Gonna have to finally update my phone soon so I’m goin thru my notes app tryin to make sure I save some stuff so have this night force snippet I don’t think I ever ended up sharing lol it’s from Feb2022!!!!!
“Is that fucking Linkin Park!?” Lori yelled as the credits began to roll on the screen in front of them.
“Oh my g- holy shit! You’re right! It’s from-“ Traci began to snap her fingers, as if trying to place the name, “Goddamn- Castle of Glass was on that album. That’s all I can think of right now.”
“No, yeah, this is Powerless. But-“ Zach seemed almost on the brink of saying the name on Lori’s mind when she called it out.
“Living Things! That was it! Oh my god. I must’ve listened to it a thousand times! What the fuck is it doing in this movie?” she began laughing outright and everyone else joined her.
Eddie was a bit more subdued, however, shaking his head as he lifted up his hands on either side of him.
“Hey, I’ve asked Aunt Marla to get me in touch with her contacts and I’ve gotten zip since,” he sighed, “There’s some mysteries we may never have an answer to.”
“Fuck that, I want to know why the fuck Linkin fuckin Park is in my vampire-hunting Abe Lincoln movie!” Lori hollered.
Since you asked for prompts: 28 from “DC - Writing Prompts” with Stephanie and Bruce?
I've been sitting on this ask & prompt for damn near four years (I think I had this finished sometime in either 2023/2024 tbh) and i think it says something about how your brain really can fuck with you, where you think everything you write isn't 'deserving' of being shared...
This year it's not abt getting things perfect, it's abt getting them done & sharing that joy with others.
Anyways here's how at some point I rlly wish the end of Robin #128 had gone:
“That’s not how this works-" Bruce started.
“Really? Because from where I was sitting it sounded like you were having your ass handed to you,” Stephanie’s cheeks were dusted with a light blush as she amended her admonishment with a quiet, “boss.”
“Regardless,” Bruce began again, “you disobeyed a direct order. The-“
“Why can’t you see that I’m trying to protect you!”
She clamped her hands over her mouth almost as fast as the words that had spilled out of it. But there was no taking them back.
Bruce blinked once. Twice. Four more times in quick succession.
“Excuse me?”
“I mean…” Stephanie glanced around the cave, thinking over her next words carefully. “That’s half the reason for Robin, isn’t it? So you have someone to watch your back, and to have someone to watch out for?”
“That’s-“
“So I was doing exactly what my job requires,” Stephanie’s eyes earnestly met his now, a pleading in them as she continued, “Even if I wasn’t necessarily following orders directly to a ‘T’, my main priority was watching your back, boss! Did you really expect me to sit there and wait for you to stop barking orders at me to start disregarding them? And sure, make me run another hundred gauntlets, go another dozen sparring sessions with Batgirl, hell, invite Oracle and Alfred and even Nightwing in for a quadruple threat of lectures!”
She puffed her chest out defiantly as she concluded, “But don’t you dare try to lie to me and tell me that you had it handled or that you were gonna walk away from that fight. She had you, Batman. Dead to rights, she would’ve killed you.”
“Hrm.”
Bruce turned away and sat before the batcomputer.
“You’re benched for the next week. During patrol you are to either train here in the cave or the Clocktower holo-room. You may also support Oracle during that time, provided you follow our orders, to a ‘T’, as you so eloquently put it. Do those things, and I will consider-” he gritted the word but did not turn back to face her, “-allowing you to patrol again on another probationary basis. There will be no second strike.”
Hi. Will you consider Zachary and Raven Flirting with a hint of kind of a future, Hopeful sort, perhaps after a mission involving a cult and magic ? Or perhaps flirting with each other during a fight/mission! Thank you kindly
its been Quite a year, but I finally got around to this and got it... just where I needed it to be ^^; hope you enjoy!
(And obvsly Content Warning for irreverent cult discussion in dialogue at the beginning)
…
“Why do they always have to end with death or sex?” Raven groaned as she fell back into the couch.
