#Arkham City: The Order of the World | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

stealingyourbones · 5 months

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Prompt Idea: Danny has plot armor.

To start off, Danny’s whole family knows he’s Phantom, and they had to run from Amity because of the GIW. They wind up in Gotham because that’s the one place that The Government doesn’t really mess with.

The reason behind Danny’s plot armor is that in this world, Danny became incredibly overprotective of his friends and family in order to make sure he doesn’t wind up as Dan, ironically making the chance of that happening much greater than before.

In order to prevent this, Clockwork gives Danny and his family a blessing. It works like this.

Imagine you rolled a dice. To Clockwork, there are now 6+ possible alternate timelines that can ensue. Clockwork’s blessing allows those possible timelines to be restricted to only one or two, all of them good for the Fenton family.

In effect, it was like plot armor. Scarecrow attacks a library with Jazz inside? Oh, looks like her parents need her to pick up Danny early, or she drank too much water and needs to go to the bathroom, which just so happens to have a window just in reach that she can escape from.

Maddy needs to get a job? Well, Jazz’s university needs a new chemistry professor (last one was kidnapped by a rogue) and they’re in a bit of a rush so they’ll skip looking for a teaching certificate. No one cares anyways, it’s Gotham.

Jack needs something to do? Well, besides hunting ghosts, he’d always wanted to open a food truck! With Jazzy making sure nothings contaminated and some (slightly modified) recipes from the Ghost Zone, he can finally chase his dream in a big city with his Phantom Food Vehicle! He wonders what some of those shady men came up to him for, or that odd stout fella in the tux.

(The Phantom Food Truck has become a recent cryptid in Gotham. Except it’s not a cryptid, because everyone’s seen the video of the truck hurtling down the street like it’s chasing down the devil, cop cars and vigilantes alike on its tail. And yet, no one could find it. Not even the Bats. That’s about when everyone gave up. When they learned that you don’t find it, the Phantom Food Truck finds you.)

As for Danny? He’s entirely unaware of this, to focused on keeping his head down. It works, for a while. Before fate came knocking in the form of a wicked smile, as if there solely to ruin his day.

The Joker wasn’t having a good day either. He started out having a jolly old time, joker toxin gassing a small high school, making sure to leave macabre presents for his dear Batsy, and then what happens? This random kid just starts running around, helping students, saving teachers, what’s he gonna do next huh? Save a cat from a tree?

What’s worse, his useless henchmen couldn’t even land a hit on the kid! He swears, Bill doesn’t even seem to be trying.

Whatever, they managed to corner the brat, looked like he was standing in front of some other children. So Joker lines the shot, and he fires.

The gun jams.

Alrighty, he takes one from a random mook, and he shoots again.

The gun jams.

No one’s moving at this point. Where there was once dread and tension in the air, there’s just confusion. So Joker points the gun at a goon, pulls the trigger, the shot goes off.

He turns back to the Robin-ish looking twink, and he pulls the trigger.

The gun jams.

And as he starts walking towards the kid to just kill it himself, he wakes up in the Arkham hospital wing with his last memory of the encounter being him slipping on the glowing green contents of some weird looking thermos that the kid had thrown earlier in the fight. What the FUCK was that.

Clockwork doesn’t even care how pissed the Observers are any more, this is hilarious.

it's to the point of ridiculousness that the Bats have an entire file on Danny and they think he's a meta with a luck ability and nothing else.

#dpxdc #bones replies

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milesluna · 4 months

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My Favorite Games of 2023.

Hi. Hello. Thanks ever so much for clicking on this page. Happy to have you.

First thing's first: I'm a little freak when it comes to video games. I don't feel the need to beat most games I play. From Software is one of my favorite studios in the industry and I've never finished a single one of their games. This means, fortunately, that I get to play a LOT more games than the average bear.

I've written up some blurbs about my top ten favorite games from 2023, but before that here's the list of every game I remember playing this year that left any sort of lasting impact on me (in no particular order):

Dead Space Remake Resident Evil 4 Remake F-Zero 99 Humanity Dredge Metroid Prime Remastered Anemoiaplois Alan Wake 2 Baldur’s Gate 3 LoZ Tears of the Kingdom Counter Strike 2 Hunt Showdown El Paso Elsewhere Jusant Slay the Princess| Remnant II The Finals Street FIghter 6 Lethal Company BattleBit Remastered Don’t Scream Homebody The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog Pizza Tower World of Horror Super Mario Wonder Mr. Sun’s Hatbox Fifa 23 Sea of Stars (Demo) Half-Life (25th Anniversary Update)

And the games I played that were NOT released in 2023:

