A repository for rambles and other such things. Part multifandom headcanons and whatnot, part comments and announcements about my writing, part pictures of silly or cute animals because why not
When I published my last article on unicorn creature design, someone asked a question that I knew was inevitable. While reading the suggesti
Thought I'd try to dust off the tumblog again with some Biology of Mythology content, and my most recent article feels like a great starting point! In place of the usual discussions on biology itself, we're taking a moment to talk about just why a little science can be useful in fantasy writing in the first place. Read on for eohippus unicorns, "boy and his gryphon" stories, and the marine biology tidbits scattered throughout Spongebob Squarepants.
If he’d been facing anyone else, it might have been an effective scare tactic. But Brynn had taken on Oblivion itself and won.
Juuust a friendly reminder that this girl took on one of the most powerful plot bosses in the history of Neopets, designed in-game to be fought by the entire Battledome-ing player base working together to chip its health down, and canonically beat him by herself.
It's finally here! Draikfang's big climactic chapter is now out in the Neopian Times, with just one more chapter to follow. Click here to see it!
Brynn gave him a Look, and his ears pinned back nervously. “I promise I’ll return my share of the loot,” he muttered. “I could never get rid of it anyway. Nobody really wants to buy dumb stone furniture.”
In this week's chapter of Draikfang: A Lost Desert Plot reference that will hopefully still be funny in a 'noodle incident' way to people who don't recognize it! *throws confetti*
Also, and more importantly, our heroes have made it to the ancient tomb where their quarry is hiding! Will they find Draikfang before the bad guys find them?
Robstar Week Days 5, 6 and 7: Long-Distance Family (Prompts: Beautiful/Other Titan's POV/Chocolate)
And as we head into the final day of Robstar Week, I present to you the last of the Three Futures! Those of you who follow my various Robstar Weeks probably saw this one coming: it's the Royal Family Verse! For those who don't, the short version of what's going on here is pretty much covered in this story and you can get the long version by looking at the "Royal Family Verse" tag on my blog.
Combining three prompts at once was an interesting challenge. Using another Titan's POV was the easy part – I picked Cyborg partly because he felt like the obvious choice and partly because he becomes the Titans' leader in this 'verse and thus seemed like a good fit for showcasing the rest of the group as well. Since I knew I wanted this to be my RFV fic, making it about the other Titans visiting Starfire and Nightwing seemed like the logical next step. I kind of wove the other two prompts in to provide details and some of the direction, and the end result is probably one of my most unabashedly fluffy feel-good fics, lol. Enjoy, and happy Robstar Week!
Long-Distance Family
“Earth Vessel designation 0-0-1 requesting clearance into Tamaranean skies.”
Cyborg couldn’t quite keep the giddy note out of his voice as he held the T-ship steady just outside of official Tamaranean airspace, awaiting the go-ahead to enter the atmosphere and start making for the capital. This was always his favorite part of making the trip – outside of finally docking, of course. To him, it was that magical moment that let him know he was on the final stretch. Calling in to request clearance tended to invite some fun reactions, too.
“Designation 0-0-1?” The voice that came back through the transmission signal sounded impressed, and Cyborg allowed himself a knowing smirk. New blood, probably. “We do not get that very often. Are you friends of the Empress?”
Definitely new blood. “Only the best!” Cyborg answered back. “We come bearing gifts.”
The crackle of a second T-ship radio heralded Changeling hopping in. “Tell them about the chocolate! They love it when we bring fresh chocolate.”
A sudden excited clamoring sounded from Tamaran’s end of the conversation. Cyborg laughed, giving up the last vestiges of official formality, and glanced back toward Changeling’s pod. “I think they heard you just fine, string bean.”
It wasn’t long before all official identifications had been made and clearances were sent through, and the Titans started flying through Tamaran’s skies to their final destination.
That was a treat in itself, really. Cyborg still remembered when the Titans had made their first trip to Tamaran, and Starfire had gushed over the seemingly desolate wasteland of rocky desert that surrounded her home city. He recalled that he and the others had been too overwhelmed by the recent attack on their ship and the idea that they were there for an arranged marriage to look past the barren landscape.
By now, though, the subtle, stark beauty of the Gikha desert had started to grow on him. He watched the delicate blend of oranges and tans pass below with an affectionate smile on his face, and let the twisting, precarious rock spires serve as landmarks. It was starting to become a home away from home for him. He suspected that was part of what drew Starfire’s awe as well – the feeling of home.
