Escaped clone au

You know all those fics where Danny and Damian are twins but everyone first assumes Danny must be a clone? How about an au where Danny is Damian's clone who escaped the League after he was assumed dead. Damian could even have been the one to have "killed" him, back when Danny was a newly created, fully brainwashed clone minion and trying to kill Damian himself.

Danny gets adopted by the Fentons and canon goes on as normal, until Dan. Witnessing what would happen to the world should he turn evil really drove home to Danny how dangerous he is.

Even if he was confident he could be trusted with his absurd amount of power (which he isn't), what if the League of Assassins found out about him? Does he still have programming triggers from his evil assassin clone conditioning?

So, Danny does the responsible thing: he goes to Batman to turn himself in.

Cue Danny showing up on Bruce's doorstep with ghost hunting equipment, intel on the afterlife, and an almost unbelievable backstory. Somehow he still managed to be more well-adjusted than Damian.

More thoughts under the read more

Here's how I'm thinking Danny leaving the League went down:

After surviving his wounds but failing his mission, Danny (then an unnamed potential Damian replacement) knew there was no point in returning to the League. As a failure, he was meant to be disposed of. He even thought of simply allowing himself to perish, since that was what the League would do.

But he couldn't help but feel as though that would be a waste of a resource. Surely he could be of more use to the League alive than dead?

That tiny bit of rebellious logic is what caused Danny to go into hiding, only living on based on the off chance he would find opportunities to further the League's goals. Obviously, that mentality didn't last long after being exposed to the real world and meeting one Jazz Fenton.

Being adopted by the Fentons was the best cover Danny could have asked for, since any odd behavior he couldn't hide while he was learning how to be "normal" was totally overshadowed by the sheer bizarre eccentricity of his new parents. He was still the neighborhood weird kid, but even that was a major upgrade from disposable tool, so Danny considered it a win.

Anyway, if anyone likes this idea, please feel free to have at it! Interpret it as you please :)

Bruce firing Dick vs. Dick firing Tim

Soooo, I have seen a lot of people comparing the way that Bruce replaced Dick with Jason versus the way that Dick replaced Tim with Damian. (This happened some on my Batfam Replacement Montage post [x], which is what first brought it to my attention.) For some reason, a lot of people come out of this comparison thinking that Dick was not only just as bad and insensitive as Bruce (if they even think Bruce was in the wrong at all that is) but even that Dick is somehow worse. This legitimately confused the heck out of me. I don’t know if people are reading the same comics as me (though honestly with all the retcons and nonsense going on maybe we aren’t reading the same comics), so I’m just going to break each replacement down for you here and maybe you’ll see where I’m coming from when I think that is completely out of left field. 

Let’s start with Bruce. These panels have Dick (as Nightwing) recounting how things between him and Bruce went down (I’ve rewritten the text just below the image if it is blurry): 

Batman #416 

So while I was still laid up in bed, you dropped the bad news on me. No ifs, ands, or buts...I wasn’t to play Robin anymore. You couldn’t continue to assume the responsibility for a child fighting crime. For six years you trained me to be a crimefighter, then denied me that role. Of course, you assured me that it was for my own good. I lay there with a bandaged shoulder and my life in ruins. You smiled. Kicked a great big hole in my life, then walked out of the room. 

Following an encounter with the Joker, Dick is shot in the shoulder and nearly dies. Instead of comforting Dick, Bruce decides to follow up this traumatic event by firing Dick from Robin immediately. Bruce calls Dick a child, disregarding all the time Dick spent training to become Robin and Dick’s own agency, and basically attempts to kick him out of crimefighting all together. This may not be clear because of the image quality, but Dick literally starts crying in that last panel. But it doesn’t stop there: 

I don’t see what option I had, other than to split. Alfred tried to talk me out of it. It was Alfred who forced money on me so I’d have something to live on. You couldn’t even be bothered to say goodbye. 

Despite his concern for Dick being the motivating factor behind the firing, Bruce doesn’t even seem to be aware that Dick is leaving, and so Alfred is the one that tries to convince Dick to stay in Bruce’s stead. And where is Bruce during all this you may ask??

Sorry, he was busy working on a case at the time. And people wonder why Dick didn’t realize Bruce was doing this out of concern rather than distrust of his capabilities. Anyway, Dick leaves, eventually joins the Titans, and becomes Nightwing. Eighteen whole months pass--a freaking year and a half--and not once does Bruce try to get in touch with Dick to sort things out. Then, Dick finds out about his replacement in the newspaper: 

Bruce fired Dick because he didn’t want a child sidekick. Then he goes out and gets a freaking child sidekick, and, even better, makes him Robin. Robin isn’t just a costume to Dick. In many comics, Dick refers to the Robin role as meaning family, and that’s because Dick specifically crafted Robin as a way to remember his parents. 

Robin Annual #4 and The Titans #16

It doesn’t get much more personal than using your dead mother’s nickname for you and your family’s colors (which across comics are pretty consistently some combo of yellow/green/red) as your hero persona. And Bruce, despite knowing the origins of the costume, felt like he could do whatever he wanted with it. And he didn’t even have the decency to be upfront about it. You can see why this drives me crazy. He spends the rest of the issue beating around the bush and not telling Dick why he adopted Jason and made him Robin, and, in the end, he once again kicks Dick out of the house. Nice parenting Bruce. 

Now with Dick. I’ve seen some people accuse Dick of not talking to Tim and just pulling the Robin mantle right out from under him, but that isn’t really what the comics show us: 

Red Robin #1

Dick tries to talk to Tim about it, and, unlike Bruce, he explicitly states his reasons for giving Damian Robin. He validates Tim, and tells him that they are equals. Even when Tim lashes out, Dick makes it clear that he still wants Tim around, even if it is not as Robin. And, once again unlike Bruce, Dick doesn’t proceed to just abandon Tim when things don’t go his way. He sends Tim’s friends his way and when that doesn’t work, Dick goes to find Tim and try to talk things out in person: 

Red Robin #4

So why doesn’t Tim just tell Dick his theory? That’s because, as much as people apparently want to believe that Tim had the whole thing figured out and it was everyone else’s fault that no one was listening, Tim had no actual evidence whatsoever that Bruce was actually alive. He was kind of in denial about Bruce’s death and all he had was a weak hunch.

Tim rides off without giving any explanations, leaving Dick to deal with all the fallout of Bruce’s “death” by himself. Dick had to abandon everything that he built (Nightwing, his various superhero teams, etc.) in order to take up Bruce’s identity. He had to deal with being Batman, running Wayne Enterprises, and raising Damian (a murderous brat who spent literally all his time insulting and undermining him in those early days), all while managing his own grief. And he had no one but Alfred for support. So maybe he didn’t handle Tim as well as he could have (I don’t really know what he could have done differently but hey if you want to let me know feel free), but I honestly think that under the circumstances he tried his freaking best, which is more than Bruce did for him. And when Tim returns, he immediately expects Dick to put everything on hold to help him, once again without explanation, and what does Dick do?

Red Robin #11

He trusts Tim and puts everything on hold to help Tim out. Even though Tim pretty much left him high and dry when he needed help the most. So yeah, I don’t see where people are coming from when they act like Dick somehow singlehandedly destroyed his relationship with Tim. I don’t understand how Tim could possibly trust Jason (ie the person who very nearly murdered him) more than he trusts Dick (ie the person who mentored and acted as a confidant to him for literal years) in such a short span of time.

In my opinion, Bruce and Dick are not even remotely similar in their actions here. I don’t understand how people who can so readily excuse Bruce for his harsh treatment not be the least bit willing to give Dick some slack when his situation was sooo bad and he tried so hard. 

Thoughts on the Snyder Cut Chapter 3 of 6

So the famous Barry Allen saving Iris West scene is added back in, but also features the kind of slightly awkward comedy you’d expect of a Whedon script. Also, the dude driving the truck due to crash into Iris seriously got a burger from “burger shop” like fucking try a little bit, guys. 

God he looks so weird doing his little half-run out of the shop to save her and unnecessarily spends 5 hours brushing her hair aside. I did appreciate the very unique take on super-speed though compared to say, Quicksilver from X-men. There’s an incredible delicateness about how he manoeuvres himself and Iris which is interesting to see, however, the sequence adds little besides that “Barry is a doer of good” which we already knew from the CCTV footage in BVS*. 

We then have ‘wolf gathering some Atlanteans for interrogation, after the stock “we will never betray Atlantis!” statement, he uses a weird spider robot to scan the guy’s brain or something and show him the location. The film would have been better without this scene, it - again - adds little and even beginning to think about how the fuck the mind projector spider would even work will distract the audience for at least the next five minutes.

Another scene of Lois Lane grieving. We had one added earlier in the film but I forgot to mention it because of just how inconsequential it was. God bless Amy Adams because she is clearly giving it her all but I’m not sure “Lois Lane grieving widow” is a much better look than “Lois Lane world’s thirstiest woman”, both undermine and neglect her as a character in her own right and I just hope the Snyder cut doesn’t have her just be a prop to satiate Superman’s rage like Josstice League. 

Back to Bruce and Diana, the latter now seems more proactive in helping Bruce search for the other supers, which is good. It also gives nod to Diana knowing the history of Amazons and Atlanteans. There is some sarcastic banter exchanged and some awkward accidental hand touching (are we sure this isn’t Josstice League?) *The aforementioned footage now plays out in full again here in case anyone watching this hadn’t seen BvS... this feels like an odd move. I could sort of understand it for cinemagoers who hadn’t seen BvS, but the Snyder Cut is so slavishly made for fans of Snyder’s work in the DCEU that it seems odd to repeat it here with colour commentary from Bruce and Diana. 

Cut to Victor Stone sadly watching kids play football and then flashback to his own football career which, credit where it’s due, is beautifully shot, looking straight out of 300 if it weren’t for the football gear. It also tips the hat to Victor having some hacking know-how prior to his Cyborg transformation, using it to help his friend’s grades - a move that is not merely standard high school hijinks, but done out of a sense of social justice and points to inequality within the school system. Much as this is another diversion that adds little, it is worthwhile and introduces some much needed nuance into the character of Victor and the world of Justice League as a whole. Snyder has a tendency to be heavy handed, but he does occasionally touch on issues which have weight and whether purposefully or not, his small-scale interaction with them makes them feel that much more real and ingrained in the world. Things like the Gotham PD largely ignoring their jobs to watch the game, the disabled Wayne Enterprises employee struggling to make ends meet, angry at the world, how different social classes view Batman’s actions. 

I digress, the sequence also puts Victor’s mother back into the picture and helps embed the kind of relationship Vic has with his father. Said mother is then unceremoniously killed in a car crash, diverging slightly from the otherwise somewhat faithful recreation of “Justice League: Origins” from the new 52 relaunch. This recontextualises Silas’ decision to apply the motherbox to his son as a rather more selfish act than in the comic, where it was ostensibly to undo a mistake he had made (or rather, undo the fallout of something he was working on). Clearly Victor agrees with this reading, as in the following montage we see Silas explain the extent of his powers as he uses them to fly, test his cyber control and finally grant a single mother a boon of $100,000 to keep her from becoming homeless. After this, Silas states “all this has been as a scientist, I would now like to talk to you as your father” upon which Victor simply crushes the recorder the message was playing on. Curiously the tape recorder was a literal tape recorder rather than digital and while it’s entirely possible that’s just an accident, it could also be that Silas knew any digital recorder would immediately be within Victor’s purview and thereby he would have no choice but to hear the message. In giving him an analogue tape recorder that choice was put back in his hands. This has been perhaps the most worthwhile addition so far, fleshing out Victor and his dynamic with his father, as well as a better explanation of his powers, perhaps making him one of the strongest members of the League. 

Bruce visits Barry, an exchange largely unchanged save for the thankful excision of the “brunch” dialogue which, while I never had a huge problem with it, was awkward to watch.

There’s a rather fun exchange between Alfred and Diana (generally a lot more Alfred in the Snyder cut in general actually) where he lectures her on how best to make tea and she sassily implies that Bruce is basically building her gauntlets only bat-themed. A throwaway scene but there’s fun chemistry here with Alfred ultimately bringing her tea when distracted, despite her assertion she’d make it herself. It segues into Victor and Diana’s first meeting, Diana’s dialogue seems unchanged but Cyborg’s dialogue is a little angrier; he also flies in in full Cyborg mode rather than stepping out in a hoodie. I’m not sure I like the alteration, it’s less subtle and doesn’t really change the tone of the scene. We then see Vic bury the motherbox in his own grave followed by a useless scene with Silas and Ryan Choi looking at a hunk of metal being super hot, with Choi then making another Whedonesque joke about that being what he said to his prom date. To be fair though, I keep saying Whedonesque at any bad jokes, but I have to remember Man of Steel had “I just think he’s kinda hot” scene which gave me immense secondhand embarrassment. 

We are now back to your regularly scheduled programming with the film mostly returning to playing out how Josstice League did: Jim Gordon is introduced, the bat signal shines, the Atlantean motherbox is stolen (albeit with added violence and additional Amber Heard). The extension does make the scene flow better for sure, though I question if the blood and bissecting is necessary.

It is now the halfway point and basically the full length of Josstice League has passed. I have to say, while there are certainly some improvements, I would by no means call this a definitive version, it absolutely needs significant editing to be a watchable movie, I feel like we’ve barely gotten anywhere and the small scraps of nuance gleaned from this version are not worth doubling the runtime. So far it does seem to have excised the weird Russian family cutaway scenes which is only a good thing, but little added has provided enough value to warrant this undertaking so far. Hopefully there’s enough in the latter half to assuage this feeling but so far it just feels like an exercise in directorial onanism. 

TimKon Week Day 3

Prompt: Hurt/Comfort This is the final chapter to The Key to Tim’s Heart. I will be writing a separate story for the last two days.  You can also read it on AO3

Wally West watched as his partner paced across the floor like a nervous bird. "Babe, this isn't helping. I know you are worried about how this weekend can go."

Dick stopped in mid-pace to glare at his boyfriend only for his effort to be ruined as sadness filled his blue eyes, “You don't understand! If we mess this up we could lose Tim forever! I messed up big time with Tim and I never noticed. I turned my back on him when he needed me the most and destroyed his credibility with the rest of the heroes. I need to tell him how sorry I am and hope that someday he can forgive me and let me back into his life and heart.”