Unpacking Persona 4 Golden Picross 7 The Order 1886 Shovel Knight Dig Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Spider-Man: Miles Morales Pac-Man Championship Edition DX Project Zomboid Quake LoZ The Minish Cap Drill Dozer Wario Land 4 Pokemon Pinball Resident Evil Revelations Summer of ‘58 Trackmania TwinCop We Were Here Visage Cursed Halo CE Half-Life 2 (I probably play this once per year) Witch Hunt Red Dead Redemption 2 Cyberpunk 2077 Borderlands 3 Brutal Legend Cultic Slay the Spire PUBG Rez Infinite Batman Arkham City Alan Wake Alan Wake: American Nightmare Max Payne LoZ: Majora’s Mask 3DS Metroid Prime Metroid Prime 2 Tunic Everhood Final Fantasy VII Final Fantasy VII Remake GOODBYE WORLD Yakuza: Like a Dragon Critters for Sale Dome Keeper Phasmophobia Hades Nintendo Switch Sports

Now that you understand the kind of freak you're dealing with…

Let's dive into my top ten favorite games from this objectively fucked up year.

10. El Paso Elsewhere Developed by Texas indie studio Strange Scaffold, El Paso Elsewhere is a Max Payne-clone with vampires, an opinionated narrator, and lots and lots of bullet time. As a small studio punching well above their weight class, Strange Scaffold leans into abstract, PlayStation 1 minimalism when it comes to visuals and pairs them with a soundtrack that will make your hands sweat. The vibes are here and they're ready for the end of the world. I'm personally also a big fan of everything this studio stands for.

9. Mr. Sun's Hatbox I want you to imagine Metal Gear Solid V. Now I want you to imagine that game as a 2D, level-based, slapstick platformer you can play with up to three friends. If you think that sounds stupid, you'd be right. And it's beautiful. As you build up a secret army of soldiers with various skills (and disorders), you'll start to develop *favorites*. This game constantly asks if you're willing to send those favorites on a harrowing mission and risk losing them forever… or if you'd rather send an idiot you recently captured who blinks constantly and can't kill anyone without fainting.

8. Dredge Every year I feel like I find one game that falls into the “just one more round” category, and baby… Dredge was it for 2023. As a weary fisherman in strange waters, you'll make the most out of your 12 measly hours of sunlight only for your daily voyages to inevitably pull you into the darkness of night, and night is when things get weird. Rocks emerge from the fog that you swear weren't there before, your equipment malfunctions, and you're pretty sure you just saw something in the water… something big. Despite only containing a small collection of islands, the world of Dredge manages to feel vast - perhaps vast enough to swallow you whole.

7. Resident Evil 4 Remake I was curious to see what sort of changes would be made to the timeless classic and father of modern 3rd person shooters, Resident Evil 4. I wasn't let down. RE4 Remake takes all the things that didn't age well about the original, tossed them out, and replaced them with only good things. And MORE things! It's campy, fun, and better than a game of bingo.

6. Jusant I really feel like this one didn't get the recognition it deserves. Jusant is a rock climbing game that combines the quiet contemplation of Journey with the mechanical specificity of Death Stranding. Unlike Death Standing, though, there is very little story to interrupt your flow. There are plenty of collectible bits to find for those curious to learn more about what happened before the events of the game, but the environmental storytelling does most of the heavy lifting. For me, the joy of the game comes from how it feels. Right trigger controls your right hand grip, and left trigger controls left hand grip. Plan your route, manage your stamina, and climb high above the clouds in search of answers.

5. F-Zero 99 This. Shit. Slaps. I've never been a big F-Zero guy, but this MADE me one. The “battle royale”, 99 player format is the perfect fit for the ruthless, high octane world of the game. Races last about three minutes, and friend, they are the most intense, white-knuckled three minutes of your life. The decision to make your boost meter the same as your health meter started in F-Zero 64 (I believe), and it is so much more HARROWING in this game when another player could side-swipe you mere meters from the finish line and blow you to bits. Sadly it's only playable via Switch Online, but it made me cheer, laugh, and scream enough this year to earn a spot in my top 5.

