#i honestly don't know how to tag things

[gremlinbean]

WIP Wednesday

This weeks WIP Wednesday post comes from a Tim Drake-focused WIP I've had on the back burner for a couple of years now, adding to it as and when I feel like. I'm hoping posting this here and getting some feedback might encourage me to work on it more lol

Anyways, this part of the WIP is the direct aftermath of Tim getting kidnapped and slightly tortured, and happens in a universe where Tim did become Joker Junior, although it happens differently than in cannon here. The fic will also take place a couple years after Brucequest, and have Jaytim.

Anyways, WIP under the cut

When Tim finally woke up properly, rather than just the in and out moments of consciousness he occasionally had, he was in a hospital, judging by the sounds and smells around him. He... Last thing he could remember was the taser and his... memories. Maybe he heard Jason, his voice distorted by his helmet, but he couldn't be sure... Was probably his mind playing tricks on him. Although, he must have been rescued somehow. Else he wouldn't be here... 

With a small sigh and more effort than he appreciated (morphine, his mind helpfully supplied), he opened his eyes to look around and confirmed that, yes, he was in a hospital. And, unsurprisingly, he was alone. That... Although it was to be expected - there was no way any of them were willing to visit him in hospital, except to reduce the chances of a publicity scandal - some part of Tim ached. He was used to being let down and alone, but still... Another sigh escaped him as he tried to get his body to move with him. He must have been out for a while - he didn't seem to have any of the after-effects of being tasered. That was good and bad he guessed. It meant he didn't have to deal with uncontrollable limbs, but it gave Bruce all the more reason to be disappointed and provided Damian with even more ammunition to cut Tim deep... Oh well. His head was too fuzzy for him to care. Besides, he had no reason to give a shit. He'd accepted a long time ago that he wasn't one of them, he acted as a solo vigilante more than a team player now (had since he returned with Bruce two years prior, if he were being honest), and he'd learnt how to be alone years ago. He didn't need them, just as they didn't need him. He would be fine. He-

"You're awake!" a familiar voice declared, informing Tim of the new presence in his room. He tensed, focusing on the doorway, where he found Bruce and Jason stood. Bruce, having been the one that had spoken, rushed forward, a frown tugging at his brow as he quietly asked, "Are you alright?"

That... Right. A quick glance at the nurse that had followed Bruce and Jason into the room told Tim all he needed to know. They weren't really there for him, he guessed, even as he faked a small, tired smile, they were there because they were expected to be. Well, Bruce was, so Jason's presence didn't make sense, but he was probably there on behalf of Alfred. The butler probably wanted someone to run interference so that Bruce wouldn't start on his lecture as soon as Tim woke up... With a barely perceptible sigh and a scratchy voice (damn, Tim hadn't realized how thirsty he was), Tim replied, "I... Fuzzy."

"That'd be the morphine, Mr Wayne," the nurse explained, carefully pouring a glass of water. As she did that, Tim attempted to pull himself upright, but he didn't get a chance to move. Instead, Jason stepped forward and, with a surprising amount of gentleness and care, helped him, adjusting the pillows so he was leaning against them. That... Tim's heart fluttered at that, but he scolded himself for it. Jason was just doing it to keep up the image and keep the nurse happy. He didn't give two shits about Tim... With a sigh, he accepted the cup the nurse held for him, taking it in shaky hands. For a second, it looked like Bruce was going to help him with it, but Tim was able to force his hands steady. He was already weak enough in Bruce's eyes, he didn't need to give the man any more reason to be disappointed... He-

"We have some tests we need to run, Mr Wayne. Are you feeling up to it?" the nurse asked, distracting Tim from where he'd been carefully sipping at the water. For a second, he hesitated, but he soon nodded. That earned him a soft smile from the nurse, before she ushered Bruce and Jason out of the room. That left Tim with just her, until the doctor arrived a minute later. With his umpteenth sigh since he woke up, Tim got ready for the usual uncomfortable tests...

[nebuladreamz]

A little different than last year's, but here we are again. To say that this past year hasn't been absolutely wild would be a lie, cause HOLY SHIT MAN

This year's birthday is. A little different for me, but you already have the silly comic to show that so I won't make like a broken record oops

But, despite the changes and hills that life's decided I should climb or throw at, it hasn't changed the fact that I'm so genuinely fucking thankful to the people that I've known since joining this fandom. I'm not even kidding when I say that being here has actually changed my life for the better. I know I said something similar last year, but this time, hoo boy it sure turned up the AMP and test how far I could go.

