#kind of wanted to write the opposite of that one Batman story

[juniper-clan]

hey I always wanted to try out making an actual story with clangen but I ran into one specific issue every time. The cats kinda all act samey. Which is fine in friendly stories, but what if I want to do one of those 'evil clan' challenges. I have my scary, tyrannical leader and instead of yelling at their clanmates for something they have a kitten tell em about a feather that's stuck on their face. Do I just roll with it? Or should I mess with the files to make em all hate eachother??

Sorry for the long ramble I'm just desperate :(

My time to shine!

I LOVE writing characters. My method isn't amazing, but takes a little work. I also never really mess with the files unless my files are corrupted by dev. version.

I like to start at the bare minimum and look at the trait the game assigned them. For an evil clan, let's say a cat was born "righteous". Kind of the opposite of what you want.

Now think of all your favorite characters in TV, movies, media, etc that you would deem righteous. Off the top of my head -- Batman is righteous. We will use him.

How can Batman be written to be evil? Maybe if he believed in his cause too much, or was too driven by emotion so that he starts killing... Let's use "very emotional", as that is a trait not often used in evil clans.

So how can a kit born "righteous" become a tyrannical leader? If he is extremely emotional, he may take failure very personally, or see issues where there are none. Subsequent trauma -- such as the death of a littermate -- can shape an already emotional character's worldview and make them meaner, or colder, etc. So now he's a moody teen, angry at the world, and he gets in a little spat with a clanmate. If he loses, he feels angrier and weaker (which makes him overcompensate) or if he wins, he feels vindicated in that he made the right choice to fight.

View every major (or minor!) event in their life as a way to shape them to what you want to see.

Hope that helps!!!

[distort-opia]

I'm wracking my brain with what Joker would do in an established situation, like how would he keep those homicidal urges at bay (sex and intimacy can only go so far I imagine) and also there's so much unacknowledged mental health concerns. Bruce would just have to always be ready to pick up the pieces I feel like (God these two are a tragic mess). I don't think normalcy is possible but I don't think their relationship is built for that anyway (I've been writing notes down for a story for days and it's just been consuming me)

An actual relationship between Bruce and Joker is a very complicated thing to imagine, yeah. I agree with you that normalcy is entirely out of the question-- as in, a typical "healthy" relationship. What I think they could have is something that works, but not something that most people would understand or approve of. If you're writing a story, I would say it depends on how they got into the relationship a lot, and if Bruce is compromising as much as Joker perceives he is. For instance, a rehabilitation scenario inherently implies a power imbalance, which Joker would resent and Bruce would not be able to help not taking advantage of. This would not end up working out, in my opinion, unless they got back on equal footing somehow. So a scenario with them an equal footing is what I will be rambling about.

Joker's homicidal urges and mental health issues are indeed a big obstacle. It'd take a whole lot for him to even agree to try for a relationship that involves something other than violence, but this denotes a willingness to compromise from the start. It means he cares about Bruce enough to risk opening the door to his humanity, something that he's very keen on eradicating. Joker can allow himself to love Batman as long as love equals destruction; but once love begins to mean more tender things, things that only people and not monsters can feel... it's a threat to his very identity, to his very core. Hence, just the fact that Joker is in an established relationship means that he's accepted, one way or another, that he's a human being.

Human beings don't need to kill people. Monsters do. It's relevant to note that Joker has an incredible capacity to reshape himself. He's done so multiple times in canon, and always in relation to what he perceived Batman needed. He was murderous when he emerged, but after Robin appeared on the scene he went for funny silly gags, and then he recreated himself back into a horrific threat... In his head, Batman -- the drive to see meaning in all life, to fight for sense in one's existence -- is the force of nature that he's the opposite of. Joker molded himself as the force of chaos: he kills carelessly, sometimes almost joylessly, because he believes he's embodying the true way the world works (though he's shown signs he'd like to be convinced otherwise).

After all, like his fall in the acid and the trauma he went through proved, catastrophe is random. It doesn't matter if you're good or evil, if you've got a family or if you're alone, if you've contributed to society or not. You can get run over by a bus, you can have a heart attack, you can mix the wrong medications, you can get shot in the head by a madman because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. My point with this is that Joker sees himself as an agent of the cruel randomness of existence, and him killing people is very much part of it. So if he stopped seeing himself as an inhuman force for chaos, I think killing would not be a necessity anymore.

That's not to say he wouldn't think of other people's lives as worthless or that he wouldn't instinctually want to kill someone because they're inconveniencing him as some kind of fly buzzing around, but it does mean he wouldn't need to do it. Being with Bruce undermines the very point of being Joker, it means being a person instead of raging at the world. In an established relationship, he'd need to once again reshape himself, figure out who he can be. It'd be very difficult, if you add Bruce's controlling tendencies in the mix. You mentioned Bruce always having to pick up the pieces, but the thing is, Bruce would want to. He'd want to do that too much, he would enjoy seeing Joker be vulnerable, because afterwards... Bruce would be able to put those pieces back together the way he wants them to be. And Joker would be rightly afraid of that, and Bruce himself would be afraid of his own need to do just that, and it'd be a constant push and pull. That's basically what I think it'd be like for a while, before Joker figured out who exactly he's comfortable being, and if he can trust Bruce to still be there when boundaries are being pushed. It'd be a lot of "make me" even in the context of intimacy, until Joker initiates something that doesn't hurt on his own and like... Bruce doesn't move a muscle as if he might spook a wild animal or something. And then Joker snaps at him to stop making it weird, hah.

I'm going to stop here to avoid turning this into a Batjokes relationship essay, but I hope this helped inspire you, Anon! We can always use more Batjokes stories, excited to eventually read yours.

[rantceratops]

I don’t like feeling so attached to a ship that it feels like my enjoyment of the show is deeply and intrinsically tied to that ship. It sucks. It narrows my field of view for all the amazing character dynamics and makes me feel like media is nothing without shipping. Like there’s no depth or fun to be had outside of romance. I generally feel that way sometimes and I hate it.

It’s like my brain thinks “Well, if I don’t write a romance fic, what is there really to write about? What will people even like about it if it’s not romance centered/heavy?”

I have spent my entire life of fandom nerdage being so obsessed with ships and romance that I can’t say for sure I’ve ever honestly written more than a drabble that was non ship or romance related. 98% of my art gallery is ships. And I personally feel saddened by this, putting it into perspective.

I’m not saying that I think it’s bad to ship, or that I should just never let myself enjoy couples in media. It’s okay to find joy in romantic narrative, however, if it’s at a point where I’m seriously asking myself the above questions and wondering if I would even still love YJ s1 so much if Wally and Artemis weren’t a thing… that’s really bad, imo.

