Randomized Robins AU - Ages + Worst Trait Exercise:
Steph (25):
Says her worst trait is her murderous rages (she is exaggerating for dramatic/comedic effect, she’s killed 3 people tops and for very good reason)
Thinks her worst trait is her spitefulness (one of the few traits she definitely got from her father + one that prevents her from fixing her relationships and living her best possible life. She’ll refuse to interact with someone she dearly loves after an argument (happens significantly less after Tim’s death) or will say things she knows are hurtful just for the sake of having the last word. This trait will worsen in some ways as the list of people who have wronged her and those she loves grows, but will also ease up as she matures and realizes the harm it’s doing to her relationships with those she loves most.)
Her worst trait really is her spitefulness
Cass (26)
Says her worst trait is her self-righteousness (she believes that her goals are righteous and, as a result, she is righteous. Cass becomes very defensive whenever someone questions the mission and often does not second-guess herself. This is a trait she only develops later in life as she grows closer to Bruce/learns to understand herself more/starts to love herself more. But she knows she isn’t perfect and when somebody she trusts criticizes something she is doing she is willing to listen. She just usually isn’t the one to START the introspection.)
Thinks her worst trait is her self-righteousness.
Her worst trait actually is her obsessiveness (she gets it from Bruce and, while not as bad as him, she will easily become preoccupied with her night-life and the mission if someone isn’t there to pull her back. She will do this to the point of self-destruction and it hurts her relationships with the people she loves, especially Steph.)
Tim (24)
Says his worst trait is his spitefulness (he actively rejects the idea of mending his relationships with the older members of the family and this causes him to also lack good relationships with the younger ones)
Thinks his worst trait is his obsessiveness (similar to Cass, if he gets fixated on a task or idea he will neglect everything else in his life in order to dedicate more time to it. Unlike Cass, he will almost never be dragged away from it unless Pierrot snatches control of the body and forces them to take care of themself.)
His worst trait actually is how manipulative he is (the KING of guilt-tripping and using people’s emotions against them. He’ll do whatever he needs to do to get what he wants, he’s not above crocodile tears. And he will do it to whoever he needs (or wants) to with little care for how his actions impact others.)
Pierrot (Insists: “Age doesn’t apply to me! And even if it did, I'd probably be the oldest. Or the youngest! I’d never be a middle child, though.” Mental assessments by the Bats have put him around 21, with a margin of error of 3 years. Pierrot has called this “blatant character assassination by my eternal rival!”)
Says his worst trait is that he is an irredeemable psychopath without any regard for the wellbeing of others (this is a lie and everyone who's important to him understands this).
Thinks his worst trait is his parasitic nature (he literally would not exist had Tim not suffered the way he did. Plus he is a living reminder of one of the worst things that happened to many of his loved ones. He is a parasite injected into a functional person's body and contributes to his continued suffering. This is also a largely incorrect judgement of himself, caused by his actual worst trait.)
His worst trait actually is his limited sense of self (he doesn’t really know who he is outside of ‘inheritor to the legacy of the Joker (a man he despises yet also views as a father)’ and ‘chip in Tim’s brain that became sentient’. He slowly develops an identity over the course of his life and relationships with other people, but he lacks the foundations of identity that most people have. Pierrot will often almost become a caricature of himself and what others perceive him to be because it's the only person he knows how to be. This causes wild swings in how he behaves and relates to others, sometimes to the detriment of himself and others.)
Dick (17)
Says his worst trait is his clinginess (he is a very extraverted person who likes to be around others, which mixed with his fear of abandonment after his parents died means that if he goes a few days without seeing/talking to a friend he will get very anxious.)
Thinks his worst trait is his anger issues (he gets ticked off very easily and will explode on people. He’s kind at his core and is usually very nice, but he has a temper that can escalate significantly. Spoiler (and later Twist) help him channel this anger into something positive.)
His worst trait actually is his anger issues.
Barbara (18)
Says her worst trait is her disability (internalized ableism, she thinks of herself as less valuable than the other Bats because she cannot be out there in the capes like they can. She will grow out of this as she matures and as she learns how invaluable her support for the team is.)
