#I do love the other batboy ships

[yaralulu]

getting this evil urge to write lucien/rhys. nobody ask just trust me on this one.

[dollishmehrayan]

# BATBOYS WITH A AUSTRALIAN!READER ── .✦ ( how batboys deal with a Australian s/o )

a/n: I myself have a aussie accent so this is like so cool for someone to request so tysm (here) and anyways this is one where I don’t have to research for because I know a lott of Australian ppl and culture too, tags: (batboys x Australian!reader)

DICK GRAYSON ── .✦

Loves Your accent: “Say something else! No, wait—say ‘mate’ again.” He’s absolutely smitten with how you talk and tries poorly to mimic your accent, often sounding more British than Australian.

Constantly Curious About Australia: He’ll bombard you with questions. “Are kangaroos really that common? Have you ever seen a cassowary? Do you guys actually barbecue everything?”

Terrible at Slang: If you say something like, “It’s looking a bit dodgy,” he’ll need you to explain what you mean. When he tries to use Australian slang, it’s endearing but cringe-worthy.

“What’s up, uh…sheila?”

“Dick. Never say that again.”

Adventure Buddy: He’s already planning a trip to Australia with you, wanting to see the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Opera House, and every wildlife sanctuary possible.

JASON TODD ── .✦

Loves Your Humor: Your sarcastic and no-nonsense sense of humor is right up his alley. If you roast him, he’ll laugh and roast you back.

Protective Over Your Wildlife Stories: The second you casually mention seeing a venomous snake or massive spider, Jason is horrified.

“Why are you so casual about almost dying?!”

“It’s just a huntsman spider, Jason. Chill.”

Impressed by Your Toughness: He secretly loves how you’re unfazed by things that would make others panic. He brags about it to others: “My partner grew up surrounded by things that can kill you. I think they can handle Gotham.”

Tries Vegemite Once: Spoiler: he hates it. “Why does this taste like salty tar?” But he’ll eat it if it makes you happy (and won’t admit that he kinda likes it on toast with butter).

TIM DRAKE ── .✦

Fascinated by Your Culture: Tim immediately researches everything he can about Australia, from Indigenous history to pop culture. “Did you know that there are more kangaroos than people in Australia?”

Amazed by Your Time Zone: He’s constantly confused by the time difference when you visit home. “Wait, it’s tomorrow for you?!”

Loves Learning Slang: You’ll catch him Googling Aussie slang to impress you. He’ll casually drop phrases like, “I’m knackered” or “Fair dinkum,” but his delivery is hilariously awkward.

Animal Discussions: He’s convinced that every Australian animal is deadly, and you have to constantly debunk his fears. “Not every spider is trying to kill me, Tim.”

DAMIAN WAYNE ── .✦

Quietly Intrigued: Damian pretends not to care much about your background, but you’ll catch him reading about Australia or asking subtle questions.

Loves Your Stories: He’s genuinely fascinated by your tales of outback adventures or the unique Australian wildlife. “You’ve seen a platypus in person? Fascinating.”

Tolerates Your Nicknames: If you call him something like “mate” or “love,” he’ll act annoyed but secretly enjoys it.

Protective Over the Wildlife: He’s horrified by the idea of culling kangaroos or other animals. “You allow such barbaric practices?” He might actually start a campaign to protect them.

BRUCE WAYNE ── .✦

Respectful and Curious: Bruce asks thoughtful questions about your culture and experiences, genuinely interested in learning more about your upbringing.

Loves Your Practicality: He admires how grounded and resourceful you are, especially when you deal with things in a calm, no-fuss Australian way.

Subtle Humor: If you tease him about being too “posh” for Australia, he’ll play along. “So, you’re saying I wouldn’t survive a day in the outback?”

Surprises You with Aussie Treats: He somehow manages to get Tim Tams, Caramello Koalas, or Milo shipped to Gotham, just to make you feel at home.

GENERAL TRAITS ── .✦

The Spiders Are a Problem: You casually mention a massive spider in your house, and all of them (except Damian) are horrified. “How are you not freaking out right now?!”

Vegemite Debates: None of them can handle Vegemite except Damian, who eats it with no complaints just to prove he can.

Drop Bears: You convince at least one of them that drop bears are real. (Spoiler: It’s Tim.) (Ngl the google animation they made for them is fucking cute😭💗💕)

Aussie Slang Confusion: If you say, “I’m going to chuck a sickie,” they all think you’re throwing something. Explaining Aussie slang to them becomes a full-time job.

[i-yap]

people i ship with the batboys + bruce

Dick grayson -

I want a non-hero, non-g ginger y/n ..so like basically not his type at all. Someone really smart in ONE subject..nothing like super high IQ has been coding hacking blah blah since he was 10 dick. A nurse or doctor or mental health professional. She is also really into helping people but in her own legal way. she is middle class and met dick as his detective persona not Nightwing persona. She is also mildy insecure of her looks and jealous which is what dick and y/n end up fighting most about. She is mostly quiet and introverted but great with polite mingling (for those galas) but she always gets super drained afterwards . she is super confident and passionate about that one subject and really wants to make a change the normal way ( not by becoming a crime fighting nighttime vigilante)

Jason todd

Bro is so broken that the most logical would be to give him an angel y/n but that's no fun. Artist y/n or singer y/n, someone who can really express their emotions through their art style( preferably very feminine or girly). Someone who really loves expressing themselves with hairstyles, clothes, etc. Someone fun, happy and at peace with their identity and self image. Great at hanging out with people but usually goes off on her own to do her own thing . HAS TRAUMA TOO but something more verbal or emotional and she successfully dealt with it. She is busy but will always cancel stuff for the people she loves or even cares about.

Tim drake

(i love him with conner) he is kind of tricky but like reckless y/n. they meet young. is in a shit situation (abusive household+ lots of responsibility maybe takes care of her younger siblings) super poor and hates the rich. smokes does drugs drinks and everything wrong but if you bring it up she will leave. closed off except with time. feels like the world is on her shoulders but just does small pleasures to waste it all away. small pleasures could be grocery store shopping or finding abandoned schools. Wants to become a big lawyer someday so she can get respect and help others get respect but she cant even attend a good high school or leave her household ( the siblings) . was sxually assalted . she is strong a little broken but tries everyday to be happy but just cant. so very protective of tim Awesome taste in music tbh

Bruce

he is so tough to write for

someone younger than him ( the age gap causes slight issues). smart girl , very bossy, and will force people to take care of themselves. no nonsense I will not stand if you come late to our date kind of girl. she is sweet good with people, a bit too mature for her age. rich family , indian, multiple siblings basically the big indian or Spanish family where everyone lives in big ass bungalows . Loves the beauty of gothic style but is very elegant and feminine herself. clasiccal dancer. Dissapointed her parents by becoming a teacher but then reclaimed her place by becoming big professor in big uni (during her being with bruce) . A choice comes to leave gotham or leave big uni choice, bruce retires and goes to small area which has her uni. Wants kids , loves kids . A little silly but not in a childish way. in a mom puns way

[theegemini92]

All I said was Rhys and his batboys haven’t never been with Illyrian females sexually. This was on the topic of Feyre culturally appropriating Illyrian women and using Azriels wings as a prop. And I said I will blame Rhys who is already a sexual deviant to want to have this fetishization of flying and fuvking.

If my saying that the batboys haven’t had relations with Illyrian females means I don’t like them then it’s fucking dumb af. Yes I don’t like Rhys but I am not blind to see the social systems of Illyrians. People don’t like Nesta yet they have shipped her with Tamlin. People don’t like Tamlin they have shipped him with Rhys sister. How is this very reasonable theory a bad one? I have already talked about this in-depth on a reblog but again the Illyrian females are not easily accessible. Per my reading and understanding

Many cultures in our real world don’t give their women access to foreign men or the being with another who has a bad rep to taint their women. These females are shunned or killed for even going outside the culture. Peoples world views should start expanding beyond where they live or else things like this will fly over their heads. I’ve heard stories of caste systems, religion etc getting couples killed.

Cassian mother was an obvious example. With Illyrian women you either marry or become a prostitute and your children becoming bastards.

Illyrian pregnancies were also male Illyrians to another female fae which put these females to death, never the other way around.

The way they subjugate their females, what makes you think you can just waltz in and get one? They are also not even regarded as high fae.

We truly do have a lot of material to come to such a conclusion.

I would love other peoples thoughts on this topic honestly. I really want to know am I wrong on this take? My reblog is also on my page if you need to read it.

