#i don't have ideas for some - even the alternatives

[momo-minomo]

Fic Fairy Friday: Batfamily Shenanigans

This week's fic rec post is dedicated to the Batfamily just BEING a family. The snark, the annoying nagging, the overprotectiveness, etc. I feel like we don't get to see the Batfamily together and friendly nearly enough. Some of these would fit in the comics, some are more Wayne Family Adventures coded, and some are full on AU. Enjoy!

Code Bat by Listentothelittlebird

Summary:

Within Gotham, the Bats are a tight-knit group - family - that runs like clockwork. Outside of Gotham, none of their teammates know they’re related. This series explores the shenanigans that the Bats get up to, as well as how this distinction would affect canon.

Momo's Notes: This one is a series rather than a single fic and I love it so much. When Dick first decides he wants to break away from Batman's shadow Bruce agrees to keep their affiliation with each other secret, with one caveat. If either of them call a 'code bat' the other drops everything immediately and comes to help. As they add on to the family the secrets they're keeping from their non-Gotham friends and teammates piles up but it serves to keep the younger, less trained members of the family safe from the older heroes' enemies so they keep it going, each new family member agreeing to the Code Bat protocol when outside of Gotham, complete with entirely different hero names and costumes. It's interesting seeing a Justice League, Titans, Outsiders, Outlaws, and Young Justice that has no idea the Batfamily even a thing even as certain team members sometimes act super shifty when dealing with other teams or after getting a sudden, secret message.

I'm not a villain, I swear! by CoyoteFang1987

Summary:

Tim wakes up in a world in which Batman doesn't exist. And by consequence, the Robins never became heroes. Dick is a Talon, Jason is Red Hood (a villain), and Damian is a League of Assassins assassin. And Tim apparently is a hero called Draken, who, frankly, sucks at being a hero. And in this weird alternate reality, something big is brewing and Batman isn't here to keep the Justice League from tearing itself apart. Tim is really really done with everything. Dick, Jason, and Damian aren't helping. Tim really really hates magic as well.

Momo's Notes: Tim, Dick, Jason, and Damian all wake up in a world where Batman doesn't exist, Bruce Wayne might be the new Lex Luthor, and 3/4 of the Batfam appear to be villains working for various organizations. There's a lot of fun shenanigans going on in this one and all four brothers have good relationships with each other so we get to see them being effortlessly badass together. The Dick/Wally in this is also adorable.

You, Me, and the Humanity in Between by JUBE514

Summary:

Bruce doesn’t know what’s wrong with his child, but he’s pretty sure kids aren’t meant to work like this. From the day he had looked up into the tops of the circus tent and saw a frightened mirror image of a boy who had just experienced the worst day of his life, Bruce had instantly gone into emergency mode. The Gotham PD had wanted to pass the boy off into the care of the circus. The circus had mumbled underneath their breaths about superstitions, about not having a boy like that with them, about not being able to handle something like Dick. So GCPD, not knowing what to do, had started talking about one of the handful of overburdened boy homes that handles a majority of Gotham’s unlucky orphans. All the while, the camera lights flash bright and loud, wanting to know everything. Bruce couldn’t let that happen. Not then, not ever again.

Momo's Notes: This is one of the most unique cryptid AUs I think I've ever read. Bruce's only human child in this is Damian and the variety of magical creature the older 3 batbros are is really neat. The way their abilities and nature interact with each other is also really sweet. For anyone who's a sucker for good dad Bruce, this one is sure to make you happy.

Keep Losing Sleep by incogneat_oh

Summary:

“When’d you last sleep?” Jay asks, curious. “Eleven years ago,” Tim says, at the same time as Dick says, “Tuesday.”

Momo's Notes: In a family as traumatized as this, it makes sense that more than one of them would have trouble sleeping. This is super short but a lovely little glance into the family just being there for each other when sleep won't come.

Brightly Colored Adhesive Papers by LuminaStarCrest

Summary:

Tim liked to show people that he loves them by leaving around sticky notes. Or, 5 times Tim left sticky notes for others to find, and 1 time he found sticky notes that he didn’t write

Momo's Notes: Another one that's short but sweet! My favorite part in this is probably the pure sass between Tim and Jason but Tim doing his emotional support Robin thing and making Bruce get some damn sleep is a close second lol

Cannonball by SunnyBlue

Summary:

Why is it always Tim that disappears? If it was any of the rest of them, it would be a lot less concerning. It’s not like Tim can’t hold his own in a fight — he’s a Bat, after all — but the kid has a tendency to form the craziest plans out of all of them, which often ends up putting him in the craziest situations. When Tim goes missing, it usually means he’s in some deep shit, and Tim in deep shit means Jason scrambling every time. Without fail. This fucking kid. Tim is missing and his brothers track him down and bring him home. Also everybody loves each other and isn't so incredibly emotionally constipated because I just want them to be happy and because I'm the author and I said so.

Momo's Notes: I kinda love Jason's pov in friendly Batfam fics. This one is Jason and Dick terrified and furious as they rush to Tim's rescue with bonus points for the quick bit of Tim and Damian bonding the author added.

