#And I wanted to play with the fact that the Justice League do work with a dead child in that case.
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Bat Family 'Bruce is Tim's biological parent' AU Idea #1
Wherein Jack Drake: a) Regularly tags along on archaeological digs despite not being an archaeologist. b) Commonly smuggles home archaeological finds despite that not being legal. c) Does not believe in curses, hauntings, or any mythology despite the world that he lives in being populated with *gestures at comics* all that.
As a result, Jack is like a magnet for cursed objects and keeps smuggling the damned things home.
The first time little Timmy suspects this is happening, he knows his dad won't respond well to him suggesting the most recent package he sent home is haunted. He knows he'll respond even worse if he tries to get anyone else involved. So he sends his mom a private email explaining what's going on. Janet replies that he's right to be suspicious, that this has absolutely happened before, and that he was right to contact her. She tells him she's sending over a friend who can help and gives him a password that she'll tell the friend so he knows it's okay to let him in the house.
John Constantine shows up within the hour. Tim is certain he didn't drive there (the alert that someone passed through the gates never went off and no one put in a code to open them) but there is a cursed object in his house and John knew the password Janet gave him, so he's mostly just happy to have an adult there to handle the situation. Even if a somewhat bizarre adult.
John takes care of the cursed object and is impressed that Tim reacted to it much faster than most do. He gives Tim his card with instructions to call him if anything like what was happening starts to happen again or if anything else weird starts happening after his father has been to any digs or sent home any strange packages.
As Jack is the aforementioned cursed object magnet, Tim ends up calling John fairly often for someone who doesn't actively work with the occult and is, in fact, a child. John keeps praising him for catching on as quick as he does and giving him information to catch onto other types of mystical/magical wickedness. Tim gets really good at recognizing when magic/curses/spirits are at play.
Then, Janet dies and Jack goes into a coma. Tim is fostered by Bruce for a year and a half and doesn't have to worry about curses or haunted objects for all that time. When they do come across something of the occult, Bruce/Batman has his own contacts, so there was never a reason for Tim to bring any of it up.
Then, the events of Identity Crisis/Crisis of Conscience occur, and Bruce doesn't want to talk to Zatanna (his usual mystic go-to) if it can be helped. He doesn't want to call in anyone connected to most of the Justice League if it can be helped.
So when they come across a cursed object, Tim immediately identifies it and tells Bruce not to worry, he knows a guy who can handle it. The man knows his civilian identity, so they'll have to pretend Bruce bought the object as part of an action or estate sale lot.
John comes and handles it. Before he leaves he comments that he's glad Tim's biological father finally decided to step up and that Bruce better take good care of the boy.
When Tim explains that Bruce isn't his father, the look on John's face clearly shows that he's trying to figure out how to back-step, but not in the expected way. More in the 'I let on information i wasn't supposed to' way.
Which is how Bruce and Tim end up running a paternity test in the Cave at four am.
Alfred and Dick are delighted by the results.
[Alternative ending: John pulls Bruce aside to let him know that Janet told him Jack wasn't Tim's father and that both he and Bruce were on the short list and he hadn't known Jack died or he'd have contacted him already. They have to wait to find out which of them is the lucky one. Either Bruce turns out to be the father and John just lets Tim know he can still call him whenever needed or it turns out John is the father and they decide Tim should still stay with Bruce but John has visitations. Also, Tim might have been showing signs of his Homo Magi heritage when he recognized all these cursed objects. John insists on teaching him to use his magic despite Bruce's unease with it.]
#dc#comics#funny#ficlet#fic ideas#fic ideas I haven't the time for#Bat Family#john constantine#bruce wayne#tim wayne#tim drake#jack drake#janet drake
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Imagine Tim holding Brucequest over the Justice League & even Dick & Jason's heads 💀💀💀💀
Heck Tim holding the Timestream incident over Bruce's head because Tim was the only person to actually do anything to save him
((Damian gets a pass because 1. He's a KID whose cult leading gramps was involved, how about No?))
((And 2. The priority for him at the time should have been unlearning the cult teachings of the LOA))
((and also all his other siblings. Alfred too since he has a job dammit))
Tw: Violence
I love petty Tim Drake so much. He deserves to be able to hold his trauma over the people who caused it.
Jason takes the last cookie? "You might as well take me back to Titan's Tower and slit my throat again."
Dick tells Tim he needs to go to bed? "Oh. I see how it is. I thought we talked about you questioning my judgements again, but I see I was wrong."
Alfred lectures Tim about his health? "Now you're concerned about my health? You should have thought about that before putting my mental health in peril for my sixteenth birthday."
Bruce is concerned with Tim's workload? "Maybe the next time you want me to take on less work you'll write a fucking letter instead of spreading vague clues no one else believes is actually from you."
As for Damian? They exchange verbal barbs for fun and take notes from each other. It confuses the hell out of the others because do they hate each other, or are they bonding?
Steph and Tim like to get into screaming fights with each other in public. It's never about their actual fights, but they like how Gotham reacts to it (bonus points if they end up in the news).
Tim and Babs try to sabotage each other's unimportant technology. That fifth tablet Babs hardly uses? Bam! Tim's made it so it plays music whenever it's on and the music can't be turned off.
Cass and Tim just make faces at each other. Bruce has been confused as hell when one of them randomly shouts in outrage due to the other twitching their eyelids wrong.
Tim likes confusing and horrifying Duke by telling him fun facts about the family. He'll tell them in the most damning way to watch the chaos. "The scar on Jason's neck is from Bruce choosing the Joker over Jason."
And that is Tim taking it easy on the Bats because he loves and cares about them (and because it's funny).
The JL?
Red Robin terrifies all of the members who doubted him. The terror doubles when they see him happily chatting with YJ or the Bats. The version of Tim the JL gets is a scarily competent and cold persona. They thought he lost the ability to smile until Red Hood (and who let a crime lord into the Watchtower???) grabbed Red Robin a peace offering Zesti.
#dc comics#dc universe#tim drake#let tim be petty#unhinged tim drake#thank you for the ask!!!!#jason todd#bruce wayne#dick grayson#damian wayne#cass wayne#steph brown#duke thomas#the bats are the furthest thing from a functional family
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Saw the ask about the HC for a justice league origin and my favorite to play with has always been one where Superman and Batman meet and over five years get incredibly invested in each other's schticks, a year or so after they meet they end up working with Diana for something maybe world ending but quiet and years down the line when the Justice League is formed they're all incredibly in this weird limbo position. They're used to working together, but they're also used to defending Batmans position as a cryptid with their lives. That is not a habit that dies easily.
Everyone knows Diana and Kal formed the league, but they routinely reference a third member (who apparently did most of the "research" ie stalking on who would or wouldn't be admitted or considered for the league). They don't give a name. They don't give any kind of acknowledgement of who or even where this person might be stationed. When outright questioned about it both of them answer with some variation of "Who?" The league is convinced it's some hacker or just a civilian the two know. Maybe even a government person?
Up until the point that Bruce is actually forced to start working part time and most of the newer league members can't stand him. He gives orders and just *expects* to be listened to???
But Bruce has been the guiding hand behind almost all league strategy for at least five years now. Clark and Diana go to him for advice when they're uncertain on the course of action. He's the one making the training plans and the monitor schedules and the one who sorts through all of the requests or complaints Leaguers file. (A good half of which recently are about the fact that there wasn't a vote on Batmans sudden admittance into the league)
It takes some massive alien invasion and an almost complete wipe out before Clark forgets to switch to a private comm when someone manages a direct hit and asks Bruce if that's why he picked that guy for the league, cause he definitely wasn't on Clark or Diana's radar.
Cue the slow dawning horror as they realize that there wasn't a vote on Batmans admittance to the league because he's been a member from day one.
(the funding can be revealed later, better not to break all their brains at once)
Sorry that got long, this is an AU I've wanted to write for ages but tragically will never do justice to
Oh my goodness, the way I would read the shit out of this idea! I hope you write it someday! It’s such a delicious flavor of identity porn isn’t it??
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Actual Scientists Jack & Maddie AU Part 4
Part 1 & 2
Part 3
Explaining The Papers (™) to Frostbite takes a While (also ™).
Though with no more imminent threat of “Vlad maybe finding out he’s the ghost king and becoming Insufferable (also also ™) about it” Danny was feeling a lot less stressed - Sam and Tucker, too, if the fact that they were actually drinking their tea now instead of just barely sipping at it was any indication - or they could’ve only just cooled enough to actually drink, the FF did tend to overestimate the level of heat they could tolerate just a tad.
Not to say that he wasn’t still stressed, given the whole “the Justice League is trying to summon ME” thing. But like. They were reaching out hoping for peace, not hoping to skin/dissect/exterminate him.
Plus they don’t know how to summon him; he figures he has time. Hopefully enough to get Frostbite’s advice.
And mostly to cool his own nerves, because now that he knows they did try to help and are helping the Justice League is Cool again! And they want to meet him!
Well, they want to meet the ghost king, but they already watched him! They thought he was a capable hero!
Danny isn’t really used to getting positive feedback, so being called “good hands” by Superman - Superman! The hero! The Alien hero! (well, one of them. Martian Manhunter is also amazing but he hasn’t complimented Danny in person yet so he doesn’t have any expectations for Danny to live up to. Maybe. Hypothetically).
The JL is so cool and they think he’s cool! Or at least capable! Except now he has to impress them not just as a hero but as a king?
Yeah.
Suffice to say, Danny is now a little nervous.
(And also maybe redirecting his nerves intentionally to be about the JL so he doesn’t have to breathe into a bag about being probably the only thing between the Zone and eventual total dimensional collapse because Frostbite was very ‘this is normal and okay’ about it but it’s eventual total dimensional collapse [ALL OF THEM] and it is Danny’s problem. But no, he’s just nervous about meeting the JL. Totally.)
Reciting pretty much his whole life story - well, the basics of his parents’ work and then pretty much everything from the portal onward - gives him time to untense, and honestly, getting it all out to a mostly uninvolved third party - one he likes and trusts - really is a weight off his shoulders.
He’ll never tell Jazz; the amount of I-told-you-so-energy she’d leech into the air would be unbearable.
Sam and Tucker tag in here and there too, and mostly take over when they get to the part where the GIW bought Fenton Works for a short while to try and destroy the zone. Danny winces at the memory of his behavior back then.
The explanation runs for longer than it could have, given the aside they make when they get to his parents’ theories.
Frostbite is quick to confirm the combat-as-a-positive-social-behavior thing, and it turns out Sam is right about how to tell the difference.
Of course, Danny thinks they were all trying to kill him the rest of the way, but then that’s not a concern most ghosts have, so Frostbite offers his own perspective.
Skulker wants to hang his pelt on a wall: clearly unfriendly.
Technus is just having fun - enjoying playing with new technology in the living realm and throwing Danny around/being thrown around. He’s a friend. The whole world domination idea isn’t malicious as far as he’s concerned, because damage to the living realm doesn’t mean much to ghosts. What do they care about the living? What is the value of a single world as collateral when weighed against the games of ghosts?
If Danny wants him to stop that, Frostbite tells him, he can just propose a new game.
Ember genuinely just wanted a powerboost from the Earth that first time, but her returns since are a gesture of friendship.
Spectra definitely hates him though. Which is good. He wouldn’t know how to feel if Frostbite had said that that whole mess was an attempt at friendship.
As for the thing with his parents, Frostbite compares it to winning a tournament only to find out the other participants lost intentionally. You haven’t really won a competition if the competitors were not competing.
Like going in for a handshake only to get a “too slow” - even more insulting if it’s the first “too slow” you’ve ever gotten - Tucker suggests.
Or like asking a parent to a hug and only getting a wave. Not even a high-five.
They each go through another three cups of tea before the story winds down, Frostbite doing adding little more than the occasional nod or noise of acknowledgement - barring the social combat explanation, of course.
It’s nice, Danny thinks, to have an adult that actually listens. Even if said adult is a dead yeti.
“You have given me much to think on Great One, Friends Sam and Tucker,” he says after the three of them finally run out of words, giving each of them a nod. “And soon, we shall have much more to discuss. First, however, it seems that I have a meeting to call. And you have living needs that require attending to yet. Eat, rest, and, if you would, return here… let’s say the day after tomorrow? Then we can begin to discuss the…issues. At hand.”
Back in the Specter Speeder, Tucker wonders aloud if “call a meeting” is code for yelling at the Observants.
Then he looks at his PDA and realizes how late it’s gotten - namely, past all of their curfews - and they promptly turn the conversation to getting their story straight (and three backups because they’re all feeling paranoid with how high-stakes everything suddenly became. Not that the occasional ghost looking to wreck earth wasn't already high-stakes, but the whole political aspect made it feel... different).
***
Danny is thankful it’s summer vacation at the moment, because the next morning is a Monday.
He doesn’t know how he’d manage school with his mind miles away wondering about things like “how to king” and “how to maintain the fabric of reality” and other totally normal, non-stressful topics.
Just normal high schooler things.
His parents are gone before he’s even up, leaving a note for him and Jazz on the kitchen table.
They eat a quiet breakfast together.
The whole house is quiet. It’s unnatural, he thinks, and the small frown on Jazz’ face tells him she feels the same.
They normally enjoy the brief lulls of quiet that their parents leave behind, but this is perhaps the first time they’ve ever missed breakfast - well, the first time they haven’t been in the house during breakfast at least. A welding torch, clanging metal, clinking glass, minor explosions, and excited shouting is the usual background noise of their morning meal - whether from the basement door or at the table itself.
This time, the silence is disquieting.
Even more so since it means that Danny could, at any time, be teleported somewhere. He really should have asked Frostbite about how that works before they left - they’d already missed curfew anyway.
After they’ve both finished eating, he takes the opportunity to fill Jazz in on the whole… everything.
She is, to put it lightly, Not Impressed.
“-s bad enough they let you fight Pariah Dark in the first place! You should never have been in that position! I know that you’re a capable fighter Danny, but you’re fourteen-”
“I’m almost fifteen,” he grumbles.
“You’re not yet fifteen,” she says, glaring into the distance, expression practically snarling. Danny thinks she might be imagining strangling an Observant, based on the… choice words she’d had for them earlier. “And they want you to be a king!”
Tucker chooses that moment to arrive, walking right into the path of where Jazz is glaring and freezing until Sam shoves him out of her way to close the door and drag him into the kitchen.
“Who spat in your cereal?” she asks, moving to sit and kicking the fourth chair out for Tucker.
“Whoever or whatever is responsible for deciding that a fourteen year old child should be king when there are no doubt numerous thousand-plus year old candidates who don’t have human lives they still need to attend to!” She bellows, throwing her hands up in frustration.
The trio exchange a glance while she takes a few calming breaths.
