? Do you find this a more interesting mental stimulation?"

"You can see how desperate I am, can't you?" his foot nugdes yours under the table and you jump lightly, surprised by the unexpected contact. "Come on, tell me. I stay all day inside this building, I hardly see the sky."

"Well, it's been raining a lot these last few weeks. You know, the sewer system doesn't work so the streets are all flooded."

He sighs. "Gotham never changes. How about the renovation of Bleake Island's main avenue? Before I came here, they were still trying to finish it."

"Still going. Takes me even more time to get here because of it. They stopped because of a funding problem or something."

"At least I know that our dear mayor will never fail to let us down. And they still say I'm the villain." Edward gestures in an exaggerated manner, drawing a small chuckle from you.

"What do you miss most from outside?" That wasn't one of your prepared questions, but you've always wondered what it was like to be stuck in Arkham.

"I miss food. Real food. I've been dreaming of that Italian place on 19th Street." He leans back against his chair, an dreamy expression on his face. "And music, too. I'd kill for a radio in here."

In these last few weeks you had seen Edward bored, grumpy and even angry. But now he seemed relaxed, almost content to be talking to you. This sudden change in mood makes a strange feeling pass through you.

You clear your throat, straightening your back.

"What are you trying to do here, Edward?"

His smile dies a little and he tilts his head slightly. "What do you mean?"

“As far as I know, you hate our sessions and suddenly you just want to talk to me? What has changed?"

"Can’t we just have a good old-fashioned conversation? I'm known for my intelligence, but believe me when I say I can also be charming when I want to."

"I don't know if I buy it." You cross your arms, raising an eyebrow at him.

Edward clicks his tongue, rolling his eyes at you. "All right. It may come as a surprise, but in this building full of imbeciles and lunatics, you are one of the few people that I’m able to have a normal conversation with. You should be proud, Doctor. Not many have this honor."

The look of surprise on your face must be apparent, since Edward snorts a laught at you, shaking his head gently. Maybe it was too early to believe that Edward trusted you, but at least he seemed to be starting to warm up to you. And in your book that was considered a victory.

------

The door of your apartment closes behind you with a small click. You go through your usual routine, first locking all the locks on your door, then taking off your coat and finally greeting Meg with a pat behind her ears.

The answering machine warns you that you have seven new messages, but this time you decide to delete them without listening. You were in a good mood and didn't feel like having your day ruined again because of a wrong message. Whatever it was, it could wait.

Meg follows you on the way to your room and you need to be careful not to trip over her as she snuggle against your legs. A sigh leaves your lips when your sinks in your comfy matress, allowing the stresses of the day to leave your shoulders. You decide to make a new entry on your recorder, it's been a while since you've done that.

"Fourth session with patient Edward Nygma. Ed showed a great evolution today," you say as you rummage inside your bag. "He exhibited violent behavior on our last session, but Ed seemed to feel guilty as we talked about it. He was also willing to engage in a normal conversation with me and even seemed to be interested in what I had to say. Maybe this is a form of manipulation, but I like to believe Edward is improving in his treatment."

You take the little cat statue out of your purse, placing it on your bedside table. You pet it carefully, almost as if it was a real cat. When you started talking again, a smile came across your face.

"We exchanged gifts today. I brought the book he asked me and he made a cat sculpture inspired by Meg. It's lovely. I wonder what Edward could do if he had the right materials and tools. His manual skills are... fantastic."

You find yourself remembering how nervous Edward was earlier. The soft pink flush on his cheeks, going all the way up his ears. His gentle smile. Meg's meows knock you out of your thoughts and you realize you've been staring at the cat sculpture for too long. You decide to end the recording and getting up to prepare your and Meg's dinner.

[ourghoststories]

Batman 2 Theories

Hey just a PSA I figured out some stuff and basically this is just me brainstorming but The Batman has Easter eggs in almost every frame of the movie and if you enhance or edit some of the photos you can see the stuff and some characters (that's what I think anyway) just a theory.

Basically they said they're gonna keep it true to the comics and they like us solving stuff hence the moniker Detective Comics.

The logo on Elrataalada.com is a lock symbol like the riddler has been using and the rest is explained in the photos below.

Basically they're gonna introduce a bunch more bad guys, I'll write more later.

They'll be from the court of owls who are all people of wealth and influence and are high up in certain positions so they have a lot of control and killed other members of the court which is the connection to all the rats in the first movie.

Robins origin story will be incorporated and he'll be a central character in the movie.