Loading and Aspect Ratio by JUBE514

Summary:

So, it didn’t start out like this. Alfred would scoff at the statement, about how Bruce was trying to justify the whole situation to himself. It had started out as a simple design, black everything with black outlines and black hood. It got a little more intense as the world went on, got wind of his ghost on the streets, and became scared of The Bat . So Bruce got a little more creative with it, Alfred and him had a good laugh over the name, the scare, and Alfred had a vicious streak of humor that he had passed onto his ward- So now the suit had a visible bat-theme, an insignia to drape in the shadows and to paint across the streets of Gotham. It only took a year into the whole charade of heroism for Bruce to overhear a conversation between some goons- some low level thug hired by the Riddler this week- about nothing at all pertaining to what the hell the Riddler was doing in the sewers but instead: “ The Batman can fly, you know, I’ve seen his wings.” -- A world where nobody has wings, but people think they do, and that changes everything.

Momo's Notes: This is another fun AU with lots of Batfamily bonding and badassery. Bruce makes his cape wing shaped to further scare the hell out of Gotham criminals but it's little baby Dickie, freshly adopted and traumatized, who convinces him to make them actual capable of flight. The Batfam never claimed to be metas but the rest of the world, especially the Justice League, decided that's what they were anyway. It came in clutch tho. The main pairing in this is SuperBat and they are freaking adorable.

The Waynes, Damsels in Distress by hitthedeck

Summary:

Roses are red, violets are blue, Bruce Wayne and his kids get kidnapped every other week. Some things are just universal, undeniable facts of life.Or, in which Bruce Wayne is still Batman and his kids are still Robins, but they keep letting themselves get kidnapped because they think it's funny.

Momo's Notes: People forget that Bruce Wayne raised Dick Grayson to be how he is and the two of them share the same warped sense of humor that let them shout puns while beating up criminals and put "Bat" in front of freaking EVERYTHING with a straight face. This fic is just the Batfam fucking with the JLA for their own sick amusement. I love them.

Here's a Reminder (That You Haven't Fallen Through the Cracks) by popsunner

Summary:

If it’s a salesperson, he’ll shove them a hundred dollar tip and tell them to go away, if it’s some religious do gooder, he’ll direct them to Metropolis. If it’s a Rogue, he’ll tell them he’s busy and to please get in the fucking line. If it’s one of his siblings-- “Hey, Tim!” Dick says brightly, forearm braced against the doorframe. Dammit.

Momo's Notes: Finally a fic that gives Cass and Duke some love! This is a short one where Tim's siblings drive him up the wall out of love and concern for their workaholic weirdo brother. The snark and sass is flowing freely and the JLA's best detective/spies are being about as subtle as a brick to the head lol.

To Rescue a Bat by Blueseabird2

Summary:

Batman gets into a situation during an alien invasion and could use a rescue. Unfortunately, Dick and Jason don't think the Justice League is up for the task. At all. So Dick lets the League know that he will be handling the situation and to expect Batman back by the end of the night. He even promises that he won't be going alone. No one should stand in the way of a Batfamily rescue, even if the Justice League doesn't know there's a Batfamily at all.

Momo's Notes: I love the closeness Dick and Jason share in this one. Jason and Dick are two older brothers who both struggle with the towering rage simmering just below the surface at all times and in this fic they've come to lean on each other for support. When most of the JLA's leadership is captured and the ransom video shows Bruce to be on borrowed time Dick decides it's time to let that anger loose a little and Jason is ready to back him up (with attitude of course, but still). With their fellow Batfamily members (both official and honorary) right beside them they decide it's the perfect time to reveal their affiliation with Batman to save their dad. Bruce is SO fucking proud.

Monolith by CharlesWaterloo

Summary:

Diana realised with a jolt that none of them had actually asked him how he knew Batman. And she was just as curious as the rest of them about the “we”. It implied Batman worked with more people. ‘How did you come to know Batman? Does he have any other friends?’ His mouth fell open, and he snorted, which evolved into full-out laughter. ‘I’m sorry. Oh my god - friends?’ Diana felt a little hurt on Batman’s behalf. ‘Are you not his friend?' He shook his head. ‘Did B really not say anything? I’m hurt. No, I’m not his friend. I’m his son.’ (An AU where the Justice League haven't met any of Bruce's kids.)

Momo's Notes: The Justice League isn't aware of Batman's identity or that he's a father. When Dick needs to sub in for Bruce at a JL meeting, though, and he realizes this? Cue the sibling shenanigans! Bonus points for Duke, Cass, and Steph getting some attention and praise in this one!

Batman/men? by Bumpkin

Summary:

Batman wasn’t a founding member of the Justice League, and isn’t known for playing well with other heroes. But he does end up joining, and he does try to get along while still keeping his secrets close. It’s a delicate balancing act. Then comes a mission that requires Batman to be the lynchpin for their success. Except there’s a problem with the execution of the plan, Batman would have to be in several places at once. He’s confident he can do it. The Justice League, for lack of any alternatives, can only go along and in the process learn more about their reclusive teammate.

