🐣 ok we are so back………..

By Your Side (Arkham Asylum! Bruce Wayne x Fem! Reader)

Request: So if its all right with you I’d love to request a Bruce Wayne Arkham asylum game Bruce Wayne to be exact if female reader was working with him to help clean up the island and she gets injured and he gets a bit worried but is still strict about it because its Batman for peace sakes and he confesses his feeling for reader and they kiss so like an angst fluff please and thank you again love your writing💕💕💕

Sorry this took so long to get out! I actually went back and replayed Asylum so it was fresh in my mind then all my stuff showed up from moving so I had ALL my Arkham books 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

MasterList

(Y/n)= your name

(Y/nn)= your nick name

(Y/ln)= your last name

(ec)= eye color

‘First Joker tries to kill the mayor and now he's caught. If Bruce doesn't think something is wrong here he's losing his touch.’ (Y/n) thought as she turned off the news. ‘Nah Bruce is too smart too be fooled so easily.’ her thoughts continued as she started to make herself dinner. Half way through making her dinner she turned on the radio.

“This is Jack Ryder with breaking news in the Gotham Bay. We are getting reports of an armed siege on Arkham Island. Two minutes ago, Joker broadcast to all news channels this chilling message.”

Dinner now forgotten (Y/n) turned her full attention to the radio as Joker’s voice echoed through her small apartment. “Greetings Gotham, this is the voice of your new master. Oh hang on…I’ve skipped a bit. Joker here! I'm in control of Arkham Island and you can all consider it out of bounds. If I see any lawmen, vigilantes, or do-gooders in tights coming this way, I'll start detonating random bombs around the city! What'll it be? A kindergarten? A hospital? A billionaire’s mansion? Choices, choices, choices.” Joker’s speech finished as (Y/n) looked down at the busy city streets to see police and fire crews rushing around the streets in search of the bombs. ‘Joker’s bluffing, he just doesn't want anyone else on the Island. I'm sure Bruce will have it all covered.’ she thought before her phone dinged with a text.

Dick: Hey (Y/nn) I heard what's going on, I'll be in Gotham soon to help. Suit up we have work to do.

(Y/n): copy that see you soon

Going into her room and into her room she moved all her clothes to reveal the hidden panel that held her black and red catsuit, being Selina's younger sister had its perks. Once suited up (Y/n) climbed out the window using the fire escape to get up to the rooftops of Gotham. Moving a few roofs over (Y/n) patched into the police radio frequency and listened to the chatter to see if the police made any progress while waiting for Nightwing. “Hey kid, find anything?” came Dick’s voice. “Nothing. I think he's bluffing.” (Y/n) said as she turned to look at him. “Maybe so, Bruce would kill us both if we just assumed.” Dick mentioned making (Y/n) nod and hum in acknowledgment.

Hours of searching the city the two vigilantes found one of Joker's bombs downtown. “Well this looks fun.” (Y/n) said as she looked down at the bomb in the vent. “You want to get it or should I?” Nightwing asked making her shrug. “I got it, just make sure everyone is at a safe distance.” (Y/n) said as she shimmied down the vent to the bomb. Taking a deep breath (Y/n) calmed her racing heart before taking the top of the bomb off gently to be met with a small meow and a little orange paw batting at her fingers and the smell of sugar. “You good down there?” Nightwing yelled. “Peachy! The bomb is filled with kittens and marzipan!” (Y/n) called back as she climbed up with a few of the kittens. “At least we get to see these cuties" (Y/n) said as she passed some of the kittens to Dick, who helped her carry them out to the police.

Dick and (Y/n) made sure there were no hidden bombs left and took care of the street crime that plagued Gotham. While subdoing a group of criminals an alert came through on the gauntlet Selina gave her.

Selina: check the news now!

With that message (Y/n) went to a storefront that had several tvs on display showing the Gotham news. “Oh my god.” she said with (ec) wide eyes as she watched Bruce fight several of Joker’s goons and bombs while a hulking, monstrous version of Joker showboated for the news choppers. “What’s up?“ Dick said but all (Y/n) could do was point to the tv. “You’re seeing that too, right?” she asked as Dick slowly nodded. “He will be ok, right?” she asked the nervousness clear in her voice. “Yeah of course. He's Batman." Dick said as they watched. Before long Bruce had beaten Joker with an explosive gel punch knocking the monster back into the exposed electrical wires. "I know he fights Bane and stuff but I don't think I can handle watching something like that again." (Y/n) said with a sigh. "Ha, I think he'd love to hear your concern for him." Dick said with a small laugh making (Y/n) shake her head.

"New reports from Arkham Island, Batman and local authorities are helping evacuate all injured personnel and inmates for proper care." the voice of the news reporter caught (Y/n) attention. "I'm going to go help out on the island you have everything covered here?" she asked turning to Dick as he passed off a thug to the police. "Yeah I have it covered don't worry. Robin will be here soon anyway." he said with his charming smile and with a nod (Y/n) was off making her way to Arkham Island.

The island was in chaos but it was the good chaos of helping those in need. Bruce wasn't hard to find. "Hey Bats need some help?" (Y/n) asked making Bruce turn to her. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Gotham helping Robin." He said sternly only for (Y/n) to sigh. "Nightwing is with him and I figured you could use the help after the night you've had. Besides I had to see myself that you were ok." she said the last part quietly moving closer to his side. "I'm fine get back to Gotham I have it covered." He said moving away from her only for (Y/n) to grab his arm and gently pull him into a side hall out of the way of the rushing doctors and first responders. "Bats you can't do everything alone. I'm worried about you, its been one hell of a night and you're exhausted let me help." she whispered as she looked up him pleadingly. Bruce studied her carefully before nodding and walking away. (Y/n) quickly followed after him splitting up to different parts of the hall to help those who needed it most.

Everything was going great until...it wasn't. (Y/n) was helping a young doctor when she was suddenly pulled back by her hair. She could feel heavy breathing down the back of her neck while something cold was placed at her neck while the person behind her let out quiet giggles. "You're no Batman...but you'll do." they said softly making (Y/n)'s blood run cold. She knew that voice, she knew it too well, it was a voice that always gave her nightmares that Bruce had to come in and calm, it was the voice of Victor Zsasz. She began shaking uncontrollably. Zsasz was so distracted by her that he didn't notice the young doctor run out of the room. Zsasz rambled on and on and on about how he would kill her, how he would do it, where he would put the mark but she heard none of it all she heard was her terrified heart pounding in her ears. It was over all to quickly, she was on the floor, Zsasz was knocked out and being dragged away by staff and Batman was standing over her. Looking up at him the mask of the Bat fell away and she could see in his eyes Bruce was asking if she was ok but he already knew the answer. "No." was all she needed to whisper before she was picked up and carried away by Bruce.

He took her out to the Batwing was and sat her down. "I've told you how many times be carful when you're here! This is why I didn't want you here!" He angrily snapped at her. "I'm sorry I should've paid more attention." (Y/n) said quietly as she looked down at the ground. Bruce let out a deep sigh before pulling her into a tight hug. "I can't lose you too...not like Jason. I won't be able to take it." He said quietly being vulnerable about the young Robin for the first time in almost a year making her instantly wrap her arms around him tightly. "I'm right here...I'm not going anywhere." she said looking up at him rubbing his cheek as she gathered up all her courage and after a moment she kissed the Batman and to her surprise he returned it with the same passion and longing she had been dying to show him. "I'm by your side...always Bruce." she whispered as she laid her forehead to his only to be pulled into a deeper more loving and desperate kiss. "And I'm by yours."

In the DK Scarecrow job they got a woman to paint walls to renovate and she slips from the ladder but he catches her. They have cute 'hi' moment and after some time he slips and she catches him.

"Looks like we're even."

Ahhhh love this!! This is soo cutee💕💕💕 Enjoy your reading!! ❤ Sorry if this is a bit short my dear, and also, i apologise for taking longer than usual to publish this!!! \(;w;)/

idk why but it made me goofily smile to imagine Jonathan nearly slipping lmaooo😭😭🤧

____________________________________

You've been called to paint the walls in Arkham Asylum since they had to be renovated.

You heard many things about Arkham, and even if you had to go there only for a few days and hours until your work was finished, you were nervous.

Your first day was normal, and everything went better than you actually expected. One of the people who were responsible of the Asylum showed you where they needed to renovate the walls so you could start working.

As soon as they finished giving you a little touring around the building, you immediatly began working.

You were fully concentrated on the work, painting the walls, giving them a more 'vivid' look rather than the dreadful vibe the old gray walls gave the building.

On a sudden moment, you accidentally misplaced a foot, causing you to loose balance and slip from your ladder.

Lucky you, a certain 'Dr Crane' was there to catch you right on time before you fell to the floor.

The situation caused several people to turn around and stare at the scene, with worried looks on their faces.

Your cheeks immediatly turned red as soon as you saw your 'knight in shining armour', the man who had caught you. His shiny icy blue eyes piercing straight into your soul, they were so incredibly charming.

"H-Hi." You shyly mumbled, looking at the doctor who had just caught you. "Hello." He replied back.

You quickly stood up, and dusted off your clothes. You thanked him, and briefly introduced each other.

He was usually a very serious man (you of course didn't know that), but there was something about you that made him be very gentle and soft with you. He thought you were sweet.

Something even more odd from him, is that he complimented your work. That surely made your cheeks get even redder.

Having to get back to each others work, you waved goodbye and kept doing your things. Of course, your mind couldn't stop replaying that moment, and hoped to see him more often.

A few days after that, you were nearly finishing your job. You had seen him a few times walking around the places where you were painting, and always flashed a slight smile at each other.

One of those days, you were getting down from the ladder, since you needed to grab some more paint for the walls.

It was a coincidence to see him walking there, as always. It was busier than usual, lots of people walking all over the building, since they were renovating and cleaning it.

The floor was clearly bright since it was slightly wet, since the girl that cleaned the place had been there just a few minutes before he walked over there.

You flinched your nose as you saw him walking right over the wet floor, knowing what was about to happened. So you hurried and ran to him.

Just as you predicted, he began having a bit of a 'complication' to walk around there, causing him to nearly slip.

But you were there, you were his saviour now, just like he was when he caught you when you fell from the ladder.

You placed your arms around his large body from behind, and caught him before he fell to the floor. Since he's heavier and taller than you, he nearly dragged you down with him, but you luckily maintained your balance.

He couldn't help but smile when he turned his head around to look at you goofily smiling, with a slight redness on your cheeks.

"Looks like we're even." You said to him, as a small smile began forming on his lips.

And right at that moment, he knew that was only the beginning of a beautiful relationship. It was weird for him to be 'attracted' to somebody, but there was something about your personality that truly enchanted him.

So I got the Batman: Return to Arkham collection a WHILE ago. I think it was on sale. I also got Arkham Knight, but I'd actually played Asylum and City before and remembered how much fun I'd had with them way back when.

