#i even have one from Slade's pov

[anawrites3]

For @poiverine 🥰 I know I'm a little late but I'm still thinking about shameless Slade you drew for this au and well... this just happened 🤗💕

Sladick royal au;

part 6, inspired by polv's amazing art;

You are not to display your feelings for each other with anyone around you. You are to stay close to your spouse throughout any social event but not to touch their bare hand, in matters different than greeting each other or dancing. Physical contact is intimate and other people must not have any insight on it. Any form of displaying your affections publicly is scandalous and humiliating for both sides.

Those were the rules. Dick knew all of them by heart, taught by Gotham's best tutors since the moment he came to live with Bruce – he spent years and years learning everything he could, to be a proper prince and not shame Bruce in any way by doing something stupid out of unawareness. And those, those particular rules were the most important, as not following them would shame his name so greatly that if it ever happened, Dick wouldn't be able to look anyone in the eye for the rest of his life. Not to even mention the disgrace it would bring Bruce.

Children are allowed any physical touch they need. Holding their hand, hugging, kissing their cheeks and forehead is allowed even with other people around you. You are allowed to display your feelings towards the members of your family in public, such as holding their bare hand and even hugging them briefly. Any possible suitor and later a spouse does not have those privileges towards you. Any possible intimate contact between you and your spouse is to happen when you are alone, in the privacy of your chambers.

No matter what Dick knew earlier, no matter what his parents taught him, those were the rules Dick must follow now, regardless of anything else. It was confusing and weird at first, to change his whole worldview so abruptly like that but it didn't take Dick long to learn and understand. Besides, learning that you can't display your affections openly was barely anything huge, compared with what Dick had to go through when his parents were killed.

Bruce helped him understand the rules. Helped him with everything and anything, really. With Bruce’s aid, Dick was able to see how displaying your affections, being intimate with your beloved was something to treasure, a moment meant to be adored and cherished by the two of you. It was a beautiful show of feelings and no one else should be a witness to it.

Dick himself never saw anyone break those rules but he heard enough of such cases. People, especially nobles, loved to talk – Dick knew that better than anyone because he was the one people talked about a lot. One of their favorite activities was gossiping about people who broke the rules and thanks to that he knew perfectly well how they treated those who were stupid or careless enough to do it. It was utterly unacceptable for Gotham's society, scandalous. It brought dishonor, made people look and openly point their fingers at you to laugh.

It was a sin in its own category.

Dick was always extremely careful to follow all the rules, like a proper prince he was. He made sure to wear gloves whenever his suitors greeted him with a kiss on the palm, was certain to never stand too close to them during any events. The further thing he ever did was let Roy press a kiss to his cheek when the prince came to tell him that he was leaving for his journey, and then another one to the palm of his bare hand but even then they were alone in the library. Dick was intent to never break those rules, to follow them for the rest of his life.

And then Slade Wilson came, barged really, into his life.

Slade, who grabbed his bare hand and brought it to his lips whenever he wanted, like it was something as natural as breathing to him. Slade, who wrapped his arm around Dick's waist and pressed him against his side as if Dick was... as if Dick was some whore he could parade around with. Slade, who... w-who leaned down and... and kissed him, right on the lips, with everyone around to see it happen.

Every time Slade did it, Dick could feel shame and humiliation burning in his chest painfully like a real fire would. Every time, Dick forced himself to stay still and just breathe, to let Slade do what he wished. He was sure the man just toyed with him, waiting for the moment he'll finally snap. Oh, how he wanted to loathe this man. How he wanted to hate Slade, for he took Dick away from his home, from his family, away from everything he knew. How he wanted to hate Slade for doing whatever he wanted with him, humiliating Dick day and day again. But he couldn't. He couldn't allow himself to do that.

Because Dick wouldn't be able to live like that, standing by the side of someone he loathed for the rest of his life. It would destroy him, like locking in a cage would do to a bird, and Dick wasn't going to give up like this. Even if Slade decided to humiliate them both by acting that way and breaking the rules, even if he treated Dick like nothing more than a plaything he wanted to show everyone around. No matter what Slade decided to throw at him, Dick intended to take every blow with dignity, as much as it was possible.

Dick chose this himself. He agreed to Slade's demands, agreed to marry him and live by his side in Defiance, aware of what it can bring. Aware of what Slade might choose to do with him. All to stop the war that was terrorizing them all for far too long. And Dick didn't regret doing it, not really. He couldn't regret saving all those lives, innocent lives that could've been lost in a pointless fight if he refused. Even if he had to sacrifice himself for it. Even if he has to endure all those painful humiliations. It was a small price to save thousands of their soldiers.

If his betrothed had been someone else, Dick would've been able to voice his objection right away. He would make it clear that he's not going to stand for being treated like that, that he won't allow Slade to touch him with all those people around, or even at all. But with becoming Slade's husband he will lose all his rights, all his privileges. He won't be Gotham's crown prince anymore, no, he'll become King Wilson's royal consort instead. Slade will have all the power over him, everything Dick will own will belong truly to Slade, everything he'll be allowed to do or have only because Slade'll agree to it. And Dick... Dick was simply too afraid to anger Slade by denying him, too afraid to see what punishment would await him for it. Would Slade forbid him writing to his family, forbid him visiting them? Would he lock Dick up, put him into a golden cage, and come see him only when he wished to be in his consort's company? Would he simply kill him and start the war again?

Dick didn't want to find out.

Because Slade Wilson was a cruel man. Dick didn't know him very well, in fact he only ever met him a few times before, during galas or other celebrations, but he didn't have to to know that fact. It was common knowledge, in fact. Everyone knew the tale about how Slade became Defiance's king, how he fought his way to the throne, brutally killing every person that got in his way. It wasn't how it happened in Gotham, with Bruce getting the crown from his father, who got it from his own father. No, Slade wasn't even of royal blood. Before he started ruling the country he was a mercenary – and the best one their world heard about at that. It's because of that, because of his merits, he received the lordship in the first place and became a figure on Defiance's court.

Because Slade didn't shy away from war and battle, always ready to fight whenever someone was willing to pay him handsomely for his effort. And now, when he left the mantle to take on the crown instead, he was still willing to battle everyone, to protect his country and make it thrive.

Bruce respected Slade because he would have to be a fool not to. Slade wasn't just a brute force, he was also a genius strategist whose plan always succeeded. He was a man feared by all, even those most powerful. A monster, able to kill with just a twitch of his hand.

Dick knew that all and he was well aware what he was getting into when he agreed to the letter where Slade demanded him in turn to end the war. He was aware why Bruce was so against the sheer idea of it. But Dick knew what his answer will be the moment he read the letter for the very first time. No matter how much he hated doing it, he wasn't going to let his people suffer from the war when he had a certain way to stop all the fighting.

Even if he had to suffer instead.

Sitting by the window in the chambers Slade had prepared for him for the time of his visit in Defiance, Dick remembered suddenly how whenever they were alone, Bruce never called Slade a king. 'Wilson', sometimes he even referred to him as 'Lord Wilson' but never as a king. In Bruce's eyes Wilson wasn't a proper ruler – he was a brute, a barbarian that cared only about himself and did whatever he wanted to do.

Dick huffed a humorless laugh at the thought. Perhaps that's why Slade was so shameless and didn't even care about breaking the rules.

/ / / / /

Then, Dick started to learn Defiance's culture properly.

He was going to live in Slade's country and so he preferred to know the rules and general manners that applied there. Slowly but surely he became more acquainted with Defiance's customs, with the way its people lived and thought – he gained the knowledge from every source possible, whether it was from the books in the royal library or simply from talking with people in the court.

One of the first things he learned was that... no one here cared if you kissed your spouse in a room full of people. Well, that one he actually learned before getting to any books; meeting Apollo and Midnighter was interesting and maybe even a bit... traumatizing at first for him. It was all so much different from what Dick knew that the idea alone almost made him dizzy. To think that displaying his affections in public didn't sow disgust all around, that people actually encouraged it and cheered when you did... it was a lot to take in, no matter how long Dick thought about it.

Almost all his life, all those years he spent in Gotham by Bruce's side, he was teached that showing affection openly was like a crime. That's what he believed was right and he followed those rules naturally, even after arriving in Slade's country. He just... well, he just assumed that the rules in Defiance were the same as in any other country he visited before, because they all applied in Star, in Jump, even in Atlantis as well. That made Dick even more eager to learn about Defiance's customs, because it was so much different from everything Dick knew.

But it also made Dick look at Slade differently. It made him realize that the man wasn't trying to humiliate him with his affections, he did it because his people took pride in showing off their beloved ones. And while Dick was certain that Slade did take some sick kind of pleasure from all his blushing, stuttering and hitched breaths, it wasn't exactly entirely ill-natured. It was probably what Slade was raised with and for him it was absolutely natural so he kissed Dick without a second thought, even if it made Dick want to crawl into the ground at times.

People of Defiance simply loved to display their affections in public, loved to proudly show everyone around just how happy their beloved ones made them. At least that's what the books said. It was... it was actually kind of nice, in theory.

...that still didn't make actually doing it, letting Slade do it, any easier. Slade's touch, his easy kisses that happened with other people around still made him want to jerk away from his grip as humiliation burned into him; still made his heart thump painfully against his ribcage while he blushed so hard that even his neck and shoulders turned red. It didn't matter if people around them clapped and smiled, it'll take Dick a really long time to actually get used to it.

But he had time to do it, didn't he? After all, he'll spend the rest of his life by Slade's side. And it was... it was better to know all that and just be embarrassed over the affections, than to feel the shame and horror of breaking the rules that in reality weren't even there. It was much better that way and Dick will get used to it one day.

[Masterlist of the au]

He was just glad Bruce didn't have to see any of it.

//

Thank you for reading!! 💕 Hope you liked it 👉👈

[nosyrobin]

💕𝐀 𝐁𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐭💕

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐲𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

𝟐𝟎0𝟑!𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐗 𝐆𝐍!𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

TW: slight harassment

💗NO ONES POV:💗

FRIDAY, 3:40 PM, SUNNY DAY

It was a slow day. No crimes being committed, no monsters, no Slade. Nothing. Just you relaxing.

Relaxing on the couch, watching your favorite cartoon while popping fruit in your mouth. You were enjoying your day, heck, you were enjoying your whole afternoon. As you go to throw a fruit into your mouth, a certain Tamaranean came up behind you.

"Hello cutest bat!" Starfire yelled out loud, prompting you to choke on your fruit as you look up and tap on her am rapidly. Starfire yelps scared and punched your back, making you fly out of the couch and land on your stomach. But at least she had taken the fruit that was stuck in your throat out.

You gasped for air as you look at starfire who is now embarrassed at how she scared you to choking. "Sorry friend Bat." She says with a smile.

"It's fine Star..." you said with a weary smile while siting up. Starfire floats over to you and sits by you. "So what you need?" You fully smiled, grabbing your bowl of fruit. You were still hungry despite the scare the girl had given you.

Starfire's smile disappeared as a flustered look overcomes her. "I...I would like to do the hanging out with you." Your eyes widen. Surprised she didn't ask anyone else.

"Me?" You questioned pointing to yourself with a raised brow.

"You." She retorted with shy smile, pointing to you.

You both sat there at the ground staring at each other with you being criss crossed and her having her legs underneath her. Her hands on her thighs. She was staring with the same flustered expression, you chuckled with a small smile.

