calliopewayne

[calliopewayne]

by 28644950

[calliopewayne]

okay but consider the hilarity of Dick Grayson actually making a name for himself as a REALLY good detective over in Blüdhaven, the Gotham tabloids catching wind of it, and printing a whole story about how Dick “…clearly doesn’t get it from his father!”

his father being Bruce Wayne, known in certain circles as the world’s greatest detective. like imagine the dinner table conversation after that story drops.

[calliopewayne]

This gives me an idea for a fic!!!

wrong city you guys!!

[calliopewayne]

I love these two bros

Also based on real life events

[calliopewayne]

Can I Join You

Fandom: Superman all media type. Inspired by a prompt on tumblr.

[calliopewayne]

Batman hates guns

Bruce confirmed to be that parent who pretends to forget things that happened when convenient for him

[calliopewayne]

@ksarasara has inspired me. I'm going to try to do the 110 kisses prompt . . . eventually. Wish me luck

Angst/Fluff Prompt List Part 2

The first one was a big hit, so I hope you’re ready for a second one! These can work with ANY fandom! Reblog if you wish! (Please give credit, to where credit is due <3)!

“I need you.”

“You’re family.”

“I care about you.”

“Can I join you.”

“You made your choice.”

“This isn’t fair!”

“How could you do this?”

“Do you hate me?”

“I could never leave you behind.”

“Come with me.”

“That’s sweet.”

“You look great.”

“Where are you going?”

“That’s new.”

“Let me help you.”

“Drop the attitude.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’ve got you.”

“I’m worried about you.”

“You don’t seem like yourself tonight.”

“Do you like it?”

“You smell nice.”

“They didn’t deserve you.”

“I trust you, do you trust me?”

“Karma is a bitch.”

“What the hell?”

“Son of a bitch.”

“I hope your day gets better.”

“I’m here if you need to talk.”

“Are you listening to me?”

“Sorry.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Why are you acting like this?”

“How do I look?”

“Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.”

“What is this about?”

“You look like hell.”

“I haven’t seen you in a few days.”

“It’s good to see you.”

“You know, you can stay if you want to.”

“I’m not pissed, I’m hurt.”

“Truth hurts, doesn’t it?”

“I almost feel bad for you.”

“What you did was stupid.”

“No.  You listen to me.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I know you’re scared.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

“You’re not helping.”

“It’s not safe here.”

“You should leave.”

“Everything is fine.”

“I’ll keep you safe.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Just go away.”

“You don’t have to act like you’re okay.”

“I’m only here to help.”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

“Thanks for nothing.”

“I’m done.”

“You think that this is easy for me?”

“I hate seeing you like this.”

“You make me so mad.”

“I brought you dinner.”

“Say what?”

“You’ll be fine.”

“You’ve got me on your side.”

“I don’t like you…. I love you.”

“I don’t want you… I need you.”

“What are you doing here?”

“It’s okay to cry.”

“I can tell you’re lying.”

“You’re in danger.”

“You deserve better.”

“You’ve changed.”

“I think I’m in trouble.”

“You always find a way to surprise me.”

“You did what you had to do.”

“You have no idea.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

“This is just great.”

“You’re here late.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“I wanted to apologize.”

“It’s just you and me.”

“I’m just looking out for you.”

“I never meant to fall in love with you, I just did.”

“Calm down.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Oh come on.”

“No one is perfect.”

“You’ve been quiet.”

“What did you just say?”

“I’ll always be there for you.”

“Fair enough.”

“When you fall, I’ll always be right there to catch you.”

“I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

“You’re not crazy.”

“I’m not leaving.”

“I hope you’re happy.”

“You’re the only person I wanted to be with tonight.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“You’re not going anywhere.”

“You believe me, don’t you?”

“Regardless of what they think, I know you’re an amazing person.”

“Shhh…  You need to be quiet.”

“Fuck you!”

“You don’t even know me.”