Artemis and Wally are not my favorite characters because they are a ship. They’re my favorite characters because I enjoy them themselves first and foremost. I loved YJ before Artemis was even introduced, so it stands to reason I love the show beyond a romantic pair. I love superhero shows for the powers, the characters, the fights, the superhero drama, the fams(Batfam, flashfam, etc). I loved Teen Titans because I loved Beast Boy, and I loved the team dynamic, the silliness, the fights, the pseudo anime style, the tone. I enjoyed Terra/Beast Boy and Starfire/Robin, and it was a big “Finally!” when the latter got together, but I never ever felt my happiness or enjoyment of the show hinged on those pairings, even though the former ending sadly did break my lil heart.

I love Young Justice because I love the tone, the setting, the characters, the dynamics, powers, the over-arching plot. I enjoyed the covert ops style of the Team and found it a refreshing take on the superhero cartoon genre. I love how grounded the series is while still being wild and fun. I loved getting to see the Team as normal teenagers that happened to have very grand extracurriculars. I loved the animation and character designs.

Artemis is my favorite. I love her because she has such a great design. She’s cool, she looks cool. She’s snarky and kind of jaded, she takes no shit, she knows what she’s about and what she wants, and no one, not even Batman, is going to stop her. She’s a tough girl, she’s insecure and hides it with confidence she might not always feel. She’s one of a kind, she’s the white sheep of her family. I love her back story. Despite everything, she is who she wants to be, she never lost sight of that. I love her relationship with Jade, how she loves her sister despite being on opposite sides and Jade ditching her. She’s passionate and observant and smart and badass and she wants to love and be loved. That’s why Artemis Crock is my favorite. Not because she’s with Wally. And even though I enjoy her dynamic with Wally, Artemis would still be Artemis with or without him. Neither character is a half of a whole, they’re perfectly whole alone and just happen to work well together.

I just don’t like feeling so beholden to shipping, to the point it’s all I engage in and it feels like if the couple ends I’m just gonna fucking lose all interest. Blech. It’s something I want to get away from.

[atom-writings]

WAIT A SEC..... you'd do reqs for the batman 2022? if not, i understand, but if you do: can i get uhhh what dano!riddler would look for in a (gn) partner? and/or headcanons on what kind of boyfriend he would be?

(Edward Nashton X Reader) General Relationship Headcanons

(Gender Neutral) Headcanons ~ A/N  YES YES YES ok sorry guys skipping ahead for this bcs i want to write it ok thank you. Everyone go listen to mook right now

Trigger Warning: Edward Is Not A Healthy Person Much Less a Healthy Boyfriend, possessiveness kind of? Swearing, also.

Edward is a simple if not unstable man. He’s always been uncontrollably attracted to those that can take care of him. Those that are more like housewives and mothers compared to hard workers. Of course, that’s not to say that he’s only into women. Not at all.

But what he really wants out of a partner is someone willing to focus all of their emotional energy on him. He wants to consume your thoughts, to become that voice in the back of your head. So no matter where you are, you’re caring about him more than anything else.

Because of that… he’d also prefer a S/O that isn’t too independent. There’s nothing more satisfying to him than coming home to you… sobbing because of his absence. Because god help whoever else makes you cry.

Someone weak and unassuming would be perfect too… it just feeds into his ego. Being able to tower over you, grab you and pull you in whichever way he likes… it makes him feel high. He’s always been seen as so sensitive and feeble, so being the strong one out of the two of you, god, he just absolutely loves it.

You’d think he would like someone who struggled as he has, but it’s actually the opposite. He would prefer someone stable and healthy, for one simple reason. If you were as tortured as he was, he wouldn’t be getting a lot of your attention and sympathy, would he? He wants you to fix him… he’ll get around to doing the same for you sometime later though, don’t worry.

However, he would despise having a successful partner. It feels like you’re… looking down on him, PITYING him, just like everyone else. No, no, he has to be the one holding position over you, not the other way around. That’s not to say he sees himself completely as superior to you, though. 

As high as his standards may seem, he is an incredibly forgiving and loving boyfriend. You’ve brought him out of the darkness countless times, and he could never do enough to make up for that. Or at least, that’s what he tells himself.

He’s very, very, very clingy. Anytime that he can be, he’s with you. At home, he’s always holding you close by your hips. On the train to and from work, he insists you come with him so he can hold your hand. At work, he’s texting you constantly. That’s probably the main way his selfishness comes out… he just needs your constant attention and approval.

Anytime that he can, he shows you off. If you’re shy about PDA, that’ll hurt him a little bit. He wants to bring you around, his arm wrapped around your shoulder, just to prove to everyone that he can. Very much a… “You jackasses thought I couldn’t do it. But I did. I got a partner. And they’re incredible. You miserable bastards wish you had a partner like I do,” … complex.

Although he likes more house-wifey S/Os, when he gets home he loves to pamper you. You’ll have to beg him not to make you dinner after he gets out of work most nights. After all, isn’t that what he wanted you to do for him?

Maybe trade out “taking care of you,” for “taking care of his disgusting apartment.”

He’s put up with so much in his life that it’s hard for him to get truly angry with you. Like even if you slapped him across the face, he’d probably just tear up and ask why you did that, compared to screaming and throwing things. (Well, it’s a different story when he’s in his whole… Riddler mood.) He just can’t imagine hurting such an innocent being who has done so much for him. It makes him a little too forgiving.

But it just makes him even more of a teddy bear around you. And who doesn’t want that? Sure, sometimes he goes mad and brutally executes the corrupt elite, but more importantly he is doing it all to make a better world for the two of you to share! You deserve it, you know?

[dailycass-cain]

Detective Comics #1079 brings a lot of plot points Ram V has been spinning this arc to a head, including the one involving Cass. So here are my thoughts on the penultimate issue.

There's just a fondness I have for this series as THE Batman comic right now. It has an aura of late 90s to early 00s Batman comics spun in a modern angle.

I feel quite at home with this run.

All the protagonists are given their due here. No one is cut short, and we get teased with more entries (because Ram V did say EVERYONE would get their moment and three characters have been quiet until this issue) as the arc reaches its final crossing.

There are a lot of emotional bits here from Lian/Jade's stuff (which feels like we're getting to the final bits for them sadly, which I hope we don't) to the badassery of Azrael (gawd I want more of him in this run).

Then there's Cass's section with Freeze.

It makes complete sense that with Selina's plan in full effect if you haven't figured it out now, that Cass's part was a distraction and an attempt. To get the Orgham distracted so Selina could steal her prize.

It just feels so opposite to what's being presented in Batman and Catwoman comics along with the whole Gotham War debacle, and how rewarding this run is to seeds to prior Ram V runs (Catwoman) and this one.

This is an event done right, with stakes presented as high, villains who are quite imposing, and an emotional rollercoaster ride.

It's said in panels what the Reality Engine does, and we've seen it in action when Bruce tried to stop it. But dammit I SO want to see a story on Cass's struggle against it.

We see it teased in this issue, but a hardened warrior like Cass against this thing? GIMME!