"Sure, let me get dressed then."

You were in your silk pajamas, so of course you had to change if you were going out with your friend.

Starfire smiles at you and flies up excitedly with a bright smile. "Glorious! I will wait for you the cutest bat."

You sat up chuckling at the nickname she had started to pick up when you left your ski-mask behind as a way to hide your identity. She use to pout when you pulled a trick with having another mask under your mask when she first wanted to see your face.

—————————————————

You walked out your room and over to where Starfire was standing in the living room. You had picked out a street wear attire. You had your classic and definitely not 99th white tee shirt with your usual denim jeans that hung a little baggy with your white sneakers.

Honestly your short sleeves showed off how toned your arms were from training and working out. It like a sleeper build but you could tell that this Bat definitely had some muscle for a teen.

You still kept your domino mask on, feeling as if it helped made you feel cooler. Even if you did have it on with your silk pjs. Starfire use to pout when you deny access to see your face. You have to follow the big bat's rule strictly anyways.

"Yo! I'm ready Star." You had a toothy grin as starfire smiled excitedly.

Next thing you two knew, she was soaring through the air with a giant white bat on her trail to the city. As the two landed on the sidewalk, you dropped down transforming slowly back to human in your civilian outfit.

Dusting yourself off you looked at starfire in her usual. You frowned, now that you thought about it. Starfire doesn't really have any clothes other than her usual outfit. Guess it time to use your real self.

As starfire was looking around, civilians walked pass her. But soon as she turned to look at you, you looked normal. And not like the normal she usually sees. You didn't have your domino mask on. Your eyes were [e/c] colored and slight appearances you had before were gone and completely human.

"Why—"

You cut her off quick with you putting your hand in a motion of "wait".

You then blinked, trying to focus your vision before it stopped with your tunnel vision. You could finally see as you let out a sigh.

"My earring that someone made, so I can blend in with civilians more easy."

Starfire was now more confused as there were no crimes and monsters around. "But there are no harmful things or villains?" She walked over to you and placed a hand on your shoulder with a worry look.

"Are you hiding from something?"

You chuckled and placed a hand over hers, "no Star, I'm good. I just want to feel like a person instead of a hero today. Or even a bat." You said as you dragged her around.  You hummed as starfire looked at your hands locked with her own. She felt the urge to intertwine, but before she could even dare to do so. You let go of her hand and showed her to a candy store, honestly thanks to Beast Boy to showing you this place.

"Soooo...if we're gonna hang out I at least want to show you to a candy place I've been thinking about showing you to." You scratched the back of your neck. Starfire cups her hands together smiling at you. "Let's go shall we?" She wraps her arm around yours. You both walked in and were amazed at the colorful colors.

There was even a train holding candy in the back of it while small kids were running around with some of the parents following their own kin. Starfire's eyes were wide with a twinkle at how beautiful and delicious it looked. You turned around seeing some cotton candy flavored fun dip. Starfire ooh'd at what you held, you held it to her and immediately she ripped it open and dumped it in her mouth.

You sweat dropped at how eager she was to eat it. After she gulped down the favorable dust of fun dip. She hummed with a bright smile.

"I am in love with this shop! We should get more for our friends." She exclaimed, grabbing your arm as she checks out more candies in the shop.

It ended with you having to almost spend $1,000 of candy before you stopped her and left with a drained expression while she was excited for the rest of the day.

"Cmon Y/N, we have the more shopping to do!" She exclaimed as she walked ahead of you sighed.

"Is this how boyfriends feel when their girlfriends spend a lot of money?" You thought as you held the medium size bag of candy that the team would adore later. You followed the giddy girl who seemed enlightened by being by you.

As you two walked around, you seen a mall and smiled. "Let's go there next." You pointed to the mall, the Tamaranean girl nodded at your words as you opened the door for her to enter first. What starfire didn't expect was so many people, she unconsciously wrapped her arm around your muscular one with a weary look.

"I wish to not to lose your side....." she said softly for you to hear her. You looked at her, "you won't lose me." You said confidently as you guided her through the crowds of people. It was Friday, of course there's a lot of people and teens around.

Some teens and adults look at Starfire a little weird, making her lean her body more into you. Making her feel self conscious as she looks down. You seemed to notice as you walked over to a some mall couches. Putting down the bag of candy on the couch, you grabbed her two hands in your own.

"You okay Starfire?" You asked with a small smile. She looked up to your face, "I am not sure...they look at me as if have a Zornian muck beetle for a head.." she says with a sadden tone. Facing to the ground around. Your smile turned into a frown as you only shake your head. "Well, they're idiots for staring at you like that."

She looked up confused before you started to talk again. "Cause all I see is an amazing girl that's gonna have the best day with me." You said with a smirk, grabbing her hand as you walked forward. You had grabbed the bag of candy as well. She felt a smile curve onto her face as her spirit seemed to brighten.

You took to her clothing store, you wanted to spoil her. Thanks to Bruce's allowances, you helped the Tamaranean girl pick out some things that caught her eyes and what caught yours. You waited outside of the dressing room, passing time with playing candy crush on your phone.

A girl that looked like she work here walked by you, not noticing you before she took a double check at you and stopped walking.

You were too busy crushing this level, you smiled at passing it before the sound of someone clearing their throat grabbed your attention. You looked with a raised brow, in your view you see a girl who looked about your age with a black crop top and cowboy pants with sandals. She's a Mexican girl with a light blue eyeshadow and winged eyeliner. Her curly dark brown hair really looked good with her tanned skin.

"Why hello there handsome, how are you doing?" She said as she held her arms behind her back and leaned forward at you. You felt awkward as you never had an attractive girl give you attention.

"Uuuhh..yeah I'm doing good..." she smirked at you being awkward, mistaking it as being nervous around her. She walked up closer to you, she almost towered over you. Placing her hand on your arm, her eyes widen.  Squeezing it before she pinched your cheek.

"Well aren't you a sharp one. Working out haven't you?" You tried to speak before she shushed you with a finger to your lips. "Don't say a word cutie."

The curtain of the dressing room a certain girl was in was pushed open. You immediately pushed the girl away from you. Almost sending her across the whole store. Starfire exited out of the dressing room, her timid steps alerted you fully as you felt as time stopped.

Your jaw went slack. Starfire had crossed arms, her beautiful red hair complemented the beautiful dark purple crop top sweater that the sleeves hanged perfectly on the side of her upper bicep. She  wore with denim shorts. She still wore her gauntlets, her metal arm band was invisible due to the crop top sleeve. She had white converses with it, either way at least the top and shorts was cute and fitted her well.

Starfire stood there staring at you anxiously, waiting for your comment as you felt a goofy smile appearing on your face.

"Woah. You look beautiful Starfire..." The anxiety melted off the girl's shoulder as she giggled happily. She felt her heart swell with warmth hearing you complement her.

"Thank you friend bat!" She smiled as she hugged you tightly. Your face mushed against her chest. You felt oxygen leaving your body. You gasped for breath as you squirmed but patted her back welcoming her. As she let you go, you felt your back almost popped out and air finally come back to you. The worker you had pushed far away came back.

"Oh. Is this your girlfriend or something?" She said with slight mischievous expression. Starfire looked at the confused at who she was. You jolted from the girl, sweating bullets as you felt Starfire grip your arm and pull you to her side.

"Who are you?" Starfire says, raising her brow at the girl. "And I am the girlfriend you are talking about." Your mouth dropped open, you were certain she doesn't really know what a "girlfriend" is meant here. The air felt tense before you stepped up and spoke.

"Hey! So Uhm, Star let's go to another store. Heheheheh....." you chuckled nervously, pushing the alien girl away from the other. The dark colored hair kept her smug look as Starfire turned around and made a "I'm watching you" gesture towards her with an annoyed look.

After the whole encounter, Starfire quickly changed back to her original outfit. You carried her bag, going to the front to pay for the top and shorts. Starfire still kept her arm around yours, while you paid for the top and bottom. Feeling as if you both should leave the mall, you did.

You took a deep breath of air meanwhile Starfire still had a stank face. She felt a certain way at how that girl looked at her bat, she couldn't point to it as she huffed. You turned around to face her confused. She just stood there with puffed up cheeks and back faced to you.

"Star...you okay?"

"I am certainly not the okay...that girl seemed like a grimplork..." She then sharply turns to you. "Do you have a certain relation with her?" Her eye brow was raised in a way you felt you had to answer correctly, and honestly. "What?! No." you sweatdropped at the accusation.

"Star..let's just go around for more shops? Maybe it would take your mind off whatever that was." You said trying to light up her mood, she seemed to give you a pointed look. It soon melted seeing your eyes as she nodded and grabbed your hand. You lead the way to another clothing store. One that seemed her style.

It was small little montage with each other, trying on clothes as you put in another street wear fit. Meanwhile starfire wore a beautiful sundress that fit her perfectly. You clapped seeing her twirl in it. You two went to an arcade, playing air hockey. Starfire was confused on how to play before you got behind her and showed her how to play. She got the hang of it quickly and immediately liked it.

She sadly broke the puck, you had to pay for it with a drained expression. Now you felt how Bruce felt when he spent money on you for the first time. Either way you liked spoiling the Tamaranean girl who bowed apologetically at the arcade owner. You both left laughing at the situation though. You grabbed her hand again and walked the streets of Jump City.

Starfire seemed to understand more, it seemed like the cars and the sound of people faded out as her attention was stuck on you.

The way you pointed to more stores, the way you looked, the way you were so kind to her, made her feel...like she was really apart of your life. Her eyes softened with admiration on her face. You two hung out almost the rest of afternoon. It soon was getting a little late as the sun was starting to set.

You checked your phone you had hidden in your pocket, it read 6:30 PM.  "Alright Star, it's time to go back home." You took off the earring in your ears. A small blinding light took over you and you looked like your usual self. Pink glowing eyes and [color haired with or without white streaks]. You slick put on your domino despite Starfire already seeing your face.

Starfire smiled at you, "Yes..let's go home Y/N." She says floating off the ground now.

You shuffled the bags on your arms meanwhile Starfire put her hands under yours and flew off. You both had an amazing day with each other.

—————————————————

Starfire landed down perfectly with you first and then her. You massaged your under arms since she did have tight on you. You still had the shopping bags you bought for her and the candy. After massaging your arms, you looked up to her. The afternoon sky and sun looking beautiful on her golden skin. You smiled admiringly as she shyly smiles, "I enjoyed today with you." She says softly.

You chuckled at her being shy, you didn't really understand why since you two have hung out before. "I did too, I'm glad you loved shopping." Starfire feels her shyness goes away as you walked up to her, slight craning  your neck to look at her. "I just wanted you to feel how teenage girls felt on earth." You shifted a little with the bag. "Yknow, shopping and having usual fun like humans do."

It was a time like this where Starfire felt her heart racing again. The bat's compassion was surly winning this Tamaranean's heart. The way you took care of her the whole day. Even if it was her idea, it was something she liked a lot. She didn't know what to feel as her cheeks flushed, her hair flowing in the warm humid air. "Anyways, you can get your ba—" Before you could try to say anything and give her the shopping bags that were hanging on your arms.

She kissed your cheek. Cupping your face as she pressed her lips against the side of your face. It felt like your hearts synched as time went back to place. Her lips left the bat's cheek as she held a smile.

You froze there with wide eyes, feeling like a statue. She took this chance as she quickly taken the shopping bags from you and flew inside the tower. Not without getting the bag of candy too.

