#no pressure obvs to the people i tagged

[theysherobinbuckley]

username song game

rules: for each letter of your username put a song.

tagged by @stobinesque !! tysm! :)

T: To Have and to Hold - Depeche Mode

H: Host - Dog Park Dissidents

E: Even Flow - Pearl Jam

Y: You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) - Dead or Alive

S: Soul With Me - Depeche Mode

H: Hexie Mountains - Orville Peck

E: Eat Your Young - Hozier

R: RuPaul's Frack Race - Dog Park Dissidents

O: Once - Pearl Jam

B: Body - Grandmas House

I: I Want You Now - Depeche Mode

N: now (in space) - Montaigne

B: Bronco - Orville Peck

U: Unloveable - The Smiths

C: Cloudbusting - Kate Bush

K: Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down

L: Lafayette - Orville Peck

E: Enjoy the Silence - Depeche Mode

Y: You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby - The Smiths

i'll tag @hellsfireclub @steviesnailbat @solarmorrigan and anyone else who feels like doing this :)

[electrikworm]

Last line challenge

Rules: in a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or as many as you feel like.)

Thanks for tagging me @collophora :)))

Have a bit of the tbb Selkie au I've been working on. For context, this is when the Batch meet Omega for the first time :)

Hemlock fully removes the blanket, reviling the smallest selkie Wrecker's ever seen. She squirms as Hemlock holds her up, screaming and thrashing her little arms. There's no teeth in the young selkie's mouth and her claws are still short an dull. Fuzzy blond hair frames her head and there are faint indications of future markings on her tiny limbs. “Give her to us,” Crosshair hisses, the pain that plagued him earlier seemingly forgotten. “You're holding her wrong,” Tech adds, taking a hesitant step forwards, reaching in Hemlocks direction. Wrecker's heart beat quickens as he watches Hemlock handle the baby. Something akin to fear claws its way through his ribcage. She's not safe and Wrecker can't shake the feeling that he has to do something about that. “Please, doctor,” Wrecker forces out, willing himself to behave. Echo doesn't share that intention, deep growl resonating from his place at Wrecker's side.

NPT: @squad-724 @yeehawgeek @sadiecoocoo @clownbloody @welcometo79s

@stars-n-spice @sunshinesdaydream

[cosmogyros]

Here are the songs in order:

I shamelessly ganked this game from @meadow-dusk's post here and I am tagging @possiblywonderful, @heathnard, @adataraxia, @allthestarsareclose, @d0esntmakesense, @mynamemeanscloud, @hemidemisplemmyquaver, @chatwiththeclouds, @cleopatras-library, and anyone else who wants to play!

[d20-ritz-stimzz]

hi hi! lil announcement: this week is wuvvy week!

all of my boards this week will include wuvvy, because she's a perfect angel who deserves 100,000 stimboards.

other stimboard/moodboard/whatever makers, feel free to join in! tag your stuff #ritzwuvvyweek if u want to, and i'll reblog it :D

[dykesbat]

fuckk ive been feeling awful and having absolutely no energy recently i hate it so much especially since being active is so important when you're trying to put a spotlight on fundraisers. please if anyone is capable of helping with sharing moath's campaign i'd be so greatful.

[lovaboy]

maybe i should make a tag list like fray does for tag games ... i feel bad for not tagging people who maybe want to do it/tagging people who don't ykwim 😓

[secretsandwriting]

heyyyy ryyyyy <333

since ur requests are open i thought id go ahead and ask if you're mayhaps open to anything for batmom? i don't have a completely solid idea but maybe smn like batmom has been getting threats or maybe hate or smn from somebody and everyone's reactions and how they get hella protective?

obv no pressure and you definitely do not have to write this

hope you have a great day bb

Heyyyyy, so this grew hands and wrote itself, I hope you enjoy it. It did end up with a lot of backstory.

Earned Position

5.3k words

You knew this would happen. Once your relationship with Bruce got out there would be an influx of love and hate. You also knew that everyone else knew that as well. It was common knowledge than anyone around a celebrity of sorts would experience that. 

Of course you did the normal things, turned off most notifications and only looked through areas online you knew would mostly be safe. You blocked tags and and only followed people you knew or ones who didn’t post about drama. 

When you did stumble onto hate, you moved on. If someone kept sending you nasty messages you blocked them, when they made other accounts to keep sending the same things, you changed your settings so only those you followed could message you. 

It wasn’t something you wanted to deal with but it was something you could handle. Something you started mentally preparing yourself for when Bruce’s attention on you lasted more than 4 dates, even more so when you caught yourself daydreaming about him.

You were not going to let random bitter people on the internet destroy your happiness like they did their own. Your family however, wanted to destroy what was left of your haters' happiness. Something you were trying to curb, but trying to tell a family of vigilantes who considered you the best mom in existence not to destroy your haters was like talking to a brick wall. Over the years, you had gotten used to it. It barely even registered anymore. But there had been a recent influx of the hate and while it didn’t bother you, it bothered the rest of your family. None of them could stand people talking bad about their mom.

While you hadn’t been there while the older ones were young, the second you had introduced yourself to them, you had taken a very important role in their lives. None of them realizing it at first. All of them had gotten used to the random women Bruce brought home that it took a little while for them to realize how important you were. 

Dick wasn’t sure at first. Thinking you were just another girlfriend that wouldn’t last long. So he didn’t really interact with you much. Ignoring your existence when it wasn’t too rude, or at least obviously rude. Until one night when he was staying at the manor and had a nightmare about his parents death. 

Bruce had an open bed policy. As long as there was still room for him, his bed was open. A policy he had started when Dick had gotten old enough he was worried he wouldn’t be allowed to go when he had a nightmare. Bruce had always reminded all his kids, that nightmares don’t go away just because you’re older and that needing comfort wasn’t something they would outgrow. 

The thing was, you were there. Girlfriends didn’t mind when children did it but they never liked it when his adult kids did it. The shaking in his hands and the way he saw them fall in the darkness of every blink told him the only way he was getting any sleep was with someone. 

Hopefully he could just slip into Bruce’s side and leave before you woke up. That was the plan until he found Damian on Bruce’s side and you had been pulled closer to Bruce taking up what was left. You moved a little and Dick took that as his sign to deal with it himself until he heard you whisper his name. He hummed so you knew it was him and not some random stranger standing over Bruce’s side of the bed. 

“Nightmare?”

“Yeah.”

“Come on.” You lifted the blanket next to you, “Bruce told me you guys come here when you have nightmares. There's plenty of room over here for you.” Dick hesitated for a second before giving in. He needed sleep anyway. You weren’t when you said there was plenty of room, Dick had most of your half of the bed. Once he had settled on his side, facing away from you, he felt you pull the blanket over his shoulders. 

“Night Dick, sleep well.” For some reason, that was what did it. Once the tears started they didn’t stop. Silent sobs made him shudder and he felt one of your hands gently rubbing his back. “Oh Dick.” There was no pity in your tone and he found himself rolling over and curling into you. Your chin resting on his head while you rubbed his back. 

The next day, he followed you around like a puppy. Your side of the bed became his favorite when he had nightmares and it wasn’t long before he turned to you for general comfort over anything.

Jason met you at his grave. Neither of you exchanged words, but he caught something in your gaze he didn’t quite understand. He also wasn’t sure why you were at his grave either, he didn’t know you when he was younger. 

When he saw the Gotham News post about Bruce and Your 2nd anniversary, it brought more questions than answers. Why were you at his grave alone? Let alone longer than a few seconds. It was an odd way to gain more of Bruce’s affections. 

Every Tuesday you would be there, leaving flowers and talking softly to the stone. Every time you left, you would smile and nod, the look in your eyes he couldn’t figure out was still there. Every time he would strain to heat what you were saying and only be able yo a few words here and there. 

6 months into it, the routine changed. You brought a blanket and Basket with your usual flowers. You did what you normally did with the flowers but instead of talking to the stone you waved him over. When he didn’t move, you stopped what you were doing and looked at him. 

