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#instead alfred now has TWO children endangering themselves
unpretty · 4 months
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what do you MEAN robins are Alfred’s fault are you telling me he’s going around with a butterfly net like AHA I GOT ONE
tldr in sorrowverse batman might have been able to talk dick grayson into staying home and not fighting crimes if he hadn't found out that bruce wayne was batman. which he did. because someone got so offended by the hypocrisy of bruce complaining about the small child entrusted to his care refusing to cooperate and constantly putting himself in danger that it overrode his good sense. this was a terrible idea and now robins are a thing that exist and alfred will never admit that this was all his fault.
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watchtower-feed · 4 years
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Death Do We Part (Part 8)
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SSA Spin-off ✧ Jason Todd ✧ Physical Link ✧ 1 ✧ 2 ✧ 3 ✧ 4 ✧ 5 ✧ 6 ✧ 7 ✧ 8 ✧ 9 ✧ 10 ✧ 11 ✧ 12 ✧ 13 ✧ 14 ✧ 15 ✧ Notes: Oh boy. This part and the next were supposed to be just one part. At the end of this fic, I’ll have enough words for a freaking novel! Please, though, tell me what you think of the story! Loving and violent reactions are welcome. Words: 2,800+
    You’re startled. You quickly scan the property for any movement but you just miss the figure retreating into the distance. Back into Gotham City.
     As soon as they get back to the cave, you’re waiting for them on your toes. “He was here!” you shout frantically. “He was at the manor!” You hover over them until they’re running towards the monitor where you have all of the surveillance cameras up and running.
     You all watch silently, hands leaning on the desk, eyes straining for the slightest movement in the darkness.
     “There he is!” you point at the camera placed directly in front of Jason’s room. Alfred replays the video like he has for the hundredth time that night. You wait as they watch the seemingly boring video, and then there it was, the slightest movement of the tip of a nearby hedge nearly off-camera, as if someone passed through it.
     “Are you sure it’s not the wind?” Dick asks in a serious tone. He believes you but he wants the details. Needs them before he brings his hopes up.
     You nod. “I knew something was different tonight. At the time I wasn’t feeling different temperatures. And I could hear…”
     “You could hear?” Tim tries to prompt you to keep going. What’s the point of keeping secrets now when it’s what got everyone in this mess in the first place?
     “I was talking to myself-- talking to Jason-- like I do every night. And I could almost hear myself in my own ears--”
     “Like he was listening to you,” Bruce interrupts, eyes wide.
     “That means he’s in Gotham! He was here! At the manor!” Dick says excitedly.
     You suddenly frown, making all three of them stare at you. “He was.”
     Alfred sighs, “That’s what Y/N has been trying to tell you, master Bruce. Before we came down to the cave, Y/N felt seasick again.”
     The sudden news greatly diminishes their spirit. Bruce wanted to be angry. He wanted to scold you and Alfred for not telling them about this sooner. Instead, Bruce turns around and enters the bat plane again, leaving his two partners behind. You know where he’s going. You know Bruce is going to spend all night tracking every boat, every ship, and every yacht that left Gotham docks until he finds Jason.
     But you also know he won’t find him. You’ve been at this for a year but it’s becoming very clear that you’ll only find Jason if he wants to be found. And maybe that’s for the best.
     In the meantime, your new life has to keep going, or in your case, it has to start.
     “Being dead for two years and a ghost for another has nothing to do with your education, Y/N,” Alfred argues with you for the tenth time this month, “We’re enrolling you into Gotham University. You start next week.”
     “Next week? That’s too soon!”
     Tim is the same age as you and Jason, biologically, but you always argue that you’re older than him and death just held you back two years. It bothers you that you’re both going to be freshmen at Gotham U but Tim is going to leave you three semesters behind.
     Tim chuckles, “You’ve been hiding in the manor for too long. It’s time to re-introduce you back into society, Y/N.”
     “Ew. You’re starting to sound like Dick.” 
     “Hey!” Dick yells out as he enters the kitchen. 
