#when exploring options of where Tim could go

[redrobin-detective]

I’ve been kind of brain dead for ideas lately but an old one that I was batting around the other day was, following Jack Drake’s death everyone was scrambling to figure out what to do with Tim. Bruce wanted to adopt him, Dana was going to take him when she was well enough, Dick probably threw his hat into the ring to give the kid options.

Now Tim has this grand scheme to circumvent all this by hiring an actor to portray a made-up uncle but he looks out at the city one night and is Tired. This city stole his peace, bits of his flesh, his friends and now his dad. Suddenly he doesn’t want to live there anymore. He makes a phone call and a few days later, he’s on a bus to Smallville to be fostered by Martha Kent.

Kon was a little surprised at the call but Martha didn’t hesitate to sign those papers. She’d seen the fallout of Tim when his mother died, if no one else would take care of Tim then she would. He arrives with a backpack full of clothes and a U-Haul of computer equipment which he sets up in the back guest room barely leaving room for a bed.

He goes to Smallville High with Conner, eats an early, homemade dinner by Ma who kisses his forehead before he Zetas back to Gotham for patrol. He’s still Robin, still fights and bleeds for Gotham. But he can’t live there, not right now. Bruce is doing his pouty hurt dad routine, Dick thinks he’s trying to make a move on Kon but really Tim is tired of the brutality of the city and wants some peace for once in his life. He Zetas back early in the morning, quietly knocks on Ma’s door so she knows he’s back and heads to bed.

His allergies give him hell in the country but he still insists on helping Kon with chores. Conner laughs at how badly he fumbles through livestock feeding and crop tending and starts working on ways to make it more efficient. He sleeps through class and spars out in the open fields and, when he’s feeling homesick, Kon will fly him real high and drop him and he can pretend like he’s just dived off a skyscraper. Martha reminds him to eat, to sleep, to wash behind his ears and stop looking at gruesome crime scene photos at the dinner table. Tim’s never had a happy, normal family situation. It unnerves him but it soothes him too as he works, really works, on some of his more self-destructive habits. For Ma’s sake. Martha knows this is only temporary, that Tim can’t, won’t, stay away from Gotham forever. But she drapes a blanket over his shoulder where he’s fallen asleep 5 minutes into a movie on the couch and brushes his hair out of his sleep deprived eyes. She loves Bruce like a second son but Tim is her baby now too and she’ll tear B to shreds if he doesn’t properly care for Tim when he returns.

Kon and Tim, who’d been kind of dancing around their feelings for years, are now in an equally strange dynamic of ‘are we brothers now? are you just a bud crashing indefinitely at my house? we come and go from Titans Tower together what does everyone THINK is happening???’ and settle for just doing nothing. They do stay up late on nights Tim isn’t in Gotham talking about bad tv shows and how lame school is and rocket ships and the latest supervillain scandal. As weird as the situation is, Tim looks happier and healthier than he has in ages. Plus it’s kinda rad to have a sleepover with your best friend every night. As far as he is concerned, Tim never has to step foot in Gotham again.

Clark comes back to the farm from a long space mission to find Batman’s latest sidekick typing up a storm typing on a computer with one hand and stirring soup with the other. “Sup,” Tim mumbles as he remains focused on both his tasks. “Sorry, guest room is mine now. I’d offer it up but it’s a pretty tight fit in there with all my gear.” And that’s how he found out his Mom may or may not have legally kidnapped Batman’s sorta maybe I guess not kid from under his nose and he’s Clark’s unofficial little brother. All he knows is Bruce is going to be a nightmare at the next League meeting.

#first thought of this when writing secret robin #when exploring options of where Tim could go #and the idea of him fleeing the city and going to smallville with his best friend #its a bit sweet #Tim loves his city but hes been through a lot and maybe a kid wants some stability #wants a parent who Knows but accepts him weird quirks and all #so long as they don't affect his health #she feeds him cookies and pets his hair and listens to him geek out on music and cold cases #he doesn't think he'll be able to stay away from gotham for long #but right now this is nice #Martha Kent will throw down with Batman to keep Tim safe #Clark is very confused #he calls Tim scamp one time and Tim's like Mr Kent dont do that #anyway yeah weird au thoughts Im thinking again like 4 months later

[thatfreshi]

Little Stars and Such (Astarion x Reader)

It's here, the piercing fic, in which body-modded Tav gives Astarion hella piercings. I made a previous post with his piercing map in case you guys don't know the terms (I basically didn't until yesterday)

Tw - needles, implied sex

Recommended Song: Gregg's Woods - Alec Holowka

For the past couple of days, Astarion has been asking quite a few questions about your piercings. You had adorned your nose and face in tiny pieces of metal, all done by hand. Your little collection has grown over time, most recently with an eyebrow piercing once you settled down in Baldur's Gate once again.

"Do they hurt?"

"Like, when you pierce them? Yeah. You get used to it though. Surprised you don't have any honestly, elves are known for having the most elaborate piercings."

He stays silent for a moment, and you realize he wouldn't know that.

"Wasn't exactly a thing Cazador just let us do. Body modifications were mostly limited to demonic scars and being cut up for fun."

"Right... sorry."

"Don't be."

The conversation ended pretty abruptly, but picked up the next day while you were swapping out your nose ring.

"Do you ever get scared that your little ring will get caught on something and rip out of your nose?"

A sudden question, but a welcome one.

"I mean, sometimes, but not many people are that close to my nose. Unless you're planning on ripping out my piercing?"

You eye him suspiciously and he smirks.

"Oh, I would never."

This goes on for days, little prodding questions about all your accessories. One morning, while the two of you are lying in bed, you catch him staring at the helix on your ear.

"Astarion do you... do you want a piercing? Because I can do them. I mean I did these to myself."

"I've been thinking about it. I'm just a little nervous is all."

"Why my love?"

"I mean, I've never really had the freedom to do what I want with my body, in a lot of ways. That's one of those things I never got to explore, all the body modifications people are oh so familiar with. I suppose I could've done one with an embroidery needle if I was desperate, but that's just not something I had the liberty to think about."

You move a strand of hair out of his eyes.

"Well, you have the freedom to do whatever you want now."

"Then perhaps I'd like a couple."

"A couple? You don't wanna start with one?"

"Nonsense! One would be sad and pathetic, and we know I am a man of extravagance."

"Alright, if you insist."

You then grab a notebook sitting on the bedside table, and begin to draw out a plan for his piercings. Astarion insists that he only wants them on his ears, because he doesn't want anything to ruin his perfect face. As you're sketching, you continue to talk.

"You know this is gonna suck, right? Since your ears are so sensitive?"

"Sensitive? What makes you say that."

You blankly stare at him until he gives up.

"Okay fine, but I'm sure it can't be that bad!"

"I don't know. I mean I'm going to stab multiple holes through your ears. You barely like them being touched."

"I've been through enough pain. Nothing compares to jagged cuts in your back, I promise."

There are many moments like that, where he says something tragic that you just can't bring yourself to argue with. Without another word, he curls up against you, and the two of you discuss the options he has. Eventually, you settle on five on each side, because he INSISTED they be symmetrical.

"Tav, what kind of idiot would I look like if I had one ear with a bunch of shit on it, and one just, empty?"

"I guess you're not wrong."

He decides on two helixes, two lobe piercings, and a daith. You're a little surprised that he's going all out on this, but you don't mind. Everyone has that thing that lets them feel free, the thing they finally do to show the world 'I'm my own person.' Besides, if he didn't like them he could simply let them heal back up, forget this ever happened.

You go to grab your little makeshift piercing kit, full of fine needles you've collected over time, just in case you ever lose some.

"Now, you'll have to wear some of mine since you don't have your own earrings yet, but I'm sure you won't mind because my collection is amazing."

He sits up in bed, his shirt sleeve softly draping off his shoulder. If he could still be in the sun, you'd imagine a beam of light coming through the window right now, illuminating his face. You sit beside him, gently placing the box of needles by your feet.

"Alright, I'm gonna walk you through this as I do it, and if you want to stop at any time we can."

"Thank you my love."

