#my fics**

[opalimagines]

Safe and Sound

You have a nightmare, and you seek out your father

Dad!Richard Swift x child!reader

Warnings: mentions of parental death and trauma, nightmares

It was something that had kept him up for more than a few nights during the near year you'd been in his care, and this was one of them. He sat on the bench in his garden, enjoying the moonlit view with a glass of absinthe in hand. He'd tucked you into bed hours ago, so he wasn't quite expecting to hear the back door open.

Shade had been a father before, but raising you was quite a challenge. The challenge wasn't to do with you yourself, as he actually enjoyed your energy and spirit. Your parentage was the struggle. With any decision he made, he found himself wondering if he was doing right by you. If he was bringing you up the way his old friend would've wanted.

You carefully walked out into the cool night, dressed in your warm pajamas and slippers, a small throw blanket draped over your shoulders. Your teary eyes and face were quite obvious even with low light.

"What are you doing out of bed so late?" He asked, keeping his tone soft as he placed his glass down on the small table.

"I had the dream again...about him hurting Mommy." You sat down next to him and pulled the blanket tighter around you with a sniffle. "I couldn't go back to sleep this time."

Shade sighed and placed a gentle hand between your shoulder blades. Your nightmares weren't mere fantasies conjured up by your brain, but very real, very traumatic memories. He knew what that was like better than most.

"He was hurting me, too," you added. "My head didn't feel so good when I woke up."

"I know what that man did to you—what he took from you—but I promise, it will never happen again. You don't need to worry about him because you're safe here with me." When he quit the Injustice Society, he'd warned Jordan that if any of them ever entered Opal City, he would have his shadows tear them limb from limb and throw the pieces into the Shadowlands. It was not an empty threat.

You looked up at him with big, flooded eyes, your lip wobbling. "B-but he can do it to you, too."

"I'd like to see him try it." Shade gave you a little smirk. "Believe me, I'm more powerful than he is, and much scarier."

"You're not scary." You remembered being saved by his darkness, and you'd seen the shadows many times since that day, but you never feared any of it, or him. Once you were under The Shade's care, you no longer worried about the dark at night because it brought you comfort. It made you feel safe and sound.

Even though he knew they weren't true to anyone but you, the words put a bit of warmth in his heart. "Well, I hope you never have to see that side of me. But I assure you that anyone who tries to harm you will."

You smiled softly and leaned against his side. After a few moments, you said, "...I love you, Papa."

Shade froze at your words before looking down at your little face and finding you looking back. He'd been through this before. He already knew he'd give in eventually, just like he had with La Sangre, but he still replied, "I'm not your father."

"I know I had a Daddy, but you take good care of me, too."

You had no idea that he'd needed to hear that. He'd still wonder what Jay would think, but he would take you being happy with your new life with him—as happy as you could be after losing everything.

"Papa, can you tell me another story about my Daddy?"

"I'd be happy to." Shade smiled down at you, wrapping his arm around your shoulders. "How about...one of his battles with The Thinker?"

"Okay!" You snuggled up against him and listened as he started the story.

Shade thought he was doing quite well telling the tale, making it as thrilling and exciting as he could, but he heard a soft snore just a few minutes later. You had finally fallen fast asleep after so much struggle.

Carefully, he picked up your small form in his arms and opened a portal right to your bedroom. He placed you on the bed, pulling the covers up to your chin and tucking you in once again. He hoped this time the nightmares would leave you alone and let you rest.

"Goodnight," he whispered before stepping back through the portal and into the garden.

You slept soundly until the morning.

[izzythedemigod]

I just found the funniest font ever

Like. What is this. Why is this. Who is the target audience of this?

[housederiva]

My housemate's cat came into my room while my dictation was on...

(here's the fic btw)

[theaftersundown]

the holy grail types of fanfic

[balrogballs]

i'm a writer irl (can't say who because my agent would rightfully put me into a blender and press the button if i go and out myself as "balrogballs") and honestly the funniest and most humiliating incident of my life was the time my finished manuscript triggered a plagiarism flag with the publisher for two lines of prose in my literary fiction novel...

.... which was word for word similar to a paragraph in a certain explicit work on FFN starring elrond and his batsman from the hobbit films, aka that one elf that looked like he ate panic attacks for breakfast (i forget his name but it's Figwit II) where the lord of imladris bends said twink over his writing desk and gives him the battering ram treatment.

and if you think i had to sit in front of one if the biggest publishing companies in the world and admit that it was, in fact, me who wrote the fic where the lord of imladris bends said twink over his writing desk and gives him the battering ram treatment in order to avoid being wrongly flagged for plagiarism, you would be absolutely correct.

