#so while most of them are shocked/freaking out Aquaman is just like

[calypsoul]

Danny is so glad to have a friend who is also a King/hero

They have weekly meetings to discuss balancing responsibilities (Jazz joins sometimes but then they're therapy sessions) and ask each other for advice

Once a month the meeting is Forced Relaxation Time bc neither of them would take a break otherwise. They go on "fishing" trips and watch the stars, just indulging their hobbies.

Because of this, relations between the Infinite Realms and Atlantis are fantastic, and knowledge is shared between them freely

Danny is Nightwings bio brother au

Danny meeting ‘old friends’

Danny to Aquaman - “King Buddy!!”

Aquaman - “King Buddy!!”

Danny to Shazam(Captain Marvel) - “Magic Man!!”

Shazam(Captain Marvel) - “Mr. Ghost!!”

Danny to Dead man - “GASP SON?!?!”

Dead man - “?”

JL - wtf is happening

Jason - “Now wait a damn second-“

[dessarious]

Balancing Dynamics Pt3

AO3   Prologue   Beginning   Previous   Next

As the doors slid open Ladybug could hear the panic in her song and could only hope it wasn’t outwardly apparent. The sight of so many heroes staring at her didn’t help at all. Kabus’ song in her head was calm, if still annoyed. Batman was glowering at the other heroes instead of her which was a nice gesture. What actually calmed her down was Nightwing. He was standing next to Batman making faces and giving her a thumbs up. Knowing that her soulmates family was supportive of this made a huge difference in her confidence level.

“They need to be sent off to train with the Titans. I mean look at them, they’re babies.” Green Lantern sounded like he was continuing an argument and a couple of the others nodded in agreement. Batman turned the full force of his glare on the man and Superman actually rolled his eyes.

“Babies who have been battle tested because of your incompetence. We don’t have the moral high ground or the authority to send them anywhere.” Everyone was looking at Superman like he’d lost his mind and she didn’t know why. Even her soulmate’s song was filled with shock.

“He’s right. Not to mention that the Miraculous have always been a mystery to the world. That kind of power should not be mixed with an organization like ours.” Aquaman’s words started a round of squabbling and Ladybug was beginning to wonder if it was actually necessary for them to be there. Red Wasp let out a piercing whistle behind her and Superman actually winced. They did all stop talking though.

“It’s incredibly rude to talk about people as though they aren’t in the room. You shouldn’t have asked us here if you weren’t ready to meet with us. It’s extremely unprofessional and I expected better from the Justice League.” Red Wasp’s reprimand actually brought out sheepish expressions on some of the heroes. Batman looked like he was fighting a smile while Superman couldn’t seem to decide if he should be insulted or not. She should probably step in before things got out of hand.

“While I do understand your perspective and empathize with your concerns, Aquaman is correct in his assertion that the Miraculous can not be controlled by your organization. It would create a power imbalance of a magnitude none of you are prepared for.” They were all staring at her as though she were some sort of aberration and she had no idea why. Kabus’ song in her head just sounded amused.

“We can’t just let them roam about with no adult supervision.” Green Lantern was still talking to the others instead of them. It was extremely irritating.

“That would be me.” Gen’s voice seemed to startle them. Ladybug got the impression that they hadn’t even noticed her until that point.

“I don’t see how that’s any better. You look like you’re barely out of your teens.” Wonder Woman was trying to signal him to shut up but he just ignored her. Gen just laughed.

“Son, trust me, you do not want to play the age card with me.” Now the majority of them were glaring at her. Gen didn’t look concerned at all. Superman seemed to be frowning at her but it looked more like he was looking through her. “Not to mention there are far more important criteria to consider even if it were your decision.”

“Which just means you know you’re not old enough and are trying to get around that fact. They at least need one of us to keep them in check.” Ladybug could hear Kabus getting more and more agitated in her head. It was taking all his self control not to explode at the hero. She squeezed his hand and tried to calm him. Gen just grinned at him.

“Okay fine, if that’s how you want to do this.” She pointed at Wonder Woman. “I’d better be considered old enough given that I predate her by at least two thousand years.” No one seemed to know how to react to that. Superman was still frowning at her in thought but it was the Flash that found his voice first.

“That isn’t possible.” Kabus let out a disgusted scoff and the man actually gave him a condescending look. Nightwing looked a bit panicked as the man continued speaking. “You should thank us given that she’s obviously lying to you. That kind of life span isn’t possible.”

“It is when your soul has been fused to a god.” Everyone was staring at her and Ladybug realized those words had come from her. Crap. For some reason she couldn’t fathom, words just kept coming out of her mouth. “Even if I didn’t trust Gen implicitly, which I do, her story has been confirmed by a number of beings who existed at that time, including the Kwami that is tied to her. We are here as a courtesy and I won’t have you insulting my team. If you have questions, ask them. Otherwise we should be on our way.”

She did her best to not freak out as the majority of the Justice League just stared at her in shock. Kabus’ song said he was about three seconds from bursting into laughter, Nightwing had to cover his laugh with a cough, and Aquaman actually gave her an approving nod. She had no idea what was going on, but most of the members devolved back into fighting with each other again. This was ridiculous. Batman and Superman broke away from the others to come over to them and Wonder Woman. Both had a rather pained look on their face.

“I must say I’m surprised you of all people are fine with leaving the Miraculous users to themselves.” Wonder Woman addressed Superman but he just shrugged at her.

“First, we have more than enough problems. Second, as I said they’ve already proven themselves and it’s not currently in our jurisdiction anyway. Given that they’ve agreed to keep Batman updated of their movements and there is no current threat I see no issue.” He sounded tired and more than a little annoyed as he turned to her. “I trust you won’t become another problem?”

“We have no intention of it.” She had to speak over Kabus’ growling and tried to keep herself between the two but Superman still glared at him. “You’ll have to forgive Kabus. We’re soulmates and I was very nearly killed when we defeated Hawkmoth. He’s understandably overprotective.” She ended up elbowing her soulmate in the stomach to get him to stop. Wonder Woman and Batman seemed to find it amusing and even Superman’s expression softened.

AO3   Prologue   Beginning   Previous    Next

Ko-Fi

Tag List

@smolplantmum @toodaloo-kangaroo

[thedivinedemom]

An AU of DC with a mass crossover of PS4 properties.

Provisional name: Players Searching for Detectable Changes (Get the pun?)

The setup:

This is the future of DC, a world where the old guard has slowly withdrawn and the newer generations have risen to the occasion. The original Titans in particular, most of which have formed the new Justice League while many other, very similar teams had started to form across the world. One of which was a resurgence of the Teen Titans, led by an older and purified Raven. She wanted to make the Teen Titans something akin as it was for her, a place to belong and learn to use one's powers.

The first 'class' of such individuals include:

Stargirl (of the now-disbanded JSA and still getting used to the Starrod)

Blue Beetle III (Freshly attached to his alien symbiote and freaking out a bit)

Robin V (to work on his anger issues, mostly at the new Batman's request)

Kaldur (a half Atlantean half metahuman who is struggling with his identity and the surface world, Aquaman feels a kinship for the boy seeing their similarities)

Static Shock (a promising new hero but little experience working outside his city or in groups)

Mary Marvel (she's... she's going through alot. Fresh from a coma, her brother is distant as he acts as the new Wizard, and she may be, sorta kinda, being corrupted by Black Adam's gifted power)

The team was rough and there was plenty of head butting (Mostly between Stargirl and Robin/Damian as one is almost the unanimous leader while the other thinks he should be) but they were getting there. They were more of a clean up crew for the Justice League, they did more than the "kiddie missions" that the Outsiders didn't do, and they meant more than the PR grab that was the International team. Though they didn't seem to amount to more than that. They still did their best, pushing past the silent ridicule, as they went about their missions.

This may be why tempers were so high that day.

One day, outside a little city by the name of Weller's Point, the prisoner transport for the villain Plasmus had an "accident". Released and awakened the creature went on a rampage, heading ever closer to the populated area. Luckily, the mentor of the New Teen Titans could teleport. The new team did fairly well in the fight, though they did struggle a bit as Plasmus was not a being where simple brute force would work. It made the fight tricky and more than a bit... messy.

