#i think that’s how i tag dc stuff i do not remember

[thewingedwolf]

“he isn’t chaos he is sabotage” is such a great take on ledger’s joker put so succinctly that it made all the shit discourse i’ve ever seen on twitter before worth the pain

#congratulations you broke the joker down to his basic parts. #i’m being genuine i went into the quote tweets expecting either nonsense or ‘magneto was right’ responses #and i found this thread which was a really good discussion of the joker’s decisions in tdk. everyone was really building off each other #it was great u usually don’t get such great fandom discussion on twitter it’s usually insane aksksk #the joker #dc #dcc #batman #i think that’s how i tag dc stuff i do not remember #rani makes unnecessary picture posts

[the-s1lly-corner]

So I just remembered the hanahaki disease trope and I think it’s perfect for Jax (You could include Gangle and/or Zooble too, they’d be p interesting)

Jax is horrible with showing vulnerability and confessions are quite vulnerable… he can’t really die in the DC but he can still suffer

Jax and Zooble with Hanahaki disease !

not explicitly x reader but you can still perceive it as such and im still tagging it as such so those who want it uhuhuhuh this post sure is gonna be interesting :0! honestly between all of the cast, i think these two are the most likely to suffer from hanahaki, gangle is a maybe but i cant think of anything for her sob sobs and i can kind of see caine also possibly getting it due to not understanding romantic stuff but thats assuming he can sick and also assuming he doesnt immediately confess to the reader upon realizing his feelings shrugs

JAX:

just going to say it flat out, if this were the real world jax would likely die before confessing anything simply because he hates the concept of being vulnerable, as well as being the one to have to open up... god this wouldnt be so hard if it were the other person suffering; as terrible as it sounds... though, i dont think jax is the most.. emotionally mature of the bunch so he likely would have a mindset like that... in the beginning, after he notices the first petals he probably starts hiding them when he realizes whats going on.. probably legitimately starts swallowing the petals because he cant stand the idea of someone seeing him cough them up... and i dont know the health risks of digesting flower petals, especially ones that just spawned inside of you, but that probably worsens his overall health. thankfully (if you can even say that) he cant die in the digital world.... which... allows things to drag out for longer, and its going to take a lot for jax to just swallow his pride and confess something of this nature... even if it means hes in excruciating agony... though, i can also see him just wanting to get it out of the way when he finally hits his limit, as humiliating as it is

just saying, if hes ever cured and actually gets with the person hes in love with, theyre going to have to work on his fear of vulnerability

ZOOBLE:

very similar to jax in terms that they also dont like being perceived as vulnerable. but for a different reason. jax doesnt like showing that kind of stuff off because he thinks love is gross and yucky! how dare he be flustered when someone calls him cute! zooble, on the other hand, more so doesnt like the idea of growing an attachment. especially in the digital world where your mental state is so vital to your physical state... nope too risky and they dont want to make the other person feel they need to keep going to spare them the hurt blah blah blah, stuff like that. though... this makes me wonder where the flowers come from, since zooble doesnt have a mouth... maybe they just... spawn out of where the mouth would be? i think that would make it easier for them to hide it for longer, until someone actually sees the petals actively coming out... less of a clean up too, since they cant bleed... but perhaps they are covered in a black residue, not too different from the stuff pomni throws up in the pilot.. shrugs.. between the two, zooble is more likely to crack and confess, though. jax has his pride to protect, but zooble isnt nearly as invested in their ego.. though i do think they try to play it off after the confession.. shrugs

#tadc x reader #the amazing digital circus x reader #digital circus x reader #jax x reader #zooble x reader

[olderthannetfic]

Hi! So I have a rambling explanation that’s going to lead into a genuine question about making a website somewhat like a03 or finding alternatives to a site I will mention (it’s not a03 don’t worry)

I am a non/disney editor, crossover artist, amv maker and deep faker and any other term for “make videos of characters in canon or au type scenarios to music”. I’m also a fanficcer. And I remember when being wary of Anne Rice and Archie Comics and DC was a thing. A teacher, to cover his ass for an assignment of mine, taught me how to write an apology letter to a company on the offhand my hand written basically Batman fanfiction, made it’s way online or was heard about. I was in the tail end right before A03 but I am extremely grateful that the site exists. Okay. So now I need to talk about the Owl House. In season three episode special one, Luz Noceda makes an amv coming out to her mom.

Editor friends in a private discord were both happy and worried. Luz is one of us….but also Disney knows about us, to some level. Nothings happened I’ve just been stewing and I’m just worried something might hit the fan for the community given many of us use Disney media (hard not to when 80% of things put out is by them) So I’m asking how one would make a platform like A03 but for video media. Or if there’s things you know like that. YouTube is getting more and more difficult for anyone nowadays too.

Again, nothings really happened yet, I just can’t get it out of my head

--

Video is worlds harder than text, but you know that.

There are a couple of approaches here: First, more is more. The more sites you have your stuff on, the smaller the chance that Disney can nuke all of them. Second, if you're not just using youtube and getting good at playing the algorithm, you need some way for people to find you or to keep track of all your alternate hosting.

Vidders of the oldschool sort have taken to using AO3. It doesn't have native hosting, of course, but it provides a stable URL and useful fandom-based tagging without algorithm bullshit. It's also a decent way to get vids out there if you only have download links and no streaming (though, of course, that means fewer views). You can embed a bunch of different copies of the same thing in the same work.

I don't know of a ton of fannish attempts at video hosting that are open to everyone. The only person I can think of who's heavily working on that is the guy behind Vidders.net who has a few different projects going.

For other hosting options, I'd see what AO3 currently has whitelisted for embedding. Two obvious ones are Critical Commons and Archive.org.

--

Broadly, yes, fanvids and AMVs have been subject to even more disastrous mass deletions than fanfic has, and far fewer of them have been saved by other fans because video files are huge.

Oldschool AMVs in the strict sense (i.e. Japanese anime and not Disney) are catalogued and sometimes hosted on animemusicvideos.org. Oldschool Media Fandom has some vidding archivists, and really old stuff was released on tape and then disc, and people still have their copies of those. But online-only fannish video stuff from the 00s and 10s has massive gaps in the historical record already.

Disney is quiescent now, but they haven't always been, and neither have other rights holders. Worse, a bunch of hosts vidders liked just up and deleted their entire sites, wiping out eras of videos and commentary.

Your stuff is in less danger than it would have been 10 years ago, as far as anyone can tell, but video is always in massive danger of disappearing.

--

If you actually succeed at video!AO3, more power to you! I'm just skeptical that you'll be up to the technical and financial challenge if you don't already know more than you currently do, you know?

Hosting video has, among other problems, the issue that people trading actual abuse materials will upload their videos to your service. Hosts often play whackamole with illegal and traumatizing content. I've known people whose jobs exposed them to this shit, and they were... not okay.

