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justparkerluck · 2 months ago

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And now... thoughts on a comic from someone super new to comics!!!

Today on justparkerluck, I share my thoughts on:

"Robin: Year One" - 4 Issues | October 2000 - January 2001 — written by Chuck Dixon & illustrated by Scott Beatty and Javier Pulido

Notes before the review:

— Loved this comic so much so this is yet another positive one. Don't worry if you don't mesh with that though, I already have the next comic read and I'm actually going to have real criticism rather than praise for that one lol.

Spoilers for the comic below the cut*

First: soo what did I think?

I like the art style better than The Man Who Laughs, probably equally or less so to Tim Sale's work- the art of this one really grew on me as I went

It references when Dick and Bruce kill Zucco in Dark Victory but Two Face doesn't seem to know Robin is despite them meeting already so that's a bit odd. From looking into it seems that post-crisis (what I now know to be the era I'm reading) isn't terribly strict on continuity. It looks like this is considered canon so I'm just gonna roll with it

Definitely prefer this design of the Mad Hatter

I like seeing all the slice of life stuff- the galas and Dick's school life help in really fleshing our characters out and making them more rounded

I didn't know who Mr. Minette was but that's my bad. It didn't actually hinder my ability to read this too bad but going back, I would have read Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet before this just to introduce us to Joe Minette

The cursive in Alfred's handwriting is just a little obnoxious to read

Dick just being so much healthier than Bruce as a result of quite literally killing Zucco, which is absolutely insane. That's not to be mistaken for calling him healthy- he isn't.

Genuinely impossible to pick fav panels, the comic is so pretty. As I read, I find this art style competing for my #1 spot

I actually don't know Leslie Thompkins but long live this woman for the work she's doing

Mr. Freeze is just so goofy- I feel sympathy because I know his backstory but he's just chilling in his boxers for most of this

Have genuinely never heard of Shrike. He's the first one I don't know even in passing.

I’m not gonna lie and say I love every single panel, but oh my god this was good.

Shrike and his Vengeance Academy are interesting, I assume that if it doesn’t get shut down here, Dick will probably go back and shut it down himself while he's Nightwing. (I wrote this while reading. Shrike is dead so...)

It's absolutely jarring to see the Joker without his lipstick- it's just a bit off

I'm excited to see where the Boone stuff continues after this- if it does

Second: Thoughts on each character:

Thoughts on Dick Grayson

“All work no play makes for a dull boy wonder.” and despite saying that, Dick is entirely willing to drop everything for the job.

I love seeing Dick having to abandon a date and essentially spit in the face his civilian life. He's already placing such misplaced importance on this job without regard for simply having a real life. That comes second to Robin

When Harvey beats the shit out of him- it feels like the version of the Jason incident where Bruce was there to save him

Sometimes it really just feels like Dick Grayson is Peter Parker in a different font

Dick left the manor and when he returns, he goes right back to the job. At the end, he isn't necessarily proven wrong about only being there when he is needed

DICK CALLS ALFRED "ALFIE"

Thoughts on Alfred Pennyworth

I like that Alfred feels that sense of guilt that another child is falling down the whole justice rabbit hole- at least one of these adults is actually concerned

Despite his concerns, he really just does nothing. I know he's like a butler here but considering the trust Bruce has in him, I'm sure he could have done literally anything to stop Dick from going out as Robin

Alfred worries being soothed only for the worst to happen to Dick is just painful :(

“While my boys sleep the sleep of the just.” Awhhh Alfie, that's so cute

Thoughts on Bruce Wayne

Harvey beating the shit out of Dick is just fully the death of Harvey's relationship with Bruce. There's absolutely no going back from here

“I want you to be a good soldier.” “what does that mean?” “You once swore an oath to me. If you put that costume on, you’ll honour those words to the letter and never again question my orders.” I understand what he's trying to say about Dick following orders if he puts the costume back on. My issue is that this is an insane thing to say to your child. Actually criminally insane

Thoughts on Harvey Dent

Fantastic Two Face design. I think the design is just more fun visually when he has the white hair on his head on the scarred side, though I think it makes more sense when he doesn't. Both this design and the Tim Sale design are just really great but I think this is more fun over Tim Sale's which is kind of brutal looking. Which ever you prefer really depends on how much you care of logistics- I'm fairly even here

Harvey is just so full of delusion- looking for anyone to blame for the incident that created him as Two Face.

Beating the shit out of Dick was just so brutal. Really just highlights Harvey's fall from grace. Like this was once a really good man who wanted children of his own. And now... he's almost beating a 12/14 year old half to death- fully intending to kill him

Harvey absolutely mercilessly shot down his dogs, even after expressing care for them and he shows no remorse after. I hate the progression of this poor man :( Two Face makes me so sad

Two Face casually just like treating the strippers really well- giving them money for their troubles when he shoots up a club. He’s anti-cheating-as we learned in Dark Victory, And he respects sex workers. We love Harvey Dent.

Thoughts on Jim Gordon

Barbara is his niece!! So as it turns out, she gets adopted because Jim's brother passed away. Really fills in my confusion

Gordon superiority in this one. He's the only responsible adult here who's actually concerned about Dick and fully prepared to beat the shit out of Bruce for it

Harvey beating the shit out of Dick also seems to be end of his relationship with Gordon and that hurts but also makes me love Gordon for just being a good man. Still though, Jim saying he was ready to stick Harvey in a gas chamber was brutal

Great look at Barbara, she catches a glimpse at Dick and that's our first look at her- I'm very excited to check out Batgirl: Year One- that's coming up in a few days and I know its from the same writer

Third: Did I like it?

Absolutely yes- this is my favourite of what I've read I think

Gorgeous art style that absolutely grew in me as I read through the book

Despite how sad it makes me, I like seeing Harvey's downfall

I love seeing Dick & Bruce's relationship- both for the fluff and the angst

Having actually concerned adults is terrific- Jim has a daughter now and it makes the little boy running around in booty shorts an actual point of concern for him. Alfred remains worried for Dick through the entire thing but I think this shows his flaw of being entirely too passive (that's a character flaw, not a criticism of the writing)

Theres a lot happening here but nothing lingers too long, no villains overstay their welcome, no villains get too breezed by- I think it's just all together very solid writing

Fourth: Favourite quote of the story- section added because of this banger story:

"You don't want a partner. And you don't need a son." Dick Grayson, written to Bruce Wayne

Lastly: The art gallery:

Final Notes:

— This is out a bit earlier than usual just cause I have stuff to do today. Tomorrow's read will be up whenever I want- probably a bit later than today but earlier than usual as it's a weekend. That one is going to be Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet. I have... a lot of fairly negative thoughts on that one. I'm also like pretty ahead of schedule on my reading so yk thats fun. Ummm and that's it!

Thanks for reading! Engage with the post and take care of urself! Bye!!!

