#yes this post is for Harvey dent

[bruciemilf]

The Batman (2022) wasn’t sexy necessarily but it WAS horny and that’s because of the sheer homosexual force that was Paul Dano’s freak ass Riddler (affectionate)

I’ve come to the conclusion that Batman is sexy, Bruce is not. Bruce is PRETTY. Big difference

[mortiferumsomnum]

Soup Kitchens and Runaway Ghosts (Part 3)

*throws idea-fic at you guys* THANK YOU FOR LIKING THIS!!!! ASLDGKHSALKDGHLAKSDGH

Part 1, Part 2

****

When your boss tells you to come to Apartment 304 in Schnapp Avenue along the Upper West Side of Gotham, you don’t question it. You especially don’t question the grocery list that your boss listed down for you, neither do you question the need for fluffy blankets, pillows and paper bags.

You have to gather up the things in a box, get into your (stolen) car, and drive to your second location.

It’s just something you do.

The less questions you ask, the less you have to deny. That’s what Bill had learned in his life as a professional henchman.

However, after a long career of being a henchman, none had ever compared to the experience of working under the Red Hood. Sure, the guy threatens you with his guns, and shoots and misses your feet as a joke, but the man had been changing the lower-class neighborhood for better with all the control he has in the Gotham Underworld.

Bill never had to fear for his life, either. He didn’t have to worry about living a new day, and he didn’t have to worry about what wacky idea his boss had just cooked up. Now, all he worried is what kind of soup they’ll be making for the next day at the soup kitchen, and what new recipe the Red Hood’s favorite person, Jason, was going to teach them.

Honestly, Bill didn’t feel like a henchman at all. Maybe a butler-in-training, even if there was no hope for him being employed as a butler.

(In the future, Bill would fondly look back at this moment as he serves tea to a graying Alfred, who is relaxing in his bed as Jason... well, Master Jason, retold his semi-mundane day to his grandfather.)

Finally, he arrives.

*****

- ‘Congratulations! You killed someone! But not just someone! It’s multiple people!’ a voice in Tim’s head laughs. It sounds like a mix between murder-hungry Jason and that lunatic Joker. 

- There had been a time before he killed someone. Well, he thought he killed him. Johnny Warlock. Although in the end, the guy was actually alive the whole time, Tim remembers punching the guy’s fake until he couldn’t hear the fake’s grunts, until he couldn’t hear the fake’s heartbeats. Warlock hurt Spoiler, hurt Steph who he was in love with that time; he broke her leg and made her scream. He was so beat up over being a murderer, it took a while to get over it. (Source: Robin #123, Die Screaming, Boy Wonder!)

- It also doesn’t help that he even met a future version of himself who killed everyone, donned in a fucking Batsuit and acting like going far and killing your enemies was the norm. To be fair, in this future, every single teen titan were killing and taking things too far, but there is nothing more frightening than knowing that you have the potential to kill so efficiently without remorse. (Source: Teen Titans vol. 4 #17-19, Teen Titans of Tomorrow; Robin Today, Batman Tomorrow; Running Out of Time)

- Now, he killed people. On accident. Fuck.

- Before heading to the apartment, he decided to head to the scene, staking out in a shadowed area while observing what was going on. It wasn’t good. There were police everywhere. Jim Gordon was talking with a bunch of... investigators? Wait, they’re not Gotham-based investigators.

- He threw a tiny drone into the air, letting it catch wind before controlling it to fly closer to where the investigators were, planting a few bugs onto them and turning up the volume in his installed listening device. He was too far to lip-read. (I’d like people to know that in this au, he has some bugs on every officer in Gotham.)

- “Look,” that was Jim Gordon’s voice, “I get that you want to take over investigating this case, but I’m not handing it to you. You don’t understand the going-ons in this city. Red Hood is a crime-lord, yes. But this situation looks like the Red Hood was being chased for things not related to crime. Excessive how these ‘government based agents’ took to chasin’ after a single rogue without a single thought of avoiding civilians. It was the Red Hood leadin’ them to a civilian-less road, from how it looks like, rather than being chased into an environment where they could go all out. They didn’t hesitate to run-down a civilian, much less avoid children or seniors. In comparison to Red Hood who took great care to staying off of civilian roads and within GCPD territory.”

- “I don’t trust any of ‘ya folks who say yer from the government to keep my city safe.”

- “Like you have been keeping it safe for all the years you’ve been Commissioner?” one of the investigators scoffed. “Letting caped vigilantes beat up bad guys, and receiving weekly break-outs while your officers do nothing but sit pretty in their car with a gun?”

- Tim bristled. Jim Gordon is the only person who’s trying to do anything to make sure Gotham citizens stay safe, trying his best to weed out all the corrupt officers no matter how slow it had been going. Things ARE getting better. It’s not like Jim likes relying on vigilantes, either. The only time he relies on the Bat is when there is No Other Option. But he has mutual respect with all the Bats.

- Commissioner Gordon only raises an unimpressed brow, which looks so much like Barbara’s. “You’re still not getting it,” he said, turning around and doing a great impression of Batman walking away like a badass, letting his long coat billow in the wind. Unlike the Bats, however, he doesn’t disappear from sight and only enters his car, driving away.

- The investigators start talking to themselves. Here’s what Tim gathers: 35 men had been killed from his little accidental murder. (Breathe in, Tim. You can brood about it later...) They weren’t just chasing after Red Hood, but they were also after a ‘Daniel Fenton’ and an ‘unauthorized clone’ possibly made from Daniel’s genes. This ‘Daniel’ also can’t be brought back to his home, because his parents have also teamed up with them.

- They confirmed Jason’s claims about these people hunting down ghosts. But Tim finds out from them how they not only aim to hunt them down, they aim for complete extermination. It’s ‘Daniel’s’ parents who wants to conduct experiments, given that any findings will be reported to these people. 

- There’s... there’s just no way these people are actually from the government. If ghosts were real and the government were involved... wouldn’t that mean that there are actual laws on how ghosts are treated and dealt with?

- “Make sure to report to the boss about how much we need to spend to catch these ghosts.” Tim almost growls, clenching his fists. Because not only were they talking about getting rid of ghosts, but including the extermination of his definitely-not-but-totally-is-brother. He can’t let this happen. 

- Once these investigators were done talking, they went into their own car. Tim made sure that his bugs wouldn’t be tracked for at least the next 3 days. Then, he opened his comms to a private link to Oracle.

- “O, I need you to search something. Ectobiology laws.”

- “...What?”

- “Laws on how ghosts are dealt with.”

- “Tim... I... fine.”

- After a few moments, Oracle cursed. “This can’t be real. There are actual laws on--- Tim, how did you find out about this? Does Bruce know about this? What the actual--”

- “I don’t think even Harvey Dent knows about this, and he was an attorney. What did it say?”

- “In summary? It’s all ‘kill on sight’ for any ghost. They’re making reforms for some of them, though. None of them good. It mostly involves research.”

- “Are there any research on ghosts?”

- “That are not just narrative reports from Ghost Hunters? Yeah, from Madeline and Jack Fenton. They’ve written so many of them, they’re probably the only scientific source. Ectoplasm... it seems to be similar to the Lazarus Pits...”

- Tim pursed his lips. He doesn’t know how much Jason wants to share about Daniel and the clone. “O, these people want to catch Jason. He has the same ecto-signature as the ghosts that they seem to like tracking down.” He needs to update his safe-house to avoid Jason and his new wards from getting caught. But also, “We might want to see if Robin and Batman has some kind of ecto-signature on them... Maybe even Dick from how much time he spends with them. I’ll try to nab some of the gadgets from these vans and see if we can turn them into our own tech. 

- “You do that. I’ll update Batman on what’s going on.”

- Tim cuts the line off and sighs. His body suddenly feels heavy, and it’s not because of anything physical. It was a weight in his mind that refuses to lighten, only growing heavier and heavier. 

- But he remembers what he told Barbara, and he remembers that Jason is waiting for him with hot chocolate in the safe-house he needs to upgrade.

- He pushes his body forward. It’s probably thanks to his training that his body is able to do exactly he needs to do, staying out of the people’s eyes while snatching the tech before it could be loaded in some government trailer. his head felt foggy, and he couldn’t feel his hands and legs. But his body was moving. And the next thing he knows, he’s already changed out of his costume, headed to Jason on foot.

***

- The Doctor, Theodore “Teddy” Sturgeon (HEH. I named him after some author. Have you read To Marry Medusa? don’t remember much of the plot, but damn I remember loving it!), checked over Danny again. 

- Everything was healed. The vivisection and blaster wounds have healed into scars. Other parts of his body also showed some light scars, but the most dangerous ones have been healed.

- He sighed, rubbed a hand down in his face, and took a spare pillow. Then, he screamed into it.

- The smell of chocolate wafted around the apartment, making him feel nauseous, so he laid on the cold floor. Which, of course, made his nausea worse. 

- “Hey, Doctor Teddy! Do you want some hot chocolate?”

- No. Maybe some soup. But Teddy was too nauseous to talk. So, he only groaned back.

- “I’ll take that as a yes!”

- Of course groaning was a mistake.

- The Red Hood, who was now dressed like a civilian named Jason, came back inside with two mugs. He handed one of the mugs to Dani, who took it with a smile. Everyone in the room could tell how shaky her hands were, and that’s why ‘Jason’ led Dani to one of the smaller couches for her to sit down on.

- Then, Jason sat down at another couch and sipped from his own mug. Thank you Mr. Red Hood for thinking he was pathetic enough to not have any of his own hot chocolate.

- That was when there was a knock on the door. The Red Hood laid his mug on the wooden table that was also in the room, before getting up to answer the door, Dani doing the same thing and running right after him.

- [And I’d like everyone to know that Dani is smol. Like, she reaches until Jason’s hips smol.]

- He heard Dani gasp. “IT’S BILL!!!”

- He heard the Red Hood sigh. “Timmers, why are you burritoed and carried by my best chef?”

- “Hrrrrnnngggg...”

- “I’m not... I’m not that good, man.”

- Huh... that last voice sounds familiar. Doctor Teddy took a great effort to stand up, groaning and feeling his knees click. Then, finally, the people came back in, with Jason heading straight to the kitchen with a paper bag... probably full of groceries, and...

- “Oh, shit, Bill??”