[elainsgirl]

You know what I find amazing? Every single time I hear gwynriels or Eluciens describe their ship, they are describing Elriel. It's amazing. Every time. I don't get it. It's like they switched Elain's name for Gwyn when they read. Or Azriels name for Lucien. But why? Why not like the OG thing. The thing that is actually in the books? Because they will be getting exactly the thing they're asking for, but with Elain and Azriel.

Have you seen this? If you have, why do you think this is? It's just so amazing and inexplicable to me. It makes no sense to me.

Elucien and Gwynriel IS elriel in a different font. They literally just swap out Elain/Az for the characters they like more aka Gwyn and Lucien. Why? If you look at it from Gwynriels perspective: most of them do not like Elain. They find her useless, boring, meek. Why would they ship their fave batboy with such a wallflower? Generally speaking, a popular trope is the “quiet, introverted, moody boy” x “chirpy, extroverted, sunny girl” -> that is not elriel. It does however fit gwynriel. Its a popular dynamic they can HC onto gwynriel. Same with Elucien. Now; w eluciens its not that they’re such big elain fans. Its that for them, mates = happiness. Their baby lulu has been through so much and he deserves his happiness and he’ll achieve that when elain accepts the bond. A popular microtrope for “reluctant engagement/marriage” especially with a ladylike character such as Elain is “sassy, conveniently attractive, foul mouthed man meets the proper, society abiding woman” -> his witty banter makes the proper lady blush and unable to handle herself. Again. It’s not elriel but can be used for elucien. And the reasons these micro/tropes fit is due to the fact Elucien and Gwynriel are so undeveloped you can virtually shape them to be however you like making them more favourable ships when you compare it to elriel - which is developed. They have a canon dynamic, you can’t just place any HC onto them. If I was to say, “omfg I can’t wait for the banter between elriel!” - you’re going to be like…but they’re not a couple that “banters”….thats not how elriel is. But If I was to make the same statement with gwynriel, you can’t really argue against it bcs it can happen between gwynriel. They’re that raw. And considering how far we’re into the series -> its not how Sjm rolls. But thats another discussion. Alternatively, instead of antis not liking elain/azriel - they may ship gwynriel/elucien as it drives the story in a different direction thats more liked by them. For example, with Gwynriel you’ll get more of Nesta, Emerie, H.O.W -> less of feysand and IC. And after acosf and the hatred for the OG cast, this new one in acosf is more liked and people want them to be centre staged. You’re not going to get that with elriel. Same goes for elucien -> less of the NC, IC, feysand and more of other courts and characters eluciens’ find interesting such as Eris. Again, that won’t happen with elriel. I have seen this countless times over all the years. Gwynriel: Gwyn will accept Az for who he is, she won’t be afraid of him or his shadows, she’s going to call his scars beautiful, Az will want to spend time with her, Gwyn will become a spy alongside Azriel and the twins who she will also become friends with, Azriel will get Gwyn such a beautiful Solstice gift, Gwyn will make Az laugh so much like he hasn’t done before, Gwynriel are going to love spending alone time together, gwynriel will help revive the prison, Az will take gwyn flying, their powers are so similar etc etc etc,

I’ll be honest - I haven’t seen eluciens “steal” elriels’ tropes/plot points (I mean they could be, im just not aware of it) aside from saying Elains choice being Lucien is impactful, and now trying to twist the forbidden love trope for elucien instead of elriel….who literally had Rhys stop them and told Az to stay away. I think with eluciens - its that they disregard canon and just go with whatever they want. They don’t take into consideration elains canon characteristics or the plot she’s connected too. They have a vision for elucien which they force onto the couple even if it makes no sense canonically. Lmfao who am I kidding, they don’t gaf about elains canon feelings towards Lucien so why would they care if their Hc/Theories align with elains traits and associations. Its all about Lucien. Their whole plot has Lucien right centre stage with Elain tagging along. Same like Tamlain and gwynriel really.

Thing is - I can’t blame gwynriels for having to be unoriginal and take a lot of “inspiration” from elriel bcs what unique thing can happen between gwynriel? Azriels most impactful moments have already happened with Elain. Take him giving TruthTeller to her. That was a pretty important scene. Monumental for both Az and Elain. If Az was now to give Gwyn TT…it won’t be special or anything new. Its why you often find gwynriels downplaying a lot of elriel moments only to use those same moments for their own ship but showing how its going to be 100x more spectacular.

[wingsdippedingold]

yk what? Let Gwyn be a fucking lightsinger? So what? I thought y’all love badass morally-grey villainous characters. Or does it not count when it gets in the way of your ship?

Isn’t a lightsinger literally the antithesis of a shadow singer? What about the light and dark imagery y’all live so much? Its not like this theory was born out of care for her character, it was purely just to make Gwynriel look bad. But it wouldn’t even do that in the context of the series

she’s still the same Gwyn; she doesn’t miraculously turn evil just because her crazy parentage is revealed or anything

if you use that “theory” to hate gwyn and call her evil… did you miss the story? An unspoken, but prominent, part of the series is that you are not your background.

The Batboys are regularly differentiated from their Illyrian heritage (problematic as it is). SJM literally makes it a point to emphasize that despite being raised in Illyrian culture they’re actually super feminist and great people unlike their uncivilized barbaric roots. I 100% have my issues with this, but it’s still apart of the narrative.

Their personal issues are that they feel unworthy due to being bastards, and the others work to make sure that they know they aren’t undeserving of love because of their parents

Why tf wouldn’t gwyn get the same treatment??

[jules-writes-stories]

First JEL is a beautiful love story. rly. Its the Azris ! but I think you ruined it a little when you made Eris top in your update, I just can't picture Eris topping a big masculin tattoeed batboy like Az. your Eris has a nose ring, pretty hair and is soft with his mum. I just can't picture him topping Az. the romance in it is top tier and smut is top tier til now. your ocs are rly hot-Mithras I see as bottom and silvan a top. that makes sense to me. and the action and plot is 10/10, so I will keep reading but Eris toping gave me the ick. I just don't see it and hope it doesn't turn pl of from yr story and make ur readers or kudos go down bc its such a beautiful love story !!!

Anon,

I wasn't planning to reply. I deleted your first 3 messages this morning. I told myself that responding would give my story, a story that's 200,000 words and taken months of my life to write, the wrong kind of attention.

But as I watched the messages roll in, now at 9, the thought of you holding my inbox hostage started to stress me out. So here we are.

I'll start with the angel on my shoulder. She thanks you for calling Just Enough Light a love story, because that was always my intention. To write a beautiful, heart wrenching love story for a fictional character I've come to care deeply about. (Yep, I know...silly) But I think I know what's going on here, anon.

You love Eris Vanserra too, don't you? You picture him, and maybe Azriel, a certain way, and that was comfy and nice, and you were settled in, then I went and "switched" that on you and that felt uncomfortable because now the Eris that you've grown to love is different from how you want him to be. It's ok to feel unhappy with my choices as a writer. I'm low key touched that you are invested enough to feel this intensely. But it's not ok to bombard my inbox, or tell me I've ruined my own story.

Because here's the other thing: JEL is a love story, but it's always been an unapologetically queer love story. And my Eris is a queer male. He's not a stand in for a girl. He can have pretty hair, love his mother, wear jewelry and eyeliner and top his masculine, tattooed Illyrian lover. These things can coexist. One should not read a M/M love story and try to force it into a hetero-framework even if that's what one feels more comfortable with. I challenge you to read JEL as it is: an unapologetically queer love story between two queer characters.

And if this is something you cannot do, you are free to click away and find a story or a ship that is more within your comfort zone. I'll be sad to lose readers, but I would rather write for myself than compromise my story in this way.

Now, if you're still with me, the devil on my shoulder wants you to know that I think my smut was hot AF this week and I'm proud of it. I make Azris hurt, but I give them good loving too.

I won't be taking any more anons that are anti top Eris or anti bottom-Az. But if you want to talk more, come out of anon and let's talk. I'm open to civil discourse.

