A Hummingbird Thought A Man’s Orange Hat Was A Flower [x]

the sound he makes (via)

The Fair Folk: “I can’t believe this. Twenty years I’ve cleaned your house and you DARE to try to REPAY me with GIFTS. This is such an insult. Fuck you, you insolent humans. I’m leaving here and never returning because you have insulted me so deeply.”

Also the Fair Folk: “Remember that one time you pulled a thorn out of a cat’s foot? That was me. To show my gratitude, here is a house made of solid gold, a life-debt, my daughter’s hand in marriage, and a promise that all your children will be gorgeous and successful at all that they do. I can also throw in a blow job if you want. I hope this is enough. I don’t want to seem ungrateful.”

for the fic title game, 'you're the ghost of your predecessors'?

OKAY so I know a lot of people will be thinking like Tim or Damian for this one, and I get it. I get it. But Steph. Fic with Steph focusing on her sense of identity and how it's always been tied so closely to other people. First, her father, as Spoiler. Next, as Robin, everyone that came before her—Dick, Jason, Tim. Wanting so desperately to be her own Robin—good like they were, but in her own way, but at every turn she was condescended to, compared, disrespected, and just couldn't be her own Robin.

Then there was Batgirl, and Batgirl was a breath of fresh air. Batgirl wasn't under Bruce’s jurisdiction any more than Oracle was—Batgirl wasn't Robin. But, but, but. As Batgirl, she had to be as smart as Babs, as strong as Cass, and as kind as the both of them. As Batgirl, the load to be as good as her predecessors was one she put on herself, to prove their trust in her wasn't misplaced or misguided. Another mantle, more legacies to uphold.

Then, fast forward a bit, and she's Spoiler again. And Spoiler was created to spoil her father's plots and get him in jail, but, well, he's been in jail for around three years now, and with the strings she's sure were tugged, he's not getting out any time soon. And, she- Spoiler is hers. Nobody's but hers. And she doesn't know how to feel about having a title that's just hers.

She's still got the weight of Robin and Batgirl on her shoulders, but maybe this is one she doesn't mind bearing. She's a ghost of her predecessors, but it doesn't sound so negative now. Maybe she can live with that.

She's a reflection of everyone that's come before her, and that isn't too bad. Dick's determination, Jason’s compassion, Tim's crazy-smart kindness, Cass' strength, Babs' intelligence. Bruce’s paranoia.

Damian has your bravery, Tim tells her once, and she almost breaks down sobbing. She can be a ghost of her predecessors, if that means those that come after her will be a ghost of her too.

we are in a media literacy crisis

friends asked me to make this and i couldn't say no.

(ง'̀-‘́)ง

THE BATMAN (2022) dir. Matt Reeves

*bored at a Wayne gala*

Tim: Anybody have any game ideas?

Dick: Let's play the question game!

Jason: NO! Do NOT listen to him.

Duke: What's the question game?

Dick: Two people have a conversation but only in questions. The first person to say a normal sentence loses- but couldn't you have figured it out?

Damian: That does not sound difficult.

Jason: He is unnaturally good at this stupid game. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Dick: It's not that bad is it? So who's up first?

Jason: Run away, little pigs. Run away while you still can.

Steph: Could I give it a go?

Dick: I don't know? Could you?

Steph: You're pretty confident aren't you?

Dick: Any reason I shouldn't be?

Steph: Remind me: your old outfit was butt-ugly, right?

Duke: Isn't that a little...personal?

Steph: Quiet, you. Wait, no, hang on-

Jason: Ooooh, sorry, Steph!

Steph: Duke distracted me! That's cheating!

Dick: Would you like a rematch?

Tim: Wait, wait. Let me give this a try.

Dick: You want to try, Tim?

Tim: Why not?

Dick: Let me know when you're ready?

Tim: I'm ready.

Jason: Short and sweet.

Dick: Anyone else? Jason?

Jason: Hell no- I've lost enough of my life to this dumb game.

Dick: What about you, Damian? You want to give this a try?

Damian: Well, wouldn't that be the next logical step?

Dick: Who said this was a logical game?

Damian: Were you the one who told Bruce to limit my animal adoption rates?

Dick: And what if I was?

Damian: Would you not feel betrayed?

Dick: Would you not like me to act in your own interest?

Damian: Is that a real question?

Dick: Is that an incredibly weak response?

*several hours later*

Damian: But have I proved my point?

Dick: Can we agree to disagree?

Duke: Dick, how long is this going to go on for?

Jason: Hours...days. Months doesn't seem unreasonable.

Tim: Speaking from experience?

Jason: You have no idea.

Fansplaining

The Endless Appetite for Fanfiction — Fansplaining

In 2024, everyone wanted a piece of fic, from AI grifters to traditional publishers to ravenous audiences. Where did that leave the people w

In a normal year, @flourish & I would have made a list of five big fandom trends for our annual "Year in Fandom" round-up. But the podcast is on hiatus, and I was left with MANY THOUGHTS about fanfiction seeming to break containment this year and nowhere to put them. So this is a "Year in Fandom" segment of sorts, about a set of related fanfiction trends that I'm pretty unhappy about!

I get that sense that a lot of fandom folks are, like me, worried about the way the ground seems to be shifting beneath us: in meta after meta, I’ve seen frustration over a larger but increasingly passive fic readership; dismay that traditional publishing has a growing influence over a practice that partly exists in opposition to it; and anger that some guy can just copy-paste your work and charge money for it, and no one outside of fandom seems to care.

What happens when fanfiction scales—but participatory fan communities do not? Read or listen to an audio version via the link above!