- “Teddy??”

- Dani blinked at the both of them, sitting back down at the small couch while picking up her mug. “The two of you know each other?”

- Know each other? They used to work under the same bosses during the first Robin’s earlier years! Teddy was trying to get his degree while also getting paid doing all the easy stuff, y’know, like bandaging other henchmen up?? He was there when Bill had lost two of his femurs to Batman. He’s the one who brought him to Dr. Thompkins’ hospital.

- During those years, both he and Bill were so desperate to make a living, they refused to see exactly how deep in crime the both of them were getting. By the time the third Robin came into the picture, they drifted apart... well, it’s not like the two of them were close in the first place, but whichever boss Teddy was with, Bill was there too. It just felt weird not seeing the other whenever they were working under a new boss.

- Teddy got his degree, tried practicing in legal stuff, got too sentimental with some patients, and got arrested for doing unauthorized surgeries on people who definitely needed them. After being released, there was no hospital willing to accept him anymore... that’s when the Red Hood recruited him... and the rest was history.

- Bill chuckled. “Small world, huh?” he said. Then, gesturing to Danny with his chin, he smiled at Teddy. “Looks like we’re going back to old times, eh?”

- Teddy, who no longer felt the effects of nausea, only nodded. “Yeah,” he said, smiling back. Then, he gestured to the kid that Bill was carrying over his shoulder. “Does he need help?”

- Bill shook his head. “Nah. The kid just needs a cup of Jason’s hot chocolate. He looks like he’s been under the influence of Scarecrow’s fear toxin.”

- Teddy winced. “Yeah, okay,” he said, stepping aside so that Bill could place the kid wrapped in a fluffy blanket on the small couch the Red Hood was sitting on earlier. 

- Teddy squinted. “Is that... Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne?????”

- Bill nodded.

- Oh shit... he knew that the Red Hood, Jason, looked familiar. Does that mean that his name is actually, truthfully Jason?? THE Jason Peter Todd-Wayne??? Second adopted son of Bruce Wayne who died????? No... no... maybe they just look alike. And have the same name. Or the Red Hood chose that name specifically because he LOOKS like Jason.

- But that makes no sense! The Red Hood shoots anyone who disrespects the dead. He’d be a hypocrite if he wasn’t... Jason...

- Red Hood, who might also actually be known as Jason, walked into the room with a tray carrying three mugs. He handed one to Bill, then one to Timothy, who accepted it with a tired thank you, and then a mug towards Teddy. Upon accepting it (and no, Teddy did not squeak while he thanked him! *sobs* he didn’t!!), Teddy realizes that his mug was filled with good ol’ chicken soup.

- Okay, whatever. You don’t throw under the bus someone who feeds you well. Taking a sip, he inwardly cried at how good it was.

- “So, the kid sleeping on the couch is your brother?” Bill decided to ask, taking a seat on a chair he dragged from the kitchen.

- “Yeah... kinda... but we like thinking we’re siblings!”

- “Hm... how long has he been out?” Bill asked. 

- Here, the small girl seemed to become smaller. Her face turned sad, and it broke Teddy’s heart because no small child is supposed to look that sad. The Red Hood... Jason patted the girl’s back to comfort her.

- “He’s been out even before she took me to check on him, Bill,” said Jason. “He’s also never woke up when the Red Hood brought him over to Doc.”

- Oh, ohhhhhh, so we’re keeping Jason and the Red Hood being the same person a secret? Okay, yeah, Teddy could do that. Wait, he called him Doc, and only Doc. He doesn’t want Bill to misunderstand that he’s being legal in his Doctor stuff. He’s as much in crime as Bill probably is.

- But he doesn’t have time to point that out, because Timothy Drake-Wayne grunted, bringing out from his blanket a plastic bag full of tech, looking a bit more lively now that he’s drunk the hot chocolate.

- “Is everyone in this room in the know about who’s chasing after... the kids?” he was looking at Jason for confirmation, who nodded.

- “The official story,” said Timothy, “is that the ‘Government Investigation Ward’ or GIW is after the Red Hood, due to his constitution being similar to that of a ghost.”

- Bill blinked. “I’m sorry... what?”

- Timothy ignored him. “Ghost is just a general term for anything that has ectoplasm. The real story is that they’re after the kids AND Red Hood, because all three of them have ectoplasmic components in their body.”

- Bill looked to Teddy with a question in his eyes. Ectoplasm? his gaze seemed to ask. 

- “When I was treating Danny over here, he had some green substance in his blood,” he explained. “It both enhanced his healing and the infection, so his body was literally at war on the inside.” Turning his gaze to Timothy, he confirmed, “That green substance must be what you’re calling ectoplasm, right?”

- Timothy nodded. “It is. I don’t know the full description of what this ectoplasm does, but it seems that all three seem to naturally create ectoplasm in their bodies.”

- “When the Red Hood said to the Bats that the GIW seemed to follow him due to what he was, it mostly meant that the GIW was following them through their ectobiological signatures.” Timothy then shook the plastic to make all of their attention point to it. “The tech in this plastic bag? I took it directly from the vans before they were retrieved by the government. Once I figure out how they managed to sense ectoplasm with these things, I’m going to upgrade the security measures in this room... and then to the new safehouse we’re going to move into.”

- Bill whistled. “I knew that the Waynes were probably sponsoring the Bats behind the scenes, but to be the ones personally making their gadgets? That’s amazing.”

- Doc suddenly put the pieces together... techy... Timothy Drake-Wayne being Jason Todd-Wayne’s step-brother...

- Oh shit. That’s Red Robin, isn’t he?!?????

- “You okay, Doctor Teddy?? You’re looking a bit pale over there...” said Dani with worry on her face.

- “I’m... I’m fine.” NO I’M NOT!!! “I’m just... processing that the government... is using the people’s taxes to chase after people who are very clearly alive....”

- Dani snorted. “You don’t know the half of it! But, yeah! This IS where all the taxes are going. That’s why a whole bunch of people where me and Danny came from commit tax fraud!”

- Jason huffed. “Danny and I, Dani.”

- Dani gave Jason the stink-eye. 

- Jason then pointed a thumb to the kitchen while looking at Timothy. “The dining table is clean. You could do your stuff there. There’s also extra hot chocolate on the stove.”

- Timothy gave a small thanks. But before Timothy could pass Jason, Jason took him by the shoulders and whispered into his ears that the Doctor couldn’t hear.

(”Thanks, Tim... I’ll chat with you later, yeah?”

Tim shrugged. “Or we don’t have to talk about it.”

Jason pats his shoulder. “Whatever makes you comfortable...” What else would Dick say, Jason wondered. Then, he added, “Just know that I’m here to listen when you do wanna talk.” Because there’s no fucking way he’s letting Bruce talk to Tim about what happened.

Tim was quiet, eyes shining under the dim light of the living room. “Yeah... thanks.

Nailed it.)

- Timothy then briskly disappeared into the kitchen.

***

- The investigators, who are actually known as Operative J and Operative K, using the aliases John Jones and Keith Keys, stopped their car in front of Wayne Manor, their gadget blinking and beeping softly as they stood in front of the gates. “Two ectoplasmic signatures here, over,” Operative J, John Jones, said into his comms.

- Operatives L, M and N were in front of Arkham Asylum, their own gadgets beeping softly. “One in Arkham, over.”

- Operative O, who was staking out in Schnapp Avenue, put his binoculars down. “Three in Schnapp Avenue: Daniel, the clone and an unknown man. Apartme----”

- Operative O wasn’t able to complete his report, because he was thrown into a wall, wheezing as he slid down.

- Then, he felt an electric shock to his neck, putting him to unconsciousness.

- “Operative O. Operative O, respond!”

- The Operative’s comms were crushed. Then, Operative O received another electric shock, frying any trackers he may have on his body that may lead the other government freaks to his location.

- Nightwing turned on his own comms. “O. Message Hood and Red Robin. Tell them that their location has been compromised.”

- “On it.”

- Nightwing then walked up to the unconscious Operative, picking him up by the back of his collar, and dragging him out of the rooftop. Some interrogations were in order.

****

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[vampthropologist]

New selfship! I call them HarV (Harvey/Harv/V) - ref img

[terastallized]

harvey dent amv

[weirdfishy]

tired: harvey dent isn’t automatically gay because he supports gay rights (he is bisexual though)

wired: harvey dent isn’t automatically the batman bc he supports the batman (he is sleeping with bruce wayne though)

[about-faces]

Is there a comic line where Harvey Dent is allowed to be happy

Yes, actually! Well, sorta. It depends on what you mean by "comic line."

The very first version of him, the Golden Age Harvey Kent, got to keep his happy ending from the original Two-Face trilogy and marry Gilda. Their only other appearance was in Superman Family #211 where they were seen in attendance of Bruce and Selina's wedding:

Of course, given that this was Earth-Two, this meant that they along with their entire universe, died in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Not just died, but were so obliterated that they never truly existed. So that's a downer. But hey! At least until some writer comes along to remember them again. Still, they presumably got to live a long, happy life together, which is far more than Harvey gets the vast majority of the time!

Then of course there's the universe of the 1989-1991 newspaper comic strips, which (spoiler alert!) ends very happily for Harvey. The strip was being cancelled anyway, so it's wonderful that writer William Messner-Loebs decided to end it with a celebration for Harvey's recovery.

The other one that comes to mind is the DC Bombshells comic series, where Harvey was the mayor and brainwashed by Hugo Strange into going after superheroes. After getting burned, he's rescued and adopted by the teenage group of Batgirls.

This is the only time Harvey has ever been officially considered a member of at least ONE form of BatFam. He then became their butler. It's cute but weird.

Aside from these, there're also a couple Elseworlds books where Harvey's life doesn't end in misery or death, notably Batman: Two Faces and Gotham Noir, but I wouldn't say he's exactly HAPPY in those. He's just better off than the usual Harveys.

Ultimately, the problem with even these stories is we never actually get to see any more of him doing stuff. No one has ever really tried exploring the potential of what a post-redemption Harvey Dent could bring to Batman. But given how much misery Gotham characters go through, perhaps the only way to ensure him being happy is to let those Harvey's go off to limbo where they can't be hurt anymore.

