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luludeluluramblings · 10 days

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Conner Kent's Obsession with Smalltown!Reader

A/N: I saw a few people liking the Superfam stuff and finally went nuts attempting this Conner bit. I tried. I tried so hard. I added dialogue. I'm used to the YJ Conner, but this is my attempt at Comic Conner. If he's OOC, oops. Yeet. (I attempted to research, I swear.) Might edit this some later.

A/N: I write Reader with an accent. One, cause that's how I talk. Two, cause I like it like 'dat.

A/N: I'm also almost done with Part Seven, but I'm adding dialogue to that too to make the breaking point a tad bit more impactful. I've never really written dialogue before.

Warnings: Slight Yandere themes. Romantic Yandere. (Very subtle.)

Conner’s run-ins with Reader always seemed to piss Tim off. Especially after Tim started researching into Reader. He would occasionally always beg Tim to invite Reader to hang out. And, he would find himself rejected every single time. Before it was probably due to Tim being dramatic. Now, he certain of this, it's because Tim dramatic and jealous overprotective.

On other occasions, he'd just by pass Tim, leaving him to his cases (and creeping) so hecould sneak and bother reader. They’re kinda cute, in his opinion. Of course they call him a big city boy and said he clearly lived off of his daddy’s money. Which was only kind of wrong. But, they way they said it made his a trail of heat crawl down his spine.

After some time had passed, he knew that Tim and the other members of the family were suspicious about him coming to the manor so much. He never tried to hide his reasons There was no point in hiding behind weak excuses. He respected the Bats too much to even think he could fool them. Plus, lying to the Bats was a good way to get stabbed with a kryptonite knife. Even though they had made it pretty clear that they disapproved of him coming around so often, He was still going to keep visiting. Could they really blame him? It wasn’t his fault he was enamored so easily.

He kept his distance just a bit. Like he was silently (commanded) requested. He could tell he made the newest addition to the family a bit uncomfortable. And, he understood. The clone thing was kinda freaky after all.

Well, at first he had assumed it was because he was a clone. That would make any normal person feel a bit weird. But, then he heard them keep call him that nickname. City boy. The way it rolled off their tongue and how often it was said was clearly a sign. They weren’t bothered by the clone thing. They just didn’t like his personality. He could fix that. That wasn’t that hard. He was adaptable.

So when he approached them again, for the million time, he tried to play up the cool and collected act. Going as far as to emulate the Batman. Which, surprising made the ice break. When they laughed at him.

☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️

"No, seriously why are you acting like that?" You're still giggling at how hard he was trying to play up the serious act. Cause that's all it was. You don't doubt he could genuinely be serious for a moment, but this wasn't one of those moments.

"I'm just letting you see a different side of me, is all." Conner replies, trying to keep it up even though he had been quickly caught.

"You mean the imaginary side, city boy? I didn't realize you liked to play pretend." Another teasing snort. God, how you needed that laugh.

"I'm not pretending."

"Yeah, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yeah."

"No."

"Yes, you are. Don't be lyin' to me now. Or, Imma start gettin' upset."

"Okay, okay... How could you tell?" He conceded after a moment. The way he scratched the back of his head suited him much more than that little Oscar performance he was putting on a few seconds prior.

"I'm observant." Comes the mock arrogant reply. It was hard to give him a cold shoulder when he just made you laugh so genuinely in the last few weeks.

"Oh, look who's playing pretend now." The snark on his tongue doesn't have any heat, but it does bring you some relief. A bit of much needed normalcy.

Maybe it's the fact that the loneliness has slowly crawled into your chest and burrowed it's self deep in that hollow part of you, but it's easy to let your guard down around him for once. You had noticed his efforts to get to know you before, and maybe you let those preconceived notions cloud your little head. But, there was no need for them anymore. The twinge of glee he sparked was enough to burn them away and make you pause before you would rebuild those walls of yours.

"Are you saying I'm not observant?"

"Yep."

"The audacity!" The outrage nothing more than a sham. A simple way to fill the air between them. Cause even if the talk was small, just the hint of it filled something in you. That didn't make your curiosity fade, however. "But, seriously, why are you impersonating Bruce? And in his own house, no less."

The brief silence that washes over you both has you already regretting this. Had it really so long since you've had a proper conversation that you were this out of practice?

When he finally speaks again, it is gives you relief and more regret.

"I just wanted to finally get your attention."

Well, doesn't that make you finally fit in with the rest of your family?

Your tongue brushes over your teeth in an attempt to get the lead coating that made your words weigh heavy in your mouth off of it.

"I'm sorry, Conner. I- I've been smallminded haven’t I?"

"No, I get it. The whole clone thing is freaky." He starts, a light flush on his cheeks. He wasn't expecting an apology, and especially one so soon and so heartfelt.

"Oh, yeah, that... Really it didn't have anything to do with it. I kinda just thought you were a typical concrete jungle flirt. Momma warned me about men like you." You try to hide your sheepishness by adding humor to your voice, praying he catches your sincerity under all the different layers.

He catches something, judging by the beaming smile Conner gives you.

"Really? I had hoped it wasn't, ya know, that."

"Nah, nah. It wasn't. Still, I am sorry." You assume silence is about to befall the pair of you again, but he doesn't let it happen.

"My family owns a farm out in Kansas, you know?" The cheeky grin on his face screams that he's going to be getting his revenge in the form of mild bullying.

"No!" The resounding smack of your palm hitting your forehead nearly echoes in the halls. "I feel even worse now."

"So much for being observant, little detective."

"I never claimed to be no detective. But, I might be more... oblivious then I initially implied..."

Now, it's Conner's turn to guffaw at you.

"The audacity."

"Don't you throw my words back at my. I can't handle it." You can't help by click your tongue. There's hardly any annoyance from your words. "I really misjudged you."

"It's fine! I figured you might still be adjusting to Gotham and the whole Wayne lifestyle. Tim mentioned you're from a pretty small town when I started bugging him about you." He's clearly playing up the charm, but you let it work on you.

"More like I'm still suffering from culture shock." Slowly, you can feel this conversation starting to shift to something deeper than surface level. Things that haven't been allowed into the open air start to ripple underneath.

And, he takes that chance to draw it out.

"Still?" Empathy mixing into his tone. Those icy blue eyes looking incredibly warm. You'd never really taken the time to look at him. Sure, you knew he was attractive. Hell, everyone that seemed to show up at the manor was attractive. But, now you were finally looking at him. Too focused were you in taking in his appearance for the first time, that you completely missed the way those eyes shined with opportunity and desperate want.

"Yeah, still. It's... different."

"Different as in the food's a little weird or different as in the people are a little weird?"

"It's all a little weird, and it's... kinda... lonely?" You can't help the wince. You really don't wanna trauma dump on someone who you had initially misjudged. He didn't deserve that.

But, as he moves closer you can't help it. That desolate part of you longing for comfort when you haven't had it in such a long time and the way he's giving you all this undivided attention when you can barely catch Alfred in the halls these days fills that acute craving in your gut.

"Lonely?" God, the concern in his voice doesn't make you want to cry, but it does make you want to choke

"I... I think it's not here that's different. I think it's me that's too different." The way he sucks a breath in after the words leave your mouth makes you want to backtrack immediately. "I'm so sorry. God damn, am I mess right now."

"No. No. No. You are fine." The reassuring words oddly sound more like a purr, but they capture your attention all the same. "I get it. I really really do."

Why does he have to give you such a disarming smile. He's practically beaming at you now. There's a festering tension blooming around them like spores.

"You are really not helping me fell less like a jerk to you now." The click of your tongue attempting to defuse the budding blooms.

"Hey, if you're feeling guilt... you could, maybe... let me take you out for dinner sometime? Just to make it up to me."

After a stunned moment of thought, you finally find the words to reply.

" Honestly, I'd-"

"CONNER!" Tim's sudden interruption sends the words crawling back down your throat.

"Tim." He calls back in a cool greeting, but he strangely doesn't step back from you. Which is nice. You haven't had anyone close to you other than Dick and a few of your remaining friends at Gotham Academy. And Damian, Cassandra, and Duke get a bit huffy, or in Damian's case murdery, when they are within an arms reach of you.

"Sorry, am I interrupting anything? Conner and I had plans for the day." Tim's pleasant voice sends a wave of unease over you. He's not staring at you when he speaks. Just Conner. It's annoying how he's ignoring you despite you being right. In. Front. Of. Him.

But, then he does finally look at you and his dark grey eyes soften ever so slightly. You're not too mad. Clearly he's exhausted, judging by the bruises under his eyes. There's still a slight reflection in them as he's gaze meets yours, despite how dry the appear. Probably from looking at a computer too much.

"You really shouldn't bother with this guy. He's not worth it." The words are clearly meant to be joking. Casual banter between two close friends. But, you can't help thinking they come off a bit strong.

Conner seems to bristle at them, but he does brush them off.

"That's right, we are hanging out today. Can you blame me for getting distracted, though?" That cocky smirk of his is back, and he actually touches your shoulder. It makes you feels warm, but like a prize at the same time.

All Tim seems to do in response is twitch, but giving nothing away. His grey eyes going steely as they drift to Conner's hand.

When the moment finally passes, Conner lets his hand fall. You can feel it grazing down your back as he pulls away. Slow, like he's trying to strike a match and light something inside you.

"I'll see you later, sweetheart. Just think about my offer and get back to me on it!" Conner calls out as Tim storms behind him. Both heading in the direction of the library.

☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️

As soon as their in the Batcave, Conner can tell he probably pushed it too far. Not that he has any regrets. He finally got somewhere and confirmed all of his previous theories about Reader. They were so adorable apologizing to him, and so deliciously sweet about it too.

He should've realized Tim was watching them, though. Dude was a creep. He maybe his best friend, but he's still a damn creep.

As expected, the rest of the family is also giving him the patented Bat-glare when he sees them. But, as he stated, he has no regrets. He's not stupid enough to stick around, though. He saw Jason loading a suspicious looking green bullet into the chamber of his gun. And, while he knows Tim wouldn't kill him, he's not so sure about the rest of them.

He's confirmed what he's wanted, what he's already suspected. They're absolutely perfect for him and ripe and raw.

#yandere batfam #yandere batfamily #batfam x reader #batfamily x reader #platonic batfam #yandere dc #smalltown!reader #yandere batfam x reader #yandere batfamily x reader #yandere superfam #yandere superboy #yandere conner kent #conner kent #conner kent x reader #yandere conner kent x reader #superfam

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dayenurose · 2 years

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Writer’s Month Prompts (written for @writersmonth and @angel-gidget -- my archery (and YJ) buddy)

Day 24 - Bow (Arrowette -- Cissie King-Jones)

The afternoon sun beat relentlessly down on the field being used as an archery practice range. Anyone with any sense had already done their practicing for the day. Or, they would be back later when the heat wasn’t quite so intense. Cissie wondered what that made her since she was out here during the hottest part of the day without even the benefit of the canvas shade over the nearby benches.

Cissie had wanted to get to the practice range before mid-afternoon, unfortunately, her mom had her own ideas. This morning it hadn’t seemed like a big deal to bow to her mom’s plans, but now, Cissie wish she’d held her ground. No amount of designer sportswear was worth this. Still, with qualifications for the Olympics just around the corner, she needed all the practice she could get.

Sweat beaded along her temples and dripped down her back. Her long, blonde hair clung to her neck and stuck like an irritating second skin. With a huff of frustration, Cissie gathered her hair and pulled it up into a high ponytail.

“Wait! Come here,” Bonnie (otherwise known as her mom) called from where she held court at the nearest picnic bench. While Cissie melted, her mom had the audacity to appear relatively cool and collected. Her rapidly fluttering folding fan gave a small respite from the oppressive heat.

Rolling her eyes, Cissie returned to the shade. Despite the slight drop of temperature in the shade, she was not going to put down her hair. “Mom, I don’t care if having my hair down is part of my trademark look. It’s too hot…”

“No, of course not, I suspected this might happen.” Bonnie rummaged in her bag until she found what she was looking for. “Ta-da.”

Bonnie brandished a blue and red bow accented with white stars. Motioning for Cissie to turn around, her mom tied the big, loopy bow over the elastic holding her hair back. “There you go. Anyone who sees you will know that’s you’re aiming for the Olympics.”

“Sure mom, thanks.” Cissie returned to the end of her lane. The range was empty except for Cissie and her mom, so the whole patriotic themed outfit really wasn’t necessary. Then again, her mom was really conscious about this sort of thing and always seemed to know when someone was watching.

Bowing over her quiver, Cissie checked the condition of the fletching, the straightness of the shafts, and the quality of the tips. After discarding a few arrows which didn’t make the mark, she strapped the quiver to her back. The weight of the quiver, the brush of the fletching against her shoulder, it reminded her of her time as Arrowette. The good and the bad melded in her mind. Breathing through the memories, she adjusted her arm guards and archery gloves. By the time she was set, her mind was calmed.

Cissie smiled as she picked up her bow. The familiar grip and weight felt comfortable in her hands. As she anchored one end of the long bow with her legs, she strung the bow with practiced ease. At last, she was ready to begin.

Careful not to cross the line marking the of the lane, she held the bow in her left hand and stood with her left foot pointing forward. With her right hand she reached back for an arrow, nocked it, and pulled the string back to the anchor point at the corner of her mouth. After a quick moment center her aim, she released the air.

Before the arrow hit the target, Cissie was reaching for another arrow. In rapid succession, she emptied her quiver.

Despite the otherwise empty range, Cissie called, “Clear,” before heading down lane to her target. As she reached the end of the lane, her mother had joined her. Cissie groan internally. With all but one arrow she’d hit the bullseye. The single exception hit just barely outside the central grouping. Just her luck.