     Ever since Jason ran away from Gotham, you’ve gotten closer to Dick and Tim. You use each other to keep Jason’s presence alive, telling each other stories about him while Tim listens and chimes in whenever familiar Jason-Robin stories would come up. At some point, you stopped talking about Jason and just told each other about what life was like before. With friends. Your family.
     You decided not to return to your own family. You knew one day Bruce or Alfred would ask you but you prepared yourself to say no. Your family and friends have already mourned for you. Given what your life is now and who it’s linked to, you don’t want them to have to experience that kind of heartbreak again.
     “Welcome to Gotham University, Robin Wayne. Hmm,” The sophomore in charge of freshman orientation has set her sights on you and Tim, being Waynes and all. “Bruce can’t seem to stay in a stable relationship for more than a month but he sure does like to adopt kids.”
     “I’m 18,” you say frankly, trying to get this moving along.
     Tim snickers beside you. It was his and Dick’s bright idea to choose your name for you. They both think it’s a great inside joke but you think all that crime-fighting has seriously messed up their sense of humor.
     You’re thankful though that they don’t really call you that. They still call you by your real name.
     College and your new identity aren’t about starting a new life and closing the old one. Robin is your identity to the outside world and Y/N L/N is your secret identity. Much like how Robin is to Tim and Nightwing is to Dick and… Batman is to Bruce Wayne.
     Bruce.
     He’s the one who’s taking Jason’s absence much harder than all of you. He disappears all night doing his usual routine of keeping the city safe and then spends any downtime looking for any trace of Jason in Gotham or anywhere else in the world.
     He would catch you by surprise every now and then, asking you if you’ve felt anything about Jason. Anything at all. A change in temperature. The direction in the wind. Sudden hunger. And you always shake your head sadly.
     You actually saw Jason that night. You vividly saw his shadow leap over the property and back into Gotham. It took everything in you to not run after your soulmate.
     You didn’t tell Alfred or Bruce or anyone because you wanted to give Jason time to get away. If he heard you that night, you hope he followed your advice. That he’s living a better life and this time you won’t let Bruce mess it up.
     Even though you don’t talk about Jason as much, to Tim and Dick the search for Jason continues as well. At least once a week, they would join Bruce in his search and they always ask you to join them.
     They’re not forcing you to do it. You can say no if you don’t want to. But how will that look? Everyone wants Jason back except for you, the one person who can actually find him and knows where he is.
     You feel it. You feel the familiar wind in your hair and the flying sand in your face. You know he’s back at the fortress and it makes you angry. You thought he would choose a better life so why is he back there?
     But of course, whenever Tim or Dick asks you, you lie.
     “I haven’t felt anything new. It’s like he’s gone completely radio silent on me or something.”
     Tim chuckles and teases, “That’s not what radio silence means.”
     You roll your eyes. “Shut up,” you joke back.
     Dick stares at the two of you and then leans in close with a smirk, “What’s this? What’s going on here?”
     “Nothing!” you both snap at Dick. You shove him but it doesn’t really do anything. Regardless, he fakes being hurt to appease your feelings which only makes you more frustrated.
     Partly, because he’s right. After being sensitive to another person’s every sense and feeling, you’ve become adept at reading people. You know that Tim has been spending more time with you than Dick has and he always tries to talk to you about almost anything.
     You’re also aware that your body seems to find every excuse it can to touch Tim, to be close to him.
     And even more so, you’re aware that nothing can ever happen between the two of you.
     Tim is Jason’s replacement. Jason is your soulmate. The very existence of Tim in your life is due to the fact that Jason is your soulmate. You can’t even look at Tim without looking for a single trait of Jason’s, a sign that he’s the one standing in front of you.
     So then why? Why are you lying next to each other in the garden, staring up at the stars, sharing a blanket, and fingers twitching to touch the other? 
     You’re just talking about being Robin, the crime-fighting Robin that soars the Gotham skyline alongside the dark knight. You’re exasperated by the idea that the three of them would want to endanger their lives every single night.