[franollie]

feeding your haterisms, what ships dyou hate??

only doing ships i actively have filtered out:

1. DICKBABS: nothing will fill me with more rage than seeing babs with two functional legs long hair and a batgirl suit being a sexy lamp for a batboy. a batboy that she was never that interested in for that matter. ALSO, dickbabs only became a thing to invalidate dickkory and more specifically the importance of kory in dick’s life. on an even broader level, it disregards the importance of the role that the titans played in dicks life in favor of pretending that the “batfam” is more important to him. and because of that its a very “tell dont show” ship where all of a sudden they’re inseparable and the worlds cutest sweetest couple because theyre soulmates, but we never really get to see them fall in love so everything just falls flat. the ship doesn’t benefit either one of them and honestly if im in a bad enough mood it can turn me off an entire series

2. timber: i tried. i wanted to like it. its cute i guess it just feels so…fake??? idk it reads like a pr stunt and i hate the tim drake that’s dating bernard because it doesn’t feel like the tim drake i know and love so i just associate it with modern tim…all around just a big squick for me. also ive had some bad interactions with timber stans who were really rude to people who ship tim with other characters notably tam and steph

3. harlivy: ikik this one’s gonna get me. listen, i used to ship them BIG time, and to a certain extent i still do but modern harlivy is NOT the harlivy i fell in love with. unfortunately dc has watered them down and polished them to make them marketable. a fate worse than death…they’ve been defanged. i mean harley’s just a manic pixie dream girl with no real motivations for fucks sake. that being said, im more of an ivycat enjoyer because i think thematically they make more sense and can relate to each other in more significant ways than harlivy can.

[ilikekidsshows]

Hey, so I have a question.

So you know about the Maribat crossovers, but what are your thoughts on Adribat crossovers, like instead of Marinette being in DC focus stories, it's Adrien.

Basically what I'm saying is which one makes the most sense to you? Oh and your favorite Adribat ship, it doesn't have to be Batboy related ships, another other DC character

---

I have never, in my life, seen an Adribat crossover so I have no idea what they are like. I know when I first heard about the basics of Maribat, I had the thought: “This would make so much more sense with Adrien. He actually has an awful home situation he needs to get away from,” which means that at least the starting point for an Adribat version of the standard crossover has a basis. The Batfamily would also actually track Hawk Moth down instead of letting him keep doing his villainy for the better part of a year while only bothering to do the bare minimum to keep him from winning.

As for ships, it really depends on what kind of a timeline we’re working here. If she's younger, like, Spoiler-era, Stephanie could be a good match, she's fun and Adrien would actually treat her right. I could see almost any of the core Young Justice members working out, except Tim, cause Tim can be so terrible and Adrien would just let him. Adrien could join Young Justice, they have better health insurance than the Teen Titans, who comics writers love to slaughter.

[necrotic-nephilim]

this is an invitation to ramble about slade/batboy ships: sladick, sladejay, sladetim, sladedami, and other batfam member/villain ships, especially jayroman and ra'stim :)

AAAAAA this is so delightful oh my god thank you. adding a read more just because this one is going to get Long to cover all the ships and all my opinions. because my god do i love Slade.

firstly, the original Robin/villain ship, SlaDick. Slade Wilson, literally created to be a Teen Titans villains, with the original Robin he cannot be normal about ever. i'm so sad there's not much interest in Slade aside from making him a generic Evil Guy who canonically likes teenagers because i think to just boil down his complex with Dick to 'weird attraction' robs them of SUCH nuance. Slade *trusts* Dick, he trusts Dick enough to ask Dick to train his own daughter Rose. and initially Slade's complex over Dick isn't sexual, it's seeing Dick as a replacement for his dead son, Grant. that's messy as hell and i love them for it. i don't think there's a single villain that has the respect for Dick that Slade has. i'm always of the opinion Dick's attraction to Slade is rooted in daddy issues and Slade's attraction to Dick is rooted in dead son issues. do i think they could end up as an old married couple? yes but only in a world where Dick is completely broken and feels alone. my favorite SlaDick flavor is post-Jason's death. Dick and Bruce are arguably at their worst during that era to begin with so Dick is pretty isolated and emotionally unstable. and Slade would take such advantage of that, swooping in to offer Dick emotional stability and fucked up sex to get out pent up emotions. (i'm big a big fan of Dick fucking out his feelings tbh) and Slade is just. this sort of bad habit Dick will kick for a year or two then come crawling back to. you can directly track how well Bruce and Dick are getting along based on how many times Dick has slept with Slade recently. and that's the prize, for Slade. knowing Dick will come back to him, eventually. it's all about patience. and if something really extreme happened to Dick (like Bruce's fake death) i think they'd even date briefly. it's not entirely impossible for Dick to date someone he disagrees with morally (see: his flings with Helena) and i think Dick would keep trying to 'save' Slade, using the upper hand he has of filling in this role of Slade's dead son to try to domesticate him. would it work? who knows but if anyone is going to try over and over, it's going to be Dick. it's practically self-harm for Dick yet the only thing keeping him sane. i love them.

SladeJay is... an interesting one for me. because i like the *potential*. but they have no significant interactions pre-Flashpoint. and while usually i can forgive New-52 and Rebirth for their grievances if it has ship fodder i just... can't do that for Jason. Judd Winick's Jason is the only Jason that exists to me so even Slade and Jason's canon interactions matter little to me because it's not the version of Jason i care for. the upside of that though, is it's more of a sandbox to explore what they could be and there are no limitations. i can just run wild. which is fun bc. you're telling me Slade wouldn't be so drawn in by the idea of a dead Robin who's come back and is now the antithesis of Bruce's morality? i think at some point Slade would want to poke the bear, really see what Red Hood is made of. do i see them working long-term? no but i do think Jason would have zero qualms working with Slade if he got something out of it. and if he could fuck with Bruce or Dick by having a short, fucked up relationship with Slade? that's even better. i don't think Slade could ever truly respect Jason, at the end of the day the Dick Grayson standard is too high and Slade would sneer at the idea of a legacy who fucked it up so bad he got blown up. but, he'd see that as Bruce's failure more than Jason's. and for Jason to have someone look him in the eye and say that Bruce *failed* him? i think that'd just *do* something to Jason. and Slade has lost a son, he knows what that loss feels like, how you feel you failed as a father. would he have interest in being fatherly to Jason? no but i think he'd have fun momentarily manipulating Jason and seeing what reactions he gets out of what jeers. Jason's been calling himself a failure this whole time, so to have someone else say it is no real big deal, but to have someone else say it's Bruce's fault and voice Jason's feelings? they'd have the most fucked up sex with the most unhealthy dirty talk that's both gentle and degrading. i don't think Jason would ever let himself get too close, he's far too emotionally guarded. but for a second, i think he'd fantasize about having even *half* the amount of attention that Slade gives Dick. bc what has Jason always been, but in Dick's shadow.

SladeTim. my two blorbos. in one place. somewhere in my drafts i have a half-started longfic about SladeTim that's one half really fucked up porn and one half slowburn feelings. arguably Tim and Slade don't have many canon interactions, but it's fun to me that when they do, Slade always seems sort of startled by how well Tim fights back and Tim's willingness to fight dirty in a way even Dick doesn't. and to me, that's the crux of this ship. as far as Robins go, Tim should sort of slip under the radar for Slade. he's not the dead one turned villain, he's not the grandson of Ra's al Ghul, hell he's not even the child of a second-rate villain like Steph, he's not *the* Dick Grayson, he's just... the other one. grew up pretty rich and normal and fell for all of Bruce's wax poetic nonsense. so when Tim puts himself on the map as a hero, makes himself a worthy opponent against Slade that's interesting. even to Tim, Slade isn't a particularly remarkable villain since Slade cares to stay more on Dick's radar. so when they cross paths there's a lot of unexpected. neither of them have thought about the other too hard. so there's this interest and intrigue about it i love. i'm a big fan of the idea Tim is a massive masochist, both physically and emotionally and Slade is The Sadist Ever so. i like them falling into bed together and having the most fucked up sex. like Tim just being a Weird Little Freak so fucked up even Slade raises an eyebrow. because this isn't what you *expect* of a kid like Tim, who's had a pretty easy life before tangling with vigilantes. he should be like a fish out of water, but instead he's matching Slade's energy in ways even Dick doesn't. and of course, how smart he is, that's an asset. it takes a special kind of kid to have the audacity to poison Lady Shiva with hotel chocolates and pull it *off* no less. it earns a begrudging respect, and it's rare to get Slade to respect someone. i really like the idea of Tim seeking Slade out only for fucked up sex and somehow Slade falls for this weird little freak who's cold and clinical outside of sex and keeps him guessing.

i'll be honest i've only considered SladeDami in the context of seeing antis say 'omg Slade has been predatory toward Damian ewww' and going 'no the fuck he hasn't but if you want that so bad i'll ship it just to spite you all' but their canon interactions do fascinate me. a lot of how they interact is predicated on Slade as a father, even more so than SlaDick. like Slade will fight Damian and then be like 'hey be good to your old man fathers need their sons' and fucking dip. and then with the whole Respawn thing and Shadow War? that was extra crunchy. for a brief moment Slade had a son who was a brother to Damian and then he goes and *dies*? talk about the complex that would give him with Damian, the spitting image of Respawn. Make Slade Weird About Batkids That Remind Him of His Son 2024. Damian holds an utter contempt for Slade that is simply unmatched. so Slade not leaving that kid alone because of his weird issues, making sure that Bruce doesn't screw up with Damian the way he screwed up with Respawn is very fun. and Damian slowly building up a tolerance to Slade's annoying antics could be fun. Damian is, at his core, still just a kid who needs the approval of something father-shaped and he will Take What He Can Get. are they ever healthy or long lasting? no but i do think Damian would cling to Slade during his teen years for something incredibly fucked up and codependent until either Slade dumped him or he forced himself to get over it.