Anyway, I just finished replaying Arkham Asylum for the first time in probably 10 years (wow I feel old) and it holds up mostly pretty well. I was a kid the first time I played it so I imagine it was on the easy difficulty. Which makes sense, because I remember the titan henchmen being way easier. They're not too bad but when you have waves of enemies on top of you and two boss enemies running around all at once, it's easy to get overwhelmed.

I remember the Killer Croc's Lair section being a lot scarier and a lot less annoying. The riddler challenges are so tedious but pretty easy once you find the maps. I managed to 100% them right before the final showdown with Joker.

Also, I know that I'm a grown woman and I should have better taste, but alas, I was at one time a teenage boy. And I still think that the titan Joker design is rad. Like yes it's silly that he has big claws and a mohawk. Yes, it's so stupidly edgy that his spine is so pointy and he has ribs on the outside. But damnit I think it's neat.

Anyway, I'm really excited to revisit Arkham City after all these years. I remember it had a lot more characters who were only alluded to in Asylum, so here's hoping it lives up to my memories.

batman video games make me AAAUUGHG. thinking about this because i just finished arkham knight but i want to replay every single one i want to replay arkham asylum and arkham city and arkham knight and telltale batman and the enemy within there is SO SO MUCH

Shut Me Up - Jerome Valeska x Female Reader | Part 1

Summary: it’s been revealed that Jerome was the killer all along, you can’t process the information and try and convince yourself to visit Arkham Asylum to have a word with him.

Prologue <

Warnings: None

It was a few days since your encounter with the strange circus boy, Jerome. You had a hard time getting him off your mind, especially with loads of schoolwork and your job on the agenda.

Your father and Leslie didn’t update you about anything to do with the case about Lila Valeska, you were eager to know but whenever you asked Jim he’d push it to the side with a clenched jaw and tense figure. It didn’t make any sense to you as to why he was hiding stuff from you, you were one of the only, if not the only person to comfort Jerome when he was crumbling about his mother’s death. It’s understandable as to why you’d want to know who was behind this diabolical crime.

Thankfully, you remembered you had Harvey and visited him at the GCPD whilst your dad was away on some other mission. Leslie was in the morgue so you were in luck, Harvey could help you discover who was behind the murder.

For some reason, it took a hell of a lot more convincing than you expected, Harvey was stubborn and insisted it was best if you didn’t find out. He was acting strange, secretive. If there’s one thing you hated, it was being lied to.

Harvey tried telling you it was no use but you were desperate, Jerome had such an impact on you it was almost scary. You’d never acted this way towards someone before, especially to do with one of your fathers cases. Harvey eventually gave in due to your constant bickering and whining about him keeping secrets from you. He warned you multiple times about preparing yourself for what you were about to see as he guided you into one of the empty security rooms which was dark, tv screens and camera feeds airing through.

You sat yourself down on one of the seats, Harvey sitting in the one beside you and typing in something in one of the computer data bases of the GCPD. It took less than a minute for a security camera feed to pop up and cackle to life on the screen before you, revealing your Dad and the boy who was on your mind constantly.

“Again, please prepare yourself” Harvey whispered, turning up the volume of the feed so you could hear it better.

You watched intensely as the interrogarion filtered out between your dad and Jerome. He was crying, that poor boy. Your heart ached for him and you wish you were there as the interrogation went on. But, slowly you started realising something wasn’t right.

Jim started accusing Jerome of killing his own mother, the boy looked completely appalled at your dads accusation and you were too. How could he say that?

“Don’t be deceived” Harvey butted in once again, fast forwarding the camera feed and stopping it to point at Jerome’s face.

Something was wrong. A new man was sitting next to Jerome, a blind man with a walking stick and grey hair. Jerome was crying, his head ducked and eyes squeezed shut. But everything around you seemed to shut off when the ginger headed boy started laughing to himself, shoulders bobbing with each chuckle he made. You felt your heart drop when his emotional facade came to a close and his eyes held such evil and darkness. This wasn’t the Jerome you met at the circus.

“Why did you kill your mother, Jerome?” Your dad asked, hands pressed on the desk as he faced Jerome with a face full of thunder.

“Oh, you know how mothers are,” Jerome scoffed. “She just kept pushing... and I’m like, fine, mom. Be a whore, be a drunken whore, even. But don’t be a nagging, drunken whore” Jerome’s voice growled with venom as he finished his sentence, his words catching you completely off guard as you watched through tears and leaned back in your seat. Harvey watched with sympathy as you covered your mouth with one hand.

“I don’t believe it” You choked, leaning forward and pressing your elbows onto the desk as you hid your face in your hands. Harvey awkwardly patted your back, trying to comfort you as you sobbed quietly to yourself, to pity yourself that you’d been so oblivious.

“I gave him so much support, I told him about my past- oh fuck Harvey what am I going to do if he’s after me?” You panicked, gripping the sides of your hair as you lowered your head and sniffed back more tears. Harvey was quick to assure you.

“The lunatics been locked up in Arkham, you’ll be glad to know. He’s not getting anywhere near you anytime soon” The detective said, you looked up through your hands and breathed out a sigh of relief. You rubbed away the tears only to have more falling down as you tried to compose yourself.

“Jim didn’t want you knowing because he knew you’d react this way, he’s just looking out for you, kid” Harvey rubbed your shoulder before leaning over and switching off the camera feed, only for you to stop him halfway.

“I need a moment Harvey, I’m going to look over this stuff” You sighed, turning to face the computer once again and finding your way around the controls, reversing the feed so it went all the way back to the start. Harvey wanted to say something, he certainly didn’t want you to hear more of what was yet to come in the tape.

“I’ll leave you to it, but you got 10 minutes” He pointed his index finger at you in a warning manner before saying his farewells and leaving the room, closing the door behind him so you could bathe in the darkness and soil in your grief as you replayed the feed.

Whilst you were watching the interrogation, you felt sick to your stomach as Jerome laughed like a maniac and started talking to Jim about you. You felt scared, targeted by the most insane man you’d ever met, well, seen. You didn’t understand why he’d done this, why he’d drag you along with his little act and make you out to be a fool. It destroyed you more than it should’ve.

Jerome smiled and spoke about you in a somewhat positive manner, at least not threatening Jim by doing anything to you as he sat back in his chair cockily and continued giggling. You tried not letting the butterflies get to you when he said different sugar coated words that were bitter sweet.

“That girl back there was so sweet; ...yours, isn’t she, Gordon? Certainly gets my blood pumping, seeing that innocent face of hers... poor thing, thinking I was a good little boy” Jerome teased, grinning from ear to ear as he cackled. Your dad looked like he was about to kill Jerome, balling his fists and clenching his jaw as Jerome continued taunting him with crude words and snarky comments. You couldn’t take anymore of the torment and switched off the feed, standing up from your seat and leaving in a hurry whilst trying not to get caught by either Jim or Leslie.

Ever since then, you’ve been struggling with trusting anyone at all, even your own dad. You stopped opening up to people because of Jerome, you stopped being who you used to be. Of course, you were still friendly and kind, happy and bubbly, but you didn’t say anything to anyone about your family or personal life. You had over shared your life to a psychopath who slaughtered his own mother, it’s safe to say you have a reason for not opening up to anyone now a days.

It’s been around a week since Jerome was sent to Arkham and to say the least, it was taking a toll on you. With exams coming up and endless studying, you couldn’t seem to get your head down and concentrate because of the handsome red headed deranged teenager. Your dad occasionally checked in on you about Jerome and how you were feeling, usually you said you had to study which always ended with him giving up on trying to get you to open up to him and leave your room.

You and your dad didn’t always get along since the very beginning. He adopted you when you were 9 years old and at first you didn’t like him. You didn’t speak to him very much and spent little to no time trying to get on with him because of your traumatic past. You came from an orphanage with abusive caretakers and nuns, other girls like you were just the same when they were adopted by couples or single parents. However, as the years went by, you warmed up to Jim and started speaking to him like a daughter would with her father. He became the only person you ever trusted and it was still the same to this day. Jim fought hard to help you, he fought hard to keep you in his care and bring you up as his own considering he never had the chance to have his own kids. He adopted you in his mid 20’s with not much experience of being a parent so your relationship was strange to say the least.

When you started high school, that’s when you started changing and forming a new identity. The girl who was once vulnerable and terrified of human contact and so much as speaking to someone was finally blossoming into an outspoken omnivert who’s curiosity outshone everything around her. Jim was proud to say the absolute least, his girl was growing up and now, here you were at 17 years old, almost graduated high school and spending more time with him than you ever had in your life.

Jim knew how much caring about someone fragile meant to you. You thoughtlessly cared for people who were complete strangers but were suffering of some kind. That’s why when you comforted Jerome, he had a feeling it would turn in a different direction. And it did, it did alright. It was worse than anything he ever imagined which is why he never wanted you to find out about Jerome’s true character. Your heart was too fragile for this kind of stuff, your empathy and sympathy towards people was your downfall and for all Jim knew, Jerome could’ve killed you if he wanted to. The thought made him shiver alone.

When Jim was off to work and left you alone in the house, he had a horrible feeling something would happen to you and he wasn’t there to protect you. Even though Jerome was locked up in Arkham, he couldn’t help but worry. Of course he had to worry, his father instincts were hammering him and he hated leaving you alone, considering there were a few occasions when you got caught up in a couple of his cases and ended up being put in danger.

Jerome was different though, unlike the others Jim could see that you really cared, or used to care, for Jerome. You never formed any connections with any of your dads cases but Jim could see the look in your eyes when you bid the red head farewell. Your eyes were full of sadness and sympathy, Jim had never seen you look so upset before, so the fact Jerome turned out to be the complete opposite of what he seemed to be was the worst possible thing to happen. Jim kept the tapes and recordings of the interrogation away from you, covering up the truth with assuring lies that seemed to keep your curiosity and urgency at bay. But you were one step ahead of him and knew everything there was to know.

Jerome was a cold blooded killer, a killer with an innocent act you were so stupid to fall for. You weren’t worried about being killed, it wasn’t the first thing you thought about. It was the fact that Jerome was buried in your mind like a parasite. His crocodile tears and whimpers invested themselves in your memory and you could only see Jerome as a sweet, gentle teenager. You hated the way you felt whenever he crossed your mind, you certainly weren’t the type to get caught up with a boy but this was different.

Everything felt different.

-

You were finding it hard to keep your composure as you stood in front of the gates to Arkham Asylum. It was 3pm in the afternoon and it had been a while since you’d viewed Jerome’s interrogation tapes. You held your coat tight to your body and waited to be let in, leaning on your toes and rolling your balance back to your heels in an attempt to distract yourself from tie burning anxiety cackling in your stomach and chest.

You gave Arkham Asylum a call before you arrived, so you were expected and it saved you from explaining yourself as to why you were here.

“You must be (Y/N) Gordon, follow me please” A man dressed in a white shirt and a doctors coat unlocked the gate and let you inside, closing it with a loud clash behind you which made you jump suddenly. You didn’t like this, but you had to remind yourself that you’d be here for a short moment and then you’d never have to visit again. You were here for one thing only, and that was Jerome.