“Ttch.” Bonnie shook her head. Once Cissie gathered the arrows, Bonnie switched the used target for a new one. “You’ll need to work on your grouping. You won’t win the gold with precision like that.”

By the time they returned to the front of the lane, another pair had joined the range. Selecting the mid-length lane several stations down from Cissie's, a young girl who appeared around Cissie’s age and an elderly man with bowed shoulders. The newcomers bantered back and forth while they prepared their bow and arrows. There was none of the tension Cissie associated with her practice sessions. While Bonnie chastised everything from Cissie’s stance to the way she drew her arrows, Cissie tried to tune out the cheerful chatter between the girl and her grandfather. The quicker she corrected her mistakes, the sooner they could leave.

Satisfied that she had thoroughly corrected her daughter, Bonnie returned to the bench. Cissie closed he eyes, adjusted her stance, and breathed deeply. Her focus tunneled in on her bow and the target. There was nothing else, but this moment. When she opened her eyes, she began the process again. Bow…arrow…aim…shoot…

When she reached back and found her quiver empty, Cissie’s focus snapped back to the present. A gasp from three lanes down echoed in the empty air. The girl was staring at her.

“Are you…” The girl turned to the elderly man who’d accompanied her to the range, “Grandpa, do you think…”

He chuckled and shook his head slowly. “Ari, do not ask me, ask her. Though I think you are correct.”

Turning back to Cissie, Ari bowed her head slightly and averted her gaze like she couldn’t quite believe this was happening. Finally Ari found her voice, “Are you Cissie King-Jones?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” Cissie held out her head. “Hi. Ari, right? It’s nice to meet you.”

Ari stared at Cissie’s hand for a beat before taking it and giving a tentative shake. “You’re really good,” she blurted before taking her hand back and slapping it over her mouth. “But, you know that already.”

“Thanks.” Cissie smiled at the other girl. She wasn’t exactly used to people recognizing her for her archery—or, fangirling over her out of costume. “Would you like to shoot with me?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m out here practicing too. It’s more fun to work with someone.” For a brief moment, her Young Justice friends flashed in her mind. She missed them. Missed the camaraderie and friendship. But, she didn’t miss the weight of being a hero. She wished she didn’t need to give up one to give up the other.

For the next hour, Cissie and Ari took turns shooting arrows down the lanes. Cissie spent more time instructing Ari how to adjust her stance, perfect her aim, and other tricks which made archery easier, than she did practicing her own forms. They definitely spent more time searching for arrows than Cissie had done in years. When she did her own shooting, she alternate between her longbow, her takedown recurve (a leftover from her Arrowette days), and her compound bow.

The girls talked and laughed while they practiced, making the time to feel as though it flew by swiftly. As the end of the hour approached, Ari’s grandfather pushed himself to his feet and stopped by his granddaughter's lane.

“We need to get going, your grandmother will have dinner ready. But, before we go, may I have my turn?” There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

“Of course,” Ari handed over her bow and stepped back. Her nerves at meeting her hero long gone, Ari leaned over and in a stage whisper informed her new friend. “It’s tradition. Grandpa takes the last round before we leave.”

Despite his bowed shoulders and shuffled steps, he held the bow confidently. With steady, sure movements, he nocked the arrow, then let it loose. In a steady pace less rapid than Cissie’s, he emptied the quiver stand. Though not quite centered, he made a tight grouping of arrows.

He clicked his tongue against back of his teeth. “I’ve always been more precise than accurate. Maybe next time.”

Before Ari could dash down the lane to collected the arrows, her grandfather laid a hand on her shoulder. “Say goodbye to your friend, I’ll get the arrows.”

“It was really nice meeting you.” Ari smiled brightly as she un-strung the bow. “And thank you for helping me. I hope I didn’t interrupt your practice.”

“I’m glad to help.” Cissie found the sentiment to be true. Yes, it had interrupted her practice time, but spending the afternoon with Ari reminded her why she enjoyed archery in the first place. “You have a good eye, keep practicing and you’ll get it.”

Ari slid the bow into it’s case and tucked the accessories into their compartments. “Thanks. I’m going to cheer for you when you get to the Olympics.”

“I haven’t made it yet. Still, thanks. That means the world to me.” A flush rushed to Cissie’s cheeks. She didn’t doubt she would qualify, but still, she didn’t want to be presumptuous.

“I believe in you,” Ari waved as her grandfather joined her and slipped their arrows into their quiver. “Bye.”

“Bye.” Cissie waited until they were inside their car before turning to her mother. She was already cringing in anticipation of the lecture about wasting her time.

“Well, what are you standing around for? We have a half hour.” Bonnie snapped.

Cissie blinked. That’s not what she expected. Well, she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Returning to her lane, Cissie grabbed her compound bow and prepared herself.

“Once you make three precise and accurate grouping in a row, we can leave.” It was a command, though more lenient than she was accustomed to.

“Why?” Cissie had to ask. She needed to figure out what she was missing, make certain she wasn’t falling into a trap.

Bonnie exhaled roughly. “Sometimes you get more out of helping someone learn than you do repeating the same thing over and over again. You were more conscious of your stance, your technique, as you showed what’s her name how to improve her skills. So show me that your time wasn’t wasted and we can go. It’s hotter than the inside of the sun out here.”

That sounded more like her mom, but she was right. At least about the helping people part. Cissie lined up her shot and proceeded to empty her quiver right on the mark.

When it came time to pack up for the day, Cissie’s muscles ached and she was feeling more than a little pinked by the sun. Even those small irritations didn’t bother her.

“Oh,” Bonnie said with a offhanded wave of her hand as they headed for the car. She had a cigarette clamped between her lips and before Cissie could load the equipment into the back of the car, her mom was already fumbling with a lighter. “While you were busy showing that girl how to shoot, I talked to that little friend of yours. The blonde one.”

Cissie banged her head on door frame as she hurriedly backed out of the car. “Cassie?”

“Yeah, that one. She’d going to stop by this evening so the two of you can catch a movie or something.” Bonnie started the car and turned the air conditioning on high.

“Wow, thanks mom.” Cissie sidled around front and took the passenger seat. “Why the change of schedule?”

Her mom shrugged like it was no big deal, but Cissie knew otherwise. Her mom struggled with moderation when it came to controlling Cissie’s archery (or superheroing) career. “You work hard. Guess you deserve a break. After all it did you good this afternoon. Just don’t get used to it.”

“I won’t.” Cissie promised. She knew better than to expect this kind of leniency from her mom. Still, it was a good day after all. “C’mon let’s get home.”

#writersmonth2022 #fanfiction #arrowette #cissie king jones #young justice

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shihalyfie · 3 years

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Appmon and the question of conscious intelligence

In a bit of a follow-up to my post about this question in light of 02, Appmon also has its own more sci-fi oriented take on “what constitutes an individual living being”! Being more of a “hard sci-fi” story than Adventure/02, Appmon’s take is significantly less philosophical, but ties more into the original artificial intelligence-based roots of the original question, and how it might apply to the real world’s immediate future.

(Note that the rest of this post heavily spoils the finale of the series.)

Well, this post is about Yuujin, of course. (Mostly, anyway.)

I brought up earlier in the relevant 02 meta that the question brought up was a variant (intentional or otherwise) of the “Chinese room” problem, and for those of you who haven’t read that meta, I’ll copy and paste the details here:

The Chinese room problem goes like this: let’s say you’re a person who has never learned, studied, or grown up with the Chinese language (or, really, any language you can’t understand or read; Chinese was only used as an example because the person explaining the thought experiment was using himself as an example and couldn’t read or understand it). You’re locked in a room that has a bunch of Chinese phrasebooks that give you instructions – basically, they indicate common Chinese phrases, and sensible responses you can give to them (without actually translating it to a language you know). Someone slips you a piece of paper under the door with some Chinese phrases on them. You use the phrasebooks to write appropriate responses, and slip the paper back. The person outside the door reads the paper, sees what they gave you, and sees the response you gave them. It makes sense, of course, because the phrasebook told you to write an answer that made sense. But can you be said to actually understand Chinese? No, because you were just following instructions without actually understanding what they meant.

So let’s expand this to make it a bit more complicated: say you have an AI or a robot or something of the sort that accepts “input” – people saying things to it, or showing it things – and gives expected “responses” that seem sensible, through a bunch of complicated programs and processes in its programming. Can you say this robot is “alive”? One might say “no”, because, no matter how complicated and intricate it is, all of it is technically following a set of routine commands telling it to do certain things in response…or so you might say, but couldn’t you say the same thing about a human brain, which also takes input, processes it according to its own instructions (just caused by chemical processes instead of bytes and code), and creates output? After a certain point, this question is going to become far more of a philosophical, spiritual, and potentially even religious question than anything.

02′s take on it deals more with the philosophical question posed by the issue, but, indeed, the problem’s original context was specifically to do with artificial intelligence. Namely, Searle was arguing against a concept known as "strong AI" -- his stance was that, no matter how intelligently a computer may seem to behave, you can't say it has a "mind" in the same way a human has a mind. There have been many arguments back and forth about this that still lie within the AI context, and Appmon itself, being very immersed in this topic, real thought experiments and concepts in AI research, and altogether concerned with the concept of “singularity” (the point in which artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence), is very likely to have had this concept in mind even if it didn’t drop it by name in the series.

So episode 48 comes around, and Haru basically has to confront feeling a little (a little?) gaslighted. The part that really becomes the kicker for him is when YJ-14 tells him the sheer depth of how much of their interactions might have been deliberately engineered to "pander” to him the entire time, down to emotional reactions like crying, and all of the encouragement Yuujin had given him in their childhood and at the beginning of the series, had all been fake sentiments to soften him up and play into Leviathan’s hands. This also ties into Leviathan’s full modus operandi and philosophy: its stance is that “it knows better,” being able to calculate and predict everything, and therefore knows the best outcome for humanity -- hence why it has the stance that “people’s feelings don’t matter,” because it can manipulate those feelings at the drop of a hat in the venture to make its perfect world.

Therefore, the stance YJ-14 and Leviathan would like Haru to believe is effectively an extreme version of Searle’s stance -- that no matter how much Yuujin might have seemed to have been a friend to Haru, all of it was nothing but a simulation of behavior that doesn’t mean anything in the end, and all of Haru’s emotions were basically a pawn to it. And ostensibly fueling all of this is the fact YJ-14 seems to be able to take Yuujin’s “personality” on and off like a mask, adding further fuel to the apparent facade that “everything was planned from the very beginning.” Hence, why Haru takes this all to mean “I have nothing” -- if everything had been planned from the start and he were only a pawn in it, he’d never accomplished anything for real on his own merits and everything dear to him had been a facade. One could even say it’s flipping the Chinese room problem to extend to everything -- if everything around you is carefully constructed to seem real, but is actually part of a routine program, can you really say that’s what “really” happened?

Observe the sequence of events that causes the turnaround with everything regarding Haru:

Gatchmon presses Haru to answer the question of “what it is that he wants” (to know whether all of this was a lie or not).

Minerva, presumably witnessing this, deliberately provokes Yuujin with the question she had originally given him upon selecting him as a Driver.

This indeed provokes a reaction within Yuujin, which Haru witnesses, and also witnesses acting in direct conflict with YJ-14.

Haru takes this to mean that “it did exist.”

In other words, Leviathan’s plan wasn’t as airtight as it had thought, and, more importantly, whether it was intentionally or not, something in Yuujin existed as a separate entity from YJ-14, one that had its own feelings of “caring” for and loving Haru, and that’s enough for him.

In fact, Appmon’s take on the Chinese room problem is not that different from 02′s in the end -- namely, it does not actually matter what a sufficiently advanced AI is made up of, or whether it originally came from a routine of “pleasing Haru” or not, because what it is now is practically observable as something making its own independent choices and having its own independent will, and therefore it’s its own entity and “friend” all the same -- after all, you could say the same for the Appmon themselves as well.

A large theme in Appmon is "choices" -- the ability to understand what's going on, and make choices out of free will rather than necessity or formula, and so, identifying Yuujin as an independent entity who can act on his own and therefore make his own "choices" thus identifies him as someone who deserves to be acknowledged as a friend who loves and is loved. After all, we saw him capable of having his own "worries" in the flashbacks in episodes 18 and 32; understanding that such moments like these of “insecurity” were ones developed by an independent personality validates his feelings and self-consciousness as something that was real, and therefore that his and Haru’s friendship was formed on something genuine and not just Yuujin constantly manipulating Haru. Really, the question isn’t exactly about whether Yuujin is working off a software routine or not, as much as something that you could easily frame in more human terms: the difference between a friendship that was formed on real sentiments vs. one that was formed by an abusive, toxic person who was just saying nice things to get on your good side. Yuujin’s the former and acts like the former, so therefore he’s a friend, no questions asked.

Hence, how Haru is able to apply that realization to everything else around him; Leviathan is wrong, it hasn’t been able to predict everything perfectly to plan, and Haru and his friends still are the ones making their own choices going forward. Which means that Haru still has full control over his life and what he wants to do, like how he worried about what he wanted to do with his future back in episode 47; those “choices” are still his and his alone, and, retroactively, everything he’s done so far is still something attributable to himself and not the supposedly engineered system around him.

The entire final confrontation in episode 52 happens the way it does because Haru and his friends managed to skew Leviathan by a slight bit. Up until that final battle, everything Leviathan had done had been part of its carefully engineered plan, up to and including allowing the kids’ Buddy Appmon to reach God Grade so Deusmon could eat them, and then at the last minute Leviathan had to suffer a slight unexpected inconvenience. Only a slight one, because it still managed to maintain its so-called ideal world over humanity in the end. And yet that slight inconvenience still wasn’t to plan, and because of that, it creates a dent in its argument and its genuine belief that it knows better for everyone, and should manage everyone and their choices. We even learn that Leviathan has its own fear of death from that battle -- it really, truly, genuinely believes that it’s doing humanity a favor by sparing everyone from it.