Danny kind of wants to point out that he isn’t a child, he’s a teenager. And she’s barely older than him.
But he does have some sense of self-preservation, even if there’s only so much self left to preserve. Heh.
Then she gasps.
“Danny! You’re still half alive!”
“Er, yes?”
“Maybe that’s why the Watching Wraiths didn’t say anything! Maybe you can’t be the Ghost King if you’re still partly alive!”
“But Frostbite said-” Tucker starts, only to be cut off by Jazz.
“Frostbite could be wrong.” She sniffs. “And even if he isn’t you there are millenia before it becomes a problem. The Zone can wait for you to graduate high school before it goes demanding things of you. Or longer.”
The words are decisive.
Still….
“The Justice League-”
“Can cope. They’ll be a little paranoid about retaliation, but a little paranoia won’t kill them. And maybe letting them stew a bit will teach them to be more active about taking down genocidal organizations before they hurt so many people.”
“That’s a great idea,” Sam says, tone saying the opposite, “except the part where they’re actively working on figuring out how to summon the ghost king - who is Danny - and are probably also going to try and make contact with Phantom at some point - who is also Danny.”
Jazz frowns.
“Well. You don’t have to be a king to talk to the Justice League. Just tell them you’re still too young - which is true - or that the coronation is going to take a long time to plan - which, according to Frostbite, would be a reasonable claim. And also true since you will not be taking the throne until you are at least 18 if the Fenton Peeler and I have anything to say about it.”
“Uh. I don’t know if the Peeler is the best idea. With your…aim.” Tucker cringes, shrinking back in his seat when her unhappy frown snaps to him.
Then she looks thoughtful.
“You know what. I’ll just use a specter deflector. You mentioned before how humans are ghosts in the ghosts zone; see if they still feel like making a child a king when they’ve got an unstrikable target punching their lights out about it.”
“Please don’t antagonize a bunch of ghosts who could try and attack you while you're sleeping,” Danny pleads.
“It’s bad enough that all this has impacted your sleep and grades and attendance records so much; I’m not going to let a bunch of ghost nobles - or whatever they’re called - mess things up for you even more. If they don’t like my proposals they can un-friendly fight me about it, and if you’re worried about retribution I can turn on the house defenses in my room when I sleep. But I am not letting this go.”
She stands.
“Since he didn’t give you a time, we’ll leave to visit Frostbite after breakfast tomorrow-”
“We?” the trio ask hesitantly.
“Of course. But for now, there’s something else we need to do, little brother.”
That said, she turns and heads for the basement.
Danny and Tucker blink at the abrupt departure, while Sam just frowns thoughtfully.
The three exchange one more meaningful glance, before sharing a shrug and moving to follow her.
They arrive in the basement to Fenton Fighting Ring rising out of the floor.
“Uh, Jazz?” Danny tries.
“We’re going to fight!”
In stark contrast to both her words and her furious demeanor upstairs, her tone and expression are bright and eager.
“Um. That’s. Nice, but you know that’s a ghost thing, right?” he offers hesitantly.
“I mean, I still fight with Dora,” Sam adds, the traitor.
“Thank you Sam,” Jazz starts. “But even without that example; you are part ghost, brother mine. That means fighting loved ones is a you thing. I love you, so of course I’m going to fight you.”
“Mom and Dad theorized - and Frostbite confirmed - that the fighting is a social behavior. Many social behaviors are also needs. Members of social species that are not allowed to socialize become stressed and their health worsens. Humans who don’t communicate with other humans for too long experience negative side effects, too little physical contact can lead to depressed mood and so forth,” she monologues as she moves into the ring.
“As you’re still half human, neglecting the social needs of your ghost half could negatively impact your wellbeing. Also. I’m your sister and I love you. If I could never hug you I’d be bummed. This is like the ghost equivalent of that. So. Square up, little brother.”
Danny is kind of touched, actually.
Still.
“...Don’t you at least want an anti-creep stick?” he asks, gesturing at her general lack of ghost gear as he slips intangibly through the ropes around the ring.
“Nope!” She says cheerfully. “For this match we’ll be doing no powers and no weapons - just basic human strength and skill. We can try other kinds of fights later.”
Danny pales.
“No way! You’re a 4th degree black belt!”
“9th!” she corrects, still cheerfully - and she clearly means well, but for Danny that smile is beginning to look like an omen of ill fortune.
“That’s even worse!” he cries. “I’m only a blue belt! Barely!”
“I ~told~ you you should’ve stuck with mom’s training,” she sing-songs teasingly.
He cringes, but takes a stance.
“Now let's see how much you remember.”
That’s the only warning he gets before she’s in his face.
His strength, speed, stamina, endurance, and durability are all completely back to baseline in human form unless he actively uses his flight to compensate, but one thing he notes as the fight draws on is that his reaction speed is still the same.
Even so, it’s painfully obvious just how beyond him she is in terms of skill.
Without any powers to fall back on, Jazz runs circles around him like it’s nothing.
His reaction speed means that he sees everything she’s doing and that he has time to bring his arms up, but he keeps lagging trying to recall forms and getting shoved around for it, the defenses he manages too poor to be of any use.
Other times he lags because he’s suppressing instinctual power usage.
And multiple times he accidentally, instinctively abandons proper stance all together, habitually falling into the stance of his usual “feral racoon” style of fighting - as Jazz had one called it - which isn’t much of a stance at all in a fight with no powers. Especially given how it's not made for someone fighting on the ground. She takes brutal advantage of every opening.
He’s on the back foot from the first second of the fight, and it’s obvious that it only lasted for longer than one because Jazz allowed it to, testing him.
It’s frustrating that he’s doing so poorly - he knows he’s doing poorly - but despite that, he really is having fun.
It reminds him of the training spars at the Far Frozen - restrained skill set, fight with defined boundaries and win conditions-
Aaaaand evidently he let his mind wander too much.
And Jazz noticed.
And flipped him.
He’s thoroughly pinned in short order and he cannot for the life of him remember how to escape the hold short of cheating with intangibility.
“Uncle,” he calls.
Jazz pulls him to his feet and ruffles his hair.
He squawks indignantly, but she just chuckles.
"Good fight little brother," she calls as she slips between the ropes out of the ring.
"Our hero," Sam drawls as he follows.
Danny just pouts.
"That was just sad, man," Tucker ribs. "And I thought your early ghost fights were bad."
"I'd like to you do better against the 9th degree blackbelt," he grumbles.
"Don't fret, little brother. You'll improve with time," Jazz says as she rejoins them. "Though we'll have to do refreshers of all the previous levels first, given the amount of skill degradation I just saw. But with regular practice you'll back to your previous level and more in no time!"
"Uh. Refreshers?"
"Of course!"
"That seems a bit overkill just for sparring. Couldn't you just...wear a specter deflector or something? Then I can just not use karate."
Jazz, for the first time in a long time, levels him with a very serious look.
"You said that the reason Frostbite can't be the king instead is because he can't beat you in an all out fight. You told me the alternative."
She grabs him by the shoulders and stares into his eyes.
"Danny, Vlad already made a way to shut you away from your ghost powers. Frostbite may be unwilling to end you, and I don't think Vlad would. But you and I both know there are ghosts out there who would destroy you in a heartbeat for that power. And if Vlad has that kind of device, someone else could get one too. Ecto-weapons can give you a leg up if you get sealed away from your ghost powers, but you'll also need the skill to use them successfuly."
She lets go and steps back, tilting her head thoughtfully.
"Even with the ghost powers it's probably a good idea; the crown and ring might power you up but so did the exoskeleton. Clearly they aren’t the only power-ups out there so you can’t rely on strength alone. Skill could be the determining factor one day. And you already said you had fun," she smiles. "Come on little brother, give in to the karate side."
He grimaces.
"Didn't you say you were gonna make the royalty thing a non-issue for like three more years at least," he whines, slumping dramatically.
She raises a brow.
"A blackbelt isn't made in a day."
"Ugh, fine."
He's actually looking forward to it, but Jazz doesn't need to know that. He's duty-bound as a brother to be as annoyingly contrary about sibling bonding as possible, after all.
When Sam asks if they'll teach her and Tucker as well, Jazz is all too happy to include them - best not to have only one sparring partner, avoid forming bad habits and all that.
Both girls dutifully ignore Tucker's protests while they hash out a schedule. Danny pats his shoulder consolingly.
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One thing I noticed is ever since MAWSM came out is how people in discussions have been decreasingly calling Clark "Superman" and now almost exclusively refer to him with his real name. Yeah, of course. He is Clark first and foremost. The farmboy from Smallville, Kansas; reporter at the Daily Planet. Superman is an extension of Clark. He's not like the other dude whose hero persona is his core identity. He's just a normal guy at heart who happens to be indestructible. He's just... Clark.
I think it's because until My Adventures With Superman, his primary cartoon presence was in series that were overtly superhero shows with threat-of-the-week formats, where Clark's life was the two-minute framing sequence around Superman getting to do the good stuff. Even the original Fleischer superman cartoon was ten-minute shorts that couldn't afford to go slice-of-life when they could be animating Superman punching a hole in a jet.
There have been little moments that hinted at this in other series - the Justice League episode Comfort and Joy springs to mind, being one of the only downtime episodes the team gets, where J'onn sees Clark back home on the farm with Ma and Pa Kent and is surprised at how relaxed and genuine he is when he isn't "working", aka "being superman." But for the most part Clark doesn't get that kind of personal focus, and the seasons that center on him are entirely about Superman's villains and the risk of Superman becoming a despot like his Justice Lord counterpart.
Live-action shows have been a little better about this, if only because of the SFX requirements of superman meaning it's cheaper and simpler to lean into Hometown Hero Clark Kent, exemplified in the series Smallville, which had an actual development policy that Clark was never allowed to put on the cape or costume. It started as teen drama where the protagonist just happened to have superpowers and a weird allergy to green rocks, and for a while it even had a similar gimmick to MAWS, where every other episode he developed a new power or discovered a new trait of his physiology that the audience was already expected to know about. But the problem there is that the audience also has the biggest point of dramatic irony hanging over their heads for the entire show - we know Clark's destiny is to become Superman. So while the show is ABOUT Clark, there's this tonal undercurrent that most of the messy things that make him Clark are things he'll eventually outgrow.
I think what's making My Adventures With Superman work is that it's (a) deeply sincere and (b) centered on the thesis that Clark is an emotional, vulnerable person AND ALSO a flying invulnerable brick with laser eyes, and his stress over his powers isn't just "aw it's tough to be a god now put on the tights already" but it's the very reasonable "I don't know why I'm like this, I don't understand what it means or if it's dangerous, I can't stop breaking the things I touch but I don't want to be alone."
Clark's isolation has always been something other characters muse about privately (usually Batman) or a bit of fridge logic he turns into a cool boast (the World of Cardboard speech reframing every fight he's ever been in by telling the audience he is 100% pulling his punches ALL THE TIME) but to my knowledge it's never been played for this deeply impactful and HIGHLY resonant "there is Something Wrong With Me that I don't have a name for but I will regardless find a way to live with myself and the people I love."
When Superman is framed as Clark's inevitable destiny, we lose sight of the fact that Clark is, by necessity, the kind of person who would create Superman.
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"Other Lovers" PT 3
Summary: Y/N is realizing the end of her relationship with Russ is near. Bruce is realizing he might like Y/N more than he leads on.
Pairing: Bruce Wayne x fem!reader
a/n: Hello lovelies. There will be a part four to this. There will be some flirting happening here with Bruce and Y/N so stay tuned. [B (23) Y/N (22)] [Eventual slow burn with Bruce] [Y/N/N is your nickname] Apart of my Out of My League series btw.
Bruce did not regard himself as a touchy, feely person. In fact, many people called him detached. Even as Bachelor Bruce, he wasn’t a big toucher, but he could not keep his hands off of Y/N. He knew Rachel noticed. He knew his staff noticed. He knew he shouldn’t, but he was just so comfortable with her.
It honestly had happened out of nowhere. She hadn’t even been his assistant long, maybe a few months? But they spent almost every single day together; it was hard not to get comfortable. Everything in him, especially The Bat, was telling him to knock it off, but he couldn’t. His hands traced her shoulder, walking her into the green room. He was excited to show her the present that awaited them. Her shoulder tensed with surprise when she noticed the large cake towards the center of the room. His hand slid down the curve of her spine toward her waist. Fingertips playing with her silk dress.
Y/N couldn’t help but feel guilty, her heart speeding up as she felt his fingertips press into the flesh at her waist. She giggled, slightly overwhelmed. She wasn’t sure whether to focus on the singing, the cake illuminating the center of the room, or Bruce’s body heat against her back.
He had leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I hope this makes up for earlier. Happy Birthday.”
His lips almost grazed the shell of her ear. Firmly, she held onto his arm against her waist to steady her. Clapping erupted, interrupting her fogged mind and bringing her back to the cruel reality. I am engaged. I am engaged, and I don’t want to be. Despite her initial attitude with Bruce Wayne, he was him. She was glad he wasn't necessarily the bachelor everyone made him out to be. He was smart and funny and so stubborn. He was gorgeous. That's one thing the papers didn't lie about; they almost didn't even do him justice. She could feel every hard curve of his skin against her back.
She turned to smile at him, speaking over the clapping, “What is this cake?!”
“It’s huge!” Carrie interjected, taking her hand off Bruce’s arm to clap as well.
"You didn't think I'd get you a cake on your birthday?" he grinned teasingly. "Are you surprised?"
“I’m surprised,” she hugged him tightly, and he returned it just as tight.
The birthday activities had resumed in various ways. Bruce had to sneak off and entertain his vast amount of guests. Carrie and Y/N feasted on birthday cake, then dinner, then cake again. It was a magical affair. She felt pleasantly drunk off cocktails, and Carrie giggled at Y/N’s lightheadedness. They decided to do a lap around the restaurant; it was like nothing they had ever seen before. Each room had a different color scheme; every table was set to the high heavens. It was like what she had imagined while reading The Great Gatsby. Once they had explored enough, they came back to the green room only to notice a crowd was gathering.
Bruce had to work fast. As stupid as this seemed, he desperately needed a distraction. One of Bane’s followers was here. Bruce caught him parading around as a waiter when he took him out, discretely, of course. They had been looking for their target, the CEO of Ace Chemicals, and though he had handled the waiter, there was no telling if there was another one of Bane’s goons in the area. So, Bruce needed a distraction while his staff politely escorted the CEO out, and he needed one fast. He needed a crowd. He needed people.
Y/N turned to her left, and there he was, in the view past her vast birthday cake, swimming in the tiger fountain with the half-naked ballerinas. It was his restaurant. What could the staff do but watch? She was his assistant. What could the staff do but watch?