“At least they’re consistent,” Zach said, stretching his arms lazily overhead before taking the seat beside her, “That’s more than I can say for most after-parties I’ve been to.”
“Gonna go do a cleanse, don’t wait up,” Traci called from the entryway before disappearing down the hall.
Raven waved her off, rubbing at her eyes with her other hand as she continued, “When was the last time we broke up a doomsday cult? I miss proving those ones wrong.”
“Better yet, when was the last time we did a classic monster hunt?” Zach chuckled, “I see less and less of the team with every mission.”
Raven shrugged, “College.”
“Ah, that old scam that the rest of you have been suckered into,” the magician nodded before giving a cry of protest as Raven knocked him on the shoulder.
“Says our resident drop-out.”
“I prefer the term, non-completionist.”
“Can you even spell ‘completionist’, Zachary?”
“I’m ninety percent sure there’s a ‘Q’ in it somewhere,” he joked, a lopsided smile on his face as he reached around Raven’s head, using a sleight of hand to conjure a folded note of paper.
“Is this your word?”
The empath rolled her eyes, taking the paper and unfolding it to read.
Sure enough, the word ‘comqletionist’ was scrawled across the paper in the most obnoxious cursive she ever had the displeasure of deciphering.
“Dreadful. Absolutely awful,” she said, shaking her head. Only the small smile that began to dance along her lips betrayed her true amusement at the trick. She bit back her lip to hide it for a moment before she relented, “You get one more chance.”
“What? There’s no way that’s wrong!”
Zach snatched the paper from her hand then. Making a show of looking at the page and running his finger along the script.
“C-O-M- ah, here’s the problem!” he smiled, licking the tip of his thumb before rubbing it at the ‘Q’, “All my backwards talking finally turned the letters backwards too.”
As his hand pulled away from the page, the letter had been replaced, the word finally spelled correctly.
Raven gave the magician a slow clap for his efforts.
“Bravo. You have proved yourself literate. Congratulations.”
“Zee’s always told me, I’d increase my prospects by learning to read-“
“For once, I agree with her-“
“You’re always doing that,” Zach frowned, crumpling the paper in hand. In the silence that followed, he turned the ball over in his hand for a moment, before whispering, ‘ebok’ and tossing the trash with lazy aim. It landed perfectly in the bin, regardless.
“That grudge between you two-“
“Zachary.”
The way she said his name sent a shiver right through his spine. The unspoken request that lay in the inflection of her voice.
‘Drop it. Please,’ was what she was really asking of him.
“A peace offering?” he asked, pulling another sleight that he had been saving all day. Out from his sleeve popped a trio of daffodils, which he offered to the empath with bated breath.
Raven gave a short bark of a laugh before taking the flowers carefully in her hands.
“Narcissus?”
“Excuse me?” Zach blinked, “I’m-”
“Don’t get your hat in a twist,” Raven argued, a soft scoff at the end as her lip stayed quirked in amusement, “It’s the name of the plant. For the myth? Narcissus’ narcissus grew all around where he last languished over the love he...”
Before she could turn his gaze on him, Zach stood up from his seat.
“It’s, um, kind of late. We should- I’ve got rehearsal tomorrow and,” he swallowed, eyes darting to anywhere but where she sat now as he began to make a break for the exit, “You’re probably exhausted and we could both use some sleep and-”
“Zachary.”
Her voice was much softer this time, but it made him freeze all the same. His hand was resting against the door frame, his body mostly obscured now as he had already crossed the threshold. Try as he might to calm his nerves, he could feel his heart thundering in his chest.
He finally lifted his gaze to meet hers once again.
Prompt for Helena Bertinelli and Artemis Crock ficlet. They discuss their respective families while practicing with their crossbows.
After finally catching up on season 1 of Stargirl... I wasn’t absolutely sure if I wanted this to be compliant to that or to YJ(2010) (bc i CERTAINLY havent read anything on artemis crock comics-wise) so... have a short something that’s hopefully somewhere in between!