I guess you could make things slightly easier on yourself if you restricted video to cartoons only, but then you'd have the same issues amvs.org does where people who start as one kind of editor start working with other footage and keep trying to upload the wrong thing.

It's often not really viable to host unless you make everyone pay and/or you're authorizing a few dozen accounts of people you've vetted, not running a service just anyone can sign up for. Hosting a hundred videos for friends that you have reviewed and know to be fanvids/amvs is a lot easier than hosting enough stuff that you can't personally review it all.

If you or anyone else is interested in trying to start a site, I'd go check out the various writings by Denise (who runs Dreamwidth). She has some twitter threads and posts on enforcement and running a platform. I remember she talked about the tech people use to detect CSAM from known law enforcement databases.

I don't want to be a downer here, but there are serious legal implications to being the actual host as opposed to just running a discord or something on someone else's platform and reporting some fucker if they try to post illegal shit.

--

If I were you, I'd get my buddies together, embed all our works on AO3, and then maybe make a collection or tagging standards so we could find each other's stuff.

For hosting, I'd add the Internet Archive, Vimeo, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc. to Youtube and do a periodic audit of AO3 works to make sure links were still working.

AO3 already has a lot of tags that have been made filterable, like Fanvids, AMV, Video Format: Streaming, etc.

[blood-mocha-latte]

misc. tag game

tagged by the wonderful @the-cinnamontography-is-amazing <3

a band you don’t like that many others do:

nirvana gives me migraines lol. i like the songs but they hurt my Head

a childhood memory that you remember vividly:

meeting my wife when we were twelve. she gangled over to me like a weird tree and said my shirt was cool and i was like :0

least favorite animal and why:

a raccoon attacked me in a bayou once and it was the beginning of the end they're the worst they're so scary

hot fandom take:

literally none like. ship what you want don't ship what you don't want to be freaked out by stuff love stuff just don't go out of your way to make other people feel bad lol. which isn't the question exactly but something happened recently that i felt like i had to restate that

do you were any jewelry, if so, what’s your favorite piece:

i've had my ears pierced four times and like studs lmao. but like. my wedding ring's my favorite

a movie others liked but you didn’t:

i don't think i've ever cognitively watched a movie and thought that i loved it or hated it. i'm usually just like Well That Sure Was A Movie. i didn't like we were soldiers with mel gibson but that was because it was Bad. thank you for your time

three things you love about yourself:

the fact that i'm still alive lmao

that i'm good at my job and like it (for the most part)

i am solidly Okay at writing

a place you hope to visit in the future and why:

iceland because it's iceland. end of discussion

an actor that gets on your nerves and why:

i have like no opinions on actors tbh. do whatever you want it ain't hurting me

things you’re excited for in the nearby future?:

first date night in four weeks on friday!!

least favorite ship in a fandom you’re in:

see above point lmao. i don't really care ship whatever i'm down

what’s the most toxic fandom you’ve been in?:

stranger things all the fucking way man i got death threats

list three things you find beautiful about life:

my wife. she's been through the shit and she's still so strong and wonderful and everything to me

my home. i didn't appreciate it a lot growing up but rural louisiana was a pretty interesting place to grow up in and it had some beauties

penicillin and toilet paper. modern marvels

any dreams for the future?

della's remission and moving out of dc and going back home

how are you really feeling today?

tired lol. ptsd has been kicking my ass

tagging (no pressure):

@ariesbilly @almost-a-class-act @flashnthunder @frstcorinthians @ewipandora @educationalporpoises @lamialamia @dcyllom

#rie talks #tag games #how many of these are going around rn lol because i swear. i'm having a blast

[silverlininghills]

7 + 1 twenty one pilots ask

i was tagged by @dasloddl!! ty!!

1. when/how did you discover them? + what was the first song you listened to? - either on the radio or on yt or at work or something like that, sometime in 2015. idk which song exactly but lets be honest, it was prolly stressed out 😅 or one of the other blurryface singles

2. have you been to any concert(s)? - no 😭 i totally would've seen them on the icy tour but they didn't come to my city 😭 but i'm hoping to go to at least one show on the next tour (either vancouver or, failing that, seattle), and hopefully also the DC show with my bestie!!

3. do you remember where you were when trench dropped (if you were a fan by then)? - weirdly, yes! it was like 9pm on october 4th, i was at home and got a spotify notification that twenty one pilots had released a new album. i listened to the first three songs, went "ehh", and stopped there 😅 which, in hindsight, is so tragic bc if i'd held out for just one more song i would've gotten to my blood, which is one of my absolute favourites!

4. favourite thing about the clique? - how smart and kind and inclusive everyone is!! like i know the clique's got it's share of toxic fans, just like any other fandom/community in general, but esp here on tumblr absolutely everyone i've met/interacted with has been sososo friendly and funny and smart and cool <3

5. any memorable/funny/interesting quote (from interviews/bts footage/…) you especially like? - i'm so bad at thinking up stuff like this off the cuff sldjskdljf there's always smth i think of later that i wish i'd said instead. for right now i'm gonna go with "two happy boys" (or any of the "two ____ boys" riffs that they do), as well as every single story abt how they met 😂

6. what would you want to ask/tell them if you got the chance? - FREAKING. SO MUCH. i'd want to thank them for rewarding us for looking deeper and caring more and sticking around. i'd want to tell them how what they've done w the dema/trench storyline is legitimately incredible and groundbreaking and to, in their own words, "never put a ceiling on their dreams". i'd also want to talk to them for roughly 6 hours abt death cab for cutie bc i Need To Know their thoughts abt literally everything sdlfkjsdkfl

7. which tattoo would you like to know the meaning of (if you do)? - i'm honestly fine w not knowing the meaning to any of their tattoos, bc i know they're v personal, but if i could know the meaning of one and have it be totally okay and willingly shared, it would be, for tyler, the symbols tattoo on the side of his forearm, and for josh, the astronaut-getting-beamed-up tattoo on his bicep.

+1. dasloddl's question for me: which album cover do you like best? - excellent question!! even tho i do love SAI's aesthetic, i think i'd have to go with blurryface on this one. there's just so much meaning behind it!! the pull-out blurry face is genius, the patterns are so fun, it's simple yet evocative. just, stellar art design.

additional question you want to ask the people you tagged: what do you think the genre/vibe of the next album is going to be?

aaaaand i am tagging @mx-misty-eyed @melxncholyman @timedyne @gonerbird and @re4lize-th4t-its-g0ne!!

#personal #shenanigans #get-to-know-you meme

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Five Little Ducks

Fandom: DC Comics, Batman

Summary: Bruce finds a magically de-aged Jason.

