THE OTHER is temporary rendered UNCONSCIOUS - it’s easier this way. the streets run grey as the buildings seem rather concave. GOTHAM HERSELF leaning forward as the batman teams up with a criminal. though , the bat did believe in change , that one still had goodness within their heart. anger has no place in his heart for the time being. it could easily throw his mission off or cloud judgement. doesn’t deem JA DAE-HYUN  as worthless or worthy of death ; it’s not his place to pass judgement. a lesson that was difficult to learn but necessary.

the ride to one of his lesser known batcaves is done within FIFTEEN MINUTES. the cave under ARKHAM ASYLUM herself ‘dead man’s point’ a name for a place where few ventured. the cave a maze as it paid homage to the winchester house. the bat-mobile silent in her approach as he lowers gears , and silences motor.

’ you’ve been out for two days ’ the batman offers , cowl still overing face as he looks at the equipment which monitors the others condition. ’ looks like you needed the rest ’ before then moving to a monitor. gloved fingers flit across touchscreen , and he then looks back at ja-dae hyun.

adrenaline numbs the wounds, blanketing the pain for him to focus on the anger, the revenge, the grand comeback ... oh, the ideas that rushed into his mind like dreams. nightmares for some but twisted fantasies for him. new ways to inflict pain without having to hurt someone physically. a game of sorts. the ideas dance around while putting faces to each game. each trial. he knew his enemies ... or well most of them.

the mind was much more fun to break than bones, but then again he'd be a hypocrite if he were to say he didn't enjoy that part too. so many ways to be a villain. so many ways to be unique from the rest and yet so little time with heroes trying to save the world and everyone in it. what did the world do for this man that he needed to protect the city. of all cities why gotham ? she was quite the bitch of a city.

eyes slowly open to the noise. " two days ? " he sighs before trying to sit up properly. abdomen stings from the movement. " who doesn't need rest from an ambush like that ... did you at least get any information or were you just standing in shadows and glaring around the city ? "

" that sounds like a challenge, " he laughs but stops after a bit. hand coming to aid the pain from his side. " i only offer a service i don't actually know or remember these faces. it's just another tuesday. " another sigh escapes him. tired and bored of the hunt. @batfall

it happens again, from another angle, the toppling of her body. this time she allows for mock surprise. when they [ @8flesh ] collide with her once again, she wraps her arms around the figure as tight as she can, drags the opposing body down with her. a grunt from her mouth, then something guttural from her belly. she feels the pressure of a palm against her stomach, a knee sharp in its delivery to her torso. that gnashing violence returns.

it's a strangeness to be following along with someone like a shadow. unknown to them, guard down to the dark figures behind them. like a rabid animal the chase, the hunt, the takedown were something that just gave this overwhelming rush of energy. a primal rush of the hunt. a marker has been placed on their pretty head. stories of betrayal and a yearning for revenge have gained him a job, but one that fuels his own little ' power ' as he likes to call it. feeling their rage, their pain ... their betrayal, and making it his own. he isn't stalking them. the person who wanted their vengeance trails behind.

his arm feels the pressure and weight of throwing someone over his shoulder before his hand releases sending them to the ground. not the usual routine, but they had requested a physical fight and a trophy to prove it. he takes note of their movements. quick, quicker than he was used to but nonetheless he was confident in his hand-to-hand combat [ much more than his gun-wielding]. he tries to strike again with the same move but her pull has him on the ground with her. a grunt of pain leaves him though his knee is bent ready to collide with her sternum in retaliation. the violence and dance the two are in getting a bit of a laugh out of him. hysterically enjoying the moment no matter the outcome.

hands move quickly to strike against her though the return of her knee knocks the wind out of him for a moment. dazed and confused, but regaining momentum. however, then he feels it. teeth digging into his skin through the fabric of his clothes. dae lets out a slight scream but cuts it short trying to strike her in the face with his free hand. an unusual move. one he hasn't really encountered in a long time. if he were to let his own mind get in the way of this mark he would've bitten back, but that wouldn't get the job done and he could tell somehow in his gut it wouldn't have resulted in the same reaction from her. foot winds up for another strike against the side of her stomach, hoping the connection might slow her down.

a collection of quotes, phrases, and sayings from the 2022 Dreamworks Animation film The Bad Guys. change & alter as needed.

