#tim thinks it's a science baby while dick thinks it's a magic baby

[varpusvaras]

It's just that one day Jason brings a Cute little boy with bright red hair and blue eyes. Roy just stands there so proud and beaming.

"His name is Junie," Jason pats him on the head and the boy waves his hand.

Junie has Roy's red hair, Roy's blue eyes, Jason's skin tone and Roy's freckles, Jason's nose and mouth, Roy's chin and cheeks.

Somehow Jayroy has a biological son and they just enjoy the chaos that the very fact of their boy's existence suits. their son's full name is Royce Wilfred, because Jason loves classics and in the Harper family it was customary to name the firstborn son after his father. Junie is short for Junior, Jr. Jade is his godmother and she adores Junie.

This causes so much chaos. Clone baby? Was someone trans this whole time?? Magic???

Lian is an extremely enthusiastic sister. Bruce probably explodes from the surge of serotonin he gets and they need to scrape him off the floor before he can turn into a grandpa. He and Oliver are now in an even more bloody battle over being the favorite grandparent. Someone has a points board that's redheads vs black hair and the redheads are starting to win.

Jade comes over and tells Roy that she's here to see her babies. What can he say to that.

[preciousthingsareprecious]

Tumblr Fic List Part 1

Hi everyone! With AO3 currently down, I thought I'd remind you all that almost all of my fics are also available to read right here on Tumblr! For years I've had the habit of cross posting just about everything so if you're looking for a particular fic, you should be able to find it on good old Tumblr.

I tag all my fics with: Precious Posts so you can also use that to find anything newer I haven't added here yet.

This is all my older fics, from my Masterlist. When I get a little more time I'll do a part 2 with my newer stuff.

To Teach a Robin to Cook: Jason teaches Damian how to cook

Baby Bat Vs the Evil Librarian : Steph and Damian take a trip to the library

Grayson’s Guide to Robin Boys Movie Night (IMG): The list of rules Dick wrote for movie night

Guide to Robin Boys Movie Night (FIC): Dick decides to write some rules for movie night, the other Robins have opinions

Movie Night: The Mummy: Jason does not like bugs

Movie Night: Cheeto Bomb: Dick thinks Jason planted a Cheeto bomb in the DVD player. Jason insists otherwise.

Lost Boy: Tim’s mad at Damian (again) and takes a walk to cool off

Fireworks: The Batboys attend a fireworks show for the 4th of July and Jason has flashbacks. Angsty

Baby Teeth: Bruce notices that Damian has lost a tooth, and decides to play Tooth Fairy. Fluff pure and simple.

Talk Yourself Out of This One: Dick get’s kidnapped and is forced to wait for help to arrive.

Kidnapped With You: It’s all Jason’s fault. Or is it Damian’s? Either way both managed to get kidnapped and now have to get along until Batman arrives

Misplaced Mail: Tim decides to go to college and doesn’t tell the other Robin boys.

De-Aged Tim: Timmy gets shrunk down to a six year old and Damian has to help him get back to normal.

Magical Mix Up: Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian all get body swapped. Will they fight or get along long enough to fix things?

Lights Out: Jason finds himself in a situation when Tim passes out on him while his chest taser is still on

The Hunt: Bruce and Damian go on the search for a missing remote

Prank War: It’s Batboys vs Batgirls

Something in the Tea: Damian drinks hallucinogenic tea and can’t escape the visions of what he wishes his family would be like.

Party Chaos: Duke just wants to survive this party, unfortunately for him the rest of the Batboys are at the party and intent on causing trouble.

Trust: DickBat era fic where Damian gets into some trouble after a fight with Dick.

Karma: Damian’s got the hiccups so Dick tries to help him out on patrol.

Comfort Sweater: Damian get’s caught stealing one of Dick’s sweaters.

Play Lessons: Mindless Fluff as Dick and Dami play Cheese Viking together

Burdens: Written for Dynamic Duo Week 2016 day 6: Leave Me Alone

Discovery: Dick and Damian do a science experiment with Geodes

It’s Called a Hug: DickBat era. Damian doesn’t understand that hugs aren’t just a reward for good work.

Like Any Other Kid: Damian can’t stop having nightmares, finally he decides to go to his father for comfort.

Nightmares and Dreams: Bruce has a nightmare that Damian’s still dead and decides to check up on his son.

Cuffed: Dick and Tim end up handcuffed together and have to rescue Jason

Chosen: Based on a HC where Damian has trouble believing Bruce really wants him.

Album: Tim’s looking through one of his old photo album’s when Dick and JAson find him.

Father Time: Tired from the night before Bruce decides to stay in bed all day. His children decide he needs company.

Favorite Colors: While Dick and Damian are shopping for a new hoodie for Tim Damian makes an interesting purchase.

Lost Not Gone: My version of Damian’s reaction to Tim’s ‘death’

Super Sleepover: Jon sleeps over at the manor

Father Daughter Dance: Bruce and Cass go to the Ballet

Learning to Ride: Bruce teaches Jason how to ride a bike

Adoption: Alfred pushes Bruce to adopt Tim

If I Live to See the Dawn: Jason’s hurt and Damian’s got to get him home

Learning to Ask: Dick takes care of an injured Bruce

Heartbeats: Takes place between Batman Rebirth issues 16-17 and follows Bruce taking care of his kids

Target Practice: Damian and Steph play laser tag

Anxious Heart: Damian deals with some latent fear toxin, Bruce helps him out

Art Show: Tim runs into Damian while going to see one of his photos on display

Family Attire: Dick and Damian go clothes shopping. DickBats era

Unintended Consequences: In trying to hide his own illness Damian ends up getting Tim sick

Always Interesting: Cass buys a waxing kit and all the boys want to try it

Not a Burden: Tim gets hurt on patrol and doesn’t want to bother the family

With Love and Patience: Dick muses over taking care of Damian, there may also be suspenders involved. DickBats era.

Long Overdue: Jason offers to take Damian on patrol with him

Some Kind of Normal: Sometimes Bruce forgets just how young Damian is

Trapeze Training: Dick takes Damian out on the trapeze

Sick Day: Bruce is sick and Damian wants to make sure his father gets proper rest

Haunted Manor: Damian and Jon explore a haunting in the manor

Checking In: The batboys start to worry when Bruce is out of town and hasn’t contacted anyone in a while

Preserved Heartache: Damian sees a video of his own death

Hugs and Cookies: Dick brings a ‘get-along’ rug for the holidays

Like Old Times: Bruce and Dick on a stakeout

Safety Net: Snapshots of Damian learning to trust Dick

Irritating: Damian picks on Dick

This Stupid Family: First person pov. Jason’s little brother’s realize he too is a little brother and act accordingly.

Then and Now: Bruce dealing with Jason’s death juxtaposed with the family now

In Charge: Jason and Bruce make lunch while Alfred is out. Robin!Jason

A Little Craft Project: Damian asks Babs for help cheering Dick up

A Bad Night and Good Tea: Bruce can’t sleep, thankfully Alfred’s there to help

To Pass Through this Night: Dick died during Forever Evil. His brother’s find out and help him deal with it.

Faking It: Damian fakes being sick, Dick reacts to it. DickBats Era

Dreams of Wires: Damian’s feelings on the chip his mother put in his spine

Don’t Get Sentimental: Tiger takes care of Dick

Robin in the Batcave with the Rope: Damian get’s kidnapped by the Riddler and Scarecrow and forced to play clue

Breathe In Breathe Out: Damian gets buried, Dick worries Part 1 2 3

This Weight Off Of Your Shoulders: Damian gets sick, Alfred takes care of him

After Everything We’ve Seen: Dick finds Damian curled in the corner of the couch

Bone Tired: Dick is tired, Bruce is there to help him out

Just to See You: Temporary blind Damian, Big brother Dick

You Won’t Wake Up Alone: Dick knows he’s about to die, he just doesn’t want to do it in front of his little brothers Part 1 Part 2

First Breath After A Coma: Dick ruminates on his death, Damian’s, and all the terrible things that have been happening lately. Angst, no fluff

Your Job or Mine: Bruce gets hurt, Dick takes care of him

New to This: Dick’s getting used to his new busy life, and learning to take time for Damian

Accustomed to Standing Alone: The first time Damian’s kidnapped as a civilian

Bleeding Heart: Damian finds a dying doe and sits with her, Dick helps take care of the rest

Sun Spot: A lazy day with Dick and Damian

Of Baskets and Braids: Dick can’t sleep so he goes to find Bruce, and they get lost watching Youtube videos

As the Years Go By: Dick is growing up, and Bruce isn’t really sure how to deal with it.

A Bird in the Hand: Damian gets turned into a robin…for real. Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Those Days We Miss: After Damian picks a fight with Dick, he ends up kidnapped and pretty sure no one is going to come for him.

Stay Here, With Me: Damian gets soaked on patrol, and as a result he ends up sick. Rest and medicine should help, but Damian finds himself getting worse and worse. Thankfully he’s got Bruce (and later Dick) to help sort things out.

You Always Bring Me Home: When Batman is caught by an explosion he calls the person who can always find him, Alfred.

The Care and Yeeting of Robins: Bruce comes home to find Jason in his bed. Jason refuses to move, so Bruce does what he has to in order to stand his ground and decides sleeping on the floor is the only option.

Flash/Prompt Fics:

Damian and Tim: That’s Not a Dog

Dick, Damian, and Cass: No, no, it’s okay, I’ll be your bridge. You can walk all over me

Damian and Dick: I stabbed my last twelve brothers. Why should you be different?