4. Alan Wake 2 Remedy makes weird games that also manage to exist in the AAA space and for that I will forever love them. Although Alan Wake 2 resembles a 3rd person shooter survival horror, I'd honestly say it's more of a narrative game than anything else. There's sidequests, there's puzzles, there's upgradeable skills, but at the end of the day the characters, world, and story are what kept me playing. If you haven't checked them out recently, you should definitely watch a story recap of the original games before diving into this sequel, but the wild swings for the fences this game takes are well worth that small price of admission. There's a god damn musical number, for Christ's sake.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom I've really got nothing to say about this game that most people don't already know. It's incredible. The fact that Nintendo made a game that redefined an entire genre and then made a SEQUEL to it that ups the ante is remarkable. To be honest, I've only cleared the Rito, Zora, and Goron cities. I got a bit tired of exploring the depths and guiding Koroks to their friends, but I can't deny the sheer level of complexity and polish on display here. I saw someone on TikTok build a functioning Mecha Godzilla in this game. Good God. I've heard that the ending of this game is one of the best in the franchise, and if I'd seen it this year then it may have wound up higher on my list, but for the time being I'll continue picking up this masterpiece from time to time, chipping away at it until the day comes that I can finally smack the tits off thicc Ganondorf.

2. Half-Life (25th Anniversary Update) I know I'm gonna get shit for this, but I don't care. This year was the 25th anniversary of Half-Life and Valve released an update that made playing it (and it's online Death Match) much more accessible. I threw it on my Steam Deck out of curiosity, expecting to play for 20 minutes. I could not put it down. It is unbelievable how modern this game still feels. I simply had so much fun sprinting through the corridors of Black Mesa with a dozen weapons strapped to my back, blasting aliens and military Spec-Op chumps as a 24(?!) year old theoretical physicist.

1. Baldur's Gate III This game is fucked up, man. The sheer amount of writing in this game scares me. We can all talk about how BIG this game is, it deserves it, but the thing BG3 does better than any other role playing game I have ever experienced is actually encourage roleplaying. I've played through Act I four times now, with four different groups of friends, and it has felt fresh every time. I have seen the same events play out in so many different ways that it boggles the mind, but in every one of those play sessions I see players asking themselves “What would my lil guy do here?” rather than "what is the best thing to do here?" The game rewards players constantly for just trying shit and the D&D 5e rule set means playing like the character you said you were from the start leads to frequent Points of Inspiration. Maybe one day I'll see the end of this story (probably not), but I don't have to in order to feel a connection with BG3's world, characters, and most impressively, the characters I made myself.

Honorable Mentions for 2023

5. Dave the Diver 4. Homebody 3. Sea of Stars 2. Humanity 1. Super Mario Wonder

Top 5 Favorites NOT from 2023

5. Metroid Prime 4. Final Fantasy VII Remake 3. Cursed Halo (Halo CE Mod) 2. Red Dead Redemption 2 1. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (3DS)

Games I didn't have a chance to play from 2023 but still want to when I find more time...

Viewfinder Venba Chants of Sennaar Thirsty Suitors Hi-Fi Rush Moonring Armored Core VI Laika Aged Through Blood Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

OKAY THANKS BYE!

#video games #2023 #GOTY

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stupid-sloot-headcanons · 5 months

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I'm back with more Alfred and Jason angst, because I can't get it out of my head.

To continue with the thought of a darling getting (temporarily) rescued by Batman, holing up in some safehouse with Alfred as her protector, and Jason re-capturing darling but obviously being shocked by Alfred being there.

Jason is quiet the entire way back to the hideout. He's got a firm grip on darling, but she's smart enough not to fight when Jason is in such an agitated state--it's a one way ticket to being sedated with one of the syringes he keeps on hand. He gives order to the militia, tells them that security is being upped as soon as they get back. He tells darling without speaking to her that she's getting a tracker put in her, and not to argue about it. (She wants to, but forces herself to just stare straight ahead, tears in her eyes.)

It's not until he's got them back in his "safehouse," members of his militia dispersed, the door to the safe room firmly shut and locked, that the silence between them is broken.

He's upset, borderline hysterical. He immediately clings to them, kissing them hard, clinging them so tightly that the Arkham Knight armor is pinching them and going to give them bruises. This goes on for a while. Just holding them, touching them, reaffirming that they're here. He tells them that he'll never lose them again, EVER.

When he finally does calm down a little, he sits on the bed with darling, next to them. It's quiet for a moment, and then he asks something that's been bothering him ever since they broke into the safehouse.

"How is he?"

He means Alfred, of course. And it's such a soft, broken question. A question asked by some scrap of the former Jason that still lives in him, the Jason who would have taken a bullet for Alfred. Who loved him--still loves him, still cares for him.

And darling just looks at Jason with a sad expression--there's all this bittersweet turmoil raging through them, sympathy and pity towards Jason for what he's gone through and what he's lost, and anger and resentment at what he's doing--and tells him the truth.