Then the other spires gave way to one that dwarfed them all, a lone mountain built out into a shining fortress and testament to Tamaran’s resilience and national pride. The capital city – its name something Cyborg had firmly given up on being able to pronounce – beckoned to the visiting Titans like a beacon.
“Home sweet home,” Raven said over the radio, a note of her own brand of wry affection in her voice.
Soon after, the T-ship docked on one of the landing pads in the 0-0-1 zone, just outside the palace and reserved for those associated with royalty and the court. (It had long ago occurred to Cyborg that, had he known what that designation meant on his first trip to Tamaran, Starfire’s own royal status would have been less of a shock.) He opened up his pod and stepped out to take a good stretch, before looking back to check on the rest of his team.
“Whew, looks like we made it y’all. Anyone need anything?”
Changeling had already taken to the air in eagle morph to stretch his wings with a few laps around their landing space, and he chirruped what sounded like a response in the negative.
Jinx shook her head and replied, “Nah, I’m good.” She’d just popped the ship’s compact trunk with a well-placed hex, and now watched in amusement as Flash and Raven made short work of removing everyone’s luggage and host gifts.
That was about when the great doors into the palace opened. The smile that had hardly left Cyborg’s face since they broke atmosphere broadened into a grin as he turned around to face the entryway.
“Friends!” Starfire chirped, flying forward. Any sense of queenly – empressly? – decorum she might have had was lost as she scooped up the Titans one by one in tight embraces. Nightwing followed close behind with Galfore and a scattering of royal guards. By the look on his face, Cyborg suspected that the only thing keeping Nightwing from hugging everyone too was the wriggling toddler in his arms.
“Well look at you, little lady,” Cyborg cooed as soon as Starfire detached herself from him to welcome her next visitor. He leaned down until he was eye level with the little princess. “You’ve sure grown since the last time I saw you. You remember your uncle Cyborg, right?”
The little girl stared wide-eyed at him for a moment. Then, when Changeling returned to human form to accept his mandatory Starfire hug, her eyes suddenly lit up.
“Uncle Beasty!” she cried out, launching out of her father’s grip to hug Changeling as well.
Nightwing let out a guilty little chuckle at Cyborg’s betrayed look. “Sorry,” he said. “Junand’r is going through both a shy phase and an animal phase right now. I guess the animal phase is just winning.”
“Hey, for the record, the princess is the one who touched me!” Changeling called out to the guards. “So you’re not allowed to get me in trouble.”
“That joke stopped being funny after the first two times,” Raven said dryly.
Changeling stuck his tongue out at her, still holding on to Junand’r. “You’re just jealous because I’m Junebug’s favorite.”
Cyborg chuckled and took a moment to survey the scene. It had been about three and a half years now since Starfire had taken the mantle of Grand Ruler, returning permanently to Tamaran with Nightwing by her side. They seemed to be doing well: Starfire laughing as brightly as ever while she coaxed her daughter into giving the rest of the Titans a proper greeting, Nightwing looking very much at home as he made his own rounds and accepted the chocolate box for his family that Flash had shoved into his hands. Even Galfore seemed a bit steadier on his feet than he’d been the last time the Titans visited.
While the royal family was busy with the others, Galfore walked up to Cyborg. “They make a fine picture, do they not?” he asked in a low voice, his broad face wrinkling with warmth as he leaned on his cane.
Cyborg folded his arms and nodded. “Yeah, that’s Star and Nightwing for you. Keep them together, and they can make just about anything work.” He snorted. “And look good doing it, too.”
Galfore let out a deep, throaty laugh. “Very true. The empress has built quite a lot upon the tasks I began during my brief tenure as Grand Ruler, and I believe the emperor helps in more ways than even he realises. Juksa’akth is finally spreading beyond the mountain’s base again.”
Cyborg grinned up at him, hoping that the irrational nerves he felt at just thinking about trying to say the capital city’s name didn’t show. “Yeah? I thought I saw some buildings down there.”
“Buildings and more! I believe Starfire was hoping to show you some of it today,” Galfore replied.
Then, raising his voice so everyone could hear, he called out, “We may wish to begin travel if we are to see the city this day, Your Majesties.”
Starfire’s expression somehow managed to brighten even further upon hearing that. “Oh, yes!” she replied, scooping her babbling daughter into her arms. “We wanted to show you the orchard tonight.”