The art here just looks so warped until the predictable occurs. Freeze betrays Cass and Selina's plan. He gets what he wants, and chills out.

Though Selina DID anticipate this, it wasn't her real goal which she does achieve in the issue.

However, I'm curious about what will come with Freeze having access to the Reality Engine and if Cass will have a role in stopping it?

I'm guessing YES.

Though it sort of feels like Cass's role in this arc has come to an end. I mean it feels like it but who knows. That said if it was and this is the final appearance of Cass in 2023.

Dang, I want more Ram V-written Cass goodness, please.

I am curious just how much damage both she and Freeze did as the latter did set off a "freeze bomb" that she escaped from, but there's no telling (until future issues) how the Orgham will recover from this setback.

I'm glad this arc was "bi-weekly". Though, as much kudos I give to the writer, both Jason Shawn Alexander and Liam Sharp deserve so much credit for this arc too. Everything they've drawn in this arc just CLICKS with the writing.

Again, this was another stellar issue, and I can't wait to see where this arc ends. As basically, Selina has won. The question is can she run away with that win or will someone ELSE sneak in? I think the latter might occur.

Look, I know it's highly unlikely but I kind of want a Flamingo vs Cass or Azrael fight. Just two hardened folk going against a foe like Flamingo? Gimme. Let Bruce take on Hurt and finish the Barbatos plot.

Though part of me wonders are Jean Paul and Barbatos linked?

Or even Cass and the Bat Demon?

These just avenues never explored given Jean-Paul did become Batman and is sporting said batty costume in this arc.

This was another fantastic issue on this run and I just wish we'd talk about how AMAZING this series. That and how when this is collected in complete form how KILLER this story will be even more.

[jayladfanpage]

<3 LOVED ur jaybin musings, looking for characterization help. Currently reading Starlin's run for Jason (vvv fun!) and then will proceed to the tec issues. Im getting a little confused abt cheer (zadarsky i think?) cause im trying to figure out where does jason's morals lie ?? He says something there abt crooks being crooks and irredeemable ? then bruce told him off?? But now that im reading starlin etc etc I dont think that's what his morals were as robin??? literally feels like the opposite... so confused. Plus ive read a good chunk of tim's robin run and i am just ??????? what is happening its just lies half the time

Any thoughts on his personal morals as robin ? I think I should just ignore cheer lmao

It's always morally correct to ignore Chip Zdarsky

Cheer is probably one of Jason's worst stories right now. It's character assassination at its finest because DC wants Jason to be an antihero now and not a villain like he used to be, but that means they have to change the character fundamentally, which Zdarsky is very good at.

When it comes to Robin, though, it's very open to interpretation. Because on one hand you have Starlin, who really really hated Jason but gave him a very specific and new personality. On the other hand you have Barr, who made Robin Jason a sweetheart because he was pretending he was still writing Dick Grayson. I think it's fair to just pick your favorite of those two based on what fits best for the story you're trying to tell.

My favorite is Starlin's, just because of how extreme the differences between Jason and Dick get in his run. In Starlin's run, Jason is very aggressive, but deeply kind. He worries a lot about the victims, more than he probably should for it to be healthy, but he just cares a lot. Especially when it comes to sexual assault victims.

Outside of the garzones case, Robin Jason is pretty adamantly against murdering someone In cold blood, but he is not against watching somebody die if he thinks they're evil enough. That's exact scenario happens in Batman: The Cult (1988) where he and Bruce stand by and watch the cult leader get murdered and do nothing to stop it.

I do personally think that Robin Jason would be a lot more about forgiveness and rehabilitation then his Red Hood counterpart, but that's not necessarily based on canon. It's more based on the context of him having been raised in poverty. Comics are not a very good source of how a person's environment shapes them as a person, especially when we're talking about poor people. I see Jason as someone who craves community and intimacy and doesn't really know what to do with himself when he doesn't have it. Having Bruce, and with him the entire superhero community by association, is enough to satiate that need when he's Robin. Though we do get a story where Jason goes back to Crime Alley as Robin to give money to the people that he used to be friends with, which tells me that he understands what it actually takes to keep someone from entering a life of crime.

Let me know if I forgot something that you needed and I'll be glad to answer that too!!

[kagekitsuneoflight]

Man as much as Jason Todd reuniting with his family and learning that Bruce still loves him and that he’s still a welcomed member of the family is good and delicious and all that, I feel like it’s unrealistic? And this isn’t to say that I hate it and that I never want people to write it. Those kinds of stories are so good! Stories about how love is unconditional and that your sins do not matter because love is enough to overcome it.

I just think there should be, you know. More exploration about the opposite. Conditional love. Love that was once there that is now long gone. The hearth of love and affection has burnt out to leave only ash, with not one small chunk of charred wood left to try and rekindle it left behind.

Where there was a father and son would do anything for each other and in the aftermath of the most heart wrenching tragedy both are far too different to even greet the other with genuine warmth.

Jason is not a prodigal son because he is not remorseful about what he’s done. Bruce is not the father of the prodigal son because he has not given his son everything he asked for. Bruce is not waiting for his son to come back with open arms. His arms are crossed and his face is stone. He asks his returned son if he will repent and pay for his sins, and his son bares his teeth in response to ask if his sins outweigh his father’s failures.

Jason asks if Bruce will accept him for who he is, and Bruce tells him that he will accept him only if he can change himself into something he can agree with.

Jason and Bruce are fundamental opposites when it comes to the question, “can murder be justified?” Bruce’s answer of no and Jason’s answer of yes form the very structure of their moral code. Neither of them will budge from their answer, and how dare the other ask for them to make such a change?

And lets not ignore the fact that both of them had come at the other with the intent to maim. To break. To kill, in some scenarios. Those beatings and maimings and murder attempts are not something that can be ignored. That can be brushed aside with a simple “I love you.”

Bruce cannot trust Jason, will not trust Jason. He will not put even the barest amount of faith in his own son to just trust him. He always assumes that Jason will always be a murderer. A killer. Someone who couldn’t be trusted because Bruce could not put aside his own bias of his son, despite the fact that Jason always followed his orders the best he could. That he never wanted to betray his father once he got that small scrap of trust that broke easier than angel’s hair.

Batman views Jason as one of his biggest mistakes. His biggest failure. Someone he regretted taking in. And how can your love be unconditional to someone you deem to be your biggest regret?

Stories of unconditional can be so good. A balm to soothe and comfort. But stories of conditional love. Of love that has long since died off to never be revived are just as potent. Just as wanted and needed.

Sometimes, the son must realize that his father does not want him as he is, and he must leave to find his own place independent of his father.

Also like. Do you guys every think about how Jason was with Bruce for like. About three years, give or take a couple months? Three years as his son, and like four years estranged from him, if him being 19 is accurate.