Alfred is okay, all things considered. He's strong. Kind. Selfless. He's worried about everyone. Worried about the city. She tells him that Alfred misses him, and how Alfred used to send her flowers on her birthday, and they sometimes shared pictures or stories of Jason between them. She gets choked up and says she wanted to tell Alfred about him being alive so, so badly, but she didn't. She didn't want anything bad to happen to anyone--to Alfred, to Bruce, to Jason--if that secret got out.

Jason doesn't say anything. When darling looks over, he's got his jaw clenched tightly to keep in his sobs. A practiced expression one learns when being tortured and not wanting to give your tormenter the easy satisfaction.

But of course he can't stop his tears from flowing. He's crying.

Because...

There are some people in the world that he wants to kill. The Rogues, the villains, of course. Bruce, most of all.

But there are some people in the world that he wants to protect. People that he cares about. People that he loves. Darling is first and foremost. But there is another gallery of faces there, people from his former life, and Alfred is among them.

There' are questions between darling and Jason that will probably never be asked.

What will become of Alfred, in this new Gotham without a Batman?

But more importantly: what will Alfred think of him, once he kills Bruce?

Yes! I think Jason would never willingly hurt Alfred unless it was a Barbara-type situation--like he did kidnap her, she was cut up and scraped, but that was largely from her causing a car crash and pepper spraying a militia member (because Barbara is fucking awesome). He outright threatened that if anyone hurt her, they'd be a dead man.

I think that Alfred would also get that treatment, and Jason would never risk harming him. But I don't know if Darling knows that, deep down. After all, she probably didn't think that he would kidnap her and keep her held captive

#.jason todd #.dc #.arkham knight #.arkhamverse #yandere jason todd #yandere dc #yandere arkham knight #yandere arkhamverse #fem darling #thots

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erythriina · 4 months

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Hello internet I would like your help!!

I’m currently compiling a list of as many pieces of media that contain references/allusions to the King in Yellow (either the fictional play or any interpretation of the character) as possible. This is my list so far, in no particular order, but if you’re aware of something I haven’t listed here, pls let me know !!

Malevolent (podcast)

Signalis (video game)

Fear and Hunger: Termina (video game)

Identity V (video game)

Vampire Survivors (video game)

True Detective (tv show) season 1

ADDITIONS:

SCP-701: the hanged king (collaborative fiction wiki)

Haiyore! Nyaruko-san (anime)

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King - The Crimson King (book series)

The Baby in Yellow (video game)

Sucker for Love (video game)

Persona 2 (video game)

Arkham Horror series by Fantasy Flight (card games)

Deltra Green (RPG system)

Call of Cthulhu (RPG system)

The Yellow King from Pelgrane Press (RPG system)

The Call of the Void (podcast)

The Sinking City (video game)

World of Horror (video game)

Lovecraft’s Untold Stories (video game series)

Mass Effect - the planet Carcosa (video game)

#the king in yellow #malevolent #malevolent podcast #signalis #fear and hunger #funger #true detective #mine #….finally giving in to my desire to make an elaborate youtube video tracing the origin of tkiy #this bits just for fun it’s not important but it’s always funny to list lots of things v quickly

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gorogues · 4 months

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Spoilers for comics in March 2024!

These are from the official solicits for that month, which you can see in full at Adventures In Poor Taste.

There's not a lot of Rogues content this month, but a bit. Digger isn't mentioned in any of the Kill Arkham Asylum solicits, but he is on one cover.

SPEED FORCE #5 Written by JARRETT WILLIAMS Art by DANIELE DI NICUOLO Cover by SWEENEY BOO Variant cover by GEORGE KAMBADAIS $3.99 US | 32 pages | 5 of 6 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 3/12/24 After teaming up with the rest of the Flash Family in Titans: Beast World Tour Central City, Avery and Wallace are more determined than ever to take down the mysterious forces behind the app that’s brainwashing not only the S.T.A.R. Labs scientists but now the youth of Keystone City. But before they can reach the Big Boss, they’ve got to face off with holographic versions of themselves!