* * * * * * *
It took some coaxing – and just a bit of bribery with first dibs on the chocolate that had been brought in for the court and palace staff – to remind the guards that the Titans were all capable warriors more than suited to the task of bodyguarding. Eventually, though, the royals and their visitors managed to descend without escort into a broad swath of purple-leaved trees that the mountain had hidden from Cyborg’s view on his first arrival. Young Jun, her shyness forgotten, floated between Cyborg and Jinx and sucked on a milder piece of chocolate (most Tamaraneans preferred the bitterness in the darker varieties). Starfire and Nightwing led everyone through rows of broad-leafed trees dotted with small knobs of pale pinkish fruit.
“Juksa’akth was designed to be self-sustaining in the event that a conflict or disaster cut our supply lines,” Starfire was saying, “but it is difficult to defend open farmland. Back during the Gordanian invasion, their soldiers targeted the less fortified lowlands first in an effort to starve out the capital. Fortunately, the stored food and subterranean fungus farms allowed it to hold out until the Gordanians were repelled. The farms that dominated this space were wiped out, however.”
Her voice faltered and her face pinched at some painful memory. Nightwing took notice and picked up the thread, placing a comforting hand on her forearm as he did so.
“For a while, recovery efforts from the invasion were focused on regions of Tamaran that had weaker defenses and were hit harder,” he said. “This orchard is the first part of Juksa’akth’s lowlands to have new irrigation systems completed and crops established. Everyone’s pretty excited about it.”
Changeling wandered to a tree with a lower hanging knobby fruit and pulled it over to give it an experimental sniff. “Hey, isn’t this one of those citrusy things you used to share with us back on Earth?” he asked, eyeing it hungrily.
With a knowing smirk, Nightwing replied, “It will be when it’s ripe.”
“Yummy fruit! Akzel!” Jun announced, punctuating the name of the ripening fruit with a wave of her chubby, chocolate stained fists.
Jinx dodged a grubby hand. “Okay, who thought giving chocolate to the baby was a good idea?”
Flash’s face suddenly and deliberately shifted to a look of pure nonchalance at the question.
Starfire clicked her tongue and turned to clear off the young princess’ hands with a wipe. Cyborg wondered if it was at all possible to maintain regal grace while parenting a two-year-old, or if she and Nightwing just didn’t bother with the airs of “regal grace” around their honorary family. If he had to guess, he’d probably say no to both counts.
“We may not have local akzels just yet,” Starfire said when she finished, “but there should be some fresh imported ones available for you tomorrow.”
“Yay!” Jun cried out while Changeling fistpumped.
Raven raised an eyebrow. “Looks like you just won both of the kids over.”
Nightwing smirked. “You forgot Kid Flash.”
“Hey! You know full well that I dropped the “Kid” part, Robin,” Flash countered. “That makes me a proper official adult.”
Starfire shook her head and laughed a little at everyone’s antics. Then, with a deep breath, she took a few steps back and spread her arms to gesture at the trees surrounding them.
“So, what do you think?” she asked. “I believe it provides an extra splash of color to this part of our desert city, and it is doing wonders for morale. Do you agree?”
Cyborg took his own deep breath of the crisp air, moistened by the trees’ recent watering. With complete sincerity, he said, “It’s beautiful, Star. The orchard, the city, the desert, all of it.”
And, eyeing the empress and her emperor, hands unconsciously linked as they stood under the budding fruits of their hard work while their daughter yawned and finally touched down to toddle at their feet, he thought to himself, “And its leaders, too.”
Robstar Week Days 3 and 4: Ever Onward (Prompts: Solar/Stellar/Waterfall)
Today we come to the second of my "three futures" for Robstar Week, which I guess you could call my main or "official" head-continuity-future... thing. This is the second time a dual prompt gave me the urge to write something with the space twins, but at the same time I was noodling with the idea of writing something from Starfire's point of view where Robin sees her as a kind of proverbial sun and stars but she sees him as providing half of that. Somehow, I managed to fit both concepts in here. When I added in the Waterfall prompt and sent everyone on a kind of post-gen2-debut day trip, somehow the whole thing ended up turning into a kind of snapshot of my vision of the Titans' future as a whole. Hope you enjoy!
Ever Onward
Sunlight sparkled off of the clear cool water that seemed to be everywhere: not just moving sluggishly through the wide mountain pool to bubble further down the stream, but soaking the ground and slicking the rocks and dotting the leaves that gently swayed in the spring breeze. Mostly, though, water thundered over the high rocks further up the mountain to keep the pool quenched and mist almost serenely over everything else.