#dc comics #batman #batman comics #robin year one #flynn's amateur reviews

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discowingneckline · 1 year ago

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Jason's attack on Tim wasn't really about Bruce and the superhero community nearly as much as it was about Jason thinking Tim had a very privileged life pre-Robin and being perceived as doing better than him as Robin. When Jason was beating Tim, it was to show Tim that he could beat him in a fight and have him at his mercy just as he was to Joker's. Not to mention that it was very much premeditated and like it was overall just extremely cruel and brutal. Jason is also an adult doing this shit versus Damian who is a minor (and yeah, minors can still do horrible things and should be punished for it, but people often forget that Damian literally came from an environment that devalued human life, placed heavy emphasis on blood relations, etc. and this goes into a whole other discussion about the culture shock Damian went through and the Batfam's lack of understanding or help in that regard, but i'll hold myself back from this because omg it's getting long) And that, along with all the other shit Jason did to not only the Bats but to some Arrows as well just like? It's in my opinion a lot worse since Jason is old enough to know better, and he wasn't doing such horrific things before he died. Like the shit he did to Mia?? To Dick?? His whole revenge and Gotham-takeover plan heavily relied on just treating so many people like shit, killing tons of people, and jfsaidfjdas. Basically, Jason decided that because Bruce didn't grieve the way he wanted, he was going to fuck up some shit.

Also, I would say that Jason wanting to really hurt/kill Tim for replacing him is really just a different font of Damian wanting to kill Tim to assert his place in the family. Like fundamentally, in that understanding of what happened, Damian is trying to kill Tim for taking his rightful spot in Bruce's life, and he would see that as replacing him.

That being said, the main reason this was really even made as a post in the first place is because frankly fanon tends to be very racist towards Damian (and other batfamily members, but this post isn't about them). It's incredibly rare for me to find a fic that actually treats this whole situation with even a bit of nuance and comic accuracy. Instead, Damian is often characterized in a flanderization of his actual character with a near complete inability to change. It again ignores the culture shock Damian would've been going through, the fact that he literally came from an ecoterrorist group, and all sorts of other things that isn't just as plain and simple as "Damian hated Tim for being Robin because he wanted that position in the family".

I'd also raise the point that, from what I've seen, people who follow this sort of thing where Tim is completely (or almost completely fine) with Jason but is super distant from Tim tend to also follow the fanon idea that Dick gave Robin to Damian when it wasn't him, it was Bruce. But jajfifjda yeah. I also can't remember a good chunk of the panels and issues that people say was Damian trying to kill Tim at the top of my head, but it's just?? Frustrating to say the least. And a lot of this again just stemmed from my absolute disgust with fanon Tim Drake and Robin at the expense of POC Batfamily members.

Sorry if this is a mess to get through, both my friends irl and my cat are trying very hard to get my attention. There was more thoughts I had too, and if I remember them, I'll reblog again with them, but yeah. I can definitely see where you were coming from though, but it's definitely the same sort of thing that I've heard people who like infantilize Tim say and I just?? Meh

“tim drake is rightfully annoyed and mean to damian because damian tried to kill him several times”

tim can be upset about it and not want to be nice or near him, yes, but have you considered tim ALSO wouldn’t want to be around jason?? noo because you changed tim’s favorite robin to being jason to fit your little world, and they got along in newer comics and stuff. well homie, have you actually LOOKED at the comics where damian and jason try killing tim?? because i’m telling you right now, jason’s attack was FAR MORE SEVERE than damian’s. and personally, if i were a vigilante, and i were almost murdered by these two, i’d be more wary of jason, who beat the living shit out of me, over damian.

like honest to gods, it’s like can you please read comics just a bit or look at some panels or something??? 😭😭 PLEASE

#op #dc #dc comics #jason todd fanon anti #tim drake fanon anti #canon vs fanon #fanon #canon #jason todd #tim drake #damian wayne

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gothmedia · 3 years ago

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GodHatesGoths, a Retrospective.

Or how a parody website and the Satanic Panic of the aughts combined to scare the shit out of everyone until the FBI got involved. Yeah, THAT FBI. A Nugget Hears “Goth” for the First Time Let me preface this with a story. The year was 2002. I was but a little nugget attending church with my mother when a guest preacher took to the alter and began a sermon on the most bizarre thing I’ve ever heard of: Satanic gladiatorial cage death matches in goth clubs. This was the very first time I ever heard the word “Goth”. The preacher went on to read testimonials about how goths worship the devil, preform weird blood rituals, and apparently murder each other with maces while listening to heavy metal. That is until a kindly Man-of-God comes up and tells them that kitten sacrifice is mean and they should read a bible. The preacher assured us that this was all real and the reason no one has ever heard any of this from the news was because the Devil was keeping it a secret. Now remember, I was a gullible little nugget and believed pretty much anything an adult told me until I turned twelve. When I was twelve, I got a mallgoth friend. She wore those corset-and-tutu style Tripp minidresses and NewRocks to school. She had multiple piercings and black lipstick and listened to bands like Evanescence. She wasn’t scary or violent and that made me re-think everything I was told. The year 2007 hits and so did high school. Now I’m beginning my own babybat journey, becoming interested in the music and subculture, reading JtHM and binging on Tim Burton movies. About a year goes past and I meet someone who reminds me very much of the preacher from six years ago. This time, however, they have something to cite their strange accusations off of - a website. GodHatesGoth . com. Ugly Layouts, Uglier Words The website itself is pretty unappealing. It opens up with photo of the Columbine shooters and a wall of text composed of bible verses and honestly offensive reasoning as to they’re quoting those specific verses. There are also two links for “Goths” or “Parents” to enter the website, each leading to a different forward message depending on the option chosen. The main site itself is ugly. The format is extremely basic, even for a website made in 2007, consisting of almost entirely text in three colors and a single sans-serif font over a plain grey background. About a fourth the links on the main page lead to an “under construction” message or are broken entirely because the site was never actually finished. Working links are mostly internal and lead to pages with short articles such as “GOTHS ARE THE DEVIL’S CHILDREN” or “YOUR CHILDREN ARE LYING TO YOU”. All of these articles are absurdly over-the-top in their stories about the depravity of the subculture. There’s a decent amount of references to teen killers or school shootings. A good chunk of the website is also lists of “depraved” things one’s goth teenager might be up to, but you’ll get tonal whiplash when said lists jump from “Goths do evil things such as read Anne Rice, sacrifice Christian babies to Satan, and sleep too much/little.” Quite a lot of the website jumps from scenarios that are completely mundane and can describe literally any teenager ever to crimes so outlandish you’d swear it came from a budget horror movie. There’s also excessive amounts of homophobia, ableism, sexism, and racism within the mix. It should be noted at this point that the website is a hoax. A parody of the hyperbolic anecdotes such as those told by the preacher I listened to as a kid. But what spurred this website’s existence in the first place? If it is a parody, what is it a parody of? Setting the Stage The Satanic Panic had already been going on for three decades by the turn of the century. The latest of its targets being Marilyn Manson and the goth subculture after the mislabeling of the Columbine shooters as goths. The Satanic Panic was a moral panic that things such as rock music, Dungeons and Dragons, or Harry Potter were corrupting youth and leading them into mysterious cults that ate babies or sacrificed virgins in the woods. Many news stations ran with sensationalist headlines about suspected spooky activity, but many claims were unfounded or - in the case of the stories that spurred the whole panic in the first place- fraudulent. The damage had been done, however, and people were on edge. This paranoia was only doubled with the general sense of fear people held after the attacks of September 11, 2001. People were afraid in general, people tend to fear things that are new or things they don’t understand, and all of a sudden teenagers were a thing they didn’t understand. Not to say that adults ever understood the youth in the first place, but this was also the height of MySpace, Emo, and Scene culture. Parents didn’t know what Emos were, but they knew what Goth was, so they attributed the dark clothes and dreary music to that. So the stage was set and people were afraid of the dark, leading to rumors spreading, speculation running wild, and the rising fanfare from hardcore Evangelical Christian groups. The Fallout of Fear Like every moral panic, this fear-mongering whipped people into a frenzy against a perceived threat. With the internet becoming more accessible and people suddenly knowing what was happening half-way across the world in seconds it seemed like more and more stories of goths being discriminated against coming out daily. Getting thrown off buses, out of malls, getting rocks thrown at them. Angela Benedict of youtube fame mentioned a “Beat the Freak Week” at her high school where the alternative kids were kept in the gymnasium to save them from the other students looking to cause harm. In 2002 Blue Springs, Missouri was granted $273,000 to “combat Goth culture”. The town ended up returning a little over half the amount back to the federal government due to goths not actually being a problem. The worst came in 2007, however, when Sophie Lancaster and Robert Maltby were attacked when walking through a park late at night. Both were jumped by a group of teenagers and beaten, fell into comas, and thirteen days later Sophie's life was terminated when it was found she would never wake up. Like that, the tables have turned. Public opinion was beginning to change. Petitions were forming to make discrimination and attacks on goths hate crimes across Europe and the United States. This change of perspective was compounded with growing distaste for ultra-outspoken Evangelical hate groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church and was leading more and more people to be on the look-out for similar organizations. Black Suits, Green Reverend Because of its similarities to the rhetoric of the Westboro Baptist Church and other organizations, and the previously described attacks, the website itself was becoming a concern to members of the subculture and eventually it was reported as a hate group to the FBI by a concerned goth. After engaging with the a yahoo group that was connected to the website and trying to dispel the frankly disgusting misconceptions the church held about he goth subculture, the goth decided that the mentions of abuse (Such as putting the head of an alternative granddaughter in an oven and giving her burns.) were enough to alert authorities. The website was associated with “God’s Hammer Baptist Church” and was under the management of Reverend RG Green, same with the forum and Yahoo group. In all of them they mention various activities of the church members ranging from child abuse to arson. This, of course, was alarming to the FBI so they decided to go digging and find out when these events happened, considering an arson would make news somewhere, and they failed to find anything. Church members supposedly involved cease to exist when looked into further. Two years after the investigation began the FBI actually visited the GodHatesGoths website and found the disclaimer in their about page explaining the site and related peoples and events to be entirely fictional. Reverend RG Green and his church never existed in the first place. Parody Payout So what did we learn here? That the government wasted resources investigating a fake church? Well, yes, but there’s a bit more than that. It was a look into cultural mindsets at the time. A shift from the “beat the freak week” and public disdain for anything that wasn’t “mainstream” to the spearheading of campaigns that protect others from those wishing to harm them on the basis of identity - including subcultural identity. Like I mentioned at the very beginning of this article, the people GodHatesGoths was parodying were very real. I’ve met a lot of people like them in the past and I’m sure to meet more in the future. They aren’t any less loud than they used to be, I’ll see them outside malls or museums with megaphones and bright signs about the wrath of God, but at the very least they draw the proper ire from most of society now. The reason I wanted to write this little article was because this was something that definitely shaped my coming into the subculture. It was the mid-late 2000s and I was on forums arguing with people claiming to be from God’s Hammer Baptist. I remember people talking about this website back on MySpace and posting now deleted videos about it on early YouTube. Something that felt so big as a kid is now so obscure that almost no one’s heard of it and it kind-of baffles me. I feel like there’s been an effort to preserve and document 80s and 90s goth subculture, but I don’t see a lot of people talking about the 2000s. Cybergoth was getting big, goth comics had a HUGE boom and the subculture suddenly had more off-shoots than it could deal with. Somehow it was both old-hat and producing more than ever before. And no one really talks about that. So, do you remember this website? Ever meet someone that this website was parodying? New to the subculture and happy to listen to a not-so-elder goth talk about the past? I’d love to hear your feedback! Links! https://web.archive.org/web/20080701112123/http://www.godhatesgoths.com/index.html (TW homophobia, racism, ableism, sexism, pictures of the Columbine shooters, general bad taste. This is the parody website.) https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2016/oct/31/fbis-investgation-god-hates-goths/ https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-fbis-twoyear-investigation-into-a-fictional-antigoth-cult

