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Fanfiction: Mockingbirds & Butterflies - Chapter 2

Title:  Mockingbirds & Butterflies - Chapter 2

Genre:  General/Drama/Family

Rating: PG-13

Fandom: DCU

Pairing: ???

Word Count:  ~2880 words

Summary:  The Friday after being visited by his estranged father, Tim’s eldest brother Dick delivers the two people who are going to be sharing his home for the unforeseeable future.  However, Tim was not the only one kept in the dark until the last minute regarding this development.

Previous Chapter <—————> Next Chapter

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Fanfiction: Birds of a Feather - Part 1

Title:  Birds of a Feather - Part 1

Genre:  Humor

Rating: PG

Fandom: Batman/Red Robin

Pairing: Tim Drake/Tam Fox

Summary:  Tam’s been stressed like crazy for finals, so Tim tries to be nice and gets her a present to cheer her up. 

Long story short… He fails… Epically… And gets his tail feathers chewed out in the process because of it.  Naturally, he turns to Dick for help, who is some help.  Not a lot of help, mind you, but some.

At least he makes a fairly decent human shield…

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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…

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kaciart: “Tired, Babybird?”   Author’s Notes This drabble was inspired by a series of Tiny!Tim fanart pieces created by the incredibly talented kaciart.  Though the images themselves are extremely adorable slice of life scenes mostly between Tim and Dick, as I looked over the lot of the images, I got to wondering about what might’ve happened to de-age Tim in the first place.   Hence the words written below. Special note to Kaciart: I hope you like the story.  I absolutely adore your artwork. Title:  &#171;&#160;REWIND &#171; To everyone else in the Watchtower, the confirmation that Tim had been permanently changed was being treated like the absolute worst news in the world.  Dick frowned deeply as he listened to the words that were tossed around between their friends. “&#8230;Tragic&#8230;”“&#8230;Horrible accident&#8230;”“&#8230;Catastrophic&#8230;”“&#8230;Poor Tim&#8230;”The man behind Nightwing’s mask heard the words, and for the umpteenth time since he learned of his younger brother’s unfortunate transformation he felt a knot twist in the pit of his stomach.  He pushed himself off of the wall he’d been leaning against and started walking away from the other Titans and League members gathered around Zatanna and Dr. Mid-Nite, who’d just finished giving their report on Tim’s condition.“Dick?  Where are you going?” Wally asked, catching the black and blue vigilante moving out of the corner of his eye.“I’m going to take Tim home.”  The tests Zatanna and Mid-Nite had conducted on his younger brother had exhausted the poor boy, so Dick had left him on a cot in the examination room so that he could get some sleep.“But we need to figure out what we’re going to do next!” Connor said.  “There’s got to be a way to fix whatever the hell it was Klarion did to him!”“I already told you,” Zatanna cut in, a frustrated expression on her own face.  “There’s nothing that can be done!  His biological clock has been permanently rewound.  Even if we could turn it forward again and return him to his original age, he’s already lost all his memories of the last thirteen&#8212;”“I can’t accept that!”  Cassie interrupted, her declaration joined by several affirmations from her fellow Titans.  “There has to be a spell or some medicine&#8212;”“Physically, there’s nothing wrong with him.  Tim should be able to age normally from&#8212;”“He wouldn’t just give up on&#8212;”“There is no spell to reverse this!  I’ve told you all&#8212;”“We can’t do nothing&#8212;”“WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP?!” Nightwing’s voice, taking a tone too similar to that of his mentor, rose sharply above the cacophony, bringing everyone to a startled silence.  Only when all was finally quiet did he notice the sound of timid whimpering.  A quick look around was all it took for Dick to locate the source of the pitiful noise, and the sight of the tiny boy huddled in the shadow of a nearby pillar was more than enough to break his heart.  The others and their arguments were quickly set aside as he moved to where the boy was hiding.“Timmy?”  he murmured gently as he knelt down to be closer to the four-year old boy’s level.  Dick’s chest tightened when the child flinched away from his outstretched hand, eyes squeezed tightly shut, and trembling with fear.  Only then did he remember how much the uniform as a whole scared his little brother now.  