#also babs is in this chapter and shes great :) i love writing her

[luxaofhesperides]

back on my ghostlights agenda!! been struggling to write thie chapter for months and suddenly im filled with inspiration and motivation and got like 5k out in two hours. the power of gay ghost shenanigans :)

[heroinejinx]

‘One Fine Day’ - Songbird, part 1 of 6 (Seraphine x Jinx AU)

So, um... I have a new rarepair hyperfixation. Definitely didn’t write this when I should’ve been focusing on uni work due in less than 2 weeks, what’re you talking about? 

Anyway, Seraphine is an aspiring popstar working full time in her father’s music store, Songbird. Life is good but kinda lonely, and then Jinx comes along...

Chapter title, ‘One Fine Day,’ is based on the song by The Carpenters.

Also, big shout out, love and kisses to my handsome wife Babs (@lesbian-batman)who beta’d for me <3 love youuuuu

TW: extreme cuteness and fluff. That is all. 

(1,181 words)

AO3 link

Enjoy!

Dreamy vintage pop drifted through the music store’s speakers, bringing life to the rainy Zaun afternoon outside. The takings from the morning were low, especially for a Friday, and the bout of bad weather had driven away any hope of more sales. Might as well have closed up for the day, there and then.

Seraphine idled behind the counter, passing the time by singing along to each song, adding her own trills and high notes where she felt like it. While she belted out tune after tune, she doodled flowers and love hearts on the notepad allocated for ‘work purposes only.’

Her father would’ve flipped his lid if he found out how Seraphine spent her downtime at the store. Songbird was his pride and joy, in part because he’d named it in honour of his daughter, his only child. He’d called her Songbird ever since she was born; said even her crying sounded like an aria.

She took great care of the store for him, of course, but he wouldn’t have approved of her methods. There’s always something to do around here, he’d say. Make yourself useful instead of daydreaming. As a former rockstar and current sound technician for one of Runeterra’s most famous bands, he was hardly one to talk; he dreamed of success back then, just like she did now. Whilst he had the freedom to make his dreams come true, he’d also seen how the music industry corrupted people. He didn’t want the same for her, no matter how much she protested. Since he’d left to join K/DA on tour, she found herself shackled to the store with almost no time to pursue what she loved most.

Music...

Seraphine strived for the spotlight. Over the past couple of years, she had played dozens of open mic nights and gigs at small venues and clubs. Her reach and popularity grew every day. In the last month alone, she’d gained over five thousand new followers on social media and music streaming platforms. It was only a matter of time before a scout from a record company realised her potential and scooped her up.

Until then, life ticked by. Eight ‘til late at Songbird six days a week; studio recordings in the evenings, or at the weekend if she could find someone to mind the store; writing sessions crammed in wherever and whenever she found the time and inspiration. It was hard work, but anything regarding music barely felt like work at all. Music occupied all of her time, mind, and heart. It informed every aspect of her life, even her relationships.

To Seraphine, people were like songs. She’d never tried to explain it to anyone else – had met no one who would’ve understood – but everyone had a melody to them. Strangers gave off waves, impressions. At first, most people sounded like white noise or a continuous low-fi beat. She had to know someone on a deeper level to really hear them; for them to feel open enough to let her listen. It was a long time since she’d gotten close like that.

Between running the store and cultivating her fledgling pop career, she had no social life. Most of the people she’d met through music were acquaintances, transactional connections. In a crowd of fair-weather friends, voices blurred and distorted in the din. Everyone sounded the same.

Seraphine gazed out upon the shop floor filled with CDs, vinyls, and cassette tapes, with no one around to take them home and play them loud like they deserved. A cold loneliness seeped into her soul. She hated days like those, nothing to do but entertain herself and ignore the boredom itching beneath her skin. Music was a lovely companion, but sometimes she needed more than it could give.

With a wistful sigh, she tore off the decorated page of the notepad. Tacked it onto her father’s cork board of concert leaflets, old photographs, music lesson advertisements, and Janna knew what else. The cheerful rumblings of a new song played overhead, as she picked up her favourite bubble-gum pink gel pen, the same colour as her hair, and started on a new page. She drew a dainty love heart so cute she couldn’t help but beam with joy.

Admiring her creation, she didn’t look up when the bell chimed for a new customer. No one had come in for at least two hours; she was out of work mode, in her own little world. Chances were, they wouldn’t need her help, anyway. They were probably stepping out of the downpour, grabbing shelter where they could. It happened a lot around that time of year, heading into fall. So, she ignored the customer’s presence. Even kept singing, albeit under her breath.

‘Hey, do you have any other Bikini Kill records in store?’

Wow, that voice...

Seraphine met the customer’s eye immediately, desperate to find the owner of such an instrument. A petite young woman glared back at her with quizzical impatience, waving a copy of the band’s 1993 album, Pussy Whipped. A navy boiler suit dwarfed her frame, while ocean blue braids swung around her booted feet, frayed and scruffy like they’d been under a hat all day. She had the most distinctive eye colour Seraphine had ever seen. They weren’t quite purple or pink, but some inscrutable shade between the two. Under the store’s artificial light, the colours seemed to switch and swirl.

The music of Bikini Kill seemed to suit her aesthetic, raw and full of rage at the world in that feminist punk rock way, but there was more to her than that. Something unreadable lurked behind those ever-changing irises. Rather than the white noise of a typical stranger, she was a mess of pitch and frequency; a cluster of songs overlapping and battling each other.

What an enchanting cacophony of a person...

Seraphine yearned to hear more, to know everything about this captivating woman. What was her name, her story, her purpose? What were her fears and dreams and fondest memories? Did she have family in Zaun, or was she from out of town? What did she do for work and in her spare time? Did she have a lover? What was her type? Did she like girls...?

‘Well? Do you?’ She spoke again, raspy and sweet. A smoker’s rasp, no doubt.

The image of her posed with a cigarette between her plump, open lips, danced across Seraphine’s mind before she could stop it.

Blushing and hot all over, Seraphine shyly shook her head in reply and returned to the comfort of the notepad.

Janna, it was all so surreal. She had never felt so compelled by a person, and from such a tiny interaction, no less. She couldn’t follow this woman’s song at all, and she... well, she loved it.

‘Okay... I’ll be back.’

With that, the new object of Seraphine’s fascination turned heel and left.

She thumped her head onto the counter and groaned. All she could do was hope that she wouldn’t miss the next visit. And, if the woman bought something, maybe Seraphine might catch her name?

[bi-bats]

hellooo, hope your cat starts doing better soon!

for the ask game: 36, 42, 65, 76 (for any fic)

Heya bestie!!! Thank you, I hope so too 💖 He's been eating more and I haven't had to give him the appetite stimulant to make that happen which is really good! Also he's back to batting at my feet and trying to be an escape artist, which are all good signs!!

36. How do you write kissing scenes?

Answered this one in a previous ask!!

42. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

Reading Him by @chipmunkery and I cannot stress this enough YES. Look I know it's a rarepair and you might be unsure about jaybart as a pairing but seriously read it it's SO good and it has really great analysis of Bart as a character and it has amazing literary references and fr I could write an essay about the writing and themes of this story please please please read it if you haven't yet 💚

65. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

I'm really looking forward to a specific chapter of I Know What My Brother Is. Like. I can't say much about it without spoiling but there's a specific thing I'm excited to do with Damian four chapters from now 😂 it's a theme I've really enjoyed working in subtly for him so far and it'll be lovely to highlight later 💖

76. Did you have any ideas that didn’t make the final cut of Know Yourself? 

I picked Know Yourself because actually I had to cut out an entire 10k word scene where Babs caught on about Jay and Jason and kept it hush hush in exchange for Jason and Tim coming over to bake her cookies (she was worried about Tim and wanted to see him). It was really cute and had Jason and Tim getting to know each other a little better and I was SO upset when I realized I had to cut it, but I saved it because I think I can recycle it actually!! So that scene may still see the light of day

Thanks for the ask!! I'm working my way through everyone's asks, thank y'all for being patient 💖💖💖

[hamliet]

Re: your latest BAB ask and reblog. I too agree she needs an editor. I was really excited to read an ongoing meatbun novel, I still like bab a lot! But I also don’t see the purpose of this arc, and I think there’s only so much the “I trust meatbun” train of thought I can hold onto. I’ve been wondering where have their IQs gone to?

It does seem like plot is moving is forward, finally! But I just think it’s kinda excessive how much XQC has suffered this latest arc? I don’t know, I’m just out here feeling so sad for him…

Hexie… i still like them, to be honest I don’t expect healthiness from two thoroughly destroyed mentally ill people, and I’m not gonna stop shipping them, but I just… I really am tired of their constant miscommunication this arc and I sure hope we get some answers soon. I know healing is not linear and that sometimes you become worse, but I didn’t expect this regression in character :((

And I know meatbun wanted to write an insane and unhinged gong and I still loved HY very much but alas at least give me some progress will ya?

I think BAB could’ve easily been in the middle in terms of length 🤷🏻‍♀️ I sure hope it’s not longer than 2Ha cause I don’t see why it would have to be that long

Yeah to all of this. I do trust her, but that doesn't mean I can't call a spade a spade, and this is not great writing. If people like it, good, but I don't personally think this arc works for the story. I'm okay with regression as I've said ad nauseum--in fact it can be a very powerful arc--but it needs to be new, not a retread, and right now it's a retread.

The miscommunication is honestly defying belief at the moment. I can't believe Xie Qingcheng is really buying that He Yu willingly worked with the Org after that note. The other thing is that we are 200+ chapters into the story, so I did believe Xie Qingcheng and He Yu were intelligent characters, but right now they seem to be forced into miscommunication for... angst reasons, but when forced, the angst just doesn't feel real. I can't bring myself to weep with them, because I don't believe they're this dense. The novel itself has shown them not to be, so like... yeah. I'm rolling my eyes.

As infuriating as He Yu is acting, his arc still makes more sense to me at the moment than Xie Qingcheng's, which is a shame. At least He Yu has a heart chip to explain why he's suddenly a shell of his former self. But there is no logic for Xie Qingcheng to suddenly be such a shell (pre this most recent assault, that is! and because the sudden lack of brain cells was going on pre-assault, I just... don't buy that it's trauma either; I don't see much change in his demeanor). Hence it feels like Xie Qingcheng is only characterized by his suffering at this point which... is not great.

Gah. I'm frustrated. If, as I suspect based on timing, JJWXC was providing her an editor and now that's gone, she needs to find a new one who will work with her.

[wingsoffireaus]

Spoilery! At least up until chapter... Fourish? (Haha Audible makes this hard.) I'm gonna try and keep it vague but I ramble.

Dammit Tui... Damn you and your character writing. I'm actually liking Snowfall as a narrative character.

And yes if anyone is wondering. They do go into Snowfall being a frigging traumatized child. Who should NOT be queen. So thank you. That's what I wanted. I should have never doubted you Tui.

Also Lynx is great. Love Lynx protect Lynx.

I can see a loooot of lynx/Snowfall shippers coming out after this book... And while I can't ship it yet. Because I think Snowfall needs a friend and a therapist before a relationship. But I totally see it.

Also they talk about Snowfalls sisters. Which I feel like were kind of just added in? Like I listened to Winters book a LOT and I don't remember them... But it has been a while. And admittedly I didn't listen to the Ice Kingdom parts as much cuz they upset me. But yeah.

She has two sisters. Crystal(?) Her older sister. Who CLEARLY has ptsd from the war. And I just want to wrap up in a fluffy blanket.

And Mink(?) Who is two and just... Protect the bab. She legitimately made me cry oh noooooo.

Also okay. So I think besides Thorn and Glory, Glacier is officially my favorite Queen. Like... She literally said screw you to tradition and begged her children not to kill one another over the throne. And didn't force her eldest who is struggling with PTSD to take the throne.

I mean she made Snowfall take the throne... Who I also think has some ptsd. But... Like she didn't have a ton of choice. Cuz the dragons rights to succession is absolutely bullshit. And she had.. four choices.

Her niece who tried to kill a dragonet of destiny. Which would then start another war so she is now in prison.

Her eldest. Who seriously needs therapy. Or at the very least a ESA. (ESA polar bears okay. Just think about it.)

Her middle daughter... Who also needs therapy. But at the very least seems to have it together ish...

And a literal baby. Like guys? What can you do.

No way she could make Tundra regent or something. The idea of Tundra as queen is terrible. Why was she practically second in command anyway? Like. No.

Anyway. Wow. Rambles. I forgot how passionate I am about this series honestly. And hey no salt!

Well... At least no salt besides the salt towards things we're clearly supposed to be mad about.

Seriously get rid of that wall. That wall does nothing but bad.

Also I totally forgot about the tree of light and my goodness is that gorgeous imagery. Anyway... I need to probably sleep. So I'll end this nonsense here.

[fancyfade]

I'm not sure if you've ever talked about this before, but what would be your ideal Barbara and Damian interaction?