Chapters: 11/13

Characters: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Stephanie Brown, Duke Thomas, Zatanna Zatara

Additional Tags: De-Aged Jason Todd, Magic, Babysitting, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, POV Third Person, Bruce Wayne is Not Okay, Bruce Wayne Tries, Jason Todd Has Issues, Childhood Trauma, TW: Self Harm

Chapter Eleven: Strawberry Cheesecake

Dick didn't expect a threat that night. He'd hoped things would be quiet. It wasn't like he planned a disturbance in the Diamond District. Jason was sharp, though. Completely unruffled and aware... But he didn't have to worry about his magically de-aged brother and their stressed-out father. Jason threw his body over Dick's, holding him down as the blast flew over their heads, freezing a safe at the end of the room. "You okay, Nightwing?" Jason asked. Before Dick could open his mouth, Jason was already on his feet, running at full speed toward Mr. Freeze. Dick cursed under his breath and followed Jason from a different direction.

At the last second, Jason switched paths, pulling one of Freeze's men to the ground by his hood. "What's going on?" Bruce asked over comms.

"Freeze... Robin's holding his own, though," Dick replied as he took out the men that seemed to flood the building suddenly. "Robin! How many?"

"At least fifteen!" Jason replied as he threw a Batarang and knocked out the lights. Dick couldn't help but be confused. He didn't remember Jason being this skilled. The fight didn't last long, and they managed to apprehend Freeze. Once it was over, they watched the police arrest from a nearby rooftop.

"Robin?" Dick whispered. Jason looked at him. "You saved my skin back there. Good looking out."

"It was nothin'. I got lucky. I saw a shadow move behind you," Jason confessed.

"Bull. That's not luck," Dick replied, "You did great out there, and you should be proud of yourself."

Jason smiled. "You know, Nightwing... I have the strangest craving for a snow cone," Jason replied. Dick laughed.

"Okay, I'll get you a snow cone-. Wait,” Dick whispered as he moved Jason’s bangs out of the way. “You’re bleeding.”

“My stitches,” Jason gasped. Dick relaxed and took butterfly bandages out of his utility belt. He used them to patch Jason up and messed up the boy’s hair. “Do you think Bruce is gonna be mad at me?”

“Nuh-uh,” Dick answered.

“I never had a brother before… I always wished I had a big brother so that I could talk about stuff that bothered me… I wanted somebody around to understand,” Jason confessed. Dick nodded. “I love B, but sometimes-. Sometimes I feel like I’ll never be the Robin he had with you. I asked about you once, and it was-. He looked through me.”

“He does that sometimes… It’s not personal. If we’re being honest with each other, I was jealous of you. You got the grown-up version of him, the better Bats, the better dad, the better person. And if we’re being brutally honest, you’re the only one that knows how to make him happy.

“I know how to push his buttons, but you have his heart. He’s been wrapped around your little finger ever since you met him,” Dick replied.

Jason bowed his head. “So, you don’t like me?” Jason mumbled.

“No. That’s not what I said. I might be jealous of you, but I don’t hate you. You can’t help being what you are. You’re a good kid… Compassionate, loyal, self-sacrificing to a fault. You would’ve taken that shot for me without a single thought,” Dick clarified, “I like you-. Hell, it’s more than that. I respect you.”

Jason grinned. “I respect you too. Wow... I-. I didn’t-. I’m gonna make you and B proud someday-.”

“You already have. That’s why you get to wear the costume,” Dick interrupted, “Robin isn’t a rigid concept… Robin is what you make it. You’re Robin now, and you’ve gotta do things your way. Show B a whole new way of looking at things.”

Jason hung on Dick’s every word. “It wouldn’t hurt for him to add a jacket to the Robin costume… And pants. It gets cold up here on these rooftops… And sometimes it snows,” Jason complained. Dick chuckled and nodded.

“That’s a reasonable demand. Draw something up, and I’ve got your back,” Dick replied, “And here’s a trick for the pixie boots: Put baby powder in your shoes to keep your feet warm.”

“I’m gonna try that tomorrow night,” Jason replied, “Did you get too old?” Jason kicked at a pebble on the rooftop before heading down the fire escape.

“Huh?” Dick asked.

“Why’d you start being Nightwing?” Jason questioned.

“Bruce and I had a disagreement, and I thought it was time that I picked a more grown-up look for myself. Hang up the cape and pixie boots… What flavor do you want?” Dick asked as they headed toward the corner.

“Strawberry cheesecake,” Jason answered confidently.

“Sounds good, maybe I’ll try that flavor too,” Dick replied as he allowed Jason to ride on his shoulders.

Jason waved his hands in the air. “I hope I’m tall like you when I grow up,” Jason stated.

“You’ll be taller… And bigger too,” Dick replied without thinking.

“Two strawberry cheesecake flavored snow cones… Small, please,” Dick ordered as he pulled cash from his belt. The man at the window took Dick’s money and gave him change, which Dick stuck in the tip jar.

Jason leaned forward to look at Dick’s face. “If I tell you something, will you promise not to laugh at me?” Jason questioned.

“Promise,” Dick answered as he passed Jason his snow cone.

"I’ve never been happier than I am now,” Jason whispered, “And I think-. I get sad when I think about it too much.”

“Focus on the now. If you’re happy right now, it wouldn’t do any good to spoil that for yourself… Now, let’s get you home before B starts worrying,” Dick replied as he led Jason to the Batmobile. He circled the block a few times while Jason ate, watching as Jason’s head drooped. “He loves you so much.”

“It doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you just the same,” Jason mumbled with his eyes closed. Dick took Jason’s snow cone paper and stacked it underneath his. “I’ve got another secret… I like pretending I’m asleep because I know he’ll pick me up.”

“That was always nice,” Dick smiled. Jason wasn’t a mystery, or at least he didn’t care to be. He talked because Dick listened. He didn’t have to experience Dick’s prickly exterior like he did the first time. And Dick kicked himself for that everyday.

When they arrived at home, Bruce pulled Jason out of the Batmobile and rubbed his back. “We’ll talk later,” Dick whispered, “His stitches split open, but he’s fine.”

Bruce slipped a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt over Jason’s costume. “You left comms on, but I turned it off once the conversation got personal… Do you understand why this was my favorite time with him now?” Bruce questioned.

“He’s a great kid,” Dick whispered, “I’m gonna change and meet you upstairs.”

“Okay… I’m gonna put him down for the night, and-.” Bruce clasped the tracking clip on the back of Jason’s collar. “Let’s get you to bed, Little Lad.” Dick smiled as he watched Bruce carry Jason out of the cave.

