#and less bc contract…

[charmac]

HOLY SHIT JEALOUS DENNIS CHARMAC??? i was afraid to ask about dennis' feelings on the charmac dynamic re: swgds but thats. yes. i am so excited for that.

:) C’mon, didn’t Mac agree he wasn’t gonna sleep with anyone else? And here he is crawling into a bed he shares with another man every night…Sleeping, with someone else. Hm. Good thing Dennis isn’t aware, because when if he knew, well…and once he’s down even worse… if he knew … whew..!

[necrotic-nephilim]

Before reading the comics, thanks to sladixk fics, i genuinely thought that dick always lost to slade, now I know that most times when he's and adult he beats slade no problem but it got me wondering how you feel about this canon-fanon difference

OHH this is a good question!!

i think sometimes fanon makes Slade a little... too badass. i think something some fanon fans don't understand about Slade in the 80s/90s is that he was like... kind of a loser? like don't get me wrong he was a main villain of the Titans for a while and he was certainly meant to be a formidable villain but this reputation he has in fanon almost supersedes him. (for example with specific plots: the fandom interpretation of the Judas Contract is Slade as the mastermind, but the writers have said that Terra was supposed to be the big villain manipulating everything. which is a ridiculous thing to put on a teenage girl getting groomed but, it does depict the intention of who was supposed to be "at fault" in that story) and don't get me wrong, i definitely love playing up the reputation and aura Slade has, but he really is a general contract killer on the level of like, Deadshot. personally, i wouldn't even put him on Lady Shiva's level, i think she far outranks him.

and to be fair to some fanon, recent comics have... tried to badass-ify Slade. some of his more recent Deathstroke runs are really trying to put him as this guy with legions of men underneath him who's this *deadly* killer who can take on Batman and Superman and all the like. and i just find that... boring? like, do i enjoy him being a smarter-than-average villain with a lot of connections? yes. but i don't think anything in his backstory really lends him to being as formidable as he appears in some fanfiction that puts him on this untouchable level. i would personally go as far to say i think *most* of the Batfamily could beat him in a fight under the right circumstances. bc Slade really is just Some Guy who got a serum from the military and went AWOL. (there's certainly more to his backstory than that, but at a glance, he's really not a trained fighter from birth like other characters are) and whilst i do enjoy Slade being formidable i have to admit, it was sort of fun when he was a loser? and i've gotten a kick out of certain comics that point out he's only a terrifying villain when he's up against teenagers. (Ghost-Maker calling him out on that is one of the funniest things, to me) like could Slade give Batman a serious fight? sure, but i don't see him ever winning unless you *really* nerf Bruce. and i really don't see him ever winning against most of the Batkids once they've got some years under their belt. Slade's scare factor was always tapered by who he was against, and he was a *Teen Titans* villain. so he's a little ridiculous and sometimes just sort of a weird loser. and i say that affectionately.

furthermore, on the flipside, i think... sometimes, we woobify Dick a bit too much to my tastes. or, really any Robin who gets shipped with Slade but of course Dick is the standout in popularity and i find it's more prominent with him. it's really a general slash problem, in which one man must be the Strong Top and then other must be the Weak Bottom. and that manifests in Slade being physically larger than Dick (which in canon, ehhh i think the size difference would be largely negligible) and him being able to beat Dick. bc it makes for more fanfic scenarios where you can put Dick at Slade's mercy for porn, for angst, for whatever you'd like. Slade is a good pick if you want to really put Dick on the weaker side, bc you can play with healing factors and strength enhancements. so on a physical level, Slade will be stronger than Dick. does that mean Slade can beat Dick in a fight? historically, no. i mean, Slade trusted Dick to train his own daughter in the Renegade storyline, so i think this is a fact even Slade is aware of.

i don't think it's a bad thing fanfiction likes its big top/small bottom tropes. if you want to make Dick a submissive, pliant bottom who is going to lose in a fight to Slade for your dead dove porn, get it. i've probably written or will write the same. it's appealing and it's a very common trope for Dick. but it becoming the fandom norm does sort of nerf Dick, occasionally. i think some fans don't fully comprehend the actual level Dick is on, where he's very close to being an equal to Bruce, if not already Bruce's equal. in fandom Dick is sort of trapped in this "post-adolescence but not full adulthood" state that does not acknowledge he has been an adult running superhero teams for years. he was filling in for Bruce in the Batman mantle all the way back in the 90s. he can defeat villains like Slade, and usually without a lot of difficulty. to me the only time you can realistically make Dick lose and it be "in character" is either 1, to have Dick *very* early on in his Robin years (i think if he's past 16, he can beat Slade) or 2, very deeply wound Dick/have him in a psychologically altered state via drugs or something. otherwise yeah, i think Dick wins 99% of the time.

but fanfiction is fanfiction, and it doesn't *have* to be canon. esp if Dick losing to Slade is just a sexy prerequisite to porn. do i wish more fanon explored Slade as kind of a loser? absolutely. do i think Slade is *too* cool in most fanon? also absolutely. but those are my tastes and i don't begrudge anyone who just wants a strong, mean man to whump the shit out of their blorbos, which usually, is the purpose of Slade. i find most fanfic with Slade tends not to be exploring Slade's character. they're simply using him as an easy stand-in for a metahuman who's morally grey and very mean but has a nuanced history with Dick, or whoever else. which, very valid. not all fanfic needs to be a character study, but i do think it'd be cool to see more Slade-centric fics that *do* want to be character studies.

[mabaris]

maybe i’m stupid but why would lucanis poison a guy, draw attention to himself and point out that the guy was poisoned, lure the guy away with the promise of an antidote, actually cure him, and THEN stab him

girl, you could have just poisoned his wine and slipped out the back door, and literally no one would know. i thought you were supposed to be The Best at this

[sophism]

who wants to give me some career advice on this wednesday afternoon when i should be working my real job.....

