Harley Quinn/The Joker : two recs
Fandom:DC Comics, Batman
Pairing: Harley Quinn/The Joker
Title: JxHQ: Arkham Asylum: Tainted Love
Author: princessbee
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4203810/1/JxHQ-Arkham-Asylum-Tainted-Love
Rating/Warning(s): Mature
Word Count/WIP?: 77,749, complete
Recced on LiveJournal By: skysamuelle
Why This Must Be Read: ‘Dr. Harleen Quinzel: Beautiful, smart, ambitious. But she never counted on The Joker. An all new and different take on the seduction and manipulation which led to her going insane and becoming Harley Quinn.’
H x J = Stockholm Syndrome at its finest, they say. Hard to find fic that captures Harley’s descent into madness with as much richness as this one. Let me say I think it’s very difficult to even imagine the sort of mindgames that might bring a normal woman to the depths of complete deconstruction of self the Joker took Harley Quinzel, so when I read Harley back story I am usually left with the sense the story, no matter how sinisterly good, might have dared a bit more, delved a bit deeper. Not so with this tale. To begin I was impressed that princessbee carefully had the Joker’s ‘warming up’ technique on Harley following down-to-the-T the steps a real-life-abuser most likely would (according psych magazines, anyway) - alternating apparent warmth and coolness to keep her unsteady, genuine flattery and random comments designated to isolate her and eat away slowly at her confidence, outbursts of violence and random slivers of apparent intimacy… the going slow at first, to increase on the violence once he had her. It was a chilling journey, and it rang very true to both leading characters. Harley is a sweet, naïve, not-particularly perceptive or self-aware little glory hound, idealistic and well meaning to the bone. Even in her very put-together-persona, her unguarded impressionability immediately makes her vulnerable to her patient’s dominant charisma … because The Joker is coldly intelligent, all-assessing and attentive in all ways she is not, despite her chosen profession. He sees right through her from the first moment, whereas Harley pretty much sees what she wants to see - hides her want for attention and respect behind a love of her community, interprets some of the Joker’s responses to her as expressions of progress because it feeds into her fantasy of reforming him and becoming famous first, of putting him on a pedestal after. Times and times again is her lack of awareness that exposes her to danger, and the Joker’s excess of it that makes him dangerous. The interplay between them was complex, scary as hell, and a mad road to a madder end.
Fandom:DC Comics, Batman
Pairing: Harley Quinn/The Joker
Title: JxHQ: Gameplay
Author: princessbee
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4179902/1/JxHQ-Gameplay
Rating/Warning(s): Mature, mentions of sadomasochism
Word Count/WIP?: 1,926, complete
Recced on LiveJournal By: skysamuelle
Why This Must Be Read: The Joker and his relationship with sex and other acts of self-gratification (no, not the ones you are likely to be thinking of now! ;P) before and after Harley Quinn. Or, in his words - “It’sust one way to a certain feeling but he knows others. It's all a game, isn't it? Sometimes the game ends up playing you.”
Insightful, well-written, almost sweet in some bits. Vivid sketch of a very particular mind.
Pairing: Harley Quinn/The Joker
Title: JxHQ: Arkham Asylum: Tainted Love
Author: princessbee
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4203810/1/JxHQ-Arkham-Asylum-Tainted-Love
Rating/Warning(s): Mature
Word Count/WIP?: 77,749, complete
Recced on LiveJournal By: skysamuelle
Why This Must Be Read: ‘Dr. Harleen Quinzel: Beautiful, smart, ambitious. But she never counted on The Joker. An all new and different take on the seduction and manipulation which led to her going insane and becoming Harley Quinn.’
H x J = Stockholm Syndrome at its finest, they say. Hard to find fic that captures Harley’s descent into madness with as much richness as this one. Let me say I think it’s very difficult to even imagine the sort of mindgames that might bring a normal woman to the depths of complete deconstruction of self the Joker took Harley Quinzel, so when I read Harley back story I am usually left with the sense the story, no matter how sinisterly good, might have dared a bit more, delved a bit deeper. Not so with this tale. To begin I was impressed that princessbee carefully had the Joker’s ‘warming up’ technique on Harley following down-to-the-T the steps a real-life-abuser most likely would (according psych magazines, anyway) - alternating apparent warmth and coolness to keep her unsteady, genuine flattery and random comments designated to isolate her and eat away slowly at her confidence, outbursts of violence and random slivers of apparent intimacy… the going slow at first, to increase on the violence once he had her. It was a chilling journey, and it rang very true to both leading characters. Harley is a sweet, naïve, not-particularly perceptive or self-aware little glory hound, idealistic and well meaning to the bone. Even in her very put-together-persona, her unguarded impressionability immediately makes her vulnerable to her patient’s dominant charisma … because The Joker is coldly intelligent, all-assessing and attentive in all ways she is not, despite her chosen profession. He sees right through her from the first moment, whereas Harley pretty much sees what she wants to see - hides her want for attention and respect behind a love of her community, interprets some of the Joker’s responses to her as expressions of progress because it feeds into her fantasy of reforming him and becoming famous first, of putting him on a pedestal after. Times and times again is her lack of awareness that exposes her to danger, and the Joker’s excess of it that makes him dangerous. The interplay between them was complex, scary as hell, and a mad road to a madder end.
Fandom:DC Comics, Batman
Pairing: Harley Quinn/The Joker
Title: JxHQ: Gameplay
Author: princessbee
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4179902/1/JxHQ-Gameplay
Rating/Warning(s): Mature, mentions of sadomasochism
Word Count/WIP?: 1,926, complete
Recced on LiveJournal By: skysamuelle
Why This Must Be Read: The Joker and his relationship with sex and other acts of self-gratification (no, not the ones you are likely to be thinking of now! ;P) before and after Harley Quinn. Or, in his words - “It’sust one way to a certain feeling but he knows others. It's all a game, isn't it? Sometimes the game ends up playing you.”
Insightful, well-written, almost sweet in some bits. Vivid sketch of a very particular mind.