     Tim half-agrees that you’re right and then he tells you about Batman’s training, how in-depth it is, and accurate, that it’s what keeps him going out there. Tim knows that the three of them never did it for the glory or the fame and infamy. Speaking on Jason and Dick’s behalf, Tim tells you that it was all about being able to stand next to Batman and help him in his mission to save the city.
     You listen in awe because you never thought of it that way. Boys. Children. Putting themselves on the front line for Batman. The savior of Gotham City. 
     You look at Tim and say, “He’s lucky to have you.” Then you look up again. “Gotham should really appreciate you more. Maybe a Robin signal would be just the thing,” you chuckle and Tim does too.
     But it’s quiet now. All you can hear is your breathing and Tim’s breathing. You turn to the side again, hoping to start another conversation, but you find Tim is looking at you as well. You watch as a red shade grows on his cheeks and his eyes dart away from your gaze.
     He’s surprised to find that you’re still staring at him when he looks back. Slowly and gently, Tim raises his head so he can lean down close to you but he stops only an inch from your lips, waiting and hoping for you to close the gap, to decide for yourself.
     You can feel his short breaths on your lips and you close your eyes before you lean in. His lips are soft and small. Neither of you move and it’s over so soon. Tim’s smiling and the redness on his face has gone up to the tips of his ears.
     “You’re so red,” you tease happily.
     Tim’s flustered but he teases back, “So are you, Y/N! You’re like a beetroot!”
     You laugh and smile. 
     Tim holds your hand when he walks you back to your room. He holds your fingers together while you walk side by side. There’s a warmth to them you can’t deny. You’re smiling the whole time and even you can feel the redness traveling to your ears.
     Tim walks you to your door and says goodnight. You wait for him to enter his own room before you close your door. You lie down on the bed and sleep comes to you easier than it ever has this past year.
     In the morning, you wake up with your name written on your arm.
     Y/N.
     Suddenly you can smell the scent of your bed and it smells like Jason. Everywhere you look you see every single item Jason has touched. You see his clothes peeking from the open door of your wardrobe. You see his picture on your nightstand.
     You feel sick to your stomach and you vomit on the floor. You’re crying as you’re heaving out acid yet again. Why? Why now? Why do you get to feel guilty over a kiss when Jason had sex with Talia? Why do you feel betrayed and guilty at the same time?
     “This isn’t fair, Jason!”
     Your sobs and retching start getting louder. Bruce quickly enters the room, followed by Tim and Alfred. “Y/N, what’s wrong?” Bruce asks and you know he’s not asking for you. He’s asking for Jason which makes you cry harder.
     “Get out!” you scream at them, making everyone flinch at the shrillness of your voice.
     “Y/N…” you know Tim is about to place his hands on your back and you quickly snap and slap his hand away.
     You glare at the ground, “Don’t touch me.” You refuse to look at the hurt expression on Tim’s face. But he sees the newly written mark on your arm. Defeated, Bruce gently leads him out of the room. 
     “Y/N,” Alfred’s stern voice gets through to you. You know you did something extremely wrong. You know it before you even did it. “One day you will come to understand that we are trying to help you. We care for you. Not just for master Jason, but you as well.”
     You wait until Alfred closes the door behind him before you crumple back onto the bed. You keep crying and massaging your coarse throat while staring at your name written on your arm.
     Jason never does write anything else. He also never rubbed off your name on his arm. You would stare at it and touch it every night and wonder why he wrote it.
     Absentmindedly, you would even touch it during the day. Tim sees you doing it during a lecture and you’re aware enough to turn and see the look of shock and then anguish pass over his face before it became stoic.
     You stop talking to Tim completely after that and you even find yourself distancing yourself from Dick. An easy feat considering, he’s only at the manor once a week. But you could never keep yourself away from Alfred. He wants you to apologize to Tim but you can’t, not just yet. And you know Tim doesn’t want that at the moment.
     You spend most of your time in the cave again. This time you’re actually helping Bruce find Jason.
     “I checked the fortress. There was no one there. Not a single assassin,” Bruce relays it to you over the comm while he’s in the bat plane.
     “How about the sacred city? I sensed the same feelings from the fortress. That might be the only other place Jason is familiar with.”