[calliopewayne]

Clois is the best in every version

I saw a post in the My Adventures with Superman tag claiming that Lois "finally" has a character. I really like the show and it's version of Lois too, but I want to make this clear: Lois Lane has been around for over 80 years and she's always been a distinct, dynamic character with a lot going for her, every bit as admirable as Superman. This isn't a new thing!

Like any character Lois has had some bad adaptations, but she's been a great character from the beginning, and I wanted to show off some panels from comics over the years so anyone new to Superman lore can see why she's a beloved character and the MAWS portrayal is building on that, not starting from scratch.

Lois in the golden age comics (1939 through the 1940's) was shown to be a career-driven woman who didn't take shit from anyone. This was an era where a lot of women were entering the workforce because men were serving in WWII and there was excitement and change in the air, and Lois was meant to be a reflection of that. She fought against the sexism of her boss sticking her with the advice and gossip columns because she was a woman, and she was go-getting reporter out to get a real story. From the beginning she was fearless (sometimes reckless), driven, and had no patience for Clark Kent's (feigned) cowardice (and was always full of sick burns). She never let anyone push her around.

And she's been pretty consistently like this her entire run as a character. Of course, there were some bad writers, and there was a time in the 50s when all female characters had to be marriage obsessed (Lois wasn't the only one hit with this, Wonder Woman was too), but she reverted back to her firebrand self in the 60's and 70's, and when the 80's came along, characters started getting more filled in backstories, including her- this was where we started seeing stuff about her home life, her childhood moving around as a military brat, and her troubled relationship with her father and sister. She had an interior life, inner conflict- and she still kicked ass and always got the last word in. As someone invested in journalism, she is THE coolest fictional journalist to me.

This was also when comics started focusing on Clark being who Superman WAS rather than a pure act, and we got to see their relationship really grow and Lois fall for Clark, not Superman. So here, have some panels of Lois being great and see the scope of her own personality.

Lois also has lots fun little quirks and hobbies comics readers know about- she takes her coffee a certain way, she doesn't cook much because she's so on the go (so Clark is the one who cooks in the fam), she likes to sit on Clark's desk when they're talking (this happens in other Superman media too), she REALLY likes monster trucks and Clark REALLY doesn't but will support her anyway:

Also, she's always seen through to who Clark really is:

Anyway. Have more of my favorite Lois panels because I have a lot:

also this one because I'm gay:

[calliopewayne]

The Strike

Getting blindsided by Mr. Matchmaker was not Bruce’s idea of a fun Saturday night. Though if he had a therapist, she’d probably tell him fighting crime did not qualify as healthy ‘fun.’  

He was happy with the way things were. Once a month Clark would drag Bruce out to Metropolis for some ‘Much needed socializing.’ According to Mr. Matchmaker, a gala didn’t count as ‘Socializing.’ It was networking. Bowling should have been Bruce’s first red flag. You needed at least five or more people for a successful bowling game. The usual suspects didn’t cut it. 

“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Dick asked eying the interior of Cowtown Bowling Alley critically. 

Cowtown Bowling Alley was located in Hamilton County, a small farming town 300 miles North of Metropolis. It felt like he was back in Kansas, minus all the homey charm. He supposed Clark liked it here because it reminded him of home.     

Tables were strategically placed apart in a way that gave the illusion of roominess. The Cowtown Bowling Alley could fit snuggly inside the Kent farm with spare room remaining. Once upon a time, the tables might have been a brilliant shade of blue, but they were so dirty they looked brown. The place reeked of greasy food and a hint of manure. Bruce recoiled from the smell. He sure hoped this was the wrong place. In all his twenty-five years of life, he had never been in a more dinky bowling alley, if you could call it that. There were only eight lanes, each occupied by hillbillies. There even was a cowboy in the furthest lane trying to teach a goth girl how to line dance. 

The petite girl hooked her arm through the cowboy’s arm, laughing as she tripped over his feet. The cowboy caught her before she fell, twirled her around, and then spontaneously kissed her. 