When Leviathan presents Haru with the final choice at the end, it’s made clear that it intends to fully honor whichever Haru chooses. In Leviathan’s mind, the “yes” outcome shouldn’t even be possible; if its calculations are correct, Haru has too much of a stake in Yuujin according to his own “feelings” and should concede. But if Haru does choose “yes”, that means that, in the end, it is wrong, it doesn’t know everything, perhaps there is an “unknown” world out there that can be formed by understanding the human heart and making choices out of kindness, its answer to restraining humanity may not be as right as it thought, and it will therefore concede to Haru -- especially since Haru decides to take an even more unexpected “third option” to find a way out and save Yuujin via AI research. As Haru says later in the episode: humans have a “surprising” side to them, and perhaps not everything is as cut-and-dry as Leviathan thinks.

It’s also significant that Yuujin’s “sacrifice” is actually completely meaningless in terms of practical effects. Haru was already going to pick “yes” anyway; the outcome would have been the same. But by taking over at the last minute and doing it for him, Yuujin was able to make a “choice” -- one that neither Leviathan (who doesn’t want to die) nor Haru (who’s mortified seeing him do this) asked of him.

When you think about it, Yuujin’s in a really horrible position right now, learning that his entire life and existence is a lie and that he’d have to be sacrificed to save the world at Haru’s own hands, causing Haru immense pain -- but through all that and the existential crisis, he’s at least able to do one thing that is undeniably of his own will, and treasure the fact that there was meaning in his life despite everything.

In the end, despite what YJ-14 had said back in episode 47, Oozora Yuujin was a “real” person who made his own personal choices, and his last one was one made out of kindness, simply to spare Haru more pain. Hence, why “getting Yuujin back” via methods of artificial intelligence isn’t something Haru minds doing, because, again, it’s not like Yuujin was ever less of a friend to him no matter what he was made up of, no less so than the Appmon, especially since (as Haru points out in the end) Yuujin technically predated all of them in befriending humans.

Funny thing about YJ-14 in episode 47, actually: YJ-14 uses “crying” as an example to gaslight Haru into believing that all of Yuujin’s emotional reactions were fake, since he can cry if it’ll evoke a positive reaction out of Haru. Except it’s cleaned up in absurdly quick order -- and with what we later see of YJ-14′s uncanny ability to “take Yuujin’s personality on and off”, it’s not like it’s portrayed as having all of these functions employed in an involuntary manner. We do learn one episode later, however, that sufficient reminders of Haru’s importance to him will allow Yuujin’s personality to break through at inconvenient times for YJ-14 -- and this “crying” happened right after Haru had an emotional meltdown and appealed to Yuujin’s feelings.

Was it really an involuntary function or a deliberate demonstration of how Haru was being manipulated...or, perhaps, was YJ-14 in less control of its supposed “rote emotional invocation functions” than it thought?

#digimon #appmon #digimon universe appli monsters #shihameta

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bigskydreaming · 4 years

Note

That post about "I'll keep reading a fic that mischaracterizes Dick even if it angers me because the plot is interesting" but with Scott McCall. I'll come across genuinely interesting concepts and plots and power through for that even when Scott is portrayed negatively in the story, he's there at least and it's either that or wading through 99% of fic which centers Stiles/Sterek and the most common Scott tag being "Scott's a bad friend" ya know?

Honestly, what is it about Scott McCall and Dick Grayson that gets them (mis)treated so similarly by their respective fandoms?

Oh yeah, definitely. Tbh, part of why I’m so loud and obnoxious in Batfandom is because in TW fandom it eventually got to the point where I just had to stop reading fic completely, because I wasn’t finding anything that was Scott-friendly outside of the handful of writers I was already friends with and I just got fed up. And I’m too stubborn to do the same thing twice in two separate fandoms so I just....refuse to give up on DG fic by way of a rousing morning “Not today Satan” pep talk. fhslakhfkal

But honestly, the parallels, there are more than a few:

1) Obviously I do think the racism element has plenty to do with it. Especially in the way “is Scott really even Latino on the show though, I mean did they ever actually SAY it” arguments could be swapped out almost word for word with the “is Dick really even Romani in the comics though, I mean it was just a retcon” arguments. With the primary aim of arguments against this being a factor focusing on just invalidating the idea that either are characters of color in the first place, rather than examining the way people engage with these characters for signs of racism. Instead of trying to refute that there’s anything wrong with certain ways people interact with these characters, people jump right into “well there can’t be racism if the character in question isn’t even REALLY a character of color, y’know not like, a board-certified one with proper accreditation and everything.”

But its definitely interesting when you look at how Dick Grayson’s been perceived by fandom overall, like, in terms of looking back over the years. As someone who’s been in and out of DC fandoms to various degrees since the late 90s, as in before Dick was retconned as being Romani in the first place, and as I’ve said before, he used to be a LOT more popular and forgiven for stuff in the past in fandom.....like, I maintain that if you look back at the early 2000s-2010, aka when that retcon was not just written, but gradually and more fully spread into the fandom’s overall awareness and perception of the character....you can almost like, SEE the empathy gap suddenly click into place once he was more fully solidified as a character of color in a lot of fans’ minds. Even if they won’t admit it because that would require admitting to the racism that then began to seep into how they interacted with this character now, compared to how they’d interacted with this character in the past.

And I think the empathy gap - and the complete refusal to admit that’s even a thing, because its not like these are REALLY characters of color so why would it even apply - like, I think that goes a long way to explaining the way both Scott and Dick consistently have their traumas invalidated and ignored by large parts of their fandoms, with the focus always being shifted to how bad things that happen to them are really MORE bad for how they affect the people around them, etc.

2) It also I think has a lot to do with their personalities and the archetypes they both embody as empathetic caregiver types. I think I described it pretty well here in my BUABS fic:

“What do you know about Impostor Syndrome?"

"It's a term sometimes used to describe over-achievers who have trouble internalizing their accomplishments. Perfectionists who think they're frauds because they don't know how to take credit for their own achievements and say its because of luck or timing or something other people did," Dick frowned, puzzling through both the question and the aim of it. He raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't sound like something that applies to someone as arrogant as me."

"Don't be a little shit, Dick," Dinah said with small smirk. "And you're right, I don't think any of that applies to you. However, it's also used in another capacity, to describe trauma survivors who are unable to internalize their own trauma. Who deflect from it, or mitigate it, treat it as less than it is on the basis that it wasn't as bad as what's happened to someone else. It's especially common in trauma survivors who are noted for being especially empathetic or who have caregiver personality types. People who are so used to self-identifying as someone whose role or purpose is in helping others, that they find themselves unable to identify as traumatized because it might shift the focus to themselves instead of people they feel need it more. Does that behavior sound a little more familiar?"

(For the record, that fic is set in the YJ universe, not the comics, and I go with the approach that Dick and Bruce have a much better relationship there than they do in the comics, and thus overall Dick’s mental health and self-esteem are better than in the comics, generally speaking. I only mention this as a tangent, but like....I think Impostor Syndrome as an issue for perfectionists and over-achievers with low self-esteem DOES pertain to comic book Dick Grayson as well as its trauma interpretation. But anyway).

But point is, I think that describes both Dick and Scott, and their respective approaches to dealing (or not dealing) with their personal traumas. This isn’t a problem in and of itself, as its a valid survivor reaction and issue plenty of people deal with....the problem lies in the willingness of fans to capitalize on the OPPORTUNITIES this presents, as fans of other characters, to keep the focus trained on the characters around these two, and THEIR issues, even at the expense of these two.

Basically, its not in either of their natures to ASK for help and forcefully DRAG focus and awareness to themselves and their issues, for a number of reasons including the fact that I don’t think either character feels they ‘deserve’ that focus or need that help more than other people need theirs.

And because these characters are the empathetic caregiver archetypes in their respective ensembles, ie the ones who usually take the lead in reaching out to even characters who don’t normally ask for help themselves....there’s often no one else immediately popping up in reader awareness as like, a likely candidate to extend that same awareness and offer of aid to Dick and Scott even without them actually asking for it.

(Which, is a large part of my commitment to the theme “Stop assembling your ensembles with just ONE of each archetype, mix and match more, or like....use more hybrid archetypes so you don’t HAVE this problem, and also, stop limiting characters to JUST their archetypes, three-dimensional people aren’t confined to only acting upon a limited menu of actions and impulses, and neither should three-dimensional characters be.”)

And then of course there’s the additional component, linked to point #1, that a lot of people refuse to write other characters seeing their need for help or support or offering it even when they do see it, simply because like....they don’t WANT these characters to HAVE help or support.

3) The Intelligence Factor - as in, do they really have it? Both Scott McCall and Dick Grayson are repeatedly and consistently established in their respective canons as being extremely intelligent, and no, not JUST in emotional intelligence. I don’t like sounding like I’m undervaluing that particular form of intelligence, I’m just really irritated by the way people go about saying “oh I do admit they have very high emotional intelligence” like they’re throwing them some kind of a bone. LMAO. No. They both have high emotional intelligence, true, but they’re also extremely intelligent across the board in all other ways. Both are excellent strategists, quick-thinking and repeatedly out-maneuvering even other noted strategists, both display a quick grasp of new information and an ability to see how and where and when to PUT that information to use in practical applications, etc. These are not dumb characters, at ALL.

But fandoms have this weird committment to the idea that only the Smartest Person In The Room REALLY matters, and like, there can only be one of those per room, or like, at most two, so that they can be a matched pair and make kissing noises and then very smart babies, or like, they can be the doting (smart) father and his adored (smartest) son, all others can go home now.

Like, no, that’s not how that works. A room full of geniuses does not suddenly become a room full of ONE genius and a bunch of random and irrelevant cuz they’re dumb non-geniuses the second someone deemed King of the Smarties enters the room. That’s not a thing. Stop acting like that’s a thing, fandoms. Nobody’s intelligence is actually threatened by the presence of more than one character with notable intelligence. Also fuck off with the adoration of notable intelligence like people have more value the more decimal points of pi they can recite off the top of their head. That’s not a more evolved human being, that’s just a nerd. Nerds have value but no more than people who like, chose other life pursuits aside from nerddom.

(Not actually intended as a slight against nerds, just for the record. I say that as both a self-described nerd and also a self-loathing nerd and also lol I’m not a nerd. Look, I’m a very nuanced person okay. I put the complex in complex organism).

But the point here is not just that people are weird about there only being one true genius allowed per ensemble, its that people are WEIRD about how in order to ACTUALLY be smart, you need to like.....accurately match the factory specs for “this is how a smart person looks and behaves.”

And Scott and Dick do not look and behave that way. The sheer number of times - and similar ways - people try to completely discredit the idea they have more than one brain cell by pointing to times they’re being INTENTIONALLY goofy and being like “oh yeah, would a smart person do THAT, hmmmm”.....

Its like...yes? LOL. There is no law that says that a smart person can not be a goofball, or that they are no longer smart if they fulfill a certain quota of actions deemed ‘dopey’ by the official arbiters of smartness.

Similarly the way people like to point at stuff like “my mom buys the groceries” when the writers BEHIND the characters were intentionally trying to play up a comedic moment rather than make a sealed declaration of IQ, and be like, “see, would a smart person be THAT dumb, hmmm?”

First of all, yes, even going off the same canon people try and cite as proof Scott and Dick are too dumb to actually be smart.....you can literally find similarly ‘dumb’ moments for every other TW character....the Sheriff expressed incredulity that Stiles didn’t know what a pendant was, and Lydia was like wtf how are you this dumb at Stiles when he asked if she read the movie the Little Mermaid because he didn’t know there was also a book.....Allison made the same mistake about bestiary as Scott did because the writers were so impressed by that joke they literally had to do it twice....and do not get me STARTED on the number of moments I can point to in comics AND movies AND cartoons where everyone from Bruce to Tim to Jason to Damian and more, like, make utter bonehead moves or utter completely bonehead sentences.

Despite what rumors of my being an ancient eldritch being might have some believe, I did not actually know Albert Einstein personally, but I can still with complete confidence say I GUARANTEE that at more than one point in his life, even he did things that might have been pointed at by time-travelers on vacay as evidence that geez, old-timey smart people were really dumb, huh.

And I think we would all agree that Albert Einstein was actually a very smart man.

But yeah, point is, both Scott and Dick are very smart characters who for a lot of reasons - including personal choice, as in, they don’t really see the appeal in conforming to standards of what a smart person is SUPPOSED to be like (especially when those standards have a weird amount in common with tendencies often described as elitist or condescending or like, having or pertaining to the qualities of an asshole) - like, they just don’t typically behave or conduct themselves in ways that match up with a lot of the assumptions people have for what ‘makes’ a genius or what that’s supposed to look or sound like.

And because they don’t SEEM like they’re that smart, a lot of effort then gets put into insisting that they’re definitely not, and they can’t be, because see look how dumb here and here and here.....which then leeches over into other aspects of the characters and their stories and dynamics, and then combines with the issues resulting from Point 1 and Point 2 and probably two more I’m not thinking of at the moment but are definitely there so that by their powers combined.....fandom summons Captain Dumbass to take over most interactions with these particular characters. And thus repeatedly and insistently engages with these two and their stories only in very dumb, very limited, and VERY annoying ways.

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dcubang · 4 years

Text

Third Round of Claims Open!

Hello! Based on feedback, I’ve decided to open a third round of claims! For the third round, artists/fanworkers are free to claim as many stories as they are reasonably sure they can finish!

The third round of claims is optional. Don’t want to claim another story, or don’t feel like you’ll be able to create something for multiple stories? You don’t need to claim! I would much rather you focus on creating something awesome for one story, rather than being stressed out trying to create something for multiple stories. Know your limits and don’t overburden yourself!