“Jason Todd, I have been keeping your secret for 6 months. Helping me spread this blanket and having lunch won’t change it.” He stared at you while you waited expectantly. Eventually when he could get himself to move, he came over and helped. He sat down where you motioned for him too, all while trying to figure out how you knew.

“Bruce mentioned this used to be your favorite when you were younger so I asked Alfred to teach me how to make it. I hope it's up to your standards.” He looked at the plate of food you handed him. It was almost overflowing with food, all of which reminded him of the good times back at the manor before he died. “Alfred also sent your favorite cookies when he heard I would be eating at your grave.” The bag of cookies was placed next to the basket, within easy reach.

“Why?” Was all Jason managed to choke out around the lump in his throat.

“I decided early on in life, no matter who I was with, I would love their family as my own. My grandfather hated my grandmothers side and it caused a lot of pain in all the generations. I decided I would never do that to another family.” Jason found himself back in control enough to start eating. 

“So when I started dating Bruce and he told me about you, I decided to treat you like you were my own. Even though I had never met you and you were dead. Most of what that meant was keeping your grave clean and always making sure there were fresh flowers. While I did that, I would tell you everything that was going on.”

“How did you know it was me?”

“Your eyes, they may be a different color but they looked too similar. So I did a little digging and found pictures of your biological pictures to place the face shape it matched. I think however you look more like Bruce then either of them.”

“Are you going to tell them?”

“As much as I would love to. It’s your choice. You’ve been keeping this to yourself for a reason. If I can help you get to a place to tell them, I would love to. But I won’t say a word until you're ready. However, I would like to keep having lunch with you.” 

A year later, Jason reintroduced himself to the rest of the family a lot calmer than originally planned and was glued to your side anytime he felt overwhelmed that night. Every Tuesday after that, lunch was scheduled.

Tim was nervous when it came to you. He was still living in the manor so he saw you more than the older two. You always seemed nice and respected his privacy but Bruce was always with you so you obviously would. 

It was when he wasn’t around that worried Tim. Bruce attracted golddiggers and they were always mean when Bruce wasn’t there. When you were given a copy of the key, Time braced himself. 

Of course he knew that if he told Bruce anything that happened like that, Bruce would break it off. He had always told them that they came first. But he also knew that Bruce liked you a lot. All the other ones Bruce liked a lot that turned out to be horrible, he broked it off. Tim had seen how it had made him upset and he really hated doing that to him. Maybe he could deal with it for once. 

So when Bruce left for a business trip, Tim was Expecting the worst. What he didn’t expect was for you to knock on his door and ask if you could join him. When he agreed and stepped back so you could come in. He expected you to go to his bed or his desk chair not, the oversized bean bag on the floor.

“I have a question for you but you can’t tell Bruce yet.” Here it comes. “What would a funny way to tell him I know he’s Batman?” Tim wasn’t expecting that one. “I was thinking a lot of batpuns but his paranoia is too bad for that.”

“How did you figure it out?” You walked him through your process and didn’t say anything as he wrote parts of it down. Once you finished explaining the process for Bruce, you explained any way it was modified in figuring out their identities.

“Who do you think I am?”

“Red Robin.” Tim found himself getting excited. 

“You know those notes you leave him in his office?” You nodded. “You should leave those in the Batcave.” You considered it but your thinking was interrupted but Tim shouting. 

“No! One night when we’re all in the cave, you could bring some snacks!” 

“You just want snacks when he’s lecturing you don’t you?”

“Maybe..”

“Alright, but you have to tell the others so they can tell me what snack they want.”

So Tim slowly and carefully went through all his siblings, letting them know you figured it out, Bruce didn’t know, and what the plan is. Every time he relayed a snack to you he’d watch how carefully you’d write it out to make sure you had it correct or look up recipes if you couldn’t find it in stores. 

Two weeks later, Tim was the one who sent the signal in the middle of a lecture everyone was receiving and he got a front row seat to see Bruce’s face when you walked in and handed out snacks before giving him a kiss and telling him to be nice and leaving. 

Any other worries were left in the dust when you helped him win the nerf war for the best seat in the home theater. He thoroughly enjoyed his spot next to you while Bruce swore revenge from the other side of the room.

Damian treated you politely but that was it. His mother was still alive and he didn’t want another one, one was more than enough. Not only that, but you were weird. 

One time when you were over, you found one of his report cards. Immediately you were praising him. He didn’t understand why, he had basically failed one of his classes with an A-. You should be disappointed like his mother would be, not hanging it up on the fridge and telling people not to touch it. Definitely not taking him out for ice cream and calling him so smart. He definitely shouldn’t be feeling any pride when he walked past it, but he still was. 

When he was practicing his violin and Messed up, you were supposed to tell him to stop failing, that he should be better. Not smiling at him and telling him he’s making good progress. You should be telling him that he should have memorized that piece in a day. He shouldn’t be feeling any pride when he finally does memorize it, it took him 4 days to learn it.

When he was struggling to learn a language, you were supposed to tell him to work harder. He could do better, after all, he already knew so many. Instead you just smiled and recommended a break to refresh his mind. 

When he snapped at you in Arabic, he expected you to be upset since you didn’t know what he said and it was obviously not something nice. Instead you set the rule that if he was going to use Arabic to speak to you when upset, that he had to teach it to you and if what he said wasn’t something you had learned yet, he had to tell you in english. When he told you what it meant, you didn’t even get upset. He definitely shouldn’t be as excited as he was when you actually started learning. 

So many more little things piled up, leaving Damian confused. The differences between how you and his mother treated him was so big he didn’t know how to process it, he liked you and all the little things made him happy in a way he hadn’t really felt. But he still loved his mom, When he had enough of it, he asked you to stop. He still wanted to love his mom. Once again, you did something you weren’t supposed to.

“Oh Damian, I’m not trying to replace your mom nor am I trying to make you feel like you can’t love her or she doesn’t love you. Your mom and I show our love in different ways and its ok for you to love or like both of us. You mother loves you and she will always be allowed in your life if thats what you want.” You weren’t supposed to do that, but Damian was really glad you did.

Barbara wasn’t sure how you would react to her. She wasn’t just Bruce’s kid. She had a loving family she went back to every night. Most people weren’t really a fan of that, one of Bruce’s past girlfriends had some strong and hurtful things to say about it. 

When you took her for a day out, she found herself warming up to you but still waiting for the other shoe to drop. One of the new places you had planned to go, didn’t have wheelchair access. Like all the other girlfriends who had done this, she expected you to be annoyed that your plans had to change or you would just leave her outside while you shopped. 

You didn’t seem to notice her hesitation, just looking at what was next on your list and starting the trip there. When Barbara stared a little longer at a new movie that was in theaters, tickets and snacks were bought and you listed to all the lore she told you about before it started.

While it had been a nice day, Barbara wasn’t convinced. One day was easy to fake. Sure she had lots of fun, but Barbara was used to fakes when it came to Bruce’s girlfriends. Of course she wasn’t complaining about you being nice, she just wasn’t sure how long it would last. 

“Did you hear about that boutique?” She looked up from her food to look at her dad. “That new one that you tried to go to with Bruce’s girlfriend? Well there was a report that it didn’t meet the Americans with Disabilities act and the boutique is in trouble. People are speculating they’ll have to close down.”

Later that night, Barbara looked into it. They were in trouble, pretty big trouble from the looks of it. Towards the end of the article she found the name of the person who reported it, she wasn’t sure who she was expecting. Not you for sure but the Name Y/n L/n took her by surprise and filled her chest with feelings she couldn’t describe. 

The boutique ended up closing but a new one opened. Once it was open, you were the first to ask her to go. That weird feeling came back when she wheeled herself up the ramp and through the door you held open for her. Later that night, in the privacy of her room. She decided she liked you. 

Steph seemed like she liked you, she acted like she liked you, she didn’t really like you. Sure you were nice, Bruce loved you, the others were warming up to you, but she wasn’t sure how to feel about you. So she stuck with not actually liking you but pretending to. 