Messy enough that juvenile and emotionally compromised Mary Marvel lashed out against the downed villain but was stopped by her teammates... things escalated from there. Restraint turned blows and the whole team struggled to stop their powerhouse without hurting her. The ones who do the best are Raven, Stargirl, Blue Beetle, and oddly Static.

While both of the former could use their abilities to restrain her to a very effective degree Static was actively draining her of strength, or at least of the electic aura she was radiating and blasting with. Frustrated, done with the situation, and a bit petty Mary launched her largest attack yet by saying her magical word.

SHAZAM.

Virgil did what he did best, he handled that lightning as it came crashing down towards Mary and the Titans restraining her. Well, he tried. The bolt was just too powerful, too unlike anything he had ever encountered. He could not handle it and it was dissipating, if anything it clung to him or tried to jump towards the girl. He had to get rid of it and he had to get rid of it quickly, safely too if he could help it.

He shoved it into the ground, into the power lines. He did it as carefully as he could, trying to prevent overload or flashover as guided the charge into the power grid.

What happened next was a combination of a few things. 1. The Mystic and transformative properties of the Lightning, 2. It is effectively being filtered through a bang baby, 3. The kryptonite power plant owned by, provided by, and operated by Lexcorp.

This interaction, this new charge, cycling through the power grid interacted strangely with a number of devices but none more so than PlayStation 4s and the devices connected to them. This new electricity changed things, literally. It brought fantasy into reality.

Whatever game was loaded into became a part of our reality in a small way. Sometimes TVs, Controllers, and even the system changed to reflect items from the game but the bigger change came with the Players. If a person was playing their console during the surge then they would become a metahuman with abilities based on the playable character they were playing.

The city, the county even, was now flooded by an abundance of metahumans and items of varying power of devastation. Static felt horrible.

He couldn't help but compare what has happened here to what happened in Dakota City but on a wider scale. And this time it was his fault. His sense of responsibility wouldn't, couldn't, let that stand. He had to fix his mistake and his team was dragged along for the ride.

The story to follow is a mix of Final Crisis and Kingdom Come with a bit of the Young Justice cartoon in events and themes, a few twists and likely a bit lighter in tone but to the DC geeks this should give a rough idea… Maybe a bit of Marvel's Civil War but hopefully not the rushed knee-jerk mess that that ended up being.

But it's here that I start having issues with my planning. One part in worry as outside the set up we start to follow the perspective of OCs (something rarely smiled upon) and another part in wondering which OC to focus on.

Now, one thing I love in fiction is progressive powers and the conflict escalating from the different paths people take in said progression. In that vein, I have a pair of protags in mind as well.

The main two/co-protagonists:

The Lawkeeper- a cop before the change and now a member of a task force made up largely of those affected by the surge. A gamer, a man of color, and a believer of the spirit of the law. He doesn't always get along with his fellow officers but he believes in what the blue does. He believes that an organized response is what is best.

His abilities are based on those of Jesse Fades of Control. Meaning he has tremendous psychic potential but he needs 3 things to reach his full potential.

1.Items to bond to so he can generate these psychic abilities. Jesse's used altered items of her universe to get thematic abilities from them (ex: a safe to generate a shield, a carousel horse for a dash ability, ect). Here he can use items generated by the surge.

2. A patron/partner entity to help guide, give insights, and empower. It also let's the user enforce reality, basically becoming an anti reality warper.

3. A bonded morph weapon or a weapon to come to his hand when called.

The knight- a recent college graduate who instantly decided to go the route of the caped hero. She, after figuring out how to get her powers to work, instantly went the route of a caped crusader. Going out to the streets, saving lives, stopping instances of surge item abuse, and (in the humble opinion of the local Police Department) getting in the way of operations. In her opinion they were taking too long to get things done.

Her abilities are based on those of Prince Noctis of Final Fantasy XV. This means she has tremendous physical and magical potential but like the above she has a number of check marks needed to gain access to the character's full power.

1. A gem/crystal to draw power from.

2. 13 magical weapons to boost strength. The generated game weapons will do and I have most picked out in a way that likely would help the plot progress.

3. The blessing of 5-6 gods.

4. A power ring of some king to channel all this power.

I keep debating the two above as I do like the idea of both of them climbing in power and clashing over conflicting ideals of what to do with their power. At the same time, I think that just smooshing aspects of both into one (which is actually where they started, a single character) and play off the different ideologies of how best to help people from within her friend group and precinct along with internal conflict. Maybe have the one be a fellow officer they butt heads with because of the... precarious nature

Another OC I was thinking on, keeping with the theme of what to do when you have power, is a thief who played Persona 5. Like both of the above they would be crippled in their ability to use their abilities without a way to fake the connection to. In this case, without the Mementos App, they would need an item that could affect or enter the hearts of others. Luckily, more unlucky really, there are plenty of items floating around that can do just that. Namely Keyblades.

Most other Players are an odd mix but most are variations of the Shooter build. Peak physical humans who heal quickly and often have bullet time. But there are enough other variations to cause trouble. Demigods of unreal strength, men and women who can easily tap into a patron for powers from the outside, 2 variations of spider powers, cat eyed men and women who can cast magic with simple gestures, and so much more. But the real issue was the first two, the demigods without a parent to protect them and those easily connected to a divine source.

The disembodied New Gods of Apocalypse were very happy with those groups. For how bad this can be please look at what happened to Mary Marvel in canon Final Crisis.

Thoughts and opinions would be appreciated.

[crimsonrae]

A Matter of Degrees

Chapter Two

Summary:  Dr. Emil Hamilton had been fascinated by Superman, but not afraid. Five years after his death Clark finds out why.

Clark Kent x OC

Rated: Mature

A/N: I’m not a big Superman fan, but after watching Snyder’s films and Henry, I wanted to explore a more broken/healing Clark. Slowish build on this. Let me know if you want to be tagged. :) - Clark in the next chapter: promise.

Metropolis

Lois sighed as she finished the last paragraph of her report on the new Senate nominee. As far as reports go, this one was pretty bland and even she could admit that it lacked a certain...spark. Her usual wit was failing her and she only could thank God that the article wasn't needed for another two days, it would give her time to scratch and polish.

Scratch and polish.

She snorted quietly to herself and shook her head.

She couldn't remember the last time she had been ahead on her articles, had time to do more than a quick polish before handing it over to an associate editor for a good scratching and polishing. Addie was probably going to die of shock when she noticed how error-free all of her work had become... Or maybe not.

The overly pregnant editor had been taking on lighter loads of work as she moved closer to her maternity leave and had bullied almost every reporter in the building into proofreading their own work three times before submitting it to lessen her stress. Lois had been one of the last to conform to Addie's authoritarian rule – not because she didn't want to lighten the woman's load, but because she usually didn't have the time to be that editorial thorough. Perry was good at keeping her busy, knowing that she could handle more than one assignment if she didn't have a big story brewing. She would have been amazed that she had the time now, but she had noticed he had been handing her less and less.

Her stomach twisted sourly at the thought.

Lois had to fight to not look in the direction of Perry's office or toward the desk of a certain tall undercover superhero. Not that it mattered... he wouldn't be there. She hadn't missed the concerned glances from the staff and the undercurrent of worry that touched Perry's tone whenever they talked lately. The office knew something was up with her and Clark... they just weren't sure what.

A good portion of the office had been at his funeral and they had seen firsthand how close she was to the Kent family. To say that everyone had been shocked by Clark's return from the dead was something of an understatement. It had been an open casket funeral after all. Surprisingly, it had been Perry that had weaved the lie that allowed Clark to come back after Lois had revealed who Clark really was to him. His star reporter had fallen afoul of the criminal element while investigating another award-winning story. The destruction from Doomsday had created a golden opportunity for the Feds to fake Clark's death until those responsible for the threat against him were apprehended.