…
Barbara meant well, of that much Helena was certain. And she was also certain that the hacker’s intel had been accurate when she had originally given Helena the tip to zeta to the Watchtower for some solo target practice.
So while she certainly did not desire the company that she suddenly found herself in, she was begrudgingly accepting of it.
Tigress, or rather Artemis, was currently walking down the length of the range to recover her arrows from their various positions along the targets at the other end. Helena waited for the hero to turn around before giving a hesitant wave in greeting, quickly turning her own attention to loading her crossbow with its first bolt, and laying out the others within easy reach.
They stood in silence, Artemis leisurely making her way back to the firing point while Helena waited patiently for her. Safety first, after all. Can’t start shooting with someone in the field.
“Mind if I stay to shoot alongside you?” Artemis asked, slinging her quiver over her shoulder before gesturing with her bow in hand, “I’ll take the first three targets, you get the next ones?”
Helena shrugged, turning to take aim, “Sounds fair. You were here first.”
And with that they practiced in relative silence.
Her first round went well, though she could tell that her sight had her leaning a little to the left. She had to recalibrate it a few times to get it righted, but her last three bolts struck true to her aim.
She finished just a tad behind her companion, who thankfully did not let any frustrations show on her face. If she had any to begin with, however, was anyone’s guess.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve worked with a bow. Even longer since I’ve used one in the field,” Artemis said, breaking the ice as they both stepped forward to collect their arrows. “Don’t want to get rusty.”
“How’re you liking your crossbow?” Helena ventured, “I’d imagine it’s… different.”
The archer gave a dismissive shrug before retrieving her first arrow.
“Dad trained me in all kinds of weapons. It’s, uh... well, it’s like riding a bike,” she snorted softly then before finishing the saying, “You never forget.”
Helena nodded, giving a small grunt of effort as she pulled one bolt that was lodged deeper than expected free of the target.
“My dad… definitely didn’t want this for me,” she admitted, “Overbearing, overprotective… He meant well, though.”
“Parents always mean well,” the archer offered, “In their own… weird way, I guess.”
“What about your mom? Did she, uh... approve?”
Artemis pulled her last arrow from the target with considerable force, regarding it in her hand a moment before answering, “I think I’d rather talk more about our crossbows.”
Helena nodded, “Fair enough… How’re the scopes on your bow?”
Synop: Early into Bruce and Zatanna’s respective careers, they began a less-than-clandestine relationship. And while ultimately it would prove short-lived, it was by no means insignificant.
Note: Dropping the first chapter on Ao3 before 2020 ends, and (hopefully) will update a chapter a night over there, as I’m still wrapping editing for the last 2! Please keep in mind that the last chapter will include explicit smut, so if that is/isn’t your jam, This Is Your Warning.
“It’s a simple bet,” Zatanna explained, placing two chocolate chip cookies on a napkin and setting it inside the microwave.
“If you can escape those handcuffs before they’re done, I’ll share one with you. If not, you miss out on the delicious, wonderful warmth of a cookie that tastes exactly like it was fresh outta-”
“I get it, I get it! Start it already!” Zach cried impatiently, hands already itching to reach on the counter for the paperclip.
It wasn’t so much the promise of sweets, as it was the chance to prove himself, that had him so excited to beat this challenge.
“Focus, Zach,” Zee chided, closing the appliance’s door and setting up the timer.
“Fifteen seconds on the clock, ladies and germs,” she announced, voice echoing around the kitchen and loud enough to carry down the hall, where Zach knew his uncle was listening in on their shenanigans.
“But can our young escape protégé become an escape master?”
She picked up the paperclip and pinched it between her thumb and forefinger delicately; for the dramatic effect, naturally. Her other hand was on the microwave to start the clock.
“On your mark! Get set…”
She glanced between the clip, Zach’s eager eyes, and then the microwave to the side of them before gently whispering.
“Og.”