The thought crosses your mind, that he'd probably not let any other soul on the planet do this kind of thing. Any time he's let someone else have control over his body, it's been riddled with sin and scars. But you? You've always been kind, soft, present. That's one thing he loves most about you, that he feels like he can be present. Not drifting off somewhere else, not closing off his mind to defend himself, not playing a chess match in his head. It's, easy. Life is easy now, and isn't that something wonderful?

"Alright, we're gonna start on the lobe. You feel the needle?"

You hold it lightly against his ear, and he shivers a little.

"Mhm."

"Alright, don't tense, but it's gonna hurt."

You hear the air escape through his teeth as the needle goes through. A pretty clean job if you do say so yourself.

"Well?"

You put in a dangling gold moon, waiting to see how he feels.

"Painful, but not horrible."

"Want to go again?'

"Of course."

He says it a little suggestively, and you give him a playful push.

"Save it for later imp."

You continue with his piercings, taking small breaks in between for conversation. You've continued adorning his ears with astral-themed jewelry, little stars and such. By the time you've finished the last one, you're quite pleased with your work. Astarion almost doesn't let you put the last earring in since he's so excited to see what you've done. He had Gale teach him mirror image a while ago, so he could finally see his reflection whenever he wanted. After casting it and giving his ears a look, he smiles.

Astarion laughs at your comment, giving one of those genuine smiles you used to rarely see. You silently curse the people that took that smile from him, wondering how anyone could see this specimen and torment him. He's like a pixie, a little trickster, someone you could pick up and hold forever. You know you're probably the only one who sees him that way, the only one who would call him cute, but he is. He enjoys it, being viewed as something that isn't devious or sexual, but a bright presence. You told him once how it's ironic that he can't be in the sun, because he was probably sunnier than the sun itself. He'd never let you tell anyone else that though.

"I... I think I quite like them."

"I do too. It's fitting."

You plant a kiss on his cheek.

"Worth the pain?"

"Most things are my love. Like you."

His hand meets your face, taking you into a deep kiss. When you break away, you whisper in his ear.

"I think they make you sexier too."

A chuckle under his breath, lips meeting again, and the morning is soon wasted away in bed. What a joy, to wake up every day with him, with someone living their life anew. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Neither of you know, but it's exciting none-the-less.

#baldur's gate 3 #astarion #baldurs gate astarion #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #fluff

[dairy-farmer]

Jaytim half sibling au, where tim is catherine and willis todd's biological child. They put him up for adoption because they felt they couldn't support more than one child. Jason was only two or three at the time, and only has vague memories of his mommy's tummy being big.

Maybe tim always knew he was adopted, but didn't care much, other than the odd daydream when he was lonely. He loved his parents, so he mostly fantasized about long lost brothers or sisters.

Idk how this would progress into jaytim, but I feel like this is a deep well for exploring Jason's mommy kink lol (imagine if tim has her smile)

👀👀👀👀 okay so i had a jaytim thread fic about tim and jason being biological fraternal twin brothers here!!!

but here tim knowing he's adopted and always being curious about the family he would've had if his bio parents kept him. it had been a closed adoption. willis had insisted, told catherine it would make things easier because they couldn't afford another child. not when jason was already such a big expense, plus at least with the adoption they'd recieve some money and that would keep their heads above water for the meanwhile. catherine, of course, knows willis is right. she knows they can't afford another baby. but...this is the first baby she's ever carried and now she has to give them up. it takes a toll on her. jason recalls years later never really knowing what pushed his mom into her drug habit. as far back as he could remember he knew she'd been self medicating with drugs and alcohol. he thought his dad had been the reason. he'd hardly been a very pleasant person to be around. an asshole even. but...never a wifebeater. jason had always just sort of assumed his dad was the cause because he knows his old man had been a dealer at some point. jason only knew that because willis had harshly cautioned him against going down that path. it was one of the few times willis had tried to parent him by pulling jason by his ear away from a group of older boys that hung around a stoop across the street and harshly scolding him.

catherine never quite gets over losing her child. the only thing she has is the birth certificate and some papers from the agency that had set everything up. its what sits at the bottom of some forgotten box long after she has died and so has willis. it gather and collects dust in the closet of the apartment in the building jason grew up in. and it won't be until decades that jason scouts out the condemned building, feeling some sense of nostalgia as he determines the amount of work that needs to go into fixing the whole building up so that it can house new families. jason goes into that old one bedroom apartment, runs his fingers through the thick layer of dust. odds and end furniture that was never thrown out because that old landlord had never been able to find a new tenant after jason's dad was locked up and his mom died and no one was left to pay rent.

jason stumbling across that box, going through it, finding an odd set of papers and just...staring. remembering being two, nearly three and recalling how he'd press his ear to his mom's tummy and giggling along with her at the feeling of something pressing against his hand. its just bits and flashes like how its around the time his mom started on a downward spiral that ended up killing her.

jason finally figuring out this was the reason why. that somewhere out there was a little sibling he'd never known.

maybe he can't go to barbara with this because she'll likely spill to dick or run to bruce to tell on him. jason's options are limited and so he turns to the only other detective that might be discrete about it.

tim helping jason with his search because the adoption agency has long since shut down and were active during the time of paper record keeping.

the two of them growing slowly closer, getting to know each other better. jason thinking tim's not as bad as he thought he was that sometimes...tim might even...remind him of his mom.

he dismisses it because it was that visit to his apartment that makes him all sentimental...makes him think of his mom more often and the good times they had together like her warm laugh and the soft skin of her hand. and sometimes...when jason is dead tired and tim's is the closest place to crash...sometimes....tim does those little things that make the kid part of jason's brain just melt because his mommy is there.

jason and tim starting to sleep together and the the absolute ice bucket chill that hits them both when tim manages to track down the couple that adopted jason's sibling and it's jack and janet drake 👀👀👀

#answered asks #asks #anonymous #jaytim

[t4tmagicians]

Bruce apologizes to Harley as he fastens her wrists behind her. She barely seems to react, staring into the still-smoldering embers of the warehouse.

"Arkham again?" she croaks, when police officers approach them. Bruce mutters something affirmative, and all of a sudden, he's offering to drive her to the asylum himself.

She slumps in the front passenger seat of the Batmobile, streaked with soot and ash and tear marks cutting clean lines down her face. She looks tired.

"He's gettin' sick of me." She explains, no prompting necessary. Bruce can see the weight on her shoulders. They pull up to Arkham, the gates opening for the Batmobile without question.

"He threw you out a window a year ago. What's different now?" Bruce asks, keeping his voice soft. For a moment, he sees no difference between every tired young woman he meets on the street, beaten down by the world, and the diamond-patterned woman next to him.

"He don't laugh when I get hurt no more." Harley sighs, like it's a great tragedy. It probably is, for her. Bruce tempers down the tiny spark of hope in his chest.

"Maybe explore other options." Bruce offers. Harley snorts in laughter, loud and sudden.

"What other options are there?" She says, voice light and airy, but Bruce can hear the fear in it. What other options are there for Harley Quinn?

Bruce pats her on the back when she's in her cell at Arkham. She curls up dejectedly on the bed, and he mentally schedules a visit to her.

.

"I'm worried about Harley." Tim brings up during breakfast one day. "She's barely tried to escape Arkham at all this week."

Bruce passes Cass the salt, and bumps his visit up. "Hm."

.

"Bats." Harley greets, leant against the wall of her cell, shuffling playing cards. She's allowed to wear makeup, plenty of others do, but she has decided to forgo it. She looks almost naked without dramatic black shapes lining her eyes.

"Harley." He's quiet for a moment. "Any reason you're still in here?" They both know she could leave if she wanted to, she understands the security too well to be truly trapped.

"Where would I go?" She spits, tearing the two of hearts apart. "Joker don't want me, family acts like I'm dead already -" she sighs, all the vitriol draining from her. "Not pretty enough to turn tricks, I reckon."

"There's a bed in the Batcave." And Bruce leaves after five more minutes of stunned silence.

.

Harley is camped out on the cot they use for medicinal purposes. Someone's thrown a soft red blanket over her, and she's definitely using a spare cape folded up as a pillow. She still looks tired, but less so.