[boyfridged]

What do you think of a storyline wherein Jason stays with Talia and works under her instead of going back to Gotham as Red Hood? I was really interested in their dynamic (minus that one scene from Lost Days) and wanted to see more of it. I think if they pushed for the Son of the Demon storyline, Talia's longing for her son could be a good premise for her further involvement with Jason's story. They'd still retain that same mutually beneficial relationship, but now in the sense of a mother gaining a son, and a son finally having a mother. Though I wonder if Jason would be amicable to work under the League.

And what are your thoughts about Jason and Damian's relationship in general? Tbh I'm a huge fan of the concept of Damian growing up with Jason at his side like the one from Young Justice. I think these two's dynamic is severely underused in the comics so I'm curious how you'd tackle writing them.

oh i have news for you.

and a very long proper answer under the cut (with some additional criticism of talia’s portrayal in the lost days in general.) 

i have to start with a preamble: this is a sentiment that i hear a lot, but i don’t agree that talia & jason’s relationship in the lost days is well written for the most part (even if we exclude the last couple of pages). the beginnings are strong and would go well with the general premise of it happening after son of the demon, i agree. still, what follows once jason regains his cognitive prowess after the pit is… questionable at best.

tldr: i genuinely fail to see any reason for which talia as we know her until now would enable jason to such an extent. i know that people usually go for explaining it by virtue of her actually trying to steer him away from gotham; or that she perhaps knows that it would be easy to lose jason’s trust at this point. you could also maybe argue that she wants to support him in his… autonomy? 

still. with who talia is at her core (or who she was… before 9/11 and all the following mischaracterisation. excluding lexcorp era of course, lexcorp era my beloved) she would simply not stand for the invention of the red hood, for soo many reasons. most notably because killing for her is not dogmatic; it’s a dirty job that she might have to engage once in a while, or something she will do in a spur of a moment to protect someone; but she doesn’t think it’s an ultimate solution to anything. and jason’s modus operandi as the red hood is based on the opposite idea.

also, if we’re going the route established by son of the demon; i don’t even think talia would want to grant him that kind of training knowing the state jason is in. maybe if there’s no other option; maybe as a gesture of love to ensure he can protect himself; but as i said before, she does not believe there’s anything particularly noble in being deadly. and i’d say she would believe that jay, being a child, should not be in this position. if we conceive it all as a situation in which there’s really little other choice – okay, let’s say she provides him with teachers. but to provide him with that many resources for a mission that is very much suicidal…? why would she do that.

she has so much to offer jay. i talked about it here, but i think it is that she does not believe in absolutes that she could teach him. it’s her relentless strive for freedom and the way she manages to build her identity (largely. not completely, because that’s impossible) outside of the influences of her father and batman. and it’s not merely a compromise nor a contrarian to their stance; it’s her own way of seeking justice.

anyway. so you ask about jason working under talia. i think talia would want jason to have something else; something new. still, given the circumstances and jay’s own will, it could be the best option for them to remain together for a while, and i don’t doubt they would form a familiar relationship (which is also very appealing to me because it's a kind of chosen family trope that i enjoy in the title in general; this is also how i see dick & jay's relationship: they both have an initial link to bruce, but it's their own decision that makes them care for one another.) and occasionally team up. except in this vision i would still like to think that talia would respect him and his autonomy enough that it would be more of a partnership. 

the question of whether jason would want to remain in the league is a whole different question to me since such a huge part of talia’s development is that she wants an out. so in my mind, if they’re in the league together, talia does not have much control over the situation herself and she is mainly protecting him doing her best to make sure that jason is not indoctrinated.

because i do think that despite jay’s brightness, will and distaste for authority, he could get indoctrinated. this is how cults work after all; everyone can fall in as long as they are suitably isolated and “broken” by methods such as lack of sleep. they also tend to coerce the subject of the brainwashing into thinking that they are the ones “taking control” in their lives, which jay is desperately looking for. and jason is also searching for something radical, no matter how terrifying and unreasonable it is. howbeit, it's not all that interesting storyline to tell; i like to think he gets dangerously close to it, but never quite completely broken. and i think a huge part for why he manages to stay out of it should be talia.

there are some other versions of the story possible wherein making him stay in loa for a time would make sense; if talia’s and damian are there, then he could stay for their sake. or perhaps in order to get further resources and contacts for his mission, using it for his own advantage.

and since i mentioned damian here: well- i’m not a huge fan of canon damian. or, let me reiterate; he does induce my sympathy and i like him personality-wise, but he’s also such a huge catalyst for character assassination of everyone involved: talia, bruce— that i find it very difficult to enjoy any story with him in the centre. the only possible way to preserve his his canon backstory without it happening is, i think, if talia was not aware he was in the league at all (here following the premise of her giving the child away at birth.) i still think that when possible, jay should be shown to care about him, primarily because damian's a kid and i can't possibly express how much i hate content in which jason is cruel to children.

and i do enjoy playing around with what-ifs concerning these 3 characters. i actually have 2 more wips about them… one inspired by mother (2023) which is a remarkably bad movie but did inspire me to write a story in which damian got adopted and only after 13 years talia has to get involved as he is in danger (it’s also a story in which talia is working on dismantling the league. and jason shows up for a while.) and another one in which they all live together during lexcorp era. 

[tinyreviews]

Writing Tips: Antagonist, or Villain

An antagonist is merely a character that obstructs the protagonist, and not necessarily a villain(bad person), but I will be using antagonist and villain interchangeably here.

Antithesis to the Hero:

Thematic Opposition: A great villain embodies contrasting values, beliefs, or goals, creating a dynamic conflict.

Menacing Presence: The villain’s actions and goals should genuinely endanger the protagonist or what they hold dear.

Personal Conflict: The villain should have a direct connection to the hero's past, values, or motivations. This personal stake intensifies the conflict.

Writing the Villain:

Plot Impact: The villain's actions should significantly affect the plot. Their presence should drive the story forward and create pivotal moments. The villain is the one whose presence and actions all other characters react to.

Hero's Threat: A compelling villain should be skilled at exploiting the hero's vulnerabilities, capable of challenging the hero both mentally and physically. This forces the hero to make difficult choices and reveals their true character.

Competing Goals: The hero and villain should have conflicting but shared goals. This competition creates ongoing conflict, leading to character growth and revelations. Think of the Joker and Batman competing for the soul of Gotham.

Complex Personality: Give your villain depth. They should have their own motivations, flaws, and a personality that makes them interesting to the audience.

Meaningful Conclusion: A villain's fate should be meaningful to the story. Whether they meet their demise or undergo a change, it should resonate with the narrative.

Types of Villains:

Pure Evil Villain: These villains often lack a complex backstory, have simple motivations like gaining power or revenge, exude raw enthusiasm for villainy, and display unwavering self-confidence. They may experience a third-act breakdown that signals their potential defeat. Sometimes they survive their breakdown and come back more nuanced. Such villains are beyond redemption, and their arc often concludes with their demise.

