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super-cerulean · 1 year

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2. I Took a Chance on Saving Me, That's Not a Front

❄️Master Post: All Parts

❄️Pairings: Jason Todd x Gender Neutral Reader

❄️Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death, Language, Mentions of Mental Illness, Mentions of Depression and Dissociation, Angst, Slow burn

❄️Summary: Following the events of One and Only, Jason Todd's life is spiralling out of control. His best friend is dead, his family thinks he's on the verge of a meltdown, and the one person who might understand is locked up in Arkham and hates his guts. Knowing he's getting to a point where things are going to overwhelm him, he can either let himself react the way he reacts, or he can do something drastic to try and prevent the next Arkham Knight situation. Which one do you think he goes with?

❄️Links: Available on AO3

Predictably, things didn't go as smoothly as Jason tried to convince himself they would go. Something about the silence that permeated his bedroom that night made his thoughts run rampant. He tried to just push through it and busy himself with TV or digging up a case to investigate, because actually putting on the suit when he was like this was never a good idea, but at some point he couldn't focus on any of it.

He was so fucking overwhelmed, and he had no idea how to deal with it. By then, he was getting desperate and he was starting to find his thoughts dragged back to you. Maybe he felt some kind of kinship with the way you handled your emotions, or maybe he was just grasping for anything he was fixated on that felt less volatile than Roy’s death. Whatever it was, Jason had followed it’s influence and spent much of the night reliving what had happened between the two of you. As he thought, he felt a compulsion beginning to form in the back of his mind.

It was a terrible idea, that much Jason was sure of immediately. He knew it was idiotic as he'd been hacking into Arkham's network and searching for your files, yet a part of him was a little too hopeful too stop himself. He had to at least try to help you. His conscience was eating itself alive while you rotted in that sorry excuse for a mental health institution. He couldn't give up; not when he was living some semblance of a fulfilling life despite everything he'd done. If he got a second and third chance, you deserved one too. At least, that was the reasoning he was comfortable with for now. He didn't want to delve too deep into how alone he'd really felt and how much he craved understanding from someone else.

The system was ridiculously easy to get into, and he was pretty confident you were the least of the asylum's problems. He found your record easily, and as expected you were the model inmate. They probably wouldn't even notice if he snatched you out of there, but he wanted to do things the right way...well as right as things can be when he'd be forging documents to arrange for your release. What he was really worried about was getting you to agree to come with him. He was fairly certain that the moment he walked into the same room as you, his plan would be over immediately. He needed a face you didn't know, and someone who he could trust not to get too involved. So, once the business side of things was arranged, he decided to head on over to Gotham academy to spend some time with his newest sibling.

It didn't take much convincing from Alfred to take over driving Duke home from school. The older man had tried not to be obvious about it, but he was relieved to see Jason in the manor and offering to be more involved with the family. Jason was thankful for that, especially because it meant he got the town car without having to answer too many questions. Things were lining up perfectly so far.

"Uh…Hi?" Duke furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed Jason was the one standing outside of the school waiting for him, suspicion slipping onto his expression. "You're driving me home?"

"Eventually, but we've got a quick stop to make first."

Duke paused, narrowing his eyes a little and making a face that Jason knew meant he wasn't going anywhere until he got more information. Honestly, he'd have been a terrible superhero if he didn't question such a shady situation, so Jason didn't take it personally when he had to explain himself more.

"I have this friend, and I need to talk to them but they're kinda pissed at the moment, so I can't be the first person they see."

"Meaning you want me to trick someone into meeting with you?"

"Pretty much. I just need a chance to talk to them in private."

"...Where do we have to go?"

Jason somehow managed to get Duke into the car without having to explain all the gritty details. It was very likely that he wouldn't have gotten in if he knew they were picking you up from Arkham. Predictably, he was a little upset when he found out.

"Jason, what the Hell do you got me doing?"

"Nothing bad. Like I said, I have a friend I need to talk to."

"In Arkham Asylum?"

"Yeah, but look: I already handled everything, and they're not high profile. It's just walking in and out."

"And by 'handled' you mean you hacked into the system and forged their release, right? Yeah, go ahead and start the car back up."

"C'mon, please? I swear, this person's harmless, and I took care of everything you could get in trouble for. It's just a quick walk in, and walk out."

"Why do you need to see them so badly in the first place?"

