Tumgik
#THE ONE THING I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IN THIS SERIES IS THE WAY JASON ACTS TOWARDS ALFRED
storybookstr4nge · 1 year
Text
I will defend Jason Grace with my whole heart forever. oh he's boring? well somebody has to be the boring one--somebody has to be the 'stick in the mud' group leader who is just trying so unbelievably hard to keep everybody safe. not everybody can be making witty sarcastic jokes with every fight :( not everybody is a Percy or a Leo--if we had a team of just Percys and Leos, what would ever get done around here!! he was raised in a military camp all his life, he didn't just get to cultivate a sense of humour and a carefree attitude :(
all Jason has ever tried to do is help people by truly listening to them. he didn't just fight the minor gods, he talked to them, he figured out what they wanted, and he fucking followed through with his promises to honour them!! (or... he was going to.) he wasn't just going to make false promises as a scheme, he was really going to change things and ensure it didn't happen again :(
after everyone shat so hard on Jason for suggesting they not detour to save Nico (which, by the way, yes it could have seemed insensitive to us bc we know and love Nico, Jason doesn't know who this bitch is!! he was trying to be strategical) none of them really seemed to make an effort to figure out... what his deal was? it was Jason who stuck around to put in the effort to really push Nico out of his shell and not just placate his behaviour, which would go on to be such an important catalyst for Nico's recovery and development going forwards :( it was Jason that Nico stayed for :( there are so many moments where Jason is shown so clearly listening to and acting upon other peoples problems throughout the series, and he never really gets that treatment back until its too late,,
and maybe it's just personal. as an older sibling I am so used to getting called boring and being told to let loose or stop being so bossy... Jason is showing his love the only way he knows how... by putting himself second, and by just trying to keep order. it just must really suck. imagine putting your whole heart and soul into protecting your found family only for them to dismiss you as stoic and detached and unfunny. and then to see the whole fandom just degrade his character for it :( I get that maybe his chapters just aren't everyones cup of tea, but I never got where all of this animosity stemmed from.
he's trying his best. he's just a kid, like the rest of them... it seems that when any of the other make stupid decisions, they're forgiven for their age and naïveté, but when Jason does, he's penalized as an adult... which I think is so shameful :( he's allowed to have stupid mistakes :(
he is.... my favourite of the seven.. and I just want to give him a hug. I love u Jason Grace I got ur back always
2K notes · View notes
leclerc-s · 3 months
Text
who's daniel ricciardo anyways?
series masterlist
Tumblr media
NEW HEIGHTS | EP 50
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
comments
user01 is jason a secret daphne jones fan? he knows about the eagles t-shirt.
user02 i'm so here for the daphne jones/travis kelce love story
user03 months later we're going to look back on this and know it was the start of the greatest love story ever.
user04 as a daphne fan. it's a cute idea but like do the other people in the comments know anything about daphne?
↳ user05 right? like at least educate yourselves on daphne lore before you start shipping her with someone.
user06 jason's doing god's work for daphne and travis.
user07 and the award for biggest daphne and travis' biggest shipper is jason kelce!
user08 reading these comments is making me cringe a little bit. do people not know a thing about daphne? like i'm not even a fan of her and i know.
↳ user09 know what?
↳ user08 daphne's married. she's been married for almost a year.
user10 the reason daphne probably didn't talk to him is because she's married and doesn't want to give anyone the wrong idea.
↳ user11 SHE'S MARRIED? HOW THE FUCK AM I JUST NOW FINDING OUT?
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
isabella perez to the americans, who the fuck is travis kelce?
logan sargeant nfl player for the kansas city chiefs
zoya torres do you mean football?
logan sargeant I AM NOT GETTING INTO THIS ARGUMENT WITH LANDO AGAIN ZOYA! DROP IT!
rowan todd is this about the daphne thing?
daniel jones-ricciardo what daphne thing? who's talking about my wife? who do i have to fight?
isabella perez nfl crazy fanboys who are demanding your wife divorce you and date travis kelce because "who's daniel ricciardo anyways?"
max jones-verstappen i'm throwing hands. is that the right way to use the phrase?
mae jones-verstappen yes max, it is. max jones-verstappen as i said, i'm throwing hands
charles leclerc are they insane?
dulce perez they watch grown men chase after a ball for over 2 hours. yes.
logan sargeant there are specific rules!
dulce perez you're literally the only one who cares.
daniel ricciardo that's not true! go bills! logan sargeant boo! go dolphins!
alex albon are you proud of what you've started dulce?
dulce perez i now realize that i've made a huge mistake.
mae jones-verstappen i'm american and i don't get the sport.
logan sargeant that sound like a you problem. mae jones-verstappen you've grown bold since you were added to the group chat logan sargeant it's the effect you people have on me.
natalia ruiz who the fuck is travis kelce and why is hitting on my wife?
daniel jones-ricciardo we are not doing this again nat. she's my wife! natalia ruiz you keep telling yourself that honey.
oscar piastri so natalia's like, in love with daphne, rowan, and penelope?
natalia ruiz don't forget my other wives, lily, mae, and carmen. dulce perez she just says that to piss them all off and it works. natalia ruiz men have such fragile egos
daphne jones she's not wrong.
isabella perez daphne! what do you think about travis kelce?
daphne jones-ricciardo i know his brother is jason kelce? he plays for the eagles. why?
daniel jones-ricciardo no reason! no reason at all! please ignore it!
max jones-verstappen travis declared his love for you on the internet and now daniel feels insecure you're going to dump him and date travis.
daniel jones-ricciardo sometimes i hate that we're related now. max jones-verstappen no you don't you fucking liar. you love me. daniel jones-ricciardo because i happen to like your wife so i tolerate you. max jones-verstappen you're a big fat fucking liar jones-ricciardo!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
liked by maxverstappen1, maejones, isabellaperez and others
danieljonesricciardo who's daniel ricciardo anyways?
tagged: daphnejonesricciardo
view all comments
user93 not the wedding picture! daniel jones-ricciardo, the man that you are!!
maejones tell me you're jealous without telling me you're jealous
↳ danieljonesricciardo i'm not jealous! but i don't know who daniel ricciardo is, i only know daniel jones-ricciardo.
isabellaperez yeah, daniel you tell 'em!
maxverstappen1 oh my god. of course you would do this.
↳ danieljonesricciardo it's a problem when i do it but when you lost your shit over mae and joshua getting shipped by the internet over their "rekindlement" it was fine
↳ maxverstappen1 that's different! you're married!
user81 the fucking wedding picture is taking me out. this man is trying to prove a point.
nataliaruiz she's my wife ricciardo, don't you forget it.
↳ danieljonesricciardo i will steal your child if you don't stop.
↳ charles_leclerc you leave my daughter alone jones-ricciardo!
user87 SHE'S MARRIED? HOW DID I MISS THIS?
user59 oh my god daniel jones-ricciardo. i fucking love you
vancityreynolds the only person allowed to steal your wife or profess her love for her is my wife.
↳ danieljonesricciardo see you get it. just like only i can profess my love for you or steal you from your wife.
↳ vancityreynolds that's right my love!
↳ user02 i fucking love this duo!
scottyjames31 oh brother! this guy's so jealous
↳ danieljonesricciardo i know where you live scotty.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
NEW HEIGHTS | EP 54
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
comments
user12 i for one did not know daphne jones was married.
user13 to everyone who was pushing the daphne x travis agenda, you sure look dumb now, don't you?
user14 i was so wrong when i said this would be the greatest love story ever.
user15 so she's a wag but not a wag for the person or sport we all thought?
↳ user16 people wanted her to be a football wag when she's been an f1 wag for over 7 years.
user17 jason kelce developing a man crush on daniel jones-ricciardo was not on my bingo card for 2023
user18 f1 silly season is silly seasoning so good. i thought we had gotten past this with the daphlonso thing but nooo
user19 the kelce brothers not knowing what formula one was before all of this is so fucking funny to me
↳ user20 them not knowing what it was and now jason kelce having a crush on daniel is so fucking funny to me
↳ user19 right, this whole thing is so fucking funny.
user21 okay but i would also be like travis, i just wouldn't put the signs together. like what if one of her last names was her mom's last name? i'm just dumb like that
↳ user22 must be all the hits to the head getting to travis.
Tumblr media
isabella perez daniel, this is very important, did you or did you not receive an apology from travis kelce for hitting on your wife?
daniel jones-ricciardo i did. why is it important? arthur leclerc so we can secretly stop shitting on him.
sebastian vettel they have a group chat away from the "responsible adults"
sebastian vettel i wasn't aware fernando was responsible but here we are.
fernando alonso do not tempt me sebastian, i can still add mark.
daphne jones-ricciardo i feel like i'm owed an apology because jason kelce just hit on my husband.
rowan todd reminder, your husband publically flirts with ryan all the fucking time.
esteban ocon i fear we may have to keep him away from ryan in vegas.
mick schumacher get them both drunk enough and they'll try to get married by elvis.
daniel jones-ricciardo that is so not true. i would marry max. max jones-verstappen and we would do it sober! bailey winters you two are worse than my parents, and they've been married for over 20 years.
freya vettel so we can stop hating on travis?
isabella perez i think we do freya. this is tragic. i was enjoying it.
oscar piastri you said he was built like brick wall. that was it.
isabella perez i know but i enjoyed george's presentation on why daphne and travis would never work out. it was very informative.
daniel jones-ricciardo HE MADE A PRESENTATION? george russell yes, and my main reason was that everyone would think it was a publicity stunt for that one game that everyone tunes in to watch but it's simply to watch the halftime show and not the actual game.
logan sargeant i watch the game!
zoya torres that's because you're part of the small percentage that watches the game. speaking of, who do you guys think is performing next year?
lewis hamilton will it finally be the year daphne says yes?
daphne jones-ricciardo will xnda record a song with me? lewis hamilton no daphne jones-ricciardo there's your answer
rowan todd i think shakira should get a solo halftime show
logan sargeant the council has suggest i recommend daisy jones & the six
isabella perez peso pluma.
dulce perez you're joking, right? isabella perez of course i am. i think a huge reggaeton number works better.
freya vettel hear me out. one direction reunion.
isabella perez or, hear me out, daphne performs with one-hit wonder xnda
lewis hamilton one-hit wonder? isabella perez you recorded one song and dipped lewis. you are a one-hit wonder.
ollie bearman you people are insane.
carlos sainz tell us something we don't know oliver. isabella perez that is my son! watch it sainz!
fernando alonso i hate every single one of you and i can't stand any of you.
sebastian vettel liar! fernando alonso especially you.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
taglist: @burningcupcakefire @arkhammaid @sunflower-golden-vol6 @applopie @lorarri @mypage-myfandoms @bb-swift @thewannabewriter @you-bleed-just-toknowyouarealive @stopeatread @hobiismyhopeu @lilsiz @alessioayla @niniluvsainz @au-ghosttype @cowboylikemets1989 @justtprachisblog @rmeddar123 @nichmeddar @landonorizzz @unluckyyoshi @Mimolovescookies @brekkers-whore @natcha888 @camdensreg @mycenterfold @dear-fifi @prongsvault @kaa212 @anxxiousaries @julesbabey1 @julesbabey @georgeparisole @Smnthnclj @dan3avocado @melissayalene @nothanqks @nikfigueiredo @bella-1 @namgification @jensonsonlybutton @chezmardybum @d3kstar @weekendlusting@anytimeanywherebitchblog @ragioniera @burberryfilms @trouble-sistar @lesliiieeeee @leclercsluv @33-81
strikethrough means i couldn't tag you
click here to be added to the honest series taglist
Tumblr media
¡leclerc-s speaks! honestly, this opportunity was too fucking funny to pass up. i like to think i fucking hilarious when i'm sleep deprived. this is 100% not funny. i also probably got the dates wrong but that's on my sleep deprived brain. i cannot be held accountable for the mistakes it makes.
¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!
Tumblr media
208 notes · View notes
fantastic-nonsense · 4 months
Text
obviously I'd be thrilled to just get the whole PJO series adapted and then end it there. However: Heroes of Olympus as a story can be cleaned up sooooooo much in a way that PJO just doesn't need to be, and a tv adaptation offers the perfect opportunity to do so
like honestly my hottake is that I think Disney could solve both the problem of adapting a long, convoluted sequel series and a lot of the problems HOO as a story has if they a) do The Lost Hero and Son of Neptune in the same season and b) deliberately wait until the PJO actors are in their 20s to do it
Just thinking about this a bit more:
three 12-14 episode seasons, with TLH/SoN in S1, a modified MoA in S2 that deals with some of the Argo crews' HoH subplots, and then HoH/BoO in S3
Percy and Annabeth are in their 20s and newly engaged when he disappears. This sets up the arc of Percy dreaming about settling down with Annabeth in New Rome in a more organic, functional way and also gives us as viewers a chance to see that the aftermath of the Titan War has resulted in tangible, lasting change for the demigods of Camp Half-Blood
Grover replaces Coach Hedge as the Seven's collective Protector+chaperone, which solves the series' problem of Grover's absence and the absence of the PJO Trio's friendship
the whole show/story takes place over ~6 months instead of the year it did in the books, and Percy+Jason's individual quests happen concurrently (simply not letting Percy sleep for 8 months and making an episode where he establishes himself at the Roman camp for awhile before he's forced on the quest with Frank and Hazel would solve about half of the problems on the Roman side of the series)
Season-wise, things mostly sort themselves out:
The first season starts off introducing the Lost Hero trio and we find out that Percy's missing at the end of the first episode. The second episode opens with Percy waking up at the Wolf House and starting his journey to New Rome. We get one episode entirely devoted to amnesiac Jason and Percy integrating into the new camps, making friends, and learning about their missing counterpart before the quest plots start up.
The season then alternates between Jason, Piper, and Leo's "Find Hera" quest and Percy, Hazel, and Frank's Alaska quest, with intermittent jumps to the Greek and Roman efforts to find Percy and Jason. It ends with Percy and Jason regaining their memories and each camp realizing their leader is on the other side of the country in "enemy" territory.
The second season opens around a month later as the Argo II docks in New Rome. Percy and Jason have both been given time to make friends, integrate themselves into the opposing camp, and become adjusted to a different way of life with all of their memories intact. They haven't physically returned to their home camps as they've both independently come to the conclusion that Hera switched them to initiate inter-camp unity and are wary of doing anything that would disrupt that goal. However, Percy and Jason have both managed to get messages to Annabeth and Reyna respectively at some point in that month, so everyone knows everyone is safe when the Greeks finally arrive in New Rome.
Cue MoA's various plotlines, which would be cleaned up and streamlined significantly while also integrating in some of the HoH arcs like Hazel learning how to manipulate the Mist, Frank learning how to use his shapeshifting powers, Piper coming into her own as a daughter of Aphrodite, Leo's seventh wheel arc and the Calypso subplot, Jason struggling to figure out what his place is, the Jason-Nico friendship, etc. Also set up the Greek v. Roman dispute and Reyna following them to Greece. Season ends with the Annabeth-Arachne confrontation and Tartarus fall.
The third season combines HoH and BOO; the season alternates between Percy and Annabeth's journey through Tartarus while the rest of the Seven finish their various character arcs via gathering the elements for the Physicians' Cure and journeying to the Doors of Death. After they rescue Percy and Annabeth and close the Doors, they plan to head straight to Athens to take on Gaea. Reyna reaches them just after, and Annabeth sends her and Nico off with the Athena Parthenos with Grover as their Protector.
The final battle switches between The Seven+Gods vs. Gaea+The Giants at the Acropolis and the Greeks vs. Romans at Camp Half-Blood. The Gaea plotline is resolved at the Acropolis, the Greek-Roman plotline is resolved as Nico and Reyna triumphantly arrive at Camp Half-Blood with the statue, a functional Greek-Roman working relationship, and the gods' blessing. This helps streamline the mess that was Blood of Olympus and actually provides a workable story resolution.
We get a final aftermath/epilogue episode that sorts out and ties up all remaining plot threads, teases Solangelo, and ends with Percy returning home to see his mom and planning out how to move to New Rome after he and Annabeth get married.
Obviously this is the roughest possible sketch of how it could be done, but I genuinely believe doing something like that could fix some of the biggest issues HOO has conceptually while streamlining all of the quest bloat. It'd be interesting to see them try, anyway.
166 notes · View notes
mrvlbimbo · 2 years
Text
Mrvlbimbo's Eddie Munson Masterlist 
hiiiiii everyone, I figured it was time I made a master list for all my Eddie fics.
For anything in the series and longer fics catagory y'all can send me requests to further those stories and/or HCs you have for them.
Everything other than the drabbles is explicitly xfem reader because I write in third person using she/her pronouns.
The summaries are bad but hopefully this is helpful for everyone.
Smut meter
🍓complete fluff
🍒suggestive
🌶smuttish
🔥full on smut
Other tags
☁️angst
🍬sub! Eddie
🧁sub! Reader
🏠established relationship
🎲virgin! Eddie
💎virgin! Reader
Series and longer fics
Secret admirer series, pt1, 2, 3, 4
reader leaves romantic notes in Eddie's locker because she's too shy to talk to him in person.