So, to everyone, both new and old; thank you for being here :D

@garbagechocolate @darkxsoulzyx @smoljeanius @bunmuffin @skizabaa

@tuzesdays @sleepykas @fernzwing @kandidandi @starsketchez

@just-a-drawing-bean @notdysfunk @ilsole @amberluvsbugs @cloudyvoid

@nomsthecat @alfinefalf @nosleepygay @theblog-with-thestuff

@cacaocheri

(Edit: ty kibbits for informing me of the. Fuck ass tagging system)

AND TAGGING OTHERS BECAUSE. POINTS. BONKS WITH HEAD. GETTING TO EITHER INTERACT OR TALK OR WHATEVER IS ALWAYS A DELIGHT

@ohno-the-sun @kibbits @ink-yy @saltyfryz @kaprisvn

@hierba-picante @sunny-sophies-garden @cookiiemancer @sneeblbop @justaduckarts

@pepethehumanz @crystalmagpie447 @woolysstuff @mocha-illustrates @duhsty1

@sanchensky @pillowspace @victarin @witherfide

[I DEFINITELY GOT SONAS WRONG AND THESE AREN'T ALL THE SILLY PEOPLE I KNOW BUT IM SITTING HERE AT 2:30 IN THE MORNING JUST KNOW YOU'RE THERE IN SPIRIT HANDING YOU ALL POPTARTS WAUGH]

[pigswithwings]

but genuinely if you default to saying that random people and things have psychosis as an insult. you gotta change that. you have to think about why you say that. "this is psychotic" stop that shit. "these people are psychopaths" stop it. stop it what the hell. come on. real people have psychosis you think they aren't already associated with negative things? you think that helps anyone?

[theminecraftbee]

the "how to write a rec post or masterpost" post

i promised this a few days ago, so here it is: my brief guide on how to pitch yourself or someone else on tumblr to other people in such a way that they might actually click on it! this is what i've found is the most effective way to format a set of fic recs or your own masterpost will typically be, at least to me. this is meant for when you're listing multiple fics in one post, typically intending to help a reader choose one they want to read!

the biggest thing to remember is a rec post or masterpost is a tool for a potential reader. therefore, you want to include the information they need in the easiest-to-read way possible.

first off: if you are trying to list or rec more than one fic, do not use the tumblr 'link' embed function. like, you CAN, but ao3 link embeds get ugly when you have more than about one of them. instead, do an in-line link, like this! this will make a longer post much easier to read.

next, with each link, include the following information: a brief summary (it doesn't have to be the same as the summary/pitch you used for ao3, and probably shouldn't be; instead, a one or two sentence description of what the fic is about is best), the fandom it's in, a sense of the fic's length, and rating. (note that you DON'T need to include all the tags and trigger warnings--if someone is intrigued enough to read it, they'll click on the link, and from there they will see the tags and trigger warnings. this should only be enough information to get someone interested.)

finally, ESPECIALLY if it's a rec post, include at least one sentence about why someone should read it. why are you recommending it? this is different from the summary; if a summary of the fic is "joe hills gets stuck in a time loop", the sentence about why someone should read it shouldn't be "haven't you ever wanted to see joe in a time loop?"

the point of rec posts--and indeed promoing on tumblr--is that people trust word of mouth more than they trust a random summary. so give them that word of mouth! if it's a rec post, say something like "it's a fic that made me cry", or "i never thought i'd laugh so much at a fic until i read this", or "the character-voices are on point", or "i stayed up all night reading this". if it's your own master post. include something like "this might be the fic i'm the most proud of", or "this one is great if you like joe hills and enjoy tragedy", or "this one was an experiment in style". something that is NOT just further summary of the fic, but instead describes a good reason to read it!

so, for example, an entry in my own hypothetical master post might look like this:

to convey a certain brilliance, hermitcraft, T, 21k. joe hills and zombiecleo slowly, and through many death loops, drag their way out of their collapsed base to try to survive after a lunar apocalypse. this is the second hermitcraft fic i ever wrote and i wrote it before we knew how moon's big would end, inspired by super hostile; people still tell me it has some of their favorite joe characterization.

and an entry in a hypothetical rec post i might write could look like this:

the sky weighs heavy tonight by mawofthemagnetar, hermitcraft, T, 79k. an ensemble fic in which a plane being flown by keralis and zedaph crashes, and in which the world is still recovering from the scars of a deadly war. i LOVE snake's writing, and this fic was basically designed to capture me specifically; it has cool worldbuilding, body horror, PLANES, a really cool aircraft investigation plot, one of the best-executed ensemble casts in the fandom, and a fun tone! it's a fairly easy read even given it's length, too; if you haven't read it, you absolutely should.

my only remaining recommendation is that if you're writing a LONG fic rec post or a LONG masterpost, you organize it by categories. these categories can be whatever is most useful for you--by relationship tag, by fandom, by ship or not ship, by genre, etc., it's mostly just to make scanning through the post a little easier.

and hopefully this is helpful for some folks out there! if people are interested i can also do one on "how to promo my individual fic", i also have observations and opinions on that.

