Fanfiction: Nobody Matters - Episode 2 - “Saigon Protocol”
Title: Nobody Matters - Episode 2 - “Saigon Protocol”
Genre: General
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: DCU/Kingdom Hearts crossover
Pairings: ???
Word Count: ~2350
Summary: The rare calm of Gotham City is shattered as the shadows literally rise up to consume it. In the midst of the ensuing chaos, an alert is broadcast to a select group of individuals. What is the “SAIGON PROTOCOL” and why has it been activated?
(Missed the last chapter? Read “Episode 1 - Nobody Matters” here)
Fanfiction: Mockingbirds & Butterflies - Chapter 1
Title: Mockingbirds & Butterflies - Chapter 1
Genre: General/Drama/Family
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: DCU
Pairing: ???
Word Count: 5837
Summary: Seven years have passed since Timothy Drake retired his uniform and left the world of bats and crime-fighting far behind. It’s taken that long to rebuild his life. Now, things are finally at a point where he feels comfortable in his own skin again. All his hard work is starting to pay off. However, one day is all it takes to turn things upside-down.
ATTENTION: Before reading this story, please read the short story, “Innocence Lost.” The tale below takes place seven years afterwards.
—————> Next Chapter
Fanfiction: Nobody Matters - Episode 1 - “Not Prepared”
Title: Nobody Matters - Episode 1 - “Not Prepared”
Genre: General
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: DCU/Kingdom Hearts crossover
Pairing: ???
Word Count: 1569
Summary: It started in Los Angeles, California. The Teen Titans, led by Red Robin and Wonder Girl, were summoned to fight a mysterious new alien threat. However, they were not prepared for what they faced.
No one was…
Should I?
[[ Chat log of a conversation between me and a friend about the idea of creating a FF7/DC mashup RPG... ]]
HourglassThorne:i was thinking… been missing rping… toying with the idea of reviving a version of the game, but instead of mashing up all FF characters into FF7, was going to mash up DC universe characters into FF7 world. (was kinda inspired imagining the entire Bat Clan as TURKS
galaxypaiv:oh wow
HourglassThorne:yeah… it was just a random idea. saw something that reminded me of FF7.. i think it was stumbling on some Reno and Rude plushies on DeviantArt. It got me thinking along those lines… any alien heroes/villians could be aligned either with Jenova or Ancients… giving certain characters access to materia as well as weapons from FF7 world… chocobos of course… summons…
galaxypaiv:hmm
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HourglassThorne:hmmm… wonder if it would be possible to structure a tumblr blog in such a way that people could play an rpg on it.
galaxypaiv:hmm, good question!
HourglassThorne:reflexively i want to say it COULD be possible… but would probably require a LOT of work
galaxypaiv:and thus it takes root in your head?
HourglassThorne:yep. *facepalm* i think i'm a glutton for punishment.
galaxypaiv:maybe XD
HourglassThorne:XD
galaxypaiv:but at least it's fun punishment you're a glutton for?
HourglassThorne:yeah. i guess enough time's passed for me to forget what a headache it is to mod a game
galaxypaiv:I literally laughed
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HourglassThorne:hmmm… is it bad that I imagine Bruce Wayne, or at least Damian, having a black chocobo who has a tendency to bite?
galaxypaiv:No XD Who would breed a gold one though?
HourglassThorne:not sure. it could be that those haven't been bred yet…. they are supposed to be pretty rare. Dick Grayson would HAVE to have a blue one… that likes to groom its owner affectionately. Jason Todd wouldn't have a chocobo. He's got a motorcycle fetish (and is allergic to chocobo feathers)
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galaxypaiv:what would Bruce's connection to Shinra be though, as a billionaire
HourglassThorne:hmmmm.. that'd be a tough one… Head of weapons manufacturing company that supplies Shinra?