I think when they'd work together best or get more like... emotional interaction? Would be if they had to rescue someone they both cared about together that might be something they could bond over. But overall I imagine their interactions being pretty professional at the current time

First of all, so we know where I'm getting my basis on from canon:

In canon they have very little substantial interaction (at least pre-boot, and I'm not counting N52 and Rebirth babs here because in my canon Babs never gets magicured)

in the canon I remember that I've read (aka Batgirl 2009 and Streets of Gotham because I do NOT remember Battle for the Cowl due to only having read it once and also it wasn't great) neither Barbara nor Damian seemed to give the other much though lol. Babs did verbally express resentment at Damian to Dick when Dick was yelling at her about Stephanie, but in her internal monologue she seemed to blame Damian a little less (she tries to keep Stephanie from interacting with Dick and Damian when they get there because she knows it will go badly and tries to call her off when she starts the move that freezes Damian, and when Stephanie freezes Damian she thinks “remind me to thank Stephanie for this later” when Dick is mad). So the verbal resentment she expresses I think isn't really indicative of how she actually feels about Damian, more of just how she feels about Dick dissing her and Stephanie.

We know from her team title (Birds of Prey) she has some reluctance to send kids into the field – she doesn't really send out Misfit if she doesn't have to, Misfit is definitely not treated like the full-fledged operatives, and when Infinity says “I didn't know you employed minors”, Barbara says “I don't.”

From Damian's POV in canon: He mostly seems to ignore her lol. Like they work together when they're in the Batfamily team ups and he will often act on the information/orders she gives him even if he disapproves (she sends him to check out Francine Langstrom in Streets of Gotham and he disapproves but does so anyway) but for the most part I'm not sure if he really gives her much thought beyond “an ally with information”.

How this goes for when I write their interactions:

They aren't like buddy-buddy because first of all Damian isn't buddy-buddy with anyone right up front and secondly because I'm not sure they really get each other even if they can work together. Damian's a kid with little experience in the outside world and I like babs when she's written with more of a temptation to approach things analytically than emotionally first, like how she is in Birds of Prey especially in the second half of that run. That doesn't mean she doesn't have emotions it just means I'm not sure how like... approachable she would come off as? Tho TBH a less outwardly emotional, more professional person would probably be more comfortable for at least early Damian to work with

I think when they'd work together best or get more like... emotional interaction? Would be if they had to rescue someone they both cared about together that might be something they could bond over. But overall I imagine their interactiosn being pretty professional at the current time

I did actually write one interaction with them if you want to read it on the second scene in this chapter (link) scroll down to "after gathering up the evidence and making sure the kidnapped civilian was all right," or just after the big three dots between scenes if you want to see. Babs is a bit worried about Damian because of the aforementioned kid thing but trying to take into account his feelings, Damian doesn't feel like she really 'gets' him but is willing to use her skills (which in his mind would be a compliment lol)

As for the most 'ideal' interactions: I don't want either of them to suddenly become different people when they're interacting, That leaves them mostly like professional, maybe not really quite understanding each other but at least trying some times, and willing to work together when they need to.

ty for ask i love blabbering about some of my favorite characters!

[angieschiffahoi]

Before I start Harrow, I want to share my thoughts on Gideon.

 Spoilers ahead.

While I don’t believe it was the greatest book ever written, it was perfectly fitting for me.

The genre: It was a mix between sci-fi and fantasy, very simple in its worldbuilding, it didn’t shy from some exposition (I hate new fantasy books that don’t use exposition at all... you’re not that good at the spreading the information thingy, I don’t understand your overly complicated worldbuilding!) and used it in pretty much conventional ways. It didn’t invent every single tiny little thing (which I find very annoying in modern fantasy and sci-fi books - let your MC say fuck), but mixed things familiar with our world with future/innovative elements, almost seamlessly. Thank you, Tamsyn, for using insults we know (I understand why TV shows do it, it’s to keep a PG-13 rating and still use swear words, but I find it insufferable when books try to invent terms for everything... even pens or bread). 

I’ve seen people say it is heavily sci-fi and I disagree. It is not hard sci-fi in the slightest and the magical/necromantic elements are a lot more technical than any of the technology, which was basically non-existent (at times I was stunned whenever they mentioned anything that was “modern” or techy, since it felt like fantasy 80% of the time). The author built a magic system and tried to fit it into a sci-fi setting. It very much resembled Warhammer 40k at times (come on, the Undying Emperor?) and had they mentioned Chaos Gods every now and then, I would have believed this was a WH 40K novelette a-la Blackstone Fortress.

The plot: Gay necromancers in space, with a plot similar to And Then There Were None which at times felt a little bit like Catching Fire as well (Tamsyn, did you read my diary?). It was very simple, straightforward and the fact that we only had one narrating voice made it very easy to read and to follow along. The fact that it was a bit cinematic is probably the reason I managed to finish it (I am tired of 100 subplots and 200 characters in the same book). All of the plot twists felt earned, because looking back I can see where the author left those crumbs. I feel like the red herrings were a bit weak (except Ianthe at the end, which was a bit disappointing as the main villain so I was glad to see she was one), because I started to suspect Dulcinea right away (even though I never would have guessed why). Also, I was too focused on the characters to actually pay attention to the plot, so I didn’t guess much going forward, which made me feel pretty stupid, because some of that shit was very obvious. 

The characters: What I really loved was Gideon’s voice. The first few chapters were a bit flowery and there was a lot of purple prose to set the tone (which failed a bit, because I still imagined it more as a fantasy setting than a sci-fi one), but then it flawed perfectly. The jokes (narrated or spoke aloud) were great and it felt like they always fit. Sometimes the insults were a bit gratuitous but I like the trope of being infuriated with someone all of the time, you can’t help but think “oh fuck this bitch”. Also, the puns. Gideon, I love you. I would’ve liked them to be more mature (maybe 20 somethings), but it’s because I’m old and I want this type of narratives to have older MCs sometimes. 

Harrow really picked up in the second part of the book and I can’t wait to see how she’s changed in the second one. Loved Dulcinea from the start and I don’t care she was an evil god-like entity. She was a bit over the top in the battle (that thing about the arms and legs, why?!?), but I do love a dramatic bitch (I still lowkey like her & Gideon together). I was sorry for the Fourth & Fifth houses, but while I loved Magnus, I couldn’t stand the teenagers (but I did feel so, so sorry for Gideon). The Third house was obnoxious and I enjoyed Corona the most. I’m pretty sure Ianthe’s coming back, so we’ll see about that. Not gonna talk about the Eight - gave me WH 40K Inquisitor vibes, felt unneccessarily over the top. The Second was forgettable, I didn’t even understand the captain was a necromancer until she killed Teacher. And Sixth, oh, my darlings. If Camilla is dead I’m going to burn my kindle. Writing wise, concentrating on only one POV, kind of underdevelops secondary characters, so while Gideon’s voice was very strong, I feel like everyone else was a bit forgettable unless Gideon spent time on them. It was a book that could’ve easily been written in first person, if it didn’t have that ending. 

The relationship: I am going to be brief - I love rivalry that turns to love (any kind of love). So, I loved every single interaction between Harrow and Gideon (the pool scene broke me). Palamedes and Harrow had chemistry. I loved that Gideon just adopted everyone: I am your cavalier, now I am yours! Oh, screw it! I’m going to protect everyone! Gideon is such a himbo, even though she’s a shembo, but not a bimbo? I hated every single time the Third called their cavalier “Babs”. 

Things that were left open and Tamsyn better solve before the end of the series: “Gideon, you’re a ginger!” and basically everything fake!Dulcinea told Gideon about her past (”You don’t know what you are to me”). Also, why Gideon didn’t die when she was a child (and the obvious, where is she from?). Where are Corona and Camilla? What happened to Gideon’s body? And a few things I forgot about, because I wrote this “review” yesterday in my head and I didn’t write stuff down. 

Overall it was a very pleasant experience. And I may re-read it in the future to catch the foreshadowing and some hints. Now, onto Harrow the Ninth! Which is confusing? ‘Cause the Emperor called her Harrow the First?

Anyways. We love a tiny goth stirring shit with her “dead” girlfriend’s  two-hander. I am a bit scared, though, since what I really loved was Gideon’s narrating voice, but I’m guessing Harrow picked up some of her mannerism since she “ate” her? We’ll see. 

[prismarts]

2020 Creator’s Self-Love Extravaganza!!

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 8 favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Thank you @roninreverie for the tag!

Let’s see... 2020... what am I most proud of from this year???

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1.  A Bond That Lasts Centuries

My Douxilly au fanfic inspired by @alovesongshewrote ‘s Almost A Thousand Years, it’s pretty much my first continuous fanfic that I am still working on for the next part (sorry, if I kept any of you waiting for it xD).

I was super inspired by AATY but was incredibly nervous about turning the au ramblings I came up with while reading the fic that I shared with friends into a fanfic, mostly from the fact that I might be accused of copying. But Lovesong and everyone in the Discord server as well as just my friends have been super sweet and supportive and I couldn’t be happier!

Links: https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/636032522517626880/a-bond-that-lasts-centuries-prologue

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/636033273346359296/a-bond-that-lasts-centuries-chapter-1

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/636036602881359873/a-bond-that-lasts-centuries-chapter-2

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/636037062453231616/a-bond-that-lasts-centuries-chapter-3

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/636465861108056064/a-bond-that-lasts-centuries-chapter-4

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2.  Douxilly Ship Art

Self explanatory, Douxilly has been my comfort ship from the start and has been my way of getting cute ship art and practicing drawing Douxie.  I am extremely proud of the progress and improvement I made in said art and absolutely adore my wizard dorks, I’m also happy that so many of you seem to like them as well and enjoyed the warm reception!

Links: https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/638253722848378880/i-was-cutting-it-close-but-here-is-my-christmas

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/635634426419822592/just-two-wizard-dorks-being-in-love-and-happy

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/635211321534758912/his-girlfriend-cat-dragon-familiar-and-demigod

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634646165441445888/is-it-way-past-halloween-and-just-weird-timing

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634729723188133889/soooo-i-was-writing-a-one-shot-but-then-i-lost

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634913728891174912/soooo-justhave-my-first-ever-time-drawing-douxie

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3.  Shadowmancy (Pre Wizards Douxilly Oneshot)

Ah, my second ever oneshot posted for not only Tumblr  but for the ToA fandom in general.

I am super proud of this oneshot because it was my first time delving into trying to write more magic stuff, trying to describe magical and tense scenes, writing Merlin. 

But it also gave me a chance to try delving more into writing a frustrated moppet Douxie, who is just determined and impatient, writing a more timid Illy who is....honestly naive when it comes to her affection and loyalty to Douxie. It also let me explore a line from Wizards that always peeked my interest when it came to Douxie’s past, “I never had the gift for Shadowmancy”, 

Overall, I’m just really proud of this one.

Links: https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634812267056283648/shadowmancy-camelot-era

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4.  Selena Lucia Rica

Granted, I only made one post about her but I am really proud about how she came out design wise and am working on developing her backstory right at this moment as well as making Zolena art!

I think what I loved most was how many of my friends from the Douxie server were so excited in helping me design our werewolf bab, it was honestly a group effort and it makes her all the more special! Expect more of this bab soon! Links: https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/638556968441790464/i-almost-forgot-to-post-her-and-that-is-a-crime

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5.  Birthday Surprise (Pre Wizards Douxilly Oneshot)

The first oneshot I ever posted here and for the ToA fandom!

In all honesty, I just enjoyed how fluffy it is xD.

This was my first time attempting to write moppet Douxie and also trying to write his and past Illy’s friendship as well as her one sided affection for him. It was also my first time writing Archie, if I am not mistaken and I really wanted to give him and Illy a sibling like relationship.

I’m just proud of how fluffy this came out!

Links: https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634741321060564992/birthday-surprise-camelot-era

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6.  Douxie Discord Server Art

OOOoooOOHHH BOY!!!

Joining the Douxie server on Discord has definitely helped me expand in my art, and by that, I mean, I started drawing cool concepts, cute concepts and just cursed......

Just cursed art.

That being said, it was absolutely fun and has been quite the adventure, you guys are a riot and I love you all xD

Links: https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/635914679486709760/just-something-dumb-and-fun-after-the-stuff-we

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/636493996173197312/i-im-honestly-not-sure-how-to-feel-about-this

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/638004381489496064/did-this-purely-spawn-from-the-fact-that

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/638345362691719168/discord-shenanigans-that-resulted-in-imagining

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/638578308266721280/this-is-what-happens-when-i-get-nostalgic-and

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7.  Happy Birthday Douxie! (Art and Oneshot)

Haha, I enjoyed making these,

Now, I won’t say they are my best work but I did immensely enjoy doing special things for my comfort wizard’s birthday! It was also just fun to work on birthday themed stuff so closely to my own birthday.

For the art, I would say it was great to get more practice drawing Nari and Archie, I really loved how they turned out and I can’t wait to draw them more. Oh! also the lighting, I’m still practicing but I was proud of how it turned out!

The oneshot, again, not my best but I loved getting to delve into Illy’s dynamic with Archie and Nari and giving them some special family bonding, trying to make Douxie a birthday cake. Plus, the chaos of it all was super fun!