"I'm glad she's here." Jason says, as they cut off their motorbikes as quietly as possible. "I'm - I'm not exactly giddy to see her, y'know? I'm just glad she's here."

"Yeah," Bruce agrees. "Me too."

#harley and bruce friendship you mean so much to me #harley quinn #harleen quinzel #bruce wayne #batman #dc #ficlet

[queseraone]

You had this coming. Worst 5 Chenford Episodes of the Rookie. Tim and Lucy must interact. You reap what you sow 😈

And then to give you even more to procrastinate with—

5 missed opportunities that you wish the show would have done more with

Okay, let's dive into this.

My opinion on worst episodes is similar to yours - these episodes feel like a departure from the characters and from the development of their relationship, etc.

Hit and Run (4x08) - I do not like this episode for Chenford (and in general tbh). GENNY: When you were 7 years old, he dropped you in Griffith Park with a compass and made you find your way home. TIM: Which I did. LUCY: A Tim Test. (setting aside the overall UGH of someone doing that to a SEVEN YEAR OLD...) As if Lucy 'empathy is her superpower' Chen would make such inconsiderate comments about someone else's pain, especially Tim's?!?!??! No, no, NO. Even her conversation later with Tim where she says she's overstepping, but that his sister needs him... I get that, but Tim did not want to go back there. And the Lucy of the past and of nearly every other episode would absolutely not say that. She would respect and support Tim's choice, because it makes sense - emotionally, psychologically, etc. And if they really needed Lucy to have a conversation like that, it should have been with Genny, telling her to leave Tim alone and respect his choice. Ugh.

Mother's Day (4x21) - This makes the list out of my absolute HATRED for that fake proposal. Sure, the teasing earlier in the episode was fun, but the ending was AWFUL. There are about a million other (better) ways we could have seen Lucy having that sort of "aha" moment. Tim Bradford views marriage in high regard (again I go back to - this man was true to his vows with Isabel long after she took off), he's not going to PROPOSE as a joke. GRRRR

The Choice (5x04) - What you said, honestly. That Look™ as he's lowered down to the basement is !!!!!, but beyond that? Booooo, such an anticlimactic conclusion to this story arc. Certainly this was a byproduct of (heartbreaking) real-life circumstances, but the complete lack of closure to this arc for Lucy (and Tim) will be forever disappointing. And on top of the way it all played out, the brief exchange between them when they see Rosalind's body at the end? It's so devoid of any emotion or compassion on Tim's part (granted, we can't see his face as he says "she only seemed larger than life", but his subsequent line is all business), and it just feels so out of touch with the previous Chenford + Rosalind moments.

New Blood (3x11) - Again, big old ditto here, but yes, hated the way they portrayed Lucy as insecure and jealous of Barnes. (Seriously listen up everyone: Lucy has never ever been insecure about her appearance - nor should she be, she's a fucking babe.)

This is a tie between A.C.H. (4x05) and Long Shot (4x14) for the same reason. Both episodes have some fun moments, and are certainly not awful overall, but similar to Lucy's comments re: Tim's childhood/dad in 4x08, I hated seeing Tim spin Lucy's mom's comments/actions in a positive light ("Or she's just looking out for you, knowing how busy you are." and "Maybe she's trying to prevent you from making the same mistakes she did."). Sure, maybe he was trying to play devil's advocate or make sure Lucy was considering all her options or whatever, but it comes across as him siding with her mom. And based on how easily Lucy talks to him about this stuff, it's clear he's heard plenty about that situation in the past. Lucy's mom sucks.

Five missed opportunities, hmm, this is hard to think about on the fly...

I think it was a massive missed opportunity to have Chenford do the whole secret relationship thing (delicious) and then not have a reveal of the relationship. This show is light and fun, and there was major comedy potential there. I wish they would have explored that more. This is slightly related, so I'll lump them together - I wish we had a conversation between Tim and Angela after the reveal of Chenford to bookend the ones in 5x01 and 5x02.

Still can't believe they brought Chris back after the breakup just for lawyer stuff. I was more than happy to close the door on that character, but if they really wanted to bring him back, it felt like a missed opportunity to not have some interaction with Chenford and real closure to that arc.

The Emmett of the it all - I've been chatting with @goodgirlssayiloveyoutoo (Go read her fics! Do it now!) about this recently, and it's honestly such a bummer that the actor had to leave so abruptly. There was so much potential in that relationship - he was super hot, Lucy deserved to have a love life (!!!!), and it felt like such an opportunity to propel things forward and make something happen with Chenford.

This one is silly and stupid, but after Tim called LA CLEAR in season 2, I would have loved to see Lucy or Nyla or someone set his ringtone to Lady Marmalade.

I can't believe I'm relating one of these to 5x01, because that episode is a fave, but it's a bit of a missed opportunity that Hajek's crew busted into the hotel room so early. There was only one bed. Would have loved to see how they handled that (and just having more of them undercover in general). But that's a minor one overall.

And I absolutely positively wish Tim broke up with Ashley.

Oooookay wow this post feels super duper negative... which is insane because I absolutely adore this show and CANNOT WAIT for it to be back in 4 (!!!!!!!!!) weeks!!!!!!

Omg someone ask me some positive happy questions hahaha

#asked and answered #roguetwelve #chenford #the rookie #in my opinion #super interested to hear other points of view #as long as you share with kindness

[lover-of-mine]

I fully agree that it was a lot to have buck hurt eddie like that. Like I get why they did it cause let's be real if eddie had been able to walk it wouldn't have been Tommy at buck's door but I wish they'd go about it in another way...

On another note, do you think buck will analyse his whole relationship with his family and friends with his new found discovery (I still can't believe we have bi buck still feeling shaky omg) and also im sure you've gotten something similar asked but I kinda would like a reassurance well as close to one as I can get, but do you think that means we are headed toward buddie? Or will they be like hey at least you get this kinda thing?

Thank you for your posts they've been great and like I feel we all lived through this together and I'm thankfull for your takes :)

This is actually the first time I thought about them hurting Eddie as a plot device to stop him from reaching out occurred to me. I see it, I don't like it, but I see it.

Okay, yeah, I kinda think he will, finding out you're bisexual as an adult, specially when Buck did as well with women as he does, will be some cause for panic (I say this as someone who was good with men and only found out she was bi as an adult) about particular reactions of people around him (kinda terrified what this means for him with his parents about to come into town) because even if you know some of the people who love you will be supportive, is still a scary experience, even more if you've been trying to find this one thing about yourself for decades, so, yeah, I do believe he will be forced to reevaluate a lot of stuff in his life, and Tim and Oliver seem to be ready to try and tell this story right and I am super interested to see how this will go (I can't believe Bi Buck is real, it literally rewired my brain, I might be losing my mind because I need to sleep because I've been up for who knows how long because every time I try to sleep my brain goes BUCK IS BI and then I start freaking out about again)

I know a lot of you come to me for the logical side of it all to get some reassurance and I love that I can be this person, really, especially in moments like this, so, I love that you came here 🫶. But the buddie of it all, I don't see why they would make Buck queer and not go there with Buck and Eddie. I maintain what I've been saying, that the loft scene is gonna tell us if they are turning up the heat or if we are keeping the energy we had so far while Buck explores his own feelings about being bisexual, even more if we are gonna get 2 for 2 and they are planning on making Eddie demi (god imagine if they actually put a character like Eddie in the ace spectrum, I would die), because then you can use a Buck who's settled into being bisexual to drag the realization from Eddie, because this can cascade into Buck realizing what he's looking for is what he has with Eddie, and since men are an option now, he could look at their relationship and be like "oh so I needed to figure out that I like men, for me to realize that the love I want is with this man" and then trying to figure out if Eddie could feel the same about him, and Eddie having his own queer arc about how no one has felt as right as Shannon because he needs a deeper connection that he does have with Buck and them going there. Buck being bi puts at least halfway there on the road to canon buddie, because now it is an actual canon possibility that Buck will develop, or find out he already has feelings for Eddie. Especially with how intertwined with the discovery with Tommy, Eddie is. Everything that points to Tommy, points to Eddie if Buck just looks to the right, yk? Obviously the showrunners and actors will keep saying there's no plan, and they are seeing where it's going, but if they handle the next episode well, just sit back and enjoy, because they're cooking. They could've made Buck bi be only about Tommy, but they didn't, they made a very intense point of adding Eddie to the mix so I will continue to believe they have a plan and this is a slow burn that's gonna happen, because I honestly, even more now with canon confirmation that Buck is bi, I think it's the only way to look at them, yk? I don't see why they wouldn't go there now that they are not hiding behind the "they are both straight" excuse. And personally, as a writer, I think it would be a waste of a setup not to go there now that we know they can go there.

