How Much String is in the World. Who Has It. by SomeInstant (R-NC-17)

[marag.livejournal.com]

Hi, my name is Mara and I'm thrilled to be driving the Batmobile for August. I'm fairly Gotham-centric, so the majority of my recs will involve Batman, Robin, or Nightwing, but I've mixed in some other folks for variety. I've also tried to pick stories that are accessible without knowing decades of incredibly confusing continuity, including older and newer stories.

Fandom: DC COMICS
Pairing: Dick Grayson/Tim Drake (aka Nightwing/Robin III)
Author on LJ: someinstant
Author Website: None as far as I can tell
Why this must be read:

Because this fic is brilliantly original in style and seamlessly gives us both the humor and the angst that are the highlights of anything that takes place in the world of Batman (the Batverse, as we say). This fic is slash, but even if you hate slash, read it. If you insist, you can stop reading once you hit the sex (which is at the end). But you won't regret giving the story a chance.

I find myself unable to briefly summarize the story except by using the author's summary: "Day fifty-seven. Nightwing appears discontent with territory. Consumes large quantities of fermented agave root. Does not eat the worm."

You know you want to read it. How can you resist a story with endnotes?

1. Veracity

There are two kinds of truth: absolute and relative. Absolute truths are always true, without exception. Such truths include the fact that:

A. Dick cannot fly without the help of
i. a jet or other man-made flight-inducing device, or
ii. a willing meta-human or the sudden acquisition of meta-human-esque powers.

B. Dick really wishes he *could* fly especially when
i. Superman or Kory offers to carry him, or
ii. he drinks too much.1

C. Ingesting more tequila will not make Dick able to fly.

D. Ingesting more tequila *will*, however, make Dick drunker.2

Relative truths are more complex. They are true within brackets-- specific situations, specific people, specific times and places. These are truths which are sometimes lies for other people. Examples of relative truths are:

A. Dick’s first costume design for Nightwing was cool.

B. It is a good idea for Dick to
i. drink about half a bottle of Jose Cuervo
ii. at three o’clock in the morning
iii. while sitting on the roof of a warehouse by the harbor
iv. in civilian clothes.

C. Dick is not brooding.

D. Dick is not brooding *much*.

A is true in that Dick, at the time, believed the costume design was cool. If asked, Elvis, Liberace, and Elton John all might offer the same explanations for their wardrobe choices, and-- sadly-- all three would be telling the truth.

B is true in that Dick, at the time, thought this was a good idea. “At the time” was approximately two hours ago-- but that time has since passed. Dick has now decided that B is no longer true, especially since he has to get *down* from the warehouse at some point, preferably before dawn. Also, he has to pee.

C is not true at all, which is why there is a D.

D is true, if Dick compares himself with Batman. Bruce. Whichever. Because Dick *does* compare himself to Batman, and therefore D is true, on a relative scale. The fact (an absolute truth) that Dick does, objectively, brood slightly less than Bruce is not at all reassuring.

Dick takes another swallow of tequila, and decides that B might as well be true again since he’s got half a bottle left.


How Much String is in the World. Who Has It