galaxypaiv:I can't see Bruce as a TURK
HourglassThorne:Yeah…. I can see his boys as TURKS, but not him…. Could see him as funding AVALANCHE……. Maybe even keeping that aspect of things secret from his "sons" since they are so close to the company... it would be convoluted.... and i couldn't play all those characters… I might play Bruce... the boys… they'd have to played by others
galaxypaiv:and oh the drama when they find out he funds AVALANCHE
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[[ Several years back, I used to create, play, and mod RPG games on LiveJournal and GreatestJournal. These were mostly Final Fantasy based. The two I created and ran myself ended up running for about two years each. It was a fun time, but eventually I got burned out and needed to take time away from it all. ]]
[[ Now, though, I've got the germ of an idea in my head for starting up an rpg of some sort again, either through journals or blogs... not sure what would be more feasible... If there is any interest in this sort of game from anyone else, please drop me a line in my ASK box. If there's enough interest, I might do more to make this vision i have a reality. ]]
Confidence Lost (Chapter 32) (THE END)
Title: Confidence Lost (Chapter 32)
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Batman/White Collar (crossover)
Summary: Everything about Neal Caffrey’s past prior to his 18th birthday is a mystery, even to him. However, when someone unexpectedly recognizes him by a name that he has never used as an alias before, he learns that the biggest con of his life is literally his life.
NaNoWriMo: Day 4
End of Day 4 Word Count: 5,392
Ended up skipping over Day 3 why…?
…because my wonderful, much beloved 2 1/2 year old daughter decided that 4:30am was the perfect time to wake up and turn on every light in the house, INCLUDING mom and dad’s bedroom.
Oh sweety… Just wait till you’re a teenager. One day I will have my revenge.
Story Notes
I had a conversation with an old friend of mine about my interpretation of Bruce Wayne/Batman for this novel.
Through the course of our conversation, we discussed how, in the past, the super heroes in comic books were often created to cover a desired type of group or individual that readers were craving. Superman and Captain America were created for people who were looking for an all-American hero. Batman and others vigilante type heroes were created for people looking for someone who would seek justice for them when the law failed to deliver. Many of the Marvel comics of the early 60s and 70s created characters who were heroic, but deeply flawed on a number of levels, or were cast as outsiders and trying to survive in a world that otherwise shunned them.
One of the things that has always bugged me about the evolution of Batman over the decades is how, over the years, despite his skills and prowess in many aspects of his life and vigilante career, he almost always comes off as a sub-standard father except for the rare one-issue instances scattered here and there. It gives you the impression that if he were anyone other than Bruce Wayne, CPS would’ve been battering down his door ages ago.
I hate this interpretation, because it doesn’t make much sense in my mind.
Bruce Wayne lost the two most important people in his life in one violent act. You would think, then, that when young children started making their way into his life and start integrating themselves into his “family”, he would grow to cherish and protect them as best he could.
In my head-canon, his quest for justice in Gotham City would never take precedence over his family if it meant putting their lives in mortal danger. He would never even think of his children as “soldiers”. Calling one of your own children a “soldier” almost sounds synonymous with calling them a “pawn”…
…Someone valuable, yet still ultimately expendable so long as, in the end, your side wins the war.
Going back to my earlier comment regarding creating heroes to fill something desired by the readers, when I started developing the concepts for this novel, I thought about the kind of character Batman/Bruce Wayne is portrayed as by the current canon DC universe.
Incredible detective.
Insanely talented fighter.
Dedicated crime-fighter.
Lousy ass father.
Then I thought… What kind of character would he become if he was actually tried to be a good father from the very beginning, in addition to the rest of the above?
How different would the lives of the various Robins and Batgirls that found shelter under his wings have been if he made as much effort raising them as he did fighting crime?
Then a question crossed my mind… One I still have yet to find an answer to…
“Would readers new to the Batman fandom, or even those who have been fans for ages, want to read stories about a brilliant human crime fighter who actually tries to make as much an effort in raising his family as he does saving the world?”
Even as I continue working on this novel, this and other questions circle my thoughts.
For example… take a Batman who cherishes his family above most else… and then bring out the canon story of how the Joker kills his second adopted son, Jason Todd. Would that version of Batman be able to restrain himself from killing the Joker with his bare hands?
If the lives of any of his children were in mortal danger, would that Batman hesitate to use deadly force to protect them?
And if so, what would the fallout afterwards be?
So many questions, but still not in a position to find many answers.
I wonder…?