Feeling almost embarrassed, there was a tightness in her chest. Y/N glanced to her left to look away from the scene, and she noticed Rachel in a similar position. There she was, looking over at him, disappointed and discouraged. It’s like they were at two opposite ends of the same spectrum. The old lover. The new crush.
The cruel reality came back to her once more. He is him. He is Bruce Wayne, and I am his assistant. He is Gotham’s finest bachelor, and I’m engaged.
“We should go,” she mumbled to Carrie.
After messaging Alfred, he was there in no time, and they had plopped into the back of the Rolls Royce silently. Alfred could tell the night had not gone exactly as planned, but he opted to ask Y/N about it later. Y/N’s mind wandered as she stared out towards the passing buildings until she noticed they were coming up on East Merchant Street. That’s the street near the bar Russ works at.
“You can pull over here,” she suddenly stated.
Carrie grabbed Y/N’s arm and turned to her, looking concerned, “Where do you think you’re going?”
Y/N ignored the question, “Alfred, will you take Carrie home?”
“Y/N,” she said firmly. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Finally, sighing, Y/N turned to Carrie, “I need to have a conversation with my fiance.” She raised her eyebrow and gave Carrie a look that said this is serious. Hesitantly, Carrie let go of Y/N’s arm, but before she could get out of the car, Carrie snatched her once again.
“You call Alfred the minute you need to come home,” her gaze was serious. “I’m waiting up for you, and I’m not kidding. The minute you need to come back.”
Y/N heard Alfred repeat a similar phrase, and she looked toward Carrie, nodding. She gave her a quick hug before stepping back from the vehicle and watching them drive off, taillights reflecting in the puddles on the street. Inhaling, she started her trek down the sidewalk.
Y/N was at a crossroads. She knew she should have expected some wildly Bruce Wayne scene tonight, but she was disappointed. For a moment, she got to pretend like all of her problems had drifted. Like her engagement wasn’t falling apart. Like she was just a single twenty-two-year-old woman with her best friend out in society, flirting with the idea of men. When Bruce jumped into that fountain, it reminded her that the man she had thought about so much tonight was her boss. He was the most notorious bachelor in Gotham. Her fiance was drifting away. She was drifting away, and after all the shitty things Russ had done, she still cared for him. So, tonight, she was giving them one more chance. To talk, to laugh, to make love. She just needed one night to see if there was still something there for them.
She walked down the steps into Pipers. It was a sleazier bar, like an off-brand Hooters, with more alcohol. The men down here were different in a weird way, always looking at the waitress' assets. Originally, she had protested Russ working here, but he said the people like to drink a lot, and more drinks means more money. She heard a low whistle coming from behind the bar. Y/N turned, expecting it to be Russ, but instead, it was just Tony, the GM.
“What are you up to, honey?” Tony smiled softly at her. Tony was notorious for being an asshole, but he had always had a soft spot for Y/N ever since she spent her last summer tutoring his daughter.
“Hey Tony, I’m actually looking for Russ.”
He raised his eyebrow, “Russ? He told me he was taking a half-day.”
All the blood drained from her face. Was he hiding something?
“Did he?” she said breathlessly.
He inhaled and rose from his seat at the back of the bar, almost knocking his beer belly against the counter. He wiggled his finger for her to come closer as he leaned over the bartop like he had to tell her something in secret. “One of our servers here said she was going to drive him to meet you.”
“Do you think he’s at my apartment?” she questioned. After rubbing his gelled hair, he threw his arms out in a questioning manner, but he didn’t look as hopeful as she was. She whispered once more, “I mean, it’s Russ, right? It’s not like it could… be anything.”
Nodding, he cleared his throat, “Why don’t you uh check in with our server first? See where she drove him.” He pulled out a thick binder from the back of the counter and started flipping the pages. “I’m not allowed to share personal information about my employees, but I’m just gonna leave this right here and go do a lap around the bar.”
Winking at her, he moved away from the bartop and started doing his rounds. Y/N pulled the large binder over to her, looking at the page he had turned to. Her mouth dropped. Mary Fucking Anne. Y/N had met her years ago, and she had been nice enough. She was the type of woman who couldn’t be alone. Not because she didn’t know how but because the men at the bar kept her so busy. Y/N had praised her before for being so adventurous, but she didn’t realize she’d be adventurous with engaged men.
Snapping a picture of the book and scanning for an address, she quickly slid the binder back behind the counter and stepped out of the bar.
Walking down the cold street in her thin red dress, she thought to herself it’s not like that. It can’t be like that. We’ve been engaged since we were eighteen. It’s been years. It’s not like that. In her head, she was hoping she knew the way it would play out. She’d get to Mary Anne’s and ask her where Russ was. Mary Anne would turn to her and say oh, I dropped him at your apartment because Russ has terrible common sense and probably didn’t realize The Ocelot takes more time than Chuck’s Chili. Then, she’d get home and Russ would be there, and they’d laugh about it. Yes, that has to be what happens. It can’t not be what happens because if she gets to Mary Anne’s and that’s not what happens, that is more than four years of her life wasted. That is not only her fiance but one of her best friends betraying her. Someone who was with her through everything and would amount to nothing.
Looking at the address on her phone and back up at the building, here it was, Mary Anne's. It was a small dingy building about two blocks away from Pipers. Y/N looked up the steps toward the common door. It wasn’t likely the common door would be open, but she decided to try it anyway. Stepping up the stairs, she pulled, and there was nothing. Pulling again, it was like some divine intervention. The building lights flickered, and the magnetic lock holding the door closed let go. Y/N was too worried about the task at hand to even question it. Taking steps two at a time, she almost tripped on her red grown, but here she was. Apartment 24.
The noise already betrayed them. Trying the door, it happened to be unlocked. They had clearly been in a rush to get inside. Unapologetic, she threw the door open, and there they were against the countertop, a mesh of limbs and lipstick. But after taking in the state of the apartment, that wasn't even the worst part. His things were here.
Mary Anne squealed, trying to cover herself with a dishtowel, and Russ tried squeezing back into his pants, abandoning Mary Anne to rush over to Y/N, apologizing. “What are you doing here, baby? It’s - I’m sorry-”
The way she looked at him had him stopping in his tracks. Not another word came out of his mouth. Mary Anne still shrunk in the corner, trying to cover herself, shivering with shame. She slowly started to wander around the apartment. “You told me you didn’t want me over until your landlord renovated your apartment.”
“Baby, I just-”
“-You’re moving in with her,” she said disgusted, turning to him. She grabbed at the records on the wall. She had gotten him each one for his birthday. With clenched teeth, she said, “These are our things, Russ.”
“They’re still our things,” he tried to reason, tears in his eyes, realizing his actions were finally catching up to him.
Mary Anne had since forgotten her towel and modesty, pushing at Russ’s shoulder angrily, “They’re our things. You’re living with me-”
The sound of cracking had her silent. Crushed records lay at the bottom of Y/N’s red dress. Russ had looked like he’d been shot.
“Four years,” Y/N mumbled, dropping the last record and crushing it into her heel. She stepped around the room once again. No one wanted to say a thing; it was like waiting for a bomb to go off. On the coffee table was the vase she made him in pottery class in high school. It was her first gift to him, and now it was holding the flowers he brought home to another woman. She picked it up, dumping the flowers and water onto the uneven wooden floor. She held the vase by the tip of her pointer finger.
“Y/N,” he started bawling, “I don’t have an excuse for it, but I love you. Please-” Mary Anne gasped at his statement, running toward her bedroom sobbing, leaving the pair alone. “I can’t live without you. Even if we’re not together, you’re one of my best friends-”
The vase landed with a shatter, and she started to walk towards the door. He dropped to his knees and wailed, “You’re just going to throw everything we have away!”
Turning to him, red with anger, she noticed the guitar mounted to the wall. It was something she had gotten him with her first Wayne Enterprises paycheck. With a scream and a cry, she swept the guitar off the wall and smashed it next to him. After taking a breath and looking at her surroundings, she finally stormed out of the apartment. Wet, hot tears finally smeared down her face as she approached the exit and screamed into the open air. Russ was not far behind. His sadness turned to anger, and he quickly gripped the front of her arms despite her protests.
“You think you can just throw me away!?”
“We’re done, Russ!” she struggled in his grip but continued. “I’m disgusted by you. I wish I never met you!” He raised his hand to her, but there was a sudden crack against Russ’s hand, and blood started to drip down his arm. There, lying on the concrete, was a sharp piece of metal in the outline of a bat. Thunder rolled, and there was a flash of lightning. Russ looked up, turning white like he'd seen a ghost, but by the time Y/N had turned around, there was nothing.
Now alone, she stared down at the little metal bat, and then her focus changed to the cracked engagement ring on her left ring finger. Slowly sliding it off her finger, she let it fall out of her palm and toward the gutter. Somehow, she felt lighter without it. She wasn't sure what came over her next, but she decided to pick up the little metal bat and pocket it into her clutch.
Lurking in the shadows, Bruce watched Russ rush inside. He watched Y/N slide her engagement ring off, letting the Gotham sewer take it. He watched Y/N's red silk dress pool around her as she leaned down, picking up the piece of metal and dropping it into her bag.
Bruce had said it before that he missed Rachel. He missed their late-night conversations. He missed having someone down to Earth. He missed having a friend, and the fact that Rachel was his friend made him love her, but he hadn’t realized until tonight how much Y/N filled that void for him. They may not have late-night conversations. She may not know about his double life, but they had their afternoon talks over lunch. She brings flowers into the office, just because. She bantered with him. She wasn’t intimidated by him, and he would be damned if he let a man raise his hand to her.
@pank0w @moejoeflow @padsfirewhisky @maxinehufflepuffprincess
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A Broken Sort of Normal (Start)
WC: 588
CW: (updating as the fic continues), Gen but ships may be added Danny Fenton/Wally West pre-relationship, Canon-Typical Violence, Blood, Major Injury, Minor Character Death
They were going to lose.
It's a simple, unavoidable fact and it hits Danny like one of Superman’s punches. He fumbles in his attempt to triage Barry’s leg before the limb was lost.
The man standing in the middle of the ruins of Metropolis would win. He and his army of hive mind clones would sweep across the rest of the planet. Humanity would fall.
They were going to lose.
He finishes tying off the field tourniquet, not sure how he manages, not with his hand slick with Barry’s blood. Something of his thoughts must be showing on his face because Barry reaches out and grips a weak hand around Danny’s wrist.
“Kid?”
It was still a stupid nickname. Danny hadn’t been a kid since before joined up with the Justice League as a field medic four years ago. But Danny was the same age as Wally and many of the other Teen Titans— all long grown out of that name— and so he got lumped in as ‘kid’ to the more senior heroes.
And now all these wonderful, heroic, brave people that Danny had come to be friends with were going to die. The monologue happening in the middle of the street made that much clear. No hero would be left alive; any chance of a future uprising would be snuffed out this very day.
Because they were going to lose.
Danny smiles softly at Barry and pries his hand away.
“Kid, whatever you’re thinking—” Barry could have no idea what Danny was thinking. No one could.
No one could, because no one knew what Danny could do.
Danny had played to the curse perfectly for seven years. A curse set on him in a stupid moment of one last teenage angst fueled vent. He had just wanted to be normal.
Sam and Tucker were going off to college. Danny wasn’t, not with his grades. Jazz was practically waiting for her girlfriend to propose. Danny couldn’t imagine even dating with his secrets. Jack and Maddie had a new contract with the GIW. Danny had stopped trying to reason with them.
Everyone else was moving on with their lives while Danny was stuck half dead. A freak of nature. A man out of life yet still living. A walking corpse.
He just wished he was normal.
He’d forgotten that he shouldn’t wish.
A wish is only a curse waiting to happen.
Well, he got it— his wish that was a curse. As long as Danny never used his powers in any noticeable way he would just be seen as a regular kid to the rest of the world— just plain, normal Danny Fenton. If he got caught using them even once— if he got caught being not normal, his powers would be gone, taken by the curse. Without his powers keeping his core humming happily along and sustaining his half dead body, Danny would be gone.
Danny had forgotten he shouldn’t wish.
But he did.
And suddenly, just like that, to everyone else, Danny was normal— no ghost attacks to fight, no GIW hunting him, no Team Phantom.
Sam and Tucker drifted quickly away without the team to bond them. Jazz checked in less and less— no need to worry about her little brother being shot. Jack and Maddie… well, they stopped having a reason to talk with him too. They had to prove the existence of ghosts! There was no time for… well, someone as normal as Danny.
Normal turned out not to be so great.
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AN: I got sent the the field medic prompt going around, for some reason? (there was no comment sent with it). It's a cute idea with some fun responses, but not really my jam to write. I'm not much into exploring ageless immortal, dimension hopping Danny in my own work. I have more of a weakness for exploring what makes Danny still human. And, as @mokulule pointed out: "I see you mentioning no angst XD".
(Have you all caught on yet that I like my angst?)
So of course I had to ask if I were to write field medic Danny, how would I get him there? And how would I hurt him once he was there? So I threw out all of the prompt and I bounced it around with Moku, her prodding me along with great questions and thoughts, and now here we are.
Because apparently my brain didn't want to warm up on one of my current ideas. This will be a one shot so help me-
(BTW: While in the very vaguest sense this started with a prompt, the above writing is not a prompt. This will be finished, it's 99% planned out already, just needs the writing.)
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Saw the most insane take on this chapter today, and I feel like I need to say something.
Toga decided to die… NOT because she accepted Ochako’s feelings and her ‘healthy love’. If you were to actually read the chapter with your eyes instead of your ass, this is what you would see:
The structure of Toga’s monologue (and the monologue itself) here mirrors Jin's monologue. The narrative is basically throwing it in your face that Toga is copying Jin, even if unknowingly. Her entire 'sacrifice' is a parallel to Jin, who also decided to sacrifice himself for the people who accepted him (The League in Jin's case, Ochako in Himiko's case) because he didn't really care about himself anymore and didn't think rehabilitation was possible for him. She's not doing this because she accepted the 'healthy' concept of love, she's literally copying Jin's version of love - self-sacrifice.
Toga literally gives us an actual reason for why she's doing it: she doesn't believe (yet) that the world can change for the better and that the society would try to work with her instead of completely supressing her. She doesn't believe that she would have a future if she'd allow herself to be captured by heroes. This entire thought process is coming from the core ideology of the League of Villains. Not believing that the world can change and help them so the only thing left is to either destroy it or die is Tomura's ideology.
(Destruction is the main point. Destroying as much as they can and feel like before they're killed off or before they're left with nothing but ashes is the real purpose behind this entire war.)