Kicking himself mentally, he removed his mask and squirreled it away in a compartment in his gauntlet.  This time, when he reached out for Timothy, the boy didn’t draw back.  “C’mon kiddo.  It’s alright.  It’s just me.”Timidly, like a skittish fawn, a now four-year old Tim crawled on his hands and knees out of the shadows.  He paused only once, round blue eyes telegraphing his anxiety as he glanced around the room.  Then, as quickly as his legs could carry him, the boy pushed himself up and dashed for Dick, tackling him hard enough to rock the older man back slightly on his heels.  “I wanna go home!” Tim whined into Dick’s chest as he buried his face against the blue stripe of his brother’s uniform.  “Please!  I don’t wanna be here anymore!”Dick gathered Tim up in his arms and cradled him close.  His lips found their way to the crown of the boy’s head.  “Whatever you want, Timmy,” he whispered into the child’s hair before rising to his own feet, his little brother still nestled in his strong arms.  After giving the others one last warning look, daring any of them to try and stop him from leaving, he exited the conference room and made his way to the teleport tubes. It had been an insanely difficult week for everyone involved.  What had originally started off as a simple mission to go after Klarion the Witch Boy and stop the havok he’d been wreaking in New Orleans became anything but when a seventeen-year old Tim, as Red Robin, got blasted with a spell that stole exactly thirteen years from his life.  Thirteen years worth of physical growth and thirteen years worth of memories were suddenly extinguished in the blink of an eye.Interestingly enough, Tim had not been the original target of Klarion’s spell at the time when it happened.The witch boy’s original target had been Damian, who’d been working with the Titans as Robin on the fateful day.That first week, after they got Tim back home to Wayne Manor, had been utterly disastrous.  The worst part was trying to explain to the now confused, scared little boy that he couldn’t go home to his mom and dad, no matter how much he begged and pleaded, that they were gone forever.  They didn’t even bother to explain to the child about his connection to Bruce now.  The first time the de-aged boy unknowingly met his adopted father was when the man was in his full Batman uniform and had just returned home after a difficult night on the streets of Gotham that was reflected both on his armor and in his demeanor.Dick knew Bruce would never admit it aloud, but the terror-stricken look Timothy had given him that night cut his adopted father straight to the quick.  In typical “Bruce” fashion, the older man dealt with it by trying to avoid the child as much as possible, in and out of uniform, much to his eldest son’s growing irritation.Alfred helped when and where he could.  Thank God for that wonderful old man!  Damian even did what he was asked with only the barest modicum of half-hearted snark towards his former bitter rival.  Mostly likely, it was due to the fact that he knew he owed his once-elder/now-younger brother a debt he might never be able to repay.  However, when all was said and done, it was Dick who truly cared the most for Tim.He was the one who comforted him when the nightmares woke him in the middle of the night&#8230;He was the one who held him as he sobbed broken-heartedly, grieving for the mom and dad he would never see again&#8230;He was the only one who could coax even the barest hint of a smile out of the boy when things seemed to finally be settling down.“So there’s nothing they can do to fix him?” Bruce asked after Dick had put Tim to bed.  The brothers had returned to Wayne Manor barely an hour ago, and the younger one had been utterly exhausted by the trip.“Zatanna and Dr. Mid-Nite did everything they could.  They’re convinced that Tim’s condition is permanent, though of course his friends have other ideas.”“And what do you think?”Dick looked towards the stairwell that led up to the bedrooms.  “I think I just want to make sure that Tim’s going to be alright, no matter how old he is right now.”  He looked up at Bruce.  “Tim really needs you right now.  You’re still his father, even if he doesn’t know it yet.”Bruce looked down into his coffee.  “I don’t know&#8212;”His eldest son’s eyes went wide in disbelief, the narrowed in anger.  “Don’t know?!  How can you say that?!”“Tim is terrified of me,” Bruce said with a trace of sadness.  “Even when I’m out of uniform. And I don’t have the slightest clue about how to handle someone as young as him.”  He sighed.  “I don’t know if I’m the right person he really needs in his life right now to help get him through all of this.”“Then who do you think is the right one?”
Zoom

kaciart:

“Tired, Babybird?”