[l-starlight-l]

The love of a hero

Smoke signals

Masterlist

A/N: so I was reading some of my old post and low-key hated how it was written so I decide to rewrite the whole love of a hero series. Hopefully it’s a little better now!

Description: it’s your first day of work at Arkham asylum and you share a smoke break with a handsome hero

Warning: smoking, cursing, mental hospital

Pairing: Jason Todd x Reader

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:Reference:

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Being one of the most successful Psychiatrists in the country you hadn’t planned on getting fired from your dream job. You had been working at black-gate prison for three years and in one day it all went down the drain. You needed a new scene away from all of the shit that happened so you had decided Gotham was the perfect city to move to and there just so happened to be an open position at Arkham Asylum. You had a good feeling about your new life as soon as you made it off the train. You had friends in the city and it seemed like a place that needed a good fixing up, which was your specialty.

The only condition of the asylum hiring you with your strange record, was you had to start immediately. Which meant as soon as you got into Gotham you were racing to get to the creepy building on the outskirts of the city. When you got there you could tell they were in deep need of staff. A kind older lady met me in the lobby and introduced herself as the head doctor, she gave you a tour of the facility and a list of patients that were yours. The list was very long, it had about sixteen names on it, and you had never had this many patients. You made it your goal of the day to at least introduce yourself to each one of the patients. As you scanned the list some very popular names were on it like, Harvey dent or Pamela Isley. One name in particular caught your eye, Harleen Quinzel, you had known her before she became what she is now. You had went to school together and ended up getting pretty close. You pushed her to the end of the list so you could prepare yourself to see her again after everything that she’s been through.

You had just finished your sixth session of the day with “the scarecrow” and it had shaken you up a little so you thought a brake would help. You looked around for a quiet place where you could get some fresh air. Luckily when you walked out a pair of doors at the back of the building there was a small bench and no one to be seen. You let out a sigh of relief and plopped down on the bench. You rustled for something in your pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. It was a bad habit you had picked up while at black gate but you were cutting down. You only smoked when you were stressed, which seemed to be happening more and more often. Patting your pocket you find nothing, “are you fucking kidding me” slips from your lips as you realize you don’t have a lighter.

You leaned back and close your eyes trying to find some relief before going back to work. There’s soft footsteps that land right in front of you. You lift open one of your eyes and see a very large man in-front of you. You look up at him, he’s wearing a big red helmet. You think for a second, there were a lot of vigilantes in Gotham but which one was this. “Red hood?” You quietly asked confused.

“What are you doing here” he asked but not in an aggressive tone, it was more of a confused tone. He didn’t put right answer you question but you took it as a yes.

“I should be asking you that” you say with a tinge of annoyance in your words, “you’re the big masked man who came out of no where”

You can’t actually tell through the mask but his body language makes it seem like he’s embarrassed. He reaches for his head and takes his helmet off revealing a very handsome face clad in a black domino mask. “Sorry I was just surprised, no one is usually over here” he says softly ruffling His bad helmet hair.

You nod like you agree with him even though you have no idea. You hold up the cigarette in your hand and ask “you got a light”.

He nods and takes out a cigarette of his own, putting it in his mouth and holding the light to it. You get up and touch the tips of the cigarettes together in the flame so they light simultaneously. When you sit down and look back up at him you can see his face is a little flustered. Maybe that was a weird thing to do to a stranger. “So are you a new doctor here?” He asks clearing the awkwardness from his voice.

You nod taking a drag off the cigarette and blowing it out, “it’s my first day” you say with a laugh. You eyes wonder up and down him as you wonder, “and you? Are you one of the “bat-boys” that run around Gotham” you ask doing air quotes with your fingers.

He chuckles, a deep sound that makes your ears hum. A smile grows on your face as you watch him. “I suppose you could call me that. You don’t look like you’re from Gotham?” He questions taking you in.

“I’m not” you say bringing your knees to your chest on the bench and taking another hit of the cigarette, “I just moved to the city, well not yet, after my shift I get to move into my new apartment” you admit.

He smiles and opens his mouth like he’s about to ask something else but his phone rings. He pulls it out of his pocket, he reluctantly steps away to answer it. You can tell he is annoyed with the person on the other side. You watch him with a smile on your lips, you caught yourself being a creep and take another drag and look away. He finishes up on the phone and walks back over, putting out his smoke. “See you around doc” he says with a warm smile and disappears into the shadows. His smile stays with you even when he’s gone, it felt so warm and genuine. You let out the breath you were holding and finish your cigarette. You stand up from the bench and dust yourself off, you need to see him again you decide. You walk back into the building regretting the next few consults you have.

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Word count: 1,029 >~<

Tag list: @princessbl0ss0m @mxtokko @atadoddinnit

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[izunias-meme-hole]

Since you’ve been doing a fair amount of Batman posting, mind if you list your favorite members of the Gotham Rouges?

Okay. I’ll list about 10 of my faves, though we’ll be counting backwards here.

Also I'll be listing the variations of my faves whom I like the most to make things clearer.

Number 10. Poison Ivy (B:TAS) - If we're talking about character alone, this is the blueprint for literally every present day version of Poison Ivy, however this specific incarnation of the character has aged pretty well. She's every bit the dangerous eco-warrior that she makes herself out to be and will gladly turn someone into a tree for bulldozing a forest, but there is still a level of humanity to her character much like half the villains in the show.

Number 9. Mr. Freeze (B:TAS & Batman Beyond) - I feel like this is a "to the surprise of absolutely nobody" moment, but come on! Mr. Freeze here not only was made into a more tragic character compared to his early comic counterpart, but he actually had a whole arc across the entirety of B:TAS which ended at Batman Beyond. Victor Fries was a scientist trying to save his wife, Nora, from a rare disease, so he put her into a cryopod to preserve her until he found a cure. Then he and Nora were almost killed, but Nora was still kept on ice, while Victor got turned into a literal cold hearted monster. Even after Nora was finally cured, Victor was forever unable to be with her due to his own condition worsening to the point where he was just a head in a jar, angry with the world. A couple of decades later, and he is given a new body by the Wayne Powers CEO, Derek Powers, and while things were finally going well at first and Victor was reforming as soon as he had the chance, things went horribly wrong again, resulting in Victor dying as Mr. Freeze. I may have missed some details here, but yeah that's a summary of this sad ice man.

Number 8. Dr. Crane/Scarecrow (Nolan Trilogy) - Crane wasn't a big villain in the grand scheme of the trilogy, but my god Cillian Murphy does a great job with the character. Like I wish that his supervillain outfit wasn't just a bag over his face, but Scarecrow manages to be quite the dangerous loon with a mask of sanity in Batman Begins, an active member of the underworld in The Dark Knight, and the guy actively sending folks to their deaths in The Dark Knight Rises. Could we have had more of him? Yes. Did he use up his screen time well? Absolutely. Though his fear toxin could've been infinitely wilder.

Number 7. The Phantasm (B:TAS but movie) - The Phantasm is the literal best darker counterpart to Batman a lot of levels.

Number 6. Harley Quinn (B:TAS yet again) - The minor side villainess turned breakout character of the show. If anyone has seen B:TAS and then seen the rest of the media she's in, then you know why this is the best version of her. A good amount of things about the character being based around her actress (R.I.P Arleen Sorkin), her interactions with half the cast, Peak HarIvy content, the best representation of how bad her situation with her abusive ex was, and the perfect mixture between being a not-so-great-person and a precious lil' thing who deserves better.

Number 5. Harvey Dent, Two-Face, & The Judge (B:TAS) - The first well developed Two-Face, and the definitive. I mean he was never a bad villain, but the character was never utilized to the fullest like he was in B:TAS. Harvey Dent was a good guy with an other half that was the literal manifestation of his bottled up anger, an anger that turned into something else entirely after the left side of his face got blown off. Now Harvey and his other half start their own crusade to eradicate organized crime by taking it over from within. In other words, Two-Face here wanted to originally wanted to achieve something good through something bad, and yes a lot of it is due to a fair coin flip. However Harvey began to disagree with some of the shit his other half was getting up to, and as a result developed a third personality that was so separate from both himself and Two-Face that it tried killing both of them and, by extension, himself. This third entity would end up being The Judge, a ruthless, wraith-like vigilante with a judge's attire. So after being detained in Arkham for good, all three Harvey's are literally stuck with each other, and in a spin-off comic set directly after that whole situation with The Judge, Two-Face was given another double headed coin that would constantly come up on the "good side," and spent a lot of time dismantling his criminal enterprise, before doing (another) suicide attempt. This take on Two-Face was something else.

Number 4. Oswald Cobblepot (Gotham) - If I were to list everything that this smug snake has done, along with some of the shit that happened to him, we'd be here all day. However, this is the most well characterized iteration of The Penguin that we've ever had, in my humble opinion.

Number 3. Catwoman (Batman Returns) - I'm dying on this hill gentlemen. Despite not being... anything like her comic counterpart, outside of name, confidence, etc, Michelle Pfeiffer's Selina is something great in her own right.

Number 2. The Riddler (The Batman 2022) - Turning the Riddler into a a catholic, terrorist, cult leader that looked up to a young and angry Year-Two Batman, while also keeping the core elements of his character the same is something I'll never stop praising. He's still intelligent, he's still creative, he's still on the verge of breakdowns when his ego is badly damaged, etc.

Number 1. The Joker (B:TAS & Batman Beyond) - This is a "to the surprise to absolutely nobody" moment, though in this case I cannot be blamed. B:TAS understood the assignment and provided the definitive iteration of The Joker, completely inspired by his early comic appearances and some elements from Jack Nicholson's take on the character. An ex-mafiosi turned Clown Prince of Crime that lives to only spread misery across Gotham in the most creative way possible with a smile on his face. That was the idea that Paul Dini and Bruce Timm ran with when conceptualizing this bastard, and they just explored the concept for all its worth. Not only that, but this was the first time that Mark Hamill ever voiced this bastard, and it was just perfect casting. Overall, nostalgia got me to re-examine this take on the character, and I can easily say that without a doubt, this is the best Joker.

[davantagedenuit]

How about a thing where Bruce rings Jim Gordon's doorbell to get drunk on Harvey Dent Day? Because I certainly wrote that, and it's right here.

One year post-TDK. 700ish words, I think. No porn, just feels.