Wally knew that Dick carried a deep sense of guilt once he realized how Tim had been pushed to aside, left adrift without anyone to hold onto until Conner and Bart returned.

"Tim found Bruce and I wanted to send him to Arkham! I ripped Robin away from him and gave it to Damian, who needed it but I should have talked to Tim about it first instead of him walking in to see Damian in his uniform." Dick plopped down onto the couch beside Wally and allowed his partner to pull him into his arms.

"Dick, it isn't me that you need to be telling this to but Tim. Tim is the one who needs to hear all of this." Wally spoke gently to Dick.

"I know I just need to gather the courage to do so."

+****+

Damian Wayne didn't understand why his father was making him do this or why it was such a big deal that Drake be brought back to the family. He didn't hesitate in saying so.

"It is that kind of attitude that needs to change when it comes to Tim." Bruce had gotten a stern lecture from Alfred, he wanted his grandson back and he made it very clear that Damian's treatment of Tim played a big role in why Tim didn't feel welcomed.

"And the fact that neither you or Master Dick have taken the time to address Master Damian's attitude problems. Yes, I know that he has overcome much since he first arrived but he still believes that his last name gives him the power to look down upon people and his belief that because he is your only blood son that makes him more important than your adopted sons needs to be addressed. As an adult, you have to take him aside and explain why emotional and verbal abuse is wrong as is trying to kill his brother. Master Damian has already taken Master Tim's role as Robin and his older brother."

Bruce carried Alfred's words with him and he looked back onto how Damian treated Tim and saw that his father figure was right, he had allowed Damian to undermined Tim's placement in the family to the point that his second youngest son no longer considered them family. His treatment of Tim didn't help matters. When Tim first came into his life, a bright and shining beacon of light and hope, something that Batman had needed to pull him from the darkness but he had kept a barrier between him and Tim, he made sure that he knew they were partners and only that. He didn't want another son and he let Tim return night after night to an empty home. He knew that Tim was neglected but he still let him go back instead of offering to stay in one of the manor's many rooms.

It wasn't until Jack was dead, Jack who ignored and he had a slight feeling that abused Tim, did Bruce finally start to think of Tim as his son.

"I made my fair share of mistakes with Tim as we all did. It is time to make amends and to show him that we are truly sorry and want him to be a part of this family. If you can't do that, if you can't show Tim even the smallest amount of respect then you can stay home. But I will expect you to think long and hard about how you will feel if you were treated the way Tim was by us and by you. I know that you are just a child and it fell to me and Dick to explain to you how you acted was wrong." Bruce explained gently. He loves his sons, all of them but Alfred was right he should have talked to Damian long ago.

Damian let out a huff as he crossed his arms over his chest, he still saw this as pointless but he could see how much his father and Grayson longed to bring Drake back into the family. "Very well I shall accompany you."

Bruce knew that there was no talking his youngest out of this once he made up his mind he wouldn't change it. "Very well. Just think about what I said."

"I will father."

+*****+

"Baby bird is finally going to talk to Goldie and B. The demon brat might even be there," Jason announced as he cleaned his guns.

Kory and Roy exchanged a look before glancing before looking back at their partner. "And are you okay with that?" Roy asked he knew that once Jason got himself free of the pit madness and away from Talia's hatred of Tim he had come to see that Tim wasn't his replacement, he had earned his place in the family.

Jason had been enraged when he learned that Tim was gone, had left not only Gotham but no longer considered himself a part of the family. He knows now that his actions towards Tim were wrong and that he wanted to make amends for nearly trying to kill him more than once.

Kory took a seat next to Jason, "Are you going to be okay?"

Jason gave a nod, "I will be after all this isn't about me but Baby Bird. I owe it to him to make amends and I can only hope that someday that he can forgive me for what I did to him."

Kory beamed at him before placing a kiss on his lips, "You are a good man Jason Todd and Tim knows this. After all, you are his Robin. I know you can make things right with him."

Roy grinned as he clapped Jason on the back, "And don't worry we will be there to make sure that you don't say anything stupid."

Jason glared at his other lover, "Thanks I don't know what I would do without you," Jason drawled out.

"Don't worry you'll never have to find out. You're stuck with us."

+******+

Tim was nervous, oh he didn't show it but Conner knew his lover well and he could see it.

Wrapping his arms around Tim Conner pulled him back so Tim's back rested against his chest. "Hey, it is going to be okay. I am here for you and I'm not going anywhere. If you need me to I will toss them out if things get too out of control." Conner found himself promising.

Tilting his head back Tim raised an eyebrow at his lover, "You are going to throw Batman out of the tower?"

"Okay maybe not Batman but the rest of them are fair game." Conner doubted that even Clark would be able to get Batman to move when he was on a mission to get his son back into his life.

"Are you sure that you don't want Cass or the others here?" Conner asked quickly changing the subject.

"No, I know that they will mean well but Cassie and Bart are too protective. I don't want Cass, Raven, and Gar to be put in the middle of everything, after all, they care about Dick and Bruce." The last thing Tim wanted to do was to make his family feel like they had to take sides.

Tim's expression turned soft, "Besides I have you here with me and that is all I need."

Conner felt his heart fill with love for the amazing man in his arms, "I love you pretty bird."

"I love you too." Tim rested his head on Conner's chest enjoying the feel of being in his soulmate arms.

+******+

There was a tension in the tower as the Batfamily plus Wally, Roy, and Kory arrived at the agreed-upon time.

Tim took a deep breath as he looked upon his family that he had walked away from and he felt a pang of longing in his chest, he missed them deeply.

"Well let us get this farce over with." Damian scoffed outcrossing his arms over his chest.

"Damian!" Dick growled as glanced at his younger brother. Alfred, Cass, and Wally had sat him down and explained or showed in Cass's case how he let Damian get away with things that he shouldn't. That yes while Damian was a child it didn't give him a free pass to attempt to murder someone or belittle them. And that words could leave deep scars and words were one of Damian's greatest weapons.

"If you can't add anything positive to this conversation brat then feel free to leave." Jason glared at Damian.

The youngest huffed out, "I have every right to be here just like you all do."

Wally nudged Dick gently and Dick took it as his cue he was one of the few people who could get through to Damian. "We are here because we want to make amends to Tim and prove to him that we love him and want a chance to earn back his trust. If that isn't why you are here then maybe it would be best if you waited in another room."

Damian couldn't believe what he was hearing, "You're choosing Drake over me!"

"I'm not choosing anyone over anyone. I love you both, you are both my younger brothers. I made a mistake with how I went about in making you, Robin. I don't regret it you needed it but I went about it the wrong way." Dick turned his attention off of Damian and onto Tim.

Tim's breath caught at the sheer agony in Dick's eyes as he approached him.

"I should have talked to you baby bird. I should have explained why it was time you moved on from Robin and spread your wings. I should have explained why Damian needed it and that you were ready for more. I most certainly should have never let you go off and search for Bruce alone, I should have never tried to send you to Arkham." Dick poured his heart out to Tim.

"You did what?!" Jason roared and it was only Kory and Roy's hold on him that stopped him from lunging at Dick.

"I know I did wrong. And I'm so sorry Tim. I'm sorry that I tried to convince your friends you were crazy and that had the hero community turn their backs on you. I'm so sorry that you had no one to turn to when you needed someone the most. I should have been there for you when you needed me. I'm sorry that I was a horrible big brother to you."

It took a second for Tim to absorb everything that Dick was saying to him. "I'm not going to lie Dick you hurt me, deeply. I needed you and you turned your back on me to focus on Damian. I understood Damian needed your guidance and he is doing much better now. It's just I had lost everyone, losing Conner's death destroyed me, and losing Bruce was the breaking point. When I lost Bruce I lost you as well." Tim didn't bother to hide the tears that were falling from his eyes.

Dick moved even Conner's glare didn't stop him as he clutches Tim's arms, "No, no that is the last thing I ever wanted you to feel like. I am here for you Tim always. I know I have done a horrible job in showing that to you and I swear I will do better. If you just give me a chance."

"Why didn't you offer me Nightwing?"

Tim's question took everyone but Conner off guard.

Reeling back Dick stare at Tim, "What do you mean?"

"If we were equals shouldn't that have meant I could have been the next Nightwing? You had taken on the cowl with a new Robin, you could have offered me Nightwing so why didn't you?" It was something that had been bothering Tim for so long.

Dick knew that Tim had a point. "I wasn't ready to let go of Nightwing. I made it no secret that I never wanted the cowl but Batman was needed. But Nightwing was mine, no one else's, and even though you would have done me proud I wasn't ready to let it go. I kept a hold of it, something to cling to when the weight of the cowl became too much but I should have offered it to you."

"If you had I might have never gone looking for Bruce and you would have still be stuck wearing the cowl that made you unhappy. I would have turned down Nightwing because it is yours but it would have been nice just to be considered." Tim explained gently.

"Can you ever forgive me, Timmy? For being so blind?" Dick asked everyone in the room could tell he was itching to hold Tim in his arms again.

"With time I think I can. I just want my big brother back." Tim admitted in a soft voice.

Dick took a step closer, "That is all I want as well to be a big brother worthy of you."

Conner knew what was going to happen before anyone else as Tim moved to embrace Dick. A soft and knowing smile appeared on his face as he watched both men cling to one another, opening crying as they fell to the floor.

"You're good for him."

Conner nearly jumped as Batman commented from his side, he hadn't even seen the man move. "I try to be. Tim deserves to be loved and knows he is loved." Okay, so Conner couldn't resist that little dig.

Jason waited until Dick let Tim go. "Okay so while I won't be as mushy as Dickwing here I will tell you this. I was wrong in how I treated you when I first returned. Sure I was upset about being replaced and by someone who wore the Robin better than I could ever dream of," Jason held up his hand when Tim opened his mouth, "I'm not done baby bird. It wasn't until I was free of the pit madness and Talia's grasp that I started to see and with Kory and Roy's help that you were never my replacement. There is only one Jason Todd just like there is only one Tim Drake-Wayne, we both did the Robin suit proud. So I'm sorry for trying to kill you and I would like a chance to get to know my little stalker and my biggest fan and maybe someday we can call each other brothers."

Tim felt his cheeks heat up at the reminder that he had stalked Jason and that he was his Robin. "I'd like that."

"Good. Maybe you and clone boy can join us on an Outlaw mission, I'm sure you could kick some ass with us." Jason offered with a grin.

"Sounds like fun." Conner returned his grin. "What? You can't tell me you aren't considering it?" Conner asked when Tim shot him a look.

Tim couldn't deny it so he said nothing instead of choosing to focus on Bruce and ignoring Roy and Jason exchanging a fist bump and Kory smile lighting up the room.

Silence fell over the room as Bruce and Tim stare at one another.

"I have never been good with words and I will never find them to explain how you saved me, Tim. Not just from being lost in time but from the darkness that threatened to consume me when I lost Jason. You pulled me back from the shadows and brought light back into my life when the darkness threatened to overwhelm me. I can never thank you enough for all you did for me." Bruce took a step towards Tim. "I tried to keep a distance between us because I couldn't let another person get close to me only to lose you again. I thought I was doing the right thing because you had parents, even though they weren't really parents. It wasn't until Jack took you away from me that I realized you were my son and I lost you."

Bruce took a step closer to Tim, "I lost you again when I did nothing to stop you from leaving after you saved me. I thought that you needed time to heal and find your place as Red Robin, I should have known that you didn't need or want the independence that you already had too much of that. What you needed was to know that you are a part of our family and so deeply loved and wanted. All I can ask for a second chance to prove I love you, my son."

Tim's breath caught as he smiled at Bruce with fresh tears shining in his eyes, "I love you too dad."

Bruce moved and pulled Tim into a huge, one that Tim sank into. It was like the hugs that Dick used to tell him about, the kind of loving hugs Bruce gave before he lost Jason.

Damian had stayed quiet as he listened to the rest of his family speak from their hearts when it came to Drake. "Drake, while we will never be close. But I have to admit that you have your talents. I would like to get a chance to get to know one another. We might never be as close as you are to Todd, Grayson, and Cain but for the sake of our family I would like to try." Damian offered.

That was more than Tim expected from Damian and he knew it took a lot for the younger boy to make such an offer. "I would like that as well."

"Good." Damian nodded.

"Great now that is settled where is the food? I am starving!" Wally clapped his hands together.

Tim shook his head, the tension in the room easing as Wally pouted at them. "I call Bart and let him know that the others can come back and Bart will have enough food to feed both you and him," Tim promised.

"Great! I can't wait to catch up with Bart." Wally all but beamed.

+******+

Bruce and Damian was the only ones not to stay, they didn't leave until after Cass hugged Bruce and to no one's surprise, she also managed to get one from Damian as well.

Wally, Roy, Kory, Dick, Raven, and Gar were catching up and exchanging stories while Jason and Cassie exchanged stories about Wonder Woman and Jason made sure to slip in the talk about treating Cass right and seemed to take great delight in Cassie blushing. Cass was helping Bart set out all the food, they needed more than usual to feed everyone as well as two speedsters.

Conner and Tim stood off to the side watching everything, "You know that this changes nothing. My home is wherever you are." Tim admitted softly to Conner.

Conner grinned down at his boyfriend, "Same goes for me pretty bird. You are my home and that will never change."

"I love you, my clone boy," Tim whispered.

"I love you to my Robin." Conner pressed his lips against Tim's and he meant every word Tim was all he needed and he would make sure that he knew everyday how loved he was.  

DC omegaverse

Previous

I have A LOT of secrets, deleted scenes, notes, etc for this story. It’s hardly surprising. I was writing it for years.

But… I think this is probably the biggest secret I have (I am honestly scared to reveal it).

Years after the story was finished I had an idea which I wished I’d been smart enough to think of at the time. It’s an idea regarding Alfred and Bruce’s mysterious birth.

You see, Bruce was born of two alphas. That’s very rare. Borderline unheard of. But that’s what happened.

Or was it?

Put a pin in that thought and picture this.