The riddler and the joker will try to and maybe even succeed in trapping batman in an escape room like lair and try to blow him up, they've also placed bombs around the city just like the one used to blow up the seawall.

Catwoman will come back.

Also the source code on the website is not finished, it has a ¿ Which in Spanish indicates "It does not mean anything. It is void of semantic meaning: “¿” is just a question mark (signo de interrogación) that we use at the beginning of the sentence."

https://www.quora.com/What-does-mean-in-Spanish?top_ans=1477743759433903

So there will be more although we know that it's not done, I just thought that was interesting.

I feel like there's more of the code to crack and there's some sort of puzzle to solve so maybe this can help with some of the investigation and problem solving, although there might not yet be anything else.

I feel like it'll be a showdown, an infinity war/civil war esk battle between the infamous court, with many more appearances from some of the most loved heroes and villains.

There's more lore I think but I'm tired lol and haven't figured it all out, see if you can

Hope this helps

- Darcy

[unfortunately-obsessed]

Saying that I hate Nolan's Batman in a room full of man just to feel something

But here's a random list of my rating of different Batman that nobody asked because I love giving my opinion

The Dark Knight Trilogy: Solid Batman, hate the Bruce Wayne. Brucie, the public persona, is supposed to be a bimbo that cares for the city, not a rude arrogant prick that sinks the Wayne name. It completely butchered his relationship with Harvey too for... *checks notes* Rachel? Nahhh 2/10, a male fantasy movie but it gets one point for showing his training years and another for some cool one-liners

The Batman (2022) – I love the movie and that's top Batman to me, especially the last scene. Batman is a symbol of hope, compassion. I had the same problem as the Nolan's one for the larger portion of the movie: instead of using the Wayne Inc. to do good, he doesn't care about his parent's heirloom and drowns into being Batman. HOWEVER, it's pretty clear how raw and wounded he still is, and after the whole Riddler deal, I can see him turning this around and doing good as Bruce Wayne too. My fav live action movie but it gets a 8.5/10 on characterization

The Long Halloween, Comic – classic Batman, I like his personality and how he lets Batman and Bruce work together to do better to the city. A inspiration for the 2022 movie too. 9/10

The Long Halloween, Tomorrowverse – butchered the storyline and I shit you not Bruce says "I never thought I would need to do detective work to be Batman". Made him all muscle and no brain. Cool art but it doesn't even get a point for it, couldn't bring myself to watch more than 20 minutes of the part two. I kinda liked how he acts with Selina though. Yet, keeps it at -10/0

The Arkham Games – I watched the Arkham Knight gameplay like it was a movie and then watched scenes from other games on yt. That's the ideal way Batman operates to me. Thing dreams are made of. Also balanced on his public facade. 9/10

Batman The Animated Series, Timmverse – can't ask for better. Always offering rehabilitation to villains? Showing empathy for freeze and ivy and Harley!? and his friendship with Harvey? 10/10

Justice League: Unlimited – The timmverse gets him right and I love to notice how he progressed as a character. Love how they write Bruce's friendship with Clark and true partnership with other Leaguers. Also love his relationship with Diana, wonderbat forever. 10/10

Batman, Tv animation (2004) – The story is tailored to be palatable to kids so they changed some elements. It's fun to watch tho, 7/10

Batman Vs. Superman – guilt-ridden, PTSD older Batman? Pretty solid on the premise and I could see any Batman acting that way with enough groundwork. I just don't like the whole marking criminal and sending them to prison to die. Bruce wouldn't, doesn't matter how grief stricken he is. 8.8/10

Gotham (Tv Series) – Eh. Young chaotic Bruce. The focus of the series is on the villains and I didn't even pay too much attention to him tbh. I love a disaster teenager Bruce tho, 7.6/10

Young Justice – Gets points for bonding with Dick earlier in the series and for later showing him operating with a larger Batfam. Also accurate on the way Batman operates. He would leave the League because he's not about being part of a society or the status that come with it. The League had a purpose, which was facilitating saving people. Than he couldn't save people with it? He left. 9/10

Superhero Girls – exploring him being Kardashian-level celebrity?? Hilarious. But I don't like the other implications the show makes about him as Batman. 3/10

The Killing Joke, animated movie – something about how he acts throws me off. Older Batman but done badly. I think they don't work enough to drive him to murder. Should have left him kill Joker when Jason died. 2/10

Ninja Batman – The writers had LSD to write it. Insane. Hilarious. Didn't like that he was "oooh I don't have tech what will I do? :(" Batman is a survivalist so be for real. 4/10