And even when Toga speaks about the League creating an easier world for her to live in, the flashback shows them before MVA - alive and well. Twice is dead. Touya (as she thinks) is dead. Compress was captured. Currently, as far as Toga is aware - only Shigaraki (who isn't even Tomura anymore, the last time she saw him), Kurogiri and Spinner are left standing (and Spinner is actually currently laying on the hospital floor, dying). Ultimately, the League creating that world for her is an impossible, unachievable dream by now - and she knows it. It's not something that is going to happen. She gave up on that idea. She doesn't believe that she has a future if heroes capture her,
and she doesn't believe that she has a future if the League 'wins' (and she knows they won't).
She believes that dying is the conclusion all of them are heading towards, the League came there prepared to die - that's why she chooses to save Ochako (the person who accepted her and made her happy) and kill herself instead of getting locked up or dying in some other way. Dying on her own terms, dying by saving the only person who actually accepted her (like Twice did) is the only way she can see herself going out happily now. There is no other option left in her mind.
And hey! There is actually another huge factor at play here, which I feel like some people forget for some reason? Toga thinks that Touya is dead. Moreso, Toga thinks that Touya killed himself. Dying on her own terms, killing herself while smiling?
She is following in his footsteps.
That's why she 'asked' Touya if he'd managed to smile/laugh before dying, because *that's* what Touya's entire speech about laughter was about. Dying while having a fucking blast, dying while doing whatever they want and laughing at the world, accepting the fact that they will die, but at least they'll cause as much harm and pain to the world that hurt them as possible before that. Himiko has decided to kill herself while doing what she wants (sacrificing herself to save a person who made her happy) with a smile on her face.
It's not love & justice that lead to self-destruction, it's self-depreciation and inability to believe that things can get better that do.
P.S. She’s not dead btw.
#I know that vaguing is not the best thing to do when you disagree with someone...#But since that person constantly vagues me and my friends I think this is completely justified in this case.#If they're reading this and think that it's targeted at them - yes‚ it is.#bnha#bnha spoilers#bnha meta#bnha 395#toga himiko#uraraka ochako#bubaigawara jin#twice#todoroki touya#dabi#lov#league of villain
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I wrote something based off a prompt by @epkot94 https://at.tumblr.com/epkot94/dp-x-dc-idea-time-so-eventually-danny-tells-jazz/8wbwdhtc71pm
I hope y’all like this, this is the first bit of my writing I’m posting on Tumblr! I also crossposted this on Ao3, which is https://archiveofourown.org/works/45308998
Btw, I adore @proshipper-on-ship and @kine-iende thinking of Dan calling Danny ‘Mom’, so that’s in here too!
EDIT: @lenacraft drew some amazing fan art of the Phantom royal family here! https://at.tumblr.com/lenacraft/im-still-trying-to-figure-out-how-i-wanna/u0n7lg2g8eo9
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Dan liked being one of the ‘good guys’, don’t get him wrong. He enjoyed saving people, and being seen as a superhero. What he didn’t like was being on a team.
Oh he could work with them just fine, but Ancients did they get on his nerves. Superman constantly checking in on him, Batman trying to figure out his identity (he didn’t have one in this universe anyway, take that asshole), Flash trying to befriend him. All in all, Dan was not a fan of his coworkers. (Ellie insisted that he secretly liked them, but she was wrong and also being very annoying about it.)
They were being particularly annoying today. Flash hadn’t stopped talking for the last 20 minutes. They were all in the main meeting room, for some sort of meeting. Honestly, Dan hadn’t been paying attention, so he had no clue why they were all here. Batman was droning on at the front of the room, something about a cult? Dan had no clue, and really didn’t care enough to listen.
He was idly tossing his thermos (which he still hadn’t told the Justice League the purpose of) back and forth when John Constantine burst into the room.
“We’ve got a problem.” He said, slightly out of breath.
Everyone had stopped talking when he burst in, turning to stare at the man. Batman sighed, before asking “What is it?”
Constantine came up to the table they were all sat around, setting down an ancient looking book across the table from Dan. He noticed that the title was in something similar to Ghostspeak. Interesting. He wasn’t gonna tell any of his coworkers about it, though. They all thought he was an alien, which technically he was, and it would be suspicious for him to know some random magical language, even vaguely.
“Someone is summoning powerful entities from a dimension parallel to ours, using this book.” Constantine said, gesturing to the book “I brought my copy, but I don’t know how to stop these beings.”
“Why?” Batman grunted out the question, already flipping through the old book.
Constantine sighed aggressively, pulling out a cigarette. He lit it, before answering sarcastically “I don’t know, maybe because they’re significantly more powerful than most beings from this dimension? Maybe because they have an insane set of abilities?”
Batman grunted in acknowledgement, turning back to the book.
A few moments passed, before everyone started talking, shouting questions over each other. Dan sighed. This was going to be a long day.
\(oo)/
A few hours passed, everyone still trying to figure out what the hell to do. Well, almost everyone. Dan had long since given up on planning, playing a game on his phone under the table. It wasn’t like anything could actually be a threat to him, and if it was? He’d just call Danny. He’d prefer if his coworkers figured something out, however, so he hadn’t bothered telling them about the fact that he could probably deal with whatever this was in a snap. If they still hadn’t figured anything out in the next hour, he’d deal with it.
Wonder Woman looked up from the book Constantine had summoned for her to read through, hoping it had answers.
“Where are these entities from? You didn’t say what dimension it was.” She asked.
Dan realized that no one had thought to ask that anytime in the last few hours. Seriously? He knew that most of his coworkers were stupid when it came to magic and stuff like it, but seriously? He slipped his phone back into his pocket, wanting to see where this was going.
Constantine glanced up from where he was studying a leatherbound tome. Dan couldn’t see what it was about from here, but he bet it was unhelpful, considering how much Constantine had been glaring at it over the last few minutes.
“The Infinite Realms. It’s an extremely dangerous dimension, home to the dead.” Constantine answered, his tone grim.
Dan couldn’t help it. He chuckled. His coworkers looked at him like he was insane, which only caused him to laugh harder. He bent over the table, laughing.
“Something funny, Phantom?” Batman asked, glaring at him.
(Dan had stolen Danny’s superhero name, it was his first anyway. And besides, everyone found it hilarious, including Danny.)
Dan theatrically wiped a tear from his eye before replying “Yeah, it’s so damn funny that he said that with a straight face. I mean, c’mon, ‘extremely dangerous’? Maybe if you’re an idiot.”
Superman raised an eyebrow at Dan, before exchanging a look with Batman.
“Have you been to these ‘Infinite Realms’?” Superman asked, voice calm.
Dan snorted “Yeah, of course. Ancients, if the problem’s just some guy summoning ghosts, I’m just gonna call my mom.” Dan could deal with it himself, but where was the fun in that?
He pulled out his phone again, dialing Danny’s number. The ‘mom’ thing had started as a joke, but honestly? It fit Danny so well, and Ellie already called him that, so why shouldn’t Dan?
“Why are you-“ Flash asked, before being cut off by Batman.
Batman glared at Dan “What are you doing.” He asked flatly.
Dan laughed, waiting for Danny to pick up.
“Calling my mom, duh.”
Batman gave an aggravated sigh, and went to speak.
Danny picked up, and Dan immediately started talking, cutting off whatever Batman was about to say.
“Hey, so, apparently some asshole is summoning ghosts and causing problems over here. Thought I’d have you deal with it.” Dan said, explaining quickly. The Justice League stared at him, shocked and very confused. Dan hadn’t told them anything about his family, so their reactions were pretty justified.
Danny sighed “Not even gonna say hello?”
Dan sarcastically cut him off “Hello!”
Danny sighed again, but Dan could tell he was amused. They shared a sense of humor, Ellie had the same one too. Perks of being a clone/evil future self and their original/past self (Their relationships were all kinds of funky, but it worked for them.)
“You said someone is summoning ghosts? I’ll be there in a sec.” Danny said, before hanging up.
Dan put his phone away, finally glancing at his coworkers. They all looked extremely confused, except Batman who was fuming, and Constantine who looked wary.
“Who was that?” Batman growled.
Dan looked at him, the picture of innocent confusion.
“I already told you, my mom. He’ll be here in a moment.”
Dan could see Flash mouthing ‘he?’ to himself a few seats away. Dan relished in the sense of confusion he was causing. It was extremely funny watching his coworkers flounder in the face of Dan’s sheer chaos.
Constantine took a moment to speak “I don’t think-“
He was cut off as a green portal opened up in the middle of the room, above the table. Everyone, excluding Dan, went still as it appeared.
“What the-“ Superman started to say, as Batman pulled out a weapon. They were both startled by a white and black blur flying out of the portal and attaching itself to Dan.
Dan was knocked out of his seat as Ellie bowled him over. He tumbled down to the floor, falling flat on his back. Ellie grinned at him, sitting on his chest.
“Got you!” she gleefully yelled out. Dan chuckled, gently shoving her off him. He sat up, and was greeted with his coworkers, who all looked ready for a fight. Their faces switched to confusion when Dan just blankly stared at them.
“What’s up?” He said, slightly sarcastically.
Ellie floated into the air, hanging upside down in front of Dan.
“Well, you were just tackled by someone they don’t know.” She pointed out, a grin on her face.
Dan sighed, gesturing to Ellie “Please meet my little sister, Ellie. She’s an annoyance.”
Ellie smacked him on the shoulder, before flipping around so that she was facing the Justice League, and also so that she was right side up.
“Hi! It’s nice to finally meet Dan’s friends!” She said, darting away when Dan attempted to hit her.
“They’re not my friends! We’re coworkers!” he shouted as she flew to the corner of the room, sticking her tongue out at him.
He sighed, before looking at his coworkers. Most of them were still stuck in a state of confusion, and Flash hesitantly asked “I thought your mom was coming?”
“Oh yeah.” Dan said, before yelling over to Ellie “Where the hell is Mom?”
Ellie floated closer “He was right behind me, so-“
The portal, which had slipped the Justice League’s minds when faced with the chaos that is Ellie, sparked as Danny stepped out, before it flickered out of existence.
Immediately, the aura of Danny’s power settled over the room. Being the King of the Infinite Realms afforded someone a lot of power, and death magic always affected people more than other magics. Also, the crown, ring, and cape made him look very intimidating. Combine that with his imposing stature (inherited from Jack) and he was downright terrifying. It was a comforting thing to Dan, who was used to Danny’s powerful presence. To the Justice League, however, it felt like the Grim Reaper himself had just come for the souls.
Danny looked around, spotting Ellie floating up above the table.
“Ellie, I told you not to scare them! We want to make a good impression.” He said, Ellie immediately darting down to stand next to him.
“Sorry Mom, I just wanted to say hi!” Ellie defended.
Danny sighed, ruffling her hair.
The Justice League looked so confused. Constantine looked like he was about to throw up.
“That’s… King Phantom.” Constantine said, shocked, before he scrambled to stand in front of the Justice League.
“We didn’t mean to offend, I swear-“ Constantine started, before Danny cut him off.
“Dude, it’s fine. I just came cause Dan asked.” Danny said with a chuckle, slightly uncomfortable. He had gotten better at the formalities that came with kingship, but he still wasn’t that comfortable when people begged for his mercy, understandably.
It seemed to hit everyone then. That this terrifying man, and king, was who Dan had been referring to when he said ‘Mom’.
While his coworkers processed his chaotic family, Dan floated over them to stand next to his mom.
Danny smiled, ruffling Dan’s hair. They were almost the same height now, so Danny didn’t even have to stretch to reach it.
“How have you been? I know we talk everyday, but it’s not the same as seeing you in person.” Danny said, a soft smile on his face.
“I’ve been fine, Mom. It’s nice, helping people.” Dan replied.
Danny beamed at him “I’m happy it’s working out!”
“Yeah, and you haven’t even tried to kill someone!” Ellie cut in, a smirk on her face.
Dan reached out automatically to swat at her, but she dodged.
The Justice League seemed to snap out of their shock.
They are started to talk at once, before Batman yelled “Quiet!” over top of the noise.
“I believe introductions are in order.” He said, before muttering under his breath “especially as they’re some sort of royalty.”
Dan hadn’t told them about his enhanced hearing, so Batman had no way of knowing that the three ghosts could hear him perfectly. Dan and Ellie shared a smirk at how done the man sounded with them.
Danny clapped his hands, startling some of Dan’s coworkers.
“Yes, you are correct! Danny Phantom, King of the Infinite Realms, at your service!” Danny said cheerily.
Ellie spoke next “Ellie Phantom, Princess of the Infinite Realms.”
They both looked expectantly at Dan, who sighed.
“Dan Phantom, Prince of the Infinite Realms.”
Technically, he was also sort of the king, but it had been a different Infinite Realms that he conquered, so this one had decided he was a prince. He was fine with it, honestly being King sounded annoying.
Predictably, that led to another outcry from his coworkers. Constantine looked like he was having a mental breakdown.
When they had settled down, Superman asked “You’re a prince?”
Flash chimed in “Also, your superhero name is just your last name?”
“You’re the prince of the Infinite Realms. The place the entities are from?” Wonder Woman added.
Dan rolled his eyes at the questions, before looking at Danny pleadingly. Danny sighed, but answered the questions for him.
“Yes, we are the royal family of the Infinite Realms. And the beings there are called ‘ghosts’, by the way. Also, Flash, it was a superhero name before it was a last name.”
If anything, that answer made Flash even more confused.
Ellie stuck out her tongue at Dan “If you just told them about us, you wouldn’t have to deal with all these questions!” she sang out.
Dan groaned “Can you stop it for two seconds?”
“Nope!”
“I swear to the Ancients, I’m gonna-“
“Settle down, you two.” Danny cut in, stopping the argument.
Dan and Ellie gave him matching pouts. They loved arguing with each other over nothing, it was fun.
Danny sighed, before turning back to the Justice League.
“So, Dan said that you’ve got a ghost problem?”
Batman stepped forward.
“Yes. Someone is summoning ‘ghosts’ into our world and causing havoc. Constantine doesn’t know who, but they need to be stopped.”
Danny closed his eyes for a moment.
“Okay, got it. Some asshole in Central City.”
Constantine startled “How do you know where he is? I couldn’t find him, even with my most powerful tracking spells!” He shouted, before a look of immediate regret came over his face. He probably just remembered that he was yelling at a death god, or close to one.
Danny dropped his smile, his eyes going blank. His presence seemed to double, a crushing sense of doom coming over the room. Constantine realized just how much he screwed up.
“The Realms is connected to all, especially those who are going to die shortly.” He said, flatly.
Dan chuckled slightly at Danny’s scary act, sharing an eyeroll with Ellie. Danny tried so hard to be intimidating, and it never really worked.
(Meanwhile, the entire Justice League is trying not to faint. Constantine really needs a drink.)
