Updated 10/04/2008: Some Things In the Works; Poll
Eschew obfuscation. Excessive verbosity is not conducive to comprehension.
You look good
enough to eat.
Info
Beta For: Jessemudflap (In other words: if something is wrong, blame me.)
D.O.B: May 13, 1987
Fact About Myself (Interesting) I'm a United States Marine, and oddly enough a better shot at five hundred yards than at two or three hundred.
Fact About Myself (Boring): I have double jointed thumbs, so I don't lose thumb wars. Ever.
Fandoms and My Preferred Pairings Within: Mostly Teen Titans (BB/Rae, Rob/Star, Cy/Jinx, Mae-Eye/Rancid) with a measure of Avatar: The Last Airbender (Tokka, Kataang, Maiko, Moppa)
Gender: Male
Pen Name: "Tabula rasa" is Latin for "blank page." If you've ever found yourself staring blankly at the paper/screen without a thing to write about, then you'll understand why I chose the name. Unfortunately, I wasn't the first guy to think of the name, hence the first letter switcharoo. Quit while you're ahead, I suppose.
Poll Results: Most probable job I can land that uses a History degree:
Public High School Teacher (because I'm a glutton for punishment!): 24 (44 percent)
Professional Heckler ("You're more confused than the Cherokee people after they won their Supreme Court case against Georgia in 1830!"): 17 (31 percent)
Drunken Hobo (just like my Muse!): 8 (14 percent)
Baby Seal Clubber ("You're cute, but now you're history."): 5 (9 percent)
Religion: Jesus saves, everyone else loses what they were working on.
Rifle Qualification: Sharpshooter
Status: ONLINE
What's Your Sign?: No Passing Zone
Favorites
Books
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams
Anything written by Dave Barry
Ender's Game- Orson Scott Card
The Worthing Saga- Orson Scott Card
Without Remorse- Tom Clancy
Hunt for the Red October- Tom Clancy
Pillars of the Earth- Ken Follett
On Killing- Dave Grossman
Dune- Frank Herbert
Seven Days in May- Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey
Holes- Louis Sachar
Interstellar Pig- William Sleator
Trinity- Leon Uris
QBVII- Leon Uris
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles- Patricia Wrede
More as I remember...
Quotes
"They were talking about the shock the conscience standard, all right? And they pointed out that if they took you and me, all right, people of our age, and put us, you and me, through what Marine Corps recruits go through at Paris Island and forced us to do that, that would probably shock the conscience. But it's not illegal to do it to Marine Corps recruits, all right?"
-CIA Director Gen. Michael V. Hayden, USAF
"I think Jesus would be too smart to run for public office."
-Governor Mike Huckabee
"I can't drink anything tomorrow, so I'll most likely stay dressed all day."
-GySgt B.
"You see now, sire, the fruits of victory. Next to a battle lost, the saddest thing is a battle won."-
-Marshall Saxe, to Louis XV after the French victory at Fontenoy
"A lot of things are better off non-sentient anyway. Can you imagine the kind of counseling a self-aware nuclear weapon would need?"
-Marten, Questionable Content
"Yet each man kills the thing he loves, by each let this be heard. Some do it with a bitter look, some with a flattering word. The coward does it with a kiss, the brave man with a sword!"
-Oscar Wilde
"Dear Dogbert; my parents told me that every time I ask Santa for a gift, an angel will lose its wings. That seems like a fair arrangement to me, but is there any risk the wingless angel would fall on my head and kill me? Sincerely, Brent. Dear Bent; wingless angels generally burn up on reentry. It’s nothing that a little shampoo can’t cure. Sincerely, Dogbert."
-Scott Adams
"I also thought I had a pretty good fix on the Sound of Music, indeed, the hills were alive with it, but they go right from singing about whiskers on kittens to a bunch of Goddamn Nazis kicking down the door."