"Because…" Jason hesitated. He was asking for a lot of trust from Duke, yet he found himself hesitant to cross that same bridge. Frowning, he tried to find the best way to word the truth to make himself seem less impulsive. "We've kinda got history, and I fucked them over the last time we talked. I owe them a second chance."

"And the reason you said they're mad at you is because of what you did. What was it?"

"…a lot, actually. Enough to want to be in Arkham rather than around me, so."

Duke hesitated at that, looking apprehensive to become involved in the shit storm that was Jason's relationships. Maybe it wasn't fair of him to ask the younger man to get involved, but Jason needed to be able to do this without the others getting involved. They wouldn't understand and he wasn't confident he could explain it to them. He wasn't wasn't sure if he understood why he needed to see you again himself, but he did know that he was desperately looking for something to focus on besides Roy’s death.

"Look, I know I don't necessarily have the best track record, but I swear this isn't anything crazy. It's just...it's personal and something I need to do on my own."

"Yeah, I get that," Duke said, expression shifting to something closer to pity. “I got you this time, but next time be a little less shady about it.”

"I swear I’ll be more forthright next time. I seriously owe you, thanks."

"You sure do.."

Jason tried not to show it, but the closer they got to the Asylum, the more anxious he was becoming. He hadn't seen you since the night you'd given him that ultimatum. When he'd shot you and begged you to spare Artemis and the city. He hadn't seen her in a while either, but she had her own problems to deal with.

Finally, just as it began to snow again, Jason wound the car up the long road to the Asylum. It hadn't been paved nearly as much as the main roads, so he took care in driving slowly through the thick snow. The delayed ascent only made his nerves worse, so he tried to subtly wipe the sweat from his hands. Duke didn’t seem to notice, shuffling his bags out of the way and shrugging off his school blazer.

"I’ve got an ear piece in case things go sideways, but I doubt you’ll run into trouble," Jason explained once they had parked. Duke nodded, tucking the small device into his ear and rolling his shoulders. He was pretty relaxed for someone who’s been thrown into Jason’s admittedly shitty plan without much preamble.

Once he was settled, Jason went over the plan with him in more detail. He gave him your name, and instructed Duke to follow Arkham's release process and to bring you out to where he'd parked the car. As they spoke, he turned off the car and stepped outside, making sure Duke looked official enough when he did the same.

"Anything else I should know before I commit a felony?"

"It’s not really a felony. At least not a serious one. And no, there’s nothing to worry about." Jason may not know everything you got into working for Oswald, but he knew you weren’t a killer. On a good day, at least.

"Thank God. Guess I'll see you on the other side then?"

"Yep. If you need any help at all, I put a panic button in the pocket if the jacket. It'll send an alert to my phone and I can come to your rescue."

"Roger that," Duke said, and with a quick salute he started off towards the Asylum. Jason waited until he was already inside to reach back into the car and fish out a cigarette to smoke while he waited. He needed something to do other than quietly panic. Was he making a huge mistake? He was pretty sure you'd never wanted to see him again after everything happened. You hated him, after all. But was rotting in Arkham any better? The least he could do was let you out. He couldn't force you to let him help, but he could at least give you your freedom back.

Jason managed to smoke through about half of the cigarette before the doors to the Asylum opened again. He saw the top of Duke's head, and quickly moved to sit inside the car, letting the door hang open. He needed you to get closer before you realized what was happening.

Duke walked around to where Jason was sitting, looking at him expectantly as you shuffled nearer to the car. Jason took one more long drag of smoke before he stamped it out and stood to face you. His heart was hammering so intensely that he was afraid you'd hear it, and he had to drag his gaze upwards to your face. He expected fireworks; anger, yelling and pleading on his end to convince you not to march right back into the Asylum. You'd always been good at surpassing his expectations though, and Jason wasn't sure what to do with the silence he was met with.

The snow had lightened it's descent enough to give him a clear view of the parking lot and the shocked eyes staring his way. He wasn't sure what to make of your expression. It wasn't anything near a hateful glare, to which he was grateful for, but the subtle tug of your eyebrows bothered him and he wasn't sure why. Somehow you looked simultaneously exactly the same and totally different. You didn't say anything, but he could hear the echoes of your voice. The last thing you'd said to him and his last words going back and forth in his head like they were playing tennis, and he'd probably have spun himself dizzy if you hadn't finally found your voice in the extended silence.

"I should have known you were behind this."