You reluctantly followed the man into the main entrance of Arkham, hearing yells and screams from the windows of cells around the building. You weren’t entirely terrified but you were wary enough to fear for your own health as you entered the building and took off your coat.

The man lead you down hallways and past many cells where insane inmates rattled the bars that replaced the small window in the door. You tried not to be intimidated by them but you’d never been in this sort of environment before.

Eventually, you were led into a room which was full of booths, the room separated in half by a long stripe of glass. There was stalls to sit at, boards at either side so there was a form of privacy within the person and whoever they were visiting.

“Mr Valeska will be happy to have a visitor, if anything happens please report it to me and I’ll have it taken care of” The man nodded to one of the stalls at the end, leading you to it and pointed out a small red button at the front of the table. It was an emergency button, in case of any emergency’s.

“Thank you” You mumbled, sitting down in the seat and exhaling out a shaky breath. The man left and closed the door, the noise of it slamming scared you briefly but you quickly composed yourself and cleared your throat.

You kept your feet flat against the ground, legs fairly spread as you sat comfortably in the chair and held your coat in your lap. You waited for a few minutes at most, tapping your fingers against the table which was split in half by the glass and hearing the sound echo around the visiting room. No one else was here, it was clear this wasn’t a popular day for visiting inmates, lucky for you.

A loud buzzer rung out in the room and you almost fell out of your seat as a result, placing a hand on your chest and feeling your heart speed up in your chest as the door on the other side opened.

Two guards walked in, holding a familiar ginger by each arm and leading him to the booth you were sitting at. Jerome’s face was empty until his eyes met yours, smiling the same creepy smile he had in the recording of his interrogation.

“You’ve got half an hour” One of the guards said in a stern voice before leaving the room and slamming the door shut. Silence was cut short when Jerome started giggling to himself, straining in his handcuffs as his hands rest on the table.

“Well look who came to visit me! I must say, it’s nice seeing your pretty face again” Jerome snarled with a grin on his face, his eyes narrowing slightly as they looked into yours.

“Why did you lie to me?” You cut to the chase, crossing your arms as a glare made its way onto your face. Jerome only laughed.

“Not even a hello? You’re boring” He repositioned his arms so his elbows rest on the table and his hands held his face. You didn’t lean back and instead moved closer, you weren’t scared of him.

“I don’t have time for games, Jerome, I trusted you!” You slammed your fist against the table, frowning as Jerome continued smiling as if you’d told a funny joke. This whole thing was a joke to him.

“Trusted me huh, that’s your mistake, doll” His voice lowered a tiny bit and the fact he was right made your blood boil. You clenched your fists, looking away from his face and down at your hands.

“What, are you sad because the person you had so much faith in turned out to be crazy? News flash! We’re in Gotham! Sorry I hurt your precious feelings, doll” Jerome started getting meaner with his statements, leaning closer so his head was inches from the glass. You didn’t move, you didn’t even feel like replying, but you were stuck in a room with him for the next half hour so it wasn’t like you could just leave.

“Stop calling me that” You hissed at the red head, feeling hopeless as he started cackling and leaned back in his chair, cuffed hands still on the table.

“Nope,” Jerome started, putting emphasis on popping the p.

“You are, you remind me of one; small and fragile, easy to break... easy to tear apart” His voice was low and had a seductive ring to it, but you weren’t going to let his words hurt you. He was terrifying as it was, but there was a wall of glass between you. You had nothing to fear.

“I’ll have you know I’m none of those things, you know nothing about me” You snapped back.

“Oh really? What about that time at the GCPD when we were outside the Interrogation room? From what I recall... you were an orphan, lost both of her parents, no siblings and no real family there for her. You’re favourite colour is red, you like cats, especially the ginger kind, that’s what you said right?” He smirked. You stared wide eyed at the psychotic teen sitting in front of you, horrified as you looked away once again and tried swallowing down the lump in your throat.

“You go to Gotham high school, you’re 17- oh! And your father’s Jim Gordon” Jerome continued, grinning from ear to ear as he watched your eyes begin to glisten with tears. You looked back up at him and Jerome swore he saw a fire in your eyes.

“You know, my mother never loved me. She never cared about what I did or where I went, she always spent her time fucking strangers and getting high, she neglected me most of my childhood... do you know what that’s like?” Jerome’s smile faded and he looked at you with a stone cold serious face, eyes boiling into your soul as he clasped his hands together and tilted his head to the side.

“I do” Was all you said in reply, gripping your upper arms as you fought back tears. Jerome smiled once again and winked at you in some form of congrats that you’d actually made common ground with him about something.

“Did your real mommy and daddy leave you?” Jerome pouted, putting on a baby voice as you sniffed and started slipping, tears falling at last and the lump in your throat taking over.

“Stop it” You whimpered.

“Oh but it’s true, they left you at that orphanage, didn’t they? Poor little baby, all alone... but I know,” Jerome lowered the volume of his voice so it was barely above a whisper. He looked at you as though you were the only thing that mattered, it made your stomach churn in a good and bad way. You tried denying his lingering, sincere gaze but your eyes betrayed you.

“How can you understand? Your mother may have not looked after you but at least she didn’t throw you away” You snapped, gritting your teeth together in anger as Jerome stated silent for a few seconds.

“I may not know what it’s like to be given away, but I know what it’s like to have no one there for me. You’ve been alone your whole life, all by yourself, but not anymore... you have me now” Jerome’s Cheshire-like grin returned to his face and you were so close to feelingc comfortable around him. Now you felt the same nauseating sensation buried in your stomach that was only there when he was around.

“You can go to hell if you think I’m coming back here, you’re lucky I even came here-“

“Yeah, your right, I am lucky” Jerome snapped, resting his chin on the palm of his hand and blinking up at you with eyes that didn’t exactly scream insanity. You had yourself on the edge of a sharp knife, you kept wobbling about whether to get the hell out of Arkham, or stay and take time to see Jerome, if he was really as insane as you thought he was.

“You amuse me, doll,” Jerome purred.

“You know, you’re the first person to ever treat me with compassion. Not even my mother held me in her arms like you did... it was a strange experience” The red head looked at your eyes and down to your lips, biting the inside of his cheek as his hands played with the cuffs. You tried looking away but his eyes held you in place.

“I didn’t ever get enough of it; affection, it’s my instinct to give what I never received” You said, not much emotion in your voice but Jerome seemed to be impressed with himself that he got a sincere reply.

“Shame really, if I hadn’t been caught, do you think you would’ve fallen in love with me?” Jerome smirked, licking his teeth teasingly as you tensed in your seat and let out a frustrated sigh. The tension in the visiting room was thick and the two of you looked at each other with narrow eyes. You no longer felt anger or disgust towards Jerome, he was still an insane inmate at an asylum so you couldn’t let your guard down too fast.

“It’s too late to ask that, Jerome” Was the last thing you said before the buzzer from earlier rung out in the room, signifying that your visit with Jerome had come to an end. The red heads eyes were wide with shock, he wanted to say something but the two guards from before came in and grabbed his arms.

“Goodbye, Jerome” You mumbled, standing up from your seat and waiting for him to leave before you did. The door on your side opened and out came the man who escorted you in.

“Well, that went pleasantly well” He smiled, watching as the door on the other side opened and closed. You nodded once, not saying anything as the man turned around and lead you out.

“Would you like me to send updates about Jerome’s behaviour?” The man turned his head to ask you.

“Oh no, I’m okay thank you” You cleared your throat, looking behind you as you walked out into the hallway outside the visiting room, feeling like Jerome’s eyes were still on you the whole time.

You had to get out of here.

Nitpickery: QTE Button Prompts

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is far from perfect. Even so, it’s a game that I’ve played and replayed many times for the reason that it’s a satisfying combat action title. Its flaws tend to be the mildly irritating kind, and thus can be ignored easily enough, especially on multiple playthroughs. There is one aspect of the game, however, which does significantly impact my enjoyment of the game, and that is how it uses button prompts for the quick time events.

For the record, I don’t think quick time events are a particularly egregious offense. When you’re going for a particularly cinematic sequence that would otherwise be impossible given the camera’s normal operation, or if you build in quirky gimmicks into the combat, they can be engaging. No matter you implement them, the trick to pulling them off successfully rests in the consistency of their presentation. Lords of Shadow, unfortunately, completely misses the mark on this front in two very specific ways.

The first issue and biggest issue is the element of randomness to the button prompts. I’ll use the large lycan enemies for my example because I think they demonstrate this most clearly. When you hit a lycan enough times to stun them, they glow gold, letting you know that you can grab them to finish them off. There are two quick time events that you must complete in order to finish them off cleanly. First, you have to press any button once a larger circle shrinks down inside a smaller circle. I never really minded these because it doesn’t matter what button you push, so long as you push something with the correct number of frames. The second part is that you have to mash a particular face button once Gabriel Belmont places his foot on the lycan’s face. The button you need to mash simply depends upon which one the game wants to present to you for that particular sequence.

Circle, this time.

Square, this time, in the same fight.

There is only one reason to use different button prompts to perform the same action, and that is to punish players for not paying close enough attention. This should never be the goal of an action game that explicitly tells you what buttons to press and when. The controller, in the case of Lords of Shadow, is the apparatus through which the player controls Gabriel Belmont. It is essentially an analog for Gabriel’s body. In order for it to work that way, there have to be certain rules to its use. Pressing a button or combination of buttons has to perform a specific action and do so consistently so that the player can understand what they do and control the character successfully. If we go back to Gabriel’s foot on the lycan’s face, no matter how many lycans you grab and do this to, it is inherently the same action. Why, then, do I sometimes have to press A or Cross to do this, and sometimes Y or Circle? You have to do it that way because the developers decided the QTEs should be more like obstacles than methods to directly control Gabriel, sending mixed signals to the player about what the controller’s role in the game actually is.

While it might seem like a minor annoyance to some, I actually think using QTEs in this way subtly undermines the faith that players put in the game overall. I found myself regularly pressing the wrong buttons during normal combat, jumping when I meant to slash, or grabbing when I meant to block, because I was constantly being told by the random button prompts that there was no correlation between the buttons I was pressing and the action I was performing. Lords of Shadow is not the only game that takes this approach, though. You see it in Bayonetta as well, and it’s no less hostile to players there, either.

Bayonetta does have one major leg up on Lords of Shadow’s implementation, though, and that is in the graphical representation of the prompt. Bayonetta presents the buttons within the context of the controller itself. Rather than just an isolated graphic of the button that Lords of Shadow provides, you get a circle with the buttons that you need to press in the positions they would be on your controller. This is a small detail but it helps immensely. At that point, I don’t really even have to recognize the buttons, themselves, rather just the placement. Given that you likely aren’t looking at your controller very often while playing, its small touches like this that can alleviate a problem. Lords of Shadow does go halfway here, and puts the button prompt in a place on the screen that mimics where it would be on the controller, but the button graphic is in complete isolation. Without the controller context, it doesn’t do near enough to help the player identify the button quickly.

