#about the bats

[batshieroglyphics]

Surprise self-rec time! Pick 3 of your favorite things you’ve written and share them here, then put this in the inbox (anonymously or not) of your fellow writers to spread the positivity and help celebrate already written fics 💞

I feel like this is a trick question, mostly because I am multi-fandom, and I tend towards favs per fandom, as opposed to favs of all time, lol So, uhhh, how about a fic from 3 diff fandoms that...I don't know I'd call them my 'fav', but they're the ones I'm most inclined/tempted to reread in that fandom on a whim.

For Fullmetal Alchemist, I'm going to say Colours in Your Eyes. It was a Big Bang piece, and I really, really loved how it turned out. Playing with soulmates is always interesting, but I loved the chance to fuck around with this one. I had a lot of fun playing with the ideas of cultural differences and how when you discovered your soulmate could change things. And I was just so, so happy with the ending. I think the last ending I adored as much as I did this one, was Reclaim. It just....hit that sweet spot.

Picking one for Final Fantasy VIII, lol, okay, that's...rough. I going to go with Noblesse Oblige, I think. I did so much work on developing the world in this fic, and building out original characters that were able to join as part of the main cast. It's also my only fic that really looks at how the events of canon might have unfolded in the following months. It was very much a labour of love, and I remain very proud of it.

I'm going to cheat, for Star Wars, actually, and pick a series: JasBen Save a Galaxy Far, Far Away. Because it has the healing and the happy ending that Obi-Wan—Ben— deserves. It's also got Jaster being an awesome and supported Mand'alor, and Tor not going batshit, and Xanatos getting the healing he deserves, and little baby!Obi-Wan being the cutest fucking thing. And it manages to be both pro-Jedi and pro-True Mandos, without shitting on either one, or shitting on the New Mandos (although it's pretty clear they're less than respected, oops), which is...such an achievement in this fandom, I am so proud of myself for it. I am sad that the clones aren't in it, but the series feels to me like healing and acceptance, and that's almost always going to be my go-to when I'm trolling my fic, looking for something to read.

[candyskiez]

Y'all have gotta get more insane about platonic relationships like you are about romantic relationships. We need to get more annoying about them NOW. I need to see more meta and losing our minds over them. Get more annoying NOW. More than that. More than that also.

[martyrbat]

hate when a batman artist isn't committed to bruce's lame bat schtick... give that man a bat insignia on the bottom of his boots rn

[goaheadandgetinthebog]

Several videos (independently) start circulating on the internet of the Waynes info dumping.

Bruce - the role of railways in westward expansion in the 1890s

Dick - clown eggs

Jason - tb and the New England vampires of the late 19th century, with reference to vampire literature

Cass - Paris sewer system

Tim - comparison of different camera lenses from different manufacturers, with model numbers

Duke - anti homeless architecture and how to remove it

Damian - cat declawing

After all this, a new meme forms.

'You must be this autistic to get adopted by Bruce Wayne.'

[incohorace]

(consumed with lust voice) omg what a fucking weirdo

[ditzybat]

tim: ugh, i can’t go into the sewers to follow croc, can’t risk an infection

jason: what, are the sewers not good enough for your bristol bred sensibilities?

tim: i have no fucking spleen jason, of course i’m not gonna go into the fucking sewers - i’ll literally die

[bet-on-me-13]

The cult of...Danny Fenton?

So! Way back when Danny first moved into his new neighborhood in Gotham, he had some trouble controlling his Powers. The different Types and Levels of Ectoplasm in the air when compared to Amity had thrown off his control.

He was used to being in places where his Ectoplasm meshed well with the Atmosphere, like a Water Balloon in a Pool, but in Gotham that analogy would be closer to a Water Balloon in the sewers. It was too different from what he was used to to fully control his Powers.

So it's understandable that he messed up a few times and his neighbors found out about his Abilities.

They took it well at first, Danny wasn't going to go Rogues or anything, and he never used them maliciously, but eventually they got curious.

They asked what his limits were, how he got them in the first place, and what the hell the Ghost Zone was. The answers "None Really", "I died and was reborn", and "A Collective of every Afterlife at once" did spark some interesting reactions from them.

Most importantly, a few of them joked about him being an Eldritch God that they needed to worship. He was good enough friends with them that at that point they felt comfortable pranking eachother, so they did just that.

Danny woke up one day on his birthday, and saw all of his friends and neighbors surrounding the makeshift Throne they had made and put him on while he was asleep. The entire day they chanted stuff like "The Great One requires Ms. Smiths Apple Pie for his day of birth!" And "The Great One Wishes for us to sing the Ritual Song! Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birth-"

After his birthday, they kept up the joke.

It didn't help that his powers had evolved Again! And now he could bestow abilities onto his friends. The jokes they made about their God granting them Supernatural Powers to rule the world with were insufferable.

Then, one day while he was just resting at home, watching a movie on his TV, he felt a Pull at his Core. The same kind of Pull whenever he was being summoned. But why would they summon hi- Oh Shit! It's Mr Jenkins Party today! He was supposed to meet them at the Warehouse they used for special events an Hour Ago!

He quickly accepted the Summoning, but was met with a suprising sight. His Neighbors all tied up in a pile to his right, a spilled table of party food to his left, and right in front of him, Batman and his Family watching him with wary eyes.

Slowly, he opened his mouth. "...so, did you come for the party or..."

[batcavescolony]

Red Hood: Kill the joker!

Batman: I can't kill the joker

Jim Gordon:(who only heard Batman say kill the joker) *busting in* NO! WE'VE BEEN OVER THIS. Batman doesn't kill, I fired bullets at you last time to get you to stop. You did this for me Im doing this for you! Back away from the clown and-

Red Hood: ???

