I also need to put this here in case people hadn’t seen it and mostly so I can look at them together. Because I love them both and also all people in corsets of any gender but also THESE TWO.
At the beginning it was an old chest study, then I wanted to finish and do something with it :) Few years ago I made a fanart of Leliana and I never continued the series so here we are ^^
Luke:The phrase “free as a bird” is often misused. It means you don’t have to pay for them. See a bird? Pick it up. It’s yours now. I have 4 hawks, 10 pigeons, 23 crows, and a penguin.
Vyn: You picked a lot of chicken as well. What happened to them?
You know, I’m grateful that my pack-rat writing tendencies mean I still have the initial chapter-drafts for most of Deathly Weapons squirreled away on my hard-drive.
Some days it’s reassuring to look back and see solid evidence that the first draft coming out absolute rubbish is just a natural and recurring part of the process, and not a sign that I’ve lost my grip entirely.
Fun fact: the Deathly Weapons you all know is actually a stealth re-write, starting at about Chapter 9 onwards.
I had a much rougher, structurally weaker proto-version drafted out for about 15 short chapters back when I first started writing. Super clunky, super exposition-heavy, very meandering (I hadn’t fully planned things out and it showed), cutting all over the shop et cetera et cetera… suffice to say it really didn’t do much for me and got extensively reworked and fleshed out into what we have today.
Anyway, here are some snippets of the OG proto-version of what would become Chapter 16, the first draft of the actual Chapter 16 and the final version you know. Have your rotten fruit and best jeers at the ready:
PROTO version (“CH12: Upgrades”, total word count <1K)
Two teens stood in front of the Batcave’s Zeta tube, awaiting clearance to beam to Mt. Justice. Robin grinned, shifting unconsciously on his feet, excited for the moment. The same could not be said of Phantom. The ghost-boy stood taught and stiff, examining the transporter with apprehension. Today was the day.
Robin watched his friend carefully as they waited for the signal. Danny had been living with the duo for a month and a half. The decision hadn’t been hard to make – after all, the teen already knew their secret identities. Nothing was official of course. Fenton was legally dead and, with Phantom’s hunters still at large, all three heroes recognised the wisdom in leaving the declaration uncontested. So Danny was staying quietly in one of the smaller, less obtrusive guest rooms of the manor, avoiding the public eye at all costs.
(Ohno, oh dear, look at that exposition, look at baby-me trying to cram the equivalent of Chapters 12 -15 into a one-paragraph summary.)
Re-structured Chapter 16: Second impressions, DRAFT 1
“Seriously, will you relax already?”
Robin bobbed onto his toes, punctuating the remark with a playful grin. Disturbed by his voice the cave’s handful of native residents took wing, soft chitters echoing from above as they fluttered in search of more comfortable roosts. He beamed at them, relishing the sight through the mask. The knowledge that he was finally, finally back in the game. To be out there again afterweeks… even days later the rush of patrol refused to leave. It wasn’t just fun and games, of course. What they did was dangerous. Meticulous planned and prepared, driven by the mission… but that was all part of it. Things he’d actually missed. And speaking of things he’d been missing… there was a certain group of individuals that he probably owed a few explanations to. Though hopefully not for much longer. The bird stretched in anticipation, lacing hands behind his head with a sideways glance.
Unfortunately the cave’s other inhabitant wasn’t nearly so at ease. Phantom shifted in place, white-gloved fingers tugging absently at a ridge of stitching near his collar as he eyed the Zeta Tube. The hand froze at Robin’s pointed look, halfa’s ears tinting green as he lowered it deliberately back to his belt. For a moment he almost seemed calm. Then he was fidgeting again, worrying at the hem of a glove. The detective sighed.
The voice drifted upwards, echoing past the platforms. Soft chitters answered as it reached the roof, wings rustling as the cave’s smaller residents fluttered away from the noise. The Boy Wonder beamed up at them, savouring the view through the mask.
It felt good. Even three days into patrols – mostly minor incidents, plus a slightly more major one that left Robin with bruised knuckles and Batman with a hole in his cape – the buzz refused to fade. Five weeks on the bench… he’d been all but crawling the walls by the time Bruce offered the suit and cape back. No amount of training or back-and-forward with Danny could compare to the feel of the streets. Not that he’d taken full advantage of his reinstated freedoms just yet. There were still a few more things to do. Places to go. People to see. Although what they’d think of his surprise… he stretched in anticipation, lacing hands behind his head with a sideways glance.
That same enthusiasm wasn’t shared by his companion. Beside him Phantom shifted, eyeing the inactive Zeta tube with an expression that was far from turbed. Whether due to the transporter itself or where it would be taking them, Robin wasn’t sure. A little from column A, a little from column B, he guessed; considering the ghost’s history it wouldn’t be a surprise if he took a while warming towards giant energy tunnels.
With a cough the spirit looked away, hand reaching to tug at a seam near his collar.
idk why but even as literally everyone’s senior in superm I have a feeling Taemin stepped into the room and was immediately like ‘me baby’ and everyone just agreed on site.