I’ll also mention that this problem is more pronounced for me on the Xbox 360 and PC version of Lords of Shadow. When Playing on the PlayStation 3, I found myself confusing buttons less often. I’m not sure if that’s because I just play more games on Sony consoles or what. I thought it might be due to Microsoft and Sega using one letter configuration and Nintendo using another, but I play plenty of Japanese games on PlayStation platforms that swap the confirm and cancel commands between the Cross and Circle buttons. Maybe I’m just illiterate.

Whether or not this kind of issue is a nitpick or not really depends on the person. For me, I think it definitely ventures into fundamental problem territory due to the erosion of trust between the game and the player. However, that very well may be an issue with me and not a more widespread problem. Of course, how you feel about it also probably largely has to do with how you feel about QTEs more generally. I’ve long felt that the line between QTE and just reacting to what’s happening in the game is very thin. Games like Demon’s Souls proved that enemies didn’t even have to flash a certain color or do anything outside their standard animations to clue players in to what they were about to do and how to react.

Meanwhile, Arkham Asylum used specific button prompts and consistent indicators above enemies to let you know when to block and dodge attacks or perform specific moves. Even From Software themselves, danced dangerously close to QTE territory with its warning messages that flash on screen in Sekiro, which surprised me considering how they had relied solely on animations to telegraph enemy behavior in most of their games. But then I remembered From Software also made Ninja Blade, maybe the QTEist game of them all, so I imagine they’ll stick around in some capacity for quite a while yet. If they do, hopefully they learn from the games that did them poorly so that they can at least not hinder the player’s progress for no good reason.

Just finished my Joker themed PC after three months of preparation, and I cannot wait to replay my favorite Batman game series of all time! I 3D printed the Arkham Asylum sign on top, painted the fittings, fans, and case, and vynal wrapped many components including many HAHAHA's around the case!

Just finished my Joker themed PC after three months of preparation, and I cannot wait to replay my favorite Batman game series of all time! I 3D printed the Arkham Asylum sign on top, painted the fittings, fans, and case, and vynal wrapped many components including many HAHAHA's around the case!

Sception’s Switch Port Wish List:

Dragon Age, first game only.  Fun game, even on console.  Best of the series easily - the second game’s rushed dev time forced so many cut corners that there’s hardly a game left over, and the third game is so bloated with tedium that every time I try to play it my eyes glass over and I slip into a boredom coma before I can get a quarter of the way into it.  But the first game?  Way better on PC with mods and keyboard/mouse controls, but even so I’d jump at the chance to play it again on switch. Chances of it happening?  Low.  EA doesn’t want to remind people of when Bioware made good games, and they aren’t interested in releasing anything on the switch that isn’t an exploitative microtransaction store.

Mass Effect Trilogy: First game was good, second game was better, and, yeah, ok, the series didn’t finish on the best foot, the third game suffering from tone problems and a final ending that just flat out sucked, but Mass Effect 3 has a several key moments that stand out as among the best in the overall series, and while the ending is kind of bad, at least the series *has* an ending - something Dragon Age fans will probably never get to see. Chances of it happening?  Again, low, for the same reason as Dragon Age.

Arkham Asylum.  Just Asylum, not the rest.  City’s not bad, but the loss of focus costs the experience more than the larger world and better boss encounters can win back, imo.  The rest of the series, though?  Bleh. Chance of it happening?  I don’t know.  Bunch of Warner Bros games on switch, of varying port quality.  Asylum was developed by Rocksteady, not sure if that would introduce rights issues.  Better chance of this than of most other games on this list.

FF6.  Sure, Square has ported over PS and PS2 titles, but what about earlier ones?  FF6 is the best game in the series, imo.  Sure, it’s way too easy, like most JRPGs are, but the engaging story with a huge ensemble cast of likable characters is amazing.  I’ve never seen a game with so many playable characters where I liked all of them this much, and the couple of multi-party dungeons reward you for spending time building up all of them.  You also don’t frequently see this kind of story heavy jrpg game with a real ensemble cast, with no obvious ‘main character’, letting the player engage with whichever characters they like rather than forcing you into the shoes of a Chrono or a Cloud or some other default Hero, characters who are sometimes good but rarely the most interesting or engaging member of their respective games’ playable casts.  So yeah, FF6 is great, but good portable versions aren’t easy to come by.  The GBA version is amazing, but good luck getting your hands on it.  The mobile port is trash.  Phone emulators have to deal with awkward phone controls.  A switch port - whether of the original snes version, or the PS1 port with additional pre-rendered video bits, or the GBA version with it’s not-terrible extra postgame dungeon and bosses, would be great. Chance of it happening?  Frankly, I’m confused why it hasn’t happened already.  Square has ported a bunch of old final fantasy games to switch, I have no idea why they cut those games off at the PS1 era.  I would say the chances should be good that FF6 will come to switch, but it’s such an obvious port that the fact that it hasn’t happened already implies to me that there’s maybe some behind the scenes bullshit ruling it out.  And if it does come over, it might be a port of the ios version, which would be terrible.

FFTactics.  I will buy this on any platform it’s released on.  But if we could get a port of the PSP version, with post game multiplayer dungeons intact?  Maybe with online multiplayer support - the turn based nature of the game letting it bypass some of the lousiness of switch online?  Please. Chance of it happening?  Again, I’m confused why it hasn’t happened already.  FF7, 8, and 9 are ported over, but not Tactics?  As with FF6, it seems like an obvious and very likely port, except that it’s so obvious and so likely that the fact it hasn’t happened already maybe implies that there’s something specifically preventing it from happening.  At least if they do port the ios version it wouldn’t be a tragedy here, though I would still lament the lack of the post game content from the PSP version.

Fallout 3 / New Vegas.  Really Loved 3, and loved New Vegas too, though I never did get around to finishing it.  Would love to see these games on the switch, provided Bethesda didn’t use the opportunity to stuff them full of microtransactions.  New Vegas, despite bugs and some cut corners, remains probably the best 3d fallout game, and 3, despite the not-undeserved hate it gets for its main story, is still probably the most fun I’ve had just randomly exploring a world in a bethesda game. Chance of it happening?  You’d think the chances would be ok, Bethesda’s had a bunch of games ported to switch - Skyrim, Doom, Wolvenstein, etc.  That said, Fallout 3′s reputation among the Fallout fan community has plummeted in the last few years so Bethesda might not think a port would be worthwhile.  And as they’re still trying to push 76, I can’t imagine their eager to remind people that their Fallout games weren’t always the hottest of garbage.  So... better odds here than of Mass Effect or Dragon Age, but I’m not holding my breath.  As for New Vegas, I doubt Bethesda has any interest in reminding people that the best Fallout game to be released since they picked up the license was developed by someone else.

Morrowind - Still probably the greatest Bethesda game, though I understand it was already showing the trend towards streamlining and loss of depth coming off of Daggerfall that would eventually lead us to the likes of 76 and Blades.  But yeah, another classic I never got around to beating, that it would probably take a switch port to get me to try again. Chance of it happening?  Some but not great, largely for similar reasons to Fallout 3.  Skyrim sold quite well on Switch, IIRC, so you’d think other Elder Scrolls ports would have been a natural choice, but years later and nothing but Blades means it probably isn’t going to happen.

Mother Series, especially Earthbound - which like tactics I’ll buy and replay on any platform it’s released on - and Mother 3, which seems fantastic, but the only time I’ve tried it I didn’t make it very far due to the SNES emulator I had at the time ruining the rhythm based combat minigame.  So yeah, an official port would be great. Chance of it happening?  Actually good for once, for the first time on this list.  As with FF6/Tactics I’m kind of surprised that it hasn’t happened already, but Nintendo being Nintendo I’m more inclined to blame that on them either just not getting around to it yet or trying to hold off on a cult classic to use it to spike excitement in a dull release window later down the line.

Demon’s Souls - Great game.  Sadly my play through was killed by a hacking incident, but yeah, a classic, laid down the souls game fundamentals while pulling of some aspects better than any of the games that followed it.  And a remake has officially been announced for release on PS5, would be a great opportunity to release a port of the original to the Switch market... Chance of it happening?  Unfortunately, Sony owns the rights, so I just don’t see it happening... not unless Sony really plans to abandon the mobile market and instead push interaction with switch.  They did include that “would you be interested in PS4 remote play on other devices - including Switch” question in a survey a while back.  Still doesn’t strike me as likely, though.

Dark Souls 2 - like Fallout 3, Dark Souls 2 has become the black sheep of its series in fandom eyes.  Not entirely without reason, but there’s some interesting and novel design choices that get overlooked and unappreciated as a result.  I’ve never made time to play it myself, despite it sitting in my Steam library never downloaded, but would absolutely play it on the switch. Chance of it happening?  Without the fan crowd clamoring for a re-release, an updated port seems unlikely.

I just finished replaying Batman: Arkham Asylum and now I have so much muse for my DC oc

A Bunch of Good Things from 2019

*I don’t do things consistently, so there’s chunks of time I just forgot to write. So the blank spaces are days where I could not recall the exact good things that happened.*