Somehow, Clark had produced a story from that packet of bullshit and that seemed to quiet most of the reporters at the Planet. The rest still asking questions were the ones that dealt with the typical page six news. They wanted the gossip.

How long had she and Clark been an item?

Had she been aware that he had faked his death?

She had been so distraught at the funeral, surely, she hadn't known – she must be furious.

Is that why they barely seemed to be talking? The tension could be cut with a knife.

If anything, those particular encounters had solidified Lois's empathy for people who had a distaste for reporters. She had told Victoria to mind her own damn business and to go chase after Bruce Wayne more times than she could count at this point. Still, she would rather have the gossip columnist's attention on her than on Clark.

Clark.

Again, she had to fight from glancing towards his empty desk. She had to fight the sharp pang that filled her chest at the thought of him. She wasn't sure if it was better or worse that he was away on assignment.

It had taken Lois months to admit that the man she had fallen in love with was gone... and she didn't mean dead. The relief, the joy that had overwhelmed her when the Justice League had brought Clark back had made her blind to the pain that encompassed him. She should have realized that coming back to life would be a traumatic experience, that there would be repercussions... She had just been so happy to have his gentle gaze and shy smile again... and he was Superman. She didn't think that he would be affected by everything so drastically. It was a stupid assumption. Clark wasn't impervious to the world, to emotion, if anything he felt it more than any ten people combined.

It took her two months to notice the nightmares. He stopped sleeping all together after she confronted him about it. She wished she hadn't said anything, because she was rather sure that the lack of sleep was what spurned the flashes of temper he had become prone to.

Nothing big.

Nothing violent.

At least not overtly.

It was little things, like his cell phone needed to be replaced on an almost constant basis. She had found it crushed to bits on more than one occasion. It was reports of restrained criminals packaged nicely for the police having to be carted to the hospital because their binds had been tethered a little too tight. There was a car thief that had limited use of the fingers in his right hand from a lack of blood circulation.

And she couldn't get him to talk about it. Whatever he was thinking, whatever he was feeling – she was sure it had to do with whatever he had experienced while he had been dead. But he had shut her out. Clark refused to talk to her. At first, he had smiled and reassured her that everything was fine that he was still sorting himself out. Lois couldn't pinpoint the exact moment she stopped believing that smile, but she had watched it become more brittle the more she pushed. He withdrew from her. And their relationship became something she couldn't recognize as a relationship.

She felt like a lighthouse on a dark foggy night, but the ship she was guiding was heading for the rocks anyway.

It took her ten months before she gave up and returned her engagement ring.

Eleven before he finished moving out of her apartment.

They were now on the official one-year anniversary of his return and he wasn't even here.

Lois swallowed against the sudden constriction of her throat. She wished Clark was here if only to reassure herself that he was at the very least physically okay, even if he wasn't mentally – emotionally. She missed him and it hurt.

It had hurt for a while now.

She sighed and sent her article to Addie. She would be taking the rest of the day off.

     ── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──

Russia

It was ridiculously cold.

Rebecca clenched and unclenched her fists in her pocket in an unconscious attempt to keep her fingers from going numb. Even while sporting a fur-lined coat and gloves that would put a clown's to shame the icy chill of Moscow's winter still penetrated enough to lick at her skin. She usually didn't mind the cold, her body ran a little warmer than most peoples, but today that chill seemed to have a bite. She wondered distantly if she was getting sick... She hadn't thought she could anymore.

"You were just supposed to get pictures."

The reprimand was clear, the Slavic intonation making its owner's annoyance all the more apparent. Rebecca didn't move her eyes from the group of children receiving medical care not one-hundred feet from her, "Anatoli, tell me what would have happened if I had just taken pictures?"

Chocolate eyes softened as they studied the young woman before him. She had tucked her dark hair into a loose braid, her grey scarf musing the strands lose. She should be wearing a hat, he thought gruffly, but didn't say as such – she looked tired. He tried to remember if he had ever seen her smile, "You would not be leaving Moscow."

"And those children?"

Anatoli sighed, "Would be someplace else."

Her eyes blue, almost violet in color flashed as she looked balefully at him, "Starved, scared, orphaned. How much would they fetch to the right buyers, Anatoli? Someplace else... you don't need to sugar coat things with me. I know what that someplace else would be for these children. Still could be."

"They will be safe, my friend. I will find them good homes, I promise." He briefly spared the small group a glance, "You were reckless."

"No one saw." Rebecca whispered and pulled her gaze away when a small boy began to watch her curiously.

Anatoli snorted, "There was lightening. It was so bright and it made the truck stop. The mean man wouldn't move after it flashed... Don't tell me no one saw. I have ten little somethings that saw and in today's world such accounts would not be taken as a child's imagination."

Rebecca sighed, not wanting to admit he was right. She used to long for the day where people who were different, special, could be acknowledged, and with the appearance and resurrection of Superman, the arrival of the Flash, and Aquaman, Batman, Wonder Woman said people seemed to be coming out of the woodwork. In many places, even accepted for their differences, but there were more still where such uniqueness was seen as dangerous or worse valuable.

In the last half-decade, Rebecca wasn't sure how many suspicious labs she had stumbled upon.

Let's see what makes the freaks tick, she thought bitterly. Her fingers flexing as if she was about to discover she was in one such lab.

This time it wasn't a lab she stumbled upon, but it was something dark enough to make her stomach twist in knots. She still wasn't fully certain what had made her detour from the main city to the more industrialized sections. She felt like she had been called – like some sort of invisible tether had pulled her to the warehouse that had held the kids. It didn't take much to recognize the Bratva guard outside...they crawled all over the city. It took even less to deduce the children's purpose once she realized they resided inside. There had been no signs of the usual strangeness that seemed to attract her into these situations. No odd flares of light or smoke, no hum of different in the air. Just a feeling to come.

No. These children were normal, if not traumatized, and she hadn't been about to watch them be sold to whatever sexual sadist that lurked out there.

So yes, she had acted. She didn't regret it.

Except for the pair of icy eyes that watched her from the back of an ambulance. The little towheaded boy that hadn't taken his eyes off of her since being pulled from the truck. Rebecca had noticed he said less than the others – more observant, shy, wary. She was rather sure that little boy was the reason she had found them all. He certainly hadn't been surprised by her sudden appearance.

She pursed her lips as she studied him. There were no indications that he was other like her... nothing obvious anyway. She just had a feeling. A feeling not too dissimilar to what had led her here.

She held in a sigh, "Have the boy go to Marvin."

Anatoli raised a brow and followed her gaze to the ambulance, "He's like us?"

She nodded, despite the fact that she wasn't fully sure, but her gut rarely led her wrong. She cut her violet gaze back to the bear of a man next to her. A small stirring of guilt pulled at her and she smiled sadly, "I didn't mean to make trouble for you, Anatoli."

Moscow was Anatoli's home and he needed anonymity to help people, people who were different, find safe havens. She feared she had just shown a spotlight on his presence.

The older man snorted, an amused twinkle entered his chocolate eyes, "Agh, you come to visit, I know to expect some excitement. You lasted longer than I thought. I owe Marvin money now."

Rebecca rolled her eyes, "You two need a hobby."

"Who has time for hobbies?" Anatoli grunted before nudging her towards his car. He had packed her belongings in the back and made sure to have new travel papers for her. She needed to leave, now, before the Bratva came to inquire about her, "Take the car. Don't call me until your safe."

Reluctantly, she nodded. She hated to leave, she felt like she had left things half done, but she understood the immediacy of her departure. She climbed slowly behind the wheel and found the keys still in the ignition. Anatoli cast her a brief wave and her lips twitched in a subdued smile.

He was in her rearview in moments and her phone was out and on speaker seconds after that. She listened to the dull ringing for a dull moment before the connection came thru, "Hamilton, this you?"

"Hey, Sporty." She intoned quietly, "My trip to Russian's been cut short and it looks like I'll be stateside for a bit... was wondering if you had any work for me?"

There was a brief pause and the clinking of glass trickled over the line. She must have interrupted his lunch, "I don't have anything for you in Gotham. It's actually quiet here for once, but hold on. I'm having lunch with a friend from another paper, let me ask him if he's got anything."