#Jason Todd #Bruce Wayne #Dick Grayson #Stephanie Brown #Duke Thomas #Zatanna Zatara #De-Aged Jason Todd #Magic #Babysitting #Father-Son Relationship #Fluff and Angst #POV Third Person #Bruce Wayne is Not Okay #Bruce Wayne Tries #Jason Todd Has Issues #Childhood Trauma #batfam #five little ducks fic #fic

[wolfjackle-creates]

20 questions for writers, tagged by @gremlin-bot

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

10

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

87,995 (What the hell? I thought it was, like, half that 🤯) [This will increase dramatically once I get a few more things transferred from tumblr to AO3]

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now, it's mostly dpxdc. I'm trying to break into more solo DC and DP stuff. I also have a few works for Good Omens that I'm not ready to abandon.

4. What are your top 5 fics by Kudos?

The Nurse's Demands

Electricity

Remember, Remember

Want to Hold on and Feel I Belong

Answer My Call

5. Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

Yes! I'm in fandom to make friends and have fun. I made one of my best fandom friends through AO3 comments. Besides, talking about things I've made and my thoughts behind them is fun. ^.^

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

On AO3? Probably Carry On. It's a Good Omens two shot that more-or-less starts with Abel's death. It then follows Crowley and Cain as they experience exile together. But I don't really do sad endings, so it ends with Cain finding a degree of peace, even if Abel is still dead.

In general? Never shared, but it's another Good Omens story. A sequel to the above. I wrote 3 fics/chapters that explore a Fallen Raphael!Crowley coming to terms with the fact that he can't heal. So in the 2nd installment, he gets close to some humans and when one is severely injured, he fails to heal them and they die. I won't share more than that, but I literally can't read that fic without crying and I wrote it. (The fourth and fifth part of the series are him wresting the ability to heal back from the binds that were placed on it, so even those have a happy ending in a way. The people who died remain dead, though, so I think it still counts.)

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Considering none of my dpxdc longfics are finished yet, I'm gonna go with another Good Omens fic, The Demon Piper. This is based off the story of the Pied Piper, obviously. Hamelin, Germany is experiencing a famine due to rats getting into the winter stores. The adults are desperate and many are considering selling their kids to indentured servitude or worse. So the kids and Crowley make a pact to run away together. They they go off and set up their own little settlement in the mountains and everyone lives and it's super sweet. I have a few sequels I need to post that get even fluffier.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Haven't yet! Y'all are the best <3

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

My third Good Omens fic! An Evening In! It's an 18k PWP with Soft Dom Aziraphale and Service Bottom Crowley, human AU. Really, it's just two men who love each other very much. It's so soft and self indulgent, even if they do explore some kink dynamics.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one?

DPxDC is my first time in a crossover fandom. It's been a blast! IDK if it counts as crazy, though.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope. Wouldn't that be the biggest flattery, though.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

No. I don't think my writing style lends itself to co-writing. I'm very particular about how things get phrased and I'm a plotter and most of my planning happens mentally while driving or at work or something.

14. What's your all-time fav ship?

Oh, I don't have one! I have a fav ship in certain fandoms, though. I was in the Sherlock fandom for a while, so Johnlock obviously. For Be More Chill (the musical) it's Michael/Jeremy. For Good Omens it's Crowley/Aziraphale. For Avatar it's Zutara. Newsies has Jack/David. For DC only fics, I'm an avid Tim/Kon shipper or Core Four. But for DPxDC I'm a multishipper. I was also a multishipper when in the MCU fandom (though Steve/Tony became a nOTP for me and was never a favorite even before Age of Ultron).

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oh, damn. It's hard to say. I plotted out a whole Good Omens Parent Trap Fusion. (Aka take the plot of the Parent Trap and fit in the characters from Good Omens.) I hate to call it abandoned since I would like to go back to it. But time...

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I do panic attacks and emotional breakdowns very well. I'm also proud of how I can weave a complex plot into a coherent story which will hopefully come out once I get further along in some of my long fics (particularly Answer My Call and I'll Carry Your Heart (Until I Find You Again)).

17. Writing weaknesses?

I don't think I'm very good at making sure all my characters have distinct voices. I've gotten way better at that this past year, but I'm still working on it. I'm also too much of a perfectionist which makes me slow. And I jump around ideas too much which makes it harder to finish projects.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages?

I will never do it. Way I see it, if the POV character understands what is being said, the reader should understand, too. Which means it needs to be written in English (the only language I can guarantee the reader of an English story can understand). If the POV character can't understand what is being said, neither should the reader. If it's omniscient POV, I will put it in English if I want the reader to have that information and leave it out if I don't. Not give some readers extra information that others don't get.

19. The first fandom you wrote for.

Naruto. I wrote it by hand in class on lined notebook paper and passed it over to my best friend. She, in turn, gave me drawings of my favorite characters.

20. Fav fic you've ever written?

God, I have no idea. I love so many of my works and each one represents something. The Demon Piper is the fic that got me back into writing at all so that's super special to me. Bring Me Home is the one that got me writing for the DPxDC fandom. An Evening In was my first attempt at smut and I am so happy with how it turned out (never thought I could do it). I'll Carry Your Heart (Until I Find You Again) has a premise I'm absolutely in love with and I have so many plans for it. Want to Hold on and Feel I Belong is proof of how much I love emotional breakdowns and I love how much of a punch it packs. Remember, Remember is my first time writing an introspective piece that covers a long time period and I think it works really well.

No, I don't have a favorite work. No way I could pick between them all.

Tagging: @greensword101, @isalisewrites, @britcision and anyone else who wants to do this!

#my writing #my rambles #tag game #thanks for the tag! #this was fun

[fancyfade]

I got into DC recently and latched onto Talia like a baby duckling. Like even before I fully understood her as a character I was ready to fight for her honor, which is when ran into your blog on her tag.

The Talia brainrot has been really rotting my brain SO you got anything Talia related? Arcs you wish were explored. If you were put in charge of a Talia run what would it be? Outfits you saw, or made up, that you think she would rock? Do you know any other blogs that are normal (as in they know Talia's OG characterization) about Talia? HCs? Your bio says you like Star Wars, so what Star Wars character do you think she would be friends with? (I think she would be friends with Satine Kryze) Who do you think she would despise? Do you think she would be a Jedi? If so what era do you think she would thrive in? What's her favorite Shakespeare play? Do you think she would have a favorite quote from him? (I think it would be Beatrice's "I will eat his heart in the marketplace" from Much Ado. Beatrice's relationship with Hero is so personal to me and I definitely think that's the type of cousin/ older sister Talia would be). Something DC brought up once about Talia, but you think it should be explored more (WHO IS AMALA DC??? WHAT IS HER FRIENDSHIP WITH TALIA TELL ME MORE).

Oh most importantly: How do you deal with comics that completely screw her up? I'm reading Tomasi's Batman and Robin and GOD I barely get through the beginning of Vol 2, and I know there are comics that do worse with her. So I know I can't just drop comics that do a nasty job with her because then I should just quit Batfam comics in general and try some other fam and I have NO idea where to start with that and ugh.