Links: https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/635211321534758912/his-girlfriend-cat-dragon-familiar-and-demigod

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/635397253786402816/happy-birthday-douxie

---

8. Illyria Calypso

And last but certainly not least, Illy!

The very oc that began my journey on Tumblr and into joining this wonderful fandom!

I’d like to give a special thanks to my friend, @legendling for convincing me to create the lovable dork in the first place! Everyone, you can thank Leg! She is just a special oc to me, like many of my ocs, I enjoyed creating her and inserting her into the world of Tales of Arcadia and exploring her place in this world and in the lives of not only my comfort character, Douxie but also the other characters I adored so much from this series.

And the fact that so many of you loved her and instantly welcomed her existence makes me extremely happy, you guys are amazing and made me and Illy feel so welcomed in this space and I love you all!

Links: https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634626258919178240/soooooo-this-is-my-bab-xd-illyria-calypso-former

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634638299911356416/illyria-calypso-backstory-camelot

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634641323053465600/i-did-say-i-have-a-few-things-i-came-up-with-that

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634644004924964864/more-character-relationship-stuff-cause-yes-so

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634649103598534656/illy-in-wizards-episode-1-spellbound

https://prismarts.tumblr.com/post/634654231157227520/illy-in-wizards-episode-2-history-in-the-making

---

Seriously, all of you guys, my friends and followers are what made this year amazing! I love you guys! Tags: @yagirlcheesely ,  @prezzole , @tales-of-hisirdoux , @alovesongshewrote , @legendling , @blixeon , @soni-dragon , @generalfandomsofthefreak , @bernie-the-nugget , @furblrwurblr , @krelitobxby , @wizardalienhunter , @moppetwithamanbun , @valentimmy , @roninreverie , @pinkflash4627 , @angeliatheturkishdelight

[imnotwolverine]

Tea for Two - Deleted Scene (3)

Henry Cavill x OC Lisa - multi-chapter fic

Author’s note: I was cleaning up my writing archive and found some deleted scenes from Tea for Two. I deleted this one since I felt the fic was getting too lengthy. Also, my fingers itched to totally fix/rewrite this scene, as my writing has changed quite a bit since I started some 6 months ago. BUT, it would not fit the whole fic as it was initially written, so I decided to contain myself 😌(no hating on how I started off this writing hobby, but it’s mostly just fun to see how I have evolved over the past months!) 

Scene: I’m hearing wedding bells! 

Word count: 2.874

Disclaimer: fluffy Henry stuff

--

It was time! 

We all looked eagerly at the clock. I could feel their gazes starting to burn into me. I shook out some nerves, then nodded, getting up, smiling giddily. The team did some final touch-ups - not really necessary, but still sweet. I felt like a princess while we moved towards the gardens outside. The guests had all lined up all the way from the castle door to the garden, slowly adding on to my group. We walked through the small archway in the old stone wall and there I found our dads, who held out their arms. We walked up the small path to the small grass field in the midst of all the gorgeous plants and flowers. And then I saw him, standing there with the rest of our family, friends. They all stood behind him, cheering and laughing. A swinging ceremonial master sang a jazzy tune while our groups slowly melded into one. 

Not that I would know. All I could see was Henry. All I wanted was him. 

He looked dashing in his sleek tux, his hair combed back and chin freshly shaven. We smiled at each other stupidly as the ceremonial master stretched out his arms to bring us together, interlacing our right hands. My greens looked into his blues, warm tingles sparking in my growing belly. He looked at me proudly, slightly emotional, a broadest of smiles playing on his lips. We did not speak, as was tradition.

The ceremony was started with another song and the audience gladly followed, singing in glee, the late afternoon french sun warming our skins. 

I could feel bodies moving away from us a bit. I looked away from Henry for a moment. The circle had widened, everyone keeping about a meter distance. The song died down as the ceremonial master stepped forward, cupping our right hands in his large dark skinned palms. We looked at him. ‘Dearest of people.’ He looked around, at all people around us, behind him, everyone. 

‘We are gathered here today for a very special day. For today we are binding in holy matrimony two beautiful spirits. I wish to introduce to you. Our sweet Lisa. Whom is…’ He looked at me. The audience started to fill in from all around us. ‘The best cook!’ ‘And massages like heck.’- I blushed - ‘Telling stories!’ Henry’s nephew. ‘The sweetest granddaughter.’ My grandmother said in bumpy english. I looked at her endeared. ‘Very much beloved then!’ The master winked at me. 

‘And our dear Henry..’ He gave a look at Henry, their eyes meeting, understanding. ‘SUPERMAN!!’ One of his nephews blurted out, jumping up and down in excitement. Henry smiled at him over his shoulder, winking. ‘A gentleman from the moment he could walk!’ His mother exclaimed proudly. ‘The hardest working man I know.’ Jason Momoa stepped in. The two men nodded at each other in acknowledgement. ‘And the most caring lover.’ I whispered, our eyes meeting once again. The ceremony leader tapped our hands, giving me a cheeky look. 

No talking, got it. I snickered. We looked at each other again.

‘With mother nature giving her blessing to us today. What GOOD weather, mm!’ The MC threw his face in the sun, smiling happily. ‘I would like to ask for your blessing too. To any who oppose this marriage. Now is your time to speak, or forever be silent!’ His voice had a joyful sense of soul in it. Everyone was quiet. ‘So it is then, I may say…bless you!’ He said. Everyone followed in unison. 

‘Bless you! Bless you!’ We laughed at each other, feeling the warmth and love, looking around at our family, giving them thankful looks. The ceremonial master removed his warm hands from ours, pulling out a series of cords from the crowd. He held one up. 

‘This rope, represents the past. For you accept each others pasts and love each other for those experiences that made you who you now are.’ He looked at us both in question. 

‘I do accept.’ - ‘I do accept.’ We said. 

He laid the rope over our joined hands. 

‘This rope, represents the here and now. In it is wefted the names of all who are present here today. I thank you for sharing this moment with us. May you, forever be bound in this memory.’ 

‘We do!’ Some exclaimed. 

The Bab laid the rope over our hands as well. I felt a heaviness come over me. This was happening. This was happening. Oh my. I kept looking at Henry. His eyes equally emotional, tears glistening in the corners. 

‘This rope, represents the future. For all things yet to come. Be they sad. Be they happy. You will share these moments, carry each other through when times are tough. And make love! Love!’ We both snickered at the MC. The rope was laid over our hands and the knot tied. 

‘With this knot, I tie your lives together. May you live prosperous lives. May your love soar!’ The knot was pulled tighter. ‘I wish to introduce to you. Mr and Misses Cavill!’ The cheering swelled up. ‘Kiss your beautiful bride!!!’ The MC applauded, gesturing at Henry. 

And Henry did not waste a second. With his left hand he grasped our joined hands, his lips melting into mine. A long kiss, which I eventually broke. I giggled gleefully, seeing the sparkle in his eyes, a stray tear running over his cheek. 

Our families cheered and cheered as we just stupidly smiled at each other for a moment. ‘Mrs Cavill.’ Henry whispered, so very softly only I could hear, as he laid his lips on mine once more. 

Not long after our grandparents moved into the open circle, being the first to congratulate us. Like that, everyone passed us, couple by couple, family by family. Our hands joined, it took some smart manoeuvring to receive kisses. For his smaller nieces and nephews we squatted down. They kissed our faces with fervour. ‘YAAAY’ One of the youngest girls giggled happily, wrapping her chubby arms around my neck.

As people had all congratulated us they were escorted to the dinner table, leaving us behind with the ceremony master. For a moment in private, he spoke of the ceremony, asking us how we were feeling. I really enjoyed this process. With normal weddings it was all rush-rush, keeping the family entertained, conforming. This was much more relaxed, personal. We giggled while the MC carefully unwrapped our hands, so we could take out our hands without undoing the knot. He took the rope, pulling the knot as tight as possible. 

‘My mom had this one placed under the mattress for good fertility. But I understand I may already congratulate you on that matter.’ He kissed both my cheeks, nodding at Henry warmly. Henry’s arm instinctively snaked around my waist, a broad smile on his lips. The MC continued; ‘So how are you feeling right now?’ He asked Henry first. ‘Relieved, happy..I honestly have no words. This was the most beautiful thing to happen to me in my life.’ He sighed, looking rather emotional, his nose flaring as he looked at me endearingly - more tears were close to spilling, but they were happy for sure. I folded my arm around him, leaning into him. ‘And you?’ The MC turned towards me. ‘I adored the setting. Though feeling a bit awkward at being so..in the centre of attention. Nevertheless it was good to have everyone so close. It felt personal. And very much like us.’ I looked up at Henry. I felt the arm wrapped around me slowly course towards a cheeky butt grab. I raised an eyebrow. The master of ceremonies chuckled. ‘That is good to hear.’ He said. Henry slipped his left hand over my belly. ‘And I feel blessed to have our little one with us. For him..or her..to be here with us.’ 

‘As am I. I gladly sacrifice getting drunk on fine French wine for that.’ I snickered. We all laughed. ‘Well, before any DO get drunk, let us move to the small door there. We’re going to officially have your scribbles on some paper to also make this..legally..official.’ He nodded at a door in the small sunroom. I could see our parents already sitting there.

After signing the papers we exchanged ‘rings’. As in, Henry had chosen a black band with small gold in lining, which reminisced the line that would be tattooed on my finger. He drew it once again on my finger. For the last time.

Getting back to the crowd, everyone had settled down at the two long tables. Kal was there too, sitting in between our moms. We had gotten a lovely 5-course dinner cooked for us. And wine. Lots of great french wine. Nobody would ever leave our table hungry. We had not setup table seating, sticking to our regular 2 times switch, as with our other dinner parties. The only rule being that we as hosts, this time being bride and groom, would remain seated where we were. To which I was glad. I couldn’t keep myself from kissing and hugging Henry. Neither did Henry. He even barely touched his wine - he had not been drinking ever since I had gotten pregnant. Very sweet solidarity of him.

We were seated with our parents at first. And after each course some family would get up and tell a funny anecdote. Especially Henry’s mother speaking of how he had, since he had been a young boy, been such a gentleman with the ladies, hit a snare with me. She spoke of how frustrated she was, whenever she saw how difficult it was for him to hold down a relationship, despite his feverous efforts. All his brothers finding lovely partners. But Henry - wasn’t he a catch?! - was just not meeting the right women. 

‘And then Henry called me one day. He was in LA - so I was a bit confused. It probably was like 7 in the morning there. And all he could say was; I’ve met her, mom. Apparently his dog Kal had escaped and he had met this woman who had captured Kal. I wasn’t sure whether to warn him or let it be. But some months later I met her and I couldn’t help but realise that it was true. These two are like bread and butter. So easy going and natural around each other…’ I eyed Henry during his mother’s speech. ‘You did that?’ I whispered unbelieving. He blushed, mouthing the words ‘I did…’ I looked back at his mother, who was now squeezing her husband’s shoulder.  ‘And I know how important it is to have that person near you. To know their thoughts, feelings..all with just a look. And of course suck up with their less admirable features. I don’t know if I could ever agree to see my husband kiss other women for his profession!’ The crowd snickered. 

I intervened. ‘It sure made him an excellent kisser.’ I shrugged, winking. We raised glasses. ‘Welcome to the family dearest one!’ I smiled a thank you. 

--

After dinner a camp fire was started, small lights above our heads giving a soft glow over the courtyard. Kids were laying in a corner on some bean bags, a storyteller telling them fun stories about the previous ‘owners’ of this castle - some had already fallen asleep by this point. People were dancing on a makeshift dance floor, others had stuck to the dinner table to chat. I personally was feeling quite drained as the evening progressed. Two months pregnant and I felt like a wet rag. Nevertheless I did not wish to miss a moment. I settled down for a moment with the kids. The storyteller was telling of a mighty dragon slayer - which struck a cord with the kids. ‘You can’t just SLAY dragons. That’s not nice you see.’ One of the clever younglings boasted, sitting up from his bean bag. And so a discussion started between some of the kids and the storyteller whether or not a dragon slayer could be heroic. I sniffled, petting the heads of one of the sleeping girls.

I would become a mom, I thought quietly, looking at her small figure folded up on the beanbag, her cheeks rosy. Even to this point the idea was strange. In a few more weeks we would learn what the baby’s gender would be. But before that I felt there was a lot to figure out. Where would we live? And daycare? Schools? We had some discussion on it already, but completely figuring it out was hard. We mostly asked other celebrities how they managed. Jason and Lisa Momoa were probably most in line with our idea of raising kids. Have a clear homebase and travel from there, but always be home at least 1 day in the week. So no long work trips and thereby having to pass by on some jobs.

Henry’s agent was mostly fussy about the whole thing. Of course it had been ideal; for years he had no family and could just be scheduled super efficiently, with incredibly tiresome traveling schedules. But Henry was also rather glad that this would change. He had gotten to a point in life where there was more to life then working 12-hour days for months on end. He had expressed endlessly how glad he was that he could just go for a walk with me, without having to think of what’s next? What’s next? No. We were just where we were. In the moment.