Rating: 🌶💎🎲 (will change when chapter 4 is posted)
Eddie x bimbo!reader series masterlist
based on this request: eddie and bimbo reader!! a unique pair, but reader likes metal and rock music, and they find other ways to bond later
Rating: there’s too many parts but it’s a mix of all
Incentive, pt 1
Eddie has a crush on the assistant coach of the Hawkins High women's tennis team. She's only a year older than him, only problem is she refuses to date a highschooler. Looks like Eddie has some incentive to graduate
Something isn't right here, pt 1/2
A few weeks after returning from the upside down, Eddie wakes up changed. His new bloodlust only rivaled by his regular lust for his best friend.
Bimbo!reader x Vampire!Eddie
Perv!Eddie thoughts,
some hcs
Just a little quid pro quo, Virgin!reader buys drugs from Eddie and just so happens for 'forget' her money
Eddie's neighbor gets drenched in the cold and he just neeeeds to help her warm up
Sub!Eddie thoughts,
using a vibrator on Eddie
making Eddie cry his eyeliner off
What’s the plot of Romeo and Juliet again?
based on this request: eddie X (cheerleader?) reader where reader is dating jason. they get into an argument and eddie steps in to protect her. maybe they end up breaking up and eddie is really happy about it.
Rating: 🔥💎🧁
And they were roomates (pt 2 eventually)
Eddie and the reader are roommates, she catches him jerking off. She offers to help.
Rating: 🌶🍬
You mean nothing (everything) to me
friends to enemies to lovers. They fuck in the hellfire chair. It's almost 5k words.
Rating: 🔥🍬☁️
Practice makes perfect, first times the charm (coming soon)
based on this request: Eddie fic? where poor baby is a virgin but his not-girl-friend is more than happy to let him give her head for ‘practice’?
Rating: 🌶🍬🎲
It’s about time someone wrote an Eddie Munson sex pollen fic
its an Eddie Munson sex pollen fic.
Rating: 🔥
Jason doesn’t know
Eddie and reader are fwb and she's cheating on her boyfriend (Jason) Loosely based on the song Scotty Doesn't Know.
Rating: 🔥
One shots
Don’t move
cockwarming with subby Eddie
Rating:🔥🍬🏠
Polar Opposites
based on this request: eddie with a hyper feminine, super spoiled girl? Like, everyone just being exhausted by the stereotypical girly thing she is, and her just sitting all pretty in his lap in the throne in the hellfire club room
Rating:🍒🏠
Oblivious
based on this request: Eddie coming home after a club meeting that went rlly well and he’s super pent up and energized and he gets into his room and he’s greeted with the sight of his sweet y/n on his bed in the cutest pink lingerie set waiting to have him basically rearrange her organs, and ofc he does cause how could he say no to his needy girl
Rating: 🔥🏠
I like-like you too
based on this request: eddie x fem!reader where they both like eachother and it’s sooo obvious to everyone but them? and they get teased all the time by everyone
Rating: 🍒
One more?
based on this request: Eddie fucking readers brain out and then taking care of her while she's in subspace
Rating: 🔥🧁🏠
Gummies
based on this request: u eat some of eddies gummy bears only to find out they were edibles, n now eddie has to deal with a very high y/n who wont stop gushing about him and being all giddy
Rating: 🍓
Road trip
based on this request: reader and Eddie aren’t really close but they both unknowingly think each other are attractive but reader thinks Eddie is way out of her league. So they’re in the car with dustin, max, mike and Steve, but there’s no room for the reader so Eddie offers for reader to sit on his lap. So they’re both really nervous and reader keeps shifting in his lap so he grips her hips to get her to stop because he’s getting hard and he’s really embarrassed about it
Rating: 🌶🍬
I’ll never leave
based on this request: eddie having a nightmare where his gf leaves him only for him to wake up with her drooling all over his arm in her sleep
Rating: 🍓☁️🏠
It goes both ways
based on this request: reader getting into a fight with a jock because he hit and/or upset Eddie? Like, maybe she could kick his ass but she would also have gotten her fair share of hits?
Rating: 🍓
Not so innocent
based on this request: y/ns like this good girl teachers pet-- pleated skirts and mary janes and all-- with straight a's and she's sent to tutor eddie bc man is failing with a capital F so they're studying in her pink room with a bunch of awesome stuffies (in my head a lot of them are dragons and gargoyles and eddie's nerdy lil heart fricken explodes but this is just me being stupid in love) and he has full intention to do absolutely zERO work
(corruption kink and dom!eddie if you couldn't tell by now jdjjd)
and the whole time he's just teasing her (cough degrading her cough) and flirting with her (cO U G H praising her ahem) and- oops now they're fucking *acts shocked*
Rating: 🔥💎🧁
Thoroughly
based on this request: idk idk i’m just imagining eddie being like bold bold
“you wish you could handle me”
“yes, i do. roughly…thoroughly…for hours…”
Rating: 🍒
Mommy? Sorry. Mommy? Sorry.
based on this request: eddie accidentally calling you mommy while you’re edging him? so u like slightly laugh cause ur like omg???????? and he’s just so embarrassed BYE
Rating: 🔥🍬🏠
Rings can’t go in there
based on this request: eddie having to fish his ring out of your coochie
Rating: 🌶🏠
Teenage rebellion
Based on the request: What if Jason’s sister flirts with Eddie just to annoy his brother but she ends up having sex with him (I like how you write, specifically submissive Eddie)
Rating: 🔥🍬🎲
Drabbles
Aftercare
Wearing his rings
Giving him hickies
Boobs, boobs pt2
Belly bulge
Thighs
Fingering
Your first time with Eddie
Praise kink
Sub Eddie with begging
Naked Polaroids
Eddie x plus sized reader
Eddie with a mommy kink
Eddie x y2k aesthetic reader
Role play
Possessive Eddie
Giving Eddie head scratches
Flirting with Eddie
Jewlery and tits
Eddie is needy and wants attention
Eddie doesn't want to share his cookies with Hellfire
Getting Eddie's name tattooed
(Plz lmk if any of the links don’t work)
4K notes · View notes
sundrop-writes · 6 months
Text
Sundrop's DC Titans Masterlist
Tumblr media
Stop? (Baby, Don't Stop) - Sub!Gar Logan x Dom!Fem!Reader. Friends with Benefits. Smut/PWP. Gar is stressed out about everyone else's problems, so you get him to de-stress the only way you know how (by riding his dick). (1,800 words.)
Shared Trauma - Sub!Gar Logan x Dom!Fem!Reader. Friends to Lovers. Smut and Angst. Gar is upset after having to kill someone for the first time, and you help distract him from the pain. (3,600 words.)
Miss Nectarine - Donna Troy x Fem!Reader. Friends to Lovers. Smut. Stress has been eating at Donna since the old Titans came back 'home'. She finds the perfect way to relieve that stress when she accidentally walks in on you in a certain compromised situation. (2,600 words.)
The Girl Next Door - Hank Hall x Fem!Reader x Dawn Granger. Neighbours to Lovers. Smut. When you move in across the hall from Dawn and Hank, they immediately become protective of you. When you ask them for advice to help out in your sex life - things spin out of control in the best possible way. (5,600 words.)
Better Than Sleeping - Jason Todd x Fem!Reader. Friends with Benefits. Smut. Jason comes to bother you one night when you're tired from training. It quickly turns into a battle of wills between the two of you. Eventually, much to your annoyance - he wins. (5,300 words.)
Dreaming Of You (Mini Series - Complete) - Gar Logan x Fem!Mute!Powered!Reader. Best Friends to Lovers. Smut and (Slight) Angst. Having a direct window into someone’s mind is not as fun as everyone thinks it might be. You see and hear things that you might not want to. Or things you want to see very, very badly. But in your case, the problem was a delicate mixture of both. (31,300 words.) | Part One | Part Two | Series Masterlist |
Not A Good Time - Gar Logan x GN!Reader. Established Relationship. Smut. Seeing Gar fighting while on a mission makes you hot and bothered, and you can't wait to get him home. (2,000 words.)
Missing You - Gar Logan x Fem!Reader x Jason Todd. Accidental Voyeurism. Smut. Gar calls Jason when he's feeling lonely, and accidentally catches you and his best friend in a very compromising situation. But he can't bring himself to hang up the call. (2,800 words.)
Emergency Contact - Jason Todd x GN!Reader. Enemies/FWB to Lovers. Angst. Hurt and Comfort. (Slight Smut.) After Jason is kidnapped by Deathstroke, you help each other heal, even if he tries pushing you away at first. (10,400 words.)
Tongue Twister - Gar Logan x GN!Reader. Friends to FWB. Smut/PWP. In which you literally try to suck Gar's soul out through his dick. (And you might actually succeed.) (2,000 words.)
Tumblr media
One Moment Per Episode With Dick Grayson
Season One - Episode One |
Tumblr media
Your First Kiss With - Gar Logan | Dick Grayson | Jason Todd |
Tumblr media
What would a first date with Gar Logan be like? (Headcanons)
How would Jason react to you accidentally sending him a nude?
Tumblr media
Note: The rest of these link off to AO3, but I am hoping to have them edited and posted on Tumblr sometime soon.
Pretty Venom - Conner Luthor x Fem!Reader. Friends to Strangers to Lovers. Smut. When Mother Mayhem's magic messes with Conner's head, you find yourself confused, but intrigued - and then turned on. Conner takes advantage of that. (11,800 words.)
Glitter & Crimson - Gar Logan x Fem!Reader. Friends to ‘Lovers’. Smut. Conner is your ‘boyfriend’ - maybe. Either way, the two of you aren’t having sex, and you’re pent up. So when Gar offers you a golden opportunity to blow off steam, you don’t even consider how much it might be breaking his heart. (6,700 words.) (Prequel to the fic linked above.) 
Free Use Day - Poly!OG!Titans x Fem!Reader. Established Poly (Sexual) Relationship. Smut/PWP. You are a sex toy for the original Titans, and you love it. (14,300 words.) 
No Place Like Home - Gar Logan x Fem!Powered!Reader x Jason Todd. Friends to Lovers. Angst and Smut with a Happy Ending. Jason leaves the Titans broken and battered, and gets set on a dangerous path, and it’s up to you and Gar to bring him home. (90,300 words.) (Series - Complete.) 
Steamy - Jason Todd x Fem!Reader. Rivals to Friends with Benefits. Smut/PWP. You and Jason compete in everything - including the difficult task of sharing a bathroom. Until one day, competing in petty things becomes a battle for dominance in other areas. (5,200 words.) 
Precious Time Alone - Gar Logan x Fem!Reader. Established Relationship. Smut/PWP. When the Titans split up, you and Gar get your first true moments alone in weeks. You take advantage of it, even if it ends in a bit of a strange disaster. (9,000 words.) 
Now You See Me - Gar Logan x Masc!Powered!Reader. Strangers to Lovers. Smut. As soon as you meet Gar, you’re smitten with him. You’re used to people looking right through you - literally. But for once, Gar is someone who truly sees you for who you are, and he likes you. Every part of you. (6,900 words.) 
The Sweater Song - Gar Logan x Fem!Reader. Friends to Lovers. Emotional Angst and Smut (with a Happy Ending). Songfic. Gar decides to leave Caulder House, and it breaks your heart. But you give him a token of your affection so that he won’t forget you, and eventually he does return home to you. (7,200 words.) 
Snow In Florida - Donna Troy x Fem!Powered!Reader. Childhood Friends to Lovers. Emotional Angst (Sexuality Crisis) and Smut (with a Happy Ending). You and Donna have been friends for as long as you can remember - but as you’re both maturing, your friendship shifts in a dangerous way. A birthday party, a nagging crush, a kiss - all of it leads you both down a beautiful and bitter path to your one true love. (30,300 words.) (Mini Series - Complete.) 
Don’t Say It - Jason Todd x Fem!Powered!Reader. Friends to Lovers. Smut and Emotional Angst. After Jason is kidnapped by Deathstroke, the Titans don’t have any sympathy for him. When they pile onto the weight he’s already carrying, he can’t take it anymore - and you task yourself with picking up the pieces before it’s too late. (11,300 words.) 
Yokai - Gar Logan x Masc!Japanese!Reader. Strangers to Lovers. Smut/PWP. Gar visits your family’s Japanese restaurant often - it makes him feel normal, talking with someone who doesn’t secretly wear a cape. Plus he loves the food, and… he thinks you’re super cute. (6,400 words.)
Tumblr media
173 notes · View notes
luxaofhesperides · 6 months
Text
greener on the other side.
Danny makes a habit out of hopping into portals and exploring he places he ends up. It just so happens that this time, he ends up in Gotham right as the Signal begins his patrol. Duke meets the strangest, funniest, cutest guy on the roof of the Gotham City Public Library. He knows Batman would not approve of literally anything he’s doing, but sue him, he wants a meta friend and this guy seems to up for it. – OR: how Duke and Danny got together despite having secret identities and living different dimensions.
chapter two: how it grows - 10.7k
read chapter one here or the entire fic on ao3.
here's the duke pov! one chapter left from danny's pov, then this fic is complete and i can get started on the rest of the series focusing on their relationship! . . .
Duke doesn’t like to make a big deal of things. He’ll try to handle things on his own and roll with the punches. As long as he keeps his cool, things will work out. 
Unfortunately, feelings are not one of the things that just ‘work out on their own’ and he has to admit that he might just need some outside help for this. The problem, then, becomes a question of who he can go to.
He’s come a long way since he was part of the We Are Robin gang and knows that he can rely on the rest of the Bats for help. He’s one of them, something that still feels surreal when he thinks about it for too long, but Duke has his place with them both in and out of the mask. He gets along well enough with Damian, trains often with Jason, bothers Dick for help when he gets in over his head, and makes fun of Bruce with Tim and Cass and Steph. 
They’re good people and he trusts them. They’re messy, with lots of history and fights between them all, but what family isn’t like that? 
They’re good people and he wants to ask them for help, but Duke can’t bring himself to go to the Manor. They’re all just… Some of the advice they give him for his civilian life is suspect at best. So instead, he’s going back to Jay’s house, hoping his cousin will have some normal advice for him.
Though he spends a decent amount of time with the Waynes, Jay technically still has custody of him; Duke doesn’t want to leave his family behind at all, not if he has any other choice, but he knows that looking after a teenager while being single and not having the biggest paycheck is stressful. Plus, it allows less time for any resentment to spring up between them with the amount of secrets Duke is hiding from him. 
As unprepared for him as Jay was, he still does his best. He’s waiting in the living room when Duke arrives, dropping his keys into the dish on the side table in the entrance hallway. A bowl of popcorn and two glasses of ice tea are set on the coffee table and Duke gladly takes one and drinks half in one go before he even sits down.
“Alright, man,” Jay says, “What’s going on? You never ask me for advice.”
Duke sighs. “It’s, uh… dating problems? I guess?”
“You guess?”
“I don’t actually know if it was a date or not and I need a second opinion.”
Jay gives him a long look. “Usually, just having to ask tends to mean it was a date and you just didn’t notice in time. You getting back with that Izzy girl?”
“No! We both decided to stay friends, and it’s not like we’ve been hanging out much at all since the break up. This is someone new.”
“Anyone I know?”
“Nah, he doesn’t live in Gotham.”
The smile falls from Jay’s face and he leans closer to Duke, suddenly growing serious. “If this is an internet friend, I’m going to have to lecture you on stranger danger. Come on man, I know you’re smarter than that.”
Duke shakes his head, pushing his cousin back into the couch. “No! No, no, definitely not! Do you really think I don’t know anything about internet safety? Not the point. The point is, he’s from out of town and he’s really cute and I spent most of yesterday just hanging out with him and took him to the best food trucks I could find. Was that a date?”
“Honestly? Sounds like it. Good for you man. Just make sure to let him know if you want the next one to officially be a date.”
See? Simple, normal advice. Jay is just telling him to communicate like a normal person. It’s not that simple, of course, since Duke isn’t going as Duke but as The Signal, but it’s still good advice. Once he finds the courage to ask Danny out on a proper date, he’ll do it in a way that leaves no confusion.
It won’t be any time soon, though. Not when they’ve just met and Danny doesn’t even know his name.
“It’s that easy, huh?”
“Sure is,” Jay grins. “How do you think I got all the girls when I was in school?”
“Is that also why you can’t get any dates now?”
“Alright, you little shit,” Jay laughs, throwing an arm around Duke’s shoulders to trap him in a noogie. “See if I give you advice ever again. Is this the thanks I get for looking after you?”
Duke can break free from his grip easily, but it’s been so long since he had a nice, easy interaction with his cousin that he just sinks into it, laughing. Time apart has made things better between them; there’s less stress involved with hiding his identity, and Jay isn’t worried out of his mind about raising Duke right while also making enough for rent and groceries. 
“You staying the night?” Jay asks, finally releasing Duke.
“Nah, the Waynes want me over for game night and I really wanna see them try to kill each other. But I got a couple of hours until they’re expecting me.”
“Up for a movie?”
“Is it another zombie movie?”
“You know it.”
Duke shrugs. “Sure, put it on and I’ll try not to laugh too hard when you get scared.”
It’s nice and lets his mind finally stop spinning in circles, going over everything he can remember from his not-date with Danny. He’s missed spending time with his cousin even if living away from him is a lot less stressful. As great as the Waynes are, they can’t give him this.
What they can give him is chaos and embarrassment.