So when she was around you, it was all smiles and jokes. She wasn’t a big fan of it all but she did it because she knew you were important to Bruce and that was enough of a reason for her. She knew Bruce and the others could see through the act but as long as you couldn’t, that was enough. 

When Bruce announced he had to leave for a business trip right before she could hand him the parents visit for one of her AP classes, something the new teacher liked doing. She tucked the paper away. When Tim gave her a questioning look, she shook her head and later swore him to silence. 

Every time she heard someone mention their parents were going, she felt a pang of jealousy in her chest. Every time Tim mentioned bringing it up to you, she swore him into silence again. It wouldn’t be the first time no one showed up for her. She was however thankful you wouldn’t be at the manor as much so she didn’t have to pretend to like you.

When the day arrived, Steph was not having a good day. School dragged on slowly. Slower than normal. When school finally ended, she had to sit in the classroom and watch everyone else that was in her class leave and the parents of her classmates show up while no one was there or coming for her.

Someone sat in the seat next to her, she expected another family member of one of her classmates. Definitely not you. She couldn’t return your smile, too unsure of how you found out, the fact you actually showed up, and how she felt about you being there. You leaned a little closer so that the others in the room wouldn’t easily overhear. 

“I know I’m not your parent and someone you just pretend to like so if you want me to leave I will. But I figured someone was better then no one. Oh, and Tim wanted me to tell you he didn’t spill. Your teacher called the manor because no one had RSVPed for you and I answered it.”

That night, as Steph showed off all her hard work to you, the charade fell. She actually enjoyed her time with you and the boost of pride as you oohed and ahhed over all her projects and listened to her explain all the little details. That night, Steph realized, she didn’t need to keep pretending. She liked you, until she found out you didn’t like her favorite show but a nerf war solved that. 

Cass could tell you were different then the other girlfriends, your body language as you interacted with all of them showed it. However that didn’t mean she knew how to interact with you.

She had learned that she was fairly hard for new people to interact with. She also knew she had trouble interacting with people she wasn’t fighting. So it wasn’t a surprise when it started rocky. 

What was a surprise, was when you found out she was still having trouble reading and writing, you stepped in to help. Well, that wasn’t the surprising part, a lot of girlfriends did that. The surprising part was the amount of patience you had when it was only the two of you. 

When one method didn’t help, you tried another. Never once did you snap at her or call her a name. Everytime you got frustrated you would stop and look at her, say something along the lines of “If I had as much trouble with this as you do, I wouldn’t want to keep trying. You're doing absolutely amazing! I’ll keep looking for other ideas, but for now, lets take a break and get a treat.” 

Cass wasn’t sure why that always made her feel better, but it did. Every treat you brought was something you made just for the tutoring sessions and it always reminded her of what Alfred had told her once. “Something made with love for you will always taste better.”

And when a method that made it a little easier to learn was found, Cass found herself smiling along with your cheers. Bad days where she couldn’t seem to make any progress were always met with the same excitement, cheers, patience, and treats that all the others were. 

Cass still wasn’t sure of what to think of you exactly, but she knew she liked you and that you cared about her.

So when Tim saw the new rise in hate, a sibling meeting was called. They all went through each site, blood boiling as they saw what people were saying about their new parent. Plans were made, declarations of war were ready, and anger fueled all of them. Bruce could tell something was going on, but he wasn’t sure what it was and as long as it didn’t get out of had, he wasn’t sure if he had the energy to deal with it. 

War was declared in an interview by Steph. The lady was asking questions when the topic switched to Bruce, then you. The reporter was clearly trying to subtly find some dirt on you and Steph was not going to stand for it.

“Oh yeah! Y/n! She’s the best!” She put on her best press face. Trying to hide her anger over the hidden intent. She didn’t have to lie or act when talking about you but the change in the lady’s face going to disappointment when she didn’t get anything she wanted was making her look very punchable. 

“She’s always showing up for us and making sure we’re doing ok. If Y/n and Bruce were to break up, I think most of us would go with Y/n.” The way the lady kept trying to get anything really got on her nerves and Steph decided she needed to get out of there before she started using the lady’s face for target practice. You wouldn’t like that.

Cass was the first one to resort to violence. They had asked a thinly veiled question, basically asking if you were a golddigger. So she punched him in the nose and leaned down to flip the camera off. She hated interviews already but that made it so much worse. She hoped you wouldn’t be too upset with her punching the guy though.

Jason, surprisingly enough. Did not get violent… physically. He did however curse one out and threaten him when the reporter implied you were forcing them to say nice things. When the reporter kept pressing Jason broke his mic and told him if he ever heard him talking bad about you again, a broken mic would be the last of his worries. Jason knew you would be disappointed but he had held back, he didn’t shoot the guy like he wanted.

Tim threw his coffee at one reporter because he heard them say you were nothing but a regular person who didn’t deserve any attention. He then took over her segment, threatening the company to air it or he would make sure they went bankrupt. Once he finished his threats, anything he said was praising you name. Telling everyone how amazing you were and how much they all loved you.

Barbara made it a point to bring up everything you did for the community when they tried to throw some shade at you in an interview. She had documents to prove it and hacked their systems to add them into the interview so they couldn’t claim it was fake. She also made sure to run over his foot when she left. 

Dick punched a reporter when they tried to ask him what you were really like behind closed doors. He told them the truth, that you were just as good, kind, patient, and loving behind closed doors as you were out in public. He didn’t throw a punch until the reporter disregarded that as asked again because she couldn’t be that good. Dick knew a lecture would be coming once you saw, but he would rather sit through a lecture then let anyone tarnish your name.

Damian spent 10 minutes cursing and threatening a reporter in Arabic when they asked him if you had ever hurt him. When he was done, he told them in english, that if he ever got asked that question again, he would impale them. He knew you were going to make him sit down and translate everything and the general response you would give but he didn’t care, no one speaks bad about either of his mothers.

Bruce figured out what was going on after Steph’s interview. He saw the ones where they assaulted or threatened the reporters and made sure his lawyers were on standby to keep the kids out of trouble. After all, he had seen more than they had. 

He had watched as you tried to connect with Dick early on, how you worked hard to try and get somewhere. He had woken up before you when Dick had come in that night and heard how you handled it. He had woken up the next morning to find you holding Dick close, like you were trying to protect him from the nightmares. He had seen how you never turned Dick down when he wanted comfort, no matter how serious or silly the matter, and he had heard your excitement when you told him Dick liked you.

Bruce had seen the way you never missed a visit to Jason’s grave, on a visit of his own, he saw how much care you showed the stone marking it as his lost son. While he hadn’t been sure why it was alway the same time on Tuesday, he didn;t mention it. He felt the way you would sob in his arms after each visit, a year after the tradition started, you always said you had promised not to tell and he watched as you kept that promise even if it tore you to pieces. Once the shock and tears wore off for a little bit, he could see the trust that Jason had in you.

He heard the way you questioned if you should have a key to the manor, you didn’t want to make Tim uncomfortable in his own home, or how you questioned if you should visit while he was gone. Not wanting to stress Tim out when there was no reason too. He saw the way you and Tim grinned at each other when you brought snacks down for all the kids he was currently lecturing. He head the excitement in your voice as you told him about the tour Tim had given you of the Batcave and the shared laughter as you and Tim worked together to win the nerf war.

Bruce saw how you worked to give Damian the affection he didn’t think he needed. He felt you crying in his arms upset over the fact Damian thought you would be angry because he made a mistake or struggled in a class. He heard you practicing your Arabic as you got ready for bed and he watched as you stress paced over whether or not you said the right thing to him about his mother. 

He saw how angry you had been when you came back from your day out with Barbara. He had heard your call with your lawyer as you tried to figure out what to do. He saw you going through the laws and making a list to make sure your lawyer didn’t miss any. He heard about the movie you didn’t particularly care about and the lore you remembered in case of another because you wanted Barbara to have someone she could tell all of her favorite things too. 