Zach made his first mistake in almost missing the catch when she released the clip into his hands, it glanced off of a fingertip before he caught it in the rebound.
“Ouch, not off to-”
He’s already tuned her out. Straighten the clip, lodge it into the hole. Twist. Turn. Push. Bend. Twist. Feel the latch release. Turn. The first one is off!
“Five seconds.”
He hears the click and release and pulls the other apart just as Zee continued her countdown to ‘two’, hands raised in victory as she cried ‘one’, and he began screaming and bouncing in excitement with her, louder than the appliance’s chimes.
“Well done! Well done, my boy! You’ve mastered the cuffs!” Zatara clapped from the archway before stepping to join the two in an embrace.
“Does this mean I can try the straightjacket next?” he asked, a fervent glint in his eyes.
The two older magicians laughed, Zatara mussing the young boy’s hair.
“In time,” he promised, “Enjoy your reward, first! We can start first thing tomorrow!”
Im terrible at prompts so bare w me but some dinahzee snuggling after a jla mission that one of them almost died or smth
joey, ur a REAL mvp THANK u. this is quick, but hopefully appropriately fluffy!
...
As Dinah set to work cleaning the remnants of a verifiable buffet the duo had ordered in, off of Zatanna’s coffee table, she began shaking her head at the magician’s excuses and explanations.
“You shouldn’t be allowed to fight-”
“I took down two of them, didn’t I?”
“You’ve never made it farther than a green belt, Zee-”
“We said we’d never mention that,” she pouted, crossing her arms before leaning back into the couch with an exasperated huff. She tried not to wince as she felt the press against a deep bruise on her back. She turned her face away from the singer as she mumbled under her breath, “But… admittedly, it was a terrible idea.”
“Terrible doesn’t even begin to cover it, o’ mistress of mistakes-”
“You better watch yourself before I turn you into an actual canary.”
Dinah only found herself sighing in response, choosing instead to finish tossing or refrigerating their leftovers. It was a minute before she spoke again. By then Zatanna had finished most of her drink, swirling the ice in what remained of her Long Island tea. She took another sip as Dinah took the seat beside her, her eyes still avoiding Dinah’s.
“You know… anyone in the league would be more than happy to help you brush up your skills-”
“I’m perfectly content being an above average green belt, thanks.”
“Could you, for once, stop being an obstinate ass and just accept the damn help? That one goon almost nailed you in the head tonight-”
“But I ducked!”
“Why didn’t you speak-”
“They were all too close!”
“If I hadn’t been there-”
“But you were.”
Their eyes finally met, hard expressions softening for one another.
The Canary finally laughed, a soft sound as she wrapped her arms carefully around Zatanna. They stretched out along the couch then, the singer holding the magician close, hearts falling into slow rhythm as Zatanna began tracing mindless, lazy patterns along her arm.
“I worry, Zee, you know how I am... Just… promise me you’ll schedule more sparring time at the Watchtower? Or sign up for a refresher course? Just… something?”
“Dinah, with my schedule-”
“I’m asking for the bare minimum here, babe. Just to put me at ease. Or else...”
She began leaving a trail of soft kisses along Zatanna’s neck that had the magician laughing.
“Stop! Alright! I promise!”
“Mmm, your bond’s only as good as your word…” She left another kiss in the hollow of Zatanna’s neck, this time earning a light swat on her arm.
“Fine. I esimorp. Happy? Now I’m bound to it,” she pouted.
Was super inspired by some art of Zach n Zee, so i just HAD to write a quick little thing for ‘em!
(read below or on ao3!) and remember that reblogs help fic writers more than you realize *prayer hands emoji*
…
The fall of Zatanna’s heels echoed down the halls of Shadowcrest. A clack, clack, clacking against ancient oak paneling, matched only by the softer, dull thuds of Zach’s dress shoes. The hall was unnaturally dim, darkness shifting at a whim and casting inhuman shapes against the portraits and sculptures alike. Zach thought for a moment he even saw one of Giovanni’s old posters blink at him, the old magician’s smile looking like more of a menacing scowl in the flickering candlelight.