#goth #gothgoth #grufti #godhatesgoths #god hates goths #long post #goth subculture

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preciousthingsareprecious · 4 years ago

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That Time Tim Totally Terminated Ra's Al Ghuls Entire Empire Part 1

So. I wrote something very silly. The title says it all, except it doesn't because this bad boy spiraled out to being over 10k and deserving of 2 chapters. Anyway, here is the first chapter featuring all the times Ra's kidnapped Tim because he wanted to recruit him.

Summary:

"Let us not beat around the bush,” Ra’s started, after taking a sip from his tea, “I have brought you here to make you an offer.” Tim nodded, that was obvious enough. Ra's had no reason to kidnap him this time beyond something like this.

“As you know, I’m always on the lookout for enterprising young individuals with both leadership and fighting experience to join the League of Assassins. Right now I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect person to fill a brand new executive role in a new chapter of my organization.”

AO3 Link

Tim wasn’t entirely sure how he’d ended up in this situation. No really. One moment he’d been in Gotham, crouched behind an old BMW that had been in the same spot for a month, waiting on Batman’s signal, the next he’d woken up in some lavishly decorated room. Was that silk? Or maybe velvet? He had no idea what was hanging around the bed he was laying in, but Tim really didn’t care.

What he was concerned about was his own personal state. He raised his arms --that alone was a good sign-- and confirmed that his mask was in place. He pushed himself up on the ridiculously plush bed, -which was unreasonably plush by the standards of a kid who'd grown up rich, and then gone to live with a guy who had both more money and even better beds.

The point was, the bed was so soft Tim actually had a bit of trouble sitting up.

When he did manage to right himself, he finished taking stock of his own situation and his surroundings. His Robin uniform was intact aside from his belt, but he saw that set on a trunk that looked at least as old as Bruce, a few feet away. The room was, as he already determined, lavishly decorated.

Tim pushed himself out of the bed and onto a carpet so thick he kind of wanted to pull off his shoes and curl his toes in it, but seeing as he still had no idea where he was, who took him, or why, he figured that was probably out of the question. He did make a mental note to ask Bruce for some better carpet when he got home. As a kind of gift for surviving a very weird kidnapping.

Instead, he moved to walk carefully around the room. He found no obvious traps, no cameras or speakers or microphones that were either hidden or out in the open, and both doors were unlocked.

The first he opened revealed a bathroom. The second he cracked open to peer out of. His eyes locked on that of an honest to goodness ninja standing guard outside the door. The man locked eyes with him and Tim snapped the door shut with a click.

Welp, that answered the who and maybe even the where of Tim’s abduction. Ra’s Al Ghul. He was pretty sure if he gave the ninja ten minutes to go find Mr. al Ghul himself, he’d have the why too.

While he waited, Tim snapped his belt back around his waist, comfortable to have its weight back, even if being in a League stronghold meant all the tricks in his pockets were basically useless on his own. Still, it was nice to feel fully like Robin again.

After that it was a matter of waiting.

Tim paced an actual trench into the thick carpet as he waited. Batman was of course looking for him. That was a given, he just had to wait for the man to find him. Or for Ra’s to send him home? He really wasn’t sure why the Eco-terrorist would have taken him in the first place beyond a really weird obsession with Batman's various sidekicks.

How come all of Bruce’s baddies seemed to have a strange fixation on Robins? It was weird how many went out of their way to kidnap and attempt to recruit him, Dick, and if the stories were to be believed, Jason too.