January 1: Started the year off right by hanging out with @nah-young, eating some delicious leftovers from New Year’s Eve and working on a puzzle. Also caught a shiny Delibird in Pokemon Go as the first catch of the year.  2: Had a headache at work, but went home to take care of myself. Dad and I talked for a long time about money and taxes without arguing. I have also discovered a future hobby I want to get into: 3D printing. 3: I cranked out four solid hours of studying. I’m going to ace the Auditing section of the CPA exam. I feel it in my bones (especially when I finally stood up and stretched). 4: My ‘other mom’ (one of my best friend’s mom) took me out for a belated Birthday lunch to our favorite Thai food place, and I enjoyed more mango sticky rice. It’s one of my new favorite desserts. 5: Did some epic New Year cleaning. Caught up on laundry, filed away my 2018 paperwork, and did some 2019 taxes. Finally on top of things! 6: A puzzle day! I connected a big piece of the sky to the side on the Lion King puzzle. I’ve still got a lot to go, but progress is being made. 7: As usual, I both surprised and pleased the teller at the bank when I moved some money from savings into my IRA. They wanted to know if it was for tax year 2018, but I could tell them last year was maxed out and it was for 2019. 8: Got to practice my training and supervising skills with @arrowhearts.  9: Spent the night at Lucy’s (she’s a cat). She’s the sweetest cat though, and was cuddling in my lap for so long! She even held my finger with her paw for like ten minutes. I love her. 10: It’s been forever, but I finally sat down and played some video games. I’m replaying Arkham Asylum again and really just exploring every nook and cranny I can find. 11: Might have started a new Francis story line ... Whoops :) 12: Helped Jane clear an apartment and acquired many new tools and art supplies to use. 13: Snow! It was snowing before bed, but I still woke up at 5 am to about 4 - 5 inches. Activated my dad gene and started shoveling at 5:30 am (sorry neighbors to the house I was dog sitting at). It’s so pretty out! 14: A quiet day, but I did some work for Jane and gamed some more. Can’t wait to start Arkham City when I get 100% on Arkham Asylum! 15: I took my coworker a basket of fun snacks from Lotte for her Birthday. She’s so excited to try them all! 16: Donated blood today and when I went to get dinner on the way home, I got a free salad! The entree was already free and I ordered a side salad. I pulled out my wallet to pay, but the coupon covered it, too!  17: Treated myself to breakfast on the way into preschool (my new volunteer place since the teacher I followed to several elementary schools is now at). Also ate some amazing home cooked food for lunch with @nah-young before going out for ice cream. 18: Did some very early spring cleaning to prep for my next yard sale and straighten up a bit. 19: Beat the storyline and finished gathering all of Riddler’s trophies in Arkham Asylum. I do still need to finish up the additional content for 100% completion. 20: Working with Jane to help clean out an apartment again and got stencils to use for my art (the ones with shapes of different sizes). I had wanted to get me a set, so I really lucked out. 21: Started reading a book for fun. Lol, I forgot that I can still read non-accounting things for fun. 22: Sent out 1099s at work. It’s always a dreaded part of the year, but it’s taken care of! 23: I started uploading my old Franmouche stories to AO3. I forgot that I’d written 185 pages of them. At least if someone else likes my rarepair, they have lots to read. No guarantees on the quality, but there is quantity. 24: Made fun penguin cutouts for the preschool class I volunteer at. Then studied for nine hours on campus. A busy, yet productive day. 25:  Finished watching all my lectures for the next portion of the CPA exam! So much auditing knowledge!!! 26: Panic alleviated. My check engine light had been on for a few days. Usually it’s just a gas cap issue so I was worried, but after readjusting the cap again (which usually fixes it) and an oil change, the light went out! 27: Played some Pokemon Go for four hours with @arrowhearts and Lyla. No Kyogre, but at least we each got a Groudon. Plus, the weather was beautiful for this time of year. 28: I found a dollar today while sweeping the parking lots with my dad! I’m gonna be riding this wave for a week. (Fun fact: my dad and I used to go bike riding on Sunday afternoons/evenings in the local parking garages and look for pennies. We’d always get bragging rights when we found a quarter or more. We still get excited and tell each other of the day’s finds when we find a few coins while we’re sweeping). 29: Had a bit of a headache, but managed to get through it so I could finish the workday. Then I get some well deserved rest. 30: Met up with @nah-young for some fries and ice cream! 31: My annual physical went well! Took care of a couple test we’ve been putting off, too, and they weren’t quite as bad as I thought they’d be.

February

1: I had such a productive day in the office, even for a Friday. Special thanks to @arrowhearts for helping me move all (24  years worth) of our files. 2: Started off the day a little rough and feeling low, but I decided to go up to campus, and I’m so glad I did. I was able to help a bunch of people get to their destination. Also hung out with @nah-young and @arrowhearts in a sketchy room. 3: Technically today (starting at 1 am). Had a great talk with @nah-young about a lot of things including our friendship. Successfully avoided the Super Bowl (which I heard sucked, so that was a good use of my time). 4: Had a really good conversation with my dad for almost an hour. We had some fights earlier in the year, but it was nice to be able to connect some. 5: It’ll be silly to look back on, but I thought I lost a reference letter for a scholarship applicant, but realized I could find it on our shared drive. Such a relief! 6: I tried Duck Donuts for the first time today. One of our board members brought me and a coworker a half dozen each. 7: Caught a Miltank in Pokemon Go! I thought I missed my chance, but there was a special running, so I got it. 8: Just heard we got a new boss at work, so it’ll be nice to be full staffed again. 9: Started working on a painting for @arrowhearts. It might be my first completed artwork of the year. 10: A lazy day, but I flipped through a book on home decorating. You know, to plan for my future house. 11: Officially started working for Jane’s business. We’ll see how it goes, but at least it’s an extra couple of hours per week. 12: Finished a dog sitting job, and I’m super thankful to be sleeping in my own bed again. 13: I gave Lucy, the sweetest cat ever, a piggyback ride and it was the cutest thing ever. I was on my knees and forearms trying to get Lucy to boop my nose when she just climbed on my back and sat down. I rose up on my knees and hands and she did the “i’m not so sure but I’m going to stay here” stand and let me crawl across the floor a while before finally jumping off. I love this cat. 14: Took the auditing section of the CPA exam. I feel much better about this one than I have about the other two. We’ll see on the 26th. 15: Such a busy day at the office! It was productive, but just a lot of work. 16: Even though I just too the other exam, I managed to get a lot of studying done. 17: Mamaw and I got to chat and work on the puzzle for a while. It was nice to hang out with her since I haven’t done son in quite a while. 18: We had some really good food at our investment club meeting today. Sheppard’s pie (like meat and mashed potatoes), salad, this great cracker dip (I have no other details other than feels like sharp cheddar finally shredded with a hint of spice in some sort of sauce). 19: Our new executive director started today. I think I made a pretty good first impression! 20: Started playing Arkham City again. We had a snow day and even my office closed, so I made the most of my day. 21: Lol and today I finished the main storyline of Arkham City. Accidentally, because I was doing side quests, but Batman got mad when I tried to go finish some before the last mission. 24: I am obsessed with Excel, but I figured out a formula so that it would total certain categories even if they weren’t in order. Plus I learned how to make a drop down menu (on two versions of Excel). Guess who’s budget looks beautiful! 25: I caught a Latias in Pokemon Go. Not having much luck with the water legendaries. I wonder if they don’t like me because we picked the grass starter. 26: I passed the Auditing section! (and instead of keeping it quiet, I made a point to tell some people). Then @nah-young and I went to dinner to celebrate our successes of the day and just have a nice chat. 27: Good news: I starved off a migraine that was starting on Feb 26. Maybe this new method will help them from getting bad. Just took an Aleve with some hot tea. 28: Went on a Pokemon run, and I found $20 blowing across the yard when I got home! A nice find for the year.

March 1: I’ve been really getting into “Ghost Story” by Peter Straub and had so much time to just sit and read while it rained. 2: I watched “Spiderman: Enter the Spiderverse” today. An epic movie and I highly recommend it! I also have several new costume ideas... 3: Officially started working on my Library Comic Con cosplay. There’s not much to show, but it was nice to start costuming again. 4: Hiked up to the nearby bubble tea. It was good! I got a mango green tea creama. Next time I know I have to mix it up before I start drinking it. 5: 6:   7: 8: 9: 10: Started replaying Castlevania IV. It’s been a while since I beat it, so hopefully I can still finish it! 11: I have proven myself an Excel deity. Well, at least Jane thinks though. She needed a spreadsheet for something and had some ideas so I whipped it out in five minutes flat with a bunch of formulas she didn’t even know were possible. I’m quite proud of it. 12: Lol, speaking of excel, I was geeking out over my budget with one of our board members. She was showing me how she built her itinerary in excel for her next trip and I got to show off my budget. 13: 14: 15: It was fake St. Patrick’s day at work, so I got to show off my green Riddler suit. Apart from being mistaken as dressing like a leprechaun a few times, I received a bunch of compliments on it. I’ve gotten a lot of use out of that suit jacket. 16: Tagged along with @nah-young to her grandfather’s birthday party and watched Bohemian Rhapsody. Apart from the timeline inaccuracies, I really enjoyed it! Look at that: two new movies in one month. 17: First big leaf job of the season. I guess the first major landscaping job. Dad helped out, so it made life easier. 18: Investment club meeting went well, and I ended up staying late to chat and help clean up, but it was enjoyable. Also had some great tiramisu from Trader Joe’s. 19: 20: 21: It was a downpour today, but I also made a 20 minute Costco run. Parking was great, the lines were short, and I managed to balance everything without a cart. Success! 22: Finally got around to doing invoices. It’s such a weight off my chest to take care of them. 23: I had the house to myself, so got ample studying done, played some pokemon, and treated myself to some bubble tea. Got myself a bunch of good pokes from Community day. 24: Another lovely day to sit and hang out with @nah-young. I always enjoy our hour long conversations just sitting in my car in her driveway. I also finished the lectures for the BEC portion of the CPA exam. 25: I found a gift card loaded with $30 today. It had been thrown into the dumpster, so a little gross, but it washed off nicely. 26: Ran up to the local library to turn in my books (look @arrowhearts, I did it the day before they were due and didn’t have to make a midnight run). I wasn’t going to check out more books since I already had some checked out from another library visit (I go to many branches due to my job and often check out a book or two, resulting in cycles of books due at different times), but I did anyway. I started reading Area X, too, and so far, I’m really enjoying it. 27: Our family’s accountants think I’m a bit weird because I was so excited to get my tax papers back even though I owed money. I was just like “cool!” to all the facts and things on my sheets, which is apparently not what they’re used to, but one of the new tax laws works in my favor as small business income is taxed at a lower rate or something. 28:  29: 30: I love Annihilation in the Area X series! I haven’t plowed through a book that fast in years. 31: I was catching up on my business spreadsheets and it turns out I had the most profitable March since I started my business :)

April 1: No April Fools jokes, which is always a huge plus. 2: 3: 4: Took the BEC section of the exam and then clocked in a bunch of hours for the Foundation. Jubilee is almost here!!! 5: 6: The Jubilee is over!!! What a relief! A lot of things went well, and I heard it was a lot of people’s favorite. Not sure what actually happened because I was stationed at check in/out all night, but hopefully the silent auction results are good. Huge shout out to @arrowhearts and @nah-young for getting me through the night! 7:A quiet morning of returning the Jubilee to the Foundation. Plus some other landscaping. 8: I know everyone at work is saying I should take time off, and I didn’t, but I’m actually feeling blessed that I have the physical and mental stamina to keep working on things. Plus, I need to catch up with post Jubilee stuff. 9: 10: 11: 12: 13: 14: 15: 16: 17: 18: 19:  Got to talking with my art dealer for a long while and we exchanged headcannons and ideas. 20: Had a nice Pokemon run with @arrowhearts‘ dog. Plus, enough work to keep me out of trouble X) 21: A very busy Easter. I moved a huge mound of mulch. It was half the size of my car. Hopefully the home owner will like it. 22: 23: 24: 25: 26: 27: 28: 29: 30: 31: I’ve been feeling behind, but I finally knocked out a really important thing at work today. Got our annual applications in!