Fallen Hero: A hero turned villain feels like a tragic transformation. This archetype can be consistent before and after the fall, like Light from Death Note. Alternatively, they can be transformed by circumstances, like Harvey Dent. This theme represents the fragility of heroism and serve as a cautionary tale to the existing hero.

Satan Archetype: Light from Death Note, Griffith from Berserk. Doomed to fall by their personality. Their character is consistent before and after the fall.

Adam Archetype: Harvey Dent from Batman, Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars. Doomed to fall by circumstance. Usually, their faith in higher authority or power is shattered, they lose someone important, or is slowly transformed by someone or something. Their character is transformed by the fall. 

Just Antagonist: Probably the most common type of villain, they exist simply because the plot requires a character to obstruct the hero.They usually want the same thing as the hero and compete with the hero for it.

Fleshing out the Villain:

Show what they are planning(provides tension).

Show their interactions(and with who?) behind the scenes.

Show how they handle successes and setbacks(what kind of person are they?).

Show what they do to entertain themselves besides villainy(nuanced). 

Give them a foil sidekick(villainous drama): chaotic Hexadecimal, loyal Harley Quinn, cowardly Starscream, all action Darth Vader.

This is part of my Writing Tips series. Everyday I publish a writing tip to this blog.

[linkspooky]

Got any fac superhero comic villain that isn’t Batman villains?

I mean… let’s be real here tho, most interesting and well written villains do mostly be from Batman.

But I am curious if you have any fav villains out side from Batman’s?

Okay, so the reason I primarily talk about batman and Teen Titans is they're primarily what I've read. I actually like villains from other rogue's galleries, flashes is good, superman's is good, but the thing is... I've read every Teen Titans comic ever so here we go.

3. Deathstroke.

One time I heard someone refer to deathstroke as the "Anti-Teen Dad" and no phrase has better captured his character. Deathstroke doesn't work as a batman villain, he doesn't work as an arrow villain, he is at his best as a Teen Titans villain because Deathstroke is someone actively harmful to children.

He represents the uncaring and horrible adults in the world these teenage heroes face as they are growing up, there's a reason Deathstroke's biggest arc is basically grooming and destroying any chance Terra had to be a good person (and other gross stuff but it's triggering I don't want to talk about it), there's a reason Slade's backstory by Wolfram is that he basically destroyed his family's lives, let one son die, let the other son's throat get slit, abandoned the third. He is the ANTI-TEEN DAD!

Christopher Priest who wrote the character's rebirth run put Slade's character into words better than I ever could.

I often had to fight City Hall and repeat, ad nauseum, that Deathstroke is a villain. In the first issue, Slade kills a bear in order to save his son. Then he goes back and kills the bear’s cubs because, to his thinking, it would be cruel to leave them without a mother. That is Deathstroke. But I had to fight to get that in because of concerns over the character’s likeability. This was the unfun part about writing this character, a guy who should have an even sharper edge than Wolverine. Please write this down someplace for future reference: Deathstroke is an ass.

I wrote this in my Joker analysis too, there's nothing good or redeemable about Joker, but he still has an extremely important role in the story because he represents the death that Batman is fighting against in the world, so for Dick Grayson who is trying to grow up and help all of his friends grow too, he's the perfect counter and opposite someone who not only destroys his kid's lives but targets other children too. "Please write this down someplace for future reference: Deathstroke is an ass." Any attempts to make Deathstroke more honorable and more honorable just kind of fall flat, his name is DEATHSTROKE, he represents the force of uncaring death and danger in the world that's utterly hostile to teens and these kids have to deal with.

2. Blackfire.

I talk about Blackfire's character more in depth here, but her character works best if you consider her the "Red Hood" to Starfire's "Nightwing." Her character itself starts out as just kind of an evil sister who is one dimmensionally obsessed with killing and hated Starfire and was jealous all her life. The wicked sister to Starfire's Cinderella. However, she gets a lot more depth over the story.

I don't want to undermine how much Blackfire did in fact commit sibling abuse on Starfire, but there's a really good "Generational Abuse" storyline in both Starfire and Blackfire. I think a lot of people want to talk about the cycle of abuse in storylines but don't want to really read stories where characters who are abuse victims end up perpetuating abuse which like... how do you guys think the cycle of abuse happens then? Anyway, Blackfire's extremely messy especially since there's really bad shit she does in her early writing when she's more one dimmensional.

HOWEVER! Literally everyone complains about "I hate how in every marvel movie, the villain is just evil version of the main character" Blackfire subverts that whole trope in fantastic and brilliant ways. The story allows Blackfire to be right, and have a point of view outside of Starfire's that's equally as valid. Blackfire has an entirely different take on her childhood because she was neglected horribly by her parents. She says the true source of the abuse in their family was her parents and she's right. She advocates for stronger leadership in Tamaran because her parents are wishy washy and can't defend their own parents and she's right there again. In later versions of her character, Blackfire's bloodthirstiness and warlike personality didn't come out of nowhere, it's a survival mechanism that evolved out of necessity to survive and she's not conquering the planet for her vanity or ego she genuinely thinks she'll be a better leader. Honestly, a more three diemmnsional Blackfire is just more interesting because evil big sisters are just boring.

1. Terra.

Have I ever told you I love Judas Contract? I love Judas Contract. Of course there's a little bit of weird writing in Terra's character, where she's clearly a grooming victim, and also an abuse victim by her parents and a teenage runaway who's genuinely had a hard life and the writers go (no, just ignore all of that she was just born a sociopath, we aren't shaped by our traumatic experiences at all don't be silly).

However, SUBTEXT is a thing, even if the intention was to just write Terra as a flat sociopath the subtext is there that she is a really complex victim. Terra's entire character revolves around the fact she is a victim, but she's not an innoecnt person either. Her being groomed by Slade doesn't absolve her of all responsibility for her actions.

TERRA IS THE ULTIMATE BAD VICTIM IN COMICS, her entire character revolves around the fact that she was abused, and was not a perfect selfless angel about it, she didn't feel like helping other people, she hated the heroes around her because of how good and selfless they are when she wasn't, and yet she's still sympathetic. IT's a tragedy that she died, because human beings especially children no matter how amoral they may be or what their actions were don't really deserve to suffer to the extent Terra has. Terra's entire character revolves around the fact she self destructs. I believe there could be an arc where Terra was saved, or at least given a chance to be her own person outside of SLade, but the whole part of the Judas Contract is that the Titans as well meaning as they were just COULDN'T get to Terra in time b/c she didn't fit into their neat little boxes of what victims should look like. I don't think Terra is a bad person so much as, she never really got the chance to be her own person outside of the horrible tragedy that rocked her life because she died too soon. That's another thing, it's ALWAYS tragic when a child dies, especially since you can generally still reach those children at that age and when you cut off their future like that you cut off any chance they had to grow up. Like there's a lot of TERRA BROUGHT IT ON HERSELF, SHE DIDN'T WANT TO GET BETTER, like chill out dude she's sixteen. Anyway, Terra is my favorite comic book character of all time she's a bitch and I love her.