[camellcat]

hello timepetals people!! I was curious if doctor who has, like, The definitive "if you like timepetals you are practically obligated to read" tenrose/ninerose/whichever doctor timepetals fic(s)

[quadrilateral-triangle]

ok so I made this like a month ago and was on the fence about posting it cause i didn't know if I was ever gonna finish it but, I think I've changed how I draw the captains since then so if I were to ever finish this it would be by completely restarting. Anyways, here's the Riptide Captains sitting on something.

[knightwhoisni]

concept: unromanced eleanor as drifter's romantic advisor and wingwoman. how successful she actually is at this depends on how serious she's feeling.

[emblazons]

Okay listen I promise I'm gonna get out of my aggressive noticing of St*ncy / Mlvn parallels moment, but not before I talk about the fact that BOTH couples have a moment in the second episode of a season where they are knowingly and willfully trying to act like nothing is wrong between them as a couple or in general...

...only to have a spill in a public setting shatter the illusion of being "stupid teenagers" + lead to the girl running away from her partner?

both of these moments lead to a huge fallout fight about a Wheeler not really being in love with their partner one episode later too.

like??? you couldn't make this shit up if you tried lmao

[flower-dagger-gay]

Me throughout the entirety of s2e8:

[beanghostprincess]

I can't believe I just had to explain my last Zolusan (more Lusan/Sanlu than anything but yeah) fic to somebody because they said it was normalizing unhealthy behavior when it comes to starting poly relationships. As if the monster trio would talk things out like normal people. Seriously.

Please NEVER leave a comment like this on a fanfic. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it. I am not here to educate people!! I am not your parents!! This is a fanfic site!! Don't expect me to write a manual on how to have a poly relationship, especially when it would be out of character for the main couple.

I'm gonna leave the link to the fic here and what I told them about it because now I am extremely anxious other people won't get what I want to express with this fic and I feel the need to share my thoughts:

[some-pers0n]

Every once in a while I think about the ship I've been obsessed over for close to two years now and feel like I'm ascending to another plane of reality. Like sometimes you just encounter a ship that hits every single mark and is perfect in every regard and you're left stunned how something like that can even exist

[i3utterflyeffect]

Gravity would be so weird for resurrected!victim to experience. Like yeah they've seen its influence on others but they haven't felt for over a decade and even then it was for less than two minutes. Also, they wouldn't be comfortable sparring with the others because the first time they fought they lost and were a ghost for a very long time because of it.

oh yeah definitely. i could see them being very good at controlling themself under the levitation effect just because they're so used to it.

also yeah no, i feel like with the sticks they might spar a little (the others go pretty easy on them since it's pretty evident victim is a bit of a coward), but with Alan it's a complete no-go. the first time they get caught up in a play-fight between Alan and the sticks they just curl up and have a trauma attack and everyone just kind of stops

[blusical]

"i miss drunk kane" yeah uh considering the shit that he'd fucking get into whenever alcohol was involved, I'd rather NOT people miss that era, actually!

[agir1ukn0w]

these twitter people think they've seen shit, wait till they see this fucking guy

[supercantaloupe]

okay don giovanni review from last night. under the cut bc it's me. tldr the vocal performances were great, leporello carried the show, one of the most insane productions i've seen thus far but somehow in a new bizarre direction from normal. good snacks.

first of all i don't care how much wine you offer i think it's kind of ridiculous to charge $165 for a base ticket price for a performance that 1. isn't even in a concert hall or theater 2. is a concert performance rather than a staged performance (which was not advertised ahead of time) and 3. was not even a full production because they made the absolutely mind boggling decision to cut 100% of the recitative and replace it with Some Guy sitting on the stage narrating the plot between every 1-3 numbers

i did not pay that much gd bless. the student ticket was way cheaper.