May 1: 2: 3: My gauntlets for my comic con costume look so cool! They’re a little stabby (there’s staples on the inside, although I should be able to tape it down for safety), but overall look cool for a first draft. 4: A long day, but I feel like I was really able to help my friend and her family, which is nice considering how much they do for me. 5: The event that happened wasn’t good, but I’ve been humbled as to how well our house was kept and motivated to try and become more organized. 6:  Dad and I were chatting today, and we could even touch on topics in a civil manner. It was quite nice!  7: Just found out I passed the BEC section of the CPA exam! I’m 75% CPA!!! And no cavities were found after my dentist appointment :) 8: Frantically working on my costume, but my head piece looks really good! 9: Mom even chipped in to help. We rigged up a steampunk mask I have (which doesn’t fit on my head right) so that I can actually wear it. 10: I’ve been fasting for Ramadan and I think my body and I are finally on the same page. It was a rough start this year, but I’m looking forward to focusing on being thankful for what I have and working on self discipline. 11: Library Comic Con! My costume is a bit rough, so no final pictures, but I have plans to make it better! 12: It was a busy Sunday. Lots of lawns, but thankfully the weather was cool. 13: 14: 15: 16: 17: Had a nice meeting with my boss. I keep feeling like I’m not on top of things or she’s disappointed, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Plus, she said I did great at the finance committee meeting, so that was nice. 18: Although I scared everyone I worked with all day, I was able to donate blood even though I had been fasting.  19: I saw the tiniest inch worm while I was pulling weeds today. It was more like a quarter inch worm and it was just trying so hard to climb up my arm when I found it. I also saw the first lightening bugs of the year. As a bug type Pokemon trainer, I’m quite pleased with all of this (less so with the mosquitoes though, as I got my first bite of the season). 20: I have found a nice way to keep cool at the property Dad and I work at. I’m allowed to douse my head, neck, and hat with the hose, and man does it feel good! 21: I received many compliments at the executive committee meeting for all my hard work on the budget, the Jubilee, and finance committee. 22: Caught up on reconciliations at work (finally). It’s been just a nightmare, but I’m happy they’re done. 23: Another me day. I’ve been taking Thursdays off and got to game for a bit but also accomplish a lot of laundry and studying. 24: Had a good meeting at work to discuss the future of the nonprofit I work at. Plus I finally made a phone call I didn’t want to make. 25: Went to a foam helmet making class with a coworker. I’m super excited to start trying out this style, and I think the sample we made in class can easily be used to make a helmet for Vile. Might have purchased a few things to go with it :) 26: Found a new drink that I love from Kung Fu Tea! Also got to rewatch Coco, which is always good. 27: Part of my afternoon spent working with Jane was changing her screen saver. It was set up for one photo of pictures, but some were so fuzzy, so we set up new pictures and I got to add my fuzzball to the reel. 28: I visited one of Jane’s friends to discuss dog sitting and we had such a nice conversation afterwards. 29: I found a four leave clover today while mowing lawns. It’s been years since I’ve found one, so that was exciting. 30: I plowed through about 6 hours of studying for the FAR portion of the CPA exam. Only two more lectures and then onto multiple choice! 31: Filled out a form at work (finally). Now I just have to hope my boss will sign it and have it notarized.

June 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6: Took the (hopefully) last CPA exam. It was nice as I spoke to an elevator engineer before the exam and it helped to calm my nerves a bit.   7: 8: 9: 10: 11: 12: 13: 14: Wasn’t sure what day to put this on, but @nah-young and I hung out for hours just sitting and chatting on the cats’ back porch. 15: Successfully navigated into DC with the help of @arrowhearts (and had an interesting laugh about her being my son...? Oh well, at least we got to give the people sitting outside a show as we left the building with two rollie office chairs each). 16: Started working on my Halloween costume. I’ve abandoned the idea I originally had and will be switching to a different Mega Man X character (fun fact: it was a costume I originally intended to make before being introduced to Scaramouche back in 2017) 17: It was a scorcher, but had a slurpee for the first time in almost a year. I’m so thankful for the 7-11 within walking distance of where my dad and I work on Mondays. 18: I’ve officially passed the CPA exam! Now onto the next steps... 19: I have been struggling with telling people good news, but I did make an effort to inform some people about me passing the exam. 20: Told some more people about the CPA exam and just trying not to stress. I got celebratory milkshakes for my family after dinner. 21: My coworkers are so sweet. They brought me in a cake and we had a mini celebration. 22: 23: 24: 25: 26:Found a praying mantis while mowing. She kept standing where I wanted to mow, so I got to pick her up and put her somewhere safe (with lots of snacks for her!) 27: 28: 29: So glad I went to see Detective Pikachu with @nah-young and @arrowhearts! I really enjoyed it! 30: 31:

July 1: A new fiscal year! I did manage to get a good bit done on my latch hook. 2: A sudden thunderstorm took me off the weed pulling job early (i.e. a perfect opportunity to read). 3: It was quiet in the office. Too quiet ... yet super productive! I processed so many gifts and letters. 4: I don’t really celebrate, and spent a lot of it working, but played some pokemon in the rain. It was a warm day, so the cool rain felt so refreshing! 5: A jammed packed day with trashrooms, a bank run, and more pokemon quests! I completed another 15 and hatched a new pokemon. Plus I finished another book: Dr. Death. 6: A busy day, but I was able to finish everything so I can take the next day off completely (for once). Again, apologies to @arrowhearts  for dragging you out and getting caught in a downpour so I could get some bubble tea! 7: 8: 9: 10: Unboxed my unicycle! Not sure when I’ll ride, but it’s ready when I am. 11: 12: 13: 14: The vanity is back in my bathroom! Dad’s renovating it, and it’s been a slow process, but I finally have a sink! 15: 16: 17: 18: 19: 20: Spent a few hours working on cleaning the basement, and I’m finally seeing some of the fruits of my labor. 21: 22: 23: 24: Officially finished the Vile helmet! 25: Just started a new dog sitting job, and the house is right on top of a pokestop. Guess I’m going to have a full item bag again! 26: Finally got myself a memory stick for my PSP. I’m replaying the Maverick Hunter X game ... because I can! 27: Got three team rocket grunts in one day at the one stop. 28: Plowed through the Vile portion of Maverick Hunter X. Lol, I probably make it harder on myself since I only use my favorites, regardless of if they’re good against the boss. 29: Had a huge crab and shrimp dinner at Jane’s house. 30: Hung out and ate delicious homemade butter chicken with my best friend’s mom (she’s basically like my other mother). We laughed and chatted, showed off our latest projects, probably kept the neighbors up, and just had a good time until like 2 in the morning.  31: Welp, it wasn’t a raid day for armored Mewtwo, but @arrowhearts and I did defeat more Team Rocket Go grunts in the rain.

August 1: Chatted with @nah-young for a few hours and I’ve got a new place to eat on my radar! 2: I kept feeling like I was letting my boss down because I couldn’t answer her questions/didn’t understand, but she insisted I was handling myself well, and found the information she needed later. Plus, she’s very complimentary of my work and appreciates my transparency and work ethic, both of which I work hard on and value. 3: 4: 5: 6:   7: 8: 9: 10: 11: 12: 13: 14: 15: 16: 17: 18: 19: 20: 21: 22: 23: 24: 25: 26: 27: 28: 29: 30: 31:

September 1: 2: 3: It’s official! We’re having a Halloween party at work. If my new schedule turns out, I’ll be at work on that day and will show off a costume. Not sure if it will be the one I’m working on, but I can always recycle an old one. 4: 5: 6:   7: 8: 9: 10: 11: 12: 13: 14: 15: I had such a good ripstik run. @nah-young and I practiced for a good while yesterday (and she did her first trick, too!). I guess it’s nice to see the fruits of our practice since we’ve been working off and on for about a month. 16: Had the investment club meeting at my house. I didn’t get to cook everything, but I picked the recipe and it turned out well! 17: I finished “Every Tool’s a Hammer” by Adam Savage (from Mythbusters) and I really recommend it. It’s such a great book for anyone who makes or creates. It’s a fun read and chocked full of helpful hints. 18: I decided to start reading the Naruto series. I’m enjoying it so far! Now I just have to wait for the next to volumes to be available from the library. 19: I started replaying Scooby Doo and the Cyber Chase. It’s amusing, although I’m a little rough. 20: 21: 22: 23: I’d been on the fence about taking a vacation early next year because I want to save up for a down payment, but after talking to my dad, I decided I’d do a little something. I still need to work out the plans (and make sure the people I want to visit are free), but I’m looking forward to it! 24: 25: 26: There’s a chance I might be going full time at my office job, so dad encouraged me to take the day off from trash rooms. I still got up early, but knocked out a bunch of chores, finished Scooby Doo and the Cyber Chase, finished a drawing, and cleaned in the basement a bit. 27: Lol, I just realized I have three cycles of books checked out again. I started reading The Wicked Years series. I’m trying to set aside time each night so I can read a chapter or two before bed. 28: I made the pattern for my gauntlets! I’m actually trying to do it the right way and making measurements, creating an accurate template, and just generally taking my time. 29: Part 2 of the gauntlets: They’re made! My template worked and I spent a couple of hours slowly forming and shaping them. I still need some practice on the gluing component, but at least they feel sturdy. 30: Started replaying DK 64 again. I really love this game. Besides Gauntlet Legends, it’s probably my favorite N64 game we own. 31: Got rained out at work, but managed to take it easy in the afternoon and just generally keep ahead with laundry.

October 1: Today officially marks the first day of working full time at my office job. They added ten hours a week, so now I’m working 4 days at 10 hours each. It’ll take a little adjusting. I’m happy for the extra hours! 2: I sent out invoices on time for once! 3: It was my fuzzball’s 16th Birthday today! Someone also brought in some really yummy snacks to work that were leftover from a meeting. I also managed to create templates for the leg gauntlets and cut them out of  foam. I’m just rolling with the motivation now, and would like to have Vile finished by Halloween (keep reading to find out if it was finished). 4: Really just having a good time playing DK 64. Knocked out Gloomy Galleon, so all that’s left are my favorite levels! 5: 6:   7: I have leg gauntlets formed. Lol, I guess I should look up the name... All that’s left is the chest plate and cape! 8: I lucked out! My coworker can’t go to a book signing even this weekend and asked me to get her book signed since I’m going. It was the perfect opportunity to get my hands on a copy of “Where the Crawdads Sing” which I wanted to read before this weekend. 9: Making some headway on the costume again! Arm and leg gauntlets have the plating and base coat of plastidip. 10: I finished “Where the Crawdads Sing” within 48 hours of having it my possession. That’s such a huge accomplishment to read something so quickly and eagerly! 11: I was plowing through my to do list at work. I knocked out 11 items. Woo! 12: 13: 14: 15: 16: 17: 18: 19: 20: 21: 22: 23: 24: 25: 26: 27: 28: 29: 30: My Halloween costume is finished *gasp* before Halloween! Barely, but it counts. 31: I won the most creative costume at work! Well, tied for first, but that’s cool.