I looked up. Henry was standing next to the pile of bean bags. He looked at the pile of sleeping children, endeared. Then his eyes traveled to me. I smiled, wrestling my way out of the bean bags. He stepped in, hoisting me up in his arms easily. I giggled as he pulled me closer in his arms, a soft kiss pressed on my lips. 

And a soft click. The photographer. I had not really recognised there being a videographer and photographer that much today. They had been perfectly quiet. I looked at Henry. 

‘How is my sweet wife? Are you holding up?’ 

‘Well with you holding me up like this I can manage the whole night!’ I sniffled, looking at him warmly. He snickered in turn. ‘Well if I may do so ask, could I have this..dance?’ He nodded at the dance floor. I belted out a laugh. ‘If you so please dear husband.’  He slowly put me down, taking my hand and walking us to the dance floor. Some 90s hits were playing. We had really not planned any silly first dance or anything. I didn’t want things to feel forced, it just played out as it would.

The guests applauded as we entered the small dancing floor, laughing happily. And before long we intermingled with the other. I ended up in a dance with his father, whom clearly had had some of that fine french wine. His cheeks rosy, continuously chuckling and his eyes twinkling. A cuban song started. ‘What a curious thing you are. Snatching up our son with those green eyes and tall legs.’  He swirled me around, our hands catching again. I looked at him, a soft smile on my face. ‘Even now it is strange to realise this is all so very normal now.’ I waved my hand in front of our faces, looking at the drawn up band on my finger. ‘I’m an old married hag now!’ I sniffled. His dad belted out a laugh, swinging us in a large curve around the dance floor. He was a quite phenomenal dancer. ‘Where’d you learn to dance like this?’ I asked, eyebrow raising. 

‘HA! My dear, I have gotten my wife so mad to have five kids with me. I had to bring my A-game.’ He said, changing our directions again. ‘Quite mad indeed.’ I winked, laughing. ‘Honestly though. We have been blessed with five great boys. Men now. Gosh. I’m the only truly old hag here.’ He chuckled, nodding at some of his sons who were also dancing. Such a lovely family indeed.

I was stolen back by Henry. He looked at me, a question on his lips. ‘What did you talk about?’ He asked, semi casual. I tilted my head, laying my arms in his neck. ‘On why your father has such phenomenal dance skill.’ I chuckled, nodding. Henry raised an eyebrow. ‘Let me guess. To woo my mother.’ We both chuckled. ‘Quite so.’ Henry unfolded one of my hands from his neck, kissing my hand. ‘Guess I’ll still need some practice.’ ‘Oh please.’ I chuckled, exasperated, rolling my eyes. ‘Your woo-game is quite on point.’ I smiled, leaning in to kiss him, rubbing my belly. A kiss that became a rather longing, sweet kiss, his hand folding over the hand on my belly, staying interlocked like that as we swayed on the music gently, mostly just being very huggy buggy in each others arms. I leaned into his chest for a moment, humming. He was my rock, my anchor..my husband. And soon the father of this child I was bearing. 

It was all still a bit unreal.

--

General Tagsquad: @harrysthiccthighss​ @tumblnewby @magdelen69​ @thereisa8ella​ @mary-ann84​ @darkbooksarwin​ @summersong69 @madbaddic7ed @luclittlepond @maroonmolly​ @elinesama​ 

[ladyloveandjustice]

Shadow of the Batgirl: A review type thing

I just read the graphic novel Shadow of the Batgirl by Sarah Kuhn and Nicole Goux, which reimagines the superhero origin of Cassandra Cain.

It was overall good and EXTREMELY cute! If you want an awesome story about a teenage assassin running away from her shitty dad and finding a neat library, a community of cool ladies and the hero within herself, AND WHY WOULDN’T YOU WANT THAT, definitely get this! 

It’s a standalone Batgirl story completely accessible to all and with none of the weird baggage and the complicated continuity of the regular Batman universe! it’s appropriate for younger teens but still a good read for adults, the art’s colorful and great, it’s packed to the brim with joy and hope.

And on top of all that, it gives a great character who’s been traditionally horribly neglected by mainstream comics for some reason (*cough its because she’s not white cough*) a spotlight and a chance to shine (and get written by an Asian American author for once!)! This also features one of my other faves, who had her disability and adult identity erased in the main universe, but not in this comic, hurray!

SO YEAH, if you like superheroes at all, highly recommend this!

NOW for a more detailed review, calling on all my expertise as a Cassandra Cain superfan and going into pros and cons. This’ll be long, but I’ll do it as a list to break it down.

Let’s start with the good stuff, there’s a lot of it:

- This story takes place in world where Barbara Gordon as Oracle (and former Batgirl) and Cassandra Cain as Batgirl exist, but Batman and The Killing Joke do not appear to. That is honestly transcendentally great to finally see this as an officially realized concept, Batgirl allowed to stand on its own as a legacy of powerful women, with all history of these characters being victimized for the sake of manpain erased. I am elated.

-The art was adorable, the designs were great, the clothes and Cass’s costumes were super cute, the setting was vibrant.

-Jackie was a really fun character and mentor figure for Cass. Loved her snark and how she and Babs basically become Cass’s two Moms and an awesome team in their own right. The relationships in this were just heartwarming. Loved the range of characters in general.

-Cass basically lived in a library aka my life dream. I mean, she did it because she was homeless and on the run from her assassin father, but like.

-Cassandra FINALLY knows her own race, (she’s half-Chinese) and gets to have a goddamn connection and basic feelings about it (Jackie bringing up what the bat means to Chinese culture), etc, god it should not have taken this long for this to happen.

(And it’s really important to have a version of Cass’s story where, y’know, the positive inspirational figures in her life include other Asian people, they aren’t just white people. it wasn’t until I read this it fully dawned on me how screwed up it is she never had that before.)

-For the first time in her entire existence, Cassandra Cain got to be in a canon romance that wasn’t fucking awful, can you believe it. Her love interest Erik was adorable, and him being a budding romance writer was an especially sweet touch- and I think there’s an implication/hint his dad’s the Bronze Tiger? Which is really cute Easter Egg for Cass fans, considering she had a strong friendship with the dude in her original series!

-The idea of Cass liking to draw and expressing herself through art is really fun and fitting. Her being visually focused, it makes a lot of sense.

-Cass extending her body language ability to sort of being able to guess at people’s underlying emotional problems from how they carry themselves is a really neat idea- it could have been implemented a little more smoothly but I like the concept.

-Cass going after the “evil-doers” in the library after becoming a hero was one of the best things I’ve ever seen. Deserves to be framed. I love what a huge nerd Cass got to be in this.

-The comic understood that core of Cass’s character is compassion and empathy, that how she reaches out for people, refuses to harm, and really believes in people and embodies change, rebirth, hope. THAT’S IT, THAT’S MY GIRL, THAT’S MY HERO..

-I’ve read a ton of comics with Barbara Gordon and this is the first one I’ve come across where she discussed her relationship with her mother having any sort of influence on her interests and personality, she isn’t even the main character of this and her mother matters more in it than every other comic I’ve read with her combined how sad is that

-I liked Babs just casually making gadgets and stuff all the time, and loved that she expressed she honestly preferred doing this and that was why she was giving Batgirl to Cass. MADE ME WANT TO SCREAM FUCK YOU DC ALL OVER AGAIN.

-Compared to the original Cass Batgirl comics, this story is obviously more accessible as a standalone, but it’s also just overall more appropriate for a wider range of ages since the darker elements of Cass’s story are way toned down. I was a young teenager when I read Cass’s series and was fine, but there are young teenagers that DON’T want like, graphic onscreen deaths in their comics, so it’s good there’s a lighter Cass story for them. It was just a really sweet, affirming story.

Now for some cons, none of them damning:

The romance was cute, but wish it’d had room to breathe. Ideally, it didn’t need to be happening alongside Cass’s origin, I think it would have been better if it was just hinted at and then was allowed to fully play out as an after-she-became-Batgirl thing, but I can get that Kuhn didn’t know if this would get a sequel and there were probably a lot of good reasons she wanted to include it.

-I think this came from Kuhn being used to writing as a YA author rather than doing comics, but it was weird to read a Cass comic with so much narration and the way it was used really detracted from the potential power of the story. We’re told through Cass’s super chatty narration she’s not a normal teen, she TELLS US that she barely knows how to read and speak and TELLS US she’s better at reading body language-but we never get a sense of this, not even at the beginning, because the story doesn’t trust the reader to take in the visuals without narration, and then she’s able to talk like a normal teen pretty much right off the bat.

 I’m okay with Cass becoming a chatty girl, and her voice in this comic was fun- I know “silent Asian” has a lot baggage and Cass’s original character leaned into some stereotypes- but the first chapter/part would been far more powerful if it had her world be a little more silent and fully emphasized the visual, for her interactions with people and words be garbled and confusing, and if it gave us more of a sense of the world she comes from and how her perception of things differs from the average person. Cass’s original debut and the beginning of her original series did a really good job giving us a sense of this, and took great advantage of comics as a visual medium, and I missed that.

-Cass learns to read and talk SUPER EASILY and it just comes off as unbelievable. I do like the idea of her camping at a library, eavesdropping, and teaching herself, but I would have liked to see her actually struggle like a person would. Moreover, while I know the presentation of it was very flawed, Cass basically had a learning/language disability in the original series. I was kind of hoping this comic would lean into that, and actually give a more realistic and nuanced representation of that kind of disability (it could have been presented as something she always had that was exacerbated by how she was raised, not caused by it!).

 Honestly, I think her romance with Erik would have been far more interesting and meaningful and tied in better if she’d actually struggled to read, maybe even discovered she was dyslexic and couldn’t quite read the same way he could. That could have been a source of development between them.

-David Cain’s a super flat as a character in this comic, he doesn’t have much presence, menacing or otherwise, and Cass’s complicated feelings and relationship with him is not nearly as painful as they were in her original series.This is partly because there wasn’t a lot of a space for it though, and that’s fine.

-Overall, the main thing that hurts the story is that we don’t see all that much of what Cass’s life was like as an assassin, and her life with David Cain was like. It’s harder to invest in Cass’s transformation into a hero when we don’t really have a sense of who she was before,it’s hard to appreciate her breaking free when we can’t get a sense of what kind of cage she was even in. How much language DID she know? How much of the world was she exposed to? What was she really deprived of? I hope if there’s a sequel we can see more of this.

-Babs isn’t the main character of course, so this isn’t a real complaint, but I did miss her cynical and angry edge. She’s pretty much just a chipper nerd with no sign of her own baggage in this, and it makes her relationship with Cass less interesting. It’s implied that her “accident” did affect her and she just managed to work through a lot of it before she met Cass, but I missed the element of their relationship where they both were hurting from losing  “the world they knew” and working through it together, sometimes clashing, etc.

-I read one of Sarah Kuhn’s YA novels in anticipation of this, and while I’m relieved this is better about it than her first book was (I expected it to be, writers improve, I definitely know how messy a first book is) there’s still some cringe-y ideas of how “average” teens talk creeping in, occasional clunky pacing etc.

But all in all? It was a really nice little story that did a lot of cool things, and I really want a sequel and want more of this version of Cass and her universe. As someone who was driven away from DC comics in part because of how badly they treated Cass, Oracle and the Batgirl legacy. it’s really like a salve on old wounds.

[the-lightning-strikes-again]

Review Replies for Adrenaline Rush Chapter 7

Thanks to the following awesome people for reviewing my fic Adrenaline Rush last time: LunarMagnolia, asennnaa, Espanholina, Lady_Experiment, bat, graciebuns, EllieDoll, Wallflwr97, Brynn, NickyADon, The CelestialUnicorn, kickenitloose, Fishy_eith_legs, chiastica, and Shorthairedme! I really appreciate your feedback on this story! It’s definitely helped to keep me going!

Individual review replies are below! :)

LunarMagnolia: Ahhh thank you for your extended review on the last chapter! I’m so happy you enjoyed the Zonerva in this story. The AR universe has been a really fun place to explore this disaster couple, haha. You ask some great questions about Zarkon’s motivations, so I hope this next chapter helps to explain! Also guh, yaaas I love Allura as knight in shining armor! Thank you again for your support and reviews!

Asennnaa: “Sir, that’s my emotional support wife” LOLL, okay but wow that is so accurate for Zarkon Dalir, haha. But yaaas, Zarkon has def got some complexity to him! Shiro deserves an award for being best boi, absolutely. Merla, she got some plans too…Thank you as always for your feedback and your reactions and support! I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Espanholina: Yay, I’m so glad these crazy chapters can make you happy!! I’m really having fun trying to write Honerva, because I think she’s such a flexible character within this universe—and it’s hard to know exactly where she’ll end up on anything, haha. And gosh, yeah, I love exploring a vulnerable Lotor too! There’s a definite conflict there between him and his father, and a history of it. Lotor is such a powerful character, it’s always interesting to see those cracks in his armor! Thank you as always for your reviews and support!