Bruce saw the pictures you had taken from the school night. He heard all the details from you as you praised Steph’s work. He saw the way Steph stopped acting around you and the silly arguments the two of you would get into for fun. He heard the way you would listen to her as she verbally worked out her problems. He saw the way Steph looked for you in a crowd, the way she knew you were there but not where you stood exactly, the thought of you not being there never crossed her. 

He saw the way you stayed up late, researching different ways to teach reading and writing. He heard the patience and kindness and you worked with Cass. He saw the way you always made a treat just for Cass to have after each lesson because you wanted to reward her hard work. He heard the way you cried for Cass when she had a bad day and got frustrated with herself because you knew she was smart and you wanted her to see it too. He heard your celebrations when Cass made any progress, no matter the size. 

Bruce heard, saw, and felt the way you worked hard to have a relationship with his kids. How you had mourned for their losses, celebrated their wins, and felt their pain. He saw the way his kids blossomed under your care, growing to be better and more confident in themselves. The way you cared for them as if they were your own flesh and blood. So when he was asked about his kids behavior, he said as much. 

“Y/n has worked hard to be accepted by them. She’s given so much of her time, effort, patience, and love and never wanted anything in return. She always shows up for them, no matter what the occasion is, big or small, it doesn’t matter. If they want her there, she’ll be there. Everytime they need or want her, she’s there. She never judges them and treats them as if they were her own blood. Of course their upset and lashing out, people are insulting the woman who has cared for them more then most of their biological mothers.”

Later, a clip of you scolding Bruce and all the kids went viral. While you were scolding them over their behavior and making the kids who had reacted with violence or threats write apology letters because asking mean questions does not make it right to respond badly especially when its someone just trying to start drama. Everyone one noticed that there was no actual bite to your tone and no anger when they all refused to stop acting like that. In fact, there was a small soft smile on your face as you shook your head at your family.

[pirefyrelight]

oh you went right for a core of the soul question ok lol

My mood has been 'play the les mis soundtrack non stop loop for the past three weeks specifically javerts theme because it worms it's way into every song' so definitely one of those. I guess Stars? I have been cursed with hubris as of late.

@curious-sootball @cold-mornings-and-warm-hands @ncoley @animusmelodiam @blackberry-nightingale

weh. I have an idea for a tag game thing but I would presumably have to actually tag people to get it going

[sitp-recs]

re - your last post, as a writer i find that to be an absurd take. people who write exclusively for validation probably shouldn't. if discovering your work is enjoyed and loved - just privately - is a dealbreaker for you, i think there are probably bigger issues that need to be worked through. the idea that we write fic for free and yet this discussion about "payment" through kudos/comments persists is so backwards and obnoxious.

sorry to tag you on this, obv you have nothing to do with op, but i just wanted to say - as a writer recs are a HUGE deal. to know that you liked something enough to share it with others is the biggest compliment for me personally. thanks for doing what you do.

I’m happy you reached out because this is a really interesting perspective. I definitely see increased messaging around comments = payment that pressures readers into thinking they are required to leave comments, and I agree that there are many layers to this convo that point out to a not-so-healthy relationship with fandom.

I find it hard to join this discussion not being an author myself, because I only have the privileged perspective. I understand how important feedback can be to boost newcomers and those who don’t feel part of the community. We all deal with insecurity in different ways and it’s hard to navigate a big fandom when you don’t have a group of friends to rely on. In the end the fandom experience is about a sense of belonging and it saddens me to realize that I might be part of the problem since my recs can only reach Tumblr and my ao3 comments are far and few in between.

It’s funny because my blog has always targeted other readers: at the beginning I didn’t even tag authors and did not expect them to find or engage with my posts. Over the years the recs became more and more personal, until I realized I was writing them for myself. Sure, they are love letters to the fic and might help more people find them, but at the end of the day this is my little therapy corner where I can let go and babble around to my heart’s content 🙏🏼 I’ve always been proud of this blog and seeing that post gave me mixed feelings about it for the first time, so thank you for your message!

Again, I think this discussion has many layers and I’m a bit wary to get involved being a reader, but I’d be curious to see how others feel about it…

[medievalharlot]

Will You Deny Them, My Lady? 彡 Geta x f!reader x Caracalla

Find part 1 here and part 3 here!

Pairing: Geta x f!reader x Caracalla

Synopsis: Stuck on Palantine Hill, both Geta and Caracalla try to get a piece of you. Geta tries to make the choice easier for you as you and Caracalla bond.

Wordcount: 3,5k

Tags: trapped reader, bribing, fluff, gentle touches for my boy Caracalla (<3), period accurate misogyny, implied explicit touches, dub-con elements, manipulation and blackmailing, implied violence, Geta is implied to have a breeding kink

Request:

‘Hiii I loved your palm reader geta fic and would love to (obvs no pressure) request a similar soft and sweet touches fic but with Caracalla! Or Geta again I love them both and they deserve some love lol

I loved your take on the reader being from the further rural/ countryside areas of Rome so I’d love if that continued!’ by @scarletwolfxox

A/N: The tags might make it seem like its a super dark fic but I promise it's not entirely dark 😭. Due to people really liking ‘The Emperor's Desire’ and asking for a p2 I am here to deliver! I also wove in a request that i thought would fit too. If this does well a p3 (with smut) might follow. Enjoy!!

You couldn’t deny the emperor. Those words echoed through your mind as you sat at the table alone. You had not eaten in a day or two, your sadness and homesickness making you unable to get anything down your throat. With a blank stare you gazed infront of you at the goblet full with expensive wine, the plate of figs, meat and bread. Even the cutlery felt expensive. Your thumb ran across the engrained gold. Of course it was expensive, it had to be. You were in the palace of the emperor's. The twins had locked you up in here. Like a toy you were some toy only when they felt like it would they dine with you, talk to you. The rest of the day you spend with your servants, grieving your old life. You wondered what your father would be up to..

“You can not deny the emperor's.” It is what your father had told you when he received the imperial decree. It had a been few weeks since you had received the imperial procession at your home. It had left you a bit confused about emperor Geta. He was definitely handsome, but something threw you off. Your eyes had scanned the papyrus decree countless times. Why would they want you to come to Rome? Had you not made it clear that you were needed back home? Especially now that your father's health had all of a sudden gotten worse. Your brother's had taken over his work, you and your sister's-in-law had taken care of him. Leaving now wasn't possible.

Luckily, the twins had thought of that as well. They had sent him a woman, she was around your age and already widowed. This would be her second marriage. Poor girl, being traded of like a prize for a second time to a stranger. Your father insisted that you went. He knew, as did you, that pissing them off could cost you your head.

So off to Rome you went. Your sisters-in-law, Lucretia and Antonia, wept the day you left, there was a strange woman in their home and you would be gone for god’s know how long. All your duties would be theirs for now, you assured you would be back soon. But you knew you would either return in an urn or as the empress. Neither sounded like an option you wanted, but you did not have much of a choice.

Rome was not all that bad, it was what you told yourself when you felt lonely. It was more crowded than Syracuse and the weather was warmer. The people seemed to be more individualistic, chasing their own ambitions. You couldn’t lie, the city was beautiful. Impressive structures towered above you every turn you took, lords and ladies adorned in the most beautifull clothes wherever you looked. None of them compared to the clothes you wore

When you first got here the emperors welcomed you in the throne room. It wasn’t anything grand. You were a woman, you didn’t deserve a triumph. Geta had kissed your hand while Caracalla watched like a giddy child. Both of them assured you that everything had been taken care off and everything in their power would be yours if you wished it to be. You felt like another toy for them to play with until they grew bored. Right then and there you swore you would never willingly share their bed. You were a noble lady, not some common whore they could summon to their bed.

It was clear they tried to bribe you. They made you dress in the finest of silk and more jewelry than you could possibly count. Your father was rich, but never to this extent. These clothes were worth more than the crops could bring up during a good harvest season. It made you feel guilty. You loved feeling this pretty, you enjoy the envious looks you got. Even if you did, you tried to remain stubborn. Refuse their gifts, refuse their invites, refuse their summons.