-----------

Jim Gordon’s doorbell rings a little past 3pm, on a cloudy day, a normal day in Gotham by all standards. He expects a salesman he can politely send away, a reporter at worst, but he certainly does not expect Bruce Wayne. The three-piece suit, the smug air and one hand jammed in a pocket. “Commissioner,” Wayne says.

“Mr Wayne.”

Gordon makes his tone as interrogative as one can when addressing a man rich and powerful enough to ruin the entire city at will. But Wayne seems to take the cool, startled greeting as an invitation, and steps forward so decidedly that Gordon has to bodily stop him, and he is surprised too that it takes him some effort; Wayne is stronger than he looks. “What,” Jim says, “are you doing here?”

Wayne’s eyes are still unreadable; the hand not in his pocket produces a bottle, amber glass, slim with a long neck, white kanjis over a dark red label. “It’s Harvey Dent Day. We should celebrate,” he says. This time, he pushes Jim out of the way, not violently, but Jim would have needed to put all his weight into it to resist.

With mixed bewilderment and irritation, he follows Wayne to the kitchen, his kitchen, where Wayne has just fished two glasses from a cupboard. “Are you high?” he asks, and it’s his turn to wedge his hands in his pockets. “If you are, coming to the police Commissioner’s house is not a good idea.”

“Definitely not high, no.”

“Okay,” Jim says softly. “Then unless you tell me what you are doing in my house, Mr Wayne, you’re going to need to leave.” His demeanor stays mild, and his voice gets even softer than it was, but the warning gets through to Wayne; he stops unscrewing the bottle and his gaze drifts.

“It’s Harvey Dent Day,” he says again, quieter this time, with something in the voice that makes Jim frown.

“No, it’s not. Harvey Dent Day is on the 8th. Today’s the 6th.”

Wayne resumes his work on the bottle, pours two glasses. “Harvey didn’t die on the 8th,” he says. “He died on the 6th, when I pulled him out of the warehouse at Cicero.” He holds out a glass for Gordon.

The combination of Wayne’s voice, deeper now, with the steady, and suddenly familiar, eye contact, tells Jim more than Wayne’s words do. He takes a few steps back, as if the newfound truth had an imposing presence in the room. Wayne is still looking at him, and Jim doesn’t think Batman has ever held his gaze for that long.

The glass is still offered—Jim takes it.

Wayne sits down at his kitchen table. Jim sits too, and gradually, he stops seeing Wayne’s suit, his slicked-back hair, and his long legs, crossed at the knee, like an old Hollywood type. He sees the jawline, the unsuspectingly broad shoulders in a jacket, he guesses, tailored specifically to make Wayne look less muscular than he must be underneath—and that silence, calm and trusting, like peace in the storm. Jim would know that silence anywhere.

He swallows: surprise recedes, and other emotions flood him in its place. He exhales, and his own breath is warm on his lips, and, yes, his voice is shaking, when he says, “I thought you were gone.” It’s nowhere near what he means to say, which is somewhere in between don’t you dare leave me alone with this lie and please, don’t leave me, I need you.

Wayne has a small smile. “Not going anywhere. Gotham is my home.” He raises his glass. “To Rachel,” he says, and sure enough, his eyes are lined with tears that he’s not trying to hide. “And to Harvey.”

They knock back their glasses.

“Sweet Lord,” Jim says. The liquid in that bottle looks innocuous enough, a very pale beige tint in their small glasses—there’s almost no bite to it on his tongue, and yet it lands strong and almost uncomfortably warm in his stomach. Almost.

“Yeah,” Wayne agrees. “It does that.”

He gets the bottle from the counter, and Jim holds out his glass.

[maniacwatchestheworld]

Remember that time Two-Face almost beat Dick Grayson to death with a baseball bat? Yes, beating children is wrong... But DAMN if he didn't look good while doing it!

Can you really say that this man isn't a sexyman when he looks THIS good while doing something THIS horrible!? Two-Face beat Dick Grayson once, I'm certain that he can do it again, but this time in the polls!

Vote for Harvey "Two-Face" Dent in @batman-heritageposts' Batman Sexyman Tournament!

(Disclaimer: Yes, I know that this is in poor taste, but this is all in good fun. Don't take this too seriously. These are fictional characters we are talking about, ultimately. Feel free to respond to this post with images of Dick looking hot while beating Two-Face to a pulp. Or Images of Two-Face looking particularly fugly while Dick is beating him to a pulp. (I KNOW those exist!) I'll even reblog them for you!)

[batmanfruitloops]

Been a while since I did a long text post, so let's discuss Harvey some more!

Harvey was always a polite and energetic boy growing up. He had a lucky silver dollar he kept to flip "heads or tails" for little decisions, like stepping over or onto cracks in the cement, or silly little bets with Gilda or Bruce, who he met at a young age through school and the three became fast friends.

His father was an angry and abusive man, oppressing his power over Harvey and his wife, enforcing a skewed set of rules. This instills Harvey with a strong sense of fair judgment and wanting to right wrongs, even at such a young age. When Harvey was 6, his parents got into a fatal car crash and died, and from this point on the Wayne's did everything they could to help Harvey, now guardians to him.

This incident was hard at first since Harvey felt conflicted about whether or not to be happy that his parents were gone, and he could become angry and aggressive when upset, similar to his father, although Harvey had plenty of support to help him calm down and cope better with stress.

When Bruce's parents were murdered, Harvey comforted him as best he could, mourning his loss and trying to help Bruce continue to take care of himself and talk about how he feels.

Bruce is still fine for the most part after that, if not more distant in word, but good with spending time with Harvey and Gilda.

Over time, Gilda and Harvey spend more time together, as they click better. Bruce participated when offered, but as he was also fine being alone, the two began to see each other more often without Bruce there.

This is how things stay until Bruce leaves at age 18, Harvey having no idea. One day, he tried to call Bruce, then the manor only to find out from Alfred that Bruce had left a couple weeks ago. This cuts Harvey deeply. Had Bruce really not intended to let his best friend know that he was leaving, especially if it was going to be a long trip?

Alfred offered to give Harvey Bruce's current contact information, but Harvey declined, not wanting to bother Bruce and fearing what he might hear if he did call.

At age 22, Harvey and Gilda finally decided to get married. They'd been dating for a few years, and even before then, it was like they were joined at the hip. They're very good at communicating with one another, and as touch is one of their main ways of showing love, that makes it all the easier to express care for one another.

Harvey was quite distraught about Bruce not being in attendance, but again, he didn't feel like he could bother Bruce on his trip. Although had he attended, he would have been Harvey's best man.

After his marriage, Harvey would also get his job as an attourney, something he'd have had as a dream job for years. Over the next 6 years, Harvey earns his way to district attorney, and the hearts of many Gothamites, given he's an easy person to root for; charming, well-spoken, kind, and takes everything and everyone into account.

When Bruce returns, the news is sudden, with him showing up at the Dent's house with no prior notice. Harvey would be happy to see him, if not confused by the odd situation. He'd be happy to catch up, but he's quickly disappointed when Bruce asks more about how Gotham has been since he left, instead of how Harvey and Gilda have been. He doesn't even bring up the bizarre nature of his trip starting and ending so abruptly. He seems perfectly content, as if nothing happened. Bruce is also more physically distant, not trying to hug Harvey or anything while he's over.

Harvey has a hard time bringing up everything that Bruce is doing to hurt his feelings, so he decides to change the subject. He'd be considering running for mayor at the next election, and he'd like Bruce's support. He, of course, says yes and they discuss in detail plans for Harvey's campaign.

Changing Gotham to a better city is a goal that they share, and so fixing things like the Mob run corruption is a main concern, along with the justice system. Most of the police force works with the mob, and one of the few options besides prison to send those mentally unwell is Arkham, which uses outdated treatments and doesn't help anything. So making a proper replacement is another goal that they start working on.

As I hinted at in an answer post, Harvey is a threat to Hill and Falcone, so they plan to take him out of the picture. While not the first rogue to enter the crime scene, Harvey will be the first to appear in some of the comics.

- Sarsee

[electromignion]

Young Jeremy Bradshaw fanart! (Bridgewater my beloved)

“Dad? Can you hear me? Are you out there?”

Here’s my latest Bridgewater fanart! I wanted to explore more young!Jeremy Bradshaw; especially as in S2 he mentioned having been tried Wicca when he was younger; so it struck me directly — what if he tried witchcraft overall? And my mind unraveled to that point to now 👌

If you want more explanation about the fanart and my headcanons about Jeremy you can click on read more (because again details are detailing way too much)✌️

So let’s first start with young Jeremy, as he admitted to believe, I wanted to show how he tried to explore all the possibilities and I totally see him as a little bit of a rebellious teen as he is still in denial and as he is aching for the come back of Thomas. That’s why he tries to contact him with the pendulum, he wants to believe.

And I thought how Jeremy would express himself in this situation? That’s why I gave him black nail polish, an earring, and you can’t see it much but he has some black eyeshadow, to me it was his way to express himself.

As a way to express himself too, on the picture framed on the left in the red frame, it’s him as a teen with his mother and his step-dad, as I heard in S1 EP01 that Jeremy’s mother said dad to talk about the guy and Jeremy corrected her, I thought about that grudge must have been lasting for a huge while, so that’s why he put a post it and crossed it as well, because he has always refused to replace Thomas in a way, and he looks quite uncomfy on the picture too.

However, another picture is framed: baby Jeremy with Thomas Bradshaw and this one is fully visible. It’s probably one of his only picture with his dad so he cherished it a lot. (My headcanon is that Jeremy had the film camera and took a picture by accident as he was excited to see the camera, and when they developed it they kept the picture as it was too adorable, and I love Jeremy with his one little tooth 🥺🥹)

He also cherishes the letter his dad has written to him for his fifth birthday, so just before his disappearance. As I don’t know if you will be able to read my handwriting here is my transcript:

“Dear Jeremy, Son, l know I promised to be here today, but *scribbled words which are “you know”* work is work sometimes. I’m sorry. You will probably understand later. You have plenty of birthdays to come, so I promise I’ll make it up to you. Take care of your mom ok? Happy 5th birthday, proud of you, x Dad”

Which makes it even more hurtful because he never got to celebrate another birthday with his son. (Yes I suffer, you suffer with me /lh)

For the context of this fanart, I thought it would be in the year 1995, so Jeremy would be 20 years old and it would match. So I then looked for Gameboy games which were out in North America before 1995 because I really like to be accurate, and I put Batman first because it’s a nod to Misha Collins’ role in Gotham Knights as he plays Harvey Dent! (Btw as an other Misha nod, I did the bed blanket pink for the famous pic of Misha with his pink blankie but that’s really anecdotal but that’s what I enjoy). I really wanted Jeremy to have Pokemon Red/Blue but unfortunately, it was out in Japan in 96’ and then 98’ in NA/EUR and import at the time was so-so, but as he likes myths and folklore he would love to catch pocket monsters for sure. (Maybe a next time??)