Superman shook it off first, asking “Going to die shortly? Are you going to kill him?” his voice pitched down at the end, trying to sound threatening.
Danny laughed, the crushing aura receding “No, of course not!”
Superman nodded, relieved.
“I’m just not gonna stop the others from doing it!” Danny continued.
Immediately, the mood of the room plummeted.
“What do you mean?” Batman asked.
Danny gave them a sharp smile, Ellie and Dan mirroring it on either side.
“He is enslaving my people, Batman. I’m sure they’ll want justice for that.”
Danny turned, opening another portal above the table.
“I’ll go deal with the asshole. Ellie, Dan, let’s go.” Danny said, smiling at them.
Ellie patted Dan on the head, before darting through the portal.
Dan looked out at the Justice League.
“I’ll be back in a bit, don’t wait up.” He said. He was definitely going to take advantage of his family coming to visit him, he wanted to hang out with them a bit. Maybe show them Gotham? He knew Danny and Ellie would get a kick out of it.
With that, Dan walked into the portal.
Danny surveyed the Justice League for a moment.
“Thank you for helping Dan. Don’t be too annoying to him over all this, okay?” His words were light, but his tone was anything but.
Batman nodded seriously.
Danny smiled, stepping through the portal to go keep his kids from getting into too much trouble.
(Constantine looked seriously at Batman “Don’t call me for the next week, I need to get drunk. To deal with all…that.”)
---
Tag List!
@seraphinedemort @ever-changing-weirdo-3100 @thewondersoflebanon @botwadtict @akikkobara @sailor-goddess @dontfightmecauseillcry
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what about a shy!reader confessing to gepard and him being so surprised he’s at a lost for words
unspoken heart w/ gepard.
desc. : dis is 1 day overdue bc i was 2 busy playing league w/ friends :(( aphelios has my whole heart... but here it is <3 i erm hope i did dis 1 some justice, my mind ran away w/ me when i started writing o.o i feel like every1 has their own perception of shyness, and as some1 who considers themselves pretty shy in a romantic aspect, i had 2 lay it bare... ( wc : 1.3k )
tags / cw : sfw, just fluff, gn!reader, reader is a shopkeeper, not proofread
The Captain of the Silvermane Guards wasn't one for frivolous pursuits. That being said, they never seemed to come his way either. It was a double-edged sword – And yes, it did hurt. To put it simply, Gepard wanted to have his cake and eat it too. Yet, as long as he never expressed genuine interest in a person (vice versa), he wouldn't budge.
There was, of course, one individual in particular who had grasped the attention of the Captain. It was nothing major, really, just another shopkeeper around Belobog. At most, he found himself stealing glances at you every now and again when he passed by your shop, whether on patrol or off duty. But staying 100% "cool" was something you couldn't quite manage.
The first few times it happened, you thought you were under investigation for tax evasion or something equally crazy. The moment you caught his eye, he would turn away and continue walking, and it was weird. Yeah, he was pretty weird. But he was also just... pretty. It was kind of embarrassing to think how easily you had fallen for the quiet silvermane guard. Each time those intrusive thoughts wandered into your mind, you had to savagely fight off the crimson blush that crept up your neck.
It only made matters worse when he started visiting your shop, actually entering and purchasing an item. You nearly jumped out of your skin when the little bell by the door chimed, revealing the looming silhouette of Captain Gepard himself. His aura was intimidating up close, his steeled gaze seemingly piercing straight through you. It made a lump rise to your throat each time you had to greet him...
Normally, you'd never have a problem working with customers. You would greet them, help them with their orders, take their payment, and thank them. You didn't really need to have any social skills for that; it was just standard workplace protocol. But for some reason, Gepard made it increasingly difficult for you to just be natural at work. You would stutter when you greeted him, almost drop the Shield he gave you as payment, and hide behind the counter for a quick moment to compose yourself every time he left.
It was frustrating, almost infuriating, how your emotions got the better of you whenever he was around. In fact, one day you were beyond embarrassed when he actually tried to have a conversation with you. It didn't help that midway through, he asked if you were feeling unwell because of how red your face was becoming, even encouraging you to go home and get well soon. He was none the wiser about your true feelings, of course, which made you feel both relieved and anxious.
Over time, you came to realize that you must be attracted to him, which didn't do your mental state any good. It completely shattered your resolve each time you saw him from that point onwards. Your hands would shake ever so slightly, and you could barely conceal the tremble in your voice whenever you spoke to him. Though you appreciated the lingering conversations that grew longer with time. It was safe to say that you had grown accustomed to seeing the Captain’s face every day.
Yet, while you were comfortable with the way things are now, people tend to stagnate if they keep doing the same things all the time. The worry that Gepard would grow distant again before you even had the guts to tell him how you felt gnawed at your heart, and the whole situation made you feel anxious, to say the least. The feeling only worsened when he started visiting less and less, and the confidence you'd somehow managed to build up in your comfort zone dissipated before you.
The rollercoaster of emotions had you feeling a little silly about your seemingly one-sided infatuation with him, and your own reluctance to confront him with your feelings merely heightened your awkwardness. The harder you fell, the more absentminded you seemed to become as a coping mechanism for the crippling shyness that threatened to envelop your being. But your own absentmindedness was about to bite you on the arse the very next time you met with Gepard at the shopfront.
While you were ringing up his goods, Gepard started a light conversation. It was nothing serious, just some basic how-are-you banter between acquaintances. He told you a bit about the situation on the frontlines and how busy it had gotten lately with a spike in fragmentum activity.
"You know," your voice trailed off, gaze fixated on the Shield you were counting in your palm. "You should take care of yourself out there, I miss seeing you here." As soon as the words left your mouth, you froze up entirely. The heat in your cheeks rose exponentially fast once you realized Gepard’s own wide-eyed expression. Overwhelmed by the accidental confession that slipped past your lips, you found yourself stumbling over your words, desperately trying to salvage the situation. Your cheeks burned with embarrassment, a torrent of thoughts racing through your mind.
How could you have been so careless? The fear of rejection loomed over you, and you wished for nothing more than to disappear into thin air. Gepard's stunned expression mirrored your own internal turmoil. His usually composed demeanor faltered for a moment as he searched for a response. The silence hung heavy in the air, and the weight of your confession seemed to press down upon you, suffocating any semblance of composure you had left.
As you fumbled to correct yourself, the words tumbled out in a jumble of awkward phrases and incoherent ramblings. Your mind raced, desperately trying to find an escape from the overwhelming embarrassment that had engulfed you. But there was no way to take back what had been said, no way to erase the vulnerability you had just laid bare. Gepard's silence wasn't doing you any good either, and you were just about to excuse yourself before you melted into a puddle on the ground.
Gepard's eyes softened, a gentle smile tugging at the corners of his lips. His hand reached out, lightly brushing against yours as he accepted the change you had hastily pushed into his palm. The simple touch sent a jolt of electricity through your veins, momentarily distracting you from your own embarrassment.
"It's alright," he said, his voice a soothing balm to your frayed nerves. "I appreciate your concern, and I've missed seeing you too." His words were laced with a tenderness that sent your heart aflutter, a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos of the moment. You stood behind the counter, heart still racing as you attempted to come to terms with what just happened. You blinked several times, but Gepard remained standing in front of you, confirming that he was in fact not a hallucination.
"I- uhm… I mean- No, err… Thank you for supporting us!" you rambled on, "Our shop, I mean, not us like, people, that would be silly…" All the while your eyes desperately searched the room. Your nervous laughter chimed through the shop, and by this point you've caught quite a few people's attention. Gepard's chuckle joined yours, and the tension in the air slowly dissipated. His easy smile and the twinkle in his eyes reassured you that the momentary awkwardness was nothing more than a shared experience, a humorous twist.
"Don't worry, I understand what you meant," he said, his voice warm and gentle. "And I appreciate your gratitude." His gaze swept across the shop, and a wave of embarrassment washed over you, realizing that your accidental confession had not gone unnoticed by the other patrons.
Blushing furiously, you offered a sheepish smile to those around you, feeling their curious gazes upon you. This truly was a spectacle to behold, and you were sure to answer some questions regarding your behavior later. Suffice to say, this sudden turn of events was enough to leave you red faced for days on end…
#gepard fluff#gepard x reader#gepard x you#honkai star rail x reader#hsr x reader#honkai star rail#gepard hsr#gepard landau#♥︎ | milky writes#♥︎ | request
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Superbat (Clark Kent / Bruce Wayne)
I will add more in a near future
Please, give me suggestions for this blog and submit your own fics
These are listed by size - wordcount
This might as well happen - by NoLifeOnMars - Rating: Mature - Words: 1227
Summary: We all know that one tumblr FMK post, this was written ages ago but I wanna post it now,
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Bruce wanted to die, or at least that's how watching the Justice league play fuck marry kill felt.
Damn Superman for suggesting Bruce Wayne,
Damn Superman for getting the leaguers drunk enough to play fuck marry kill,
and Damn Superman for describing Bruce's ass like it was a piece of art in front of him!
I’m Freaking Out, Clark. - by piratesquared - Rating: Teen and Up - Words: 1511
Summary: Bruce Wayne learns of his own feelings for Superman. They hit him like a train. He is not chill about it on a roof.
Space cellmates - by BoredomBeckons - Rating: General - Words: 2393
Summary: Superman is kidnapped by aliens whilst conducting an interview as Clark Kent. He feels guilty about the poor civilian who got caught up in this mess with him.
“Mr Wayne. Please take this seriously.”
“I take everything seriously Superman. I’m Batman.”
“Look, it’s obvious you don’t believe me…”
“I do believe you.”
“…but I really am Superman, and I want you to know that whatever happens I will do my best to protect you.”
“Since your powers are being hindered it seems to me that I’ll be the one protecting you.”
“Right,” Clark sighed, not bothering to argue.
“Because I’m Batman.”
“Sure.”
Citrus - by elizabethgee - Rating: Explicit - Words: 2855
Summary: He’s being grumpy— he knows he is— but for some reason he can’t stop. Maybe it’s the crowds of people with their too strong perfumes and whispering, plotting voices. Maybe it’s the fact that he sticks out amidst the royalty of Gotham with his plain clothes and worn shoes. Maybe it’s the man leaning against Bruce— touching him, and laughing in his ear, and giving him bedroom eyes…
//
Wherein someone flirts with Bruce, and Clark gets jealous.
Leap of Faith - by Arwriter - Rating: Not Rated - Words: 3472
Summary: Bruce knows this is how things will always go. No matter what he does, no matter how good he tries to be, no matter how safe he might feel for a few precious weeks, it will always come back to this.
It's his fault, anyway. He should have known better than to make Superman so angry.
Baser Instincts - by Batsymomma11 - Rating: Teen and Up - Words: 3602
Summary: Clark and Bruce aren't exactly together, but they aren't exactly...not either. Clark finds himself struggling with a vicious jealous-streak when it appears he and Bruce aren't on the same page.
part of the job description - by soetry - Rating: Explicit - Words: 3620
Summary: Clark attempted to flatten his hair and adjust his pants before he looked up, arching an eyebrow. "Do bodyguards usually do that?"
Where Clark is working undercover as Bruce Wayne's bodyguard and Bruce reaps the benefits of it.
[it’s not] obligation - by TheCourtSorcerer - Rating: Explicit - Words: 4053
Summary: He raised a gloved hand to grab Clark’s chin and tilted his own head back, looking down his nose at the Kryptonian. He pitched his voice lower when he spoke again, voice more of a murmur than anything, “I’ve wanted to help you for a very long time—” Clark took a sharp, aborted breath. “—so, tell me what you need, so I can.” A moment passed in tense silence, before Clark slumped down, his shoulders sagging.“You.”
Or
When Clark discovers a new part of his Kryptonian biology and runs away to the Fortress without a word to anyone, Bruce tracks him down to help him through it.
All It Takes is a Nudge - by gaysandberries - Rating: Teen and Up - Words: 4060
Summary: Bruce Wayne has a new lover -- or so Clark Kent thinks. Things at the Watchtower just got a hell of a lot more awkward.
In which Batman tries to protect Superman, and Superman keeps misunderstanding.
how to confess your love, as written by clark kent - by scarletazure - Rating: General - Words: 4106
Summary: 1. Take a step back. Be rational for a moment, and take stock of the situation. If you truly think that you are romantically in love with this person, you should tell them. However, it is important to consider the gravity of your words—ask yourself if there’s a realistic chance that they love you back.
Realistic? Well, you’ve never done realistic all that well anyway. The head and the heart, Gotham and Metropolis, shadow and light, yin and yang; that’s a role reserved for him, not you. The idealist. The optimist.
In other words: Clark Kent writes a WikiHow article on How to Confess Your Love to Your Best Friend (who also happens to be Batman).
Rainy Days - by Mawiiish - Rating: General - Words: 4197
Summary: He nearly drops his jaw at the sight that greets him. He expected- well, he doesn’t really know what or who he expected but Bruce Wayne hauling himself through his window soaking wet was not it.
OR: Clark's been hurt in a fight and Bruce Wayne - not Batman - shows up at his bedroom window.
Packing Nonstandard Equipment - by susiecarter - Rating: Explicit - Words: 4590
Summary: Caution: handle with care. The unexpected and unlooked-for (but not, in the end, unwelcome) complexities of banging Clark Kent.
Injuries - by Lord_Izhan04 - Rating: Teen and Up - Words: 4934
Summary: Clark did not usually meddle in other people's affairs, except in four cases:
- The person in question explicitly asked for his help.
- It was part of his job as a reporter.
- It was part of his job as Superman.
- Or Clark simply noticed that the person needed the help, even if they didn't ask for it.
The last case was related to Bruce Wayne, of all people.
He hadn't expected to see him so wounded underneath his expensive suits, almost in a way that was unbearable to the human body.
The last thing I expected was for Batman to be the cause of those injuries. Clark, with all the pain in the world, had to put a stop to it. The League was going to make a mockery of this for a long time to come.
All About The Little Things - by candlelight660 - Rating: Explicit - Words: 5154
Summary: Bruce sighs, which is more of a moan than an exhale, and uses all of his force to grab Clark’s wrist. It would bruise sourly on others but it is just pressure for Man of Steel. At least that’s what Bruce thinks. Clark, on the other hand, must be thinking something else.
Clark has a thing for Bruce's strength. That's it, that's the whole fic.
Bruce Wayne doesn’t get jealous - by Mawiiish - Rating: General - Words: 5207
Summary: Bruce Wayne does not get jealous. Even if he did, it wouldn't be over Clark. They're friends, nothing more. So why does he feel like screaming every time Clark mentions Lois' name?