“Watch it punk!” the girl punched him in the face, knocking his glasses off. “Just because I got all dolled up for you, does not mean you get to lay one on me, Rodeoman.”  

“I thought that’s what. . . sorry Leslie.” 

The cowboy dove down to retrieve his glasses and it dawned on Bruce that the cowboy was no other than his dorky friend. He should have known Clark would come clad in full cowboy regalia. He fumbled around on the floor looking blindly for his horn-rimmed glasses. Bruce rolled his eyes. It was going to be a long night. He crouched next to Clark, and plucked the glasses off the floor, shoving them back on the Kryptonian’s red face. 

“Bruce, you made it!” Clark’s eyes lit up with giddy joy. He surged forward and enveloped Bruce in a rib-crushing hug. “Everybody this is Bruce!” Clark announced to the gang, sounding drunk on happiness. 

Bruce’s stomach twisted into knots when he saw the clutter of people seated around the lane. A gawky redhead wearing suspenders balanced on the armrest of the bench. Bruce vaguely recognized Jack Olsen, the thief turned photographer, who was always glued to Clark’s side. He made Bruce nervous. Jack’s track record wasn’t exactly clean. He used to make a living selling stolen goods on the black market before meeting a certain optimistic alien. It was only a matter of time before Jack snapped the wrong photo and put two and two together. Clark needed to be more careful who he allowed to get close to him. 

A stunning Italian woman sat next to Jack, primly sipping a margarita. He almost didn’t recognize Zatanna without makeup. She had traded her usual fishnet stockings for a pair of sensible black leggings and a concert T-shirt. The younger Olsen brother sat on Zatanna’s lap, showing off his new Nintendo DS— the kid’s name escaped him at the moment. Sammy or Timmy? Something that ended with a ‘y.’ All Bruce knew about the kid was that Clark spoiled him rotten and wished he were his brother. 

 A young man, probably around Clark’s age, sat at the opposite bench scarfing down nachos as fast as the Flash. Bruce frowned at the blonde. There was something familiar about his movements. According to the badge clipped over his pocket, his name was Barry Allen. The angry, goth chick, AKA, Leslie Willis, Clark’s latest blunder, sat next to Barry. She eyed Bruce like a slab of juicy steak that was bad for her cholesterol. Bruce didn’t usually hate women, but Leslie did not deserve Clark. Nobody punched Clark except for Batman. And he certainly did not approve of her wondering eyes. This wasn’t the first time she made a pass at Bruce Wayne. Of course, Mr. X-ray-Vision was blind to his girlfriend’s harsher nature.     

“And me!” Dick pouted. 

Clark ruffled the kid’s locks affectionately. “Of course Dick, how can I forget you?” he smiled. “There’s actually someone I want you to meet.” Clark steered Dick toward the younger Olsen brother. “Jimmy, this is Dick Grayson, he’s around your age.” 

“Dick?” Leslie asked. “What, your parents took one look at you and thought, ‘That dick is going places.’” 

Barry spit out a nacho, choking on his laughter.   

“Leslie,” Clark warned. “There are children present.” 

“And?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “You expect me to dumb things down for the little humans?” 

“For the last time,” Jimmy jumped off Zatanna’s lap causing Zee to spill her drink. “I’m not little. I’m a decade old,” he said importantly.  

“You’re fun size,” Jack ruffled his brother’s hair, much in the same way Clark mussed up Dick’s hair earlier. 

“Jack, come on,” Clark wrapped an arm around Jack’s shoulders. “Help me set up the game.” 

“But it’s a one-person job!” Jack protested. “You just type the names in. It’s not rocket science.” Clark looked between Zatanna and Bruce meaningfully and then back to Jack. “You sir, are playing a very dangerous game,” Jack wagged a finger at Clark and followed him to the bowling console. 

