forestflameflower on ao3

dm for writing commisions!

[februarys-wednesday]

i like the idea that bruce just shows up to league meetings with his birds with absolutely no explanation offered

i mean this man frequently stalks his coworkers and knows everything that's happening in their personal lives and i think he'd forget that HE is the weird one for doing it and not everybody automatically knows when he's acquired a new child

so he just shows up at the watchtower with a new bird and literally says nothing about it . just sits at his chair with the latest robin standing next to him and literally doesn't acknowledge that anything is different and it gets even more confusing when they change their costumes and names 😭

like

20-something bruce: and containing this may be a matter of-flash did you have a question

barry: uh. yeah. sorry, what is that?

20-something bruce: (glancing at 9 yr old dick who has been next to him for 45 minutes) that's robin. obviously. as i was saying,

-

early 30s bruce, who hasn't shown up with a robin for a few years, entering with a nightwing and a jason todd robin:

barry:

diana:

hal:

j'onn:

bruce: what.

hal:

hal: do you like clone them or

-

mid 30s bruce, quietly talking with a clearly-not-sixteen-years-old robin in the corner after being without one for two years:

hal:

diana:

barry:

j'onn:

clark:

bruce:

tim:

bruce: this one followed me

-

late 30s bruce zeta-beaming in with a nightwing, a slightly older robin, and an absolutely BUILT man in a red hood:

barry: did you hire a bodyguard

bruce: no.

barry: whos mr red over there

bruce: you don't remember my second one???

barry:

hal:

diana:

j'onn:

clark:

barry: did. did that one not die

jason: got better

-

later 30s bruce, quietly showing around a blonde robin:

hal:

bruce: don't ask.

hal: i didn't say anything

-

40 yr old bruce, making intense, unbroken eye contact with a black shadow:

clark, leaning over to talk to tim: what are they doing

tim, not looking up from his fancy ipad: do i look like i know that

-

red robin popping in unnanounced in the middle of a league meeting: batman is alive.

barry: who the FUCK are you???

-

batman, some minutes later, trailed by what is CLEARLY a new robin: did red robin happen to pass through here????

barry: i have several questions

-

no-longer-lost-in-the-time-stream bruce, talking to batgirl, black bat, and the signal:

hal: did you get three more.

bruce: no. just one.

hal: i shouldn't have asked, my bad

-

mid 40s bruce wayne, stepping out of the zeta tube: sorry i'm late

diana: not to worry. let's get start-

bruce: i have a few more coming behind me

zeta tube: 🌀🌀🌀

jason: hi

cass: 👋

diana:

diana: ok should we st-

zeta tube: 🌀🌀🌀

dick, holding damian like a scowling, sopping wet cat: bruce he's not feeling polite today

damian: HISSS

bruce: okay does he need to go back?

dick: he said he's fine but hes just not feeling polite

diana:

diana: is that the las-

zeta tube: 🌀🌀🌀

steph: b i need a hair tie

diana:

diana: so can-

zeta tube: 🌀🌀🌀

duke: b did i miss rolecall

diana: no, signal, you did not. let's-

zeta tube: 🌀🌀🌀

tim: b alf is mad at you

bruce: why

hal: it's like a fucking clown car

steph: you didn't eat breakfast

tim: you didn't eat breakfast either

steph: shut.

damian: HISSSS

jason: wing. if you do not keep that brat quiet-

dick: hes a BABY!!!!!

duke: you didn't eat breakfast either, timothy

jason: hes a BITCH!!!!!

tim: who the fuck told you????

cass: :)

hal: (storming off, in tears), YOU HAVE TOO MANY CHILDREN.

[river9noble]

😍😍😍

[caffeinecopy-deactivated2023062]

I really like the idea that Bruce keeps acquiring sidekicks that Jason already knows personally.

Tim? Yeah, Jason knows Tim. Nerdy neighbour kid who came over to play videogames. 

Oh Steph? You mean school-bus Steph? Steph from Jason’s school bus?

Wow Bruce you adopted Cass? Yeah, Jason knows her. Yeah, Talia dropped him off with her as part of his training tour. Yeah, they spent the weekend watching movies on Jason’s phone and got no work done.