“Seriously, though, you don’t like cake? Name one food better than cake!”

“Look at that. 4:00pm. Now I know the exact moment our friendship died.”

“These are the cards we’ve been dealt, so we might as well play ’em.”

“I just wanted a longer car chase. That’s the best part.”

“Keep running, [name]! One of these days, your luck is gonna run out!”

“I’ve made a lot of enemies in my time — I mean, a lot — but, out of all the people in the world… I hate you guys the least.”

“Wait, what’s going on? You’ve got that twinkle in your eye.”

“Are we all in this together?”

“Oh, [name], it’s not a competition! …And if it were, it would really be more of a tie.”

“If you look closely enough, even trash can be recycled into something beautiful.”

“I am definitely going to lose my job, and I will not hesitate to take you down with me!”

“Thank you, dear. You’re such a good boy.”

“There is good even in the worst places.”

“Now let’s make like a wolf, and get the pack out of here.”

“Well… this just got a little weird.”

“Not everyone gets a second chance. Make the most of it, [name].”

“They say experience is the best teacher… and they are wrong. I am.”

“What, may I ask, are you good at?”

“I have never seen him so chipper. Has he been meditating?”

“Don’t you ever get tired of lying?”

“Maybe they will believe you, and maybe they won’t, but it doesn’t matter. Don’t do it for them. Do it for you.”

“This is your chance to write your own story. To find a better life for you and your friends! Come on, what have you got to lose?”

“Believe it or not, I’m rooting for you, [name].”

“No, it’s okay! It’s okay! I’m not gonna hurt you! I know you’re scared. I would be, too, if I were you.”

“Truth is, we actually have a lot in common.”

“I must say, you’ve really turned a corner. You’re really getting it.”

“I don’t waste time thinking about stuff that’s never gonna happen.”

“You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d think that you were avoiding me.”

“I have to say, I’m a little disappointed. I was hoping you were going to ask me to dance.”

“So… how does it feel, to have everyone not fear you for a change?”

“Tonight’s headline: change is impossible, you should always judge a book by its cover, and all stereotypes have been affirmed.”

“I’m tired of being scary! I’m tired of being an outcast!”

“Guess I’m still the best bad guy the world has ever seen.”

“Just like riding a stolen bicycle.”

“Now, instead of hurting people, I’m helping them. I’m still me, I’m just… me, on the right side.”

“You’re doing the right thing. And someday, your friends — if they’re real friends… I think they’ll understand.”

“You stole my car?! …Respect.”

“You did a good thing! For me!”

“…Okay, yeah, it was a trap.”

“I’m starting to see why your friends dumped you!”

“When I woke up this morning, this is not where I saw the day going.”

“What happened? Did we blow up? …Is this heaven?”

“I’m proud of you, [name].”

“You’ve got a good thing going here, [name].”

“Is he seriously going to get away with this?”

@8flesh what good are stories without someone to experience them ?

Nix ponders the broken newsstand,  and the state of disarray surrounding it.  Her boot lands on yet another printed page of the same drivel,  this time stained with the same tell-tale crimson rivulet that flows right between them.  Whether or not her company is to blame for the bloodshed,  she doesn't know.  Doesn't rightly care,  either.  He could have ghosts at every corner,  watching and waiting.  Given the reputation preceding him,  she thinks it somewhat likely.  Hence the tie-dye glock her hand's lain against at her thigh.  Nix has yet to draw,  and won't without cause.  Instead,  she cants her head,  locks him in the corner of her eye and pointedly replies.  " Like fifty percent of the time?  Real,  actual bullshit. "

it's always something different in each country ... each city. it all had its own personality and quirks. a set aesthetic and color scheme. gotham had quite the frown for a personality. moody, on edge, and toxic to those unfortunate to stay within its limits. chaotic but a scared city. silenced by mobs, and gangs, but to its citizens, they were just villains to their dear hero. the papers try to start shit between everyone they can, and all of it just ... aligns true to gotham. a disappointed sigh of a society or a civilization. the order its government had .... the control and fear it instilled was gone. the people of gotham were left to defend themselves ... against themselves.

