Brutalscaled - Tumblr Posts
Just another reason why he likes dealing with Killer Croc more than he likes dealing with most of Gotham’s other rogues.
Smash or pass for shits and giggles XD
𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐃 " 𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐎𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐒 “ 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐘 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒. 𝐍𝐎 𝐋𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐃 .
Roman barked out a laugh, though it was neither a mocking nor scornful sound. “Pass. Nothing against you personally but considering the size difference between us, I’d rather not have my internal organs rearranged anytime soon. There’s enough goddamn people out there looking to do just that in about a hundred other, less fun ways without mixing business with pleasure...” he continued with a chuckle. He didn’t give a damn what Croc looked like. In other circumstances, they got along fairly well, almost cordial even but it was a little harder to overlook the fact that Waylon Jones was easily twice his size and then some.
★
Send me a ★ and I’ll bold what applies to your muse.
“I hope you’ve brought your appetite along with you, Croc. We’ve got a long, messy night ahead of us...”
I like you / I hate you / I dislike you / I love you / You are family / I would take a bullet for you / I would shoot you / I would lie to your face / I would say something cruel to you on purpose / I would say something cruel to you accidentally / I would cheat on you / I would physically hurt you / You annoy me / You amuse me / I’d laugh at you / I’d laugh with you / I’d manipulate you / You scare me / You confuse me / I wish I knew you better / I trust you / I don’t trust you / You inspire me / I consider you an equal / You are beneath me / You’re better than me / I would trust you with my life / I think you’re mean / I think you’re petty / I think you’re childish / I think you’re smart / I think you’re stupid / I think you’re a bad person / I think you’re a good person / I’m not sure what kind of person you are / I wish you would listen to me / I want to make you proud / I wish you would notice me / I want to impress you / I would hurt other people for you / I’m not sure how to make you happy / I’m a bad influence on you / You deserve better than me / We make a great team / I’d have a one night stand with you / I’d have a relationship with you / I would marry you / I fantasize about our life together / I would trust you with my most treasured belonging / I would tell you my darkest secrets / You disgust me / You intimidate me / I hope I intimidate you / I’d hug you / I’d let you hug me / I’m scared of losing you / I don’t think you like me / I want to be better for you / I respect you / I don’t respect you / You’re my mentor / You’re my friend / You’re my best friend / I have a crush on you / I could easily watch you die / I’d get drunk with you / I’d party with you / I’d comfort you / I’d prank you / I’d spike your drink / I’d act behind your back / I’d abandon you / I’d hurt you to get what I want / I would choose my happiness over yours / I would choose your happiness over mine / I despise how much I care for you / I need you / I’m dependent on you / I don’t know what I’d do without you / I’m scared of you leaving me / I’d give my life for you / You frustrate me / I’d call for you in a time of need / I would protect you / I’d visit you in hospital / I’d carry you if you were hurt / I’d feel guilty if I hurt you / I’d let you be near me when I am vulnerable / I’d ignore a phone call from you / I’d call you at 3am / I’d break you out of jail / I’d get angry at you / I would shout at you / You’re too loud / You’re too quiet / You’re too sensitive / You can’t take a joke / You embarrass me / I feel nothing for you / You’re reckless / You’re bossy / You bore me / I would ask your advice / I would blame you for something I did / I would cry in your arms / You have the power to hurt me more than anyone else /
Why don't you keep Croc on as a full time employee?
“Croc’s fun to have around and all but as much as I like him, I ain’t his keeper. Our current arrangement works fine for us both - if I need a little extra muscle, I know somebody reliable to count on if he’s onboard with the job. He needs a solid done, I’m his man.” Roman said with a shrug. Honestly, he’d entertained the idea of offering a permanent position once or twice. Croc was by far the easiest to get along with when it came to forging an alliance with other big names in Gotham. There were never any silly games between them, be it the mind or power sort. Roman respected Croc’s brute strength and calculating but honest nature. He never backstabbed those he worked for nor had ever been swayed by promises of better from those they’d targeted. They made agreements, stuck to them in order to get the job done, split up the bounty and made sure each man got his due. If they had a little fun while working, so much the better. Croc didn’t mind Roman’s penchant for torture, and Roman didn’t mind the extra blood when Croc satiated his voracious appetite. "We got our own goals in life so it’s probably for the best we stick to them. ‘sides, it’s kind of tough when half the time, either one of us is in the slammer thanks to Bats.”