Damian. As in, the kid Jason babysat whenever Talia was off doing league shit? That Damian?

Duke? From the same school bus? 

[amaryllis-astra]

I actually love this and have a similar-ish thing going on in one of my current fics. it's just peak because Jason's portrayed as like, angry and vindictive and he kinda is as the red hood but also pre-dying jason todd was just such a nice guy and it's fascinating to think about that conflict

[fizzie-bubbles]

i keep seeing you guys be conflicted about how watching an actual goncharov movie would be super cool but then ppl say “yeah but it would ruin it!”

so here’s a pitch for you

a goncharov II movie. no first one, for obvious reasons. but they make a sequel and everyone who KNOWS will know and everyone who doesn’t will… well, you know. perfect way to continue the joke without completely ruining it and see a movie.

[amaryllis-astra]

yes

[thursday]

Reblog with what you would tell your 13-year-old self in the tags.

[exuberantocean]

When reading fanfic keep in mind that for professional literature: 

Short story: under 7,500

Novelette: between 7,500 and 17,500

Novella: between 17,500 and 40,000

Novel: over 40,000

Fics over 40k are literally a novel written and shared for free.  If you have written a 40k+ fic, you have literally written a novel.

[justanisabelakinnie]

TIL Sancocho de Pollo is a novella and And I Hear You is a novel.

*weeps, wipes tears from my eyes* I’m so proud!

[amaryllis-astra]

oh my god my first fic is a novel. YAY!

[amaryllis-astra]

Eldest Daughter Gothic Part 2

—You worked up the nerve to ask for advice, once. They looked at you with bewilderment in their eyes and gave no answer. You haven't done it again.

—Your heart races from too much caffeine. You think it will leave your body soon. Maybe that'll stop it from hurting so much?

—On the inside, you are screaming, crying, throwing up. On the outside, you are smiling, laughing, and helping. You can't afford to do anything else.

—You hold your younger siblings close. They are so small and so broken.

—You realize that once, you were smaller and more broken than that. Instead of being held, you were hurt, again, again, again.

—You hate yourself. You hate your mother, for hurting you. You hate your father, for being a coward. You resent your siblings, for being happy. You hate yourself. You're beginning to wonder if there's anything left to hate.

—"It's not always about you," she says. You do not (cannot), find a way to say that yes, you understand that, but dear god why can't something, anything, be about you? just once?

—You are always helping. "Just take a break!" they urge, eyes unfeeling. You don't even want to think about what happened the last time you tried that.

—You have a good couple of days. It's surprising; It doesn't last. She's a ticking time bomb from the moment she sees you genuinely happy.

—You are so angry. You are so angry it fills every bone in your body and you have to bite your lip until it bleeds to keep from shouting insults.

—You are nothing except anger, because you are nothing except pain, and they are two sides of the same coin

—Part of you wants to hurt the world as badly as it hurts you. It takes everything you have not to give in to those urges. It's not a fight you're certain to win.

[silver-ink-iron-words]

Me: *goes through a genuinely painful or difficult experience*

Me to me: You can use this in your writing

[lioneliness-etc]

Ok but all the batkids hate going to Bruce’s events and galas until he tells them to make it a competition to see how much money they can get rich people to donate to various charitable causes.

Dick surrounded by women cooing over how handsome he is: yes but did you know that 1 in 5 children in Gotham will face food insecurity? I’ve been working with the Gotham Food Bank and I really wish more people were supporting their efforts…

Jason cornering the richest asshole he can find and blocking his exit: leaving so soon?? While Gotham public schools have some of the most underfunded libraries in the country? maybe you want to rethink that.

Tim being grilled by tech billionaires for being an acting CEO at like 16: well I for one believe in investing in the future. That’s why I’m heading this new initiative to provide programming classes and paid internships for teens in underserved areas. It would be wonderful to have your financial support… not to mention it would look great for all your companies.

Damian allowing his cheeks to be pinched by strangers: the Gotham animal shelter needs incubators for abandoned kittens. Do you know how much kitten incubators cost to maintain? Do you want the blood of those kittens on your hands?