Momo's Notes: Another fic that's short but fun where the Justice League isn't aware of the Batfam's existence and it's entirely in non-Batfam povs over the course of an important mission where Batman seemingly needs to be in several places at once and… succeeds? Easily?

[nobibiname]

Dear Elriels & Nessian lovers,

I wrote a thing. This is my first story I'm sharing with the fandom, and I'd love for you to read it (and tell me what you think).

It's a Nessian fluff One Shot with strong hints of Elriel.

I got this idea a while back, and I loved writing it. 3.4k words took me a month to edit, so if I don't post now, I think I'll spend another month editing.

So I can't promise all of it makes sense, but if you read it I will be forever grateful (not on Ao3 yet) Story continues below the Cut.

Every Waterfall in Prythian

Summary: One evening Cassian's Point of View opens up to a world of infinite possibilities.

Word count: 3385 Warnings: somewhat graphic violence (just at the beginning)

With a spear piercing his throat, Cassian's defiance extinguished into a wisp of air. His head fell limp to the side, with a banality unworthy of the final act of the greatest general in all of Prythian. The pink hue of dawn brushed the horizon and for a fleeting moment the chaos of the battlefield shrunk to nothing but Feyre's piercing scream as the light left his once bright, hazel eyes.

"WHAT?!?!" "Oh no baby, they killed you in this one", Nesta reached behind her and lovingly tapped Cassian's cheek. "I probably would have killed you later," she said offhand. Nesta always chewed on her thumb when engrossed in thought, a persistent habit, that her mother was unable to squash. "YOU… WHAT?"

"I mean, If I was was writing this, I'd really want to drag out the despair, you know? At this point both you and Az are still alive. Which leaves a lot of hope for a final victory. You want to slowly erode that hope for maximal drama. So I would have killed you a few chapters later, and Az towards the end. It nails down the heroic climax for Feyre to bring down Hybern. This pacing is off, what are they even doing?"

Nesta and Cassian have carved out an intimate, domestic habit for themselves. They read the same book together, while she nestled in his lap. When she finished a page, she lightly scratched his arm, and when he did, he'd leave the lightest peck on her temple. It wordlessly let the other know, to turn the page. They never agreed on it, it simply emerged as their sweet, yet practical quirk. It was a silly thing to keep secret, but she cherished it so much she never shared it with her friends or sisters. Nesta had now been scratching at his arm for at least a few minutes.

"You would… what.? Nes, they got so many details of the war wrong… and what kind of historical record is this anyway? I am alive and… and why does Azriel get to live longer?" "This isn't historical Cassian, it's fanficton" she said, clearly not fully invested in the conversation. "Fan.. fiction? what kinds of fans of mine would KILL me? "

"Oh it's all the rage in Day. I guess those nerds in Day Court blow off steam from writing, reading and research, by doing more … writing, reading, and well, research. Though, I have to admit, they are still some of the best writers out there" She said and returned her focus to the text. Feyre was just so good in this one, but the rest?

"So, you're saying, Day Court wants me dead?" His serious tone rattled her out of her head and back into their bedroom. Nesta was unsure if she had heard him correctly, they didn't typically discuss politics in bed … wait, didn't he mean Summer? "Oh no, Cassian baby, it's fanfiction." She gently turned around and give him a soft look. The confusion etched on his face was unmistakable and somewhat adorable. Was this really the first time they've read fanfiction together?

"They write speculative stories about famous fae and events in Prythian, with alternate endings, or even diverge from the facts entirely. And usually with completely made up romances, which is frankly half the point." she sized him up carefully, and decided more explanation was needed. "And nobody actually wants you dead, baby. This is just a common device from the Nestelion stans. They need to get you out of the way for the plot, so it's usually some version of you traveling to faraway lands in search of adventure, or sometimes just killing you" She was casually gesturing while talking, this was no big deal, but when she glanced at him, his gorgeous hazel eyes were as wide as saucers "…but you usually die in an honorable way… majestically…. in battle."

"I prefer to be majestic and alive." Cassian mumbled miserably. "So, what are they making room for anyway?" "Nestalion, Nesta and Helion? It's an imaginary, completely made up ship, baby" "Ha! Dream on! Fat chance! I'd like to see that pompous rake give it a real good shot" The redundant phrasing, the overblown swagger… Nesta knew that Cassian was still confused, but now mostly annoyed.

"So… do we ever get together in these stories? Do they write stories about a 'Cassta'?" he awkwardly used his fingers for quotations. "It's 'Nessian' baby, and yes, though usually as a start to Nestalion stories, or sometimes in a thruple with Az or Thesan. I can't say I encourage this, but people rarely ship anyone already in a relationship. This is just a specialty of those Dawn freaks, they really love a good poly story". Nesta threw her hands up defensively, though if she were a bit more honest, she had read a lot of works from the talented "Dawn freaks" and didn't exactly hate them.