Duke shifted back and forth a bit awkwardly on his heels, and Jason took a quick second to glance towards the car. He caught on quickly, seeming grateful to have his own escape from the situation as he hurried into the passengers side of the car. Jason returned his attention to you once he did, squaring his shoulders and taking a bold step forwards. Immediately you took your own step back, shoulders hiking up almost defensively. Jason stopped in his tracks.

"Don't. Why are you here?"

"Because...you don't belong in Arkham."

"Yeah, I do," you scoffed, disbelieving. "You know I do, don't act like you don't."

"You made mistakes, sure, but that doesn't mean you should rot in that hell for the rest of your life. I've done shit too, you know that."

"It's not the same."

"Yeah, it is." Jason took another step forward, and this time you didn't move away. He scanned your face, coming close enough to feel like he wasn't yelling at you across the parking lot. He could see you shivering through your coat, and he was sure it wasn't from the cold.

"I did the shit I did in the past because I was hurting and I know you were the same. I know you're not a bad person, and I know I didn't give you many options-"

"It wasn't your fault." Jason stopped in the middle of his sentence when you spoke up, his own brows coming together in confusion. You dropped your gaze to his feet momentarily, then shifted it up and away from him entirely as you continued.

"There was nothing you could have done, Jason. It wasn't your fault I felt the way I did and did what I did. I just…I lost myself. I wanted you more than anyone or anything I'd ever wanted in my life, and I didn't know what to do. I still don't." You broke off, voice pitching and you swore quietly. Jason's heart lurched watching you swipe at your eyes impatiently, still trying not to look at him.

"I don't know why it happened, but all this time I've been here I've just been so fucking ashamed of it all. Nothing I did was okay, and it wasn't okay to put you through it all. And the worst part is, no matter how awful I feel, I still don't regret doing any of it. Because it meant I got to spend that time with you that I had. It's so fucked up, Jesus christ. I hate the person I became to be near you and I hate that I'd probably do it again if I had the chance to feel like that again. So…just fucking leave me here, okay? This is where I'm supposed to be."

He was being selfish. The thought ripped through Jason's mind as quickly and as violently as a bullet, and he felt it ricochet from his head to his chest. His heart hurt watching you. He could only imagine how you felt watching him come back into your life when you felt the way you did. He knew, in every part of his mind that he should leave you alone. If not in Arkham, somewhere far away where you could hopefully heal and forget about him. Yet, he didn't want you to. He could say it was for heroic reasons all he wanted, but really he needed someone around who understood how he felt, and as far as he knew you were the only person who could.

"It doesn't have to be like this. I don't know how or if I can for sure, but I want to at least try to help you. Please, at least let me do that much."

Your head tilted back, eyes closed as you breathed in and out slowly. Jason didn't move. He was afraid to even breath before you responded, worried about what your response would be. He could see you were tired, likely struggling with the emotional weight of seeing him and dredging up all of your feelings again. He was sorry you had to, and sorry he wasn't strong enough to find some other way to keep his thoughts away from Roy.

Your eyes opened finally, looking as watery as they had before and like you were losing the fight against your tears. For a moment you just watched him, and Jason was glad he couldn't see his own expression in your eyes from where he was standing. He didn't want to even imagine what he looked like, begging someone to fight for something they'd already given up on for his sake.

"It'll be okay," he whispered. It could have been to convince you, or to convince himself for all he knew, but it felt like he needed to say it.

"Fuck," you said eventually. It wasn't an agreement, but it wasn't a denial either. He wasn't sure if you believed him, but you moved towards the car. You were willing to try. Jason hurriedly pulled open the door to the back seat, finally feeling like he could breathe when you climbed in. He shut your door once you were safely inside, settling into the front and buckling in before any of you could change your mind.

Thankfully, when he glanced at Duke in the back, he was tugging out a pair of headphones from his ears and pushing them back into their case. Jason would have to make this up to him somehow. For being there to help and doing something he wasn't comfortable with for Jason's sake, and for respecting his privacy. For now, he caught the younger boy's eye, and gave an appreciative nod. Duke didn't say anything, but gave a small nod in return. He didn't look back at Arkham the entire time they drove away. In the turmoil of getting you the hell out of there, he'd forgotten how much he hated that place. Hopefully he wouldn't have to come back anytime soon. Not for you, at least, and not for a while.

The car ride was tense for a long time, at least until Jason had made it back into the heart of the city. Traffic was hellish at that time of day, so it wasn't much of a surprise that the three of you ended up in the middle of a traffic jam, especially with the snow falling everywhere across the city. He wasn't sure what to say to break the awkward air, and Duke certainly didn't have any ideas with the way he was scrolling endlessly on his phone. Eventually, once the silence had seemed like it would stretch on forever, your voice was the one to break through.