Thinks her worst trait is her disability
Her worst trait actually is her overly-independent nature (In an attempt to overcompensate for everything she can no longer do, she has resolved to do literally everything that she possibly can without any help from others. This results in many instances where she either takes on too much and winds up not being able to fully realize any of her tasks or where she makes her life and the lives of others significantly harder by refusing help when offered/not asking for it when she needs it.)
Damian (16)
Says his worst trait is his perfectionism (he is overly critical of both himself and others, taking any flaw or problem and amplifying it to an absurd degree. This is due in part to his life with the LoA (where even a brief misstep could lead to death), in part to how others treated him initially as Spoiler (any flaw was fixated on and used as a reason to either mistrust him or portray him as unworthy of the mantle), and in part due to the fact that he is Bruce’s son (the only person with worse perfectionism problems than Damian). Gradually, Damian has improved in this regard but it’s still a massive barrier to both his own happiness and his relationships with others.)
Thinks his worst trait is his perfectionism
His worst trait actually is his perfectionism
Duke (16)
Says his worst trait is his definitely-real secret evil side (says this as a ‘my dad is a villain so who knows??’ joke)
Thinks his worst trait is his impulsivity in his words (Sometimes he will crack a joke or say a remark without thinking it through, leading to a LOT of hurt feelings and drama. He’ll say something without thinking it through and wind up seeming insensitive. This isn’t done because of malice, rather because Duke is someone who’s quick to act and speak. But while the mantle of Insight and his awakening powers have helped him with his actions, they do not always help with his loose tongue. As such, Duke gains an unfair reputation in the media as an instigator and will accidentally cause family drama through what he says.)
His worst trait actually is his impulsivity in his words
Jason (14)
Says his worst trait is his bad manners (he grew up on the streets and has no idea how rich-people society works, which he’s pretty insecure about considering he’s now the youngest kid of Bruce freaking Wayne).
Thinks his worst trait is his reactiveness (Jason never got the privilege of planning ahead for various events in his life, so he instead needed to rely on being swift and harsh in how he could react to situations. It’s saved his life on multiple occasions and helps significantly in his role as Spoiler, but it can also lead to extreme overreactions (accidentally causing kidnapping scare after Jason ran away following a fight with Dick) and a struggle to plan things out ahead of time. As he grows more secure in his place in the family and in life, this trait will lessen but never fully dissipate.)
His worst trait actually is his reactiveness
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Skills &. powers.
don't reblog or steal or i will live in your walls <3
Johnny's interest in martial arts hadn't been intended, despite his fascination with the likes of Bruce Lee and other famous action stars while growing up, it never occurred to him that he would ever go down the same path as them, and reach so far beyond than the life of any Hollywood star would ever hope for. He began with a simple course of Karate as a means of self defense, his mother came to the decision after many instances of bullying that went unaddressed and unpunished in his school, he needed to learn to toughen up and stand up for himself, [ a task that should be appointed to a father that was constantly out of the picture. ] It was fun to the young boy he was at first, but as he progressed from one belt to another, his interest had grown exceptionally, he practiced non stop and got recognised for his hard work, eventually earning him a spot in various local tournaments then world championships, which he had won four in his lifetime. His achievements gained him audience with the best masters around the world and he was eager to be taught by them, he advanced in other forms of Karate like Shorin Ryu, Shinto Ryu, [ that he later developed better from Darrius' teachings, who he had gotten to meet during his training in Orderrealm later on. ] He mastered Jeet Kune Do and Muay Thai as well.
