#in a different way than arrowfam. my other loves.

[tbcanary]

i don’t talk about the wonderfam much but it should be known that i am, in fact, literally always thinking about them.

[pluckyredhead]

Editing The Lost Titans

I get asks about writing advice/craft/tips occasionally, and I always feel a little inadequate when I answer them. While I try to be very disciplined and methodical about my original writing, when it comes to fic, it's something I do for fun and for free, so my method is mainly slapping my hands on the keyboard like a seal until self-indulgence comes out. It's rare that I outline fic or make significant edits, so it's hard for me to point to specific examples.

However! While I was writing The Lost TItans, I did a bunch of major edits - throwing away entire scenes, revising large chunks, adding an entire chapter after the first draft was done. More importantly, all of those edits had really clear reasons they needed to be made, rather than me going "Eh...it's just not right," which means I can actually explain my thought process without just waving a hand vaguely in the direction of the vibes. So I thought I'd write about what edits I made and why, in case it's interesting or useful to anyone. (And if not, who doesn't like navel gazing?)

The original opening scene was entirely different. It served the same purpose - it was still a dream showing the Titans Red world - but instead of all the Titans fighting the HIVE, it was Jason having lunch on the Star City University campus with Toni and Grant. Then, just as in the finished fic, Jason wakes up at Roy's house and talks about the dream over breakfast.

Now don't get me wrong, I loved writing that original opening scene. I love Toni and Grant, I was already invested in this alternate timeline, so getting to play with these characters interacting was super fun for me.

But it wouldn't have been fun for anyone else. Most of my readers wouldn't know who Toni and Grant were, and literally no one would be invested in their relationships with Jason, because I was inventing those out of whole cloth. Also, because the other four members of the team weren't there, it was just tons of exposition of who these characters were, what their team history was, etc. etc. Rose's joke about Roy being like a cool camp counselor was originally from this scene, but because Rose isn't in the scene, it's a joke being exposited rather than told. There was nothing to engage a reader who wasn't me, and also a lot of what was being shown in the scene - that these characters attended the same college - wasn't necessary information (as you can tell by the fact that in the final fic, that isn't even true).

So I cut the scene entirely and replaced it with the opening fight scene. (And obviously made the necessary edits to the subsequent conversation with Roy.) It's much more high energy, and more importantly: it gets the whole team on the page, it shows that they are a team rather than just telling you, and hopefully the banter gets you invested in their dynamic. They're pals being goofy together! I sure hope these are real relationships and not Hank Hall's weird manipulative RPF!

2. The third scene, dinner at Ollie's, originally opened with Roy, Lian, and Jason arriving at Ollie's and all the different Arrowfamily members getting little bits of dialogue or whatever before it was supposed to cut to the flashback of Jason butting heads with Bruce in Gotham. I was actually in the middle of this scene and stalled out for a while before I realized I needed to a) scrap the opening scene like I mentioned above and b) scrap this one, too. Often when I find I'm just stuck and not going anywhere, it's for reasons like this - the scene I'm writing isn't the right one.

In this case, it was similar to the Grant and Toni scene above - I was having a great time writing the Arrowfam, but the scene wasn't actually contributing anything to the fic. The point of this entire sequence was to show Jason's fraught relationship with his own family, and hint that Connor was experiencing the same dreams as Jason. Random banter with Mia or whoever was just getting in the way of the crucial information. I cleared all of the Arrowfamily stuff out of the beginning of this sequence, jumped straight to Gotham, and then used the birthday cake scene to contrast Jason's relationship with the Bats to his relationship with the Arrows, as well as drop that Connor hint.

I want to be really clear here, because I feel like people get defensive about the idea of cutting scenes that "aren't doing anything" or "don't move the plot forward." I didn't cut these scenes because they were quiet or character-driven. Jason and Roy having breakfast is quiet and character-driven. The whole fic is character-driven. I cut the scenes that I cut because they literally served zero purpose except having various characters go "Hello, I exist and I have a relationship to Jason." I replaced them with scenes that did that, and also moved the plot forward, and also made you care about those relationships, and also were fun to read. Please don't feel bad for those scenes because they got cut; they are a collection of words and don't have feelings.

3. The scene where Rose rescues Jason and Connor from Sudden Death got I would say a medium level of revision, in that the beats are all the same but they weren't originally fighting Sudden Death. Initially I just had them dealing with two members from opposite sides of a gang war, and the scene was pretty terrible but it got me where I needed to be, so I left it and finished the first draft of the whole fic.

When I went back in revisions, I realized that in using the gang war hook, I was once again spending time on something - in this case, the intricacies of crime in Star City - that had nothing to do with the fic. This is an easy trap to fall into: I needed to introduce Rose in a fun, badass way, while Jason and Connor were already hanging out, so having her save them while they were on patrol was perfect. It didn't matter who they were fighting, so I put in some generic goons.

But then I had to justify why said goons required three superheroes (four, if you count Roy) to defeat them, and also set up why they were there in the first place, and it just became a long derailment from the story I was trying to tell, with nothing inherently entertaining about it to justify it.