Confidence Lost (Chapter 31)
Title: Confidence Lost (Chapter 31)
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Batman/White Collar (crossover)
Summary: Everything about Neal Caffrey’s past prior to his 18th birthday is a mystery, even to him. However, when someone unexpectedly recognizes him by a name that he has never used as an alias before, he learns that the biggest con of his life is literally his life.
Confidence Lost (Chapter 30)
Title: Confidence Lost (Chapter 30)
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Batman/White Collar (crossover)
Summary: Everything about Neal Caffrey’s past prior to his 18th birthday is a mystery, even to him. However, when someone unexpectedly recognizes him by a name that he has never used as an alias before, he learns that the biggest con of his life is literally his life.
Confidence Lost (Chapter 29)
Title: Confidence Lost (Chapter 29)
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Batman/White Collar (crossover)
Summary: Everything about Neal Caffrey’s past prior to his 18th birthday is a mystery, even to him. However, when someone unexpectedly recognizes him by a name that he has never used as an alias before, he learns that the biggest con of his life is literally his life.
Confidence Lost (Chapter 28)
Title: Confidence Lost (Chapter 28)
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Batman/White Collar (crossover)
Summary: Everything about Neal Caffrey’s past prior to his 18th birthday is a mystery, even to him. However, when someone unexpectedly recognizes him by a name that he has never used as an alias before, he learns that the biggest con of his life is literally his life.
Confidence Lost (Chapter 27)
Title: Confidence Lost (Chapter 27)
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Batman/White Collar (crossover)
Summary: Everything about Neal Caffrey’s past prior to his 18th birthday is a mystery, even to him. However, when someone unexpectedly recognizes him by a name that he has never used as an alias before, he learns that the biggest con of his life is literally his life.
Confidence Lost (Chapter 26)
Title: Confidence Lost (Chapter 26)
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Batman/White Collar (crossover)
Summary: Everything about Neal Caffrey’s past prior to his 18th birthday is a mystery, even to him. However, when someone unexpectedly recognizes him by a name that he has never used as an alias before, he learns that the biggest con of his life is literally his life.
If I Could Reboot DCU - Take 2 (Batman-verse)…
I’ve added more to my mind map/plot tree of my earlier posting.
I’ve figured out actual corresponding years for the timeline tree.
Full Version (warning - very large, very detailed image map)
This mind map ends up growing by leaps and bounds as I’m dealing with the tedium of packing in preparation for my move. Even as I type this up, I’ve got this scene playing out in my head of Dick Grayson experiencing, for the first time, using sonar to “see” after being blinded.
For those of you who didn’t see my earlier post, with all the DC Reboot and how much I hate the way it’s being handled, I decided to indulge in a “what if I could reboot the universe” moment.
In my head, this is a totally different AU Earth-number whatever…. It’s a DC alternate universe which makes chronological sense, includes the events of 9/11/2001 as a major catalyst of change, and where no “Crisis” events EVER took place.
This mind map focuses primarily on the Batman family, since they are my favorite of the DC universe.
It’s also still, technically, incomplete. There may be another update later.
If anyone has any questions or comments, I’d love to hear some feedback.
If I Could Reboot DCU (Batman-verse)…
Too stressed over my upcoming move cross country to write on Confidence Lost tonight, I decided to work on a “what if…” that had been teasing the edges of my creativity.
“What would I do if I could reboot the DCU (like set up an alternate reality on a different multiverse Earth-number whatever), specifically in the Batman family side of things?”
What started off as just an idea ended up turning into something far, far bigger when I started typing things in my favorite mindmap software program “FreeMind”
Posted a jpg of the mindmap on the scrapbook of my DeviantArt gallery. If you’d like to see it, you can find it here. (Download the image to see it at full size for easier readability) A text-only outline is tucked beneath the cut below as well, tho the mind map image makes it easier to see how my ideas for the reboot branched off of each other…
This is by no means a complete or finalized personal dream reboot for me. I still have yet to figure out the proper places and methods to insert Jason, Stephanie, and Cassandra Cain. I do know, though, that Steph would most likely be the “original” Batgirl in this personal rebooted universe, and I am rather partial to the priest version of Jason teased at from the Flashpoint comics.
I may write stories associated with this personal reboot vision later on. There are several events in the outline beneath the cut that I am really interested in writing.
Those are bolded.