JayRoman. i will not lie love these two but i don't think i've read many Black Mask comics when he's not interacting with Jason. which is funny because my entire conception of Roman is him just getting humiliated by Jason and really what more is there to know about the man. Jason is so unserious in how he handles Roman and the best part is you can tell it's truly because he doesn't see Roman as a threat. Roman's just a pawn in the game of getting Bruce's attention and sure, Jason is aiming to kill Roman by the end of it, but he'll always have bigger fish to fry. and that's so *infuriating* for Roman. this new guy who's *clearly* a fucking teenager shows up, owns you so badly it shatters your empire, and then you only live bc he seems to have gotten bored of you. JayRoman is my particular favorite ship for the flavor of 'the sub in bed is in control of every other aspect of their relationship and their submission is a gift that can be revoked at any time' which we don't get enough. fucked up power dynamics always have the sub being the one lacking control. and whilst i enjoy when Roman is able to absolutely control and manipulate Jason through various means, i think in canon, it makes far more sense he's pathetic and begging Jason for even a *chance*. and Jason very specifically picking who he subs for based on someone who he could kill or destroy at the drop of the hat if he needed to is a very Jason thing to do. there will never be trust between these two. they will fuck nasty and Roman will be in love with Jason. but they are both carrying a gun during sex. the gun is probably involved during the sex.

Ra'sTim. my everything. Red Robin (2009) you will always be famous to me. what *don't* they have. forced proximity. enemies to lovers. forced partnership. one-sided obsession. ridiculously large age gap. deep unforgivable betrayal. i will never evacuate these two from my brain dear god. Ra's is another one of those villains who gets painted with one broad stroke of being cartoonishly evil with no exploration of his interesting nuance. making him nothing but a villain is boring. where is the Ra's who loves so deeply and fully and has to lose his loved ones over and over and will not let that happen to Tim. he wants to consume Tim in a 'cannibalism as a metaphor for love but also probably literal cannibalism' way. the amount of trust put in Ra's in order for Tim to be able to betray him as spectacularly as he did? that's glorious. Tim had full unfiltered access to Ra's' computers even when he was advised against trusting Tim so much. and then Tim wins against Ra's and willingly lets Ra's kill him. (obviously Dick saves him, but I'm of the opinion Tim was just committed to dying in that moment and he was Okay With That) 'i will betray you if it's the last thing i do' as an act of love. Tim is to Ra's what Dick is to Slade. you will never convince me Tim and Ra's didn't hatefuck at least once during RR (2009) with a questionable level of consent. i'm so serious i will never shut up about them. the way Tim talks about working with Ra's as if he's making a deal with the devil and Ra's talks about Tim like he's the precious, once in a life time thing, one of the only people worthy to produce an heir for Ra's. how's that not gay. what other ship involved one of them literally trying to have the other's baby to raise as an heir. Ra's would probably carry the baby himself if he could. memes aside they're just so. they're so it. i love when Tim is forced into a Situation where he has to work with Ra's and confronts the darker aspects of himself that Ra's wants to bring out but Tim wants to squash. it is The corruption kink. whether Ra's succeeds or not in corrupting Tim doesn't even matter because the real crux of this ship is the chase. it's the way the heart pounds when they reach out for each other and you don't know if it's for a kiss or a killing blow. it's very Hannigram to me, in that i don't even need or want them to kiss to know they're in love. love to them is not true love's kiss, it's the thoughtful place they decide to stab the other in. be the sheath to my dagger type ship. hold all this bloody violence i know you're capable of inside of you. let me cut the violence out of you ship. what more can you ask for from a ship. Ra's would tie Tim down and torture him both as foreplay and as a love language and Tim would be too fucked up and self-sacrificial to stop him. always playing the dangerous game of how far will the other let them go until someone tries to die or kill. listen i think i lost the plot here but my point is they're unwell about each other. Tim will make Ra's regret the day he met Tim Drake not just for the betrayal but because Ra's can never go back to a time Before Tim. before knowing what the chase felt like. they're so. them.

[dawneternal]

✨ A Court of Mischief and Matchmaking ✨

Summary: Feyre, the meddling matchmaker, devises a plan to speed up the numerous budding romances in the Night Court. A mischievous human game called 'spin the bottle'

Meant to be silly and fun. Includes a few crack ships.

Post Azriel bonus chapter. Pro-gwyriel and pro-lucien undertones. And pro-the-batboys-have-kissed-at-least-once-before

Rating: Just kissing

Word Count: 4k

Ao3 link

Feyre, ever the observant busybody, had been watching the interactions at family dinners with extra care for a while now. She had noticed a great many things while doing so. She also knew that Rhys, who rarely turned off the spying instincts in his brain, had noticed these things as well. But he did nothing but store them away in case they became important later.

Feyre was not as content to stay idle. Her observations stirred a restlessness within her, a desire to stick her hands into the situation and help. Not necessarily to interfere, but to grant momentum to anything that was already in motion.

Elain, who had once been growing bolder in her interactions with Azriel, had abruptly become quiet in his presence. She still conversed with everyone else, but carefully kept her gaze away from his. Gwyn, however, snuck small glances at the shadowsinger quite frequently, growing in number with every family dinner she attended.

Emerie looked for Mor at every chance, though she hid her disappointment well when the blonde was absent. But Feyre still noticed the slight droop to her wings and the dampened glimmer in her eyes.

The longing in Lucien's own eyes had never ceased, though he had learned that giving Elain any focused attention would only lead to rejection and embarrassment. Feyre could almost see the wilting bond between them, and the golden possibility of happiness if it was allowed to bloom.

Rhysand noticed his mate's expression as she watched it all. The determination, glints of sadness and hope. He smiled to himself, wondering when she would present a plan to him.

And sure enough, after dinner one night, she crawled into his lap as he sat at work in his study, looping her arms around his neck.

"I have a bit of a plan," She said, watching his face while he read the paper in his hand.

"What is that, my love?" He asked, running his fingers over her back with his free hand.

"I want to nudge fate a little bit. Just push it along if I can."

"Is that so?"

"I know you know what I'm talking about," she grumbled, grasping his chin and turning his gaze toward her. He relented, smiling down at her with happy violet eyes.

"Tell me your plan, matchmaker." He hummed, resting his forehead against hers.

"I want to play spin the bottle," She said firmly. Rhys's eyebrows shot upwards as he pulled back to look at her.

"And risk having to kiss any of the others?"

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Feyre laughed, "imagine the mischief and tell me it doesn't sound fun."

He had, already. And he agreed with her. But that would not stop his desire to tease.

"Wouldn't it trigger your territorial tendencies to watch me kiss someone else?" He asked her with a sly smile.

"You're the possessive one," Feyre scoffed, "I'm wondering if you can handle it."

"As long as you make it up to me," Rhys whispered, caressing the bridge of his nose along her cheekbone.

Feyre knew this was his permission and agreement to play along. The matchmaker inside her glowed and began plotting with new fervor.

***

"We're going to play a game tonight," Feyre announced to the group, "One that I remembered from the human lands."

It was a rare night when the entire family was all together. Mor had returned from the continent, Lucien had returned to check in, and all three Valkyries had managed to attend. Feyre had waited for a night like this patiently. Nyx laid down after dinner with no fuss, as if he knew his mother's intentions.

Then they had all settled in the living room, a fire in the hearth and various drinks in their hands. Feyre had drawn the furniture in a little closer together, forming a misshapen oval. If anyone had noticed, they hadn't said a thing.

"What game?" Nesta asked, suspiciously, squinting at her sister.