Just as Tim was starting to turn that particular thought over in his head, the door to his room opened and Ra’s himself strolled in.

“Timothy.” the man drawled.

“Ra’s.” Tim replied, suddenly totally and completely unsure what to do with his hands, voice, feet, and general self. This wasn’t a fight after all.

He settled for crossing his arms and being terribly glad his domino hid his eyes.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I brought you here.” Ra’s said.

Tim shrugged, “It doesn’t take the world’s greatest detective to guess that.”

The man frowned at him, and Tim started to wonder if maybe he should be watching his words a bit. He wasn’t in Gotham with Batman at his back after all. But then again, Ra’s must need something from him right? So a little sass was okay, what was Robin without a smart mouth after all?

“I mean--” Tim started, unable to stop himself now that he was thinking about it, “I can probably start to guess. You didn’t kill me and I’m not in a dungeon so you’ve got to want something from me right? I bet this is some blend of trying to win me over and also hold me above Batman because you--” he paused for a moment trying to remember if Bruce had been on Ra’s’ trail at all lately.

He dropped his arms and clapped, remembering, “You’ve been trying to break into energy and you want Wayne Enterprise to back you and legitimize your business. So you’re holding Tim over Bruce, but you probably want Robin because you and like half of Batman’s rogues have this weird obsession with teen heroes for some reason."

At some point he’d stopped looking at Ra’s and actually started pacing again. When he stopped talking his feet stilled and he looked back up at Ra's and grinned, ""So, am I hot or freezing cold?”

He expected Ra's to looked angry or irritated, instead he looked amused.

“You are quite warm. Though I would contend the assertion that I have a weird obsession with teen heroes. I am only interested in the exceptional, and you Timothy, are exceptional indeed.”

Tim gulped, “I mean--not really? But thanks.”

Ra’s waved him off, “We will speak more later. You are correct, I do intend to use you as a bargaining chip against your guardian--”

“Dad.” Tim interjected.

The man raised an eyebrow but continued, “However you are not a prisoner in the traditional sense. You may wander the compound with one of my men by your side to ensure you do not get into trouble. If all goes well you will be returned to Batman within a reasonable amount of time. Unless, of course, you do decide you would like to stay and learn from me.”

“I don’t really see that happening.” Tim said, “But I'll be sure and let you know if I make a sudden turn towards world domination.”

Again, Tim expected some kind of retaliation, but he was thankfully ignored. Ra’s left him with a warning not to cause undue trouble and soon Tim was alone in the room again.

He spent the next couple days wandering the compound somewhat aimlessly. He had a phone call with Bruce where he promised his dad that he was totally fine if a little bored, and spent the rest of his time trying to avoid Ra’s. The man was kind of relentless in his attempts at winning Tim over to his side and sought him out at meals, when Tim was trying to train a bit at one of the many gyms, and even once while Tim was wandering a rather fantastic garden. Each time, Tim did his best to wiggle out of the man's suggestions and just get back to wiling away the time between then and getting home.

Thankfully, it was all over in four days when Batman came crashing in with Nightwing and Batwoman to rescue him, and soon Tim was home and settling back into normal life.

He’d actually almost forgotten about the whole Ra’s kidnapping him until it happened again. Once had been a surprise, two times was starting to look deliberate.

This one lasted a week with Ra’s claiming it was because he still really wanted that energy deal and he just couldn’t understand why Bruce wasn’t willing to trade that for his ward (son Tim had ground out in irritation).

Tim almost believed him, until he woke one morning to find a pamphlet had been slipped under his door, it was literally a flyer promoting hiring in the League. Tim looked over it and had to laugh out loud. The text was done in a mix of papyrus and other fonts and whoever made it had used clip art. It looked like someone had typed it up in Microsoft word in like half an hour.

He spent the rest of his time there re-designing the flyer, with a ninja hanging over his shoulder as he used one of the League computers. The new one wasn’t the best flyer in the world, but Tim was pretty proud of it, and it was much better than the first draft.

When he was done, he pocketed the original, then pinned a note to the new one that said: Ha! Not until you get better designers.

Batman rescued him again, and Tim pushed the double kidnapping and Ra’s’ weird obsession to the back of his mind until the next time he was with Steph.

They were in the manor watching a Chopped marathon and Tim was telling her about both kidnappings.

“So he’s super into energy? How come he didn’t nab Dick? We all know he’s Bruce’s favorite.” Steph teased, popping a chip into her mouth.

“Setting aside that obvious lie, that’s the thing,” Tim continued, digging out the flyer he’d kept, “It has nothing to do with energy or Dick. I’m pretty sure Ra’s is trying to recruit me.”

He showed her the paper and Steph snorted, spraying chips out as she laughed, “No. Freaking. Way. I have to tell Cass. Let me show her this, please I’m begging you.”

Tim groaned, “Yeah, sure, but don’t you think it’s weird?”

She shrugged, taking the flyer to look it over, “Of course, but the B-man attracts weird like ice cream dropped on the ground attracts ants. Give him six months, and Ra’s will move onto a different way of trying to piss off Batman.”

“I hope so.” Tim said.

The third time Tim woke up in the elaborate room he was getting really sick of the decor and the headache that came with being knocked out and dragged halfway across the world.

“You know.” Tim started, the moment Ra's walked into his room (and it was actually Tim’s room he’d learned from one of the ninja guards), “You could have waited a month this time, to at least pretend this wasn’t all about your super weird plan to try and convince me into letting you adopt me.”

Ra’s opened his mouth to respond, but Tim wasn’t done.

“Which, by the way, I’m taken already. B did the whole adopting thing, so you missed that window. Though, I guess that probably doesn't really matter to you in the grand scheme of things since you keep kidnapping me. You are aware that kidnapping isn’t the best way to convince someone that your way is the right one, right?”

“Also, would it kill you to pick up some --I don’t know-- books on recruitment or something? I don’t understand how you’ve managed to get so many guys on your side it’s--” Tim started, but Ra’s had caught on to Tim’s mood at this point, conceded temporary defeat, and made a hasty retreat.

Tim didn't see him the whole rest of the day, and by the next morning Batman showed up, swinging in for another rescue and all was fine and good and normal for a while.

Until, of course, it wasn’t.

It was the fourth kidnapping that really set Tim off.

He woke up back in that stupid room with it’s stupid decor and those stupid posters ready to burn the place to the ground. But something stopped him, a premonition. Like if he was patient for just a little longer he’d find a good and proper form of revenge to take on Ra’s for his total inability to take a hint.

At some point two ninja came by to take Tim to meet with Ra’s. As they walked Tim couldn’t help but notice the posters literally lining the hallways they walked through.

They were of two wildly different styles, but both struck a thought of familiarity in his mind. One was obviously a play on the classic “I want you in the army” poster. The other ripped off old “pin up” recruitment posters. Both made him laugh, and Tim pulled a couple of each down to save to show the Titans. He had a feeling Bart and Kon would lose their minds over these.

He had just folded them up and shoved them in his back pocket when they reached an office. Inside, Ra’s sat in a chair and motioned Tim to sit in one across from him.

“Thank you for joining me, Timothy.”

Tim sat and shrugged, “Not like I had much of a choice.”

Ra’s waved him off. As he did, a different ninja from either of the ones who’d escorted Tim to the office came in with a tray of tea. He handed Ra’s a cup, then gave one to Tim, and left the set on a table between them.