@brutalscaled asked:
Croc had mulled this over for a bit. He wasn't in the habit of asking for things, but Roman was a friend, and an efficient man besides. And if he couldn't help directly, maybe he had some connections that could. "If I were to hand you a newspaper clipping from about," he thought for a second. "Ten years ago with a date, charges, and names, how hard would it be to find the people in the article?" Croc was great at tracking scents. That was a bit difficult when he didn't have the scent to begin with.
Roman’s interest was immediately piqued. Croc rarely - if ever - asked anybody for personal favours so the fact this one was so unusually specific was telling. He hummed thoughtfully in response, dark brown eyes level with those of slitted gold and it was with a smile that realization sank in. Croc had a grudge. Roman didn’t need to ask to know. He knew better than most how Croc was perfectly capable of ripping anybody who’d wronged him apart but corruption was an entirely different breed of animal to deal with, running as deep and dark as the waters of Gotham Bay. The passage of time would only make some trails murkier to follow than others but Roman knew how to bend the system to his favour, or at least where to pull some strings to get what he wanted. “Depends. A lot can happen in ten years but paper trails always lead somewhere eventually, especially when dirt’s involved. Takes a lot of money to cover those incidents up but I’m guessing that’s not the case here.” Ten years was a long time. It felt even longer holding onto a grudge, resentment festering over time like an open wound but Roman knew it must have been important if Croc was bringing it up here and now. He had to admit, he rather wanted to know who or what had baited the big guy, to have him request something like this but a favour was a favour, and Croc had done him plenty of solids in the past for him to accept.
”I got me a man inside the justice system, lawyer type shit. You give me the information you have and I’ll run it by him, see what he can dig up on those ‘names’ you mention. I trust you’re after something more than a happy reunion with some old friends...”
✿
PRE-ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP MEME 0.2
“So you still refuse to talk. That’s okay, I’ve got all the time in the world and I’m sure my friend here can help loosen that stubborn tongue of yours...”
FRIENDSHIP. childhood friends / work buddies or coworkers / family friends / friends with benefits / smoking buddies (or drinking buddies) / adventure buddies / fake friends / recently friends / party buddies / friendship of need / dying friendship / circumstantial friendship / partners in crime / old friendship / [ your muse ] is the good influence / [ your muse ] is the bad influence / [ my muse ] is the good influence / [ my muse ] is the bad influence / opposites attract / ride or die / frenemies / roommates or flatmates / penpals / exes to friends / enemies to friends / other
ROMANCE. childhood sweethearts / [ your muse is mines ] childhood crush / [ my muse is yours ] childhood crush / exes / exes to lovers / forbidden lovers / highschool sweethearts / secret relationship / opposites attract / long distance / unrequited [ from your muses side ] / unrequited [ from my muses side ] / unrequited [ from both sides ] / skinny love / friends to lovers / enemies to lovers / spurious relationship / power couple / newly entered / soulmates [ metaphorical ] / soulmates [ literal ] / awkward / turning toxic / toxic love / cheating [ on your muse ] / cheating [ with your muse ] / other
FAMILIAL. siblings [ half ] / siblings [ step ] / [ my muse ] is an older sibling figure to your younger sibling figure / [ my muse ] is a younger sibling figure to your older sibling figure muse / [ my muse ] is a parental figure to yours / [ my muse ] is a child figure to your muse / guardian figure / legal guardian / adoptive child / foster child / [ your muse ] is taken under mines wing / [ my muse ] is taken under yours wing / other
ANTAGONISTIC. dangerous to each other / dangerous to others / unpredictable / rivals / petty / developing into sexual or romantic tension / based off family matters / based of off circumstance / based of professional matters / based off misunderstanding or lies / conflict of ideology / betrayal / hero - villain dynamic / enemies / fight club / friends turned enemies / lovers turned enemies / exes turned enemies / other
@brutalscaled was encountered here...
