gothambystarlight
gothambystarlight
like thebes in the sphinx's maw
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fic blog. i write DC case fic (target audience: me). madaliz on ao3
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gothambystarlight · 1 month ago
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Stars Over Gotham Notes #01: Cars
Hello! This is madaliz. I didn't want to fill the ao3 author's notes of SoG with this much rambling (it'd clutter the epub/pdf/etc. downloads) so I made this blog to post my long notes for my DC fics. The sources of the pictures in this post will be linked via the car model names.
SoG is heavily AU although it has roots in and echoes of (mostly pre-n52) canon. If you havent read SoG and you're just curious, that will matter here. (Is it canon? Is it fanon? No it's a secret third thing lmao)
JASON - 2017 Lexus IS200t F Sport (Red)
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“My philosophy of stuff,” Jason once told him, “is to only own things that scream: ‘I fucking dare you’,” (CH10)
Luxurious. Ostentatious. A little pretentious. Jason's civilian car is designed to make a statement. In his view the car is a front, a tease, a dare. He might prefer a less vibrant shade of red, but this is what he thinks Jason Wayne would want. Adopted into old money from the streets, the persona Jason Wayne is a noveau riche bad boy. Sometimes Jason worries when his private tastes are too close to the public persona. Most days he could not care less.
DAMIAN - 2009 Kia Sorento (Ebony Black)
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"Tim's always seen the Sorento as an extension of Damian's self, the only glimpse into his real personality that he allows in his "private" life." (CH2)
When Damian was scoping out secondhand cars to buy with his saved up allowance, the factors he principally considered were reliability and space. Privately there was a third consideration: it couldn't be a "luxury" car. Reasonably priced with a reputation for consistency, the Sorento checked all of Damian's boxes. Tim reflected (CH2) that Damian's meticulous upkeep of the car was a glimpse of Damian's true self, of his discipline. But, Damian's friends will give you another reason: he just doesn't want to buy a new car. Generous with his friends, but utilitarian with himself -- this is the part of himself Damian allows the world to see. Indulgences are best kept private.
BRUCE - 2015 Aston Martin Rapide S (Silver)
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"Behind him, is a silver Aston Martin, one Bruce Wayne has been known to drive to parties." (CH3)
Bruce Wayne is a consummate dandy, and a foppish persona requires an equally foppish car. Classic, easily recognizable, and a child's idea of an old money car (El*n M**k drives a James Bond car too). Bruce (and occassionally Tim) drives the Aston Martin to look like a fool and get noticed. It always works.
TIM - 2018 Kia Stinger GT1 (Aurora Black)
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"Though the black sedan is definitely less luxurious than the Aston Martin they’d previously ridden in, it has a shine that separates it from every other vehicle on the street." (CH6)
Tim thinks this is a lowkey car. It's not. While he's not the only one of Bruce's kids who was raised old money, he's the only one who was trained for Gotham High Society. His sensibilities of what's normal are a little skewed. Chapter 6 was written and posted before the Kia Stinger was discontinued, which means that in-SoG-universe, when this also inevitably happens, Tim's Stinger will be even less lowkey. Fortunately, Tim Wayne the civilian persona is an out-of-touch dandy with a heart of gold. The Stinger is an on brand misstep.
JASON (Again) - 2018 Honda CR-V (Sandstorm Metallic)
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"They climb into Jason’s most nondescript car, a beige Honda CR-V." (CH11)
Unlike Tim, Jason knows what an actual lowkey car is. He calls it his soccer mom car, knowing full well that a Honda HR-V better fits the stereotype.
DICK - 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S580 (Obsidian Black)
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"When he gets to the underground parking lot, Dick’s waiting for him in his black Maybach, classy and inconspicuous to the untrained eye." (CH28)
Dick wants to drive what people expect him to drive. Richard Wayne the civilian is a stereotype, Gotham's Paris Hilton. Dick views the Maybach as practical for his status. It isn't as arresting as Bruce's Aston Martin or Jason's Lexus, and it doesn't have any of the lines and curves that make Tim's Stinger "street chic." From the back, you might even mistake it for a mid-tier Toyota until you get your eyes checked and see the glittering Mercedes logo. This careful balance of chic and blending in, is by design, a ploy that was not always successful at the GCPD parking lot.
THE LANE-KENTS - 2009 Toyota Vios (Blue)
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"Suddenly he hears the sound of an approaching car. The sound of an engine huffing and puffing, slowly and steadily struggling forward." (CH1)
Exaggeratedly clumsy like it's main driver, Clark Kent, the Lane-Kents' car of choice was old when they bought it and ancient by the time the story begins. They're not very conscientious about keeping it maintained, and sometimes all that keeps it running is sheer willpower (or Kon's TTK) but at this point it's part of the family.
BONUS stuff I had in mind that didn't make it into SoG in the end:
CASS - Vespa SXL125 (Pearl White + Matt Black)
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Cass enjoys the wind in her hair and in her Loewe silk scarves. Nearly all her papparazzi photos are of her on her Vespa on the way to the Theater. She looks like a Dutch Princess biking in The Hague, it tells the public absolutely nothing about her, exactly as she likes it. Highly visible but infinitely mysterious, pop stars repeatedly approach her to make her their album cover, she's said yes only once. (To who? I like to think it was someone like Olivia Rodrigo or Rosé (young hip and Asian), but my lol idea is Bruno Mars)
STEPH - 1972 Volkswagen Beetle (Purple)
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Steph walked up to a used cars salesman and told him to give her the cheapest car he had. He offered her his own 1972 Volkswagen, dirt cheap. When she saw what color it was she laughed herself sick, shook the salesman's hand, and bought it immediately. Cass is the only other person who likes it. Steph nicknamed it "Timothy" as a joke and a dig after she and Tim broke up but, much to Tim's chagrin, that's what everyone calls it to this day.
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