Just leaving you there as you broke out of the trance and touch your cheek. You felt your face heat up. A goofy smile appeared on your cheek, you then teleported away with a small blinding light and a heart left behind.

[butcherlarry]

Weekly Fic Recs 62

Work slowed down a bit so I was able to get in some more reading :) One of the fics on the list has some awesome art too, so be sure to to check that out.

Star Tied by Imagine_sleeping - Superbat, wip. An update to the fic where Krypton still exists and adult Kal-El is looking for his soul mate :)

Dick Grayson and the Lack of a Social Media Manager by soyasauce - Batfam, complete. This is part of the Bruce is - involuntarily, he may add - the president of Gotham series. Dick is interviewed on a talk show about Bruce and his marriage to the superhero Batman. Shenanigans ensue.

The Bat and the Bird by supermanstoddlerleash - Superbat, wip. Alien bird Kal-El crash lands in Gotham. Batman in on the case!

Patchwork Pod by Ktkat9 - Superbat & Batfam, wip. More of mer Bruce! Tim wakes up after some recovery from his injuries!

(Love) Triangles Have Mulitple Centers by frozenpotions - Superbat, wip. The love polygon gets even MORE complicated after Batman makes out with reporter Clark Kent. It also sounds like there is a perfectly normal date with NO SHENANIGANS in the future with Bruce and Clark. I am REASONABLY EXCITED about this.

Playing The Park by Elegitre - Batfatm, wip. Not only am I a sucker for omegaverse fics, but I am even more of a sucker for SECRET OMEGA omegaverse fics. Tim hides omega dynamic from the batfam. Shenanigans ensue.

here in our bed by TheResurrectionist - Superbat, complete. A sequel to Slade/Bruce fic, here as I am, where Slade fucks Bruce to sleep. This fic takes place immediately after when Clark visits Bruce in the morning as Slade is leaving. JEALOUSLY (and sexy times!) ENSUE!!!!!!

Get Familiar With Me by JUBE514, SalParadiseLost - Batfam, complete. A magic AU, where the bat kids are witches and Bruce is the familiar who they channel their magic through. Well, almost all the kids are witches, except for Tim. This causes a bit of drama :) There is also some lovely art of this au from jube-art! I love their adorable ears :)

Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy by supermanstoddlerleash - Superbat, complete. This was such a cute fic to read! Battinson is interviewed by Reeves!Clark and then go on a date. Literal black cat and golden retriever energy that I didn't know I needed in my life.

nightcall by TheResurrectionist - Batfam, complete. An outsider's POV fic! A GPPD officer has a recording of a potential witness to a crime, but no one knows the language they are speaking. The bats are called in to figure out the language.

Echolocation by Violet138 - Superbat, complete. A super cute fic! Clark figures out Bruce needs glasses. Bruce is grumpy about this. Eye puns are used :)

under the heat-struck lily pads by deitybird - Batfam, complete. For some reason, Damian and Tim are getting along. Dick is on the case to figure out why!

Why your brother is in a cage? by Speechless_since_1998 - Batfam, complete. A short fic where Damian comes to the batfam early. Tim is playing with Damian while Jason babysits. Shenanigans ensue.

Padam by HaleHathNoFury (My_Trex_has_fleas) - Superbat, wip. More of the college AU! @halehathnofury. Hale. HALE! This is my FAVORITE chapter so far! Bless you.

Happy reading!

[outlanderanatomy]

2024 SiWC Panel with Diana Gabaldon

Greetings Outlander fans! My, I have missed you all… 🤗

This weekend I find myself in beautiful Surrey, British Columbia,  Canada, attending the Surrey International Writers’ Conference, more commonly known as SiWC!

I drove from Oregon to Canada lastThursday. It was a beautiful day but the  normally 5.5 hr drive turned into nearly 7 hours due to two collisions in Washington state.  Yes, it was an inconvenience for those on the freeway, but I was grateful to arrive safely and I hope those involved in the crashes are OK.

Thus far, I have attended several events featuring Diana – she is one busy lass! All were delightful and I will share them with you, but not in chronological order mostly due to the technical issues of posting via  iPad. 😉

Today’s event was titled “Compelling Expositions,” a panel featuring Diana Gabaldon, Michael Slade, Robyn Harding, and Darren Groth (not shown).  K. C. Dyer moderated (also not shown).

Diana looked stunning, layered with in a deep red shawl because the room was freezing! 🥶

Many fruitful topics were covered by the panel. Here are some highlights including Diana’s responses:

Question:  Which is your fav scene from your writings? Diana chose the scene from “Outlander” book wherein Jamie rescues Claire from Black Jack Randall’s clutches. They shelter at a tavern –  Jamie tells Claire he is not ready for bed and proceeds to whip her with his sword belt. This set up a major clash between the two characters because each POV was justified from their perspective. Claire was trying to find a way back to Frank but Jamie knew her actions put all of their lives  in danger. I must confess, this choice surprised me. I suppose because Diana has written so many splendid scenes. How would one even choose? 🤔

This is wee bit of the excerpt from the scene (pp. 249-250 “Outlander” Kindle version) that is Diana’s fav!

“Come to bed, Jamie. What are you waiting for?”

He came to stand by the bed, swinging the belt gently back and forth.

“Well, lass, I’m afraid we’ve a matter still to settle between us before we sleep tonight.” I felt a sudden stab of apprehension.

“What is it?” He didn’t answer at once. Deliberately not sitting down on the bed by me, he pulled up a stool and sat facing me instead.… 😯

Question: How do you deal with pacing? Diana responded that pacing depends on context. For example, if there is an emergency then the writer wants to keep sentences short and terse. Pacing allows the author to create tension between two elements. A question is raised and then answered to move the story forward. (Psst…. She didn’t mention that sometimes the answers to questions she raises don’t get resolved until two books and ten years later!) 😂

Question: How do you deal with slang or dialect? Diana feels dialogue is the most important way to define a character.  An author using another language (e.g. Gaelic) needs to educate themself in the language. She watched films with Scottish characters to hear their spoken English. At conferences, if she heard anyone speaking with a Scottish accent, she invited them for coffee and listened to them speak. Diana also recommended reading books written by someone who speaks the language. She read several Scottish authors to help her get a feel for syntax, cadence, etc. Frankly, her devotion to her craft is a splendid example to all aspiring authors. 🥰

Question: Do you plan out a chapter or scene ahead of time? Diana does not. We already know she doesn’t write in a straight line. She also does not tell her characters what to say or do. She waits patiently for them to speak to her.  This being my fourth SiWC, I can tell you hers is a unique approach. Most writers I encounter plan out scenes, many even work from  a classic outline. She also doesn’t know ahead of time how a book will end. I guess the one exception here is that she seems to know how the “Outlander” books will end. Sob! 😢

Question: Who is your favorite author. James Clavell, she answered without a moment’s hesitation.  Clavell authored the marvelous, “Shogun,” for those who might not know. Although it has been some time since I read it, it is well worth doing so. 👍🏻

These were highlights of the panel for me.

The full panel discussion can be accessed on the blog.

I hope you enjoyed the panel. Need I say, my fav author for “Compelling Exposition” is none other than Diana Gabaldon? 🤩 🥇 🏆

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo and audio credits: Outlander Anatomy

[robxstar]

Hi what's your opinion on Terra after the reveal of her betrayal. After she fully swore allegiance to Slade I found her to be an evil unbearable jerk taking advantage of the Titan's hesitation to attack her while insulting them and telling Robin about not being some sad little girl waiting to be rescued seemed to come out of nowhere and all of that because of what beast boy said to her after betrayal.

Oh, do I get to expound on Terra now?

*rubs hands*

Nah fam, the bitterness and insults and manipulation didn't come out of nowhere. She was angry and lashing out at the friends who, in her mind, betrayed her. Beast Boy had promised to be her friend "no matter what" so from her POV his cold dismissal was him failing to be there for her, tossing her to the curb.

And who exactly do you think had been playing on her insecurities all that time about exactly that?

If you guessed our favorite masked manipulator ding ding ding! You win the prize.

Slade was absolutely 100% being the creepy emotionally manipulative "bad parent" to Terra. First he isolates her, preys on her fears of being alone, of having no one understand her, of being out of control. Then he offers her her greatest desire--a place to belong, a means of having agency and control over herself.

And, most importantly, he actually delivers on his promise. (For a while at least.) So now Terra has achieved this personal victory in her life thanks to Slade and he takes advantage of her relief and gratitude and starts poisoning her against the Titans before and likely during when he sent her to infiltrate them.

"I'm the only one who understands you. I'm the only one who cares about you. They aren't your friends. They will turn on you the moment they find out the truth. Their friendship is false and hollow and it won't last."

But since the Titans' friendship is genuine Terra gets so confused. She never had much of a moral compass growing up. She was told what to do and where to go, who to be, her whole life before she ran away. She had a desire and impulse to help and do good (which may or may not have been her genuine wish) but she never knew how to do that unless she was being specifically directed. That's why she falls so easily for Slade's deceptions, why he didn't have to brute force his control over her like he did Robin until the bitter end when she finally saw through him.

So when Beast Boy rejected her in "Betrayal" it just proves in her mind everything Slade had been telling her. So her loyalty to the Titans is broken and she devotes herself to mimicking and mirroring Slade. (His perfect "golden child".)

Aaaaaand that is where the insults and taking advantage of the Titans' mercy comes into play because that is classic Slade Tactics. Belittle, berate, twist every known weakness to one's advantage, throw your opponent emotionally off balance until they're reckless and you get an opening.

She's just doing exactly as he taught her.

And the line about not being a sad little girl needing rescue? Frankly that's half to convince herself. Even as she doubles down, her conscience is beginning to niggle at her and she has to shout it down and drown it out. That's what her whole opening speech in Aftershock Part Two is about, the mantra that repeats in her head as she tries to tell herself she wanted this outcome.

"I have no regrets," she lies, as she stops and looks wistfully at places where she has fond memories with the Titans.

I better stop myself before I keep on rambling and rambling but uh, in case it wasn't obvious, Terra is a narrative bone and I am a dog that keeps on gnawing and gnawing at all the amazing little fascinating juicy crunchy parts. So that's how I feel about her post-betrayal. (And pre-betrayal, frankly.)

[whetstonefires]

29 and 51 for the ask game?

ah, thank you! love an ask game. these both give me so many options, hah. also ty for not being a spammer! last time i replied to an ask i got six go fund me scams in my inbox overnight. three of them were the same message exactly and two used some of the same pictures with different names, they are not even trying to be plausible anymore ffs.

29) give us a spoiler for one of your stories.

mmmm okay so if I ever manage to go back to the Cirque de Triomphe Earth-3 DC series, there's a segment that's one of the latest points in the timeline that got developed, working title 'Battle Royale with Cheese' where Dick and his Outlaws (Roy and Kori), Slade and Joe Wilson, Owlman and Ultraboy (Kon), Tim Drake, the Gotham Circus, and the up-and-coming evil mercenary trio the Transhumanists (Raven, Vic Stone, and Garfield Logan) all wind up in the same random small town in the middle of the night having a six-way super battle.