SUICIDE SQUAD: KILL ARKHAM ASYLUM #2 Written by JOHN LAYMAN Art by JESUS HERVAS Cover by DAN PANOSIAN Variant cover by ARIEL OLIVETTI 1:25 variant cover by GABRIEL HARDMAN $4.99 US | 32 pages | 2 of 5 | Variant $5.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 3/5/24 Before the Suicide Squad sets their sights on the corrupted Justice League in the upcoming video game, they have to escape Arkham Asylum, and that’s going to require a lot more killin’ first. Good thing Deadshot is the world’s deadliest assassin. Or is that second-deadliest? Either way, he’s determined to survive the riot to end all riots, in order to live to die another day. But there’s a lot of guards standing between Deadshot and freedom. A lot of other inmates, too. Deadshot’s solution: kill ’em all! Presenting the riotous prequel to Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League! Each print issue includes a redeemable code for a bonus weapon doll digital token in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League inspired by the comic. Get the new Great White Shark weapon doll digital token with issue #2. Paying subscribers with a DC UNIVERSE INFINITE Annual or Ultra subscription (U.S. only) who read the digital issues of Suicide Squad: Kill Arkham Asylum will also receive these bonus digital codes.* *Terms Apply. See dc.com/suicide-squad-faq for details. DC UNIVERSE INFINITE is not intended for children.

Plus another Kill Arkham Asylum solicit and the Ape-Ril Special behind a cut for lenghth!

SUICIDE SQUAD: KILL ARKHAM ASYLUM #3 Written by JOHN LAYMAN Art by JESUS HERVAS Cover by DAN PANOSIAN Variant covers by ARIEL OLIVETTI and STEPHANIE HANS $4.99 US | 32 pages | 3 of 5 | Variant $5.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 4/2/24 Wake up, brush teeth, get tortured by guards, get loose and get revenge. It’s just another day at Arkham Asylum for Harley Quinn, except all the cell doors just inexplicably unlocked and now everybody’s going nuts and killing each other. The lunatics are running the asylum today—which is just how Harley likes it! The bloody good time continues in this prequel to Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League! Each print issue includes a redeemable code for a bonus weapon doll digital token in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League inspired by the comic. Get the new Scarface weapon doll digital token with issue #3. Paying subscribers with a DC UNIVERSE INFINITE Annual or Ultra subscription (U.S. only) who read the digital issues of Suicide Squad: Kill Arkham Asylum will also receive these bonus digital codes.* *Terms Apply. See dc.com/suicide-squad-faq for details. DC UNIVERSE INFINITE is not intended for children.

For those who like Grodd and the other DC apes...

APE-RIL SPECIAL Written by JOHN LAYMAN, JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV, and GENE YANG Art by KARL MOSTERT, PHIL HESTER, and BERNARD CHANG Cover by DAN MORA Variant cover by BERNARD CHANG Banana Scent Variant cover by HAYDEN SHERMAN ($7.99 US) $5.99 US | 48 pages | Variant $6.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 3/19/24 CAUTION: An ape-surd amount of bad ape puns are incoming. Please be ape-vised. Gorilla Grodd’s recent incarcer-ape-tion in the pages of The Flash has left a void that Monsieur Mallah is more than happy to fill. Ape-sembling a group of the DCU’s most sinister simians, Mallah forms the Legion of D(oo-oo-ah-ah)m, with an eye toward world domin-ape-tion. But the world won’t be conquered that easily! Enter the all-ape JUNGLE L(ee-ee)gue. Can this team of hero-eek anthropoids be the salv-ape-tion we need, or will Mallah’s team of maniacal monkeys bring forth the ape-pocalypse? Get ready to go bananas as we honor DC’s storied history with mankind’s closest relatives in this ape-ic adventure! It’s gonna be orangu-tastic, so heat up a capuchin-o, prepare a batch of chocolate chimp cookies, and get ready to r(ee-ee)d the one comic b(oo-oo)k this year that’s guaranteed to make you go…APE!

#Captain Boomerang #the Fiddler #Gorilla Grodd #Deadshot #Harley Quinn #King Shark #spoilers: comics #solicits #Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League

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lambsouvlaki · 9 months

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For the Hell of it - Real, Alive

Character: Jason Todd x civilian! Fem!oc

Rating and Warnings: G. Description of dissociation.

Word Count: 1,589

Summary: Jason struggles after a Joker breakout at Arkham, and turns to Andy for comfort.

Masterlist

He had intended to tell her the truth. He really had.

Plans had been sketched and trashed, messaged drafted and deleted, and a purpose built hang out planned and cancelled. Keeping her in the dark was only getting harder.

He knew she was suspicious. She’d be a fool not to be. The NDA he made up to excuse never talking about his work in ‘private security’ was doing a lot of heavy lifting. Some of the other lies he’d given her at the beginning didn’t hold up under long term scrutiny. And that wasn’t even touching his own screwups.

He had told her about a few too many of his favourite restaurants and food trucks only to be treated like a stranger when he took her there. He had disappeared with a paper thin excuse in the middle of hanging out when KGBeast broke out of Blackgate in desperate need of an ass kicking.