[phoenixkaptain]

Just finished re-reading your fic Switcheroo, and I love it so much. Thus, I offer you the suggestion of young!Tim getting his version of young justice and the extended batfam to help him kidnap his alternate self, if only for a little while to give him a vacation, mayhaps involving yj meeting their alternates, littlest brother acquisition, and fucking with Gotham's rogues

Bruce would definitely be like: “Tim! I told you not without an adult!”

Tim: “Red Tornado was there!!”

Red Tornado, who thought he was just taking the kids for ice cream and did not expect to suddenly find himself part of a kidnapping plot: 😔

I’ve always kind of wanted, if I do write a follow up, to include Klarion in some way, because I really liked Klarion’s interactions with Young Justice (pretty sure they just straight up threatened to kill his cat if he didn’t turn everything back to normal, which was the only successful way to actually get Klarion to turn everythinf back to normal) but I can imagine that the Young Justice kids would be super down to help Tim kidnap and alternate dimension version of himself.

There would definitely be littlest brother acquisition! Both Tims have no idea how to hold a baby, but neither do most of the other Young Justice kids, so they just give Damian to Red Tornado or Cissie. (I’m petty sure, but not positive, that Cissie was used to babysitting in the series, but I may be wrong) The mental image I have of Tim, Cassie, Bart, and Kon all pondering over how to pick up a baby is really funny XD They get into an argument about it… Tim and Kon nearly start punching each other… Bart and Cassie panic and try to convince older Tim to help but he just watches and sighs wistfully and says “Those were the days… I should punch Connor when I get back, just for old time’s sake.”

And fucking with Gotham rogues would be really fun to write. I’ve always imagined a scene where older Jason Robin is out and finds a Rogue, only for a slightly smaller shadow to slip out from behind him. The Rogue doesn’t panic, they’ve become a bit more used to this trick, it won’t fool them again- holy shit a third one??? (A third shadow slips out from beneath the second shadow’s cover, and one can just barely glimpse, in the alleyway only just lit by a streetlamp at the opposite end of it, the glint of teeth in the sharp smile on the third shadow’s face) It would be really fun to write :D

I should probably write the sequel… but first I have to reread nineties Young Justice and the Red Robin run and I’ll read through some Batman comics and I love reading Teen Titans comics and- <— This is why it’s been so long, I’m so sorry to everyone who thought I was quick 🫡

Well, all that aside, I’m very happy that you like the story ヽ(´▽｀)ノ

[rezonan]

Why do people use OOC/Irrelevant stories to justify their hatred for characters?

I'll admit I got this question from reddit but seeing as you are a big fan of Iron Man and certain characters afflicted by this issue I thought I would ask

Comic book characters and the consistency of favored portrayals

Why do people do the exact opposite to justify how cool they think a character is?

Look this is probably the worst kind of question to ask me, back when I was in high school my classmates hated me cause when it came to arguments I would always 'Stand on the fence' or 'Never pick a side' and I agree, even when I disagree or agree I can't help but see the other side of things with some questions.

I think one of the biggest things comic fans need to accept with our medium is that, the only real continuity that exists is the one we try and brute force and make in our heads, some writers themselves don't really care, Geoff Jones ignored Batman previously basically begging for Hal Jordan to come back to life when he was The Spectre to writing Batman basically complaining that Hal was back because to him that is what he thinks Batman should act like with Hal, and considering he probably grew up with a comic like Dark Knight Returns the asshole authoritarian was probably was he knew of the character, who knows I don't know his personal life.

I think we can all say that you have fallen in love with a character based of Non Canon stories, Hell my favorite comic for Superman and the one that got me into liking the character was All-Star Superman. The exact opposite of that like what you asked tho, Hating a character because a story depicted them poorly whether it's canon or not is valid as well, I mean it's pretty damn short-sighted if they have been exposed to better represented sides of those characters, but it doesn’t change the impact they initially felt, wether they can get past that is on the person. Like for example, I fucking hated Superman growing up cause the first movies I remember seeing him in was the freaking Dark Knight Returns duology and certain parts of Young Justice Season 1 but overtime seeing better versions and representations of the characters and also hearing put fans on what he represents has pushed him up to my 5th favorite hero, I do understand not everyone can do this. People just want to support their view of the character.

I also do think people who hate certain characters do reach a lot of the time, sharing panels of stories older than their parents sometimes probably not even knowing what comic it even came from, just happy they have this image of the character they don't like being abusive or something. It's even worse then the he outright go out of their way to find these panels or stories to use for hate on purpose even after knowing it's generally agreed upon it's a shitty representation of the character. Seriously nobody should bring up All Star Batman and Robin as some 'Got Ya!' moment in an argument, just no. Sometimes some people have just predetermined in their mind they want to hate a character and will go out of their way to farm for anything that can paint them in the worst light possible.

With Iron Man it's people bringing up Civil War again and again and again continuously like the 40 years of stories before that don't show why Tony would never do any of that in his right mind. With Superman it's people bringing up injustice in literally any relation to him or people bringing up a scene of Jason Todd blaming Bruce for his death as evidence of how whiny he is even when one of the highlight lines of his first appearance as Red Hood is 'Bruce I forgive you for not saving me but-'

With characters like say, Hal Jordan, Magneto or Venom and meny more, it gets more interesting here. Here what the characters did that was bad IS/WAS(considering reboots in Hal's case) in continuity but a version of the characters that were received much more popularly then makes fans disregard these past appearances as wrong, say they have had this entirely new portrayal longer than they had that one or writers themselves will retcon them away by making them, in the case of former villians now refromed, seem less evil than they were. No no those people Magneto killed weren't innocent humans in the silver age, they were actually anti-mutant bigots that killed a little girl for being a mutant. One of my favorite examples of this is Hulk. Yes Hulk the rampaging monster from movies to series to comics, in comics in I think 2008 was retconned to have never and I mean never killed a single person in all his rampages In the in-universe 12 years at that point, not even indirectly because Bruce Banner was subconsciously calculating all the angles of where he would throw or smash stuff apprently. All those crumbled buildings, nope, nothing.

And you know what? I can agree with some of that (that Hulk retcon is still dumb) because let me tell you the real truth to all this.

Consistency

People love consistency, They don't care about Magneto killing innocents in the 60s or Venom eating people in the 90s, they care about the take that has been supported consistently in their view for longer or just showed more consistently in what they have seen. Even for the haters it's the same, if for example my only experience with Batman was All Star and Certain Post New 52 issues, I would be happy knowing I hate this borderline sociopathic dude that's what I know Batman as.