Jason and Steph: Not only am I a late bloomer, I’m late for everything

Young Dick: Not only am I a late bloomer, I’m late for everything

Steph and Damian: I stabbed my last twelve brothers; why should you be any different?

Tim and Damian: Would you mind not setting my stuff on fire every time you get angry

Older!Damian: I find this to be highly illogical, incredibly ridiculous, and absolutely irresistible. Let’s play

Damian and Alfred the Cat

Tim and Damian: Damian attempts to irritate Tim

Tim and Jason: Tim’s tired and saying weird things

Batman Voice: Damian’s got a ‘Batman voice’ and it comes out at the best of times

Shrunken Sweater: Bruce’s sweater has shrunk to the perfect size

Being Sick is Stupid: Robin Dick and Bruce fluff and minor sick fic

Damian gets tricked into sleeping

Dick and Damian angst-fluff

Long Fics:

Super City: Damian and Jon on an adventure in Metropolis

Losing You: Dick loses his memories of Damian and the two try to deal with it while going after the villain responsible (plus Tim and Jason get to help)

Finding Us: The sequel to Losing You. Explores Jason and Tim’s relationship to the Batfam

[soulmate-game]

Continuation of the story from Day 1, because you guys requested it enough that I started Thinking, lol.

Bio Dad Bruce Wayne Month 2020

Day 3: Siblings

—*—*—*—*—*

Dinner. One day after meeting her father for the first time. She had managed to postpone any sort of… socialization and emotional bonding, during their meeting earlier for everyone to choose from Marinette’s initial sketches for them and generally consult some more, by once again steamrolling everyone with Professionalism and Business Marinette.

But no longer. She couldn’t escape. Staring at a giant wooden, elaborate door like it was her pathway to Prison—

“Stop dramatizing everything in your head, Mari,” Adrien fondly scolded, gently rapping the side of her skull with one knuckle. “I got things to do, for your company I might add, so I can’t stay. But, you’ll be fine,” he leaned in, smirking at her and winking as he lowered his voice. “Besides, you’ve been through way worse than a little family reunion, Bugaboo. You’ve faced down way scarier people than the Waynes. You got this,” he encouraged before giving her a solid clap on the shoulder and a chaste kiss on the cheek, walking back towards their sleek but understated dark red car. Rented, of course, for the business trip, but nonetheless very nice.

Adrien had driver’s licenses for just about every major country. Marinette stopped questioning it a while ago.

She waited until he was gone before throwing her hands up. “Scarier people, he says. Like the Bat clan isn’t known for being some of the most intimidating heroes and vigilantes in the spotlight,” she grumbled. When she turned around, it was to the door already being open, and she jumped a bit in surprise. She hadn’t heard anyone answer the door, but sure enough Alfred Pennyworth stood there holding the door with a small smile, with Bruce Wayne and all of Marinette’s siblings gathered behind him. At least this time, nobody had their spouses or children. Every one of them was smirking, some more sharply than others (Damian).

“Would you like to come in, Miss Dupain-Cheng?” Alfred asked, waving his hand to gesture to the fact that there was plenty of room for her to enter. Blushing, she did just that, taking a breath and forcing herself to actually look at the family she had just met instead of down at her glossy navy blue pumps. Jason, the man with the white fringe in his hair. Second Robin, current Red Hood, her mind supplied, spoke up with a grin and his arms crossed over his chest.

“You don’t look so suave anymore, little Queenie,” he teased. Marinette instantly made a face, screwing up her nose.

“No. That nickname is vetoed. One of my friend’s nicknames is Queenie, and not only will she never let me live it down if she finds out someone called me that, but, just no,” Marinette dramatically shivered. “Most of my friends call me Princess nowadays anyway,” she shrugged. “Adrien started it, and it somehow caught on. It’s too much work to protest at this point.”

“You’re not good with crowds,” the soft spoken woman, Cassandra, decided to add. Marinette winced, shifting on her feet even as she followed the group to the dining room.

“Ehhh. I’ve gotten used to dealing with press and stuff, to a certain degree anyway considering my alias. And wearing my Business persona always helps in consultations. But, I’m not…” Marinette bit the inside of her cheek, clearly a little uncomfortable as she looked around. “The best at… actually talking to people outside of my small group of friends.”

Bruce sighed as most of his kids chuckled or snorted at that. Dick, the oldest but second-shortest of the men besides Tim, came over and draped an arm familiarly over Marinette’s shoulders. He still towered over her though, so he had to slouch a bit to do so.

“Ah, that would be the genetics. Let’s hope you stay where you are at instead of getting as bad at communication as B,” he told her cheerfully. She raised an eyebrow at him.

“What about Damian?”

“He’s even worse!”

“Tt,” said teenager tutted, rolling his eyes as they entered the dining room and he was able to come up to Marinette’s other side. “That was mostly how I was raised before I met Father. I have gotten a lot better than I used to be, Grayson.”

Dick gave him a smile, graciously relieving Marinette of the close contact in favor of rustling Damian’s hair despite the fact that the younger Wayne was taller than him already. “Yes, you sure have! But you still need improvement, baby bird.”

Soon enough, everyone managed to get seated around the large dining table. Bruce insisted that Marinette take one of the seats next to him at the head of the table, across from Damian, since this was her first family dinner. Dick sat next to her, Jason across from him, followed by Tim and Duke on Damian’s side of the table. On the other side of Dick sat Cassandra, and then Stephanie. Alfred served everyone before also taking a seat at the table, on the opposite end from Bruce.

And, true to BatFam tradition, everything was a little awkward for the first minute or two. Marinette didn’t know what to say, and nobody quite knew where to begin. Dick would normally start a conversation, but he was trying to glare into Bruce’s head a silent message of “talk to her, damn it.”

Finally seeming to get it, Bruce cleared his throat and turned to Marinette. “So, I wanted to ask. When do you find out about being my daughter?”

Several people around the table closed their eyes in mourning for Bruce’s social skills. Marinette though, just smiled in slight relief at the decision of how to start talking being taken from her.

“Oh. It was in stages, really. When I was ten, we started our unit in school on genetics. I don’t usually care enough about science to do much more than the school requires, but genetics captivated me for some reason. I researched it almost obsessively at home for a while, almost instantly realizing that there had to be a reason that I had blue eyes when none of the rest of my family did. After a week or two, I found my Maman and Papan’s adoption papers in their room,” she blushed, tugging on one end of her bangs, which she had framing her face since she was wearing her hair down that day. “I uh… I’ve always been a little nosy. I never told them that I found the papers, to me it was just the answer I needed. I didn’t think about it at all after that, and my obsession over genetics went away. It wasn’t until I was thirteen that I decided to look into my birth parents,” Marinette sighed, shoving a bite of food in her mouth to buy her time before continuing. Everyone was focused on her, and it was a little unsettling. Every one of them had a sharper gaze than a normal person, and it made her feel like she was made of glass and everyone else could see right through her. “I was going through a lot, back then. I wanted someone to be mad at, I wanted to be able to blame my DNA for the things that had happened.”

“Things?” Bruce interrupted, back straight and eyebrows drawn down. “What things?” Marinette giggled, tilting her head instead of answering and just letting her eyes study him. Bruce Wayne, Batman, the Dark Knight. Original vigilante of Gotham city, one of the founding members of the Justice League. Famous for his secrecy, intimidating presence, and intelligence. Then she switched her gaze, one by one, to everyone else at the table before leaning back and taking a sip of her soda.

“Do you guys know anything about the situation Paris experienced for four years?” She asked, instead of directly answering. It was Tim who frowned, leaning forward to look at her and reply.

“I heard very vague rumors of weird things, but nothing concrete enough to investigate. What happened?”

Marinette hummed, deciding to sum it up for them. “The short version? When I was thirteen, a classmate of mine spontaneously turned into a giant rock monster and destroyed a good portion of the city. Turns out, that was the first of many attacks by our city’s very own supervillain, Hawkmoth. He had a magical artifact that allowed him to take advantage of anyone’s negative emotions to give them powers and brainwash them into being, essentially, temporary villains that he used for his own means. Two heroes showed up out of nowhere, powered by similar magical artifacts, to combat him and free the people he corrupted. Ladybug and Chat Noir, the original Parisian heroes and the leaders of the team that later had to form.”

Jason frowned, along with everyone else at the table. Finally, it was Duke who asked:

“How did we not know about villains in Paris?” To which Marinette just gave him a dangerously wicked smirk that was far too similar to Damian’s for anyone’s comfort.

“Because I do my job,” she told him flatly, sipping from her cup as everyone stared at her in various amounts of shock. “That’s why finding out that my biological father was Batman made so much sense. That’s why I wanted to find out who my birth parents were. I wanted to blame the heroism on genetics. And, it doesn’t look like I was exactly wrong.”

—*—*—*—*—*

Yeah, that was how her first family dinner and subsequent identity reveal went.

Luckily, considering that Bruce had hired MDC for a pretty long job, Marinette was able to finish school online instead of going back to Paris for it. There was no real need anyway, they had defeated Hawkmoth and gotten Adrien emancipated so for now it was calm in Paris. They didn’t need their heroes anymore, for the time being. This meant that Marinette and Adrien, along with a few employees that helped measure and cut fabric and do secretarial duties they needed help with, got to stay in Gotham while Marinette went back and forth to Wayne manor, Wayne Tower, and back to their temporary home.

After about a month, Marinette was comfortable enough with the Waynes that she found herself lounging in the bat cave as she sketched, though she kept raising her eyes to the glass tubes that held old uniforms. Damian was sat across from her, essentially laying out over two chairs while he played some game upside down on his phone. He might usually be a cold brat, even for a sixteen year old, but even he liked to abuse the way furniture should be used and ignore the world via technology.