"Spin the bottle," Feyre crossed her arms and looked back at her sister in challenge. She was met with a few laughs throughout the room.

"Oh, we have spin the bottle here, too," Mor snorted, holding her stomach as she laughed.

"But no bottle," Lucien noted, hoping this may deter the shenanigans.

Mor only held up a finger, then grabbed her wine bottle and held it to her lips, downing it in a most unladylike fashion. She set it on the floor in the middle of their circle and slumped back in her chair, wiping the wine from her lip with one hand and pointing at Feyre with the other.

"High Lady goes first," Mor grinned.

"Everyone has to agree first," Rhys said, chuckling at his cousin's eagerness. "Though I'm not above using a High Lord's command. We all know how I enjoy giving Feyre what she wants."

He looked around the room, met with a chorus of reluctant and eager agreements. Cassian and Mor seemed to be the most enthusiastic, as was typical for most proposed games and festivities. Even Gwyn nodded, though she blushed bright pink and fidgeted in her chair. Azriel, though, said nothing. He sat back in his chair with his arms crossed, absolutely glowering at his brother.

"What's the matter, Az?" Rhysand grinned at this brother, "A bit out of practice?"

Feyre cringed, but Rhysand had struck the right cord. Something flashed in Azriel's eyes and he gritted out a "fine."

Amren, however, grabbed her wine glass and retreated to the bay window.

"I'm not playing," she scowled, curling up against a pile of plush pillows. There were a few sad sounds, but no one pushed her. Her Summer Court lover was not here, tonight, and she would have nothing to do with the rest of them. A High Lord's command only seemed to work on her about half the time anyways.

"Alright then," Feyre grinned and leaned down to spin the empty wine bottle, "let the game begin."

They all watched in silence as the bottle spun around and around, rattling against the floorboards, and slowed to a stop, pointing at Lucien.

Feyre and Lucien looked at each other, something akin to displeasure mirrored on their faces. This, of course, was noted with guffaws and cheers from their audience. Feyre did not look at Rhys, knowing exactly what he would say into her mind if she did. Her own words, mimicked back to her; 'It's a risk I'm willing to take.'

So Feyre swallowed her pride and met Lucien in the middle of the circle. Lucien wasted no time, bringing his hand to her cheek and meeting her lips to get it over with. Not much longer than a peck, there was no semblance of spark passed between them. At one point, human Feyre may have jumped at the chance to kiss him. But now that he was involved with her sister, all of that desire had died.

They pulled apart, looking at each other for a moment before both shrugged and returned to their seats. Cassian and Nesta cheered and Mor was laughing again. Rhys's eyes twinkled at her as she turned to sit back down, clearly amused. She snuck a quick glance at her sister and found Elain's face flushed, but her expression was unreadable.

"Your turn," she flashed Rhys a smug grin as she returned to her spot curled up beside him.

Rhysand sighed and spun the bottle. Feyre noted Gwyn's pale face and wondered if she would refuse to kiss the High Lord if it landed on her. To Gwyn's apparent relief, the bottle pointed at Cassian.

Cassian grinned, pulling his arm from around Nesta's shoulder to beckon him. Rhys swaggered across to Cassian with a matching smirk. He stood to the side of the loveseat so as not to block Feyre's view. Hands tangling in Cassian's hair, he leaned in and kissed him. It was certainly not as shy as Feyre and Lucien's had been, quite the opposite. Passionate and almost sloppy, deepening with every second they pulled each other closer. And Cassian's hand slid over Rhys's jaw with an ease and familiarity that made Feyre wonder how often this had happened in the past 500 years.

Very aware of the reactions that had spread throughout the room, they grinned after pulling away. Like the show-offs they were. Rhysand cleared his throat and straightened his shirt, and Cassian merely slid his arm back around his mate's shoulder, meeting her bewildered look with a smug smile.

Feyre wrinkled her nose as she noted the gleam in her sister's smouldering eyes that hinted at her arousal. Amren snorted at the scene from her corner. Feyre's eyebrows raised as her mate turned back toward her, and he flashed her a look that said I'll explain later.

"Gwyn," Rhys gestured to her as he took his seat, arm draping over Feyre's legs.

Gwyn paled again, but swallowed hard and spun the bottle, albeit a bit feebly. Feyre thought she saw the quickest of glances towards Azriel as she did so. Feyre eyed the shadowsinger from her peripheral. He was stoic as always, though one shadow near his ankle was trying to tug away from him, toward the priestess. As if he could barely keep it contained. Interesting.

Gwyn's spin landed on Nesta, and Mor gave a particularly loud cheer. Gwyn's giggling smile was infectious, her bubbling laughter pulling smiles from the whole group's faces, even Amren.

Nesta grinned back at her and crossed the circle before Gwyn could move. She grasped Gwyn's face in both hands and gave her a short but loving kiss, adding a peck to the tip of her nose and forehead. Feyre's heart warmed at the affection they held for each other, deepened by their experiences in the Blood Rite. Nesta's friends were the best thing to come out of her move to the house of wind, and Feyre took no credit for it. Nesta had done it all on her own. Emerie and Gwyn exchanged giggling looks and elbowed each other as Nesta sauntered away.

Emerie was next and she quickly sobered upon realizing. She reached for the bottle and spun, sighing as she waited for it to reveal her fate. The bottle stopped, pointing at Mor, and half the room held their breath.

Mor, slightly tipsy from finishing the bottle, smiled at Emerie with wine-red lips and went to meet her in the middle. It was the most nervous the other Valkyries had ever seen Emerie. She was notoriously unshakable. Her only weakness, apparently, was pretty blondes in low cut dresses.

Mor slid one hand into Emerie's curls and met her lips. It was shy to start, but quickly grew heated as they pulled each other closer, heads tilting to deepen the kiss. Mor grasped Emerie's waist as Emerie's own hand settled on Mor's neck, thumb sweeping across her jaw. Cassian whistled, but they didn't seem to hear it. As their kiss-turned-make-out began to go on just a bit too long, Mor's hand starting to reach below Emerie's waist, Rhysand cleared his throat loudly.

They jumped apart, breathing heavy, looking at each other with glazed eyes. Mor broke into a smile and Emerie laughed as they reluctantly let each other go. Gwyn's eyebrows waggled back and forth as Emerie returned to her seat. Rhys flashed Feyre a look, and in her mind asked is this what you were hoping for? She ignored him, tossing her hair over her shoulder. But she was smiling, too.

They all glanced at Nesta, who looked as if she had hoped no one would realize it was her turn. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, uncrossing her arms to reach for the bottle. Feyre knew better, of course. Her sister enjoyed this sort of game. She saw it as a challenge.

Feyre saw it in her eyes, that glimmer of determination as the bottle landed on Rhys. Rhys blinked, lifting his gaze to Nesta to see what she would do. She gave him a sly smile, the challenger showing through. So, Rhys gathered his own resolve and rose to meet her.

Feyre had gone through the game in her mind earlier that day, knowing who she hoped would be paired, and who she hoped would manage to stay away from each other. Somehow, she had not considered this possibility. Either her sister would devour her mate whole (and not in a good way), or the other way around and there would be no Nesta left at the end. This may not end well.

What Feyre had not expected, was for Rhysand to grab Nesta's face gently in his hands and press a soft, deep kiss to her mouth. But she knew right away why he had done it. Nesta was not expecting the tender, coaxing kiss that he gave her. She had expected him to fight, had grabbed the collar of his shirt in her fists in anticipation of something cruel and bruising.

So when his lips met hers so gently, dragging her into the depths of his night-kissed affection, she lost herself for a moment. Just a moment. The room was full of wide eyes and baited breaths as the pair pulled apart, waiting to see what the fallout would be.

Nesta stared at him through her lashes in a way that revealed the girl in her, slowly unravelling her fingers from the fabric of his shirt. Rhysand smiled back at her, real kindness in it as if to bring her back to herself gradually. It spread into a sly grin, and Nesta blushed, finally realizing that Rhys had won.

She tossed her head in response, not noticing the jealousy that took over her mate's face. Cassian was not very jealous as a general rule. But apparently Rhysand, who Cassian looked up to so much, was one of the few that posed a true threat in the warrior's mind.

"I suppose I can see it," She said, her voice a little unsteady as she waved a dismissive hand toward Feyre.

Of course, Rhysand was absolutely delighted with himself. This was a boost to his ego that he certainly had not needed. When the others were sure that a brawl had been avoided, they burst into howling laughter. Nesta was above it all, looking down her nose at the rabble with her arms crossed once again. Cassian tucked her closer into his side, eyes ablaze.