It was all skill and physical abilities that had unknowingly qualified him to be a part of the mortal kombat tournaments, which he at first agreed upon as a publicity stunt to save his failing career at the time. It was at the end of the first tournament that something within him had sparked into a life, a power beyond his imagination or knowledge to ever be in possession of. Raiden himself didn't seem to be aware of it but after some research it's revealed to the star that he was a descendant from a mediterranean cult that bred warriors for combat. That green glow is similar in essence to the likes of Shang Tsung, Quan chi, Nightwolf and even Shao khan, which is presumably cultivated by souls. The method with which this cult used to create a generation of warriors by using the souls of their fallen as enhancement for combat. It was dormant during Johnny's life, awakened at the defeat of Shao, as his last remains were fading, he had unknowingly absorbed a large amount of souls the Kahn had in possession from all the worlds he had conquered.
It was a gradual shift from then on, something was off but he could never put his finger on It, only for it to emerge during the encounter with Shinnok, the green glow that encased his body and acted like a shield, fading as quickly as it had appeared. He couldn't summon it by will again, but rather it showed by itself, more frequently the more he fought, constantly feeding into that power until the near catastrophic end result as sudden bursts of energy from a huge quantity of souls his body was now struggling to contain. He sought Raiden and Nightwolf's advice in order to control it, or at least understand it, [ for he was worried he might hurt those around him unintentionally ], the only solution they could come to was to send him to Orderrealm, where he went through long and extensive training by both Hotaru and Darrius, the conclusion was learning how to channel those powers through controlled blasts of energy, as seen through what became his signature move afterwards the shadow kick. He also learned to direct them through his kicks and punches, conjuring energy blasts, then later and with enough experience, encasing his body with it to be used as shield upon command, or his fists and kicks as an enhancement of strength during combat.
Moreover, due to this connection with souls, his attentive nature is heightened as he can sense the others feelings to a relative degree by picking up on negative energy and thus better understand those around him. It might be said he mastered his inner powers with age, he's certainly more in control and attuned to its full capacity, he can channel energy with ease and fluidity as though its second nature to him or an extension to his strength. But he isn't exactly in full control at all times, as explained, he simply learned how to channel it &. keep those bursts of energy in check. However, when he's driven to an edge and is at the end of his limits, his powers shift from green to crimson red, which happens only when he uses his powers to its full extent, but lack of concentration in that state can he destructive and it's highly draining to him that his body shuts down completely afterwards, it's a last trump card he uses only at dire circumstances.
Johnny possesses those powers in the new timeline as well, had never been aware of them but just like the previous timeline it's a gradual process, already triggered without his knowledge during the fight against Quan chi to stop the well of souls from creating Ermac. Some of the souls that escaped when the stone was broken had gone through to Johnny who had been knocked unconscious at the time. Some semblance of his powers show through speed for the most part, when he dashes forward to evade an attack or when he puts enough force into a punch or kick, the shadow left behind is quick for the eye to see but there's a faint green glow within it. It's a slight shift he had noticed but took it as nothing more than a result of more extensive practice. But its only bound to grow and emerge in full with time, well after the first tournament and constant combat that he finds out and seeks Liu kang's aid this time around.
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How I learned to write smarter, not harder
(aka, how to write when you're hella ADHD lol)
A reader commented on my current long fic asking how I write so well. I replied with an essay of my honestly pretty non-standard writing advice (that they probably didn't actually want lol)
Now I'm gonna share it with you guys and hopefully there's a few of you out there who will benefit from my past mistakes and find some useful advice in here. XD Since I started doing this stuff, which are all pretty easy changes to absorb into your process if you want to try them, I now almost never get writer's block.
The text of the original reply is indented, and I've added some additional commentary to expand upon and clarify some of the concepts.
As for writing well, I usually attribute it to the fact that I spent roughly four years in my late teens/early 20s writing text roleplay with a friend for hours every single day. Aside from the constant practice that provided, having a live audience immediately reacting to everything I wrote made me think a lot about how to make as many sentences as possible have maximum impact so that I could get that kind of fun reaction. (Which is another reason why comments like yours are so valuable to fanfic writers! <3)
The other factors that have improved my writing are thus:
1. Writing nonlinearly.
I used to write a whole story in order, from the first sentence onward. If there was a part I was excited to write, I slogged through everything to get there, thinking that it would be my reward once I finished everything that led up to that.