#im sorry its hard to be coherent rn #my brain is legit fuzzy kapakpkapakaoaa #i hope this js reassuring enough #911 #911 spoilers #i really need a tag for asks #anon 😌

[theflyindutchwoman]

So I've been rewatching a lot of season 5, and there was this scene in 5x19. It was when Lucy was studying in the morning and Tim had just woken up. There was a brief mentioned of how difficult it's going to be for them to maybe see each other daily in the future because of Tim's metro hours and Lucy's detective hours (if Lucy pass the exam). Which got me thinking.

There has been lots of discussion on Lucy's future as a UC and how it may impact Chenford's relationship in the future, and there's already a lot of fanfics going around that explore lots of those possibilities. There are theories that Lucy may not be a UC for long or at least not a long term ops like what Isabell did, which make sense, but her being a detective and having long hours are actually something both Tim and Lucy seem reluctant to have in the first place. One of the reason Tim initially become a court liaison is because had Lucy transfer to another station, it will be difficult to sync up their shift and they may not see each other everyday.

So this got me spiraling, say Tim and Lucy really want to maintain they see each other everyday or at least as often as possible, how would the story goes? Maybe Grey retires and Tim promoted as Watch Commander? or Tim move to other place aside from Metro but where? or Lucy not become a detective, but then how would her career go next?

really interested to hear your thoughts on this. thanks

I'm not really sure how this particular storyline would go… Here's the thing : as much as they want to see each other as often as possible, they also both want a career. Only, considering their line of work, that means long and unpredictable hours. This is something they're going to have to contend with. And honestly? This is the kind of conundrum most couples go through at some point in their relationship. It's all about finding a balance.

What makes this harder is the fact that they spent years riding together, working side by side all day every day. Going from this to only seeing each other a couple of hours per day was always going to require a period of adaptation. The long hours in Metro or as a detective add another layer. But despite this, they're still supporting the other in their respective career. As Tim said, they'll figure it out.

However, let's say they really want to see each other more often than their current positions allow them to… The ideal solution would be for both of them to take a desk job within the station. That's where they have the best chance to have a regular schedule. But Tim has already done that and the man looked miserable after just one week… That's what started the five-player trade in the first place. They love the action too much : in 5.21, Lucy asked him if he ever wished he had a normal job, one where he didn't get shot at, and he said no. So did she. Which rules out this option.

At the moment, I'd say Metro presents the biggest challenge. So one way to fix it would be for Tim to move somewhere with less demanding hours. Being the Watch Commander could indeed be a possibility since he has the rank - but only if Lucy is out of patrol. He didn't seem to particularly enjoy the job though. And it would be a shame to lose Grey. That still leaves plenty of other positions, like the ones mentioned by Lucy when she was trying to get him a better job : IA, Motor, SWAT, Robbery, Vice… Now Robbery and Vice could present an issue if Lucy makes detective, depending which department recruits her. SWAT would be just as bad as Metro, and I doubt Tim would be interested in working for IA. Motor could be an option. K9 too. They are other departments and positions of course, but I don't really know them. That said, while it wouldn't be as unpredictable as Metro, as a supervisor, he would still have long hours.

Lucy has three main options : stay in patrol (where she could become a TO), try the detective's exam (her current path) or take the sergeant's exam (Tim's path). But again, being a Sergeant is no less demanding than being a Detective : Tim was asked to pick an aide for that very reason and we saw him stay after-shifts as well. Patrol is where it would be ideal in terms of a 'regular' schedule (all things considered) and action. But Lucy hasn't shown any interest in becoming a TO or even staying in patrol. Not to mention that it would be quite close to Nolan's storyline…

In my opinion, the best solution would be for them to move in together. Sure, it doesn't solve the issue of the long hours… But at least, it eliminates time spent commuting from one house to the other.

#ask & ye shall receive #chenford #the rookie #lucy chen #tim bradford

[outrunningthedark]

I don’t understand the buddie vs tarlos debate. I don’t care much for LS but regardless of why tim created tarlos, whether it was an alternative to buddie or not, more representation is always a good thing even if you (general you) don’t personally like the ship? again I don’t care about tarlos but I find it so hypocritical of some OG fans to claim buddie would be a great step toward better rep and then shit on tarlos, which is at the very least decent rep. even IF it was an alternative to buddie, more queer characters and relationships is something we should strive towards and not fight against or be bitter about. and yeah obviously tim caters to tarlos fans but I don’t see how that’s a bad thing, when showrunners are always catering to straight ships and audiences; even if it is fan service on some level, it’s still a good thing. also buddie happening or not won’t have anything to do with tarlos, it will happen if they decide they want it to happen, it’s not set in stone or tied to tarlos’ existence in any way, especially now that the shows don’t even do crossovers anymore and are mostly separate entities.

This is a message I can get behind.

I will never understand the excuse that one piece of queer rep somehow cancels out the wish for more or isn't "good enough" just because it's not what a viewer wanted to see. Nobody has to like LS or Tarlos, but to act as though they are "less than" based on how quickly they got together or what Tim does with their scenes...sounds like bitterness to me. - Sure, a lot of people enjoy a slow burn while watching a work of fiction, but plenty of couples IRL (regardless of gender and sexuality) go from 0 to 100 without thinking. Tarlos is an example of this while Buddie could/would be the opposite.

It's no different than people rooting for the Diaz parents to be homophobic because "We already saw what acceptance looks like through Carlos's story." (Most don't want the representation as much as they want the drama for fic purposes.) - It's one thing to be upset about (what feels like) fan service when it comes to Buddie scenes (because fandom doesn't know where the story is going or what to believe), but...Tim doing (mostly) right by the Tarlos fan base is a problem because...those fans get to be happy, and you're not? Is that it? Just because he's not eager to do what OG fandom is hoping for does not mean the viewers who have supported the canon m/m ship from day one should suffer alongside you. - Are a lot of Carlos's scenes intertwined with his partner? Yup. So are Karen's. So were David's. (So are Chimney's, for fuck's sake. But anyway...) You know what those characters have in common? They were/are recurring. Signed for less than a full season; sometimes way less depending on scheduling parameters. Carlos is being treated the same as the other two simply because it's what the contract dictates. Fewer opportunities for appearances means fewer opportunities to explore a character as an individual. That's how it goes. And, uh, just for argument's sake...if people are so opposed to Athena's career story lines...then surely Carlos The Cop is a less favorable option compared to The Boyfriend, yes? Rep is not good rep when you don't even want to consume the content. Ngl, I think a huge problem people have with Tarlos is knowing that they're (almost certainly) never going to split up unless something happens with one of the actors in the future. (The jealousy!) Being a recur means Rafael's main purpose is playing the significant other of a main. No Tarlos? Not as much of a reason to keep him around (sadly). Tarlos is presumably getting their happy ending (with some bumps in between). But with Buddie... What's the "ending"? Will it be happy?

#good talk‚ nonnie #i had fun #anonymous #tina speaks #buddie #tarlos #tv: 911 #tv: 9-1-1 #911: lone star

[harry-sussex]

Guys, I have the craziest news for you.

So I have been planning a trip to Italy for two weeks in the spring. For those of you who don’t know, I have two degrees in the History of Art specializing in Florence during the Italian Renaissance - same as Kate (by chance, I didn't get two degrees just because Kate had them lol). I’ve been studying Italian art for almost 10 years - it’s about time I make my first trip to Italy. 