Curse Clark and his rom-com-obsessed heart. He was certain Clark was under the impression, that Zee would spill a drink in his lap, they’d bump heads, exchange some awkward, predictable dialogue, and then be smitten with each other. Real life was a bit more complicated than that. Bruce dutifully sat down next to Zatanna, who couldn’t seem to stop smiling in amusement. She wasn’t dumb either. She saw what Clark was trying to do.  

“Hello, beloved,” she teased, mimicking Talia expertly.

 He was starting to regret confiding in Zee at all about his complicated ‘love’ life. Exchanging deadly blows and diffusing bombs hardly could be classified as ‘love.’ 

“You look purr-fect tonight,” she purred softly into his ear, her breath smelling fruity and minty. 

Zatanna was a very stunning woman. She was built like a professional swimmer, her body muscular and fluid. Her long, inky hair smelled of lingering sweet incense. She had a diamond-shaped face that was more attractive than beautiful, her features sharp and alert. He was not totally blind to her charms. In another life where he never studied under her father and she wasn’t the younger sister he always wanted, they might have been a possibility. At twenty-three Zatanna was closer in age to Clark. He honestly thought the two of them would end up together, but Clark had poor taste in women. He liked to punish himself with abusive relationships since he thought that was all he deserved.      

Bruce scowled. “Enjoying yourself?” 

“Immensely,” she winked at him. “You need to relax,” she reached over and pushed back his shoulders. “That frown is going to give you wrinkles, Brucie.” 

Through the corner of his eye, he could feel Clark and Jack watching them by the console. Damn Clark and his stupid superhearing. This would have been a great opportunity to pick Zatanna’s brain about Jason Blood. He was still having a hard time wrapping his head around the demon/human body switch. But. Bruce Wayne didn’t associate with temperamental monsters. One whisper of his nightlife and Clark will know the truth. Superman will be even more insufferable than usual. 

Zatanna whispered a soft word and the room froze as if she had hit the pause button on a movie. Leslie stood marble still facing the lane, her arm outstretched, fingers clamped on a pink bowling ball. Clark leaned behind her, no doubt whispering words of comfort. Barry Allen’s mouth was agape as he held a greasy slice of pizza to his mouth, inches from taking a bite out of it. Bruce frowned at the preppy blonde. He knew that guy from somewhere, he was sure of it. This was going to bug him all night.  

Dick and Jimmy sat at their feet mid-laughter; Jimmy showed Dick his Mythomania cards. Bruce’s breath caught in his chest at the sight of his ward. He seemed so young and carefree. He rarely got a chance to hang out with kids his age.  

“Based on Clark’s sunny disposition, you haven’t told him the truth yet.” Zatanna raised a bushy eyebrow at him. 

That question was a double-edged sword. Had he told Clark about his nocturnal activities? Clark was better off not knowing. He could live with Superman hating Batman. He didn’t want to live in a world where Clark viewed Bruce as the enemy. Had he revealed their familial ties? It was on a need-to-know basis. Zatanna only knew because her father worked closely with Power Girl back in the day, before the fatal night in Crime Alley. Bruce’s throat closed up with sudden fear. His mother once was endowed by the sun’s rays, just like Clark, but her alien genes did not save her – one of the mysteries Bruce was never able to solve. Clark wasn’t invulnerable. He could be killed. His mother was proof of that. 

“He doesn’t need to know.” 

“You owe him the truth!” Zatanna swore. 

Bruce promised his mother he would protect her nephew. Part of protecting Clark was protecting him from himself. If he knew they were cousins he would risk his life to keep Bruce safe. And that meant recklessly fighting the Joker so Bruce wouldn’t have to. If Clark knew, it would open a can of worms Bruce wasn’t ready to face. Clark will surely have questions, questions Bruce didn’t have the answers to. Like, how did she survive Krypton’s explosion? How was it possible for her to get shot? How was it possible for Bruce Lor-Van Wayne to exist? Martha Wayne was a riddle wrapped in a mystery. 