It was a fine spot for a day trip, Starfire thought. More than fine, really. Cyborg had somehow managed to track down this waterfall, not too far from Jump yet surprisingly little known and less travelled. The kids had complained a bit about that last part. But the adults had agreed that just for the moment, they’d be better off with some extra privacy.
Two days ago, the next generation of Titans had made their official debut. Starfire could still clearly remember the look on poor Dr. Light’s face when he realised the roster of his opponent team had suddenly doubled. She and the other original Titans had barely needed to do anything but supervise as the teens swept up his latest rampage. Maybe now, the obstinate villain would finally take the hint and allow himself to be rehabilitated.
Starfire was so proud of her honorary nieces and nephews – to say nothing of her and Nightwing’s own children. Phoenix and Nightstar, they’d decided to call themselves. Her little sunshine and starlight, all grown up.
A contented sigh altered her to Nightwing joining her, and he slipped an arm affectionately around her waist. He was in civilian clothes today – a loose t-shirt and comfortable khakis – but he had a mask on hand in the unlikely event that some intrepid hiker found their remote waterfall escape.
“Some place Cyborg found, huh?” he asked.
Starfire smiled warmly at him. “Indeed. We don’t get many opportunities to go out without either full uniforms or holo-rings. Perhaps we should look for more hidden gems like this one.”
Nightwing hummed in agreement and took a moment to watch the younger generation with her. Mar’i had taken to the air and seemed to be making a game of darting through the gaps in the gushing waterfall. Meanwhile, Jake was watching a splash fight between two of the other teens from atop a nearby fallen log and egging the participants on.
“Mar’i, be careful where you’re flying!” Nightwing called out. Then, with a soft snort, he added to Starfire, “It still gets me sometimes that I have to say things like that. I wonder what my parents would have to say about their superpowered hybrid grandchildren.”
Starfire smiled and nudged his shoulder with her own. “You know they’d adore the twins, love. Everything you have told me about them makes that much clear.”
Starfire could tell that her husband wasn’t all that worried about his daughter’s flying skill. She and Jake had been mastering that for years, and his reminder to take caution was more standard protective father behavior than anything else.
More frightening was the idea of… well, of “Nightstar and Phoenix.” The city had gone wild upon piecing together that most of the new Titans were in fact the oft-suspected but never-before-proven children of the originals. For the most part, it was the good kind of wild. But one could only imagine what new plots the superpowered criminal element were now cooking up with that kind of information.
Not to mention the simple fact that they’d finally taken to the field. Starfire knew that Robin and Beast Boy (back when they’d used those names) had both started as heroes at a younger age than the newly appointed Titans. They’d likely had far less training before starting out, too. Still, it could be hard to find comfort in such logic when she remembered all the close calls she and her friends had back when they were around that age.
Starfire tore her eyes from where Mar’i had just let herself drop into the pool with a mighty splash to observe Nightwing for a moment. He’d always been the better worrier of the two, and she could sense that she wasn’t the only one nervous about this new chapter in the Titans’ story. For the moment, though, he seemed at peace as he watched the teens at play.
At peace… but still contemplating something, if her intuition was right.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
Nightwing blinked and looked back at her. He frowned, but it was a thoughtful frown, his brows pinching together while he tried to organize his thoughts into coherent speech.
Finally, returning his gaze out to the kids in the water, he asked, “What do you think about retiring?”
Starfire jolted back. That was not what she’d been expecting. “What?”
“Not right away!” Nightwing assured her, turning to face her and raising his hands in a gesture of innocence. “Not for a while, actually. I just think… We’ve been doing this for so long, you know? And the kids really nailed that first mission, and they’re only going to get better with more experience.”
He let his gaze drift back to the pool. “So now I’m thinking… Maybe in a few years, when they’re ready, we could leave protecting the city to them and just…” He shrugged. “Settle down, I guess. Take nice ‘normal’ jobs until we’re old enough to retire altogether. It’s not like we’ll be able to keep up with the heroics forever.”
Starfire folded her arms and eyed him, her gaze calculating. “You have been considering this for a while, haven’t you?”
Nightwing gave a bashful little shrug. “I’ve been thinking of running the idea by everyone, but I’m afraid they’re all either going to skin me alive for suggesting it or jump on board way too quickly. And that’s assuming Cyborg and Changeling even accept that I’m the real Nightwing and not some bad imposter to be bringing it up.”
“Hmm.” Starfire returned her own gaze forward. By now, Jake had been pulled into what was swiftly becoming an all-out splash war. It looked like the two rough teams that had formed were either trying to shove one another under the waterfall, or else using it as some mark of toughness as a way to convince Changeling to turn into something huge and join their side.