But he still caught her constantly wandering gaze.

“You don’t like them.”

“They suck!” Marinette immediately agreed, slamming her sketchbook on the metal briefing table. “Your Robin outfit is the only passable one there is! The colors aren’t even the issue, even high fashion designers can appreciate a good color clash moment. But what was Father thinking?! Putting Grayson in that glorified onesie— why are there no pants?! Jason’s at least as a cape that can cocoon his body and prevent anyone from seeing the disaster beneath. I should thank Tim for at least upgrading the suit to having pants, but he still kept the outside-underwear look that I cannot forgive. The attempt at fashion, though, is appreciated. Disappointing, but appreciated.”

“That pretty much sums them all up,” Damian quipped, getting a snort of amusement out of his sister. Maybe that was one thing he had grown to like about her. She didn’t reprimand him for his sense of humor, and usually she even laughed along. The more morbid humor would get a playful shove and a glare, but no real animosity. And she understood him on a different level, too. One he appreciated even more.

“You said, yesterday, that the Cure brings back everyone who dies during a Miraculous-related incident,” Damian spoke up again after a moment, pointedly not looking at her. “Did you ever count?”

Marinette, this being one of the reasons he was quickly growing fond of her, immediately understood. She sighed, closing her notebook. She might have only been two years his elder, but she had had what felt like a lifetime of more experiences than he did, usually in the friendship and social department though. They were roughly equal in their heroism experience, which was weird to think about, but Damian still valued her input. It was different from the rest of the family.

“It was different in Paris than it would be for anyone else. I didn’t keep track of the number of people who died,” she finally answered, taking her hair out of its work bun and running her hands through the midnight black locks. “But I kept track of how often. Since nobody remembered their deaths, I guess I felt it was my responsibility to remember my failures for them. My former best friend, Alya. Over the course of those four years, she died seventeen times. Her boyfriend, Nino, died fourteen. The Mayor died three times. Chloe, my current friend and former bully, died twenty-two times,” she grimaced at Damian’s shocked expression, nodding grimly. “During those first two, maybe two and a half years, she was one of the primary Akuma targets. She was still either an active bully or in the beginning of trying to change for the better, so she caused a lot of negative emotions everywhere she went. Things got better once she matured a bit, though. Anyway, there’s this girl I used to babysit. Manon. She died five times before she was even ten years old,” Marinette shook her head, that look of age and exhaustion that Damian saw in every Wayne and every hero he had ever fought with seeping into her eyes. “My parents, they died thirty-seven times. They were constantly worried about me, and ran into danger on several occasions trying to find and keep me safe. But I could never tell them who I was. I physically could. I had the power to sit them down and say; Hey, I’m Ladybug. Stop running out and getting yourselves killed. But I never did. I valued my identity first. So I usually ended up seeing, in the middle of a fight, one or both of them squished under falling debris. Or drowned. Frozen solid. Burned alive,” she paused, taking a deep breath to steady herself. “So no. I don’t understand what it was like for you, to count bodies as you felled them. But hell, if it doesn’t feel like I should. Logic doesn’t mean much in the face of emotion, especially guilt. I know I didn’t kill the people I care about, but every single one of their deaths weighs on me like I was the one that caused it.”

Damian nodded, and they shared a few moments of peaceful, contemplative silence as they both ruminated on their less than pleasant memories without fear of being yelled at for what those memories contained.

“But, I do have a secret,” she admitted softly, attracting her brother’s emerald-eyed attention again. The normally cheerful woman was much more subdued even than before, sapphire irises self conscious and vulnerable, which was rare. She licked her lips, even more rare considering her love of her light pink lipstick, and moved off her chair so that she was, instead, sitting on the cold stone floor. Without hesitation, Damian joined her.

“Technically, it didn’t happen. It was a timeline that my friend, the one who I gave the snake Miraculous, essentially erased when he reversed time. But I remember it even though I shouldn’t. How could I forget?”

“You took a life,” Damian whispered, grimacing in empathy. “First time?”

“And the second, and the fifth,” she admitted. “Viperion had to try seven times before I stopped repeating it. But it was always the same person, back during our final battle. I killed Gabriel Agreste seven times. But nobody but me and Luca will ever remember.”

Damian and Marinette both knew it wasn’t the same as Damian’s childhood. They both knew that they would likely never fully understand one another’s trauma. Not the nuances of it. But they did understand the important parts, the broad strokes. Despite their vastly different lives, they understood the big parts that shaped one another.

That was why Damian took to her so quickly. If he had been younger and still bratty, naive, and angry at everything, then it would be a different story entirely. But he was matured, more willing to let himself feel sympathy. And that made the difference.

“You never forget the first person,” he remarked.

“No matter the age or timeline,” she agreed. “I saw how hard it was to stop. How sickeningly addictive it can be, but I hate what it makes me more than I like how it feels.”

“... me too,” Damian whispered. “Me too.”

—*—*—*—*—*

“Wooo!” Marinette cheered as she flew through the air, her hands latching onto Dick’s. There was no audience, but there didn’t need to be. Just the two of them, doing a routine that they’ve been working on during the few chances they had for the past several weeks. Marinette had never done trapeze before Dick helped her learn, but her time swinging through Paris streets helped tremendously alongside her general Gymnastics experience.

Marinette and Dick flipped through the air, swinging from bar to bar, Dick occasionally catching and tossing her again. They soared through the air, both curling through two flips before landing on their respective platforms with matching wide smiles. Marinette, chest heaving a bit since she was slightly out of shape (meaning that she wasn’t at all out of shape, only out of practice when it came to swinging through the air for any length of time. There’s a difference). She met Dick on the floor, who proceeded to ruffle her hair happily.

“That was awesome! Looks like you finally got the routine down,” he praised. She laughed, elbowing him.

“I bet I’m better on the balance beam,” she challenged, making Dick grin widely.

“Oh you are on!”

—*—*—*—*—*

“Ya ever died before?” Jason asked, making Marinette chuckle.

“Two-hundred and eighty-seven times.”

“You started as Ladybug at thirteen, right?”

“Yup. No training or mentor for the first year either.”

“Yeah, then that sounds about right. Wanna go break all the traffic laws?”

“Only if we take your bike.”

“Fuckin’ Duh. What else?”

—*—*—*—*—*

“You stalked Adrien?” Tim asked, smirking that insufferable smirk of his. Marinette groaned, flopping back onto the sofa.

“No! I didn’t mean it that way, anyway. I just took a lot of pictures and spied on him.”

“Yup. You’re Bruce’s kid,” he remarked, tapping away at his laptop. Marinette narrowed her eyes.

“You have noooo place to judge, Mister ‘Dick Grayson is the only person alive who can do four somersaults in the air!’ And ‘Yes, I‘ve known that you are batman since I was eight. Look at all these pictures I took when I— what was your terminology again?”

Tim rolled his eyes, but a grin was peeking through. “Yeah, yeah.”

—*—*—*—*—*

Four months later, and Marinette was staring down at all the garment bags she had painstakingly filled. Outfits for every single one of her new family members. It took a while, but they were ready for the Wayne Gala. Adrien slung am arm over her shoulder.

“You’ve outdone yourself again, Princess,” he praised, grinning at the array of coveted outfits they were about to transport. “But one teensy weeny, tiny little thing.”

“What is it, Chaton?”

Adrien grinned. “Do you have a dress for yourself? Bruce invited you, too, didn’t he?”

Marinette’s face drained of color, right as a knock sounded on the door. Adrien, seeing as Marinette was so far into Panic Mode that she could not be reached at the moment, went to open the door. A second later, plastic was all Marinette could see. Blinking, she raised her head.

It was Cass, holding out a pink garment bag with Marinette��s name on it.

“Thought you would forget,” was all the other woman offered as explanation. Marinette, after gaping for a moment, slowly took the bag from her. Cass smirked. “Present from WE.”

Marinette laughed.

“You guys are the best.”

—*—*—*—*—*

@momothefemur @ladybug-182 @starlightshield @trippingovermyfeet @greatcatblaze @sam-i-am-0222 @bluesimani @ruelukas22 @acoolspacegirl

[phis-corner]

statue of ice

I came up with this right before falling asleep and had to write it.

Unlike “who are you (where did they go)”, this will have multiple parts.

Masterlist ◈ Next

Marinette Adeline Drake is made of ice, just like her mother wants her to be.

Janet Drake never wanted a child, much less two. When the first baby turned out to be a girl, Jack saw her as useless, not a proper heir for the company. He needed a son, and demanded another.

Janet, however, saw an opportunity. An opportunity to mold the girl into a smaller version of her. And mold the girl, she did, on the rare occasions that she was home.

Marinette Drake is just like her mother. Hard steel gray eyes, ebony hair, fair, unblemished skin and face never betraying a hint of emotion. She has already proven herself to be a ruthless businesswoman and capable strategist, defeating many of her mother’s colleagues in verbal debates and having successfully negotiated business deals with companies that made their profits soar on multiple occasions when her mother decided she needed the practice.

Marinette Drake is being groomed to take Drake Industries from her brother by force one day if she must, while Jack Drake remains unaware. She is ten years old, made from marble and ice. Nothing can warm her.

Except Tim.

Her younger brother by two years silently enters her room, small hands grasping his camera bag. “Let’s go! Today’s the third Wednesday of the month, which means that Batman and Robin will be starting in the shopping district and heading west. We can catch them on 35th street between 10:36 and 10:41!”