"I guess you're not really my parole officer," you said, leaning a bit to get a better look at Duke. "You did look kinda young."

"Yeah...I don't know how any of them believed that," he said, laughing a little. "I'm Duke"

Jason didn't say anything as the two of you exchanged names. He hadn't known how to introduce the younger man outside of his name considering the reaction he'd gotten mentioning they were technically brothers or something before. Stephanie and the others had distracted him, but Jason remembered seeing something in Duke's reaction that looked upset at the label. It certainly wasn't his business to pry or push the idea, so he left it alone for the time being. Until he knew more, he'd settle for keeping their relationship general as Duke explained that Bruce Wayne was his guardian now.

"This is our second time hanging out, actually," Jason offered after Duke had mentioned Jason kidnapping him after school.

"Interesting second impression," you said, eyebrows raised a little. Jason fiddled with the heat a bit, cranking it up and down after deciding the temperature was probably fine.

"Yeah. How long have you two been friends?"

"Friends?" You mimicked, and when Jason looked into the rear view again, you looked pretty amused at that. Your gaze cut up to catch Jason’s in the mirror, and he internally cursed himself out for looking away as soon as you did.

"Is that what we are?"

“We were at one point.”

“But not anymore?” Duke asked, peering curiously between you and Jason. He seemed caught between wanting to be suspicious and amused by the reaction he'd gotten, watching Jason carefully when he made to respond.

“It's a work in progress.”

“Right,” you said, and Jason had a hard time deciphering your tone. Deciding the conversation had taken a tense turn, he reached for the radio and bathed the car in Christmas carols for the rest of the drive.

Duke was nodding off by the time Jason parked the car. He sat upright once the car was stationary, glancing around and reorienting himself. Finally, his eyes landed on the blue neon sign illuminating the snowy street he’d parked on the side of.

“A laundromat?”

“Yeah. It’s a lot more clever when you see the inside,” Jason said, as he pushed a sly grin onto his face. You didn’t say anything, rolling your eyes as you climbed out of the car. He turned to Duke when you did, stopping him from unbuckling himself. “Wait here.”

He left the keys in the ignition as Duke gave a disappointed affirmation, then slid out of the car himself and crossed the distance to the front door, pulling it open for you to slip inside first.

“Thanks,” you mumbled. The laundromat was quiet, as it usually was, with muted ramblings playing on the small TV set up near the back. Jason had been hoping it’d be empty, but unfortunately Gothamites tended to treat the time as a loose guideline, making patterns and routines as they pleased. Naturally, one of the regulars Jason had been hoping not to see was inside.

Taking up a washer and dryer close to the TV stood one of the nosiest old men he’d ever met. He’d immediately abandoned his enthrallment in the Gotham vs. Metropolis football game to watch the two of you walk into the room, and Jason knew by the raised eyebrow that questions were incoming.

“Night, Mr. Leoni,” Jason grunted. If it were someone else, the short greeting might have dissuaded them from further investigation. Mr Leoni, however, was hard to shake. Jason was pretty sure he’d been in the Falcone mob at some point with the gritty confidence he always carried, but he'd never really looked into it to be sure. All he cared about now was that the man tended to ask too many questions when Jason came home through the dingy laundromat.

“Yeah, yeah. Pretty late for guests, ain’t it?”

“Don’t you have a game to watch?”

“We’re crushin’ em, anyway. 5-0,” he smirked. Jason watched his gaze shift away from himself, eyeing you instead. “Anthony Leoni; pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Jason scowled, ushering for you to continue walking as you introduced yourself. He ignored the teasing ‘have a nice night’ coming from the other room as he led you through the back room. There was a locked storage room and another door with higher security that led to his current home. The building had been a front for one of Maroni’s gangs back when money laundering was still a literal term. Jason had found it a while back and converted the massive basement into a sort of condo space. The first door required a set of generic keys, but the second was a combination of biometrics and a six-digit passcode. He’d probably need to add you to that eventually.

“Ah, I get it now: money laundering,” you mused. Jason cracked a half smile as the second set of locks clicked, pushing the door open and moving out of your way. You wandered into the renovated space, seeming impressed with how it looked. Jason hung back by the door for a moment, trying to imagine what would be going through your mind.

“I don’t actually have a spare, so you can just take my room for now.”

“You know I have my own place, right?”

