iselsis - Tumblr blog

[iselsis]

hi! really sorry, but im looking for a batfam abo fic that i read i swear 2 days ago and now i cant for the life of me find it again

it had tim find out he was omega and his mom immediately told him to hide it from everyone, but i remember it made a big deal to say that tim hates the fact he was hiding, he looked and liked being omega, but hid anyway for a reason i cant remember. i think it was incomplete because i cant remember anything else so i would really like to find it again. thank you, love your fics

Sorry, I don't think I know that one, but it sounds really good. Anyone else know?

[iselsis]

Meep? Meep meep meep.

[iselsis]

Love logging into tumblr to see soft porn at the top of the screen because the stupid tumblr live snooze expired.

Tumblr went through that whole porn art purge just to shove real porn right in peoples faces didn’t they?

[iselsis]

Bengal Cats vs. Tabby Cats

I keep seeing people describe cats that are stripy as Bengal cats. I can see their logic: Bengal tigers are stripy, there is a breed of house cats called Bengal cats, and the cat they're trying to describe is stripy like a little tiger. Basically cat is stripy > tiger stripy > tiger bengal > cat bengal is the thought process.

However, Bengal refers to a region of Asia, not a pattern. Bengal cats look more like little jaguars with spots than they do tigers, even though they have the tabby M. Bengal cats are a breed.

Tabby is the word these people are looking for. Tabby isn't a breed; it's a coat pattern. Tabby cats have a cute little M shape on their foreheads and stripes on its face, back, and tail. Tabby cats look like little baby tigers.

[iselsis]

The Point of Love Triangles

It's en vogue to hate on love triangles right now, and while a good deal of the criticism is deserved, I think people are missing the point of what a love triangle is meant for. A love triangle when used correctly is an extremely useful tool to show a character's growth, personality, and values.

The most important thing you can understand: a love triangle is the physical manifestation of a metaphysical crossroads and the focal character must make the choice. A question has been asked, and it must be answered. The focal character (the one everyone wants) can't go back to their old life, and now they're forced to make a decision on who they want to be going forward. The paths they can take (and the consequences of those paths) are shown by their love interests.

I'm going to illustrate with the classic love triangle: the new girl, the bad boy, and the good boy. Of course, it doesn't matter the genders of the characters or how many potential love interests there are, but this makes it easier to explain.

The New Girl (focal character) is thrown into a new world. The "New World" spectrum goes from literal (space travel/teleportation/pulled through time) to the figurative (new job/growing up/new school/rebuilding a broken life) with plenty of grey area in between (hidden secret society/new country/war). The New Girl is out of her depth and confused in this new world, and she's faced with dilemmas and decisions she'd never faced before. In a more life-focused world, this might mean choosing whether or not to play the power games everyone else in the office plays, choosing to leave a friend group she doesn't like or confront the others about what she doesn't like, choosing whether or not to go to parties where there are drugs and alcohol, choosing whether or not to stick up to a bully who is targeting her or someone else, choosing whether to follow her passion for the arts or the safe route of a stable job, etc. In a more action-oriented world, this might mean choosing whether or not she's willing to kill and for what, choosing to fight when she could choose to be safe, choosing forgiveness over revenge, choosing whether or not to use morally corrupt means to get power for what she thinks is a good cause, etc.

The two love interests should have contrasting answers to that question. This is why she can't choose between them: it's not that she isn't sure whose abs she likes more. She can't decide between them because she can't decide which answer is the right one. This does not mean that one of the love interests has to be evil/abusive.

The Bad Boy represents power. He doesn't follow the rules he doesn't want to, he's intense, he's persecuted by society, and he doesn't cave to social pressure. He wears his moral code on his sleeve, whether that's good or bad: he'll threaten violence on a bully, disrespect authority figures he thinks are wrong, and confidently advocate for what he wants. He puts his money where his mouth is and is willing to suffer for what he thinks is right, detention, write ups, physical pain. He wasn't just born this way: his strength comes from deep wounds and old hurt. He was weak once, and he knows the suffering that causes, and now he wants to keep anyone else from suffering the same way again. He doesn't just protect the New Girl, he empowers her. If the New Girl is being bullied, mistreated by an authority figure, forced to conform by her parents, wants to pursue a riskier life path, wants to protect people, or wants revenge, this attitude can look very attractive. Long term, though, this kind of personality can lead to difficulty getting/keeping a job, unnecessary trouble with authority figures, stubborn refusal to compromise/not realizing the other person feels railroaded, etc.