Dick and Tim both have Talon healing in this timeline, so the only normal humans on the field are Roy and some clowns. Poor roy. 😆

51) share the synopsis of a story you work on that you haven’t published yet

I think my most fun and active unpublished wip is the 'jin ling's gay uncles go roadtripping' one, currently at 70k, which is a canon divergence AU from Mo Xuanyu's pov where, because reasons, Wei Wuxian winds up in Mo Ziyuan's body, instead, and Mo Xuanyu survives.

This allows me to put both of them in the same place and do character study stuff for both, while prodding the main plot for which parts are causally linked in what ways and where it has joints. So far Jiang Cheng is the most difficult character to wrangle along, less because he won't do what I want than because Mo Xuanyu's perspective on him is so different from Wei Wuxian's that hitting the thematic beats I want takes careful thought.

[autisticrosewilson]

In Trouble

Um. This is a joke that's not a joke that spawned from a conversation with @perseus-jackass about Nurse! Jason and Red X! Grant, that spiraled into a Miraculous Ladybug style love square situation lmao. OG's will remember when this was an ML blog, you could say I'm going back to my roots. Also this story is omegaverse! It's not really mentioned till Jason's pov but I don't want to blindside anyone

"Scream if you have to." Robin says gently, before wrenching his shoulder back into place. Grant does scream, he jerks and writhes but gloved hands hold him in place while his bones shift under the skin. There's a white hot pain that spreads through his arm, an aching relief as everything is realigned, and then everything goes prickly and numb.

Grant lays there panting, staring up at the smoggy night sky. Gotham doesn't even give him the courtesy of stars after subjecting them all to her madness. Robin had at least been kind enough to lay down his cape before his impromptu field med session, but goosebumps are spreading up his arms the longer his bare torso is in contact with the New Jersey air. At least Robin had helped him remove his shirt instead of cutting it off, as he'd threatened to.

"Good job," Robin praises, "you took that so well!" He grins, a certified Robin smile. Suddenly, Grant knows where all the stars went.

"Uh, thanks." Grant says absently, eyes tracing over the glint of too-sharp canines peaking out from cracked lips. Robin's a lip biter, he notes, the flesh has been scraped off. They'd probably bleed with little to no effort.

Grant wants to try, wants to taste it.

Slade clears his throat, and Grant remembers that his family is in the room, among several other hostages, and about twelve previously armed men who are now very unconscious. Robin himself has moved onto taking stock of everyone in the room, likely doing a head count and checking for any other injuries, but he signals for Slade to wait. He tilts his head slightly, finger coming to rest on the communicator in his ear.

"Okay folks, police are en route and the parameter has been cleared. I'm going to lead you all to the nearest exit, keep your head low and try not to make any noise. Listen carefully and stay behind me." Robin pops out of his crouch, helping Grant up as he gives the group orders.

"Look, kid-" Slade starts, and is promptly cut off by multiple snorts from the other hostages. The Gothamites, Grant realizes when he notices how calm they are. The collective reaction seems to throw his father off for a moment, but he continues. Grant feels a flash of second hand embarrassment. "Shouldn't you let the professionals take care of this?"

Robin smiles placatingly, it's got customer service written all over it. "I understand this is an upsetting situation, especially for a tourist, but we have everything handled." He assures.

Slade goes to say something else but Robin doesn't spare him a second glance, pulling out a handful of zip ties from one of the pouches of his belt. He gets to work ridding the men of weapons before tying their hands behind their backs, and then looping more zip ties through those to fix them all firmly together. None of them would be going anywhere anytime soon. He kicks all their guns to a far off corner anyway for good measure, but pockets a hunting knife one of them had been carrying.

"Secured," Robin chirps to whoever is on the other side of his comm, "Where to next?" He rolls his shoulders, resting his hands on his hips. After a moment Robin nods to himself. "Got it, meet you outside."

Grant watches as he heads towards the door, most of the hostages easily following his orders, they stay close together and seem to default to herding the omegas and pups in the middle. He almost gets swept up in it, shielded by the crowd, but then Slade's big hand is on his back bringing him and Joey to the front of the group just behind Robin.

He's shorter than he seemed earlier, when he was looming above Grant, backlit by flashing red lights like a blood soaked angel. He's slimmer without the cape wrapped around him, but with his gaze stuck to the muscle flexing in Robin's thighs he can tell the dark haired boy is stronger than he looks.

Robin leads the way, crouched low and keeping to the wall. The crowd does the same, unusually calm as they gently shush the children and tourists who aren't quiet enough. The implicit trust is breathtaking, the easy way that Robin commands the crowd with a cocksure smile and easy confidence. They only run into trouble once on the way to the exit and Grant barely has time to flinch before him and Joey are both shoved behind dad. Grant strains to see how Robin reacts to the two guards rushing at them but all he can make out is a flurry of movement and flailing limbs. There's the cracking of bone and then Robin's ringing laughter and then the hallway is still and quiet again. Slade's grip on his shoulder is still tight, Joey still pressed to Slades back. Grant nudges forward in time to see Robin securing the unconscious bodies.

He turns back to the crowd, hair a little messy and cheeks a little red but hardly even out of breath, and motions for them to keep going. They do, the group easily parting around the crooks before clustering back together. Like fish, Grant thinks, absently reminded of a trip to the aquarium not long ago.

They all file out in a straight line when they reach the exit, Robin holding the door open and checking behind for any stragglers before breaking away from the group to stand beside Batman. He looks even smaller next to the imposing figure of the Bat, but the cops seem to take his orders seriously.

Grant is pulled away by Slade and he barely realizes where they're going until he hears his mom's voice. She pulls him into a hug, all warm tobacco and vanilla but it almost doesn't register. She pulls Joey in next, peppering his face with kisses and surely staining it with her dark lipstick in the process. Her and Slade are talking about something over his head, but everything sounds like it's underwater. His attention is pulled back to Robin, sitting with some of the younger pups who are having their statements taken, someone's chubby toddler being bounced on his knee. He assumes the man in the nearby ambulance is the child's mother if his intent gaze and round belly are anything to go by.

Without thinking he clutches the fabric around his shoulders tighter. It's heavier than it looks, soft but tough. The outside is plastic-y, like a raincoat, but the inside is silky fabric slips pleasantly over his skin. He feels a tug on it from behind him, tuning back into the immediate conversation.

"Now what is this?" His mother frets.

His mouth opens but he doesn't say anything at first. "Robin gave it to me." He manages, the first thing he's said all night. He clutches the cape tighter, unwilling to let it go. It's a comforting weight, it feels like all that's keeping him on the ground, like if he lets go he'll simply float away.

His mother reaches for his face, tilting towards her. Her eyes are sharp but not angry, studying his expression and the look in his eyes carefully. Whatever she sees makes him purse her lips and glance towards the ambulance. "Oh my baby, you're in shock." She tells him, but the meaning behind the words doesn't register.

"First time getting his shoulder reset, he'll be fine." Slades voice, an attempt to be reassuring. Grant tenses before the words fully compute.

"WHAT!" His mom's voice is loud and shrill enough to make his ears ring and he knows they're going to start a fight.

He's shaking, he realizes, gaze dropping down to the trembling of his good hand where it's resting on her elbow. He doesn't remember moving it. Her skin is warm under his hands, he can feel the way her muscles are tensing as the voices around him raise.

He turns back to Robin, but the boy is already staring at him. At least Grant thinks so, hard to tell where he's looking with the white lenses, but he's facing Grant's direction. His lips are twisted, displeasure or concern maybe, and Grant wants to soothe him but he doesn't know how. Then his head tilts, just slightly, and Grant realizes that Robin had been looking at his parents. He can feel Robin's attention on him fully now, settling over him like sunlight. It's warm and grounding and he can feel his body again. Robin smiles, small and proud and encouraging. A secret just for Grant, to keep and cherish and own. And then Robin is turning, attention maddeningly taken by the others that Grant has just remembered. He feels cold, the kind of cold you feel in the early morning when you've just slipped from your warm blankets, the kind that settles on your skin and then sinks into your bones.

Grant's eyes don't leave Robin until the car pulls away, and as he's craning his neck to catch one last glimpse he sees Robin standing on his tip toes to wave Grant goodbye. He waves back, but the windows are tinted and they're already too far away.

Jason has a secret, and an embarrassing one at that. He knows if anyone ever found out he'd never be able to live it down. Jason doesn't even know how it started really, it's not like he's ever been interested in the latest trends or celebrity gossip.

Jason will blame Rena, because it's easier than analyzing the alternative. Technically it started with a routine hostage situation, but for deflection purposes, it starts with a link to an app that's trying too hard to be Vine. He'd squinted at it, toothbrush still in his mouth, half convinced it was a rickroll.

Jay: Why are you up?

Ren: Why are YOU up?

Jay: I asked you first.

Ren: I messaged you first

Jay: Not how that works.

He had rolled his eyes at the time, finishing up his nightly routine, reluctantly chewing on the multivitamins he's supposed to take every night before bed. The gummies only, never the pills.

Ren: did you watch the video

Jay: I'm not clicking an unknown link, Rena.

Ren: wow full name

Jay is typing...

Ren: Not an excuse for you to use my real full name

Ren: seriously watch the video!!

Jason remembers huffing, he probably put it off till the last second, until he was curled up in bed and on the cusp of finally getting some rest. It's all secondary to the video though, the familiar face split into a wolfish grin, those pretty eyes catching the flash of cameras and sending a wink towards the viewer. It's obviously some kind of rich person event, paparazzi lined up and a carpet laid out on the damn ground, but you wouldn't know it from how the boy is dressed. The orange and blue jacket over the button up would probably make him snort usually, but all he can think about is broad shoulders and warm skin under his hands. Unwarded he remembers what Grant's bare chest looked like, and then the image of strong shoulders wrapped in Jason's cape. He doesn't know how many times he watches the video before the next message comes through.

Ren: isn't he hot?

Jay: Who is he?

Jason already knows of course, but Rena doesn't know that, and he's not keen on informing her. She might start getting ideas.

Ren: Grant Kane, he's some old money CEOs son from New York or something

Jay: And?

Kentucky, Jason corrects mentally, Adeline Kane is from New York but the Wilson family lives in Kentucky.

Ren: I heard his mom is coming to your charity gala next week

Jason's heart skips a beat, teeth sinking into his lip to bite back the giddy grin trying to break through.

Jay: Once again, and?

Ren: And? C'mon when do we get to see new faces at these things? Especially ones as pretty as his!

Jealousy twinges in his chest, churning hotly in his stomach for a moment before he's hit with a flash of guilt.

Jay: oh? You interested

Ren: Pft nah

Ren: this is for you

Ren: my ducks are in a row

Jay: Hurtful, but whatever. I don't even know him. Maybe I don't want that duck in my row.

Ren: Start being real with yourself rn

Ren: I'm coming over tomorrow so we can decide on what you're wearing<333

Usually he matches with Bruce, or Dick if he shows up. He can only imagine what Rena is going to try to talk him into. Technically, Jason is unpresented, even though everyone else his age has already. Most pups present around thirteen, Jason is turning sixteen soon. Leslie says it'll be any day now, that with time, and love, and a steady three meals a day Jason will come into his own in no time. Jason isn't so sure.

Rena herself is a beta, but she's always been a bit of a rule breaker. More so than Jason anyway. She always goes above and beyond with her outfits for these things, with the kind of passion obviously bred from living with the biggest fashion mogul in Gotham. He can only imagine what her plans to play matchmaker are going to entail.