Things went quiet before strains of muffled voices filtered to her. She raised a brow as she realized that Sporty had merely put his hand over the receiver. She wondered if he knew how to work the mute button. Abruptly sound rushed back as a smooth baritone greeted her ears, "Ms. Hamilton?"

"Speaking."

"This is Perry White from the Daily Planet. Sporty tells me that you're a writer – a good one."

Rebecca felt her brow arch higher, "Is there a question in there, Mr. White?"

"Yeah, why haven't I heard of you?"

"I publish under a pseudonym." She replied blandly, "Rachel Wisen."

There was a long silence and she could almost hear the dots connecting in this man's mind, "The travel blogger?"

She snorted and felt shades of her father hover around her. How many times had she heard him say those same words, "Yes, Mr. White... the travel blogger."

"Huh...Look, I don't have any reporting positions open, but one of my associate editors is about to go on maternity leave – I was actually thinking of having my travel editor take over her workload. I could use you to take over his position. It'd be a temporary arrangement."

"Daily Planet is in Metropolis, right?" Rebecca asked after a moment. She didn't know why. She knew exactly where the Planet was and that it was a city, she had no desire to visit. Shades of her father indeed.

"That's right."

Yet, she found herself saying, "Temporary sounds perfect, Mr. White. I can be there at the end of the week."

"Good. I'll get your contact info from Sporty and we can finalize the details when I get back to my office. Have a good day, Ms. Hamilton."

"You too -"

He hung up before she had a chance to finish. Rebecca sighed, remembering vaguely that Sporty was much the same when in business mode. She chalked it up to a newspaper reporter quirk but was thankful for the brevity. It was going to be an interesting few months.

Previous Chapter    Next Chapter

[batfam-imagines]

Hope

This is loosely based off another fic I wrote for one of my other blogs @mymarvelimagines here’s the link to the original fic: Is That Her? Obviously this fic has quite a few changes, so I hope you like it! Let me know what you think!

———————————————————————————–

“I can’t, Arthur. I have a date tonight!”

Arthur lets out an exasperated huff, “I don’t really care what you have planned. You’re my Captain of the Guard, and I need you at this Justice League meeting. I’m going to introduce you to the rest of the JL members. Mera said I’m no longer allowed outside of Atlantis without an escort, so I’ve chosen you.”

You let out a huff and debate on just hanging up on your king, but eventually decide against it. “Very well. I’ll cancel my date, but next time I want at least 24-hours’ notice. You know I hate this last-minute shit.”

“You aren’t in the place to demand anything, Y/N. I am your king”

“Funny. I thought you were my brother. It’s you who can’t demand anything from me. I was your Captain of the Guard but got tired of all the ‘half-breed’ comments people kept making. You know damn well that I chose to live on land, so you can’t demand anything from me anymore!” You can feel the oceans magic that constantly thrums beneath your skin rising up as you speak, preparing for a fight. The days of you being an official Atlantean are long over, and sometimes Arthur willfully forgets that.

Arthurs growl crackles over the phones speaker, “Fine, you were one of my best fighters. I would greatly appreciate it if you would come with me this afternoon to the Watchtower. The soldiers still respect you, and the war council will take your word more seriously than mine. You’ve fought beside them more than I have, Y/N, you have their trust”

“And?”

Your brother groans, “Seriously? Alright, alright. Next time I need you I’ll try to give you some more notice”

“And?”

“Damnit, woman! I’m sorry! Is that what you wanted to hear? I’m sorry for being a total ass, and for trying to pull the whole king-thing on you”

“Thank you! It’s like pulling teeth to get an apology out of you!”

“Can you just be ready at 6 tonight?” You grunt an affirmation, and Arthur sighs, “You know I miss you, right? It’s just not the same without having you here”

“I know, but I’m not coming back, at least not permanently. And, you know, if you miss me so much you could swim your lazy ass back home and visit me and dad” You glance over at your aging father, sitting hunched and quite on the pier. “You should really come visit him soon, Arthur. He misses you”

“I will, Y/N. I promise, once this meeting is over tonight, I’ll be staying for the weekend. Speaking of, wear your gear, I want to show up the Bat and his brood, but keep your hood off. You’ll be getting to know everyone’s identities tonight”

“Fine, now I have to go. I need to call my date and cancel and make dad some breakfast. Oh, and warn your friends, if I get stopped by some kind of security it won’t be pretty”

“Noted, brat. I’ll let everyone know not to mess with my badass little sister”

“I’m only 8 minutes younger than you!”

Arthur lets out a barking laugh, “I’m still the oldest! See you tonight!”

–

Once Arthur hangs up, and breakfast is made, you retreat to your room to call your date: Jason. Koriand'r had introduced the two of you when the Outlaws had a mission that crossed Atlantean borders, and the two of you had instantly clicked. By the end of the mission they two of you decided to keep in touch. At first by sending letters, and once you had moved onto land by exchanging numbers. But even though you’d been talking to him, had even been considered his friend for almost a year, he hadn’t let you see his face. Whenever Snapchat was used, or the two of you video-chatted, Jason was always wearing at least his domino mask. Tonight was supposed to be the first night where you finally saw his entire face. But now you had to cancel.

Jason picks up on the first ring, “Hey, Y/N, I was just getting ready to call you”

You can’t help but smile at his sleep-roughened voice, it wasn’t easy being awake during the day when most of your crime-fighting happened at night. “Oh really? You just couldn’t wait until tonight?”

He chuckles, “Unfortunately not, sweetheart. Batman called me in on a last-minute assignment, he actually called all of us in, wouldn’t give any details until tonight though. I’m not real sure what the hell is going on, but I’m gonna have to cancel our date.”

Letting out a soft chuckle, you close your eyes in relief. You really hated to cancel plans or disappoint people, and now you wouldn’t have to feel guilty about not being able to make the date. “That’s fine, Jay. That’s similar to what I was gonna say too. My brother called me, said he needed me for some secret meeting tonight”

“Crime never sleeps, doll. Guess we’ll just have to reschedule when no annoying brothers or crazy family members can reach us”

“Yeah, Jay, we definitely will. If you think you can get out of showing me your face because of one botched date, then you’re sorely mistaken”

Jason chuckles, “Wouldn’t dream of it, Y/N. I’ll text you tonight after this thing for B, alright?”

“Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll let you know how my meeting goes. Bye, Jay”

“Bye, Y/N”

–

You stroll up to the ZETA Tube at 5:55 pm, “Hey, Arthur!”

Your brother pushes himself off the disguised transportation machine with a scowl, “You’re late”

Checking your watch, you flash a bright smile, “I’m not late. You said to be here at 6, it 5:57. And plus, I just had to stop for some chicken nuggets on the way here”

“Did you get me any?”

“I did, but then I ate them”

Arthur huffs, “Rude, I freaking love chicken nuggets. You’re getting me some after this damn meeting”

You roll your eyes, “Thought you were the ‘big brother’, aren’t you supposed to take care of little ol’ me?”

“Shut up and get in the ZETA. If I’m late to another meeting Batman will feed me to his children”

“Batman’s up there?” Arthur nods as he punches in his access code, “Cool, I always wanted to meet him”

–

“So, brother dearest, what’s this meeting about anyway and why do you need me to convince the War Council to take action? You’re the king, can’t you just command it?”

“I could try, but ever since you left any war actions I make are questioned. You were the one who actually won your arena fight, you gained their respect by the old laws. I only have it because I was deemed worthy enough to wield King Atlan’s trident.” Arthur’s shoulders slump slightly, “I just need you to listen to what the others have to say, then decide if Atlantean troops are necessary, okay?”

“Okay, okay. I will”

The two of you marched into the meeting, heads held high, “Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to my sister, Y/N. She’s -”

“Y/N?!” A man quickly stands up from the back of the room where he’d been leaning against the wall. He wasn’t wearing a mask, none of the heroes were now that you’d had the chance to notice, but that shock of white hair was unmistakable.

“Jason? What -?”