[amaryllis-astra]

Eldest Daughter Gothic

Your youngest sibling is in tears. You do not know why. Is it your fault? 

You are doing the dishes. You are always doing the dishes. You never finish. 

She loves you. She hates you. You’re her favorite. She only cares about your siblings. She never wanted to be a mother. She loves you.

You have a headache. Again. You are starting to forget what it feels like not to have a headache.

Everything is too much. You are going to shatter. But you cannot. 

If you give out, so will everything else

She is angry, ranting about something you said. You do not remember the last time you spoke. She is still angry.

Your younger sibling is ten years old. No, that can't be right. You are ten years old. They must still be an infant. But they’re graduating fifth grade now, and you realize that you are in high school. You did not notice the change.

She keeps yelling. You wonder if she is yelling at herself.

You’ve heard that 3am is meant to be unnerving. For you, it has only ever meant the comfort of being the last one left awake. Is there something wrong with you?

This is all you have ever known, so why does it feel so wrong?

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

I'm sick in bed, someone rub my head and read me a story

[booklovertwilight]

sorry I'm late, gaud, but here's my favourite bedtime story.

once upon a time, a little princess fell sick from eating too many raspberry crowns. as she lay in her bed, her father the king came to ask what would make her feel better.

she thought for a moment, then looked out her window and said, "bring me the moon. if I can have the moon, I will feel better."

the king immediately returned to his throne room called up his advisors, to ask them how to fetch the moon.

the first man came, dressed all in blue. "your majesty," he said, "this task is more difficult than you think. for the moon is a ball of silver thread, bigger across than this room is long, and higher up than the tallest trees. I'm sorry sire, but I'm afraid I cannot bring you the moon."

so the king sent the first man away, and brought in a second. this man was dressed all in green, with a trailing robe that swept the floor. "your majesty," said the second man, "this task is much more difficult than you think. for the moon is a huge disc of pure iron, wider across than the castle and its citadel, and higher up than this castle's tallest spire. I'm sorry sire, but I'm afraid I cannot bring you the moon."

so the king sent away the second man too, and brought in his third and final advisor, a tall man dressed all in black. "your majesty," said the third man, his voice grave, "this task is impossible. for the moon is larger across than your entire kingdom, and so immensely high up that not even the clouds can touch it. furthermore, it is made of green cheese. I'm sorry sire, but I'm afraid nobody can bring you the moon."

in anger the king sent him away as well, and was left alone in his throne room. the next moment, sensing the king's sadness, the court jester poked his head in. "sire?" he said. "what is the matter?"

"the princess is sick," the king explained, "and the only thing that will make her better is the moon. but I have just summoned all my advisors, and with each one the moon got bigger and further away. I worry I will never have the moon."

the jester thought for a moment, then said, "what about the princess herself? have you tried asking her?"

the king raised his head. "why should I ask her?"

"it is her opinion of the moon that matters, sire," said the jester. "shall I go ask the young princess, then?"

the king nodded, and so off he went.

the jester climbed the big circular staircase to the top of the tower, and gently pushed open the princess's bedroom door. the girl lay in bed, looking weak and pale, staring out her window into the night. as he entered, she turned to him.

"princess?" he asked. "I'm told you won't be better until you have the moon."

she nodded. "are you going to get it soon?"

"yes, soon," said the jester, "but first would you mind telling me, how big is the moon, and how high is it?"

"of course." the princess gave a little weak smile. "the moon has to be a little larger than my thumbnail," she said, "because when I hold my thumb over the moon it almost covers it. and it's no higher than the trees outside my bedroom window, because sometimes it gets caught in their branches."

the jester nodded, and turned to leave. in the doorway, he asked, "oh, and princess? what is the moon made out of?"

"it's made of white gold, of course," said the princess.