And then there was the day he had handed her the wrong gym bag, telling her to grab the books from it. She had pulled out a handgun. She put it back in without a word and they swapped bags silently. He hoped she didn’t notice the heavy modifications and thought it was just a regular concealed carry, nothing scandalous for the Alley. She had a troublingly good poker face. He really had no clue what she thought of all his bullshit.

He was afraid. He was man enough to admit it. Andy meant too much to him to lose her over his lies, if she took it poorly he didn’t know what he’d do.

Then she figured it out on her own and all his plans were for nothing.

He was in full Red Hood gear despite it being early afternoon, speeding towards her apartment to talk about it. Dread and relief coiled in him in unequal parts. He didn’t have to pretend anymore, if he still had someone to pretend for. After all she had gone through, she had every right to never speak to him again.

His earpiece buzzed with Oracle’s signature voice modulation.

��The Joker is in the middle of an Arkham breakout. This is top priority, everyone, drop everything else.”

He gripped his handlebars so hard his knuckles ached. He leaned into a sharp u-turn and sped away back the way he came.

Every other concern was secondary. All the bats and birds converged as Batman gave terse order over the coms. Word got out and the news descended over the city, bringing a silent panic to every street. Jason hated it. In those moments it felt like Gotham gave up and admitted it was Joker’s city.

Not on his watch.

Their plan worked with nary a hitch. Oracle had caught it so early they could, for once, act before the day’s dastardly scheme was executed. Whatever their differences, the family worked together seamlessly when they needed to. Only an hour after midnight the Joker was back in his cell and sulking like a diva denied her solo.

Nothing blew up. No hostages were taken. No backs were broken and no children were beaten to death in remote warehouses. They found out about the joker toxin bombs planted across the southside with enough time to spare and sent the cops the locations and disarmament instructions.

“Not bad for an Arkham breakout,” Tim said, sitting on the medical bed in the batcave. Batman was wrapping his arm up.

Jason glowered at the report he was writing. “Two trashmen died.”

Tim’s eyes narrowed at nothing. “We always fall down at the human element. The best security in the world can’t stand up to someone turning it off. There wasn’t anything else we could have done today.”

Jason looked up. Dick looked at his feet.

“We can always be more prepared,” Batman said, neutral. He looked fixedly at the sprained wrist in his hands.

Jason clenched his jaw. He stomped out before the words roaring in his chest had the chance to escape. Before someone gave him an excuse to throw a punch.

There wasn’t anything we could have done.

Didn’t denial taste nice when the price was someone else’s life? He got on his bike and sped away from a silent cave.

He had found the two bodies discarded outside the prison. Just regular folk, paid to do a regular job. Wrong place, wrong time.

They were acceptable losses. That was what Bruce decided when he kept the Joker alive. And now, it was what Jason decided when he did the same. He sold them out for the right to operate in Batman’s city.

His own hypocrisy sickened him.

Just as he made it back to his apartment his phone buzzed with a text. He expected something saccharine or smothering from Dick. But no–it was Andy.

‘Are you okay?’

Of course, she knew who he was now and what he would have been doing over the last twelve hours. She didn’t know just what this case meant to him. She didn’t know he wanted to break into that prison and put a bullet in that maniac’s head. That he hated himself for not doing it.

‘No.’

‘Anything I can do?’

Of course not. There was no fixing it.

He methodically cleaned all his weapons and armour, checked his gear and put it away. He went through his post-patrol rituals and tried to decompress. His hands were shaky throughout. Except for when he held his reassembled pistol. Then it was dead still.

What did he come back to life for, if not this? What was he even doing here?

The sight of his comfortable bed sickened him. The fancy apartment too. What right did he have to it when there were people in his city, defenceless. Unmourned. Unavenged. Was this his justice?

Laughter roared and giggled and simpered in the back of his mind.

It was going to be a bad night.

Despairing, an idea jumped at him. He flipped his phone the right way up on the table and typed.

‘Can I borrow your dog?’

‘Of course’

He grabbed a jacket and headed back out. The city was quieter now. It felt watchful and suspicious. These things didn’t usually go so well and nobody wanted to risk celebrating too early.

Andy opened the door to him almost immediately. She stepped aside and he came in without thought. Marlow was happy to see him and rubbed against his side.

Andy was in an overlarge flannel button up pyjama top and soft cotton tights. Of course, it was the middle of the night. He remembered too late that she had an early class tomorrow. He was a terrible friend.

“Sorry for waking you.”

She shook her head. “You didn’t. I messaged you.”

They stood an awkward distance apart in her kitchen. He felt unmoored now, his anger and self recriminations strong but mixed up in the morass of his chest. She looked like she was going to ask, and he dreaded it. She opened and closed her mouth.