Then he realized that it was his turn, and he could seize the opportunity to make Nesta jealous in turn. He all but jumped to give the bottle a spin.

The bottle, ironically, pointed to Nesta. Feyre, who had felt Rhys power flicker, looked up at him. He gave her the tiniest of smiles back.

The group let out a collective groan, having been subjected to the couple's displays countless times. Gwyn raised her hand in a preemptive measure, shielding herself from any obscene thing about to happen.

Nesta gave him a warning look, but Cassian did not hesitate to pounce on her, wrapping his arms around Nesta and devouring her with the same fervor he applied to battle. For all Nesta's airs of irritation and impatience, she smiled against his lips as she kissed him back. When they pulled apart, unprompted for once, she was flushed and beaming. No one could hold a candle to her warrior, after all. All of Cassian's jealousy seemed to have washed away.

Next in rotation was Mor, who grinned and stretched her arms above her head, as if to prepare. She spun the bottle with a flick of her wrist, eyes never moving as it whirled around.

And landed on Azriel.

Her eyes snapped up to his, hints of anxiety on both of their features. And of course, the anxiety of the group rippled back toward them, nearly palpable. It annoyed Azriel as hit him like a wave. Like they all thought he would fall apart the second she touched him. Mor looked at him like she was contemplating whether to turn him down. But she saw the twitch of his jaw and understood.

Mor stood and made her way to him, dropping down on his lap as he looked up at her. His hand wrapped around her waist as if on instinct, as if he had thought about what to do in this moment countless times. As usual, his shadows hurried away to hide from Mor's glowing aura. Inside, Azriel was bracing to laugh it off as the others had. Make it a joke, something lighthearted.

But the way she looked at him, eyes glimmering as if she were holding back tears, stirred the deep well of emotions in his chest. She threaded her fingers through his curls, brushing her thumb over his temple as she kissed him. Tenderly, he pulled her in tighter. But there was no longing in their kiss, as the others may have expected. There was an undertone of sadness.

Mor pulled away, resting her forehead against his as her hand slid down to hold his face. Then they locked eyes, something invisible passing between them as they held each other. Feyre blushed a little, feeling like she was peering in on something she shouldn't be. It seemed to be a shared sentiment, everyone but shamless Amren averting their gaze. Feyre did notice that Elain had been looking anywhere else since the moment Mor had stood up. And Gwyn looked as though she was holding her breath. Nothing like jealousy or animosity anywhere on her face, she was only waiting to see what would happen.

When Mor finally untangled herself from him and Feyre could read his face, she found...gratitude? Then she understood, something twisting in her heart at the bittersweetness of it. Mor had been saying goodbye. To whatever had been growing and wilting between them in a perpetual cycle for centuries now. She felt her mate squeeze her hand and she looked at him to see the gleam of a single tear at the corner of his eye.

The tension lifted as Mor returned to her chair and they all realized Elain was next. Elain was sometimes a wild card to Feyre, who had not known if Elain would love or hate this game. But she hadn't turned it down, despite her apparent discomfort when Azriel had chosen the chair next to hers before the game had been proposed.

But right now, Elain had a bit of mischief hiding behind her smile. She gave the bottle a spin and sat back, waiting.

The room was in uproar when it came to a stop on Cassian.

"Did he put a magnet in that thing or something?" Lucien muttered, earning another wave of laughter.

But Elain took the challenge. And it was not the shadowsinger she looked at before making her way to Cassian, nor her mate who was expertly masking any emotion he felt. It was Nesta she glanced at, something haughty in it that insinuated revenge.

Cassian did not have time to react before Elain grabbed the collar of his shirt and hauled him toward her. Her usual temperament was nowhere to be seen, some sly vixen replacing the proper lady. Elain kissed him hard, so hard it pushed him backwards, her lips working against his feverishly. Cassian tried to meet her pace but she had taken him off guard.

She finished her display by pulling his bottom lip between her teeth and releasing his shirt to let him slump back on the couch. Nesta looked at her sister incredulously, too surprised to show any anger. Whatever it was that existed between Elain and Nesta had been leveled, that was certain. Nesta saw her sisters demand for what it was. Don't underestimate me again.

Cassian was still silent with bewilderment, his eyes a little glazed over. Her kiss may have held a message for Nesta, but Elain also reveled in the chance to shake Cassian up a little bit. Rhys broke the stunned silence, howling in laughter at his brother's surprise. It was not very often that Cassian was bested in such a way. He had not expected anything like it from demure Elain. Especially not in front of her mate and the shadowsinger. Which Rhys figured was likely why she'd agreed to play the game in the first place.

Feyre whipped her head toward them, remembering that they existed. Azriel showed nothing, but Feyre figured he may still be sorting through anything that Mor's gesture had brought up inside him. But Lucien...Lucien kept his expression neutral but she could tell he was positively boiling under the surface.  She could sense the power coursing through his blood as he tried to keep it in check. Cassian was too distracted to consider Lucien, the typically cordial redhead currently plotting his violent demise.

"Spy master," Rhysand said, easing the attention away from Elain and her mate, "your turn."

Azriel sighed, but did as he was told. He seemed as eager to get this over with as Lucien had been. The room stilled for a moment as the bottle landed between Lucien and Feyre's chairs, pointing straight at Amren on the window seat, half-asleep with an empty wine glass in hand. She realized they all stared at her and shook herself awake.

"I'm not playing," She snapped, curling into herself further.

"Come on, Amren," Rhys goaded. Someone began a chant of her name and soon they were all cheering and coaxing.

Azriel stood in the center, grinning at her, holding out a hand. Perhaps he should have been scared, but there was not anyone else he particularly wanted to kiss. Certainly not during a game in front of a jeering audience. This, at least, could be entertaining.

Amren flipped them off, but set her wineglass on the floor and stepped inside the circle of chairs and sofas. As soon as she was within distance, Azriel snatched her around the waist and dipped her low, pressing his lips to hers in an admittedly very romantic and passionate kiss. It lingered for the perfect amount of time. Long enough for her to process the gesture but not long enough to elicit a punishment from her. He pulled her upright again and let her go, grinning in anticipation of her response.

"Very well, shadowsinger," Amren sniffed and smoothed her dress.

The cheers, laughter, and whistling erupted again, the loudest of the night. Spin the bottle was not typically a game with a winner, but somehow Azriel had bested them all. Despite the dramatic displays of Rhysand and Elain, the spark between Mor and Emerie, the emotion of Mor's goodbye, Azriel had undoubtedly received the highest praise of anyone. Not only had Amren refrained from ripping him to shreds, but gave him a near-compliment and looked a bit dizzy. Of course, that would be going straight to Azriel's head.

Feyre peeked at Gwyn once more. She and Emerie were laughing heartily, but Gwyn's face was flushed, eyes glittering in such a way that the matchmaker wondered if Gwyn would be picturing herself in Amren's place.

There was one more turn to anticipate, tonight. Though everyone knew, including Lucien, that nothing would top Azriel's turn. Azriel wooing Amren would go down in history, now a part of the lore of the inner circle.

Lucien gave the bottle it's last spin, looking a little tired as he waited for it to stop. And then-

"No, absolutely not." Lucien held up his hand as the bottle pointed toward Cassian. Mor was doubled over with laughter and Nesta had to wipe tears from her eyes. Cassian tried to look offended, but was not even effectively holding back his own giggles.

"Game over," Lucien declared as he caught Elain stifling a laugh. He picked up the bottle and tossed it in the trash. The raucous laughter continued, Gwyn and Emerie clutching each other for support. Even Azriel laughed with the rest of them, the tips of his ears turning pink with mirth.

Feyre, quite pleased with herself and the results of her plan, did not argue Lucien. Several courses had been set as a result of her meddling. And she was already planning the next step.

[lovemyromance]

I find it weird how people will call azriel such things and on how the way he acts and still ship him with GWYN. like what???

It's all performative. If they *really* thought Azriel was an incel, fuckboi, disgusting player as they claim, they would never ship him with their favorite character. It's just common sense.

But, if they want their crackship to have any claim to canon, then they have to bring up the bonus chapter. Since it's the only scene on paper we have with Azriel & Gwyn interacting alone (not just referred to). Personally, I don't believe anything about that interaction was romantic in the slightest, but Gwynriels are happy to mistake friendly banter and sparky sparky glow glow as unfailing proof that they're mates. Whatever floats their boat.