“Caught you slacking yesterday,” Jason says casually as he drops onto the couch next to him. Both of them watch as Steph and Damian team up to kill Bruce for taking all their properties in Monopoly, and Duke suddenly has a feeling that he should have stayed with Jay after all.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replies, “I’m never slacking as the Signal. I’ve never done a single thing wrong, ever, in my life.”
“Didn’t you lead a gang?”
“Didn’t you decapitate eight men?”
Jason pinches his side in retaliation, making Duke jump. “So, you pulling a Superman? Flirting with a civilian you saved?”
They didn’t go anywhere near Crime Alley. How did Jason just happen to stumble across them? He probably should have expected someone to have spotted him. None of the Waynes care too much for other people’s privacy. 
“No,” Duke says slowly. He is flirting with a civilian, but Danny is not someone he saved. Danny is someone who helped him out when fighting crime, and is fun to be with. “I was just showing him around Gotham?”
Jason’s eyebrows go up. “An out of towner? Didn’t think they’d have the balls the stay in Gotham longer than a few hours.”
“Yeah, well, he’s not one to be scared away so easily.”
“And does this someone have a name? If he’s spending time with you, I wanna know his name.”
Duke side eyes him. “Why do you want to know?”
“Look, it’s good to keep an eye on any civilian that gets close to us. In case they’re a threat, and in case they get caught up in the bullshit that saturates every part of our lives. The longer they’re with us, the more danger they’re in. But I can help you look out for him. So: name?”
That is… a depressingly good point. Duke can’t save everyone despite how hard he tries. It would be good to have someone else looking out of Danny while he’s in Gotham, just in case. 
“Danny. His name’s Danny.”
“No last name?”
“I don’t know it. Look man, I only met him two days ago. He’s a meta like me and he’s not from Gotham. That’s about all I know.”
“That’s it?”
“Again, we literally just met. If he decides to keep coming around, then I’ll learn more about him.”
Jason gives him an assessing look, then gives him a sharp grin. “Oh, I’m sure he’ll be coming back for you. Boy was giving you doe eyes the entire time he was with you. Don’t drag him along too much, yeah? Poor thing’s got it bad for you.”
“He does not!”
“I’m not blind, Narrows. And I know you saw it too.”
That’s the problem. He did see how flustered and cute Danny was around him, always finding some way to bump into him or have their arms brush as they stood around, always sticking close as they soared through the air almost close enough to hug. It was cute, so adorable that Duke wanted to squish his cheeks and also lie face down on the ground. But it wasn’t Duke who was causing Danny to blush was the slightest of touches. It was the Signal, the daytime hero, and Duke knows they can’t build anything good together when it’s built on a foundation of secrets. 
Danny’s got his own secrets too. Being a meta is only one of them and he’s not sure he’ll ever get to know those parts of Danny when the guy can just choose to never return to Gotham again. 
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to try. It’s stupid and reckless when they’ve only known each other for two days but no one has ever made him feel so normal before. Even in the midst of using their powers and hopping around Gotham fighting crime, there was a sense that they understood each other, that their lives rhymed and it made everything so easy and comfortable between them.
“And?” Duke sighs. “He doesn’t even know my name. It’s not really anything right now, okay? We just get each other and it’s nice to spend time with someone like that.”
“Want me to find him for you?”
“Please don’t.”
Jason shrugs. “Alright, your loss.” He looks back to where Bruce is calmly stealing Steph’s Monopoly money as she has her arms around his throat, trying to choke him as she clings to his back. Damian is trying to steal everything back. None of them have caught on to the fact that Tim and Cass have teamed up and have taken over the bank and are steadily taking properties on the board, fully and shamelessly cheating. 
He’s so glad he chose to sit this game out. 
Jason seems content with leaving the conversation there, so Duke cuts his losses and leaves before Tim and Cass have to fend off everyone else and turn this entire game night into a blood bath. 
It’s not like anyone’s going to win against Cass anyways.
Duke fully intends to go up to his room and get a full eight hours of sleep while everyone else goes on patrol. He’ll take some time to think about how excited he is to see Danny again when he brings his friends over next week, but only for a bit. His sleep is so important.
Batman could never compare to how much he values his sleep.
He’s got good priorities, okay? He’s not changing them for anything.
Instead of sleeping, though, he ends up laying on his bed for hours, all his thoughts swirling around in a restless tangle. This is why he can’t ask the Waynes for advice on Normal People Shit. They just make him overly paranoid and sure that everything is going to go wrong. 
Danny’s a mystery. He didn’t feel like one when they met; Danny was just an average citizen standing on top of a building, and the Signal had a duty to check up on him. 
But when Danny turned to face him, his eyes were a bright blue, practically glowing, and there was a light emanating out of his chest, as if he tucked a star into his ribcage. No normal human looked like that, and Duke would know. He’s seen a lot of weird shit with his powers, especially once they started affecting his eyes even more, but even people who dabble in magic didn’t look like that.
Danny had looked ethereal. Unreal. As if he wasn’t from this world at all. Like someone who had stepped out of a story and into the real world.
And he was fun.  
That’s what’s tripping Duke up. He’s met other metas before. They tend to either be 1) homicidal, 2) depressed and traumatized, or 3) serious and heroic. Sure there were some that had a sense of humor, but it was just to keep the mood light as they went around saving people and being more Hero than Person.
That’s what Duke had become, growing into his role as the Signal until he worried that it was taking away from Duke Thomas. The other Bats seemed to have no problem with their various identities, or enjoyed being in the mask far more than they enjoyed taking it off. Duke, as he usually was, is the outlier. 
It’s why he always has to wrestle with imposter syndrome, forcing himself to stick around until he can finally feel like he belongs with the heroes of Gotham. He can act unbothered as much as he wants. It will never change the fact that, at his heart, Duke is still the terrified and angry boy sneaking out of foster homes and orphanages to search for his parents, refusing to find a place in the world that wasn’t by their side.
As the only meta on the team, his powers are both a blessing and a curse. They’re another reminder that he’s the odd one out, the one who doesn’t fit in as easily as all the others, but also a tool that lets him help in ways no one else can.
He always has something to prove when he’s out as the Signal. He always has to make himself worth keeping around as Duke.
With Danny, all of that fell away.
Using his powers was fun with him. They darted around the city, from rooftop to rooftop, stopping crimes and teasing each other as they went. There was no pressure to conform or prove himself, just the easy joy of feeling the air rush by him as he swung through the skyline, hundreds of feet in the air. 
It doesn’t hurt that Danny is cute, too.
Sighing, Duke rolls over and shoves his face into his pillow. 
He hadn’t realized how lonely he was until he met another meta who wasn’t trying to attack him. Sure, he has other hero friends, but they’re either regular humans or not human at all. One day with another meta, just shooting the shit, enjoying their time together, makes him all too aware of how much he’s wanted something like this since his powers first manifested. 
Jason said that Danny was down bad, but Duke’s not doing any better, honestly.
He can’t wait until he sees Danny again.
It takes putting on some soothing music and trying not to let all his thoughts drift back to Danny before Duke finally feels sleep take a hold of him and gladly gives into its embrace. . . .
The glow appears suddenly, a flash of light in the distance, and that’s all Duke needs before he takes down two muggers and zip ties their wrists together quickly. “Stay safe!” he calls to the victim, quickly grappling away as she glares at her attempted muggers. She’s looking rather violent, and if she wants to whack them over the head, then that’s her right. 
Duke doesn’t need to worry about it. He’s already dealt with the problem and now he can make his way to Danny, falling into the familiar rhythm of catch, fall, and release as he chases after the cold star-glow of Danny.
He makes his way to the glow until he can see Danny standing on the roof of the mall in Diamond District. Duke stops a few buildings away, taking the time to catch his breath and make sure he’s in Signal mode instead of Duke Thomas. 
Then, as prepared as he’ll ever be, he shoots his grapple out.
Danny and his friends are already facing him when he lands, eyes flickering between him and his grapple gun.
Duke tucks it away and offers them a small wave, giving Danny a soft smile. 
“This is him!” Danny announces, turning to face his friends so he can do a little flourish and show off Duke. “This is the Signal, and he’s a legit hero here.”
A goth girl looks him over with an unimpressed gaze, then clicks her tongue in a way that reminds him way too much of Damian. “Too much yellow,” she says, “You should update your armor to be less… this.”
“Sam!” Danny says, smacking her arm. “Uncalled for!”
“What? I’m right. That’s way too much yellow.”
The other boy pushes his glasses up his nose and glares at Duke. “So you’re a hero, huh?”
Duke blinks and the sudden hostility, then nods. “Yeah, sure am.”
“And you save people?”
“I do my best.”
“Even if they’re not human?”
Oh, Duke realizes, they’re just being overprotective of Danny. It kind of sucks to be on the other end of it, but he’s glad to know that Danny has people that will stand by him. Being a meta without any support is awful and often dealy; human traffickers especially love to target vulnerable metas. 
“Even then,” Duke says. “If anyone needs help and I can help them, I do. It’s how I got into the hero business.”
“Quit the interrogation,” Danny hisses, then turns to Duke with a strained smile. “I am so sorry about them. This is Sam, and this is Tucker.”
“Well, welcome to Gotham.”
Danny hooks his arms with Sam and Tucker’s, pulling them closer to himself with enough force that they stumble. “Stop being mean, guys. We’re here to have fun, remember?”
Sam sighs, then gently knocks her head against Danny’s. “Yeah, alright. We’ll behave.”
“ Thank you. Let’s hit up Wayne Tower first, then the botanical gardens and maybe lunch after that?”
“Sounds good,” Tucker says, pulling his arm free from Danny’s grasp just to hop onto his back. With Tucker secured, Danny sweeps Sam up into a princess carry, and all three look at Duke like this is something totally normal that happens all the time. And maybe it is! It’s probably normal for them and Duke is not going to judge them because he wants to make a good impression and not be a hypocrite.
He’ll just… not talk about the Bats and how bizarre they all are. Duke himself is not exempt from this.
“You gonna be able to hold them both and fly around?” he asks, just to make sure. He definitely doesn’t want anyone falling to their deaths while he’s leading them through Gotham.
Danny just offers him a grin, the tips of his sharp canines just barely visible. The glow in his chest gets a little stronger and his eyes flicker from blue to bright green. “Don’t worry. I’m strong enough to be their Uber today.”
“We’re not paying you,” Sam and Tucker say at the same time, then high five. Danny rolls his eyes, and Duke can’t help but smile seeing their little routines.
They must have been friends for a long time to be so close.
Duke makes a mental note to spend a day just hanging out with his own friends soon. It’s been a little too long, hero work and school taking up all his time, and though they understand and try to keep him in their lives through texts, it’s all too easy to slip away from each other. 
Focus, Duke, he tells himself. Today is for Danny and his friends. 
He’s the Signal. There’s no time for Duke’s problems. He’s got crime to fight and three teenage tourists from who knows where to show around Gotham. He’ll deal with his own shit later.
“I’ll lead the way to Wayne Tower then,” he says, walking backwards to the edge of the roof. Danny lifts up from the roof, hovering a foot in the air, and it’s so hard to look away from him when he’s literally glowing, eyes bright and hair turning white. “Also, just as a heads up, I may have to leave for a few minutes to deal with crime, but I will come back. Just stick to the roofs and you’ll be safe.”
Sam looks around, assessing the city. “Lots of crime here?”
“We’re called the Crime Capital of America for a reason,” Duke responds wryly and she grimaces. 
“Well. At least the aesthetic is pretty nice. I’m digging all the gargoyles.”
“Wait ‘til you see some of our churches. Stained glass, dark stone, really Gothic. I think you’ll like it.” Then, to Danny, he says, “Ready?”
Danny nods, and Duke turns and jumps off the roof. 
Behind him, he can hear a gasp, and then he shoots his grapple out and begins swinging through Diamond District, trusting that Danny is following behind him as they fly above the busy streets. And sure enough, when he flips off the edge of another building, Duke catches a glance behind him and sees the shimmer of an invisible Danny flying towards him, with two additional little shimmers that must be his friends.
He goes back to grappling through the streets, keeping an eye out for any crime. 
“Come in O,” he says quietly, activating his comm. 
“Signal, everything good?” Oracle asks, hopping onto his frequency within a second.
“Yeah, I’ve just got a few visitors I’m escorting around Gotham. Can you keep an eye out for any crimes that need my attention? Just let me know where they are and I’ll deal with it.”
“Sure thing. Who are these visitors?”
“Out of towners. One’s a meta and they wanted to do a little sightseeing, and you know how this city is dangerous for people who aren’t used to it. And with meta human trafficking…”
Oracle makes a small sound of understanding. “Yeah, best to stick close to them while they’re here. Good call, Signal. I’ll keep an eye out and let you know if anything pops up, but so far, it’s all looking quiet.”
“Good to hear.”
There’s a pause, and then Oracle’s voice turns teasing, bringing more Barbara into the forefront. “Soooo,” she starts, and he can already hear the grin in her voice. “Making friends, Signal? Looking to start up your own team? It’s tradition, you know; we’ve all done it.”
“Nah, they’re not looking to join the cape scene. They just want to see the sights, hang out a bit. Are you looking for information on them right now?” He can hear her typing loudly, fingers flying across the keyboard. She’s supposed to be working in the library, but she’s also got her own office in there now that she’s the most senior employee. It would be just like her to pass off patron duties to the other libraries and bust crime rings from her office desk. 
Zero separation between regular work and night work. The curse all bats and bat-adjacent folk struggle with. 
“Who do you think I am?” Barbara scoffs. “If you’re making friends, then it’s my duty to make sure they’re good friends. At the very least, I can’t let you run off with villains in the makings, or cultists wanting to sacrifice you or something.”
“They’re normal civilians,” Duke hisses into his comm. He casts another glance behind him to see Danny flying off to the side. From what he can make out from the movement of the shimmer, like a heat mirage given form, he’s pointing something out to his friends. “And how likely is it that they are villains? I doubt anyone looking to hurt me is going to ask me for a tour of Gotham.”
Barbara hums. “You never know. Tim befriended Anarchy. And a couple of League assassins.”
“Tim’s a special case. He can befriend literally anyone. I mean, didn’t Jason and Damain both try to kill him? Now look at them. Thick as thieves.”
“He is something special,” Barbara agrees, amusement coloring her voice. “Say, can you tell me their names?”
“Who?”
“Your tourist guests.”
“Danny, Tucker, and Sam. Why?”
There’s a pause, even the clicking of her keyboard going silent. Oracle being stopped in her tracks is never a good thing and Duke is suddenly worried that she did find something that will connect the trio to some evil world domination plan.
“I can’t find them.”
“What?” 
“I’ve run their faces through the databases, I’ve searched for people matching their descriptions, I can’t find any tech on them that I can hack into… It’s like they don’t exist. Digitally, that is.”
Duke lands just a block away from Wayne Tower, staring up at it. The glass glistens in the few rays of sunlight that force their way past the clouds hanging heavy in the sky. It’s taller than any other building in the district, overlooking Gotham all the way to the bay. He hears the slight shuffle of feet as Danny lands on the roof behind him and sets Tucker and Sam down. 
He wants to keep talking to Barbara because he can’t recall a time she wasn’t able to find something. She’s ruthless in the pursuit of information, effortlessly hacking into even the most protected files, capable of finding people and vehicles and buildings and everything else someone might need for a case. 
The fact that Danny and his friends have hidden themselves from Oracle’s all seeing eyes has him on edge. 
He really hopes it’s nothing. He wants to be friends with Danny. He wants to trust him to be a good person just trying to live a quiet life as a meta. He wants just one thing to not blow up in his face. 
“Here we are!” Duke announces, showing off Wayne Tower with a flourish. “I can’t get you much closer to the tower without people noticing you pop in out of nowhere, so you’ll have to walk the last two blocks to get to the building.”
“Impressive place,” Tucker comments as invisibility slides off of him. Sam appears a moment later, followed by Danny, the glow in his chest softening and growing a little dimmer. 
“Wayne Enterprises is always striving for perfection,” Duke agrees. “Though, between you and me, I’m 99% positive that the only reason this building is as big and impressive as it is stems from Wayne’s need to be better than Lexcorp.”
“Lexcorp?”
“Rival company in Metropolis. Lex Luthor is the CEO and we all hate him for a lot of reasons.”
“I kinda want to pit Vlad against these guys,” Sam says, shooting Danny a grin.
Danny snorts and shakes his head. “Vlad has a cheese castle. I think he’s already lost.”
Duke is really interested in hearing about the cheese castle, but a quick glance at the watch hidden in his wrist gauntlet (put there only so he can dramatically check the time and leave with some insane excuse when criminals were complaining to him about their own poor choices) tells him that it’s nearly time for the next tour to start. 
“Alright, folks,” he says, “You’ve got around eleven minutes to sign yourselves up for the next tour, so if you want to make it, you’d better get moving!”
Tucker swears, then sprints for the edge of the building. “Danny! Get me down there! I’m not waiting another hour for a tour!”
Danny rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling fondly as he flies over to Tucker and scoops him up. They both disappear over the edge of the building, leaving Duke alone with Sam.
“So,” she says, and her tone could be mistake for conversational if it wasn’t for the coldness of her eyes. “You’re getting pretty friendly with Danny, from what I’ve heard.”