I put another paper taped to the wall which is just the Bridgewater triangle with the locations of each angles of it, I like to think that Jeremy was trying to find more information on it, that was his way to have a visual reminder of it all.

When it comes to the X-Files… because his t-shirt is some accurate 90s vintage t-shirt X-Files merch with “the truth is out there” written on it (I like details way too much), I think it is time to explain why TXF is so present in my full Bridgewater fanarts (the Big Blue mug reference to Quagmire 3x22 of txf, or even the I Want To Believe poster which is present usually in Mulder’s office ) not only the show is really important to me, but I really found the vibes of it in Bridgewater, and then it struck me, Jeremy had been Scully coded in the beginning of the S1 to then go to a sort of epiphany realising that things might end up real. But I truly don’t think that it stops here, because to me — we come to the headcanons — Jeremy has watched the X-Files as it aired. It started in 1993, he had 17 years old, he was not feeling good, he wanted to believe, who wanted to believe as well? Fox Mulder.

And it’s easy to draw the parallels: Jeremy has lost his father nobody cares anymore and he is only aching as he had been hoping for him to come back, his father disappeared in strange circonstances in the Bridgewater Triangle. Mulder has lost his little sister, Samantha, whom he was persuaded as a kid to have seen getting abducted by aliens, and everybody has lost hope on finding her, it’s easy to assume that Jeremy saw himself in a way in Mulder. Their seek for the truth is important but even when his belief starts to crumble I think he is still attached to the show and starts to find himself in the character of Scully, scientific and down to earth before anything else because it hurts less, and it’s his trauma response. But I think he ends up with the IWTB poster in his house as an adult as no matter what, he still wants to believe into the hope of finding Thomas again although he doesn’t believe it anymore.

For the witchcraft part he also has a tigers eye stone bracelet because it’s supposed to have strong properties of protection, and the pendulum is in amethyst as it’s supposed to bring soothing energy and good vibes — which might be useful to get contact with Thomas.

Then we come to my favourite fanart “plotwist” which I’m super proud of: the incense behind him as it’s burning is spelling “Jeremy?” which is a supposition that his contact with Thomas was indeed working — the veil hum hum cough cough — however he could not see it so not believe it, whereas ironically, the cone incense in front of him was burning normally, so this “séance” not working might have crumbled his beliefs into the supernatural too which put them into more into the rank of myths instead of real tangible possible things (and we can see his interests into myths and folklore already as the three books he has on his shelves are about it!)

As a ref of young!Jeremy Bradshaw I took refs on pics of Misha in his twenties 😭✌️

I hope you enjoyed my fanart (it took me roughly 13 hours this time) and my little explanation and thank you for reading it all! Lots of love 🫶

[lets-steal-an-archive]

The March 7 season finale of The Winchesters which aired last night on The CW brought back some Supernatural favorites: In addition to Ackles as Dean, we saw Alexander Calvert (Jack) and Jim Beaver (Bobby). But what about Cas? Was Misha approached to appear?

“I was, yes, but I was filming Gotham Knights at the time, and the timing just didn’t quite work out,” Misha Collins told us in our interview which will be posted in full soon on the KSiteTV YouTube channel and here on the website. “Jensen and I had conversations about it, and if there’s a Season 2 or beyond for Winchesters, we could certainly figure out how to make that happen.” Collins went on to say many positive things about his experience playing Castiel — he describes him as “an old friend” — and fans will really enjoy seeing him as Harvey Dent when Gotham Knights premieres next week.

[ammomancer]

Gotham Knights Characters in Comics: A Guide For Non-Comic Readers

Are you a Gotham Knights viewer curious about what your new faves are like in the source material? Well, you're in luck, because I love to talk about them!

I'll preface this by saying that while I haven't actually sat down and watched the show, I have read the full episode transcripts. Additionally, if you're wondering where Turner, Cressida, or Rebecca and/or Brody March are in this post, they're original characters for the show and have no comic book counterparts.

(characters are in no particular order)

Carrie Kelley/Robin

Carrie originates from Frank Miller's 1986 graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns. TDKR takes place in a (non-canonical) not-too-distant future where Batman has retired after the death of Jason Todd (the second Robin; his death happened in main continuity too, Bruce just responded... differently to it), but takes the cape back up for... reasons. I haven't actually read this comic despite how influential it is (basically every hyper-macho, weirdly-militarized, violence-glorifying take on Batman owes its existence to this comic, which should tell you why I haven't read it). Anyway, Carrie is Batman's Robin when he comes out of Bat-Retirement. She doesn't have too much going on to my knowledge, but is notable for being the first female Robin and for her use of a slingshot. In the sequel comic The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Carrie uses a different costume and the name Catgirl. Yes, really.

The Mutant Gang and its leader (though idk about the name Vernon Wagner since, again, haven't read it) are also taken straight from this comic. Including the part where they don't look like mutants and just look like weird punks wearing Cyclops visors.

Navia Robinson's Carrie is great, I really like her design and her performance.

Duela Doe (Duela Dent)/Joker's Daughter

Oh boy, Duela. She made her first appearance in 1976, where she initially claimed to be the daughter of various villains such as Scarecrow and Riddler before finally revealing that her father is Two-Face (according to one of the writers, this was because Harvey was the only villain who it had already been established was married; he has an estranged wife named Gilda). At some point she started using the name Harlequin (note that this was before Harley Quinn was introduced) and was a member of the Teen Titans for a bit. This Duela is definitely the most normal—she's just a bit odd (the whole Joker's Daughter thing was just to spite Harvey for abandoning her because she wasn't a twin).

One reboot (Crisis on Infinite Earths) later, Duela's parentage is once again a mystery, though she still uses the "Joker's daughter" theme. One of her most notable appearances is in the Titans East arc of the 2000s Teen Titans run, where she is a member of the villainous Titans team assembled by Deathstroke (aka Slade from the Teen Titans cartoon, they just didn't want to say "death" on kids' TV). Eventually she gets bored and switches sides to fight alongside the heroic Titans.

Some time later, it's revealed that Duela is actually from an alternate universe and because of this she's killed by a Monitor (genuinely do not know what the Monitors' deal is but they have something to do with the universe/multiverse). Later on in the same big event (Countdown) we find out that the universe she was from is Earth-3, where characters who are normally good guys are bad guys and vice versa (for instance, instead of Batman there's the villainous Owlman). Her parents are the Jokester (Earth-3's heroic Joker) and Three-Face (Evelyn Dent, Harvey's heroic Earth-3 counterpart who is a lady for some reason).

Yet another reboot later (the New 52, noted for its many... questionable decisions), Duela is now just some girl with major issues and an obsession with the Joker. She also wears his severed face as a mask. Yyyyyeah, you can pretty much ignore this version.

The Gotham Knights version seems to be going with Duela actually being Joker's daughter, since she describes her background in such detail and she seems troubled enough by it that I doubt she made it all up. I'm interested to see what direction they go with her, at any rate!

Harper Row (Bluebird) and Cullen Row

Harper and Cullen get to share a section. Do Not Separate Them etc.

Comics Harper and Cullen's mom, Miranda, was murdered rather than having walked out on them (though I get why they changed this, as it ties in to the story of another character who probably won't be on the show—Cassandra Cain, who's currently on Batwheels and DC has this weird thing about characters appearing in more than one show at once). Since their shitty alcoholic dad was in and out of jail, Harper ended up having to be the one to take care of herself and Cullen. Eventually she applied for emancipation and they both moved out.

Harper is very good with machinery, and she provides for herself and Cullen by working as a professional electrical engineer. Harper was inspired to become Bluebird when Batman saved her and Cullen from some homophobic assholes (specifically they were targeting Cullen for being gay, though Harper is also bi. They never say if Cullen is trans or not). After this she and Cullen became fixated on Batman and his exploits (well, more so than the average Gothamite is), and eventually Harper went out fighting crime as Bluebird. Bluebird mostly uses gadgets she made herself, including a big taser gun. She's currently in college and volunteering at a clinic.

Cullen... doesn't do all that much. Tyler DiChiara noted in an interview that as much as he likes comics Cullen, he doesn't like how passive he is and he's excited to show him stand up for himself more. I definitely see that in the show and I'm totally here for it!

Stephanie Brown (Spoiler/Robin/Batgirl)

No, that's not a spoiler warning, she actually uses the name Spoiler.

I'll be honest, Steph is one of the main reasons I made this post, just 'cause the show version is such a far cry from her comics iteration (and not in a good way) that I felt almost duty-bound to try and set the record straight. I'm all for new interpretations of characters, but this goes beyond that into "in name only" territory.

So, what is comics Stephanie like? Well...

Stephanie Brown is the daughter of Arthur Brown, a failed game show host better known as the C-list supervillain Cluemaster (basically a lamer knock-off of the Riddler). Growing up with a criminal father (who alternated between being in jail and being an abusive prick when he was home) and a mother who, albeit loving, was limited in her ability to take care of her due to her drug addiction, Steph had to be tough. When her dad broke out of jail and was a fair bit more competent than normal, she decided she'd had enough and tried to stop him as Spoiler (because she "spoiled" her father's plans, you see). The first time she met Robin (specifically Tim Drake, the third Robin) she hit him with a brick. That must have been a good first impression, because they actually dated for a while. There's a story arc where Steph finds out she's pregnant (from a shitty ex-boyfriend, NOT Tim) and ends up giving her baby up for adoption. When Tim couldn't be Robin for a bit (his still-alive father Jack found out he was Robin and grounded him), Stephanie showed up to the Batcave in her own homemade Robin costume and basically declared herself Batman's Robin. When Bruce fired her from the position (for really dumb reasons), in an attempt to prove herself she tried to carry out one of Batman's plans to stomp out organized crime in Gotham. However, Steph made a mistake (part of the plan involved one of Bruce's fake identities but she didn't know it was one of his fake identities and thought it was an actual person) and ended up accidentally starting a huge gang war. In the midst of this gang war, she was kidnapped and tortured by Black Mask (the one Ewan McGregor played in the Birds of Prey movie, yes), and when he eventually let her go and she got to a hospital, she ended up succumbing to her injuries and dying. Messed up!