Ren: I've enlisted Eddie to help me

Jason stops, fingers hovering over the keyboard, jaw slack. The indignity! He doesn't need a- an intervention to help him get a date!

Jay: When did you guys even start talking?

Ren: YOU gave me his number

Jay: That was a courtesy! You weren't actually supposed to use it!

Ren: 😜

Jason scowls at his phone. He switches over to his chat with Eddie, certain the omega is still awake watching a terrible obscure movie he's going to tell Jason all about when they see each other again.

Jaybin: I've been betrayed, forsaken, abandoned.

KD: Ok edgelord lmao

Jaybin: STOP laughing I've been the victim of a conspiracy!

KD: Are people on Twitter calling you guys vampires again or do they have something more interesting?

Jaybin: Not that kind of conspiracy.

KD: ???

There's a pause as Eddie stops typing, Jason assumes to go Google it, before his speech bubble pops up again.

KD: Is this about me and Rena wingmanning for you

Jaybin: SO YOU ADMIT TO IT! FIEND! SCOUNDREL!

KD: Weird way to say thank you but okay

Jaybin: I don't need help.

KD: ok well we would LIKE to help

KD: please let us

Jason purses his lips. He hates when Eddie does this. Like he's the one being difficult here. Sometimes he feels like everyone treats him even younger than he is. Just because he hasn't presented doesn't mean he's a baby. He can't wait to be sixteen, hopefully by then he'll know his designation too.

Jaybin: Fine, but I retain full rights to veto anything you pick or any plan you make.

Eddie's response is a gif of a cat doing a happy dance, and though he rolls his eyes he likes the message. He's added to a new chat immediately, one with the three of them in it. Rena sends the video to this new chat, apparently named Operation: HONEYPOT. Jason finds quickly that his lack of admin rights means he can't change it.

He huffs, watching the two messages back and forth. Sending photos he's already seen and telling him information he already knows about Grant. The screen slowly goes dark as his eyes flutter closed, burying his face in the milky hazelnut scent just barely managing to cling to the shirt he's been using as a pillowcase, the MCTC logo pressed against his cheek.

It's a guilty pleasure, he supposes, Grant's smell in his nose as he imagines what his voice sounds like, of Grant pressing into his touch instead of flinching away. He switches to an app easily passing as a calculator, inputting the password without thought to pull up the tracking grid.

He skims over everyone else's - Bruce and Alfred are in the manor, Natalia is in her manor on the boundary of Little Italy and Summerset, Dick's phone is at least in his BludHaven apartment, Barbie is still staying at her dad's house until she gets used to her wheelchair - the one he's looking for is marked with the Robin symbol, blinking steadily, somewhere in Kentucky. The sky is probably clear for him, a star filled sky unobstructed by the pollution of the city. He imagines Grant staring out at the sky, red lip caught between his teeth, thinking about Jason. What he might be doing as he does.

Jason nods off, eyes fluttering shut, matching his breath to the gentle pulse on the screen.

[geowrites03]

An ounce of regret

Teen Titans!Dick Grayson x Wilson!Reader

I FINALLY MADE A PART TWO TO SLADE’S DAUGHTER!

Part 2 of Slade’s Daughter

Summary: While looking for her father y/n gets caught by some of her mothers henchmen. Now the Titans and Slade have to work together to get her back.

Robin’s POV~

It’s been 336 hours, two weeks, since y/n and i fought. 335 hours since she left for good and destroyed all my information on finding her father. 334 hours and 40 minutes since the Titans found out. 334 hours and 20 minutes since we all lashed out at each other. 333 since we all decided to calm down and talk it through. And 332 hours and 35 minutes since we came to the conclusion of disbanding.

The Titans were already treading on thin ice with each other for some weird reasons nobody could really remember. Guess y/n leaving was finally the straw that broke the camels back, the thing to make the whole team collapse. She was the glue holding this team together, without her? We all fall apart.

I wish I could take back some- no, all of the words I said to her. I feel terrible and I just want her back in my arms and back with the team, eating victory pizza, or playing video games and getting interrupted by villains terrorising Jump City.

I hate the reason I even got petty and started the fight. All because she wants her fathers tracker back in her arm so he can protect her. I should have just put it back in without being an asshole, I know her farther can protect her better than me, but I let my pride and ego get in the way.

I’ve been trying to get ahold of the trackers coordinates, at least to see if she was somewhere safe, but it seems that Slade must have encrypted it somehow. Either that or something terribly bad has happened to her. I couldn’t imagine her being in any serious trouble, in need of help, and I can barely do anything.

The security system went off as the tower’s main computer received a call. I pressed the answer button.

“Slade…”

“Hello, Robin. It’s been awhile.”

“Where’s y/n? Why isn’t her tracker working?”

“That’s what I called for. Y/n’s seems to have been destroyed. I think her mother has her.”

“Then why haven’t you done anything!?”

“Because, as much as I hate to say this… I will need the Titans’ help. Her mother has requested help from Red X, and now they’re working together.”

“I’ll get the others. When are we going to save her?”

“Meet me at this location in one hour.”

He sent the coordinates and I forwarded them to the Titans, explaining that we need to help get y/n back.

~

We all met at the location that was sent out. The Titans didn’t seem like talking to me, but Raven asked what we were going to do to get her back. I didn’t tell the about Slade yet so they were all shocked when cut my answer off as appeared from the shadows.

“We need to infiltrate m/n’s base.” He continued to explain the plan to us as we were scouting out the base from our hiding spot across the road from the base.

~

Our plan of sneaking in and quietly taking y/n without minimal fighting guards had failed so far. Beast Boy and Cyborg high-fived too loud when we got to the room that y/n tied up on a chair in.

The high-five alerted all of the guards and they were closing in around us. We all started fighting, I quickly knocked out someone as a different person caught my attention.

Red X came running toward me and tackled me to the ground. I punched his nose and kicked him off of me. We both immediately got back up and continued fighting. Luckily for us his gadgets weren’t working because he is out of the power supply for them.

With one last uppercut he fell to the ground and my sight locks in on y/n. I rush over to her side to untie her but my hands went through her and her body started glitching. It’s a hologram.

y/n’s POV~

I readied my bow and aimed at Robin I then signaled to RedX that I was locked on Robin and ready to take the shot. He jumped down to the rest of the Titans ready to attack but a sword pierced his torso.

Since when was my dad willing to work with the Titans? I gasp and accidentally fired my bow, the arrow going through Robins shoulder. Shit! I quickly ran into another room and threw my bow on the ground in frustration.

A figure came through another door with their arms crossed, she shook her head and spoke, “I’m disappointed, you had the shot on him, on the boy who hurt you, why did you miss. If you were truly my daughter you wouldn’t have missed.”

“No, no. Please I’m still your daughter, let me make it up to you. Please. Don’t stop being my mother. I need you to be here, what can I do to make it up to you?” She looked at me with disgust.

“You can stop whining like a little bitch for starters. Look how desperate not having a mother made you, you’ll do anything just for me not to abandon you again.” She chuckled and threw a knife at my head.

I dodged the knife and caught it, I threw it to the other side of the room as she got into a fighting stance. l didn’t want to fight, I got into a defensive stance. She swung at my face but I blocked it, she then tried to kick my legs out from underneath me but I blocked that too.

“Mother, please. Stop!” She punched my eye then kicked my ankle. I let out a loud scream as she stabbed me in the stomach. She pulled out the knife and pushed me to the ground as the door got kicked down.

“Don’t you dare hurt my daughter.” My father was the first to enter the room and lunge at my mother. The Titans were in fighting positions ready to assist, besides Robin who instantly ran to me and kneeled at my side.

“Y/n, hey, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry my love.” He ripped off a bit of his cape and held it on my stab wound. He wrapped his other arm around my shoulders. “I am so sorry. I wish I could take back what I said. I’m sorry I love you so much.” He kissed my cheek and I smiled up at him.

I went to apologise for the things I said but he shushed me. “Save your energy.” I looked down and saw that I had lost a fair bit of blood, a puddle on the ground where I was laying and on Robin’s suit. His green glove had almost completely turned red, I let out a really faint chuckle.

“Hey, stay with me now.” My vision was darkening and he looked into my eyes. I smiled up at him as my vision fully clouded into black.

~

I woke up later in my father’s safe-house. I was in the med room and he was checking my vitals next to me.

“Thankfully, you are my daughter, so you healed rather quickly. I’m glad you okay.” He gave me a hug. “The Titans are at the tower if you want to go now.”

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t you want me at a closer distance now?”

“I trust you’ll be safe with them. Mainly Robin.”

~

I walk out of the elevator in the tower and immediately greeted by hugs and warm welcomes. I look at Robin and smile, a tear ran down my cheek and he wiped it with his thumb. He kissed me on the lips, disgusted sounds came from the other Titans as well all walked to the large sofa.

[whumpsmith-participates]

AI-less Whumptober 2024

Day 27 - Alternate universe

Tags/CW: time travel, multiple POV sorta, open ending

Working in the department that dealt with anything supernatural meant that sometimes the detectives were forced to work particularly tricky cases.

Detective Liam Hill, detective Mark Hales and their CO Alexandrine Carnahan, knew today was going to be particularly tough when they heard about three heroes that had disappeared during a fight with a crazed villain, only to re-appear only five seconds later, wearing different clothes, an array of injuries of various ages that hadn't been there before, and greeting others as if they hadn't seen them for months.

Their explanation? They spent nine months in an alternate timeline trying to find their way back home.

As much as it broke their hearts to see the three young heroes—who they couldn't help but to still view as children—so upset, they still decided to separate the three of them, so they could take their statements individually.

The three heroes in question were Phoenix, Magnetic Girl and March Hare. Captain Carnahan figured Magnetic Girl might be more comfortable talking to a woman, so she invited the girl into her office. Liam had a history with March Hare, so he sat him down in one of their interrogation rooms so they could talk privately, and Mark...well, Mark got along with anyone, so he sat down with Phoenix in their break room with a warm cup of tea.

"Just start at the beginning," he said gently, "tell me what happened."

"I....i-it started normal," Phoenix quietly said, warming his hands on the cup, "or well...as normal as it gets considering we found ourselves in the future all of a sudden. W-we decided to lie low and find Dad— I-I mean, Dr Slade. He sent us to Los Angeles, they invented a time machine, and we went back...b-but everything was horribly, horribly wrong..."

Meanwhile Liam stepped into the interrogation room after grabbing himself a strong coffee, and some hot chocolate for March, only to be greeted with an unexpected hug as he walked in.

"What are you doing, kid?" he asked, trying to ignore the pain of the hot liquid running over his hands after spilling a bit.

"I-I watched you die..."

"...now I've heard everything," Liam said with a sigh, "okay, sit down, tell me what happened."

They sat down at the table, March wiping some tears off of his face, before recounting the same events as Phoenix; They found themselves in the future, they went to Slade for help, and when they returned they found themselves in the wrong timeline.

"The streets were empty, even the weather looked miserable," March said, "but when we ran into dog-catchers... That's when we knew things were beyond fucked up."

"...dog-catchers as in animal control, or dog-catchers as in super-hunting douchebags?" Liam asked.

"The latter," March said, "they tried to grab us, but then uh....Sandra saved us."

"The receptionist from the clinic?"

"Do you know any other Sandras?"

"Apparently you do," Liam said with a shrug.