The whole vibe was kind of awkward and strange. Tim felt very much like he had one time a year ago when he’d realized halfway through a date that things were not going to work out. He hadn’t been able to end the date then and there, and had spent another two hours awkwardly making small talk and trying to avoid promising a second date.

“Let us not beat around the bush,” Ra’s started, after taking a sip from his tea, “I have brought you here to make you an offer.”

Tim nodded, that was obvious enough. Ra's had no reason to kidnap him this time beyond something like this.

Tim took a sip of his tea in an attempt at avoiding having his mouth drop open in shock. Ra’s sounded like something out of a “Executive success seminar” that was just a veiled multilevel marketing scheme.

“To put it plainly, Timothy, I want you to become my apprentice. I know you and assume you might be hesitant to accept this lifestyle so I’ve prepared for you something of a presentation on what that might entail.”

Tim couldn’t stop a laugh from bursting out of him, but he did manage to turn it into a kind of cough.

“Wait--wait.” he said, almost choking on his tea, “Are you about to show me a powerpoint?”

Ra’s looked a bit put out at that suggestion, almost like he wanted to sigh, “Of course not, it’s more interactive than that.”

Tim held up his free hand, incredulous, “Is this--a job interview Ra’s? I thought you were pitching this to me.”

“No, no. It’s an interactive presentation designed to show you just what you have to gain from joining me.” Ra’s explained, as he did so Tim took another sip of his tea.

He lifted his cup and waved it lightly, “Oh yeah, so I’m just in one of those fairy tales then where you make me do three impossible tasks and at the end I get the happily ever after dip in the lazarus pit?”

“It’s only one trial--”

“So it is a task!” Tim declared, almost standing.

“Timothy.” Ra’s snapped, sounding a bit like Bruce whenever Tim and Steph’s antics pushed him a bit too far.

Tim crossed his legs and leaned back into the chair, “Tell me I’m wrong.”

Irritating the man was a bad idea, Tim knew that, but this was just ridiculous. He wasn’t going to be sent on a wild quest that might end up with him dunked in a Lazarus Pit or whatever else Ra’s had in mind that would supposedly prove how great it would be to work for him.

“If you are not going to take this seriously, then there are other ways of showing you why joining me is a good idea that are not nearly as pleasant.” Ra’s growled.

Tim held up his free hand, “I’d rather not find out, give me your pitch or send me off with your best ninja or whatever you were planning.”

He figured playing along would work for now. He could put off giving Ra’s an answer until Bruce came in for a third rescue. When he was home, they were going to have a serious conversation about ninja proofing the manor. Ra’s could not keep kidnapping him like this, they had to have some kind of security measures in place.

“Wonderful. I’m sure after your tour you’ll have a better understanding of what I have to offer you.”

Tim ended up following someone Ra’s called his “best general” around the compound for an hour. The guy showed Tim the training rooms, the medical suite, sparring rings, a variety of ninja’s actually practicing, and at one point they even ended up in the library. The general had been given instructions to pause anywhere Tim wanted him to, and so they lingered in the library for a bit.

He had to admit, Ra’s had a fantastic library.

The general didn’t seem worried about Tim getting lost, or escaping, and waited by the door while he wandered the massive room.

And boy was it huge. It was bigger than the main floor of the cave, with stacks and stacks of books on two floors. Some of the volumes looked ancient, and there were even scrolls shelved on the second floor.

He gingerly pulled one out to examine.

“That is worth more than you could ever imagine.” a sharp, young voice, declared, behind him.

Startled, Tim dropped it back onto the shelf and spun. Before him stood a kid, probably 8 years old, with tousled dark hair, dark skin, and a face that almost echoed some of Bruce’s school photos. It was startling.

“Hi.” Tim said, dumbly, “I know, it’s Ancient Sumarian right?”

“Tt.” the boy crossed his arms, “You are not an idiot then.”

Tim shook his head, “Nah, apparently I’m smart enough to be selected for recruitment.”

The kid nodded, “So you are Grandfather’s young detective. He speaks highly of you.”

Grandfather? Tim’s brain spun. This kid was Ra’s al Ghul’s grandkid? He ran the numbers, the kid’s mom was either Talia or Nyssa. If he had to put money on it, Tim figured the boy before him looked more like Talia than her sister. And his other features--like Bruce’s?

No.

No. Freaking. Way.

“That is hardly language to use here.” The boy said, arching an eyebrow at him.

Tim hadn’t realized he’d spoken aloud, but apparently his surprise had been so great he had. He cleared his throat, “Sorry, I just never expected Ra’s to have a grandkid.”

“It is not surprising to me, I am his heir. Born to inherit the League and rule the world one day.”

Okay, that was a lot to unpack. Just a totally wild amount, but Tim wasn’t super focused on the world domination thing just yet (maybe later when he had a chance to process all of--well, all of it), “Sorry to keep pressing but, doesn’t having an heir kind of--I don’t know, put his whole Eternal Ruler of the League thing in jeopardy?”

“Tt. It is not my place to question my Grandfather’s plans. I simply know what I have been told, that I will inherit the League one day in his stead.”

“Well,” Tim rocked back on his heels casually and grinned, “That might be a long loooong time.”

The kid’s brows furrowed as if he had not really considered that idea before. He opened his mouth to say something else, but seemed to decide against it, dropping his arms to his sides to shrug, “If that is his wish then so be it.”

“True.” Tim said, not really knowing what to say. Instead he settled on changing the subject, “You know, if your grandfather gets his way I’ll be spending more time here, so I guess introductions are in order. I’m Timothy Drake-Wayne, but most people just call me Tim.”

He held his hand out to the kid, smiling at him. If he really was Bruce’s then they’d be getting to know each other for sure. Just not here. Tim had zero intentions on letting Bruce’s child stay with the League. Did B he even know he had a kid? Tim thought he’d better figure that out first before kidnapping his little brother.

Little brother. Just that idea made something flutter in Tim’s chest. He’d always wanted a little brother.

The boy scowled at his hand, and did not take it, “You may be correct, even if I do not see what Grandfather seems to. I am Damian al Ghul, heir to the Demon’s Head.”

Tim bit back a grin at just how serious this kid was. He sounded like a little prince, all imperious and haughty. Damian, even his name fit him. He wondered how Damian would do around Dick? Or Stephanie. They’d figure out how to bring a smile out of him.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Damian.” Tim said, “I know we’ve really only just met, but I’m sure you’ll see what Ra’s does in time.”

Damian looked him over again, then gave a sharp nod, “I am interested in seeing what you have to offer.”

“Damian, I found it, where’d you go?” A voice sounded from deeper within the stacks.

Tim started at the sound of the voice. He knew it. Knew it from nights spent chasing shadows, from recording’s Bruce had watched a hundred times when he didn’t think Tim was watching. From Tim’s own desire to know and learn more about his predecessor. It was Jason Todd’s voice.

But that couldn’t be. Jason was dead.

“I am coming.” Damian returned, his tone more childlike than Tim had heard in their whole conversation. He turned back to Tim, “Do not ruin that scroll, I will see you later.”

Then he spun on his heel and walked away.

Tim stepped forward, reaching out for the kid, “Wai--”

“Master Tim, we really must be going.” Tim’s guide was back, stepping into his view as if from nowhere, and stopping Tim’s chase as short as it had been.

“Can we wait just one more second?” he asked, “I wanted to ask Damian something else.”