Swapping the goons for Sudden Death meant I could significantly streamline the "why" of the scene: he's a supervillain doing supervillain shit, case closed (although there's still a nod to him working with Brick, a Star City crime lord, to explain why he's in town). His dumb surfer shtick is more entertaining to read than generic goon dialogue. And he's a Hawk and Dove villain, which meant the scene served three purposes now: giving Rose a grand entrance, humor, and foreshadowing. Boom.

4. The scene where Jason and Roy kiss got a pretty thorough second pass. This one is the least helpful one to talk about, I think, because it really was just honing the vibes. I wanted to increase the tension between them, that slow pull drawing them closer, so I put in more about their respective positioning in the room, the way the room looks and feels, little physical details of Roy. If I make the setting more palpable, I make the tension more palpable - or at least, that's the theory I'm working with here.

5. The climax got a MAJOR overhaul. Initially, Hank returned Roy and took him away again, Jason had the team attack him, and there was a whole thing with the team fruitlessly fighting against all these hypertime variants of Hank. Only then did Koryak suggest they stay in the Titans Red universe.

I'd written it that way because...well, it was a superhero fic, it felt like it needed some kind of physical confrontation at the end. But this version of Hank is so powerful that there wasn't actually anything the Titans could do, which made the fight not particularly engaging. It also didn't really make sense for him to be attacked by Koryak, Grant, and Eddie, who were kind of on his side, or Jason, who was torn.

Instead, I nixed the physical fight, and made the actual conflict between the team members, which is the conflict that really matters. I also made that fight much more painful. The argument was already there in the first draft, but the truly cruel lines - Koryak's comment about Rose's mom, what Grant says to Toni - came in the second pass. Because the stakes here aren't really whether they can beat Hank; it's their friendship, and the balance between what they give up by going home, and what they give up by staying in the dream. I needed that decision to hurt, and failing to punch Hank Hall in the face wouldn't accomplish that.

6. I essentially added an entire chapter in revisions. Originally the fic went: Eddie sacrifices himself -> quick paragraph sending everyone home -> Jason and Roy get together -> team reassembles to rescue Eddie. It felt rushed and completely unsatisfying. I had been focused on resolving the plot points directly involving Jason, because he's the POV character, but I'd spent so long on all of the various team relationships that I had to at least give each character a proper send-off.

So I added the scene at the JSA brownstone. I let Grant and Toni make up, gave Grant his happy ending, and hinted at Toni's. I gave Koryak and Rose exit lines, and hinted that Jason thinks of Connor as family and part of what "home" means. I added the Tim scene because I needed to balance the beginning of the fic, and because if Jason was making the choice to return to a world with a fraught family dynamic, I needed to show that dynamic on page. I was worried that it would feel like I was drawing out the end too long after the Big Bad was defeated, but I think all of those scenes feel necessary and (hopefully) healing.

Anyway, hopefully this was interesting and maybe helpful! I find craft super interesting but it can be hard to talk about in concrete ways, so I wanted to get all this down on (digital) paper as clear examples I could point to when people ask.

[blackbatcass]

heyy lindenn! hruu today??

i saw u love when ppl call u by name but i thought it’d make u uncomfortable if we aren’t close, so i hope you dont mind!

i wanted to kinda expand into stuff other than batfam and was wondering where to start? i was hoping you could help me out.

anyways dont rush to answer, take ur time, tysmm have a nice dayy! <3

hiya! dw lollll my name is free for public use.

i can probably help with that! it would really depend on who/what you're interested in exploring. most characters/families have a few good starter comics that are shorter or help you get a good feel for what they're like. i think team-up books are generally a nice way to ease out into other arenas, whether that be titans jla jsa jli etc. they're usually pretty lighthearted and introduce you to lots of new characters while still having characters you're familiar with.

other than batman my wheelhouses are mostly green arrow and flash, so i can be much more help with those two lol. i'm not sure what you've already read/what you're interested in but I can point you in some general directions

if you're reading green arrow for the first time I think it's easiest to start with volume three (the 2001 run). I think that one's the first longer run I ever read in its entirety and it basically made me fall in love with comics as a whole. it definitely has its problems, I'm not trying to say it's perfect lol, but for the most part it's very fun and a good introduction if you've never read arrowfam comics before. especially if you want to see connor and mia! the first two arcs (quiver and archer's quest) are especially good, but overall it just feels like you're hanging out with ollie and his adopted kids and fighting goofy villains in star city. it is 75 issues long but it went by SUPER fast for me. if you want a shorter story there is also green arrow year one and green arrow stranded, which are nice intros to ollie!

for flash, i would say one of the best intros would be to read #62-65 of flash v2. it's a version of wally's origin and also the start of waid's run, and like. it's so good lol. i would of course recommend impulse 1995 if you haven't read that already. all of flash v2 might be a little much if you're just looking to ease in, there are some arcs like 'the return of barry allen' and 'dead heat' that i think give you a feel for the comic as a whole.

for good starter wonder woman stories i'd recommend wonder woman: the hiketeia and wonder woman historia. for a longer comic i'd go with the perez run (wonder woman volume 2). i am definitely not qualified to talk on the glc but i'd assume stories like emerald dawn would be a good place to start? kyle's run on gl 1990 would probably also be a safe bet. it wasn't really for me but i am definitely in the minority there.

i am really not the person you'd want to talk to about superman, aquaman, shazam, etc. i'll get there one day but probably not for a while lol. if you have more specific questions about different corners of dc or specific families you're looking into I'd love to help!