-Tycho Brahe, Penny Arcade
Opinions and Rants
On Blackmail
It's becoming one of my pet peeves- the idea of "review blackmail." You and I both know what I'm talking about: "I won't post the next chapter until I have TEN, yes T-E-N reviews." People- don't write for reviews. You might say "but I don't want to write something that nobody's going to read!" Write for fun, not for reviews. The creative process is a fantastic adventure that shouldn't be squandered on worrying about a "payoff" in the form of reviews. Who knows? If you're a bad writer who enjoys writing, you will keep writing and eventually become a good writer, and the reviews will come on their own. If you're a bad writer who writes for reviews, then you won't get them and you'll get discouraged and quit.
And if you're a good writer, then chances are you have at some point been a bad writer who loved writing, and you won't put those silly blackmail statements at the end of your chapters.
On Canon
Come on, people- do your research! When the facts don't fit the story, don't change the facts (obvious exception: AU)! Now, that isn't to say you can't create facts where they didn't exist before, but changing them is oh-so-not-cool.
An example of changing a fact: Robin is actually Jackie Chan, in disguise. While it would explain the mask, it's still not going to fly. Sorry, Mr. Chan.
An example of creating a fact: Beast Boy can turn into a unicorn. He can turn into dinosaurs, so he obviously doesn't have to have physically seen the animal to turn into it. For that matter, what's to stop him from turning into anything he can think of and label as an "animal" in his mind? Hmm...
On Characters (Teen Titans)
The Beast is one cool cat. He's a very territorial and aggressive Beast Boy with limited cognitive functions and very sharp claws- that is to say, what's most important to Beast Boy is what's most important to the Beast, and he'll defend it viciously. What he isn't, however, is a ruthless killing machine- if he was, why did he take Raven from Adonis instead of simply attacking his rival and ignoring her? Nor is Beast Boy in any conscious control- if he was, why would he have defended Raven from Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire?
Beast Boy isn't stupid, he's just not educated. He's not some simpering imbecile who can't understand or even pronounce any word with more than two syllables. His powers are most effective when used thoughtfully. Constant shifting into the appropriate animal for the constantly changing conditions of battle is not a task for an idiot. The idea of him having a tail is pretty cool. As long as I'm writing him, he will remain as short or shorter than Raven. Also, he's not permanently happy-go-lucky. In terms of depth, he's a pool- not a puddle.
Cyborg isn't in an incestuous relationship with the T-Car- that's just weird. I like him with Jinx better than Bumblebee (because Bee is boring and, as best I can tell, "paired" with him because they're both black). He isn't appreciated nearly as much as he should be. Write more Cyborg! Write better Cyborg! Resistance is futile (but capacitance has potential).
Raven is a half-demon, not a demi-goddess. She's smart, but she isn't going to beat Little Blue in a game of chess, nor is she going to outstrip a Cray. She's not innately suicidal just because she likes the dark and she isn't a Goth- I highly doubt she was even born when Rome was sacked. She's much more fun when she has flaws than when she's a canon-approved Mary Sue.
Robin can be a dick sometimes (no pun intended), but he really isn't such a bad guy. He isn't going to be loudly talking with the team about Beast Boy being worthless, Raven being satanic, Starfire being stupid, or something stupid like that. He's tougher on himself than he needs to be, and doesn't blame others for his own mistakes.
Starfire isn't stupid- just way too nice for her own good. She's funny when her cooking is terrible, but even funnier when it comes out edible. She's kind, innocent, and naïve, but sharp as a tack and is almost as much fun as Jinx when she's being devious. She's also really hard for me to write. Silkie makes a good trash compactor.
Terra... is a nonentity as far as I'm concerned, except as a point of historical reference. She has no memory of her time with the team (or is consciously pretending to have no memory), expresses no desire to have anything to do with the team (or any of its members), and would probably not be welcomed back as a member of the team even if the previous statements weren't true- but especially so because they are. She's excised from the story, and will not be re-entering voluntarily. Being forced back in, however, is another matter altogether.