Just anything about Talia.

Also, I know I typed a lot and if you don't want to answer some of them that is 100% fine! Or if you want to answer them in parts across different posts. I just need more with her.

hmmm so talia arcs i would like to see

well probably b/c i am just re-reading lexcorp, but i would like a more satisfying end to president lex stuff and lexcorp talia. I feel like he just kind of grabs the idiot ball, unless I am remembering the end to this saga wrong. like IIRC it was due to him being stupid in batman/superman and not any of the people trying to take him down... which is SUCH a shame b/c a story of talia teaming up with the superman characters and helping them take down lex could be so interesting. like. we saw talia feed calvin carson info to get him to go to the press about lex. we saw clark go undercover* to try to find some dirt on lex after lex covered up his crimes. lois got a lot of dirt on lex he conveniently made disappear about his involvement in OWAW . i want to see this all come together in a satisfying way!!

for star wars, I think Satele Shan (from SWTOR era) interacting with Talia could be very cool! both in I just think both characters are neat, but also for some interesting mother son parallelisms and contrasts. Talia initially wants Damian but then realizes she has to give him up to avoid him being raised in the league and to protect him from his parents possibly dying on him, Satele I don't think we see a ton of reason why she gives up Theron, but in general I viewed her as a character who did not want to be a mother, and she knew that she couldn't be theron's mother while still fulfilling all her obligations to the Jedi and fighting the sith, and that's OK (Fandom hates this). I think seeing them interact and team up to stop a bigger threat could be cool.

Also would be cool: To see Talia interacting with Imperial Agent's crew (again SWTOR :P). Talia in her lexcorp era often feels very much like she'd fit in with the vibes they are going for in that story, which is that no one really trusts anyone completely, or in many cases at all. A lot of her time in Lexcorp she has no allies and has to play all her cards very close to her chest as she's dealing w/ very dangerous people. especially if you go with defector-imperial agent (who defects in chapter 2 to... that guy who's name i forget since it's been a very long time since I played swtor IA. ardun?). B/c my understanding of defector IA (I've never played it b/c Aereinys is too mad to consider it, even tho she also hates the empire at that point) would, being a double agent appearing to work for the empire and having to pull off missions successfully for them to stay useful, routinely work against people who otherwise would be on her side, while working for people she finds morally repugnant.

For Jedi stuff I think Talia would want to be one of those chill nerdy Jedi who meditate and study. But if we go with her in canon plotlines a Jedi Shadow would work well :P

I don't read much shakespeare so I can't say much for what her favorite Shakespeare play would be. if we're going w/ Talia + literature appreciation, I can see her liking Hombre Pequeñito (link) which is admittedly a short poem and not a play but :P

For dealing with comics that completely screw her up: I honestly just write my own headcanon stuff and that's my canon now. It is helped a little by the fact that new 52 created a big break in my mental continuity, b/c they messed up so many characters I care about (Babs, Cass, Jaime), so all of DC from 2011 til now is very much "I do what I want". So there is stuff to re-write but less stuff.

I got my own fanfic (link) for how pre-Morrison Talia can meet Damian, and that's what I hang my mental canons on for them.

I do know that people who are reading Ram V's TEC run say it's got pretty good Talia, I haven't read it yet but hopefully they're getting her back on the right track.

for other blogs that are good about talia u might find some in my talia al ghul tag (link)... there are a lot of good blogs tho. @brucetalias, @immortaldino, @fluffykitty149, and @arellas are often who I think of for the Talia fans!

*for like 1 issue ;_;

#anon #ask #talia al ghul #dc comics

[geekthefreakout]

A ramble about Batfam characterization, and how people get MAD.

I actually don't get bothered by the fun mischaracterizations of the Batfam in fanfic as much as some, because what is fanfiction if not taking one page of a comic you like and running with it, even if it's only that one page?

As long as it's not... insulting to the character, or used to bash a character, I say have fun. Even if you DO feel like bashing... as long as you tag it, I don't have to read it, right?

You want Jason and Tim to be buddies? Hell, I loved them being The Middle Children in Tynion's N52 stuff, even with that weird thing where Tim wasn't Tim. Go for it.

You want to have Tim's relationship with his father to be Much Worse than it was? I mean, if that's cathartic for you, go ahead! Give me the whump with the comfort!

Do you think Bruce Wayne is a bad parent? Well, that's not always my cup of tea, but you are so valid for it! You WILL find lots of comics to draw from for that.

Do you think Bruce Wayne is a GOOD parent? Well, you'll find just as much to back you up there, too.

You want to make Tim a coffee gremlin? Well, I hope you remember to give him other personality traits, but still, go for it!

I think what gets people upset more than anything is when writers engage in these tropes by sacrificing all the nuance of a character for the sake of following this One Thing, because you don't know the character well enough to write them as a primary protagonist and you don't feel like reading a bunch of comics to get a better idea (which I get! Comics CAN be intimidating to get into, even with recommendations. There's so much history and SO MANY BOOKS because DC doesn't trust the rest of its cast to sell books as well).

To those people I say... remember that no one owes you the fic you want to see. Chillax.

#batfam #fandom meta i guess

[skepsiss]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by @strangersteddierthings, I've never even thought about half of these questions, so.... we're gunna go on a journey together. I MISSED SEVERAL QUESTIONS LMAO. LEMME UPDATE.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

18 (I only post like 1/3 of my fics on AO3)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

66,922. I pay such little attention to this kinda stuff xD

3. What fandoms do you write for?

A lot... and a lot more than what is listed on my AO3. If we're friends I'll literally just message you a 2k+ fic in a DM for funsies.

Stranger Things (TV 2016) (8)

Overwatch (Video Game) (5)

Teen Wolf (TV) (1)

Castlevania (Cartoon 2017-2021) (1)

Critical Role (Web Series) (1)

Promare (2019) (1)

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) (1)

DC Comics / Batman (Tim Drake / Kon-El)

Orphan Black

Marvel (Steve/Tony)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Basket Ball Shorts

Roadrat: The Fire that Covered the World

The Comfort of Warmth (Lio/Galo)

Fifty-fifty (Roadhog / Junkrat)

Perspective (Caleb / Essek)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes. As soon as I see them I will reply with a thank you or to engage with someone's question/musings/etc.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably a Roadrat one. It's been a while since I've read my work, but The Things They Lost is a Roadrat fic where I explored a bunch of like... when Junkrat lost his arm and stuff like that. Brutal, tbh. Next closest is my Alucard (OT3) Castlevania fic where he is BIG SAD about Trevor and Sypha not being there. Nights Spent Alone.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