I have an $800 flight credit from Delta Airlines due to a crazy flight delay from Ohio over the summer. The credit expires on 10/23, so I only have a few days left to book, but I couldn’t settle on dates, and I was starting to freak out a little bit because the deadline is so close. I knew I wanted mid/late April or early May, though, but I just couldn’t pick.

I work on an international team out of New York, so I have professional contacts all over the world. Someone I work with out of Europe suggested that I fly to London and work out of our London office for a week. I’ve been twice but never long enough to do it properly, touristy things and just exploring, and the time difference between NY working hours and London working hours works very well in my favor such that I could do my regular job from London, have plenty of time to explore, make a weekend pit stop in Paris, and then take the two weeks off for Italy. 

I got authorization to work out of London this week so that’s definitely ready to go. I just couldn’t settle on dates. Last weekend, I almost booked my flights for 4/9-4/29. Not for any reason, just because it seemed like it fit just fine in my range of options. 

I’m glad I didn’t, because this week, Buckingham Palace announced the date of the coronation… Saturday, May 6th, 2023. The first weekend in May. Right in the mix of dates during which I was thinking of traveling. I didn’t have a set date, so I was flexible on that 4/9-4/29 range.

Long story short, I’ve been planning to go to the coronation when the time came for almost 10 years. And, by pure coincidence… I’ll be in London. No separate trip required. I’ll be in London for the coronation. Can you believe it? I’m actually going to the coronation!

Booking flights this weekend. 4/29-5/20 in Europe. Through the morning of 5/7 in London. I’ll need recommendations of where to stay, what to do, how and where to explore during that first week before I GO TO KING CHARLES’ CORONATION. Can you believe it? Can you BELIEVE IT? By pure coincidence! I’ll be there! I’d always planned on being there, and now, I’m ACTUALLY going to be there, and I didn’t even have to plan a trip around it! It fell right into my lap! 

I’m so excited! So many people I’ve been dying to see in person! Charles, Camilla, William, Kate, George, Charlotte, Louis, Harry, Meghan, (Archie, if I'm lucky), Beatrice, Edoardo, Eugenie, Jack, Edward, Sophie, Louise, James, Anne, Tim, Peter, Savannah, Isla, Zara, Mike, Mia, Lena… 

And, of course, in that setting, at the coronation, the most regal of all events:

His Majesty King Charles III, Her Majesty Queen Camilla, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales, Their Royal Highnesses Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis of Wales, Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (His Royal Highness Prince Archie of Sussex)… Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr. Eduardo Mapelli-Mozzi, Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie and Mr, Jack Brooksbank, Their Royal Highnesses The Earl and Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, Peter Phillips, Savannah and Isla Phillip, Zara and Mike Tindall, Mia and Lena Tindall… 

Coronets! Tiaras! Orders! Sashes! Pomp! Pageantry! Foreign Royals! The ENTIRE British Royal Family at one of their most important ceremonies that happen a handful of times in a lifetime, if you’re lucky! The Coronation of King Charles III!! By pure accident, and I’M GOING TO BE THERE!!! Like I always planned!! Can you guys BELIEVE IT?? 

#british royal family #king charles iii #coronation #royal family #my post #personal

[27emailsicantsend]

ok so i've read like every interview, and there's been a few positives and a very minimal amount of things that made me worry. the first being, even though tim has admitted that rina has been planned since season 1, i'm still not sure if i can trust him that rina will be the ship he finally respects enough to keep together. even redlyn, which was probably the longest running ship on the show, is falling apart, and they're throwing in random obstacles for seblos. what will set rina apart and free them from tim's predictable plot turns? him also calling the finale a "small" win instilled fear in me because after 30 episodes of not being canon, if he does something in season 4 that will drive us away, i'm not sure i'll be able to watch the show again. do you have any thoughts or am i just reading too much into things?

I totally understand the fear, anon! It can be hard to know what could happen to them, especially after the s1 and s2 curses of r*ni and p*w. But here’s the difference: rina is the couple that keeps beating the odds. They’re the “second chance” couple. We’ve seen them not work with the people who are supposedly their other “best options” (outside of each other). We were supposed to see all of the alternative endings that rina could pursue instead of each other (nini, ej, jack, and lily- two new people and two people they know and could work with well- that also represents parts of their personality they already know [nini was home to ricky and ej was chaos and the unexpected plots for gina]), to know why they work better together. So in my opinion, this was another genius from Tim. I think him putting the kiss at the end of s3, gives the viewers the chance to see that rina will defy the odds that have been set up. That everything that was the plan “was never the plan” and that they “keep surprising us”; that they’re each other’s second chance. We got a s3 kiss specifically so we could compare it to the other two couples and say, “rina worked out at the end of the season when the other ones didn’t, why is that?” (The answer is soulematism, btw).

I think we’ve seen just about every up and down rina could go through as singles to keep them from being together. I think their new challenges aren’t going to come in the forms of love triangles because we’ve already seen that on both sides. We know how those plots end. I think their challenges will probably come more from, can they keep up as a couple just like they did as friends? Can they put each other first as romantic partners? Do they support each other in every decision like they did before?

I know redlyn is getting some spotlight on issues but those are VERY different. We’re seeing red and Ashlyn come to terms in their sexuality. Last season, it was them being complete opposites in what they found “fulfilling” in life (ash was lots of clubs and pursuing tons of interests and red was being in his small town with the people he loves- both different, both valid). I think their relationship struggles are going to look different because they’re dealing with different things than rina. We’re not exploring Rina’s differences or sexualities, but moreso who they are as new and improved people within the context of a relationship.

I think Tim saying “small win”, wasn’t to minimize the win or make us think we’re getting nothing else. I think it was to say it was small in comparison to what we can expect next season.

I get the hesitation and I think Tim has really proved himself over the last few seasons where his writing is going. All of his interviews point directly at rina. I think their biggest issue might be ricky graduating, but we really don’t need to worry about that until s5 (🤞🏻 which I’m hoping for). The only reason you would need to worry about them not being endgame is if they weren’t the main couple. But they’ve been so strongly developed and set up to be the main couple of the show (the troyella, if you will) that it would be counterintuitive and frankly, just bad writing for Tim to split up rina forever and ever. It would completely undermine all of their growth and arcs, as well as the proof we’ve seen over and over that they work better together. They are very yin/yang because they really do make up for what the other lacks. They are two halves of a whole.

I have a feeling we’re going to be ok :)

#rina #hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #gina porter #ricky bowen #ricky x gina #anon #asks #send me asks #troyella #troy bolton #gabriella montez #hsm #high school musical

[incoherentbabblings]

What do you think of Tim's story in Rebirth in trying to find happiness/exploration outside of being a vigilante?

I love it because it's just Tim's tragedy as a character in a way. Like when Tom King said:

I don't... entirely agree with him, but I can see what he's arguing. The joy with the batfam is you have the kids who are... genetically fucked, to be crass. Dick Cass and Damian were like... bred to be something else which they go to huge lengths rejecting. They spend a lot of time in sitting and going 'what was I made to do vs what do I want to do'. Dick less so, because he rejected his 'destiny' right out the gate and never looked back, but it's still a factor of his sense of self I think. Jason's kind of in there too, but I think more in the 'what was I raised to do' rather than made. But you get the point.

Tim's this wee lad who's got the opposite problem due to just being some dude who decides he's going to be helpful and useful and therefore his choice isn't so much 'what was I made to do vs want i want to do' as it's 'what I feel I should do vs what I want to do'. Both plots are about self determination but Tim's in a way is a self imposed conflict.

In Rebirth, that is Tynion's time on Detective Comics #934-981, no-one is forcing Tim to stick around and be Red Robin. Bruce gave him the new suit and asked him to pick out the team. At the time it was during the build up to the first Metal Crisis so Bruce was essentially trying to train up his family as much as he could prior to what he saw as a big world endingly awful event. We don't know for certain if Bruce would have been okay with Tim stepping back. Tim's reluctance to bring it up may be justified! We don't know. In #981 when Tim is supposedly going off to college, he knows that Bruce knows he's lying, so Bruce glibly waving him off isn't entirely sincere.