You see it even with the movies, When The Amazing Spider-Man came out you had people saying it was an inaccurate take or not liking the changes even though it was actually more comic accurate that what came before but fans of the Raimi movies have consistently seen Peter as a meek and nice kid before being Spider-Man not an asshole, they have consistently seen him with organic webbing not with web shooters. Anything that breaks the portrayal they have known the most if gonna make them react either well or badly. People who only knew Tony Stark from Civil War probably reacted well to his MCU version seeing as he broke the consistent borderline villian they knew him from the comics.

So the big issue is people trying to force their own consistent idea of a character on others when comics just aren't consistent, everyone like I said at the start has their own makeshift continuity in their head they made up with books they liked or think fit, the consistent portrayal they know about, so this is why you get people arguing about if Batman is the real identity or Bruce Wayne or if Clark Kent should wear trunks or not I could go on and on like if Wonder Woman should use a sword? Someone who is used to the New 52 version would say yes and someone used to the Post Crisis version would say no. Or maybe it's what love interest Spidey should end up with, people who say Gwen probably grew up with TASM and Spectacular Spider-Man. Better for people to just respectly discuss the takes of characters different people have instead of childishly pushing the version they have in their head as the correct version and putting down everyone else's pretty damn subjective takes. That's with superhero comics of course, the nature of what is canon and isn't and how fans of this stuff talk about it with different 'takes' is way more unique than talking about disliking MCU Spider-Man or talking about why you hate Sasuke or something.

I don't really have a good way to end all this cause that's just it, all about consistency if I didn't get that across the 10 times I used that word. As usual feel free to disagree with me and if possible tell me how and why.

[distort-opia]

...I do get Joker fatigue. DC has been overusing him, to the detriment of him and everyone else. I also get purely disliking Joker, and agree he's been written badly a plethora of times. People have the right to like whoever they want and need no justification for it! However, what bugs me is people writing disparaging meta about a character that they admit... they refuse to read comics about.

How can you argue Joker has zero motivation or depth, or that he isn't a good fit to be Batman's narrative foil, if you don't read stories with him in them? There are so many comics directly contradicting this-- The Killing Joke alone has an entire speech dedicated to how exactly Joker is Batman's narrative foil, done by Joker himself, and which has fundamentally influenced everyone writing Joker afterwards. There's more than one canonical instance of Bruce himself talking about how Joker is his opposite and why. But that isn't even the point; there's plenty of people who don't read comics and consume a different kind of content for the Batman universe, or only read comics containing their faves. All perfectly fine. But then why would you write analysis about a character entirely outside your sphere with the confidence of someone who knows them? It's so easy to simply say "I'm tired of Joker and I hate his guts" rather than come up with text-based analysis justifying why Joker is bad, when you're clearly not engaging with text about him.

Or, as that one Tumblr post put it, "hate on a character I like, but at least hate on them accurately."

[destinyc1020]

can I say a confession. I kinda lost all my interest in the MCU not even the prospect of zendaya and tom returning in sm4 is exciting to me obviously I would eat up a press tour but not the movie. I dont post end game this MCU has been rather flat and dull. No hate to people who love the MCU, I really hope the MCU delivers yall some magical stuff. Its just watching other major blockbusters and seeing their quality like top gun or mad max or dune or spiderverese like Im reminded at what cinema can be when creators are given time and freedom to build their own worlds and create unique moments story telling or when we see great cinematigraphy and sound design.

Like Im glad I opened myself to see smaller things or films I've never thought I would watch like poor things, american fiction, la chimera, all of us strangers, past lives and just being transported and experiencing something amazing and emotional and feeling rewarded as an audience member. I dont know I feel like mcu is kinda lagging behind and I feel lile audiences deserve better products and the MCU just dont deliver anymore.

Thanks for your confession Anon. 😊

Idk if you meant for me to hold this "Confession" off until Sunday so that you could have immunity lol 😆, but I saw this posted to my inbox yesterday, and it didn't say to hold off from posting until Sunday, so I assume you wanted me to post it. 🤷🏾‍♀️ If I misunderstood, I apologize.

Anyway.....

I'm definitely a self-proclaimed "Marvel Girl" (always have been 😊), but I also love DC comics as well. I'm not one of those who feels like fans HAVE to choose btwn one or the other. 👀

With that said, Marvel to me is like the fun, exciting, "junk food" of cinema. Like eating junk food, watching Marvel movies is fun to digest, it's enjoyable, it's exciting, you feel GREAT while watching it, and you can't wait until you see some other new films coming out.

But, you can't exist SOLELY on junk food and be healthy, just like if you're truly a fan of film, you can't ONLY watch Marvel films and be 100% satisfied in your movie-viewing life. 🤷🏾‍♀️ You need a balance.

It sounds like you're definitely a fan of film, and you watch a variety of stuff. That's awesome! 😃 👍🏾☺️

While I love Marvel, I too have noticed that some of their more recent films have left some fans a little disappointed, and just feeling a little "Marvel Fatigue".

I honestly think that they got worried that after they killed off most of the OG Avengers, that fans would lose interest, and so they started just churning out more and more films and series in order to put out the "next phase". But in all honesty, I kinda feel like after NWH and Wakanda Forever came out, I sort of feel like Marvel should have taken a little bit of a BREAK, and allowed the fans to miss them (sometimes, absence makes the heart grow fonder), and really taken their TIME in writing better films going forward after resting for a few years. 👀

Cuz you're right, some films are feeling a little sloppy and rushed, and honestly, when you compare some of the newer Marvel films to films like "The Dark Knight" , or even "The Batman", or shooot.... even "Spider-man 2" lol 😆, you can kind of see the STARK difference. (No pun intended lol)

Obviously, Marvel films aren't going to be like "Poor Things" or "All of Us Strangers", so I wouldn't even compare them to those types of films rofl 🤣

But yea, like when you even compare some of the Marvel films to a movie like "Top Gun: Maverick" (which was AWESOME and brought back old school style Hollywood filmmaking), you can tell the immediate difference in how you feel when watching it, the writing, the cinematography, the MUSIC, everything....

I think Marvel reigned Supreme for many many years (over a decade), and so maybe they got lazy or felt that MORE content more OFTEN was "better", but I actually think the opposite. 👀 🤷🏾‍♀️

[teeelsie-posts]

Fanfic Writers' Director's Cut: Winter Quarters

 @drgrlfriend asked for Director’s Cut commentary about Winter Quarters, so here you go!

Ages and ages ago, I stumbled on a short one-shot C/C fic, Feathered Friends. by Perpetual Motion. It’s an MCU/DC crossover that introduces Dick Grayson as an old friend of Dick’s from the circus days.  Honestly, I didn’t think much of it at the time because I wasn’t into DC at all then, but it was C/C and by an author who had written other things I’d liked.  I liked the fic, though, and always sort of remembered it vaguely.  Some years later, I was needing a distraction from life (for reasons) when a writer I admire and follow cast about looking for a beta for a 60k Jay/Dick fic. For those of you who might not be aware, Jay/Dick is a significant pairing in the DCU (the tag has the most fic in the DCU and Batman fandoms ao3). Anyway, I spent a couple months with that fic and that got me interested in more Dick Grayson fic, in particular. And then one day, it hit me like a bolt of lightning: Dick and Clint both grew up in the circus and there’s so much potential there for crossover fic!  I checked out the tag and there were only 8 fic with the pairing. Eight! A travesty! From there, I just started thinking about it, a lot. Like, really a lot. 