UUuhhhuhuhuh..... I mostly write sad shit LOL. Milkshakes has a happy ending. It's a 2 part modern-day Steddie fic about the boys asking each other out on a date over Instagram.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I've never seen any hate on my fics before.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Uhh, yeah. I do. PWP or With Plot. I like full stories that have smut that BELONGS there, but then we've got just straight-up PWP. That is what Basketball short is tbh.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

No, never written a crossover. I've written lots of AUs though.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No. Dunno how I'd figure that out.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope. Dunno what that would look like tbh.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Steddie; for right now. My other top 3 are Harley/Ivy, Tim/Kon-El, and Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

NO IDEA. Lol, all my unfinished WIPs are either ones I have no interest in finishing (Roadrat), or ones I can complete faith in being able to finish (Steddie)

16. What are your writing strengths?

Speed. I can compose a story very quickly and put it together.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I never promote myself/share. I'm really bad at sharing my works. Additionally, I'm bad at finishing things before I lose interest.... eep.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Uuhh maybe. I def have some Ancient Greek and Latin in my up-coming Robin (Stobin platonic) fic.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I'm not sure... maybe Batman (Tim/Jason or Tim/Kon). I RP'd A LOT from ages 13-18 and had like 5-8 rps going at once for a whole bunch of fandoms. (Naruto, OCs in the Star Wars universe, Tim/Kon, and more I can't remember atm).

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Ooohhh, I dunno. I'm bad at picking favourites. Right now I'm pretty proud of my Because I Want You Steddie fic. It's Steve and Eddie as 30-year-olds with kids. They broke up in their 20s and are trying to get back together in their 30s. Eddie has a complete breakdown in it, but Steve is there to tell him that he loves him.

I don't think about this stuff at all xDDD Fic writing is just a pass time for me. This will be the first time EVER in over 18 years of writing fic that I've EVER participated in an exchange/Big Bang. I'll tag @medusapelagia @oh-stars @br0ck-eddie @kallisto-k

#lore for me

[zeawesomebirdie]

I feel like I can guess the fandom you've been talking about given the recent Interests™ but even if I'm wrong you're so valid. People are different at different ages and sometimes you want one specific incarnation of them and sometimes you want another one! I have periods where I want adults with a job and I have periods where I want to see them ace their homework. The appeal of growing up together or the appeal of growing older together. And people just go "but but what if the teenagers have sex" do you think people who have sex at 15 don't exist? Is exploration of teenage sexuality not a topic that speaks to you?? Which, it's fine if it doesn't, gods know I get tired of teen coming of age stuff sometimes, but still. Isn't it interesting? To see people navigating this area of life for the first time? Especially if you add fucked up life circumstances on top. This is reminding me of possibly one of my fave porn comics where it's just the batfam but they're all Old Enough and then they have gay sex (except Alfred who I assume was considered too old and not hot and virile enough). This series rewired my brain at a time where I didn't care at all about comics. And it has teenage sexuality in it because sure it does! Why not! Anyway. Godspeed. May the teenagers kiss.

Yeah I'm purposely being vague in the posts bc ahh the Discourse(tm) might find me but it's fairly obvious which characters these are lmao. Thank you beloved <33

I also cycle through wanting to see characters be old together vs growing up together and everything in between, and I think spending three and a half months in the DC fandom with brudick and various assorted batcest ships has really spoiled me, between getting to just plug in various tags and having anything I want show up! And now here I am high key fixating on this other show and even though these characters are like Perfect ages for this kind of fic they're all always aged up 😭 I want to see the exploration of sexuality in relation to the world the live in, in how they have to approach their whole saving of the world thing, in the enemies to lovers speedrun that could've happened!! Just !!!!

Also can I get the name of that comic (if you remember it) because I would be very interested in reading it 👀

And thank you again beloved <33333 may your night be restful!

#anon ☂️ #honestly you phrased it so well #the exploration of teenage sexuality is SO important #and with the characters in question #the younger one is often criticised for being childish #as if he isnt LITERALLY 12 and also wasnt even around for 100 years #OFC hes childish!!! #duh!!! #and maybe i think it would be a disaster!! #but also i think it would be another one of those things where theyd all grow into it the same way #the show kinda has them all growing into being capable of saving the world #you know?? #why didnt i just say this in the post #sigh #anyway i love you!!

[graham-cracker-guillotine]

20 questions for fanfic writers tagged by @nachtwaechterin. thanks for the tag bee! <3

How many works do you have on AO3?

45 across 4 pseudonyms!

What's your total AO3 word count?

i'm being completely honest when i say my total wc is 123,456 words as of nov 12th, 2023

What fandoms do you write for?

mostly dc and marvel but i'm drafting a bunch of harry potter and 911 fics too!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Is it Halloween here? (1250 kudos, mcu/dc crossover, bat!peter parker [the +1 of a 5+1]) Spiders, Birds, and Supersoldiers (1238 kudos, mcu, avengers-as-family) The Red Hood is Back in Business (939 kudos, dc/wc crossover, jason-todd-is-neal-caffery) Five times Peter's background seems sketchy (910 kudos, mcu/dc crossover, bat!peter [the 5 of a 5+1]) Who the fuck is this kid? (747 kudos, mcu, irondad shenanigans)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

yes i do! i feel bad not responding to comments because i'm a bit of a people pleaser so i try to respond within a week of the comment being posted, but i always like knowing people enjoy my fics enough that they leave a comment

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i'd have to say Mums are funeral flowers :)

What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

it's gotta be What's in the name it's full of little shit!peter parker and tired dad!bruce wayne!!

Do you get hate on fics?

i don't think so!

Do you write smut?

nope! i'm sex repulsed aromantic/asexual and even if i wasn't aspec, it would be illegal for me to write smut since i'm a minor 🥰

Do you write crossovers?

yes! i love writing crossovers, it's how i got into the dc fandom!

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge. please don't steal my fics guys :(

Have you ever had a fic translated?

yup! Yuugen on ao3 translated Get this man some coffee into Chinese! (i do not speak chinese but i believe it's mandarin?? please correct me if i'm wrong)

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Technically yes (the gotham guidebook), but it was mostly my friend info dumping about dc and me turning it into a "guidebook"

What's your all-time favorite ship to write for?

i don't really write shipfics ngl. i Love writing right person/wrong time and missed opportunity type relationships but i don't really have a favorite ship to write for

What's A WIP that you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

one of my first fanfics was a "peter parker goes on a field trip to stark industries" type fic but it never made it out of the drafts :(

What are your writing strengths?

my writing style is very conversationalist and i've gotten lots of compliments over it! i also think i'm pretty good at creating storylines and backgrounds for ocs

What are your writing weaknesses?

dialogue!!! i can never tell if there's too much or too little dialogue and i always overthink it :(

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

i've done it before! in both Mums are funeral flowers and The boy's too young-, i used italics for the league dialect! i know i have more fics where i used translations and stuff but i don't remember them <3

First fandom you wrote for?

the mcu! specifically spider-man

Favorite fic you've written?

i have a lot of favorites but one of my all time favorites is Who knew Batman would get defeated by soap bubbles! it's so stupid i love it so much

feel no obligation to do this but i'm tagging @leymonaide @oh-stars @wibbwoby @itsfirecat @ellorypurebloodculture happy writing!! :)

#tag game #writing #dc #mcu #marvel #fanfics #fanfiction

[in-sufficientdata]

The Stuff I Do Around Here

@accessible-tumbling: Transcribing things that need alt text. I share different posts on that blog than on main, so go follow over there if you want to see more stuff i like to share.