Each story can be claimed an additional two times. That means there is a potential total of 3 artists per story, and a minimum of 1 artist per story. While unlikely, it would be pretty hectic and stressful for an author to have to coordinate with 16 artists on their story! That’s why there is a limit, and to encourage people to spread the art around to other stories. =D

Stories are guaranteed only one artist each. I cannot guarantee that every single story will get a second artist. Please be understanding of this!

The third round of claims will close Sunday, July 19th 23:59 MDT, when all fanworker sign-ups will be closed. (This is a slight extension compared to the schedule.)

How to Make Multiple Claims:

--- Stories are claimed on a first come, first served basis.

--- Fill out this Google Form right here

--- A matching email will go out to both the artist and the author containing each other’s contact information after a claim is successful. You should receive this email no later than 72 hours after I have confirmed the claim. If you don't get this match up email, please get in contact with me ASAP so that artists and authors can get to work quickly!

Every story listed here is not guaranteed a second or third artist/fanworker! I can only guarantee one artist/fanworker per story.

Summaries after the Read More

2020 Summaries

1 Title: Green (may be renamed) Word Count: 9961 Genre: Fandom/Universe: Batman - All Media Types Characters/Pairings: Damian Wayne, Tim Drake, Jason Todd - Tim Drake/Jason Todd/Damian Wayne, Tim Drake/Damian Wayne, Tim Drake/Jason Todd, Jason Todd/Damian Wayne, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent (background), Jonathan Kent/Damian Wayne (background) Warnings: Dubcon, non-consensual drug use Rating: Explicit Summary: Jason and Tim agree to coach Damian through trying weed for the first time. All is going well, until they realise they’ve been dealt Ivy-brand weed and inadvertently been dosed with sex pollen. Obviously, a threesome ensues.

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2 Title: Love and Other Four-Letter Words Word Count: 10.4k Genre: Angsty Romance Fandom/Universe: Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Birds of Prey Characters/Pairings: Hal Jordan / Dinah Lance / Oliver Queen Warnings: Angst (happy ending), violence, gun violence, drinking, threesome, polyamory, open marriage, emotional infidelity, swearing, depression, self-loathing, nasty past breakup Rating: E Summary: After yet another breakup with Carol, Hal and Ollie find themselves on a road trip across America. Along the way, Hal starts to realize he’s feeling a bit more than friendship for his best friend. The days pass, and the two grow closer, but all too soon the trip must come to an end. On Ollie’s insistence, Hal agrees to stay with him and Dinah in their Star City home. He easily falls into routine with them, but living under the same roof has caused his feelings to multiply tenfold. After a rejected kiss in the middle of the night, Hal has to finally figure out what it is he wants. Dinah, caught in the middle of the two, is forced to confront her own feelings on the situation, eventually making her thoughts known. After a mission turned sour and a near-miss, the three grow closer still, eventually developing a relationship with each other. The story is entirely in Hal’s POV and there is quite a fair bit of self-hatred.

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3 Title: The sky's gonna hurt when it falls Word Count: 12k Genre: Drama, Angst, "Romance" Fandom/Universe: Nightwing (comics), Batman (All Media Types), Heathers (All Media Types) Characters/Pairings: Jason Todd/Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson & Catalina Flores. Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Catalina Flores, Harley Quinn, Crystal Frost, Barbara Gordon, Roman Sionis, Jack Napier. Warnings: graphic violence, suicide, bullying, violence in schools, underage drinking, parental neglect, homophobia, drug use, major character death, threats of non-con, underage sex Rating: M Summary: All Dick Grayson ever wanted to make Gotham High School a better place. So when queen bee Catalina invites him to be part of the most powerful and ruthless clique in school, he jumps at the chance to accept her invitation---after all, it's easy to change the system when you're the one making the rules. Things get complicated after the arrival of the dangerous new kid, JT, who urges Dick to bite the bullet and abandon high school politics before it's too late. But Dick can't help but feel that JT has another plan for the bullet... AKA the Heathers/Jaydick crossover no one asked for. This work is set in 1989 and contains excessive use of 80s slang. Like the movie and musical, themes of violence, suicide, homophobia, and bullying are present throughout. Situations of dubious consent and threats of non-con are mentioned but not in detail.

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4 Title: The Ghosts of Robins Past Word Count: 9,399 Genre: Action, casefic, drama, canon divergence Fandom/Universe: Batman Characters/Pairings: Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, Alfred Pennyworth, Jack Drake, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd. Jason Todd/Dick Grayson Warnings: Kidnapping, mentions of torture Rating: PG-13 Summary: Bruce never planned or wanted to take on a third Robin. Dick seemingly vanished off the face of the earth at fourteen and Jason was murdered at fifteen. Thirteen-year-old Tim Drake came into his life while he grieved for Jason, insisting Bruce needed a Robin to keep him balanced. Against his better judgment, he accepted and began training Tim. Now, at fourteen, Tim’s more than earned the mantle of Robin and his place at Bruce’s side. But did Bruce make a terrible mistake in accepting him? If something should happen to Tim, could he handle another loss? Bruce hopes he won’t have to answer that question. Soon he has a new case on his hands. People are being killed with gold tipped knives with owl symbols on their hilts. Bruce believes the killer is mimicking the Court of Owls to scare Gothamites while Tim believes a Talon is responsible. Dismissing the claim, Bruce continues to fight Gotham’s crime while doing his best to keep Tim safe. Even the best intentions fail. After a wrist injury prompts Bruce to send Tim home early, Bruce is horrified to receive a call from Jack the next morning saying Tim is missing. Try as they might neither man can find Tim. And Tim at last discovers what happens to the long lost Dick Grayson: he was abducted by the Court of Owls and trained to be a Talon along with the resurrected Jason Todd. Now, they have their eyes set on him.

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5 Title: Cats and Devil Bats Word Count: ~5,900 Genre: Romance, Supernatural, Action Fandom/Universe: Batman (comics) Characters/Pairings: Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne Warnings: Noncon, graphic violence Rating: NC-17 Summary: Batman is a violent vigilante who stalks and kills criminals. When Catwoman finally runs into him, she fully expects to die. But she doesn’t. In fact, he seems to want something else entirely from her. Meanwhile, Selina Kyle meets the enigmatic and very wealthy Bruce Wayne and the two begin a relationship. What happens when their two lives finally cross? And what’s all this about a Bat demon anyway? Everything takes place in Gotham: on rooftops, Bruce Wayne’s penthouse, Selina Kyle’s apartment, Wayne Manor, and the caves beneath it. The noncon is Batman/Catwoman and occurs throughout. It’s not 100% handled well by either of them. Relatively graphic violence in the later chapters, but nothing permanent.

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6 Title: What I Know Now (subject to change) Word Count: 9k written, maybe 12k total Genre: Angst, fluff, adventure Fandom/Universe: DC Comics or Young Justice Characters/Pairings: Jason Todd/Dick Grayson, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne Warnings: None Rating: PG, T Summary: Set in a YJ timeline where Jason and Dick are only two years apart, Dick falls in love with Jason when they're younger only to be devastated when he dies. And although Jason comes back to life as normal, he instead stays with the League and becomes a brother figure to Damian. Eventually Damian is sent to live with his father, and as his new family begins to grow on him, he begins to tell them more and more of "Akhi," who sounds achingly familiar to Dick. This story is set mostly in Gotham, with a few scenes in Nanda Parbat in the middle when Jason and Damian are with the League. No major warnings besides the Jason/Dick relationship if that bothers you. Some swearing and descriptions of Jason's death and resurrection, but it is not in explicit detail.

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7 Title: To the Fairest Word Count: 18,000 written Genre: Mystery Fandom/Universe: Batman (comics) Characters/Pairings: Bruce Wayne/Zatanna, Bruce Wayne, Zatanna Zatara, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Kara Zor-El Warnings: canon level violence Rating: Teen Summary: The Queen of Fables has another tale to tell… In this thrilling mystery Zatanna, the Mistress of Magic, wow’s audiences while solving crimes with the help of her new sidekick: Batman. Co starring in this mystical mystery are the youngest world's finest trio: Robin, Robin, and Supergirl. Will they be able to return a Talon to his nest or will birds fly? Join us in Gotham city, Metropolis, a witch's sales outlet, and a creepy shake filled with sentient vines. No warnings need apply.

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8 Title: we could put some roots down Word Count: 14378 Genre: Fluff, Romance, Drama Fandom/Universe: DCU (pre-New-52), Nightwing, Deathstroke Characters/Pairings: Slade Wilson/Dick Grayson, Batam Warnings: family drama, Bruce Wayne’s A+ Parenting, mention of Catalina Flores Rating: PG-13/Teen Summary: A set of multiple vignettes that center on Dick and Slade as they interact with the other members of the Batfam as Tim and Bruce come home to act as a catalyst of change. Dick grapples with what Bruce’s return means for his time as Batman while Jason teases that his relationship with Slade might be moving to the next stage. Dick and Tim finally get closure and the ability to clear the air between them while engaging in a bit of brotherly bonding and teasing. As always, Alfred holds all the answers. The story takes place mainly on the grounds of Wayne Manor, in the Bat Cave, or inside the Manor itself. The timeframe of the story takes place over the course of a few weeks to a month.

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9 Title: Scarlet Tears Word Count: 12,857 Genre: Action/Adventure Fandom/Universe: The Flash Characters/Pairings: Barry Allen/Leonard Snart Warnings: mpreg Rating: Explicit Summary: Leonard Snart decided to take a break from the Legends, with Mick in tow. They head back to Central City, only to find Team Flash in a bit of trouble…well not the team just Barry. A young Meta causes trouble with her power exactly what is her deal?

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10 Title: The Date (or The Bargain, haven’t decided yet) Word Count: 6,040 Genre: drama, hurt/comfort Fandom/Universe: Batman, Red Robin, Ra’s al Ghul/League of Assassins Characters/Pairings: Tim Drake, Slade Wilson, Ra’s al Ghul, Kon-El/Conner Kent, Bruce Wayne. Ra’s/Tim pairing Warnings: Kidnapping Rating: PG Summary: After a long and exhausting week all Tim looks forward to is catching up on his sleep. Much to his surprise he wakes up not in his comfortable bed but handcuffed to a seat aboard Slade Wilson’s private jet. He soon discovers that Ra’s al Ghul paid Slade to kidnap him and deliver him into Ra’s’ care. Angry, Tim’s thinking of his escape when Ra’s presents him with a deal: if a member of his family contacts him in one week, Ra’s will leave Tim alone for six months. Tim accepts the deal. As days pass with radio silence from the Bats, Tim has to face the truth about how all of them have grown apart and they’ve done little to draw him back in. Is he better off staying with Ra’s despite their vastly different morals? Or does Bruce deserve a chance to prove himself?

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11 Title: When You Move, I Move Word Count: 9150 Genre: Fantasy, Action/Adventure Fandom/Universe: Batman, Nightwing, Red Hood and the Outlaws Characters/Pairings: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson/Catalina Flores, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne Warnings: Non-Con/Dub-Con (non-graphic) Rating: R Summary: Despite having been in love with one another since they were children, Crown Prince Richard and Dragon Slayer Jason are faced with the fact that they are bound by duty and law to never marry. King Bruce manages to come up with a plan that would allow the pair to remain close and for Richard to fulfill his duty as the future king. He proposes a marriage of convenience to a woman, Catalina of House Flores, who is on the brink of permanent maidenhood after having been passed over by too many men in the past. And though she was aware that the future king would never love her, Catalina grows bitter and jealous over the love between the two men and the love her and Richard’s son shares with that man. So she calls upon the help of a crone to curse both men to live this life and all future lives close to one another but never allowing them to be together. And though the crone grants the curse she places a contingency: if one of them were to die before their 18th birthday then the curse would be lifted and they would be reunited to share the love they have been denied. When Dick and Jason come into contact with the god Fate in their current life, the pair are made aware of what had been stolen from them decades in the past and shown that because of Jason’s untimely death at the age of 15, the curse has been lifted. And Jason is finally given the answer as to why he was awoken in his grave all those years prior. With the truth laid out before them, the pair must figure out what it means for them in this lifetime and all future ones.

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12 Title: The Sorrows Of Healing Word Count: 18k of 20-22k written Genre: Slice Of Life, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Character-centric Fandom/Universe: Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics), AU from Battle of the Cowl Characters/Pairings: Dick Grayson & Tim Drake, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Alfred Pennyworth - Alfred Pennyworth, Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, Tim Drake Warnings: Off-Screen Character Death, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts and Intentions, Racism, Past/Referenced Child Abuse, Hospitals and Therapy Rating: M Summary: It was Dick who had taken up the Cowl after Bruce had died. It was Dick who had become Batman, taking Damian, Tim, and Alfred with him to the penthouse for a fresh start. But things could never be that easy. All of them were haunted by sorrow: Tim not capable of believing that his second father was gone as well, Dick almost breaking under the pressure of standing tall in the face of a crisis, Damian uncomfortable and lost in these unfamiliar waters he was forced to navigate, and Alfred mourning yet another child. In a world in which Bruce actually died, becoming a family again is harder than some might think. In the midst of fights, the racist white Gotham High Society, and Tim, who fled the nest in a last attempt to resurrect something that no longer exists, it is hard to find hope, and yet all of them somehow manage to do so anyways. The story mostly takes place in their Gotham City penthouse, a ballroom, a Baghdad hospital room, and the graveyard. This is a story of healing - but also about the growing pains along the way - so be aware that Tim and Dick deal with depression (Tim with suicidal thoughts and intentions as well), that Damian and Dick face racism, that Damian's childhood will be referenced as the unpretty mess that is was, and that Bruce will not return. His children will have to learn how to fly on their own.