“The truth will only hurt him,” Bruce said. 

“How can you say that?” Zatanna snapped. “You know better than anyone the scars losing family leaves behind.” 

“Clark has a family,” Bruce reminded her, his voice colored with envy. The Kents loved that alien more than life itself. He didn’t need Bruce. He would only bring Clark down with the darkness inside him. 

“You at least have the memory of your birthparents,” she softened her tone. “Clark thinks he’s the last Kryptonian. It would mean the world to him knowing you’re . . .” 

“I’m not Kryptonian,” Bruce growled. Not where it counted. There was too much of his father in him. Sure, his photographic memory was a bit more advanced than your average human, but that was the extent of the gifts Amara Lor Van passed down to him, which was just how he wanted it. Someone like him would abuse that much power. Clark was better off thinking he was the last Kryptonian. 

“You’re still family,” Zatanna persisted. “He needs that now more than ever.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Bruce frowned.  Zatanna pursed her lips, forming a hard, ugly line across her face. “Zee, if Clark is in trouble, you need to tell me right now!” Bruce instinctively grabbed the magician’s shoulders and squeezed threateningly. 

“He found his ship,” Zatanna said in a dead voice. 

“That’s good right?” Bruce wondered, releasing her. His heartbeat gradually returned to normal. 

“His father’s hologram only speaks kryptonese,” Zatanna smiled sadly. “He’s been coming to me to speak to his mother—in hopes her spirit will translate,” she said. “Let me clue you in, it’s not working . . . and I’m tired Bruce. I don’t think I can survive another session. He needs you.”  

The dead language was another reminder of what he had lost. Mother used to spend hours upon days teaching Bruce Kryptonese and customs from her home world. It was one of the few times he saw mother smile. That, and when they visited the Kent farm after she realized her sister’s son survived the eruption of Krypton. As a kid, Bruce didn’t understand why his mother didn’t just take Kal-El back home with them. Now he realized she was right in leaving him with the Kents. It allowed Clark to live a normal life, free of any burdens of the past. 

“I will talk to him,” Bruce decided. 

And by that he meant Batman would talk to Superman. In Clark’s mind, Batman was this immovable force of justice that could do nothing wrong. He was even convinced Batman could cook. It was entirely plausible that Batman would spend his free time learning a dead language in preparation for a Kryptonian invasion. Clark wouldn’t need to know the full truth. 

“Thank you,” Zatanna embraced him gratefully. “You won’t regret telling him the truth.”  

She snapped her fingers and breathed life into the room once more. Leslie threw her arm back and rolled the bowling ball across the lane with surprising agility. The ball rolled to the side, skidding alongside the gutter. At the last second, the ball veered to the left and slammed into the pins. Against all odds, she got a Strike. Bruce felt a gust of cold air settling over their small corner of the room. Sure enough, when he looked at his baby cousin, his cheeks were puffed out as if he were blowing out birthday candles. 

The damn idiot. Bruce strutted forward and grabbed Clark by the ear. “Hey– watch it that hurts . . .” 

Mr. Kent blubbered and tripped over his feet, falling against Bruce.  Bruce winced as the Kryptonian’s weight slammed into him. That was going to bruise in the morning. Bruce scowled but didn’t release Clark. Petty bitch. He dragged the overgrown child to the food court and only once he was sure there were no eavesdroppers did he release Clark. 

“What the hell was that?” they both said simultaneously, Clark needlessly massaging his earlobe. 

“You’re being a dick!” Clark roared. “Leslie is my girlfriend!” Clark protested. “I can kiss her if I want to!” 

“I don’t give a rat’s ass who you decide to snog!” Bruce thundered. “But don’t stand there and pretend you’re innocent!” Bruce chided him. “There are cameras,” Bruce lowered his voice. “You’re being careless, Kansas. Is this girl really worth ruining your life over?” 

Clark’s face colored with annoyance. “It’s called having fun. You should try it sometime,” Clark matched his righteous tone and crossed his arms, pouting. 