“In your proposed scenario, we would still be able to ‘come out of retirement’ and help out in an emergency, correct?”
Nightwing nodded vigorously. “Oh, no question.”
Starfire smiled. “Then, I think I could see it working out. I have always wanted to put my understanding of exogeography to good use. Perhaps I could try teaching astronomy and galactic culture to Earth students.”
After another moment’s consideration, she added, “And Jump City will still have its sunshine and starlight to guide it.”
Nightwing blinked and gave her a sidelong look. “Still? And? Star, last I checked, you always managed to cover that end of things on your own.”
Starfire scoffed and turned to face him, arms folded. “Richard Grayson, when I first arrived on Earth, you showed me an entirely undeserved degree of trust and kindness and swore you would keep me safe from the Gordanians. You have offered the Titans guidance and encouragement countless times. You worked tirelessly to ensure that every one of the children joining our team now could still fight and defend themselves even if their powers fail. Do you truly believe that you do not provide the proverbial sunshine to our fair city?”
Nightwing just stared speechlessly at her for a moment, brows raised. “Well, I stand corrected. I… think I lost where the metaphor was going somewhere back there, though.”
Starfire let her frown drop and chuckled. “So long as my point has been made.”
She turned back to eye the pool again. Changeling had just morphed into an elephant and joined… Mar’i’s side, maybe? She wasn’t positive that he hadn’t just charged in and started spraying everyone with water.
“In any case,” she said, lifting a few inches off the ground, “I think we have been hanging back and watching the children for far too long on a nice day like this. Shall we teach them a thing or two about water wars? We will not be able to retire if there are holes in their training, after all.”
Nightwing grinned. “You are so going to embarrass Jake and Mar’i. I’m in.”
And so Starfire charged forward, her husband close at her heels as they both let out loud war cries. The surprised shrieks and cries of, “Dad, no!” as the pair launched themselves into the pool told her that they’d succeeded in making a suitably dramatic entrance.
Robstar Week Day 1 (and 2): Lost and Found (Prompts: Nostalgia/Vivid)
*slams a hot fresh fic on the table* Guess what week it is, kiddos?
I decided to do things a bit differently this year. I'm kind of swamped with writing projects at the moment, and knew I really wouldn't have the time or brain capacity to do a full seven stories this year. But I still wanted to do at least a few Robstar Week fics, and unlike a normal person who picks out a couple prompts for said fics, I decided to get all of them in by combining prompts to create three "combination days." By sheer coincidence, the fics I settled on writing all ended up following their own theme, which I'm calling "Three Futures." This here is the first future, specifically the bad future from "How Long is Forever?"
I decided that the best way to combine the prompts Nostalgia and Vivid was to play around with the concept of vivid memories. After toying with a few different ideas for that, I ended up landing on the bad future's Nightwing remembering Starfire and how things were back before her timestream disappearance just before he finds her again. Interestingly, a more general version of this fic (HLiF Nightwing talking to Oracle and us kind of exploring his side of things shortly before he finds Starfire) is an idea I've been noodling with for a while now. It was pretty satisfying to finally write it out!
Lost and Found
Nightwing remembered this street.
That was probably a silly thing to think. Nightwing had been patrolling this city for two decades now, so most downtown streets held at least some passing familiarity for him. But this one was special. It was the street where she had first crashed into Earth, so long ago, and had threatened to upend his life in the best possible way.
When he crouched down and studied the pavement beneath its dusting of pale snow, he could imagine that the seam of slightly newer asphalt over there might have been from repaving over the crater she’d made on impact. And at the end where the street split into two, he still recognized the old boarded-up building that had once housed the Titans’ favorite pizza joint, witness to their tumultuous first meeting.
The little smile that had made its way to his Nightwing’s lips faded as he continued to look up at the sad, dilapidated storefront. It still hurt to think of everything he and his friends lost after Starfire disappeared.
It hadn’t happened all at once. At first it was just nerves – everyone on edge as they searched in equal parts desperation and vain for their vanished teammate. They had a pretty good guess that she’d gone with Warp into the future, but without his technology available for study, they simply couldn’t find any way to follow. And with every attempt stymied, frustration and arguments had begun to creep in.
Then the other things, the little things, had started to add up. The incident with Terra, that wanderer they’d found, was the first sign that something was going very wrong. She’d run off less than a day after they tried to take her in, after witnessing one of their bigger fights over the search for Starfire. Beast Boy blamed everyone else for starting the argument and scaring her off.