Duke smiles nervously. This is the beginning of a shovel talk, isn’t it? “I guess so. I mean, I’d like to be friends with him.”
“How old are you?”
“What?”
“How. Old. Are you?” she bites out, walking closer with a glare.
“Why do you want to know? I can’t just be giving out information about my identity, you know.”
“If you’re not a teenager, then I am going to have a few knives sharpened for when you make a wrong move towards Danny.”
“Wait, wait! I’m still in high school! That’s fine, isn’t it?” He definitely shouldn’t be telling anyone this, but if one of his friends said they were hanging out with someone they don’t know outside of a mask, or a username, or whatever, he’d want to make sure that person wasn’t a creep. Her protective anger is admirable, really. And besides, he gets it. If telling her his age (or age range) will reassure her that he’s not going to… groom Danny or something, then he’ll tell her. 
He’d never fault someone for looking out for their loved ones. 
“You better be telling the truth. For your own sake.”
“Cross my heart,” Duke says. 
Danny pops up through the roof a moment later, startling both of them, easily breaking the tension. “Come on, Sam, Tucker’s signed us up and doesn’t want to wait for you to get over there.” He picks Sam up, then glances between her and Duke. “Wait. Sam. Tell me you didn’t threaten the Signal.”
“Do you want me to lie to you?”
“I can’t take you guys anywhere, I swear…” Danny mutters, then flies down to the street.
Duke blinks at the empty roof, then decides that he’s just going to move on with his day and enjoy spending time with Danny. 
He grapples closer to Wayne Tower, following Danny’s glow to make sure they get inside just fine. It’s only a block, but anything can happen in Gotham; better safe than sorry. As soon as he watches them go into the building, Duke sets a timer to display on the corner of his helmet visor and gets back to patrolling, keeping watch over Gotham while he waits for the tour to finish.
“Signal,” Oracle says, and Duke snaps to attention, landing on the next building at the end of his grapple, hopping down from the ledge with ease. 
“What’s up, O? Got something for me?”
“Not quite. I’d like you to keep an eye on your guests. One of my drones picked up a strange reading that’s similar to magical residue.”
“You think they’re magic?”
“I think there’s something going on with them that we should keep an eye on. I know you said they’re just here as tourists, but you know we can’t take chances in Gotham.”
As much as he understands Barbara’s concerns, Duke can’t bring himself to be suspicious of Danny or his friends. They do have secrets, and none of them have even hinted at how they arrived in Gotham, appearing suddenly and without warning on a rooftop. But he’s always been one to give the benefit of the doubt. To try to talk things out, figure out a solution where no one needs to get hurt. Most of the time, it doesn’t work since whoever is causing problems really only cares about venting out their pain and frustrations through property damage and loss of life. Sometimes, though, the people causing problems need a little help, need protection, need some space to calm down and get themselves under control, and having a horde of Bats chasing them only makes things worse. 
“They really are just tourists,” Duke says. “I know how you feel. I get it, there’s definitely something more to the three of them. But it’s not causing any harm right now, so I say it’s none of our business.”
He hears Barbara sigh down the line, but she’s always been good at respecting boundaries (when it doesn’t come to privacy) and will let people do as they believe they should. It’s why she helps out Jason every so often despite his violent methods and familiarity with killing. It’s why she has her own group and leads them without controlling them the way Batman tries to. 
“Alright,” she says, “You make the calls since they’re your guests. Just be ready for me to say ‘I told you so’ when something goes wrong.”
“Yeah, yeah, we know you’re always right, O. Let me make my mistakes in peace, alright? We’ll fix it when we need to.”
“This is why you’re my new favorite,” Barbara jokes.
He makes to respond, maybe poke fun at some of the others with her, when he catches sight of two guys trying to break the lock on a bike to steal it from the sidewalk. Dropping down from the roof, he casually walks up to them, then clears his throat and shakes his head in disappointment at them when they jump and whirl around to stare at him.
“Really?” he says, judging them harshly, “Stealing someone’s bike? In broad daylight?”
They both flush with embarrassment, scowling at him.
“Well, we gotta get home somehow!” one of them says, kicking at the bike in frustration.
“Can’t you take the bus or something? Walk?”
“We don’t have any money on us for the bus and we’re heading to Robinson Park. I ain’t walking that far.”
Well. At least they’re just trying to get around and weren’t planning on selling the bike off. 
“Two options,” he says, and both guys tense up immediately, prepared for a fight. He hates that that’s the reaction people have to Gotham’s heroes. As soon as they turn to a crime, no matter how petty, they’re prepared to be beaten down into submission. It’s a precedent set by Bruce that he’s never really liked and Duke does his best to embrace how different he is from the rest of the Bats to show the people of Gotham, criminals and all, that everyone can turn to him for help.
“I can buy a week-long bus pass for you both. Or, I can give you two a ride.”
They share a glance, slowly relaxing. “Can we do both?” one asks. “Get a ride from you and the bus pass?”
Duke glances at the timer in his visor. He’s still got forty minutes before he needs to go back to Wayne Tower. 
“You know what? Yes, we can do that. Let me get you those bus passes and then we’ll get going.”
The two men share an excited grin, stepping away from the bike and its slightly mangled lock. They follow Duke to the nearest bus station where a little kiosk is tucked under the awning. Barbara, listening in as she always is, buys the bus passes for him, getting them to print within seconds when they get there. 
“Sending your new motorcycle to your location,” she says as soon as he hands both bus passes to the men. 
As far as Duke knows, he only has one motorcycle. He wishes he could ask what Barbara meant with new motorcycle without anyone listening in, but he’s gotta give the guys his attention, keep them company while they wait. 
They make small talk for a bit, the two asking him what being a hero is like while Duke chats about life in Gotham and shares some Batfam gossip (mostly patrol blunders of one of them slipping while crossing the rooftops and eating shit). 
It only takes seven minutes for the motorcycle to arrive, appearing in front of them in the street as the cloaking turns off. 
“Woah,” one of the guys breathes, staring at it in awe. “Man, you heroes get the coolest shit.”
“Perks of throwing ourselves into the line of fire. Literally.” 
He sees why Barbara sent him an entire new motorcycle (!!!) because his original plan of having three people squeeze onto the seat of one motorcycle was clearly going to end in disaster. This new one, Signal Yellow as it should be, is more armored, a little larger, and has an extended passengers seat attached to it so three people can ride it easily.
Duke swings his leg over it, settling into the seat and grips the handlebars. “Come on,” he smiles, inviting the men to join him. They do, nearly tripping over themselves as they get seated, excited grins on their faces. 
It’s nice to know that no matter how old people get, a cool motorcycle is the way to most people’s hearts. 
And what a change it is to see two men, likely college students in their final years, go from scared and unhappy people to acting like kids again, jumping at the chance to ride a motorcycle with a hero. 
Small interactions like this, where everything goes right, is exactly why Duke is determined to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, a chance to choose differently and be good.
“Hold on tight!” He revs the engine, then takes off, the men letting out whoops behind him as they rush down the street. The motorcycle picks up speed quickly and runs so smoothly it’s as if they’re flying, easily dodging all the cars around them. 
Normally, he’d go invisible and use the cloaking mode on his motorcycle to get around, but with two civilians riding with him, he’d rather be visible so cars don’t accidentally hit them.
The ride to Robinson Park takes fifteen minutes at the frankly dangerous speeds Duke was going, and he has no regrets about speeding because 1) it’s fun as hell and 2) the guys with him are clearly having a blast.
He slows down once they reach the park, then pulls over to the side of the road.
“Thank you for riding with Signal Wheels. Be sure to leave a review!”
“Five out of five!” one guys says as he gets off the motorcycle. His hair is a mess, completely windswept and tangled when Duke turns to look at him. “Holy shit, dude, I think I’d marry your motorcycle if I could.”
“Oh same,” Duke laughs, holding out a hand for a fistbump which is readily granted. 
The second guy needs a moment longer to get off, laughing breathlessly. “Ten out of ten,” he says, once he’s next to his friend.
“Trying to one up me, huh?” 
“Just being honest here.”
“Alright, well you two take care now,” Duke says, shifting his weight to one foot in preparing to kick off and head back to Wayne Tower. “And be sure not to lose those bus passes!”
“Thanks Signal!” they both call out as Duke heads back down the road, turning invisible as soon as he gets to a good speed.
He’s got just enough time to make it back to lead Danny and his friends to the botanical gardens. He cuts it close, but he makes it, pulling into an alley and hopping off the motorcycle.
“O, would you mind getting this back to wherever you piloted it from?”
“Not going to take your new friends on it?”
“Nah, I get the feeling they prefer flying.”
“You got it, Signal.”
The motorcycle pulls out of the alley silently, then heads down on road once cloaking is enabled. It’s gone just in time for his guest to walk out of Wayne Tower, trailing after Tucker who talks with his hands moving around energetically, too distracted to watch where he’s going as Sam and Danny pull him this way and that to keep him from crashing into other people. 
Danny spots him first, after he stops and his brow furrows, a look of concentration on his face. Then his head turns and his eyes snap onto where Duke leans against the wall at the mouth of the alley. He grins, the glow in his chest flaring brighter for a moment, and Duke offers a small wave, unbearably charmed by how cute Danny is, especially when he’s so clearly delighted to see him.
“How was it?” Duke asks once they’re close enough to hear him.
Tucker immediately launches into a rant about WayneTech and the R&D Lab and how he would give his liver to work there. Then he starts rambling about technology and coding and a few of the things he’s created and how he’d love to look through what WayneTech does. He doesn’t stop even as Danny flies him up to the roof, Duke following after with his grapple, Sam clinging onto his back. 
“So, so cool,” Tucker gushes, “I could probably take over the government in Amity with this kind of tech.”
Okay. Kind of a concerning statement to make, especially in the wake of Barbara’s suspicions of them.
Sam snorts. “You could take over the government in Amity now, if you wanted to.”
“Yeah, I could.”
“Not that you’d be good at it. What would you do as mayor?”
“Create a steak festival to celebrate steak and all the meals you can make with it.”
“Oh you little—” Sam lunges at them and Tucker falls back with a shriek. And then they’re tussling on the rooftop, arguing about meat and veganism and the farming industry, which, what a subject change.
Duke looks over at Danny, who watches them wrestle with fond exasperation. “Should we… stop them?”
“Let them get this out of their systems,” Danny replies. “They’ve been having this fight for years. I’ll stop them in a few minutes, and then we can go to the botanical gardens.”
So they stand together and watch Sam and Tucker roll around the roof, trying to choke each other out. And all Duke can think is, Man, I can’t ever let them meet the Bats. They’ll get along like a house on fire.
Or, it’s all he thinks until Danny shifts closer to him, just a few tentative steps. He’s suddenly starkly aware of how small the space between them is, how Danny’s close enough to touch, how much he’s been looking forward to this moment since Danny left a week ago.
Boy was giving you doe eyes the entire time he was with you, Jason had said. Duke saw it, when he was with Danny, reveled in it, basked in the attention. It wasn’t that he didn’t reciprocate, but he knows it can be hard to convey anything through his helmet, but there’s only so much action can do.
But it’s what he can do, so Duke shoves away his nerves and wraps his arm around Danny’s waist, pulling him closer.
Danny lets out a cute little squeak, cheeks filling with color immediately, and Duke is so, so endeared he wants to cry. 
“So, what’s the story behind this fight of theirs?” he asks, leaning closer to ask his question quietly in Danny’s ear.
“Oh! Um,” Danny blinks at him, visibly flustered, and Duke wants to squeeze his cheeks together, he’s so cute. 
Oh, he really is down bad. Damn. He hopes Barbara isn’t watching through his helmet camera, but he knows better than to expect her to not be collecting blackmail on him for this.
Which is whatever! Jokes on Barbara, he’s not at all ashamed of what he feels for Danny!
He could do without the ribbing from the rest of the Bats. They have no leg to stand on when it comes to relationships and being honest about their feelings. He’ll turn every conversation about Danny into improvised therapy if he has to.
“Well?” he prompts.
Danny glances at his friends, then leans into Duke and turns to him with a small smile. 
“So,” he begins, then launches into a wild story from his freshman year about Sam and Tucker splitting the school into two groups to have a mini civil war over meat vs vegetarian food. Which lead to eating grass (?!) for lunch, a ghost lunch lady attacking the school, and the teachers having their own hidden meat lunch kept secret from the students, which lead to more chaos once it was discovered.
“That was a wild school week,” Danny concludes, just as Sam and Tucker’s fight winds down.
“Dude,” Duke says, staring at Danny, unsure if he wants to laugh or ask follow up questions. “What kind of life have you been living? That’s so much. The only thing we’ve got here is shootings and so much crime. Also a zombie in the sewers.”
“See, you drop info like that on me and suddenly I’m convinced that my life is actually pretty tame compared to whatever’s going on here.”
“No, no, listen. In Gotham, you expect this kind of nonsense. But your story started so deceptively normal! ‘Just a fight between friends’ and then a ghost attack? Betrayal from the teachers? Grass? Danny, everything you said left me reeling.”
“It’s not that bad!” Danny laughs. “The ghosts barely cause any problem anymore. They’re just kinda like anyone else, now.”
“What’s this about?” Sam asks, brushing her skirt off as she stands. Tucker pushes himself up to his feet and takes a moment to wipe the lenses of his glasses.
“The first time we met Lunch Lady.”
Sam and Tucker make a sound of understanding, nodding. “That sure was something,” Sam says.
“To think we were so young and innocent back then,” Tucker says with a fake sniffle. “So innocent!”
“You’re still as insufferable as ever,” Sam replies, taking his smack to her arm with grace.
“You two ready to head to the botanical garden now?” Duke asks, getting them back on track. Danny moves out of Duke’s grasp, unfortunately, to return to his role as their personal Uber, this time getting Tucker in a princess carry while Sam clings to his back like a koala.”Well. Guess Danny’s decided you’re ready.”
His friends snicker while Danny rolls his eyes and mutters about their unending arguments, then nods at Duke to lead the way.
Giving him a little salute, Duke readies his grapple, then takes off, leaping off the building to return to the skies. Danny follows him effortlessly, a soft glow that occasionally passes by in front of him playfully, sticking close as they head north. 
The botanical gardens are a large spot of green in the otherwise urban landscape. It’s a few blocks away from Robinson Park, close enough that everything nearby is deemed Ivy’s territory, but far enough away that most people can pretend it’s like any other building and visit it safely. It’s been a long time since the botanical garden was attacked, or use for Villainous Purposes™, so Duke is comfortable letting Sam, Tucker, and Danny explore it on their own. 
Plenty of other people are also in the gardens, from what he can see a roof away. And no one’s run away screaming, which is definitely a good sign.
“Oh, wow,” Sam says once she hops down from Danny’s back. She stares at the gardens with something unreadable in her eyes, as if she’s seeing more than what’s there. “There’s so much…”
“Poison Ivy—one of our rogues who can control plants and is doing a lot better these days, don’t worry—she takes care of most of the gardens. The greenhouse in the middle is hers for studies and experiments with plants, but she lets the public walk the garden. She’s even added little informational cards for kids to read so they can learn more,” Duke says, walking up to where Sam is leaning concerningly over the edge to get a better look at the gardens. 
“That explains it,” she says, explaining nothing. “Do we have to pay to go in?”
“Just five dollars per person. It’s her income, and we’re all encouraged to leave a donation so she doesn’t turn to crimes to get enough money to support herself again.”
“Well!” Danny claps his hands together. “Let’s go, then. Jazz made sure we had cash on had, so it should be fine.”
“I can cover our tickets,” Sam offers, “Since this is for me.”
“Then I’ll cover lunch,” Danny says.
Tucker shoves his hand onto Danny’s face to push him away as he says, “No, I’ll pay for lunch. Danny, you’re not spending anything since you’re the one that scoped out this place last week for us. Got it?”
“Yeah, yeah, got it. Thanks, guys,” Danny smiles, then turns to Duke. “Would you mind waiting here for a bit? I’m gonna check out the gardens for a bit, but then I’ll be back.”
“Sure,” Duke says easily. It’s a quiet day anyways, and he’ll take any excuse to spend more time with Danny.
“Great. I’ll be right back!” And then he wraps an arm around both Sam and Tucker’s waits, picks them up like they weigh nothing, and casually hops off the roof. 
Duke sits down on the edge of the building, watching as they cross the street and enter the botanical garden, Sam pulling out her wallet to pay for their entry. He idly kicks his heels against the wall, looking around the street, enjoying the rare Gotham peace.
No one is calling for help and Barbara hasn’t alerted him to anything. This is a good thing, but it doesn’t change the fact that Duke is bored.
He pulls out his phone, which he knows he shouldn’t have while he’s in the suit but it’s his day shift, he can do what he wants, and checks his friends (no Bats allowed) group chat and sees that Izzy is active. He opts to leave the chaos of the group chat to message her directly.
flashlight: hey izzy u know how we broke up
2(00)chains: oh boy. strong opening. but yes i am aware we broke up
flashlight: would u be mad if i started dating someone new or is it too soon?
2(00)chains: OMG DUKE??? WHO IS IT YOU NEED TO TELL ME RIGHT NOW
flashlight: izzy.