But at the same time, I think most of the pressure Tim experiences in this run is self inflicted. There's so many times he's asked 'what do you really want?' and assorted answers are put in front of him: College? Red Robin? Robin? Steph? Control? Quitting? What do you want Tim?

And then, when he's shown a future where he did get what he thought he wanted, he couldn't retain it. He couldn't stay at college because Bruce dies and Damian is a less than great replacement in Tim's eyes and it just spirals from there.

Lesson to Tim? You cannot have what you want. Or, what you think you want is not what you really want.

Tim isn't meant to be in that suit forever, I genuinely believe that. He was designed to fulfil a purpose - be Batman's Robin - and once that purpose is fulfilled, and another is capable of filling those shoes, he becomes stumped, and begins to throw shit to the wall in an attempt to see what sticks. As we know, Tim often doesn't know what he wants until it's staring (kissing) him in the face, but I give him a lot of credit for at least musing over different options.

His tragedy is, as much as he may want to do different things, as much as he doesn't want to be Batman or Robin or anything vigilante related, he also is incapable of leaving well enough alone. Partly motivated by ego and by fear that he doesn't trust anyone else to do it right the way he does.

In the Red Robin series, this conclusion was the result of half a lifetime of trauma and other options slowly dwindling away. i.e. The things that have happened to him have made him that way. In Rebirth, it's Tim that's the cause. He's doing it to himself. Yes the trauma of being locked alone in a room for... an unknown period of time is not good for one's mental health, but Tim truly is his own keeper in Rebirth, in a way that I don't think he was quite pre-Flashpoint. In Rebirth, Tim's neuroses are not the symptom, they're the cause.

Anyway. Please let Tim go to College DC. Please. He'd do good there, I think.

#dc #tim drake #ask and i'll babble #batfam meta

[my-shields-are-down]

Undercover again  - Who knew a pinky could cause so much torment?

————-

Tim was a bundle of nerves. He felt horribly out of control. He had survived the mini-under cover assignments and loved how close he and Lucy were becoming, but he had no way to contain his overpowering need to protect her and keep her from harm. He really just wanted to go in full force and blow everyone and everything up, and then hide away from the world just the two of them. However, since that wasn’t an option, he refocused his efforts to be unfocused and in the moment.

From the outside looking in, most people would see a very affectionate couple, touching and feeling each other, oblivious to the world around them. They’d see Jake, decked out in adult “skateboard cool” attire - dark jeans, black vans with flames along the side, a Slayer concert T, and a short sleeve plaid shirt which showed off his pecs and biceps. He was lounging on a red pleather sofa in a pool hall in some forgotten section of LA.

His right arm covered with tattoos -including a large one of the woman sitting next to him - was resting in her lap. His fingers lightly caressing her left inner thigh where one of the highest rips in her white jeans sat and every so often his pinky and ring fingers would stretch, going under the fabric and ever so lightly exploring further up her thigh, to the now soaked fabric of her thong.

His left hand was picking food out of his teeth and keeping him from gasping out loud at the sensation of her trembling and feeling the edge of her desire on his fingers. Lucy’s skin right there was so unbelievably soft, and her thong was not hiding her desire. He wondered if he could make her come just by stroking her with his pinky. Being able to touch her so intimately, so delicately, made him delirious with desire … god. He desperately wanted to fuck her brains out and lick that spot repeatedly. What? No. Breathe and focus.

Lucy for her part, was dressed in low slung, skin tight yet stretchy ripped white jeans, low black boots with orange and black tiger print socks which matched the faded tiger print push up bra peeking through her ripped black tank.

She had cut off the bottom of the tank, revealing her toned stomach, including her “updated” tattoo, which now said DOR120919. When people asked about it, she told them she almost died that day but was reborn- making it her “date of rebirth.” Lucy found it easier not having to lie about it or worry about make up rubbing off.

She also had a plaid shirt over her tank, meant to look like one of Jake’s, but with the sleeves sliced from shoulder to wrist making them “cooler” (pun intended).

Her right hand was in Tim’s lap, stroking her nails along his inner thigh on either side of his denim jeans inseam. She’d lightly scrape right up to his rock hard cock inside his jeans, when his pinky got too close to her thong, and her left arm was wrapped around his upper arm, pulling herself up off the sofa to whisper in his ear. She was giving Tim a running commentary of what she saw in the room while periodically blowing huge bubbles in her cherry BubbleYum gum. Whenever Tim’s fingers got super close she’d whisper, “oh f-u-u-c-k baby, right there... please... please...”  She knew the sound of her voice, along with her nails teasing him, drove him mad with desire.  Tonight, when they were alone, all bets (and hopefully clothes) were off..

Lucy really wanted Tim to fuck her on that sofa... to kiss and nibble her on her upper thigh...  She was so turned on - wanting it to stop and not wanting it to ever end.  Fuck yes... baby.. please....  so much delicious torment from one little finger…

#TIM AND LUCY #tim bradford x lucy chen #juicy + dim #Chenford #torment #the power of the pinky

[rumble-aint-a-rumble-without-me]

The small fic you made based on my request had me thinking. Tim told Curls that he didn’t want Angela to see him like that. So what if Curly and Tim unintentionally (I mean completely accidental) make Angela feel left out because they won’t let her see any side of them except the tough and rough side?

Y’know I wasn’t intending that line to come across as Tim trying to keep an emotional Curly from Angela? It was more of a “your older brother is absolutely drunk off his ass and you really don’t need to have anything to do with him until he sobers up as a way to prevent any more unnecessary trauma”

But you bring up an interesting point and I really wanna explore it more!

Tim believes that he needs to be strong for his family. They have no parents but they still need running water and electricity and the kids need to get to school. Tim works hard, getting jobs when he can to make sure Curly and Angela have what they need. Tim believes being strong is having no weaknesses. He does his best to always stay calm, cool, and collected, shoving his emotions down where no one can reach them. He thinks that’s the best way to stay strong for his family

Curly, in desperate need of a male role model, practically idolizes Tim. Sure they fight and they scream and call each other names, but at the end of the day? They’re brothers. And that’s about all they have left. Because of his outlook on Tim, Curly tends to mask his emotions as well. But he doesn’t have the self-control Tim’s learned to perfect. The wall Curly has in front of his emotions is very short and has a few cracks. His temper breaks through the wall easily but he’s pretty good at reigning in things like tears and breakdowns. He’s tough and he doesn’t cry. At least, that’s what he wants people to think

And Angela? Angela’s the opposite end of the spectrum. She’s learned to almost weaponize her emotions. Because of the lack of feeling from her brothers, Angela kind of lets her emotions go, as long as it’s within reason. She’s the one who cries at the movies on television and giggles openly when she’s out and about with her friends. Angela has mastered flirting with cashiers to get things for free, all while walking out with a few other things tucked into her pockets. She never falls in love with the boys she hangs around, but Tim would swear she’s holding onto a new one every few weeks. She plays with them until she’s bored and then moves on

I don’t know if I would describe Angela’s feelings as left out exactly? But I think there’s definitely a tone of frustration there. Like she could be fighting with Tim, and all of a sudden, his expression his completely blank, eyes guarded so well, Angela can’t even guess what he’s thinking or how he’s feeling. So she’s screaming even louder now because he does this, he always does this. Always retreats behind that emotionless mask and refuses to let everyone else know what’s going on in his head because that’s what he thinks his safest option 

#dillo's replies #mysemantics #tim shepard #curly shepard #angela shepard

[zorilleerrant]

for a lot of characters, their queer identity really is just like. a thing they have, that doesn’t necessarily inform the rest of the character. but I really don’t understand this in the context of Tim Drake? where both diegetically and metafictionally this is important to the exploration of him as a fleshed out character and his place within the wider Batworld.

so we have, on a personal and Watsonian level, his exploration of self. which has to be something that he felt the whole time but never really dealt with, and there aren’t too many options for that besides queer identity (it could be religion, but comics tend to shy away from religion in general, and especially with Batman where the religious content is in the storytelling). because Tim grew up trying to be the Good Kid his parents wanted him to be, and then the Robin that Batman needed him to be.