"And then some," March said, "she had a shotgun and she knew how to use it...and she didn't trust us, so she took us captive and we were interrogated for hours because she didn't believe our story, until we showed her the memory card Tyler gave us — It had the plans for the time machine, he wanted us to bring it to the past so he could work on it sooner and have it locked and loaded in case our situation ever happened again...She decided that a time machine could change the tide of their war....stop it from ever happening in the first place."

"War? What war?" Captain Carnahan frowned confused, looking down at her notes while Magnetic Girl nodded.

"I-it was terrible," she said quietly, "so hopeless they were willing to bet everything on us and getting the plans for the time machine to Tyler...which meant getting us out of the country."

"Was I there?" Captain Carnahan asked, unable to contain her curiosity, "please tell me I was on the winning side."

"I met...uh...the other you briefly," Magnetic Girl said, "I...I'm not sure if you made it. You were with March and his group was attacked. He...he nearly didn't make it, and he didn't want to tell us what happened."

"Damn, that doesn't promise much good," Captain Carnahan said, "but, we're getting off-track. How did it even end up like that in the first place?"

"Apparently the signs had been around for a while," Phoenix said, after Mark asked him a similar question, "supers disappearing randomly, experimented on in secret facilities funded by our own government... Exactly the kind of things we've seen happening here..."

"And now you're worried the same thing will happen here?" Mark asked.

"I-I don't know," Phoenix said, "b-but it doesn't seem so far-fetched now."

"I see," Mark said, "just a few more questions and then we'll call your family to come pick you up, okay?"

Phoenix nodded, taking a sip of tea.

"Okay." Mark said, "So...how long did you say you were stuck in the wrong timeline?"

"T-three months," Phoenix said, "and before that six months in the future."

"So...it took Tyler six months to invent a time machine?" Mark asked.

He couldn't help but to be impressed, he knew a little bit about the complexity of the subject, which may or may not have to do with his favourite sci-fi movies, and today's scientists all agreed that even theoretically time travel was about as impossible as it gets...yet Tyler figured it out in six. Months.

"They scanned us for....particles or something," Phoenix said, "they had all kinds of equipment that we couldn't even begin to understand. They didn't explain it either, we didn't belong there and they were determined to send us home."

"That makes sense," Mark said with a nod.

"I think we could've been back sooner," Magnetic Girl said, now also discussing the time frame with Captain Carnahan, "but March had the memory card with the plans, and he never made it across the border, so we had to go back and rescue him."

"So that's why it took three months to get back to the right timeline?" Captain Carnahan asked.

"Y-yeah," Faline said, "besides having to figure out the math and building the actual machine, we also needed some time to recover. They didn't want to send us back until we could travel safely...just in case."

"Thankfully some things remain the same throughout different timelines then," Captain Carnahan said, "and this memory card that brought you guys home...?"

March quietly placed the plastic case in which he'd been carrying the memory card on the table after Liam asked a similar question.

"The...improved blueprints for a working time machine," he said, "Tyler said they were encrypted in a way that only he could figure out, so that they won't fall into the wrong hands."

"Smart man," Liam said, "you gonna give it to him?"

March looked down at the case, not quite sure what to answer...

@ailesswhumptober

Mark, Phoenix, and Sandra (mentioned) belong to @dr-abitat-blog

Masterlist

Main account

I wish I could go into more detail about this alternate timeline because by GOD it was glorious, but it was never actually written so all the details are fuzzy...

[katzynia]

WIP game

rules: you will be given a word. share one sentence / excerpt from your wip(s) that start with each letter of that word

Thank you for tagging me @bittercape

word: SHIFT

S – Extremly wippy wip, meaning that’s it’s couple of paragraphs drafted in my old notebook. Topic is Dom drop Slade.

Slade pulled the leather straight and dismissed the thought. Jason would’ve said something if it was uncomfortable. Except… It was pretty hard to say anything with that thing in his mouth. Where were his hands at that time? Shit, would Slade had noticed a tapping among all that trembling and shaking? Surely, Jason wouldn’t have just taken it without protest? Or well, more of a protest than his usual squirming and bratting. Wait, was it more than the usual? Not that the ropes have left him much wiggle room. Or any, to be exact. Slade stared at the leather. Shit. Did he push too far?

H – From my long-long fic, with smol!Jason who survived and Slade doing some mercenary work… (For this, there’s a longer excerpt (from a different part) here)

He hasn’t managed to grow in the intervening years, still roughly a foot shorter than Slade, but the last few dregs of childhood that lingered in his face under all the injuries and hurt the have now vanished. Slight stubble, curls hanging over his eyes. The biggest difference is the scar:  now whitened and smoothed out by time, disappearing under the hair covering the old surgery site. Strikingly, that patch of hair is stark white. Well hello mystery client.

I – From imaginatively named file “Sugarbaby Jason”.

It’s a Tuesday afternoon when the realization hits. Which is not the time to have reality shattering new revelations, in Jason’s opinion. Tuesday afternoons are for mundane, everyday stuff, things that repeat over and over, like settling on a bed reading a book in sweaters, for a completely hypothetical example. The setting is all wrong in other fronts too. Well, at least he’s not reading a cheesy romance novel. Or a deep social commentary about independency and economics. That’d be a bit too on the nose, even for his sensibilities.

F – From WIP with the work name Deathstroke Inc. And surprise! The pov character is Dick.

Finally, Deathstroke saw him and came to an immediate halt. A little overblown reaction if anyone would've asked Dick, but alas, nobody else even looked at his direction. Dick would’ve waved but he was a bit tied up at the moment. When Deathstroke came to the view again after completion of another excruciatingly slow circle, the helmet finally moved towards the other occupants in the room.

T – And ending with extremely long-awaited and will-be-waited-even-longer Mummy AU…

“This your expedition?” Dick said. “A washed-out mercenary, a petty thief and you, a scholar whose never even seen an excavation before?” ”Hey,” Stephanie said. “I’m sorry, but it’s true,” Dick continued. “This whole endeavor is ridiculous.” “You are ridiculous!” Jason snapped and regretted it instantly when a tiny flash of pitying triumph rolled over Dick’s face. Dick turned to Slade, opening his arm and just like that Jason was the little boy again, standing on the outside looking in.

I really like these kinds of games (so feel free to tag me ;)) but alas, my writing style is not best suited for them: My drafts are messy. Especially ones I'm not actively working on, they are full of like half sentences, dialogue lines without any indications who's talking etc. And naturally, a fuck load of {thing} and {what'sthe word] kid of notes :D

(and yes, i'd be happy to discuss any of these, if anyone wants to know more :))

Anyway! Tagging @nonbinaryjaybird @darbydoo22 @notherdeadrobin @marirah if you want to play,

word is: ROUND

[takaraphoenix]

I really, really hate Bart being Kid Flash.

From a character motivation standpoint, I do get it. He’s the grandson of the Flash, that alone is a big looming legacy. And then there’s Wally, who was already a respected teen speedster and now he is the Flash and Bart compares himself to him.

It doesn’t help that everybody in-universe looks at him and just sees an unreliable comic relief. (On which I could write a whole standalone rant because the amount of times Bart has saved everybody’s hides is too damn high for that level of disrespect, damn it.)

So, from his POV, it makes sense. He got shot by Joey-inside-Slade’s-body (...that sounds so much more wrong than it actually was and it was already very wrong) and spend one and a half years in total isolation entirely focused on learning and improving himself, becoming better. And, to him, Kid Flash - Wally’s legacy - is an improvement, is “better” than Impulse. Because Impulse is the class clown nobody takes seriously.

But gosh darn it I hate everything about that.

The fact that everyone’s perception of him influences him that much, that nobody can see him for the hero he actually is, that he has to prove himself over and over again. That he doesn’t seem to find enough value in being himself, so he changes. It’s not just the different name, it’s Wally’s old costume, heck, Wally’s damn hair cut - Bart’s wild floof of a mane is absolutely iconic and as Kid Flash, his hair is so much shorter and... tamer.

Look, I have a general issue with how mindnumbingly boring and unoriginal it is for the legacy characters to just wear hand-me-downs, both as costumes and as names, or worse yet to share names at the same time (giving current-time Tim the stink-eye here for going back to Robin for fuck knows what reason).

Kon and Cassie at least got creative with the costumes, if not with the name. Tim... let’s not talk about the Robins. But Bart! Precious Bart, with his own costume and his own name!! That was honestly the first thing that endeared me to him, before I even properly met him. Saw that floofy mane and individual character-design and especially for a speedster, now that’s a breath of fresh air (I still have to check wikis to see whether Barry or Wally is behind that Flash mask if I encounter a random Flash in a comic...).

I liked that. I liked that a lot. And I especially loved how well picked his name is. Sure, many in-universe look at it as him... not thinking. But it’s more that he follows his gut, reacts on impulse. And I think that’s okay, because he’s a speedster, of course is he quick on his feet and more bound to action.

I just... I really hope that Bart gets to appreciate himself for who he is? Because on its own, I did appreciate that plotline. It made a whole lotta sense that at one point, the way others treat and perceive him would affect him and the whole getting shot and getting a prosthetic under what must have been torturous pain is a very, very good reason to spiral in that manner.

It’s just the way I’m like five volumes farther now and he’s still Kid Flash and we haven’t really focused on his internal process, or had any of his friends... I don’t know... check in with him about all this, because it’s just super obvious what’s happening here and Cassie, Kon or Tim could really catch on too at some point?

(But then I suppose that Young Justice: Dark Crisis did nail one part. It’s the way Cassie, Kon and Tim are very caught up in themselves and their other friendships and treat Bart more as their sidekick as opposed to their equal teammate and friend, both in Young Justice Vol 1 and, so far, in Teen Titans Vol 3...)

[bittercape]

For your ask game— 6 and/or 10! I’m so intrigued by both, because a) OUTSIDER POV WOO is exactly how I’d title an outsider pov wip and b) okay but Tony?? And Deadpool?? Please connect these dots for me

I maintain the only sensible way to name wips is in a way that makes you remember what you were thinking when you started it. More of a problem when you have at least 20 wips at any given time, though. 

So. Outsider POV woo 5 is nearly finished, and is only waiting for me to finish woo 4 (aka 5. Voyeur Tim 2). WOO is windows of opportunity, which I started with part 3 back in November, as one does. 

A snippet:

The way Slade touches Jason is different from anything or anyone else. Dick has seen Slade doing a lot of things over the years. Slade's hands are fast and efficient, brutal and precise. He knows what he's doing at all times and does exactly what is needed, no more, no less. Whether that's gutting an opponent or drinking coffee. Slade touches Jason slowly, lingering, like he wants to savor every moment. Even if he's just handing him a cup of tea, his fingertips take an extra second to brush against Jason's skin.

Tony/Deadpool spawned in the winterhawk server. In of people wrapped up tight in the things that will kill them, Bucky talks Clint down from a panic attack by telling him a story about Tony and Deadpool. It's just a throwaway line, mentioned once, but someone latched onto that idea. I had completely forgotten about it by that point, but what can you do. Of course I have to write it, I’m easy like that. 

It’s a collection of loose thoughts at the moment, but the central premise is somewhere along the lines of Tony making things go bang, Wade being really happy about it, and then they kiss. A solid plot, in other words. 

[strange-august]

Augie's Spotify Wrapped Tour '23

Augie's Thoughts: Yeah. Sounds about right but what the hell does POV: Indie mean? What genre even is that?