I toyed with them at the same circus, but their respective circuses are so well entrenched in canon that I decided I didn’t want to do that.  And for reasons I won’t get into, I was aware that circuses used to winter over in Florida, and I thought, oh, wow, wouldn’t that be great fodder for angst, to have them coming in and out of each others’ lives every year, have their relationship grow, but then have to LEAVE each other year after year.  Mmm, yummy angst! 🤤 Thus Winter Quarters was born!

Mmm, what else… well, I think Clint and Dick work well together for the same reason that Clint and Phil work together: it’s the yin and yang.  While they both grew up in the circus, Dick’s early life was vastly different from Clint’s. His family was loving and stable and his parents were kind and supportive and encouraging. Just the opposite of Clint’s.  I enjoyed writing Dick’s slow realization that Clint’s life was nothing like his own.  Dick’s life wasn’t sheltered, exactly (I mean, he did grow up in a traveling circus), but because his parents protected him, he never really faced head-on the kind of horror and trauma that Clint experienced regularly. Because he couldn’t recognize it for what it was, it takes him a long time to understand what’s going on with Clint.

And if Clint had anything to say about it, he never would have learned about it.  I see them both as very protective of the other (which is why they both make excellent super heroes), with Dick, once he learns what Clint’s going through, he wants to save him from it. Whereas Clint sees Dick as this sort of, unmarred shining star, doesn’t ever want to expose Dick to the darkness in his life—from Clint’s perspective, he’s afraid he’s going to…sully Dick, and he doesn’t want to do that.

In truth, I wasn’t super well informed about Dick Grayson when I started writing this.  I had to sheepishly ask a few people on tumblr if they could give me, like, Dick’s baseline personality traits. Those I asked were very kind and gave me enough to go on and pointed me toward a few essential Robin/Nightwing comics so I could get my start.  One of them said something about Dick and his ‘dad jokes’ which is the entire reason I inserted all those dumb jokes in there.  I spent a stupid amount of time googling ‘dad jokes’ and puns to try to find a handful that would fit into the story line. In the end though, I kind of liked how they worked into the narrative.

The hardest thing about this fic for me, I think, was writing with a young boy’s voice. I never was one, I never had bothers, and my kids are girls, so I was pretty insecure about how authentic they sounded. I still am, if I’m honest. But I suppose there’s a universalness to the teenage experience, regardless of what your gender is, so hopefully I wasn’t too far off the mark.

In all honesty, I didn’t think anyone would be interested in this crossover—it genuinely was one of those situations when they say you have to write for yourself and not other people—so the response the fic has gotten has 100% blown me away. But it makes me super happy and I hope it will inspire more people to write some Clint/Dick!  In the meantime, I continue to think about Part 2 on a daily basis and I’ll get there eventually, if for no other reason then that I have already written the denouement and I really like it so I want to write everything that leads up to it so I can post it! 😅

Thanks for the ask, drgrlfriend!

Fanfic Writers' Director's Cut ask game.

[froizetta]

Fic Writing Review 2023

We're solidly into 2024 by now, and considering I posted my first anything in August this isn't exactly a full year review. But let's go!!

Words and Fics

134,798 words published to ao3 (um? how???)

It's all DC fic!!

Most recent (completed): What's In A Name?

Most recent (updated): (Love) Triangles Have Multiple Centers

Longest fic: An Honest Conversation (60k. Jesus. It was supposed to be a oneshot, what HAPPENED)

Top 3 by Comments

I'm copying burins and doing this by comments instead of kudos, because...well, why not. And wow, these are all superbat romcoms! Huh! I am predictable.

An Honest Conversation (you never forget your first! Idiots to FWB to lovers, with lots of mutual pining)

(Love) Triangles Have Multiple Centers (identity porn love square hijinks, current main WIP)

Padam Padam (a comedically pornographic reinterpretation of misattribution of arousal)

Personal Favorite

(Love) Triangles is probably the most fun to work on/plan out because comedy is where I feel most comfortable, but I think the one I'm most proud of is What's In A Name? It was a departure from my usual to write a story and relationship with a slightly darker tone, and it was fun letting myself get self-indulgently wanky with Themes and Parallels in what's basically a soft kink PWP. It feels like personal growth in more than one dimension!

Upcoming Projects for 2024

Ooh boy I have quite a few stories I'm eager to finish. Listed below in an order that makes sense to me, but that I couldn't for the life of me explain:

Bruce and Clark go on a Big Night Out to help Clark get over his recent break-up with Lois, having figured out how to get Clark drunk for the first time in his life. Thus ensues the kind of tragic love story you'd hear from that drunk girl crying in the club bathroom, but superbat.

The coming of age story for Super Sons Jon that I never got to read (thanks Bendis). Featuring bi panic, the horror of puberty, the EXTRA horror of puberty-plus-laser-vision, and Jon's questionable taste in crushes (aka Damian).

Superbat again, whoops. Another fluffy miscommunication romcom in which Bruce gets impatient waiting for his boyfriend Clark to make a move. (Clark does not in fact know that they are dating.)

Jason Todd genfic. It's in a document I've titled "Jason child abuse thing", which pretty much sums it up. A slightly darker character study about Jason's childhood pre-Bruce that's too self-indulgent to be comics accurate.

Departing briefly from DC, I also have a slightly ambitious (probably gen) post-canon fic for The Great Ace Attorney, because it's an excellent game series, and when I finished it I had a lot of Feelings about the way it ended. I took a break due to the DC brainrot, but I hope to return to it this year.

The above are all things I have words written for, but I also have a bunch of things I want to write but haven't nailed down enough detail for yet:

Cloisbat. I just think Bruce and Lois should get to be catty and jealous at each other over Clark, and then resolve their differences by double teaming him. I think they'd enjoy that.

Batlantern. Just...anything. I love their dynamic, but why can't I think of any good fic ideas? (Answer: I have read 0 GL comics.)

Something something Bruce/Constantine. I accidentally became invested after reading the Zatanna substory in Batman: Urban Legends. Also, I feel like Constantine would be fun as hell to write. (Zatanna could totally join too, if she wanted.)

Cat Grant/Lois. Look, I don't know where this came from either, but doesn't it feel like this should be more of a thing? I feel like it should be a thing. They're femme4femme but in opposite ways. They're foils. There's something there, I'm not crazy!

Rules and Tags

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some qualitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to share unpublished stuff instead? Change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either.

Tagged by @burins! Thanks, I really appreciate the tag!

Tagging: @unbreakabledawn @ginbenci and anyone else who wants to do this!