On the Drinking Age
This is a friendly reminder to those authors not familiar with United States laws: the legal age to purchase and/or consume alcohol in any state in the US is 21, not 18. If you're writing a story that involves alcohol and takes place in the US (for example, something in the Teen Titans fandom), keep that in mind.
On Fan Constructions (Teen Titans)
A list of commonly found facts and habits about the Titans that were never actually in the show (or that I can't for the life of me remember where they were):
The 'Beast Boy's Messy Room' hyperbole
Beast Boy's laziness regarding training
Cyborg's blackmail habit
Raven's irritation at being called 'Rae'
Raven throwing people out windows
Raven sticking people to walls and ceilings
Robin's obsessive habit of going to the gym
On Grocery Carts
You know what pisses me off? People that don't put their grocery carts away after taking their groceries to their car. You know who you are- you're the guy that leaves it next to your vehicle, or next to the receptacle, or in the middle of the fucking parking lot. You refuse to expend the minimal effort it would take to put the cart where it belongs and make the collecting employee's job a whole lot easier. These people are lazy and self-centered, and probably kill kittens in their spare time.
Sure, they claim it's the bagger's JOB to collect the carts. It's what they pay him to do (besides bag groceries).
Well, it's the janitor's JOB to clean the floor, but you don't just drop your pants and shit wherever the hell you feel like, do you?
No, of course you don't. But because you can't take the time or expend the effort required to push your oh-so-heavy wheeled buggy twenty feet and put it away like your mother should have taught you to, the poor kid making just over six dollars an hour to be nice to shitheads like you has to spend 15 minutes collecting the carts spread over the parking lot, when he could have finished in three minutes and gotten back to his other duties.
No, I’m not bitter.
On Gun Fighting
USMC Rules For Gun Fighting
1) Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns. Bring their friends who have guns.
2) If you can, make friends with those on the crew served weapons. Bring them as well. Borrow money from them, it gives them an added incentive to protect you.
3) Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap.
4) Only hits count. Close doesn't count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.
5) If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough nor using cover correctly.
6) Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)
7) If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a long gun and a friend with a long gun.
8) In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived and who didn't.
9) If you are not shooting, you should be communicating (calling for arty or air support), reloading, and running.
10) Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting is more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the gun.
11) Use a gun that works EVERY TIME. "All skill is in vain when an Angel pisses in the flintlock of your musket."
12) Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.
13) In combat, there are no rules, always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
14) Have a plan.
15) Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work.
16) Have a back-up, back-up plan in case CentCom or SecDef finds the first two plans "unacceptable".
17) Use cover or concealment as much as possible. The only visible target should be in your gun sights.
18) Flank your adversary when possible. Protect your flank.
19) Don't drop your guard.
20) Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees.
21) Watch their hands. Hands kill. (In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them).
22) Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.
23) The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.
24) Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
25) Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.
26) Your number one Option for Personal Security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.
27) Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with a "4."
Army Rules for Gun Fighting
1) See USMC Rules to gun Fighting.
2) Add 60 to 90 days.
3) Hope the Marines already destroyed all meaningful resistance.
Navy Rules for Gun Fighting
1) Adopt an aggressive offshore posture.
2) Send in the Marines.
3) Drink Coffee and eat donuts.
Air Force Rules for Gun Fighting
1) Kiss the wife goodbye.
2) Drive to the base in your sports car.
3) Fly to target area, drop bombs, (try not to hit the Canuks) fly back to your home base.
4) BBQ some burgers and drink beer in your backyard.
On Hamsters
Have you ever thought about hamsters in the wild? I mean, what do they eat? Do they travel in packs? The way I imagine it, hamsters were once like land piranhas- capable of stripping a cow to its bones in thirty seconds.
On Nevermore
I’m an unashamed Nevermore addict, but people really need to become more creative with how they use it. I mean, the place is crawling with possibilities, but I keep on seeing the same stale uses of Raven’s lovely little lookalikes. Do something you’ve never seen before- it’s fun!