@does-the-mashup-slap: Polls to vote on whether a mashup slaps or sucks.

@ErrantPedantry: Linguistics blog by a (not really) reformed pedant who likes to explain things.

@HumanCellTournament: Tournament to vote on which of your body's cells (or their chemical components) is the best.

@music-interpretation-review: Daily song reviews & polls, looking at music & how it was played/sung. Also home to a tournament pitting song covers against each other.

@MythologyOlympics: Mythological figure tournament. All pantheons eligible.

@QueerDotEDU: This only has posts about asexuality on it right now but i want to expand it to educate on things like bisexuality as well. I'm still researching for that.

@rp-visions: This is kind of a DWRP thing, but it's images for visualosities. You create a page on your character journal with images that make you think of the character. All the images are sourced or reblogged from the op.

@StarlightPrompts: Daily writing prompts.

@TheCenter-CannotHold: Moodboards and stuff.

@under--deconstruction: Deconstruction blog run by an exvangelical former cult member.

@Warren-TheRealG-Harding: Politics from a Marion native (if you're from Marion yk)

@YouMightBeAutistic: Reblogging posts about autism to educate and inform.

Taglist

journaling tag | memes i relate to | other stuff i relate to | yet more stuff i relate to | even more of that | writing advice | writing shitposts | stuff i wrote | stuff i made | stuff i sang | my polls | talking to people | discussion | asks | my former tweets | random trivia | observations | recommendations | advice | tutorials | memes | jokes

sharing: encouragements | art | music | memes | audio shitposts | animals | stories | poetry | photos | signs | gifs | reaction images

informative: language | linguistics | etymology | lgbtq | history | science | interesting stuff | parenting | autism | adhd

cws: political | current events | chronic illness | mental illness | religion /exvangelical / cult deconstruction | discourse

fandoms: star trek | the stand | the hunger games | stranger things | lotr | dc | marvel | death note | minecraft | russian doll | our flag means death

(Thanks to @DrunkonSchadenfreude for making it way easier to remember what I even blog about.)

Post under construction.

[2023.8.25: Taglist project started.] [2023.12.6: Blog names updated & alphabetized.]

#mine #projects #tumblr #tumblr blogs #blog business #molly's mad life #molly made this

[spursdontplaybasketball]

Talk Hockey to Me

tagged by @giirlinterrupted 🤍💙

Tell me about:

1. The thing that got you hooked on hockey

I grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, about an hour south of Hershey, PA. My dad grew up going to watch the Hershey Bears play minor league hockey in the American Hockey League, and he continued the tradition with me (and my sister sometimes.) At first, I only really liked to go to the games for an opportunity to spend time with my dad, which was rare sometimes, but in middle school I somehow ended up being really good at floor hockey when we played it in gym class. One day I managed to score a hat trick, even though I was terrible at every other sport. (I also had a crush on one of the players on my school's hockey team at that point.) So I just kinda thought hockey was fun at that point and started enjoying the actual games more. Then I picked a favorite player from the Bears independently for the first time, and it was Mike Green. I didn't know much about him, just thought he was cool. He turned out to be really good, and when he got called up to the NHL to play for the Capitals, I started watching the Caps games on TV. (I was also lucky that we got the sports channel from Washington DC, despite not being all that close to there.)

2. Your first ever fandom friend

I'm not too established in the hockey fandom on here. I have a personal blog that I rarely use anymore that I used to post occasional Caps stuff on and follow a few Capitals people, but that's on a different account that I rarely use. I know hockey has become a lot more popular on footieblr over the years. I remember a few years back when it was more unusual for these fandoms to overlap that I sent a message or two to people who were in both fandoms that I thought it was cool that they liked both sports like I do. Basically my only hockey friend on here is @giirlinterrupted (and I'm so grateful that she doesn't put Sidney Crosby on my dash like so many other footieblr hockey fans seem to do.) IRL I have been surrounded by hockey fans most of my life though, because it's pretty big in my state in general, so the main time I felt a little more alone on that was the 2 1/2 years I was living in San Francisco. Unfortunately I am currently surrounded by Penguins fans :( as I am living in Pittsburgh. My IRL best friend is also into hockey, but she is a Sabres fan since she is from Buffalo and now lives in Rochester, NY.

3. The jersey you would most like to own

I wish I had an old Mike Green or Jay Beagle Caps jersey. Mike Green is now retired, and Jay Beagle, I don't even know.

4. YOUR player (you only get ONE so choose wisely)

I still have an unhealthy attachment to Jay Beagle even though he's been off the Caps for years. None of the current players can live up to that.

5. A pairing that deserves more fic

Don't really read fic much, but Ovi/Backstrom (I'm so out of the loop that I don't even know if they have a ship name) are adorable together, and idk how popular they are, at least outside of Caps fans.

6. Your favourite on-ice moment

6/7/18. What else? I still cry when I think about it sometimes, and I can barely listen to "I Will Wait" by Mumford and Sons without crying due to that "Worth the Wait" video the Caps put out on social media after the Cup win.

link someone else's art/fic/etc that you love & think everyone should check out

He's here on Tumblr (@mxgicdave) but I could only find my favorite pic of his on Twitter:

link something you made & are proud of & want people to see

Got nothing. I tried to write a few things about hockey in the past, but not since I was like 13. I was writing a story about a minor league hockey player whose playing got impacted by past trauma. Didn't get very far, then I was also trying to write a murder mystery featuring the Capitals, and I got even less far with that.

no pressure tagging:

I have no one to tag! :(

#hockey #washington capitals #i need more hockey friends #not soccer

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Frozen in Time

Fandom: DC Comics, JLI, GL Corps

Summary: Daddy-daughter weekend does not go as planned.

Chapters: 1/?

Characters: Michael Jon Carter (DCU), Rani Carter (DCU), Michelle Carter (DCU), Hal Jordan, Helen Jordan

Additional Tags: Fluff, Father-Daughter Relationship, Road Trip, Angst and Humor

Chapter One: Unicorns

"I'm a great dad," I defended myself. Michelle bounced her head from one side to the other sarcastically. "I am!"