2(00)chains: babe u gotta give me something to work with so i can know if i should give u my blessing or not
2(00)chains: but also if u want to date and they make u happy, then yes u can date
flashlight: okay thanks!! wasn’t sure and didn’t know if it would be rude
2(00)chains: rude to date when ur single?? it would have been a problem if we were still together but that ship has sailed bby
2(00)chains: but duke PLSSSS i need deets. give me some tea… a girl is parched…
flashlight: lmao. so dramatic. but uuuuuuh
2(00)chains: little concerned by that pause there duke
flashlight: ok hes a meta
2(00)chains: ok strong start, u dont need to hide powers from him
flashlight: he’s not from gotham and doesnt live here so idk how well long distance would do
2(00)chains: duke. is this an online friend u’ve never met before.
flashlight: no!! i met him in person in gotham!! he’s just visiting!!!!
2(00)chains: ok ok go on
flashlight: uh
flashlight: he may only know me as the signal?
2(00)chains: DUKE. 
2(00)chains: i understand the need to keep ur identity secret
2(00)chains: but PLS do not be a superhero love story cliche. im begging here. u didnt even keep it secret from me
flashlight: he may also not exist in this world (universe?)
2(00)chains: .
2(00)chains: u know i think u can make it work
2(00)chains: u have my blessing! if he says yes when u ask him out (which he better do 🔪) then i demand to meet him!!
flashlight: u got it izzy
flashlight: thanks!! u always got my back ☺️
He only has a faint prickle on the back of his neck to warn him of Danny’s approach, looking up through gut instinct only just to see Danny’s fuzzy glow fly up to him.
Danny pops into visibility a moment later, pouting. “I was hoping I could sneak up on you.”
“It’s gonna take more than that, babe,” he laughs. “I’m hard to sneak up on.” Bar that time Cass… and Bruce… and Tim… Dick, also… Jason, too…
Okay, so anyone who isn’t a Bat won’t be able to sneak up on him easily.
“Babe?” Danny repeats, his voice suddenly much higher. Duke freezes and takes a moment to curse his loose mouth; he and Izzy love pet names and still call each other terms of endearment even now when they’ve broken up. And since he was just talking to her, habit made him put his foot in his mouth.
“Yeah,” Duke says, committing to it, “Babe”
Danny makes a little whine in the back of his throat, face going red, and then his hides his face in his hands and floats up higher, curling his body up into a small ball. The movement reminds him of the videos he’s seen of astronauts in space, moving in lazy circles in zero gravity.
“Sorry,” he adds on, “I was texting a friend and we call each other things like that, so I just… slipped up. Didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“I’m not,” Danny mumbles.
“What?”
“I’m not uncomfortable.”
Duke smiles. “Alright. Wanna come down and join me, then?”
Danny continues hiding for a few moments longer, then reaches a hand down towards Duke. He doesn’t look at him, shyly turned away, still red in the cheeks. 
How is he so sweet?  
Duke has never met someone so cute, and full of light, and literally glowing. He never stood a chance.
He takes Danny’s hand, gently pulling him down to the roof, wrapping an arm around him once he’s sitting to make sure he doesn’t go floating away.
“So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“Oh, I was just… I really like hanging out with you and you’re super cool and I thought I should explain a few things about myself.”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“I do,” Danny says, resolutely. “First, I’m not from here.”
Duke stares at him. “Yeah, I got that. Kinda obvious after we spoke for the first time.”
“No, I mean. Really not from here. From a different dimension.”
Oh. So Danny’s just casually walking the multiverse, apparently, and chose to return to Gotham to spend time with Duke. That’s honestly really flattering. 
“Makes sense,” he says.
Now Danny’s staring at him, incredulously. “How does that make sense? Do you not have questions about what that means, or where I’m from, or how I got here?”
Duke shrugs. “Not really. Listen, there’s a lot of weird shit in Gotham. Like, a lot. Batman was lost in time once and presumed dead until Red Robin helped get him back. There’s incomprehensible magic and time travel and so many aliens, dude. This is not that out of the ordinary.”
“YOU HAVE ALIENS?” Danny shouts, then claps a hand over his mouth, eyes wide. And then, whispered, “You have aliens?!”
“Yeah, we have aliens. Some try to kill us and conquer Earth, some live here as superheroes.”
“No way,” Danny breathes. “Can I stay here forever? My dimension doesn’t have aliens. I really want to meet aliens.”
“If you stick around long enough, it’s kind of inevitable that you’ll get caught up in some crazy shit, and you’ll probably be able to meet Superman then. Or maybe Martian Manhunter, if he’s available.”
He watches Danny mouth Martian Manhunter in awe and is so charmed by him and his visible excitement about aliens. Most of this is just how he lives life, knowing all these impossible things are out there but have very little to do with him. It’s only mind blowing when he actually meets Superman and all, but that’s because meeting big heroes is like meeting celebrities and it never stops being cool.
“Wait, I’m getting distracted.” Danny shakes his head, then lightly claps his hands against his cheeks. “Okay, so. I’m from a different dimension. And Tucker has made a few phones that can work literally anywhere. But only to contact other phones he made for interdimensional communication. I had him make one for you so we could keep talking even when I go home, if you wanted.”
“I want it! I very much do want it.”
Danny grins. “Great! Perfect, okay.” He reaches into his own chest (?!) and pulls out a phone.
“Um.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I can use my insides like a pocket dimension for extra storage.”
Sure. This might as well happen. Duke takes the phone and looks it over; it looks like a large, square flip phone, but when it opens, the screen and keyboard are both touchscreens the glow a faint neon green. He opens up the contacts menu, finds Danny, and shoots him a quick text that consists only of a smiley face. 
“Man, this is so cool,” Duke says. “Thanks for giving it to me! I really am glad I can talk to you some more.”
“I feel like I should be thanking you for giving me the time of day.”
Duke knocks his shoulder against Danny’s. “Come on, man, don’t say that. Anyone would be happy to spend time with you. Besides, I’m really not as cool as you think. I’m a normal guy outside the suit.”
“You still have powers.”
“I do, but I’m not the only one.”
“I know this is a bit of a bad question, and I do understand how important secret identities are! But do you think I’d ever get to know you when you’re just… you?”
Duke thinks about how much Batman would disapprove, the lengths Tim went through to protect his own identity as Red Robin, how everyone around him would become a target if anyone figured out who the Signal is…
But then he thinks about how much keeping this secret puts a strain on his relationship with his cousin, how much of a relief it is to have his friends in the know so he doesn’t have to constantly lie to them, how he’s the only hero Danny knows in this dimension and the only person who can help him while he’s here.
“I’ll tell you one day,” Duke says, “Promise. When we get to know each other a little more, yeah?”
“Yeah, alright, that’s fair. Thanks, Signal.”
“You need to get back to your friends?”
“Nah,” Danny shakes his head, “They can manage on their own. Besides, they agreed to one hour each place, and Tucker’s hungry enough to drag Sam out as soon as it hits that hour mark.”
“Well, in that case, why don’t you tell me a little more about your dimension while we wait? Or any other place you’ve visited.”
Danny grins, leaning closer, and says, “Have you ever met a yeti? Cause I have.” . . .
He doesn’t get to see Danny or his friends off when they return to their dimension. They’d been in the planetarium for hours, and Duke had to end patrol and turn in for the day to look over cases with Steph and Tim, then work on his college application. 
He does get a text from Danny, his new phone going off with a soft sound of a wind chime, in the middle of looking at different colleges and stressing out.
Danny: got home safe! off to fight dinner now 🤺
Danny: wanna talk more tomorrow?
Signal: sure! i’d love to!! good luck with dinner?
There’s a brief pause, and then Danny sends a blurry picture of a rotisserie chicken flying through the air towards a woman with red hair, holding out a steak knife, ready to attack. 
…Yeah, he’s going to question that tomorrow. For now, he just sends Danny a thumbs up emoji and goes back to staring at his list of potential schools he wants to go to with growing despair.
Does he want to stay in Gotham? Gotham City University isn’t all that bad, and he’s familiar with the campus. Or maybe Montclair State University. Rowan University and Rutgers University don’t sound bad either, and both are still in the state, so he wouldn’t be too far from Gotham. Maybe he could go to his parent’s alma matter; UCLA and Penn State are both out of state, though, and way more expensive, even if Bruce offered to cover his tuition.
What would he even study?
So lost in thought, Duke almost doesn’t realize that his regular phone is ringing until the noise cuts off. His head jerks up and he stares at it, wondering who could be calling him right after he finished eating dinner. 
Then it rings again, Barbara’s name popping up on the screen, and he lunges for it, worried that something’s going down in Gotham without him noticing.
“Babs! Is something wrong?”
“No. Should something be wrong? I was calling because you didn’t check in with me before you ended patrol, and you haven’t been responding to any of my texts,” she says, sounding distracted as the sound of her keyboard continues on steadily in the background. She must be working as Oracle already, preparing to assist the Bats on their patrols.
“Oh, sorry. Everything’s fine, our visitors were from another dimension and they really were just here to sightsee. Nothing to worry about.”
“I saw that you got a gift.”
Duke understands exactly what she’s calling about, now. He should have expected Barbara to fall to the siren call of new tech. “I did,” he says, offering nothing else just to mess with her.
“Duke,” she says, “It’s a matter of safety.”
“Just admit that you want to check out interdimensional tech.”
Barbara sighs, then says, “I want to look at interdimensional tech. Come by the Clocktower tonight and drop it off.”
“I don’t know, Babs,” he says teasingly, “I think Tim might want a look at it first.”
“I should have never believed Dick when he said you were well behaved. ‘The good one’ my ass,” she grumbles. “What do you want?”
“A favor to be decided in the future. No questions asked expect what’s needed to get that favor done.”
“Deal.”
“I’ll swing by soon. Do you think you could help me with my college apps while I’m there? I have no idea what to do or where to go.”
“Sure,” Barbara agrees, her voice warm, “I’d love the chance to big sister you. Jason hogs you too much.”
He does, and Duke doesn’t really understand why Jason gets along so well with him, but he’s not going to question a good thing. Street kids gotta stick together, after all. Even if neither of them are living on the streets anymore. 
It’s nice to know that the others are just as willing to help him out, even if he works separate from them most of the time these days. 
“Oh, and the phone I got from Danny has contacts already added to it. Please don’t text Danny or anyone else without saying it’s you.”
“That sounds like you’re giving me permission to talk to me.”
“I figured you’d want to talk to Tucker some, since he’s the one who built it.”
“Well,” Barbara says, and he can hear the smile in her voice, “Thanks for the permission. I’ll be sure to get as much information as I can from him.”
“Please don’t ruin this for me.”
Barbara laughs. “Oh, don’t worry Duke. I know how to be nice, especially with people you’re trying to impress. It’s Dick you should be worried about.”
She’s right. 
Duke drops his head onto his desk with a groan.
“I’ll see you later, Duke.”
“Yeah, alright. See you, Babs.”
She ends the call and Duke sighs, contemplating taking a nap before he heads out. But that would mess up his sleep schedule, and he’s willing to do a lot, but not that. Instead, he flicks through his phone to the group chat with his friends, and sends a quick question about when they can hang out again.
He’s missed them. Seeing Danny with Tucker and Sam reminded him of how much he loves his friends and spending time with them. He should take a page from Danny’s book and spend a day with them, just catching up and enjoying their company. 
And if they tease him about his crush on Danny, well, better them than the Bats. 
230 notes · View notes
Text
Okay, we all know being a demigod is a shit position. Its scary and gets you killed in really nasty ways. But I feel like being a Big Three Kid has to be the shitiest position in all the shit positions.
Like, imagine being Thalia Grace. Your dad is king of the gods, lord of the skies. Led a war to get rid of a tyrant. And the only thing you get is his scorned wife AND brother, who both try to kill you (with one technically succeeding), a drunk of a mother, and brother who you thought was dead. Oh, wait, he’s not dead! No instead he was used as an offering to appease your dad’s wife and help fight in a war and prevent mass destruction.
Or maybe you can imagine being Percy. Son of the sea god, the stormbringer, the earthshaker. You get to live with a disgusting, abusive man for around 6 years. Who smells like literal shit. All because your scent as a demigod is too strong, BECAUSE of who your father is. You see things that you aren’t supposed to see and do things that people can’t do and go years thinking something is wrong with you. That your the problem. Then you get to the one place where you’re supposed to be save. But! Here is the kicker! You’re not! Your uncles hate you and you’ve been accused of stealing a symbol of power. A series of events that will kick off a war, and guess what. You’re a center point for it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood.
Mhm, but then there’s Hazel. Daughter Pluto, god of the underworld and riches. But that doesn’t really change anything does it? She’s still living in 1930s America, in a red state. One where confederate flags still hang if you go deep enough into the city. She go to a school where the kids are supposed to be just like her! They still don’t like her tho. She’s got no idea who your father is, only that he left her with a parting gift. Only it’s not really a gift. Sure, she can pull rubies and diamonds from the earth, all worth millions. But anyone who’s ever gonna touch it will die. She lives with her mother, a woman gone so mad with greed it kills her. And Hazel, by the way. Laying dead Alaska, inhaling oil. But it doesn’t end there! She can’t have her mother suffering for eternity, can she? The answer is no. Hazel gets to spend the next 70 years in the Fields of Asphodel. It still doesn’t end! Because when she’s brought back to life, she gets to fight in a war against giants, her sad story seemingly never ending.
Nico’s a son of one of the Big Three, one of the most ancient and most powerful. But most people look at him as something bad, something not worth taking a second glance at. Something too look away from, mostly. He’s from the 30s, spent years in a magical time casino with only his sister at his side. She doesn’t stay for long though, she dies soon after they discover their heritage. And he doesn’t remember his mother much, a name without a face. A face without a name. He survived an attempted assassination at 2, though it wouldn’t be the only time his was life was threatened. He clings to his sister, even though she’s dead. He’s the son of the god of the underworld, is he not? There had to be a way, and there is. Only she won’t talk to him, she seems more concerned with communicating with the guy who got her killed instead. She chooses rebirth, and he decides to lay it to rest. She’s not coming back, and he has a war to fight in. (He gets stuck in a jar and forcibly outed a few years later, but that’s a lot to get into for now.)
Jason Grace is a pillar of New Rome, their golden boy, their American boy. He’s a son of Jupiter, a natural born leader. He’s been at camp for as long as he can remember, he wants to be praetor soon. He’s had a rocky start, but maybe he’ll be one of the lucky ones. Retire a veteran and live a long life with Reyna in New Rome. Only that never happened. He has no idea where he is, there’s a girl holding his hand, and she’s cute but it feels wrong. They get attacked and people come in and call him a Greek demigod, familiar, yes, but still wrong. It doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t put things into perspective the way it does for Piper and Leo. He’s goes to a quest to rescue Hera, the name sounds wrong. He nearly dies but at least he remembers who he is. He spends the next 6 months trying to get back home, even though he isn’t too sure on where or what home is. He gets there, eventually, but it doesn’t stop there. He’s dragged on quests and battles and fights in the war but at least he survives it, he’s still there. Apollo needs help, he and Piper give him aid. He gets dumped. He doesn’t get to he a veteran in New Rome. Not with Reyna, not with Piper, not with anybody. He doesn’t get kids or grandkids. No, he gets shot down, another demigod buried.
You could be any one of them, really. Pick your poison, but I guarantee you won’t like any of them. Spending years trying to find a place where you belong, where you feel safe. Only for it to never come.
Percy, who, if you really look at the books, isn’t really all that well liked until he’s at least 2 years into camp. Only to then be sidelined because the courages, brave, fearless daughter of Zeus is back from the dead. Nico, the son of one of the most feared and hated gods. Who has death written all over him, who excludes it so much animals can smell it and humans can sense it, who’s been ostracized and pushed off to the side since he was 10. Hazel, who was treated like disease as soon as she stepped foot on camp soil. Who’s gone her whole life looked as something that’s cursed, that will only bring misfortune, a bad omen.
Shit positions, all of them.
76 notes · View notes
Text
2023 BEST READS
A few days late but hey, better late than never! This is a non-comprehensive list of my favorite fics that I’ve read in 2023! Criteria for a fic to be included on this list are:
I read the fic in 2023
I reread the fic at least once
I can rate 5/5 stars without hesitation
The fics are organized by fandom but otherwise are in no particular order.
BATMAN
New Wave by yellow_caballero Batman (gen), 103k, Reverse Robins, Stephanie Brown is Robin Some lunatic in a bat costume is running around Gotham clowning on fools, but local delinquent Stephanie Brown has way bigger problems. When her father and friends start joining mob wars Steph knows she has to do something about it before Gotham collapses. If that means joining up with rich dudes playing dress up, pasty nerds with hacking and photography habits, and throwing on a costume herself, then that’s just what she’ll have to do. Even if Batman works alone. She’s convincing. In which Stephanie Brown rocks the radical nineties and becomes the first Robin, ruining Batman’s life and giving Tim Drake a hobby.
birdsong by ScarlettSwordMoon Nightwing (gen), 22k, Dick Grayson-Centric After getting a face full of Scarecrow’s newest toxin, Dick isn’t haunted by his typical nightmares. No. This one has little green pixie boots. AKA Batman: Ego but make it Robin. Nightwing 60th Anniversary Bingo: Drugs & Toxins
Keep Your Head, Your Backbone, and Your Heart by MrMich Batman (gen) 54k, Dimension Travel, Duke Thomas-centric The last thing that Duke expected on what was supposed to be just a regular patrol was being suddenly thrown five years into the past, coming face to face with a darker, more violent Batman than the one he knew, a broken family, and a Tim who was a foot shorter than Duke, and not even Robin yet.