What if Bruce and Clark had struggled to conceive? At first they don’t think too much of it. Clark’s an alien. Bruce is in his forties and abused suppressants in his youth. Neither of them expect this to be as easy as it is for others. But as heat after heat passes by without success Bruce seems to resign himself to not getting pregnant and Clark sees his opportunity to have a baby slipping away.

Clark remembers that Bruce was born of two alphas forty years before where such a thing was even rarer than it is now. He thinks perhaps Thomas Wayne with his money and medical knowledge may have used some special fertility treatment. Something that could help them.

He approaches Alfred about it.

Here is that scene:

———————-

“Do you know how they did it?”

Alfred nodded as he poured the tea. “I do.”

Clark breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God. I was starting to worry the secret died with them.”

“It didn’t,” Alfred promised. “And it is no secret. Thomas and Martha Wayne had a child the way most alphas have children.”

Clark frowned. Most alphas didn’t have children. Not with each other anyway. The odds were stacked against them. Even though female alphas could become pregnant it was rare and when it did happen the chance of them carrying to term was incredibly low.

Hence why Bruce was ‘Gotham’s miracle baby’. Hence why he was asking Alfred about how they did it in the first place.

“Are you saying she carried a baby to term without any medical treatments?”

“No,” Alfred took his tea and settled into his chair. “She wasn’t the bearer.”

Clark stared. “Are you saying…?”

“It was Martha’s egg, and it was Thomas’ sperm, but after so many failed pregnancies, they decided to stop fighting the inevitable.”

Clark felt his eyes widen. “They got an omega surrogate?”

“Yes.”

Omegas, especially forty years ago, were seen as rare and precious creatures. Their ability to bare children to term something profound. The bonds they form with alphas sacred. Anything that deviated from the ‘proper order’, ie, an omega carrying the children of their mate, was frowned upon by many groups in conservative society. Two alphas choosing to be with each other, spurning omega mates, and yet wanting to use an omega surrogate… he couldn’t image that going over well.

“I didn’t think that was legal back then,” Clark said softly.

“It wasn’t,” Alfred said. “Which is why they lied. They told the world that Martha carried the pregnancy to term. They said Bruce was their miracle baby.”

“And people believed them?”

“No. But no one could prove it. Thomas used friends from his work to do the procedure and, from the media’s perspective, there was no omega in the household, the baby was biologically both Thomas’ and Martha’s, and the birth seemed to happen with no one else at home.”

“No one?”

“Just the usual household staff. Thomas Wayne was the only medical professional in attendance when Master Bruce was born.”

“Jesus,” Clark muttered.

“Indeed,” Alfred said with a small smile.

“And the surrogate never came forward?”

“No.”

Clark sat in silence with Alfred.

“Alfred?”

“Yes, Mister Kent?”

“Why did you move to America? From England?”

“I wanted to be on Broadway,” Alfred said. “I got the offer from the Wayne Family to come and work for them. I thought I would do it for a year or two until I found a job on stage.” A small smile. “Best laid plans.”

“They couldn’t get a local butler?”

Alfred looked at him.

“I don’t mean to be insulting… but they were rich. Very rich. You would have been young, and foreign… and well…” Clark didn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t need to. Alfred had a very upper class English accent… when he wanted to. But Clark had heard Alfred scold the boys. He’d heard the cockney creep out around the edges. Alfred wasn’t born in wealthy houses balancing teacups on trays. Once upon a time he was poor.

Why would the Wayne Family, one of the richest families on America, invite a poor, young, foreign, wannabe actor into their home? Why would they make him head of staff? Why would they write him into their wills? Why would he be the one entrusted to stay and care for Bruce?

Alfred was looking at him.

“Does Bruce know?” He asked softly.

“If he doesn’t,” Alfred said quietly. “Then he doesn’t want to know.”

Clark couldn’t deny the truth of that.

“After everything that happened…” he continued. “Him hiding his caste, hating being an omega, you never thought that maybe…?”

He expected Alfred to end his sentence, to fill in the blank. He didn’t.

Clark cleared his throat and started again. “You never thought that maybe he was like you?”

“Bruce is an omega,” Alfred said firmly. “I always knew that. Just like I always knew I was not… despite what others may have told me.”

“But how did you know?”

“How did I know what Bruce was? Because, despite wearing the scent of a beta, he never behaved like a beta. He was never happy as a beta. He never wanted to be a beta. He didn’t have those instincts, or want that life. He wanted the legal freedoms the beta caste afforded him, but that’s it. It was a mask. Not his true face.”

“You never doubted that?”

Alfred took a sip of his tea before answering. “Of course I did. Every day I doubted whether what I was doing was the right thing. Every time I helped him change his scent, every day I lied, every day he woke up no happier than the day before. Every day I doubted. Maybe he was like me. Maybe I was projecting onto him. Maybe I was doing him irreparable damage by not making him wear his natural scent. Maybe the reason he has so many issues surrounding his caste was exasperated by me… I still think that. I still doubt.”

Clark had no response for that.

“I think we all suffer from caste,” Alfred said quietly. “In our own ways. None of us are free. None of us.”

Clark quietly acknowledged the truth of that.

Sometime later he stood and moved to leave. When he was in the doorway he paused. “Alfred?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“Whatever for?”

“For everything.”

————–

And, of course, Bruce does know. He always knew.

Here is another scene, taking place after Bruce gets pregnant:

————-

“Alfred?”

“Sir?”

“What it’s like?”

Alfred frowned. “What are you talking ab—”

“Being pregnant.”

The silence that followed that sentence was deafening.

The butler put the plate down and sat. It was fifteen minutes before he spoke.

“It was challenging, but survivable.”

Bruce nodded. “And birth?”

“That was… another magnitude of thing. But, also, survivable.”

“And chest feeding?”

The pause this time was long. “That was not something your mother wanted help with.”

It was normal for an alpha female to lactate… when their mate gave birth.

Bruce looked down to hide the storm of emotion rising in him.

“Bruce.”

Alfred’s fingers were on his cheek, and then his chin, and then tipping his head up. “It’s okay.”

That was a lie.

“They never hurt me.”

Another lie.

“I knew what would happen when I agreed to carry you. I knew.”

He couldn’t tell if that was a lie or not.

“Your parents were some of the finest people I ever had the privilege of knowing. And you…” he ran his thumb against Bruce’s cheek. “You are the single most amazing thing that ever happened to me.”

The truth. Pure and unchastened. He could see it in Alfred’s eyes.

————–

As I said I am super nervous sharing this. It’s an idea I had a few years ago and it’s just sort of… sat in my saved drives folder. I hope you like it. I am honestly a bit scared sharing it because it does disrupt and diverge from my omegaverse which is something I very much love and don’t want to undermine.

Evilpixie’s Omegaverse

Book Review

Spin the Dawn. By Elizabeth Lim. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2019.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Genre: YA fantasy

Part of a Series? Yes, #1 of the Blood of Stars duology

Summary: Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job. Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia's task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise. And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.

***Full review under the cut.***

Content Warnings: blood; violence; torture; mentions of slavery, misogyny, sexual content

Overview: I can’t remember how this book fell under my radar, but I decided to pick it up because the emphasis on sewing was appealing. I’m a bit tired of fantasy books which focus entirely on fighting and devalue “soft skills,” so it was a refreshing change to read something that centered the labor that goes into garment-making and imbued it with a kind of magic. While the plot was very strong, in my opinion, the main thing that prevented me from giving this book a higher rating was the writing: so much happens in this book that some things felt rushed, and I would have liked to see more poetic prose when it came to describing the garments of the magical elements in Lim’s world. But other than that, Spin the Dawn was an enjoyable read, and I’m very much looking forward to the sequel.

Writing: As I mentioned above, Lim’s writing has a tendency to move too quickly. At times, this quick pace was great - Lim doesn’t stretch out scenes that don’t need it, reminding me a bit of Tamora Pierce’s books. But at times, it was somewhat detrimental. A lot happens in this book, so Lim had the challenge of getting everything in without extending the length too much (my copy is 387 pages). As a result, there’s not really a lot of time for suspense. Major events are over in a few pages, and emotional scenes are whipped through quickly in order to get to the next plot point.

The quick pace also means that not a lot of time is given for description. Sometimes, the lack of description was fine - fantasy has a tendency to overdo it, so it’s nice when an author is discerning with what gets described and what can be glossed over. In this case, though, I was hoping for a little more, especially when it came to describing the garments that the main character makes. With noticing and making clothing such an integral part of Maia’s identity, I was hoping for more vivid imagery when she notices or creates a garment - something a little more than a dress being light blue or a sleeve having pearls and embroidery. She does a little of that when she makes a magical dress, but in my opinion, it should have happened every time. I wanted the clothing to come to life before my eyes, especially since most of the garments are made using magical assistance.

Along similar lines, I think Lim could have done more to bring the language of sewing into the way Maia sees the world. The prologue and opening chapter in which Maia describes her family is very good with this - she describes her story as a series of “knots,” talks about how one of her brothers gave her a poetic vocabulary to describe colors, and even refers to clouds having “seams” at one point. I wish Lim had carried over these stylistic choices to the rest of her novel; her prose for the rest of the book seemed sparse in comparison.

A couple of nitpicky things: one, Lim has the tendency to explain to the reader what can be inferred. The story is narrated in Maia’s first person POV, and there are many times when Maia would bluntly state something that was pretty obvious from the context, or when showing would have worked better than telling. Lim also has a tendency to use exclamation marks in Maia’s inner monologue, which I personally don’t care for. But these things happened infrequently, compared to other novels I’ve read. They were noticeable, though.

Plot: This book follows our protagonist, Maia, as she enters a contest to become the next imperial tailor and as she is tasked with fashioning three gowns using  the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. The narrative elements themselves were engaging; I think Lim did a good job of crafting a story while keeping sewing and tailoring at the heart of the adventure. At first, I was worried that sewing would take a backseat to politics, but Lim skillfully ensured that the sewing was always at the center, and that it was intertwined with the politics in ways that meant it couldn’t be discarded.

I do wish more time was given to creating suspense within this narrative. As stated above, this book moves quickly - so quickly that there isn’t really a lot of time to be worried about whether a character might succeed. While the story itself was fun, and I am in no way advocating for it to be made darker or more violent, I do think the book could have benefited from a slower pace where it was warranted, such as in each trial to obtain the materials for the dresses.

I also wasn’t very convinced by the “big bad” who shops up towards the end. Without giving anything away, I will say that their motivations were somewhat flat - it seemed like they just wanted to be bad because they were bored or something.

Characters: Maia, our protagonist, is fairly likable as a girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to prove something to a patriarchal society. I really liked Maia’s internal struggle over whether or not magic enhanced or undermined her skill as a tailor, and I also liked that she was direct and blunt when needed. I do think, however, that she is a bit too reliant on others to the point where she is somewhat passive. She only really initiates her own actions at the very beginning and very end of the book. Everything in between is determined by others - Edan, for example, tells her where to go to get the materials for her dresses, as well as what to do to pass the trials. He also manages their travel, their rations, everything, so that Maia seems to be just along for the ride. Aside from deciding to disguise herself in the first place and deciding how to handle her fate at the end, Maia shows little initiative. Placing more emphasis on her active decisions could have helped, even in situations when she was being acted upon or responding to something.

Edan, the Lord Enchanter and Maia’s love interest, is charismatic and teases Maia without being cruel. I liked that he was presented as someone who actually cares for Maia - he notices what foods she likes and what her favorite color is, and though he teases her, he’s never a gruff, jealous, violent asshole in the way that so many YA love interests are. I also thought the limits to his magic were interesting and helped temper his abilities so that he wasn’t over-powered as well, though I disliked how he was also used to conveniently explain lore and worldbuilding when Lim could have done that in other ways.

Many of the side characters were also nuanced so that they felt like complex characters with clear motivations. Lady Sarai, the emperor’s reluctant fiancee, is constantly making the tailors do ridiculous or impossible tasks, but it’s revealed that she does so to prolong her engagement and, possibly, defer the wedding. Thus, she appears simply cruel at first, but her homesickness and frustration as being a pawn in a larger political game makes her sympathetic. Likewise, the emperor is given some nuance in that he’s seemingly kind and fair to whoever he meets, but is reliant on Edan’s power to a concerning degree. I liked that his reliance on Edan and magic was understandable (he’s trying to prevent war, after all), but the personal costs of that reliance were questionable, making for an interesting moral dilemma.

But again, I disliked the “big bad.” I didn’t think they were woven very well into Lim’s world, and they appear so suddenly that they felt convenient for plot to happen, rather than a real threat.

Other: While the worldbuilding of this book was interesting, I think Lim could have done a lot more to make it seem more real and intwined with the lives of A’landians. Much of the information about magic, religion, history, etc. is dumped on the reader by Edan simply explaining things to Maia, making the worldbuilding feel like it existed only to make plot happen (rather than make a rich setting in which plot happens, if that makes sense). Out of all the things, I think the Seven Years’ War was the best incorporated because there was a personal element to it - Lim spends the opening chapters detailing how two of Maia’s brothers are killed and how a third is crippled, all while narrating how Maia and her father have to get by on their own. The complex feelings about the emperor and the shansen (the antagonist and whose daughter is the bride-to-be) were thus well-placed and felt real. The magic, however, seemed to appear only once Maia left her home. Maia has magic scissors that belonged to her grandmother, but she never knew about until the contest, and so little time is spent to thinking about who her family is and why the scissors only work for her that the magic didn’t feel personal at all (until the very end, conveniently). But aside from Maia’s personal story, I would have liked magic to be a little more integral to the world of A’landi, even if it was only reserved for the upper class. The same goes for the religion - apparently, religious figures and stories are at the center of Maia’s impossible dress-making task, but Maia is something of an atheist. While I did like the personal angle that explained why she doesn’t worship any gods, I do think religion could have been more integrated into the story to make it feel present (for example, maybe during the contest, people are given breaks to worship at the temple, and it’s understood to be mandatory - just an idea). Same thing with the inclusion of ghosts and demons - they only showed up when convenient.