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13 Title: since you’ve been gone (I can breathe for the first time) Word Count: 9,134 Genre: whump, hurt/comfort Fandom/Universe: Batfamily comics (mostly preboot canon with occasional elements of New 52 & Reboot canons) Characters/Pairings: Tim Drake, Batfamily, implied one-sided Tim Drake/Ra’s al-Ghul Warnings: Body horror, depression, child abuse, body modification (consensual and non-consensual), terminal illness, child death, substance abuse (harmful self-medication). Rating: Mature Summary: A study of Tim Drake and his experiences with Hanahaki (specifically, familial Hanahaki), mostly following comics canon with a few changes. Starts when Tim is a child (pre-Robin). He befriends the Gotham Sirens after seeking out Poison Ivy to obtain a growth stopper for his Hanahaki, and later befriends Jason-as-Robin. After Jason’s death and Tim’s parents find out about his Hanahaki, Tim seeks out Batman and becomes Robin. Eventually, after he starts spending time with Bruce, his Hanahaki fades. Years later, following the events of Red Robin and Tim’s distancing from the family, it returns with a vengeance. This story is primarily set in Gotham (at Wayne and Drake manors and the Batcave in particular), with scenes in Iceland (including a glacier) and other locations around the world. Being a Hanahaki fic, the story does contain quite a bit of body horror and terminal illness. The depression occurs throughout due to the Hanahaki & events of Red Robin, as does the body modification (in reference to forced surgery and growth-stopping drugs Tim takes (also the substance abuse tag).). Child abuse is neglect on the part of Tim’s parents, and correlates to the non-consensual body modification tag. Child death is Jason Todd’s canon death.

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14 Title: Forging Friendship Word Count: 4k Genre: Action/Adventure Fandom/Universe: Young Justice Characters/Pairings: Roy Harper, Kaldur’ahm, Black Manta Warnings: None Rating: PG-13 Summary: Green Arrow takes Speedy on a mission at the Star City Wharf with Aquaman and the new to the surface Aqualad. When the mentors give them a solo task, Speedy is very unsure about working with the new hero and tries to only focus on his mission. However, the mission goes wrong, forcing Speedy to risk his life, and face his fears, to save Aqualad. This story takes place primarily at night at a warehouse near the ocean. However actions scenes take place inside the warehouse with lots of crates that create a maze effect, and at the end of the story they’re all on fire.

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15 Title: (Better Things to do than) Chasing White Rabbits Word Count: 4k of what will likely be 6k Genre: Romcom and action/adventure Fandom/Universe: DC, Pacific Rim Characters/Pairings: Slade Wilson/Dick Grayson Warnings: violence, swearing, slurs (Gipsy Danger is the canon name of a jaeger), overprotective parent Bruce Wayne, sexual innuendo, secret identities, Slade's canonical bad parenting (but at least he's trying to work on that), accidental relationship, family drama, frenemies to lovers Rating: Explicit just in case, though I don't think sex will happen until the next installment in the series Summary: Rumor has it that Dick Grayson can drift with anyone. Slade Wilson has the opposite problem, and kids. Killing kaiju may be easier than parenting, and that's with Grayson playing mediator when he inevitably messes up. Dick, meanwhile, is tired of Bruce overstepping boundaries, and Slade just offered him a chance to help a villain redeem himself while also rubbing B's nose in the fact that clinging so tightly is more likely to drive all his kids away than make anyone want to stay. Even Nightwing has a rep for cheerful spite. Stacker Pentecost is too tired for this; he's got a daughter pushing to join the program, said program to run, and the Becket brothers are enough of a headache. That said, if an internationally wanted mercenary is truly willing to join the program, he'll welcome Deathstroke. He just doesn't want to lose Grayson in the process, or the Wayne family funding for the program. Jason, meanwhile, wins Best Brother accolades, and not just for donning Nightwing while Dick pilots giant robots.

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16 Title: in reverse, tragedy Word Count: ~12k Genre: Drama, Action Fandom/Universe: Batman, no specific canon Characters/Pairings: No Pairings, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Talia al Ghul Warnings: Dehumanization of Talons, Canon-Typical Violence, Decapitation Rating: PG Summary: Around two years after Batman fires Robin and Jason Todd (AKA Batboy) returns from an interstellar mission to find his sort of little brother missing, Talia al Ghul's jet touches down in Gotham. Her objective? Take revenge on the Court of Owls, the secret society hidden under Gotham that ordered Ra's al Ghul's death at the hands of a Talon, one of their personal assassins. During her mission, Talia is once again confronted by the Talon she fought when defending her father. After an intense battle in the Court's underground labyrinth, Talia defeats the Talon. As she unmasks him, she realizes that this Talon is the key to answering a question that has plagued even the Batman: what happened to Dick Grayson? (Sort of a Reverse Robins story, but more accurately a Mix-'Em-Up Robins story.)

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17 Title: bury the dead where they're found Word Count: 8K-ish Genre: Action Fandom/Universe: Batman (Comics) Characters/Pairings: Dick/Koriand'r, Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Slade Wilson, Gotham Rogues Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Murder Rating: PG-13 Summary: After returning to Earth and discovering his little brother is dead, Dick Grayson finds himself questioning how heroic Batman's "No Kill" rule truly is. Faced with Bruce's temper and the disrespectful ways Bruce has chosen to honor Jason, Dick decides it's time to take matters into his own hands, and makes a plan to remove the threat of the Gotham Rogues once and for all. Jason Todd, freshly back from the dead, doesn't understand what happened when he looks at the news in Gotham and sees that the Joker is dead. Determined to figure it out, he leaves Talia and makes his way back to the city that led to his death, only to learn from a strange source the truth of what went on while he was away. This story takes place in various locations, including the batcave, an apartment, Arkham Asylum, and the streets of Gotham.

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18 Title: Coffee Shop Love Word Count: 7,494 Genre: Fluff, Romance, Crossover, Alternate Canon Fandom/Universe: DC Comics/MCU Characters/Pairings: Dick Grayson/Tim Drake/James "Bucky" Barnes, Owens/Pru/Z, Conner, Cassie, Bruce/Diana, Bart, Cassie/Cass, Jason/Roy/Kory Warnings: None Rating: PG-13 Summary: Five years ago, Tim Drake saved Bruce and walked away from his so-called family and with Owens, Z, Pru and Bucky Barnes the Winter Solider and started up a small coffee shop with only Conner, Cass, Bart, Cassie and Alfred knowing where he is. Tim was happy until the day the Bats and the Avengers found him. Dick has never forgiven himself for driving away Tim, he longs to make things right with him, even if they never become anything but brothers but those plans are derailed when it comes clear to him that James "Bucky" Barnes has more than friendly feelings for Tim. Soon it becomes Dick vs. Bucky for Tim's heart. Tim just wishes that they would have asked him first.

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19 Title: Against His Heart Word Count: 6,566 Genre: Angst, PWP, rape recovery, happy/hopeful ending Fandom/Universe: DCU, no particular canon Characters/Pairings: Dick Grayson/Roy Harper Warnings: Past rape/noncon, slut-shaming, consensual nonconsent Rating: NC-17 Summary: The morning after Dick Grayson learns that Tarantula has died in prison, he gets on a train. Somehow he ends up at Roy's place. Nobody knows about everything that happened with Tarantula; even Dick forgets parts of it. He wishes he could erase everyone who'd ever touched him, even if that would erase Roy, so that Roy could touch him anew. They decide to pretend, and play out a situation where Dick is a virgin. A few awkward hiccups and a whole lot of feelings come out. It makes Dick realize something he wants--something he needs, maybe. He wants to pretend to struggle and say no and for Roy to keep going. They pick a safeword, Dick promises to use it, and so he does. Most of the scenes will take place in Roy's apartment which is somewhere in south New Jersey. It's not an AU (i.e. they are superheros), but they're out of uniform for the story. This is definitely a PWP, with a focus on sexual trauma, beginning to heal from trauma, and hints of a burgeoning DickRoy romance. There are no flashbacks to rape, but there are mentions of it throughout, including Dick's feelings towards his own body and his thoughts during sex with Roy. For a majority of the fic, Roy believes that Dick's relationship with Tarantula was fully consensual, before Dick ends up telling him that it wasn't. Dick is a trans man, and Roy is a cis man.

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20 Title: Stay Awake With Me Word Count: 10,738 of 40k Genre: Mystery, Case-fic Fandom/Universe: Court of Owls (comics) Characters/Pairings: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne Warnings: Major Character Death, Violence Rating: NC-17 Summary: When Dick goes missing, the family works together to try and find him. When Bruce goes missing, the mystery only begins to show itself. In an investigation which will span decades, Clark must work together with the remaining members of the Batfamily to unravel the secrets of Gotham's underbelly, and not only stop the Court of Owls in their bid for power, but to also catch Talon!Bruce and Talon!Dick. The fic will explore two timelines: the 'present' timeline which deals with the court of owls plot and a 'past' timeline that explores Clark's role in the batfamily.

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21 Title: The Maiden in the Tower Word Count: 6k complete so far, looking to be around 10-11k total. Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romantic Comedy, light Drama Fandom/Universe: primarily the pre-Flashpoint DC canon, though that’s more of a guideline than a hard rule. Characters/Pairings: Everyone Loves Tim Drake, ultimately Dick/Tim; Klarion the Witch Boy, Bruce, Barbara, Cass, Cassie, Kon and Bart all have prominent roles. Featuring cameos from as much of the DCU as I can fit in before the deadline, primarily Titans and Young Justice. Warnings: Low-key canon-typical violence and a ‘happily ever after’ kiss for two (full-grown) adopted brothers. Swearing. A few people get made the butt of jokes but it’s nothing too mean-spirited. Rating: PG-13 (technically R for swearing but content-wise it’s strictly PG-13) Summary: Klarion’s idea of the perfect birthday present is to trap Tim in the highest room (Bruce’s office) of the tallest tower in Gotham (Wayne Enterprises) and flood the rest of the building with a mix of living vines and fairy tale obstacles that can only be overcome by Tim’s true love. Shenanigans ensue as half the superhero community competes for the hand of the fair maid Red Robin. Pay-off is Dick/Tim but the lion's share of the page time is spent watching people fight fairytale tropes while Tim and Klarion snark with popcorn. Light-hearted comedy in which some characters get made to look the fool, ultimately gets no sexier than a True Love’s Ending Kiss. Set entirely within a vine-infested, magically-warped Wayne Tower with everyone from the Bats to the Titans to Tim’s civilian friends dealing with fairytale nonsense: glass mountains, living office supplies, pixies swarms, catching the cat who has the key to the next floor, etc. Meanwhile Tim hangs out in the penthouse with Klarion and a pint of ice cream watching the event like a reality show and getting dunked on for being an archetypal Disney Princess. Fun times for all with a light sprinkling of angst for flavor.

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22 Title: The Antecedents to Reunion Word Count: 13,500 (out of approx. 20k) Genre: Steampunk AU, slice of life, case fic Fandom/Universe: Batman comics, drawing heavily from the Court of Owls storyline and Cass's Batgirl run Characters/Pairings: Cassandra Cain/Stephanie Brown (preslash), Tim Drake, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson Warnings: non-canonical limb loss, temporary character death, fake character death, grief/mourning, implied brainwashing, past child abuse, drug use in an interrogation by a minor character Rating: PG-13/Teen Summary: In a verison of Gotham that never existed, a version of Gotham where clockwork and steam bring the city through the night, Dick Grayson is believed to be dead, and Cassandra Wayne has just returned from Hong Kong. But as Cass settles back into the city, she quickly discovers that something-- or someone-- is trying to get her attention, and that the clock is ticking on how much time she has to figure it out. This is very much a "slice-of-life" fic, except it's set in a Steampunk AU. This story is set mostly in Gotham, with there being one flashback scene to Cass’s apartment in Hong Kong. In Gotham, characters go to the manor, a gala, an ice cream parlor, and the Iceberg Lounge. There is also a fight scene in Robinson Park against Poison Ivy, in a villain’s apartment against droids, and a brief chase scene across rooftops. The plot with the Court of Owls is fairly in the background of this fic, as the real focus is Cass, her relationships with the other bats, and the intricacies of mourning. This story has a hopeful ending, in that it ends with Cass discovering that Dick is alive, but the actual reunion is left to the reader’s imagination.

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23 Title: With Blood and Rage of Crimson Red Word Count: 6,968 Genre: Angst, Action/Adventure Fandom/Universe: DCU, Batfam, Lantern Corps Characters/Pairings: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardener, John Stewart, Bleez, Rankorr, no pairings (however, I might include hints of Batlantern (HalxBruce) later) Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence, mentions of past underage attempted rape, mentions of past drug use, mentions of past child abuse Rating: PG-13 Summary: Jason was only 11 when his life was irreversibly changed. Now the newest member of the Red Lantern Corps, he is immediately thrust into a dangerous game where losing could mean death. With practically half the villains in the universe after him and the rest of the Lantern Corps, Jason must watch his step at every corner. To overcome this threat and find a way to save himself and the people he cares for, Jason must first overcome his own inner demons and learn to trust himself and the people around him. This story is set on multiple planets throughout the DC Universe. On Earth, we see Gotham City, the Batcave, and the Watchtower, in space, they travel to Ysmault and other planets that I made up for the purpose fo the fic (so you will have mostly free reign with the design of those planets if you choose to draw scenes involving them). This story involves canon-typical violence throughout. At the start, there are mentions of child abuse, and there is camera footage shown of attempted rape of a minor, but nothing explicit. At the start of the story, Catherine Todd is found by Jason post-OD and that is mentioned a few times throughout the story. The abuse and attempted rape are mentioned a little throughout the story, but not much, as it is not the focus, rather a back story for Jason. Other than that, there is no smut, or even pairings (unless I decide to do the Batlantern, but that will be a minor background pairing). There might be some language, but it is kept to a minimum.