The man’s mouth turned down in a frown, “I do not have clearance to let you speak with Master Damian. Come, we have more to see.”

Frustration bubbled up in Tim, but unless he wanted to start a fight he wasn’t going to get a chance to talk to Damian right then. The kid had promised to see him later, so maybe he’d seek Tim out. If not, Tim would find a way.

As he followed the man out of the library, he kept searching the stacks of books for a sign of the others. It wasn’t until they’d left the room that Tim caught sight of Damian again, his small form waving animated at a taller, broader one. One that, while older, was unmistakably Jason.

Before Tim could say screw everything, the two turned around a corner, and someone else was clearing their throat. His guide seemed eager to move on, and so they did.

Tim tuned out most of the rest of the tour, and eventually found himself back in the office from before, once again seated across from Ra’s.

“Timothy, I hear you have met my grandson on your tour.” Ra’s started.

“I did.” Tim said, a bit hesitant to go into detail, his guide had seemed like talking to Damian was a pretty serious thing, and suddenly Tim was afraid he’d gotten the kid in trouble.

Ra’s smiled, “He is magnificent is he not? Already he is a skilled warrior, and well trained in his studies.”

“He said he was your heir?” Tim ventured.

The man waved a hand dismissively, “Of course he is, he is my grandson, but that does not mean he will inherit. The boy is valuable to me, for many reasons. He is an excellent tool to wield against my enemies already, and will only become more so as he grows.”

Anger bubbled up in Tim. There was something in Ra’s’ tone that made Tim sick, to call a kid a tool. To plan to just use him his whole life?

“And what, do you want to do that with me too? You said you wanted me to be your apprentice, but if your Heir is just a tool then--”

“No, as I said I want you to take over a branch of the League. You have talents and skills Damian will not. The boy is--” Ra’s shrugged, “Let us call him a vessel. A shell for me to wield in one way or another.”

Well, that just made Tim even more angry. Damian was his grandkid. What Tim wouldn't have given to still have his grandparents, and for Ra’s to just--If Tim wasn’t already dead set on getting Damian home, he would be after this conversation.

“You know what, Ra’s. Let me think on it a while. I’ll get back to you on my answer. I kind of want to see Damian in action a bit, learn what this training looks like in someone closer to my age.”

The man considered this for a moment before nodding, “I will let you watch his sparring session tomorrow. For now, I think we’re done. Have a good evening, Timothy.”

Tim nodded, and left. His mind was racing, he wanted another look at Jason. Wanted to tell Damian about his dad. Wanted to make sure both his brothers were okay.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he missed the black and blue clad arm that reached out from behind a curtain and yanked him back. Nightwing put a hand over Tim’s mouth to quiet him, and then pulled him out the window the curtain had been hiding. They dropped, into nothing--except it was solid?

Tim found himself inside the invisible jet. Inside, and flying away from his newly discovered siblings before he could even argue they needed to be rescued too.

One flight with Wonder Woman and Nightwing later, and Tim was home again, being told in stern tones by both Batman and Nightwing that he really needed to stop allowing himself to be kidnapped by ninjas (like he didn’t know that).

Then he was in his room, in bed, staring up at the ceiling, his mind whirring. He had learned two things on this trip. Two impossible things. Two things he was going to leverage as soon as he could.

It was late, and he should be sleeping, but instead he texted Steph and Cass in their little group chat.

Tim: Want to cause some chaos?

Immediately he received a response:

Steph: Always

Cass: Who are we going after?

Tim smiled, his fingers dancing over his phone:

Tim: Ra’s.

Cass: Time to teach him a lesson?

Steph: I've been waiting for this, I’ll get the kerosene

Tim: There’s more.

Cass: Tell.

The light flashed on out in the hallway, Tim could see it flicker to life under his door.

Tim: Tomorrow, lunch at that place with the sweet potato fries. Come ready to plan a kidnapping or two.

The next day Tim found both Steph and Cass waiting eagerly for him at the restaurant, a heaping plate of sweet potato fries between them.

“Spill, Bird Brain.” Stephanie said, as he sat down, pushing some fries towards him, “I want to hear everything about this crusade against Ra’s.”

Tim rolled his eyes, and snagged a fry, dipping it in one of the sauces they’d gotten to accompany it.

“As you’ve probably already guessed, I had another visit to the League compound yesterday.” Tim started, “It was more of a day trip this time, but Ra’s did his very best to sell me on signing up.”

“More posters?” Cass guessed, then shook her head seeing Tim’s expression, “What did he do?”

Tim snagged another fry, “Yes more posters, but more than that he gave me a speech right out of a How to Recruit for Dummies book, then sent me on a tour of the building.”

Steph snorted, “Please tell me you recorded it.”

“I did not, but you will never believe what I found on my tour, or to be precise who.”

Both girls paused their snacking, waiting on him to continue.

Tim dropped the first bomb, “Jason Todd, alive and breathing.”

“What, no way.” Steph said, “How’d he even get there? I thought He was buried here?”

He shrugged, “I don’t have any of the details, but they’ve got a Lazarus pit, and Ra’s is weirdly obsessed with recruiting Robin’s, so I’d say his resurrection tracks.”

“Who else was there?” Cass asked, brow furrowed.

Now this he knew neither of them would be expecting. Tim hadn’t expected it. He still couldn’t believe it.

“Ra’s al Ghul’s grandson, Damian.” Tim said, watched both girls look even more confused, then added, “The son of Bruce and Talia. At least, I’m pretty sure he’s their kid.”

The fry Stephanie was holding dropped out of her hand.

Tim watched Cass processing the information, saw her realization that there was another child being raised in the League, then saw the determination cross her face at her own personal decision.

“We are taking them both, correct?” Cass asked.

“We’re taking them both, and burning the place down.” Tim confirmed, “That should properly pay him back for all the time’s he’s kidnapped me this year.”

Steph’s lips turned up into a sharp grin, “The law of equivalent exchange.”

Tim laughed, “You’ve been watching too much tv.”

“It’s prepped me for this very moment.” she shot back, voice falsely grave.

“Batman prepared you for this very moment.” Cass elbowed her.

“No.” Tim said, “I’m going to prep you. And then we’re going to put everything in action.”

They talked, and planned, and debated the pros and cons of letting Tim get nabbed again over just going himself, and eventually after many many sweet potato fries and sodas they were ready.

It was to be infiltration first, fire and kerosene second. Obviously the place was going to go up, but only after they set the stage for rebellion and convinced Damian and Jason to go home with them. Tim didn’t think it’d be a hard sell for Jason, but the kid was another matter altogether. If Tim couldn’t convince him to come along, they may actually end up having to kidnap Damian.

A key to the plan was that only Tim, Steph, and Cass were in on it. There was no way Bruce was giving the green light for such a thing. Besides, Tim wanted to see his face when they presented him with not one, but two, rescued sons from the League.

Over the next week Tim made himself the most kidnappable he’d ever been. He wandered outside, kept to himself, and tried to look as wide eyed as possible. He lingered in parking lots, and took shortcuts down empty alleyways. Basically, he did everything he could to signal he was alone and vulnerable besides hanging a sign around his neck that said “Take me to your (ninja) leader”.

At one point he even stopped, dead center in the middle of an alley and declared, “Wow this sure is a dangerous place to be! I hope I don’t get attacked and kidnapped by ninjas!”

The only response he got that time was from an older woman who stopped at the edge of the alley and very seriously called out, “Careful, young man. Don’t you know there are killer clowns out? You best be on your way before you get hurt.”