“The one you tried to blow up?” Jason heard you scoff, despite being a lot further into the room than him. “I think the cops seized that one.”

“That wasn't my only spot,” you replied, shooting him an unimpressed look. “I'd be pretty fucking stupid to show you my only base of operations and try to blow it up.”

“Valid. But we should probably wait to send you over there until we’re sure the release sticks. You never know when Arkham’s going to suddenly follow the rules and find some competency.”

“If you insist,” you hummed, fingers trailing along the couch Jason would be sleeping on. You stopped suddenly, a dark look crossing your expression. “I can’t tell if you’re being naive or insanely overconfident about all of this.”

“What do you mean?”

“You seriously want me to live with you? To sleep in your bed, after everything I did and how I felt?”

“Even if you are still trying to kill me, you wouldn’t get the chance,” Jason replied, knowing he was dodging the root of your question. “So I guess I'm overconfident.”

He heard you let out a quiet laugh, and after a moment of consideration, you seemed to decide on following his tangent away from your words.

“There you go underestimating me.”

“I won’t make that mistake again, trust me.” Jason cringed at the memory of how far into desperation you’d been able to drive him. He tried not to think about how he’d gone from shooting you to kissing you in such a short span of time, or how vividly he remembered doing both.

“You good here for now? I gotta take your parole officer back home; it’s a school night.”

“I guess so.” Jason waited for further explanation, but by the way you settled onto his couch and flicked on his TV, it didn’t seem he would be getting one. He wasn’t sure what else to say, and he was content with the rocky sort of understanding the two of you had fallen into, so he decided to just head out without another word.

Duke was still waiting in the car when Jason got back, talking quietly on the phone. By the time Jason actually got into the car, he’d already hung up and was tucking under his thigh. Jason focused on starting the car and running the past few hours over in his head again. It was going way too easy, especially for something so hastily put together and chaotic. He had to be missing something.

“Alfred said dinner’s almost ready,” Duke explained after a while of sitting in silence. “He asked if you wanted to join us?”

“I probably shouldn’t.” If it wasn’t for the recently sprung arkham inmate wandering around his house, it’d be the scattered thoughts Jason was still trying to sort through. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow anyway, for the tree thing. If I stay too long, they may try to keep me overnight.”

“That does sound like something they'd do,” Duke chuckled. “Seems like you have your hands full anyway.”

“Understatement of the century.”

“I don't really know what your plan is or who that was, but…if you need anything else, I don't mind helping you out.”

“I'd have thought you'd run for the hills the next time I asked for a favor after today,” Jason replied, glancing over and catching the strange seriousness in Duke's eyes.

"I probably should, but it was kinda nice being away from it all. Or at least, around someone who doesn't treat me like a new puppy or a charity case. Believe it or not, I do actually notice that you go out of your way to be chill."

"We all kind of had shitty pasts, but as the resident street-rat turned basket case I get it."

"Yeah, and honestly? Sometimes that's the best thing. Just…being around someone who gets it."

Jason nodded, feeling a light sort of validation settle into his chest. He may have been impulsive in his decision to break you out of Arkham, but at least there had been some sense of logic behind it. A companionship that even Duke seemed to understand as an outsider to the Wayne family dynamics. Maybe that meant Jason wasn't as unhinged as he'd thought he was.

#jason todd x reader #red hood x reader #jason todd angst #red hood angst #jason todd slow burn #red hood slow burn #one and only #just say the word

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the-desolated-quill · 5 years

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The Quill Seal Of Approval Awards - The Best of 2018

Hello and welcome, dear reader, to the greatest, most important awards ceremony in the history of entertainment. The Quill Seal Of Approval Awards. The award of recognition that everyone on Earth covets even though they don’t know it. For the Quill Seal Of Approval is a most esteemed prize for hard work and artistry. Better than the Golden Globes, more prestigious than the BAFTAs and guaranteed to be more diverse than the Academy Awards. You know your film, novel, TV show or video game has achieved legendary status when some random nobody on the internet says it’s the best in some obscure top 10 list that’s read by only a couple of people. That’s the true sign of success.

First, a few parish notices. Obviously this is my subjective opinion, so if you disagree with my choices, that’s fine. Go make your own list. (also remember that my opinion is 100% objective, scientific, factual and literal truth and anyone who disagrees is clearly a philistine and a dummy and a poopy-head whose mum smells of elderberries). Also please bear in mind that I haven’t been able to experience everything 2018 has to offer for one reason or another. In other words, please don’t be upset that A Star Is Born isn’t on this list. I’m sure it’s as amazing as everyone says it is. I just never got around to watching it.