“You’re Atlantean? Why the hell didn’t you ever tell me that?! You never fuckin’ told me that you were Aquaman’s sister!!”

“I thought would be something you tell someone on the first date! Not over the phone!”

A dark-haired man, Nightwing going by his costume, leans closer to Jason, “Is that her? The girl you’ve been talking to for months now but were too shy to meet up with? I can see why you were nervous, Littlewing, she’s -” He’s cut off as another boy, this one shorter even than him and fine-boned – probably Red Robin – shoves an elbow into his side.

“Leave Jay alone, Dick. This is the first girl he’s shown more than a passing interest in since he’s been back” The pale boy smiles at you innocently, but his eyes are calculating. He plays innocent, used to people underestimating him before he strikes.

Then your eyes turn to the smallest of Jason’s brothers, the current Robin, who has yet to say anything. He just continues to sharpen one of his many swords while watching you, and smirks when your eyes lock. You can’t help but wonder if he’s ever trained with a trident.

Superman clears his throat, drawing everyone’s attention back to the center table, “Back to the reason we’re all here … We’ve received word that your half-brother is planning to start a war, and we need to help us stop it”

“Orm is always trying to usurp Arthur and take back the Atlantean throne, this isn’t anything new. Unfortunately, he’s … exceedingly difficult to capture because several of our people are still loyal to him, and Mother does not want him killed.” You sit down next to Arthur and Batman, quickly scanning over the notes they have about Orm’s forces.

Batman turns slightly to face you, “He isn’t just planning to attack Atlantis this time. He plans to start a war between the Atlanteans and Amazons that will wipe out most of the human race. He managed to hack our servers with the help of Black Manta and found the file for when Flash went to an alternate timeline where Amazons and Atlanteans were at war, destroying both themselves and us. The only way to stop this war from happening is to work together”

Nodding along, you continue to read the list of possible plans that the Justice League have written out, “Mmhmm. So looking at these, our little brother was planning to kill Queen Hippolyta and blame it on our people, causing your people -” You gesture across the table at Wonder Woman, “- to retaliate and kill Queen Mera, thus causing a huge war. And let me guess, he would ride in, or I guess swim in, with his little army and turn the tides of the war causing the Atlanteans to be victorious. All of our people would hail him a savior, Arthur would be booted off the throne, and Orm would once again rule all the oceans as Ocean Master, but this time he would have control of the land as well”

Flash nods along, quickly demolishing 6 more hotdogs as you talk, “Yeah, that’s pretty much what’s gonna happen if we don’t do anything! You’re really good at this”

Jason leans over the back of your chair, “So, sweetheart, you got any ideas on how to stop the end of the world from happening?” One side of his mouth curls up in a handsome smirk, “’Cause, if the world’s at war, then we can’t go on our date”

Arthur’s hand tightens on his trident, “Watch it, brat. I’ll skewer you and feed you to the Karathen”

“I don’t need you to defend my honor, fish-brains, I can take care of myself” You wink up at Jason before turning back to everyone else, “As for an attack strategy, Arthur and I will go down to Atlantis and convince the War Council to mobilize our forces. We’ll set up a perimeter in Themysciran waters, that way when Orm arrives we can meet him head on -”

“Only women are allowed on Themyscira, we do not allow men to freely roam our island” Wonder Woman’s eyes lock on Arthur, “Not even kings”

You nod, “That’s perfectly fine. If you want, only our female soldiers will get close to your islands’ borders, the men can be kept further away. Queen Mera and I will need to talk you’re your queen and general about the upcoming battle, I can show you the places to attack on Atlantean armor.”

“Very well. My mother will be much more … amiable to your plans if the men stay away” Wonder Woman extends her hand towards you, “I am Princess Diana of Themyscira, you may call me Diana. Once you have met with your people, I will be the one guiding you”

“It’s nice to meet you, sorry my little brothers a little - ” You swirl your finger by your temple, “- crazy”. You and Diana spend the next few minutes discussing the layout of Themyscira, the entire time you’re completely aware of Jason still leaning on the back of your chair having a hushed conversation with his brothers.

“Okay, now that everyone knows how beautiful the island is, are we ready to talk about weapons?”

Batman’s eyes flash up to his son, “Jason -”

“I’m serious! If we base Amazon fighting technique on Diana, then they predominantly use swords or something similar, shields, arrows, and hand-to-hand: mainly close range. But Atlanteans have the technology to fight at a distance, they have weapons that only need water to power them. Both Atlanteans and Amazons are equal in strength and speed, but if Orm manages to drive the fight to the water then it’ll be a massacre! Shit, he won’t even have to drive anyone to the water, plenty of Atlanteans are trained in magic and can bring the water to the fight!”

Everyone’s eyes are locked on Jason now, and you can’t help the slow smile that splits your face. Knowing that Jason, someone who’s physically attractive and who you’ve wanted to go on a date with for a long time, is smart enough to see flaws in a potential battle is ridiculously attractive. “Then tell me, Jay, how should we plan to overcome these flaws?”

Jason flushes pink, “I-I mean you guys are the battle experts, I don’t know everything -”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Littlewing! You’re the one who pointed out the flaws, you must have a way to fix them!” Nightwing gives his brother an encouraging pat on the shoulder, “Come on, tell us what you got”

“Okay. Well, Black Manta is human, right? So if he was able to figure out how to use Atlantean technology enough to build his own suit then we should be able to teach Diana’s people enough to shoot Atlantean guns. First we need to lay a trap though, get Orm and his fighters away from the water. They’ll be weaker, and easier to take down without easy access their main power source. Plus, only royals can breathe air, so if we can plan a stealth attack and expose the soldiers to air then they’ll be useless to Orm and his cause.” Arthur looks up at Jason in surprise, both at his knowledge of Atlantean physiology and of the possibility that his strategy could actually work.

“We’ll fine tune the plan once we know exactly how many soldiers and weapons we have available to us” You glance around the room, “Meet back here same time tomorrow with more information?”

Diana nods, “Yes, that should give me enough time to contact my mother” The Amazon stands without another word and leaves the meeting room.

“Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice, Y/N. I know you had other plans tonight” Batman stands as well, holding his hand out for a brief shake, before leaving with a swish of his cape.

The other heroes take Batman’s departure as a que and all stand to leave as well. Arthur grabs his trident from where is was leaning against the wall, “Alright, brat, looks like we’ll make it home in time to see Dad before bed”

“Wait, Y/N, before you go -” Jason scratches the back of his head lightly and clears his throat, out of the corner of your eye you can see Arthur walk over to talk to Superman, “- I know this wasn’t exactly the way our first in-person meeting was supposed to go, but you were amazing discussing battle strategies with Diana. And I was wondering if …”

“Will you go on a date with me?” You interrupt, the words coming unbidden from between your lips, “Like a real date, not one where there’s a bunch of other superheroes around and we’re trying to stop World War III. Not that you weren’t amazing -”

“Ugh, you guys are horrible at this” Red Robin just seems to appear at Jason’s elbow, “Hi, I’m Tim, Jason’s younger brother.”

“Replacement!”

“Don’t mind him, his time dead kind of stunted his emotional growth. He’d love to go on a date with you! Jason’s a total romantic at heart, so he’s the kind to pack a picnic and watch the sunset, you know? But if you aren’t into that I can schedule a dinner at the nicest restaurant in Gotham -”

“Drake, do you really think Todd would go to you for assistance if he needed to find a decent eatery? You survive off of granola bars and coffee. Besides, I have a much more refined palate, I will be assisting Todd in choosing his dates with the Atlantean” The smallest brother, the current Robin, sticks his nose up in the air with an amount of arrogance that you’ve only seen from people born and bred as royalty.

“Damian! We’ve talked about being mice to Tim! Why don’t we all help Littlewing with his date. I mean there are so many great places he can take her! There’s the pier, the aquarium -”

You snort, “Are those all water themed because I’m Atlantean?”