A few words about the romance: I did like that Edan was attentive and not a raging jerk, as well as the reason for why they couldn’t be together. It made for an interesting predicament, and I’m interested to see where things go in book two. That being said, because this book moves so quickly, not enough time was devoted to developing the emotional connection between Edan and Maia. I would have liked to see more examples of how they enrich each other’s emotional lives, not just how Edan finds Maia interesting for dressing as a boy and refusing his assistance, or how Maia benefits from Edan’s magic. The teasing was fun and helped make for a cute dynamic, but I wanted a bit more. For example, how does Edan bring out the best in Maia, and vice versa? 

Continuing with the Series? Yes.

Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in fashion, dress-making, magical garments, sewing contests, and court politics.

Ease The Dawn Chapter 10

A/N - Thanks for reading and thank you so much for your likes, reblogs and in comments. They mean the world to me.

Pairing - Ivar and Aethelswith

Chapter - 10 of 18

Notes - I am Canadian so there will be ‘u’ in various words. 

The heavy fog that surrounded Winchester was so dense it concealed the first light making the morning bells seem out of place. The chamber was dim with little light coming through the diamond mullions and the warmth from the stone fireplace barely reached the men.

They sat in silence around a table at the centre of the room. Strained silence, broken only by the scuffing of Aethelred's boot on the gritty floor and Burgred's thick fingers tapping on the table. The fire crackled and the resignation obvious in the King's posture felt as loud as the quiet.

Slouching deeply in his chair, Alfred, studied the skin on the back of his clasped hands.

"He has no intention of negotiating with us. I do not understand the purpose of this kidnapping." Aethelred cut through the stiff atmosphere, raising both hands in question.

"There is a plan," Alfred replied without looking up. "He is not a man to act without meaning. There is something he wants." Nodding softly, his voice was muted as if he was speaking to himself. "We must wait."

"While Aethelswith sits and rots in the encampment?" Aethelred scoffed.

"Brother," Alfred straightened and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the arms of his chair. "I want her returned safely. You must know this, but we can not be foolish." His face was pensive and his wariness was showing around his eyes.

Each night, he would rest his head on his lavish goose-feather pillow, sick with thoughts of his sister's treatment. Conjuring images of where she might be forced to sleep while he lay in luxury. Was she hungry or cold, injured, he wondered, worrying if the heathens acted out their vengeance towards him, by forcing themselves upon her. His mind would race until he felt ill. Come morning, his reasonable self would admonish some of the fear, remembering the young, intelligent prince from all those years ago. He too had been young, very young. Since that time, the crippled prince had accomplished more than so many infamous Vikings. Alfred sensed, prayed, that Ivar was a true gamesman, one unlikely to tip his favour with carelessness or brute treatment of Aethelswith. His belief in his sister also provided a sliver of comfort. Her intelligence and iron nerve would serve her in any volatile circumstance as would her good sense...he hoped.

"It seems impossible," Burgred blared, finally joining the discussion. "The time for exchanging terms has passed. Our attempts to penetrate their parameter guard failed as did our blockade to impede their river access to Abingdon. They ransacked it! Their offensive strike was bloody merciless. We cannot allow them to advance further into Wessex." Clearing his throat, he shrugged. "Or Kingdoms north of Wessex."

Pressing his lips together, Alfred all but rolled his eyes. His disenchantment for Burgred was clear as he listened to the man rattle on, knowing there was nothing more important to him than becoming king of Mercia. Nothing.

"We have sacrificed nearly two chapters of our best men to those Northmen animals. Will be far more if they move on Winchester," Burgred continued, oblivious to the discomfort of the other two men. "Our attempts to rescue were fruitless."

"The strategy to resolve through force may still be a possibility," Aethelred interrupted. His strength and value always demonstrated through battle. Less often with strategy and politics and he, unlike his brother admittedly, was short on Devine patience.

"Well," Burgred shifted uneasily in his chair. "Perhaps, we must consider that the cost of retrieval is too great," pausing, he ran a hand down the front of his face, "and accept the loss... for Wessex." Burgred shook his head, sighing deeply, averting his eyes from the brothers. "Face a most unpleasant truth."

Both brother's eyes darted to Burgred. Alfred's solemn face giving little insight to his opinion but Aethelred's anger was clear.

"This is Aethelswith we are talking about," Aethelred spat.

"The Princess of Wessex. Our sister. Your wife," Alfred added calmly. "And the future queen of Mercia." Shifting he pushed his back against his chair, his hands squeezing the armrest. "You speak of her with such little emotion."

Burgred's eyes flicked between the two brothers. "Is it not the true mark of a nobleman to respond to hardship with unwavering fortitude?"

"How stoic of you," Alfred replied, his cool eyes staying fixed on Burgred.

"She has likely been defiled. Damaged. Devalued!" Burgred sneered defensively.

"There is nothing those barbarians could do to her that would devalue her," the rosiness in Alfred's cheeks began to mirror the red apples sitting in the bowl on the table. "Prince Ivar is a brilliant strategist. I, we, must trust that he would not be so short sited as to mistreat her and undermine his position to negotiate." Turning, Alfred looked toward the open cut-outs in the stone wall. "He will eventually state terms. There is an air about his delay that," closing his eyes, he shook his head, "feels personal. But, let me be unequivocally clear," he opened his eyes, narrowing them at Burgred, "there is no crown for you in Mercia without Aethelswith as queen."

"Any concession you make is a glaring sign that you can be manipulated. That he can put you on your knees by playing familiar," Burgred retaliated, leaning forward. "You bend to any of that heathen's demands and Wessex and Mercia, even Northumbria will be vulnerable and...."

"Enough," Alfred cut him off. "You will excuse us now. My brother and I must speak on the matter."

Burgred looked to Aethelred, his friend of nearly twenty years, seeking support against the King's dismissal. Gazing into his cup, Aethelred said nothing.

With a dour face, Burgred pushed his chair back across the stone floor and stood, bowing stiffly to Alfred before walking out. Alfred and Aethelred sat in silence until the chamber door thudded closed.

"Send another scout. Inform the prince that we are eager for terms."

"Alfred, wait, please listen. I know you do not care for Burgred. He..." Aethelred teetered his head, "lacks diplomacy and is, certainly, an acquired taste but he is brave and has fought for many years for this family."

"You are correct, I do not care for him. I wish I had the authority at the time to prevent his union to Aethelswith. Mother was too...determined..." his voice trailed off.

"But he is not entirely wrong, Alfred. You must admit, if we bend, we are offering this kingdom. Consider Wessex."

"Aethelred! You do not need to remind me to consider Wessex. Unless the players change, the game remains the same. I will see Aethelswith returned safely. Now, send another scout."

---

She hopped and kicked and raised her left arm into the air with a small grunt. Stepping backward, she slid quickly to the side.

"If you are attempting to seduce me with a form of exotic dance, I must tell you that you have the grace of a turkey," Ivar said in a flat voice, sitting on his stool, unclasping his braces.

"Your humour is endless, my Lord."

"Woman, what are you doing?" he asked as he tipped further down to work on a stubborn buckle.

"Endeavouring, rather failing, to usher a field mouse from the tent."

"How Christian."

Not responding, instead, she walked to the open stove and grabbed a small shovel from the iron bucket.

"To be afraid of a mouse," he continued.

"Ha," she quipped. "I sleep with Ivar The Boneless. You believe I would fear a mouse?" Glancing over her shoulder, her eyes gave away her amusement.

"Why are you such a deranged person, princess?"

"Only you would think me deranged for showing compassion to a mouse," she looked over again to see him dramatically roll his eyes. Pausing, she studied his expression.

"Why are you looking at me that way?" he asked, the ease was gone from his voice.

"You were rolling your eyes so violently, my Lord, I thought, perhaps, you might tip backward." Smiling, she let out a soft laugh.

"How witty," he clucked. "Do I need to remind you of who you are addressing in such a way?"

"You do not." Stopping, she turned fully to face him.

At a glance, Ivar could tell that she was trying her best not to smirk.

"I would not want to risk the punishment of being held captive," she added.

Grunting, Ivar bit the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from smiling. "You are a very annoying person."

"And you..." she stopped, her eyelids fluttered for a moment before she looked up towards the ceiling.

"What? Finish what you were going to say," he ordered, straightening on his stool.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"I did want to ask you a question," her eyes dropped to her hands as she fumbled with the tie of her dark green robe. Ivar noticed a familiar flash of emotion which often accompanied those instances at night when they would share stories and she would burst into giggles. Guilt. Guilt or shame, he was not entirely sure. Some variation of remorse, he suspected, for being so at ease with her enemy.

Nodding, he indicated for her to continue. His face lifted as if waiting on her next word.

"If it would not be a burden, I was wondering if you would teach me about your Gods."

"Princess," his head tilted to one side, "I cannot imagine you want to convert?"

Her eyes flared wide, "No!" she raised a hand as if to motion for him to stop. "No, no. I wish to better understand."

Seeing her standing before him, earnestly waiting for his response, he had to take a breath and steady his voice. Curb his delight.

"Ofcourse! This is a good notion. We will begin with the All Father," he nodded, looking down at the table, beginning to gather the papers in front of him. "There is much to learn. I hope you have the time," he jabbed, sarcastically.

"That is up to you, my Lord," she answered quietly and his eyes shot up to hers.

There was no sparkle in her soft blues as was the custom when they would banter. Instead, she looked solemn, perhaps from the reality of his silly statement. Not wanting the atmosphere to shift, he pretended not to notice.

"Come, sit, we will begin with Bor and Bestla and how everything we know of this world was created from death."

"I think I will get ready for bed now. Perhaps, tomorrow?"

"So early?" he sounded disappointed. "You will not have any food first?"

Shaking her head, she filled a bowl of water and collected a fresh washcloth from the stool beside the tub and began to wash her face.

Such a personal act to witness, he thought. It reminded him of the days lounging on his mother's bed watching her evening custom. Rinsing off both the grime of Kattegat's streets along with her brave face. If only he knew then that one day, soon after, he would be without her. Always expressive with his love for his mother, he would have still savoured and valued their time together more. Would have memorized every detail of her.

Scanning Aethelswith's figure, his eyes settled on her hands, watching how she submerged the cloth entirely in the bowl, wringing it out, careful not to allow a single drop of water to fall outside the rim. Dipping her head forward to meet her hands with the cloth, she carefully wiped her face starting under her eyes and ending with soft strokes down her throat. Her thick wild hair hung loosely plated down her back, resting over the dark robe, tied around her small waist. His eyes did not miss how the synched tie accentuated the curve of her hips and the round swell of her behind.

Letting out a small sigh, he wondered if there would ever be a time when he could not recall the nuisances of her movements. Would it even be possible to forget, he wondered? Would he, one day, desperately want to? Closing his eyes, he inhaled, picturing his future self, sitting on Kattegat's throne, surrounded by people but daydreaming of her. How each night, she would meticulously straighten the furs on her bed before climbing in. How she would lie flat on her back, eyes closed with lips moving in silent words to her God. Would that be his life? Still...regardless...he must soak it in. Burn her into his mind. All of her.

Turning, she caught him watching her from where he sat at the desk.

Clearing his throat, he looked down at his papers and shook his head, uttering, "very, very annoying."

.

@ill-skillsgard @allvikingsfanfic @youbloodymadgenius @lol-haha-joke @fangirl-nonsense @jacksonroth @dreamwritesimagines @ceridwenofwales @whenimaunicorn @medievalfangirl @naaladareia @yanii-the-hippie @flowers-in-your-hayr @equalstrashflavoredtrash @geekandbooknerd @readsalot73 @tephi101

Why Jordan Peele is One of the Most Important Directors of our Generation

Intro:

Before the horror-comedy sensation Get Out was released in 2017, I’d never heard the name Jordan Peele before. Now, after seeing his most recent success, Us, I can’t see myself not perking up at reading his name in the credits.

Peele didn’t just appear magically out of thin air as a gift from the filmmaking gods, even though it seems like so. His career actually kickstarted in 2003 when he joined the cast of Mad TV in its ninth season. I’m not here to give you an entire biography of Jordan Peele’s life, but this does give some insight to just how long he’s been working in the industry. 

Get Out was Peele’s first job as a solo director, but with the amount of professionalism and mastery put into it, you’d never know it was his debut. Might I also add he was the sole writer as well?

Thrilling, with a premise as outlandish as The Stepford Wives, but with so many silly and satirical moments, Get Out feels very much like real life because of this perfect mix. As a screenwriter (wannabe), I must gush a bit about how well his characters are written and how natural their behavior feels given the situation. The protagonist of Get Out, Chris (played wonderfully by Daniel Kaluuya) feels like someone you could meet at a bus stop or in line at the coffee shop, point being he’s an everyman. Not every lead character has to overtly stand out to be noticable; we just have to be able to fit in their shoes.

But what really made Get Out work is how Peele wrote it as a horror movie, without the need of all those cliche horror tropes that our generation is so accustomed to. About to go off topic for a bit, but I assure you, it’ll all make sense as to why I made this article about Jordan Peele.

What is Horror and What WAS Horror?

Horror is, perhaps, one of the most enigmatic genres there is because what can be defined as scary or unsettling is entirely subjective. There are very few things that people are universally afraid of. Things that only seem more common today but really have always been around... what makes today different from then is that everyone talks about it.

Imagine it’s the 1960s, you live in a cookie-cutter neighborhood where everyone knows everyone. Everywhere you look is a friendly face. Then suddenly, down the road, there is a break-in. The parents left the baby with a sitter and she was brutally attacked. Well, the only way you’re bound to know is through the newspaper or word-of-mouth, but after a while, is anyone going to talk about it or want to? Not a chance. You’ll always hear: These things just don’t happen around here. Not in our town. When really, they do. They happen everywhere. Then of course this is how urban legends start. The Hook Killer on Lover’s Lane, the Boogeyman that creeps at night.

A documentary that goes more in depth on this idea is Joshua Zeman’s Killer Legends. He explains how the real-life stories that inspire these legends are far more scarier than the films they create... and that’s how it all started.

Let me explain: the ‘Horror’ genre was meant to showcase just what people didn’t want to talk about what was happening down the road or across town. There’s a man that lures people into his hotel to kill them? Our neighbor killed his wife in cold blood and is trying to hide it? My upstairs neighbors might be psycho Satan worshippers?! Nah. Let’s just ignore it and hope it goes away.