See, it’s not that Bruce doesn’t get where Jay is coming from. He is not the first of Bruce’s children to point out that Bruce has a certain… soft spot for Clark. Even Bruce is willing to admit it himself; Clark is his friend. His best friend. A good man, who cares for his family and Bruce’s too. Someone who would do anything Bruce ever asked. Clark is Bruce’s best friend, who just so happens to be dating Lois Lane.
Bruce Fucking with the JLA - by littlegh0st - Rating: Not Rated - Words: 5403
Summary: Bruce finds endless amusement in using his public Brucie Wayne persona to mess with JLA.
Or, Bruce and Clark's developing relationship as seen through snapshots of Bruce being a little shit.
all these love lines are taking shape - by fishfoods - Rating: Teen and Up - Words: 5543
Summary: Clark's stare drops as soon as he sees the flowers, his expression shifting towards something Bruce would call both confusion and endearment. "Are those-" Clark pauses, eyes flickering back up to meet Bruce's. "You brought me roses?"
(They're not so good at the whole relationship thing-but they're trying. And that's what counts, right?)
Peculiar Perks - by IcedLemonade - Rating: Teen and Up - Words: 5949
Summary: Clark has always been different from humans. Why shouldn't he be? He's an alien after all, one of the two remaining kryptonians in the universe. Apart from the very obvious differences (laser eyes, unbreakable skin, etc.), Bruce has come to notice a few other subtle yet baffling characteristics of Clark over the course of dating him. This is a collection of some moments where Bruce seriously doubts his sanity because his boyfriend is an alien and does weird alien things. Sometimes on accident, other times just to annoy him for fun.
All of You - by Leo_Our_Queen, Trinket - Rating: Explicit - Words: 6562
Summary: Clark has been hiding something and Bruce is determined to get to the bottom of it. But once Bruce learns what it is, he just can't help himself from invading Clark's privacy. The whole ordeal leads to serious confrontation but an understanding revelation.
don’t push me (cause i’m close to the edge) - by LinguisticJubilee - Rating: General - Words: 7539
Summary: Kara huffs out a breath in frustration. “Every Kryptonian has a heartsong. And they’re beautiful, but when you listen to one on its own it feels like something is missing. It’s like...they have something like this too, right?” She gestures outward impatiently, and Bruce forces himself not to flinch at her casual use of they. “Only they have words written down instead.”
“Soulmates,” Clark says, his voice strained.
The word hits Bruce like a bullet through the lung. He keeps his face perfectly relaxed, his heartbeat calm and regular, as he realizes (too late, he's always too late) that he should have expected this all along.
Alright - by Big_Gay_Bitch - Rating: Teen and Up - Words: 8220
Summary: When Batman sets off his emergency beacon after being late for a meeting Superman gets worried, but when he and a few others head into Gotham to see if they can help the run into a vigilante they've never met before. What is he doing in Gotham? Where did all these other vigilantes come from? And, more importantly, will Batman be okay?
fewer mysteries in the world - by soetry - Rating: Teen and Up - Words: 8457
Summary: “Don't you still need to pick a date for the wedding?” grumbled Bruce.
“Pick a date?” said Clark cheerfully. “I was planning on taking you.”
Banana Muffin - by Mawiiish - Rating: General - Words: 8856
Summary: Bruce is poisoned at yet another gala and he calls for the only person he can trust enough to get him to safety, secret identities be damned. So why is he being taken away by some stranger and where is Superman?
Bruce frowns and tries to focus his swimming vision. Something isn’t right. This isn’t the bright blue and red he’s been mentally preparing for. The material is all wrong and it feel scratchy brushing against his skin. Superman’s suit isn’t scratchy. It’s smooth and comforting to touch; whatever he’s touching isn’t. This isn’t Superman, this is that stranger and his weird suit. It’s- it is-
“So ugly,” Bruce mumbles at the offending greyish brown fabric he’s got his cheek pressed against.
Traditions tricks and turkey - by somagni - Rating: General - Words: 9282
Summary: Every year Bruce Wayne and his family participate in the turkey trot a charity run that raises money for the Gotham youth center. It's been a few years since Clark has gone to cheer his friend on. Somethings never change, somethings should.
Dilectus Meus Mihi - by Mithen - Rating: Teen and Up - Words: 10934
Summary: Clark Kent has lost all his memories of being Superman, and Bruce Wayne must retrain him in the use of his powers. But his super-powered identity isn't all he's forgotten...
how to preform an exorcism (five easy steps!) - by soetry - Rating: Teen and Up - Words: 10956
Summary: “Bruce,” Clark finally said, brokenly. “I love you.”
Oh no, thought Bruce. He's possessed.
Fake Empires - by copperbadge - Rating: Teen and Up - Words: 11730
Summary: Bruce Wayne can't possibly be as dumb as he acts, and Clark Kent isn't as ordinary as he appears.
Human - by JustAJellyfish, nabawrites - Rating: Mature - Words: 11966
Summary: Clark is tired of watching Bruce walk around in pain. So naturally, he does something about it.
I only want you - by Mawiiish - Rating: General - Words: 13034
Summary: Bruce discovers a passion of Clark's that he never expected and now he can't stop thinking about Clark's hands in his hair. Good thing his stylist is on maternity leave. He's a creature of habit, he can't just find another stylist to fill in; he doesn't trust strangers - what's a poor billionaire to do?
Bruce can’t stop thinking about it though. He tries to get rid of the entire Clark-cutting-hair phenomenon, but it becomes an obsessive thought in his mind. He dreams of Clark’s hands in his hair, sliding down his neck, scratching at his scalp and while it is nowhere near the dirtiest dream he’s had of Clark, he still wakes up hard and wanting. The humiliation should be punishment enough, but of course it doesn’t stop there. When has Batman ever done anything half-heartedly?
The Benefits of Optimism - by 1863 - Rating: Explicit - Words: 14560
Summary: It's a noteworthy week when getting body-swapped isn't the most surprising thing that happens.
Talk Science To Me - by profoundalpacakitten - Rating: Explicit - Words: 15011
Summary: Clark has a problem. A can't-have-sex-because-of-his-indestructible-body problem. Bruce has yet to encounter a problem he can't fix by applying enough brainpower to it.
a lot - by susiecarter - Rating: Teen and Up - Words: 15299
Summary: Bruce and Clark deal with kryptonite, get a coffee, are undercover, share a bed, face off against some tentacles, have feelings about holograms, and dream together.
Or: six times Superbat didn't quite happen, plus the time it finally did.
kissing, kissed - by susiecarter - Rating: Teen and Up - Words: 16300
Summary: Bruce and Clark work together, make use of x-ray vision, maintain an unexpectedly necessary pretense, get the better of magic, get the better of "science", buddy-breathe—and then, finally, kiss.
Or: six times Bruce and Clark kissed for ~reasons, plus the first time they did it just because they wanted to.
Beneath The Mask - by Mawiiish - Rating: Teen and Up - Words: 22303
Summary: Clark attends a masquerade where a handsome stranger saves him from a handsy lady. The handsome stranger isn't a stranger at all, although he acts like it. Bruce Wayne flirts with him like they don't know each other, but Clark would know that chin anywhere; would know that heartbeat from anyone else's. So why is Batman really flirting with him?
Relinquishing Control - by foxyk - Rating: Explicit - Words: 25508
Summary: Superman worries that if he lets go he'll injure his partner. Batman knows better.
Batman worries that if he lets someone else in, he'll hurt them. Superman knows better.
AUs (Alternative Universes)
Fade Into a Dream - by rotasha - Rating: Mature - Words: 17105
AU - Soulmates
Summary: Bruce Wayne has always known he’d end up with Clark Kent. He knows because Clark Kent shows up in his dreams.
Bruce and Clark’s soulmate relationship, told through their shared dreams.
Series
Lightning and Time - by Mithen - Words: 9697 - 2 Parts (Both Teen and Up)
losing you - by starshotplagues - Words: 22336 - 2 Parts (1 is Explicit, 2 is Mature)
unofficially official - by Tootired4life - Words: 26422 - 15 Parts (1, 8, 11, 12, 14 and 15 are General, the rest are Not Rated)
#clark kent/bruce wayne#superbat#superman/batman#clark kent x bruce wayne#superman x batman#clark kent#bruce wayne#superman#batman#dc comics#dc entertainment#dc fic rec#superbat fic rec#fic rec#fic recommendation
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Hi! I've been reading a lot of your thoughts on superheroes, and wanted to ask you a question if that's okay.
I've always been interested in the genre, but lately I've gotten frustrated with how "safe" the entries play it. No matter what, there's always a Justice League, a world built on superscience, and most "importantly" of all, a Superman. I wanted to ask if all of these things a required for a superhero story, and if so, how far can they be stretched while remaining within the genre?
My conjecture is that from a bunch of directions, it’s a legibility issue.
Long swaths of rumination under the cut.
The superhero genre, out of all genres, is one of the most self-referential; it’s subject to an exaggerated, snowballing and self-reinforcing instance of the Mount Fuji Problem, as laid out by Terry Pratchett:
“J.R.R. Tolkien has become a sort of mountain, appearing in all subsequent fantasy in the way that Mt. Fuji appears so often in Japanese prints. Sometimes it’s big and up close. Sometimes it’s a shape on the horizon. Sometimes it’s not there at all, which means that the artist either has made a deliberate decision against the mountain, which is interesting in itself, or is in fact standing on Mt. Fuji.”
Superman is Mt. Fuji.
Superman is enormously popular. The first modern superhero, the one the rest of them are patterned on or in conversation with. In the early days, a lot of superheroes were just naked attempts to cash in on Superman, to the point of IP slapfights (This is how DC acquired the rights to Shazam/Captain Marvel.) In the interregnum period caused by the Wertham Scare, he was one of the only superheroes that survived and saw continuous publication. As a result of this bottleneck, superheroism is a genre monoculture; all characters conceived of as “superheroes” are only a couple of creative generations removed from Superman. All of this gives him- and characters patterned directly on him- an outsized influence in both the public and authorial perception of what a “superhero” looks like.
So fifty years down the line, when you’ve got creatives crawling out of the foxholes to try and make some superhero things that are new and innovative or parodic, a few things start happening:
Number 1. Superman is Very Legibly a Superhero. Superheroes, up until the MCU boom, were pretty niche in the mass market; a lot of pre-MCU films (and actually a lot of MCU films, this is my perennial beef) are structured in a way that makes it seem like they’re apologizing for daring to be superhero properties. Note the aversion to code names, the costuming choices made in the X-Men films, the irony poisoning. Superman was one of the exceptions to this, (Others being Batman and Spider-Man;) he’s too iconic. He’s one of a handful of characters who’s clearly a superhero and nothing else. (I’m going to return to this point later.) So if you wanted to invoke superhero at a glance in a mass-market property, making them have costumes and/or powers like Superman (sometimes with hints of Batman) was a fast way to communicate this. As the number of works that do this increase, the gravity of the bias swells because of the pool of precedent- the likelihood that your audience has seen not just Superman, but numerous parodies of Superman. (I was friends with a woman once who knew almost nothing about Superman beyond the fact he existed, but upon being told the broad strokes of his backstory, said, “oh, like in Megamind!”)
Number 2. Superman attracts the interest of Creatives and Iconoclasts. This is the non-cynical take on the above; Superman’s outsized presence in popular culture means that inevitably, a lot of really competent writers are exposed to him, grow up with him as one of their blorbos, and rotate him in their head non-stop for years until they’re finally in a position to write something. The Superman pastiches in Astro City and Irredeemable and Supreme Power and Invincible and Jupiter’s Legacy and The Authority and BNHA and Powers and on and on and on- they’re in there because the writers wanted to tell a story about superheroes, sure, but more specifically they want to yell their hot takes about Superman, who they love, out to the world. And many of these stories are thoughtful and reflective of the human condition or whatever, and so the canon of “Oh my god you have to read this” superhero works, inevitably start to contain tons and tons of Supermen pastiches. (And Batman pastiches; he’s subject to a similar dynamic.) The effect is reinforced.
Number 3. Even in niche or fan-oriented superhero works that don’t suffer from the above-described marketing pressures, familiar character archetypes are useful shorthand that lets you get to whatever novel point you’re trying to make faster. This applies to Superman, who I’ve focused on up until this point, but this is also a good point to start talking about one of the other things you mentioned, the Justice League.
In Invincible, the Guardians Of The Globe, world’s premier superhero team, are 1-to-1 pastiches of the classic Justice League Lineup. I own the ultimate collection in which Kirkman explained that choice; beyond the fact that they were very powerful heroes, and that it was very very bad for the world that they were dead, the actual nature of the Guardians was immaterial to the story. All things being equal, it therefore made the most sense to him to just piggyback off pre-existing comic book fan affection and reverence for the JLA, because his editor was breathing down his neck to get the actual story moving after the six issues of relatively low-stakes adventure that Kirkman had insisted on in order to make the reveal hurt more.
Strong Female Protagonist is (was?) a webcomic about the world’s most powerful superheroine sliding into semi-retirement after neutralizing all the superheroic threats and realizing that her actual toolbox with which to enact lasting societal change is pretty limited. There are a lot of powersets you could give to the most powerful hero in your setting; a lot of aesthetics you could give her; actually, by making her a woman at all you’re already breaking the mold. But there’s utility in starting somewhere bog-standard so that everyone’s on the same page when you start doing the social commentary.
Black Summer is a story about John Horus, the most powerful hero in the world, deciding that the only way to stay consistent with his commitment to evenly applied justice is to execute George Bush for War Crimes, explain why he did so, present the evidence, and ride off into the sunset; his five surviving teammates are then left holding the bag as a pissed off military closes in. The most powerful hero in this case is pointedly designed to look more like Magneto than Superman, but the seven-person team dynamic is clearly meant to broadly invoke that of the Justice League; this gives the readers somewhere to start when picturing what the team dynamic looked like before it collapsed, and it makes the ways in which the group is really obviously not at all like the Justice League pop.
Superhero story which are about someone needing to replace the world’s greatest superhero? Often rely on this fan-legible shorthand. (BNHA, Dreadnought, a couple others.) Stories in which the most powerful hero died as part of the backstory and left an imperfect world for the survivors? Often rely on this fan-legible shorthand. (Welcome to Tranquility, Renegades, etc.) Stories about the kid of the world’s most powerful hero trying to live up to their expectations? Often make use of this fan-legible shorthand (Sky High, Hero, etc.)
Extend it to other individual superheroes. You want to critique the economic injustice implied by superheroism, or the ways in which it would physically and socially destroy you? It’s efficient to invoke Batman or Iron Man, quintessential billionaire powerless capes, and go from there. You want to examine the hellish existence of the working-class teen superhero? Efficient to invoke Spider-Man and go from there. You want to examine the uphill battle of the female superhero in a male-dominated field? Efficient to invoke Wonder Woman and then go from there.