Jason groans, his hands raking through his hair, “Will you three go away? I don’t want to shoot you, but you’re starting to piss me off enough where I think that might be a good idea” The taller man turns back to you as his brothers make their way down the same hallways that Batman had gone down, “After meeting them I totally understand if you want to take back your offer for a date”

“Nah, they seem like fun” Jason raises an incredulous eyebrow, “To mess with that is, I mean that’s what siblings are for. And honestly Tim’s idea of a date was the one that sounded the best”

“The fancy dinner in Gotham?”

“No, no. I mean packing a picnic and watching the sunset. Picking out constellations, talking, getting to know each other more” You reach up and gently skim your fingertips across Jason’s strong jaw, “Maybe one on the beach, away from the city”

“When this whole war this is over, I’m taking you up on that, Y/N. You won’t be able to get rid of me” Jason pulls you into a brief hug before he starts backing toward the same hallway his brothers had gone down, “I’ll call you tomorrow morning when I get off patrol, alright?”

“Yeah, Jay. Talk to you in the morning”

The imminent future looks dark and full of bloodshed, but beyond that there’s hope. Hope for a future, hope to rebuild everything that will be lost, and hope for peace. Already you can feel your phone buzz with a mew message, and your brother nudges you playfully when you finally join him. There’s hope for the future, you just have to get to it.

———————————————————————————–

Let me know what you think! Send any ideas or requests you have to my Ask Box!

[dccomicsnews]

This weekend marks the official launch of the highly anticipated DC Universe digital steaming service, and earlier this week they decided to run their beta version for those who have already pre-ordered the service.  The beta is limited, so those of us who have it haven’t gotten the chance to see everything, but it did give us a great look at what to expect from the full version.

There are so many great reasons to sign up for this service, and below I list the TOP 10 Reasons to Subscribe to DC Universe.  So sit back and enjoy the ride into the wonderful world of all things DC.

  10. EXCLUSIVE MERCHANDISE

Not only will you get all sorts of great content to watch and read (as you’ll see below), there’s also a new DC Universe Shop within the app where fans can purchase some awesome merchandise, like t-shirts, statues, mugs, phone cases, and more, with some items being exclusively sold through the app.  One of these exclusives is a new line of animated-style Justice League action figures, to complement the popular 6-inch Batman: The Animated Series figures the company has been making lately.

The first wave includes the full initial team line-up – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern John Stewart, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter – plus Aquaman, who was not a member of the team before they became Justice League Unlimited, but who did appear in several memorable episodes during the first two Justice League seasons.

  9. DC COMMUNITY

In the all new DC Community section, fans can join other fans on a plethora of message boards covering all kinds of topics like comics, movies, TV, news, and more.  There’s even a section called “Creators Corner” where fans can connect with DC talent.

DC Community shows trending discussions, popular tags, and even gives you the chance to create your own thread covering any topic that’s rattling around in your brain.  Do you want to talk about the best Robin?  You can make a thread about it.  Do you want to discuss your love of the short-lived Birds of Prey TV series?  Go ahead!  The sky’s the limit!

And DC has vowed to work hard on moderating these boards in order to make it the best possible experience for fans everywhere!

  8. ENCYCLOPEDIA

This comprehensive encyclopedia breaks down your favorite characters (like Batman and Superman), as well as some you may have never heard of (like Chaselon and Ferro Lad), with great detail, giving an introduction and history to the character, their origin, powers, essential storylines, team affiliations, and appearances in other media.  Some characters are more thorough than others, but this encyclopedia will be always growing and expanding, so if there’s some info you think is missing, you’ll be able to submit it to be added.

There’s also a tab labeled “Related Content” that brings up movies and TV shows, comics, and even trending discussions about that character within the app.  This is a great part of DC Universe as it will help to educate DC fans, new and returning, on the characters that live within it.

  7. LIVE-ACTION FILMS

As someone who loves films (I even run my own film review site), the fact that the DC Universe app will include live-action films is something I was very happy to hear.  Now, from what we’ve been told, there doesn’t seem to be very many live-action films available, at least not yet.  We’ll have access to Superman 1-4, Batman (1989), Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight.

Now, this is a great, albeit small, selection of films, but I’m really hoping they will put more than just Batman and Superman movies up here.  Let’s get films like V for Vendetta, Watchmen, A History of Violence, The Losers, Road to Perdition, RED, RED 2, Swamp Thing, Constantine, etc.  This would truly add some great value to the film library.  And who knows, maybe they already have plans to add some of these.  That would definitely push this farther up on my list.

  6. ANIMATED FILMS

The catalogue of animated films based on DC properties is huge, with dozens of quality entries, from the 30+ DCUA (DC Universe Animated Original) films, to films like Subzero and Mystery of the Batwoman, and even the LEGO DC Super Hero films.

The DC Universe app will offer a large array of them, including some of my favorites like Justice League: War, Batman: Under The Red Hood, and even Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.  But what shocked me the most was that their newest animated film, The Death of Superman, is actually available to watch on the app, even though it’s only been out for less than two months.  And with a 3-4 films release schedule every year just for the DCUA films, this library will continue to grow.

  5. DC DAILY

  Within the “News” tab is a section for the upcoming daily news show, DC Daily.  They recently did a live-stream (of which the video is available to watch on the app) breaking down what you can expect from DC Universe, while also introducing DC Daily and the hosts who will be bringing all the news to the fans.  The live stream was hosted by Kevin Smith.

There will be several great and knowledgeable hosts including Tiffany Smith (DC All Access), John Barrowman (Arrow, Doctor Who), Samm Levine (Freaks & Geeks, Inglourious Basterds), Harley Quinn Smith (Yoga Hosers), Sam Humphries (DC Comics Writer – Green Lanterns), Hector Navarro (DC All Access), Clarke Wolfe (Collider Movie Talk, Film HQ), Brian Tong, Markeia McCarty (DC Movie News), and John Kourounis.

DC Daily cast (L to R): Samm Levine, Sam Humphries, Tiffany Smith, John Barrowman (in front), Harley Quinn Smith, Clarke Wolfe, Brian Tong, John Kourounis, Hector Navarro

DC Daily will be replacing DC All Access and will offer news related to the original series on DC Universe and other content that “ties back” to DC Comics and the DC Universe community. The program is scheduled to have the following segments: “Headlines”, for daily news briefs; “Reports”, for an in-depth interview or look at an upcoming book, film, or television series; and “Talk”, for panel discussions.

  4. LIVE-ACTION TV SERIES

DC has some of the best live-action comic book TV shows out there, and a lot of them will be available to watch right through the app.  We’ll get to see such shows as Wonder Woman, The Flash (1990), Birds of Prey, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and even more obscure titles like Human Target.

This would be a spot or two higher on the list if the current DC shows were included, like Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Gotham, and all of the others.  Hopefully, they’ll eventually make their way to the app once their contracts with the other streaming services expire.

  3. ANIMATED TV SERIES

I’ve got four words for you: BATMAN. THE. ANIMATED. SERIES!!!!

When it was announced that the greatest comic book TV series of all time was heading to DC Universe, I was ecstatic.  And to make it even better, it’ll be released in fully remastered HD, and I have to say, it looks fantastic!

And if that’s not enough for you, we’ll also be getting a plethora of other great animated shows from the world of DC including Batman Beyond, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Batman: Brave and the Bold, Superman: The Animated Series, Static Shock, Teen Titans, Young Justice, and even the old Max Fleischer cartoons from the 1940’s.  This is an amazing line up that will keep people busy binging for quite a while.

  2. LARGE SELECTION OF COMICS

Unlike other streaming services, DC Universe will also offer a reading component through a large curated selection of some of DC’s best comics.  You’ll get to read classic stories like Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #27, and The Dark Knight Returns, as well as getting the chance to check out some more obscure stuff like Doom Patrol and New Gods.

And the built-in comic book reader is fantastic, particularly the panel-by-panel option, which allows you to become fully immersed in what you’re reading, bringing these comics to life.

  1. BRAND NEW EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

For me, the biggest reason I chose to commit to this service wasn’t the past DC content, but instead all the future content that’s on the way.  There’s only so much previous content, so the fact that they’re developing several new projects exclusive to DC Universe will keep me coming back for more.