Year Zero (comic) – hate that buzz cut. He wouldn't. Otherwise solid. Also another inspo to 2022 movie. 6/10

Year One (comic) – classic backstory, can't ask for anything else on personality matter. The fact he hallucinated a bat while he was concussed and thus made himself Batman because he thought it was rad? Peak characterization. 10/10

Harleen (comic) – He's not the focus of the story but I do love when they show how much sheer power the Wayne name carries. He has a steady hand over Gotham, a background influence constant and unwavering. Also that dialogue on the end where he's blaming himself for everything that happened even though it's not his fault? Yeah, it tracks. 9/10

Turning Points (comic) – the way he acts... He's such a theater kid. Also accurate on how Robin happened and I love he doesn't try to fight Gordon but humbly accepts Jim is going to hunt him if something happens to Robin. 9/10

There's a black and white one shot comic that Dan Mora made that I can't rember the name but?? Bruce adopting Jason, Dick and Tim in one go?? Can't go wrong for me. I am also not immune to how Mr. Mora draws Bruce. 100/10

The goal of this year is to watch more timmverse and read more comics with the batkids

[marvelmaniac2000]

The Riddler - (Edward x Reader) 💚 Ch.1

 Summary: Edward can’t help seeing you struggle with your day to day life, if only there was a way to make it more tolerable.  

Subject: Deep! meaningful fluff, eventually will turn into smuts in upcoming chapters, desperation, submissive kink, savior kink, Being pampered/babied kink, stalking, minor depression,  

MATURE 18+/ MISPELLING GRAMMAR APOLOGIES

Words: 1.4k 

Characters: Edward Nashton x Reader (college fem! reader) 

Ch. 2 3

_______________________________________________________

                                         ****   (Side notes) ****

Mannn I miss writing so much but coming up with something can be hard. Either way I think the riddler is such a guilty pleasure. He’s technically the perfect obsessive bf. 

  Will I ever catch a break? You listened to your alarm echo above your ear, reminding you of the vague world that you must come to terms with. Much of your back seemed a bit sore from the night before serving many customers at the cafe. You slowly rolled out of bed and turned your cheap fan off that cooled your room. Almost all of your hair stuck to your neck and face from the sticky temperature throughout the night. 

       You examine your face in the bathroom mirror before turning on the shower. Much of your problems and responsibilities come pouring into your mind to remind you of what needs to be done before you leave your mom’s house for the day. 

   Ugh. 

Being the age that you are didn’t make sense to why you still lived with your mother and was working multiple jobs to pay your bills. Between trying to find a career, working and life it seemed impossible to obtain. Who knew adulting was so hard... 

The steam from the hot shower hugged your skin. You grin in envy looking at your selection of body washes and shampoos you love buying. The body wash you choose for  the day smelled like pure coconut and vanilla bean cream. You enjoy the moment of complete serenity washing over you. 

    After then, you finish showering and getting ready for your shift. You handle the morning routine of tidying up the kitchen before heading out the door. If I lived in my own place I wouldn't have to worry about any of that crap unless I wanted to. Some days weren’t meant to have routine (That’s what Edward told me anyway) and since then your life became a little bit more tolerable. 

 You start making your way to your local cafe to start your shift for the day. You’ve worked here for quite some time and couldn’t believe how much time has passed by. The glass door is stained by small hand prints and plastered posters of today’s specials. You walk in with a deep breath ready to tackle the day ahead. 

 Edward was your favorite customer, he reminded you of the sweet nerdy boys that always gave the girls the love and respect they needed. Sometimes in the morning he liked walking past the cafe just to see you before he went to his own job. He knew your schedule by heart but he didn’t suspect you to be working for the seventh day straight. No human being should ever work so many hours. It would take such a toll on his lovely girl. So this time he made it his mission to come see you to fix whatever was going on in your life. 

   Edward quietly walked toward the counter and pushed the rim of his glasses up before meeting your gaze. “ Oh I see you working again huh?” you turned the oven on behind you and adjusted the tip jar on top of the counter. You gave out a huge sigh and turned to face your customer you loved dearly. “Yeah I might as well right? Time stops for no one” you looked at how adorable he was in front of you. From his baggy plaid jacket and big puppy brown eyes. 

The sunlight had not hit the sky just yet and only you and him were in this empty store. You felt so tired and exhausted but seeing him for some reason created this bond like no other. 