On Original Characters (OC)
A poorly written original character is the kiss of death to even the best of stories. Writing them is a definite risk, and far too frequently do we fail to look before we leap. Compounding the problem is that they’re very difficult to do well- especially “good guys.” I can think of maybe five or six authors on this site whose “good guys” are always well done (and one or two whose characters are always exceptional), and the odds of you being among their number is slim- God knows I’m not. On the other hand making up villains, however, is much safer territory. You’re much less likely to end up with a Mary Sue on your hands, for one thing. Not to mention that people can accept an annoying villain much more easily than an annoying ally- after all, the villain is much more likely to get punched repeatedly in the mouth. Also, self-inserts as the villain are acceptable. Self-inserts as “the new team member” are not. Except, of course, in satire.
CC/OC romantic relationships: for the love of God, don’t do it! Especially if the Canon Character is the primary focus of the story. That’s an almost instant Mary Sue, and your audience will likely see the OC as a self-insert as well.
One of those people who always gets her original characters right went ahead and made a little How-To on original characters. Check it out: CalliopeMused
On Points of View
I’ve noticed a particularly disturbing trend in fanfictions ever since I started reading them a little over a year ago (note to self: change this sentence as time passes), and that is some authors’ habit of creating abrupt changes in perspective and/or narration through simply slapping a
Billy Bob’s POV
into the middle of their story. You’ve got to be joking, right? How hard is it to either a) stick to one point of view throughout a story, or b) let the reader know that a change has occurred through the use of a scene divider (for example, I favor a string of hyphens) and the proper use of context. Just lobbing a bolded eyesore into the middle of the page is... well, it’s just not right. The same can be said of flashbacks (it’s one word, people). A little context (“Billy Bob thought back to his cousin’s third wedding...”), some scene dividers, and italicizing the entire flashback is a much more appropriate than chucking out a (Flashback) and (End Flashback) before and after the back of flashing in question.
Yes, I’m channeling Starfire. And maybe Raven. Deal with it.
On Predictability
Keeping your readers on their toes is, in the words of one Martha Stewart, “a good thing.” If the reader knows what’s going to happen long before he or she actually reads it, it makes the experience considerably less enjoyable. The most popular (by my observation) and flagrant (again, by my judgment) offender is the theme of gender-based competitions. As soon as I see the words “boys against girls” (or any variant thereof), I know that ninety-nine times out of one hundred, the following sequence of events will occur: the guys will start off annoyingly cocky, the girls will make some comment about boys being stupid before confidently resolving to show them the error of their arrogant ways, the guys will be thoroughly trounced and bemoan the fact that they lost to a bunch of girls, who in turn will be smug and self-satisfied in their victory over the male braggarts.
Such predictability is a bad thing to allow into your stories- sure, it’s great if you’re looking for a “Girl Power!” fix, but if you’re looking for an interesting and engaging scene then you’re better off spending a few thousand words describing paint drying on a wall.
On Replies
Everybody loves getting reviews, even though they’re not the objective (or, at least, they shouldn’t be) of writing. When people take the initiative to hit that little button and tell you what they thought, it’s only polite to reply to them- even if it’s nothing more than a simple “thanks for reading.” Spending a little time writing back won’t hurt you, and it makes the reviewer’s task just a little more satisfying to complete.
On the other hand, if you’re going to review, it’s generally a good idea to do more than say “I love it, update soon.” Pick out something you liked and/or something that needed work. Make your review helpful, and the author will appreciate it a great deal more.
On Rifles
This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.
My rifle without me is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will...
My rifle and myself know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit...
My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strengths, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will...
Before God I swear this creed. My rifle and I are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.
So be it, until victory is America’s and there is no enemy, but peace.