     “On my way now.”
     You wait and you watch but deep down you already know he’s not going to find him there. It has been a week since you last felt that, another week before you finally decided to help Bruce. But you didn’t feel seasick afterward so maybe Jason hasn’t gone far.
     “Still no sign of him, Y/N. Any other ideas?”
     “Any other cities in the area?”
     “Not for hundreds of miles.”
     You sigh and fold your knees close to your chest, “Come back, Batman. Let’s call it a night.”
     You’ve been spending a lot more time with Bruce at night and he doesn’t question you about it. The only things you talk about are the missions and Jason. Every little thing you feel, you try to relay to Bruce but you don’t really come up with anything useful. Nevertheless, Bruce always checks out your suggestions.
     “That’s the last of the League’s fortresses.”
     “And still no Jason.”
     “Hn,” Bruce grunts, “maybe. But it is a little odd,” he looks at the monitor, almost like he was talking to himself. “Every single fortress was empty and turned into rubble. It’s almost like someone’s been methodically attacking every known base of the League.”
     “You think someone has it out for them-- You think Jason is doing this?”
     Bruce looks at you, “Other than the weather and the environment, do you feel anything different about your body? Things you wouldn’t be feeling in relation to your own activities.”
     You think about it for a while. But your first thought is how strange it is that you would’ve lashed out at such a question just last month.
     “My body is still always fatigued even though I’m barely exercising. I feel them more on my arms, too.”
     “How about now?”
     Now you close your eyes and you numb your senses to your own body. You can feel an even steady wind hitting you in the face and noise coming from where the wind is coming from. “I feel a fan…” The wind isn’t that strong or the noise too loud but you’re disappointed to find out that that’s all you feel. “That’s it.”
     “Strange.” Bruce is already looking at the monitor. His elbows on the desk while his hands hold up his chin. “These past few weeks, whenever you try to tune in to Jason’s feelings, you always come up with nothing. But he’s obviously up to something.”
     You try to run through all of the implications in your head and only come up with one thing. “Do you think he found a way to figure out when I’m tuning in? And turns off his own senses?”
     Bruce turns around, eyes narrow. He stares at your worried face for a second before he puts on a pensive expression. “It’s not impossible.”
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✧ Watchtower Masterlist ✧
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yicruz48 · 4 years
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My Review on the Teen Titans(2016) So Far
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Date Written: March/14/2020-March/18/2020
Updated: May/10/2020
[Overall review of Special 1, Annual 1 and Issue #20-40]
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My Opinion So Far [Issue #20-40 written by Adam Glass]:
-> In comparison to the first 19 issues of the Teen Titans, issue 20 and on have been bearable.
-> I will reiterate this over and over again; I will never understand why create new characters (Djinn, Roundhouse and Crush) when DC has a perfect stash of characters that Damian is already acquainted with (Colin, Maya, Surren, Maps and Jon). Although, having characters like Red Arrow (Emiko Queen) and Kid Flash (Wallace West) apart of the Teen Titans is understandable.
-> But again, in comparison to last group of Teen Titans [issue #1-19], I favor this group more. The first 19 issues are just literally Starfire, Beast Boy and Raven parenting Damian in Bruce's absence.
-> In my opinion this group is much more balance in terms of heroing experience:
A) Literally new to being a superhero and working in a group: Djinn, Roundhouse and Crush.
B) Still figuring out their place in superhero world: Robin, Red Robin and Kid Flash.
-> I am totally in favor in Kid Flash being considered the “moral compass” of the group. But so far in the Glass’s run haven’t really seen Wallace really prove this.
->It really shows that Glass had no idea or didn’t bother to do research on Emiko. Glass wrote Emiko as a sort-of Damian clone (And we all know Glass doesn’t write Damian well, so a badly-written-Damian-clone). Emiko is much more sarcastic and upbeat type of individual and wasn’t written that way.
->You can also tell Glass didn’t do research on Wallace. Wallace has a love for comics, is actually quite intelligent and is a prodigy engineer, but none of that was really expressed in the 20 issues.