Loading and Aspect Ratio by JUBE514 Batman (Superbat), 45k, Wings AU A world where nobody has wings, but people think they do, and that changes everything.
Our Bodies & Other Fine Machines by SilverSkiesAtMidnight Batman (gen), 13k, Starvation He has never argued with a punishment, not since he was a toddler, if then. Surely she’ll listen, surely she’ll see this is too harsh, that he wouldn’t be disrespecting her like this if he was simply sulking over not getting his way. He needs that food, needs to be able to eat enough if he wants to be Robin. He’s been hungry before, but back then, it never mattered if he was a little weak or dizzy. It never risked his life or the life of his partner when he was a kid. She turns, sighing softly and pursing her lips. She reaches out to pat his cheek, and for a moment his heart soars hopefully, and he barely restrains himself from leaning into the rare bit of contact and soaking up his mother’s touch. “Oh, Timothy,” she tuts. “This is for the best. And honestly, I think it’s wise for you to cut down a bit on the snacks. I’d hate to have to listen to anyone tittering at the next gala that you’re getting chubby.” And without another backwards glance, she turns and heads upstairs, leaving Tim alone and frozen at the bottom of the steps.
You, Me, and the Humanity in Between by JUBE514 Batman (gen), 65k, Non-Human Robins Bruce is trying his best to protect the city that he loves. He doesn't know how exactly his Robins came to be- they're not fully human, not even at all. All he knows is that he wants to keep them safe.
Little Red by destiny919 Batman: Under the Red Hood (gen), 39k, Series, Jason is Tim’s Parent AU where Tim is younger and has been illegally adopted by his hero, the Red Hood.
A Different Game by Hinn_Raven Batman (multi), 62k, Red Hood!Stephanie Brown, Role Reversal Stephanie Brown died with a mouth full of blood and her eyes wide open, staring at the locked door, hoping still for a miracle, for a rescue. She died in a hidden place, still hanging from the ceiling by her wrists, bleeding out from a wound in her stomach, and no one was with her when her heart gave its last beat. AU where Stephanie Brown dies as Robin and becomes the Red Hood.
bad news, this place is magic as fuck by mikkal Batman (gen), 28k, All-Caste Jason Todd, Magic Jason Jason's on the trail of a killer who's targeting kids in Crime Alley for an unknown magical ritual. Between that and his family who insists on butting in, he's got his work cut out for him. But, as they say, nothing is as it seems.
Wings over Gotham by icarus_chained Batman, DC (gen), 190k, No Man’s Land, Independent Gotham An AU where an altered version of No Man’s Land happened while Bruce was in his late teens/early twenties, and Batman was born in the hellish crucible of a trapped city that was left for dead and then violently retaken. Gotham may pretend to run by mainlander rules for the sake of those who would have died otherwise, but under the surface, Bruce, Jim, Leslie, Ivy and Oswald and their pack keep their own council, and look with jaundiced eyes on the mainland.
A Meditation on Railroading by eggmacguffin Batman (gen), 24k, Hurt/Comfort When he ends up ditched in Atlanta after a fight with his dad, Tim decides to do the only sensible thing: Tell no one and make the 800 mile journey back to Gotham on his own. Because the "call Batman when you're in trouble" rule only applies when he's Robin, right?
THE BATMAN (2022)
I’m a Good Pretender by shipNslash The Batman (2022) (gen), 40k, Dick Grayson-Centric Dick’s mother raised her son to be a star. Dick’s father raised his son to be an athlete. Bruce's new ward is charming (manipulative), dedicated (obsessive), and way, way too smart for either of their own good.
In This or Any Other Universe by wildsofmarch The Batman (2022) (gen), 33k, Dimension Travel There was a new vigilante in his city: a man who smiled too much and talked too loud and knew his way around a fight a little too well. Bruce wasn't bothered by his antics. Except the man also seemed to know a little too much about him. Who was this Nightwing, anyway? OR: Dick Grayson (DCU) accidentally lands himself in Battinson’s Gotham.
DC LEGENDS OF TOMORRW
Countless Roads by nirejseki Arrowverse, DC Legends of Tomorrow (Mick Rory/Leonard Snart), 231k, Medium Leonard Snart, AU-Ghosts Due to a family curse (which some call a gift), Leonard Snart has more life than he knows what to do with – and that gives him the ability to see, speak to, and even share with the various ghosts that are always surrounding him. Sure, said curse also means he’s going to die sooner rather than later, just like his mother, but in the meantime Len has no intention of letting superheroes, time travelers, a surprisingly charming pyromaniac, and a lot of ghosts get in the way of him having a nice, successful career as a professional thief.
Straight On Till Morning by nirejeski Arrowverse, DC Legends of Tomorrow (Sara Lance/Mick Rory/Leonard Snart), 17k, Time Pirates Left alone in the Refuge, Mick and Sara decide they're going to be proactive about their fate. They end up becoming time pirates. Because of course they do.
THE WITCHER
A Beginners Guide to Exploiting the Kaedweni Tax Code For Fun and Profit by Heronfem The Witcher (Aiden/Lambert), 190k, WIP, AU-Modern Setting, AU-College/University Aiden Kett and Lambert Wilkson accidentally get married, and this is honestly probably the least of their problems.
By the Broken Lock That Freed Me by inexplicifics The Witcher, (muti), 46k, AU-Daemons, Accidental Warlord Series Aiden takes a contract on the Duke of Velen. He's not expecting the most interesting part of the whole affair to be meeting the duke's betrothed. His daemon thinks they should keep her. Aiden's not sure how that will work, given that he's already got a Wolf and doesn't know how Lambert and his daemon might feel about adding someone else to their little pack, but it's awfully tempting. And Cats aren't very good at resisting temptation.
Intent by tnico The Witcher (Aiden/Lambert), 18k, Non-Traditional A/B/O, 5+1 "You think I don't know what you're after?" Lambert accuses. "Well, I'd certainly hope you do, by this point in the evening," Aiden (so he says) agrees in a convincingly genial tone. It'd probably be enough to fool someone else on the matter of genuine interest.
SPIDERVERSE
gonna crack a rib (when i get home) by eneliii Spiderverse (gen), 40k, Cannon Divergence Miles Morales, recently landed in Earth 42, has had enough of everyone’s shit and he’s going to save his dad or so help him he’ll lose his mind. Miles Morales 42, just wants to know what the /hell/ is up with his doppelgänger.
MCU
The Hero's Journey; or: What Jasper Sitwell Did Last Summer by pagination MCU, Welcome to Night Vale (multi), 23k, Crossover The thing is, when an agent reaches clearance level five, it’s because they’re valuable, capable of something an exponentially diminishing few can offer in the ranks of SHIELD. Clint Barton, his personal issues notwithstanding, is unstoppable behind a scope. Jim Woo is an analyst and extractor par excellence. Melinda May has infiltrated half the presidential offices of Asia, and Phil Coulson has an instinct for the unusual that could be the basis of an entire TV show. Jasper’s less certain what he brings to the party.
If I Knew You Were Coming I'd've Baked a Cake by OddityBoddity MCU, Hawkeye (gen), 27k, Baking They’re the broken ones. That’s what Clint figures the rest think about him and Barnes. Clint with his eardrums trashed, Barnes with a regiment’s worth of trauma and a psychotic cybernetic arm, put in the same room and told to make nice while the others get to go on missions and do important things and save the world. Well they're not broken. So of course they got bored and tired of being sidelined and decided to entertain themselves. And of course they ended up wanted, running through the streets of Paris with bananas down their pants and gendarmes in pursuit. Of course they did.
96 notes · View notes
kekaki-cupcakes · 8 months
Note
Hi uhm sorry if I bother you: could you please write Percy x daughter of Disciplina (minor Roman goddess of discipline) who’s very uhm well rules-oriented, similar to Jason and cold and military though secretly loves cute and chaotic things (though doesn’t partake) so it’s kind of a rival to lovers situation please? And they meet when Percy arrives at the camp Jupiter? Thank you so much and feel free to decline ofc! Bye bye! Ps: loved your Nike series and I can’t wait for the Hypnos piece too! Take your time though, ofc!
This was a cute idea <3 and I liked writing about Camp Jupiter I haven't had any roman demigod requests before! sorry it took so long I'm multitasking so much haha but this ended up as 2.1k words lol <3
Tumblr media
rules orders kisses instructions---Percy Jackson x roman child of Disciplina
»»————- ★ ————-««
-First of all, it wasn’t your fault that you managed to bring the most chaotic, rule breaking, cute, carefree, demigod into Camp Jupiter.
-You were posted just inside the borders, watching for monsters and the like, and though you’d never admit it, it was one of the quietest and therefore dullest spots for patrol. Nothing ever came through, and you spent most of your time sharpening your weapon and spotting cloud animals. Until something did come through, namely, the bane of your entire existence. 
-He came running over the hills with a panda pillow pet and a bronze sword, followed by a hoard of screeching monsters, telling ‘Perseus Jackson’ that today was the day he would die. At the time, rescuing this random demigod was the right thing to do, but looking back, if you had just let him be trampled by the contents of Tartarus, it would have fixed a lot of your problems. Instead you opened the gates to Camp Jupiter and let him in.
-Both of you stood beyond the gates, which were made out of some solid metal that the Trivia kids had installed. They had never disclosed what it was that vaporized the monsters the second they touched it. You should probably check in with that, now that you think about it. 
-Perseus had made quite the fuss when the first cohort and the praetors showed up, making giant hands out of one of the rivers that ran along the edge of the city and then being introduced by a god. He took it all in his stride, and even had the nerve to back-talk Octavian [something you’d never admit to wanting to do yourself]. 
-You hated him immediately.
-Well, maybe not hate, hate was a strong word for simple feelings. You would just rather if Percy [he had corrected the use of his name immediately. You were grateful. Perseus was a stupid name.] had a bit more respect for the way Camp Jupiter worked, and stopped teaching the younger soldiers swear words during meal times. 
-A few days into his stay, he approached you in one of the large canvas tents set up. You’d been mapping out which of the hills you were going to use as a base in the next war game with Dakota, when he tripped on his shoelaces and righted himself, grinning at both you and Dakota. 
-Apparently he wanted to thank you for not leaving him out the border to fight off the army of monsters on his tail, and volunteered to help out on your team during the war games in return.
-You told him you would consider once he learnt to tie his shoelaces properly.
-You’d then assumed that would be the last of it, thankfully, [although for some reason you’d scan the fifth cohorts section sometimes for a mess of black hair, but you were just trying to keep the younger soldiers vocabulary appropriate. Obviously.] and spent the rest of the day taking poisonous bows and quivers off the children of Mercury, and explaining to the daughter of Pluto that she wasn’t allowed to ‘have a go at summoning a horse skeleton for funsies’.
-Reyna marched between the canvas tents with her metal dogs, barking instructions and sending out a few Helios kids and legacies as medics.
-Ten minutes before the game officially started, when the opposite side were posted up too far away to see their silhouettes on the mountain ridge, and the children of Mars were untying the war elephant from its posts and readying it for battle, Percy burst back into the tent. One of the leopards getting a spiked collar attached to its neck growled, but settled back down when Dakota spoke sharply to it. Lavinia went to shoo Percy out, but something about the easy grin on his lips made you wave a hand, and Lavinia went back to instructing the Vulcan children. 
-Percy ran to you, and in quite the untimely fashion, kicked one of his feet up onto the battle plans, mud and dirt smearing across the maps and charts. Before you could yell at him, you spotted his shoes. 
-“How’s that for being allowed to fight?” Somehow, in the few hours he’d had spare, Percy had acquired a pair of purple velcro sneakers. 
-You stood there for a moment, and then narrowed your eyes at him, folding your arms as well, just to make your point. “If you left Camp Jupiter I will have to report you, you know that, right?”
-He just smirked. “You like me too much. And don’t worry, I traded Octavian's diary for them, some Venus legacy guy had a spare pair. Purple isn’t really my color, but watch!”
-Thankfully, he took his feet off the table, but a moment later he was running across the cramped tent, and threw his arms out for balance as small wheels popped out of the soles of his shoes. A coat of shields crashed to the floor, and the leopard in the corner jumped to its feet and scampered out. Someone yelled and Percy proceeded to spin in a circle and then slip and fall.
-For the first time, you became annoyed that your reflexes were so good, because Percy was sprawled out in your arms, which were under his, keeping him from becoming impaled by a stray electric spear. You held your breath for as long as you could, pulling your expression into one blank of emotions, but then you couldn’t hold it any longer. 
-You laughed.
-Pery turned around, pulling his shirt down and skidding a little on the floor. His green eyes you only just noticed were the same shade as the lake near the stables were wide, and he was slack jawed. 
-Your stomach started to hurt as you giggled, “what?”
-“You can laugh!”
-“Of course I can laugh, Perseus, I am a person.”
-“I didn’t know you could laugh. And it’s Percy, don’t make fun of me.”
-You went back to glaring at him quickly, and he visibly dulled. You just rolled your eyes and began brushing mud dewy grass of the battle plans. He peeked over your shoulder, hair tickling your neck, so you planted one of the little markers Dakota liked to use to show where people would be patrolling. 
-Percy pouted, and you quickly looked away from his mouth [why were you even looking at his mouth?], “can’t I be the horse?”
-“The Pluto girl is the horse, she’s making sinkholes along the tracks to our base, trying to dilute the flow of soldiers. You can be the dog, it’s cute.”
-“You think I’m cute?”
-His smile when he said that was in fact, cute, but you didn’t tell him that. Instead you picked up another of the little coloured markers, and moved it to where you’d initially put the dog. “Fine, you can be the toucan, because you’re an imbecile.” 
-“No wait, I wanna be the dog now... And what did toucans ever do to you?” 
»»————- ★ ————-««
-You became quite accustomed to the sound of smooth clicking, a scrape, and then Percy yelping and bumping into the back of you over the next few days. 
To the north, beyond the gods, lies the legion's crown. 
Falling from ice, the son of Neptune shall drown.
-You didn’t see him off. 
-You knew it wasn’t polite, the entirety of the army stood on the shore as Percy, the Pluto girl, and the boy who cared for the war elephant waved them off. But you stayed at your post by the border instead, watching cloud animals and pretending not to see someone sinking to their death in each one.
-But the army didn’t sit with him at every meal because technically, you were a superior and didn’t have an assigned legion, you had just usually sat with Reyna or Jason. You’d eat the breads and nuts and fruits the satyrs and harpies brought while Percy ate everything in sight that was even slightly blue. 
-The army wasn’t given a daisy chain as a crown when you showed Percy through the gardens, the trees and flowers acting as borders to the paths leading across the city in the direction of the universities and shops. The army didn’t find an old basketball in the weapons shed and learn to play with Percy, because he couldn’t remember playing before, but he was good. 
-The army didn’t sneak him into the stables because really you weren’t allowed but somehow the rearing black stallions calmed him when his breathing got too fast and uneven. 
-The army didn’t sit at the edge of the river bed while he ducked under and splashed around like a happy duckling. That stopped when the prophecy was first spoken. Percy skirted around puddles on the last day.
»»————- ★ ————-««
-There was blood. Lots of it. Smoke wafting from the scattered fires and screams piercing the muggy air. 
-You held your weapon tightly in your hand, back to back with Dakota as he brandished a baseball bat wound tight with thorny vines that curled and writhed like snakes. 
-Monsters crawled over the mountain ridge in waves, at least half of them squashed by the giant stomping in circles and roaring, creating miniature earthquakes with each step. Alcyoneus was forty feet tall, his skin a metallic sort of color that shone like the sun Helios was bringing into the middle of the stormy sky. 
-The fifth legion ran into places, maps and diagrams you’d drilled into them, finally being put to use as they worked effortlessly. The war elephant had doubled, somehow, and both charged at the violent giant currently ripping the roof off the stables, knocking him sideways.
-For a short moment, you assumed maybe a finger had been cut off from the monster, as a bronze sort of color streaked across the horizon, but then it came to a stop in front of Lavinia, who was dragging an unconscious demigod across the battlefield in the direction of the hidden medic base by the university. 
-Hazel, the Pluto girl [you’d finally learnt her name] sat atop a stallion, her cavalry helmet over her curly hair. You made eye contact, and her shoulder sunk, but you weren’t sure if it was with relief or disappointment. You couldn’t see her expression from across the bloodstained distance, but you could see the blue harpy foaming at the mouth behind her, talons outstretched. 
-You turned to Dakota, but he was already kneeling a little, bracing himself as you stepped on one of his hands, and then he launched you forwards and up, up into the smokey air filled with screams and wails. 
-Time slowed a little as you positioned yourself, wind whipping your eyes and making them sting. Hazel ducked as you flipped over her and landed on the Harpies back, rolling it away and further down the hill. Talons raked your cheek, and you whacked it over the head, hard.
-The bronze streak was gone already. Somehow the horse was running vertically up the side of the giant, and then began circling its neck.