On Romantic Pairings
I view pairings like a thesis- you’ve got to have good arguments and good evidence to back it up. I place them into three categories: pairings that have weak supporting evidence and/or strong contradicting evidence (Raven/Cyborg being an example of weak supporting evidence, Raven/Robin being an example of strong contradicting evidence); pairings that make no sense whatsoever (Cyborg/Malchior? What the hell!); and pairings that provide compelling arguments and evidence (your stereotypical Robin/Starfire, Raven/BB, Cyborg/Bee). Obviously, I prefer to read about and write about the third category mentioned (with the notable exception of Cyborg/Bee, as Bee is abysmally boring when compared to Jinx). However, that doesn’t mean that the first category is wrong (the second category is, in more ways than one). It just means that anyone who wants to include a pairing from the first category has a much smaller pool of resources to draw from.
Of all the pairings I have problems with, Robin/Raven would have to be the worst offender. I have tried (and so far failed) to find a decently written (non-AU) Rob/Rae story that: 1) includes all five of the main Titans in the story; 2) doesn’t demonize Starfire or Beast Boy without just cause (i.e. making Starfire a jealous and vindictive bitch or turning Beast Boy into a psychotic rapist), or otherwise make any of the Titans out of character; 3) addresses the painfully obvious attractions that Starfire and Beast Boy have for Robin and Raven, respectively; 4) doesn’t involve some fantastic tale about how Terra magically got her memory back and ran straight into the team’s waiting arms (because, honestly, they’d have to be stupid to trust her like that again); 5) doesn’t address item #3 through the use of original characters, obscure Titans that have hardly had any interaction with the primary five, or throwing Starfire and BB together without proper justification; 6) has a happy ending; and 7) bothers to explain why Robin and Raven feel the way that they do (the reasons, not the process). If you can show me a story that satisfies these seven criteria, I’ll be quite happy to read it. Yeah, I’m picky.
On Summaries
Another fun little annoyance- people that say “summary sucks, but story is good” (or some variation thereof) in their summaries. If you can’t put forth the effort to make a decent summary, do me the kindness of not outright telling me. Besides, summaries are easy- you take the plot of your story, boil it down to one, two, or even three sentences, include whatever notation you choose to include (AU, CyxCar, etc.) and voila! You’ve got a passable summary!
On Super Smash Brothers: Brawl and Soul Caliber II
FACT: I will destroy you.
On Tipping
The practice of tipping pisses me off; but it's the 15 to 20 percent you give your server at the end of your meal at almost every restaurant in America that really gets my facial tic going.
To be honest, it isn't the act of tipping that annoys me, it's that the tip is necessary. It isn't uncommon for restaurants to pay their serving staff FAR below minimum wage, allowing the difference to be made up through tips. That cute waitress who handed you your lasagna and refilled your sweet tea is probably getting paid 2.50 USD an hour from the restaurant, or something equally abysmal. Of the 7 dollar tip you left behind, most of it will likely go to allowing the restaurant to get away without paying her the legal minimum wage. Only after she breaks 6.15 USD an hour (assuming that you're eating in North Carolina) does she actually make any money for her hard work.
When you tip, you're not necessarily compensating her for quality service. You're likely just saving the restaurant a few bucks that without your assistance they would have to fork over to her anyways.
And let's be honest with ourselves here; that's horseshit.
On Web Browsers
You crazy IE users need to try this- go download Firefox, Adblock, and Filterset.g. I can almost guarantee that you'll never click that little blue "e" again. However, should you feel the need to do so, you can always compromise and install IE Tab.
On Writing
Please, for the love of all that is good and holy, use correct spelling. Use the proper forms of "quite," "quiet," "patients," "patience," "conscience," "conscious," "envelope," "envelop," "waste," "waist," "poll," "pole," "role," "roll," "apologies," "apologize," "straight," "strait," "threw," "through," "to," "two," "too," "their," "there," "they're," "effect," "affect," "lose," "loose," "conceited," "conceded," "past," "passed," "site," "sight," "breath," "breathe," "prophecy," "prophesy," "brake," "break," "presence," "presents," "you," "your," "you're," "bare," "bear," "aloud," and "allowed." Use apostrophes when (and only when) appropriate, put punctuation after the parentheses and inside the quotation marks, don't forget that capitalization is the difference between "I helped my Uncle Jack off the horse" and something completely different, create a new paragraph whenever the speaker changes, and avoid the plethora of other commonly made writing mistakes. Once or twice is understandable- nobody's perfect, especially myself. But there comes a point where typographical carelessness lapses into bad writing. Please, for your readers' sanity, proofread your papers. A good story requires good delivery as well as good content- one or the other alone is not enough. Spellcheck alone is insufficient.