 “(Y/N) are you okay?” He gently leaned his arms against the counter. The bags under your eyes showed a different story but you weren’t going to tell him that. You didn’t want to be some pity party to a man you barely knew. You didn’t respond and instead gave him a free cookie and his usual coffee. Eddie furrowed his brows and watched you walk around the counter toward him. “I promise I’m okay Eddie but I need to ask you a favor” your voice  became a little low when it came to confrontation. 

  Edward hardly had conversations like this before with you but he knew how much he truly loved you. He already knew what your life was like and anticipated the very thing you yearned to have. Independence.  His mind raced thinking of you living together, watching your every move and being able to caress your body at night knowing you belong to him. But he couldn’t do that yet with you. You  were just a potential roommate but to him you meant much more. Edward’s face grew flush realizing the perverse things he couldn’t wait to do to you. But more than anything he can finally have you to himself. And no one else. 

   “I’m all ears” he composed himself ready to hear his love bun ask the very question. 

“Have you ever considered a roommate?” you dig your eyes searching for an answer.

“I never had one but if you need somewhere to stay I would be happy to live with you” Edward knew he was such a manipulator but he didn’t care. Whatever it takes to keep you near was the very thing he lived for. How can anyone deny those luscious eyes, and soft face you greeted him with everyday? Nothing will compare to how you made him feel. 

You beamed with excitement knowing this was your chance to finally gain some momentum into your adult life. 

“Are you being forreal? Are you sure? I don’t want to force it ya know?”  you began to ramble on until Edward cupped your soft cheeks into his hands. 

  “(Y/N) it’s okay, for now on I will be the one to take care of you” Edward felt something inside himself sparked a fury of determination knowing he would always be the one to protect you and be there for you. Your eyelashes flutter realizing how close your mouth was to his. 

Edward retracted his hands back realizing what he had done. “Sorry I didn’t mean to invade your privacy-”  “Noo please don’t apologize please” you desperately wanted him to touch you back more. You never experienced what it was like to have someone who actually liked you show such affection. You caressed his rosy red cheek and softly laid your lips onto his. Edward eagerly kissed you back wanting to taste every part of your mouth. 

You break the kiss and awkwardly look the other way. “Let me give you my phone number and then we can start from there right?” Edward took his phone out and handed it over to you.

You added your phone number with an emoji next to it. “I’ll text you and then we can start from there right?” Edward realized the time on his phone but didn’t want to part ways with you yet. 

 You stood there in awe with your hands tucked in your apron. “Yeah okay” you gently reassured him. How could someone be so innocent, and pure toward you. You wanted this feeling to last, but how could you? Something like this will never last forever you thought. “I’ll be back to come see you.. uh at what time do you get off?” Edward needed to know every detail, he wanted this move to be perfect. He wanted nothing to go wrong.  “Seven. I should be done” you gave him a smile and returned to your work. He tucked his hands in his sleeve, left the door and disappeared into the working crowd. 

A few moments later your foot crinkled on a piece of paper 

  “Wha..-” you squinted down and look at a note slipped wedged between  the doorway to the kitchen.

              BE CAREFUL. LOVE IS ALWAYS BLIND.  

  You quiver just a bit but not enough to startle you. No this isn’t real. You look up and immediately crumple up the piece of paper.  that batman some freak recently has been going around Gotham sticking his nose in people’s business. Well lucky enough for you, you could care less. You toss the paper in the garbage and continue on your day. 

please! leave any feedback/likes/comments <3 Thanks to anyone who supports us lil fanfic writers. we do it for yall!

to be continued soon!

[littlejohnnyboycrane]

Name: Jonathan Crane Alias: Scarecrow, The Master of Fear Nickname: Johnny, Johnny-Boy Sexuality: bisexual, polyamory Love Interest: Riddler & Jeremiah Arkham (polyamory) Family: Harper-Allyssa Moretti (Daughter), Mirela Moretti (best friend & mother of Harper) Diagnoses: DID, PTSD, Psychopathy

He grew up with his great-grandmother, who severely abused him. He was also bullied and ridiculed by everyone else. No one in this world could love and accept him as he was. Scarecrow was his way of surviving. Never judge a person for their actions if you don't know the story behind them! Evil can still decide to change if people don't abandon him and walk towards him. Teach him to take a different path. Finding access to such people takes time and is a process that requires a lot of patience. - 21+ - Crossover friendly - polyamory, open for more love interests - this character is based on DC - this is a German Roleplay Account - You want to start a play? Write me a PN - OOC means Out of Character (when I'm not writing in my role) - I have no problem with OOC (Out of Character) small talk. - OOC friendly! (I like to make new contacts, friendships or more even outside of roleplay and even prefer that) ____________________________________