if Tim spent his developmental years trying to be all things to all people - and this is accidentally but especially underscored by all the alternate universe Tims trying very hard to do what they feel they’re Supposed To - and trying to sacrifice for everyone because he thought they needed him to, then it makes sense that, as a person, he didn’t really do a lot of introspection. and his comment about it being hard to be a vigilante and really think about The Self goes along well with the fact that he keeps putting his energy into the costumed life, even when that means he has to neglect Tim the Civilian.

but on a narrative and character growth level, it’s actually even more important. because the whole problem of Tim is that no one knows what to do with his character. he’s stagnating as (Red) Robin because they don’t know how to let him grow up. and this is very nicely paralleled by the feeling a lot of queer people have that they weren’t allowed to hit the correct milestones in childhood because they would need to hit them in different ways. you could even do something with the whole bi thing: liking girls is his vigilante persona, liking boys is his civilian persona, which he was always aware existed, but always sort of pushed to the side and refused to deal with.

taking on all the versions of Tim that people have created means dealing with all the times they’ve flattened his personality, or intentionally crafted less of it. ignored parts of it, or outright changed other parts. made him act like different people in different team makeups. which is really a lot like being closeted, and having to act in different ways and suppress different parts of oneself to get along in all these different contexts.

and, yes, this is because a lot of writers didn’t know what to do with him, because, and this is the important part: Tim was invented not to stand as his own character, but to fill a role, and everything built out from there. he is by his very nature supporting cast. Batman storytellers needed a Robin, and the fans needed a specific kind of Robin that didn’t keep throwing them out of the story, and various stories over the years needed someone with this skill or that who wouldn’t upstage the rest of the story.

which brings us to now, when what we need from a story context is a cast that is not, yet again, a bunch of straight white men. and where, especially if Tim is no longer a child to be relatable to that portion of the readership, he needs to fill in this gap where people don’t see themselves on the page. the story is missing a certain element, and that element is that, currently, there’s a lot of sameface syndrome going on in character backgrounds. and Tim, as a character, was always meant to bridge that gap.

#look i said something

[nanowrimo]

Why Novlr is the Perfect NaNoWriMo Writing Companion

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Novlr, a 2021 NaNoWriMo sponsor, is the smart writers’ choice for novel writing software. Today, writer, editor, researcher, and professional historian Pamela Koehne-Drube shares why she uses Novlr as her writing platform:

Writing is a deeply personal experience, but every year, during NaNoWriMo, it’s the sense of community that brings us all together. Knowing that other writers all over the world are committing to get a head start on their novels is an amazing feeling, and setting goals and targets every day for a month is just the push that so many of us need to finally get words on a page.

National Novel Writing Month is a huge part of Novlr’s history. The idea for it was born when Thomas, one of Novlr’s founders, participated in NaNoWriMo and realized that there just wasn’t a novel-writing software out there that truly catered to novelists. With a lack of appropriate options available, the only thing left to do was to create one, and thus, Novlr was born.

There is no better way to experience NaNoWriMo than through Novlr—it really is the perfect writing companion. As a NaNo participant since 2014, I’ve had the chance to participate for a few years now with Novlr, and it’s got me over the finish line on more than one occasion. Having the right space to write really does make such a difference.

Novlr allows me to set my goals year-round and logs my writing streaks.

One of the biggest barriers I’ve had to my writing is goal setting and goal tracking. It’s one of the reasons I was drawn to NaNoWriMo in the first place. Forcing myself to dedicate time to writing around a busy schedule helped my productivity. I tried so many options for my first few NaNo years, but I found that other options were either a) uninspiring, or b) so complicated that I spent more time actually using the software than doing any writing. I needed something that was distraction-free but also pushed me to get words on the page.

What first struck me about Novlr was its minimalist aesthetic and professional design. It is simple, easy to use, and yet deceptively powerful. No matter how cluttered my physical space gets, Novlr is always there, clean and stress-free, ready to come with me wherever I need it. 

The app itself is browser-based, meaning no matter where I am, or on what device, I’ll always have an up-to-date version of my work accessible to me any time—even on my phone. It means that when inspiration strikes, I can have my novel up and running, ready to go in a matter of seconds with cloud saving, backups, and versioning so I can be sure I’ll never accidentally overwrite something. It also means that I can switch up my workspace and go wherever I feel inspired—it’s like a pool of portable calm. I can be in the right space for writing both mentally and physically, and there’s nothing more than a writer could hope for.

Let’s not beat around the bush—writing 1667 words a day is HARD! Because of that, having the best tools at your disposal is absolutely invaluable. There are loads of Novlr features that make it the right tool for the job. Distraction-free writing and goal tracking are just the tip of the iceberg.

If I’m short on inspiration, the Tim Clare Couch to 80k writing course is integrated directly into the platform. If I need to kickstart my creativity, a writing prompt or character exploration is never more than a click away. In fact, for 2019’s NaNoWriMo I didn’t have a project, so I set myself the goal of coming up with a new novel idea over the course of the month using Tim Clare’s course. I absolutely smashed my 50k goal and ended up with a workable novel draft that I used as the basis for a ghostwriting project early in 2020.

I think why Novlr really makes the perfect NaNoWriMo companion though, is that everyone who works on it is a writer, and cares about what writers need. They actively work on features that writers want and avoid bloat with features they don’t. And because of their NaNoWriMo integration, Novlr also has a front-row seat to how their users perform over the National Novel Writing Month and can tailor their platform accordingly.

Very few NaNo participants manage 30 days of non-stop writing. Life gets in the way, so it’s easy to lose focus. With streaks built into Novlr’s platform, it helps form writing habits, and with word count goals that give pop-ups that cheer you on the closer you get, and applaud you when you reach them, it makes writing feel like a joyous experience rather than a chore. There’s a sense of accomplishment when you reach your goals or embark on a writing streak. It’s that attention to detail and the little things that can make all the difference to your writing routine.

Novlr gives me encouragement as I reach key writing milestones.

Over the years, Novlr has grown into something truly special, and now, with full NaNoWriMo integration, it’s never been easier to track my word count and be a productive writer.  If all goes well over NaNoWriMo I can even publish to eBook, straight from the dashboard. And because it allows me to set my own goals outside of November, I can keep the NaNo spirit going all year round!

Novlr is offering NaNoWriMo 2021 participants 40% off for a year with the coupon code NANO2140. Extend your discount to 2 years by winning NaNoWriMo 2021! Offer expires December 31, 2021.

Pamela Koehne-Drube is freelance writer, editor, researcher, and professional historian who has just joined the Novlr team. As a ghostwriter she has published both fiction and non-fiction books over a variety of subjects and genres for self-published writers and for major publishing houses. Pamela lives in West Wales with her husband and a little tornado of a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. The rugged beauty of the Pembrokeshire coast inspires her every day.

#nanowrimo #writing #amwriting #writing software #nano prep #by nano sponsor #novlr #pamela koehne-drube

[elareine]

Tim realizing that since Jason has been in the pit, Jason is always cold. He cant get warm. Tim throws himself into working this out, there has to be something to warm Jason.

Hi, anon, thank you for your patience. I… took the sappy route with this. Since this got longer than 1k, I posted it on ao3, too.  

Attempt One

“How’re you doing?” 

Tim eyes the bundle in front of him critically. Jason dropped by his safe house thirty minutes ago, teeth chattering after an encounter with Mr. Freeze, and he only looked marginally better. The chattering stopped; that can be a good sign or a very bad one. 

Jason gives him a weak grin. “Alright. No danger of turning into an icicle any time soon.” 

Hmm. Tim will see that for himself. 

When he moves, Jason lifts a hand in protest. “Hey, no—“ 

Tim completely ignores Jason’s protests—he’d feel worse about it if it wasn’t the only way to handle injured Bats—and sticks his hand between the isolation blanket and Jason’s neck… just to flinch back. “Holy shit!” 