Roman had always hated his parent’s parties, both those they dragged him to as well as hosted here at their lavish country estate. Fortunately there was plenty of woodland out here away from the hustle and bustle of Gotham, giving him plenty of hiding places if only mom and dad actually cared about where their son had disappeared off to this time. That was fine with Roman. He’d happily wait until the sun dipped low over the treetops, just him and his sandwich until it was time to head back. At least, that had been his plan, until he’d come across another kid out here. His hands soon forget they’re holding onto a roasted beef sandwich, food still wrapped in a fancy napkin after having swiped it from the buffet table. Lunch is ignored in favor of the newcomer, this boy standing knee-deep in the creek running out back with a frog in his hand while another took up residency in his stomach. Roman tries not to stare. This wasn’t one of those upper-class assholes like Bruce Wayne or the Kanes - this kid is someone else, something else (it would be hard to forget somebody with sharp teeth and scales) yet Roman finds he doesn’t mind, instead growing more curious as to who he is. He’d much rather play with this kid than suffer the company of those at his parent’s stupid party. ”It’s okay, I won’t tell them you’re here. My parents, I mean. Came out here to get away from them.” Roman shrugged, eyeing the boy’s dirty overalls enviously. He’s self-conscious of his own dress, pristine and pressed in an ugly blush pink that clashes horribly against the colours of spring. The boy seems nervous in his presence however, as though expecting Roman to throw a rock at him at any moment but Roman doesn’t, instead approaching the bank before plopping down on the wet grass. Mom’ll kill him for muddying his dress. One of these days, Roman will tell her to go fuck herself. “What about you? You don’t… live out here on your own, do you?” He asks carefully. It was possible if he was hungry enough to eat frogs.
“Croc’s a lotta things but he ain’t no squealin’ rat, that’s damn sure...”
“Yeah, I got an idea. Don’t offer yourself up like a turkey at an all-you-can-eat Thanksgiving buffet.” Roman replies. The bite of his words had softened slightly compared to seconds ago, mollified by the weight of Croc’s hand on his own. His fingers remain locked fast on those scales, in his mind being the only lifeline keeping the other man tied to Gotham. He lets out a shaky breath that causes his smoke-addled lungs to rattle, the sound they make being the only indication as to the nerves he feels right now.
”So Chimera’s been watchin’ you. So fucking what. Guessing this is their bright idea of getting you to come nice n’ easy instead of coming into Gotham to get you. I’ll tell you why, and it’s ‘cuz they’re scared. Maybe not of you, maybe not of me but they’re scared of something and there’s a lot of shit they gotta crawl through first before they can get to either one o’ us.”
The Joker. The GCPD. Batman. Arkham. The corruption that ran through the city like filth through the waters of Gotham Bay. Hell, even the civilians were as rugged and dirty as the criminals that ran it and that wasn’t even counting the ‘rogues’ famous for causing murder and mayhem like the two of them happened to be. Even C-Listers like the Ratcatcher would be too much of a handful to deal with anywhere else.
”If you fucking go, tell me, what’s stopping ‘em from doing what they want anyway once they get what they want? Dunno about you, but I never liked giving up without a fight.”
Roman would torture every last one of those Chimera fuckers before he'd let them take Croc.
"You ain't fucking serious about going, are you? You can't trust none of these fuckers to keep their word and you know it, Croc." Roman hisses in a low voice, gloved fingers clutching onto the other's scaled forearm so hard as though he believed if he held on hard enough, it might convince him not to go. Croc was his own man and could do as he pleased but he'd be damned if he didn't say something at this point.
In reference to this.
He'd never admit... but he'd hoped he'd be able to slip away before Roman got wind of the deal. Of course that didn't happen, but part of Croc– the part that knew this was a dumb FUCKING idea– was glad for the voice of reason the other man provided… even if he provided no other clarity on what to do instead. His jaw clenched, claws of one hand digging into his palm and drawing blood to drip down his knuckles. He wanted to punch something, bite someone… something to take this helpless anger out on.
"I don't know. I know I can't trust 'em. I don't even know how long they've been watchin' me," he rumbled, after a moment resting his other hand atop Roman’s. "I'm tryin' to not give 'em a reason to come after you, n' this is the only immediate way I can think of that might work. If you have another idea, I want to hear it."
He might've made the deal... but by god he didn't want to go back to Chimera.
It's been almost a day since Croc and Otis had gone for a supply run, with no word from either of them. A box has arrived for Roman, no sender or markings to make note of. Inside is a familiar black vest and a note: "Intervene in any way and you'll recieve a body part next. This goes for all of his pretend family."