A lot of people think if we don’t talk about it, these issues will vanish. But Horror films reminded us that such terrors exist in the real world, and can only be stopped if we acknowledge that they’re there. That’s why such films like Psycho or Rosemary’s Baby were so revolutionary--the idea that the scariest things are not even supernatural (Peele understands this greatly, but I’m getting there).

Horror worked well as a unique genre for the creative minds of Alfred Hitchcock, Wes Craven, and Tobe Hooper. Then this happened:  

The Slasher Era:

HOLD UP. I’m NOT undermining the effect that these films have. Halloween is a classic, and there are plenty of other ‘semi-modern’ thrillers that work like this, but... 

They unintentionally got the ball rolling for marketing genius and filmmaking disaster. Halloween was far more effective in 1978, when it was released, than it probably would be had it been made today (No, we’re not talking about 2018′s Halloween. Now stop distracting me). With horror, timing is everything... as in, ‘what’s going on in the world’ timing. Babysitting late nights was far more common then than it was now, and teenagers didn’t have modern conveniences they do now should anything happen. Back then, they actually had to WATCH the children, ensure their safety as well as their own, not give them an iPad and watch TV for an hour or two.

On top of this, as much as we take it for granted, 911 wasn’t always around. Until 1968, US citizens had no way of getting in immediate contact with the police until they got the operator on the phone to connect you to them. So Halloween recreates that idea of what if the babysitter got into a terrible situation with no way of getting immediate help? But they also decided to make things a little edgier... better said, bloodier. Cue Friday the 13th.

Teenagers go to sleepaway camp all the time (No, we’re not talking about that movie either, so hush), so what would parents be like seeing this film about kids going to a sleepaway camp where there’s a murderer hanging around? A brilliant idea that sold tickets back in 1980 to young adults and grown-ups alike. That’s because these ideas were new and horrifyingly relevant and real. They’re reminded of the threats that are out there.

But here’s the catch that ruined everything: it sold tickets. Sure, it scared some people for a good while, but they didn’t always leave with the idea lingering in their heads. But the producers and writers don’t always care about the latter, once they realized how easily money can be made by movie-goers wanting a good scare and a ‘fun time,’ the Slasher genre skyrocketed, and the brilliance of horror got dumbed down... and down... and down over the years with few exceptions. Let’s not mention, marketing blew up with Slasher films. Did anyone ask for four Halloween sequels or seventeen more Jason films? Nope. Did it make money anyway? Yup. It’s all in the name, not in the art...

Come On In, Get Out!

(See what I did there?)

Repeating myself at the intro, for those who forgot that this is really about Jordan Peele, I’d never heard of him before I saw Get Out. Even then, I only really knew about the movie through everyone talking about its 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. I went into the movie blind, a little confused to what made it considered a ‘horror’ when it looked like perhaps a Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner? type film.

When I saw it for the first time, I was sinking back into my seat whenever I felt Chris’ (the lead’s) discomfort. Again, it’s because we all fit into his situation seamlessly, being somewhere you’re not sure you’re welcome (hence the clever title). The audience was cheering by the end, eager that our in-movie buddy had made it out safe (Spoilers, I guess, but c’mon. If you haven’t seen it yet, get out :D).

But what made Get Out stand out from other modern-day thriller films is that when I went back, I caught things I’d missed my first time through; small hints and cues that clue you into what’s really going on. Did they have to be there to make it more enjoyable, probably not... but Jordan Peele wrote them in anyway, combining it with his perfect set-ups and shots so that the more cerebral movie-goers can have those ‘ah-ha’ moments! It’s a horror film where, for once, you feel like a genius for getting those little hints and figuring out what’s going to happen next (We are all Rod, who pretty much kept a running commentary of the movie-watcher’s thoughts).

Again, all not required, but very necessary if your film is going to be effective. While Peele deservedly won Best Original Screenplay, I say he was next up for Best Director from the perfect pauses in dialogue, to the little awkward looks in the camera by the hypnotized victims.

Why was it so successful among audiences everywhere, of all nationalities and ages?

Intelligent Horror:

Jordan Peele himself stated that Get Out was from ‘an effort to master fear.’ Us, I think, is an extension of that idea. What made these two films so effective wasn’t that they were filled with scary moments now and then and called itself ‘horror.’

They were smart films.

Get Out has very real fears we as people have; being out of place, uncomfortably watched by people, being abducted and never heard from again which horrifyingly happens far too often here in the States.

Us offers similar real-life horrors. A home invasion, being separated from your kids (and in return, kids being separated from their parents, their source of protection since day one). There always seems to be something supernatural or paranormal at play here, but there’s nothing of such going on. In Peele’s writing, it’s all real-life. After all, is the real world not a scary place?

The only difference I noticed in Us is that Peele maintains his effective dialogue with subtle clues of what’s going on, while visually he kept some of his trademarks (the wide shot of a figure walking towards the camera, looking right into it with wide, terrified eyes) but with a lot less visual hints than Get Out (to me, at least, but I’ve only seen Us once and will definitely be watching again).

While Get Out’s message leaned more towards the race issues in the US (and the world by proxy), Us is more muddled in what the audience is meant to take from it... and that’s perfectly fine. Jordan Peele’s horror is that you might not necessarily leave the theater scared to turn your light off at night, but you’re up late thinking about it and what it all means. And those are the kinds of films that stay on Hollywood’s radar for generations to come and not just as Halloween-time fun. Heck, Get Out came out in February, 2017. Us came out in March, 2019. Normally we expect cheesy rom-coms this time of year; so when a movie claiming to be a thriller shows up on the ‘coming soon’ list, you bet people are going to raise their brows and see what’s going on.

Peele understands how to entice people, to make them feel comfortable with his characters and then worry for their safety, while at the same time being far too fascinated by what’s going to happen to even think about taking their eyes off the screen to check their phones while waiting for the next jump scare.

He knows how to bring out the actors’ most unsettling parts of themselves, actors we may be familiar with and are used to seeing them as friendly faces (Lupita Nyong’o managed to creep me out while being an amazing spectacle on camera)! Daniel Kaluuya became an Oscar Nominee from his performance as a man being held captive going into full survival mode.

Don’t we all worry about what we’d do if we were in the situations those people were in? Wouldn’t we hope to have the smarts or guts to fight our way out just as they did? That’s the idea of what horror really is meant to be. Not be that one idiot character that goes into the scary house that’s known to be haunted while your friends tell you no (or film you for snapchat, I dunno).

No, in Peele’s movie, you’re going somewhere that’s supposed to be safe, where something unexpected that you were unprepared for happens... and that’s scarier than any ghost story I’ve seen.

JayTim week Day 1: Secret Dating//Bodyguard AU

AO3 link

Tim stretched out on his bed and smiled at Jason, making an, admittedly cheesy come hither gesture, but in their defense, it was going to be the first time they actually slept together. They had tried and failed for months to get some one on one time on the manor's unused corridors or supply closets, and stuff ALWAYS managed to happen before they could get off.

Cue, the taking a common day off. It hadn't been that easy to not be suspicious, and Tim personally thought that Martha most definitely was onto their illicit fraternizing affair.

But whatever, she liked them and the fact that they were mildly successful in keeping Bruce from being as good at self-preservation as a retarded mayfly. Also, she seemed to think their hardships were cute and romantic, and Tim was totally sure that she'd winked at him when he told her about his day off. It wasn't that important, Barbara was their boss that wasn't supposed to know that they were in a secret relationship.

And at the moment Tim would gladly tell her all about his thing with Jason if that would get him to join him in bed naked.

Which thankfully, he didn't need to do because Jason was there, and on board with the program and it was their day off.

Jason tried to look smooth and experienced, which didn't work out so well for him, but Tim had very little room to talk because he wasn't that much better. And really, he had fallen in love with the more stilted and awkward side of his partner that sometimes showed up behind his carefully crafted badass facade.

Tim had eschewed the badass facade altogether. When he got in the Wayne's service, Dick, their team leader, had taken him aside and explained exactly why he'd been chosen to be Bruce's bodyguard, and it mainly involved using Bruce's parental instincts to make him be less of a reckless idiot. Tim had taken it to heart.

He was, of course able to do a full take-down without breaking a sweat, he worked out and spared just as much as anyone else on the team, but on the clock? Utter and complete disaster. He spilled stuff, stumbled, ran in walls... everything and anything necessary to make Bruce think of him as a hopeless and fragile wreck of a boy (his... compact... size also helped on that front). Bruce was always trying his best to protect Tim from the fact that he was visibly not meant to be a bodyguard, which improved his own chances of survival greatly.

Tim smiled as he remembered his first meeting with Jason. He had been very new, and he had just started his 'two left feet' impersonation, so he was laying it on a bit thick. Jason had taken one look at him faceplanting by knotting his feet together on his way to formally greet his new client, and he'd honest to god sneered. Their interactions for the first week had been full of Jason totally disapproving of Tim, and Tim purposefully not telling him that it was an act because he didn't have to justify himself to the asshole in chief.

In the end Dick had gotten Barbara to call the both of them back to their company's headquarters, and he'd ordered them to go for a spar.

Tim has neatly wiped the floor with his new partner. A feat that he hadn't reproduced as easily since then because Jason didn't underestimate him anymore, and that had been a key point of his victory.

But the memory was still near and dear to his heart. Shortly followed by witnessing Barbara's dressing Jason down and yelling at him to stop undermining Tim's best effort at forcing Bruce to not always run headlong in danger.

"What are you smiling about?" Jason called, a pout on his beautiful lips. "I'm not trying to be funny, you know, could you act accordingly?"

Tim laughed. "But that's when you get the more amusing!" he reached for his lover and pulled him in. "I was thinking of our first spar."

Jason groaned. "You're never going to let it go are you?"

"No. Let it serve you as a lesson on judging books by their covers, grasshopper." Tim smiled to soften the blow and leaned in to kiss Jason's skin. It was their first time being mostly naked together, and there were wealth of so far unexplored skin to get his hands and lips on. And Tim was so not squandering that opportunity.

Jason got over his wounded ego pretty quick and into the making out, and they were just starting to try and wordlessly work out who wanted to top or bottom (because, yes, they were still awkward like that, and it was their first time, okay! they had a good excuse) when both of their phones went off in their emergency tones.

They froze and gave each other an half frustrated, half panicked glance before diving simultaneously for their earpieces.

Jason snatched a sheet on his way, almost toppling Tim over with his yanking, and ran out of the room so they could avoid having an echo. But since ha was a good lover and partner, he also tossed Tim's notebook at him and turned the overhead light on as he left the room.

"Hey boys." Barbara's voice chimed in his ear. "Sorry to interrupt your day off, but Batman has been sighted near the southern bank fighting the Joker and over fifty henchmen, and I'm going to need all hands on deck ASAP!"

Tim groaned, already mourning both his day off and his chance at having sex with Jason. "Okay. ETA fifteen." Jason echoed a 'same' over the line, and the hung up.

He walked to his dresser and got out his second and much more secret bodyguard uniform. He also set Jason's out, feeling grateful that he'd insisted there needed to be a backup at his place, and he started pouring himself in the black Kevlar.

This was the exact reason why being a Wayne bodyguard was so obscenely well paid, but required extreme proofs of loyalty to the Oracle guarding company, and of total discretion.

Years ago, Thomas and Martha Wayne had discovered that their son was moonlighting as a vigilante under the moniker of Batman. From what Tim had understood, they had first tried to cut all of his financial resources, but it had been an horrific failure, resulting in Bruce still going out but being woefully under-equipped while doing so.

In the end, they had looked for a trustworthy bodyguard organization to sick on their son, and Barbara and Dick's start-up had panned out as the better and trustworthiest. The financial mane of being extremely well paid for Dick's protection detail job by the Waynes had let Barbara set up her network. The Oracle company now had a lot of clients, and a lot of agents, and she took Bruce's escort from the best of those. But when Batman was out and being an idiot? The whole team was called.

Tim tightened the last strap across his chest and clipped his holsters in place, watching from the corner of his eye as Jason did the exact same.

Bruce, Batman, hated guns. Not that it stopped them. They weren't being paid by him. They were his bodyguards, not his minions, and their first goal was his protection, and hopefully to get him to stop his vigilantism. They never listened to him, and they generally did their best to hinder him most of the time. It made him extra grumpy and assholish, but they didn't give a shit.

Last on was the mask. There was no cutesy little domino for the Oracle bodyguards like some heroes had. They wore a modified motorcycle helmet, it made them pretty indistinguishable from one-another, and that was Barbara's loyalty to them shining through. She didn't want them to get swallowed up in a vigilante lifestyle, and that's why she'd made the 'batflock' all be so similar.

It reduced the villain's ability to go after them, to be able to recognize them or to go after them while out of the uniform. It also made the possibility of retiring from the high stake mission much easier, since they didn't have to feel like they were irreplaceable. Sure, they kind of were, but only in a good way. No one should be able to really notice if one of them got swapped out with someone else, so they COULD retire.

Tim and Jason took the hidden passageway from Tim's apartment to the closest Oracle garage and each climbed on a motorcycle, revving up and roaring down the secret tunnel and toward the battlefield that was Gotham's streets.

The battle was intense, and Tim almost dove in front of a bullet for Bruce, only getting saved by Dick managing to shoot the potential danger just before acting as a meat shield became necessary. Tim had absolutely no illusion that Bruce could have missed his intent, but they had more to do, and it got forgotten in the heat of things.

Tim was used as a springboard by Cass on her way to tackle Bruce down before he could be clubbed over the head, then he had to duck to let Steph shoot one of the Joker's henchman trying to sneak on him. Jason mowed down ten of the Joker's people, and they wrapped the fight up by, as their standard procedure dictated, piling up on Bruce, tying him up and tossing him in the Batmobile so he couldn't try to stay or run away.

SOP also dictated to head back to the Batcave along with Bruce so they could pile up on him again and hold him still while Alfred and Thomas treated whatever injury he managed to get in the battle, and also so they could get a look-over by Thomas, who was a doctor and a good person who really worried for them unless he could confirm that he didn't endanger them too much by hiring them to protect his son.