Then, at long last, Tim caught sight of one of the League members ducking behind a shadow. He paused his walk, and leaned over as if fascinated by something on the sidewalk in front of him. By the time he’d stood, the ninja was in front of him.

Tim held up his hands in surrender, doing his best not to actually look excited. Then, he was successfully kidnapped for the fifth --and if Tim’s plan worked successfully-- final time.

#Tim Drake #Damian Wayne #Stephanie Brown #Cassandra Cain #Batfamily #fanfiction #crack #crack treated seriously #multimedia fic #humor #kidnapping attempts #revenge plots #Ra's tries to recruit tim #Spoilers it backfires #what is canon #precious posts #long post #chapter 1

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marlenacantswim · 3 years ago

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tim allen jerry seinfeld and adam sandler are literally just the same guy to me. ther eis no difference. same white guy, same font.

#text post

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madebycinexo · 7 years ago

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we’re all mad here (Exo x Alice in Wonderland)

Resources:

Alice in Wonderland Font

Card Textures

Card Suits

I’ve wanted to do a crossover with Exo and Alice in Wonderland for a while now. Back when Love Me Right came out, a lot of people pointed out the similarities to Alice in Wonderland. There’s even neon signs with quotes from the book in one of the sets. (Not sure how that ties in with all the random sports stuff that’s going on, but when do MVs ever make 100% sense tbh). Another thing I’ve always wanted to do is playing cards. You know how often in playing cards there’s an image that’s mirrored in the lower half of the card? That’s something I tried to do with the Monster/Lucky One teasers when they came out. It didn’t quite work. Probably because they were images and I’m just not very good at design. So at some point I put both ideas together (I can’t believe how long it took me to finally think to do that.)

In terms of characters, everyone seems to have a different idea of which member should be which character. If you google ‘Love Me Right Alice in Wonderland’, most of the comparisons you’ll see are done with the animated disney movie, which has some characters the live action version doesn’t, as it’s a sequel.

Kai / Red Queen:

I chose Kai as the Red Queen because of the ‘golf’ scene you can see in the left gif below and the fact that he gives off a cocky vibe in the MV. Originally I had considered going for the more traditional mirrored card design, which I mentioned earlier, and more exact parallels, and while it matches nicely, the background of the scenes aren’t great and you can only really see Kai from the back, so I decided to go for something more aesthetic. The gif on the right has the right energy, but the final version was easier to blend together and because of the red lighting in the window it matched better.

Baekhyun / Absolem:

Baekhyun with his magnifying glass and the smoke around him seemed a pretty clear match for Absolem. I wanted to use the shot below, but it has something like 7 frames. I copied and reversed the frames to make it seem longer, but it still looks too short to me.

Xiumin / Mad Hatter:

Xiumin and the Mad Hatter at the table are probably the most exact matches of a shots you can get if you compare the MV to the movie. The gif on the left is from the first movie, the middle one is from the second. They were both difficult to color. The first movie is really dark and eerie in terms of coloring (it is a Tim Burton movie after all) and the second movie is super bright and vibrant, I actually love the original coloring of the movie, it just didn’t match with the coloring of this set and once I was done with it, it didn’t look so nice anymore. Anyway, it was too matchy-matchy, so I also tried using a more close up shot from the table scene. I decided on the final version because the coloring matched the best, it has kind of a fall vibe and the falling leaves go well with the dancing lights in Xiumin’s gif.

Chanyeol / Cheshire Cat:

Chanyeol’s suit reminded me of the Cheshire Cat from the animated film, plus, he’s always smiling.

Sehun / Card Guard:

I went with Sehun as one of the card guards because of his sweater.

Suho / White Queen:

For Suho I chose the White Queen because... he’s wearing a white shirt, and it seemed the best fit (he has a certain royal vibe; it just feels right). I wanted to go with the version on the left, because of the throne. This is literally the only time you see her on her throne in the entire two movies, and it’s not even really the focal point of the scene. It’s just not a great shot of her.

Lay / White Rabbit:

Lay’s the White Rabbit because of the watch drawn on his wrist... which you can see in two entire shots– the lighting of which, is so heavily magenta that color balancing it to look somewhat neutral is downright impossible (for me anyways. I’m sure there’s someone who can do it.) The first gif below is kind of blatantly obvious with the watch being pointed at the camera, which I find somewhat off-putting for some reason. The second gif is actually a whole different character; Time (that’s literally the character’s name). You can’t see the rest of him, and he’s just not as much of an iconic character as the white rabbit when you think of Alice in Wonderland. I tried different colors, with this one and decided on blue, since that’s what seemed to be missing from the set.

Kyungsoo / Alice:

Kyungsoo matches Alice the most because of the doors. For the left gif I tried to match Kyungsoo walking through the doors with Alice falling down the rabbit hole, because one of those shots of Kyungsoo is shown upside down (= Alice spinning) and in the other one he’s quite far back (= Alice falling deeper). Alice’s scene with the doors is actually in a round room where the doors are next to each other as opposed to forming some sort of tunnel like we see Kyungsoo passing through in the MV. But you can’t really see either of them very well, so I didn’t go with that one. I like the one on the right, simply because the contrast of Alice struggling to open the door while Kyungsoo having opened one and looking at the camera is so provocative. Visually though, I chose the final version because it has just enough harmony without matching too perfectly.

Xiumin & Chen / Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee:

Or shall I say Tweedle Dum and even Tweedeler Dum? (serious brownie points if you got that reference). I chose Xiumin (even though he’s already the Mad Hatter) and Chen as the Tweedles, because of Xiumin’s suspenders, the fact that Chen doesn’t seem to have any scenes on his own and them being lost in the woods. I had a hard time deciding between the one on the right and the final version; I chose the latter because it was more intriguing.

So those were some drafts (I have a ton more, I made over 200). Instead of a 10th card, I made a card back using the maze pattern from Overdose.

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hollyoxleylevel4 · 3 years ago

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Evaluation

My project was initially inspired by the word:vision and the context: environmental. At first I wanted to look at nature but during a tutorial with Justin, I had the feedback that this was too literal. This led to me looking at more abstract interpretations of these words. Following this I decided to look at books and how they affect people’s imagination. This then changed to the project focusing on my personal experience with books. I found this idea, that Justin had suggested in my second tutorial, exciting because I have a personal connection with books.

I decided to look at ‘What books mean to me’ to start my research since I wanted the book to focus on my personal relationship with them. During a tutorial with Justin, I was introduced to Tim Walker. I liked how he shows the audience what he imagines and I decided to use this idea to convey my concept in my book. I wanted to show the reader why I find reading books magical. My initial ideas were mainly visual and focused on using imagery to convey this idea. However, after my mid-point presentation, Mark suggested I look at more text based and physical methods, such as annotations and the form of the book.

Although I was hesitant on not using images to convey this idea, my experiments helped me to understand that text can be used to convey my idea. I began to develop this idea further after discussing my experiments in a tutorial with Mark. I looked at how the book is laid out to make the form of my book link closely to Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters. I wanted the book page I was annotating to be recognisable to the reader.

I think I started experimenting with my ideas too late in my project. At the beginning I had difficulty with how to start my research and focused on research too heavily. This led to me starting experimentation relatively late making it hard to test out all my ideas. I think I could improve the ideas area of my design process. I need to make sure my ideas are diverse and not narrowed down to one medium or subject.