Lady_Experiment: Ahhh thankie for your review, dear! I love Kova doing a swimmy swim too, haha. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Bat: Yaaas, definitely true lioness vibes! Thank you for reviewing!

Graciebuns: Oof, yeah I’d love to see the Dalir estate in person, haha. But yaaas, there one (1) person in the universe who can calm papa turtle, and that is Honerva. XD Ahhh I’m so happy you’re enjoying the ongoing shenanigans with Shiro, Kova, and Dalingh! Merla is definitely ramping up toward something, but we’ll have to see what that is in this next chapter! Thank you so much for your support and your reviews—I really appreciate it!

EllieDoll: Singh bab, omg. That is a very precious title for her, bless! And ahh I’m so happy you enjoy the world in this story! It’s a lot to keep track of, haha, but I’m really excited to see where we’re headed with what Merla’s got cooked up! Also, yaas, Kova is MVP. XD And bwahaha, Lotor can complain all he wants about poetry, but he sure runs with it whenever he sees Singh! I really appreciate your support on my stories, thank you so much!

Wallflwr97: Thank you as well for staying in lotura fandom after all of this time! Gosh, yeah, writing Zonerva kinda hooked me on that ship as well. I really love the “fire of my heart” term of endearment in Persian too! Slowly but surely, the Dalingh is beginning to build, muahahaha. And yas, Merla has really grown to be a complex character here—I like how she’s come to view Allura, haha. As always, thank you so much for all of your feedback and for your reviews and support!

Brynn: Yaaas, Zarkturtle as a shy boi in the past is a hilarious thought to me as well, I love it, haha! Definitely a lot of things happening with Lotor and with our antagonists as well! LOLLL I tell you, I didn’t particularly care for Zarkon all that much until I started writing for him in this story—I think there’s a lot within his character that makes for some fun literary exploration. Thank you thank you for your fun reviews as always—they mean a lot!

NickyADon: LOL, that’s a good question. I think Disney is so incredibly expansive in terms of what topics it tackles—it’s a little hard to get away from it entirely, especially when dealing with Lotor and Allura, who both are just a little Extra™ in what they do and how they react to everything, haha. Oh gosh, I can imagine a Lotor Dalir singing a particular Mulan song now. XD Thank you for your reviews and support!

TheCelestrialUnicorn: Ahhh thank you so much for your review! I’m so happy you’re enjoying this story! I appreciate the support!

Kickenitloose: Thank you! I really enjoy this version of Merla and hope to have more fun with her character yet. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Super_fish: Ahhh thank you for your review! I need to get better at not writing monsters—I’m not sure why my writing style has to moved to such long chapters, but maybe I can even out one of these days, lol. Thanks again for reviewing!

Chiastica: Oh gosh, yeah COVID has really messed up so much. I hope you’re staying safe and helahty through all of this! Yaaas, haha, Kova really is a weird cat, but he is very loved for it. XD Ahhh, thank you for your interest in the Black Lion and the magical realism components in the story—it’s something I’m really interested in myself and am kinda just letting it develop however it wants to. I’m on the edge of my seat to figure it out as well! Thank you for the bookmark and for returning to read and review this story. I really appreciate your support!

Shorthairedme: Ahhh I love how Zarkon softens for Honerva too! He’s such a grumpy grump, but he loves his wifey! Also, totally valid question about “when will Allura get to inspect Lotor’s abs” LOLLL. Hopefully sooner rather than later! Thank you for your very kind words about this story, and for continuing to read and review. It means a lot!

[littlehollyleaf]

(I had a really long, detailed version of this....... but Tumblr ate it D’: so this is... heavily abridged, sorry!)

Tagged by the ever lovely @castiel-saved-me-from-myself​ <3

pick 10 ships without reading the questions

Interesting... ok!

1. Dean/Cas (obviously)

2. Aziraphale/Crowley

3. Nygmobblepot

4. Foxma

5. Babitha

6. Amy/Rory

7. Nomi/Amanita

8. Eve/Flynn

9. Catradora

10. Cosima/Delphine

1. Do you remember the episode/scene/chapter that you first started shipping 6?

I think I started shipping Amy/Rory during the Venice fish monster ep - cos that was when I felt Amy really did love him back and they had a future together. Before I suspected that her running away with the Doctor was a sign she and Rory weren’t right for each other.

2. Have you ever read a FanFiction about 2?

Only read a handful of Ineffable fic. Overall I’m perfectly happy with the canon alone.

3. Has a picture of 4 ever been your screen saver/profile picture/tumblr?

Yes I’ve had Foxma themed phone backgrounds and a tumblr header :)

4. If 7 were to suddenly break-up today, what would your reaction be?

Disbelief and disapproval. Nomi and Amanita were one of the great constants of Sense8 for me. I think a break up would be out of character for them tbh. Plus it would be denying the black and trans characters a rare example of a happy ending, which would suck.

5. Why is 1 so important?

I wrote such a detailed thing about how DeanCas is not only important to me personally but also how I feel it’s been important for TV/media in general... ugh, tumblr!

In a nutshell - this ship helped me better myself in various ways. It introduced me to fandom,  which boosted my confidence and independence via increased socialisation; it encouraged me to write more, which improved my writing skills; meta discussions educated me on lots of issues, inc. but not limited to abuse, sexuality, gender identit, autism and racism.

I also genuinely believe that the loud and open fandom support of the ship has been a significant help in the ongoing battle for more and better queer rep in media.

6. Is 9 a funny ship or a serious ship?

Serious! Catra and Adora’s relationship is a core part of the whole show, relating to lots of the wider themes of abuse, toxic behaviour, growth and forgiveness. Plus the significance of a same sex romance involving the lead character in a CHILDREN’S CARTOON really cannot be overstated.

(but it is also cute and funny sometimes :p)

7. Out of all of the ships listed, which ship has the most chemistry?

I’ve spoken before about having issues with the concept of ‘chemistry.’ If I ship characters it’s usually because I find the combination of their characterisation and story arcs interesting/compelling. I often don’t notice (or I guess care about?) chemistry.

So I think I’m not qualified to answer this one.

8. Out of all of your ships listed, which ship has the strongest bond?

Agreeing with @castiel-saved-me-from-myself​ here - you can’t really beat the Ineffables millenia long romance :)

9. How many times have you read/watched 8’s fandom?

I’ve rewatched The Librarians 2 or 3 times now. It’s DAFT. But it’s fun. And Eve and Flynn make me feel warm and fuzzy.

10. Which ship has lasted the longest?

Again, as @castiel-saved-me-from-myself​ said - it’s gotta be the Ineffables, both within AND outside of the story, since Good Omens was originally published over 30 years ago and the Zira/Crowley shippers have been going strong all that time. Otherwise it’s DeanCas.

(though idk if Catradora was a ship back when the original She Ra cartoon was airing, or when the original cartoon was made, so it’s possible that is also a contender!)

11. How many times, if ever, has 2 broken up?

Lol at @castiel-saved-me-from-myself​ for getting Nygmob for this one, as their relationship is, like, 90% break up :P

For the Ineffables though it’s basically just the once - when Zira chooses Heaven over Crowley. Not made such a Big Deal in the book IIRC, but in the show it’s the infamous Bandstand Break Up scene.

All other separations are only minor, temporary squabbles imo. Which is what makes the Bandstand scene so PAINFULLY, BEAUTIFULLY, ANGSTY AND EMOTIONAL and why I love it so! 

12. If the world was suddenly thrust into a zombie apocalypse, which ship would make it out alive, 2 or 8?

I figure angels and demons probably can’t be killed by zombies, so the Ineffables are the most likely.

But Eve and Flynn did actually face off against zombie-ghost things in an alt universe during a whole Loom of Fate plot and survived, so I think they’d probably also make it.

13. Did 5 ever have to hide their relationship for any reason?

No, Babs and Tabs were always open about being together, even when Tabs was also in a relationship with Butch.

I might argue they hid the depth of their feelings for each other though, even from themselves, and instead made out what they had together was just a casual ‘friends with benefits’ type thing.

Though Tabs did hide things a little when she sent assassins after Jim cos she blamed him for putting Babs in a coma. She clearly knew her brother would disappprove, which is why she didn’t tell him what she was doing. I guess that kinda counts as hiding her relationship with Babs? She was trying to conceal how much Babs mattered to her?

14. Is 4 still together?

Lol, Foxma were never together (ALAS!). But the show did end with their lingering fondness for each other intact I think.

15. Is 3 canon?

Is Nygmobblepot canon? Rather a touchy question for the fandom tbh.

If we are talking EXPLICIT canon - then no. 

They never got a kiss or a MUTUAL love declaration (and they had a controversial ‘we’re brothers’ exchange in the penultimate episode) - ergo there is not enough, imo, to say they ended the show officially romantically involved.

However, Ozzie DID EXPLICITLY DECLARE HIS ROMANTIC LOVE for Ed, and that was never rescinded. There is also LOTS OF SUBTEXT floating around Ed to imply he reciprocates. Plus they did end the show together as clear Partners in Crime.

So is Nygmob subtextual canon?

I would say yes.

But explicit, CANON canon?

A frustrating no that fandom remains, understandably, critical about.

16. If all 10 ships were put into a couple’s Hunger Games, which couple would win?

I think a toss up between Nygmob and Babitha - because everyone else has too many morals that would hold them back from killing :p

(and since Ed and Oz have both bested Babs and Tabs in the past I lean towards them... but it would depend on when in Gotham canon the games were happening!)

17. Has anybody ever tried to sabotage 10’s ship?

Breaking up Cosima and Delphine was a LITERAL PLOT POINT of Orphan Black at one point, so very much yes! I forget the details (the show got very twisty, with lots of different organisations working on different agendas in the shadows), but I’m pretty sure Delphine was shot because she was protecting Cosima. I remember it BROKE MY HEART and I thought it was a casebook example of Bury Your Gays. But, spoiler: it wasn’t ;)

18. Which ship would you defend to the death and beyond?

Going with DeanCas, because I think that, historically, it’s the one that’s been in most need of defending.

19. Do you spend hours a day going through 1’s tumblr page?

Not anymore I’m afraid. Though 3 or so years ago I used to spend most of my free time on DeanCas and spn meta. Ah, nostalgia.

20. If an evil witch descended from the sky and told you that you had to pick one of the ten ships to break up forever or else she´d break them all forever, which ship would you sink?

Foxma. Because while I adore the idea of a messy, confused ~something between them, in my heart I know that Foxy deserves better :P

I was too tired to bother with tagging the first time I completed this - DEF not gonna bother now!

Play if you want - it’s fun :D

[bigskydreaming]

kai06leaf replied to your post:

Ended up all night, with sleep derailed by a RUDE...

Um I had asked for a link for your batman related works?:)

Oh score, this is actually weirdly timely then! FlashinthePan is my Batfam pseudonym (https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlashInThePan/works), its just it hasn’t been useful for much other than to use my bookmarks page there as a fics rec list. Since the only other things still up on it are the YJ WIP I haven’t updated in a couple years and an elephant’s graveyard collection for the random ficlets I often write on here while forgetting they’re usually long enough to be actual one-shots...and that I then forget to actually add to that one, that I created for the specific purpose of putting all those in one place. My mind. Its just....*staggers at the Legend of it all*

I’ve been on a pretty committed “No more posting unfinished WIPs kick” for the past couple years but am finally at a point where I have stuff to post without cheating, so that streak officially ends today, when I finish my read-through of the first fic* in question and hit publish. “The Requiem Rites of Robins,” the ten chapter first story in an AU Battle For the Cowl fix-it series, “A Legacy of Robins,” with TRRoR being roughly 40K, focuses on Dick and Jason and their issues with each other and Bruce’s believed death, picking up and going AU at an indeterminate time not long after the end of BFTC. 

Specific goals of focus with this particular fic were addressing Bruce’s bullshit last will and testament to Jason (ugh), the eternally unremarked upon moment that was Dick watching his brother refuse to take his hand and instead fall to what at the time must have seemed very likely to be Jason’s second death, in a pretty fucked up parallel to his parents’ death (ugh), various other unaddressed issues between the brothers that kept them making like they were Cain and Abel instead of two people who loved each other and very much could use each other while grieving for their father or even just pretending they weren’t....and also steadfastly jumping their combined train of events well off the tracks before Morrison’s whole...”Jason” thing ever happened at all (ugh).

Just a headsup for readers for whom certain characterizations of Bruce are a dealbreaker - full disclosure, this fic and its sequels do consider various less pleasant moments between Bruce and his two eldest to be in character and canon, with NTT #55 and the ending to UTRH the most touched upon and relevant. For what its worth, my intention there (and hopefully my execution of things) was not to vilify or bash Bruce, or to make it at all a question of whether or not both really loved Bruce and he them. 

To be clear...I do categorize Bruce’s actions towards Dick and Jason at those times/specific others as abusive, but a huge part of my reason for even writing this particular fic was to explore and examine the reality of loving a parent even despite a history of actually abusive behavior on their parts. Of how to mourn for someone you loved at some times and hated at others, who was both the person who made you feel whole again and the one who made you at other times feel the most broken. 