Gloved fingers tap on his new wooden desk, glancing at his phone every so often. Still no messages from either Croc or the Ratcatcher. Roman idly looks away, continuing with his work but it’s hard to pay attention to. Numbers bleed into one another, meaningless scribbles becoming more erratic as his fingers convulse and twitch. A shot of whiskey quickly becomes two, doing nothing to improve his mood as the pen jolts when a knock is heard at his office door, broken nib spilling ink across the page. ”The fuck do you want?” Is Roman’s imminent response as one of the muscle peeks inside, his rugged face coy as he holds up a box in his hands. Roman snarls, white teeth glittering against the darkness of his mask as he rises in high temper, striding over to the man and snatching the box before shoving him back aggressively, slamming the door behind him. Gormless schmuck. The box is light in his hands and immediately he gets a bad feeling about it. A quick jostle indicates nothing untoward; it’s light as air almost, suggesting nothing questionable though he knows better after living in Gotham his whole life. Still, it had gotten past security which suggested there wasn’t much to worry about. Opening the box put that thought out of his head instantly. The scent of damp and earthern copper hits what’s left of his nose right away, the familiar smell of the sewers he’d dumped the many bodies of his victims bringing to mind the face before he can even say his name. Roman’s blood burns like fire as the lid falls off, revealing the note and the black vest he’d come to associate with Croc. Oh. Oh. Roman’s eyes swivel in their sockets, the whites of his eyes flashing like that of a mad beast as the air freezes in his lungs. The fire rises, blood rushing through his veins as the edges of his vision go red for a brief instant before his fingers grip the box, the pupils of his eyes shrinking to mere pinpricks as he comes to his senses. He knows this game. He’d been playing it since he was 17 fucking years old, kidnapping his first victim in hopes of a quick ransom. Clumsy. Clumsy he’d been in those days, but the years of violence and constant danger had sharpened his bloodlust to a fine point, the desire for retribution keeping his new desk safe for the time being. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Croc and the Ratcatcher’s journey hadn’t ended as it should have, and that Chimera finally had their missing experiment. Nothing about Otis had been mentioned and whether he lay dead in the sewers wasn’t much of a concern to Roman right now. If he wasn’t dead, he’d soon beg to be if Roman ever managed to get ahold of the slimy little rat fuck. It had been his idea, his plan to go along with this fucking ridiuclous buddy system and it didn’t take a genius to suss out some form of backstabbing was involved, the little rat-faced fucker. The fire rises along with the heat in his blood and red in his vision as he stared transfixed at the note, then back to the tattered vest which seemed to have a new hole in it that wasn’t there before. A deep breath is exhaled and the fire along with it as Roman becomes all business, a new mission in mind. “Rocco, Dante. Vieni.” These are his only words as he calls his dogs over by name. The rottweiler brothers spring up from their dark corner, stumpy tails wagging as they seek to do their master’s bidding. Wet noses sniff the vest he’s holding up furiously, a vague flash of recognition shining in their canine eyes as they pick up Croc’s scent and lick their lips with a whine before Roman flicks out his phone. “Cancel everything on schedule. I want everybody ready and waiting for new orders before nightfall and I mean everybody.” A body part? He’d wait for it. Croc was a tough cookie who’d dealt with worse, Roman knew that much, and Roman had eyes all over the city too. He had the money, he had the resources and by god he had the manpower to get what he wanted - and what he wanted most of all right now was the location of that fucking lab, to find out where they’d taken his ally. ”Pretend family, huh? Ain’t no fucking pretending about what I’m gonna do when I find out where ya’ll are.” Roman says, dogs sniffing the letter eagerly as they salivate in anticipation of work. His eyes fell upon the knife collection hanging up on the wall. Blunt blades hurt a lot more than sharp ones, he’d learned a long time ago and took a lot longer cutting through human flesh. With a free schedule, he had a lot of free time to indulge and research some new torture methods.