From there, Beast Boy and Cyborg’s arguments over food and video games and pretty much everything else gradually became less friendly rivalry and “roommate stuff,” and more frustrated and even personal. Then Raven started accusing the others of being too loud, both in reality and in their own heads. And Nightwing – still Robin back then – hadn’t taken the thought of someone “invading” his mind and then complaining about his emotional pain very well.
Starfire had brought the Titans together. And, though none of them realized it at the time, her stubborn optimism and unabashed kindness had played a crucial role in keeping them together. When the team finally fell apart without her, the supervillains seized their opportunity to turn Jump City into their playground. None of the few really nasty ones stuck around long enough to take over completely. And Nightwing (and Raven, Cyborg and Beast Boy, back before they all retreated into their own little worlds) just barely managed to keep the rest from blowing it all up or turning it into some absurd candyland or something. But the damage was done: crime went up, and most of the decent people who could moved away, and the city decayed just as its protectors had.
Nightwing squeezed his eyes shut and tried to shake the melancholy out of his head. Remember why you’re here, he admonished himself. There’d been reports of a strange flying girl wandering around the places his old teammates now haunted, and he needed to investigate. If this was some new would-be supervillain, he wasn’t about to let her harm his friends, estranged or no. And if it was someone looking for help – or perhaps to be of some help, and he’d finally shaken the stupid pride that kept him from admitting he needed it – then he wasn’t about to turn down a meeting.
And then there was the other possibility, the one he hardly dared to hope. A flying girl, seeking out the ex-Titans, and he recalled that somebody had mentioned purple. If it was at all possible… If she had come back to them, after all this time…
In any case, as he continued down the street, he spotted something that looked promising. A single set of boot prints trailed along the side of the road, too fresh for the light snowfall to have covered just yet.
Nightwing frowned thoughtfully as he crouched down again and looked them over. There weren’t a lot of people out and about now, and pretty much never alone. The snowfall, rare enough in winter out here and downright unnatural for what should have been late spring weather, was compliments of the latest mad crook who called himself Forecast. Its continued presence was an easy mark that Forecast was still out and mucking about.
Nightwing stood up and traced the tracks backwards with his gaze. He recognized that direction, too. A couple blocks further down was the old building where Raven had managed to permanently sequester herself away. That was a good sign that he was on the right track, at least.
He ignored the rational part of his mind telling him that it would be easier to just ask the others about their mysterious visitor. Raven he could at least justify by her likelihood of mixing up reality with her hallucinations. Cyborg and Beast Boy, though…
Nightwing was following the tracks forward when his communicator rang. He pulled it up to answer, and Oracle’s face filled the screen.
“How’s the Forecast hunt going?” she asked.
Nightwing glanced up at the dark clouds with a little scowl. “Not good. He’s bunkered down somewhere, but not enough to shut off his little winter wonderland. I’m actually following a lead on something else right now.”
Oracle’s eyebrow shot up. “Oh?”
Nightwing hesitated a moment. “...I think it might be Starfire.”
“Dick.” His friend was shooting him a warning glare now. “You can’t keep doing this to yourself. If I find out you’re spiralling again, so help me I will go to Jump myself and –”
“This is different from the other times, okay?” Nightwing had stopped walking to focus on his communicator. He hoped his expression and tone could properly convey that he meant it, at least enough to keep Oracle from troubling herself with coming all this way to chew him out in person.
Not that he’d mind the company. She was about the last real friend he had left, and that friendship was probably the only thing keeping him sane. But they both had their own duties, and she couldn’t replace everything he’d lost anyway.
Oracle remained wary. “Explain.”
Nightwing sighed. “I caught some reports of a flying girl who matches Starfire’s description, and she’s apparently been visiting the other Ti… my old teammates. I know it’s a long shot to think it’s her, but either way it sounds like this person will be looking for me next. And hey, maybe it’s a new hero coming in to help with the crime here.”
Oracle snorted. “If it isn’t, I think I’m going to put in a good word with the League and see if they can’t send you someone. You’d hardly be the first ‘solo’ hero who could use a sidekick.”
Nightwing nodded absently. He started following the boot prints again, worried that if he lingered too long, the snowfall would cover them.
If he was being completely honest with himself, a part of him desperately wanted the mystery girl to be exactly who he dreamed she was. Starfire had been his closest friend, and he could admit now that he’d developed deeper feelings for her. Maybe even loved her outright, although that might just be rosy-lensed nostalgia talking. He’d hated losing her, hated not being able to fix it. And while he was doing the honesty thing, he knew he had started most of those early arguments about finding her.