->Crush, AKA Xiomara Rojas is a character besides the core three that I’ve grown to like. She is an empowered latinx Lesbian feminist who could care less what you think of her. But her backstory is rooted in stereotypical and racist beliefs. Her adoptive parents were druggies who were constantly running away from legal issues...ring a bell? Yea, its the common stereotype that latinos are all drug dealers, a stain on society and always run away from the legal ramifications of their actions. As as a latina myself, this was was extremely disappointing to see. 
-> I have a lot of issues with the hyper-focus on Robin, as much as I love Robin content, I feel like like every-other mission the Teen Titan’s have revolves around Robin. I would like to explore Red Arrow, Kid Flash and Roundhouse’s character development more. And I believe writer’s are totally capable of advancing Robin’s character development without the mission being tied to him anyways.
-> I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Robin’s ongoing goal to create a criminal system better than their superhero processors (mainly Batman and Superman) who only arrest criminals in a prison with “a revolving door” which criminals always escape from. Although, I ABSOLUTELY hate how Adam Glass has handled how Robin has gone upon learning the best system.
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-> I have to admit, I like how most of the members are comprised of teens that...
A) Been raised/used to kill; Robin, Red Arrow and Djinn.
B) Are related to villainous characters; Robin, Red Arrow, Kid Flash, Djinn and Crush.
In the words of Kid Flash, the Teen Titans are just, “a bunch of screwed up kids,”
-> I strongly dislike the love triangle that Adam Glass (the previous writer) was creating between Robin, Crush and Djinn. I felt like Djinn was just created to mimic the popularity of Damian x Raven and it just lessens the value of characters like Crush and Djinn. (Plus I am on the side that believes that Robin should developing his friendships before developing a romantic interest). Hopefully, Robbie Thompson (New and current writer), will throw that idea in the trash. Although I wouldn't mind Djinn × Crush though😶.
-> Also I hate the connection Adam Glass created between Robin and Roundhouse (Billy Wu). It was soo unnecessary, and he could've found another creative way to get Djinn a trapped in her ring🙄.
-> Love the growing friendship between..
1. Robin and Red Arrow
2. Red Arrow and Crush
3. Kid Flash and Roundhouse
4. Crush and Djinn
5. (Would like to see Robin and Kid Flash’s friendship grow)
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-> The build up to "The Other" for over 18 issues [Issue #20-38] was disappointing. I am still trying to understand the villain motivations because it made no sense whatsoever besides the obvious fact that Adam Glass was attempting to give Robin yet another useless redemption arc he didn't need.
-> Excited at the connection between “The Book of the Damned” and Batman #666 ( I will most likely make a post expanding on this). This offers an explanation as to why Damian was suddenly using magic in that one Batman issue and claiming he could take down Superman with magic in another issue.
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-> Robin's "Prison", AKA torture chamber. Although it's not out of Damian's character to believe that his father's way of imprisoning villains in Gotham is GREATLY lacking better security, I DO NOT THINK DAMIAN WOULD CREATE A PRISON, much less a torture chamber. Damian does research on ALL the batfamily including his own father, he would know that Bruce attempted something similar  and failed which would make Damian hesitant about creating his own. Instead of developing his character this whole fiasco with the prison just ruined it and gave Damian haters another tool in their arsenal to “prove” Damian is evil (which no, its just bad writing).
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-> Yes, I will acknowledge that Robin is not the kindest of the batch. But Blackmailing Black Mask with threatening to put his son's life endanger-even if he was bluffing-would not be something Robin would do. Robin is known to have compassion for children (*cough cough* Batman: Streets of Gotham) and wouldn't use a child as leverage to get his way EVEN if he was desperate.
-> Robin basking in the pain of his prisoners. LIKE EXCUSE ME, WTF. Like Robin does enjoy beating up criminals who deserve it but the way Adam Glass wrote it made it seem like Robin was a sadist and a psychopath.
-> Pissed off they killed Emiko’s development by killing Deathstroke. There really wasn’t any real reason given as to why Emiko “killed” Deathstroke. 