[joutsummer]

.

[firebirdsdaughter]

I'm not…

… Gonna tag this as the show, just my personal show tag, bc (apparently???) it's a wide spread take and I'm in no mood to be kicking any hornet nests, and it's probably based on personal experiences, but…

This 'Neal isn't Peter and El's son he's June's' take? Just completely bewilders me.

Now, as mentioned, I assume this is based on personal experiences, bc for me, June in no way acts as a mother to Neal. To me, he is one billion percent Peter and El's adopted son—they love and support him and think he's brilliant and are proud of him, but also try to challenge him and want better for him. They have expectations and all the complications and love that come w/ them. They try to help guide him and teach him things.

But June? June is Wine Grandma. And it is Wine Grandma's gods given right to spoil her grandchild as much as she damn well pleases. I never see a mother in June, at least, not what I consider a mother figure to be. She doesn't try to teach or raise or guide Neal. That's not that she never gives advice, grandma's give plenty of advice, but she's not trying to help him Be Better, that's not grandma's job. June is the Wine Grandma that will sit and play games w/ your friends, she's smart as a whip and quick as one, too. She's wealthy and cultured and she dotes on her darling boy however she wants and the parents can't stop her. Wine Grandma gives hundred dollar bills as pocket money, lets her grandchild eat and wear whatever they want. No expectations.

And both those familial aspects are just as important. This is not to in anyway diminish June and Neal's relationship, bc it's still familial to me and it's still a part of what shapes him. He loves her and looks after her and he reminds her of Byron (I've seen that cited as why she's a mom and I just… Again, for me, that whole thing was framed in a much more 'grandparent' fashion, like when something skips a generation). She pulls out pictures and tells stories of a time long gone and he listens and is interested. At most, she's Wine Aunt, but I prefer Wine Grandma (and he's the only grandchild).

That, to me, is the beauty of WC, is that they form this whole family network. Neal lost his parents at a young age and there's no mention of grandparents, or aunts and uncles beyond Ellen. But now he has something like that, he has a network, he has multiple people who love him just as much in different ways and fulfil different, equally important roles. And that's why it's such an interesting study.

[guinevereslancelot]

not to be ungrateful but i don't get paid enough at my job lol

[3416]

like... what do you even mean you absolute BUFFOON

[oidheadh-con-culainn]

i just booked to view two flats (to buy) (i'm probably not going to buy them) (i would only be co-buying them even if i did bc i can't afford a mortgage) (they're in a good location though it would be way nearer to useful things even if there's still no bus) and they asked me no questions beyond contact details when i called them about a viewing. is that normal. shouldn't they have tried to check i'm serious. i had all my answers prepared re: the finances and they didn't care

[rukafais]

drizzt books are good because my only major complaint with them is that the bigger the cast got, the more page space the author should have been given

"but drizzt has such a huge secondary cast the books would be like 900 pages" and i'd read every single page

[quackity1999]

Hey, newspaper anon here. I'm kinda shock that c!Quackity during the Manberg dictatorship is require to kiss c!Schlatt ring to remind him on swearing loyalty to Manberg and c!Schlatt regime only. Like what the fuck?! What is the papal states during the medieval area?! This is insanity at it's finest.

[ OOC: MWAHAHAH i think its more of a powerplay on schlatt's behalf. i mean schlatt was a proud dictator and pretty much wrought away majority of q's power as vice, how else is he gunna remind him of that on a regular basis? ]

[zestials]

general ramblings about zee & how he operates.

while zestial has some level of fucky - wucky morals , they heavily rely on the kind of respect that was so deeply embedded into him in his time alive. ( albeit without the blatant misogyny of the time period , zestial drinks respect women juice. ) meaning , he doesn't give all that much of a shit what sins have been committed but how one acts towards him ( or by extension , those he cares heavily for / his domain or souls under his protection ) he doesn't even particularly care if you don't like him , but if you can show him respect you'll usually get the same in return --- ** if you are on his level or higher.

he doesn't work without reason , but zestial's still a demon overlord , he makes deals , he's been collecting souls for centuries. he's charismatic & polite , you want to tell him things ! ( that is , if you get past the looming unknown threat of his general presence !!! )

but if you aren't of use for him / don't interest him ( or aren't associated in some way with someone who does , i.e. he wouldn't go randomly targeting those at the hotel since their associations with the morningstar family / alastor , etc. ) or you cross him , he has no problem decimating you for his own entertainment. on the flip side , if you stay out of his way & don't poke & prod him , you're usually fine. he has ensured however that his reputation stays a bit more ambiguous to keep the fear he's instilled very much alive. ( if he has to make the occasional spectacle , oh well ! he does love his theatrics & can be undeniably petty / also hold a grudge for a long , long time. )

so in this vein , while zestial doesn't particularly like the vees , it's moreso about their general attitude / actions he deems " tasteless " so publicly. but also the reason he'll gravitate more towards dealing with vox rather than vel or val for the more respectful showmanship , doesn't matter if it's sincere or not.

[du-hjarta-skulblaka]

I have had a VERY busy week (positive but very very socially draining) and I am ABOUT to have a few days of work and then ANOTHER very busy week (work, 2 different appointments and a job interview) and I just wanna take a moment and remind myself that I may take longer to do things than average but im still DOING them and it's. Okay to still feel tired several days after making a phonecall

[ariminiria]

AU where instead of Desi, Jack manages to get Cage to come back to fill in for him

[bhaalsdeepbat]

Decided my Wyll/Karlach/Tav ot3. Two Warlocks sandwiching their barbarian.