💛 childhood friends 🚸 coworkers like family 👯partners in crime trope
RELATIONSHIP TYPES
Send one or more emojis ( + descriptions ) for the kind of ship/dynamic you’d like to write with my muse! ( for multimuses, please specify. )
Absolutely agree with everything you’ve got here! The childhood friends is a new dynamic we only started talking about/writing recently but my god, I love it so much??? Waylon had a TERRIBLE childhood and like so many of Gotham’s Rogues, Roman did too. Just in different ways. Whereas Waylon grew up in poverty and hardship, abused further by his neglectful and outright cruel aunt, Roman grew up in relative care, privileged compared to many but no more loved by his parents than Waylon’s aunt cared for her nephew. Roman similarly had few friends growing up, but if they had met as children as they did in our threads, it would have been a very different story, these two finding solace in one another, in a world where their loved ones resent them for being the way they are. It’s a strange dichotomy almost, that Waylon and Roman can look so different and live completely opposite lives but beneath the surface, if one cared to look deeper, they are very similar people at heart and it’s exactly the reason why they get along so well. Roman had no love of his parent’s fancy parties and extravagant events and Waylon would have never fitted in (much less gotten an invitation), but he’s the right sort of asset at parties Roman likes, where they take down anybody who gets in their way. They are very much partners in crime, with none of the mind games other criminals in Gotham like getting up to behind each other’s backs. Killer Croc has none of the airs and graces others tend to put on and his honesty is a breath of fresh air in a place where Black Mask needs eyes up his ass (as well as the back of his head) to avoid getting double-crossed or stabbed in the back. With Croc, he has none of those worries and vice versa with Croc trusting him. They plan accordingly, make their agreements, work together as a team and see their work through to the end, so that each man gets his due. It’s very business-oriented which works well for them, making their team-up’s a genuine threat as Roman sees and treats Croc as an equal, not as a dumb animal or thug who can’t think for himself. Roman has a healthy respect for Croc, both for his abilities and reliability in a city full of criminals that will stab you in the back for a bigger slice of the pie or simply because it’s fun. With these two? They want it all, and the best way to get that is to work together as one.
Checklist (brutalscaled~)
Send “checklist” and my muse will fill out the list below with their thoughts about yours!
"Got a job you might be interested in, Croc. It's quick, easy and all that's required are a few minutes of your maritime talents..."
I find you to be:
[X] interesting (By far one of the most interesting people I know) [X] cute (Not derogatory) [X] attractive (I always like watching you work) [ ] sexy [X] reassuring (Reassuring like having a grenade launcher onhand) [X] intimidating (to others, you're a godsend when I need quick answers/results from these morons) [ ] annoying (No?) [ ] tedious (Again, no) [ ] terrifying (I guess I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of those jaws but it's impressive watching them work)
I think we should:
[X] talk more (Always good hearing your thoughts on things) [X] hang out more (I can trust you when shit needs getting done) [X] date (Date more like planning how we're gonna strike that incoming shipment before it hits the docks) [X] adopt each other as found family (You can be my brother anyday) [X] fight (friendly) [ ] fight (hostile) [ ] avoid each other if at all possible
If we spent an evening together we would:
[X] just hang out (You know you're always welcome to come chill or whatever) [X] talk about deep stuff (We can shoot the shit over a bottle of whiskey or two, yeah) [ ] cuddle [X] go to bed together (to sleep) [ ] go to bed together (to… not sleep) [X] go out and party till sunrise (by party you and I both know that's a lie :) [X] both get arrested (Fucking Batman always finds a way to spoil our fun) [ ] probably wind up killing each other (Nah we get along p good)
If we kissed it would be:
[ ] a chaste press of lips [ ] a playful smooch [ ] swift and stolen [ ] deep, sweet, and sincerely meant [ ] all teeth and tongue and hot as heck [X] not happening [X] it's not because I don't like you, it's because you and I both have lip issues
If we had sex it would be:
[ ] romantic and luxurious [ ] fast, rough and hard [ ] against the nearest wall [ ] fantastic [X] awkward (We've known each other since we were kids so it's kinda awkward yeah...) [X] a really bad idea (I can handle pain but even this might be too much to handle?) [X] an all-around disaster (Can't see it turning out any other way RIP) [X] not happening
If I woke up and found you unexpectedly in my bed I would:
[ ] cuddle you (Being asleep doesn't count) [X] offer you breakfast (Cooked or 'leftovers' from last night?) [ ] attempt to seduce you [ ] kick you out (No you can stay) [ ] demand to know how you got there (I'd wonder how you got in without waking me tbh) [ ] scream [X] not question it [X] go back to sleep (I know I'm safe here with you)