Okay. Let us begin.

Inside No. 9 - Series 4

BBC2′s Inside No. 9, written by the League of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, is an anthology series that’s often sadly overlooked, but it’s really worth a watch if you’re into shows like Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone, and this series in particular has been fantastic. We’ve had an episode written entirely in iambic pentameter, an episode whose chronology runs backwards, a live episode that really plays around with the format, episodes containing tragic and biting satire, and one especially twisted episode that brings out a side of Steve Pemberton we’ve never seen before. Series 4 has been a real treat from start to finish, with each episode beautifully written and expertly performed. Inside No. 9 deserves to share the same pedestal as Black Mirror, no question.

Black Panther

I’m sure everyone knows about my less than flattering views on the Marvel Cinematic Universe by now, which is what made Black Panther such a breath of fresh air for me. Stripping away all the convoluted crap, Black Panther has often been compared to The Dark Knight, and for good reason. Like The Dark Knight, this movie uses the superhero genre to tackle real social and political issues. In Black Panther’s case, exploring just what it means to be black in the modern world. Boasting an impressive cast of black actors, strong female characters, an engaging and complex antagonist, fantastic special effects and truly excellent direction from Ryan Coogler, Black Panther represents a new benchmark for Marvel, the superhero genre and the film industry in general. It proves how important and how lucrative diversity and representation in media can be, and it unintentionally shows how flawed the Marvel business model has become. The reason behind Black Panther’s success is simple. It’s because it’s bloody brilliant. And the reason it’s bloody brilliant is because Coogler was allowed to realise his own creative vision without Kevin Feige and Mickey Mouse breathing down his neck. Perhaps they should take note of that in future.

Deadpool 2

Of course Deadpool 2 is going to be on this list. Are you really surprised?

The Merc with the Mouth goes from strength to strength in the rare instance where the sequel is actually as good as, if not better than, the original. The first Deadpool was a great origin story for the character, but Deadpool 2 felt like an adventure ripped straight from the comics themselves. Crass, ultra violent and hysterically funny, Deadpool 2 is the crowning jewel of the X-Men franchise. Fan favourites such as Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus return as well as new characters such as Domino, played by the exceptional Zazie Beetz, Cable, played by the astounding Josh Brolin, and Firefist, played by Julian Dennison who deserves all the success in the world because good God this kid can act!

But of course the star of the film is Deadpool himself with Ryan Reynolds once again proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he understands this character back to front. Not only is he hysterically funny, capturing the character’s irreverent tone perfectly, he also absolutely nails the tragic underpinnings of Deadpool that make him such a wonderful character. In between the f-bombs and gore are moments of real drama and emotional pathos as the film tackles themes such as loss, discrimination, abuse and suicidal depression. All this whilst taking the piss out of 2017′s Logan.

Oh yeah, and it also features the first openly LGBT superheroes in cinematic history. Fuck you Disney! NegaYukio and Poololosus for the win! LOL! No, but seriously, now that you have the rights to X-Men back, if you try and censor Deadpool in any way, shape or form, I will kick your arse.

God Of War (2018)

“BOY!”

Yes Kratos is back, having successfully destroyed the world of Greek mythology and now has his eyes on the Norse Gods. And he has a son now. What could possibly go wrong?

Seriously though, this new God Of War is simply exquisite. While I have long admired the God Of War franchise for its interpretation and adaptation of Greek mythology, the previous games in the series have never exactly been the most sophisticated when it comes to storytelling (and the less said about the casual sexism, the better. Yes Sony, I promise I understand the thematic reasons behind playing a minigame that allows you to have sex with Aphrodite in God Of War 3, but it still doesn’t change the fact that it’s sexist as shit). God Of War 2018 changes all that with an intelligent and engaging story that allows us understand and connect with Kratos at a more personal level than we’ve ever done before. Taking place years after God Of War 3, Kratos is older, wiser and trying to raise his son Atreus in the hopes that he won’t make the same mistakes Kratos did in his past. Not only is the story amazing, continuing the franchise’s themes of vengeance and the strained relationships between parents and their children, the gameplay is also a ton of fun with many memorable moments and boss fights.

And as an added bonus, we get two strong female characters that aren’t treated like discardable sex objects. That was nice of them.