 
Author’s Notes

This drabble was inspired by a series of Tiny!Tim fanart pieces created by the incredibly talented kaciart.  Though the images themselves are extremely adorable slice of life scenes mostly between Tim and Dick, as I looked over the lot of the images, I got to wondering about what might’ve happened to de-age Tim in the first place.  

Hence the words written below.

Special note to Kaciart: I hope you like the story.  I absolutely adore your artwork.

Title:  « REWIND «

To everyone else in the Watchtower, the confirmation that Tim had been permanently changed was being treated like the absolute worst news in the world.  Dick frowned deeply as he listened to the words that were tossed around between their friends.
 
“…Tragic…”

“…Horrible accident…”

“…Catastrophic…”

“…Poor Tim…”

The man behind Nightwing’s mask heard the words, and for the umpteenth time since he learned of his younger brother’s unfortunate transformation he felt a knot twist in the pit of his stomach.  He pushed himself off of the wall he’d been leaning against and started walking away from the other Titans and League members gathered around Zatanna and Dr. Mid-Nite, who’d just finished giving their report on Tim’s condition.

“Dick?  Where are you going?” Wally asked, catching the black and blue vigilante moving out of the corner of his eye.

“I’m going to take Tim home.”  The tests Zatanna and Mid-Nite had conducted on his younger brother had exhausted the poor boy, so Dick had left him on a cot in the examination room so that he could get some sleep.

“But we need to figure out what we’re going to do next!” Connor said.  “There’s got to be a way to fix whatever the hell it was Klarion did to him!”

“I already told you,” Zatanna cut in, a frustrated expression on her own face.  “There’s nothing that can be done!  His biological clock has been permanently rewound.  Even if we could turn it forward again and return him to his original age, he’s already lost all his memories of the last thirteen—”

“I can’t accept that!”  Cassie interrupted, her declaration joined by several affirmations from her fellow Titans.  “There has to be a spell or some medicine—”

“Physically, there’s nothing wrong with him.  Tim should be able to age normally from—”

“He wouldn’t just give up on—”

“There is no spell to reverse this!  I’ve told you all—”

“We can’t do nothing—”

“WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP?!”

Nightwing’s voice, taking a tone too similar to that of his mentor, rose sharply above the cacophony, bringing everyone to a startled silence.  Only when all was finally quiet did he notice the sound of timid whimpering.  A quick look around was all it took for Dick to locate the source of the pitiful noise, and the sight of the tiny boy huddled in the shadow of a nearby pillar was more than enough to break his heart.  The others and their arguments were quickly set aside as he moved to where the boy was hiding.

“Timmy?”  he murmured gently as he knelt down to be closer to the four-year old boy’s level.  Dick’s chest tightened when the child flinched away from his outstretched hand, eyes squeezed tightly shut, and trembling with fear.  Only then did he remember how much the uniform as a whole scared his little brother now.  Kicking himself mentally, he removed his mask and squirreled it away in a compartment in his gauntlet.  This time, when he reached out for Timothy, the boy didn’t draw back.  “C’mon kiddo.  It’s alright.  It’s just me.”

Timidly, like a skittish fawn, a now four-year old Tim crawled on his hands and knees out of the shadows.  He paused only once, round blue eyes telegraphing his anxiety as he glanced around the room.  Then, as quickly as his legs could carry him, the boy pushed himself up and dashed for Dick, tackling him hard enough to rock the older man back slightly on his heels.  

“I wanna go home!” Tim whined into Dick’s chest as he buried his face against the blue stripe of his brother’s uniform.  “Please!  I don’t wanna be here anymore!”

Dick gathered Tim up in his arms and cradled him close.  His lips found their way to the crown of the boy’s head.  “Whatever you want, Timmy,” he whispered into the child’s hair before rising to his own feet, his little brother still nestled in his strong arms.  After giving the others one last warning look, daring any of them to try and stop him from leaving, he exited the conference room and made his way to the teleport tubes.


It had been an insanely difficult week for everyone involved.  What had originally started off as a simple mission to go after Klarion the Witch Boy and stop the havok he’d been wreaking in New Orleans became anything but when a seventeen-year old Tim, as Red Robin, got blasted with a spell that stole exactly thirteen years from his life.  Thirteen years worth of physical growth and thirteen years worth of memories were suddenly extinguished in the blink of an eye.