In this Unit I have been introduced to Indesign and I have learnt how to use the programme to create effective page layouts. I have also begun to learn about the theory behind page layouts and how different fonts can change how information is perceived by the viewer. During this unit I also learnt some binding processes and how they are suited to certain books.

Although I think my final outcome was effective in conveying my personal relationship with books, I think it can be improved. I think the text on the book cover could be improved by using a lighter colour. This will make it more effective in drawing the reader’s attention. I also believe I could annotate multiple pages from different books. If the book had multiple pages that fold out instead of only one, I think it will resemble a book more, making it easier for the reader to make the link to the original books. I also think my book could be improved by using a thicker paper, since the images and writing can be lightly seen when looking at the folded page.

#Introductiontoviscom #evaluation #week9

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violetsystems · 4 years ago

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#personal

I'm sitting on a stool at my desktop instead of my laptop this morning. You can spin around on it and point to the person on the left or right of you. There's nobody here as usual. Something that has been the same since I don't know how long. It's a good reminder sometimes that I get through a lot of things alone in this city. Yesterday I went to get coffee at Blue Bottle with my gear. I set up on the other side of the river in a chair. It's about the closest you could get to a New York vibe if this were as diverse and exciting as New York. I spent enough time there to take some notes about the wattage from the panel and the direction of the sun. These days I gauge how happy I am by how long I can sit in public and go unbothered. It's hard to go unnoticed now when you are me. Some people would claim that's a great thing. Celebrity opens so many doors. All of them are closed for me. Nobody speaks directly to me in public. Indirectly is another story. People still remember me as the guy who wears all the funny text on his clothes. I've been a lot less font oriented this season in terms of fashion. I've been dressing down considerably in comfortably fitting urban camping gear. Setting up a solar panel by the river is a vibe that fits that. I've read companies like Chanel were investing heavily in solar. It's not a bad idea. I get the same charge from the sun for my portable generator as I do from my outlet. I've never tried plugging it into anything else but it's 35 watts steady with no clouds or people standing in front of it. People definitely like to be seen out here. Mostly around me. It's like when people think you are a big deal here they'll test themselves against you. And that's about ninety nine percent of the traffic that tries to invade my personal space. I used to yell and scream about it. Mostly because I was overwhelmed by it. Yesterday was no different. The pinnacle was the Hare Krishna Yacht that made it a point to patrol the inlet chanting at the shore while drifting by. The secret about Illinois is that people love to shove their freedom in your face. Most of the time it's religious freedom. That goes hand in hand with tax evasion and racketeering for the most part. But Chicago is like that. When you talk about corruption, it's on parade every day here. Give yourself long enough in public and a group of them will track you down to use you as a soapbox. This is an every day thing with me. So much so that you have to read into every act of aggression as a terrorist act. This includes cutting the internet with no explanation. If you try to explain it, you'll end up on loop in your kitchen stomping the floor. Gaslighting that is running out of gas. There's more in heaven where that came from I guess.

It's gotten so out of control that it's hard to leave your doorstep without wondering if some revolutionary action is about to take place. I honestly have spent more than every waking moment trying to assess the threat. It would make sense if you had a cybersecurity skillset this would be the norm. My apartment these days is accountable as nearly seventy five percent of my office. I guess that's why they call it a studio. What I do behind closed doors when my internet connection isn't being stolen lies in the realm of "zero trust." It's a way to say anything that isn't safeguarded behind a layer of network security or three is not trusted. I trust these days when I go to the grocery that there are about two or three spotters on every trip. The same people wander by me two or three times every ten random blocks. It gets to be something of a nightmare. When I come home I shut the door and bask in the cabin fever. Which is why the river is a nice getaway for late summer. But with all this celebrity you wonder why anybody wants to be seen. It doesn't pay my bills exactly. There is a thing called investor confidence. But really my financial recovery is something I've held very close to my chest. Sure I make jokes about it. I invest in things I believe in. Clean energy, companies empowering women, and maybe even animal well being. But it always cuts into somebody's bottom line. Whose bottom line would be a question to ask this city. Nobody ever talks to me. And yet I'm supposed to read into their T-shirts they parade around me in a stalking fashion. The last one was literally a print of an article from a tabloid called the Cut. It read simply "I am a prisoner of my own vanity." Just a half hour before, a mediocre white man with a seafoam gildan peacocked in front of my solar panel. The words simply read "unplug." Was it a demand? I don't know. All I know is that right wing Christians have found a way to grief me on near terrorist levels. And it gets old trying to deal with it while everyone else pretends I'm some revolutionary. I'm just Tim. Meanwhile, people never talk. Never communicate. Simply stare off with a self satisfied smile that they know more about me than I do. It's all scary fucking shit when you have to process it daily. I don't bother processing it. It's sort of jumped the shark completely at this point. I know what I know and I don't actually know anything. I'm not part of some secret cadre of people. I don't literally have any information about where I'm going. Who cares about me is a very understood kind of thing. Nothing definite. Nothing guaranteed. I'm afraid to seek employment in this atmosphere particularly in this city because of social engineering. I'd rather save my money and wait for a clean exit. And therein it looks like if nothing happens by my birthday, I will need to flee somewhere alone altogether.

I don't actually think this will happen. There's a lot of good things that have happened over the last year. Financially things have been better than they've ever been. More so that I manage it better and no longer have debt. So much so that when I come home from an appointment, there are Christians protesting on my corner yelling at me directly. "Your bank account won't get you into heaven!" Does this sound familiar? Religious sects abusing your privacy to threaten you with religious persecution. This is Illinois. The sooner you get that these people are digging their own grave the better. People act like I'm the problem after abandoning me for over a year. The disgruntled worker's revolution from my old job is avenging my erased memory by forming a union without acknowledging I exist except to stalk me in the grocery aisle. Maybe that's why they've been following me around. Or is it the mob? Or is it the gangs? Or is it the police? I don't care who the fuck it is. You fucking bother me and it's dumb. Everybody expects to be part of a movement that nobody can call by name. I have one you know. It's called Tim. Less timid and more intimidating. I don't apologize for it. If I did I'd be dead by now. I'm grumpy for sure. Who wouldn't be when your civil rights have been pissed on daily like it's some moral play. All the stuff I bitch about is one hundred percent transparent and true. I guess that makes me a writer. A writer who can't generate any income from anything except mining ethereum and updating css on decade old websites for spare change. I have been isolated and alone. I have been better off because of it. And people just wait on the sidelines ready to dig their fingers into your corpse. I hate it here. I fucking literally hate everything about this town. These people. Their fucking silent expectant looks. Pay attention to me. Understand my pain. Listen to my problems. Fix this unfixable thing like you always do. It gets old. It gets dumb. And it doesn't get better. So I spend less money. I participate in less bullshit. I try to work out my anger in private. And nothing I can do fixes or changes anything. I reach out to the proper authorities and get no response. It only gets more invasive and dumb. And I just start getting more cocky and sardonic. I don't like being angry. I'm a very gentle person. I love animals. I love nature. I see things delicately and am constantly appalled at the barbaric and overbearing nature of the public. Everybody has something to say but never listens. Everybody has a comment for their soapbox but you never learn anything from it. Everybody is so hell bent at winner takes all that they'll break everything to squander it. I'm more about win win than anybody knows. And behind the scenes where I trust hardly anything I still think I'm winning through all of this. Regardless of what you see when you stalk me in the streets. You don't know shit, Chicago. <3 Tim

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