Some time later it turns out she actually faked her death and was in hiding for a while. She's given the Batgirl mantle by the aforementioned Cassandra Cain (who was Batgirl at the time) but after the New 52 she's Spoiler again (currently she's like, both? it's weird).

The big issue I have with her portrayal in Gotham Knights is with her background. Steph not only being a rich girl, but a big part of her story involving her being a rich girl, is missing the point SO hard in my opinion. A lot of who Stephanie is is because of her lower-class background (much like her fellow dead Robin, Jason Todd, who Bruce would compare her to a lot while she was Robin). She's someone who's had to fight for everything she has, that's like the whole point of her character! She and Harper were actually roommates in the comics for a bit.

Harvey Dent/Two-Face

(first image is regular ol' Harvey, second image is him as Two-Face. There are a lot of variations on 2F's design, but pretty much all of them fit the description of "at least reasonably handsome-looking normal guy face on the left, messed-up scarred face with a glaring eye and constant snarl on the right".)

Here we get to the part I imagine a lot of you were waiting for. There are people who could explain this better than I (maniac-reboggles, for one), but I'm including my own attempt for the sake of completeness.

As he's existed since 1942, there's a lot of different ways Harvey's backstory has been told. The Incident that makes him into Two-Face has been pretty consistent since day one, but what happens before then varies more. In modern comics, though, it's generally something like this:

Harvey Dent grew up with an abusive father who kept a lucky coin that he would flip to decide whether or not he would beat his son. (This is where the DID comes from; childhood trauma is pretty much a prerequisite for the disorder as far as we know.) As an adult, Harvey is a close friend of Bruce Wayne (just to be clear Bruce and Harvey have had Gay Undertones for a long time, it's nothing new) and the youngest District Attorney in Gotham's history. Since this is Gotham, the justice system is corrupt as hell, but Harvey is doing his best to straighten things out and trying to root out corruption, earning him the nickname of Gotham's "White Knight". Things go bad when, while prosecuting mob boss Sal Maroni, Maroni (or sometimes one of his lackeys) throws sulfuric acid in Harvey's face, horribly scarring him. This is the last straw for Harvey psychologically--this incident has proven to him that the legal system is beyond hope. Taking inspiration from his father, Harvey reinvents himself as Two-Face, making decisions using a coin that has one clean side and one scratched-up, "scarred" side. (Originally it was that he'd either do a good deed or a bad deed, and sometimes it's still that, but other times it's more between "evil" and "less evil"). In more recent comics Harvey's alter (referred to by different names depending on the continuity; most often Two-Face is the name of the alter, but in BTAS he's "Big Bad Harv" and in at least one continuity he is referred to as Harvey's "associate") is depicted as a "protector" (which is more realistic to DID- people don't just have "evil" alters unlike what some movies would have you believe) who just happens to be rather ruthless in his methods.

Bruce is forever upset at what happened to his friend, and is often depicted as wanting to help him get his life back together and go straight; sometimes Harvey even agrees to that, but due to the nature of comic books he always goes back to villainy eventually. Sigh...

Lincoln March

This is....Mmmm.

I haven't read the comic arcs with him in them, but in the Court of Owls arc, Lincoln March (which is apparently an alias) is seemingly a cool guy who supports Bruce in his endeavors to make Gotham better, he wants to run for mayor, a real stand-up guy. He even seems to want to assist Batman against the Court of Owls.

Buuuuut it turns out he's actually working with them. But they like, betrayed him or something, and also he claims that he's actually Bruce's secret twin brother, Thomas Wayne Jr.? It's left ambiguous if this is true or not.

(I mentioned before that Rebecca and Brody were made up for the show--for clarity, comics Lincoln is single.)

I don't know what direction they're gonna go with Lincoln in the show but I have to hope it isn't as dumb as the comics. But who knows, it could be way better, or it could be even dumber. We'll see!

[flybynightwing]

What's funny is how this makes me think of parents shittier than Bruce. It's almost like starting with Marv Wolfman giving us Trigon, Deathstroke, and Myand'r, writers insisted? Chuck Dixon gave us David Cain, someone who literally made me want to reach into the panel and strangle him. Tom King had that whole thing with two sisters at war, and as a bonus, they're related to Kate. That's bats for you.

Comics of the 80s-2000s are obsessed with terrible parents! In the Bat books alone, just off the top of my head, you've got Harvey Dent's parents, the retcon to make Barbara's biological dad an alcoholic, Steph's dad, Helena's whole deal, the retcon to make Catwoman into Falcone's daughter, David Cain (created by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott, btw), Ra's al Ghul, SHONDRA KINSOLVING DEAR LORD.

(There were of course plenty of bad parents outside of Bat books—this is the era where Wally's relationship with his dad was changed to be much more complicated, for instance.)

It's funny, because I think Wolfman and Perez, at least, understood what they were doing with Bruce. Like, you read through New Teen Titans, you look at all of Dick's interactions with Bruce, and that's not just an abusive father, that's an abusive father written by people who have put some real thought into the exact kind of abusive he is. In NTT, when Bruce hits Dick, it's not out of nowhere, and it doesn't go nowhere. The argument in New Titans #55 is heavily tied into Dick and Bruce's specific history, and after Bruce hits Dick, he immediately starts gaslighting him about a real conversation that we've seen them have previously. In subsequent issues, Dick talks to a therapist about the incident, and it lays the groundwork for the response he's going to have in Batman: Year Three and A Lonely Place of Dying. Like, the one line from Batman: Year Three:

"I feel like the child of an alcoholic—you know the problem isn't yours, but it is."

That's not a line written by someone who thinks that Dick and Bruce's relationship is healthy!

We all love to talk about how the Titans all hate each other's parents, and I think for Wolfman and Perez, that's very much the point of the team. These are young adults who have all been very let down by their parents in one way or another, and so they find each other and become each other's family. So yes, Trigon and Deathstroke and Myand'r and Bruce are all different kinds of bad, but they're all part of the same conversation.

But then you move out of the Titans era and into the solo Nightwing era, and it's the 90s and comics are just getting generally grimmer, and Batman is being written as increasingly violent and isolationist. And all of the behaviors he had under Wolfman and Perez are still there, and sometimes even worse, but he's being written by people who I don't think actually understand that he's abusive. Like, in this post, I don't think either Ed Brubaker or Chuck Dixon noticed or intended that parallel.

As for O'Neil, I honestly think he just leaned towards reconciliation generally, and towards a much less abusive characterization of Bruce specifically, and I guess introducing EXTREMELY TERRIBLE fathers in Nightwing Vol 1 was his way of squaring that circle. I'm thinking about "Snowbirds Don't Fly," and how O'Neil wanted that story to end with Roy and Ollie reconciling—even though there was absolutely no reason they should've! It feels like a similar impulse was at play in his Nightwing mini.

[guardian-of-gotham]

//Filled out a questionnaire by my lovely mutual, Kirby, earlier in my hiatus, and I finally decided to post it. Also, there are NSFW themes in the Sexuality section. I've colored milder answers in orange and more potentially uncomfortable ones in red.

-- Appearance

001. Do they have any scars?

Yes, several. Most from before the Batsuit actually served as armor, when his dealings with Gotham's mobs saw him stabbed and shot repeatedly. And yet it still took a kid insisting on joining him for him to realize he should sacrifice some mobility for a more durable fabric.

002. Do they have any tattoos/piercings?

No.

003. What is their natural eye color?

Steely blue.

004. Do they wear contacts to change their eye color?

Not unless in disguise.

005. What is their natural hair color?

Black.

006. Do they dye their hair?

Not unless in disguise, and a wig is not an option.

007. Do they keep their hair long, short, or in between?

He's had the same short, combed back side part since he was a child.

008. What does their clothing style look like?

He dresses as formally as appropriate on any occasion. If he's going for a real casual look, he might wear a vest without a jacket or forgo outerwear entirely. No tie and leaving a couple buttons open at the top of his shirt is a popular go-to for a particularly laid-back date night.

009. Do they dress in “the norm” for their gender presentation?

Kind of? He dresses more formally than most men, and there are some common items of clothing he never wears, but his outfits are all still masculine, even if they sometimes get a bit too fancy to be considered normal. Also, he wouldn't be entirely opposed to wearing more feminine clothing if it was part of a disguise he knew he could pull off or if a partner expressed interest in seeing him in a particular garment/outfit.

010. Do they wear any kind of make-up?

Not usually, but he has used it for certain disguises, to help hide injuries, and when necessary for media and/or public appearances.

011. Are they invested in their physical appearance?

He tries his best to look presentable as Bruce Wayne and intimidating as Batman, but if those qualities weren't necessary for his goals, he probably wouldn't care much. His monetary investment in his appearance is pretty substantial, though, mostly due to extensive efforts to minimize his scars as much as possible to avoid suspicion towards his secret identity.

-- Identity

012. What is their gender identity and sexual orientation?

Cis male and demibisexual/romantic.

013. What is their relation to their gender identity and sexual orientation?

He's never questioned either and still thinks he's straight (by default). Given his place on the ace/aro spectrum, it's already difficult enough for him to form and realize attraction to others, and his stubbornness leads him to deny his feelings longer still, so he's never really needed or been presented with the opportunity to wonder if his interests go beyond women. Funnily enough, his first crush was on Harvey Dent in college, but it was also his first time experiencing real friendship, and he's so emotionally stunted, he didn't realize his feelings went beyond that.

014. What is their relation to their ethnicity/heritage?

Bruce was raised in both the Jewish faith and culture and still engages in the associated traditions despite now being disconnected from the spiritual aspects of his upbringing. There were some mild Christian influences from his father, who belonged to the Episcopal Church before his relationship with Martha, but those had much less of an impact on his life than the strong family values and emphasis on making the world a better place. "Tikkun olam" may as well be his life motto.