November (whoops, I really forgot to write this month) 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6:   7: 8: 9: 10: 11: 12: 13: 14: 15: 16: 17: 18: 19: 20: 21: 22: 23: 24: 25: 26: 27: 28: 29: 30: 31:

December 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6:   7: 8: 9: 10: 11: 12: My coworker is back! She had been on extended leave for a while, but now she’s back. She bring such a positive and fun attitude to the workplace. 13: 14: I’m officially 25! I worked a few hours in the rain, but got a lot done (and saw Lucy, my favorite cat I cat sit). Instead of going to a steakhouse for dinner, which I’m not a fan of, we ended up going to somewhere I did enjoy. Overall, it was a nice and quiet celebration. 15: 16: 17: I finished the Naruto series today! It was a good series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Going to take a manga break to work on a few novels I have checked out and then  decide which series to start. 18:  19: A busy day again. Knocked out two leaf clients for the year and went to see three bands perform at a local music club. I stayed out way too late, but had a great time hanging with a friend, one of the performers, and the performer’s friend. 20: 21: 22: 23: 24: Hung out with my brother and grandmother. I crushed them in several games! 25: Went to my coworkers in the afternoon and dueled for the first time in quiet a while. They wiped the floor with me, but I had fun with my deck destruction deck. 26: 27: Ended up hanging out with Jane for a while and just chatting about everything. We’re seeing eye to eye on a lot of things, so it was nice.  28: Finished my leaf jobs for the year! Time to relax. 29: 30: 31: Welp, ended up being sick and missing out on the intended New Year plans. I guess I did start the year with a migraine, so here I am ending it with one. After I rested up, I did start playing my favorite video game. Plus, I frantically read “Hey, Kiddo!” before the end of the year

Notable stuff

Highlights: Passed the CPA exam Officially hired full time

Books read: “Ghost Stories” “Every Tool’s a Hammer” “Where the Crawdads Sing” “Wicked” Naruto series “Hey, Kiddo!”

Movies watched: Spiderman: Enter the Spiderverse Mary Poppins 2 The Princess and the Frog Pokemon Lucario

big-office-furballs replied to your post: I just finished Arkham Asylum for the first time...

Wait till you get to Arkham City. The riddler stuff takes a lot longer than it did in asylum.

I’ve played Arkham City to completion. I got it on PC years ago. It was great fun! 

I just never played the first game until now. I got Return to Arkham collection so I’m replaying them so I can enjoy Arkham Knight.

hhhh i really want to play a batman game but i finished all the ones i own..

Spider-Man PS4

Playstation has been on a roll with the exclusives for the Playstation 4. With amazing titles like Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War and Persona 5; will playstation hit a snag at some point with a future exclusive? At the moment this still isn’t the case. From developer Insomniac Games comes the next big hit for the console, Spider-Man. Based off the comic book series from Marvel Comics, players are put in control of the classic neighborhood hero. It brings forward new story, separate from the ongoing comics; while at the same time, it also presents elements veterans will be familiar with. Yet, it’s done in such a way that it hits hard and does the franchise justice.

Spider-Man starts years after Peter Parker has started his web-slinging career. He’s put many villains behind bars, such as Scorpion and Rhino. Already the game is off to a good start. Deciding to start the story after the origins is a great move. The knowledge of Spider-Man’s backstory isn’t needed. Pretty much everyone who knows the series to some degree know what happened to Peter Parker. There is nothing duller than repeating old material that is pretty much universally known. At the same time, however, the game does re-purpose old material. 

It would be difficult to completely avoid re-using old content with something as long running as Spider-Man. The developers could have made their own villain to produce something new, but would Marvel agree to this? The way Insomniac makes this work is the development and direction taken. People know the origin stories behind specific villains; however, Insomniac shows players something that isn’t fully new and paints it in a light that feels interesting. While some of the rogues gallery has been fighting Spider-Man for years, others are just being introduced and it’s done so well. There is so much emotional build up through out the game that when the climax and resolution hit, it’s legitimately a tear-jerker.

Part of this is thanks to the structure of the story. The story is broken into three acts, but it feels like one big story that hardly takes a break. The first act is dedicated to building up characters. Most of the cutscenes serve to slowly introduce one of the main villains of the game while developing upon the characters around Peter. The second act focuses more on the villain, and Peter attempting to bring his scheme to an end before it gets out of hand.There is still a level of character building, but as the game reaches the climax the development of characters is also hitting a peak. Lastly when the third act hits the players see the results of everything leading to this point. All that build up hits in such a fashion that, for me, Peter’s struggle is understood by players and we sympathize with his plight.

The story also has the characters to thank for it’s success as well. Spider-Man/Peter Parker’s character is amazing. He is as human as a superhero with spider like powers can get.

As Peter he’s a kind and awkward individual. Peter at this point in the game is out of college and living on his own. He always sees the good in people around him. He’s not Spider-Man for the fame, or fortune that could come from it. At the same time he isn’t at a level like Captain America or the other Avengers. This all translates into his superhero persona.

Spider-Man has always been known as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, and, with this iteration of the character, this couldn’t be any more true. The story has the player going toe to toe with big villains to save the streets of New York; however, the side missions really paint a bigger picture for the character. The side missions aren’t anything grand and story driven like something our of games like Red Dead or Nier Automata; however, this works for Spider-Man. The missions and crimes the player complete feel small and at a neighborhood level. For example, the main story could have me go against Mr.Negative; while, at the same time, the side quests have me going to save a cat from a tree. It’s small, but it fits the character.

The biggest part of the character is the idea of “always seeing the good in people.” When it comes to villains that Spider-Man has fought before, the idea doesn’t really apply. Though, for some of the villains present, the idea hits hard. Take Mr.Negative for example; due to the interactions through Peter Parker, the scenes as Spider-Man does each character and the story justice. It shows what kind of hero Peter truly is deep down. He cares for the people around him. He may not seem all that serious at times and takes some situations in a joking manner. Though, in the end, as long as there is some fraction of good inside someone then Peter doesn’t give up. Spider-Man is smart, comical, but above all it’s his moral compass that makes the character.

It’s not just Spider-Man though, the supporting cast and antagonists all contribute to the story. There is no end to the level of detail and development among the game and it’s cast. There is Mary Jane, Miles Morales, and other well known characters introduced throughout the game.

Mary and Miles aren’t your cliche background characters that are their for the ride. They each play a role to aid in Peters goal. They share game-play styles, but with small changes to specific things.To avoid spoilers I can’t go too deep into the antagonists and what happens. Just know that each character plays their part and plays it well.

Spider-Man’s story is amazing, but if people wanted this for an amazing story alone they could go to a local book store and find many great comics on the character. How is the game-play? Ultimately, it’s fantastic. The fighting feels fluid and fun, swinging around New York feels outstanding and easy. Not to mention that the design of specific elements through the game are well thought out considering the source material. If there was one thing I had a problem with, in terms of game-play, it came later in the game. As the player progresses new enemies start to appear. These enemies arrive in numbers and most of them will be carrying weaponry. You may be able to dodge one shooting at you perfectly but, more times than not, you’ll be shot by the rest and end up with little to no health left.

Otherwise the game-play feels amazing. Fighting takes a lot of elements from games like Batman: Arkham Asylum; however, in Spider-Man’s case, the fighting feels a lot more free and light. The hits still pack a punch, but Spider-Man himself moves faster and with more personality. 

Players can use gadgets to turn the tide of battle, and some scenarios call for a stealthy approach. As a combo is racked up a focus bar is filled; when the bar is filled Spider-Man can perform a finishing move. Then there are the suits. At face value they seem like a purely aesthetic part of the game. Though they are more than just a costume swap.

There are a good amount of Spidey-suits the player can unlock and, while they look cool, they serve more of a purpose. Each suit comes with a special ability. For example, in the video above, the Spider-Punk suit produces a shockwave from a guitar which pushes enemies back. The abilities are made to produce different ways of playing the game. Do you want to handle things in a stealthy manner, or up front and personal? Are you more aggressive or defensive? The player isn’t just a man in a suit; there is more to how people make their Spider-Man. The biggest thing, when it comes to Spider-Man, was how well does he maneuver? In my opinion, swinging feels so fun and enjoyable that I could do nothing in the game but traverse New York and still have a good time.

Swinging around the city is one of the best experiences in the game. You’re always moving and, if someone does fall to the ground or loses momentum, it’s really simple to begin traversing things thanks to the scale of New York. It’s clear that the webs are connecting to something in the area and there is no shortage of things for Spider-Man to build momentum. It’s like a parkour mechanic in games that is everything I could have wanted. It’s incredibly responsive and both feels and looks fluid. I’d say it’s one of the best means of traversing a city-scape and the best among Spider-Man games.

Overall Spider-Man is an awesome game. While the story is linear, I would love to replay the game again. It’s was an amazing experience that I would love to give a solid 10. Though there were moments that were aggravating when it came to side crime fights.  The game had a few small things that I would have liked to be ironed out, but otherwise I really loved this game and I’d say it’s one of my all time favorite PS4 games. I’d say that Spider-Man deserves a 9 out of 10. I highly recommend this game; not just for Spider-man fans but for all gamers looking for something downright fun.

Thanks for reading and supporting me. I hope you enjoyed my opinion, even if you don’t fully agree with me. I’ll be posting about what’s ahead for the month of October this weekend. Until then, however, thanks again and I’ll see ya next time.

Taste Of The Light - A Young Justice FanFic  Prologue

Author: Crystalline / @butcanIjustnot

Fandom: Young Justice x OCs 

Part number: Prologue of a seventeen-part story... Yeah, I know.

Tagging: @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69 - I’m not sure how good this is but I mean it’s something so here you go.

Summary: This chapter explains the universe around the new OC characters. It’s basically just backstory. Pretty boring but the next chapter makes up for it, I promise. Also, this fic takes place between season 1 and season 2 of the show, as shown by the timestamps in the chapters. 

Word Count: 2.4k

Warnings: Light swearing towards the end, but apart from that nothing really. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Watchtower.

7.15pm. 1st October 2011.

“I hope this is important, Red Tornado,” Batman said in his signature stony voice as he entered the watchtower’s control room, greeting his colleague with about as much warmth as he could muster this late at night. “I was in the middle of a very important dinner.” He added, strategically leaving out the fact that the ‘important dinner’ was with Alfred, Barbara, and Dick. Unimportant.

“I apologize, Batman.” Red tornado answered in his robotic voice, his gaze never leaving the large screens which were filled with various pages and files. “but I do believe that this is important, though I need you to confirm my suspicion. Come and take a look at this.” He said, beckoning Batman forwards towards the computers.

“You will recall, a few months ago, we apprehended a man attempting to hack the Justice League servers and steal top secret information, such as secret identities and weapon plans, to sell to third parties. He goes by the name TechTalk online, but his civilian identity is Shane Carter” Red Tornado explained, pulling up a mugshot of a blond man. He had huge black circles under her eyes, and a listless frown as he held up the name-plate. “He was a robotics and engineering prodigy. He first got media attention when he built a fully functioning android at age nine for a primary school science fair. By the time he was fourteen, he had graduated high school and had a full scholarship to Gotham International University, but he got bored with the schoolwork. Problems arose when he began to use his abilities only for hacking government systems and creating weaponized robots.” Numerous newspaper articles flashed on the screen of Shane Carter receiving awards and scholarships. The articles quickly turned bitter, however, as Shane’s creations got more and more dangerous.