It never worked. XD It was miserable. By the time I got to the part I wanted to write, I had beaten the scene to death in my head imagining all the ways I could write it, and it a) no longer interested me and b) could not live up to my expectations because I couldn't remember all my ideas I'd had for writing it. The scene came out mediocre and so did everything leading up to it.
Since then, I learned through working on VN writing (I co-own a game studio and we have some visual novels that I write for) that I don't have to write linearly. If I'm inspired to write a scene, I just write it immediately. It usually comes out pretty good even in a first draft! But then I also have it for if I get more ideas for that scene later, and I can just edit them in. The scenes come out MUCH stronger because of this.
And you know what else I discovered? Those scenes I slogged through before weren't scenes I had no inspiration for, I just didn't have any inspiration for them in that moment! I can't tell you how many times there was a scene I had no interest in writing, and then a week later I'd get struck by the perfect inspiration for it! Those are scenes I would have done a very mediocre job on, and now they can be some of the most powerful scenes because I gave them time to marinate.
Inspiration isn't always linear, so writing doesn't have to be either!
Some people are the type that joyfully write linearly. I have a friend like this--she picks up the characters and just continues playing out the next scene. Her story progresses through the entire day-by-day lives of the characters; it never timeskips more than a few hours. She started writing and posting just eight months ago, she's about an eighth of the way through her planned fic timeline, and the content she has so far posted to AO3 for it is already 450,000 words long.
But most of us are normal humans. We're not, for the most part, wired to create linearly. We consume linearly, we experience linearly, so we assume we must also create linearly. But actually, a lot of us really suffer from trying to force ourselves to create this way, and we might not even realize it.
If you're the kind of person who thinks you need to carrot-on-a-stick yourself into writing by saving the fun part for when you finally write everything that happens before it: Stop. You're probably not a linear writer. You're making yourself suffer for no reason and your writing is probably suffering for it. At least give nonlinear writing a try before you assume you can't write if you're not baiting or forcing yourself into it!!
Remember: Writing is fun. You do this because it's fun, because it's your hobby. If you're miserable 80% of the time you're doing it, you're probably doing it wrong!
2. Rereading my own work.
I used to hate reading my own work. I wouldn't even edit it usually. I would write it and slap it online and try not to look at it again. XD Writing nonlinearly forced me to start rereading because I needed to make sure scenes connected together naturally and it also made it easier to get into the headspace of the story to keep writing and fill in the blanks and get new inspiration. Doing this built the editing process into my writing process--I would read a scene to get back in the headspace, dislike what I had written, and just clean it up on the fly. I still never ever sit down to 'edit' my work. I just reread it to prep for writing and it ends up editing itself. Many many scenes in this fic I have read probably a dozen times or more! (And now, I can actually reread my own work for enjoyment!)
Another thing I found from doing this that it became easy to see patterns and themes in my work and strengthen them. Foreshadowing became easy. Setting up for jokes or plot points became easy. I didn't have to plan out my story in advance or write an outline, because the scenes themselves because a sort of living outline on their own. (Yes, despite all the foreshadowing and recurring thematic elements and secret hidden meanings sprinkled throughout this story, it actually never had an outline or a plan for any of that. It's all a natural byproduct of writing nonlinearly and rereading.)
Unpopular writing opinion time: You don't need to make a detailed outline.
Some people thrive on having an outline and planning out every detail before they sit down to write. But I know for a lot of us, we don't know how to write an outline or how to use it once we've written it. The idea of making one is daunting, and the advice that it's the only way to write or beat writer's block is demoralizing.
So let me explain how I approach "outlining" which isn't really outlining at all.
I write in a Notion table, where every scene is a separate table entry and the scene is written in the page inside that entry. I do this because it makes writing nonlinearly VASTLY more intuitive and straightforward than writing in a single document. (If you're familiar with Notion, this probably makes perfect sense to you. If you're not, imagine something a little like a more contained Google Sheets, but every row has a title cell that opens into a unique Google Doc when you click on it. And it's not as slow and clunky as the Google suite lol)
(Edit from the future: I answered an ask with more explanation on how I use Notion for non-linear writing here.)