Interestingly enough, Tim had not been the original target of Klarion’s spell at the time when it happened.

The witch boy’s original target had been Damian, who’d been working with the Titans as Robin on the fateful day.

That first week, after they got Tim back home to Wayne Manor, had been utterly disastrous.  The worst part was trying to explain to the now confused, scared little boy that he couldn’t go home to his mom and dad, no matter how much he begged and pleaded, that they were gone forever.  They didn’t even bother to explain to the child about his connection to Bruce now.  The first time the de-aged boy unknowingly met his adopted father was when the man was in his full Batman uniform and had just returned home after a difficult night on the streets of Gotham that was reflected both on his armor and in his demeanor.

Dick knew Bruce would never admit it aloud, but the terror-stricken look Timothy had given him that night cut his adopted father straight to the quick.  In typical “Bruce” fashion, the older man dealt with it by trying to avoid the child as much as possible, in and out of uniform, much to his eldest son’s growing irritation.

Alfred helped when and where he could.  Thank God for that wonderful old man!  Damian even did what he was asked with only the barest modicum of half-hearted snark towards his former bitter rival.  Mostly likely, it was due to the fact that he knew he owed his once-elder/now-younger brother a debt he might never be able to repay.  However, when all was said and done, it was Dick who truly cared the most for Tim.

He was the one who comforted him when the nightmares woke him in the middle of the night…

He was the one who held him as he sobbed broken-heartedly, grieving for the mom and dad he would never see again…

He was the only one who could coax even the barest hint of a smile out of the boy when things seemed to finally be settling down.

“So there’s nothing they can do to fix him?” Bruce asked after Dick had put Tim to bed.  The brothers had returned to Wayne Manor barely an hour ago, and the younger one had been utterly exhausted by the trip.

“Zatanna and Dr. Mid-Nite did everything they could.  They’re convinced that Tim’s condition is permanent, though of course his friends have other ideas.”

“And what do you think?”

Dick looked towards the stairwell that led up to the bedrooms.  “I think I just want to make sure that Tim’s going to be alright, no matter how old he is right now.”  He looked up at Bruce.  “Tim really needs you right now.  You’re still his father, even if he doesn’t know it yet.”

Bruce looked down into his coffee.  “I don’t know—”

His eldest son’s eyes went wide in disbelief, the narrowed in anger.  “Don’t know?!  How can you say that?!”

“Tim is terrified of me,” Bruce said with a trace of sadness.  “Even when I’m out of uniform. And I don’t have the slightest clue about how to handle someone as young as him.”  He sighed.  “I don’t know if I’m the right person he really needs in his life right now to help get him through all of this.”

“Then who do you think is the right one?”

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.

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NaNoWriMo: Day 2

End of Day 2 Word Count:  3556

Didn’t make it to 2k words today like I’d hoped, but I’m still on track. Unfortunately, the weather here in Denver made the morning commute hellish, and trying to write on a bus when it’s 28 degrees out and you have no gloves of any sort is damn near impossible. 

Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow.

Story Notes

Focusing a lot of attention right now on Haly’s Circus.  Here are the characters in play so far:

  • Dick Grayson:  10 years old… acrobatic trapeze artist with black hair and blue eyes.  Third generation member of Haly’s Circus.  It’s his first year actively performing alongside his parents on the trapeze in front of live audiences.  He loves being in the center ring and in the spotlight with his family, but there is one routine his parents do on their own that he does not like.
  • John Grayson:  31 years old… father of Dick and husband of Mary.  Has black hair and brown eyes.  Second generation member of Haly’s Circus.  His father (now deceased) was one of the original trapeze artists when the circus was first founded.  He loves his wife and son, but tends to be a bit of a practical joker and a tease around them.  Also has no qualms about flirting shamelessly with his wife in public, much to the embarrassment of Dick.
  • Mary Grayson:  29 years old… mother of Dick and wife of John.  Has red hair and blue eyes.  First generation member of Haly’s Circus.  She was a high school gymnast who fell in love with both John and the circus.  Ran away from home at age 16 to join both.  Adores her husband and son.  Despite their career in the circus, she tends to be a bit of a mother-hen Dick when they aren’t on stage.
  • C.C. Haly:  62 years old… Ring master of Haly’s Circus.  Has been running the family business for the better part of three decades.  Is a big, strong barrel-chested man with arms as thick as tree trunks, a bald head, and wears his long mustache in an old fashioned handlebar style.  The kids who live and work in the circus call him “Uncle C.C.”
  • Zatara:  42 years old… Master magician of Haly’s Circus.  Is often the first act to warm up the audience, but will be the closing act if the Flying Graysons are unable to perform for any reason.  Though his stage act is all “smoke and mirrors” he is able to perform actual mystical arts.  He does this very sparingly, though, as he is attempting to hide his presence for some currently unknown reason.
  • Zatanna:  9 years old… only daughter of Zatanna.  Mother is unknown.  She is being taught both stage magic and true magic by her father, but is still a year too young to perform live on stage.  Her birthday is February 29.  Currently the spell she knows best is one which allows her to speak with the animals at the circus.  She is also Dick’s best friend, almost like a sister, since they’ve known each other since they were toddlers.

My favorite characters to write, thus far, are John and Mary, which is both fun and sad, considering what their ultimate fates will be.  As I write them, I can clearly see where an older Dick Grayson gets his personality. 

This is not a part of my novel for NaNoWriMo, but it is a scene that’s played out in my head whenever I think of the Grayson family together, while trying to figure out the personalities of the parents specifically.  I hope you enjoy this little slice-of-life moment.

The scene awaits beneath the “read more” cut.

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NaNoWriMo - Day 1

It’s the first day of National Novel Writing Month, and like so many other writers I’ve been rarin’ to go. 

Stockpiling time on a daily basis is going to be key for me this year.  Because I know there will be days in November where writing will be damn near impossible (aka Thanksgiving), I’m attempting to write at least 2,000 words per day, instead of just 1,667.  That way, I’m setting myself up to be able to finish 50,000 words in 25 days, instead of 30.  That should, in theory, allow me five days where I don’t have to worry about my word count. 

This means, though, that I’ll need to be writing not just at home, but outside it as well.

When I’m at work, I’m guaranteed at least 30min-1hr for lunch to myself.  When I’m at home, there’s no peace for me to write until my two daughters are in bed (and quite possibly my husband too, because he’s just as big a distraction as they are whenever I am in a mood to write and he knows it).  If I take the bus instead of the train to work in the morning and afternoon, I can pick up an extra 40 min of writing between the two commutes. 

We’ll see today if this allows me to make my word count easily, or if I’ll have to squirrel away more time somewhere…

As for the subject of my novel this year, I’ve decided that I’m not burned out on Batman-related fanfiction yet.  I’ve also been inspired, in part, by my own feelings towards the current DCnU reboot.  I played around with some ideas over the summer, but now I’m going to be bringing them to life.  I’ve decided to create my own version of a rebooted DC universe, specifically focusing in on the Gotham City clan of heroes.

Thus far, these are the only things I’m absolutely certain of concerning my story at this point:

  • Rather than rewrite the Batman mythos from year one, this novel is focused primarily on Dick Grayson and how he became Robin.  Bruce Wayne’s own backstory will be revealed throughout as a side-story interwoven in the main tale.
  • Unlike the “soft reboot” DC is trying to sell people on for their “New 52”, this story is a total reboot, set in a completely different Earth.  If I had to classify it, I’d consider this an “Elseworlds” story.  Staying away from putting it on Earth-#whatever.
  • Tim Drake will also be introduced in this story.  He and his family have a far more significant presence in Bruce Wayne’s life than in canon.
  • The main antagonist in this story will be Black Mask.

If anyone has any questions or comments about my NaNoWriMo project this year, please feel free and ask away.  If it’s something I can answer, I will.

Who knows.  I may help me with future plot development, which I always appreciate.

End of Day 1 Word Count:  2,152

So far, so good.  Figured out tonight that, in order to reach my word count writing by hand, I’ll need to fill at least 5-6 pages of my notebook (back and front) every day.

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.

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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.

Read More

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