Things ran mostly smoothly, Bruce tried to yell at Tim for almost taking a bullet for him, Dick yelled back that Tim wouldn't need to be endangered if Bruce didn't go out at night to fight criminals with his bare hands and bits of metal. Somehow, Tim didn't know how, Bruce had still not clued in on the fact that Tim's klutz routine was just an act, and so he was the one who triggered his protectiveness the most. Probably, Bruce thought that he was kind of hopeless, but that adrenaline got him to be much better than usual. Not that it really mattered, it worked and it was the point.

Tim and Jason let Thomas see that they weren't dangerously injured, politely ate the cookies that Martha and Alfred baked for them as thanks for always keeping their idiot out of harm's way and headed toward their rides.

Dick smiled at them but stopped them before they made it out of the cave. "Hey, sorry for your day off. I'll be sure to guilt trip Bruce for bothering you by choosing today specifically to sneak out." Tim smiled. Dick had been with Bruce for the longest, and he tended to be ruthless toward him. "Oh, also. Babs says that she's really trying to turn a blind eye on the two of you, but it would help her if you didn't mess up and answer each-others' phones specifically on your common day off. That's really a lot to ask out of her selective blindness."

Jason swore and Tim cringed. So apparently, they were even worse than he'd first thought at this secret relationship thing.

Gotham s4ep18 “That’s Entertainment”  Personal Review

 “Expect no mercy, just a hail of bullets.”   Warning spoilers below

* Yeah ALFRED PENNYWORTH give the kid a bullet prof car, might as well just shoot right at him * “What are we waiting for? Those people need our help.” “Good man” Jim Gordon getting right to BRUCE WAYNE to put him into an explosive collar is pretty much undermining his words last week about Bruce endangering himself and his accusations against Alfred of supporting this. But it´s the bigger picture, right. It´s always the bigger picture with all of them. Just that all of them keep thinking they got the best judgement of what the bigger picture and greater cause is. * “But even if it does maybe, by facing Jerome I can show the people of Gotham that standing up to terror is the only way to take its power away.” “Well said.” Bruce Wayne talking to JEREMIAH, addressing his accomplishments with such eloquence and politeness was remarkable to watch. And it makes me want to see some sequels about his education so far. That´s not just something you just can do, that´s a practiced skill he´s capable of invoking whenever needed and it´s wonderful. It´s a fine line between reasoning and manipulation!  I really loved that they have had him keep appreciating Jeremiah´s research after the whole mess. It´s just a glimpse on what the fandom does every now and then point out: Batman with his bulletproof car might be able to do some good with questionable methods but Bruce Wayne would be capable of bringing remarkable change for the sake of Gotham and it´s citizens. It´s a shame that this responsibility keeps being neglected. How much hospital equipment does a bullet proof car buy? * “It was an act.” “I think you're more sure about that than me.” I´m glad they at least keep a bit of ambiguity there, only if it´s just a tiny moment. You don´t just completely change by a plant induced nightmare, that just can´t eradicate all you´ve gone through. * “What, you have a laugh? No bloody way.”  Idk why but this was hilarious * “For once I agree with Alfred.”  Oh Selina ..  * “Boom. Headless people.” * “Quite the dilemma, Jim. You gonna let me fall and die? Or are you gonna pull me up and arrest me? What's it gonna be? Lawman or murderer? Ah. Good ol' Gordon. Always playing by the rules.” JIM GORDON and this old question again. I almost expected him to not care about Jerome falling. Also how much does Jerome know about Jim doing stuff like going to retired mob bosses and beg them to return? Can someone tell him? Would that make him laugh? *  Also Jim Gordon messing with a detonators signal (again) ..  good that Jerome doesn´t have Nygma on his team * OSWALD COBBLEPOT looks so pretty, I´m done * With Oswald´s expressions throughout this whole enterprise I am not in the slightest surprised that Jerome has had doubts about him :D You can do better than that Oswald, we´ve seen it. * Jim  & Oswald was too precious. “I mean, I was willing to play along with him for a while. Perhaps he had a way to make us all rich? A return to the good old days, you know? But nothing good will come of this.” “Or maybe you just don't like the competition. Jerome casts quite the shadow.” “Oh, please! He's a maniac, an anarchist. He is not interested in money or power. And I am an honest criminal, Jim.” * “What's worse than that? How can you run an empire in a city full of lunatics?” As much as Jim Gordon keeps pointing out that Oswald caring about the state of the city is only for the sake of his own goals and aspirations I however do see my (head)canon confirmed that Oswald cares for the city. Maybe not more than about himself but still. He was horrified by what Theo Galavan had planned and he certainly didn´t need to care about these people. And I do think that he would have been capable of putting on a better poker face, lean back longer and step upon some ashes to claim what´s left. It´s not like the city has seemingly quite well survived a couple of gas attacks. Why not this one too?  Also Oswald was ready to subject it to a mob war. This clearly was more than a power struggle and jealousy towards Jerome, Oswald was not willing to step over a certain line of (“unnecessary”) cruelty. * “I´m home” Okay this killed me, as much as this plotline is icky, BARBARA KEAN having felt out of place and just wrong all her life now feeling that she has a purpose and worth killed me. This though is remarkably ugly and I don´t like it: “Why don't you do it?” “Because I am the one true heir of an immortal god's ancient dynasty. And I don't dirty my fingers with the likes of you anymore.” And the hell, why is she just always the love interest? * What I also really love about this is: “The Barbara I know would've already sold all of this junk to the highest bidder.” “Junk? This is my destiny.” “And being with me and Selina at the club? That isn't? You begged me to partner with you.” “Can't you see who that is up there? That is me and Ra's, 400 years ago.” “Oh, please, I mean, she doesn't even look like you.” “It looks exactly like me. It is me. I have finally found my true purpose. I'm not gonna let your jealousy distract me.” “Ra's influenced history.” “He was a cult leader, and he still has them brainwashed.” “And what about me, am I brainwashed? There are things written here that could change the way we view the past forever. Perhaps, I am the one to bring that change to light.” I guess it´s because it´s just playing right into a couple of headcannons. And it brings back some reference to her being an art gallery owner. And now I´m even safeish to headcanon that this was not just for prestige and money but that she truly was invested and interested in art(history). This finally gives her some personality and passion. Her doing that research about the glowing hand already sparked my interested, because I know Bruce & Co did it do but you don´t just get deep into historic research like that, you gotta have some background to dig around properly. And that “change the way we view the past” line omg! You don´t just say something like that without caring about history. I´m delighted. It´s not just ohh I got all the ancient magic at my hand to do stuff and things with it there is also this element of knowledge and curiosity about the past! And I´ll die with that headcanon. Just imagine young Barbara Kean having an interest in history, buried deep in dusty books but her parents discouraging her. Like who cares about that. That´s not a career and it´s not gonna buy an expensive apartment or bring prestige to the family name.   With going for the art gallery option Barbara found a way to keep associating with the wealthy elite, like her parents want her to but also thought she could keep a bit close to things she was interested in. But along the way this started to sometimes shift into resentment because it´s not quite what she actually wants to do. She even appreciates modern art the more she learns about it but it´s just not quite right and this could be the reason why Tabs picked up some dismissive attitude or remarks about things Barbara actually values. Her parents just estranged her from her interest so far that even after they were gone she´s just about having control .. eg about the underworld (and a couple of other fleeting  stuff and things because this show is a cluttered mess) instead of being able to reconnect to what she was interested in, also they were quite successful with hammering into her that this is just not an option to be anything else than stupid interest or hobby. Also: The Cult & Brainwash thing & TABITHA GALVAN Can we talk about that bit, about how the contrasted Barbara´s personal past and now almost painful moment of feeling she found some worth with on the other hand TABITHA GALAVAN´s past of actually having been in a cult. Can we appreciate that they addressed this. Also this just renews another headcanon of mine: That a big failure of the Dumas Order´s was neglecting Tabitha. They obviously trained her but after that statement it´s also obvious that they failed to indoctrinate her like they did with Theo Galavan. Once failed and once going over a couple of lines with Silver, Tabitha was very quickly ready to abandon the grand plan and holy mission. I guess the Order only saw the male heir as being of any importance and that´s what they taught him (and indirectly also taught Tabitha) it was Theo´s mission, Theo´s legacy and in the end also Theo´s accomplishment. Tabitha was surely kept close and in line but they failed to incorporate and include her.  Personal Headcanons aside .. what is this plot even ??! And what the fuck is that horrible odd picture?! Especially the faces look so off. * “That's why I'll outlive you. That's why I'm loved 'cause I don't give a damn about the rules. “It's a long way down. You sure you'll outlive me?” “Oh, I'm sure 'cause I'm more than a man. I'm an idea, a philosophy. And I will live on in the shadows within Gotham's discontent. You'll be seeing me soon. Au revoir.” * “Finally set you free” Even if JEROME VALESKA´s “they are both the same” talk has a point (and given the remarks about their childhood they are both shady, the Ecco devoted her life thing is still creepy af there is one)  even with that JEREMIAH VALESKA  has made a choice to protect himself and use his mind to create, buildings and structures but also an electrical engine that creates a grand amount of power to supply the city (and I´m just gonna assume he would not try to milk every last penny out of it) that´s all far from destruction and chaos and that is a choice and I want to believe that choices do matter. That there is some gas action happening that eradicates all that is just cheap.  And it does undermine Jerome´s words about being an idea and philosophy that will live on with Gotham´s discontent. I don´t want to see this as Jeremiah being set free, I want to see this as Jeremiah being robbed of his choices and agency. And while I can get behind the general idea that refuting rules, deprecating law and embracing destructive chaos stemming out of neglect and discontent could be an interesting concept this also gets cheapened if its new poster boy is someone who is forced into this role. Arguably Jerome´s upbringing (I´m just gonna assume a general horribleness and abuse is very much what happened no matter the details) as opposed to Jeremiah´s way out of this has if not forced paved a way into the discontent, and what his was it grandfather (Edit: father in 2x3) said about him being a curse on the city was the role he found he could embrace rather than being hurt over it. So maybe Jerome could be also seen as a case of self fulfilling prophecy that others pushed upon him but there still was a choice so I would not equal that to being changed through a toxin. If they wanted to really sell the philosophy idea they would have planted some seeds in the DeadJeromeOnCar scene, which imho was really well done solemnly and actually kind of sad, but they could have put someone in there disrupting that notion with some destructive “not gonna go to respect the dead body or any rules in any way” notion .. 

* What´s up with the voices and language? MR. FREEZE got a new distinct tone and intonation that I just can´t point my finger on, or is it only me?  And has JONATHAN/SCARECROW ever shown signs of YodaGrammar? “More laughing gas we need to make.” Did I forget about it, did the boy talk like that? * “Gotham's Moral Authority Society”  Gotham's Moral Authority Society …….. Why do I feel more threatened by this than by any of the murderous criminals .. ?!

Kunze on “Tanz”: StoryArchitekt Q&A section, Vol. 10

(Most of the questions in this section date from the 2009 revival era or the time immediately following. All translations are rough, and anybody who knows the language better can feel free to correct me, especially with the answers. This is the final set of questions at StoryArchitekt to date, and I want to thank everyone for their interest in following my - admittedly flawed - translations of the master’s words.)

Q: Dear Doctor Kunze, shouldn’t it be “meine Empfehlung an seine Exzellenz” instead of “ihre Exzellenz,” since Krolock is male? “Ihre Exzellenz” would in my opinion only fit as a direct address to Krolock himself. A: Correct. (source)

Q; I’ve noticed that there are singers who like to sing higher notes than what’s written in the score. That’s what I’ve noticed with Thomas Borchert and Drew Sarich. Borchert has regularly sung higher notes in the ballroom scene on the words “...das nächste Jahr reich” and Sarich has clearly sung a much higher note on “ketten” in “Die unstillbare Gier.” Personally, I find that a bad habit because it undermines the composer’s intentions in my opinion. The audience wouldn’t tolerate that in an opera, and for me your musicals are equivalent to operas by Verdi, Wagner, Mozart and many others! But how do you feel about that? Is this kind of improvisation justified, in your opinion? A: We are in complete agreement. The singer(s) has enough possibilities to interpret the song in their own way, without changing the melody. (source)

Q: Hello, is there any news regarding a film adaptation of Tanz der Vampire? A: There is currently no news on this topic. (source)

Q: Dear Michael Kunze, I saw a performance of TdV in Berlin this evening. Not for the first time, but my first time seeing it in Berlin. I know the songs by heart, have already seen the show elsewhere, and so was not expecting any big surprises beyond a nice evening with a great piece of musical theater. But I experienced a surprise: I was moved to tears by the song “Die unstillbare Gier.” Partly because your prediction of the “next millennium” is so painfully right. This motivated me to ask a question: how did you come up with the lyrics, and how did you decide to integrate it into the piece? I find the text awesome and beautiful, but in the Polanski movie, these doubts, emotions, and the Count’s self-deception are not present at all. A: Such reaction, dear Vincent, is my greatest reward. The idea for the song “Die unstillbare Gier” came from my basic concept: the vampires are a metaphor for the selfish and ruthless people of success, who have become leaders in our society (and our school system). I wanted to have a solo in which the Count expresses his eternal emptiness and dissatisfaction. Jim Steinman offered the tune to me while we were in rehearsals. Having already decided what the song would be about, I finished the lyrics rather quickly. (source)

Q: Dear Michael, I have heard the song “Tot zu sein ist komisch” again and again, and I would like to know what Magda would say at the end of this verse if she didn’t scream: “Er war mir lästig / in meinen Bett / Jetzt denk ich plötzlich / Er war doch ganz... aaahhh!” Thank you very much! A: I think she would complete the rhyme: “Er war mir lästig in meinem Bett, jetzt denk ich plötzlich: Er war doch ganz nett!” (source)

Q: Dear Michael, one question has been bothering me and my family for a long time. When people talk about filming Tanz der Vampire, are they referring to a proper film, or a performance that is recorded and broadcast, like the 25th Anniversary Phantom of the Opera? Many thanks for your answer. A: The talk is about a real film adaptation of the musical - not a mere recording of the stage show. (source)