Another thing to do is to vary your vocabulary. I read a story once (or more precisely, the first paragraph of a story) that used the same word to describe the same character five times in five consecutive sentences. On multiple occasions. If you're using it as a literary device, then good on you. In all other situations, mixing up your terminology helps. Personally, I cycle through about three or four names per character. More or less is up to you, but please- do something!
I don't never use me no double negatives.
Spelling, punctuation, and grammar are to writing as canaries are to coal mines. When they're hurtin', it's time to get the hell out of Dodge.
Some Things In the Works
Anesthetized: Sometimes it takes much more than music to soothe the savage beast- sometimes, it takes a cage instead.
Me and You and the Devil Make Two: AU She's an oddly colored telekinetic runaway with an oddly colored shapeshifting stray. When Robin announces the creation of the first officially sanctioned metahuman law enforcement team, there's no way Rachel can let this opportunity slip by.
One Shot: One kill. The most feared marksman in history has one of the Titans in his sights.
Visions of an Apocalypse: AU It's not that easy, being green, especially if you're the object of Rav... Her Royal Majesty's attentions. That which doesn't kill you just prolongs the inevitable. A series of oneshots set in a post-apocalyptic world.
Some Things On the Drawing Board
Barefoot and Pregnant: Nobody knows the trouble I'm in... nobody knows, but Toph...
The Code: When all reasonable means of resistance are exhausted and certain death is the only alternative…
Murphy: A collection of oneshots based on Murphy’s Laws.
Peregrinus Apostolicus: In which the messenger isn't lost, but simply doesn't know where he's going. Some people are always the last to know.
The Rule of Four: He had spent years trying to get her attention. She had spent four seconds looking the other way. Now she's determined to undo what she unwittingly drove him to, and nothing is going to stand in her way.
Sapience: (AU) The natives spoke of it only in whispers- the menace that haunted the night, appearing without warning and leaving only destruction in its wake. When the Titans go looking for trouble, they find it in spades.
Second Sight: A traumatic encounter with Red X leaves Raven in the dark and out of commission. But Beast Boy has an idea, and it just might be stupid enough to work.
Snowballing: Based on Kryalla Orchid's E'ara continuity. One innocuous shift at just the right time and place can radically alter the course of history. Here, we examine What Could Have Been, had Raven had only kept her wits about her when her world came to a halt. RobRae BBRae RobStar CyBG
Titles Without Stories: Available
I like coming up with titles. Feel free to steal these, if you want. My only request is that you tell me when you post, so I can read them!
Bang: There is no terror in a bang, only in the anticipation of it.
Beast Boy Iscariot
By-Path Meadow: The road that seems the safest is often fraught with hidden perils. The easy way doesn't always take you to where you want to be.
Cheese!: Cyborg's perfect memory comes in handy.
Cry Havoc: And let loose the dogs of war.
Domesticated: The memoirs of Garfield Mark Logan.
The Doom Song
Equestrian: (AU) Pestilence, Famine, War, and Death- the Four Titans of the Apocalypse have come to wipe the slate clean.
Everafter
From the Barrel of a Gun
From Bad to Worse: Evil Titans! Yay!
Game Theory
Gibraltar: No matter how hard you try, some things will never change. For some people, this is a consolation. For others, it is a source of neverending frustration.
Gleipnir: Things are not always what they seem...
The Green Mile: 'We each owe a death; there are no exceptions; but, oh God, sometimes the green mile seems so long.'
Head Case: She made him promise, both to her and to himself. If nothing else, Beast Boy always keeps his word.