Batman: it's not for lack of trying

Red Hood:...

[hometoursandotherstuff]

[seren-dipitous-art]

Am I pretending Tim is drinking coffee from a horn in vaguely medieval times? Maybe.

Only the tiny spiky child is to come. I am excited.

[fernsnailz]

team dark in: the mac and cheese incident

[batshieroglyphics]

I have spent the last week-ish updating the small handful of line breaks I'd already made for FMA fics and adding more, and then updating all of my FMA fics on AO3 to have screenreader-friendly line breaks. (Also did a couple of HP ones, but I'll save sharing those for after I've finished the lot. Eventually.) I've been mentioning them, a bit, on twitter, but I haven't shared any.

SO

I decided to share here, since I'm relatively proud of most of them. (& because the coding I use for line breaks on AO3 doesn't really allow readers to do anything with the images, and I invariably get questions about them.) They should all have image descriptions through tumblr's coding, but let me know if it eats any. Alternate versions are added, for those that went through a couple of iterations, and I don't expect to use those alternates anywhere else, so this is PROBABLY the only place you'll see them.

So, first up, the general, all-purpose line break I've decided to use for most of the one-shots and non-series fics, with the alternate being the original FMA line break I did, back when I really didn't know what I was doing:

And then, the one I used for Reverti Ad Praeteritum (with the alternate version that I decided I didn't like as much) :

The version I decided to use for the Our Sinner's Redemption series:

And this one was made for Dreaming in Red and Gold, with the alternate original version, because I do like how the speckling turned out, and I might, eventually, go back in and change it back to that style, but I also just in general like the gold glow effect I settled on:

And then, finally changing things up a bit—by which I mean moving away from the daggers, lol—this one was created for Colours in Your Eyes, and then I used it for...at least one other? With the alternate I originally created with daggers, before I decided it needed a more Asian style:

And then a special one just for the trans!Ed fic:

And then something for the Come Hell or High Water series (aka, Team Mustang!Pirates), with the alternate version I originally made, before deciding I hated the way it looked and trying something different:

The line break I decided to use for The Blood Toll Saga is actually a gif that I found online at one point when looking for line breaks to use for this, but I did create a line break for the Al & Truth one-shot in that series (which I, now I'm thinking about it, feel like I should have used any time someone travels to the Gate) :

And then, changing things up a bit, lol, the Book of Jealousy series is from Envy's PoV, and therefore required not using the flamel, I felt:

And I have a single one-shot that's from Greed's perspective, so I made him his own line break:

That's the FMA set I've made.

[reebmiester]

apparently “and yet you're bi yourself” is not an appropriate response

[frownyalfred]

the thing about the bats is that they're never lacking pockets. belt compartment, suit pocket, random reinforced lining in a glove, you name it. they've got a million gadgets and items hidden away on their person at any given time. getting them through a metal detector is a nightmare. and it's not all weapons -- it's weird multi-purpose tools, fear toxin antidotes in little vials, different clips for the grapple lines, etc.

the average person looks at a batkid and thinks they have ten, maybe fifteen items on them max. supers with x-ray or magic see a whole car's worth of items carefully layered under the various armor pieces and belts. and somehow every single bat knows where every single item is at any time. just like their dad <3

[kaidatheghostdragon]

Crack prompt: Danny has declared war on the curses in Gotham. He is armed with a water balloon gun, but the balloons are full of medical-grade ectoplasm. He targets any location, ghost, or liminal being tainted by curses and/or corrupted ecto - absolutely drenching them before yeeting off again.

This includes the Bats. Danny is smart about it, though. He lived in Gotham for several months before acting, so he could get the lay of the land. He also waits for patrol to be finished before hitting the Bats - he doesn't want to interrupt their Quest to Better Gotham (or be labeled an invader to their haunt).

One night, Danny happens upon Batman patrolling alone and waits for him to finish cleaning up a crime scene before hitting they guy with a half-clip of balloons. Batman gives chase, like he always does, and Danny runs, like he always does. He knows by now that, for whatever reason, Crime Alley is off limits to Batman. The whole alley just gives off "no (other) bats allowed" vibes.

Red hood is just more territorial. Whatever.

At any rate, Danny is enjoying the chase, using just enough ghost powers to stay ahead of batman, almost-but-not-quite taunting him. Crime Alley isn't too far, so instead of turning invisible around a corner like he usually does, he makes his way to the Alley to see if the no-trasspassing rule is enough to stop Batman mid-chase. He leaps across rooftops and weaves through fire escapes, ecto-balloon-gun bouncing by its strap against his back, until finally he's at the border, slightly tapping into flight to make the jump across a slightly wider road into the alley proper.

He turns around immediately, spotting Batman skulking on the rooftop on the other side of the road, stopping the chase and suit half-covered in healing ectoplasm.

"Sanctuary!" Danny yells, pumping his fists in the air from getting caught up in the exciting rush of adrenaline, "I claim sanctuary!"

"Who the fuck is claiming sanctuary in my territory?" Red Hood booms from almost directly behind Danny. He would have yeeted out of his own skin from surprise if he hadn't spent years honing his ghost-fighting instincts. As it was, Danny instead whirled around and emptied the clip of balloons into Hood, purely out of reflex.

Hood stood there, drenched in ecto like his fellow Bat one rooftop over, glaring murder at Danny with glowing eyes. But his haunt betrayed Hood's true emotions.

Surprise, concern, impressed, you-little-brat.

Danny booked it to the fire escape and turned invisible the second he was out of sight.

[ditzybat]

Bruce: I work alone.

Clark: You have ten kids.

Bruce: That’s irrelevant to the conversation.