You assumed it had worked. Caracalla had stopped joining you for dinner long ago, he preferred his concubines feeding him instead, and Geta had come less often as well. This night however, he did join you.

“Good evening, my lady.” The entire court froze when he entered with his guards. Geta was cruel in a calculated way, he would strike a servant if he thought it would be funny.

“My emperor.” You stood from your chair to bow you head. Once he got seated, you sat down as well. Your gaze remained on his. At first you did not dare look the emperors in the eye, but you got bolder by the day. “I had not expected you to come to dinner.”

Geta had been getting frustrated with your stubborness. Not once had you been as gentle as you were the morning you read his palm. You were just acting like an ungrateful brat. They had given you everything, riches, clothes, food. Yet you had not shown a slighest bit of interest. His brother was a fickle man, he had grown bored of you within a week. But Geta wasn't like his brother. He would have you come to his bed, one way or another.

“Well, I wish to discuss something with you.” He said, snapping his fingers at a servant to fill his cup. “But first, let us eat. Your maid told me you haven’t been eating.” He glared at you.

“The Roman food falls heavy on my stomach, my emperor.” You glared back.

“We'll have you served lighter food, now eat.” It was a command.

The two of you ate, even if you ate only small pieces. It was all you could keep down while being watched intently by Geta. Besides the sounds of cutlery, the room was silent.

“Your brothers will go to war.” He suddenly spoke up, catching you off guard. “The rest of Africa Nova must be conquered.” Calmly, he ate the food.

It felt like your world came crashing down for a moment and you felt your heart break. Your brothers would be going to war? Aelius had been to war in Germania but Clemens hadn't seen war before, both of them could die. You knew the Empire did not need their help, they had very capable generals.

“You can't.” The words left your lips before you realised what you were saying.

Geta smirked. “I can, and I will.” He took another sip of wine before slamming his cup down. “Eat.”

You jumped slightly at the sound, tears brimming in your eyes. While avoiding his gaze you took a bite of the bread, clutching it in your hand.

“No need to cry now lady Y/N.” He chuckled at he stood up to walk to you. “Its a great honor to die for the Empire.” Geta placed his finger under your chin, making you look up at him. There was a sadistic look in his eyes.

“Geta, please.” You begged him.

“They are mere sons of an unimportant general.” He whispered softly, your pleas only spurred him on. “That is, of course, you chose wisely. The brothers-in-law of the emperor would never have to die in a war.” He grinned and dropped your chin. If you weren’t going to do this willingly, he would make the choice easier for you to make.

“I wish you a blessed evening, my lady. I hope to see you in the Colosseum soon.” And with that, he left you alone in your room. Quickly, you covered your mouth before your broken sobs could escape. You didn’t want to give him the pleasure of knowing how much it hurt you.

Without a second thought you got up, storming the opposite direction of which the emperor came. Your tears had dried and had you had been filled with rage. You barely knew your way around in these halls, the entire time you spend here you had been mostly in your room. Filled with sadness and rage you bursted through a door. The wrong door.

It was one of Caracalla's rooms. And his Imperial Majesty was occupying it right now. Draped over a couch dressed in black silk, he was laughing, eating and drinking with a two whores on his lap entertaining him. The woman was half naked and the man wore heavy make up. He had not noticed you coming in at first, but Carcacalla looked up when he noticed his concubines’ silence.

“Out.” He spoke to the two on his lap. A switch had turned. They looked at each other confused. “Out!” He yelled again, throwing his golden goblet across the room. They scattered to their feet to leave, giving you a nasty glare as they did.

“I do not mean to disturb you Emperor Caracalla, I had no idea-”

“Why does Geta like you so much.” Gods, these two loved interrupting you did they? Caracalla had sat up straight, looking at you. “Besides that you are a maid.” He scratched the acne scars on his face. That was why Caracalla had taken interest in you at first. He liked taking maidenhoods, made him feel like an emperor.

“I do not know, my emperor.” You spoke carefully as you took a few steps forward. Caracalla had always been even more dangerous to deal with, but if you played your cards right this could turn out in your favor.

“Yes you do. He has been obsessed with you, but you are acting like a brat.” He had no filter, that was clear. His hands kept clawing at his face. The scars were bothering him you could tell, it made you feel empathic towards him.

“My emperor-”

He let out a yell in frustration as it got worse. “You wish to seduce me as well? Take my empire? Take my throne.” Caracalla spoke with an accusing tone. Softly he mumbled some other words you could not make out.

“I would never do such a thing!” You spoke firmly, your rage boiling over. It made him stop for a moment. He only scratched harder, it softened your anger. Caracalla was a troubled man, both mentally and physically.

“My emperor, let me help you.” You whispered as you got closer to him, gently you took his wrist in your hands and pulled his hands away. When you sat down you ordered the servants to bring you some herbs. Your brother Clemens had struggled with the same problem, you had found some herbs that felt soothing to the skin.

“I am here because their imperial majesties wished me to be here.” You said, mixing the herbs into a paste. “I would do anything for the Empire, my emperor.” It were lies to soothe his mind. Softly, you rubbed some of the paste on his scars. Caracalla flinched back at first, but allowed you to help him. He cautiously watched your every move. It felt nice caring for someone, it was something you had always done. First your mother, then the household, then your father. And now you were caring for one of the most powerful men in Rome.

Caracalla leaned into your touch. Your gentle touch. He now understood why Geta liked you so much. His eyes trailed your body, your every curve. Your presence made him feel confused. The way your intoxicating smell made his head run laps, but your gentle touch made him want to crawl into your lap and fall asleep. You had him wrapped around your finger and you didn't even know it yet.

“You must not scratch the skin, it gets inflamed like that.” He looked back up at you again as you spoke. You started humming a soft tune as you finished applying the paste to his skin.

When you wanted to pull your hand away Caracalla quickly grasped your wrist, holding on quite tightly. You looked at him confused, a hint of fear in your eyes. He didn’t let get go when you tried to pull away. Instead, he kissed the inside of your hand. His eyes looked at you pleadingly.

After that evening he had called for your help each night and each night it was the same ritual. Gentle fingers tracing his skin while you softly hummed a tune. It had become a habit at this point. He would tell you about his day while you treated his skin. You had grown quite fond of Caracalla, even if his touches had become more wandering. You let it happen. As long he did not treat you like he did his whores, rough touches, cursing them out and using them as a vessel for his pleasure, you were fine with it. He showed a tender side and in return you offered him the same softness. It was a moment of quiet, a moment of peace.

Geta had noticed as well. It bothered him slightly, you were chosing his brother over him while he was the one that brought you here.

He confronted you about it one night. You had just left his brother's chamber.

“My brother has grown quite fond of you.” He was around the corner, nearly giving you a heart attack.

You bowed your head. “My emperor.”

Geta narrowed his eyes. “You know, you should come to the Colosseum.” He reached for a strand of your hair, twirling it around his finger. “It would do you some good to see something else besides these palace walls.” He spoke as if he wasn't the one keeping you trapped here.

Your eyes locked with his. If you were going to play the game with his brother, you might as well play the game with him too. “I will, tomorrow. If you will have me.”

Geta's eyes lit up, a grin growing on his lips. “Very well, it seems like the lady has chosen what she wants for herself.” He let go of your hair. “I will have the servants arrange everything you need.”

You were about to walk away when he grabbed your shoulder and leaned in your ear. “You cannot keep running from this, you cannot keep denying yourself.” He whispered before leaning back and giving you a firm stare. The way he whispered in your ear, the way he looked at you, it had send shivers down your spine and a blush rushing to your cheeks. You quickly excused yourself, rushing to your room.

Was it true? Were you denying yourself by being so stubborn. You were so upset about having to leave your home, scared that they might need you at home. But in every letter they sent you it seemed to be fine. Aelius’ wife Lucretia was with child, your father was doing fairly well and Clemens finally got to take the lead on the estate like he always wanted. Were you so busy with home that you forgot about what you wanted? You couldn’t lie, the treatment you got here was nice. Especially now that you had started bonding with Caracalla. It made the days pass quicker. And Geta? You had subconsiously tried to ignore the way he made you feel. Each time he had summoned you, you felt nervous. Or was it excitement. Excitement to be the center of his attention again.