Right now, there are four live-action shows and two animated shows in production, with many more to come.  I’m also hoping they will dive into original films for the app as well.  The shows announced so far are Titans (which will premiere at NYCC, and then hits the streaming service on October 12th, with new episodes each Friday), Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing, Stargirl, the Harley Quinn animated series, and the one many have been waiting for… Young Justice season 3 (titled Young Justice: Outsiders).

Titans follows young heroes from across the DC Universe as they come of age and find belonging. This gritty take on the classic Titans franchise finds Dick Grayson and a special young girl possessed by a strange darkness named Rachel Roth as they get embroiled in a conspiracy. They’re joined by Starfire and Beast Boy to become a surrogate family and team.

Doom Patrol is a reimagining of one of DC’s strangest group of outcasts: Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Woman and Crazy Jane. Led by the mysterious Dr. Niles Caulder they’re called into action by none other than the ultimate hero for the digital age, Cyborg. These rejects band together on a mission that will take them to the weirdest and most unexpected corners of the DC universe.

Swamp Thing is a scary love story following Abby Arcane as she investigates what seems to be a deadly swamp-born virus in a small town in Louisiana but soon discovers that the swamp holds mystical and terrifying secrets.

Stargirl follows High School sophomore Courtney Whitmore who inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to stop the villains of the past. This new DC Universe series reimagines Stargirl and the very first superhero team, the Justice Society of America, in a fun, exciting and unpredictable series.

Harley Quinn tracks the lovable, raucous villain with a fractured psyche after she breaks up with The Joker and tries to make it on her own to become Gotham’s main queen-pin.

Young Justice: Outsiders features the return of the fan favorite animated series with a huge cast of DC’s most iconic young superheroes – plus brand-new characters, many of whom are just discovering their unique meta-powers and special abilities. Set against the backdrop of a rich, deep world that touches all corners of the DC universe, the season focuses on meta–trafficking, and an intergalactic arms race for control of these super–powered youths.

  And there you have it folks, the Top 10 Reasons To Subscribe To DC Universe.  If you haven’t already done so, be sure sign up and enjoy all of this wonderful content at your fingertips.  Head on over to the DC Universe site and sign up right now.  You can do the monthly subscription for $7.99/month or you can save some money and do the annual plan for only $74.99/year.

And be sure to share your experiences with the service in our comments section below or hit us up on Facebook or Twitter.

Top 10 Reasons To Subscribe To DC Universe #DCUniverse @TheDCUniverse @DCComics #BatmanDay #DCComics #DCComicsNews This weekend marks the official launch of the highly anticipated DC Universe digital steaming service, and earlier this week they decided to run their beta version for those who have already pre-ordered the service. 

[gothxmsirxns-blog]

The Great Barrier Reef

Pairing:  Kaldur’ahm x reader

Relationship: Friends then relationship

Request: Nope

Plot:  Reader is Poseidon's child and is introduced to Kaldur through Cassie and Kaldur learns reader had never actually gone swimming in the ocean despite wanting to because of overbearing mother and promises to show them the beauties of the ocean. Set post-invasion so Kaldur and reader are twenty one years old.

Key: [Y/N] = your name, [E/C] = eye colour, [H/C] = hair colour, [H/L] = hair length, [H/N] = hero name, [F/M/A] = favourite marine animal.

Words: 3,011 [I really didn’t mean for this to be that long. I got out of hand]

A/N: I wanna tag @memento-scribet because they said they wanted some Kaldur! Hope you all enjoy it. This is also my first time not using female pronouns, I’m trying to be a lot more neutral with my writing so I’m sorry if I messed up. 

They could remember the day their life was turned upside down, they had known something was off when their mother had set them down on the sofa with a worried look on their face and how they wrung their hands together in nervousness and scratched at their skin, a nervous habit that they had picked up when living with her ex-husband when he questioned her and shouted at her. [Y/N] remembered the shock that spread through their body and how they froze as they processed what was being said.

But, they remembered being happy. Happy that they were finally learning the truth about their father and who they were, why they could do things that other people couldn’t and happy that they weren’t as much as a freak, but rather a demi-god.

At first it had been hard to wrap their head around, it was hard to process that their mother, their mother who was as simple and as normal as they came, working a nine to five job to provide for the two of them and who had a love for the mundane things in life like gardening or spending the day in the day reading a good book, had fallen in love with the Greek God of the Sea (they also found it hard to process that God’s, plural, were real) and had a child with him, that they were said child.

But all that shock was thrown out the window and replaced with new shock and confusion when Wonder Woman walked into the living room from the kitchen, accompanied by who [Y/N] recognised as Wonder Girl, having been there the entire time and the reason their mother had decided to come clean after almost twenty two years.

Apparently they had just found out about them as well and Wonder Girl was technically their cousin, with her being the daughter of Zeus and everything. It had been a lot to process as a lot of information had been given to the young adult in the save of less than an hour.

But apparently, they wouldn’t have time to process everything because Wonder Woman said that she needed to leave her home and leave her mother behind because enemies of the League had learned of [Y/N]’s existence and her potential as a child of a God and they might use them in an attempt to bring down government or the Justice League and because of this they had to leave, or else their mother would be in danger.

So they agreed, haphazardly and with a few reservations of course because they didn’t know what was in store for them when the left. What they were told, however, was that they would receive training with the Young Justice team and eventually join their ranks as a member to protect the world, like Cassie had, however, unlike Cassie, they would be training under Aqualad and Aquaman instead of under Wonder Woman as their powers would be similar.

_____

They day had finally come where [Y/N] would be introduced to the Young Justice team, their team and ‘new family’ in the words of Cassie. It had been about a week since [Y/N] had left home and moved into the Young Justice Base, but they had yet to meet anyone as they were all on a long mission out of the country that was taking up their time, but they had Cassie and found that the pair got along quite well with one another, forming a friendship together.

When [Y/N] arrived through the zeta tube to the watch tower, they were greeted with a crowd of heroes that were already greeting their bubbly cousin with smiles and hugs. So, they stayed back, allowing the team to catch up. But Cassie wasn’t having this, so she moved toward the young person and linked arms with them and practically dragged them towards the team as they tucked a [H/C] strand of their [H/C] behind their ear and bit down on their lip as a nervous reaction.

They didn’t know what they were nervous for, they were greeted with smiles, mostly (Superboy remained stoic as he greeted them and introduced himself), and warm words of welcome to the team.

Each member of the team had introduced themselves, but one. The leader of the team had stayed back and watched as his team interacted with the new comer, a small smile on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. He was happy to see them getting along, for now anyway, he didn’t know what would happen in the future, but for now the team seemed well matched with one another.

When it seemed to calm and the team was now simply chatting, instead of talking over each other trying to greet the newest member, he walked forward and stood in front of them his hands falling from his chest and his smile spreading slightly into a warm and welcoming one as he knew he would be spending a lot of time with this person as he was to train them. “I am Kaldur’ahm. But you may call me Kaldur, or Aqualad, whichever you feel most comfortable with. I am the leader of this team and your trainer it seems.”

Looking at the man in front of them, a small blush rose to [Y/N]’s cheeks, simply because he was attractive and they couldn’t deny that, and a smile spread to their lips as they offered their hand to the man to shake, which he took. “I’m [Y/N], thank you for having me.”

After that, everything seemed to move quickly as the team moved from the Watch Tower to their own base after reporting on the mission and being sent away. The team went to the lounge and spread themselves around, but [Y/N] stayed back and watched from the sidelines with a small smile on their face. The team seemed so close to one another and they didn’t want to intrude on them.

[Y/N] felt a presence beside her and she glanced at who it was from the corner of her eyes, it was Kaldur. “Are you not going to join them?” Shaking their head slightly, [Y/N] licked her lips and looked to the ground for a second before looking back up at the group ahead of her, “I don’t want to intrude.”

A smirk made it’s way onto Kaldur’s lips, “You won’t be intruding. This is your team now too.” A small chuckle past through [Y/N]’s lips as they now turned their head so they could look at the dark skinned man beside them, “That may be, but, I’m still getting used to all this. I haven’t even been in the ocean yet.”