Marinette smiles warmly, a gesture she saves for Tim and only Tim. “Lead the way, Tim-Tam.” She follows her little brother out of her bedroom window, shimmying down the large oak tree and landing lightly on the ground.

Logically, she knows that she shouldn’t be climbing fire escapes at night in the City of Crime with her eight year old little brother, and that she should be convincing him to stay home instead of following him onto rooftops so he can take pictures of Batman and Robin. But Tim had already shown that he would go out with or without her, and at least if she went with him, she wouldn’t lie awake at night worrying about whether or not he was safe. 

Additionally, there was something magical about sitting on a rooftop at night, watching Gotham’s Dark Knight leap from building to building, cape trailing behind him in the wind, and the figure of the Boy Wonder following, never far behind.

Tim raises his camera and snaps pictures in rapid succession, blue eyes shining. “That was so cool!” He whispers excitedly. “Did you see them?”

“It was hard to miss.” Marinette replies, smiling. “We see it almost every night, yet it never ceases to amaze.”

The entire way home, Tim is babbling about how awesome Batman and Robin are, and Marinette lets the sound of his chatter wash over her, making warmth bloom in a heart encased in ice.

.o0o.

Her parents are returning home today from a two month trip to Argentina. Marinette makes sure that their rooms are clean, beds made with military precision the way Jack likes it. All of her homework, completed with perfect cursive, is put into a folder and tucked into her school bag.

Marinette and Tim greet their parents at the door. “Mother. Father. Welcome back. How was your trip?” She asks, at the same time Tim says “Mom! Dad! How was Argentina?”

Jack grunts. “Marinette, be useful for a change and go get the other suitcases from the car.”

Marinette is made of ice. Jack’s words do not affect her. “Yes, sir.” She says, walking down the path to the driveway with elegance and grace, the way Janet has taught her. The suitcases are heavy, but she refuses to surrender to a piece of luggage.

Eventually, her parents’ suitcases have all been moved into the house, and they move to the dining room for dinner. Tim silently sets the table as Marinette brings out the salmon and rice she made. (Mrs. Mac cleaned and cooked when Jack and Janet were gone, but Jack insisted that every girl should know how to cook. It is expected of her.)

Of course, the dinner doesn’t last long before Janet and Jack start arguing. It never does. Marinette excuses herself and puts her plates in the dishwasher, Tim quickly following her lead, and they head upstairs as the volume increases. 

Tim’s bedroom is separated from hers by a door that can be locked from both sides. They never use the locks, however. 

When the sound of glass shattering comes, Tim slips into her room, sock covered feet padding lightly on the hardwood floor, and Marinette wraps her arms around him, scooping him up and depositing him on her bed. She bundles him in her softest blanket, takes Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone off her bookshelf, and reads.

“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much…”

Marinette wakes up the next morning with her little brother curled up into her side, golden sunlight from her window illuminating his face.

When they head downstairs, dressed in their school uniforms and ready for school, the only other person in the house is Mrs. Mac, who is sweeping up the glass in the dining room.

“Your parents left on an impromptu trip to Italy. They haven’t bought return tickets yet.”

Marinette’s face stays carefully blank.

.o0o.

Marinette’s middle name, Adeline, has French origins and means ‘noble.’ Jack took no part in naming her- that was all Janet. 

She supposes that Janet wanted to constantly remind her that she is a Drake, a member of one of the richest families in Gotham, and she is expected to act as such at all times.

And she does- when her parents are home, whenever she leaves the house, when Mrs. Mac is within earshot.

The only person who knows her, the true her that isn’t made out of ice and stone, is Tim. He has a façade, too. When Jack and Janet are home, when he is in public, he is Timothy Jackson Drake.

Timothy Jackson Drake is cold, all sharp, knowing smiles that make grown men shiver and intelligent blue eyes harder than steel. He is a businessman, groomed to one day become the CEO of a million dollar corporation. He isn’t completely made of ice the way she is. He still smiles in his parents’ presence, still tries to hold the family together when their parents are home, still lights up at any praise from either parent.

Marinette has learned that Jack will never praise her, and that any praise coming from Janet means almost nothing. She takes it all in with a straight face and calculating eyes.

Tim-Tam, her younger brother, has a smile like the sun. His intelligent blue eyes are warm and joyful, and his laugh, while too rare, never fails to make her smile. He enjoys business, but his passion is photography. He is amazing with computers, has an immense knowledge of the Justice League, and likes to play chess.

Marinette thinks that Janet loves both of them, in her own twisted way. Jack only cares for his son.

.o0o.

Tim-Tam is brilliant.

In a five second clip featured on the news, Robin leaps off the roof of Wayne Enterprises and does a somersault. Marinette is designing a dress, and doesn’t count the number of rotations, but Tim does.

“That was four rotations!” He gasps, shooting up from his position on the couch. “Only one person alive can do a quadruple somersault! Robin is Dick Grayson!”

Marinette remembers the Flying Graysons. She remembers being five years old, Jack and Janet trying to make up for being gone for the better part of half a year by taking them to the circus that was in town. She remembers taking a picture with the Graysons and their nine-year-old son, Dick, before the show. She remembers watching in amazement, as they soared through the air.

She remembers being unable to look away as the trapeze lines snapped, and the Graysons fell.

She remembers the cries of their son, the horrified gasps of the crowd, the screaming and the panic.

Dick Grayson was taken in by Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne, who is the right size and build and most certainly has the wealth and technology to be Batman.

“Which means Batman is Bruce Wayne.” Marinette says, at the same time Tim does.

They look at each other, smiling, and Marinette pulls him into a hug.

“You are amazing, Tim-Tam.” She whispers into his hair. “Never forget that.”

.o0o.

Gotham Academy is full of spoiled rich children.

They all think that they are the best, and the social hierarchy is based on the wealth of your family and how well their business is doing.

Most kids arrive in expensive cars or limos. Marinette and Tim? They bike.

The school isn’t too far from Drake Manor, and their parents probably thought they teleported anyway.

Marinette slides her bike into the bike rack and locks it before walking into the middle school. She is twelve years old, and in the eighth grade. Jack didn’t want her skipping more than one grade. She doesn’t question his logic anymore. It only brings pain.

Tim walks alongside her, in the sixth grade at ten years old. They go their separate ways when Marinette reaches her locker, saying silent goodbyes with their eyes.

Marinette doesn’t have any friends in her grade. Tim is her best friend. He’s the only friend she needs.

Her algebra test comes back with perfect marks. So does her history test, and the pop quiz they took in science. Her French is flawless, as usual, and the essay she wrote about the racist themes in Of Mice and Men in English comes back with full marks.

Nothing out of the ordinary, really.

What is out of the ordinary is what she sees upon exiting the school building at the end of the day.

There’s a boy shoving Tim to the ground.

There’s a boy shoving her brother, her Tim-Tam, to the ground, making him cry out as his hands and knees scrape the concrete and his books fall out of their neat stack in his arms.

Marinette sees Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne’s new ward and new Robin, move towards them, fury in his eyes, but she gets there first.

The boy’s arms are pinned behind him and his face is shoved into the ground in all of three seconds. Janet always insisted that Marinette know how to defend herself, and more importantly, how to fight back.

“Don’t you ever lay a hand on my brother again.” She hisses, all ice cold fury and venom and ruthlessness. “Or I will make you regret it.”

A teacher shows up, gasping at the sight of the petite Marinette Drake shoving the face of a student twice her size into the concrete, steely gray eyes unforgiving and not a single dark hair out of place.

In the end, the principal lets her off scot-free. She was defending her brother, and security footage showed that the other student made the first move against Tim.

Jack and Janet Drake, however, are furious.

“You attacked another student!” Jack roars, face turning purple. “You sullied the Drake name! Do you know how that will affect our business?”

Marinette does not think that pinning one student to the ground will make their company go bankrupt. But she keeps her mouth shut and bows her head, waiting for this to be over.

“Marinette Adeline.” Janet seethes, cold gray eyes flashing with a danger she usually saves for the board members. “We keep you clothed, keep you fed, pay for you to have the best education you possibly can, and in return, what do you do? Become a stain on our family’s history forever.”

Marinette doesn’t think that it will be written in the history books that one schoolgirl stood up to another student. She resists the urge to point out that not only did her mother teach her the move she used, but she also showed her twelve different ways to maim a man with a stiletto. That would definitely leave stains.

“How could we possibly keep you?” Jack yells. “How could we just let you continue living in our home, let you continue to go on with your life that is funded completely by us, knowing that you betrayed us like this?”

Well, that was a bit over the top. Marinette thinks of Tim, who had shut himself in his room as soon as they arrived home. Usually, when Jack and Janet are yelling, it’s at each other, and she would be upstairs with him, keeping him occupied with other things to take his mind off the screaming. But now Tim is all alone upstairs, unable to block out the sounds.

“We’ve decided to send you away.” Janet says, and Marinette’s head shoots up, eyes widening. Send her away? To where? What about Tim? “You do remember Audrey Bourgeois, don’t you?”

She nods silently, mind still racing. Audrey Bourgeois, married to the mayor of Paris. One daughter her age- Chloe. She was a typical spoiled rich child, but seemed to like Marinette. 

“Good. You’ll be staying in her father’s hotel indefinitely, and you will attend the same school as Chloe.” Janet is calm, like she hasn’t just shattered Marinette’s entire world. 

Of course, Janet Lynn Drake wouldn’t care if she did shatter her daughter’s world. Or maybe she took satisfaction in doing so.

After the worst news of her life, after Jack and Janet are satisfied that they have crushed her soul under their heels, Marinette is sent to her room to pack. She leaves tomorrow morning.