015. How do they feel about their nationality, current or of origin?

Having been born and raised in the U.S., he can appreciate some of the ideals behind the country's founding and the independent spirit it can inspire in people. However, he is also aware of just how deep corruption runs through every system currently in place, those in Gotham being some of the worst examples. To say that he loves his country in its current state might be a bit of a stretch, but he does care about the people living in it and does his best to play his part in its eventual improvement.

016. What family members had the most impact on them?

Considering his parents both instilled his current ideals in him and set him on his current path through their deaths, probably them. Although, he never would've gotten this far if not for the support and influence of his butler, and essentially, second father, Alfred.

017. What is their relationship with their family?

He does his best to love and protect every last person in his family, blood relation to them an unimportant factor, but he would never ask the same of them. As far as he's concerned, they would all be better off without him, and their continued association with him only increases the likelihood of their death. Any apparent distance he might place between himself and them is simply him trying to prevent that outcome.

018. Do they connect with their sense of self or reject it?

He sees himself as a tool, a necessary evil to help others. Any moments of self-discovery or humanizing experiences, regardless of if he's eventually appreciated them or not, have happened against his will.

019. Is their sense of self tied to another person or thing?

Very much so. As stated previously, he has built his entire life around aiding others. He sees no point to his existence otherwise. Honestly, he doesn't even know who he is anymore. Bruce Wayne pretty much died the same night his parents did, Batman is a purpose, not a person, and even the moments in his life where he feels the most real and alive only occur because of the people he's grown to love.

020. What does their morality look like?

He is intent on making the world a better place through self-sacrifice and systemic change. He unfortunately has found it necessary to hurt people to stop them from hurting others, but he refuses to kill, because he doesn't believe in any one person having the power to end another's life, and he believes that when people seen as heroes kill, it can corrupt their mission and/or inspire more malicious forces to pose as heroes and take advantage of people's trust in them to carry out harm on a mass scale.

021. What other names are they known by? 

Batman, Bats, The Bat, The Dark Knight, B, Brucie, Brucie Boy, Brucie Baby, Bruce Old Boy, Mr. Wayne, Dad, Father, Baba, Spooky, and more.

022. Do they know any languages besides their birth tongue?

English, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Filipino, Korean, Arabic, Turkish, Polish, German, Latin, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Hebrew, Thai, Vietnamese, Kryptonian, Swedish, Swahili, and Kasnian. Possibly more.

023. What religion were they raised in, if any?

Judaism.

024. Are they religious at present?

No. He's seen too many unbelievable things to completely discount the idea that everything he was taught in his youth was true, but there seems to be no explicit evidence supporting its existence either. Regardless, he still engages with the cultural aspects of Judaism and lives by the ideals instilled in him, holding the belief that faith in an otherworldly being isn't necessary to uphold family traditions or to be a decent person.

025. Do they hold to any superstitions?

Only if they've proven to be true, at which point, they can no longer be considered superstitions.

-- Health

026. Do they need glasses?

No.

027. What mental conditions do they have?

Autism, PTSD, C-PTSD, and Dysthymia (a.k.a. Persistent Depressive Disorder).

028. What physical conditions do they have?

Other than a plethora of scars, none at present.

029. Do they have any allergies?

No.

030. What notable injuries and/or illnesses have they had?

Broken bones, bruises, blood loss, sprained joints, strained muscles, dislocated bones, head trauma, bullet wounds, burns, stab wounds, incisions, temporary hearing loss, temporary loss of vision, temporary death, the common cold, pneumonia, frostbite, radiation poisoning, food poisoning, ingestion of poisons, exposure to fear toxin, Joker venom, Poison Ivy's pollens and pheromones, and various other psychoactive substances, paralysis, comas, hangovers, and many, many more.

031. How diligent are they about their personal hygiene?

When he needs to go out in public, very much so, but he has been known to neglect himself when focused on a particularly frustrating mission.

032. Do they keep up with their medication if they have any?

Alfred makes sure he does whenever necessary, but he does sometimes intentionally skip doses if he finds that the effects interfere with his ability to carry out his work.

033. Are they particularly concerned with staying healthy/clean?

Only to maintain respectability and the ability to fight crime. He doesn't fear death so much as no longer being able to protect others.

-- Symbolism

034. What colors are they related to?

Black as Batman, obviously, and perhaps gold as Bruce Wayne? He would be associated with wealth and extravagance, the color is the same as the champagne often served at his parties, and he is seen by some as a ray of light and symbol of hope in Gotham's dark, corrupt atmosphere.

035. What animals symbolize them?

Other than his clear connection to bats, there are also some parallels between him and a wolf. Both are seen by others as solitary predators despite clearly being pack animals. Plus, the animal's fierce and loyal characteristics are also very present in Bruce's own personality.

036. What plants symbolize them?

From Victorian Floral Code:

Asphodel - Remembered Beyond The Tomb

Red begonia - Dark Thoughts

Bluebell - Constancy

Bittersweet Nightshade - Truth

Box - Stocism

Cedar - Strength; I Live For Thee

Pink carnation - I'll Never Forget You

Cypress - Despair; Mourning

Dogwood - Love Undiminished by Adversity

Eglantine - Poetry; I Wound To Heal

Everlasting - Enduring Remembrance

Fennel - Force; Strength

Adonis Flos - Painful Recollections

Forsythia - Good Nature

Dark Geranium - Melancholy

Gladiolus - Strength of Character

Heliotrope - Devotion

Hyacinth - Sorrow

Ivy - Fidelity

Lavender - Mistrust

Marigold - Grief; Despair

Monkshood - Chivalry

Snowball - Bound

Johnny Jump-Up Viola - Thoughts, Remembrance

Wallflower - Fidelity in Adversity

Water lily - Eloquence; Purity of Heart

Weeping willow - Mourning

037. What celestial bodies symbolize them?

Stars - guidance, hope, and destiny

Comets - change and upheaval

038. What time of day are they most related to?

Night. A time of secrets and darkness. Light still exists; it's just harder to find. So long as there are those who can't rest safely each night, he will make this darkness his home.

039. What is a number or numbers that relate to them?

2. A number of dichotomy and conflict, as well as partners and cooperation. Two parents lost, two identities formed, the dynamic duos that protected him from the harm of self isolation, the two alters at war within his best friend, Harvey Dent, once the white knight to his dark knight, and the minimum number of people he can count on to continue residing at Wayne Manor, as they have since the other two were lost.

040. What elements are they most connected to?

Earth. Grounded, solid, steadfast, and dependable. Rich in resources and the foundation for all continued life.

041. What type of weather are they?

Gloomy and overcast. Melancholy and mundane, he isn't always appreciated and can be a source of misery for some, but to those of an acquired taste, he offers peace and hope, with the promise of a better life to come after putting up with a downpour or two.

042. What season of the year are they?

Fall. A time of death, loss, and change. He sacrifices and sheds parts of himself, so life and hope can begin a new in those around him. Even if he doesn't live to see the eventual spring, he will bear the brunt of the coming winter to leave the world stronger than he left it.

043. What kind of precious material are they?

Diamond. Forged under pressure and difficult to break.

044. What type of music fits them best?

Classical instrumental. Filled with soul and complex emotions, even if often overlooked or misunderstood by others due to a disconnect from those who rely more heavily on verbal communication.

045. What songs are closely tied to them?

Symphony No. 3 by Henryk Górecki, also known as the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, is a piece that always spoke to something in him, especially after the deaths of his own parents. He might give its name if asked for his favorite song, but to actually hear him listening to it nowadays would likely not be a great sign for his emotional stability in that moment.

-- Preferences

046. What is their favorite food and drink?

Steak and steamed vegetables have always been a reliable go-to, and he wouldn't be able to function without the vast amounts of black coffee he consumes each day. Although, if he were trying to pair the two, red wine would be a better fit for the aforementioned meal.

047. Do they like sports?

Not particularly. He likes engaging in physical activity and appreciates the value sports add to society, but he's not the type of person who needs to keep up with a particular game or team. His priorities lie elsewhere.

048. Do they like hot or cold weather?

Cold. He's used to Gotham's gloom and recognizes the practical truth that it will always be easier to warm oneself than attempt to cool off.

049. How do they feel about animals?

While he appreciates them and finds it himself easily growing to care for them, he does think that there's a limit to how many of them people can personally care for within a single household and hopes Damian's penchant for collecting strays doesn't end up getting out of hand.

050. How do they feel about nature?

It's a precious resource that needs to be protected, but unlike a certain adversary of his, he doesn't believe the loss of human lives is necessary for that protection.

051. Do they prefer science or the humanities?

Personally, science. However, he does believe teaching the humanities to be more important when it comes to fostering a kinder society and making people aware of societal warning signs before true corruption can take root.

052. Are they booksmart or streetsmart?

Mostly booksmart, but he's streetsmart enough to do his job as Batman. He's knowledgeable on how the criminal underworld works and capable of analyzing his enemies' psyches, but there are deficits regarding his social intelligence in general that often get in his way.

053. Are they more comfortable in large crowds, small groups, or totally alone?

While he would likely say alone, he does, in fact, work and feel best when in the company of a few close friends or family.

054. Do they feel more in their element in urban or rural settings?

Urban, but specifically an older, darker version of urban. Places like Metropolis can feel too bright and overwhelming, and they lack the harsher architecture and abundance of hiding spots he's grown used to in Gotham.

055. How do they feel about math and language?

Both are important cornerstones of society, and he's made sure to remain well-versed in each subject.

056. Do they prefer to travel or stay in one place?

Stay in one place. There's a comfort in familiarity, even if Gotham can't exactly be described as comfortable on its own.

057. Are they good about getting out of their comfort zone?

Not really. That may seem hard to believe, given his nighttime activities, but pain and fighting have become commonplace to him. It's much harder to trust others or allow himself to be vulnerable than to face off against increasingly more difficult foes.

058. What’s their sense of humor like?

Dry, sarcastic, and often deadpan. It's sometimes hard to tell that he's joking beyond the sheer ridiculousness of some of his statements.

059. Do they have any special interests?

Justice and social reform.

060. What pieces of media are important to them?

The Gray Ghost and The Mark of Zorro, although, he hasn't seen either in decades. Television and film in general have lost much of their appeal to him since his parents' deaths.