Incredibles 2

The long awaited sequel to The Incredibles finally arrived in 2018 and it did not disappoint. Incredibles 2 was everything I could have wanted and more. Continuing on from the events of the first movie, we see Elastigirl take the spotlight as she fights the Screenslaver whilst trying to persuade the worlds’ governments to lift the ban on superheroes. Meanwhile Mr. Incredible takes a back seat as he tries to reconnect with his kids Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack and prove he can be a good, supportive dad.

Continuing to draw inspiration from Fantastic Four, X-Men and Watchmen, Incredibles 2 is... well... incredible. Expanding the world he created, Brad Bird tells a smart, funny and compelling story that stands head and shoulders above the majority of superhero movie fodder we get nowadays. Elastigirl flourishes in the lead role this time around and the kids get a lot more development, the Screenslaver is a great villain that compliments the themes of the franchise wonderfully, and we get to see a whole bunch of new characters such as Voyd and the Deavor siblings as well as the return of old favourites like Frozone and Edna Mode.

Honestly, the baby alone is worth the price of admission. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another fourteen years for Incredibles 3.

Marvel’s Spider-Man

Marvel’s Spider-Man is an amazing game. But of course you knew that already. It’s made by Insomniac Games, the same guys behind Ratchet & Clank. Of course it was going to be brilliant.

Simply put, this game does for Spider-Man what the Arkham games did for Batman. Not only is it a great game with brilliant combat and fun web swinging mechanics, it also has a great story worthy of the wall crawler. Unlike the movies, which seem to continuously yank Peter Parker back into high school with each new reboot as those the poor bastard were attached to the fucker on a bungee rope, this Spidey has been fighting crime for eight years. With great power comes many responsibilities as we see him struggle to juggle crime fighting, his new job as a scientist, his commitments to helping Aunt May at the F.E.A.S.T shelter and trying to win his ex Mary Jane Watson back after a six month split. It’s a brilliant story featuring many classic villains such as Shocker and Electro as well as lesser known villains like Screwball and the criminally underrated Mister Negative who finally gets to be the central antagonist in a Spider-Man adaptation. It’s fun to play, engaging, dramatic and really emotional at points. I cried real tears at the end. What a punch to the gut that was.

OOOOOH! And we might be getting to play as Miles Morales in the sequel! I sure hope so! :D

The Grinch

At this point I imagine many of you are scratching your heads.

“Really Quill? The Grinch? Illumination’s The Grinch? This deserves the Quill Seal Of Approval? Are you sure?” Yes dear reader, I’m absolutely sure. Just hear me out.

It’s true that the majority of Dr Seuss adaptations are shit. While the live action version of the Grinch starring Jim Carrey has a cult following and is fondly remembered by some, it’s still pretty crap, and even Illumination themselves screwed up royally with their adaptation of The Lorax. But this new Grinch is truly excellent. For starters, the animation is gorgeous. This is clearly the format that works best for Seuss movies. Benedict Cumberbatch does a really good job voicing the character, giving him depth and complexity beyond just being a big old meanie. The film also has something no other Seuss film has ever had before. Subtlety. Illumination have clearly learned their lesson after The Lorax. They’re no longer bashing you over the head with a moral message. They’re not trying to over-complicate a simple story by adding pointless sub-plot after pointless sub-plot. In fact the bits they do add actually feed into the main core of the narrative, as opposed to The Lorax, which just confused things. And while there are cute Minion-esque sidekicks like there are in a lot of Illumination films, The Grinch limits it to two (Max the dog and a reindeer named Fred), they’re both legitimately funny, serve an important narrative purpose and don’t distract from the more serious and emotional moments.

In all honesty, I was debating between giving the Quill Seal of Approval to The Grinch or to Bumblebee (the first legitimately good Transformers movie), but I decided to go with The Grinch because of how it handles the character and the story’s message. A lot of people scoffed at the idea of giving the Grinch a back story (and to the film’s credit they don’t force the issue or over-explain where the Grinch came from) but it’s honestly what makes this new adaptation of The Grinch so special to me. He’s gone from being a Scrooge-like monster to an anxiety filled misanthrope who associates Christmas with being alone. It may sound like a jarring change on paper, but in practice it honestly works so well and adds a whole new dimension to the Grinch. It’s treated with absolute care and sincerity and the film really earns its emotional moments, particularly at the end when we see the Grinch sit down to have Christmas dinner with the Whos.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you give this new Grinch a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised :)

Doctor Who - Series 11

A woman?! In the TARDIS?! How absurd!