Tim is sitting at the top of the stairs, silent tears running down his cheeks, and she knows he heard every single word.

She is leaving Gotham. Leaving America. Leaving Tim-Tam alone in a large empty house when Jack and Janet are travelling, leaving him alone in his room when they are home and arguing, leaving him to take pictures of Batman and Robin by himself. Tomorrow morning, she’s leaving Tim.

Marinette hugs him tight, ignoring the burn in her own eyes, and wishes that she would never have to let him go.

Next

permanent tags @wannajointhecrabcult @miraculous-simmer7 @certainmuffinbagelcalzone @fantasyislive @chocolateherringtacofan @junarvion @susiej1118 @aestheticnpoetic @toodaloo-kangaroo @ladybug-182 @itsmeevie01 @g-arya @souleateralicestein

unspecified @momothefemur @indecisive-mess-named-me @laurcad123 @ilovefluffbutsmutisalsogreat @sassakitty

[thrakaboom]

Sha-Sha-Shazam: Why Captain Marvel Sold So Well

@zitkaplushie helped me transcribe a presentation I did back three years ago about why the Captain Marvel (Shazam) comics of the 1940s were so successful. Thank you!! Thank you too to @lyricxlili who helped me with the project originally.

Sha-Sha-Shazam! Why Captain Marvel Sold So Well.

The year was 1940. Overseas war was raging, and on the home front it was brewing as well. But on the newsstand a brand new hero named Captain Marvel was flying into the hearts of young children. 

Created for Fawcett comics by writer Bill Parker and artist C. C. Beck, boy Billy Batson said a magic word - Shazam! - and became the adult hero Captain Marvel. 

As Captain Marvel he had the powers of the gods Solomon, Hercules, Achilles, Zeus, Atlas and Mercury. These whimsical stories appealed to children and brought them into a magical world where terrible villains, such as the evil Dr Sivana and the formidable Mister Atom, could be defeated in less than 60 pages. 

He soon outsold even the biggest of the big; Superman!

Soon Captain Marvel’s family expanded with Billy’s twin sister Mary, family friend Freddy Freeman, the old con-man Uncle Marvel, and even Hoppy the Marvel Bunny. 

The Marvels were a phenomenon.

The Captain Marvel fan club had over four hundred thousand members at its peak. There were Marvel family figurines, colouring books, jigsaw puzzles, ties, patches; a ton of stuff. There was even a Mary Marvel clothing line.

So the question is: why were they so popular?

There are three main reasons; a combination of interesting storytelling, patriotism, and inclusivity. These three reasons created a sense of camaraderie and family in the readers. They too felt like they were part of the Marvel family. 

Camaraderie and Family.

Throughout the war years many children were robbed of fathers and older brothers, which is a devastating loss for young children. There were five million women who became widowed mothers and their children were left without fathers. Tens of thousands of children were alone during the day while mothers worked and fathers were overseas. 

It’s a natural conclusion that being part of a family was important to these children; and what a magical family the Marvels were.

Interesting Storytelling.

Captain Marvel’s storytelling was different from what other comics were putting out at the time. They were more silly and whimsical, and had a touch of both science-fiction and magic.

The Captain’s main writer, Otto Binder, was able to follow the logic of childhood and his stories were childhood wish fulfillment. His stories even had a talking tiger; and no children’s story can go wrong with a tiger! Cap’s main artist, C. C. Beck, was able to bring the characters to life in ways that were best for the stories.

And you can’t talk about the storytelling in the Captain Marvel franchise without talking about the implorable Monster Society of Evil, the very first villain society. Such terrible foes fighting our good heroes who are sure to have any kid on the edge of their seat. Even today, while many of the stories are dated, they’re still fun to read, and full of magic!

Patriotism.

It also had a wartime patriotism. According to Christine Dargy, who was 12 when Pearl Harbour was bombed; “We had to be patriotic. It was a way to be stronger during the wartime. It staved off fear.” In school kids had pinboards where they tracked the fighting, and regular stamp drives to raise money for war bonds. There were paper drives, rubber drives, tin drives- it was no wonder that the war played into the comic books as well, with villains like Captain Nazi and Captain Nippon, and Adolf Hitler himself.

In the beginning of many of the books there would be an ad reminding kids to buy war bonds, and a good portion of these stories were of the heroes helping the war effort. They caused a sense of American strength. We were a superpower, and we had superheroes with powers to protect us.

Inclusivity.

But possibly the biggest reason why the Marvels sold so well was a wish-fulfillment sort of inclusivity.  It was because anyone could be a superhero. Well, not anyone, but any white person. Orphans, poor children, girls, the disabled- they could all be superheroes- and the characters that most exemplified these ideas were Mary Batson and Freddy Freeman.

During the war the roles of women were changing, so the roles for girls in comics were changing too. While real women were leaving the home to be part of the WCA and WAVES, women in comic books were leaving their roles of girlfriends in damsels in distress to become heroes on their own. 

Among these heroes was Mary Marvel, who as Mary Batson would say the magic word Shazam! and became Mary Marvel, who was invincible. However, unlike her brother, when Mary said the magic word she didn’t change into an adult; she stayed an adolescent girl who could beat up a fully grown man twice her size without breaking a sweat.

According to comic book historian Chip Kidd, it was unheard of at the time for a little girl to more or less beat the tar out of a grown man. In all her stories she’s shown as smart, capable and strong, as both Mary Batson and Mary Marvel. And she could quip as well as any boy, not to mention throw a punch.

In the era of Dick and Jane many little girls grew up taking care of baby dolls and wanting to be housewives, like the damsels who did what their husbands wanted in the movies. Then here comes Mary Marvel, the worlds mightiest girl. Not only did she have the same amazing powers as her male counterparts, but she had stories and adventures that were hers and hers alone, something almost unheard of at the time.

The number of members of the Mary Marvel fan club is lost to history but it was one of the largest clubs for girls at the time. She was the perfect power fantasy for young girls. She was pretty but never sexualized, and kind but tough as nails and could beat up any big name. 

A WOW Comics ad says “Think girls can’t fight, eh? Then you don’t know Mary Marvel!”. Mary certainly was marvelous. She sold because she showed girls what they could be and she was marketed towards girls. Looking back on the century, especially in comics, Mary’s portrayal and role was very progressive. 

And then there’s Freddy Freeman- or Captain Marvel Junior. Freddy Freeman was a poor newsboy with a paralyzed leg who lived in a draft old attic, but who was pure of heart and had a strong sense of right and wrong, especially when it came to the downtrodden.

He was a modern day Tiny Tim, except when he said the magic word he became a powerful superhero who not only had the powers of the gods, but also use of his paralyzed leg. So why wasn’t Freddy Captain Marvel Junior all the time? 

Well for one, it wouldn’t make the stories as interesting, but the thing is Freddy is shown to be happy to just be Freddy Freeman. Even if he’s quieter and more observant than Mary and Billy, he still has relentless good cheer. Freddy Freeman is a capable young man with a life worth living, which not only was a strange concept at the time but today as well.

No one can know for sure, but this must have been a wonderful and empowering message for disabled youths whose futures were bleak: especially since the Americans with Disabilities Act wouldn’t be passed until sixty years later, which would guarantee equality in the workplace for the disabled. 

He was a hit with the readers, and his own title sold extremely well. While many of Captain Marvel Junior’s stories were about helping poor orphans like himself, Captain Marvel Junior’s biggest villain was Captain Nazi. We don’t know if the choice was intentional, because Junior’s writers died without speaking about it, but it’s a very interesting choice with what was going on in Nazi Germany at the time.

In October of 1939, Hitler passed Aktion T-4 in order to kill those unfit to live; a pretty way to say the disabled. Aktion T-4 was a precursor to the Holocaust and killed around two hundred thousand people. 

Whether intentional or not, it’s a very interesting choice to have one of the champions of America be a disabled child while fighting the champion of Hitler. Most of the impact of Captain Marvel Junior on the disabled community, especially young children with disabilities, is speculation but it’s not far-fetched to assume that seeing a happy kid with a disability who was not only competent and had friends but was a superhero was very important and encouraging to them. 

The Marvels sold so well because they were the right superheroes for the right time. During what could be called the only just war during the 20th and 21st century, they were pure of heart and undeniably good and were exactly what kids needed. These characters provided that for all children- boys, girls, the poor, the rich, the disabled. The reason they sold so well was because they were what superheroes always should be- hopeful and kind with a progressive mentality, and most importantly what all children can strive to be.

[rogsclogs]

A Kind Of Magic (Roger Taylor x Brian May x Reader); Part 1.

okay so I’m already posting the first part to this short story I’ve written because I feel like it lol, just know that the second part is going to be 100% pure smut, but you’re safe for now.

Enjoy!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a while since the last time Y/N had left her tiny and messy apartment and forced herself to get wasted and have some fun, her uni courses were taking a toll on her and she spent all her free time sleeping to try to get rid of the ugly bags under her eyes. Not tonight, however, she thought as she finished applying her sparkly eyeshadow and bright red lipstick. Tonight, she was going to go out and have a great time and maybe even hook up with a cute boy if she could find one. She hadn’t had a good shag since New Year’s Eve 1968, almost six months prior, and the deprivation was becoming almost unbearable.

She got on the tube with a bit of struggle considering how high her heels were and how tight her baby blue dress was, but she eventually reached the pub she was aiming for, a very exclusive place that always had musicians playing live and that she could only afford to go to once a month or less when the tips she got from costumers at the restaurant she worked at weren’t great.