“Are you… Can I-?” She opened her arms tentatively.

He nodded. She wrapped her arms around him. He engulfed her in turn. He didn’t deserve it but she offered, he told himself. She knew who he was now, what he did, what he hadn’t done. She still offered. He clutched her against himself.

Her breath brushed over his collarbone. She was warm and solid, real and alive. So was he. He was alive. He was real, he was here, and he was alive.

“You are,” she whispered. “You’re in my apartment and you’re alive. I’m so happy you’re alive, Jason.”

His eyes itched. He hadn’t meant to say any of that out loud.

“You barely know me,” he rasped.

She shrugged in his arms. “Still.”

He sucked in a desperate breath. Had anybody been glad he came back? He detangled himself from her before it could be too much. She turned away and busied herself with the kettle, obviously giving him some privacy. He looked up and listed in his head physical sensations and objects he could see.

There was a glowing red digital clock on the microwave.

He walked out to the living room. The dog came with him, glued to his side. Andy reappeared and pushed a steaming cup of herbal tea into his hand. The smell was rich with licorice. It brought him back to himself a little bit.

She smiled softly up at him. No fear or suspicion he could find in her eyes.

“You remember where the blankets are, right?”

He nodded, which was about as much as he was capable of at present.

“I’m going back to bed then. Give a shout if you need anything.”

“You are far too trusting,” he said, because he felt someone should. She had to have some idea of how dangerous he was. She had been hurt before, how could she just let him back in like this?

She gave him a long look. “No, I’m not.” And she walked away. “Good night, Jason.”

“...’night.”

The bedroom door shut, taking the light with it. He sat down on the old couch. Aches he had been too stressed to notice became suddenly unmissable. Oh, he was tired.

He kicked his boots off and lay down. A very large dog climbed up and curled up on top of his feet.

“You know your mom doesn’t let you sleep on the couch,” he sighed.

“Wruff.”

He almost managed a smile.

“Fine, but I’m kicking you off when I stop feeling my legs.”

He leaned his head back on the hard armrest and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Next>>

#I swear this was meant to be a conversation over the Red Hood reveal #I guess we're not doing that #jason todd #red hood #dc #jason todd x fem!reader #jason todd x oc #jason todd x reader #my fanfic #for the hell of it #red hood x oc #fluff #angst

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abrcmswrld · 1 year

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💨🍃…🤠

Howdy Partner..word around these parts is that you’re open for requests..

Just so happens I got one for ya..if ya can handle it(I know you can I’m just playing into the mean cowboy thing)

So..partner, how’s about you write a comforting Eddie fic. He’s in arkham and reader(who he doesn’t know) comes to pay him a visit, giving him comfort through that glass wall between them. Praising him and telling the little cowpoke what a darn good job he did at Savin that there city from corruption..you can add some more details if ya wants to.

Well..it’s about time I head on outta here Partner..

🌅

🐎

Edward Nashton x Follower!Reader

Author’s Note: Emili my love! Sorry this took so long to put out! In the end I feel it isn’t quite as “comfy” or “fluffy” in a fuzzy way towards the reader but rather comfy in a mutual understanding way towards Edward. I decided to take the reader in a more cunning direction rather than a helpless damsel. As always not beta’d so excuse any errors.

Warnings: None really! Just the reader enabling Edward a bit. Gender neutral reader as well!

The hallways of Arkham are grim and dull. Grey concrete walls surround you and the sound of your feet tapping against the floor with each step bounces off the walls and echoes into your ears.

It hadn’t taken much to get in. The guards had denied you multiple times, but it turns out all it takes is enough cash and a pretty smile.

It makes you feel powerful as they walk you into the bleak room. You observe the metal door that separates you and the room you presume Edward Nashton is held in.

You pull your sunglasses from your eyes as the barrier blocking your view is lifted, and there he is. He's doesn't look different from his pictures that had been plastered on the news, but you figure his face is not one that would come to mind when someone saw The Riddler.

He looks right at you, not through you. "Do I know you?" His voice is soft and pleasing to your ears and you feel yourself getting excited. All of those weeks of watching him through the screen, hearing his voice through that modulator, to the moment you heard that he had been arrested, and you were finally here. You can't help but smile at him.

"No. But that's okay. I know you."

He simply stares and cocks his head slightly. A look of apprehension is plastered on his face. Had he never been praised for his work? Perhaps he was just used to living in a world full of liars.

"I sent you letters. I guess they never came through."

"No. They monitor my mail."

You pout slightly. "They never have an issue taking a bribe for an unsupervised visit. And yet they withhold my letters." You scoff. "Pigs."