When I sit down to begin a new fic idea, I make a quick entry in the table for every scene I already know I'll want or need, with the entries titled with a couple words or a sentence that describes what will be in that scene so I'll remember it later. Basically, it's the most absolute bare-bones skeleton of what I vaguely know will probably happen in the story.
Then I start writing, wherever I want in the list. As I write, ideas for new scenes and new connections and themes will emerge over time, and I'll just slot them in between the original entries wherever they naturally fit, rearranging as necessary, so that I won't forget about them later when I'm ready to write them.
As an example, my current long fic started with a list of roughly 35 scenes that I knew I wanted or needed, for a fic that will probably be around 100k words (which I didn't know at the time haha). As of this writing, it has expanded to 129 scenes. And since I write them directly in the page entries for the table, the fic is actually its own outline, without any additional effort on my part. As I said in the comment reply--a living outline!
This also made it easier to let go of the notion that I had to write something exactly right the first time. (People always say you should do this, but how many of us do? It's harder than it sounds! I didn't want to commit to editing later! I didn't want to reread my work! XD) I know I'm going to edit it naturally anyway, so I can feel okay giving myself permission to just write it approximately right and I can fix it later. And what I found from that was that sometimes what I believed was kind of meh when I wrote it was actually totally fine when I read it later! Sometimes the internal critic is actually wrong.
3. Marinating in the headspace of the story.
For the first two months I worked on [fic], I did not consume any media other than [fandom the fic is in]. I didn't watch, read, or play anything else. Not even mobile games. (And there wasn't really much fan content for [fandom] to consume either. Still isn't, really. XD) This basically forced me to treat writing my story as my only source of entertainment, and kept me from getting distracted or inspired to write other ideas and abandon this one.
As an aside, I don't think this is a necessary step for writing, but if you really want to be productive in a short burst, I do highly recommend going on a media consumption hiatus. Not forever, obviously! Consuming media is a valuable tool for new inspiration, and reading other's work (both good and bad, as long as you think critically to identify the differences!) is an invaluable resource for improving your writing.
When I write, I usually lay down, close my eyes, and play the scene I'm interested in writing in my head. I even take a ten-minute nap now and then during this process. (I find being in a state of partial drowsiness, but not outright sleepiness, makes writing easier and better. Sleep helps the brain process and make connections!) Then I roll over to the laptop next to me and type up whatever I felt like worked for the scene. This may mean I write half a sentence at a time between intervals of closed-eye-time XD
People always say if you're stuck, you need to outline.
What they actually mean by that (whether they realize it or not) is that if you're stuck, you need to brainstorm. You need to marinate. You don't need to plan what you're doing, you just need to give yourself time to think about it!
What's another framing for brainstorming for your fic? Fantasizing about it! Planning is work, but fantasizing isn't.
You're already fantasizing about it, right? That's why you're writing it. Just direct that effort toward the scenes you're trying to write next! Close your eyes, lay back, and fantasize what the characters do and how they react.
And then quickly note down your inspirations so you don't forget, haha.
And if a scene is so boring to you that even fantasizing about it sucks--it's probably a bad scene.
If it's boring to write, it's going to be boring to read. Ask yourself why you wanted that scene. Is it even necessary? Can you cut it? Can you replace it with a different scene that serves the same purpose but approaches the problem from a different angle? If you can't remove the troublesome scene, what can you change about it that would make it interesting or exciting for you to write?
And I can't write sitting up to save my damn life. It's like my brain just stops working if I have to sit in a chair and stare at a computer screen. I need to be able to lie down, even if I don't use it!
Talking walks and swinging in a hammock are also fantastic places to get scene ideas worked out, because the rhythmic motion also helps our brain process. It's just a little harder to work on a laptop in those scenarios. XD
In conclusion: Writing nonlinearly is an amazing tool for kicking writer's block to the curb. There's almost always some scene you'll want to write. If there isn't, you need to re-read or marinate.