She got greeted by the pungent smell of smoke (and not only the legal kind) and an overwhelming amount of male cologne, after all everyone was trying to make a good impression. That night the band playing was called Smile, she knew who they were already as she’d talked to Tim a couple of times before. He was kind of a dick to her, always trying to flirt when she clearly wasn’t interested, so she wasn’t expecting his band members to be much better, but nonetheless she was pleasantly surprised with how great their music was. The guitarist stood out more than anyone else, probably due to his massive head of curly hair, and she had to admit he was incredibly good looking. Maybe for once she could act nice to Tim, just to get to know him as well.

She got herself something strong to drink to pass the time, as she avoided the stares of different males in the room. Y/N wasn't stupid, she knew she could clean up nice when she tried, and she’d definitely tried very hard to be irresistible that night, so she couldn’t exactly complain about attracting males gazes, but at that point she was solely interested in one of them, and she was willing to wait until the band was done at the end of the night to have him.

She quickly walked over to the side of the stage to say hello to Tim as soon as he announced that the show was over and wished everyone a good night, she couldn’t allow herself to waste a chance.

“Y/N, hi! What are you doing here? I thought uni work might have swallowed you whole, I haven't seen you out in forever”

“Hey Tim, yeah that’s pretty much what’s been happening, but I thought one night wouldn’t mess up months of hard work after all”

Tim wrapped one of his arms around her waist, and even though she wasn’t exactly into it, she chose not to complain this time.

“Ah, yes great choice. Let me introduce you to the rest of the band, although we all know I’m the best on out of the three of us” No, no you are not.

“This is Roger, the drummer, and this is Mr. Brian May, huge geek and occasional guitar player” he said as he introduced her to the two guys. She felt starstruck for a minute and not only by Brian, the guy she’d been staring at for the past hour and a half, but also by Roger. His blond locks and big blue eyes could have anyone on their knees in a matter of minute, she was sure.

“Hi beautiful” Roger spoke shaking her hand to properly introduce himself “you’re a sight for sore eyes”.

Brian let out an annoyed sigh at that, shaking his head and leaving without another word to put away his equipment.

“Would you like to get a drink with me after the boys leave, dear?” Tim said in a sickeningly sweet tone and she was over his avalanches by far.

“I told you I’m not interested Tim, but thank you for your offer” she replied while trying to get away from his grip, with Roger listening to their interaction and ready to intervene if necessary as he could tell she was getting extremely uncomfortable by her body language.

“C’mon honey, I can show you a good time”

“Mate, she clearly said she isn’t interested, just drop it” Roger finally stepped in and Y/N suddenly remembered he was here and she swore she’d never felt more grateful for someone’s presence in her life.

“What’s going on here?” Brian had come back to the side of the stage after hearing Rog raise his voice at Tim. Not that it didn’t happen often, but if a girl was involved, things were meant to turn bad pretty quickly.

“You know what, I’m just gonna go home, I’m sorry for causing any trouble” she said as she collected her jacket and got ready to leave.

“Let me drive you home Y/N” Roger offered with a soft smile

“I can just take the tube, you really don’t have to go out of your way for me”

“The tube is closed now, it’s almost 3 AM, hence why you told me you could drive me home too” Brian was talking to Roger now, quite annoyed at the fact that his best mate was forgetting about him just because a pretty girl had shown up. A very pretty girl nonetheless, but still. 

“Okay then, I can drive you both home! See, problem solved” Roger smiled and grabbed his car keys then stepped outside the pub, Y/N and Brian following close behind not wanting to cause another discussion.

“I’m really sorry to have caused any issues, I don’t want to get in your guys’ way but I’m so over Tim and his annoying flirting” she said directly to Brian this time, she had a feeling that he saw her as a nuisance and wanted to explain herself, after all she did care what he thought of her.

“Yeah, I figured, he can be an asshole at times, no need to say sorry” his voice was much calmer this time around and he looked at her while she walked alongside him and Roger and stopped to think about how beautiful she really was for the first time. 

“So, are you really a geek?” She said as she tried to spark up a conversation with the curly haired man.

“He really is, Y/N, he studies astrophysics” Roger mocked him in a friendly way, but Y/N could tell Brian was fed up with that sort of joke, he must have heard it one too many times.

“I find it very sexy that you’re into science actually” she smiled mischievously at him and he sent her a grateful smile back “I was awful at it in high school, so I think it’s cool you’re that smart Bri”

“Hey, hey, I also do science! I do biology!” Roger said, starting to become jealous of the attention his friend was receiving when he wanted to be the one Y/N would show interest in.

“I’m sure you’re also very smart Rog, I didn't mean to make it sound like anyone is better than anyone else” she giggled as Roger unlocked his car and the three of them got in, Brian and Y/N in the backseats. 

“So, Y/N, not to be blunt or anything but would you mind to stop at my place and grab a coffee with me? You know so we can discuss science and whatever you want” said Brian with a look on his face that let her know he wasn’t that interested in science after all.

“And are you guys just going to pretend I don’t exist? I was the one who noticed how hot she is first, Brian” Roger was getting frustrated and he was done trying to hide it, his best fried was flirting with the girl he’d noticed first and he was doing so in his car. 

“I mean, you can come too if you want Rog, right Brian?”

He was surprised at her proposal to say the least, but he wasn’t one to give up a good time, no matter what. 

[avengerdragoness]

Sentence Starter Masterlist

Batfamily:

Jason Todd:

“You deserve a world without this”

"Guns? Ha! Last I remember, you had string bean arms!"

“It’s not that funny.”

“I know you liked it when they were hitting on you.” "If you would do it I would like it better" "Wait, what" "What"

"If you're not there when this baby comes, I'm going to take that gun, and shove it so far up your--"

"open it" "can you say please?"

"real smooth, tripping over air"

"Alright guys time to play truth or dare"

"well, that was... interesting"

"where have you been"

“You’re so cute when you’re half asleep like this…”

“If you shove cake in my face this will be the worst wedding night of your life.”

“After everything you did, you’re asking ME to apologize for snapping at you ONCE?”

"I know I said I’d get up with the kid in the morning but I’m hoping you can’t tell I’m fake sleeping and hoping you will do it instead"

"It helps that my competition is attractive."

“I’d die for you. Of course, I’d haunt you in the afterlife but really, it’s the thought that counts.”

"I bet I could beat you in wrestling match"

“It must be hard with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to seduce me.”

"Yeah, because fighting crime wearing the colors of a traffic light is soooooo stealthy."

“I met your parents and your mom was flirting with me. "

"I am not jealous, I'm territorial. Jealous is when you what something you can't have, territorial is protecting what is yours."

"Get over here, Jason 'Crush Me With Your Thighs' Todd!"

"ITS PLATINUM!!!"

"Wait, you're not a virgin? do you even stay awake long enough for sex?"

"you can't just go around killing people"

"So tell me: do all vigilantes lurk or is this just a part of your unique charm?"

"Am I really gonna be a father to an actual human being?"

"Put the water balloon down."

“You’re cute when you’re angry.”

Dick Grayson:

“I did a pregnancy test.”

“You can’t banish me! This is my bed too!”

"What do you mean I can't stay up until 4 am reading? You've stayed up later risking your life in a ridiculous costume!"

"If you sing that song one more time I will fight you"

“I had a nightmare about you and I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

"I swear to god if you don't get off the chandelier right now"

"love first of all  if you're wearing that kilt to slag me off for me Irish heritage I'm not one fucking bit impressed and second KILTS ARE FUCKING SCOTTISH ugh but you do look the ride in it , i have to say wait there I'm posting a pic of it this gonna be great craic"

"IVE BEEN STANDING IN THIS SHOP FOR TWO FUCKING HOURS TRYING TO DECIDE BETWEEN SMARTIES OR SKITTLES DONT RUSH ME !"

“What do you want me to do with this?”

"You know you have to worst name ever"

"Where do you run off to every day?" 

Tim Drake:

“Is there a problem?” “Is there a special reason, as to why you’re wearing my shirt?”

"No, nothing's wrong, I was just fangirling, carry on."

"You should know by know that if you leave your cape laying around, I don't care if it's for 'superhero business', I'm going to wrap it around myself like a blanket."

“You drowned my makeup in water so I used my key to scratch all of your video game discs.”

"stop it, stop whatever the hell your doing"

'please stop staring at that stupid computer and talk to me'

"You're not meeting my boyfriend, Tim, because I'd like to date him a while before my brother kills him."

“This is your twentieth cup of coffee are you trying to break a world record or something?“

"I found you passed out, face down in a pile of coffee cups, are you ok?"

"You have to be cheating! No one is that good poker!"

"There's nothing wrong with taking a break"

"You should really get out of the house more, I almost attacked you thinking you were a vampire. And no patrol doesn't count, get some sunlight."

Damian Wayne:

“Damn, when did y/n get hot?”

"We’re camping and you think you lost the kid but they’re napping in the tent and I’m not telling you yet so you watch them better next time" 

"Damian, are you sure your dad is going to be ok with us sneaking a monkey into the Manor?"

“Before you decide to murder me, let me explain…”

“His ego is so visible; I can almost watch it grow.”

“When you love someone, you don’t just stop. Ever. Even when people roll their eyes or call you crazy… even then. Especially then!”

“Do you ever follow directions?”

"dami ..I can't find my reading glasses have you seen them ?"

"I was trained by the masters of the League of Assassins and Ra's Al Ghul himself I DO NOT SING"

"we are not going to steal someone's dog"

"i'm allowed to be obssesed with you, im your husband"

"Why is there a deer in the mansion."

"I'm better at handling swords than you"

“So that’s why you’re always gone... you’re fighting crime in tights...”