“You’re being reckless and irresponsible. What if she saw you? I fucking saw you!” 

“Only because you’re a paranoid, obsessive, egotistical butthole,” Clark’s eyes flashed crimson and Bruce was forced to step back. Clark furiously shut his eyes and combed his fingers through his slick hair, sucking in a fortifying breath. A few whispy curls bounced over Clark’s squared forehead, steadily transforming him into the iconic Man of Steel. Anxiety pumped through Bruce’s veins. He didn’t understand how a pair of dorky glasses could hide what was so obvious to him.      

“I’m sorry, that was uncalled for,” Clark shrugged sheepishly, shoulders slouching once more. Mr. Meek-and-Proper was back. “It’s just . . .” Clark swallowed audibly, his eyes filled with anguish. “They never see Clark,” he said mournfully. “I might as well not exist . . .,” Clark reached over and clapped a hand over Bruce’s shoulder. “You’re worried about nothing, man,” Clark said. “Even if someone did see . . . we’re among friends. I trust them all with my life.” 

Clark trusted people way too easily. His friends were human. Humans by nature are a greedy, envious bunch. Fear of the unknown will push them to hate Kal-El or if Clark is lucky, the envy will doom their friendship. Yep, that was Bruce. Mr. Gloom and Doom to the rescue.   

“I’m not sure you can trust Leslie,” Bruce said. 

He wouldn’t be doing his duty as the older, much wiser cousin, if he didn’t point out what a crazy bitch Clark’s girlfriend was. The fact they met online didn’t exactly instill confidence in Bruce. He had the misfortune of meeting Leslie twice, and that was twice too many times. The first time he met her, she had been screaming at Clark for cooking her breakfast in bed. Then there was the time she accused Clark of cheating on her with Lois Lane. Honestly, Lois would be a step up from Leslie. Sure Lois and Clark didn’t always see eye to eye and argued a lot, but Lois was no bully. Deep down she truly cared for Clark and won’t dream of hurting him. If Leslie learned the truth, Bruce very much doubted it would end happily. 

“I know she can be a lot, but her heart is in the right place,” Clark reasoned. “She likes Metallica also.” 

“Clark, you like lots of different music,” Bruce pointed out. “Liking the same songs is not a recipe for a healthy relationship.”

“I hardly think you’re one to be giving relationship advice,” Clark crossed his arms.“Your longest relationship lasted three weeks!” 

“Yeah because I’m not going to settle for abusive, psychotic, arm candy!” 

“I agree with the moody billionaire.” 

Bruce jumped out of his skin, stepping on Clark’s toes in his haste. Barry Allen had appeared out of nowhere wearing an easy, amused smile. Barry looped an arm around a very annoyed Kryptonian. “She’s psychotic. Have you heard her broadcast? She wants nothing to do with you.” 

Bruce narrowed his eyes at Barry with mistrust, noticing gravely how Barry said ‘You’ not ‘Superman.’ Leslie Willis was so loud and obnoxious, you’d be hard-pressed to find a vehicle that did not have her Superman hate-speech spewing from the radio. Even if Clark did not actively follow her show, Superman most definitely had heard it. 

“People change,” Clark brushed Barry’s arm off. “You know that better than anyone.” 

“Aye,” Barry relented. “But Leslie isn’t going to wake up one day and be okay with her man . . .” he bit his lower lip, looking nervously at Bruce. 

“Her man being an alien,” Bruce finished for him, glaring at Clark. “You told him!” he wheezed with fury. “He’s a cop!” Bruce accused. “You can’t trust him.”   

“It was kinda a dead giveaway when he kept breaking his alarm clock,” Barry shrugged. “Don’t worry Papa Bear,” Barry laughed. “My lips are sealed.” 

“This,” Bruce’s hand flew out passionately. “Is exactly what I’m talking about. At the rate you’re going, it’s only a matter of time before Lex Luthor finds out the truth. I guarantee the cop has a file on you.” It’s what he would have done if the roles were reversed. 