Kaldur looked shocked as his eyes widened, “You’ve never been in the ocean?” [Y/N] shook her head and shrugged her shoulder, “No. I’ve been to pools but never the ocean, mom always stayed away from the beach. Said she had a fear of large bodies of water and wouldn’t let me go with my friends.”

“But you’re father is the God of the ocean, is he not?” A puff of air left [Y/N]’s mouth before they let out a sigh and ran their hands through their hair, “He is. But, my mom didn’t want me to know about him or what I was. She just wanted to keep me safe.”

Kaldur nodded and cleared his throat, “Would you like to see it?” A smile spread to [Y/N]’s face as she thought about the water, how it might feel on her skin and how she always felt more at home when she was simming. “I would love to. When I was younger, I would sit on the roof of our house, usually when James was shouting at my mom, and I would stare out at the water, we had a pretty good view of the marina from her home, and I would wonder what it would be like to go there and to swim for as long as I could. I always felt like the ocean called to me.”

A warmth filled Kaldur’s eyes as he looked at the person before him, and his heart felt like it was starting to swell a little as he learned a little about the person behind the name and behind the powers. “Well, I could always show you it.” [Y/N] looked up to Kaldur, with an eyebrow raised and a question in their eyes, “The ocean. I could take you out, show you how beautiful it is and how beautiful the wildlife is.”

Nodding their head slightly a warm and friendly sigh left [Y/N]’s mouth as they brought their hands behind their back and clasped their hands together, leaning forward slightly as joy filled them, “I would like that.”  

_____

The next day,Kaldur took [Y/N] out and they learned that [Y/N] could breath underwater, which meant they could spend longer under the water and longer exploring. This also allowed for them to test [Y/N]’s stamina and see if they needed to improve on that with training.

That day, Kaldur had shown [Y/N] the reef that surrounded the beach and cliffs where they were and introduced [Y/N] to a [F/M/A], which made [Y/N] overjoyed,and they played with them a little before heading back to base for some training.

The next time the pair went out, it was a few days later after training, [Y/N] was learning quickly and it shocked Kaldur somewhat. That day they had learned that [Y/N] could bend water at her will, hydrokinesis they learned it was called, and use it as a weapon much like Kaldur did. On this journey into the ocean, the two journey further away from the beach and into deeper waters where more secrets lay. They found more marine life,and while they journey further from the beach, they remained relatively close to the cliffs and followed them meaning they discovered hidden coves that were lost to the tide and to nature.

They ended up spending some time in one of the coves, eventually taking a seat on some rocks above the water to rest and this allowed the two to talk and get to know one another on a deeper level than they had before. They had managed to lose track of time while talking and discovering new things about one another, forming a deep friendship that rivaled the friendship that [Y/N] had formed with her cousin over the three weeks she had known her.

This became routine for the two, they would journey out in the ocean after training and Kaldur would show [Y/N] everything he could without getting too far from the main base of the team in case of an emergency and towards the end of their adventure they would rest in the cove and talk. They never seemed to run out of things to talk about, and always had something new to discuss with one another.

Eventually, the time came for [Y/N] to join the team on a mission and Kaldur was quite hesitant to allow this, not because he didn’t believe in their abilities but because he was sure he was developing feelings for them that were beyond friendship and he did not want to see them get hurt or in a dangerous situation. Nevertheless, they went, and proved to work very well with the team they had gotten to know over the weeks through simple chat and through sparring with each member in an attempt to get a feel for what they could do and how they fought.

After the mission the duo took to their regular routine of going for a swim together, this time they journeyed out a little further than normal and Kaldur watched in amazement as the wounds that [Y/N] had received closed up and healed in the water, a perk of being a demi-goddess he guessed. But it seemed to even shock [Y/N] as they had stopped once they realised their injuries were closing over.

“This is new.” Were the words that came from [Y/N]’s mouth as she looked to Kaldur, “But not unwelcome.” They would never admit it to the man they was swimming with, but [Y/N] was in pain, their injuries hurt like a bitch and they was hesitant to even go swimming with him because of how much they hurt, but they knew he would fuss and want to make sure they were rested and it would have been a while before they were able to go out together again, and they didn’t want that.

They were attached to Kaldur, no it was more than that. They were romantically attracted to him and the feelings had been growing from their first interaction, and now they made [Y/N] feel like their heart was going to beat out of their chest anytime they were with him. Luckily, he didn’t have super hearing.

However, M’Gann and Artemis had picked up on [Y/N]’s feelings for Kaldur and actively encouraged them to pursue the relationship, constantly claiming that he felt the same and just didn’t want to make a move after what had happened with Tula in the past, both with her relationship with Garth and her death, but [Y/N] brushed it off and claimed that Kaldur only thought of them as a friend. How wrong they were.

In the coming weeks, with mission after mission the pair were finding it hard to be able to get out and swim because they were either away and too tired to swim after a mission or training to improve both of their skills. They still talked, but things seemed tense and the other members of the team were beginning to pick up why with Artemis claiming that you could ‘cut their sexual tension with a knife’ when the pair were out of earshot and the others seemed to agree.

So they came up with a plan, alongside Aquaman who the team had managed to convince that it needed to happen. Arthur called the two to Atlantis for a mission, with L’Gann faking illness so he wouldn’t have to go and M’Gann claiming that she would have to stay in the bioship while they dealt with the situation, thus leaving the two alone. But of course, there was no mission and Arthur simply sent the two of them to the Great Barrier Reef because apparently someone was out there causing harm to it and it’s visitors.

But that wasn’t true. He sent them there to get them alone in one of the most beautiful places in the ocean in hopes that the two would confront their feelings for one another. When they arrived, they quickly realised that there was nothing wrong, however, they stayed and  [Y/N] was amazed at how beautiful it was and they swam around with a childlike glee and Kaldur watched with a smile as they seemed to be enjoying themselves. But upon noticing dying coral, their heart broke and they reached out to touch it and when they did, they were able to feel it.

Every [Y/N] came to life when they touched the coral, and it seemed the coral came back to life as well as a light that had started to swirl around the arms of the young hero moved down and around the coral beds as light and vibrancy was brought back to it, essentially bringing it back to life.

Kaldur was amazed, but that wasn’t new. Almost everything [Y/N] did amazed the young hero, and as he watched his heart began to swell, much like the time they had first meet, but this time it swole with an emotion he was all too familiar with, love. When [Y/N] turned to look at Kaldur, their eyes were wide and a look of shock was on their face as they weren’t expecting to be able to do that.

Kaldur swam towards them, until he was behind them, and he watched with a smile as they turned back and watched the light spread over the reef. “That was amazing.” Kaldur’s voice was soft and warm as he turned his eyes to look at the light as well, “You’re amazing [Y/N].”

[Y/N] now turned to face Kaldur, their heart beating at what felt like a million miles a minute and the butterflies in their stomach making them feel like they were on a roller coaster on it’s way up to it’s peak. “[Y/N], I -,” Kaldur was lost for words as he looked at them, and [Y/N] was silent while they waited for him to continue his sentence, which he didn’t do.

When [Y/N] realised Kaldur wasn’t going to finish his sentence, they went to speak but they were stopped when a pair of lips pressed down against their own and webbed hands wrapped gently around their lower back, pulling their body closer to Kaldurs.

They were slightly shocked, but enough that they waiting in kissing the man back. [Y/N]’s hands moved to wrap around the neck of the man as their lips moved in sync together. The kiss was soft, but it was filled with emotions that they had both been trying to hold back for a long time. When they pulled back, Kaldur placed his forehead against [Y/N]’s and they both took deep breaths, their lungs betraying them slightly as the stung from not breathing during the kiss.

“I’m apologise for not doing that sooner.” A giggle left [Y/N]’s lips as Kaldur leaned down to kiss them again. The two were so wrapped up in their moment together that they didn’t notice M’Gann in the background, silently watching them and making sure to mentally record everything to share with Artemis and Karen when they returned.