This darkness had descended only minutes ago, the awful chill permeating the mansion moments behind it.
Not to mention, the general foreboding feeling had thoroughly interrupted the practice performance Zach was running through with his cousin.
She’d changed almost immediately into her League uniform; fishnets traded for those legendary thigh-high blue boots, classy tailcoat replaced with loose long sleeves and flowing cape. He’d always wondered what had possessed Zatanna into making those choices for her costume design. But those questions would once again have to wait another day. She’d sprung into action instantly, and it had taken the tween all he could just to utter a quick ‘thgil ni ym dnah’ spell, following close behind her.
“Think we’re under attack?”
He fidgeted nervously with the candle in hand, adjusting his grip to avoid the burning wax spilling over the side. Steps were turning into skips, a light jog every couple of feet to keep pace.
‘Never let them see you sweat,’ Zach remembered both Giovanni and his cousin telling him, time and time again. Advice, evidently, she took to heart.
“Unless something got past the security, it’s gotta be coming from inside. Could be one of dad’s old trophies,” she mused and Zach could see the scowl on her face deepen before she got further ahead of him again. “Could be something we didn’t check thoroughly enough.”
“I thought Uncle John said ‘Zataras don’t collect trophies’?”
Zatanna turned slightly so her cousin would benefit from seeing her eye roll. He glared back as she turned forward again.
“Souvenirs, then.” She stopped in her tracks, thinking it over as the younger magician nearly bumped into her. “Although, ‘items under new protection’ might be a more accurate description,” she smiled, “But it’s a helluva mouthful. Not nearly enough of a ring to it.”
She continued on, down the hallway. The shadows grew darker, taking sharper, sinister shapes. She was unfazed, the same confident stride all the way down. Zach picked up his pace to keep step with her, nearly dropping the candle as the wax spilled over his fingers. He sucked in a sharp breath, whispering a healing word.
“So, we’re supposed to be running headlong into... whatever the hell you or Uncle John brought home and… What? Ask it to stop all this horrible nonsense?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Zach,” Zatanna chuckled, finally at rest in front of a set of oak doors. The library just behind it, he realized, was their unspoken goal.
A chill ran down his spine in recognition of the energy in the room beyond. It exceeded anything he’d felt so far. The sheer wave of power emanating from within frightening enough to rattle against his bones.
And yet, impossibly, the self-assured grin on the sorceress’ face, worried him more than any of that.
“We don’t ask. We tell.”
With a practiced flair, she swung open the doors, her sleeves flaring out on either side as she leveled them against the room.
The playful smile shifted into a scowl to match Zatara’s as she commanded, “POTS SIHT ESNESNON!”
Zach almost would have laughed, were it not for the way she shielded them both swiftly with her cape as the demon inside fought back in kind.
“NUR!”
An unnecessary command, but one he followed before the word had even left her lips.
Heavy footfalls, lightning quick breathing. All his training never prepared him for this mad dash for his life. He could hear Zee just behind him, yelling curses and chanting protection against the beast.
“TI-! EPS- EPAC- for fuck’s- TIXE!”
He nearly cried as a door materialized a few blessed feet in front of him, willing it to stay in existence long enough for Zatanna to follow him inside.
“KCOL! KCOL! KCOL!” he chanted, falling back into a chair when the door thumped a few times, but held firmly in its frame.
Zatanna allowed herself to collapse onto the ground, slowly regaining control of her breathing and taking in the room around them.
“So your quick exit leads to a dressing room, huh?” she laughed. “Good thinking, kid.” She took a few more breaths before adding, “The word you were looking for was ‘epacse’, by the way. Even better would be ‘ycnegreme tixe’ but-”
“-It’s a helluva mouthful,” Zach supplied, cocky smile growing on his face as they shared breathless snickers. "Not nearly enough of a ring."