“Nah, it’s—“

“It’s hypothermia, is what it is!” Whatever bullshit is coming out of Jason’s mouth, Tim is not listening. “You’re going into shock! We gotta get some extra heat in here, or maybe actually call the hospital; I’m not equipped for this—“ 

Jason’s hand closes over his mouth. Tim gives him a second to remove it, then he licks it. 

Jason just grins. “As I was trying to say: It’s always like that. My body temperature never went back to normal after daying.” 

“Nnr?” 

“Never.” Jason shrugs. He looks completely unbothered in a way that leaves Tim incensed. That’s just stupid. Did Jason just accept the fact that he’s in constant discomfort as if that’s not a thing there should be—should be—multiple solutions to, what the fuck. Tim is gonna fix this, so God help him. 

Tim is so busy coming up with 315 possible solutions that he even forgets to bite Jason’s hand for a moment. 

(Only a moment, though. “Ouch!”)

Attempt Two

“I’m not sure how you think piling more blankets on me will help me raise my core temperature.” 

“Of course it’s not.” 

Jason raises an eyebrow at the three blankets currently on top of him. “Right. Silly of me.” 

Tim rolls his eyes. Men. So ungrateful. “Your core temperature is obviously affected. That’s why I brought heating blankets.” Many, many heating blankets. Jason ends up looking somewhat like a disgruntled duck by the end. Tim has pictures to prove it. 

Thirty minutes later, Tim takes Jason’s temperature. Still way, way too low for a human. He sighs. That would’ve been too easy, huh. 

“You know,” Jason waggles his eyebrows, “there’s a rather more traditional way of warming up under the blanket.” 

Tim swats his head. “Keep it in your pants.” 

“Even if I wasn’t, you wouldn’t be able to tell under all these blankets,” Jason tells him mournfully. 

Tim decides that retreat is the better part of valor. For today. Just until he can stop imagining what Jason could do to… warm up.

Attempt Three

“A hot bath.” 

“A hot bath.” 

“…you think I haven’t tried that?” 

No. No, actually Tim doesn’t, and his expression must adequately convey that cause Jason throws his hands up. “Okay, no, I haven’t, not really. My place isn’t that fancy.” 

“It certainly doesn’t have this tub. Now shoo, get out of these clothes.” 

“Why, darlin’, you only ever had to ask.” Without ceremony, Jason pulls off his shirt, then begins working on his belt. “Alright, tell me: What makes this tub special?” 

“From observation, I conclude that your resistance to high temperatures has also increased,” Tim begins in an excellent mad scientist voice, just to drop it right after. “Or you wouldn’t be able to wear that fucking jacket in summer. So I engineered a tub that will slowly heat up to a temperature just above 50 degrees Celsius.” 

“I sure hope so,” Jason grumbles as he climbs in, unabashed in his nudity, “cause right now it’s really fucking cold, babybird.” 

Funny cause Tim thinks it’s definitely getting hot in here. 

Hoping his face doesn’t heat up—haha—, he looks down at his phone and activates the heat settings on the tub. “At least,” he says thoughtfully, “we don’t have to worry about accidentally causing a heart infarct or anything like with normal freezing victims. I think.” 

“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that.” 

“We’ll take it slow, anyway.” 

Almost two hours later, Jason’s skin is red and wrinkled and covered in glitter from Tim’s bath bomb. He’s still cold to the touch. 

Attempt Four

“Tea? Really?” 

“You like tea.” Jason has been hanging around Tim’s place often enough that the younger man knows. (If there’s a corner of the top shelf just dedicated to Jason’s favorite blends, well, they don’t talk about it.) “And anyway, this tea is special.” 

Jason put down the cup. “Tim.” 

“Yes?” 

“Tell me you didn’t get this from Ivy.” 

“I didn’t get this from Ivy,” Tim recites just a little too dutifully. Truthfully, he hasn’t—it’s of his own creation in the lab—but seeing Jason squirm is just too funny. 

“The things I do for you, babybird,” Jason sighs and exes about half of it. When nothing obviously terrible happens, he drinks the rest in small, careful sips. 

“Nothing?” 

“A hint of chamomile—I get that one, soothing—and… bergamot?” 

“Yeah, that’s your favorite, right?” Tim’s taking down notes and is only half-listening. “How do you feel? Any warmer?” 

When Jason doesn’t reply right away, Tim does look up. “Jay?” 

The older man has a slight smile on his face. “A little warmer, yes.” 

Tim brightens and jumps up. Jason lets him stick the thermometer under his tongue without any objection. Tim is a little disheartened when it climbs up to 33°C and stays there, again, though he tries to stay focused on the positives: “I guess it’s a start, though. After all, the perception of warmth is just as or more important than the objective temperature.” 

“Uhuh.” 

“Also, you didn’t turn green, so that’s good.” 

“Tim!” 

Attempt Five

“Okay, if this doesn’t work, I don’t even know anymore.” 

“Please tell me you’re not hooking me up to electrodes.” 

“Sorry, that’s too dumb a lie even for me.” Tim is about to demand that Jason takes his shirt off again—an unfortunate side effect of this type of experiment, really, how terrible that he has to ogle those pecs and abs again—when he pauses. “Wait. Is that… a bad thing?” 

Which is terrible phrasing for Is this something that was used to torture you? but Jason seems to get it cause he shakes his head. “Nah, just didn’t know you’re into that.” 

“I’m not!” Tim isn’t. 

…at least, he doesn’t think he is? There’s certainly something to be said about the inherent homoeroticism of applying gel to another man’s skin and attaching electrodes. He’s so caught up in the entire thing—and the way Jason’s muscles jump and twitch when Tim applies his own brand of stimulant ray to them—that he doesn’t notice how quiet Jason is, too. 

However, in the end, the thermometer still reads 33°C. 

“Fuck,” Tim mutters. “I really thought I had it.” 

“Guess I can put my shirt back on.” Jason makes no move to do so. 

“Yeah.” Tim is looking at his notes again, trying to figure out where he went wrong. His joking words at the beginning aside, there are still options, avenues for him to pursue. It’s just that these are the most promising ones, and Tim can’t bear the thought of failure. The idea that Jason will just—will just have to live like this, forever cold and disconnected—

He lifts his face when he hears Jason putting his shoes and jacket on. “You don’t have to leave. I can still—“ 

“Nah, it’s fine. There’re only so many sex jokes I can make before even I can take the hint,” Jason sighs. “Thanks, though, Tim. I really appreciate the effort.” He turns toward the window. 

It takes 4.7 seconds for Tim’s brain to catch up with that, and then another 2.4 for it to convince his body to move. 

“Jay! Wait!” 

The Solution

The afternoon sun throws golden rays into their bedroom. Tim can feel her rays tickle his face, his eyes, so he turns further into the embrace that’s been offered to him all night. Jason doesn’t wake up, just snuffles out a slight snore and pulls Tim half on top of him as if his boyfriend is some sort of overgrown teddy bear. 

Tim snuggles into the crook of Jason’s neck contently. In his opinion, there’s no better place to be: His lover underneath him, chest rising and falling with every breath he takes, warm and alive and here for Tim… 

Wait. 

Warm. Jason’s warm. 

Tim scrambles up and frantically reaches for his bedside, where the damned thermometer has a place of pride after the last time he got sick, and Jason returned the favor by taking his temperature every five minutes. 

“Babybird…?” Jason’s voice is rough with sleep. Tim feels a little bad about waking him up, but: !!!! 

The thermometer climbs. And climbs. When it stops, it reads 36°C degrees. 

“That makes absolutely no sense,” Tim whispers, awed. 

“Nope,” Jason agrees amiably. “You’ll figure it out, though. Can I have some more snuggles first?” 

On the one hand, Tim is dying to look this up in the literature and maybe talk to someone who knows Lazarus Pits better. This doesn’t make sense scientifically, so there has to be some magic involved, right? Perhaps the pits are more into metaphors than they thought, or—there are so many possibilities, and Tim can’t wait to explore them. 

On the other hand… Jason’s looking soft and warm, opening his arms for Tim, and he’s smiling. It’s no contest, really. 

Tim presses a kiss to Jason’s cheek and sinks back into his embrace, scientific pursuits forgotten. 

#elareine writes #jaytim