(yes they published the book)

[roboticnebula]

Pros of re-reading your own fic

a good time;

Has exactly the tropes you like and the characterization you want to read;

Gratification: yes you did finish a thing and yes you did do good;

just a very fun time all around.

Cons of re-reading your own fic:

Is that another TYpO

[holographings]

someone on twitter said Imagine what s2 jayce would give to talk to s1 viktor just one more time. and someone had a time travel alternate dimension fic ready to go. and i read it. and now my face is being eaten by 3750 feral dogs i think

[jamjoob]

great heavens i haven't posted in a while

[potofsoup]

Oh look, it seems like there's a Republican-led movement to purge voter rolls in the lead-up to the election! It's almost as if your vote matters and they don't want you to vote! Anyway, I whipped up a quick map (based on this) that shows when the voter registration deadline is in each state. There are a few deadlines coming up in the next week or so.

If you live in a state that regularly purges voter rolls for infrequent voters (the orange ones in the first map), or if you moved recently, it's good to check if you're still registered to vote.

Vote.org makes it super easy to check your registration: https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/

Just put in your address and DOB and they'll tell you whether you're registered. (And they give you a quick link to register online if it turns out that you're not! Only the 9 states in white on my map don't have online registration, and for those they provide instructions on how to do it via mail or in person.) If you want an extra verification, find your state's election website and double-check there.

So yeah, give yourself peace of mind -- do a quick check. :)

[whatsnewalycat]

Made this for u 💝

[yeehawpim]

a comic about fix-it fanfics

[opalimagines]

The Talk

You and Rick tell your father that you're dating, and he decides it's time to have The Talk

Rick Tyler/gn!reader and Dad!Richard Swift x gn!reader (BUT I wanted to make the grandpa joke so there's the implication that reader has a uterus. You can easily skip that line though)

Warnings: There is discussion of sex here in the context of a father talking to two teens about being safe but no one is actually having sex

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yeah, of course." You stopped your fist before your knuckles could rap on the door and looked over at Rick, who had his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. "You're not?"

"I just don't want to be sent to purgatory."

Smiling, you rolled your eyes. "Come on, he wouldn't do that. He likes you."

"He might not like me anymore when he finds out we're dating," Rick pointed out matter of factly.

"It won't be like that." You reached out and gave his arm a little squeeze. "We came all this way. We have to tell him eventually, so we might as well just get it over with."

Sand had invited you to come stay in New York and spend Thanksgiving week with your father, and he was happy to extend the invitation to Rick when you asked. The two of you arrived that morning and spent the day with Sand, Jennie, Todd, and Grant, as well as your father, and while it was fun, there was another reason for bringing Rick along. So, after dinner, you made your way to The Shade's quarters to deliver the news of your relationship.

Before Rick could agree with you, the door swung open to reveal your father sitting at his desk, which was as neatly organized as the rest of the room. He didn't look up from his journal as his fountain pen scratched the paper.

"Are you two going to come in, or did you plan on standing out there all evening?"

You held your hand out to Rick, and he took it without hesitation, lacing your fingers. Stepping into the room together, you went straight to the point. "Rick and I wanted to let you know that we're dating."

Shade had an amused look on his face as he finally turned his attention from his writing. "Oh my, is that what the bickering was about? I already suspected as much."

"What do you mean?!"

"You two haven't exactly been subtle today."

Rick looked at you and you at him, and you both realized what he was talking about. Casual affection was already pretty normal at that point since the two of you had been falling into it before even going on a date, so neither of you thought much of being close to one another. Everyone else in the house already caught onto it, but you thought since he hadn't spent as much of the day with you, he probably hadn't noticed. Well, you were wrong.

"So, you're not mad?" Rick had been prepared to hear how he wasn't good enough for you at best and for a trip to the Shadowlands at worst. Not this.

"Mad, dear boy? No, I'm quite happy for you both. I noticed your fondness for each other months ago. Why do you think I invited you into our home?"

Whether it was in Opal or Blue Valley, he was quite protective of his space and his peace. You didn't really consider the significance of having Rick over until then, thinking it was because of their work to resurrect Grundy. You chuckled softly and explained. "He rarely lets other people in our home. Jack's the only other person he's invited over since I started living with him. Who even knows how long it'd been before that?"

"Decades," Shade answered as he got to his feet and came to stand in front of the two of you, clapping a hand on Rick's shoulder. "You have nothing to worry about, Rick."

He was still a little on edge because it seemed to be going too well. "You're not even going to give me the 'hurt them, and I'll kill you' speech?"

Shade smiled. "I always thought I'd have to someday, but luckily, they brought home someone who doesn't need it."

Rick relaxed considerably at those words, that last bit of nerves completely disappearing. Hearing that from your father, knowing that he didn't think his kid was dating trash, really meant something. When he looked at you, you were beaming, and you brushed your thumb over his.