"thank you."

and so the jester went to the king with the great news, and the king was overjoyed. promptly he commissioned his royal blacksmith to craft a tiny circle of white gold, slightly larger than the princess's little thumbnail, and hung it on a silver chain.

first thing in the morning it was finished, and the king presented it to his daughter. immediately she recovered from her plight, leaping from her bed and playing through the day. but when nighttime came, the king realized he had not seen the end of his troubles.

looking out the window of his throne room at the setting sun, he began to panic. the moon was going to rise in the sky tonight, and then the princess would realise that the moon round her neck was a fake.

so the king summoned his advisors again. when the man in blue heard of his problem, he thought for two minutes, then said, "we could stretch a huge black cloth all round the castle, and prop it up with huge tent-poles: this would block out the sky, and so she would not see the moon."

"no, no," said the king, "we cannot do that. such a cloth would block out the wind as well as the sky, and in such stuffy air she will fall ill again." so he sent the first man away.

when the man in green heard the problem, he thought for five minutes, tapping his bearded chin. "we could set a bright lantern outside the princess's window," he said, "the light would keep her from seeing the night, and also the moon."

"no, no," said the king, "we cannot do that either. a lantern would keep her awake, and with little sleep she will surely fall ill again." so he sent the second man away too.

finally the man in black entered, and when he heard the problem he paced in circles for twenty minutes before he said, "we could set off fireworks, every night, and the smoke from them would block out the moon."

"fireworks would be too loud," said the king, growing angry. "surely the noise would hurt her head, and she would fall ill again. no, this will never work." and he sent the third man away.

finally the king turned to the jester, who sat at the foot of the steps beneath his throne. "jester," he said, "do you have any idea what I am to do? the sun is nearly set, and soon the moon will rise out the princess's window again. she will know the moon we have made her is fake, and fall ill again."

despite the king's hopes, the jester only shook his head. "no, your majesty," he said. "I have no ideas."

so, sadly, as the sun's last light fell below the horizon, the king climbed the stairs to his daughter's room. when he arrived, she was sitting up in bed, staring out her window at the moon.

as he entered, she turned to him. her little fingers were still holding the tiny circle on her necklace.

"little one," said the king, "are you feeling okay?"

"of course," she said, cheerfully as ever. "why wouldn't I be? you brought me the moon, like I asked."

"well..." the king's voice faltered, "how can it be that the moon is around your neck, when you can see it in the sky?"

the princess smiled. "have you ever seen the gardener cut the flowers in the royal garden?" she asked. "he will cut a flower, but it will grow back. it's the same way with the moon."

"I see," said the king, somewhat enlightened.

and the little princess settled in under her covers, as healthy as ever, with a moon in the sky and another on a silver chain round her neck.

[amaryllis-astra]

guys

nutella and bananas. its so good

[amaryllis-astra]

Types of People as nature's light sources

Sunshine people: loose hair, chapped lips, jogging, loud hype music, bike rides, milkshakes, faded jeans, short nails

Starlight people: piano music, long flowy hair, tank tops, delicate silver jewelry, dancing, long car rides, fresh flowers

Moonglow people: shimmery eyeshadow, braided hair, brown leather, quiet laugh, swimming, sketching, whispered promises

Wildfire people: short hair, witty jokes, pepper spray, CrossFit, scrabble, skyscrapers, reminders scrawled on hands

[amaryllis-astra]

people as flavors

Chocolate: bandanas and denim jackets,  laughter, potted plants, weekends, close friends.

Honey: cat lover, sunshine, fairy lights, forehead kisses, home-cooked meals, soft piano music. 

Coffee: Long nails, cold showers, swears a lot, digital organization, constantly stressed.

Maple Sugar: oversized sweaters, summer evenings, close friends, old poetry, familial love. 

Black Tea: Button-down shirts, doodles, tied-back hair, time-blocking, reads a lot.

[amaryllis-astra]

guys i'm a philosophy major and i had the funniest thought the other day bc in class discussions we always have to give super clear definitions for like every word we use. i present:

riddler: What is something the poor have, the rich need, and will kill you if you eat it?

philosophy major: That would depend on what you mean by “need”

riddler:

philosophy: I think it depends on where you draw the lines between right and poor, too. oh, and what you mean by kill. does it kill you instantly? are we thinking in literal, theoretical, or conceptual terms?

riddler: you’re stalling.

philosophy major: the semantics and context are important! what do you mean when you say "stalling?"

i think they would die but it would be funny