Q: Dear Mr. Kunze, you once complained that no director has staged the end of TdV as you imagined or would like it to be. You now have the unique opportunity to stage a bit for yourself! Tanz der Vampire, last scene. Sarah bit Alfred, the Professor sang his last words, now comes the finale, as you always wanted to see it on stage. What happens? What do we get to see? A: The vampires transform themselves into everyday egotists - real estate sharks, Internet rip-offs, punters, etc. - and take over the world. (source)

Q: Good evening Mr. Kunze, also from me a big thank you for this unique web presence that connects you to the fans of your works! My question: why does Count von Krolock call Sarah “Star Child” - is there a deeper meaning? For example, “star children” is often used to refer to children who are born dead, and Sarah goes through her journey from child to adult, which ends in her death, her becoming a vampire. Does Count von Krolock mean that Sarah is destined to find death and become a vampire? Is that why he so avidly addresses her like that? That adulthood will release her from her “birth” and in so doing “kill” her? Thank you for your answer and your thoughts on this. Thank you and best regards, Carina Berghammer A: A beautiful, deep thought. To be honest: I didn’t mean that. Krolock calling Sarah “star child” is related to the fact that I intended him to be a parody of Friedrich Nietzsche. When Nietzsche first met Lou Andrea Salomé, he said to her, “From which star did you fall into my world?” (source)

Q: Dear Mr. Kunze, I am a great admirer of your work, especially your DramaMusicals. I was particularly impressed by the lasting effect of Tanz der Vampire, which for me was the most successful of your pieces in terms of sound, content and language. Since I have enjoyed this piece many times, two questions have arisen for me that I would like to ask. For one thing, the “red boots” -- I’m interested in whether this gift from the Count symbolizes something, as it could just as easily have been jewelry. And they aren’t dancing shoes that one would expect to attract Sarah to the long-awaited ball. So to reiterate: why boots? Furthermore, I wonder why Sarah is referred to as “star child” in “Totale Finsternis.” Finally, I would like to thank you for bringing pieces of this kind (social criticism) to the stage. Best regards, Hannelore A: The “red boots” are borrowed from the not always innocent world of fairy tales. In Germanic folklore, the shoe was symbolic of the female sex. A good example would be the significance of the lost shoe in Cinderella. In psychology, the color red represents sexual curiosity and activity. “Star child” is a reference to Friedrich Nietzsche, of whom Krolock is a parody.  When Nietzsche first met Lou Andrea Salomé, he greeted her with the words, “From which star did you fall into my world?” (source)

Q: Dear Michael, how come there are no questions, or do you have no time to answer right now? The last time you answered was in March, which is why I ask. :-) And has the film of Tanz der Vampire been shelved, or can we possibly still expect it at some point? Best regards. A: For a long time, I wasn’t inspired to answer questions. In other words, I simply couldn’t do it. I’m gradually catching up with what I’ve missed. The Tanz der Vampire film project is not dead yet, but also not yet being made. (source)

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

I don’t think a movie had ever left me at such a loss for words. It wasn’t even so much a question of the movie being particularly complex–hell, McCabe & Mrs. Miller and The Tree of Life left me stymied initially, but at least I was able to gather my thoughts on them relatively quickly. It might have had to do with the fact that I really, really like Nolan’s Batman movies, and that Batman has always been very close to my heart, for a variety of reasons. I still have a hard time really explaining how I feel about The Dark Knight Rises.

So I’ll just dive right into it. I don’t think The Dark Knight Rises was as good as The Dark Knight. Simply because I think that The Dark Knight was as close to perfect as a movie could get. Any movie. Any movie out there. I think what initially left me at a loss was that the pacing of The Dark Knight Rises is so different than the pacing of The Dark Knight. Quite honestly, if you’re going into TDKR thinking it’s going to be like TDK, then you’re probably going to be disappointed. TDK simply did not let up–it was amazing scene after amazing scene after amazing scene, so fast you could barely catch your breath. TDKR builds up, start slowly–it gets all of its characters and its themes aligned just before its second half, when Gotham City completely implodes and everything goes haywire (in a very exciting way). The first time I watched TDKR, I was waiting for a moment to completely blow me away–in TDK, it was the entire truck chase scene, in which the Joker was gunning for Harvey Dent. That scene still leaves me in awe. In TDKR, there are many smaller scenes that stick with you–some are exciting (Bane robbing the Gotham City Stock Exchange, and the ensuing motorcycle chase scene) and some are genuinely chilling (the sight of exiled rich people being forced to walk over thin ice). But no scene really hit me like a ton of bricks.

But it might actually be rather unfair to compare The Dark Knight Rises too much to The Dark Knight. Natural, maybe, but unfair. No, Tom Hardy’s Bane is not as charismatic as Heath Ledger’s Joker, but he’s not supposed to be. Simply put, it’s not in Bane’s character to be as charismatic and maniacal as the Joker. That’s not who Bane is. I still found Bane to be insanely interesting. He’s a man with a plan (as opposed to the Joker, who famously asked, “Do I really look like a guy with a plan?”), a structured anarchist, who works towards his goals with an incredible amount of precision and a malice for anyone who stands in his way. Why he wants to destroy Gotham City–not only destroy it, but make it bleed and die a slow, painful death–is only really answered by the end of the film, and is even more intriguing than if, like the Joker, he “simply wanted to watch the world burn”.

(I want to mention too that Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack is amazing. I’ve always liked his soundtracks, but the scores he wrote for the Batman movies are among the best.)

I think I’ve mentioned that I’m also a Catwoman fan. I like Catwoman. I think she’s neat, and a good foil for Batman. When I heard that she would be featured in The Dark Knight Rises, I was excited, not only because I’m a fan but also because it would present Chris Nolan with the opportunity to write a genuinely interesting female character. Because, quite honestly, Chris and Jonathan Nolan are very good at writing male roles, but their female characters seem to always take the backseat, are often just included to provide variety. Since her conception, Catwoman has always been an interesting character, whether she serves as Batman’s adversary or somewhat begrudging ally. And always a romantic interest. I’m fairly sure she was always written as a woman who justifies her crimes as simply being in the name of the Have Nots–she wants rich people’s things because she doesn’t have them, and they do. Simple as that. Anne Hathaway is a bit more virulent of a 99%-er. We get almost no backstory from her, but we know enough to figure that she’s always had a deep-seated resentment of the upper class, and has been itching to see the 1% get what’s coming to them for a very long time. And, again, it’s tempting to compare Hathaway’s Catwoman to Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman in Batman Returns. And again, it’s unfair, because the characters are coming from completely different places, have completely different subtexts and are in movies with completely different tones. Pfeiffer’s Catwoman was comic book stuff–corny and flashy and so on, because that’s what Batman Returns called for. Hathaway’s Catwoman is conniving and bordering on sociopathic. She plays just about everyone in order to get what she wants (or what she needs), and is able to leap from mewling coquette to sneering bitch in nanoseconds if need be. It’s all about survival for her, and I don’t think there was one scene in which she ever let down her guard. Which is fun. It’s interesting. But it’s hard to imagine that the happy ending the film gives her will last very long.

Maybe the difficult aspect of The Dark Knight Rises for me to process is its theme. I felt it was mostly about despair and hope. That sounds pretty hackneyed, but I think it’s apt. Every protagonist in this film is driven by hope and at some point gives in to despair. Even the villains, at one point in their lives, were fueled by a ferocity to rise out of the depths they came from–and, in turn, to plunge their enemies into their own metaphorical hell. Why do they want to destroy Gotham City? Because Gotham represents an apex built on and towering above those pits they and so many people wallowed in for so long. Gotham City and everything it represents Just Isn’t Fair. And it isn’t so much that Bane and Co. think that life should be fair; they simply want Gotham to know how completely unfair it can really be. To restore a natural order. To cut everyone down to size. 

What makes The Dark Knight Rises important–and, I think, what a lot of people have in turn criticized the film for–is that the people of Gotham City ultimately realize that their own city and their own lives are in their hands. People have complained that Bruce Wayne and Batman aren’t actually given a lot of screen time in this movie. For the most part, Bruce Wayne just broods over the loss of Rachel from The Dark Knight, tries to rehabilitate himself, and in general attempts to climb out of the literal and metaphorical holes he’s found himself in. The fact of the matter is that, realistically, saving and protecting Gotham is too much of a burden for one man to carry, and a good deal of the movie is spent showing how Gothamites learn to save and protect it themselves. It’s shown, for the most part, through the eyes of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Blake, who was raised in similar conditions as Bruce Wayne, but without all the wealth. So while Bruce Wayne is able to siphon a lot of his wealth into becoming the Batman, Blake becomes a cop. Which is, quite honestly, what I really wanted to see as soon as I heard that Gordon-Levitt would be playing a cop in this movie. Not everyone can be Batman. But anyone who feels enough passion for justice and an inclination to protect their city can become a cop. It’s a matter of these people taking things into their own hands. When Bane has taken control of Gotham and Batman is unable to come to their rescue, a (however small) amount of citizens rise up against the enemy. And that’s what Bruce Wayne has always wanted. That they use Batman as a symbol of their resistance is pretty much what spurred Bruce Wayne to become Batman from the very beginning.

Also very important is the point that so much is made out the resistance movement being comprised largely of available cops, and that “war” between Gotham City and Bane’s army only really starts when the thousands of cops who were previously trapped underneath the city are freed and are able to fight back. The whole trilogy has made a point that the crime in the city–from the blatant control of the mafia in Batman Begins to the new breed of super-villain in The Dark Knight–was, in part, a product of a corrupt police force. In Batman Begins, nearly every cop except for Lieutenant Gordon was either indifferent or dirty. In The Dark Knight, the police force was largely portrayed as incompetent, scattering in every direction when the shooting started, still undermined by dirty cops paid off by Falcone and generally unable to organize themselves into a cohesive unit. By the end of The Dark Knight Rises, they are literally moving as one force against their enemy and fighting head-to-head against them. The movie is realistic enough to show that what concludes is not altogether sunshine and rainbows (Blake ultimately realizes the weakness of the police force and the justice system in general, and turns his back on it), but it’s a step towards Gotham become a better-functioning city, without a real need for a Batman.

And what else? I was once again completely blown away by Michael Caine. Alfred has really always been the heart of the trilogy, and every film had a moment where Caine just completely brought it–when he drives a poison-addled Bruce Wayne home in the dead of night in Batman Begins, and you can see his eyes welling up with tears as Bruce is flipping out in the backseat; when he makes the decision to burn Rachel’s letter to save Bruce heartache in The Dark Knight (that that comes back to bite him in the ass in The Dark Knight Rises is a great bit of continuity); and when he breaks down in a certain scene in this last film, when he believes that he’s failed the entire Wayne family. Michael Caine is the shit. As is Morgan Freeman, who is still wry and charming, and has a bit of his own action scene, I guess, which is pretty good for an older gentleman.

I guess that’s it, save for a few things I want to mention that are all-out spoilers, and that I’ll place under the cut in another post. Thank you for getting through all of this, if you actually have in fact read through it all. If you just scrolled past this post–well, I don’t half blame you. I went a little haywire, I guess.

We Are Who We Are pt. 2

So after I finished writing the first part of this fic, I had the thought that maybe their relationship was kept secret out of necessity rather than just a want for privacy and so this rather lengthy “short” fic happened. This one takes place from Arthur’s point of view. I’ll be putting a cut on it because of length.

Fandom: Hetalia Pairing: PrUK (EnglandXfem!Prussia) Word count: 1301

Part 1

There were only two rooms on this level of the inn; the best rooms that could be afforded to people with rankings as high as theirs. Arthur hovered uncertainly by the door of the room opposite to his own, and thought better of knocking upon it. The room was occupied by Royal Guard Commander Giselle Beilschmidt, who would most likely be at the desk at this hour, writing into her meticulously precise journals or planning the next training exercise for the Guards. He’d been there when a foreign diplomat had asked Giselle whether it was true that the Royal Guard was nicknamed the Amazonian Guard because she actively excluded men from joining. Giselle had stared coldly at the diplomat until he’d become uncomfortable. “I do not restrict who is permitted to join the Guard” was what she’d told him, “But I refuse to tolerate insubordination, and most men seem to be unable to respect and are determined to undermine the authority of women”. As the diplomat nodded dumbly in response, she’d scanned the room to meet Arthur’s eyes briefly, with a smile that disappeared so quickly he could have imagined it conveying that she did not include him in that majority. He hoped she’d continue thinking that way as he entered her room unannounced. As expected Giselle sat at the desk, turning sharply as she heard the door open.

‘You shouldn’t be here,’

Arthur knew her well enough to tell she’d relaxed when she saw him, even if her tone didn’t show it.

‘We need to talk,’ he said, closing the door slowly behind him.

‘If this is about what happened earlier today; I already told you I would have had it under control.’ Giselle turned back to the papers before her. ‘You shouldn’t be here.’ She repeated. ‘You know the risks.’

Indeed, Arthur did know the risks. For the sake of the nation their relationship must remain secret, as together they controlled the bulk of their nation’s security. Their professions were dangerous enough as they were, without the threat of being seen as each other’s weaknesses if their relationship became publicly known. Even so, Arthur could never ask Giselle to retire from her duties, and he knew, likewise, she would never ask the same of him. All he could do was ask her to be careful.

‘It’s hard for me to not worry about you when you put yourself in unnecessary danger,’

He’d meant to sound more level headed, but something in his voice made Giselle carefully set down her pen and slowly turn to face him.

‘Danger is part of our job, Arthur,’ she said coolly. ‘Surely that’s not something you can just forget.’

‘What happened today wasn’t your job, it was mine,’ Arthur argued. ‘Your first priority is the Crown as mine is the nation.’

Giselle drummed her fingers against the wood of the desk, she did not like to have her actions questioned or confronted.

‘You’ve interfered with my work before,’ she crossed one leg over the other and interlaced her fingers. ‘You discovered a plot against the King and instead of sending your men to work with my Guards, what did you do? You went to find the King alone.’

‘I warned him to escape and dispatched two assassins!’ Arthur knew his defence was pointless, his actions had been foolish in the greater context and Giselle was sure to remind him of that.