However, they know if they want to make everyone use the bonus chapter in ACOSF as proof of their ship, they have to find a way to explain that pesky Elriel sexual-tension moment that exists in the first half of the chapter.

There are 2 reasons why characters might have a romantic/physical/mildly sexual encounter:

1. Because they have feelings for each other and are mutually attracted to each other

2. One of them at least, just wants to get laid

Since Gwynriels hold the belief that Azriel & Gwyn are mates, then obviously it won't do to have Azriel in love with and attracted to Elain. So they started this narrative of

"azriel is a fuckboy who only lusts after Elain he is disgusting and foul and gross for having sexual thoughts about a woman he absolutely shouldn't love."

They are happy to keep echoing this toxic idea through all platforms online, even if it's not true, even if they themselves don't believe that - all because they know Gwynriel cannot happen unless they find a way to nullify Azriel's yearning for Elain in the bonus chapter.

In short, they need that BC to have a ship, but they cant accept everything in it otherwise they know it will only make the Elriel evidence stronger.

So they sit behind their computers and trash this poor respectful character because he doesn't have those "filthy gross thoughts" about the character they DO like. Boohoo. So sad.

But don't you worry! Once Azriel realizes he is only lusting after Elain, he will immediately shove her away and become the MOST respectful and kind batboy again with lil Gwyn.

Somehow.

After they both "heal".

Sure. Yeah that sounds right.

[acourtofthought]

This is a weird question but do you really genuinely believe there's no possibility of an elriel book? And if sjm writes them well you'll enjoy reading it ? I don't ship gwynriel or Elriel. Gorgeous Elucien fan arts are what brought me into this fandom and I started the series solely to read their love story. But with all the elriel "confirmations" I can't help but think that elriel is a possibility so I'm trying to mentally prepare myself.

You are so right, there is nothing quite like Elucien fanart in this ACOTAR world and if E/riel were to happen then we lose the beautiful aesthetic of Elucien and gain, once again, another golden-brown haired femaled (often pictured with the dagger she returned without looking back) with a batboy who has Illyrian tattoos.

Would I still read an E/riel book? I would because I really do like Elain's character and I'd like to read her journey regardless of things not turning out the way I had hoped but I'd be devastated over the lost potential of Elucien. SJM has gone out of her way to show us how complimentary they would be together, how Lucien is the only male love interest who has treated her with respect so far, she even painted the picture in our heads of where they'd go on vacation (back before she thought she'd be writing the spin-offs and was more open with what their journey entailed), so it would be difficult to act like those things never mattered.

I never like to say something with absolute conviction as I feel it's inviting karma to say, "well let me just show you how many ways you can be wrong" (😂) but I do feel very strongly that E/riel is not happening. For me the debate is "will Elucien or Gwynriel get the next book" with me leaning in favor of Elucien and E/riel as a possibility makes up a very small percentage of my thoughts.

People are going crazy over her recent interviews. That a journalist writing "Elain and Az" in her article has E/riels claiming that it's SJMs version of a soft launch getting us used to the idea of E/riel. Or even some Gwynriels claiming that because she said she wanted to explore Az more in the future, he's definitely getting the next book though to me it seems she's talking about a later book because she was already drafting the next ACOTAR in September (so wouldn't she have already explored his character?).

But what seems to be her pattern is whenever she has a potential love triangle (ish) situation, she goes quiet.

In TOG, she waited to release an Aelin / Rowan Bonus until after a specific book because she felt the bonus would be too obvious a hint about them ending up together as mates and some still held out hope for Chaol / Celaena and believed Rowan lost his mate.

We have the interview below that shows she kept the possibility of Feysand a secret until after the release of ACOMAF.

She also talks about the things she put in book 3 that she was looking forward to seeing her readers excited over because, once again, it was only her, her editor and a couple of critique partners who knew "all these secrets".

She was giddy to talk about the end of CC2 because it was a secret she had kept for a very long time and told no one about.

So knowing that she does like her secrets, shouldn't the fact that Elain and / or Az are being mentioned in interviews be something that makes others nervous considering Lucien's name is almost never mentioned?

It could just as easily means he's not her focus right now but could it not also mean that she's trying to draw focus away from him so the next book being announced is a surprise?

E/riels and some Gwynriels will claim Lucien is irrelevant, that SF was centered around either E/riel or Az but Tamlin was mentioned in ACOTAR 731 times with Rhys mentioned 232 times yet Feyre ended up with Rhys in the next book. Chaol wasn't even in Empire of Storms yet he got the book after and ended up with Yrene who had never been mentioned by name prior to that.

All this talk about buildup, relevancy to the book that preceeded the new release because of name mentions or how often SJM speaks about someone in interviews as proof of something but those arguments are flimsy because we've seen her do this type of stuff before and she still turned around and surprised the reader.

The Elucien bond was introduced in book 2 and it is not just Elain's bond, it's Lucien's too especially when for him, it's been an even bigger deal because his first love was killed and he spent centuries believing she was his mate. That's an enormously angst-y setup which is the exact sort of a thing an author would want to explore versus the one where Az can't admit to being over Mor while lusting after Elain but not envisioning a future with her while also being jealous of Lucien who has only helped them and somehow turning that into a believable romance.

SJM did not create Lucien in the likeness of Jamie Fraser who she was obsessed with, mate him to Elain who she said shares her energy, only to have them never explore their mating bond which is the most sacred thing to the fae and as of SF, we see that Elain is beginning to embrace some of her fae self.

Elain fighting her pull to Lucien by ignoring him is no different than Nesta fighting her pull to Cassian by pushing him away in the novella but it's clear their story is still waiting to be told.

I find it difficult to believe that SJM had Lucien chased out of his home in book 3, finding a group of friends in the human lands in the novella while the reader knows he's heir to Day and have been waiting for that big reveal, only to then have him showing frustration with his living situation in SF but plans on having him remain in the human lands and the defunct Spring Court for yet another book (which they need as a strong ally) while Az gets his HEA with Elain.

Where Elain and Az spend the next book building up the "Dusk Court" (because that's still a thing going around) when the "Dusk Court" had nothing to do Spring, Tamlin, Koschei, Vassa or Beron as we left off in SF.

Everyone keeps claiming Az and / or Elain are needed to move the plot forward but honestly, Lucien is the one needed to truly move the plot forward and Elain by his side makes the most sense because they as a team have the powers and the connections to make something happen.

Elain is the only one who had visions of the box Koschei hides. She is the one who had visions of Vassa and the other girls trapped at the lake.

Lucien is the only one with real ties (and not just "I spy on you to gather information" ties) to Beron, Spring, the humans (which involves the treaty) and even Koschei considering he was at the lake when Papa Archeron negotiated with him and he is living with the female Koschei is now preparing to call back. He is the "son" of the man with his sights set on the lands of Spring. He is the one who is friends with Tamlin and performed in the Rite last and the NC needs Spring as an ally as well as their army. He is the one who is friends with the humans who are leading an ungoverned land and it is the human lands that Vallahan has their sights set on. "The Queen of Vallahan even asked me what the point of a peace treaty would be when another war, this time against the humans, might redraw the territory lines far below the wall."

Az and Elain would keep the plot in the Night Court outside of him possibly spying elsewhere and didn't we already see him doing that in SF? With Eris also providing them Intel? What is more spying going to do when we already know what Koschei and Berons goals are and the goal is to now stop them.

To me, the only person that is currently in a position to make a real difference at this point is Lucien and the love interest that makes the most sense to help him do these things is Elain.

Lucien has been made an underdog by the IC and I think the fandom has adopted that mentality (they've done the same with Elain).

And it makes me wonder if they are not about to be the best kept secret of all if SJM announces an Elucien book as the next one.

[elainsgirl]

To be honest, coming from an outsider that was never part of the fandom, I always thought Elain and Azriel would end up together, since the first time they met I had that feeling. Their interactions, as short as they were, are my favorites. To my surprise, most people do not like them together and prefer Gwyn, which I do not remember any interactions in which Azriel and Gywn led to believe to something else.

Azriel does not need Gwyn to “take him out of his shell” as people says, he is quiet and reserved and there’s nothing wrong with that, you can be an introvert and still have friends and an active life, I don’t understand why they want to change his character.

For me, Gwyn was only introduced for Nesta’s character development, such as Feyre has Mor and Amren, Elain has Nuala and Cerridwen, Nesta has Gwyn and Emerie, I don’t see Gwyn providing nothing else plot wise.