“Barry was my roommate in college,” Clark supplied, his face red with anger. “Stop being such a paranoid, overprotective ass,” Clark’s mouth formed a thin line. “You’re not my brother. Who I trust or don’t is none of your damn business.”

His talk with Zatanna replayed in his head. He opened his mouth to set the record straight and closed it sharply again. This wasn’t the time or place for hard truths and there were plenty of reasons to keep Clark in the dark. 

[calliopewayne]

Each episode makes me love the show even more

Okay, but this is probably mirroring EXACTLY what Jor-El's thoughts, actions, and purpose in sending Clark to Earth the first time was.

It all comes full circle. Once again, Kal-El is at risk of dying if he stays. Once again, Jor-El is forced to remain behind.

Once again, despite the fact that his son may never understand just how much his original family cared about him, it doesn't change the fact that all a dying father wants is for his son to live.

[calliopewayne]

Chapters: 10/? Fandom: Superman - All Media Types, Superman (Comics), Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, DCU (Comics), Justice League - All Media Types, Batman - All Media Types, The Flash - All Media Types, Smallville Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Clark Kent/Lois Lane, Clark Kent & Bruce Wayne, Barry Allen & Clark Kent, Barry Allen/Iris West Characters: Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Iris West, Diana (Wonder Woman), Bruce Wayne Additional Tags: whumptober2022, Amnesia, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Hurt Clark Kent, Protective Lois Lane, Kryptonite (DCU), Kryptonite Poisoning (DCU), Near Death Experiences, Sickfic, Confused Clark Kent, Clark Kent Needs a Hug, Smallville Kansas (DCU), Memory Loss, Head Injury, Major Character Injury, Injury Recovery, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Torture, no.2, Blood and Injury, Whump, Presumed Dead, End of the World, Poison, Lost Love, Reporter Lois Lane, Inspired by Smallville (TV) Series: Part 1 of Nightfall Summary:

An asteroid is on a collision course with Earth that is bigger than the one that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. Superman manages to break it apart, but at a cost. He crashlands in a strange land with no memory of who he is or how he got there.

The chunk of rock is still orbiting Earth, the paper has taken to calling it 'Nightfall.' Both Clark Kent and Superman are missing. Lois Lane is worried for Superman's safety after she unearths the truth about Nightfall, fearing he might be dead. She works tiredly to find him, but with each second that ticks by she loses hope.

With the Metropolis Wonder missing, and presumed dead, who will save Earth?

[calliopewayne]

Snippet of my WIP, Heart of Stone. It’s heavily inspired by the DCAU and Smallville. You can find it on wattpad and A03

[calliopewayne]

My OTP always

Heart meow ❤️

[calliopewayne]

Such a cute dork

Saving all the cats in all the trees~

[calliopewayne]

This show understands Clark

This broke me

[calliopewayne]

I’m loving this show!

✨🩷

[calliopewayne]

Sound advice 

Tips for increasing your AO3 traffic

There are a million and a half blog posts in the world about “how to get more traffic on your website!!! ;););)” but I haven’t seen much that details how to increase fanfic traffic on AO3 specifically, so I thought I’d share a few tips. (Note: a lot of this is not necessarily fanfic-specific. The general principles can be applied to content creation in any community.)

There are three primary sources of AO3 traffic:

Readers who comb through the most recent updates/tags of a given ship/fandom

Fic recs/promos from other sites

User subscribers on AO3 who receive emails about your updates

Increasing traffic is a matter of creating quality content on a consistent basis so that readers are compelled to read your past fics, sign up to be notified of your future fics, and recommend you to their follower base. I call these people “engaged readers” because not only are they willing to passively read what you put out there, they are willing to tell other people how much they enjoyed it.  

Promo other authors/read a lot of fanfic. This is the least directly effective tip and also the most important. You have to give as good as you get in any community that you’re in, which means you need to be someone else’s engaged reader.