‘There were eight more in the next room, ready to kill you and pursue the King had I not discovered the plot myself and arrived in time with the Guard.’ Giselle retorted without fail, just as Arthur had expected. ‘And I don’t remember barging into your room that night to rub that into your face.’

He remembered looking at the bodies of the two would-be assassins with satisfaction and moving to guard the secret hallway the King had fled down as the eight others involved in the plot entered through the same door he’d come through. He remembered realising they’d followed him to the Kings chambers and making the resolution to take the whereabouts of the secret hallway’s entrance with him to the grave. He remembered Giselle’s momentarily look of terror for him as she and the rest of her red cloaked Guard entered from the other door. He’d expected to be confronted by her later, and had been relieved when that confrontation never came.

‘Let’s call it even then,’ Arthur sighed, stepping closer to Giselle. ‘In the future we’ll both stay in our own affairs unless we’ve officially decided to work together.’

Giselle nodded curtly, as if this was just any other deal she made in her line of work, as if they were nothing more than the associates they claimed to be in public, and it hurt.

‘I’m glad this is sorted then,’ she paused as if to decide whether or not to say something. Catching Arthur’s expression, it was Giselle’s turn to sigh, her decision made. ‘I know it hard for both of us, but we agreed to do this so that neither of us would be hurt with the intent of forcing us to choose between each other and our duties. Because as much as—’ she lowered her voice. ‘—I love you, my duty to the Crown must always come first. And I know you would make the same choice for the sake of the nation.’

Arthur wasn’t sure if that was the decision he would make in actuality, but that was a dangerous thought and he shook his head.

‘It might not come to that,’ he reassured.

‘No,’ Giselle agreed. ‘Not if we’re careful.’ She offered him a tired smile. ‘Now go back to your room before any of your men try to find you. God knows how fast rumours can spread. Especially around loudmouths like that second-in-command of yours, Jones.’

‘Don’t be so hard on Alfred,’ Arthur admonished gently. ‘He means no harm in anything. Besides, he admires you greatly.’

‘Does he?’ Giselle asked absently, attention already turning back to whatever she’d been writing.

‘To the point of hero worship,’ Arthur confirmed with a laugh.

‘And not you?’ Giselle was uncapping her pen even as she laughed along.

‘Oh heavens no! Not me at all. In fact I think he rather fancies my position.’

For the second time that that night, Giselle set down her pen.

‘Jones must be dreaming if he thinks he’s in any way as capable as you are,’ she snapped acerbically in one of her rare displays of fierce loyalty. Arthur got the feeling that she would have attempted to throttle Alfred had he been present in the room. ‘Who does he think he is? He may be a prodigy soldier, but even then his skills in fighting and leadership pale in comparison to yours. It’ll be a very long time before he is even near qualified to take your place.’

‘Let’s just pretend I never told you that the next time we see Alfred, okay?’ Arthur said with amusement. ‘I’m sure he’s not actually actively planning to overthrow me.’

‘He shouldn’t even dare to think that way,’ Giselle growled, offended on his behalf, which only added to Arthur’s amusement.

The sound of stairs creaking reminded them of the ever present threat of being exposed.

‘You really should go now,’ Giselle murmured, expression returning to its usual austerity.

Arthur nodded and reluctantly took his leave, pausing just outside the door. Giselle noticed and smiled with fond indulgence.

‘Oh alright, hold on, ’

She got up and crossed the room to stop in front of him. Leaning upwards, she pressed her lips sweetly against his.

‘It won’t be like this forever,’ Giselle promised. Moments later a smirk spread across her face. ‘We’ll just have to wait until Jones is finally capable enough to replace you.’

Then Arthur was left facing a closed door.

Ignorance is the most potent weapon in the vast armoury of the privileged and powerful. The use of force and prisons to oppress citizens and deny them basic human rights is effective but tends to cause a reaction. People physically oppressed feel the pain and often resist and revolt against their oppressors.

But the locks and chains of mental imprisonment through imposed ignorance are invisible and much more effective. For those detained within prisons of ignorance do not even recognise their enslavement. Information is power and those who control the flow of information are very powerful. Keeping the populace ignorant or ensuring they are only partially informed or misinformed is how the rich and powerful maintain control.

The statement above swirled around my brain last week as I struggled to contain my anger and rage at the treatment of Venezuela and her people by Trump's American gangsters and their hired liars and lickspittles who daily pollute our screens and newsstands with tales designed to misinform, half inform and conceal completely the motives of the mobsters in smart suits and ties who flash smiles and issue soundbites in public but who are responsible for carnage, extreme poverty and premature deaths in private.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo displayed the self-assured shamelessness of the arrogant crook he is by labelling the likes of Jeremy Corbyn and others who dare to support the democratically elected President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, as "disgusting". He did so a few days ago as he sat appropriately alongside the dishonourable multi-millionaire UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt MP, so powerful he can flaunt laws and tax bills everyone else is compelled to obey and so rich he forgets to declare the purchase of seven luxury flats:

“It is disgusting to see leaders, in not only the United Kingdom, but the United States as well, who continue to support the murderous dictator Maduro. It is not in either of our country's best interests for those leaders to continue to advocate on their behalf”.

The only thing that is “disgusting” is the dishonest, deceitful display of hypocrisy by Pompeo on behalf of America as they implement a vicious economic war against the people of Venezuela in pursuit of control over their vast oil reserves, the largest reserves on the planet.

Pompeo represents the biggest bully nation in the world. The suggestion they are concerned with the human rights or welfare of the Venezuelan people is an outrageous misrepresentation of reality. The truth of the situation is crystal clear but you will only find it if you look beneath and beyond the cacophony of sneeringly dishonest media coverage that disgracefully disguises itself as news output.

Last week I listened to and watched bulletin after bulletin glowingly report the attempt of US imposed puppet Juan Guido to encourage a violent overthrow of a democratically elected President in Venezuela.

Guido was given hours of coverage and acres of newsprint to proclaim the end of the elected Maduro "regime" without a hint of critical context or a sniff of journalistic questioning of the legitimacy of a self-appointed President in preference to one who attracted over 6.2 million votes in a democratic election less than twelve months ago.

Even Jon Snow and Channel 4 News have joined the ranks of the disgraced purveyors of US friendly lies and half-truths. Snow referred to Maduro, the guy re-elected President with over 6.2 million votes in a field of several candidates, as the "failed President". The display of bias and prejudice against Maduro was sickening and nauseating.

The very same so-called 'news' stations like BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky and CNN who promoted and encouraged an illegal, undemocratic and violent overthrow of the Maduro government then had the brass necks to condemn that government's police and security services for quelling the isolated malcontents who threw missiles and even fired live ammunition at the legitimate police force of Venezuela.

If only they displayed such concern for 'protesters' when reporting the shooting of children with flags and placards in the West Bank and Gaza strip by the illegally occupying Israeli Defence Forces?

What is withheld from public view and given no or cursory coverage is the fact that Venezuela has been deliberately targeted by the US for regime change and the economic sanctions imposed have been illegal under international law and deadly to the poor of Venezuela.

Consider the Executive Summary of the devastating Report from the American based Center For Economic And Policy Research (CEPR) published last month:

"This paper looks at some of the most important impacts of the economic sanctions imposed on Venezuela by the US government since August of 2017. It finds that most of the impact of these sanctions has not been on the government but on the civilian population.

The sanctions reduced the public's caloric intake, increased disease and mortality (for both adults and infants), and displaced millions of Venezuelans who fled the country as a result of the worsening economic depression and hyperinflation. They exacerbated Venezuela's economic crisis and made it nearly impossible to stabilize the economy, contributing further to excess deaths. All of these impacts disproportionately harmed the poorest and most vulnerable Venezuelans.

Even more severe and destructive than the broad economic sanctions of August 2017 were the sanctions imposed by executive order on January 28, 2019 and subsequent executive orders this year; and the recognition of a parallel government, which as shown below, created a whole new set of financial and trade sanctions that are even more constricting than the executive orders themselves.

“We find that the sanctions have inflicted, and increasingly inflict, very serious harm to human life and health, including an estimated more than 40,000 deaths from 2017-2018; and that these sanctions would fit the definition of collective punishment of the civilian population as described in both the Geneva and Hague international conventions, to which the US is a signatory. They are also illegal under international law and treaties which the US has signed, and would appear to violate US law as well”.

This rigorously researched academic report finds the US Government guilty of imposing illegal economic sanctions amounting to a form of collective punishment costing 40,000 Venezuelan lives and the fact is that most if not all readers of this column will be learning of this shocking fact for the first time.

America is guilty of breaching the Geneva and Hague Conventions designed to defend human rights; breaking international laws designed to protect the national sovereignty of nations; and causing the premature deaths of more than 40,000 Venezuelan citizens, and you are only just learning about it?

If this does not enrage you and alert you to how ill-informed we are collectively about the actions, motives and consequences of US actions you are on the side of the oppressors in the world and don't care about such atrocities.

At the start of February I watched BBC anchor-man Andrew Neil on one of his many BBC provided platforms attack Ken Livingston for suggesting many of Venezuela's economic problems were caused by US economic sanctions. Neil aggressively challenged Livingston to name any sanctions and suggested the only sanctions that existed were from 2015 under Barack Obama and they were "aimed solely at Venezuelan regime members".

According to Mr BBC, Andrew Neil, there were ‘no economic sanctions by the US against Venezuela which could cause any economic damage'. The exchange is promoted by the ‘Voice of Reason' website under the headline: ‘Andrew Neil demolishes left wing myth that Venezuela's demise was caused by America'.

Andrew Neil and the British Biased Corporation are no strangers to the peddling of biased, misleading and unfounded views and news of course. They do it consistently and professionally. Sometimes they are caught out and reprimanded but often the damage is done in the artificial influencing and manipulation of public opinion.

Two years ago during an interview with former First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, in the run up to the Scottish Parliament elections Mr Neil used out of date data and biased Tory propaganda to suggest primary school children in Scotland were “functionally illiterate”.

It was a woefully inaccurate and politically biased claim. The toothless and inadequate watchdog, Ofcom, has now found the interview to be misleading and inaccurate but a full two years after the broadcast took place.

So we know how biased the mainstream media can be and should not be surprised that an academic report so damning of the US economic sanctions and involvement in undermining Venezuela is repressed. However what about the Human Rights Council (HRC) of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly? Would you expect a similar report from such a respected and esteemed body to be ignored?

In September last year a detailed and comprehensive report was submitted to the HRC by the independent expert appointed on behalf of the HRC of the United Nations to examine the economic and democratic situation within both Venezuela and Ecuador. After months of interviews, examination of evidence, visitations across Venezuela and independent evaluation of contributions from all sides of the political divide within Venezuela Alfred de Zayas published his Report.

The methodology he used in compiling his report followed the principle audiatur et altera pars, listen to all sides. He stringently adhered to Article 6 of the Special Procedures Mandate Holders of the HRC which requires mandate holders to establish the facts based on objective, reliable information emanating from relevant credible sources that have been duly cross-checked to the best extent possible.

The outcome was a damning indictment of the US and its illegal use of economic sanctions to engineer a politically desirable objective. The recent academic report referred to above only underlines the accuracy and truth of this report from the HRC Independent Expert.

Several direct quotations are appropriate.

In relation to Venezuela's achievements:

“The Independent Expert noted the eradication of illiteracy, free education from primary school to university, and programmes to reduce extreme poverty, provide housing to the homeless and vulnerable, phase out privilege and discrimination, and extend medical care to everyone.”

In connection with the history of US interference in other sovereign nations through economic warfare to cause humanitarian disasters to justify military interventions:

“The Charter of the United Nations rests on the philosophy of multilateralism, a commitment to international cooperation, and the sovereign equality of States. Countries must not be isolated and boycotted, but helped in strengthening their democratic institutions. Over the past sixty years, non-conventional economic wars have been waged against Cuba, Chile, Nicaragua, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in order to make their economies fail, facilitate regime change and impose a neo-liberal socioeconomic model. In order to discredit selected governments, failures in the field of human rights are maximized so as to make violent overthrow more palatable. Human rights are being "weaponized" against rivals. Yet, human rights are the heritage of every human being and should never be instrumentalized as weapons of demonization”.

On the unilateral and illegal economic sanctions imposed and supported by the US, Canada and, shamefully, the EU:

“The effects of sanctions imposed by Presidents Obama and Trump and unilateral measures by Canada and the European Union have directly and indirectly aggravated the shortages in medicines such as insulin and anti-retroviral drugs. To the extent that economic sanctions have caused delays in distribution and thus contributed to many deaths, sanctions contravene the human rights obligations of the countries imposing them. Moreover, sanctions can amount to crimes against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. An investigation by that Court would be appropriate, but the geopolitical submissiveness of the Court may prevent this.”

The US, Canada and the EU are guilty of ‘crimes against humanity' but the Independent Expert doubts the International Criminal Court will investigate because of the identity of the powerful nations who are the perpetrators of the crimes.

Most damning but prophetic of all the words submitted by the Independent Expert in his Report were contained in Paragraph 37. Please read the whole Report but consider, reflect on, share and re-read this essential paragraph:

“Modern-day economic sanctions and blockades are comparable with medieval sieges of towns with the intention of forcing them to surrender. Twenty-first century sanctions attempt to bring not just a town, but sovereign countries to their knees. A difference, perhaps, is that twenty-first century sanctions are accompanied by the manipulation of public opinion through "fake news", aggressive public relations and a pseudo-human rights rhetoric so as to give the impression that a human rights "end" justifies the criminal means. There is not only a horizontal juridical world order governed by the Charter of the United Nations and principles of sovereign equality, but also a vertical world order reflecting the hierarchy of a geopolitical system that links dominant States with the rest of the world according to military and economic power. It is the latter, geopolitical system that generates geopolitical crimes, hitherto in total impunity. It is reported that the United States is currently training foreign lawyers in how to draft legislation to impose further sanctions on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in an effort to asphyxiate Venezuelan State institutions.”

Open your eyes to the reality of US involvement in Venezuela and recognise it as the criminal enterprise that it is. Don't accept the prison of ignorance built for us by the powerful. Break out and condemn them for their conscious breeches of international law and crimes against humanity.

Hands Off Venezuela. No To Economic Sanctions. Yes To Maduro & Democracy.