"Where do they get these ideas? And Helion and you make absolutely no sense. Who even wants to read that?" He was looking quite a bit puffed up now. She glanced briefly at the manuscript. She really wanted to finish it this evening, but it was time for some damage control.

He looked so delicious, even when puffed out like a tropical bird. Though, his wings were fanning out further than she knew was comfortable for him while lying on the bed. Nesta could definitely help him relax, and she didn't mind this kind of reading break. Lying on his chest now, she tenderly traced her fingers on his jaw while peppering his neck with little kisses.

"Baby, it's Day!" she said as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "They have been writing fanfiction of Helion for centuries in Day Court, it's nothing new. The only thing they love more than their High Lord is worshipping him in writing. They ship him with practically anything with a pulse. They are total, pathetic simps. There's even stories shipping him with the Suriel! The man is insatiable, everybody knows it, and that's how they like him. Do you know how many works of fiction begin, or end with the sentence 'Daddy's home' ? They could dedicate another library to that!" "A small, local library?" every word was punctuated with annoyance. No. "Sure."

Nesta locked into his eyes with a wicked smirk. She saw his lip twitch for a split second. So, he was going to keep pouting for a bit longer. That was fine with her, she could play this game blindfolded. As a matter of fact, she sometimes did.

"It's nothing to worry about baby," She kissed his cheek. "Ever since the war, me and Elain have been the newest hot fae in town" She kissed his jaw, humming with delight for good measure. "Of course we show up in freaky fanfics all the time." She sucked on the delicate spot right under his ear. "Besides, the whole Nestalion vs. Ellion shipwar will end the moment the next hot young babe arrives. An actress, a singer, a young princess coming of age. Tale as old as time." She traced her nose down his neck with a tiny bite and a long kiss at his base of his neck . "Wait, Elain?? Our sweet Elain? "

Really? Now? "There are Elain and Helion stories? Well, what the hells happens in them?" She looked up at him again, a little surprised at all this interest in fanfiction. Generally speaking, Nesta got a kick out of reading any type of story about herself, but she had absolutely no patience for badly written Elain stories. She might have sent anonymous, but strongly worded letters to the editors of the prythian fanfiction archive expressing her displeasure at the truly rotten ones. They might have guessed the identity of the disgruntled reader.

"Well, some version of a magical long forgotten spell frees her from her mating bond, or sometimes Helion finds it in a scroll in a secret room in a library, then he and Elain fall in love. Usually because by accident they both go swimming in the moonlight in the same waterfall, or river, lake, lily pond. People love a lily pond in romance." As did she.

"That's utterly ridiculous. There's no such magic!" Correct, that was the ridiculous bit "Ok, so what about these Nestalion stories? Does he sweep you off your feet at some fancy ball? " he pursed his lips as he pointedly looked at her. "Oh no no, there's no balls. Usually we go on a secret quest to find a scroll or some eldritch magical artifact, and then it rains one night, and we have to stop at an inn. Of course the last remaining room has only one bed. And well… "

"ONLY. ONE. BED!" For a brief moment, Nesta panicked at her shortage of tact. Though, before she could even protest, Cassian burst out laughing. "So you're telling me, the only reason big Daddy Helion has a chance with even a fictional you, is that through a complicated series of events, you accidentally end up in the same bed?" "Well… yeah" She couldn't decide if she was more amused or relieved at this turn of events. Was Cassian actually enjoying this? She felt his roaring laughter through her entire chest, and it would have been comforting if he wasn't shaking the bed. Though she warmed up to the idea of shaking the bed more. Fingers slowly sliding down towards the buttons on his tunic, she kissed the top of his chest.

"So, Elain and waterfalls, huh" She passed her tongue along the swirl of an inky black tattoo, as she fiddled with the first button. "Oh yes, that one is very poplular. Elain and Helion have made love under every waterfall in Prythian." The second button relented. "What? Even in Winter?" Cassian scoffed dramatically. "Especially Winter." she sucked lightly on the skin of his chest. She was leaving blooming marks tonight. "Ok, how do you make love in a frozen waterfall?" Cassian lifted his right arm behind his head and got that adorable quizzical look on his face. She could take a moment to explain that, afterall she secretely loved the waterfall trick.

"You see, Helion has this spell, to allow the frozen water to pass around them, in these crystalline blue ice flowers and she's completely enchanted by their beauty. Also Elain nearly freezes to death, but is rescued by the warmth of his body and he's actually surprisingly romantic with her" Satisfied that the matter had finally been put to rest, Nesta resumed her exploration and hummed into his chest as she traced a hand along the muscles of his arm.

"Ok, but how did she get there?" "Cassian!!" I'm trying something here It was her turn to be annoyed, as she looked up to face him. "You said, they arrive and swim at the lake, or waterfall, separately, and accidentally at the same time. So, before the meeting, how was Elain hoping to swim under a frozen waterfall?" Was it her imagination or was she being… postponed? "I guess, … she was upset because Tarquin ends things with her for some reason of royal duty. She's heartbroken, and craves the opposite of Summer, so she goes exploring the glacial beauty of Winter's wilderness" The End. Can we move this along now?