"Wait... are you actually trying to stab me with a spoon?"

"Do I have to?"

"Don't worry beloved my family will love you, if anything I'm worried about them scaring you off"

Batfam:

"Not to point out the elephant in the room, but is that a literal elephant in the room?"

                   <-------------------------------------------->

CW DC:

Barry Allen:

"Cisco I don't need you to hit on them for me."

"I don't care how much a speedster needs to eat, you touch my food, and we're going to have a problem."

"everyone can tell you lover her, it's obvious"

“im NOT jealous, but he was flirting with you"

"I'm so sorry to disturb you but....I ran out of toilet paper"

Wally West:

"you like her, don't you!" 

"I recognize that you have reached a decision, but given that it is a stupid ass decision I have elected to ignore it"

Oliver Queen:

"are you jerking off or did you just find another book?"

Mon-El:

"Are you really jealous of a dog?"

"Mon-El, stop trying to make me blush, you jerk!"

Winn Schott:

"Winslow Schott, you do *not* get to saw I'm 'crabby' right now. If I seem to be in a bad mood, it's because *someone* decided to drag all the way to the DEO, first thing in the morning before I had a chance to have breakfast, without actually giving me a reason!"

                   <-------------------------------------------->

DC (Other):

Billy Batson:

"I'll give you your precious hoodie back, if you say the magic word!"

"How hasn't Bruce Wayne adopted you yet?"

"So...what happened EXACTLY?"

"y'know when you sneak around like that to transform you look super shady right?"

"You snuck into my room in the middle of the night to tell me something that could've waited till morning, woke me up by tripping over a small pile of books, and almost broke the most expensive thing I own. Remind me again why I shouldn't immediately call the cops on my best friend?" 

                   <-------------------------------------------->

Young Justice:

Wally West:

"I'd like to remind everyone to refrain from eating my food"

"I think you're just jealous cause you don't have magic powers! Or maybe you don't believe cause your so dependent on your precious science to explain everything!"

"I don't speak science, think you can translate for us non-nerds?"

Bart Allen:

"You can't keep blaming yourself for what happened to him"

"I'm from the past...I knew your cousin"

"We're about to die!"/"Comes with the job!"/”You're not helping!"

"You can't be serious"

"Hey, could you help me go over these case files-...you do not have a shirt on..."

"Who do i look like, Batman?"

"How are you always late?"

"Give me back my book!! You better not spoil it!!!"

"YOU CAN SING?!?!?!?!"

"You look good in yellow"

"I promise to tell you where your snacks went, if you promise not to get mad."

“are you sure about this”

"please don’t make me say it" 

                   <-------------------------------------------->

Marvel:

The Avengers:

"oops they saw it, well surprise I guess!"

Peter Parker:

"Don't be such a nerd Parker, we need to keep this professional and intimidating."

"You're that Bug Boy Jamison keeps talking about"

"You're an arachnophobe?"

“You're gonna get me killed!"

"I dare you to kiss him."

"Explain your powers to me again"

"Could you just get me down from here?!"

"These aren't even quips! They're just bad puns!"

"I cannot believe you of all people got us detention! I always thought it would be me."

"There's no such thing as bad publicity!"

"So, what's up with BugBoy over there?"

Steve Rogers:

"When were you planning to let me know what happened?!"

                   <-------------------------------------------->

Voltron:

Shiro:

“I’m like 20% sure this plan will work. The other 80% means we could die horribly and violently, but honestly it’s a really solid plan.”

“You’re so determined to protect yourself and your feelings, but what about me?”

“How is my wife more badass than me?”

"i lost our baby"

“Are you hitting on me?”

"...Why did you throw confetti in my face?"

Lance:

“I’m starting an idiot jar. Any time you do or say anything idiotic, you have to put at least a dollar in it—more depending on how stupid the thing that you said or did was.”

"Please tell me you aren't washing a metal, mechanical, slightly magical lion with soap and water?"

“How did you even get that there?“

Keith:

"How in the world did I get you to like me back?"

“I thought it was a good idea at the time, but it now occurs to me that I was horribly wrong.”

“Oh my god! You’re in love with them!” "No, Dumb-ass I'm in love with you"

"I can't believe you talked me into this."

"Keith, I love you, you know I do, but *please* tell me you didn't actually jump out of an airlock to get your lion."

“Why are you staring at me like that?” 

                   <-------------------------------------------->

Criminal Minds:

Spencer Reid:

"i need you to breath in and out with me, this anxiety attack will pass, i......"

"I don't care what you think you know, Spence, I'm *not* ticklish!"

"God, I hate profilers! You can never keep a secret from one."

[theconservativebrief]

Most people associate Stephen King with images of Jack Nicholson on a rampage or a creepy clown staring eerily at you from across the street. But while The Shining and It may be King’s most famous books, they’re not the only reasons King is a pop-culture institution. In fact, King has, to date, written or collaborated on more than 70 books, including collections of nonfiction essays and over 200 short stories. His body of work is voluminous — and it touches on so much more than just horror.

We’re in the middle of a notable King resurgence at the moment, from remakes of King’s older work like It and Pet Sematary to new adaptations like Castle Rock. So if you’ve been thinking of brushing up on your King reading, there’s never been a better time to do so.

Here is a syllabus outlining how to approach and understand more than four decades of King’s writing.

The best introduction to all things King.

In addition to being the seminal influence on modern haunted house tales, this story of Jack Torrance’s fight against addiction as he succumbs to the demons of the Overlook Hotel is worth reading both for its insights into King’s own fights with alcoholism and other addictions and for its differences from the legendary Stanley Kubrick film version (which King legendarily hates).

Both Jack and his wife Wendy are generally much more sympathetic characters in King’s version of events than Kubrick’s, and King goes into far more depth concerning the hotel’s history. King’s inspiration for the book was his real-life stay in the renowned Stanley Hotel in Colorado; one of his major beefs with Kubrick’s film was that Kubrick was unable to film in the Stanley due to a lack of snow. King also has repeatedly framed Kubrick’s version as misogynistic, arguing that it deprives Wendy of agency and transforms her into a shrill stereotype.

But beyond its connections to and deviations from its famous film adaptation, The Shining is noteworthy as an introduction to King’s multiverse. The titular “shine” is a psychic ability to read minds and sense the future that also — as we find out in numerous King stories throughout the years — may be linked to a kind of multi-dimensional, extra-sensory travel.

The Shining also provides an introduction to one of the major criticisms of King’s work, specifically its use of the “magical Negro” trope regarding its treatment of hotel cook Dick Hallorann. Between this and several other novels that seem to use the trope (notably The Green Mile), King’s problematic black characters often overshadow the complexity of characters like Susannah from The Dark Tower and Mike from It’s Losers Club. But for what it’s worth, Hallorann’s magical ability serves as most readers’ gateway to King’s entire multi-dimensional universe of psychics and dimension-jumpers.

A chronological study of the King novels that explain his career and cultural impact.

Salem’s Lot (1975)

King has described this lush vampire novel as a racquetball he was bouncing off the 19th-century wall of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The result of his experiment is a gorgeously crafted tale of a man who returns to his eerie hometown just as a long-dormant nest of vampires takes over. The large and deftly drawn ensemble of characters, as well as the sly nods to vampire tales of the past, combine to make Salem’s Lot, King’s second published novel, one of his most enduring favorites.

The Dead Zone (1979)

This book was King’s first hardcover bestseller — that is, it was the book that signaled his jump into the literary mainstream as a writer. It’s fitting, then, that it’s more of a science-fiction thought experiment than a horror novel. King’s career-long obsession with time jumps and the ethical dilemmas surrounding them — a theme he would explore more definitively 32 years later with 11/22/63 — are on full display here, though the story is not itself about time travel. Instead, King’s protagonist, one of his purest and truest heroes, finds himself afflicted with a mysterious psychic ability to see into the pasts and futures of anyone he touches. His attempt to grapple with the responsibility of such a gift builds to a notably dramatic climax, made famous in David Cronenberg’s 1983 film adaptation.

The Long Walk (1979)

Generally the most highly regarded of the five novels King published under the pen name Richard Bachman, The Long Walk is a young adult dystopia, the first novel King ever began writing, and perhaps the one with the most creative hodgepodge of ideas. Set in an alternate history in which Germany won World War II and has brought fascism to North America, the story involves a grueling modern version of a 19th-century walking contest in which contestants have to obey strict rules or die. The Long Walk is one part Hunger Games, one part Man in the High Castle, but still uniquely Stephen King, with a large ensemble cast, plenty of male bonding and daddy issues, and a hero who fights and perseveres against heavily distorted social norms.

Different Seasons (1982)

This collection of four novellas includes the inspirations for three of the most well-known King film adaptations: The Body, which became 1986’s Stand By Me; Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, which became 1994’s The Shawshank Redemption; and Apt Pupil, which became perhaps the biggest flop among King films.

It’s Apt Pupil, his attempt to grapple with the horror of the Holocaust, that offers one of King’s grimmest and grossest versions of horror. The story of a young teen who falls into an obsessive, psychosexual relationship with a neighbor who is a Nazi, it’s a descent into madness that ultimately feels exploitative rather than transformational. Still, it’s bracketed by two of the greatest stories King has ever written (though The Body garnered King an accusation of plagiarism from an old friend). The fourth novella, The Breathing Method, is a lighter, more traditional ghost tale, set in a Manhattan club and done in an early-20th-century literary pastiche.

The four stories together offer a good glimpse into King’s range of styles and preoccupations. And if you have a shorter attention span, the novellas offer a basic alternative to King’s epic works while still giving you plenty of story.