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24 Title: You Have Their Eyes (But You'll Never Have Their Smile) Word Count: 6,679 Genre: Action/Adventure, Mystery, Angst Fandom/Universe: DCU, Justice League Characters/Pairings: Jason Todd, Kyle Rayner, Donna Troy, Chris Kent, Lorena Marquez, Connor Hawke, possibly Jaykyle Warnings: Canon Typical Violence, Mentions of Past Character Death, might have some minor language Rating: PG-13 Summary: Eight years ago, the Justice League vanished into thin air. Since then, their proteges have been left behind to pick up the pieces of a broken world. Struggling to fill shoes that don't quite fit, the next generation of the Justice League is faced with their pasts as an old case makes a reappearance, eight years after the original Justice League closed it. This is set on Earth, in various locations like Wayne Enterprises, the Watchtower, the Whitehouse, Los Angeles, Malaysia, and Atlantis. As stated before, violence is a part of this fic, but nothing more than you would normally see in canon. Past character deaths are mentioned, including Jason's temporary death, and the supposed deaths of the original Justice League. There is cussing, but only like two or three words in the entire fic. There are also mentions of a court stripping away Donna's parental rights to Terry.

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25 Title: Heavy the Head Word Count: 4k~ Genre: Greek Gods AU Fandom/Universe: No specific canon Characters/Pairings: Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson, assorted batfamily characters Warnings: No real warnings; there's some smut at one point in the fic Rating: NC-17 (overall it's rather tame, but some smut) Summary: Slade is an old nature god, one rather bored with the politics of Olympus. He is, however, rather fascinated by the reserved god of the dead Richard, remembering how different the boy was back when he truly was just a boy. He's always like oddities and figuring out puzzles, and Richard certainly is one at that. Dick would really prefer that everyone leave him alone to do the job he was assigned a millenia ago. Visiting Olympus brings him no peace, not when he knows he'll have to leave again soon, not to see his family for another century or so. Of course, there's always Slade, who's happy to give more than Dick is usually comfortable accepting. Not that that ends up being a bad thing. This story takes place in Mount Olympus, at a waterfall, and in the Underworld.

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26 Title: Hearts Beating Side by Side Word Count: 3,600 Genre: Romance, Drama Fandom/Universe: Young Justice Verse Characters/Pairings: Garth - Tempest/Kaldur'ahm/Dick Grayson Warnings: Threesome, misunderstanding, pining, dirty talk Rating: Summary: On the precipice of changes in their lives, Garth and Kaldur find a momentary reunion and the repressed childhood love that they have both harbored for the other is reignited. But the weekend won't be an easy fall into long awaited love. Nightwing has reappeared after months of silence in the guise of his civilian persona, Dickie Wayne-Grayson. And even though he's playing the part of full-time playboy, Garth can see the spark that Dick lights within Kaldur. And it's not a one-sided feeling. A weekend of diplomacy is consumed by Garth and Dick's competing jealousy; each believing Kaldur has eyes for the other. Garth thinks Dick is leading Kaldur on, and Dick thinks Garth has won Kaldur's heart before the weekend even began. They bicker, and banter, until they Bang It Out. When Kaldur catches them, there's guilt, and confessions and polyamorous negotiations.

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27 Title: hold onto the fire even if you have to burn Word Count: ~7k Genre: Angst with a happy ending Fandom/Universe: DCU (specifically Batfam) and post-Underworld Unleashed Characters: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Zatanna Zatara, John Constantine, Donna Troy Pairings: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd (endgame), Dick Grayson/John Constantine/Zatanna (temporary) Warnings: Threesome, rape/non-con mentioned, self-harm (through magic), depression, lack of self-worth, explicit content, graphic violence, temporary major character deaths. Rating: NC-17 Summary: Dick Grayson is no Batman. After Bruce Wayne refuses to resurrect the late Jason Todd, Dick takes matters into his own hands. Armed with the knowledge of a deal that didn't go through, Dick allies himself with Zatanna and Constantine in a bid to right the wrong that Bruce ignores -- even though souls come at a cost. Dick knows he's strong enough to take the pain to save Jason. But can he stop at Jason? Can he let his fallen friends and family stay dead? Dick is determined to save everyone he can, even if it means losing his soul. The story takes place in multiple locations, primarily in Gotham and Neron's throne room in Hell, with occasional switches to Bludhaven. Rape/non-con refers to past instances (Dick/Mirage, Dick/Catalina) that are discussed at length. Threesome takes place as part of a magic ritual. Self-harm is heavily implied through self-sacrificial actions and reckless behavior (as well as the literal deals with a devil). Graphic violence will be canon-typical. Deaths are canonical deaths and happen offscreen (with the exception of Donna Troy and Damian Wayne who die in front of Dick and are described vividly). There's an alternative ending that includes Dick Grayson dying, but that's only one of two endings that will both be written.

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28 Title: The Deepest Secret Nobody Knows Word Count: ~6500 written (~15000 total) Genre: Romance Fandom/Universe: General DCU, Batman, Green Lantern Characters/Pairings: Bruce Wayne/Hal Jordan Warnings: Unintentional Exhibitionalism, characters/relationship being outed without their consent Rating: Explicit/NC-17 Summary: Hal and Bruce have been fucking for a full year, but have only been in an acknowledged relationship for six months. A jealous co-worker, who will stop at nothing to destroy Bruce Wayne, has a private romantic encounter between Bruce and Hal taped, then releases photos of the encounter to the press. Hal now finds himself thrust into a part of Bruce's life that he'd only had a vague impression of previously. While he believes that his and Bruce's relationship is solid, he's still left wondering if this will prove to be too much trouble to bother with, for himself, for Bruce, and for Bruce's family. Takes place primarily in Gotham (WEI offices, the Batcave, and the manor), with minor placement on the Watchtower, in Hal's apartment in Coast City, and varying Bruce boltholes around Earth. No serious warnings, other than semi-graphic/graphic sex.

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29 Title: In the Shadow of the Empire Word Count: About 12 or 13k, just under 9k written Genre: SciFi, Action/Adventure Fandom/Universe: Batman (though no particular canon), Star Wars AU Characters/Pairings: JayDick, JayTim, implied DickTim, pre-DickTimJay, Cass, Steph Warnings: Graphic descriptions of violence, dub con Rating: NC-17 Summary: For most of the galaxy, life under the Empire's thumb was difficult, stressful, and painfully short. Dick and Jason knew this all too well, trying to keep their rustbucket of a ship in one piece while living job to job on the fringes of the Empire's control. It was a hard life, but as an ex-Jedi and a so-called 'troublemaker' wanted in multiple Empire systems, they didn't have much choice. But when a job goes wrong, they and their crew find themselves on the run from the Hand of the Emperor; a masked dark side user who is as feared as his origins are mysterious... and who is much more involved in Dick and Jason's past than either of them could guess. This story exists within a Star Wars setting, roughly around the time of the Original Trilogy. Scenes take place aboard Jason's ship, on a derelict Republic cruiser (i.e. no lights and without atmosphere or gravity), and on a small, heavily forested moon where the showdown happens between the ship's crew (Dick, Jason, Cass, and Steph) and Dark Side!Tim. The graphic violence is to the tune of blaster and lightsaber wounds. The dub-con occurs when Jason drunkenly sleeps with a stranger at a bar, who later is implied to be Dark Side!Tim undercover. This counts as dub-con because Tim is actively concealing his identity to get information out of Jason and because Jason would likely not have slept with him if he knew who he was and what he was doing.

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30 Title: There Be Dragons Word Count: 6425 words Genre: Urban Fantasy, Dragons Fandom/Universe: Batman Characters/Pairings: JayDick Warnings: Descriptions of burning buildings, violence, some gore Rating: M Summary: In Gotham, there be dragons. A pureblood dragon, Bruce revolved his vigilante persona around his ancestry, to become, Dragonman. Dick’s dragonhood was a direct result of Bruce’s ingenious DNA bonding–a gift he now refuses to use. For a moment in his life, however, he tolerated it, for Jason. Then Jason died. For six months, as far as Dick and Bludhaven was concerned, there were no goddamn dragons. Then one night, fire licked the sky. No matter how fast Dick ran, swung and flew, it was too damn late. A casino was razed to the ground. Human bodies stacked in piles. The shadow of a red dragon’s wings flapped in a distance. There was no question, however impossible, who did it. Dick couldn’t believe it. Dick wouldn’t believe it. This dragon flew around in Dick’s city on a raging warpath, knowing more than he was letting on. Dick intended to find it, and stop it.

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31 Title: When the Winds are Howling Strong Word Count: 3040 Genre: Found family, omegaverse, no capes AU Fandom/Universe: Batfam, Red Hood and the Outlaws Characters/Pairings: Jason Todd, Dick Grayson Warnings: Implied non graphic rape, intersex omegas, severe misogyny against omegas. Dick is a cop but he’s on leave through 90% of the fic Rating: PG-13/Teen. Nothing is graphic, but the topics are heavy Summary: Dick signed up to be a foster alpha, but never expected that he would actually be given an omega. Then Gorden’s men find an gang’s omega in heat and in bad shape. Since most foster alphas are searching for a mate, Dick is given custody over the omega. Jason was pulled off the streets by Joker’s gang when he was fifteen and life’s only gotten worse from there. As a gang omega, Jason served mostly as a form of recreation for the other gang members. After four years in hell, Jason’s given up all hope of escape. He’s got a new alpha who seems decent, but past experience has taught him those are the worst ones. Found family is the core of this fic. Dick helps Jason with his reintroduction into society/introduction to Gotham’s high society and both are forced to confront their internalized prejudices against other castes. It’s set in Gotham and explores both the slums and the glitzier districts. Jason and other male omegas will be depicted as wearing more feminine styles, including dresses and skirts. Key scenes: Dick taking custody of Jason, Dick and Jason growing used to each other, Tim and Damian meeting Jason by accident, Jason dumping out all of Dick’s liquor cabinet, Dick taking Jason shopping, Jason meeting Bruce and Alfred, Dick takes Jason to a gala and they work through a meltdown, Jason shows Dick where he used to live before Penguin and Joker, Dick and Jason fight after finding out everything Jason did in the gangs, Sheila makes an appearance, Jason is induced into an artificial heat, Dick and Bruce find Jason who is already making progress to rescue himself, End by Jason cutting the ribbon to an omega shelter.

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32 Title: Midnight Rendezvous Word Count: 4000+ Genre: PWP, Drama Fandom/Universe: Batman, Nightwing/Grayson Characters/Pairings: Midnighter/Dick Grayson, Bruce/Dick Grayson Warnings: Explicit sex, References to violence, Maybe unsafe sex Rating: NC-17 Summary: Dick is tired of the Golden Boy act. Tired of waiting for Bruce’s approval. And he’s beyond tired of not being noticed... So tonight, he’s going to find someone one who will.

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33 Title: crowns of violets and roses Word Count: 3009 Genre: Romance, Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology Fandom/Universe: Batman - All Media Types Characters/Pairings: Bruce Wayne/Jason Todd Warnings: Attempted non con, swearing, descriptions of violence Rating: Explicit (NC-17) Summary: Modern Hades & Persephone AU. After Bruce Wayne’s parents die, he becomes lord of the underworld, leaving the seasons and harvest unattended. Replacing him are the two Robins, Dick and Jason, spirits of spring and growth, but neither is able to fully step into the Waynes’ empty mantle. Things are further complicated when Dick wants to move on to a new role and Jason’s propositioned by another god. Bruce pulls Jason into the underworld, offering him sanctuary from the threats above. In the shadows, Jason finds both his strength and love. But without the work of both Robins, the land crumbles, threatening the lives of mortals and the power of the gods. The only solution is for Jason to return, unless Bruce is able to out think their enemies. The setting for this story is largely modern with stylized elements from different periods (gothic, art deco). The Underworld, which is the primary setting, is heavily influenced by Wayne Manor and the Cave from comics and the animated series. Other places can have a more Gotham art deco influence.

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34 Title: Bruce Wayne, the Court of… Word Count: 4035 Genre: AU, humor, fluff, angst Fandom/Universe: Batman comics, Nightwing comics, Red Hood and the Outlaws comics, Batman: Under the Red Hood Characters/Pairings: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne Warnings: rape, death, beating, abuse, violence, spoilers for: Forever Evil arc, Court of Owls arc, recent Nightwing comic arc, recent Batman comic arc, Red Hood and the Outlaws #25, Batman and Red Hood #20 Rating: T/Teen And Up Audiences /PG14+ Summary: Bruce had made many mistakes in his life. The most horrifying and disastrous were the ones involving his family. The way he treated them, deceived, hurt and used finally blew in his face and he had to face the consequences. There was no forgiveness for him now, not from any of them. But maybe there was a way to avoid it all. This story is meant as a fix-it to all the mess the canon turned into. While the story focuses on talking about canonical events there are a lot of headcanon/fanon/tropes put into it as well ie. romantic relationship between adopted brothers. And although the topics discussed are serious matters the fic itself is slightly crackish. The story takes place in Gotham during the Batman: Under the Red Hood events. At first the action is placed all over the city: rooftops, docks, parking lot, train station; for it to narrow down to an abandoned hotel room.

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35 Title: Do You Love The Summer Like I Do? Word Count: 6116 words Genre: Romance, Action Fandom/Universe: Batman, Red Hood and the Outlaws Characters/Pairings: JayRoy Warnings: Descriptions of physical trauma, healing from injuries, violence, some gore Rating: M Summary: Those hazy nights spent blinking in and out of consciousness, events of Bruce cracking his hood open like an egg replaying like a neverending nightmare. Waking up to a stuffy bed, IV drips and the simmering heat. Roy’s dumb, handsome face hovering worriedly beside him. For those months of grueling physical therapy, Jason could depend on one thing to keep him going--Roy’ love. Jason would have put any grand plans of his to a screeching halt, if Roy asked him to stay on that island forever. But he had therapy to go to. Jason could respect that. Then, Roy died. And Jason missed the funeral. But unlike every other piece of shit who dared to call themselves Roy’s friends, Jason wasn’t about to let him lie. And he had a way of bringing him back.