When you can simultaneously save time and creative energy AND demonstrate to your audience that you know the genre canon, the shared referents, the in-jokes- why reinvent the wheel?
The effect is reinforced.
Number four. In works that are about a more unconventional or unique superhero, A tertiary Superman-figure can be a useful genre signifier.
So, the obvious rebuttal you could provide to everything I’ve said so far is that the superhero genre is obviously, comically, massively more diverse than just Superman and copies of Superman. You can make a superhero based on almost anything, intersecting with almost any genre. This is, in fact, the key to the genre’s longevity; the degree to which “Superhero” is such a nebulous genre category that you can cram basically anything into it and have it work. You can remix it forever.
However, this is a double-edged sword; while a superhero universe can accommodate literally anything, many of the resultant “superheroes” are superheroes purely because they exist in the context of a superhero universe; they stop existing as such if removed from it. Blade is a superhero, but the Wesley Snipes Blade films are not really framed as superhero films. Doctor Strange, extracted from the rest of Marvel, could just be an Urban Fantasy property. Green Lantern and Nova and Captain Marvel could be yoinked out and reframed as participants in the Space Cop flavor of Space Opera. Context-scrubbed Thor could be high fantasy. Context-scrubbed Hulk could be a monster movie. Context-scrubbed Guardians of the Galaxy becomes Space Opera. Ant-Man wasn’t originally a superhero; Hank Pym debuted in a one-shot horror/adventure comic about a scientist who nearly gets killed fucking around with a shrinking formula and an anthill, and then he got retooled when Marvel realized superheroes were coming back. Logan was a fantastic film but like many X-men films it divested itself from the framing of superheroism as much as it possibly could. On the opposite side of things, you could take a property like Buffy The Vampire Slayer- generally not viewed as a cape thing- and slot it into the Marvel or DC universe without having to alter anything. If someone like Shepard from Mass Effect, with their armor and future-weapons and/or their biotic powers, crash landed on Marvel or DC Earth, they’d transmute into a superhero just by virtue of who they’re now standing next to when shit starts going down. (This is the backstory of at least three superheroes, probably more.) Superheroism is incredibly fluid. It’s incredibly modular. It’s incredibly contextual.
There are a handful of characters, though, for whom this isn’t true; as I mentioned above, they’re superheroes and nothing else. They’re the platonic implementations. Batman is one example; the most grounded and gritty version of the character ever put to film still couldn’t get around the fact it was about a vigilante in a bat costume beating up the mob. Superman is another; It’s basically impossible to make a Superman film that downplays the iconography, the power, the social position and license of the superhero. The social position and license are huge parts of this!
So, if you’re gonna write a story about a unique superhero- a superhero with a cross-genre origin, or an unconventional aesthetic, or really esoteric powers- a way to keep your story anchored in the genre is to include a Superman-style figure or a Justice-League style organization as a tertiary presence within the worldbuilding, in order to make it 100 percent clear to your audience what lens they’re supposed to view this story through, and to emphasize the contrast posed by your esoteric cape. Worm does this, juxtaposing a protagonist who controls bugs and thus has to fight like a maniac for every victory against an all-powerful Superman-analogue who exists in the background of the setting (although he swells in narrative importance in the back half.) Another example is The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang, which is a comic about a Chinese-American vigilante in the 1930s who, due to a poorly worded pact with a spirit, becomes invulnerable to bullets and nothing else; a more traditional Superman Analogue called “The Anchor of Justice” exists in the background of the setting, only getting a couple of speaking lines, and is mainly used to demonstrate the double standard society applies to superheroism when someone other than a white guy starts doing it. Incredibles does this as a background gag, with the sheer number of heroes in Edna’s “no capes” montage who were clearly trying to fill the Superman niche but continuously couldn’t cut it. Valiant comics did this. Wild Cards I think did this. City of Heroes I think was doing something like this by having prototypical flying-brick Statesman as an NPC while all the PC heroes were (by virtue of being PCs) significantly more diverse and outlandish in powers and presentation. There are other examples of this juxtaposition trick that I’m not thinking of.
So, what are some works that don’t do this?
Here’s a non-comprehensive sample of works that unhook themselves from the standbys;
First off, The Marvel Universe. I think I’ve talked a few times about how the Marvel superhero community is pretty heavily dysfunctional, disjointed and fractious in comparison to the DC superhero community; The Avengers are an absolute shitshow in comparison to the Justice League, as individuals and as an organization. It’s easy to forget due to their total conquest of contemporary pop culture but Marvel was churning out unconventional cape after unconventional cape for years without stepping on DC’s toes; for a long time they were the answer to this question. Any time that Marvel has played at adding a Superman analogue to the setting, it’s usually in the context of pointing out how radically different the setting would work if there was a number-one top-tier hero like that running around.
Heroes, the first season at least, is heavily in conversation with traditional superheroism without actually featuring any of the aesthetic markers within the show itself; no costumes (because supers are simply too new as a widespread phenomena to have the institutional backing for that) no obvious Superman figure (one power per person) and the handful of cast members trying to behave like superheroes are explicitly doing so because of the existing cultural referents of fictional superheroes; by the end of season one nobody has made it all the way to the finish line in terms of costumes and codenames.
Absolution, a comic miniseries by Christos Gage about a superhero who snaps and starts playing Dexter, using his versatile forcefield powers to emulate dozens of different murder weapons so that the killings can’t be traced back to him. The setting is aggressively and deliberately street level, with almost no obvious character analogues, a host of novel powers, and “superheroes” that are universally incorporated into police departments as superpowered SWAT teams. However, the books politics are noxious; it seems that the author’s objection to the police is that they don’t kill enough people. But I bring it up because it’s visually clearly a superhero work while still having a strong aesthetic aversion to all of the tropes you specifically mentioned.
No Hero by Warren Ellis, which is about a superhero team created in the 1960s by a counter-culture chemist who stumbled upon a psychedelic drug that provides superpowers. The team is, in universe, very visibly attempting to carve out an aesthetic identity independent from that of traditional superheroes, brutally fighting crime in varied combinations of gas masks, latex, and evening wear; the group is also tiny, due to the team’s founder being rightfully paranoid that the government is going to jump on his secret recipe. It’s also an incredibly visually horrific book. Body horror galore.
Uber by Keiron Gillen is an alternate history in which World War 2 was fought by super soldiers, developed initially by the Axis and then by an increasingly-panicked America and Britain. The project of the comic was to repudiate the idea of the superhero as an individualist figure who can overcome anything through grit and moral righteousness; in the words of Gillen, it’s a comic about how Galactus is going to beat Spider-man, every single time. In keeping with this, the superhumans are fairly cookie-cutter (developed in batches down known lines of research) the outcome of superhuman fights are determined purely by which of the two superhumans were better made, and as military projects the “heroes” are named using the same conventions as battleships (USS Colossus, HMS Dunkirk, etc.)
Watchmen is an interesting situation. The one powered hero, Dr. Manhattan, is mainly used as an exploration of Superman’s geopolitical impact- the effects of the most powerful thing in the world being an American agent. But in terms of actual origin and aesthetic Manhattan is primarily in conversation with the Marvel Stable; a lab-accident origin, space-age energy powers, presence within the setting’s second wave superhero resurgence rather than having gotten in on the ground floor. That one is picking and choosing recognizable elements in order to do a bunch of different things at once.
Most of these tie back to the Mount Fuji thing; the absence of immediately recognizable figures in these works are, due to the volume of precedent, themselves a very pointed and noticeable choice. Sometimes even a choice the characters themselves are making within the story. And this presents a challenge to any capefic author who deliberately eschews familiar archetypes because they’re sick to death of them; go too far out of your way to excise Superman from your story, and you run the risk of just providing implicit commentary on his ubiquity instead. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
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One last note; you clarified in DMs that the “super science” you were referring to was that of the crop of pulp heroes; Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Phantom, et al et al. I think something different is going on here from everything else I’ve been going on about. When superhero settings incorporate these proto-heroes, it’s part in-joke and partly a nod to legacy; these were the characters immediately preceding Superman and Batman, the prototypes, the incubators for a lot of ideas and aesthetics that later superheroes would take and run with. Many 1930s-1940s superheroes are visually the “missing link” between the two genres; examples of this include The Spirit, The Sandman, and The Green Hornet. In superhero settings that are built “from scratch” outside of the big two, with a setting history that stretches back before the 1930s, it’s therefore common to incorporate a few figures patterned along these lines as a form of tribute. The flip side of this is that the archetype is also very easy to attack and parody; many of the pulp “men of science” were predictably tied to very yikes-inducing ideas about race, gender, and so forth, and thus if you want to criticize the basic assumptions of heroism, one way to do this is to take the archetypes at the root of the genre and then make them period-appropriate jackasses.
I’ll cop to being significantly less informed about this last bit, and thus significantly less confident in the conclusions I’m drawing about it; I’m therefore going to refer you over to @maxwell-grant, who’s very into the pulp hero side of things and can probably give you a more informed perspective both on how the science hero types informed the development genre, and the varying degrees to which they’ve hung around as both objects of tribute and parody.
#thoughts#asks#superheroes#marvel#dc#meta#media analysis#this ran pretty overlong but I think I covered most of the bases#But I'll acknowledge there's a decent chance I overlooked some important element you were trying to get at#so feel free to follow up if this didn't get at everything
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someone on Remnant altered or made the simulation that RWBYJNR and the JL were caught in (and hijacked a training simulator for RWBYJNR) - Kilg%re rants about it, claiming it was his idea to use Dust to power it, and that he gave whoever the Remnant contact was the idea. and it’s noted as weird that the lab in Schnee manor was set up like a command center (and i’ve a feeling, because we didn’t see Bruce or Jessica leave, that they’re still gonna be in the simulation at the start of the next movie)
gonna stick this under a read more, got kinda long
... did Watts somehow make contact with Earth?
either him or Merlot, i guess, might be Merlot
it’s either one of them or Thornmane and this should be post-Arrowfell so he should be in jail and he’s... not exactly got the strongest personality for this kinda thing
but whoever it is has personal reasons to want RWBYJNR trapped and as Kilg%re specifically says 'he' and the fact that whoever did this has the power and resources to create a whole simulated world to trap two sets of heroes in, that dramatically narrows the field of possible Remnant villains
and honestly, now thinking about it I'm leaning on Merlot - the proviso that the simulated world be used to trap RWBYJNR as well as the Justice League implies personal beef, which Merlot would have, given how his mutant Grimm plans were derailed, whereas Watts has never been terribly interested in them (not to mention it runs counter to Salem wanting Ruby alive) and Kilg%re is even more of an egomaniac than Cinder is, I don't think Watts would've tolerated working with him long enough to get to this point
so yeah that does kinda leave Merlot as prime suspect - which makes sense as he's a lot more... dramatic? wacky? villain monologue-y? than Watts, because he was a Beacon era villain, so he would work as a decent enough counterpart to Kilg%re
plus Watts was laying low at this point, so it might not make sense to use him because yeah okay this is a silly non-canon collab movie but they probably would still avoid derailing the canon storyline by putting him in RWBYJNR's sights too early (as they don’t even know he exists until Jacques’ party) - plus as fun as he is, in a flat out fight he’s gonna lose and i don’t know if he’d work as a full-on movie villain. whereas we don’t really know much about Merlot’s history because we were never in the same room as him, so they’ve got room to play there in what he could be capable of, and if they do bring back the Mutant Grimm, his mysterious control of them would serve to keep him as a credible threat for the next part of the story
and yeah, there’s the argument against Merlot because he’s an obscure villain who appeared in one game like 7 years ago, and that’s fair, but counter to that: how many of you had even heard of Kilg%re before this movie?
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Harley Quinn (2021 - ) #28: Dawn of DC arc | Writer: Tini Howard | Artist: Sweeney Boo
Covers ♡
What did you want to expand on with this well-established but ever-growing character?
Boo: I feel like Tini is showing new facets of Harley. We get more in-depth with who she is inside and what she wants to be. It's hard not to fall in love with her.
Preview Panels | By Sweeney Boo ♡
What were you most excited to pick up on from Harley's current continuity?
Howard: Harley has friends, a girlfriend, and a good head on her shoulders. All good stuff to pick up and shake around really hard. No, truly, it's a huge relief to have Ivy there. I'm a longtime lover of those two as a couple, and the fact that it's there and real for us to engage with as storytellers is fantastic. It's so freeing to be able to tell that story, and we're working closely with Willow and the Ivy team so that we always know we're on the same page with the girls. It's not unlike how I talk to Chip about Catwoman and Batman. It's all hilariously like my little fan-fiction writer days, kind of delightfully so.
Boo: Her friendships and relationships, especially that one famous girlfriend of hers! *wink wink*
Tini, what were you most excited to see Sweeney bring to life on the page?
Howard: That's a huge spoiler, but I'll say this. Working with an artist like Sweeney is what's given me the freedom to pursue where we're going with this story. We really needed a human rainbow, just an exciting kaleidoscope of an artist who can jump the hell right off the page while also nailing the mundane, little jokes of Harley's life. Sweeney Boo's that artist. Oh, there's a lot of Bud and Lou in this run, too -- I love the way Sweeney draws them.
Sweeney, what were you most excited to illustrate based on Tini's script?
Boo: Drawing Harley's apartment! There is no better way to get into someone's head and get a glimpse of who they are until you see where they live. I wanted to get crazy and really play with that! There are so many intimate scenes of Harley being at home and being cozy with Bud and Lou. It's just so adorable.
Can you share with us what you are most excited for fans to see and experience with this chapter of Harley's life?
Howard: I think Harley's a really unique character, especially for queer women right now, because she's not being forced to be aspirational. She can be foul-mouthed and disastrous and troubled and weird and also be a great character we're always rooting for. Our run is really about Harley coming to terms with her position in the DC Universe at large, about what your career path is if you're too big for primetime but not up for the Justice League or the Legion of Doom. It's also a love letter to the funniest parts of the DC Universe. To me. If there's one thing I think a Harley Quinn book needs to be, it's funny, and the DC Universe is so weird and can be so, so funny. Like, think of the five funniest things that are [actually] important DC plot points, and I guarantee one of them is in this run.
Boo: Harley's trying to do her best, even if sometimes she hasn't the most honest of ideas. I think seeing her trying to grow is very relatable, but for her, it might involve big hammers and dynamite.
#harley quinn#harleen quinzel#dc comics#poison ivy#pamela isley#harlivy#pretty sure the Variants are by Ryan Sook - Dan Mora -- & Steve Beach#but literally no where has posted these and credited the artists and I don't wanna say its X person if I'm not confident in it 💖#and none of them have posted anything#I've been checking for a few hours and no update
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Is it a swarm or a mob?