Write long WIPs that update frequently. I started out writing fics where I posted 2k-word chapters every day until it was finished. The schedule almost killed me, but at the time I was in a weird space. Now I aim for posting 3x a week on long WIPs with short chapters, and less frequently for WIPs that have fewer long chapters and/or might be kind of plot-heavy.

Learn from other fandoms. If you read a lot in multiple fandoms, you can pick out gaps from one fandom to another. For example, one fandom may have a ton of a certain trope, say coffeeshop!AUs, but another is definitely lacking in them. What is successful in one fandom will probably be successful in another. (Note: I’m not talking about plagiarizing. Utilizing tropes and flat-out copying are two different things.)

Be different! Put a your own spin on a trope, or be a trendsetter and invent your own. Fanfic is your playground. Don’t be afraid to be weird. Put as much of yourself and what you love into a fic as you possibly can. It’ll definitely show.

Link your social networking accounts at the bottom of your fic. That way, when people are done reading, they can follow you. It also helps to put a link to a rebloggable post on tumblr at the bottom so it makes it easy for readers to rec it on their own blog. Which leads me to…

Make a gifset/photoset for your fic or commission fanart. I like making gifsets for my fics so the post that I ask people to reblog is pretty. I think fanart commissions are also really great, because then you’re supporting fandom in multiple ways. I’ve found that readers really love visuals. Be sure to put the original post in all the important tags within the first five tags of the post. Reblog it from yourself a few times at different times of the day to make sure your followers don’t miss it. 

Be consistent across platforms. If you’re Shipper1989 on AO3, it’s easier to remember that you’re Shipper1989 on tumblr, twitter, etc. Use the same profile pic and cover photo from site to site. It’s part of what’s called personal branding. It makes the difference is between, “I really like this fic,” and, “I really like this writer.”

Talk to your readers. A lot of authors reply to their comments to facilitate this (I don’t, I’m sorry, I’m terrible about that). Some writers utilize the author’s notes section to give some insight into themselves. Play ask games on tumblr. Follow people back. Comment on other authors’ fics. Send asks to other people. Make friends with your readers. (I say this not necessarily to boost your traffic, but because it makes the whole fanfic experience so much more fun.)

Pay attention to your stats. A slowburn fluff fic with a hint of smut and humor is always going to do better than a genfic where everyone dies. A lot of fanfic writing (and content creation in general [and life in general]) involves the careful balance between catering to what you want to write versus what you know will be popular/accepted. If you’re seeking fandom fame/popularity, it’s going to take a lot of figuring out what people like, serving it to them on a silver platter, and thanking them for eating it.

Take prompts/write ficlets. If you write a ficlet that gets reblogged a few times, you’ll boost your follower count on tumblr, so when you post about your AO3 fics, people who don’t scour a ship’s most recent updates on a fic will have a direct line to it.

Come up with a memorable title and an engaging summary. I have a certain friend who hates the titles of all of my fics, and for good reason: they’re awful. But most of them are immediate attention-grabbers because they’re so awful. Fanfic titling is an art in itself. The way I see it, a fanfic title should be epic in its shortness, easy to make into an acronym, or flat-out silly. For summaries, I like picking out a very short quote from the first few paragraphs of the fic to illustrate the voice in which it’s written, followed by a simple, accurate summary.

Tag the big picture stuff first and make sure all your boxes are filled out. Your first few tags should be the most general. AU or canon? Fluff, angst, or crack? And fill out the rest from there. Additionally, AO3 has four little boxes to help readers immediately visually sort what kind of fic it is, so make sure all of your data is filled out. Accurate tagging/summarizing establishes trust in the reader/writer relationship. It’s important to communicate to readers what they’re getting into.

Accumulating an engaged following takes a lot of time and hard work, but I feel like it’s a mutually beneficial relationship that makes everybody happy, so it’s definitely worth it. <3