he smirks, giggles a bit even. the number of pictures of this 'clown' was everywhere. the same visuals. GREEN / RED / BLUE. the media is always bullshit, isn't it? put on a nice thin layer of truth and you were allowed to broadcast it to millions and claim it the god's honest truth. even worse lie good enough and no truth is needed. believers are the backbone. " doesn't that go for everything? " his eyes remain glued to the article he's reading. the paper opened to the very page containing the lovely words these journalists associated with that clown. dae remembers the day he was shown the video footage of that tv host getting his brains blown out. wow, what a way to be drawn to gotham. " some stories can survive off being based on just experience. " his hands raise the paper out towards her for her to see the next page. I SURVIVED THE KILLER CLOWN as the heading and I WAS AT THE SHOW as the subheading. you find yourself in a situation and suddenly your 'trauma' is your golden ticket. milk it.

" surprise surprise not every city, every country lies to its citizens so blatantly as yours does ... still something to adjust to. " his smirk hasn't left while he turns his body more as respect until they are face to face as a 'normal' conversation. " in our business, i'd expect you already know it's easy to manipulate, but then again sometimes these writers get a bit to bold for our liking ... then someone puts them in their place or ... in a place. " his smirk again never leaving until he chooses to drop the emotion and let his resting face emerge. cold, but calm. " i'd say if you're tired of the stories being run, " he takes a slight step forward, eyes reaching their corners to review the seller's position. desperate, nosey gotham. " it wouldn't be difficult to fix should this individual [ ' THE JOKER ' ] not want to deal with this on their own. " offering his services like the good businessman he is knowing he's seen a connection between the clown and this particular person. can't exactly pinpoint it right now but seemed important.

❛ vectors. technically. hosts, more broadly.   ❜ detached, her voice aimlessly drifts, eyes scanning down the length of a stack of binders - their plastic covers yellowed and cracking. elegant scrawl covers the smudges of their former labels. gingerly, she lifts the stack into her arms and slides them back into a turned milkcrate on a shelf above them. it was as lived in as any temporary camp could appear, the walls of the crumbling building freckled with pushpins and rumpled maps. a smattering of handwritten notes, different hands contradicting or adding or commenting on one another, and fading pictures.

she circles past him, mindful of the decptively crampled space.

❛ some people categorize them by the manifestation of their symptoms. but i don't think clicker sounds any less outlandish than zombie.   ❜ it's the sort of strangeness she couldn't linger on too long - couldn't ruminate on what could have been done. what used to be different. this was a parasite. these were just symptoms. ❛ does that make you uncomfortable, ? ❜

SO MUCH LOSS AND DISINTIGRATION OF AN ALREADY CRUMBLING SOCIETY ... now in ruins - if you can't see the positives. the green leaves and moss that take on the grey lifeless buildings that once were. the only pops of color around them were from back then, their drawings, posters, pictures, and even postcards. some sprinkles of truth that life was here. but then again those negatives would come back. 'hosts' as she says, sends a chill down his spine even though he knew a general idea. it's because it's said so confidently they have no control over themselves. a fugitive has taken their able bodies ... forced their way in and multiplied by parasitic means until an army could rest in unknown spots all over the world. all connected, all-knowing. " you say it like you're sure. are you? 'host' suggests they just can't control themselves ... you think maybe they're still ... still in there? " a tinge of guilt running over him. survivors guilt? hand rubs the spot bite on his shoulder as if it soothed him and guilted him to remember he's still here now.

" geez and i nearly forgot about 'clickers'. " he simply watches her move around with books and the different areas to examine and study. learn and grow from the past and maybe find solutions. not completely on board with the seriousness of the journey. he had a hard time believing a cure could be made. nature took back her control and we had to adapt. fireflies claim to be seeking the same but ... even in the grand race to cure the world, how would we really go back?

" honestly, slightly. i just keep thinking about if they're still in there. the ones who haven't been completely ripped apart or you know stuck to the wall like decorations. what if they're stuck and they're just stuck ... forever. i'd just rather be dead ... "

On Revenge and Grief