People hate Elain and I have no idea why, to me, she’s the most interesting character and the one who has shown quite growth without her own book, from being terrified to actively ending the war by killing Hybern. There’s so much that we haven’t seen, she’s a seer and the Cauldron’s favorite, who knows what other powers were given to her?

Also I do not understand why people want Elain with Tamlin? The one who abused her sister? The one who is very unstable and was part of the reason she was turned into Fae? They just want Elain to suffer, simple as that.

Elriel would be a perfect couple, both quiet, understand each other, I don’t see Azriel with a warrior mate, he seems the type who appreciates softness, warmth, which Elain is.

Hey anon 🫶

When I first read the dinner scene in acomaf between the batboys and sisters - it became clear Sjm was pairing up each sister with a brother. Azriel and Elain in that scene, were just so natural. Their interaction didn’t feel forced or awkward. Sjm wrote it in a way where it was clear they matched and suited each other. Then acowar came along and sjm started killing the idea of elucien being endgame by writing so many beautiful and positive scenes between elriel. Then, to close the nail on the coffin, acofas showed us how Elain and Az seemingly gravitated towards each other whilst elucien still felt unnatural. Like putting two completely different people together. They had no natural chemistry like elriel.

I genuinely read acosf and nothing about Gwyn. interacting with Az stood out. I knew Gwyn had powers that Mass was hinting at but thats it. So when I learnt of gwynriel I thought it was a cult at first? Like some sort of inside joke within booktok. Had no idea it was a full blown ship. Upon realisation, I thought people shipped them in a crackship, “hey this could be a fun couple” kind of way not in a “this ship is actually going to happen” kind of way. As someone who was part of the 2021 gwynriel era, that whole ship started because people were desperate for elriel to not be endgame due to how much they hated Elain. Enter single woman who glances at Az and BOOM, you have gwynriel. An “alternative” option to elriel.

People hate elriel bcs 1) they find Elain boring, weak, uninteresting, useless etc. Antis never paid much attention to the elriel interactions & loved Az so much that they wanted him with someone more interesting aka Gwyn. 2) Poor baby lulu has been through hell and back. He deserves happiness which can only happen if elain accepts the bond. There is no other way for him to be happy. At all.

I hate this whole narrative that Lucien/Gwyn will be the ones to bring Elain/Az out of their shells. Its just so stupid and toxic to push this idea that everyone has to be an extrovert for them to be interesting. You’re right, Az doesn’t need Gwyn to push him out of his shell. He needs someone that will accept him for who he is. He is quite literally surronded by two extroverts - Mor and Cass. You don’t think they’ve tried to “bring him out of his shell” for the past 500 years? Az needs someone he can enjoy peace and quiet with. Someone who he can sit in silence and enjoy it without having to fill it up with chatter. Someone who accepts him and doesn’t show fear. Someone who protects him and shows concern - and that is Elain whose done these things in canon.

Gwyn was there as a supporting role for Nesta. She was Nesta’s friend. If she was meant to be anything more then that -> she would’ve been introduced earlier. Sjm wouldn’t introduce someone so important and a mate to one of the main characters so late in the series.

Elains just hated and 85% of it is rooted in misogyny. She IS interesting, there’s more then meets the eye. Her connection to the cauldron and the gift it bestowed on her will be so fascinating to read about. Her gift of sight is mysterious beyond words. And YES she had so much growth. From not doing anything in acotar to taking accountability for failing Feyre and helping her out in acomaf. Despite her sadness and depression she still contributed so much in acowar. She was brave for kicking the hounds of Az and saving Briar. Then for choosing to create life and beauty after such destruction and death due to the war. She is a beautiful character who Sjm has been teasing about forever. I literally cannot wait to finally be able to read about Elain.

People just want her with Tamlin as a suprise factor bcs they’re bored of the series. That and they don’t see her capabale of doing anything due to how soft & feminine she is so why not just push her to the side to make Tamlin happy and give him the perfect “obedient” wife. Eluciens do the same in a less obvious way.

Elriel will be beautiful. Two people drawn together. They will bring a unique story to the table, their dynamic is so mature and understanding of each other. They’re easily going to be on of Sjms best couples and I cannot wait for them to change so many people’s minds.

[disillusioneddanny]

20 Qs for Fic Writers

Thanks @oliveofvanders for tagging me!!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

I have 74 as of right now <3333

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

for all time? 1,051,786

for 2023? 851,920

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Primarily DPxDC but i used to write a bunch of others

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Ah, Sunflower -- a demon siblings fic where Danny is Damian's older brother and fakes his life to save Damian

Holding Me Now in Hand -- Dick/Danny identity shenanigans. deminsion hopping. Danny is a chemistry teacher.

Cat's Cradle Danny/Damian fic where Danny is adopted by Selina Kyle and Damian realizes he's just as weak for cat theives as his father.

Mesmeric Revelation Tim/Danny identity shenanigans where they are searching for one another but can't find each other.

my boy, my son Danny decides to turn himself into a toddler to get the childhood he never got. Damian Wayne is surprisingly a very good dad.

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to but i usually don't have the spoons

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Match into Water read and find out why ;)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

ooof a lot of mine have happy endings probably Of All the Things My Hands Have Held 

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yeah, some people don't really like DPxDC and like to make it known by commenting on the fics. But honestly all I do is make fun of them for taking time out of their day to hate on something that has no impact on their life whatsover

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do! I usually write mlm or wlw tbh

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Just my DpxDC fics :)))

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yep! I used to write RPF and someone stole all of my fics and then reported my wattpad. my account got deleted and someone else decided to post my fics online for others to read without my permission and I have suspicions it was the same person.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

When I wrote RPF I did all the time!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Either Tim/Danny or Bruce/Danny but also I just really love Batboys/Danny tbh

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Fine Line, i hate the fic now and it will likely never get finished

16. What are your writing strengths?

tbh I hate my writing and think my fics are pretty subpar lol

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I can't write fight scenes to save my life

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I wrote RPF bandfic lol

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Probably You'll Find A Rainbow. it's a Damian/Danny fic where Danny is the son of Harley Quinn and Joker and it's a deep dive on mental health and learning to love yourself.

I'm going to tag: @summerssixecho @die-erlkonigin6083 and @noir-renard

[youcalledsworld]

Danny shipping in DC crossover

I have always been a sucker for a good Danny romance fic with characters from other mediums. Especially with DC characters as I feel they have rich characters and settings that just feel natural for Danny Phantom to interact with.

In saying that I feel that with shipping in these crossovers they have become limited and kind of stale. I love shipping Danny with one of the batboys but there are just too many fanfiction with him dating or developing a crush with Damian Wayne, Tim Drake and Jason Todd. Not only that but some of the reasons they like each other have become a bit over played. Tim likes Danny because caffeine addiction, Danny quiets the pits for Jason or Damian likes Danny because he's feral or Cujo.

While I do enjoy those ships it is just that there are so many of them. There are so many other characters in just the Batman medium that we can ship Danny or any other DP characters with.

Not saying there are no other fanfiction that have Danny dating other Batman characters. I remember one or two where Danny dates Barabar Gordon, Cassandra Cain, Bruce Wayne or even Duke Thomas (I believe I saw one fanfiction where Duke and Danny get together, I just need to find it) and I want more of those.

I mean how does these ships sound:

Danny x Harley Quinn,

Jazz x Harley Quinn,

Sam x Poison Ivy,

Tucker x Barbara,

Danny x Selina,

Danny x Talia,

Danny x Jace Fox,

Sam x Damian,

Sam x Tim,

Sam x Jason,

Sam x Dick

Dani x Damian (I think there is some fanfiction of this ship),

Tucker x Tim,

Sam x Bruce,

Jazz x Bruce,

Jack x Selina,

Jack x Talia,

Maddie x Bruce,

Maddie x Selina,

Maddie x Talia,

Danny x Stephanie Brown.

There are so many other ways to ship DP x DC characters and not just within the Batfamily. I mean come on why aren't ships like these more popular?

Danny x Martian Manhunter,

Danny x Miss Martian,

Danny x Superman,

Dani x Superboy (either Kon or Jon),

Tucker x Cyborg,

Jazz x Black Canary,

Sam x Green Arrow,

Sam x Wonder Woman,

Danny x Wonder Woman,

Sam x Zatanna,

Tucker x Zatanna,

Danny x Lois Lane.

Danny x Barry

Danny x Wally

Danny x Artemis

Seriously with all the rich and vibrant characters from DC we mainly get Danny x Batboys?

While I do enjoy Danny x Batboys dynamic, I just want more variety.