061. What are their pet peeves?

Recklessness, greed, and cowardice shown by people who have others depending on them.

-- Sociabilities

062. Are they more introverted or extroverted?

Introverted, for sure, but he can pretend to be extroverted when he needs to be. He enjoys being around those he cares about, but even then, he prefers to observe them interacting with each other or quietly enjoy their company.

063. Are they paternal in nature?

Given that he has managed to amass a small army of children, several of which were acquired against his will and best efforts, it's safe to say that he's so paternal, it's often to his detriment. He doesn't believe any kid deserves him and the trouble that seems to follow him in their lives, but he will always care for the few that made their way into his life regardless. He also treats kids in general with as much kindness as possible, knowing all too well how frightening and lonely it can be to exist as one.

064. Do they want kids?

Surprisingly, no. He's only adopted kids if he's felt he's been their best and/or only option, which doesn't happen often. He didn't plan to have Damian, and he doesn't plan to willingly bring any more children into his horror show of a life. Of course, that's how he's always felt, so odds don't look great for him actually maintaining that goal any time soon.

065. What level of emotional intelligence do they have?

His emotional intelligence is fairly decent; however, his emotional wisdom and social skills often leave something to be desired. He can understand that he's in distress and needs to care for himself just fine, but that doesn't do him any good if he convinces himself he can handle things alone, believes himself to be undeserving of compassion, and actively refuses to take said care of himself. Likewise, while he can often understand the emotions of those around him, not everyone appreciates some of those emotions being treated as a simple problem he just has to find the solution for.

066. How do they communicate their thoughts and feelings (positive or negative) to others?

He doesn't. He bottles it all up until they push him too far or the occasional feeling dawns on him that he should them know he cares about them. After all, he's very obvious in showing how he feels (in his mind, at least), so why does he need to specifically voice it all the time?

067. What are their love languages out of the classic 5?

Acts of service, gift-giving, and quality time. Physical touch is also a common one for him in romantic relationships, but he doesn't initiate it nearly as often in platonic or familial relationships.

068. What are their love languages not included in the classic 5?

Memorization of small details, protection, avoidance, and sacrifice (up to and including his own life).

069. How strong is their sense of empathy?

Not very. He can be incredibly sympathetic and has his ways of reading people, but unless he can specifically relate to their current situation, he can't actually place himself in their shoes and feel what they're feeling. Even when he can relate to their situation, he moreso taps into his own past feelings than connects with their current ones, which can be counterproductive if they feel differently.

070. Do they allow themself to be vulnerable or keep all at a distance?

He absolutely keeps everyone at a distance, but those patient and persistent enough can definitely break through his walls and witness moments of vulnerability from him despite his best efforts to pretend such vulnerabilities don't exist. Those who pay close enough attention will even realize that the very fact that he allows them to get close means that he's already become vulnerable to them. The only time he doesn't try to hide that, though, is when he truly believes they need a reminder of how much he cares for them.

071. Do they struggle relating to others with foreign experiences?

Very much so, but that doesn't mean he automatically dismisses them. He'll always try to help others in their struggles as long as they aren't harming others. Even then, he's been known to offer words of kindness to those most in society wouldn't seem worthy of such an act. People can't change if never presented with the opportunity or motivation to do so.

072. How quickly are they to give their trust?

What trust? Joking aside though, trust always needs to be earned with Bruce. However, once fully earned and fostered, it's hard to break that trust entirely. He might not trust them in small matters anymore, but he'd likely still trust them with his life if push came to shove.

073. Are they more of an optimist or pessimist?

He would describe himself as more of a realist, but his life experiences have led him to expect the worst more often than not. Despite that, he continues to fight for a world where better expectations might more easily exist.

074. Are their emotions easily influenced by others’?

Only by those he's already started to grow close to. Usually, there are too many walls in place, but once someone's slipped past his defenses, it doesn't take much to have him wrapped around their finger.

-- Romance & Sexuality

075. Do they fall on the aromantic/asexual spectrum?

Definitely. He's demi in both spectrums, requiring an existing emotional connection before developing feelings for or attraction to anyone.

076. Do they want to be married?

Ideally, yes. In practice, it would take a lot to convince him to add yet another potential family member for him to lose into his life, though.

077. What type of features are they attracted to?

Sharp/angular facial features, plush lips, slender builds, toned muscles, broad shoulders, long hair, heights not far below but potentially fairly far above his own, and nice hands

078. What type of personalities are they attracted to?

Passionate, charismatic, mature, strong-willed, kind, and respectful people who are good with children.

079. What type of personalities repulse them/are a turn off?

Rude, violent, manipulative, reckless, egotistical, immature, and/or chauvinistic people unable to take anything seriously.

080. Would they be open to a threesome?

Not unless it was one mind shared between two bodies or one body shared between two minds.

081. Would they be open to a foursome or more?

The previous answer would still stand, but there would be more hesitance for each additional body/mind. More alters/other variations of head mates would be more likely to cause real discomfort than more bodies, though, since each one would technically be a separate partner with their own thoughts and personality. 2 minds might actually be a max for him.

082. Would they be okay with an open relationship?

Not at all. I could see him agreeing to his partner seeing others to keep them happy if he was talked into it, but he wouldn't be able to keep up multiple relationships at once himself, and even sharing his current partner would be very unhealthy for him and would eventually break him to the point of pulling away entirely.

083. Are they polygamous?

Absolutely not, as explained in the previous answer.

084. Are they open about their sexuality (both orientation and general)?

Nope. He doesn't even realize he's on the ace/aro spectrums, much less that he's bi. Even with women, he denies his attraction to them as long as he can and tries to avoid even purely emotional attachment to them, due to his tendency to repress emotions, his lacking romantic experience and his fear of loss. He's also a deeply private person in general and tries to avoid being the focus of a conversation.

085. Are they comfortable with casual sex?

No, he doesn't even feel the need to engage in such acts when not in a relationship. He would have no reason to seek out temporary companionship, and he wouldn't be attracted to anyone without forming a deeper connection to them. He hadn't even had his first kiss before becoming involved with Selina, and his one night stand with Talia was not intended to be so brief on his side of things.

086. How comfortable are they with discussing sexuality in general?

In general, incredibly uncomfortable, but with a (potential) partner, usually the most discomfort he'll feel is some mild shyness or embarrassment.

087. What are their kinks?

Bondage (mostly receiving), dominance (receiving), body worship (giving), sparring/wrestling, sensation play, adrenaline/danger play (only when no real risk/threat exists to deal with or after dealing with something real not brought on by his partner where nobody else could've been hurt), roleplaying (mostly bringing hero/rogue personas into the bedroom, though he's too embarrassed to reveal so without prompting), clothed sex (either both or just his partner), costumes/uniforms (mostly formal attire, business wear, and hero/rogue uniforms), lingerie (on either his partner or himself, but he hasn't been introduced to that second option yet), teasing (mostly receiving), and suspension (mostly receiving).

088. If they could choose, on average, would they prefer slow and sensual or fast and rough?

He definitely prefers to slow down and appreciate things as they occur, but he'll speed up if requested, and he certainly wouldn't have any complaints being treated a little rougher if his partner was the one controlling the pace.

089. Does emotional intimacy play any part in their enjoyment of sex?

Absolutely. He cannot enjoy the act if he isn't physically pleasing a partner he has grown emotionally attached to. He doesn't even tend to himself, though there's generally no need to if he hasn't interacted with such a person recently.

090. How tolerant are they of kinks they don’t have?

It depends on the potential they have to cause harm or illness and how much physical pleasure it would bring his partner. Outside of his own relationships, he doesn't care what people do as long as they're being safe and discreet.

091. Are they more prone to the dominant or submissive role?

Submissive. He can fake being dominant occasionally to please his partners, but it doesn't come naturally to him, and prolonged teasing or pushback would quickly break his resolve.

092. Do they prefer the penetrated (bottom) or penetrating (top) position?

He has no preference, but given that he has only had cis female partners in the past, he is more experienced as a top. Although, he would be uncertain of himself either way at first with a partner who had the same genitalia as him, and until he became more confident in his skill with that type of anatomy, he would likely always make sure they were still stimulated from the front in some way when topping. He also tries to use other forms of stimulation when taking the bottom role with partners lacking the necessary natural anatomy, wanting to make sure their needs are still being met. In any case, constant audible confirmation of his partner's pleasure greatly helps to reassure him and keep his anxieties from interfering.

093. Are they a sadist, masochist, or both?

He's not exactly a masochist persay, but if any pain is going to occur, he would much rather it happen to him. Anything on his end couldn't go beyond gentle love nips, lightly running his nails across skin, or minimal pressure/squeezing applied to certain body parts, and that last one would take a bit of convincing before he was comfortable trying.

094. Do they prefer to give or receive oral sex?

Give. He grows deeply uncomfortable whenever he is doted on in any way unless he is able to return the affection, preferably simultaneously, Even when he's already made sure his partner has had their fill for the time being, having all attention turned on him can still make him tense or squirmy, especially when when unable to at least touch them while it's happening.

-- Misc.

095. Would they be considered “out of touch” with the present day?

In some ways. He doesn't necessarily keep up with the latest trends or what slang is currently in use among the youth of today. In fact, he could easily be described as a product of an older era. However, he is more aware than most of the things that truly matter in life, and people trust him to pay attention to their needs and do his best to fight for necessary changes, when others with his level of power in society often ignore anything that doesn't directly seem to affect them or even make things worse for those less fortunate if it works to their advantage.

096. What are their feelings about recycling?

It's an incredible method for reducing waste, but an individual's efforts to engage in it won't make a difference if the corporations that create most of the world's waste continue not to take any accountability or make any attempts at change themselves.

097. Do they have any grasp of Internet culture?

Basically none. If it could provide insight on a case, he might put in the effort to learn a thing or two, but beyond that, it holds no relevance in his life.

098. What’s their average level of energy?

Probably a 5. Tired and overworked, but he manages to carry on regardless.

099. What are they proud of?

His family, his friends, and people who have chosen to better themselves despite any struggles involved in doing so. He holds no pride for any of his own actions or achievements, though.

100. What do they regret?

Every mistake, real or imagined, that he's ever made, the people that he's failed to save making up the majority of that regret.

101. Do they have any secrets?

...He's Batman.