Obsessing over her wasn’t healthy – he understood that now. And as Oracle had pointed out more than once, getting her back wouldn’t simply make things go back to the way they were.
But Starfire wasn’t just his obsession. She was his source of hope. When things got overwhelming, when it looked like the villains had finally gotten to be too much and he started to wonder if there was even a point to all this, he remembered her indomitable spirit. Perhaps his most vivid memory from back then was of her final act before she disappeared. It was an act of defiance against a villain who’d spent his entire encounter with the Titans mocking them while all but brushing off their attacks. And if the whole “time travel” business was any indication, it likely meant that, in a way, she was still fighting even now.
Oracle had kept Nightwing from going mad all these years. But Starfire, even just the memory of her, had kept him from giving up. And if there was a chance to find her again, to make at least some of it right, that was something he couldn’t ignore.
…Especially if she had Warp’s time travel tech with her. If this world had been caused by his interference in the time stream, then maybe it wouldn’t take all that much beyond finding her to make far more than “some of” it right.
“Nightwing? Helloooo?” Oracle’s voice cut through his thoughts, and he looked back down at the communicator.
“Hmm?”
“Just call me with an update once you find out more about your mystery visitor, okay?” Oracle was still giving him a suspicious look, but she seemed mollified enough for the time being. “I meant what I said about finding you some help.”
Nightwing nodded and managed to offer her a grateful smile. “Of course. You’re the best.”
“I know!” And with that, she signed off.
Nightwing was trailing the boot prints down another street by now, but by this point he was starting to feel a little foolish. Was following footprints that may or may not be connected to the weird rumors really his best option here? Starfire would have wanted him to just swallow his pride and contact one of the others.
Raised voices and sounds of battle suddenly reached him from the far corner. Nightwing grit his teeth and broke into as much of a run as he could manage on the snow-covered ground. Whether this was his lead or not, he needed to find out and step in before –
He turned the corner and saw her. She stood out, more vivid than any memory, against the dreary decay that her city had become. He saw it in both the bright splashes of color that visually defined her and the fierce passion in her eyes as she stared her opponent down. She was with Warp, still defiant against his arrogance and unafraid to face him alone. She hadn’t aged at all since her disappearance, so long ago.
Nightwing didn’t know how he couldn’t have loved her, back then. He felt mesmerized by this ghost from the past – too young now for them to be as they were before, but filling him all over again with both memory and hope.
Then Warp started talking back to her, and the spell broke. Nightwing couldn’t make out what he was saying from here, but he was mockingly calm and tauntingly held his stolen clock as he spoke.
Nightwing saw the defiance fade in Starfire’s eyes. He snarled, a controlled fury filling him to accompany his spark of hope. Don’t you dare.
With a passionate energy he hadn’t felt in a long time, Nightwing rushed forward and tackled Warp. He threw the time-travelling criminal bodily into a side alley, away from a now startled Starfire. His attempts to follow up were quick and precise, but short-lived as Warp shielded and then phased away. Still, sending him on the defensive would do just fine for now.
Because he could hear Starfire approaching cautiously behind him. He allowed himself a secret little smile. Oracle isn’t going to believe this.
Nightwing caught his breath and straightened up. It was all he could do not to spin around and pull her into what would have been a very awkward hug, but he couldn’t keep a note of warmth out of his voice as he said, “It’s good to see you again.”
Among the most famous illuminated manuscripts were medieval bestiaries, which described natural history and myths about animals and mythical
Okay, it's official: I am obsessed with medieval bestiaries. These colorful manuscripts contain a bizarre mix of natural history as Europeans knew it in the Middle Ages, outlandish claims about the properties and behavior of animals, and even entries on downright mythical creatures. But were they poorly researched zoology books, or something a little deeper? Find out in the latest article from The Biology of Mythology!
“This is my literal job! Why can’t you just appreciate the things I can do for this team?!”
“Because I already lost you once and Fyora can’t bring you back if you’re dead!”
Honestly, this scene has to be one of my favorites from Draikfang. Lots of emotional energy going on here. Is it weird that, despite preferring stories that aren't too heavy on the angst, I really enjoy writing big arguments between characters who truly care about each other?
Anyway, chapter four of Artefact Hunters: Draikfang is up! (Yes, I skipped announcing chapter three. I probably won't be announcing every chapter update unless people ask for it). This concludes what is essentially the first "arc" of the story, as our heroes finally reach the Lost Desert... but not without another mishap or two along the way. Click here to read it in the Neopian Times!