The thoughts ran through your mind as you sat in the carriage to the Colosseum. It surprised you how quickly you had gotten there from Palantine Hill, it was downhill so of course you got there fast. When you left the carriage you were overwhelmed from the sheer size of the structure. Rows and rows of pillars made from limestone. Your dress seemed to impress the crowd. It was a red gown, with gold embroided flowers. Your hair had been done in a way according to the latest fashion. As you passed the crowds you were awed at. A new face, fresh meat for the people to adore.

Geta had made sure that you were seated behind him. Even if he thought that Caracalla’s obession with you was a good thing that could make you sway in their direction, he wanted to make sure you would become his empress. You quietly sat in the back as the Colosseum filled up. Mostly men filled up nearly all of the seats. If you squinted your eyes you could see some women at the top of the Colosseum together with their children. This was your first time being here. Your father never took you to gladiatorial games. He thought them too violent for a young girl.

They were as violent as he described. It wasn’t something you enjoyed, it shocked you, but you watched regardless. Many people tried to fight this mountain of a man named ‘The Bear’. None of them survived this tho, the sound of the breaking of bones echoeing awfully well through the Colosseum each time The Bear swung his hammer.

The twins seemed to enjoy the bloodshed. Caracalla was shouting all sorts of things while Geta watched sadistically with a grin on his face. They showed no remorse for the slaves that were being slaughtered like animals.

At a certain point Geta turned around to you. “You don’t seem to be enjoying yourself, my lady? You prefer chariot racing?” It felt like a trick question. He could tell enough from the pale look on your face and the way you were clutching your glass of wine and he almost took pleasure out of that sight. Look at you, not so though now.

“It is fine, my emperor.” You managed to bring out, flinching slightly as another head got crushed. Geta’s smile dropped for a moment as he called for a servant. He angrily pulled the servant by his collar, saying something you could not understand. The servant scattered away to do what the emperor told him too.

Quickly there after the fighting stopped. Instead, some sort of dancers started preforming. Did he stop the fighting for you? Geta got up, offering his hand for you to join him on the front of the balcony. You took it and the crowd roared upon seeing you. Geta had his hands on your shoulders as he stood behind you.

“See, I was right. A beauty like you shouldn’t hide out in the country side.” He whispered in your ear, his breath fanning against your skin. “They love you.” You looked around at the crowd. They cheered, not for the fighting, not for the emperors, they cheered for you.

“Would you deny them an empress, my lady?” He brushed your hair off one of your shoulders as he stood behind you. The thought of you pregnant crossed his mind. How he would love to see you fat with his child, breast swollen with milk. Once you were his he would have you pregnant as much as possible. “Deny them an imperial babe?”

The words made you think about your life as an empress. You were way past the age to get married. This was the best offer you could get. You continued to stare at the crowd before looking at Geta.

“I will visit you sometime soon.” You whispered in return before turning to leave.

The days that followed were filled with gifts and affection from both of them, a reward for your compliance.

During your moments with Caracalla he had started kissing your skin more often, like he was drunk of the mere touch of it. He started slipping your dress down your shoulders so he could kiss the flesh of your shoulder, suck at the soft and subtle skin of your breast. You never expected him to be this affectionate and needy.

Geta showered you with all sorts of gifts. First he gave you two new stallions and a new carriage, then he had a painter commissioned to have you painted and everyday he made sure you wore the finest of clothes.

But the biggest of gifts turned out to be a letter. It was written by your brother Aelius. Your finger traced the wax of your family's seal before opening it.

To my dearest sister, Y/N,

I hope you are doing well in the capital. Their imperial majesties have ever so generous these last few days. Father has been gifted new servants, Lucretia and Antonia received new jewelry and we have been allowed to come an visit you soon sister. As soon as Lucretia's babe is born the two of us will make our journey to Rome. Clemens and Antonia will join you soon as he has been appointed senator. As in response to your last letter, the babe is doing well. The doctors say with the way she is carrying it will be a boy. We are overjoyed to be seeing you soon.

With love,

Your brother Aelius.

A wave of relief washed over you. Not only did they not have to go to war, they got to visit you. Somehow you had gotten comfortable with the idea of this being your home. You had truly flourished from a seedling to a strong flower in the past few days. As empress you would be able to make a difference for your family, for yourself. You traced the paper before folding it neatly again and placing it on your vanity desk. Turning to your servant you spoke.

“Tell the emperors I wish to dine with them tonight.”

taglist for the people that requested a part 2 : @doves1120 , @frensiswithnogun , @fandomgirl1999 , @fariecherry , @eddiesguitarskills , @nicestgirlonline

[archive-z]

curating reading lists (without social media)

a guide to finding stuff to read, for @divorceblogger. this is a guide specifically for avoiding things like goodreads/storygraph etc which aggregate books that are popular without being all that helpful for finding things on niche/specialist topics.

a bit of housekeeping before getting to the actual list-making tips:

i mostly read nonfiction targeted at both academic and popular audiences. i also read a mixture of classic lit, genre fiction, zines & conceptual/artists’ books, and playtexts & poetry. i read traditional print books, non-traditional print publications, PDF and ePub ebooks on an iPad/iPhone, and listen to audiobooks and audio dramas.

i have a infinite number of books i want to read. the discovery process of new & interesting outstrips my capacity to read them all, so i have to be extremely selective. this also means i never tolerate a book i’m not enjoying. it can have weak points, but i have to be getting something out of the experience, or else i am wasting my one wild n precious life, ya feel?

my goal is to read for quality, not for quantity. i tend to dislike a lot of online reading communities for their focus on metrics (number of books, page count, word count, etc). i bristle at tools that try to push my reading into this direction. i have a reading practice, in the same sense that one would have an artistic practice. thinking of my reading as a practice — rather than a project, a thing to be completed and checked off the checklist — helps orient me towards patterns of thinking that serve me better

i work in the arts industry, so fiction and non-fiction books are reference tools. when I finish reading a book, I put it back on the shelf, like returning a tool to the toolbox until it is time to use it again. i live in a bachelor flat, so obvs i have to resist the incessant pressures of consumerism, but it doesn’t bother me that i have not read every book that i own. they are there for when i get to them. similarly, i would not be bothered by owning a kitchen fire extinguisher that i have not used.

where do I keep my reading lists?

Obsidian: for organising to-read lists on specific topics, genres, eras, locations, etc. i repeat books across multiple lists where appropriate. i don’t keep a single master list of everything I want to read because it would simply be too unwieldy to manage. Small focused lists of no more than ~25 books on the topic are best, imo.

TinyCat: for cataloguing physical books that i own. i have a shortcut to the website on my phone so i can easily pull it up if i can’t remember what books in a series i already have. i can tag anything unread with my “antilibrary” tag. for my own amusement, i also insert library pockets and circulation cards into my books and stamp them with the date completed (using my beloved rotary date stamp). i can also stamp the date a friend who borrowed the book completed it. i like seeing the signatures add up over time.

Zotero: for academic bibliographic citations. useful habit to get into if you transcribe lots of quotes from yr readings into yr notes.

how do i develop my reading lists?

i usually develop my reading lists through a combination of concerted effort to research a topic & ambient browsing. this isn’t Abt How to rigorously conduct research though so im gonna focus more on ~letting books organically find me~

when i have a book that i enjoy, i see if the author has written any more books on topics that interest me. incredibly basic 101 advice but somehow people still miss this one.

check the bibliographies & acknowledgements. if something comes up in bibliography after bibliography, its usually a good sign its worth checking out. also, authors usually thank other authors in their acknowledgements, its a great way to start building an idea

i love when artists talk abt their influences in interviews, like this interview abt what influences and easter eggs there are in disco elysium (i screamed at the Einstürzende Neubauten reveal!!!). i love when fans come up with their own reading lists for media, like my list speculating what daniel molloy would have read and watched in 1973.

when i am travelling somewhere i try to read something related to the to place I am going. Wikipedia is a first easy point of reference to find out if yr destination is famous for being the birthplace of X poet or Y film is set there.

tertiary sources. secondary sources are about a primary source, whereas tertiary sources aim to provide an overview of the major debates in those secondary sources on a specific topic rather than to generate their own new ideas/arguments. the oxford university press “a very short introduction” series varies in quality but its often a very useful starting point.

recs from friends/gifts. my loved ones know i like books, and books are usually a cheap & easy gift for holidays & special occasions. i gift books that i want to read myself, so we can talk abt the book together.

what physical locations do I browse?