Jodie Whittaker made history as the first woman to play the Doctor and the new series doesn’t disappoint. Whittaker is predictably brilliant in the role, giving the character compassion, charm and wit. We also get a new bunch of companions (including the always brilliant Bradley Walsh as Graham) who all have some great moments in Series 11 and the relationships they form with each other is incredibly touching and fun to watch. But the writing, my God, the writing. Admittedly not every episode has been perfect, but it’s leagues above anything Moffat has given us during his disastrous reign. The majority of Series 11 has been well written and intelligent, tackling important and relevant social issues (something Doctor Who has always been doing and anyone who says otherwise is an idiot) and focusing on likeable and relatable characters rather than convoluted series arcs. We got to meet Rosa Parks, witness the partition of India, and ponder on the dangers of automation whilst the Doctor tries to save the world from bubble wrap. Oh, and the Daleks are scary again! I know! I couldn’t believe it either!

What makes this all the more remarkable is who the showrunner is. Chris Chibnall. A writer I’ve often criticised in the past for being derivative and shit, and yet somehow he’s managed to create some of the best Doctor Who I’ve seen in a long time. Not only has his writing improved dramatically since his Torchwood days, he’s also demonstrated a commitment to having diverse representation both in front of and behind the camera as well as in the scripts themselves. For the first time in what feels like an age, Doctor Who feels like Doctor Who again, and I’m ecstatically happy.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

How come we don’t see many animated superhero movies in the cinema? Considering the medium from which superheroes came from, you’d think it would be a no-brainer. Presumably it’s because Disney have got such a strangle hold on the animation market, but that’s hopefully going to change thanks to Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (or, Sony’s Repentance for The Emoji Movie).

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. The animation is gorgeous. It’s pretty much an animated comic book and it stands out as one of the most unique looking animated films in recent memory. Spider-Verse is essentially a love letter to the legacy of Spider-Man as we see multiple different versions of Spidey, including Spider-Gwen, Spider-Ham and Nicholas Cage as Ghost Rider cosplaying as Spider-Man Noir, demonstrating not only the sheer variety of Spider-Men we’ve had over the years, but also exploring what connects them together. With all these different interpretations across many different universes, the idea of Spider-Man comes to the same thing. An ordinary person who experiences tragedy and becomes something greater. It’s hopeful and inspirational in a way Spider-Man films hasn’t been for a while now (Spider-Man: Homecoming sucked donkey balls. Period).

But let’s not forget that while the film explores the Spider-Verse, the main focus is Miles Morales who finally makes his cinematic debut. Not only is it a very faithful adaptation of Ultimate Spider-Man’s origin story, Miles himself is such a great central character for the modern age and arguably has more relevance to today than Peter Parker does. The characters are funny and relatable and the story is expertly crafted and impactful. But then what do you expect from the writers and directors of The Lego Movie? (if only Disney hadn’t interfered with Solo: A Star Wars Story. We could have had it all).

Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle

This one kind of snuck up on me toward the end of December, but I knew the moment I saw it I had to include it on this list.

Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle is an adaptation of The Jungle Book with Andy Serkis making his directorial debut. Yes the same guy who did the motion capture for Gollum in Lord Of The Rings and Caesar in the rebooted Planet Of The Apes movies and who totes deserves an Oscar for Best Actor (fuck you Academy Awards!), and he brings this same motion capture technology to this film. Unlike Disney’s Jungle Book, which merely rehashes the original animated film whilst somehow stripping all the charm from it, Mowgli sticks closer to the original Rudyard Kipling book. This isn’t a cheery musical. This film is often dark and intense as we see Mowgli (played wonderfully by Rohan Chand) struggle to find his place in the world. He knows he doesn’t belong with the animals in the jungle, but he doesn’t really fit in with the world of man neither. It’s an emotional and dramatic character piece brought to life by great writing, great acting and stunning special effects.

Andy Serkis has expressed a desire to do an adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, and after watching this movie, I would love to see that. If you haven’t already, go watch Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle. It’s available to stream on Netflix and it’s truly amazing.

And that’s it for 2018. Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Quill Seal Of Approval Awards. Unfortunately we’re on a limited budget here on The Desolated Quill, so I can’t offer any sort of trophy or medal or anything. What I can do though is write the words ‘I’m an awesome cookie’ on a post-it note and stick it on your forehead. Will that do?

#quill seal of approval awards 2018 #quill seal of approval awards #best of the year #review #opinion

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