The Good Boy represents safety. He follows the regulations of society, he's laid back, he's diplomatic, and he's better attuned to how other people feel. Being law abiding doesn't mean he would follow bad rules, but he buttons his shirt, straightens his tie, and walks on the crosswalk only when the light says he can. He cares what people think and feel, and he tries to be something that they like. He can be susceptible to peer pressure, participating in activities he doesn't really like because he wants to make people happy, and bending the truth to avoid ruffling feathers. He also picks up on little things people like and remembers: he found out when New Girl's birthday is and brings her favorite coffee (he read her order on a receipt she dropped) and a cake pop (strawberry, to match the earrings she wears), he runs ahead to open doors for everyone (not just women/New Girl), he stays after a party to help clean up, and he's good at picking on things that bother people and steering the conversation away from those things. He's kind, stable, and sticks to what he knows works. If the New Girl struggles with anger issues or impulsivity, comes from a chaotic home life, wants peace and a steady life after the conflict, needs to learn forgiveness, or needs to learn to overcome a prejudice, the Good Boy shows what she could learn to be. He comes with downsides too, though: he avoids conflict, he can struggle to take a firm side because he can see both sides, he might value societal acceptance over defending the New Girl in a questionable decision, and his long-term goals might mean the main character would have to give up her wilder side.

Who the New Girl chooses isn't just her choosing a partner. It's her choosing a life and a set of values. This is why it's very important that she makes a choice. If you don't want her to end up with a love interest, keep in mind that rejecting both suitors will seem to the reader like she's rejecting both paths. Maybe she is rejecting both paths and forging her own path, but it will be hard to have her choose one of the two paths and but also reject the love interest who represents that path without undermining your message and her character arc.

Framing the whole love triangle around the moral ideals the characters represent makes plotting the whole story easier.

You know your New Girl needs to have a reason to like the Bad Boy, so she's persistently targeted by a bully and he not only defends her but builds her confidence and skill so she can defend herself.

You know your New Girl needs a reason to like the Good Boy, so he talks her out of trouble with an authority she offended and gives her a few tips on how to use tact and charm to her advantage.

You know you need a sweet scene with both, so you have Good Boy notice that she's been upset all day when no one else did, ask her about it when they're alone, let her be vulnerable, and comfort her.

For Bad Boy's sweet scene, she patches him up after he jumps into a fight to protect her, and when she says that she's not worth it and he shouldn't have gotten hurt just because she was too weak, he tells her that she is worth it and that she's stronger than she knows.

You need to show how both the love interests change her and how she changes them too.

New Girl in the beginning might harshly judge someone for their religion, social class, personality, or background because she's been mistreated by that person or by people like them before or because her side is in conflict with that side. After learning the value of gentleness and kindness from Good Boy, New Girl changes her mind and is kind/merciful to someone she previously disliked. After learning the value of protecting others, she defends that person from someone else.

New Girl might confront Bad Boy about how he hides his pain and feelings behind a mask of strength, which prompts him to share with her something he's never shared with anyone before: a secret passion like painting or music, fears he's always tried to hide, scars with a tragic background, etc.

New Girl might confront Good Boy when he chooses not to get involved in an argument she needs his backup in. He justifies himself by saying that he can do more good by staying in the good graces of the person she was arguing with, but she calls it cowardice. He takes this to heart and apologizes, and later does defend her in another confrontation.

If you want her to date both love interests before making a decision, you have her head a little ways down one path before coming to another crossroad and needing to decide whether to continue down that path or change her mind and go the other way.

For instance, she dates Good Boy, but when she goes to a high society party with him, she's disgusted by how fake everyone is and by the mask he puts on to blend in with them. New Girl has to decide if she values the connections and power that these social games can bring her or if she values living authentically at all times more.

Maybe she dates Bad Boy, but his rules don't apply to me attitude gets them both arrested and nearly charged with a crime. Worse, he doesn't seem to regret anything other than getting caught and starts planning to try the same thing again. New Girl has to decide if she wants to be someone who lives a truly high-risk life with the real consequences that could bring or if she wants to play things safer.

Maybe she dates both, breaks up with both, and then one or both of them makes a choice too. Remember, the focal character is a crossroads for the love interest too. Both of the love interests should change as people, not because "she can change him <3" but because they are dynamic characters just as capable of moral reflection and development as she is. Will the Bad Boy learn to deal with painful emotions with trying to hide behind anger? Will the Good Boy choose New Girl and the boldness she represents to him over social status with fake people?