Especially when you’re two people who pride themselves on being heroes, who are ‘supposed to know’ that there’s no defense, no excuse for some of the things their father did, but that doesn’t always change or erase how much they want to. And who are both looking for an answer in the other, as to how they’re supposed to live with the fact that deep down, there’s a part of them that will always still be those ten and twelve year old orphan boys who came to believe their father was a man who could literally do the impossible...even mend what was broken, make things right with them and the world as they knew it just like he’d managed once before, when he’d first come into their lives and they’d been just as certain then that there were no more happy moments in their futures at all. 

And with the both of them still, even after everything, having held onto that secret hope that someday he was going to find the secret loophole, the magic words that let them forgive him, that let them let the past all just be in the past and the future all that really mattered, that their best days as a family weren’t all behind them yet and there was still time for things to be different, for him to be different....because their dad wasn’t like other ordinary dads, their dad was the Batman, he was a superhero.....

....who was also still just a man, and sometimes men die with their most important deeds still left incomplete.

This first story is centered firmly on just Dick and Jason, because I have a tendency to let things get too widespread and expansive plot-wise the more characters I focus on, and because this first story, about mourning Bruce and finding a way to move on, needed to be just Dick and Jason, although Cass and Tim and Damian, as well as Steph and Babs and Alfred all have things in the wake of his believed death that IMO they needed explored, and that were never explored in canon. But Dick and Jason had to be the first two and a solo act except for each other, especially as this series is still geared towards Bruce’s eventual return, and just to a much different status quo....because the thing about Dick and Jason at this specific point in time, is that they were quite possibly the only two people in the world who would ever have the relationship with Bruce that they did, to see him the way they both at times did, and nobody else ever fully grasped. 

They knew him at his highest and his lowest points, the best parts of him and the worst, the center of their whole universes and the destroyer of them....and for them, at this place and time, its about being forced to realize that for as much as come between them over the years, they each are the only ones who will ever fully be able to speak to the entirety of their father as not just Bruce Wayne, the Batman, the myth and the legend, but Bruce the man, the flawed father who was supposed to be better than his worst mistakes with them, because he was supposed to be a hero. 

Even as close as others were to Bruce, there were specific slants to the light they saw him in....for Alfred, even when making his worst mistakes, he was still his son, for Cass he was still the father who fought her personal demon not because of what he wanted her to be but so that she could be who she wanted to be, for Tim, he was imperfect but still larger than life, the hero he’d still first only come to know through the lens of a camera from a great distance, a perspective he’d yet to entirely shake, and for Damian he was still largely a figure of make believe, a bed time story he’d been told all his life. 

There’s an inherent goodness, a nobleness around the idea of Bruce for most others in his life, that defies coming face to face with the realities his failings could be.....which only Dick and Jason could ultimately attest to, as losing the ability to keep sight of that innate shine was why they’d found themselves so disillusioned by their father at the lowest points between them. And so in a lot of ways, the ultimate goal of writing this fic was trying to get Dick and Jason to a point where they could share their full, messy, complicated as hell feelings about their father with each other, but simultaneously feel a need to preserve the way each of their siblings still saw him, because the truth is that if there’d been someone who could have preserved that shine for their own eyes, to keep their memories of him clear and unobstructed by complication....they would have been glad to have been left just missing Bruce their father, and not the mess of feelings forever tied up in a Gordian knot upon by his death.

So yeah. LOL. That’s the link to my Batfam works, though there hasn’t been much on their for ages, but stay tuned for Chapter One of The Requiem Rites of Robins, later today.

“In the wild, a group of robins is called a round. But Gotham’s birds have always been of a different sort, something entirely unique. And the only proper plural for them, I’ve found, is a legacy.”

An investigation leads the newly minted Batman to London, alone and without Robin’s back-up for the trip. In the past couple months, Dick Grayson has barely found time to breathe, let alone to grieve for his father and come to terms with his new role as the Dark Knight’s successor. But his distracted state leaves him vulnerable, and when a new villain’s one-man war threatens to make a casualty of him too, he’s left with no alternative but to work side by side with his rescuer - at other times better known as his brother, his successor, and a couple times his would-be killer.

(Their family always has been one of over-achievers. And if you’re going to pick a pair of brothers to play compare and contrast against with that in mind, its hard to go wrong with something biblical.)

But Dick seeming no more happy about it than he is, doesn’t do much to pick up Jason’s mood. He’s come to London for his own reasons, and no, he’s still not inclined to share. Curiosity killed the cat, but he’s sure Selina wouldn’t mind if innate nosiness knocked off a few birds here and there as well. Well-earned paranoia aside, however, secrets and cynicism can only carry them so far when the two are forced to rely on each other to fight their way free of a city turned death-trap. Both are keenly aware that the last time they’d fought side by side like this, they’d been all the way back on the other side of Jason’s first untimely death. And as far as potential omens go, that one’s about as shitty as they come.

But a mixed curse and blessing are nothing new for them, and so that’s not just a painful reminder, but also proof that things were different once. That the brothers they’ve become were not always the brothers they were supposed to be. It was time and pain and bloody loss that weighed them both down so much further than the altitudes that came most naturally....not fate, or destiny, or even them. And as their new enemy forces them deeper and deeper below ground, it becomes all the more clear there’s only one skill in either of the brothers’ arsenals that will see them through to the other side of all this: 

And only if they can not just remember, but rediscover, how to shed all of that and finally fly free again.

[gtgrandom]

Where Young Justice: Outsiders went wrong

(And before you tell me to just stop watching if I don’t like it - I’ve been supporting the show since 2011 by creating a significant amount of content and giving back monetarily. I have every right to critique the writing, thank you).

Honestly, I think they pulled their act together in the finale, and this season left me much more satisfied than I anticipated. That being said, there are some issues I want to address.

Major flaws:

Overabundance of characters

Undeveloped Relationships

Lack of Continuity

Problematic Representation (getting better)

Weak Dialogue 

Lower Quality Animation

The Message

Overabundance of characters

I think we can all agree on this one. There were far too many characters in season 2, but season 3 is laughable. It’s hardly a story anymore. Instead it’s an episodic series featuring new heroes each episode to appease niche comic fans.

There’s a formula for a superhero show (and any group-oriented tale in general), and that’s having a central team of five or less. Then you can introduce one or two new characters max per episode as side characters or villains. But you always circle back to your main team. YJ did a nice job of this in season one. So did most CW superhero shows before they made the same mistake of expanding their cast to make their writing task easier. (Yes, easier - new characters means you can stop developing old ones, especially with time jumps).  YJ started to narrow down the team by the end of the season, but it still left many mains as side characters / aesthetics. 

It’s great seeing these characters brought to life - I won’t deny it. But you can’t delve deep if you have this many. You can’t focus on character development or meaningful relationship development (hence why nearly every ship was established off screen). Furthermore, you frustrate fans when you focus on one group more than another. With a smaller cast you can always count on appealing to your audience because their "fave” is always present in some way. In many ways, fans feel like they’re being dragged along simply waiting for their character to pop up because of a one time cameo. It’s not fair to the audience.

The relationships

I think the only romantic relationships we’ve seen develop on screen are:

Violet/Brion

Spitfire

SuperMartian

Robin/Zatanna

sort of Roy/Jade

- and all but one were introduced in season 1. 

The others were simply introduced as a couple with little to no previous interaction. Like:

Tim/Cassie

Dick/Babs

Jaime/Traci

Bart/Ed

Kaldur/Wyynde

Gardita

M’gann/La’gaan

Mal/Karen

That is not how you write romance. You don’t stick it in there for the sake of it. You have to show us why they work, how they got there, and why we should care.  I’m not saying there HAS to be romance, but if there is, it still has to be written well. 

Continuity

This begins to overlap into the next issue, which is continuity.  I understand that Outsiders is not necessarily a new chapter to Young Justice, but if you are going to call it Young Justice Season 3, then I expect story lines to bleed over beyond just villainous deeds.  

Let’s look at Dick Grayson, for instance.  He’s one of the only mains who has had a very consistent, though shallow, character arc throughout the series.  First he wants to lead, then fears it because of the sacrifices he would have to make - because he didn’t want to be Batman.  In season 2 though, he becomes his worst nightmare.  He risks the lives of his friends, lies to his team, and ends up losing his best friend anyway.  And in season 3, we actually get a little bit of continuity here with Dick mourning Wally and being afraid to take on another team after season 2.  It could have been expanded upon, but it was still present, and I applaud the writers for that.  Especially for driving home his leadership qualities at the end there.

Now, what about the other characters, specifically those introduced in season 2?  This season is called “Outsiders,” and yet, it seems to only focus on the original team and Violet’s new group.   

What about Bart’s entire arc of coming back, stopping the apocalypse, and then losing Wally, his mentor?  What about Jaime’s home life and the lasting effects of being turned into a villain who nearly killed all his friends?  What about TIM and his role as the new leader??  Where did that plotline go?? Why is the unfamiliar Beast Boy now the leader of this Outsiders group?  How did Ed overcome his anger issues and repair his relationship with his dad?  How did Jade go from being a supportive wife and mother into the opposite?   

The writers tried to avoid all these problems by giving us a time jump.  But that’s just lazy writing if you don’t take the time to answer how things have changed!    

Also, I’ve said this before, but continuity isn’t simply having characters mourn a dead character.  You can’t keep using that plot device to give heart to the narrative.  If that’s your only source of true pathos...and that character is dead...then you’ve got a problem. 

The representation

Okay, I’ll admit they saved their asses with Kaldur. I love my wholesome pansexual rep. Would I have preferred to see his relationship occur with a character we’d already been introduced to outside the comics? Yes. But I’ll take it.

Disappointed with Ed/Bart and Bluepulse. They could have shown us more, but they didn’t. They could have given us a story, but they didn’t.  And don’t hit me with “this is a children’s show - we’re lucky to get what we get” BS.  Because it’s not anymore.  This show is literally written by adults for adults.

I really don’t want to talk about the whole Halo/Harper kiss because it was just so wrong in so many ways, but it needs to be addressed. So, first of all, if you excuse cheating in any capacity, shame on you. I don’t care what the characters are going through or how old they are. You don’t both recognize that you have significant others and then proceed to make out!! Second, what the hell?? You’re going to have the first lgbt content be a bisexual stereotype of two girls cheating on their boyfriends (and two characters who have only interacted in one episode before??) Not to mention, underage drinking and gun use? That sends the wrong message to the audience, even if the teens were reprimanded.  

Also, Halo is supposedly non-binary, and yet they explained it away by technology, so idk, I’m hesitant to count it as legitimate rep. I still think it was a good discussion to have. But yeah...

Finally, Halo is not Muslim rep after all.  She’s a hijab wearing character, but she does not identify with her faith or her culture. She outright rejects it in her scene with Harper. So...what? Is she diversity points that you can continue to violently kill off over and over?  Not a fantastic way to treat POC. I don’t think the creators meant any harm by it, but it’s something they need to consider going forward.

(I do appreciate the number of POC characters that have been introduced however. Especially the Latinx and black characters. This show has improved its diversity. But without proper characterization, they’re sort of just...there).

Dialogue

I can’t be the only one who cringed through entire episodes this season?  Some episodes had stellar writing. But the bad ones were very, very bad.   Obviously, not every joke is going to stick the landing, but if you’re going to kill off your beloved comic relief character, you have to have a better backup plan.   

Like, do you guys remember how witty some of the lines from the pilot were?  The whole “Speedy” vs. “Kid Flash” debate in the opening sequence?  You can tell how much effort went into those scenes.  How much love was given to those characters. Because they knew that was their only chance to hook the audience, to get a green light for a full season.  So they put everything into character development and plot - and now they’ve lost so much of what made the show precious in the first place.  (It’s still precious, but it’s tainted in many ways for me now).

Animation

It’s gone downhill. That’s really all I can say without being mean.  Some episodes seem slightly better than others, but if you compare the animation from 3x01 to an episode like Failsafe...there’s just no comparison.  I could hardly watch Wally’s scene without frowning at the frame rate.

Message

I don’t understand what the show is telling us anymore (or I didn’t, before Black Lightning gave a very “on the nose” speech about what it is that we were supposed to take away from this season).

I mean this has always been an issue with the show, but at least it was a little clearer in season 1.  Then, we had several themes:

Found family (+ Actions speak louder than heritage)

Don’t call us sidekicks (AKA the kids can make a difference)

Secrets are poison (They can tear a team apart. Trust in friends)

Season 2 was a little convoluted...and sort of just recycled material. 

Secrets are poison (dammit, Dick)

You are in charge of your own destiny (Jaime/Connor)

Sacrifice (Kaldur, Artemis, Wally, Bart...they all gave something up for the greater good).

But what is the message of season 3?

Secrets are still poison (Tara, Violet, Batman v. Wonder Woman team)

I suppose it’s about healing and letting others in?  Like how  Brion and Victor have both worked through their anger?  Artemis and Jefferson and Dick and Gar sorting through their grief...somehow...off-screen...(except for the episode devoted to Artemis saying goodbye to Wally.)