the narration wasn't even good it was weirdly ungenerous to the women (like how do you even make elvira out be a "women, amirite" thing and also vaguely imply anna was into it in a production with zero acting? well they figured something out) and i don't think it even explained well enough what happens between each number to truly give a first time watcher a good idea of what's actually going on. not to mention that it absolutely kills any sense of momentum in the plot and makes the entire show drag like hell, because you have to wait between every single aria for either Some Guy to talk at you for three minutes straight, or wait awkwardly while people onstage walk off and people offstage walk on. it was so painfully clunky

they had a piano up there but since there was no recit it's not like she was accompanying much of anything. in practice what it ended up being used for was 1. the mandolin part for deh vieni (acceptable in the absence of a mandolin player; they were working with a limited chamber ensemble of musicians so i get it) 2. the party music at the end of act i (egregious fault imo because it absolutely kills the vibe of the scene and completely obfuscates the way the music is supposed to be adding to the tension and chaos with its different instrumental groups playing in different meters)

and 3. used to give singers their notes when the vocal line of their arias start on beat 1 measure 1, which they otherwise would have been able to get from the preceding recits (which is imo painfully amateurish for an ostensibly professional production)

all the numbers in act i were there although the narration was so bad i got jumpscared by fin ch'han dal vino because i forgot it was supposed to be there and thought we had skipped over that point in the plot. act ii had some really bizarre additional cuts made, notably they just entirely skipped over meta di voi and vedrai carino. it was like masetto and zerlina fuck off for the entirety of act ii save for, like, mille torbidi (they VERY briefly mentioned masetto getting beat up in the narration and i don't think they mentioned vedrai carino at all, they just skipped straight from deh vieni to sola sola. and also there was a painful awkward pause before deh vieni because i think the pianist forgot she was supposed to play there and the narrator jumped ahead to the next chunk of plot explanation too early). kept both dalla and tesoro (i'm fine with this ottavio was quite good though could've used a bit of ornamentation imo), kept mi tradi, kept non mi dir (more on that in a bit). no per queste which is probably a good thing not only for the show itself but also my head would have absolutely and irreversibly exploded if they had, probably

the whole thing kind of felt underrehearsed. like a quarter of the time it seemed like people didn't know what they were doing or had to be reminded where to be at that point in the show. and there were a few moments throughout where the orchestra struggled to keep up with the singers, but i really don't think they had much time to rehearse together, honestly.

and then, to my utter shock, the finale was actually really good?? like. insane compared to the rest of the show thus far. though it helps that 1. i absolutely love the harmonieband arrangements of cosa rara/i litiganti/non piu andrai, after possibly the draggiest non mi dir i've yet experienced it was like a breath of fresh air to hear that (and non mi dir was actually well performed i liked this anna but considering how much the Entire Show was dragging, the fact that they cut meta di voi and vedrai carino, AND the fact that they promised this act would be short, it felt crazy to me to keep it at that point.)

2. leporello and the don were by far the best performers of the night. so much so that i sought them out during the post show reception to tell them how great they were and enjoyed their performance. which i usually do not do, but in this like, high school recital ass production value. unbelievable relief that the final scene is dominated by the two actors in the show who most remembered that they can, and in fact Should, be acting. so much more movement and physicality and expression from those two compared to most everyone else. leporello especially, his actor apparently specializes in comedic bass roles and it shows, he was the standout all night

and 3. for the first time in the entire production they made an interesting decision regarding the physical space and staging! they had the commendatore sing from up on a balcony overlooking the audience in the foyer. the bar admittedly was set very low in the previous act and a half but the finale reminded me that i actually like this show again which is appreciated

though they then threw another curveball at me by Cutting the sextet at the end. which like didn't even piss me off at that point i was just baffled. like the don sinks down in agony and leporello sinks down whimpering in fear and the orchestra cuts off. and i'm expecting an awkward pause while they quietly get up and shuffle off so the rest of the cast can come back but nope. big orange title slate appears on the big screen behind them and the audience breaks into a roaring applause and the announcement of the wine and dessert reception. felt like i was in a fever dream

i will say the desserts were very nearly almost worth the bullshit that was the preceding show. they were so good. thank you austria for your dedication to pastry. and because i don't drink and couldn't appreciate the free wine offered i had to indulge in my own manner. spread contained chocolate oat bites (tasted as much like espresso powder as chocolate and coated in coconut, 4/10), almond sponge cake (classic, 7/10), cardamom apple bread pudding with caramel cream (not enough cardamom but otherwise very tasty and autumnal, 8.5/10) and honey cake (11/10. i don't know how they made this so good. i want more right now so much). i take both my mozart opera and my desserts very seriously.

anyway overall the production was. i would say frustrating. the singing quality was Really Good (leporello was the clear standout, probably followed by the don though i prefer my dons with a lighter voice but technically he was very good, then probably ottavio, then maybe masetto or anna. the commendatore was great but he's in it so little it's hard to compare)

i just wish they could have, like, actually done a full production. it would have been so great if they had gotten to tell the actual story and had been fully allowed to act. when there Was acting were the best moments of the show, and it's really unsurprising that most of that came from leporello, the absolute legend.

[sysig]

You’re so obvious, DAX (Patreon)