-> Don't get me started on the fight between Red Hood and Robin. JUST DON’T.
But I have hope:
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Teen Titans issue #39 and #40 written by Adam Glass and Robbie Thompson.
As you may or may not know, Robbie Thompson has now replaced Adam Glass as a writer. And his first issue he worked on was released February [issue #39] and I've already been seeing some improvements. Robbie will be fully taking over after issue #41.
-> Robin has stepped down as leader. Leadership in the Teen Titans will now be a collaborative approach.
-> The Teen Titans struggling and learning on working as a group instead of working under one leader. They've already failed their first mission as a team without Robin as leader. Which I'll give them a break for, they've recognized how poorly their plan was executed themselves. But this just shows that the writer is demonstrating that the Teen Titan's is still learning how to best work together without a leader.
-> Robbie Thompson is now writing Damian more in character. Instead of writing him off as an asshole for no reason like previous writers.
-> Confirmed Damian went to hell after being killed by Heretic. With an added plus of the Teen Titan’s finally learning a bit more about Robin’s past.
-> Brought up Damian’s ongoing internal struggle of finding his own path that isn’t influenced by his father or his grandfather.
-> I’ve gotta admit, issue #40 has exceeded my low expectations I have set for the past 19 issues.
What I am Actually Looking Forward to [Upcoming Issues]:
Teen Titans #41 / Teen Titans Annual #2
Written by Adam Glass and Robbie Thompson
-> Finally, we get Batman's involvement in all this. I just hope he doesn't beat up Damian like he did Jason 😒. I’d like to add there was actually foreshadowing for this encounter in Teen Titans #26 (I believe).
-> But the only reason I am looking forward to this because it seems like Robin has been keeping this new group of Teen Titan’s secret (including their base), or at least heavily restricting Batman’s involvement.  
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-> And even though I think I know why Damian has been trying to keep this new Teen Titans a secret from Batman (if my theory is correct), I'm curious to hear it myself from him (if the reason is written well).
-> Don't get me wrong, I am pissed that the writers decided Batman is going to fire Robin. Although, I am not against Damian being his own superhero (I actually don’t want Robin to take up the Batman mantle), but I can see DC writers abusing this. Killing his character development and making him evil like they've been foreshadowing in some comics 😒.
-> Although, I am not sure if it's really gonna happen, or Damian got the memo, because Damian appears to wear the Robin outfit in future covers of the Teen Titans.
-> I am excited the current Teen titans getting a glimpse of Batman's and Robin's current strained relationship(maybe even learning more about Robin’s upbringing). The Teen Titans (except Red Arrow) are always criticizing Robin for his way of thinking without questioning the influence to his thinking.
Teen Titans #42
Written by Robbie Thompson
->Batman kicking them out of Mercy Hall?  I am actually kinda of excited for a Teen Titans without a base. 
-> But I wanna know what this means; less oversight by Batman or more?
-> I wonder what will motivate the team to retrieve Robin back into their team? The only one's who actually seem to have some sort of relationship with Robin is Red Arrow and Djinn, besides them, everyone seems to despise Robin
Teen Titans #43
Written by Robbie Thompson
-> We are FINALLY getting a proper reaction from Robin to Nightwing's near death. What we got from Nightwing Annual was definitely not enough.
-> Apparently, Damian goes on a hunt for KGBeast (who shot Dick). Which I don't see as out of character because we all know how much Damian cares for Dick, who is a brother and father figure to Damian (more than Bruce).
-> Hopefully, the Teen Titans don't let him kill or have lethal vengeance against KGBeast because that would just kill his character development 😡. 
->I wonder if this issue will tie in with the Joker War where apparently Dick is suppose to get his memories back. I doubt it, but thought I’d mentioned it.
I've been reading Teen Titans because I've been desperate for new Damian content. But it seems like the comic is finally starting to get interesting with Robbie on board.
I wanted to give you an honest review on what I've thought of the Teen Titans so far just in case you've been on the fence about reading it or not. I've tried not to hold back on my criticism so my review is as honest as it can be.
So I'll leave it to you guys to decide whether you will read it or not.
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