Or you need to use the bathroom, eat something, or sleep. XD Seriously, if you're that stuck, assess your current physical condition. You might just be unable to focus because you're uncomfortable and you haven't realized it yet.
Anyway! I hope that was helpful, or at least interesting! XD Sorry again for the text wall. (I think this is the longest comment reply I've ever written!)
And same to you guys on tumblr--I hope this was helpful or at least interesting. XD Reblogs appreciated if so! (Maybe it'll help someone else!)
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너무 무서워
매일매일 더 무섭게 되어
난 속으로에 한 걸음도 걸어가길 두렵게 되는 어둠
심장이 고동치길 들을 수 있는 병동의 침묵
'오늘 컨디션이 어떠세요?'
'복용량을 늘려야 할 것 같네요'
그말 들을때마다 차츰 세상이 잊혀져
겁이 목을 졸려, 내 정신이 미쳐
근데 그래도 더 많은 겁과 아픔 참시는 나의 엄마
날 언제보다 더 많이 필요하시는 줄 알아서 걱정마
엄마의 곁에 지금 있을 테니까
엄마, don't cry, please
엄마, don't hide your fears
엄마, 엄마, 엄마,
Don't cry for you and me
엄마, 나의 곁에 계셨는데 always
지금 엄마,
난 네 곁에 있을께 언제나
어렸을때 가끔 잠들기까지 엄마의 눈썹을 스다듬은 기억들
머리카락도 빠지기 시작돼도 엄마의 얼굴 여전히 예쁠 보기는
언제든지 겁 나면 엄마의 품속 속에서 위로 받은 때 있었죠
지금 두려움이 맘을 비틀 때 언제든지
나의 손을 단단히 잡아줘요
다시 함께 바닷가에 가고 싶어요 엄마
옛날처럼 생각 없이 웃고 싶어요 정말
부모님의 역할을 담당하셔서 영원한 감사를
대체 어떻게 표할지 전혀 몰라서 이 세상에
이 순간따라 시간이 부족할까봐 무서워
수많은 할 말이 있는 이 순간 막
근데 그래도 부당한 어려움을 맞서셨던 엄마
지금 나 의지하실 수 있어 이건 내 약속
어릴때 항상 엄마 의지하곤 한 것 처럼
힘을 합친다면 도욱 강해지겠어 우리가
걱정하시지 않게 나 죽도록 무서울지라도 한마디도 안하려고
엄마, 엄마, don't cry
엄마, 엄마, don't die
아이처럼 아직도 너의 손을 놓을 수가 없잖아
────────────────────
I'm so scared.
It gets scarier with every passing day.
This gloom, I'm afraid to walk another step in;
Silence of the ward, where I can hear my heart pounding.
"How are you feeling today?"
"I think I need to increase my dosage."
Every time I hear that, I forget about the world,
Fear chokes me, I'm going crazy.
But my mother, who bears with more fear and pain,
I know you need me now more than ever, so don't you worry,
I'll be by your side right now.
Mum, don't cry, please.
Mum, don't hide your fears.
Mum, mum, mum,
Don't cry for you and me.
Mum, you were by my side, always;
Right now, mum,
I'll be by your side all the time.
When I was little, I sometimes caressed my mother's eyebrows until I fell asleep;
Even if your hair starts to fall out, my mother's face will still be beautiful.
When I was scared, I was comforted in my mother's arms;
Now, whenever fear twists your mind,
Hold my hand tight.
I want to go to the seaside together again, mum;
I want to laugh without care like we used to, really.
Eternal gratitude for playing the role of both parents,
I don't know how to express it in this world.
I'm afraid I'll run out of time at this moment,
This moment when I have so many things to say;
But my mother, who faced unfair difficulties,
You can rely on me now, this is my promise,
Like I used to rely on my mother when I was a child.
If we stick together, we'll be stronger.
Even if I'm scared to death, I'm not gonna say a word,
So you don't have to worry.
Mum, mum, don't cry.
Mum, mum, don't die.
I still can't let go of your hand like a child.
엄마/Mother, March 2019
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