Pet Sematary (1983)

Most people probably know Pet Sematary, if they know it at all, through the uneven but mesmerizing 1986 film adaptation — currently receiving a highly anticipated remake. King’s novel, however, is about far more than zombified cats. It’s about the intense and often horrific nature of grief, and the lingering effects of direct brushes with death itself. King weaves a vivid and often brutal character study out of the deep and abiding worry parents have for their children. Pet Sematary is full of a rich subtext and bleak sadness that’s not often associated with King as an author, but in this Monkey’s Paw parable, his love and empathy for the human condition has never been more fully on display.

It (1986)

While It was still being written, King described it to the Washington Post as a story about kids, and specifically an expansion of the themes he began exploring in The Body. “There are times when I think I just ought to burn it,” he said. “But ‘It’ is going to be pretty good. You’ll like it.”

It became one of the most iconic works of 1980s literature, and the famous 1990 miniseries starring Tim Curry introduced millions of viewers to the title character: a shapeshifting entity that cyclically resurfaces every 27 years in the town of Derry, Maine, to lure children to their doom. Its resting state is the form of a terrifying clown named Pennywise, but fundamentally It takes on the form of whatever children fear most. King uses this conceit to explore not only the processes by which we overcome our childhood fears, but the processes by which we don’t. The children at the center of It, a group of pre-teen misfits known as the Losers Club, are all still haunted by their experiences 27 years later when It resurfaces again, reuniting them all in one last battle to save the town and themselves.

Using a wildly ambitious nonlinear structure, King sweeps back and forth through time to explore themes of friendship bonds, coming-of-age, conquering fear, and the secrets of small town America, all while unfolding a chilling tale with an iconic monster at its center. A 1,100-page magnum opus which King has accurately described as “a final exam on horror,” It merges the past with the present and reminds us that childhood fears — along with childhood dreams — remain tucked away inside of us, just waiting to resurface.

Dolores Claiborne (1992)

Published just months after King’s other overtly feminist novel, Gerald’s Game, Dolores Claiborne is a notable stylistic break for the author. An almost stream-of-conscious first-person narrative, it contains essentially no supernatural elements except for one surreal moment in which the heroine, during a solar eclipse, becomes psychically joined with the heroine of Gerald’s Game in a moment in which they can see into each other’s minds. Instead, it recounts the story of an abuse victim pushed to the breaking point, literally, in her own words.

Dolores, while trying to reckon with her past, works for a controlling, vicious boss, an older woman named Vera who throws herself headlong into a Baby Jane-like psychological feud with Dolores. Though the endless dialect-laden monologue makes the book something of a slog, it’s worth it, both for the sheer energy with which these women hate each other and for the sympathy King lends to Dolores and poor, strapped but persistent women like her.

The Dark Tower (1978 – 2012)

The Dark Tower, which King began writing in college, is based on a famous Victorian romance poem by Robert Browning, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came.” King conceived the story as an epic fantasy joined with the tropes of the spaghetti Western. He spent decades unfolding the story of exhausted gunslinger Roland Deschain, the last of his kind, and his attempts to track the villainous Man in Black across the vast desert wasteland of a worn-out world.

The titular Dark Tower is gradually revealed to be an interdimensional portal that serves as the nexus of all Stephen King universes. Roland must join with the friends he’s made along the way to restore his own world to life and keep the Man in Black from destroying all worlds. This quest frequently requires Roland to travel between worlds himself; much of the series’ action takes place in modern-day New York City.

King fully explores the interconnectivity of his universes throughout the Dark Tower. He even invokes himself as a significant character, painting himself as a kind of prophetic scribe who must write down all the worlds of the Dark Tower in order to keep their inhabitants alive. The series is nonlinear — the final book fits chronologically between the fourth and the fifth, and the storyline continually jumps back and forth through time and space — and that nonlinear nature ultimately becomes a crucial part of the entire series.

Revival (2014)

One of King’s most critically well-received works, Revival is a classic merger of Lovecraftian Weird fiction with King’s typically epic sweep of landscapes and character ensembles. Once again a story of an intergenerational bond between a man and a boy, Revival follows a jaded faith healer who essentially Dr. Frankensteins the afterlife, and the young man who becomes his assistant. Like all Weird fiction, Revival is full of foreboding and intimations of untold cosmic horrors, but it’s also really fun. The sheer strangeness of the story, along with King’s ability to pull you along through his sprawling literary canvas, makes Revival one of King’s most enjoyable reads — and a sign that King is just as on top of his game as he was four decades ago.

The pop-cultural juggernaut every King fan must eventually reckon with.

Alongside It and The Shining, The Stand is probably King’s most popular work. Originally published in a truncated form as a novel in 1978, it was re-released in an “uncut” edition in 1990 that was essentially a new draft, containing an additional 400 pages of material — making The Stand the longest book in King’s catalog, as well as one of the most epic works of apocalyptic fiction around.

The Stand concerns itself with societal collapse after an unrestrained flu epidemic, a byproduct of biological warfare, wipes out most of the Earth’s population. Surprisingly fast-paced given its sprawl, the book introduces one of King’s most famous characters: the mysterious Randall Flagg, a universe-hopping entity who takes many forms and shows up in a variety of King novels, most notably as The Dark Tower’s Man in Black.

In its thorough nature, its gargantuan size and scope, and its attempts to explore the pitfalls of a society forced to rebuild itself in a hurry, The Stand has become one of King’s most notable and culturally inescapable works. Among King’s oeuvre, however, the book has its fair share of critics: The New York Times, waylaid by the book’s massive size, found it lacking in narrative depth and claimed that the book “reproduces at length all the empty excesses that it appears to deplore.” And King does seem content to treat the apocalypse mainly as a thought experiment rather than an opportunity for meaningful narrative development.

Still, if you’re going to call yourself a true King fan, you should probably at least sample The Stand. For one thing, it’s The Stand. For another, it’s influenced basically every post-apocalyptic work that’s come after it. It all adds up to a book made for fans — but one newbies might want to work up to.

There’s more to King’s career than his most celebrated novels. Much, much more.

Danse Macabre (1981)

What it is: a collection of 1981 essays on the horror genre

What it’s about: This book is an advanced collegiate course in horror delivered in essay form — though it’s full of far more youthful anecdotes and colorful metaphors than your average essay collection. King discusses the nature and function of horror from a wide variety of angles and demonstrates a jaw-droppingly thorough knowledge of speculative fiction of all stripes, moving from discussions of modern sci-fi writers to early-20th-century pulps to 18th-century Gothic literature to 1950s beach-movie horror to mid-century radio dramas and long-extinct comics publishers, all with ease.

Why it’s famous: In addition to serving as a fabulous explication of the past two centuries of horror writing, Danse Macabre is a look at the personal experiences that shaped King’s views on horror. It’s also a glimpse of a writer who’s at his peak and knows it.

“The Jaunt”

What it is: a 1981 King sci-fi short story that’s become a cult classic

Where to find it: King’s short story collection Skeleton Crew

What it’s about: A futuristic family prepares to make “the jaunt,” a journey through space involving a complicated time-warp.

Why it’s famous: It’s all about the ending.

“The Man in the Black Suit”

What it is: a 1994 King short story originally published in the New Yorker

Where to find it: King’s short story collection Everything’s Eventual

What it’s about: A young boy meets the devil in the guise of an ordinary gentleman.

Why it’s famous: The winner of the O. Henry Award, a famous literary award for short fiction, as well as the World Fantasy Award, this story arrived at the cultural moment when critical assessment of King was beginning to change, and thus has a currency among the literati that many of King’s other works don’t have. Still, several of the classic Stephen King elements are at work here — the supernatural man in black, the fraught encounter between man and boy, and untold cosmic horror translated into a microfiche catalog of everyday details — told through a run-of-the-mill fishing trip gone horrifically awry.

“Jerusalem’s Lot”

What it is: a prequel short story to Salem’s Lot, set a century earlier and easily read as a standalone

Where to find it: King’s short story collection Night Shift, as well as some newer editions of Salem’s Lot

What it’s about: King’s prequel is a masterful send-up of 19th-century Victorian vampire literature. Written in the epistolary style of Dracula, it tells the tale of an aristocrat unearthing hidden secrets about his family and their connection to the ruined Puritan settlement of Jerusalem’s Lot — a macabre site that turns out to be teeming with vampires.

Why it’s famous: “Jerusalem’s Lot” is a wonderful pastiche that fills in lots of backstory details and makes the decadent, gothic story of Salem’s Lot seem even more decadent and gothic.

Lisey’s Story (2006)

What it is: a hybrid novel of romance and psychological horror

What it’s about: After the death of her husband, a famous writer, a grieving widow has to contend with dark secrets about his life while fending off a stalker fan and attempting to deal with her husband’s demons.

Why it’s famous: For years, King claimed that this little-known story was his favorite of all the books he’s written, though recently he seems to have reassessed his opinion.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000)

What it is: a memoir of his life as a writer and the lessons about writing he’s learned

What it’s about: Employing the same mix of autobiographical anecdotes and deep wisdom he used in Danse Macabre, King dives deep into the art and craft of being a writer.

Why it’s famous: Ironically, King’s advice on writing was one of the works that finally garnered him critical acclaim. The book wound up being praised more, and by more critics, than any of his fiction to date. On Writing “should lead [King] to better things,” one critic wrote on the book’s release.

What it helped further, instead, was King’s long-overdue critical reassessment. On Writing now routinely tops lists of the best pieces of writing advice ever written.

Original Source -> The essential Stephen King: a crash course in the best from America’s horror master

via The Conservative Brief