Augie's Thoughts: Shoutout to my friends in the Netherlands. I wanna attend a hardstyle festival there someday!

Augie's Thoughts: This song is a literally just a hardstyle remix of a Rihanna song, but I love it. It makes me feel cool, powerful. Like, I got unlimited rizz and could totally ask any guy or gal in the club to dance with me. This is a lie of course. I have so much anxiety!!

Augie's Thoughts: My top 5 songs perfectly encapsulate my five moods:

Let's Fucking Go!

It's So Over...

We Are So Fucking Back!

It Is What It Is (But In A Good Way)

Fuck It. We Ball.

Also shoutout to my dad for introducing me to Slade this year. Thank you, dad!

Augie's Thoughts: Yeah. As a retail worker who hates what they play on the radio, I got an airpod in one ear all eight hours of the day. But top 5%? Wow.

Augie's Thoughts: Not surprised that they are once again my top artist this year. I've kept up to date with them on all their new releases throughout the year pretty diligently. They're my childhood band. What can I say?

Augie's Thoughts: The fact that most of my listening comes from the Summer months is honestly kind of funny. Could be because it's when my birthday is or that maybe Summer just feels more like the time to party.

Augie's Thoughts: This one made me feel excited because it is so spot on! Not to mention, shapeshifters are one of my most favorite kinds of creatures irl! They're so underrated and the fact that I'm a shapeshifter in a music sense makes me so happy!

Thanks for joining me on my Spotify Wrapped Tour! See you next year!

Love, Augie XO

[outoftheirdifferences]

☯ "Slade is right. You don’t have any friends." For the Terra owies

Send me '☯ + a scene from my characters canon' and I will drabble it from my character's POV.

"Beast Boy... it's the truth."

Her tone was heavy. She'd hoped that, somehow, this truth would never come out; that maybe, she didn't know, maybe she and Beast Boy could just have taken off after this night, gone somewhere else, left it all behind. She'd done what Slade had wanted in return for teaching her to master her powers, they were square; even if he had further plans involving her, the main deed was done, and she no longer owned him everything. He should have been too busy overseeing the fall of Titans Tower, he'd never been meant to know that...

Too late for that now.

She'd inwardly winced as Slade spelled out for Beast Boy exactly what she'd done, making it sound so much worse than it had seemed when she'd agreed to it... but watching Beast Boy lash out at the mirrors, smashing them one after another with a punch or a kick as if that would somehow hurt his enemy, hearing the desperation in his voice as he accused Slade of lying... she'd known she had to speak up.

But it was... it was okay, right? Not fifteen minutes ago, he'd given her his promise - that no matter what she told him, no matter how horrible it was, he'd still like her, he'd still be her friend - and it was that promise that she clung to now. As she stood before Slade, ever the 'dutiful' apprentice; as she watched Beast Boy turn to her, betrayal in his eyes; as she heard the numb tone to his voice as he could only manage two words:

"Terra... why?"

(under the cut for length!)

She didn't know, she didn't have the words. But that was 'okay'; Slade was answering for her. At the cold, calculating, calm - in her current internal turmoil, she couldn't imagine ever sounding that calm again - tone to his voice... that was the moment she flinched away, turning her head, unable to keep meeting the betrayal in Beast Boy's gaze.

"Because you could never give her what she needs."

Beast Boy's next sound wasn't words, but an incoherent yell of rage mixed with a roar; and Terra's eyes snapped open to see the green tiger hurling itself straight at them. She didn't know whether Beast Boy was aiming for Slade or for her - she didn't want to know - but instinct took over and she ducked away. She didn't know how to act, whose behalf to act on; she wanted to root for Beast Boy, but Slade--

The titan never found his mark; as Terra turned, still crouched to the ground, she saw Slade catch the mighty feline straight out of the air, slam him to the ground. The tiger rounded, snarling; but then Slade had a gun, and its shot resounded in the wrecked mirror hall.

Terra's mind was working sluggishly. Surely he hadn't-- she clumsily found her feet, moving around Slade to see what had happened, to see...

Beast Boy, human once again, crumpled at Slade's feet, the gun still pointed at his head.

A gasp tore from her lungs. Blue gaze sought desperately for a sign of life, a sign that Slade hadn't just snuffed out the life of the titan who was her enemy and her best friend, and who might have been something more to her if circumstances had been different...

He groaned, and for a moment her fears weren't realised--

But Slade still held the gun--

"NO."

Hands glowed with the now-familiar rush of power, and she mentally grasped at the ground beneath Slade's feet, ready to throw him off balance in a moment should she need to.

"I won't let you hurt my friend!"

He looked at her out the corner of his single eye, and Terra felt her heart collapse even before he spoke.

"Dear child, you don't have any friends."

Before she could manage any response, could even process it, Beast Boy was on his feet again: now a gigantic bear, bowling Slade over, tearing at him in what looked like a blind rage; but though she stared in horror, Terra couldn't bring her mind to focus on the scene before her. Slade's words had touched a deep part of her, a deep, deep fear that she didn't want them to have touched, and she...

and she...

She turned and ran.

She didn't know where she was trying to go. Deeper into the mirror maze, just trying to get away, to not have to face the fear that Slade's dismissive words had planted in her heart.

Beast Boy wouldn't-- He said-- He promised--

He had also promised to keep her secret before, and look how that had worked out--

NO! He PROMISED me! He'll be my friend, no matter what I've done, no matter how bad... he promised, he promised--

And then, all at once, she was face to face with herself. A dead end; mirror-Terra stared back at her, looking just as haunted as Terra herself felt, and she withdrew with a gasp. But the mirrors were everywhere; as she backed away, more mirror-Terras were backing towards her, and one after another, her eyes met their own horrified gazes. She spun in place, trying to find a way out; but all she could see was herself, herself everywhere; and in every gaze she could see the desperate plea:

Beast Boy had to keep his promise-- Slade was wrong-- he had to be--

If Beast Boy didn't--

It was at that moment that she despaired. Sinking to her knees with a sob, one hand shielding her head as if it could keep her fears and doubts at bay, the other just barely supporting her, keeping her from toppling over into a heap.

"Beast Boy..."

Her voice was weak, broken. She didn't expect him to be there, didn't expect him to hear, but she had to... she couldn't... she didn't know what she was thinking, only that she had to...

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen."

Movement, to her left; instinctively she raised her head, to see Beast Boy was indeed standing there. He'd heard her feeble apology... but his response was as accusing as she'd ever heard from him.

"Then why did you let it?"

She scrambled back to her feet, not sure if she was acting because she was ashamed for him to see her like this, or because she... she hated the feeling of him looking down at her like she was something horrible.

"I don't know, okay? I don't know!"

The words spilled out of her; but they were empty excuses, not even that much, and she knew it. Beast Boy deserved better than that... and, really, there was only one explanation anyway.

"Slade... he helped me, saved me from myself."

He had to know what she meant, right? He, out of all the titans, had seen the damage she could do, the underground whirlwind she'd unleashed, the way she'd almost brought down the whole mine atop them all. She'd been afraid, she'd been desperate... he could never know what that felt like, he had his power under control so easily - and even if he didn't, changing into animals couldn't accidentally hurt people. Not like her earth powers could.

Not like her powers so often had.

"He said I owed him, but--"

"So it was all a game? You were just pretending?!"

If she thought she'd heard Beast Boy's most accusatory tone before, she'd been wrong; as he interrupted, jabbing a finger of blame in her direction, and Terra felt her heart quaver, threatening to crumble down to her guts.

"No."

And then, because she couldn't contain the fear any longer, because she needed to hear him say it, to reassure her that even if he was angry with her now, that he'd meant--

"You said you'd be my friend no matter what, remember?"

There was a plea in her tone. She reached out a gloved hand, hoping desperately that he'd take it... but at his gaze, cold and sharp enough to cut her, she recoiled. For a moment, she didn't think he was even going to deign to answer her; but he cast a glance back over his shoulder.

And uttered the words that would crush her.

"Slade was right. You don't have any friends."

Her heart crumbled into a million tiny pieces. She'd never seen Beast Boy so cold, so resentful, so bitter... and for it to be directed towards her... a small part of Terra knew that she deserved it, that she had no right to have expected anything else.

But he'd promised, he'd promised, he'd PROMISED--

"If you were really my friend, I could tell you anything, and no matter how horrible it was you would still like me, right?"

"Yes," he'd said. "I promise, Terra. No matter what."

liar.

Liar.

LIAR.

She could only stare. Wide eyed, her heart in pieces at her feet, more wounded than she'd ever thought possible. This wasn't supposed to happen, this wasn't how it was supposed to end, Beast Boy was supposed to say yes of course, I know you've made a terrible, terrible mistake but of course we're still friends, of course, of course...

"Apprentice."

Slade's voice broke into her thoughts. And in that moment Terra knew there was absolutely nothing left for her in the world of titans and heroes. There was no good still within her heart--

Beast Boy had just crushed the last of it.

Even before Slade could utter the command to come, she was falling back towards him, knowing without even looking just where he was standing. She didn't look at him, didn't see the tears and scratches of his recent mauling on his clothes and armour. Didn't look at anything, just squeezed her eyes tightly closed as she retreated to his side, to the only place in the world that still wanted her.

The shadows were all she had left.

"We've had a change of plans."

Still, Slade sounded as calm and collected as anything; but within Terra herself, a flame of hatred had been sparked. True, she was awful, she'd used the titans, gained their trust, betrayed them... but she, at least, had never given a promise and broken it.

The flame was only small for now. But she would fan it, and it would grow...

Eyes snapped open once more; but this time their gaze was hardened, cold, cruel. Let Beast Boy moan and whimper over her betrayal... as if he hadn't broken his promise and her heart first when he'd blabbed to Robin about her not being able to control her powers...

Because when she next saw him, she'd give him something to really hurt over.

She and Slade stepped backwards into the all-enveloping shadows, and were gone.

[roseworth]

Rose Wilson (pre-flashpoint) Reading Guide :^)

hiiiiii i need everyone to love her and talk about her all the time

this isnt everything, this i just what i think you need to get a pretty good idea of who she is <3 if you want more this list has most of her pre52 appearances (EDIT: and i have a post-flashpoint reading list now too!!!!)

all the important issues for her story are in bold and my personal favorites are italicized. in all honestly you can skip a lot of the bolded ones but i WILL take it personally if you skip my favorites

Deathstroke v1 #15 (her introduction!!)