He perks up and you can’t help but smile. “I have to apologize. I didn’t follow your orders exactly.” He stares back at you with a questioning look. “Apologize?” You smile and nod. “I knew there’d be carnage in the square. At least one of us had to stay behind, ya know. They’ve got you locked up in this hell like some monster.” You sigh. “But I’m not stupid. I can see the real you.”

“I see a man, a deeply,” You take steps toward the glass pane that separates the two of you. “deeply hurt man. Hurt by the corruption and negligence of this city’s officials.” You place a hand on the pane and take in his stare. “A man hurt by someone he thought he could trust.”

You furrow your brows at the thought of your next words. “I’ve been there too. Tossed to the side like trash, meant to eat the scraps like some alley rat while the big names feast.”

He’s breathing heavy. “I see a man who took initiative when nobody else would.” His gaze softens as you give him a kind smile. “The Bat was a mistake, but you were right about everything else. But it’s not over.”

“It’s out of my hands-“ He starts.

“For now it is. You’re smart enough to figure it out. And in the meantime…We will keep in touch.” He looks unsure as he nods. “Gotham needed a jumpstart and you gave it that. I can speak for all of the others who have followed you to this point, we haven’t quit on you.”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

You hold a small scrap of paper up to the glass pane, ushering him to write it or remember, whatever he had to do to keep it tucked away. “It’s where you can find me. If I wrong you, take care of it.”

He seems shocked at the gesture and hesitates before placing a hand onto yours, only the thin pane of glass separating the two of you.

“I’ll see you again?”

“You’ll see my again, baby. As long as we can lay low.”

He lets out a small laugh as he smiles up at you through the glass and you can’t help but laugh with him.

#the riddler x reader #dano!riddler x reader #edward nashton x reader #edward nashton x you #the riddler #dano!riddler #edward nashton #paul dano #danonation

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sally-mun · 8 days

Text

OH BOY MY FIRST RAMBLE SINCE MY RETURN, now I'm really getting back in the swing of things

SO!

I noticed something about myself today

I have a history of getting to the very end of a video game and then just inexplicably just not finishing it. Like, literally I've made it to the final boss, this is THE LAST thing left to do, and I just... wander away and never return. I always attributed this to the weird amount of stress/anxiety I get while fighting bosses, as though I'm -actually- in danger in real life.

HOWEVER, it occurred to me today that it has nothing to do with that, and everything to do with another side of myself that I've known about for years: I fucking HATE having to do combat in video games. I know a lot of you guys live for it, but for me, it is just the fucking WORST. It's a shitty chore I have to do in order to get back to the things I actually like, such as the storytelling and puzzles and exploration. Low-level fights with average goons or minions don't particularly bother me, but anything that's meant to be a 'challenge' can fuck right off in my book. I'm not here for that, and I've often lamented that I wish boss fights could be skipped the way so many games give you the option to skip the story. Lots of players don't care about story and just see it as a delay to get back to fighting monsters, and I simply want the reverse. I want a button that'll let me bypass the bosses and skip straight to the next cut scene before turning me loose in the world again.

Anyway, I realized today that this... approach? Philosophy? POV? whatever it is, it's probably the real root of why I get to the end of a game and then fuck off. I only tolerate boss fights because I want to get back to the good stuff, but once you get to the end? There is no more good stuff. After the final boss you get one more cut scene and NO MORE GAME TO PLAY. Why would I want to bookend my experience with a game I've otherwise enjoyed with a chore that I hate?? I can just look the final cut scene up on Youtube and be just as satisfied.

The only time I'd really have significant motivation to do it is if the game actually does offer a post-game reward of some kind. For example, in Arkham City, you go back out into the overworld and can finish up any side quests you hadn't completed yet + get a couple extra quests that ONLY unlock after you've finished the main campaign. That's good shit, that's worth putting up with the final fight! Arkham City is also the type of game to offer a second quest/new game + scenario, where you get to replay the main campaign with different challenges and you start out already having all your equipment. That's also very cool, I'll put up with an annoying boss fight for that!

But for games where the game effectively never 'remembers' that you beat it? No thanks, I'm good, 99% is all I need.

#how many Gamers™ am I going to piss off with this post #OH WEEEEEEEELL #this came up because I've been replaying Twilight Princess and actually getting 100%#yet once I made it to Ganon's throne room I felt all my motivation evaporate in real time and I just suddenly turned the game off #this game ends in a FUCKING -FOUR- STAGE FINAL BATTLE ARE YOU SHITTING ME??#thanks but no thanks couldn't care less #so long and thanks for all the fish

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