Hello hello dear shippers, it is once again time to announce the RobStar ship week! Taking place from July 13 - July 19, and I would love to see y'all participate.
This year’s prompts are:
Day 1, July 13th: Nostalgia
Day 2, July 14th: Vivid
Day 3, July 15th: Solar/Stellar
Day 4, July 16th: Waterfall
Day 5, July 17th: Beautiful
Day 6, July 18th: Other Titan's POV
Day 7, July 19th: Chocolate
FAQs -
1. What kind of content can I submit?
Any kind! Fics, fanart, graphics, video edits, whatever you feel like creating.
2. Do I have to follow the prompts?
Not necessarily. Anything you make for the week will be happily reblogged and enjoyed.
3. Can I do their comic versions?
The preference is for the toon versions but this blog is honestly not that picky. As long as it’s DickKory, it’s good in my book.
4. What should I tag?
Tag #robstar, #robstarweek, or #robstar week, and feel free to @ this blog (@robxstar) in case Tumblr’s algorithms cause your post to be eaten by the ether.
Eyooo, look what got Quote of the Week in this issue of the NT! It looks a bit odd without the formatting – the second "oh" is supposed to be italicized, which it still is when you go to the actual chapter – but that's a minor thing.
Anyway, as the quote shows, the second chapter of Artefact Hunters: Draikfang is out now in the Neopian Times! Our heroes are officially setting out on their first artefact retrieval mission. What surprises and challenges await them?
It gives us an extra dose of creativity with the fantasy creatures we're writing, the cultures surrounding them, and the naming conventions
*slides in a fresh new post from my fancy writer blog*
*ahem* Myths and folklore aren't as cut and dry as some people think. They evolve, change, and diverge over time, much like living species. Also like living things, this sometimes results in a single mythical creature gaining a wide variety of names.
Fantasy writers can take advantage of different names, whether based on real folklore or our own imaginations, to inject some variety into our monsters. The latest entry in The Biology of Mythology explores how we can use naming conventions to describe multiple members of a fantasy creature "family," or alternatively, different ways people in the setting look at the same creature.
*slides in* Hey guys, you know how I mentioned in my latest WIP game post that I'd gotten sucked back in to the Neopets fandom and was doing some writing for it?
Well, my latest big project is officially coming out! Artefact Hunters is a series I'd actually wanted to write for a very long time now, and the first chapter of the first story Draikfang has recently been released in the current issue of the Neopian Times. If any of you here are interested in it but unfamiliar with the Times, it's an official fan publication that comes out every two weeks -- meaning that Draikfang is 100% complete and should have each new chapter released on a biweekly schedule (with one possible exception, but we'll worry about that if it comes up.)
While you're perusing, feel free to check out some of my other works in the Neopian Times by clicking my username under the title! Be warned that most of those are from several years ago and not necessarily as polished as my current work, but the short story "Celebrations, and the Pitfalls Therein" actually has some loose connections to Draikfang.
Rules: In a new post, list the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.
--
*claps hands* Right, so. As I've been getting better with committing to projects, writing longer ones like Spoiler Alert was, and getting really serious about my original writing, I've come to realize that many of my older WIPs and story ideas will probably never see the light of day as I keep coming up with new ones that end up taking priority. It... doesn't exactly help that I tend to get super-focused on one fandom at a time, which, combined with needing to also work on the original stuff, means my other fandoms tend to languish for a while.
This is why it's taking me so long between Postcards from Tokyo updates. My "muse" just isn't with Teen Titans right now, so other projects keep taking priority even though I'm still bound and determined to eventually finish it. It's also why I haven't posted here in a while: I got sucked back in to yet another new-old fandom several months back (you'll see it below), and wasn't sure how interested my Tumblr followers would be in it.
But the tag has been posted, the challenge has been made, and so here are the WIPs that I'm still hoping to complete!
Original Work
Chronicles of the Horizonlands: Beyond the Border
More than Myth: Sirenians
Kim Possible
Mission: Possible (Episode 1: Rivalry)
Better Diplomacy Through Glorious Combat
Teen Titans
Postcards from Tokyo
Dissonant Whispers
Neopets
Artefact Hunters: Draikfang
Artefact Hunters: Ikimono's Mirror
DnD Campaign
Monster Party
(As with last year, I don't actually know enough writers on this site to even know where to begin with tagging. If you're a writer and want to share your WIPs, I hereby informally tag you to go for it! *throws confetti*)