"See? I told you it would be okay."

As it turned out, that particular discussion was only the beginning.

A short time later, the two of you were in your room, Rick having snuck over from his own after you both got ready for bed. You were snuggled into his side, nice and warm under the blanket, until you heard a knock on the door and your father's voice saying your name.

You shot up and threw the blanket off. And Rick? Well, he just knew he needed to be anywhere else at the moment besides in your bed.

"Get in the closet!" you whisper yelled, pulling him over by his hand and giving him a peck on the lips before practically shoving him inside. "Sorry!"

Rick couldn't exactly argue with your urgency because finding you and him in bed together, as innocent as it was, probably wouldn't go over well with your father. Still, he never thought he'd be the boyfriend hiding in the closet.

Pulling the door open, you tried your best to look and sound casual. "Everything alright, Papa?"

"Oh, yes," he answered with a smirk. "I wanted to speak with you."

Seeing your chance, you stepped out and began to close the door behind you. "Okay, let's go for a walk."

"No, no. Let's talk inside."

"Sure." You had a feeling that he knew what was going on, but you still played along for the moment and flipped on the light before letting him in. Shade shut the door and sat in the chair in the corner, and you took the bed. "So, what's up?"

He looked over at the closet, and you knew your suspicion was correct. "Come out now, Rick. You need to hear this, too."

Slowly, Rick opened the door and peeked out. You were clearly nervous, which was understandable considering the situation, but Shade didn't look even a little bit as enraged as he assumed he'd be.

Rick stepped out, and Shade gestured toward the spot next to you on the edge of the bed. "Please, sit."

He took the seat, and you placed your hand over his in support. "We were just going to sleep. We weren't doing anything–" you started, but your father stopped you.

"You don't need to explain." Shade sat forward in the chair, letting out a sigh. He'd tried to prepare for this moment before he came by, but it clearly didn't do him much good. "Oh, damnation. I thought I had a few more years before I had to do this."

You were still waiting for him to get to the point because, as quick as you were, you hadn't caught on yet. On the other hand, Rick's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. Once Shade produced a box of condoms from his coat, you also realized precisely what was happening. "Oh, no. Papa, we've only been dating for three weeks! We're not doing that."

"I was a young man once, too. I know how quickly things can happen." Shade reached out and placed the box on your bedside table, knowing that you'd only be more embarrassed to take it from his hand. "I'm not here to judge you on what you may or may not be doing together. I simply wanted to remind you to please be safe. If you ever decide to do more than sleep, please use one of those. After all, I'm far too young to be a grandfather."

"Oh my god!"

Shade stood from the chair as Rick still sat frozen, and you had your head in your hands. "If either of you need to talk about these things, you can always come to me."

"Yes, Papa." You zipped over to the door, holding it open for him to get out as quickly as possible. "We appreciate that. Thank you. Goodnight."

Once he exited and you shut the door behind him, everything came out at once. "I'm so sorry I didn't think he'd do that I mean not with you here it was humiliating I get it if you want to go back home that was too m—are you...laughing?"

Rick bit his lip to try and hold it in as you sat down next to him again. "Sorry. I just can't believe I got the facts of life talk from The Shade of all people."

You couldn't help laughing, too. "Yeah, I see your point. Still, I'm sorry. We've only been dating for three weeks, and it's not like I haven't thought about it, but–" Your eyes went wide, and you threw yourself into bed. "Okay, goodnight!"

Rick smiled as you yanked the blanket over your head to hide, and he gently pulled it back down. "If it makes you feel better, I've thought about it, too. More than once."

Your grip on the blanket loosened. "Really?"

"Yeah. But I'm not ready for that yet."

"Neither am I."

"Then we don't need to worry about those," he said, nodding towards the condoms, "until we're both ready. Whenever that is."

You smiled up at him. "That sounds good to me."

"Still want me to stay?" After everything, he could see you preferring he stay in his own room.

"Please."

Rick turned the light off and climbed back into bed with you, holding you in his arms like he was before your father appeared.

Even without your father's approval, you would've kept seeing Rick, but it was still nice to know you had it.

[bamsara]

"youve already written that trope" yesss. i like it a lots. i will be writing it again. 1000 stories of the same trope over and over again for ten million years

[thatbuddie]

people telling you they reread your fic is the biggest compliment you could ever receive. there are thousands of stories out there begging to be found, to be explored, but your story meant so much to someone that they came back to it eagerly, they went over every word again. to love is to return and loving a fic is rereading it. thank you to all readers and rereaders <3333

[heyybeach]

Growing up is actually just enjoying the exact same things you enjoyed at 14 years old, but in a more gay way