"Okay... Try not to cause a world-ending crisis at the tea party," Michelle replied on her way out the door. I glanced over the checklist Skeets printed out and packed Rani's bag. He even color-coded it to show me what order to pack things in. I'd planned this weekend for months, hoping I'd finally get Rani to call me dad or some variation of the word. It was my chance to get Rani to see me as a real, genuine father figure.

I packed her bag, and then I packed lunch for our special picnic. I must've watched thousands of videos trying to figure out how to make unicorn grilled cheese sandwiches. I made every cool and trendy snack I could think of to impress her. It was a rare four-day weekend, and I planned on making it the best four days of Rani's little life. The plan was to be impressive and fatherly and show her I was all in on the fatherhood thing.

I understand people would say I'm not the most responsible, reliable, or predictable guy they know, but I had a chance to be something different with her. I figured I'd take her on a nice trip and follow it up with a tea party. My plan was foolproof. I finished packing and prepping with a few minutes to spare. I had enough time to walk to Rani's school and wait at the gate.

I put on my shoes and grabbed a snack, Rani's favorite toy, and her visor. I was so excited to see her that I took the hopscotch path. There was no rush to get home to dinner or a meeting. We had time.

I stood at the gate with the other parents. While I waited, a single mom struck up a conversation with me. "I didn't know your ears were pierced," she smiled.

I touched my ears and remembered I was wearing flower earrings. "Oh, yeah. I took Rani to get her ears pierced a few weeks ago, and I didn't want to make her do something I was too scared to do... So, I got mine done first," I replied, "That doesn't explain the earrings, though... Does it?"

"It doesn't have to," she laughed, "Were you scared?"

"Terrified," I chuckled, "I had to close my eyes and suck it up. But Rani was a champ."

The bell rang, and she waved goodbye. I power walked to Rani's class excitedly and scooped her up as soon as she came outside. "Hi, Mikey!" Rani laughed. I set her down and took her backpack.

"Here, I'll trade ya," I smiled as I handed her toy to her. I put the visor on her head and offered her a snack. Rani smiled and grabbed my hand. "Rani, I need your help with some stuff this weekend."

Rani pouted. "Is it a lot of work?" Rani questioned.

I nodded solemnly. I finally figured out how to get maximum excitement from kids. The trick is to seem as disappointing as possible so that reality would seem fantastic in comparison. She was so disappointed she couldn't muster the energy to swing my hand. It took everything in my power to keep from laughing.

When we got home, she helped me put all the bags in the car, and then it clicked. "Hey! Why are we putting suitcases in the car?" Rani questioned.

"You've got me! Okay, I wanted to take you on a trip this weekend... Just you and me," I replied. Rani jumped into my arms.

"Wow! Where are we going?" Rani asked. I shook my head and grinned.

"That would ruin the surprise," I replied, letting her back in the house. "I'll wait in the car."

Rani paused. "Is it a long drive?" Rani questioned. I nodded. "Then you should go to the bathroom before we leave."

I opened my mouth to speak, but I realized she was right. After we met at the car, Rani sat in the backseat and buckled her seatbelt. "Mikey, guess what?" Rani asked.

"I love a guess what," I replied.

"We saw a real firefighter today," Rani announced, "How come you don't have a big truck? All the helpers today had big trucks."

"That's a great question. You see, they're better drivers than I am. I could probably drive a big truck, but I think it'd be responsible driving a car I'm comfortable with," I answered. Minus ten cool points for the minivan dad.

"Everyone has different abilities. Not everybody can do your job," Rani reassured me.

"Thanks, Rani," I replied.

She fell asleep immediately after that, and I turned the radio on low. I got on the freeway and drove for almost an hour before Rani woke up to tell me about her dream. "You were there! And you had a sword," Rani replied, "You looked so cool."

Thank you to Rani's subconscious! "I could definitely get a sword... I could be a sword guy," I replied, "Do you think I should get a sword in real life?"

"Yeah!" Rani replied.

"Cool! I'll probably have to take sword fighting lessons and learn proper sword safety because safety is important—."

"You still get your toast out of the toaster with a fork," Rani interrupted.

"Okay, but—. Is that actually—? Do you wanna pull over and have a surprise snack?" I asked.

"Yes, please!" Rani shouted. I grinned and pulled to the side of the road near an orchard. I climbed into the backseat. "What's in there?"

"A surprise. I made these," I replied. I pulled out two neatly-wrapped unicorn-shaped grilled cheese sandwiches. Rani unwrapped hers and gasped.

"They're so pretty! How did you make rainbow colors inside the sandwich? Is it like marshmallows?" Rani questioned. I took a bite and shook my head.

"Take a bite," I replied. Rani took a bite and smiled.

"It's cheese!" Rani exclaimed. She took another bite, and I took a moment to soak in my victory. The grilled cheese was a hit! I finally managed to make something for her that we both liked.

#fic #frozen in time fic #jli #gl corps #Michael Jon Carter (DCU) #Rani Carter (DCU) #Michelle Carter (DCU) #Hal Jordan #Helen Jordan #Fluff #Father-Daughter Relationship #Road Trip #Angst and Humor

[reptilia2003]

tagged by @blackstarmp3 to post 13 songs that have been on my mind recently. thanks!!

(and a few thoughts on some of the songs cause this is my blog and I do what I want!!)

this must be the place (naive melody)//talking heads (saw stop making sense at the movie theater a few weeks ago and got obsessed with talking heads again. specifically the way david byrne dances with a lamp during this song)

angel in lothian//sam fender (forgot this song existed for a while then remembered and listened to it 7 times in a row. top 3 best sam fender songs and it’s a fucking b side)

mariner’s apartment complex//lana del rey (was in LA for a weekend recently and one of the days i drove around the city while listening to NFR and that is EXACTLY how this album is meant to be heard. incredible vibes. honestly could just list the whole tracklist for my 13 songs but i won’t)

conversation 16//the national (this is gonna be #1 on my spotify wrapped)

winter in the sun—darklands version//fontaines dc (saw them open for AM and went back through their early stuff which I hadn’t heard in a while. love their newer sound but this early stuff is pure excellent indie rock. this song could be on room on fire honestly…grian chatten what’s your favorite strokes song)

transmission//joy division

bloody future//kilo kish

ive seen footage//death grips

let down//radiohead (the bear was crazy for putting this on the soundtrack)

shit talk//sufjan stevens (from his new album which is incredible, will certainly make my favorite 2023 albums list. give the whole thing a listen!)

when the sun goes down//arctic monkeys (do the tiktok girlies who were in line near me at the aforementioned AM show know about this one. do they even know this album. probably not but im gonna keep it that way)

age of consent//new order (one of my favorite songs of all time im always thinking about it tbh)

dancing in the dark//bruce springsteen

ok sorry for the wall of text i just like to talk about music. tagging @machinecreature @kendallspussy @longtimelie

#music