Hi! So I was meant to make a Fuuta-Muu post, right? And, well, it was meant to be on my main but like. I made this blog! I'm sure as heck gonna use it lol
Anyways, it's primarily about how they communicate, though I touch on other stuff. With that being said, thank you in advance and I hope you enjoy!
First to head the charge, yet always last in line- You guessed it, I'm starting with Fuuta! The guy that, even when trying to do a good deed, comes off as a dick, yet compared to a puppy by the author themself. Now Fuuta seems to be someone who likes communicating in a group, despite how abrasive he comes off in milgram. In that sense, Mikoto's considering Fuuta as attention seeking is spot on!
Mikoto: Hey, it’s kinda a bother having you be so angry and tense all the time. You should stop trying get everyone to pay attention to you. You’re a uni student, right? You can’t act like that once you start working properly.
Futa: Huh!? Shut up. Not like I care what you say. Even though we’re in this shitty situation, you’re just chatting away, it’s stupid.
Aren’t you the one who’s acting out of place here?……also the fact you give everyone nicknames is just gross.
Mikoto: *sigh* It’s more stupid to be taking this all so seriously. I mean, it’s definitely just a reality TV program. There’s no way a real prison exists that’s this lax. Also, I don’t give nicknames to everyone. I don’t give them to young kids like Amane, or to the hard-to-approach types like Shidou-san. I mean, I’m not giving you one, right?
Futa: ……oi, which group are you trying to say I am?
He's trying to make a social group he can fall back on, even if it's something as small as commiserating about their situation together. (The way he wants to communicate seems to moreso fall in line with how Mikoto does; granted, with more aggressiveness)
Q.01 What do friends mean to you?
Futa: People who get excited about the same things as you
He's stated before that people he likes talking to are ones that can get hyped about the same things as him. This can also be seen in his behaviour in milgram; a prime example is how he interacts with Haruka.
Futa: You said you don’t play any games, right? Do you not watch league or premier either?
Haruka: E-eh, I, I don’t understand, what that is…… That… uh, “leeg”?
Futa: Huh!? It’s international soccer. It’s normal for guys your age to know stuff like that. What a pain… I really have nothing to talk to you about, huh. Even though we’re around the same age. Also don’t speak to me so formally. It’s gross.
Haruka: Ah, e-excu-, I don’t, I uh… got it…… Futa… kun……
He's implied to have repeatedly told Haruka to be less formal with him! He's also asked about hobbies that he's already interested in, seemingly to try and use it to get closer to Haruka. There are exceptions (i.e. Yuno showing off what she does for her younger brother) but that moreso dovetails into my next point of observation.
Fuuta doesn't like to be perceived as vulnerable. Which, I think everyone has noticed because dude's an anxious wreck. Like seriously! He tries to be the group representative cause he thought Es treated Yuno badly (and if we were to give him credit, extrapolated that Haruka might not have been treated well too because it's clear that Haruka's standards aren't the highest), but is shaking like a leaf and breathing weirdly.
Futa: Haa…… haa…… Ok……
Kotoko: What’s up, Futa.……your breathing seems a bit uneven?
Futa: Huh!? I’m getting ready to fight. That guard is looking down on all of us……!
Kotoko: ……hmm. Is that so…… I’m looking forward to it. To seeing what your “justice” really is.
This trial he tries to barter a better verdict before breaking down and begging cause he can't take it any more! Which, given Shidou's report of injuries, I really can't blame him?
Either way, this pairs really badly with another trait that he seems to have; not really being able to join a conversation properly unless shown a clear indication that his input is wanted. A good example of this is actually Mahiru's birthday interaction with him. He only goes into talking about her birthday when she implies it's something that he should be making an active interaction with instead of reactively asking what she means.
Mahiru: Fufu, it’s a special day today. I can’t help but feel something good’s going to happen.
Futa: What’s with all the muttering to yourself. It’s creepy.
Mahiru: Geez, you really don’t understand, Futa-kun. You’ll never have a proper romance with that attitude!
Futa: Who cares. Obviously this is because today’s your birthday. It’s just the day you happened to be born, it doesn’t mean anything. Here, I’ll give you my tomato, so just shut up and eat it. That’s your birthday present, so be grateful.
Wrapping back to something I mentioned earlier, this might be a thing that Mikoto picked up on as attention seeking.
Fuuta actually has pretty rigid thinking in terms of socializing! I'd say that was interesting but also that tracks, given that he does most of his socializing online. But he also has very firm schemas as to how people should act/socialize from their perceived roles in society (i.e. stating that he doesn't really talk to girls because he doesn't want to be involved in "girl talk"-
Q.05 What do you like in the opposite sex?
Futa: Someone who can have a conversation on the same level as me. The things girls talk about are usually all boring
-and being upset with Kazui and Shidou for not being proactive about trying to escape this situation
Futa: The ones I don’t particularly like are Shido and Kazui. The old geezer duo. Even though we’re in a state of emergency here, even though they’re the oldest out of us all, they’re acting like they don’t have a care in the world. I can’t believe they’re so unreliable. They’re good for absolutely fucking nothing!
). It's simultaneously really old fashioned and a product of our time. It's honestly a frustrating aspect of his character.
Though at the same time, it's a view that makes him susceptible to indoctrination. This vulnerability has only gotten wider since the end of the first trial, with the voters' voices, Kotoko's assault and the fact that he never really had a strong sense of self to begin with. It's almost a shame I didn't write this up earlier because I have to say; with the lesson that Fuuta seems to have learned from our first vote (I never should have stuck my nose in other people's business) and this, I feel like Fuuta is in a very dangerous position mentally. Not that voting him guilty/unforgiven would have been better but. Idk this seems like something that's bad to affirm.
Second up is the queen B herself, Muu! Is that a Bee or a Belle? Hmm, I wonder~ (in all seriousness, her change from trial one to trial two feels more like a dark version of Cinderella if we're truly making fairy tale references)
Now Muu is someone who likes feeling comfortable and as such, she tends to hang out with people who allow her the freedom of opinion. That, and people who actually pay her "proper" attention.
Q.01 What do friends mean to you?
Mu: People who listen properly to what I say
Oddly enough though, while she functions just fine in group environments (easily taking charge of her prior friend group) she actually seems to prefer one on one conversations?? For the most part, she seeks out people to talk to when they're by themselves or in a small group. This can be seen within the portal timeline, key examples being this conversation implying she went to Haruka's door in order to converse with him as soon as possible,
Mu: Haruka-kun, are you awake……? Happy birthday.
Haruka: M-Mu-san? I… I-I’m awake…… Th-thank you, very much. I’m… glad……
Mu: ………… Shall we talk? You know, recently I’ve been pretty interested in you.
Haruka: ……!! I-in me…? Hehe, hehehe…… interested, in me.
this conversation implying that Muu actively sought Yuno out in order to get birthday wishes from her,
Mu: Yuno. Don’t you have something to say to me?
Yuno: Huh? To you? Me? ……ahh, uh? Your birthday, right? Happy birthday~
Mu: How mean… Since it’s my birthday, I really wish you’d said something before I had to come and tell you myself.
Yuno: Right, right, I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful in future~ Later! Haha… things have become even more of a bother………so was that Mu-chan’s real personality, then? It’s probably because the guard did something, right?
this conversation emphasising her desire for someone's complete attention when she has it,
Mu: What’s wrong, Haruka-kun? Did something happen? You shouldn’t look away like that when you’re together with me.
Haruka: Ah, s-sorry, Mu-san. Um…… No, it’s nothing. I just, suddenly got a feeling. That something is about to happen.
Mu: Isn’t that because it’s your birthday? Or perhaps it’s a sign the guard is about to wake up again soon? Fufufu, I bet they’ll be really surprised at a lot of things.
Haruka: That, might be true. But, I want the the guard to see.……the new me…….
and this.
Mu: Hey~~~ Isn’t everyone a bit gloomy lately? I get that this situation isn’t ideal, but you’re really bringing down the mood for my birthday.
Yuno: Haha, surely even you can tell now’s not really the time for something like that, right. Nobody’s really in the mood, or rather nobody has time time to deal with something like that.
Mu: Boo, how boring. You seem to be free, you can celebrate for me. Go on, celebrate.
Yuno: Wow, what a pain. I’m reading the atmosphere properly and keeping quiet. Well, you just go and have fun with Haruka. In the corner somewhere so you’re out of everyone’s way.
There's something to be said about that trait shown within the portal timeline + the shrinking of her group shown in INMF. This feeds back into her wanting people to pay attention to her, though I think it's also a way to pay back that attention in kind, which feeds into my next point.
Muu is a very eye for an eye person. Granted, it seems to be perceived slights as opposed to objective ones. This can feed into one of her more negative traits, that being she can overly exaggerate the hurt in her own experiences (side note, this is likely why that one line was translated as "I am always the drama queen").
Not to say that the hurt she feels isn't, by any means, real, but it can leads to situations where she retaliates in a manner that's far more harsh than what happened to her. Literally a prime example of this is her murder! Like I'm sorry, but murder is not a reasonable response to bullying, much less being ignored. However, this can also go the other way around. Treat her nicely and she's going to treat you well.
This type of attitude is likely why she had such a dismissive reaction to one of her friends thanking her for the lipstick in the After Pain group chat. To use an adage, one good turn deserves another. She gave her friend the lipstick and her friend thanked her (even if indirectly, by complimenting the lipstick). Thus, in her view, it was paid back in kind.
Another, more recent, example of this is her interactions with Haruka. Giving him a makeover, lavishing him with her attention and bringing him food as the guilty verdict sets in for both of them, she has been giving him kind acts. One could argue that she feels that Haruka has been returning this by thanking her and contemplating how best to carry out his vow regarding her verdict (in other words, a continued promise to follow through on his actions when it comes to it- which we know is when and not if, since we know the verdicts).
However, if you want to take a kinder interpretation, she recognizes that Haruka isn't in the mental position to do that. This would be why, on her birthday, she's so insistent about what she's doing being a great thing to Fuuta of all people. Basically, that tightrope between wanting to seek validation but wanting a kind deed to be a kind deed.
However, like Fuuta, Muu also has a very shaky sense of self. Or rather, in her case, a shaky esteem. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she had RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria).
She's someone that looks to see other people's reactions before making a move herself, if subconsciously. And it's very clear that she half expected to be voted guilty and tried to overcompensate for that in INMF. That expectation with the hope/want of getting external validation sure did make a horrifying concoction...
Honestly, her verdict is going to be very touch and go for her. It could turn out well in the end, but there's such a high risk in terms of her mental health (+physical, depending on how the votes go) that it's... Worrying. And Haruka's vow, while providing a sense of comfort currently, is likely going to be detrimental in the long run. For both of them.
Overall, they're two (very) dumb kids that screwed up, and they both justify their actions to themselves in different ways. Fuuta falls back on a sense of justice and the fact that he wasn't the only one involved in his sins. Muu focuses on her pain and the idea that the only person that can truly judge a person is the one in the situation. However-
-they both clearly took things too far, and they know it. Regardless of how they behave, I get the feeling they do regret the results of their actions.
#Milgram#Fuuta Kajiyama#Muu Kusunoki#thoughts#this is really long (for my posts) so if you get through this I applaud you#sure some of it is pics but still#tbh this summed up is 'Fuuta and Muu are two different flavours of neurodivergent and it shows'#I feel I need to say this for clarity but I'm not trying to be too biased#though that's just human nature so like bias will exist regardless#This post was started mid Muu's trial orz
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Ignoring for a moment that everyone dislikes Chris Pratt, ignoring for a moment that it would’ve been amazing to see an actor in the role specifically from the voice acting industry (because the entire movie is a cast of screen actors so if you call HIM out for it you can���t ignore the fact that Jack Black and Charlie Day and Seth Rogen and basically everyone else involved is known for their SCREEN acting not their VOICE acting)…ignoring that, for the moment. What is it about the two sentences he had in the trailer that has people immediately hating his performance in a movie that isn’t even out yet? Is it that people think it’s actually bad, or is it just the current trend to hate every bit of news we get about Chris Pratt in relation to this movie? (And no I’m not mocking, I’m legitimately trying to understand. I’m honestly asking.)
Is it because you don’t think Pratt’s voice works for the Mario you envision? Fair enough. But in that case you should be calling out the casting director who chose him for the role. Actors for all these animated roles - including Jack Black, who I think everyone agrees is legendary for Bowser - are contacted because of the way they sound. True, based on the cast we have, there’s some level of notoriety at play here too, we can’t ignore that. But there are plenty of other big name actors who could have been chosen. They weren’t picked.
Or maybe do you hate it because Mario has a Brooklyn accent? Is it because he’s not using the stereotypical Italian we hear in the games? People claim Chris Pratt “didn’t even try” but…he IS clearly using a specific accent in the trailer, and he doesn’t even have final say in what the character is meant to sound like. If that’s your problem, then you should be dissing the director and the folks in charge of the movie because it would have been THEIR call to have Mario and Luigi talk like that. In the voice acting industry, actors may have some freedom in their performance, but there IS someone in the room instructing you on what it is the role requires and what it is they want you to do in front of the mic.
(Voice actress here. I may not be in the big leagues like some actors are but I know how the industry works. Bigger actors may have more sway but they’re still being paid to do the job that the company they’re working for gave them. If the role asks for an accent, well, by Jove, you’re doing an accent.)
And if you ARE salty about the Brooklyn accent because it’s “not canon accurate”…this isn’t even the first time we’ve seen the Mario Bros portrayed with that dialect. I mean their origins are that they were in construction first and became plumbers later, and in a lot of non-video-game Mario media, both Mario and Luigi grew up in Brooklyn. For anyone who doesn’t know about it, go watch Film Theory’s video about the new movie and how old canon might tie in. His theory may not end up being 100% accurate but by god does he make some excellent points.
Anyway, I’m not saying you have to like Chris Pratt, of course not. I’m just saying not everything comes down to just him, and you can’t judge a film based on two sentences from a trailer. If you don’t trust him then try to trust that Illuminations and Nintendo know what they’re doing. Nintendo has always been a perfectionist for how their characters are being portrayed ever since the old Mario Bros movie was a complete train wreck. Trust that they’re going to do the Mushroom Kingdom justice in the new one.
EDIT: To clarify, I’m not trying to change anyone’s opinion on the trailer! I don’t have much of an opinion either way, I’m just excited for the movie as a whole. But I’m also just really curious about the reasoning behind why folks either like or dislike certain vocal performances. I made this post for curiosity’s sake and so I could see the trailer from other people’s perspectives :) So feel free to share your own breakdown of it! Let’s just try to keep the replies friendly ^^
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