"Tarquin now?" Nesta's sighed. "Yeah well, Summer is baffling. For a culture with no reason to wear many clothes, you wouldn't believe how prim and proper they are. Obsessed with courtly love and slow burn. Nothing good ever happens until promises are made. Bunch of prudes!"

"You know Nes, I've never pictured Elain with someone like Helion." Cassian mused, suddenly very pensive. Oh? "Really? Who did you picture her with then? " She sat up a bit trying to appear casual.

"Well I guess, if it weren't for her bond, maybe someone like Tarquin? He's uptight, but besides that they have a similar nature." Nesta wasn't entirely convinced this unusual pairing wasnt motivated by his desire to get back into Summer Court.

"But I guess to me it's always been Feyre and Rhys, and then you and me…", he looked at her meaningfully, "the epic legend of 'Nessian'. And then there's Elain and… ha! I almost said Az!" Nesta observed him with unusual quiet as he chuckled at his own slip up. In the unlikely event he knew something that she didn't, Nesta wondered how to pry it out of him. "Yes, that is silly." It was unconvincing, but Cassian didn't seem to notice.

"And what about my dear sweet brothers?" He gave her that naughty schoolboy look of his that she pretended not to adore. "Obviously people are kind of careful around Rhys. He's got a reputation after all. There's some dark romances from some anonymous writers. It's bold, but not as popular" "Aw poor Rhysie, not so many fans for him" Nesta shrugged at that.

"And Azriel? Are you telling me Prythian likes to write erotic stories about Az?" Gods yes, ALL of Prythian "Yes, some of Prythian" His gring grew in devilish proportions. "And this is popular in?" "The lunatics in Winter Court. It's always about shirtless winter sports with them. Brutal skating competitions on frozen lakes. The lovers are always some sort of athletic rivals." Nesta rolled her eyes. Winter has really allowed themselves to become predictable. "Bizzarely, also Spring. The Calanmai stories are… vivid and elaborate. As are the ones on, Samhain, Imbolc, Lughnasadh , the solctices, the equinoxes, any minor feast. Really, any excuse for … large group activities." "And Autumn?" "Never met a kink they didnt like." Cassian's laughter boomed through the room, large and indecent. Nesta thoroughly enjoyed his contradictions; this giant, formidable winged fae, captivated and earnest about sharing her fanciful interests. She gave him a big smile as she slowly wound her finger around one of his raven locks.

"Does he know?" "Yes, but I wouldn't mention it to him." Cassian was positively giddy, and somehow looked more wicked than Nesta had ever seen. "Cass I'm serious. He's aware, but very touchy about it. Last time I casually mentioned it I didn't see him for a week. The first thing he said to me afterwards was a lot of mumbling, which sounded an awful lot like 'saucy wench'. " "From what I'm hearing, the only saucy wench in Az's life is Thesan and I'm guessing…. also Helion?" "Yes, there are Azlion stories as well. Did you even have to ask? No waterfalls though." Nesta sighed deeply. "I mean it, Cassian, he is very sensitive on the subject." "Why though? Unless they're killing him too, it's kind of, flattering no? " "Oh I don't know… It's Az. He has his reasons"

Nesta recalled that one day in Elain's kitchen, sitting on the counter and kicking her feet as she shared her thoughts on the most recent Ellion story. The plot annoyed her, the twist was utterly predictable, the pacing was wrong, and she was incensed. Elain deserved better storytelling than that. She didn't even think Elain was listening. Pretty sure she tuned her out completely whenever Nesta went on about fanfiction, making a sharp point to focus on whisking, folding, measuring and … whatever tinkering baking seemed to involve. Which was the whole reason Nesta was spending the morning in the kitchen. Sunday was for breakfast buns, and this week they were lemon cream, her favorite. She was damned if she was to miss out on her batch, knowing otherwise Azriel would swoop in and devour it without a shred of remorse.

And there he was, walking into the kitchen. Elain smiled shyly, as Az all but ignored Nesta. Sitting pretty on the counter between them, Nesta's head whipped from one to the other as they said hello. She observed nothing extraordinary, just polite, proper greetings, small, polite smiling, and polite questions about today's variety of polite breakfast buns. "They'll be cool in another half an hour" Again, nothing but the quietest smile from her lovely sister. Nesta narrowed her eyes hoping for some glimmer of recognition of Elain's tells. Nothing. There was either nothing to see or Elain had gotten even better at slipping through the cracks with her true thoughts and feelings undetected. "That's alright, I don't mind. I'll wait with you two"

Oh, so he did notice her. "Morning Nes!" He said as if she had been the rude one. Az moved to the little kitchen table and opened the Sunday Velaris Times. Nesta was more than happy to continue with her fanfiction tirade. And oh, they just had to hear about this incredibly well written, steamy story involving Az and a beautiful fae girl from Summer Court. She was downright obsessed, and hadn't even read formally published work as good as this in a long while. This was the kind of story that Elain deserved.Maybe she should reach out to the writer with an idea for a story about Elain, and "then we can finally read something of quality". She was already half way through the very salacious plot, working up to the bedrom scene, when she realized the uncomfortable quiet settling into the kitchen. Elain was pretending to wipe a bowl, that was clearly both clean and dry. It had still managed to slip her fingers and fall with several ungraceful clangs on the kitchen floor. "Oh my, well I guess it's a clumsy morning for me" Elain was rarely this ruffled anymore.