Local library, university library. You might be even be able to get a specialist library card to an archive or museum reading room. Some public libraries also have special collections like the Seattle Zine Library.

For-sale section in the local library. proceeds usually go to supporting the library

local secondhand bookshop. there are several in walking distance, i usually hit them up quarterly, especially as i gift a lot of secondhand books

local independent bookshops. several local independent bookstores host an annual bookstore crawl where if you get a stamp from all of them in one weekend u enter a draw to win $1000 gift card :)

thrift store/charity shop/antique markets. there is usually a section with books even if the main focus is clothes/furniture

book events. author talks, staged readings of new plays, poetry readings, book/lit mag launch parties, Writers Festivals, small/independent press fair, rare book fair, zine fests, international library day, conferences

bookshelves at house parties. im 100% the person checking out yr bookshelf at a house party. great place to get yr flirt on.

travel. basically any new place im going, i look-up in advance the local library, second hand bookstores, charity shops, antiques stores etc. and save them in my maps on my phone. if i can conveniently pop into one while im there, neat! i particularly like municipal libraries bc the big ones are usually architecturally interesting (like the Vancouver Public Library) and the small ones are usually really charming and full of specific local history, leaflets to interesting local stuff, etc.

what online locations do I browse?

navigating the online catalogue to yr local & academic libraries is a whole skill unto itself. i was very fortunate be born in the late 90s and to have a specific local librarian teach me boolean operators before i could tie my shoelaces, ride a bike, or, frankly, do most human being things (shoutout to Miss T yr a real one). your library very likely has something like a workshop or at the very least a help desk that can help u with this if needed.

mailing lists of small/independent presses.

publishers websites (academic and general audience).

wikipedia. u can look at the footnotes section on wikipedia. its free. its legal.

looking up university syllabi. some are on profs’ websites, some are available through the university library. there is also the Open Syllabus website which aggregates the most often mentioned books in submitted syllabi, organised by discipline or through a visual map.

what’s available on libby/borrowbox.

Archive dot org and google books/google scholar to read the previews and judge if the book is worth following up on.

i didn’t actually include any selections of my personal reading lists, but if you would like to know more you can always shoot me an ask with a specific topic in mind.

[emry-stars-art]

rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your wip folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have wips

tagged by @rainbowd00dles , thank you so much!

I guess my main obstacle here is that 1) I do mainly traditional art and 2) I don't name my digital files, so you're just gonna get what I call them in my head lol

1) "thank you love" mini comic (oc) here

2) jerejean on transit here

3) coffee shop again (aftg) here

4) how hard can it be to draw maps, really (oc) here

5) cool girls can spin bo staffs (oc) here

6) fairy Ambrose (oc) here

7) character exploration/design page (oc)

Im so bad at the tags... no pressure obvs @jtl-fics @halfpintpeach (I'm sure we can make this a general wip game too) @02511213942 @anon-lemon @pepeshka @feluart @moonsnqil

[vanderbilt-draws]

pleaseee...draw devwinn interacting... plssss

ok sorry it took forever for me to answer i may have gone slightly overboard with the doodles but I REALLY LIKE DEVWINN AND MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE A WHOLE UNWRITTEN FIC ABOUT THEM IN HIGH SCHOOL AND LIKE 7 MILLION HCS ABOUT HOW THEY MET AND THEIR FUTURES AND UHH UHH hcs/all the stuff leading up to my unwritten fic are all below the cut if youre interested ✨✨

winn moved to dimmadelphia in the fourth grade

pretty much instantly dev "befriended" them and started being really clingy with them. he had a MASSIVE crush on them right from the start

winn wasnt actually all that big a fan of dev at first because yk he was mean to most of the other kids, but they didnt want to hurt his feelings so kind of went along with him

(side note i hc that dev has literally been wearing pretty much the same outfit since forever. hes so autism)

dev and winn only got to being real friends once hazel and dev became friends (bc yk shes got the balls to actually tell dev when hes doing something mean, so thats rlly when dev started improving as a person)

winn and dev had the same homeroom in sixth grade and ended up sitting right next to each other, which was when they really started becoming a Duo

winn broke their arm in a skating accident during the winter break of their sixth grade year, dev was the first one they got to sign the cast :] winn never stopped skating but they did do it a lot less + more carefully after that (by order of their parents)

dev started growing his hair into a mullet in the seventh grade because he "thought it looked cool" (<< started noticing his gender dysphoria and wanted longer hair in an attempt to quell it)

winn thought they were bi for all of seventh grade and most of eighth grade bc they had a crush on dev

SPOILER ALERT dev is a trans girl, she comes out in the eighth grade and her chosen name is devine. she still goes by dev but all her friends know what its short for

dev doesnt want to come out to her dad bc she doesnt know how hell react. (tbh if she did come out, her dad would be super supportive and good with prns and names and terms in public, but slip up a ton in private bc he doesnt care as much when people arent watching)

obv winn told jasmine and hazel about their crush right when it started developing, so it became kind of an inside joke between the three that winn has "transbian senses" after dev came out

just before ninth grade, winn decided to get a buzzcut, and theyve been growing it out ever since (this is mostly bc as much as i love dyed hair undercut enby/trans characters THERES TOO MANY PLEASE CHOOSE A DIFFERENT HAIRSTYLE FOR YOUR FICTIONAL TRANSES AND ENBIES SOBBING)

they bleached it blonde when it was about two inches long, and never bothered to cut off the blonde so now they just have blonde tips

winn ended up being 6'5" and joined varsity basketball in the tenth grade because they didnt wanna waste that height

dev stole their original varsity jacket because it was comfy (and because it was winns and it brings her comfort) and then paid for their replacement jacket

jasmine started learning how to sew and embroider clothes over the summer between ninth and tenth grade and so helped devine sew on her own name tag (dev just told her dad jasmine was a bad speller and tbh dale didnt care and was like ok son whatever)

dev ended up stuck at the spectacular height of a middle schooler (5'2") and winn thinks its adorable. theyre strong enough to pick her up whenever they hug her. sometimes when they get excited they spin her around

dev also started wearing her hair curly occasionally in the tenth grade bc winn told her she looked pretty with it like that. her dad doesnt like it when she doesnt slick it back and gets passive aggressive about it whenever he sees her like that

winn started getting panic attacks from all the pressure of high school after joining the basketball team, and dev usually ends up talking them through it, although jasmine and hazel are also good at helping them

they dont think their anxiety is bad enough to be a disorder so they never get a diagnosis/help (until Things Happen in my fic :]]] )

hazel and jasmine are both aroace (in this timeline at least, ive got a few other fic ideas where hazel is bi) and in a qpr. they are also fandom girlies and fic writers, so when dev finally tells them in the middle of tenth grade that she has a crush on winn (and has for a while) theyre both like OOOOOOOHHHHHH I SHIP IT and they, along with cosmo and wanda, start trying really hard to get them together

unfortunately hazmine and coswan have literally no idea how human teenage romance works irl SO. shenanigans ensue :]]]]]]]

anyways yeah thats my buildup to my fic/my personal hcs, no peri mention because hes ✨elsewhere✨ when all this is happening

[verbosenerv0sa]

^ Banner for peeps who missed me (obvs no pressure to use it is just for the sillies 🧡)

About *gasp* little ol MOI?? yes indeedly doodles!! :D

Ciao, I'm Verbose!