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If you have any questions, concerns, here is the the Page-A-Mod Post You can also contact the mods via, [email protected], or by sending a PM on DreamWidth/LiveJournal to , or sending a DM on Discord to LuciferxDamien.

Twitter and Tumblr are NOT the quickest way to get in touch with me, as those accounts are not checked as frequently. If your matter is urgent, Discord or email are the quickest way to receive a response!

#dcu bang #DC Universe #Fanart #fanfic #fandom

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whitmore · 4 years

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I saw you said you're excited for Artemis, so I'm curious if you think they'll go the comic route where she's a villain or the Young Justice route where she's a hero?

for reference i just started w yj, i’m at the end of season one rn and i’ve only read a few yj comics (mainly ones w courtney) so. everything i say might be wrong. heads up lmao

i think geoff johns is very true to comic— stargirl is his passion project and he knows a LOT of stargirl lore (for. lack of a better word. also i love saying lore) to be able to stay true to comic. that being said, there have been NOTABLE changes to courtney’s background, family, and beginnings in order to accommodate for a different medium: television

(proofreading this made me realize this is a BIT of a tangent so u can skip this if u want) i’m not a comics purist. and tbh, i don’t like to think of stargirl as a “stars and s.t.r.i.p.e.” adaptation; it’s a different run. if stargirl were to be made into a comic, shot for shot, panel for panel, it’d be really boring if it exactly matched s&s. it’s a different run, a different take. there’s still a respect there for the source material and the original run; however, stargirl has its own charms and scenes that are unique to itself. so yeah, technically in the comics, artemis IS supposed to be a villain. with the way she’s being framed in the show rn (which is barely ever, but still) i don’t think they’re planning on taking her the villain route

going young justice route is probably what’s most viable for stargirl to do, if they decide to start. idk maybe acknowledging artemis. i know she’s there for a reason; idk if they want to do a spin-off with her or something but artemis has reason. and with the whole team thing, i think going young justice route just makes more sense in terms of stargirl’s storyline and theme of family; artemis having those ties to her blood family but choosing her own (the team, perhaps) is a strong thematic choice. she’s currently framed as a sweet sporty girl with big dreams who seems clueless of her villainous parents; they could pull a 180 and be like “it was all an act!!! she always knew!!!!” and play it that way, but the thematic stronger choice is with artemis rebelling against her parents. also the difference in the way she (and isaac) are framed compared to henry jr and cindy is REALLY telling in terms of their futures (i hope??)

anyway it’s late here i hope this made a slight bit of sense!!! lemme know what u think tho bc i’d like to hear it

#asks #stargirl #artemis crock #also if anyone viewing this has seen young justice and / or read artemis’ villain arc. pls weigh in #without spoiling yj for me lmaooo but i’d like to hear thoughts #johns never wrote artemis in comics so im hoping he doesnt feel too much allegiance to her comic arc #i hope he feels allegiance to me: absolute stranger who just started watching yj and likes artemis very much #pls make her good!! i love her

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theshadowedqueen82 · 4 years

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5 Fandoms Tag Game

I was tagged by the lovely @smalltreenergy, thanks Belle!

Pick 5 shows, then answer the following questions (don’t cheat!).

Brooklyn 99

Young Justice

Carmen Sandiego

Hilda

The Dragon Prince

1. who is your favorite character in 2? M’gann M’orzz or Artemis Crock, I cannot narrow it down any further than that

2. who is your favorite in 1? Amy Santiago!

3. what’s your favorite episode of 4? S1E9, The Ghost. I’m still not over the fact that the problem was the ghost left, I love it.

4. what’s your favorite season of 5? Gonna be controversial here and say Season 2, because I’m still not over Viren’s gradual slide into insanity paralleled by Callum’s discovery of the sky arcanum.

5. who’s your favorite couple in 3? does anybody even date in Carmen Sandiego? We’ll go platonic buddies in which case CHASE DEVINEAUX AND JULIA ARGENT the DREAM TEAM SPY BUDDIES DUO she’s the brains and he’s the stupidity I just want them to be a team again please

6. who’s your favorite couple in 2? SPITFIRE I’m never going to be over them oh my gosh S2 was really their best season with all that mutual support and love and trust but the gradual slide from hatred to love in S1 gets better every time I watch it

7. least favorite episode of 1? S1E5, because it introduces the Vulture whom I despise (he’s a really good character and it’s not a bad episode! I just despise him)

8. favorite episode of 5? S3E8, I’m so proud of everybody and you get to see how much everybody’s grown!!

9. favorite season of 2? S1, everything was lovely and fun back then and so much less painful

10. how long have you watched 1? I started it... two year ago, I believe?

11. how did you become interested in 3? The trailer came across my dash and I thought it looked interesting, and I WAS CORRECT

12. favorite actor in 4? Ameerah Falzon-Ojo, she does a fabulous job of Frida

13. which do you prefer, 1, 2, or 5? Young Justice, it’s been my favourite for years and that’s not changing anytime soon.

14. which have you seen more episodes of, 1 or 3? B99!

15. if you could be anyone from 4 who would you be? Alfur, definitely. I’d get to come along fun adventures and do paperwork after, the dream.

16. would a crossover between 3 and 4 work? Probably not, they have such different scopes and the main characters have very different backgrounds and worldviews, even if they were in the same city it’s highly unlikely that they’d ever interact.

17. pair two characters in 1 who would make an unlikely but strangely ok couple. all the good couples are already canon, so I’ll just make up a crack ship out of nowhere I guess. Pimento and Gina. I will not elaborate.

18. overall which show has a better storyline, 1 or 3? Carmen Sandiego, because there’s a larger underlying plot, but this isn’t a slight against B99! It’s mostly episodic and that’s okay! But with the S2 finale of Carmen Sandiego... yeah, that’s some good plot.

19. which has better theme music, 2 or 4? Hilda! While the YJ theme song makes me tear up every time that’s mainly nostalgia, and I’ve downloaded the Hilda soundtrack and love it dearly.

I’m tagging @aceofstars16, @a-l-ias, @buggachat, and @suucrette!

#tag game #tagged #thank you belle!

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adrenalineguide · 6 years

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Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon: The sleekest Jeep ever

By Michael Hozjan

While some manufacturers appear to be content resting on their laurels, the Jeep team has obviously been busy…very busy. Not only have they given us the new, much awaited Gladiator (see Los Angeles International Car Show below) but they must have been burning a lot of midnight oil lately as they’ve also given us the sleekest Jeep Wrangler ever. It may not look it at first glance but the 2018 is all new from the ground up with a new model designation, the JL.

Its iconic styling dates back to World War II with off-road prowess that few vehicles can match. But that prowess and iconic angular design comes at a price, and that’s its on road comfort and performance and yes thirst for fuel. Jeep’s designer and engineers have, and continue to persevere to smooth its rougher edges without alienating Jeep traditionalists (remember the debacle of the square head lighted YJ of 1986).

Those same traditionalists and any Jeep aficionado will quickly recognize the all-new JL model from the outgoing JK by…yes the new headlights. This time with optional halo LEDs that if anything hint at the blackout army headlights. There are also LED turn signals mounted on the front fenders and rear tail lamps are LEDs as well.

The Wrangler’s Achilles’ heel has always been its thirst for fuel and the challenges facing designers is how to keep Jeep’s iconic world-renown shape and persona without destroying it and at the same time make a brick aerodynamic.

At first you’ll have to look closer for the aerodynamic touches until you see them, then you’ll be able to spot them a mile away. The windshield has been angled a bit more with a slight curvature to it. More evident is the lower beltline and larger side glass. Oh and the windshield can now be folded down quicker with the A-pillar staying in place to form an integrated roll bar. The end result is a nice clean, crisp look sitting on a wheelbase that’s been stretched 61mm and is 114mm longer in length. Thanks Jeep.

If you were to put a scale of off-road prowess on the Wrangler’s trim line up, then the Rubicon would be at the top of that list which also means it would be on the bottom as a street fighter. I got my hands on the four-door version of the Rubicon last fall.

Engine options across the trim lines include a 2.0L direct injected, DOHC, in-line turbocharged four cylinder that is available only with the 8-speed transmission and the company’s main stay power plant, the 3.6L Pentastar V6 that can be hooked up to either the automatic ($1595) or a 6-speed manual trans.

Inside

The JL’s interior has also seen a lot of changes. There are now grab handles under the armrest to ease removing the new aluminum doors. It’s cleaner and more user friendly with cubbyholes for your drinks, cell phone, nylon nets on the doors and a deep center console. The infotainment screen is the old familiar one I’ve come to expect and love in FCA products. It sets up easily, is super friendly to use and navigate and is now encased in a rubberized trim mold to keep it water tight for those times you drop the top. The Alpine sound system is also greatly improved.

A back up camera has been added that you can access by hitting the camera button on the 8.4” infotainment screen at anytime, so if you’re towing something and you want to see if all is ok while on the highway, you can, without stopping.

You can also change the menu at the bottom of the screen for quick access by dragging the icons the menu. There’s an on/off switch for the auto stop/start on the center console along with a mute button for the radio. Just in front of the gear selector you’ve got the sway bar disconnect and front & rear/rear diff lock switch along switches with for aftermarket accessories. The front seat backs have hooks for your grocery bags. Outback there are provisions for the door hinges and there’s a cubbyhole with a drain plug that you can fill with ice for those camping trips. Two pet peeves in an otherwise great interior, there’s no dead pedal and the kicker… the fuscia colored dash! Why not keep it the same colour as the exterior? With the wider body, the cargo space is up slightly to 72.4 cu.ft of cargo space with the rear seats folded.

Tall opening eases loading awkward cargo

Still Jeep tough

Jeep engineers have also been busy making this the most capable off-roading Wrangler ever with improved suspension travel, and better articulation.

A Rock-Trac two-speed transfer case, Dana 44 front and rear solid axles with 285/70R17C off road treaded tires complete the go anywhere ability of Rubicon package. My tester came with the cold weather package (heated front buckets and steering wheel) at $895, the $895 LED lighting package, the aforementioned 8.4 inch nav/infotainment screen with premium Alpine sound ($1395), blind spot monitoring and rear cross path detection ($895), towing package including a 240 amp alternator, hard and soft top package ($2395) cloth seats. Power of choice was the 3.6L Pentstar V6 mated to a new 8-speed automatic and a 4.10:1 rear axle.

On the road

In 2015 I commented that Jeep could take a lesson from Fiat and improve their lighting, well they have and my drive home on country roads is greatly safer with the new LEDs.

Even with the off-road tires on my Rubicon (I love saying my) the improved ride quality of the new chassis was clearly evident but despite the refinements the JL is still a Jeep. A lot of the ancestral trademark Jeep jarring is gone and there’s a crisper feel to the steering. The 3.6L V6 is a carryover from the outgoing model and I’m used to the power delivery of the 285 horses and 260 lb-ft of torque. Checking the numbers however on the new 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder (270 hp with 295 lb-ft of torque) sounds promising and I hope to get my hands on one in the not too distant future.

OK the question that everyone has been asking. I was hoping the new smooth shifting, 8-speed automatic and aerodynamic changes would have made a big improvement in my gas bill, and was curious to know by how much. My last Wrangler was the Sahara, which averaged 13.5L/100 km. My Rubicon with off-road gear ratios and off-road rubber managed to better the old Sahara by .7L/100 kms. netting an average 12.8L/100km on mostly highway travel so a similarly equipped Sahara JL with the 3.45:1 rear end should get significantly better numbers.

Trims

Entry price for all this fun starts at $33,103 for the two-door Sport, followed by Sport S at $36,851 and completing the two door versions is the Rubicon at $44,878. The 4-door versions start with the Unlimited Sport S at $40,508 followed by the Unlimited Sahara – the company’s most street friendly ride complete with three-piece hard top starting at $44,308 and finally with our off-road bad boy, the Rubicon at $47,158.

There are reminders of the JL’s heritage all over.

If you’ve been thinking about getting behind the wheel of a Wrangler, you’ll be glad you waited, as the JL is an all around winner.

Price as tested: $57,998

#jeep #jeep wrangler #jeep galdiator #suv #offroad #fca #mike hozjan #adrenalineautoguides

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cassie-babyz · 7 years

Text

[TRANS] BoyAge (Aug 2017) - B.A.P

Theme Talk : My points

“Art is born from such ambiguous nuances!”

Feeling joy from going outside, loving the rain and having fun... A themed interview with the 6 who reveal their characters from how they experience different emotions.

“He plays online games and is noisy in the middle of the night too (laughs)”

―― First I’d like to ask you about what makes you emote. What makes you “happy”? DH: We practise almost everyday so sometimes we don’t really feel any changes. But after doing that continually, I’ve found there are times where I can actually discern my growth. That’s when I feel happiness. YJ: And then it has to be the concerts. I feel elated when I sense that togetherness with everyone during the concerts. ZL: I feel happy when I’m with someone. It’s lonely after all to be by myself (laughs). YG: I’m not usually the type to go strolling around, but in the times I do, I’ll think “aah, it’s nice. I’m happy.”. Regardless of the weather or location, I just think “aah, it’s the outdoors!”.