Az went professionally still, no longer flipping through the paper. And while his expression didn't reveal a single change, his shadows swirled in what seemed like annoyance. As much as mysterious shadows could be annoyed, Nesta supposed. The rest was incoherent mumbling. After Az grabbed his share of the breakfast buns in a neat cloth covered dish, he thanked Elain at least twice and actually flew out of the kitchen. Elain threw her a look that was somehow both dirty and embarrased. "Get off the counter…" struggling to be unpleasant, Elain's attemp at a bark came out as more of a yip. "… please, Nesta." Elain promptly handed her a dish of lemon cream breakfast buns, and with some flimsy excuse about proper cleaning, tossed Nesta from the kitchen.

"Yes, so they both appeared annoyed. I wouldn't say they're into fanfiction" She had left out some curious details and her suspicions, but gave Cassian the gist of "Neither Elain nor Azriel cared much for fanfiction"

Nesta had wondered about that interaction ever since. Why did it always feel like there is some quiet, even unspoken conversation she wasn't privy to, going on with these two?

Nesta always felt that she knew her sister and her manner of soft, nuanced interaction with the world. Was she mistaken? She could only speculate Elain's feelings flowed deeper, and warmer than polite conversation would have you believe. She had her theories, but had made it a point to keep them to herself.

"Huh, strange that." Cassian didn't appear to give it much thought, because he finally looked down at her nestled in his chest with a different kind of grin.

"So Nes, I wonder, have you gotten any interesting ideas to explore from these… bracing stories?" Definitely, at least the first couple pages of a long collated list. "Maybe… I might have?"

"You know, Nes, I noticed this room has only one bed." Cassian raised an eyebrow and smirked at her.

"Did you, now?" She giggled and felt the kind of brilliant levity that a life with Cassian always promised. "Mhm" His voice lower now, for a moment he just sat perfectly still and smoldering.

Before there was any room for protest, he suddenly grabbed her and in one fell swoop, flipped them around. Nesta gasped at the pure stealth and agility of the move. The war general with the confidence that came from generations of training was hovering mere inches above her and every muscle, every inch of her skin burned with excitement. Her breath hitched in anticipation and she tossed the manuscript haphazardly into a corner of the room.

"You know something else? " He whispered temptingly in her ear. "Tell me" "Daddy's home."

Their joined laughter exploded through the room, before he finally captured her mouth in a wild and promising kiss.

[retributory]

when you think about it clive and flora are actually perfect narrative foils on complete accident. like what's up with that. professor layton and the completely imagined literary devices

[icewindandboringhorror]

It's always interesting to hear about people's weird/unexpected "alternate life paths". Like, something that you could have done with your life, a job you almost took, a school you almost went to, etc - that was still actually realistic enough that it could have happened, but NOW it seems to not suit your current personality.

Like for example, I currently hate advertising (how manipulative it is, brands trying to be 'relatable', social media amplifying it to an obnoxious extreme, etc.) so much that even seeing a little ad before a youtube video is grating to even witness, but there was a point in time where I was genuinely seriously considering going into marketing/making commercials as a career lol. Or like, I have a relative who was very inclined to be a pastor when they were younger, even though today they're a super strong atheist, etc. etc.

[maryasmorevna]

if only i could pull off a convincing harrowhark nonagesimus cosplay for the next lucca comics.....

[grim-echoes]

unironically though i think smt may be one of my current favorite examples of creatively implementing theological concepts into its narratives in a way that completely recontextualizes the roles they play. and i don't necessarily mean in the way that god represents law and lucifer represents chaos which are Nuanced Actually i mean that there's usually god and lucifer but then also a dozen other different names for god and lucifer that are basically the same guy irl but in the context of smt they occupy completely different roles with particular philosophies often all within the same game to the point where you'll have both lucifer and satan and maybe an antichrist/anti-messiah who is neither of the former two people and then god who isn't simply god but YHVH but may also be named the creator but who is also subordinate to a greater will and none of these closely related culturally distinct takes on the same idea will step on eachother's toes and i think it's such a fun way to approach ideas like this

[a-s-levynn]

So i had a dream last night which wasn't a nightmare and i even remember most of it! which is super exciting. I barely ever remember dreams that are just simply that so this is a fairly rare occasion for me.

It was weird tho

But it was.. i don't even know what it was so let me ramble about it in the tags a bit

[lord-squiggletits]

NGL I think one of my least favorite "gotchas" that I see/get while critiquing stories is "so how would you fix it? oh so you don't have an idea of how to rewrite the story to make it better? oh so basically you're just complaining that you don't like it and don't have actual critique."

Buddy.