Please do NOT @ me in reblog chain posts, especially if they include non-€D users!!

TW for di$0rdered nomming and also sometimes NOT nomming 🍽️

I primarily have experience with BED, but do relate to some aspects of a4a and m!4 and am always working towards being a better restricter. I also have food aversions which may or may not align with 4RF!D, meaning my safe foods may not seem like proper "a4a food" but I just eat what I can and I do my best. We're all just doing our best here, aren't we?

(Note: 4rf!d is not an ed in the same way as other eds, and there is potential for a lot of harm in the mixing of the 4rf!d community with the a4a/m!4 community. I strongly discourage crosstagging for the safety of the 4rf!d community, at THEIR preference.)

I have chronic pain and fatigue which makes this especially hard on my body. I require a higher intake to function and mostly only exercise by pacing around in my room, as a proper workout will cripple me for a week.

My favorite color is orange! (Ironically and very sadly, I am allergic to actual oranges 😭)

I am genderfluid 🩷🤍💜🖤💙

I don't mind words like girl or boy, but why not simply call me pookie or a bitch (nicely please), or whatever. Get creative!!

Pronouns are she/him/his (as in using she, but never her. Example: "She b!nged like a madbitch and tried to thr0w up, but she couldn't fricking do it so she paced around his bedroom for three freaking hours to try and get back under his maintenance cals. No, she is not ok, yes, you should probably pray for him.")

If you are a j¡ra¡/l4ndm¡ne blog I will possibly block you. I know a lot of you are €D blogs but your content is mixed and I do not want to interact with outside communities. If you like my posts, fine, but please do not reblog them to your j¡rai blogs!!

DNI:

- Anyone who judges the character of any entire large group based on stereotypes or a small example of the population.

- If you're going to be hateful.. just please don't, ok? Chill out. Go floss your teeth or something, chances are low you've done that recently. (if you do floss, props to you!)

- If your blog is AT ALL s3xu4l you do NOT have my consent to interact at all (not that you probably care about that) and you will most likely be blocked, and definitely reported if you are disrespecting the guidelines of the Blr. I will not entertain you in the slightest. You will get no response. Only an immediate block.

- Non-€D blogs. If you are dealing with an €D and/or enjoy this side of Tumblr, you need to make a separate account WITH a new email address if you are going to do any more than lurk. NOT a side blog, and not your main. I'm serious. Mixing communities is not ok, because it increases the risk of non-€D users being exposed to this content and puts €D users in danger of having their blogs reported by outsiders (which is basically just killing another gmail and progressing humanity towards having to always use a bunch of random numbers. Do you want your email address to have to look l!k€ 4n 3D 7um6l€r p0$t because all the email addresses are TAKEN by t-worded blogs??)

I understand the inevitable mingling of the €D and $H communities, and am ok with it to some extent, however, please take care not to risk exposing unsuspecting people (in this case Me) to graphic images!! This is a friendly reminder that some of us are sensitive and aren't equipped to see that content. All you need to do is include a TW and vague description of what is below the read more (which should ALWAYS be present. No, putting a bunch of scroll space is not equivalent.) so that other people know whether or not they are comfortable with viewing your post. This is not an unreasonable ground rule.

My tags:

#verbose blabs concisely for once in its freaking life (short posts - I don't use this much anymore?)

#verbose blabs with a moderate amount of wordiness (medium length posts)

#verbose blabs verbosely (long posts and general important content)

#verbose yapathon (random yapping that's probably not ed-related)

#verbose asks stupid questions (polls)

#verbose gets an ask yippee!!! (asks)

plus sometimes random tags just for funsies or ✨seasonal✨ tags but they almost always have my name and pronouns in them (kind of just a style choice?)

And now do you understand my verboseness? I use a lot of words, can't help it! Congratulations on making it to the bottom of this, you might be tired now. I know I am.

[bobbimorses]

do you have any tips/ comics to read to help characterise hawkeye? I wanna try and encompass all of his personality rather than the popular fanon one and im not as well versed on hawkeye pre-fraction. thank you 🙌

so i would definitely recommend clint's appearances in thunderbolts v1 (#9-10, 20-75) for some more "recent" but not "recent recent" clint, in that it's him post-accomplished avenger, in a team leader role where he's not facing the pressures of being a new leader (like in west coast avengers), but still in his classic duds and pre-disassembled era.

hawkeye v1 (1983) also works as his first solo if you want a classic sort of "parallel" to fraction hawkeye to ease you in first. i only say parallel in that it's clint off his game, so that might be easier for you to worm your way in (and obvs there was a lot of gruenwald inspiration that went into it). also, he meets bobbi! who can say no to bobbi?

if my initial rec of thunderbolts was daunting bc i said hey read 50+ issues, you can instead try solo avengers v1 (1987), #1-11 to start with. clint's stories are only in the first half of the issues, so it's 11 pages of "ah, so that's clint." it's bronze age comics so it's goofy, and who is goofy? is it the carny with the arrows shooting into tornadoes with southern accents, bottom half wearing a breechcloth, top half shirtless? of course it is.

and hey, i feel like "taking on an elder of the universe, getting worked up over baseball" also encompasses personality? perhaps? so try west coast avengers annual #2 & avengers annual #16. "but tumblr user bobbimorses, there's like 15 characters in that and it's a crossover." fret not, it's the 80s so it's not like modern event comics. your eyes can glaze over in a good way, but glazing is not necessary. love and light.

captain america v3 #4 he is annoying cap. he loves (annoying) cap. the people ignore him. he wants attention. he is kicked in the face by batroc. he denigrates the french. this is clint barton.

daredevil #99: this isn't actually important per se but clint is annoying and carrying a torch for natasha and beats up daredevil and a beautiful bay window and complains about how his teammates, the literal avengers, showing up is like his getting tattled on to his big brothers to drag him home so this is a microcosm of his attitude in the era of the late 60s to 70s.

i didn't rec anything post-fraction per the structure of your ask but you could read hawkeye: freefall if you're only versed with fraction? anyways that's just a tiny smattering of tastes that i hoped could cover different stages.

realized i didn't rec anything from the kooky quartet era which is also important to get a sense of him (though thunderbolts v1 #9 has a whole issue flashback), so you could just pick a random issue from avengers v1 #16-29, or just watch this video for a sample. ignore the startlingly deep voice, that's pretty much the whole gist

i think i actually lost track of the whole "tips" intent of your question while doing this but if you really wanna go crazy, you can just skim through my "full" clint chronology guide for some issue ideas. i also have a neglected recs tag for some different specific recs

[anonymousredactedconfessions]

Okay advice for anyone wanting to interact more with people in the fandom (with the assumption you already follow their blogs):

The easiest way is to like and reblog. Add your thoughts on certain headcanons or which are your favorites. This gets the OP or rebloggers used to seeing you in their activity bars and go "oh there's a new person!"

If a tag game comes around, maybe try to tag people that you have been interacting with their stuff for awhile (you don't have to be mutuals to tag people). Of course, some people might not like it or interact, but I think *most* people get excited when they see they've been tagged in stuff. This could be redacted related tag games or general tag games. Leave it as an open tag and don't pressure people into doing it (obv) but this also gets people used to interacting with you in some form.

Send asks. You can send anonymous asks to warm up to actually sending asks to people you want to be friends/mutuals with. There are lots of simple get-to-know-you ask lists here on Tumblr. Lots of people like to send headcanons to their mutuals or compliment fanfic/fanart (if you are wanting to follow someone that posts fanfics/fanart stuff).

Essentially you have to give it time for people to see that you're hanging around and interacting with their blog more often, see what your blog is like/who you are, and decide if they want to be mutuals (similar to how making friends works irl.) And similarly, some people just aren't ready to start interacting with new people, and it's just going to be like that, and you can't do much about it.

Often these "cliques" are based on people joining the fandom around the same time, people who produce fanfic/fanart being involved in projects or loving each other's work, and people that interact outside of Tumblr (Discord, Ao3, etc). But there are many people who are willing to be mutuals and invite you in, you just need to give it some time.

.