-The sleeve of your purple shirt was ripped free and you held it to your face, the deep cuts dripping down your neck and already staining your skin in dark red blotches. Pain prickled, but you felt a chill down your spine, and by the time you had turned, the horned snake’s jaw was already unhinged, fangs dripping with something dark and oily and ready to bite.
-Your heart slowed, or maybe it sped up, all you knew was that it was the only thing you could hear.
-You held your arms in front of your scratched up face and tried to roll, but the snake's tail was already heavy across you, pining you to the blood stained cobblestone ground. You reached for where your weapon had been lost in the wrestle a moment before, but then there was a dragged out squelching sound and a ‘shing’. 
-The snake froze, and then its head slipped off its body, landing by Percy’s feet.
-He launched forwards as quickly as the snake had, only he pulled you from the cocoon of scales, panting. Your hands shook, and Percy’s eyes widened when he spotted the splatter of blood on your neck, his face going pale.
-You shook your head weakly, “just my cheek, it’s not bad.”
-He nodded, and then you were once again wrapped up tightly, this time by Percy’s arms. You noticed vaguely that he was actually pretty buff, but then you felt your eyes prickle with emotion.
-He stepped back quickly, ducking his head, “sorry, I..”
-“You didn’t drown.”
- “I technically did but it’s all good now-” 
-You cut him off with another hug, your face buried in his shoulder, probably covering him in your own blood as well, but Percy didn’t seem to mind when he hugged you back, chest heaving. You sniffed, trying not to cry, hands tight around his hoodie, “you smell like incense and hay.”
-“That, yeah that explains a lot of it actually.”
-“You don’t get to go on another quest without me, that’s an order.”
-“Yes please.”
»»————- ★ ————-««
193 notes · View notes
butcherlarry · 4 months
Text
Weekly Fic Rec 49
This week's fic rec list! I was surprised how much reading I got done, but then I remembered I had Monday off for the holiday :) So enjoy this longer than expected list!
A Sacrifice Love Demands by second_hand_heaven - Superwonderbat, complete. Bruce gets hit with a new fear toxin from Scarecrow. Featuring cuddles with Superman and Wonder Woman to make it better :)
I got better things to do by Amisti - Batman, complete. Batman, Flash, and Green Lantern get captured by a bad guy and thrown in a prison cell. Batman Brucies his way out, much to the shock of Flash and Green Lantern.
Brucie Moments series by That_One_Curly_Haired_Fangirl - Batman, stories are complete, but series is not. Some moments of Batman's Brucie persona showing through.
Flowers From Mr. Wayne by Ktkat9 - Superbat, complete. After an interview gone wrong, Bruce sends Clark some flowers to show his interest :))))))
a sky of honey by TheResurrectionist - Superbat, wip. More of the Superbat omegaverse fic that I always get excited about when it updates :) Featuring, Jason finally figuring out who Superman is, overreacting, and Clark having a Big Sad (but Lex makes it better, surprisingly).
Emergency Contact by Elegitre - Batfam, wip. An update to a fic where Tim joins the Batfam early. Jason has a misunderstanding about his place in the family, but Bruce makes it better.
A place to stay warm by Speechless_since_1998 - Batfam, complete. Barbara is Tim's babysitter. During some cold weather, the heat goes out in the Drake house and Tim is sick. Barbara makes the trek to Wayne manor for help.
how cleanly, how quietly by shipyrds - Batfam, complete. Bruce thinks Tim is lonely and tries to set up some father-son bonding to make it better. Turns out, Bruce is wrong and Tim has a lot of friends.
we shall be free; we shall find peace by mediant - Superbat, wip. I was SCREAMING with this fic's latest update! Clark is captured by the Bats, oh no! What's going to happen next!!!!!!! 👀👀👀
the walks of dreams by januariat - Superbat, complete. A sweet, smutty fic, featuring Adam West Bats and George Reeves Superman 💖💖💖
RIP to the Rumours by BoredomBeckons - Batfam, complete. Instead of dying, Jason retires as Robin and goes to college. No one told this to the rest of the world though.
I found a brother in the trash by Speechless_since_1998 - Batfam, complete. Dick finds a new sibling (Jason) in the trash and brings him home. Jason learns from his older brother, and finds his younger brother (Tim) in the trash and brings him home. Shenanigans ensue.
Flock Building for Dummies by DragonDart - Superbat, wip. A creature AU where Bruce is a harpy and Clark is the vet who takes care of him. Lot's of tasty, tasty world building in this fic too!!
bruce's villain origin story by InkpotSprite - Batfam, complete. Bruce gets turned into a cat, but none of his kids notice. Adorable shenanigans ensue.
Just A Little Bit... by HaleHathNoFury (My_Trex_has_fleas) - Superbat, wip. More of the alien Clark and eldritch Bruce fic! Clark goes off to investigate Cadmus with Lois and Bruce is Worried and Grumpy about it. Featuring my favorite scene with one of Ivy's killer plants >:D
Champagne Problems by SalParadiseLost - Superbat, wip. Himbo omega Brucie Wayne is dating alpha Clark Kent. He also suddenly adopts three children using unconventional means. Shenanigans ensue.
Patchwork Pod by Ktkat9 - Superbat, wip. More of the mer Bruce fic! Bruce is still missing and a new threat arises :((((((
Happy reading!!
106 notes · View notes
Text
Leo Valdez And His Mistreatment
Recently I have taken some time to go back to some books and reread them for the hell of it. One of these books being the Heroes of Olympus series. Now the Heroes of Olympus series has been my favorites series overall yeah I know people think its worse than the others but I just honestly prefer the multiple point of views. Of course some characters could do with some fleshing out like Jason,Piper,Frank,and Hazel. My personal favorite of all the characters was Leo Valdez mostly because I though his fire powers were cool and he was a surprisingly deep character compared to fellow new characters.
But while reading I noticed multiple facets of his character that I felt did not need to be added or needed to be expanded on and this post I will tell you them all.
His Powers
I’m starting with his powers because that was the main thing that drew me in and in my believe sort of made Leo the person he was in the books. I mean without his fire powers he wouldn’t have accidentally killed his mother therefore never being an orphan and meeting Jason and Piper. This all say nothing about his frayed mental state.
So there pretty important but while also being important they are pretty inconsistent.
What I mean is that when Leo first uses his powers he had been purposefully not using them since he was 8 years old. This gives off the impression that has major control over his fire powers to supremes them for so long. Yet when they are on the bridge to the Wind God’s palace in the sky he suddenly loses control even though he realistically should have not done that since he had already shown he has major control over his power and wouldn’t suddenly lose control just cause he got excited.
Another problem his powers have is that they are supposedly super dangerous yet the only thing he does is throw a couple fireballs towards monsters and that’s it. Well except for when he somehow learns to nuke Gaea with his fire powers.
Wait what?
He learns to nuke somebody!
You see how his powers are super inconsistent. Like how do we go from fireballs to fire nuking a primordial goddess.
This problem seems to only exist for Leo since we get see Hazel get over her tragedy and control her powers to a far more powerful degree,Piper gets to hone her charm-speak so when she makes Gaea go to sleep it makes sense,and finally Frank multiple times throughout the series get to show off his shape shifting and how strong it is. So why does Leo never get this treatment cause we never see him actually hone his power and develop new ability’s from it.
Like your telling me the guy whose dad is the god of fire never once threw Greek fire out of his hands even though he is supposed to be the special fire guy.
His Appearance
Allow me to read you this passage describing how Leo looks.
“Leo looked like a Latino Santa’s elf, with curly black hair, pointy ears, a cheerful, babyish face, and a mischievous smile that told you right away this guy should not be trusted around matches or sharp objects. His long, nimble fingers wouldn’t stop moving—drumming on the seat, sweeping his hair behind his ears, fiddling with the buttons of his army fatigue jacket. Either the kid was naturally hyper or he was hopped up on enough sugar and caffeine to give a heart attack to a water buffalo”
To put the description simply he is described as ugly and extremely hyperactive.
I don’t understand why Rick wrote him that way because why does the outsider of the seven have to be the ugly and can’t sit still.
It’s not like any of the other characters are described as ugly unless their Frank before Mars blessing. Rick has Hazel literally think that Percy is a Greek God. Piper is the daughter of the goddess of love. Annabeth is described as a princess implying prettiness. Hell it’s not even kept to just the seven, Will Solace (the character with no personality trait aside from being a doctor and loving Nico) is described as being hot by Nico.
So like why does it seem that Leo Valdez is the only character described as ugly and hyperactive. Hell it doesn’t even make sense that Leo doesn’t have a little muscle considering he’s a mechanic and mechanics have to lift heavy shit all the time like realistically Leo would have a decent amount of muscle.
Note:Expanding on his hyper-activeness, we know that demigods ADHD helps them react to monster attack better and Annabeth describes Leo as extremely ADHD so wouldn’t that just mean that Leo would have like spider-sense and dodge extremely well.
His Character Connections
Why does everybody seem to hate Leo or at the very least try to avoid speaking with him. Like for real half way through the series Jason,and Piper completely stop hanging out with him. The only interaction they have after the Lost Hero is them going to Asclepius to make the Physician’s Cure.
Rick tried to have Hazel and Leo be friends because she knew his Grandfather or something but that is so flimsy. Frank hates Leo from the jump even though he started the beef by asking Leo if he was Sammy and getting mad every time Leo looked at Hazel. Yet there the ones he confides his whole plan to beat Gaea.
Percy is yet another person who doesn’t like Leo even though they are the basically the same person in different fonts. Annabeth seems to dislike having Leo aboard the Argo with the rest of the seven because she has no problem making fun of Leo in her mind by mocking him cause of his ADHD but then again that’s a bigger problem with Annabeth’s character than their relationship.
The only thing that seems to like having Leo around is Festus the dragon who Leo rebuilt after accidentally destroying him in their first quest.
I don’t care what you say just because Calypso insults Leo a little. It doesn’t mean that she hates him because she actually care like she really fucking cares.
So to recap Leo only has two people that genuinely like being around him and seven friends who put up with him and don’t really want him around.
Compares this to the main character of the last prophecy I.E Percy. Everybody likes Percy even people who realistically shouldn’t like him like him. Like your Reyna the girl who lost a home and was put on a pirate ship thanks to Percy had a crush on him just because he was a decent fighter. Yes right I call bullcrap.
Small Problem
Leo Valdez is a character who throughout the series has a lot of problems in his character. One problem is his treatment towards or more accurately why does Rick write Leo to be incredibly disrespectful even though he himself acknowledges how it was for his mom to get a good job just cause she is a women. One scene that I think emphasizes this problem is when the trio of the Lost Hero book meets the Hunters of Artemis. Now your expecting that since Leo himself saw how hard it was for mother just cause she was women would be extremely respectful towards the Hunters especially Jason’s sister Thalia. But nope he goes right up to Thalia and just says she’s hot to her face like come on Rick your contradicting yourself. Then in Trials of Apollo Rick has Reyna teach Leo about respecting women no like come on Leo since childhood should have know to respect women. I know you might be saying that’s just the persona he uses around people but like that doesn’t change the fact he should have already knew not to do that thanks to his mother.
Conclusion
In conclusion Leo Valdez is a character who could have been treated far better by the story,author,and the people inside the story. He is a wonderful character who in universe only has two people that genuinely want him around and deserved to have his powers explored more than just fireball. But sadly he is riddled with holes that shouldn’t be there if you actually look at his character.
177 notes · View notes
bellsbear · 2 years
Text
she’s an angel
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
eddie munson x female sinclair reader
synopsis: you’re a cheerleader and he’s the school freak who’s had a crush on you forever. little does he know, you got a thing for him too.
contents: fluff, some angst, eddie being a corny mess, cussing, mutual pining word count: 1.2k
a/n: THIS IS GONNA BE A SERIES. idk what I'm doing and this might suck but I gotta write some eddie ff 😤 additionally i am a black woman, so i wrote this for myself and everyone else who wants the representation! THE TEXT MAY BE GLITCHED. if that’s the case im so sorry, i don’t know how to fix it😭
also let’s pretend that none of the vecna stuff is happening cause this is totally not following the canon story. sorry, not sorry 😮‍💨
chapter song (updated because this fits better in my opinion):
series masterlist
⭑・゚・*.。༅・゚:*✿*゚:༅・゚。.:*・゚・⭑・゚*.。༅・゚:*:✿:*゚:༅・゚。.・゚・⭑
It was the night of the championship game and Eddie's final campaign. Normally you would have gone straight home with Chrissy to hang out, but Lucas had found you during the game to spoil your plans.
“So, kind of a long story, but basically Erica’s here playing D&D in my place, and you gotta take her home.”
“And why exactly is this on me? That sounds like a Lucas problem.”
“Well now it’s a Y/n problem cause she biked here, it’s pitch black out and you know mom and dad will-“
“Completely freak if I don’t bring her back. Yeah yeah, I got it.”
You turn to Chrissy and apologize saying you’ll give her a call when you're home.
She smiles at you, “Y/n it’s okay. Sisterly duties call, plus this gives me an excuse to go to the after-party we were so desperately looking forward to avoiding. Jason’s going to be thrilled.” You both laugh and go back to watching the game while you're not cheering.
⭑・゚・*.。༅・゚:*✿*゚:༅・゚。.:*・゚・⭑・゚*.。༅・゚:*:✿:*゚:༅・゚。.・゚・⭑
You knock again, louder this time, hoping they might actually hear it but you end up waiting a full minute before deciding to just go in. You begin to turn the handle but find the door is jammed. Placing all your weight against it, you keep pushing until-
“What the hell is going on! Oh-” You were now on the floor looking up to see the one and only Eddie Munson looking down at you with his big brown eyes.
“What the hell is going on! Oh-” You were now on the floor looking up to see the one and only Eddie Munson looking down at you with his big brown eyes.
“Oh shit, Y/n. Are you okay?” He asks, concern laced in his voice.
Eddie had always been sweet to you.
He sat behind you in Ms. O'Donall's class and never failed to make you laugh with his random outbursts. Whenever you took tests you’d always move your paper to the far right of your desk knowing he was peeking behind you.
However, it wasn’t enough to help him get a passing grade, but you always tried helping him out because you knew he was smart, he just didn’t care to study. It had caused you to develop a bit of a crush on him if you were being honest.
You look at him in the eyes and just burst out in laughter, Eddie had never heard you laugh before, well, really laugh. You’d always giggle at his jokes or laugh with your friends, but it was never like this. You were clutching your stomach and holding back tears, he thought you looked so beautiful. So real.
“I’m so sorry, I must’ve scared the shit outta you. with all that banging.” Eddie reaches his hand out for you, which you gladly take and stand up. “So why have you graced me with your presence m’lady?”
You blush, “Oh I’m just looking for Erica, I gotta take her home since it so dark out. Um, where is she by the way?”
“Ah the littlest Sinclair, I just met her today. She's very... pleasant." You look at him with wide eyes, "Are you sure we're talking about the same Erica?" He laughs at your comment.
"She just walked out with the others, I’m sure they haven’t gone too far. I could maybe… um.” Eddie stops talking when he realized you were still holding onto his hand, tightly, your thumb grazing his rings.
Eddie has had a crush on you since middle school. You caught his eye during the talent show when you sang 'I Will Survive'. You were nervous at first but ended up having so much fun on that stage and your voice was angelic, he fell in love instantly. And now you were standing in front of him and holding his hand.
You wave your free hand in front of his face, “Earth to Eddie, are you alright?” He snaps out of his trance and looks up at you.
“Oh yeah, um I was just going to say I could help you out, i- if you wanted me to of course!” He was bright pink, and you were still holding his hand.
“That’d be nice. Could probably use some help finding that little brat anyway.” You laugh before letting go of his hand and picking up your bag which had fallen down with you earlier.
As you release your hold on him, he quickly turns around to gather his stuff, face red as a tomato.
“By the way, I heard you earlier. Nice vocals, you should be in a band or something.” You joked, but soon saw Eddie’s face as he looked at you with a sad look.
“You don’t remember. Shit you don’t remember.”
“What are you talking about Munson?”
Eddie looks you dead in the face then suddenly jumps up onto the table and starts shredding an air guitar along to the music. After his performance, he jumps down and looks at you with hope in his eyes. “Nothin’? You’re killing me here Sinclair!” He holds his hands out and dramatically brings them to his chest as if he were holding a knife.
“Eddie what the hell are you- OH MY GOD WAIT. In middle school, you were totally in a band!” He claps his hands together triumphantly.
“I’m actually still in a band, but I’ll take it. Yeah, we’re uh-“ You quickly cut him off, “Corroded Coffin. How could I forget, your hair was all buzzed, I used to think it was so cute.”
Eddie was breathless. You thought he was cute. Not only that but you had remembered the stupid haircut he sported in his younger years. “Yeah well, your sister thinks I’m a ‘long-haired freak’ so maybe I should’ve kept it short.” You laugh, the real laugh that he was falling in love with.
“Well if it makes you feel better, I’m glad you grew it out. It’s very…” You stop and think about the best word to use, “metal. That and those tattoos you got."
Eddie’s heart stopped. There’s no way that you were right here in front of him complimenting his appearance that most of your friends had made fun of throughout the years. Oh so beautiful you, standing there and getting closer to him… getting very close to him. So close he thinks he might pass out right now. “Truthfully, I think you’re very handsome Eddie, no matter what stupid haircut you might have.”