Sometimes the reason I don't have a "solution" to how the author should've rewritten their story to be better, is because I'm not privy to the author's thought process, what their alternate story ideas were, what they talked about with their editor, what they might've been forced to do by deadlines, or even what they might've thought they were writing towards at first but then later changed the trajectory of their story to be about something else.

It's all well and good for me to say something like, idk, "I think Character A should've gotten more narrative focus because their story could have helped fix XYZ Plot Hole," but it could very well be that the author never intended for Character A to be a prominent character (just a secondary or tertiary character). Maybe using Character A to solve one Plot Hole would've gone against the writer's plans because then it would open up a different plot hole for something else they had planned later in the story. If it's an ongoing story, maybe something I see as a "plot hole" is actually a deliberate mystery that the creator left open to write about later-- or maybe the plot hole is because there was a deadline crunch and the author had to drop a certain character/plot point/etc because they couldn't fit it into the story any more. Maybe having Character A be a more prominent part of the story is just based on MY personal tastes and what I would want to write in MY version of the story, but completely clashes with the characters/conflicts the author wanted to focus on.

Because yes, there are some story critiques that are as simple as "part A doesn't make sense, you could just fix it by doing B", but there are also some story critiques where suggesting a viable "solution" would require BEING the author or someone involved in the production of the story to understand what limitations or plans were involved in the selection of that flawed plot point. There are also some story critiques where even if there is a "problem" and my critique offers a "solution," there could be another "solution" or even dozens that do just as good of a job fixing the issue, but involve vastly different characters, plot ideas, so on and so forth.

Being a good critic isn't (just) about going "the story would've been better if X happened" because the story is ultimately in control of the author and their vision, and without knowing what the author's vision was (something that you almost exclusively know if you're 1. the author or 2. their beta reader), it's impossible to definitively say "this plot point should've been cut/[completely different thing] should've happened instead" because THAT is the point at which you're complaining, not critiquing. I would argue that in some cases, trying to "fix" a story yourself actually makes your critique worse, not better, because it ends up being a case of you simply imposing your artistic vision over the author's to say "I think it would've been better this way."

At least if you just say "this part of the story was flawed because XYZ" without saying "it should have been ABC instead", then you're stating your grievances with the story without being presumptuous enough to assume that YOUR version of the story would fit the author's original vision, or the constraints they were working under, or the other versions of the story that they were debating over at the time before ultimately settling on one version (even if flawed).

There's a point at which "this plot is flawed, that should've happened instead" is just fix-it fan fiction and not actual critique that could help the writer write their story in a way that fits their vision.

[aerithisms]

i still have so many questions about the ff7 remake story. why did aerith even have knowledge of the future in remake to begin with? from a watsonion perspective, why does she lose that knowledge after the end of remake when sephiroth doesn't? (i'm fully aware the doylist reason is that having a character who knows the future would totally break the plot but i'm still curious if there's more to what they were doing with aerith's remake character or if this is it). what was her motivation to encourage the party to fight the whispers in the original game when she knew the party would defeat sephiroth in the end if events followed fate? was it simply that she wanted the chance to live? because that makes me want to lie down and cry!!!!

[aqqleshiqqing-archive]

im a bit late to talking about this since this was related to my recent appleshipping art, but

now that I see it. they have so many similar characteristics what do you mean they aren't SIBLINGS....

[lunarharp]

if i just told you i love you would this world change

[purble-gaymer]

*blacks out for three days and wakes up with this open on my computer* what the fuck

[irritablepoe]

writing ranpoe hurt/comfort//whump is so great they hit all my weak points

[autobahnmp3]

the career advisor basically summed up and asked me if i wanna be an inventor? which us such a vague term idk what that even entails but yeah it does sound super cool afkldhl

[osterby]

How I've always seen it is that the text description should convey the meaning of the image in context. When Mary posts a selfie showing off her new diploma, what she is conveying is "I got my diploma! yay!" and what I see is "woman happy about her diploma". Her fashion sense and the framing and quality of the photo is not what the image means.

For an extreme example, when you post The Dress, the alt text should describe the optical illusion itself, and not go on about how it's a low quality photo of a dress with sequins hanging on a doorknob in a messy room etc. etc.. Someone who can't see the image won't experience the illusion, but a short description of the illusion is the context you need to understand the text portion of the post where everyone is arguing over what colour the dress is.

Also, ideal alt text for the same image is going to be different in different contexts. "a cute frog teacup" and "mid-century tablewear which likely contains lead" could both be alt text on the same photo in very different posts.

And when it's a screenshot of a tweet (or other text), just say it's a screenshot of a tweet! I don't need the font or the colour scheme or two paragraphs about the OP's avatar! Just tell me what the screenshot says!

"In recent years, there has been a rush on the internet to supply image descriptions and to call out those who don’t. This may be an example of community accountability at work, but it’s striking to observe that those doing the most fierce calling out or correcting are sighted people. Such efforts are largely self-defeating. I cannot count the times I’ve stopped reading a video transcript because it started with a dense word picture. Even if a description is short and well done, I often wish there were no description at all. Get to the point, already! How ironic that striving after access can actually create a barrier. When I pointed this out during one of my seminars, a participant made us all laugh by doing a parody: “Mary is wearing a green, blue, and red striped shirt; every fourth stripe also has a purple dot the size of a pea in it, and there are forty-seven stripes—”

“You’re killing me,” I said. “I can’t take any more of that!”

