So, I'm reading @froizetta ’s (Love) Traingles Have Multiple Centers and I couldn't resist drawing this scene from The Obligatory Gala Chapter. (Lol, I love the chapter title).
It ticks all of my boxes:
Sexy Superbat? CHECK. The story itself doesn't have smut but the author wrote behind-the-scenes smut in a separate story so rest assured.
Superbat identity porn with IC Bruce? Check. (I have a real weakness for identity porn and Bruce being IC is the cherry on top of the cake).
Clark being a sweetheart and never failing to be embarassed? Check.
Bruce having a hard time parenting Dick and messing up but in a way that doesn't make me want to shove him into an incinerator and watch him burn? Check.
Very IC and wonderfully written Lois Lane, who's equal parts sophisticated city girl and would snoop and steal to get a story? Check!!!
Go and read it NOW!
(P.S. Lois here reminds me of Terri Hatcher's Lois from the 1993 show. I love it).
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What if king Henrik managed to steal Malleus's egg after defeating Meleanor?
The main point is that the egg WOULDN'T hatch because it needs love (and even in canon it took a couple of centuries to hatch, despite the presence of Lillia and Maleficia).
So after a few tries, he discards his plans and keeps the egg as a trophy. Years pass and a five year-old Silver finds the trophy room while playing. He stumbles into the pedestal holding the egg, but manages to save it before it falls.
The child then senses a tiny heartbeat, and realizes there is a baby inside the egg!
The egg hatches immediately. Baby Silver loved it at once (the way he did once upon a dream).
And that's how we get a Dragon Prince journey (sorta).
After the dragon hatched, Silver went to talk with his animal friends to see if they could help (he loves his parents, but he couldn't just tell them he went to the trophy room to play, some instinct of his was also telling him they couldn't be trusted).
He left the little dragon under the care of a mother bear and went to the library to see if he could find anything. He came across a few old books from before the Silver Owls that described the Draconias (the little prince was so excited! His dragon friend could become a friend friend! He didn't have any friends besides the animals! And the dragon was even a fellow prince!)
But first things first! His dragon friend needed to meet his actual family, they were probably worried sick! So he grabbed a few maps, marked out the closest fae castle, told his parents he would go play with the animals in the woods and left.
The trek was very long and dangerous, but the entire forest was on his side. Baby Silver kept talking to Malleus, explaining life as a prince, introducing his animal friends, and trying to find out if he liked to eat berries.
They avoided war-stricken areas and managed to reach fae territory. And that's when things took a turn for the worse.
Henrik and the Silver Owls found them. Apparently, the egg was missing and a search party was assembled to follow its magical traces. Baby Silver didn't know that, and went to greet his uncle, saying that he was helping out a friend find his family!!
Henrik looked at his nephew, then at the dragon, and went for the kill, literally. The kid couldn't even defend himself, as his uncle cut him down with a simple strike (dawn knight was at home).
And that's when baby Malleus's magic blew up.
A snowstorm of cataclysmic proportions struck, complete with fire tornados and lightning. At the center of it all stood two children, the tiny Silver that was bleeding out, and Malleus, who had taken a human form and was trying to close the wound (he changed forms because he was scared and emulated the only thing he could think of as strong and protection, and that thing was five year-old Silver). Meanwhile, all of the animals formed a protective circle around them.
Luckily, reinforcements soon arrived. Both Lillia and Maleficia came (that storm could only be a Draconia's doing, they would NOT lose the egg again). They made quick work of the rest of the Silver Owls before rushing to Malleus's aid.
The animals let the faes though, as if they knew the dragon had finally found his kin. But Malleus wouldn't let go of Silver, even when the kid started telling him "Look, we found your family!! You're safe!", smiling despite the pain and looming death.
With the use of "Far Cry Cradle", Lillia quickly explained the situation, and the faes made the decision to save the human. They had a much too big debt with this child, who was so innocent it hurt.
They were also keeping the human. If that despicable man was his UNCLE, then no way in hell were the rulers of Briar Valley going to give the child back to his family. It would be a disgrace to the Draconia family.
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Now, there a a few ways this AU could go.
1. The faes weren't able to save Silver. They create a monument in his honor and he becomes the only human they respect. Relations with the Silver Owls may improve now that Henrik is dead, if they can convince Dawn Knight his son died to save Malleus.
2. The faes save Silver, who lives in Briar Valley until the end of his mortal lifespan, acting as Malleus's big brother and knight. The Silver Owls are angry, but eventually come to an agreement once they realize there was no mind control involved.
3. The faes manage to save Silver, but the wounds were so grave that he had to stay in magic stasis for a few hundred years. Receiving the BOTW Shrine of Ressurection treatment. Due to the nature of the magic, he lost his memories, got silver hair and became sleepy. He later wakes up and becomes the Silver we all know and love. Malleus still sees him as the older brother, but thinks that now it's his turn to protect the human!
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Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird by Agustina Bazterrica
Yeah... this collection just didn't do it, folks. First and foremost, this isn't a collection of horror stories. Sure, several are horror-adjacent, but aside from some violence and hints of atmosphere, none of these ever manage to work as pieces of horror fiction. And really, out of the 20 stories within, only a few ever manage to work, period. Two that do work, however, work beautifully. I LOVED "Perfect Symmetry" and "Teicher vs. Nietzsche". Both tackle their themes perfectly while simultaneously delivering an affecting piece of dark, existential fiction. And "Roberto" and "Dishwasher" are also successful, and will surely stay with me for a while. Bazterrica is a talented writer, and very clearly understands the themes she's tackling, here, but more often than not only ever succeeds in creating pretentious pieces that insist on perpetuating repetitively black and white philosophical ideas on love and hate, loneliness, grief and fear.
3.5/10
-Timothy Patrick Boyer.
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