Before he can respond, you plant a kiss on his pink cheek then run to the door, “I’ll see you outside Eds.”
Eddie gripped the table behind him to balance himself, trying wrap his head around what just happened. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by none other than Dustin.
“Eddie, what's the hold-up? You’ve been in here for a while are you okay?”
“I must’ve died and gone to heaven because an angel just kissed me”
“What the hell are you talking abou-“ Dustin stopped before smiling at Eddie putting 2 and 2 together after seeing you smiling like a lunatic in the hallway, “OH MY GOD YOU AND Y/N KISSED?! I gotta tell Lucas, he's gonna lose his shit.”
Before Dustin could run from the room, Eddie grabbed his collar to hold him back.
“Not a word to anyone Henderson. Not a fucking word.” Dustin nodded aggressively so he'd let him go.
“Now," Eddie puts on his jacket and composes himself, "let’s go outside, she’s waiting for me.”
Tumblr media
a/n: that’s all 🧍🏽‍♀️ i hope this wasn’t terrible, i really tried my best! hoping to write a few more parts soon but i got work and stuff lol ☺️
im gonna make a taglist too, pls fill out this form if you wanna be on it!
taglist form
chapter 2
2K notes · View notes
ijustthinkhesneat · 7 months
Text
I am about to be so real.
I fucking hate DC comics.
Like have they given us Dick Graysons butt? Yes. Jason Todd’s thunder thighs? Yes. Damian being teeny tiny? Yes. Tim being a bi gremlin? Yes.
But you know the fuck what. I simply cannot get over their aversion to men having problems and like dealing with it in a healthy way. Why is modern Bruce literally the worst person ever?
And I don’t mean in WFA or fanfic or cute little cartoons. Why in the Batman Comic series is Bruce one of the worst people ever? Bruce “I care about kids who were hurt like me and want to try and give them a better life” Wayne has fully morphed into Bruce “Teehee I beat my children and blame them when sociopaths that I enable hurt them” Wayne.
Like literally fuck off. It’s not even just that. The whole Red Robin arc when Dick is just “wow my brother is having a really hard time. I’m gonna call him crazy, take away the thing that’s been helping him to stabilize and give it to someone who tried to kill him multiple times and is consistently verbally abusive towards him. That will be really good for him.”
Literally what the fuck. Don’t even get me started about tarantula or Damian dying or any interaction between Bruce and Jason.
Like I’m just so fucking tired of this company peddling media about how it’s normal and right to forgive people who habitually abuse you. How it normalizes unsafe and unstable relationships between men.
And a huge part of this is because they just write this shit for shock value. Like what horrible thing can we run these characters through and never talk about ever again just so people will talk about it. Remember that like 3 comic long shit show of Dick getting brainwashed by the fucking Joker? Like it’s literally Dick beating the shit out of his brothers and being like I don’t know you and I don’t care and then it’s just like haha back to normal everything is great now.
I fucking hate it. It’s bad writing, it’s an irresponsible narrative about how trauma effects men and I’m just tired.
I really do like the fandom too. I think DC fans have created a lot of safe spaces for queer people, people of color and people with disabilities. But so much of what the fandom runs on is just so far from canon. I know tons of people irl who have never read a release post new 52. And I know some people who have never read a DC comic period cause they saw a glimpse of the toxic waste in there and noped out.
Like I know I’m just some guy on the internet but seriously if your canon comic material is so bad that a very large portion of you fanbase feel they can’t read it or would rather write there own story that just completely changed your characters you need to take a long look at what you are producing. Dick maybe being bi in Gotham Knights is cool. The rep for a character that has been coded as queer for a very long time is cool. But representation is in fact second to writing a good story and having good characters and DC is failing spectacularly at both right now.
81 notes · View notes
shadamyheadcanons · 3 months
Note
I saw a while back you were asked what your favorite interpretations of Shadow and Amy were.
While I don’t disagree (haven’t played heroes so can’t comment there, but have beat SA2) I was curious on your views over Sonic 06 version of Shadow? Ignoring the heavy problems with the game itself, I’m personally a heavy fan of the VA and how he acts.
It may be selfish of me… but I kinda wish Amy got more interactions with Shadow instead of Silver. I get WHY they did it, but I feel like it could of been nice to have them reunite and maybe even contrast the end of SA2 y’know?
First post about my favorite Shadow & Amy portrayals, SA2 and Heroes
Follow-up about Sonic Battle and Sonic Chronicles
I love both Shadow AND Amy in that game!
06 Shadow in particular has been getting a ton of interest in the past few years, and it’s wonderful to see. I considered including it in that first post about my favorites. 06 being such a failure gameplay-wise really screwed things up for the series for a long time. Sega learned all the wrong lessons. No more humans apart from Eggman. No more dark, serious plotlines. One-dimensional characters. No playable characters apart from Sonic in mainline games. None of the others can talk to anyone but Sonic. Obviously there were exceptions to this, but the series lost so much. Sonic 06 is older than most Sonic fans, but we’re only just now getting all of that back with Frontiers, IDW, etc.
This would have been bad enough on its own, but coming off the heels of Sonic 06, it hurt that much more. Sega decided Team Dark weren’t friends directly after their most poignant interactions. Shadow knew who he was. He knew what was important. And he knew he could trust the best friends by his side. When’s the last time he was so self-assured? That’s the downside of the 06 timeline being erased in the end. We know Shadow and Team Dark’s potential, but he doesn’t remember any of it.
That said, I’m ultimately still glad it’s erased. I’d hate for Shadow to go through life knowing the humans would reprogram his own best friend to hunt him down and lock him up forever. It says great things about Shadow, but it makes me like the humans a lot less.
It’s thanks to 06 that I consider Shadow to be the biggest hero in the franchise. This clip encompasses everything that makes his heroism unique:
youtube
“If the world chooses to become my enemy...I will fight like I always have.”
Iconic. Badass. I love the way he drops his inhibitors as he talks. This is Jason Griffith’s delivery at its best.
Sonic fights to protect his friends and the planet he calls home, along with the humans and Mobians who all love him, but there are SO MANY people who’ve treated Shadow like filth, and he still protects them. There’s no one else in canon who’s that selfless, and I also like that 06 doesn’t lean on Maria as the reason he does all this. Shadow himself is a good person and does good things for his own reasons, not just because she told him to.
Heroes proved this, too. Shadow didn’t even remember Maria in that game, but he still made the right call. Maria’s important, but she’s not the only reason he’s a good person.
Jason Griffith does a very good job as Shadow here and elsewhere, but David Humphrey is and always will be my favorite Shadow VA. If Jason is an A-rank, David is S-ranked. I’d be thrilled to have either of them back.
You’ll never see me judge anyone for wanting more Shadow/Amy interactions. I’ve thought the same thing with 06, and I love the Silver/Amy bits, too. She has an adorable scene with him AND starts him on the path to redemption. It’s the Amy Rose Special. I also like how she and Shadow inadvertently worked together to turn him around. Amy raised a question Silver hadn’t thought to ask, and Shadow showed him the answer.
But what this demonstrates to me is that this didn’t have to be an either/or situation.
It would’ve been nice for Amy to reunite with Silver and see how he turned things around. They were both there for the final battle, but they didn’t speak to each other. What if they’d had a scene with all three of them together? I hypothesized about that possibility in headcanon #99.
Side note: I just want to say that I think Amy is great in 06. She has the same cute accidental hug/elevator speech combo she used to turn Shadow around in SA2, but people sleep on it in 06 for some reason. On top of that, a lot of fans willfully misinterpret one particular line of hers. And anyone who knows Sonic 06 knows which one that is.
Tumblr media
“If I had to choose between the world and Sonic, I would choose Sonic!”
I’ve seen so many people say she’s a dumb, ridiculous fangirl for this, and I can’t stand it. She’s not saying the rest of the world doesn’t matter, she’s saying that she has so much faith in Sonic as a person that she’d take his side even if the rest of the world said he was wrong. And, uh...she has good reason to! It’s not the first time he’s been falsely accused of something. It’s like these fans conveniently forgot what happened in SA2 the second they saw an opportunity to hurl insults at Amy.
You know what Amy’s line reminds me of most?
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
“Even if you believe everyone in the world will be against you, know that I’ll always remain by your side. Remember that.”
Yeah. That line everyone loves about ultimate loyalty for someone you care about. The line that many consider to be Rouge’s best. The only difference is that Rouge is a calm young adult talking about a friend, while Amy was an upset young girl whose feelings were too big for careful phrasing and restraint. Combine that with how much hate there was for her at the time, and you have a great, dedicated line absolutely drowned in ice-cold, bad faith takes from the fandom. And Silver needed that fervor to make him question Mephiles, too! It had to be her! It was because he saw how strongly she felt about Sonic that he started having second thoughts. You think a calm statement like Rouge’s could have made him back down from attempted murder?
Much like with Shadow in SA2, it had to be Amy. 06 did a great job with her. Some fans still need to wise up about it. They’ve been recognizing how awesome 06 Shadow is, so maybe, just maybe, they’ll do the same for Amy someday.
40 notes · View notes
celaenaeiln · 6 months
Note
1-Do you think with all the attention and trauma dick gets from sexual relationships and the people associated with them, do you think Dick would decide to be acesexual?
2-there should be a comic where batman is afraid of Nightwing, for all the shit he's put his adopted or not kids through, especially the boys.
3-Also, if you have read the Gotham War series or not, to feel dick might become the next Pennyworth type of the family? (Basically, someone who has to take care of the whole family, as Bruce keeps awoling from his problems in life?
4- As a new fan of comic lore about the DC universe and the Batfamily, should Bruce be forced to retire Batman if these psychological issues keep appearing?
Do you think with all the attention and trauma dick gets from sexual relationships and the people associated with them, do you think Dick would decide to be acesexual?
Honestly I didn't know so I looked it up because I didn't want a bunch of backlash over someone can become asexual after a traumatic experience or if it's not possible to become it, only that they already are. Half the people say yes, it's possible and the other half say no. Regardless, I understand what you're saying and think he would be averse to sexual contact for a long period of time after that.
there should be a comic where batman is afraid of Nightwing, for all the shit he's put his adopted or not kids through, especially the boys.
YES!!!! Actually I think Bruce is actually the most scared of Dick though canonically. In the Batman vs Robin comic, Bruce has to face and fight the greatest regrets and fears for each of his robins. Each robin tells their most candid regret/unresolved matter to Bruce
Tim
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Batman vs Robin Issue #3
Tim's grievance is that Bruce replaced him and he did nothing. That's so freaking heavy!
Stephanie
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Batman vs Robin Issue #3
He didn't even try with her. She was always a replacement for Tim. No a replacement would have been better-she was just a placeholder. His blatant disregard of her directly caused her death.
Jason
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Batman vs Robin Issue #3
All Jason wanted from Bruce was love but Bruce-he just villainized his son instead of trying to save him. He just wanted to be saved but Bruce just abandoned him out of self-hatred.
All three are massive insecurities/regrets Batman-Bruce-faces but none of these stop him. He just beats them down and moves on like they're nothing. He knows they're possessed but his mission is always the most important thing for him. Or does he keep moving on because his mind is too strong?
Tumblr media
Batman vs Robin Issue #3
The hardest one to face is the last one left.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Batman vs Robin Issue #3
It's Dick that breaks him. He can face any fear and grievance by the robins but Dick's? He can't bear to face his.
Until-
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Batman vs Robin Issue #3
Bruce's only saving grace is that it's the sword making them say all this. If the sword didn't exist and Dick straight up said it from his soul, this would be the end of Batman. When he heard Dick say all that, he completely lost his will to fight. All his desire and motivation? Gone.
Dick is his greatest source of strength and biggest weakness. If something were to happen to Dick, it would be the end for the rest of the world. But if Dick were to be disappointed in Bruce, he would wallow in self-hatred and change his ways.
Based on their exchange, Bruce believes Dick is his equal in battle and skill. Uncontested best and he probably knows Dick can beat him. Dick actually beat him in this comics and he also beat the heck out of superman-powered Batman before Bruce used his superpowers on him.
As well as here
Tumblr media
Batman vs Robin Issue #5
He's proud of what Dick can do. But I think he's terrified of him because of the sway Dick holds over him. And that, I believe, is a worse form of attack than even battle power.
Also, if you have read the Gotham War series or not, to feel dick might become the next Pennyworth type of the family? (Basically, someone who has to take care of the whole family, as Bruce keeps awoling from his problems in life?
Yup! Absolutely do! But Dick has always been running the batfamily whenever Bruce is gone. When Bruce died and Gotham needed a Batman-
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Titans (2008) Issue #10
"Nightwing belongs to two families. And all of you...you're good. You have each other."
"I have to go take care of my other family. In Gotham."
(Can we just take a moment to appreciate how they're all holding onto Dick? Roy and Gar holding Dick's right hand, Kori and Donna hugging him, Wally holding Dick's left land, Victor wiht hand on his back? Ugh the feels. Love the Titans comics)
He's always taking care of the Batfamily. Bruce leaving will just make it his full time role instead.
As a new fan of comic lore about the DC universe and the Batfamily, should Bruce be forced to retire Batman if these psychological issues keep appearing?
Oooh no. I don't think Bruce should ever retire as Batman. I LOVE Batman Dick. I'm debating whether I love him more than Nightwing Dick - jury's still out on that but Bruce should never retire as Batman. Bruce Wayne is Batman. Dick was a better batman but Bruce is iconic for the role. He created it, he lived it, he sacrificed for it. Even with all his problems, he deserves that role. It takes a toll on him that even he can't handle but if he dies, he deserves to die in that Cape and Cowl. He's earned it in every sense of the word.
He's an absolute wreck of a man but I love him that way. I love him with his problems and I will honestly forgive him of almost anything. He wouldn't be Bruce if he didn't have mental problems and I'm going to keep rooting for this walking disaster through everything. I don't think he should ever give it up until Terry. I love him too much of a character to ever see him be anything but Batman.
93 notes · View notes
vioranhyperfixation · 28 days
Text
Damian : #011, it has come to my attention that you are unproductive at the leisure time you are excuse with during the time when I'm unavailable. And that's just improper.
#011 : um.. Then what I'm supposed to do? There's nothing here.
Damian : i have realized that too so I decided to brought upon you this
#011 : ???
Damian : this is doll's, a toy with a shell that have similarity to human that most use to play pretend.
Damian : that would also be the case for you. You shall use this doll's to help develop your productivity and creativity.
#011 : ahhh..
Damian : would you like to play it with me?
#011 : yeah!
Damian : then shall we make a series of stories with those doll? Let me start it, this girl is a star, her name is Khalila. She is a bright star, it just that she has a problem, she has not yet granted a human wish like all other star has done. So she was hoping to find someone to grant wish to, upon that thought she caught a brown girl looking hopefull at the sky and she thought, maybe this would be the day!
#011 :
Damian :
#011 :
#011 : uhhhh,, should I continue it?
Damian : yeah, just said anything you want
011 : "star, if you can hear me, please listen to my plea. My brothen had betrayed me and I'm left with the rubble of my home..
Damian : *nod and nudge him to continue
#011 : "I use to think that they would always stand besides me, I don't know they feel that that they are behind me! I- I just want the best for all of us!
Sometimes in the future at the wayne manor
Bruce : Rafi, is there anything you want to do on the weekend?
Rafi : yeah, I'm going to continue the ten wish
Bruce : is that a show you watch?
Tim : what it is about? I don't think I ever heard of that.
Rafi : of course you don't, because ten wish is not a show. It's my doll's lore on the 34th universe
Bruce : sorry?
Tim : well, that's interesting
Rafi : it is, currently my main character. River, is undergoing a survival competition to secure a position on the Catalyst. But because she is well known on her talent of fighting and intelligence she need to use other way to compete, and that's is by registering herself as a professional mourner
Bruce : what?
Rafi : you know, It is a tradition in South East Asia that a loud funeral will assist the dead as they travel to the afterlife, so professional mourners are hired to cry and weep loudly throughout the service. And she register herself as that. I mean, most of her loved one are dead, so she's pretty good at it. Crying and weeping that is.
Bruce : I don't think that's a good way to deal with having your loved one died.
Rafi : I don't want to hear that from someone going feral when his son died.
Bruce :
Tim :
Tim : yeah, I won't lie. It is pretty bad bruce
Rafi : anyway, it has been going pretty well on river part. On the other hand, things are going pretty badly on Khalila part. Jupiter and Neptunus heve yet to come back after the moon revolution.
Tim : wait- wait- you mean evolution?
Rafi : no, revolution.
Tim : okay- I think we skip a big part here.
Rafi : yeah, obviously. This is part 57, you skip 56 part, you're missing on a lot.
Tim : can't we, start from part one?
Rafi : god no, it's a lot. If we put it into book it can lead from 7 to 9 book! If you want to know about what you're missing at you can ask Jason, he listen from the start since we are at LoA. If you don't feel like asking then just skip it, you will understand later anyway.
Jason *who's putting a criminal body to a trash can : hatchuu-
Roy : bless you man
Jason : is someone talking about me? God I hope it's not Bruce.
27 notes · View notes