Now serious, she said it was clear to her that none of that stuff about Mary’s clothes mattered, at least if her clothes weren’t the point. What mattered most about the image was that Mary was holding her diploma and smiling. “But,” she wondered, “do I say, Mary has a huge smile on her face as she shows her diploma or Mary has an exuberant smile or showing her teeth in a smile and her eyes are crinkled at the edges?”

It’s simple. Mary has a huge smile on her face is the best one. It’s the don’t-second-guess-yourself option."

--Against Access, by John Lee Clark, a DeafBlind educator

[unproduciblesmackdown]

ad break it's book z for zachariah ending all the way out here all the time....question like is there any kind of relationship, theoretically just any framework for ways people interact but perhaps for these purposes actually frameworks for ways people have access to someone that deserves to be reinforced, where someone shouldn't have the choice to in the present deny or going forward end whatever form of access someone has had to them. can people Not leave a romantic relationship anytime, Not have sex with someone they've ever had sex with, Not stop talking to someone, even if that someone doesn't get Notice or Explanation or whatever is supposedly "ideal." applying to friendships too when people talk about it like they might for romantic / dating relationships like "someone's Done Wrong if they left secretly surprisingly no followuppingly. if they friend or romance broke it off with me instead of trying to make it work or Explaining Themself that i might rebut" like ah nothing wrong with the person who might hear that someone wants to break up & goes "okay :) let's be mature & good people & talk about how you're not going to do that though, you don't Have to, we ought to Make It Work (so long as i want to / return to the norm & just rinse & repeat this process if you talk about leaving again)"

classics on whatever platform can have ambient topics / post discussions like oh of course on tumblr people would say Stealing Is Okay, shoplifting, piracy. twitter like unpopular opinion but i'm brave enough to say cheating is always wrong, i.e. extremely popular opinion, lying is always wrong, why be like sure these things might not happen under Ideal Circumstances but there's many ways things can be unideal; meanwhile ppl can define "ideal" romance as peak isolation & exclusion & if you think about it it's cheating if [literally anything that isn't in theory &/or in practice denying All connection & interaction or even desire for it forevermore b/c romantic partner is all] like going great. the "worst case" version of like [oh no a Date or Romantic Partner or Friend has ghosted me] w/o power imbalance is like yeah probably someone is hurt if they Expect to be responded to but like okay & if that person doesn't want to respond still like ultimately what Beautiful Potential Relationship was certain to have been lost here. is this enough that Everyone should be entitled to A Response from Anyone should they want it. how & why would that happen. vs that people will sometimes extricate themself from a relationship or deny whatever access to themself for plenty of reasons & a "legitimate" "conversation" may have never been on the table, hence seemingly not trying to talk it out or deliver a satisfactory thesis defense about whatever choice about who gets to interact w/them in whatever way. where like even if you don't know the reason, do you Need to. if someone you know Surprisingly broke up with someone & you don't know why do you Need to know & get to decide it's "good enough" or else they literally can't do that, should be punished for doing that until proven innocent(tm). in What scenario in general regardless of specific cases should it be like oh yeah someone Cannot just back out / avoid / exit this if they want to for any/no reason. if my shift was over i would pack all the babies into boxes marked nonperishable items & ship them out to groceries in pennsylvania. you have to respond to my inquiries or i've been wronged & this is instruction for everyone in all aspects of life

& like when is the Cohesion of some Group the primary goal such that what actually happens to people within it is secondary like well foregone conclusion you're staying in the group. implicitly whatever's done to Keep you in the group regardless of what you want is also good. implicitly there's power difference taken advantage of if some people who don't want that Cohesion are overridden. who has that power. ppl like oh well i guess if for any or no reason you wouldn't interact with / perform in any "community" in certain ways you're a bad person Anyway then (can die i guess) dropping my friendship my romantic relationship my familial relationship without "enough" "effort" guess you're a bad person, by extension someone not putting in the "effort" to have these relationship categories / forms of interaction in the first place. like okay & what, they die in this ideal vision of Good People Doing Enough which is about breakups not happening at all or only when you want them & that's how survival needs to happen. how & why. vs that what would be Less ideal about a group that everyone wants to be in but doesn't Have to, about like Whatever about sorting the good & bad people if nobody Has to deal with someone else's goodness or badness through greater vulnerability leveraged against them. what's less ideal about "no it's not ideal if someone Has to grant access to themself to someone else who wants it? even if third parties are like aw it's Nice that they want it, it's Mean to deny that want" like there's that logic readily potentially broken out for romance, friendship even, you have to let this person up & talk at you & get your response, Join In on whatever you're doing, request you join them in whatever, accept this hug, etc. you just have to. or you're sinning or disabled (both making you less human :( ) like well that's all that