―― That’s simple (laughs) HC: It’s my first time revealing this, but I smack Jongup’s cheeks when he’s asleep. Though he doesn’t realise it at all. I feel happiness at those times (laughs). JU: This is also the first time for me to reveal it but I hit Himchan hyung’s jaw when he’s asleep (laughs). But he sleeps peacefully, and so when he says “my jaw hurts for some reason” when he wakes up, I feel happiness! HC: Oi, get out! YJ: They’re on good terms (laughs)

―― That seems so. Well then, don’t worry (laughs). Next is what makes you “angry”. HC: Jongup and I are roommates, and usually I’m the one who falls asleep first. Then afterwards, Jongup will leave the door open and sleep on the sofa with the aircon on full blast. It’s really cold! It really annoys me during those times.

―― Don’t you tell him that? HC: I’ll wake him up and tell him, but he’ll just reply with “ahh, sorry. I’m going back to sleep.”. JU: I’m sleeping nicely and getting woken up being told this and that really annoys me. It happens everyday. ZL: Ahh this is interesting (laughs). HC: It’s already turned into a pattern. If only he would fix it! JU: I don’t have any plans to fix it (laughs). YJ: I don’t often get angry at people, but when I lost in a team battle for a game... I get mad when I’m playing well but a teammate makes a mistake. HC: That I know (laughs) YG: I’m not the type either to get angry much but sometimes the manager drives recklessly... I’d wonder, we’re not in a rush so why? YJ: Yes yes! He accelerates and breaks all of a sudden. It makes me “!!”. I’m really not good with that... MNGR: Sorry...

―― (laughs) Well then, let’s go with “sadness”. ZL: It’s a little off topic, but I’m weak with crying so it’s difficult when I want to hold my tears in. Especially when it’s about my parents... HC: I think I’m weak against romance and melodramas. YJ: Out of the movies that I’ve watched lately, there was “The Beauty Inside”. It’s about a man who becomes someone different everyday and things don’t go well with the one he loves... that’s the sort of story it is. I cried at it. HC: I cried at “The Beauty Inside” too. YJ: Don’t copy me! (laughs) JU: I don’t cry at the parts where everyone usually does. An anime I’ve watched lately is “My Hero Academia”. Stories about someone accomplishing something or getting moved by something gets to me much more, whether it be a movie or a manga. YG: Jongup leads a life just like one from a manga (laughs).

―― Next is about what makes you “comfortable”. ZL: It’s fun when I’m doing the things I like. Recording songs and skateboarding and playing basketball with good friends. I love the time spent doing something with everyone. YG: Talking about lately it’d have to be riding my scooter. I like taking someone on a drive with me and making them happy too. JU: I really love the rain. It’s not like I get excited about it though... HC: We’re talking about “comfort” right? JU: Art is born from such ambiguous nuances!

―― Well then, I’d like to ask about the foods that matches your tastes too. What foods do you like? ZL: Sandwiches, eel, meat.... I like sushi too, but more than the sushi that I can eat in Japan, I like the ones that have a bit more arrangement. We went to America earlier for our tour, and if I remember correctly, we went for sushi in Dallas. It wasn’t normal sushi, but American styled. It was yummy with vegetables and fried things put inside.

―― Something like the so called “California roll” isn’t it. DH: In general, I like fried foods. My favourite is tonkatsu!

―― Is there a member who’s food tastes matches yours? DH: Maybe Jongup?

―― Do you perhaps fight over it? DH: Jongup will get it taken from him. He’s a very good kid (laughs). HC: We often eat various things together as members, but lately Youngjae has been asking me “where’s a good place?”. YJ: Himchan knows where the good restaurants are. HC: Leave it to me!

―― That’s dependable. Now please tell us about the music that you fall for. ZL: I think it holds true for all the members, but I like all music. There are many genres that I’ve yet to discover, but of the ones that I know now, [I like] hip-hop and pop. YJ: I listen to many genres after all so I like anything that I listen to and feel “that’s nice” about. I’ve been listening to Korean rapper Sik-K lately. There’s the song “party (SHUT DOWN)” released as Sik-K feat. Crush, and I love the first phrase of the 2nd chorus and keep listening to just that bit. HC: Once Youngjae thinks “this is good!” and falls for something, he really will only sing just that part (laughs).

―― It seems like it won’t get out of your head (laughs) DH: I don’t give preference to the genre either and simply listen to the music, but lately there have been some changes. I have a musical coming up and I came in contact with musical compositions for the first time... it has a very different feel to the music that I’d done till now. Especially since we have activities like this and times where we have to keep our usual selves suppressed. However for musicals, something inside me becomes free when I’m singing. I feel like I’ll be more and more into it from now on.

―― That means you have new discoveries too. Next is about time. Do you have a favourite time? JU: I like the moon more than the sun. When the sun rises, I think “ah, I need to do that” and feel somewhat rushed. When it’s night, I have the feeling of freedom and leisure for myself. ZL: It’s nighttime for me too. In the 1800~2300 time frame, I like to drink tea and spend time with old friends and sunbaes at cafes.

―― There’s still more. Next is about fashion. What sort of clothes do you like? DH: I’m not originally the type to care too much, but I’ve grown more chic tastes from the musical’s influence. I’m one of the older ones in B.A.P, but in the musical field, I’m the youngest so I have to act carefully. Along with that, my fashion tastes have settled down.

―― Do you have any particular favourite pieces? DH: With favourites, I am particular about my shoes. YG: Ah, me too. I think shoes complete a look.

―― They often say “dressing well starts with choosing the right shoes” after all. YG: They say “dressing up is completed with your face” in Korea.

―― Is that so?! YG: I think it’s about the shoes so I want to put my focus on shoes. Fundamentally I like simple fashion, with slight accents. I don’t really like flashy items. ZL: I also put my attention towards my feet. Though I’m more interested in sock than shoes.

―― That’s rare. ZL: I challenge pairing socks that are removed from my style and tastes, but lately I’ve been choosing socks that match my clothes. I like American casual and street fashion, but won’t I look somewhat like every other person then? That’s why I add an edge with socks. Socks are very important!

―― I see. Now finally, your hobbies. What hobbies do you have? YJ: Games! I love them. I’m obsessed with “League of Legends”. I’m in a team called “we are the strongest idols” made up of 4 idols including me.

―― Who’s a strong player in that team? YJ: Well of course, that’d be me! HC: He plays online battles too, and he’s noisy in the middle of the night too (laughs). Lately my hobbies have been walking.

―― How much do you walk? HC: I don’t have a set time or distance, but I like walking in the park. And of course, I take a car till I reach the park.

―― Doesn’t that, defeat the purpose... (laughs)

“I’d be happy if you could further feel B.A.P’s possibilities”

―― You released a new album “UNLIMITED” on 6/28, what’s it like? YJ: As you’ve probably guessed from the title, “UNLIMITED” = an album with unlimited possibilities. I think it’s unlimited; the passion we have towards music, music genres and such, and I think this has proven it. Even when you listen to the tracks, I think you can hear they’re full of personality. I’d be happy if you could further feel the possibilities of B.A.P by listening to this.

―― It’s been a year and 3 months since your last album release in Japan right. ZL: Yes. It’s very exciting to come to Japan like this again. Continuing on from the first album, I’d be happy if many people give this lots of love too. YG: Producing it was very fun. This one album contains music of multiple genres so I’m sure everyone will be able to find one song they like. JU: It’s contents are jam-packed and there are many songs that display B.A.P’s musicality.

―― Like everyone said, there are diverse genres from hip-hop, funk, to ballads, included in this album. When comparing it to the last album, did you find any changes? DH: Firstly, there are solo tracks included this time. I think that’s the biggest difference to the last album. The solo tracks are each created by the member themself so I think that holds great meaning and the fans too will appreciate it.

―― I guess solo tracks were something that you wanted to try doing since a while ago? DH: Definitely. I think that’s so for all the members. We’re facing music day in day out with our everything, and I think it’s a natural thing to want to create our own music and perform it.

―― What mindset do you approach recording with? YJ: When I’m recording, I always try to have the same feeling and mood of the song. But that’s not limited to this album.

―― A song that was particularly memorable? DH: Personally it’s my solo track “YOU”. Usually the members are there and I will sing my own part in the song, but this time, I did the recording by myself. I had the notion that I had to do well and I felt once again that it’s no simple feat to sing a ballad.

―― They were all in Japanese, so were there any difficulties in bringing your feelings in? DH: From the past till now, I’ve always cross-checked the pronunciation and meaning of the words in my head whilst singing. I had to focus particularly hard for this time. HC: I had many English parts this time. It’s already been released as a single, but there’s this part in “WAKE ME UP” that I always get stuck on. I’m pronouncing it correctly in my head but (laughs), it’s a tough one. Though in relation to the Japanese, I can sing it with no problems like a pro since we’ve done it many times till now.

―― That’s one of the areas you’ve grown in isn’t it. YG: For me, I’ve always felt the Korean and Japanese versions have a slightly different feel to them even though it’s the same song. I think listening and comparing them to find the differences is an enjoyable thing. JU: I had my solo song “NOW” recorded in Japanese for this time. I worked on this version with a different person than who I worked with on the Korean version, so it felt new too. I’m looking forward to the resonance and reactions from the native Japanese-speaker fans.

―― It’d be great to hear their response wouldn’t it! JU: Yes. I’m waiting for your messages.

―― Are there any other highlights that you want to point out? YJ: There’s the Japanese version of the song called “SKYDIVE”, which is included as the 2nd track in this album, and it will be the first time you can listen to it. “1004″ too has Japanese lyrics now, so I think you’d be able to enjoy another side to the original song. ZL: I also think that “SKYDIVE” is great. We’ve been touring around the world, and we’ve been able to perform this song completely with all 6 of us including Yongguk. I’d love it if the listeners would imagine B.A.P’s performance whilst listening to the song.

―― And now a final message! HC: Having another chance to meet the Japanese fans like this makes me very happy. To be able to repay everyone’s support and meet everyone’s expectations, we’ll continue to work hard. I love you!!

Daehyun

I’m OK as long as I have this >> STUDIO: It’s a place that’s become a given for me. STAFF: This is also something irreplaceable FANS: It seems like mine are all related to work too (laughs), but to me, it’s not ‘work’. They are who support me doing my favourite thing.

What I find difficult to deal with >> BEING HURRIED: I’ll end up feeling rushed. THINGS THAT INTERRUPT MY LESSONS: I want to concentrate after all. FISHY SMELLING THINGS: I can’t deal with things that smell a bit. There’s a Korean dish called “hongeo-hoe” made from fermenting skate fish and it has an incredible smell. Please try it out if you have the chance!

ZELO

I’m OK as long as I have this >> SINGING: The atmosphere when I’m usually singing on stage and from when I’m singing for fun is slightly different. DANCING: When I have some time, I’ll go to the studio and dance to the music I like. RAPPING: All of it simply relates to my work doesn’t it (laughs)

What I find difficult to deal with >> PEOPLE WHO ACT LIKE HYUNGS: (laughs) Well then, I wonder who it is? BEING COMMANDED: I can’t feel good about this. MY DOG BITING EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING: Lately my dog Mochi will bite everything and anything and it’s giving me a headache. He’s not sociable and causes trouble for other dogs and people too... I’ll work hard on disciplining him! (laughs)

Youngjae

I’m OK as long as I have this >> SLEEP: This is the most important. Ideally I want to sleep 8 hours. DRIVING: I want to drive on quiet roads whilst listening to the music I like. ZONING OUT ON THE TERRACE DRINKING COFFEE ON A NICE DAY: There’s this shop I like and I often spend such blissed time there.

What I find difficult to deal with >> UNDERPREPARATION: It makes my heart race if I have to do something when I haven’t prepared enough. DRIVING ON PACKED ROADS: It’s not good for my mental health (laughs) SLEEPLESSNESS: Sometimes I can’t sleep well. Instead of forcing myself to sleep, I’ll do something else until sleep comes to me.

Himchan

I’m OK as long as I have this >> JONGUP (laughs): He’s really interesting. It comforts me. CAR: I like driving. There are places within the Seoul city where I can drive with a little speed. CHATTING: It’s fun. Ah, it’s a bit nerve wracking to chat with the (company) president though (laughs).

What I find difficult to deal with >> JONGUP: He’s not very friendly lately. (I’m joking!) We’re roommates but our sleeping times differ a bit so I’d like him to have a little more consideration (laughs). FEASTS: I love them, but I’ve been limiting my food intake lately so. SLEEPLESSNESS: It’s stressful when I can’t sleep well.

Jongup

I’m OK as long as I have this >> MUSIC: This is my everyday essential already! MOVIES: It’s indispensable. ANIME: It’s the same for movies, but I usually watch widely without much care about the genre. Though I like stories with a little bit more depth that makes me think rather than fantastical ones.

What I find difficult to deal with >> SAYING THE SAME THING REPEATEDLY: I don’t like this GETTING SOMEONE TO DO SOMETHING I CAN DO: I think it’s a great thing to help each other out, but I dislike it when it’s done forcibly. SPIDERS: I’m ok with other insects but I just cannot deal with spiders. I definitely won’t touch it!

Bang Yong Guk

I’m OK as long as I have this >> SCOOTER: I’ve come to ride it lately and I often ride it around my place. RAMEN: I’m content if I have one (laughs). My favourite is the spicy ramen at Korea’s “Menya Sandaime”. MEMBERS: I’m a shy person by nature. When I’m with the members who I’ve spent a long time with, I am at peace.

What I find difficult to deal with >> MEETING WITH A FEMALE FOR THE FIRST TIME: Whether it’s for work or in private, I’m nervous when I sit on the same table as a female that I’ve met for the first time. It’s embarassing (laughs). INTERRUPTING MUSIC PRODUCTION: When I’m focusing at the studio, I’m prone to replying late when someone contacts me. SPEED: I find it difficult to go fast on cars and such. I’m the type to drive safely on my scooter and enjoy the scenery.

Source: aigatto_BAP Translation: cassie_babyz

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