Perhaps...accepting yourself?  (Victor, Violet, Brion, Connor?)

Do you see my issue here?  How much harder it is to see what I’m supposed to take away from the show now?  I’m not saying there aren’t any good messages being told, but they’re difficult to interpret.  Sometimes that can be good.  But this time I’m on the fence.

Conclusion

I love many of the characters from this show, but the fandom acts as if the writing is impeccable, and that’s just not true.  Not everything is bad.  Some of it is still miles beyond other animated television (looking at you vld).  And I genuinely enjoyed about half of the episodes this season. But I think it’s important to recognize the flaws in media, as a writer myself, and as a consumer of these shows.  

Plz be civil in the comments, and understand that this is only my opinion. 

[jennycalendar]

2019 fic roundup

december was INSANE and i spent most of january dealing with the aftermath of Terrible Parents, but i am finally doing this! in nearly-february! good grief!

tagged by @catty-words​! always a delight, cori <3

Total 2019 Word Count: 541,906 Total 2019 Hits: 29,555 Other 2019 AO3 Stats: Kudos: 3,184; Comment threads: 787; Bookmarks: 509; Subscriptions: 223.

Total 2018 Word Count: 338,835 Total 2018 Hits: 22,374 Other 2018 AO3 Stats: Kudos: 2,192; Comment threads: 453; Bookmarks: 280; Subscriptions: 69.

links and titles to 2019 works (buckle up, folks.)

[btvs] imperfections (148,374 words) y’all know about the braveryverse already but i’ll bring up some good points: jenny and giles accidentally adopt the entire scooby gang. also faith gets some actual support and is actually eventually stable enough to date buffy. good times.

[btvs] deliberate obstruction (5,492 words) the one where jenny is petty as fuck and attempts to sabotage every single one of giles’s dates after their breakup. not her best look, but it was really fun to write jenny being Not Great. she deserves to have that option.

[btvs] arch-nemeses (2,171 words) who doesn’t love some of that good old-fashioned ripper au nonsense? particularly when it’s spike and ripper being confusing nemeses who sometimes drunkenly make out (jenny thinks this is very funny).

[btvs] sick day (3,097 words) written because someone should take care of giles, damnit! probably not jenny, tho. she’s not the best at it. lucky for her giles loves her so much.

[btvs] simpatico (10,096 words) sister fic to the grieving process! set circa btvs season six! jenny is connor’s awkward aunt! giles is a repressed disaster who’s still pining but refuses to admit it! 

[btvs] honesty’s the best policy (3,830 words) that one where giles and buffy are hit with a Truth Spell that means they say exactly what they’re thinking. is that all that bad for buffy? not too much. is it a little iffy when you’re a repressed watcher man who still haven’t told your girlfriend how much you love her? uh.

[btvs comics] i router, you giles (1,111 words) GOD this was written BEFORE i knew that giles and jenny were dating in the reboot comics and isn’t that a concept? a snarky-cute first meeting! ok not really that cute bc they just yell at each other a lot! but definitely snarky!

[btvs] transitional (3,152 words) good golly this is cute and i honestly forgot that i wrote it. which makes sense, bc there is a lot of stuff on this list. set in between season one and season two, in an attempt to bridge the giles/jenny gap between “awkwardly friendly coworkers” and “oh my god i think i like you”

[btvs] across the pond (5,323 words) FUN FACT this got nominated for a headline award and i’m SO PROUD OF THAT?! epistolary fic! giles leaves for england in s6 but without his wife! his wife is very mad and writes him VERY MANY LETTERS TO YELL AT HIM! perfect for those people who sometimes think “god, i wish jenny had been in s6 to yell at giles.” 

[btvs] very really married (66,987 words) giles and jenny got drunk-married in las vegas and are keeping the marriage going so they don’t look like terrible authority figures. giles does not want buffy to know about his fake wife. giles does not want his fake wife to know about his real slayer. giles has a lot of problems and it doesn’t help that he might be catching feelings. big mess.

[btvs] bad dreams (2,267 words) GILES/JENNY/ANYA IS BEST SHIP NEXT QUESTION

[btvs comics] an open mic enthusiast (2,250 words) yet another giles/jenny comic-reboot meet-cute written before i knew they were dating!!! this time: jenny gets to see giles playing guitar. repeatedly. because she keeps going back to watch him at the open mic.

[btvs comics] blindsided (2,024 words) my first (and definitely not last) giles/anya fic! a shorter version of a plot bunny i hope to chase down in 2020 (ahaha did i say that WHOOPS)

[btvs] uncharted (16,469 words) my jenny calendar day fic! also known as “jenny calendar has a guilt complex: a novella.” no prophecy dream outs jenny to the group -- but she tells them anyway. and blames herself. and breaks up with giles while she’s trying to Fix Things. absolute mess. (thank god there’s a happy ending, right?)

[btvs] on the mending of hearts (9,236 words) that giles/anya fic where giles shows up at anya’s failed wedding and sweeps her off her feet and they have sex in his hotel room! except uhhh there’s a lot more drama and crying and anya really just needs some cuddles, tbh.

[btvs] extracurricular activities (1,003 words) straight up this one BARELY counts as a 2019 fic. i wrote it back in 2016 and forgot about it and found it on my hard drive and wrote an ending to it. it’s tiny, but it’s cute! lots of early-relationship calendiles fluff, as is My Brand.

[btvs] cookie dough and boy talk (a remix) (3,976 words) dawn, but in the ripper au! she’s a precocious little bab and ripper babysits her and gets semi-adopted by joyce. it’s a thing.

[btvs] a history lesson (698 words) a brief ripper au interlude between jenny and dru. dru tries to point out that jenny and ripper are in love. jenny very unconvincingly denies it.

[btvs] faith, hope, and pancakes (3,236 words) ripper au, now with faith! and she gets to hang with college-age jenny! who is dating her idiot boyfriend ripper! the Most Fun of times.

[btvs] compromises (750 words) this....was supposed to be a three-sentence prompt but I Can’t Do That. giles and jenny discuss (read: jenny yells at giles about) giles attempting to attack angel on sight.

[btvs] valentine buzz (3,422 words) i wrote this in may lmao but i just REALLY WANTED to write fluffy braveryverse valentine’s day nonsense!!! lots of cuddles and kisses and softness abound in this fic.

[btvs] days in goodness spent (5,893 words) this fic's point was a little more abstract and a little less blunt than most of the rest of these, but i wanted to explore the concept of giles slowly going from idealizing jenny to genuinely loving her. i hope i did it justice.

[btvs] to have and to hold (7,861 words) giles and jenny get married in the braveryverse. that’s really all there is. also i posted this on my birthday (may 23rd) AND it is the 23rd fic on this list!!!! WILD!!!!!)

[btvs] saw her in the streetlight, making all the world bright (5,738 words) took me like a year and a half to write the first fic in the ripper au, lmao. in which jenny is a snarky eighteen-year-old, ripper is a snarky college dropout in a band, and neither of them are at ALL good at communicating. especially not ripper.

[btvs] perfect (1,465 words) ripper au: it’s revealed that jenny hasn’t had sex before. ripper handles this with his characteristic maturity and grace (just kidding lmao he FREAKS. but it’s bc he loves her.)

[btvs] respite (1,106 words) i wrote this after issue 5 of the reboot dropped bc i was very emotional about canon power couple giles and jenny. in retrospect, i gave giles’s emotional maturity WAY too much credit--esp. given what’s going on now--but it was still fun as heck to write.

[btvs] shouldn’t we be getting together (3,193 words) this fic’s existence is a combo of me reading a summer camp ya novel and liking the Aesthetic but not the Culture & me talking endlessly w/ @jackalopingintothevoid​ about ripper and jenny’s teenage dynamic. so many of these fics have her galaxy brain takes woven in and i KNOW she knows that. lov u, jack.

[btvs] fragmented (6,158 words) written because of that one time my brain was like “but what if jenny WAS haunting the school?” happy ending because it’s me and g/j deserve some kisses.

[btvs/hp crossover] buffy summers, muggle-born (22,070 words) i CAME BACK TO THIS in 2019 and wrote a few chapters and DROPPED IT LIKE A HOT POTATO. hopefully 2020 will bring me the courage to pick it up again!!!!!! who DOESN’T want a carelessly-mashed-together crossover where the scoobies and the golden trio are all going to hogwarts together for some reason????

[btvs] in bloom (8,452 words) this was SUPPOSED to be the end of the jenny-anya-tara trilogy. it was not. (more on that later.) this was also supposed to be a fic where giles and jenny get together. jenny and anya got together. writing things is wild sometimes.

[btvs] i still want to be your girl (35,165 words) straight up i am so proud of this fic! s7 au: jenny was chased out of town by angelus. giles does not know this. jenny has been working with angel in la, but left with faith to try and help defeat the first. giles is not the guy she remembers. (but jenny’s not exactly the lady giles remembers, either. so maybe things might work out.)

[btvs/leverage crossover] what’s in a name (4,421 words) sophie’s & jenny’s relationship to their names & identities always so totally fascinated me! this fic was my way of exploring that. (also i got to give giles and jenny a toddler. that was fun too.)

[btvs comics] live a little (6,700 words) i had so much fun coming up with a backstory for giles and jenny in the comics that i am kinda tempted to eventually try and do it again. this one was fun to write, tho.

[btvs] kind of like hydrogen peroxide (7,501 words) THIS was FUN. ripper au, but it explores both jenny’s longing for High School Normalcy AND ripper’s fucked-up relationship to magic. also senior prom is a thing.

[btvs] mending fences (6,093 words) sequel to the aforementioned epistolary fic! lots of first-person self-loathing from giles, but also a LOT of love for jenny and his kids. also the man really truly needs to stop repressing.

[btvs] her father’s daughter (1,982 words) 2020 will bring us another chapter of this fic i swear to GOD. literally there’s only one chapter up so i cannot even TALK about my plans for it but uhhh if you want giles and jenny and their three daughters pls feel free to go to that prologue and check it out.

[btvs] a thousand different ways we fell apart (4,888 words) the au fic to encompass all au fics! inspired by the comic reboot and me being like. christ. do they go through this ridiculous shit in EVERY universe? ....and then i wrote a fic where jenny was a space traveler looking through multiple universe to try and fix her marriage with giles. extra fun.

[btvs] no such roses (4,814 words) this one turned out a TINY bit rushed, but the concept of jenny bringing giles back from the dead is always something that i love exploring. i might come back and rewrite this, someday.

[btvs comics] no perfect choice (4,801 words) OOF. wrote this one after issue 8 dropped. a lot softer and more tender than what actually happened, tbh. maybe i will reread it again to make myself feel better about comic calendiles and their brutal split.

[btvs] family (3,545 words) wrote this one p early in the year and came up with an ending to it much later! ripper au: the story of how xander came to live with giles and leave his parents. angst-with-a-happy-ending abounds.

[btvs] a california january (2,206 words) jenny and giles attend a funeral together. that’s pretty much it. this is defs one of the best things i wrote this year, tho.

[btvs] how i survived my summer vacation (volume two) (25,027 words) swear to god this is gonna be the next thing i update. the braveryverse NEEDS to continue. it’s got married calendiles, for god’s sake.

[btvs] clear and impartial judgment (3,977 words) that fic i wrote when i got mad at a lack of resolution wrt helpless. like!!! giles drugged buffy!!! do we not get to talk about the psychological ramifications that would have on her???? (well. canon doesn’t. but i do.)

[btvs] sunshine ladies (10,188 words) THIS FIC WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN and i say that with incandescent love in my heart. i intended for the ‘verse to be giles/jenny, and then i intended it to be jenny/anya, and then i was like....jenny has two goddamn hands, and there’s foreshadowing here for endgame giles/jenny, and i wanna write some giles/anya. let’s fuckin go. (DEFINITELY writing another installment in 2020 about this iconic ot3 of mine.) 

[btvs] spirit-touched (4,769 words) the first smut i write and it’s calendiles ghost sex. i really think this is on brand for me, esp. considering that swath of asks in 2016ish where everyone wanted to know if ghosts could jack off. incredible.

[btvs] dear friend (28,865 words) this fic had such a rushed ending :( it’s a cute premise (you’ve got mail giles/jenny au!!!!!), but i lost interest halfway through, and as a writer i can rlly see that when i read it. another thing i might like to go back and rewrite at some point, tbh!

[btvs] familiar (2,034 words) AUGH i am SO proud of this fic. SO SO PROUD. it’s a concept i really can’t explain and the little twist at the end is something i really really like, so...just read it.

[miss fisher’s murder mysteries] unbearable (5,670 words) i need to write more mfmm in 2020 but the amount of good fic out there is deeply intimidating/delightful. this one was my little “what if it was phryne who thought jack was dead” and tbqh i had a lot of fun with it? bc pining phryne (who makes brief but extremely poignant appearances throughout the series) is an awkwardly, heart-meltingly sincere lady.