Deathstroke v1 #45-46, #48, annual #4, #51

New Titans #126

Titans v1 #27, #33, #37

Teen Titans v3 #0.5

Teen Titans v3 #8, #12

Batgirl v1 #64

Nightwing v2 #112-115

Nightwing v2 #117

Teen Titans v3 #34-35, #40-41, #43-46, #57, #60, #71, #88, #90-91, #98-100

Batgirl v2 #2-4

Titans v2 #13, Teen Titans v3 #70, Vigilante v3 #6

Teen Titans v3 #77-78

Faces of Evil: Deathstroke

Teen Titans v3 #72-76 & #79-82 (second feature)

now unfortunately i love to explain myself so i gave my reasonings for everything i put under the cut:

welcome to the annotated version <3

Deathstroke #15 - this tells the story of slade meeting lillian worth, rose's mom, and then shows rose for the first time <3 honestly this one doesnt do much for rose other than saying that she exists but it still matters

Deathstroke #45-46 - before this, rose is kidnapped and escapes but i didnt include that in the list because shes not doing much until these issues. but she has things to do in these and has great moments of lili trying to protect her. dont bother reading any of the actual deathstroke stuff because i do not care what hes up to

Deathstroke #48 - rose meets slade for the first time!!! it does not go well

Deathstroke annual #4 - shes not in this til the last few pages but i get the content of rose mourning her mother where i can bc it does not get brought up for like 20 years after this. also rose being a badass is always welcome to me

Deathstroke #51 - this one is almost entirely rose's pov!!! granted shes not exactly the center of the story but still! it also starts showing her meta abilities and precognition which is so slay of her

New Titans #126 - this is the first time she gets like. an actual personality. and its great. i lov her dynamics with the other titans and i love kyle and donna kind of trying to parent her. and also shows a little bit more of how she feels about her mom hehe. in the issue before this she puts a gun to someones head which i think is also worth reading that moment of her however. its a one page scene and it never gets brought up again so i didnt bother including it

Titans #27, #33, #37 - honestly i think that roses entire time nannying lian is worth reading but she doesnt do a Lot in each issue so i felt bad including the whole thing sdjafhadsf but she has scattered appearances from #25-39 and theyre all FANTASTIC. one of my favorite eras of rose for sure

Teen Titans #0.5  - this is her joining her father :( terrible hate kill but its a very important part of her story. also she has a random family here which ??? i mean sure i guess. love that everyone was playing hot potato with rose for like 10 years though

Teen Titans #8 - calls herself ravager for the first time so its kind of important. honestly though i wasnt even gonna include this at first but decided that it was important enough to throw in. shes only on the last page of this though

Teen Titans #12 - this is where she loses her eye (see: takes her own knife and stabs it out) so its pretty significant. also bart reaching out to her and trying to help her is sweet :) i dont really care about brother blood at all though so i didnt include the rest of this arc but it starts at #9 if youre really interested

Batgirl v1 #64 - this one is extremely biased im gonna be real. i just love batgirl 2000 and this issue was really good for both of them honestly, its the two of them fighting and does a good job showing rose's relationship with her dad during this time and showing her skills 

Nightwing #112-115 - this one was just so much fun. i wouldnt call it 100% in character but theres a lot of good stuff about rose wanting a family and its rly sweet :( its also hilarious to me and its so fun to read it

Nightwing #117  - leaving her father!!! she really only shows up on a couple pages here but you know. its pretty significant. 

GENERAL WARNING FOR TEEN TITANS: a lot of teen titans was written by geoff johns and. i dont know how to put it other than that hes VERY geoff johns about it. there are bits of misogyny and racism in pretty much every issue. even after johns stops writing it still has some extremely iffy parts. so just be warned :(

EDIT: since making this list i have made yet another list of her tt03 appearances and whether or not they should be read so u can check that out if you’re interested <3

Teen Titans #34 - her intro to the team!! talks a little about how she got there and what shes doing etc. also wlw hostility with cassie

Teen Titans #35 - this one originally wasnt even on the list because it comes with HEAVY disclaimers. this issue includes rose trying to rape tim, which i consider to be the worst moment in that entire book, and probably the most out of character thing rose has ever done. thank you geoff johns. HOWEVER this issue also has a lot of really nice moments with rose and eddie that i really enjoyed :( so just. disregard the first few pages if you read this

Teen Titans #40-41 - you will quickly find out that i am a sucker for rose and joey being siblings. in all honesty i know very little about joey but i DO know that he and rose have rly sweet moments in a lot of these

Teen Titans #43-46 - a lot of deathstroke stuff. mostly boring but rose does get to fight her dad here :) and also some more rose & joey moments. though do be warned as a cassandra cain fan these issues did send me flying into a blind rage because she is so out of character

Teen Titans #57 & #60 - precognition!!! rose being a badass!!! my love!!!!!! this is a good issue. it does go back on a lot of what its already gone over by saying "ooo rose is so murderous and dangerous!!" but. whatever. i like it when shes murderous. these are all part of an arc that goes from #56-60 if you want the full story but these two are the ones that rose has the most to do in. then #60 leads into Terror Titans which. um. was not good. very out of character for rose and just not an interesting story at all. but i mean if you want to read it she is in it

Teen Titans #71  - rose-centric issues my beloved hehe :) this issue is pretty good and sets off her story in the second feature starting in #72

Teen Titans #88 - rose rejoining the team!!!!! which i have mixed feelings on because it was clearly a "the writer wanted her there but didnt want to do the work to put her back so they just threw her in" situation which is fine i guess. it ignores a lot of whats already happened though :/ but!!!! lillian worth mention!!! woo!!!!

Teen Titans #90-91 - damian and rose's dynamic is so fucking funny and i love it. they are iconic together its amazing

Teen Titans #98-100 - final teen titans arc!! rose isnt specifically doing a lot but she does have some really good moments here. also she has an interaction with mia for like 2 panels so i need to cut those 2 panels out and frame them <3 but be warned. the writer was clearly going in the rose/conner direction for some reason which. um. hm.

Batgirl v2 #2-4 - ICONIC. i have issues with cass's characterization in this but rose is wonderful. she can be patricidal as a treat <3 shes planning ahead and shes a good fighter and shes murderous. what more do you need.

Teen Titans #70, Titans #13, Vigilante #6 - these are all part of a bigger crossover, Titans #12 and Vigilante #5 come before these but rose doesnt have anything to do there and i did not read them because i dont really care about the story of this one. but oh my god. this has some FANTASTIC rose & joey content. all of their interactions in this killed me esp the last part :(

Teen Titans #77-78 - oughghggogugughggh this one was so sad fr. i love it when rose tries to kill her dad but there were so many parts in this where i was full of pain. but also joey and rose moment hiiii !! but most importantly lili is revealed to be alive here!!! yippee!!!!

Faces of Evil: Deathstroke #1 - hiiiii im actually adding this one to the list nearly a year after i originally made it lol <3 but i love this issue so much and i cant believe i never added it. most of the reason i like it is because i like it when she commits patricide and like half of this comic is dedicated to her kicking his ass then getting her ass kicked. god i love her

Teen Titans #72-76 & #79-82 - FRESH HELL MY BELOVED <3 greatest rose story of all time <333 the writer is clearly weird about rose but who am i to judge. lots of good moments of her struggling with morality and finding out who she is and its a pretty good story and im pretty sure there was one part that made me cry

and there we go !! i know most ppl dont add their opinion to their reading lists however i mostly made this for my followers and i am the god of this list and i do what i want

[writing-for-the-hell-of-it]

his angel in disguise ch 4

Come along see how y/n and Damian end up together In a bad place the doctor assassin y/n and killer assassin Vigilante Damian

"22 year old Damian stood all alone with the justice league tied up about the fight Slade Wilson as the battle gaged who is worried no one to back him up until she drops down she was there shadow he watched as spade jumped and she blocked as the entered a intense battle not knowing if they'd come out victorious"

See them grow and get through hard times watch him fall for her and her fall for him

character list

DISCLAIMER: I do not own dc or any other character In this unless started otherwise all dc character are from the Warner bros

⚠️WARNING⚠️ Blood cussing fighting some spicy seen no full on smut

May15th 9:30

The drive back to the cave was answered and quite i doubt that father even believes in his he’ll probably want a dna test and i still cant believe im leaving y/n all on her own for god knows how long mother wouldn't even tell me if there was any plans in place to aveng grandfather and if y/n will be put in harm's way without me there to protect her even tho she doesn't need my protection i still feel as tho i should be there to protector and i don't know when i will get to speak to mother or y/n i snap out of thought as We pulled into the batcave an old man who I presumed was  pennyworth

No ones pov  

“Welcome back, sir I presume this is the young man of whom you spoke'?” alfred said with what sounded like amusement 

 “Hello, Pennyworth. I've heard of you.”damian says finely speaking seans him and his father’s small convo 

“At your service, Master Damian.” damian looked around confused 

“Where are the rest of the servants?” 

“I am the sum total.” alfred spoke 

“You have only one servant'?” that was not what damian was used to he was used to big groups of servants  

“He's not a servant. He's a friend.” now that shocked damian even more he was so confused so he changed to topic

“So this is the fabled Batcave.Grandfather told us all about it.Smaller than I imagined.Very efficient, though.” 

“us?” bruce was confused 

“i mean me sorry” daiman didn't even realize he said us instead of me alfred sighed 

“He is the spitting image of you at that age. It's a bit chilling.” 

“Tell me about it.” bruce said  

“Look, you're gonna have to get him settled please I'm not sure how long he'll be here, but for the time being, this will be his home.”

“Of course master bruce” alfred then turned to damian 

“Would you like to see where you are sleeping?”

As they reach the room, Alfred opens the door. 

“I hope this isn't too cramped for you. That door heads to your bath.The other, to a game room.And you also have this far your amusement. Naturally, you have the run of the mansion.” alfred explained as damian wondered the room 

“Of course. I know that. Prepare some tea, Pennyworth. Brown sugar instead of white with fresh-cut lemon” damian didn't mean to sound rude but he was still annoyed from having to say good bye to y/n he didnt mean to have a attitude 

“Perhaps master would like some warm mixed nuts...and a moist hand towel.” now that just pushed damian over 

“Watch yourself, Pennyworth. I'm not so young that I don't understand sarcasm.” alfred rolled his eyes and as he walked out he said 

“While I am much too old to care” 

Damian settled in to his room as he got changed and began to hang his weapon and put his clothes away he stopped when he got to his drawing journals and art supplies they had sceneries of all there missions but two of the five journals were just drawings of y/n from over the years he stopped and began to look through them remembering eche one he did then he tucked them in to the bedside top draw there was a knock on the door then alfred walked in with damians tea he placed it on the table as damian watched then walked out damian pulled out the book he brought sat on the chair next to the small side table and drank his tea well he reads   

With y/n…

May 15th 8:15 pm

Talia went to check on y/n as the sailed away from the doc after dropping damian with his father  

Talia pov

I walk in to the back room to cheek on y/n i didn't know how she would hold up i mean her and damian have been attached at the hip seance they were little i knock on the door

“Come in” 

No ones pov

Talia walked i n to the room “hey how are you doing” she said as she sat down next to her on the bed 

“im ok so what's next from here”

“you know i was putting some thought and i think we should start with rebuilding the league but i think that we should bring back the elite guard” 

“you mean  your all female guard” 

“yes” 

“ok will you reach out to your sister” 

“ i don't know yet but i know would like you to run it” y/n was shocked Talia al Ghul's Elite Guard 

“you want me to run the One sect of the League was led by you made for you the one that consisted of only women. They most quick, skilled, and quiet when it came to gaining information and battling enemies. Although they honored Ra's al Ghul, the assassins took their orders from you. They were legendary you want ME to help you run it” 

“yes thats what i said its the forest part i want to rebuild the the rest of the league then we can finely plan the downfall of your father” 

“ok im in im her for whatever you need or where ever you me ok” 

“good now get some rest i will let you know when we get to the Island” 

“Ok”

Tallia had chosen to head to infinity Island  to regroup seance Nanda Parbat was no longer deemed safe it was the second home of the al ghuls were most of the female assassins were stationed there they will pick the new members of the elite guard and maybe bring some old members tho talia was still contemplating calling her younger sister but she did send someone to tell her of her fathers death they might just be half sisters she still did hold her dear in her hart and she was still involved in the training of damian and y/n