You can also:

Add more love interests so long as those love interests also represent their own moral choice

Replace either love interest with a friend (make the New Girl choose between one friend or another, make her choose between a love interest or a friend group, etc.)

Replace either love interest with a job

Replace either love interest with a parent (make the New Girl choose between the values/culture of her family and the values/culture of a love interest)

[iselsis]

Okay, but little baby Tim slipping Bruce a love potion at a gala and Bruce knowing he’s been drugged and later kidnapping Tim as Batman to interrogate him about the love potion, but it turns out that Tim literally just wants a hug and wants a family to love him.

Also Jason doesn’t die, idk how that works in here, but Jason doesn’t die because I make the rules.

Promptember Prompt 3 - Love Potion

Platonic love potion - a neglected/abused child just wants a very specific adult to love them and want to be their parent. Maybe it's their biological parent, maybe it's an adult they admire and respect. Either way, the child gets the love and comfort they've craved like water in a desert...for now.

Character A slips love potions to people all the time, usually to get things done, sometimes just because it's fun. The spell doesn't last long, only five minutes or so...usually...but it never seemed to wear off Character B.

Someone slips a love potion to someone severely allergic to one of the ingredients.

Whumpee is tortured endlessly after being captured by Whumper. Until, finally, Whumper gives Whumpee a drink of ice cold water with a strange taste to it...Whumpee would do anything for Whumper, they're so kind and thoughtful. Whumper would like to know where their friends are hiding? What weapons do they have? Sure. Anything for Whumper...

Character A fell hard for Character B, and B fell back just as hard. Everything is fine until someone alleges that Character C needed A out of the way and arranged that by means of a love potion and pointing in B's direction just as it took effect.

Two roguish thieves slip each other love potions while trying to rob each other blind.

The heroes slip the villain's child a love potion to try to cajole important information from them. The child knows how to detect mind-altering magic, but...it feels good, and the heroes are genuinely being so nice to them, and the magic lets them pretend it's real...they won't tell the heroes anything useful, but maybe they can pretend a while.

Feel free to reblog with your own writing whether you use one of these prompts or your own concept in the category!

[iselsis]

Promptember Prompt 3 - Love Potion

Platonic love potion - a neglected/abused child just wants a very specific adult to love them and want to be their parent. Maybe it's their biological parent, maybe it's an adult they admire and respect. Either way, the child gets the love and comfort they've craved like water in a desert...for now.

Character A slips love potions to people all the time, usually to get things done, sometimes just because it's fun. The spell doesn't last long, only five minutes or so...usually...but it never seemed to wear off Character B.

Someone slips a love potion to someone severely allergic to one of the ingredients.

Whumpee is tortured endlessly after being captured by Whumper. Until, finally, Whumper gives Whumpee a drink of ice cold water with a strange taste to it...Whumpee would do anything for Whumper, they're so kind and thoughtful. Whumper would like to know where their friends are hiding? What weapons do they have? Sure. Anything for Whumper...

Character A fell hard for Character B, and B fell back just as hard. Everything is fine until someone alleges that Character C needed A out of the way and arranged that by means of a love potion and pointing in B's direction just as it took effect.

Two roguish thieves slip each other love potions while trying to rob each other blind.

The heroes slip the villain's child a love potion to try to cajole important information from them. The child knows how to detect mind-altering magic, but...it feels good, and the heroes are genuinely being so nice to them, and the magic lets them pretend it's real...they won't tell the heroes anything useful, but maybe they can pretend a while.

Feel free to reblog with your own writing whether you use one of these prompts or your own concept in the category!

[iselsis]

He...he gets away doesn’t he??? T^T 

Promptember Prompt 1 - Headache

Headaches are versatile tools of whump, ranging from low-level pain to the main event.

A sick character has had a sinus headache all day and just wants to go lie down, but they can't.

The character walked away from their bad decision with nothing but a lump on their head--not even a concussion. Someone else wasn't so lucky.

Character A has a headache, so they put their head in Character B's lap, fully trusting that they will be given head pets and whispered sweet nothings. Bonus points if this is the first time Character A has sought out comfort, or if Character B finds Character A hiding out of the way so as not to disturb anyone and lavishes them in affection and care.

Character A gets a migraine, but the whumper force them to work anyway to the point of vomiting and collapse. Bonus points if another character starts screaming at the whumper in A's defense...but hearing that screaming hurts as much as working.

Character A gets horrible migraines any time they're stressed. Light and sound feel like knives stabbed into their head. Character B hushes everyone, or, if that's impossible, drapes their coat over Character A's head to block as much light and sound as they can.