[ace attorney] man’s duty to society (544 words) wrote this as my first foray into aa fic while getting emo about miles edgeworth. would absolutely still die for that man.

[ace attorney] fancy running into you (5,887 words) lots of schmoopy narumitsu fluff! gregory edgeworth is alive! miles is trauma-free! phoenix is an artist! just!!! goodness!!!!!!!

[ace attorney] big sister (2,741 words) set in the same gregory-edgeworth-is-alive ‘verse: babey franziska comes to live with miles and his dad. she is a little impossible but miles kinda does love her.

[ace attorney] prince charming edgeworth and his incredible tux (8,042 words) this fic came from me being like “i want to write phoenix swooning over miles in a tuxedo and being like HE LOOKS LIKE A DISNEY PRINCE” and spiraled into something much longer!

[ace attorney] fate, choice, and everything in between (4,384 words) SOULMATE AU. nothing i love more than deconstructing soulmate aus. but like. in a romantic way. also phoenix and miles ARE soulmates and that is JUST facts.

Favorite Fic: I WROTE SO MUCH STUFF THO LIKE !?!??! how can one expect me to distill it to just one fic? i’ll make it my top threeL

a california january (I AM SO PROUD OF THIS FIC. it is soft and angsty and silly and devastating and tender. all the calendiles feels.)

i still want to be your girl (same mood!!! i’ve wanted to write this fic for literal years, and it’s one of those rare occasions where the picture in my head actually turned out BETTER when written out!)

sunshine ladies (this is like my giles/jenny/anya ship manifesto and it still makes me happy to think about them all co-running the magic box together and smooching a lot.)

Hardest Fic: OOF uh i went through a rocky period of writing when transitioning into college? no such roses and dear friend were hit the hardest by my insecurity & my desire to Finish Things rather than actually spend time on the craft. but i’m much more settled in now and my writing is DEFINITELY in an upward swing (as my newest fic -- as day follows night -- attests to quite nicely, imo)

Do You Plan to Take Prompts in 2020? always always yes! (i’m bad at following through with them, but am ALWAYS accepting them.)

What was the best thing about 2019? there were almost too many good things to COUNT, but i think all of them were made possible by me working extremely hard to get myself the FUCK out of my abusive parents’ house and into my first choice college!! i’m thriving, y’all.

What was the worst thing about 2019? realizing that both of my parents are fundamentally terrible people. that part kinda sucked.

Any last thoughts for 2019? i finally understand what it’s like to fall asleep feeling safe, and to notice the way the leaves change color, and to get excited about self-indulgent things like food and cuddly stuffed animals and my own fic and art. 2019 brought a lot of happiness into my life, and oh yeah also i’m in love! lots of cool stuff going on.

Goals for 2020

finish the latest braveryverse installment!

MORE ART JUST IN GENERAL. i love drawing, but there’s not a lot of free time for artsy celia when they prioritize writing so often!

write one of the many incredible longfic ideas that’s floating around in my head. it’s honestly probably only like two or three big ones, but at least DECIDE which one i’m gonna focus my energy on.

more giles/anya this year!

more giles/jenny/anya this year!

diversify! still gonna be writing about jenny forever, but like. it might be fun to write about a few new things here and there.

maybe some more ace attorney fic? maybe even some mfmm fic again? phryne and jack are never far from my heart.

not tagging anyone bc this is....january. but if you wanna do it, feel free!

[the-zodiacs-written-in-the-stars]

Chapter 23: Team Angel Fish

“Doctor Korrapati, it is a pleasure to put a face to the name.”

“Likewise, Mister Hancock.”

Savitri and Sander were smiling at each other as they shook hands and all Joss could do was stand next to them, watching them miserably. This was like out of a nightmare. His longtime crush and his girlfriend were shaking hands, all pleasant and nice. Naturally did Joss know they would meet at one point, considering both were prominent figures in Joss' life (at the very latest, Joss' birthday party, he supposed), yet he wished he could have delayed it all. And the circumstances of the meeting were quite less than stellar too. Aliens, superheroes, villains trying to take over the world (or at least Los Angeles). Before Joss could say anything, he was handed a glass of wine by Sonia, who rested a hand on his shoulder and steered him away from Sander and Savitri.

“Let them talk”, requested Sonia firmly.

“But why?”, asked Joss lost. “I already told Savitri most-”

“Yes, quite. Most”, agreed Sonia bemused. “Sander and I have a better understanding of the overall picture, all this... passing on of information like that... Sander is a good teacher, he will explain everything to her. I'd like to have a word with you though.”

“What about?”, inquired Joss curiously.

“You got your girlfriend involved, dear.”

“I'm... aware, Sonia?” Joss nodded, a little confused.

“I'm just... curious, my friend”, whispered Sonia gently, sitting down on the couch on the terrace, motioning for Joss to join her. “I've been well-aware of your... interest in Sander. I didn't quite expect you to turn up with a girlfriend, to be honest. And now you have gotten her involved in something bigger than you, me or anything here.”

“I... My crush on Sander is... just that”, grunted Joss stubbornly, glaring out into the garden. “My feelings for Savitri are genuine. And I didn't get her involved in this out of selfish reasons or anything. She is... one of the most honest and genuine people I have ever met, she is more than qualified for this responsibility because she won't use it for her own gain and she brings the care and attention that Libra needs after what he's been through with Carroll Lewis.”

“Mh”, grunted Sonia thoughtfully. “I just want to make sure that I'm not stuck in the middle of some classic, overused love-triangle, Joss. If you bring romance to the work-place, it tends to add unnecessary drama and I do think that what with the aliens trying to take over the world, we have enough drama going on.”

Furrowing her brows, Joss turned to look back inside. Savitri and Sander were sitting at the table, talking, Sander writing something down to explain it. Both were bent over, seemingly in deep, excited conversation. Joss couldn't deny the way his heart hammered in his chest at it and he couldn't quite pinpoint for whom that hammering was. They were both so... lovely? The way Savitri's thick curls fell over her shoulder, her fingers running through it absentmindedly in a cute habit Joss had been observing for a while now, whenever Savitri was deep in thought. The way Sander's glasses framed his sharp face, the smile pulling on his lips as it always did when he got to explain something – his passion for knowledge. As Joss watched them, he couldn't help but marvel at how they complimented each other. Sander, who loved to share knowledge, and Savitri, who was always so eager to soak up new knowledge.

 ~*~

 Savitri adored Angel. The tiny blonde was an excitable ball of energy and joy; exactly Savitri's people, really. Pure sunshine and optimism. Also really very tiny. Then again, Savitri was a rather tall woman so it seemed even more prominent. Unlike most other short people Savitri had met, Angel didn't seem to quite mind comments about her height – the green-haired one however, she had bared her fangs and jumped up and down at Savitri's comment. Babs. Babara. That was the green-haired one – the cousin of Angel's boyfriend.

“Here's to teamwork!”, declared Angel, lifting her glass up high.

The four of them were at Angel and Sebastian's flat. Angelique Lamour, Sebastian Weinberg, Joss and Savitri. They were to be a team. It was odd, because Savitri felt like an afterthought. Sebastian and Angel were in a relationship, Angel was Joss' best friend and Joss was also close friends with Sebastian. Savitri was just the new girlfriend of Joss'.

“We will be one of the three teams then?”, asked Savitri softly before sipping her wine.

“Yeah. We got Team Lionheart – what an adorable name and quite fitting, considering that Scorpio and Leo started it out – as well as the... Unicorn Princess Squad, and I admit to enjoying the irritated looks on their faces at their own team name thanks to the press”, giggled Angel.

“What's our name?”, inquired Savitri curiously.

“That... is an excellent question”, hummed Sebastian thoughtfully.

“Lionheart's named for the two companions that shared a form and started out their team. We don't really have that, with an owl, a fish, an ibex and a jackal”, noted Joss with furrowed brows.

“Well, the... unfortunately named Unicorn Princess Squad is named for their leader's companion”, offered Sebastian after a moment. “Matteo's Sagittarius.”

“So... you proposing that we're... the Mermaid Goat Squad?”, asked Savitri with a grin.

“Mer--” Sebastian sputtered, nearly spilling his wine. “You, how dare you. A capricorn is not-”

“Mon amour, it is”, interrupted Angel, giggling and leaning into her boyfriend. “Capricorn is literally a goat with a mermaid tail. It's a mergoat.”

“First of all, he's an ibex, not just a regular goat”, grumbled Sebastian with a pout. “And second of all, I am not the leader of this team. I am the most involuntary participant of this team.”

“Aw, Bastien”, huffed Angel with a puppy-dog look.

“No, no. I do not want to fight, I do not want this mess, but most of all, I do not want to be responsible for it all”, argued Sebastian fiercely, shaking his head.

“Well then, any volunteers?”, asked Savitri looking around.

“I volunteer Angel”, offered Joss after a moment.

“...What?”, asked Angel, her eyebrows up in her hairline.

“You're the most enthusiastic, you're a very social creature, you are excellent at staying level-headed”, explained Joss. “You're good choice as leader, Angelique.”

Quietly, Angel stared at them, before she nodded slowly. “Okay. Sure. Yes. Why not.”

“And do you have a name-proposal?”, asked Savitri curiously.

“Mh... how about... Team Angel Fish?”, asked Angel with a mischievous smile.

“Wait that's a great pun!”, exclaimed Savitri excitedly.

“I kno—ow, right?!”, yelped Angel, high-fiving Savitri.

 ~*~

 “Okay, let me recap this”, started Savitri slowly. “Sonia and Sander are in an on-again-off-again relationship, current status... off. He is the one you had... have... a crush on.”

Joss bit his lips and nodded sharply, cheeks feeling hot.

“The one in the tight leather-dress is Tanya, who used to date both James and Babara – not at the same time though. James also used to date Angel, who is now with Sebastian, who is Babara's cousin. Barbara is the green-haired one. Then there is James' sister Jessie, who is no one's ex. They're the ones with the freckles? You actually have not one but two billionaires though because Matteo di Girasole is part of this team. And his fiance Michael. And Michael's sister Melanie. Not only are both your bosses and a model from your agency part of this team, but also your friend the graphic designer, Elizabeth. How...?”

“How?”, echoed Joss confused, blinking a couple of times.

“I mean that I understand, Sander explained that every marble landed in the same spot – or roughly the same spot, some seemed to have gotten a little lost. But this... very interwoven group of people? Not the random drunkard in the corner, or the couple who happened to be on a date? I see that not everyone is connected with each other, but... there is so many connections?”

“You mean that we, or someone in the group at least, were specifically targeted?”, asked Joss. “We... have been considering the possibility, but honestly what... motive would there be? We're just normal people. Matteo maybe, but...”

“I don't know”, shrugged Savitri thoughtfully. “I mean, you can cross me, Angel and Sebastian off the list, considering that we were chosen differently.”

“Me too, because I was outside. The main group landed inside the pub”, noted Joss.

“And the pub, it... it belongs to the siblings, right?”, asked Savitri.

“James and Jessica”, nodded Joss. “So... those two...?”

Savitri shrugged. “Your guess is as good, if not better, than mine.”

 ~*~

 “So what, you guys think that we're the targets?”, huffed Jessie amused.

She sat backward on her chair, arms crossed on the backrest. James was leaning against the bar, right next to her. The pub was still closed, though renovations were going rather well with the help of everyone. And what better time to bring up their theory than when everyone was together.

“Savitri suggested it the other day”, shrugged Joss, brushing her hair behind her ear. “It's as good a theory as any, since the gems came here, to the pub. And the pub is yours.”

“Do you... Do you think anyone could have it out for you?”, asked Mike.

He looked like a big, kicked puppy-dog as he stared at Jamie. It made Joss roll her eyes. Mike and Matt were so very obviously pining for Jamie that it was pathetic. However, Joss was not one with a right to judge, considering her own sad track-record. Still, looking at them made Joss understand why Sonia had taken her aside the other week and asked her if she was bringing any love-drama into this situation. It only complicated things unnecessarily.

“Why would we have enemies?”, asked Jessie incredulously.

Joss furrowed her brows as she watched the way James avoided eye-contact and didn't seem to have any input. This seemed like he was trying to hide something. She wondered what... and she wondered why Jessie didn't seem aware of this. Because Jessica seemed genuinely disturbed by the mere notion of it. Was Savitri's hunch right? Was there something in the Saint Johns' past that had led all of them to this situation...?

“Attacks have increased lately”, noted Lizzy after a moment of working in silence. “I think they're either not happy we took Libra from them, or they see us all gathering as the go-ahead for... whatever they are up to. That ominous 'they' is pissing me off.”

“We've been trailing Carroll Lewis to see if she can lead us to whoever is in charge of her, but so far, no luck”, shrugged Mike annoyed. “...Rick's getting super suspicious.”

Lizzy turned a little, looking guilty. Joss understood why; she was glad that she could share this with her girlfriend. Having to lie and hide such a huge thing from someone you loved? (Or liked a whole lot, because Joss wasn't ready to put the big l-one there just yet.)

“Just means we gotta take care of this fast”, declared Lizzy seriously.

Read here on AO3!

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