A picture flew up next to Shane’s mugshot, of a pair of grey-white animatronics. They were human in shape but every part of their anatomy screamed ‘evil robot’, from the sleek and plastic-like white exterior to the silver guns replacing their right hands. Each robot had large bundles of silver and red wires showing through the cracks where two plastic limbs attached to one another. They had no facial expressions, no noses or ears or hair of any description, only huge red eyes that glowed in their sockets and metal jaws with serrated teeth. They were truly horrible, nightmarish creatures.

Batman looked at his robotic friend, suddenly extremely glad that he was a much friendlier looking animatronic, confused. “I know about TechTalk, Red Tornado, and he hasn’t done anything of interest in months. Why are you bringing this up now?” He asked, staring into the listless eyes of Shane’s mugshot.

“Due to being a non-violent offender, Shane was released with little more than a slap on the wrist and mild community service, but not before the league bugged all his electronic equipment with software to monitor what he is doing. You told me when we began doing this to notify you if anything that could be potentially dangerous showed up on any of his messages or programs.” He responded in his robotic voice. Batman nodded slowly as the screens cleared of other materials and Red Tornado opened a batch file labeled ‘records of TechTalk messages.’

“I think I found something that fits that description,” Tornado added as the file opened, showing screenshots of his messages. “These messages are from 11 o’clock yesterday. They transpire between TechTalk and a mysterious W.”

New plan. You want in? ~W

Depends on the plan. Your last idea was… less than fantastic… ~TechTalk

What are you talking about, TT? It was a great plan. ~W

I’m sorry, but covering the Gotham City Bank in cotton candy is not a villainous scheme. It’s a 6-year-old’s wish upon a unicorn, or whatever. ~TechTalk

Excuse U, that plan was amazing and totally would have worked if I could have gotten my hands on 200 metric tonnes of sugar. ~W

Whatever, no, this plan is better. ~W

Fine, explain your idea. ~TechTalk

I’m going to create an anti-justice league, compiled of the children of famous villains. It’ll be like the Young Justice league, but evil. It’ll be amazing, trust me. I’ve already got my eyes on a couple of Arkham babies. If I can get those three to fall under my command, everyone and everything else will fall into place. ~W

That’s actually… not a terrible plan. Good job. ~TechTalk

Try not to sound so surprised next time…. ~W

I’m going to need some backup to get this plan rolling. I’ll send you the details later. ~W

KK ~TechTalk

The messages were cryptic, with huge gaps that left unanswered questions, but one thing was abundantly clear. Someone was plotting to create a supervillain army, and the Justice League couldn’t let that happen.

“Who’s W?” Batman asked, furrowing his brow as the messages on the screen looped and replayed again. “I’ve never heard of him before.”

“Nobody has. Nobody going by the name ‘W’ is on the Justice League database, nor any of the others we are linked too.” Red tornado hummed. “These messages were only found a day or so ago, and though I have tried multiple times to trace the ID of the sender, they reroute the signal and shoot it somewhere digitally randomized and reset constantly.” He finished, looking over at the vacant and slightly confused expression of his colleague. He let out a robotic sigh. “They send me on a wild goose chase.” He explained. “As such, we have no idea who they are or where they are. We really only know there plan, and some would argue that that is not enough.” Red Tornado said, side-eying his colleague unsubtly. 

“If the Arkham inmates do have children…” Batman thought aloud, his words trailing off but the thought behind them sticking clear in his head. If the Arkham inmates have children, those kids would probably be around Dick’s age… and they would probably have an axe to grind against him and all heroes…

“We’ll keep investigating this,” Batman stated after a brief period of thoughtful silence. “It has the potential to be a big problem…” He said, already forming a plan in his head. 

“Or it could be nothing at all. We don’t even know if these children are real, there’s no record of any of them anywhere. I know, I’ve checked. Is this really the best use of Justice league time, protecting against a threat that quite possibly does not exist?” Red Tornado asked Batman, simply trying to raise another point. Batman was quiet for a moment, silently weighing all his options.

“So we will work out if these children are real, and then go from there. Come on, let’s not waste time.” Batman said, nodding as he spoke. He turned away from the screen and beckoned his robotic friend to follow him as he exited. “See if you can contact Diana and the rest of the league. I think that her Lasso is going to come in handy.“

“Where are we going?“ Tornado asked, following Batman to the Zeta-Tube.

Batman smirked, punching a code into the Zeta-Tubes. “The official meeting-place of the Batman fan-club,“ He said, entering the area code for Arkham Asylum.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Selina glared at the Batman, twisting her fingers in the handcuffs to unsheathe and recoil her claws. Her torso shifted uncomfortably under the weight of Wonder Woman’s lasso. 

Batman huffed and finally broke the silence. “Selina, I need to know if you have any children.” He asked her.

“Why do you care all of a sudden?” Selina said, cocking an eyebrow at him, confused. 

Batman closed his eyes and shook his head. He should have known that trying to talk to Selina was a bad idea, he should have let Dinah do it like she offered, but he was here now and he was going to get the information he needed out of her. “We have reason to believe that if any of the villains in Arkham have children, they could be at risk. We don’t know the details yet, but we do know that somebody is planning to take advantage of them. If that's true, we need to get to these children before anyone else has the chance too.” He said, attempting to explain as best he could.

Selina looked at him for a second, as if she was trying to discern if he was telling the truth. Finally, she spoke, “Yes, I do.” She stated, avoiding his eyes and looking down at her clawed hands. The lasso glowed bright gold and then dulled again, signaling that she was telling the truth. “A daughter. Looked like me. Ears, tail, claws, the whole ordeal. Don’t bother asking me where she is now, I don’t know.” Selina explained quickly.

After a moment of awkward silence, Batman asked her a simple question. “Is it…”

“No.” She quickly cut him off before he could finish.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Red Tornado looked across the table with hollow, lifeless eyes. “Do you have children?” He asked in his deadpanned voice.

“The fuck are you on?” Scarecrow growled, clearly confused. “I want some.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Harley, I need to know if you have children,” Dinah asked the loopy-eyed girl sitting across the table. She looked at Harley with what could only be described as a soft glare. Dinah couldn’t deny that has a soft spot for this crazy girl. She saw goodness in Harley, even if nobody else could.

“Watcha asking for?” Harley asked, cocking her head to one side. “You looking for a new mommy buddy to help with Connor?” She gasped suddenly, jumping in her seat. “Can I see pictures?!?” She squealed.

“HARLEY!“ Dinah screeched, pushing her back into her seat. “Harley, please, listen to me. People, children, could be in danger, and we need to help make sure that they are safe. The only way that we can do that right now is for you to answer that question, and answer it truthfully.” 

The room was stone silent for far longer than Dinah was comfortable with before finally Harley spoke up. 

“Yeah. I got kids.“ She said, her voice surprisingly listless as she stared down at the table. The lasso glowed bright and then dulled, showcasing her truth. 

“Kids?“ Dinah asked her, reaching across the table to take one of Harley’s hands in her own. Harley looked up at her and gave a soft smile and small nod. 

“Yeah, Kids. I had twins years ago, two beautiful boys. Adrian and William, They were the lights of my life.“

“Are they Joker’s?“ Dinah asked. 

Slowly, Harley nodded again. “Yeah. Don’t tell him, though, he doesn’t know yet. I’ve never known how to tell him, so I just... didn’t. I didn’t know how he would react.“ Harley said, shrugging her shoulders. 

Dinah paused for a second, letting Harley catch her breath before continuing.  “Do you know where they are?“ 

She shook her head “I left them with my sister, maybe twelve or so years ago, but I haven’t heard from her in a while, oh god, at least a year, so I don’t know if they are still there.“

“We’ll try to find them, Harley. We’ll make sure they’re okay.“ Dinah said soothingly, smiling softly in an attempt to comfort her friend. It was quiet for a minute, before Dinah smirked playfully at Harley, cocking her head to one side. 

“Do you really want to see pictures?“ She asked. 

Of course, Harley perked right up almost immediately. “God yes!!!“ She squealed, clapping her hands together as Dinah pulled her phone out of her back pocket.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Do you have any children?“ Diana asked the man across from her with her classic stony tone.

“What the hell do you think, princess?“ Mr. Frost snarled at her, sure to accentuate her phony title. 

Had he not been wearing a fishbowl on his head, Diana would have slapped him. Hard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Poison Ivy,“ Hal said, really wishing that he had stayed in bed instead of answering the justice league communicator. 

“Green Lantern. The worst green thing on earth.” Poison Ivy said, sneering at the man.

Usually, Hal would find that funny, but his sleep-deprived ass wasn’t interested in making small talk today. “I’m not saying you sleep around, but If you tell me you have kids I won’t be surprised.“

“Charming.“

Hal waited for a second before gesturing for her to continue. “So do you?“

“Yes.“ She said simply as if she had nothing to hide and nothing to prove. The golden lasso confirmed her words as true.  There was an awkward pause between the two of them before Hal spoke. 

“I feel like that was too easy...“ He mumbled, before shaking his head and standing up. “But whatever, I don’t question the magic rope. I’m going to bed. Goodbye, Plantgirl.” He said, leaving the room with a rather insulted Ivy in his wake. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“They’re real...“ Batman said, pacing the length of the waiting room of Arkham Asylum as he thought. Diana sat in a seat to one side, twisting her lasso in one hand, listening to his rambling and nodding along. “These people have children. Real children.“ He added. 

“What are we going to do about this?“ Diana asked him. “We all have jobs, lives and Justice league problems of our own. We can’t afford to follow this rabbit hole for weeks or months, especially if we have no solid leads other than “They exist.”“ She pointed out.

Batman rubbed his hand over his masked face, sighing deeply. “You’re right.” He said, more to himself than to her. “But what else are we going to do? We can’t just wait around for this to become a huge problem.”

Diana stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I have another idea if you’re interested.” She said. “Have you thought about giving it to the Young Justice team, at least for now? They could work on it and try to break the case from another perspective. A teenager perspective. Those kids are much smarter than you’re willing to admit, they might be able to help.“ She said simply. 

Batman thought for a second, before shaking his head. “That’s... A good idea.” He said. “I’ll talk to Robin about it tomorrow and discuss with the extended team as soon as possible.”

“We’ll get to the bottom of this, Bruce,” Diana said, staring across the room at the wall with an aura of distance. “After all, how much trouble can four kids cause?“ She asked. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m sorry about this guys, but I had to remove the links because tumblr is throwing a little bit of a tantrum in regards to links and NSFW content at the moment. As a result, me and many other creators are walking on eggshells until tumblr takes a fucking chill pill. As such there aren’t any links on this fic, but if you liked this and you want to see the rest of it, DM me and I’ll send you all the links to all the chapters I’ve written. Thanks guys and sorry again!