Character A gets horrible migraines, but someone intent on their death or kidnapping is chasing them, forcing them out into the daylight and making so much noise. Parkour between buildings, hopping fences, pushing through crowds, running through the woods, leaping over streams. Any normal evasion becomes 1000% harder when the sun and every noise is stabbing your head, and you can feel the impact of every footfall through your whole body. Character A ducks behind a dumpster and leans their head against it, not caring how disgusting it is, only caring that the cold gives just the briefest relief and blocks the light. Bonus points if they have to protect someone injured or much younger than they are.

[iselsis]

Promptember Prompt 2 - Poisoning

Whumpee accidentally eats or drinks something not meant for them and becomes extremely ill.

Whumpee knows the drink is poisoned and drinks it anyways.

Whumpee is forced to drink poison at gun/knife point. Bonus points if the weapon is aimed at someone else.

Whumpee gets poisoned, hides it from Caretaker, and tries to deal with it alone.

Whumpee is slowly being poisoned by something they love.

The only cure for the poison is in the hands of Whumper.

Character A has had a bad day and willingly accepts a cup of tea from Character B, an unexpected gesture from someone who is usually not very nice to A. It doesn't take long for the poison in the tea to take effect. Bonus points if someone framed B using magic/shapeshifting because they knew everyone would turn against B.

[iselsis]

we all have that one character

I love my main character, but his older brother who spends 95% of the book absent is my son and I love him and all the fanfics I write in my head for my son are about him and his poor, whumpable face.

[iselsis]

I feel your pain!! The first time I tried seriously writing I could not spell 'real' and so I took the word processor's helpful suggestion of 'reel' as gospel. Ough.

Someone understands! T^T

[iselsis]

When I was maybe sevenish, I started writing a “book,” and I repeatedly misspelled the word definitely. Microsoft Word 2003, a bright and understanding program, assumed that I must have wanted to spell defiantly, (perhaps my shade is misthrown, but I didn’t spell it that wrong) and so I spent the next year writing defiantly instead of definitely until my sister found out and teased me about it. A decade and a half later, I have never since spelled definitely without carefully sounding it out one syllable at a time and mentally cringing. The shame of it all.

[iselsis]

NOOOOOOOOOOO *sob* the embarrassing title! I did change the title to something more normal once I had slept T^T I’m glad you liked it though

listen it's batfam winter themed whump and it's very late and maybe i'll change the title later but this is what you get right now

read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/45785764 by iselsis Tim is friends with Jason Todd, a young street rat--a street wolf, rather--who took Tim under his wing. A bitter winter storm is rolling in, though, and Tim needs to get help fast if he wants to save Jason's life. Words: 1710, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen Characters: Tim Drake, Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne Relationships: Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne Additional Tags: Shifter AU, Animal Shifter Jason Todd, Werewolf Jason Todd, Hurt Jason Todd, Hypothermia, Hurt/Comfort, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Child Neglect, Bad Parents Jack and Janet Drake, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Street Rat Jason Todd, Baby Jason Todd, Baby Tim Drake, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Young Jason Todd, Young Tim Drake read it on the AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/45785764

[iselsis]

Some people don’t get that when I say “I like to hurt children” what I really mean is “I like to project trauma onto characters and then heal it or imply that it gets healed because that helped me retrain my mind from seeing every man as a potential abuser” and like hon, have you heard of irony? The thing where you say the opposite of what you really mean? I don’t literally like to hurt children smh.

[iselsis]

Heyy how do you do? Also, do you think people would read a fic of me ranting about batmans hypocrisy through Tim?

Heeeeyyyy sorry, not on tumblr much, sorry I'm so late replying. There's an audience for everyone, truly. If you write that fic, I'm sure people will eat it up (and I'm sure if you've already written it by now, you've found that out.)

[iselsis]

I love your work so much, the way you characterize Jason is so great and realistic. Thank you for putting so much effort into your art 😊

Thank you <3

[iselsis]

Hi!! First of all— I really love your work! But also,,, I was curious, what do you mean when you use the tag “canon hardware rules: nail it or screw it”?

It's a bit of a joke. When writing fanfiction, you generally should take one of two approaches: either follow canon and the universe and the rules and be very accurate (nail it) or ignore all those things and do whatever you want while projecting your issues onto characters (screw it). It's not really a very funny joke tbh, I think I came up with it while deliriously tired at three in the morning a couple years ago.