Iconoclasm: Raven and Valentine's Day
Impartial: The world breaks everyone, and those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. Apologies to Ernest Hemingway.
Judged: Too late and to their sorrow do those who misplace their trust in Gods learn their fate.
The Last Inspection: Step forward now, you soldier, you've borne your burdens well. Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets- you've done your time in Hell.
Man Shall Not Live on Bread Alone
Melian: The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.
Minor Premise
Moopstag: You wouldn't get it.
O Fortuna!: Because Fate lays low the brave, all join with me in lamentation:
Ode: She walks in beauty, like the night, of cloudless climes and starry skies, and all that's best of dark and bright, meets in her aspect and her eyes. Apologies to Lord Byron.
One Bright Day, in the Middle of the Night
Only A Fool's Hope
Over Her Shoulder: Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean someone isn't out to get you.
Plan B is for Beast Boy: Always have a backup plan, because the first one won't work.
Predatory: They both had instincts that they wrestled with every day. He craved the taste and feel of another creature's warm, dead flesh as it slid down his hungry throat. She craved sacrifice of a different sort...
Reciprocity: After all, turnabout is fair play...
Revelations: Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.
Room 101: 'You asked me once what was in Room 101. I told you that you knew the answer already. Everyone knows it. The thing that is in Room 101 is the worst thing in the world.' As Raven remembered Dr. Light, she couldn't help but think that she would have fit in quite nicely at the Ministry of Love.
The Saavedra Position: When all else fails, use a smaller hammer. Sometimes weakness can be your greatest strength.
Skittish
S P A C E S: No man is an island, but even for five teenagers that just so happen to live on an island, man can certainly put a good deal of distance between himself and others when necessary.
On The Streets That Are Golden: And we will dance...
Superlative
A Time to Play: (Dystopian AU) Come all you young rebels and list while I sing, for love of one's land is a terrible thing. It banishes fear with the speed of a flame, and makes us all part of the Patriot Game.
The Twain Shall Meet: "East is East," she said, "and West is West." "And if they go far enough West and East," he countered, "they eventually run right smack into each other."
Unyielding: The daughter of Trigon the Terrible is not to be denied.
Titles Without Stories: Taken
Someone beat you to it. Sorry.
The Beast Boy Uncertainty Principle by Kayasuri-n:
Before Dishonor by Jessemudflap:
Blight by SylverEyes:
Burning Bright by CalliopeMused:
Contrition by sdde:
Janus Masks by Kayasuri-n:
The Light Brigade by The Lady Bonny:
The Pale Moonlight by CalliopeMused:
Viridian Velveteen by Jessemudflap:
Weird Questions That Will Probably Not Keep You Awake at Night (Teen Titans)
Beast Boy: If he turned into a chameleon, would he still stay green? And what prevents him from transforming into mythological creatures? What happened to all those BB amoebas- they're exact copies of him, so wouldn't they be able to transform themselves as well? Where does the food in his stomach go when he transforms? Where does his communicator go, how does he know it's going off when he's transformed, and how does it track him? Why is the only "animal" form that he speaks in (amoeba) the only one that can't actually make noise? In the opening credits for Trouble In Tokyo, how did he get inside Raven's compartment?
Cyborg: He has tools in his right hand. He has a sonic cannon in his right hand. His right hand is detachable and rocket launchable. His right hand can function as a grappling hook. How does it fit? And why doesn't he put a remote for the TV in there too?
Raven: What possible purpose do those extra two eyes serve? Are they always there, but shut? Or do they magically appear whenever Raven goes bananas?
Robin: How in the hell do you get a sword from two birdarangs? And how does his staff expand like it does and remain perfectly cylindrical?
Starfire: In Stranded, where the hell did she get that bow and arrow from? Does she have difficulty seeing Beast Boy through her green cornea and her powers' green glow? We know she breathes air (or how else would Mad Mod's knockout gas have worked on her?), so how does she breathe in space?
Whatever's Left Over
Hundert: If you want to try something like it yourself, I use this random word generator to make the plotlings.
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