[bluejaysandblackbats]

the mother i know

Fandom: DC Comics, Arrowfam

Summary: Roy leaves Lian with Jade for a few weeks while he follows up on a lead for the perfect Mother's Day gift for Jade. What starts as a quest for confirmation, becomes a complicated family situation, and a worrisome reunion.

Jade spends quality time with Lian, but she fears that Roy's hiding something.

Chapters: 2/?

Characters: Roy Harper, Jade Nguyen, Lian Harper, Tommy Blake Jr.

Relationships: CheshRoy

Additional Tags: Complicated Relationships, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Accidental Bonding, Multiple POV, Reunion

Chapter Two: Lotus Flower (Jade's POV)

Lian climbed into my bed and sat next to me, and I tensed up for a moment, feeling unnerved by her sudden closeness. “Mom? Is this too much? I can go back to my—.” I shook my head and inched closer before I put my arm around her. The TV played music in the background, but it was no more than white noise to me. 

“Nope,” I whispered as I kissed the top of her head. I couldn’t hold her the same way I used to, but she was still mine in every way that mattered. Every time I doubted myself, she extended a hand to me, offering me redemption… Forgiveness. She even took up my mantle. That meant something to me. She didn’t see me as a killer. She didn’t even see me as Cheshire. Not really. She saw me. Mom. Jade. 

After my conversation with Roy earlier, I realized we all had a chance to heal. In a moment of quiet contentment, I found myself whispering something that Roy told me when we were dating. 

Lian craned her neck upward to look at me. She had his grin and his way of talking, but I looked into her eyes and saw everything I could’ve been if someone had truly loved me sooner… I couldn’t have been more proud. Still, something in me ached when I looked at her. “Mom?” Lian whispered. 

“I couldn’t describe someone like you if I tried… How could you explain a flower to someone who’s never seen one?” I quoted. 

“Huh?” Lian asked. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight. 

I wanted to tell her about Roy and I’s conversation earlier, but I didn’t want to get her hopes up. “Nothing… I—. I don’t know when Roy’s getting back, so I thought maybe we could fix up your room. Make it feel like yours,” I suggested. 

“Seriously?” Lian asked.

“Uh-huh. However you want it. We can really fix up your room,” I replied. Lian sank into my arms, and I held my breath for a moment. 

She held my arm. “Can I ask you something personal?” Lian asked. 

“Nothing is personal between us,” I whispered. 

“Do you think things would’ve gone differently if you and Dad never broke up?” Lian questioned. 

I thought about that a lot. I blamed him for a lot of it at first, but I had to understand why he was afraid. We both panicked and the person we wanted to protect most was constantly caught in the crossfire. I don’t think we would’ve been any better back then if we were together. “We’re passionate people… Emotionally-driven, hot-tempered, and easily hurt. We’re volatile people, and I think the time we spent apart allowed us to grow up. We’re better for it. We wouldn’t be what we are now if we hadn’t taken—. You really want to know if we’ll ever get back together. Don’t you?” I questioned. She slipped out of my arms and sat on her shins facing me. “I think with us, it’s all about—. 

“When we’re good, we’re great. We work well together when we have the same goal in mind. But when it’s bad… We’re at each other’s throats. It’s so ugly. We’re never just okay, Lian. If we could find a way to find a middle ground, a place between the extremes… I think it’d work. It’s not a matter of being in love. I never stopped loving him, even when I wanted to hate him… And I know he loves me.” 

“I wish it wasn’t so complicated. I’m so tired of us all being apart all the time. The past few months we’ve all spent so much time together, and I don’t want to go back to how things were,” Lian whispered. I nodded, and I let the backs of my fingers brush her cheek. 

“I don’t want it to be that way either,” I replied, “Don’t worry. I’ll talk with Roy soon. He wants what’s best for you. I do, too. We’ll work something out that’ll make everyone happy.” Lian looked in my eyes, and I smiled at her. 

Lian climbed under the blankets and lay her head on my pillows. I scrunched down and parted her bangs away from her face. “Get some sleep, my love. I’m not going anywhere,” I whispered. And sleep, she did. But I couldn’t rest. I watched her sleep for a while, and I listened to every noise outside. 

** 

I made breakfast while she slept, and I was surprised to receive a call from Roy. “Good morning,” I answered. 

“Good morning,” Roy dragged on. I could almost see his grin when he said it. “How’s Lian?”

“She’s sleeping… How’s your thing going?” I questioned. I didn’t care about the details. I knew he wouldn’t tell me unless he needed my help. 

“If things go well, I’ll be home before the week is over. But Lian can stay until the end of the month because I promised you that,” Roy reassured me. “Um… Did you sleep?” 

“No… But it’s okay. Lian slept in my bed last night. It was nice,” I answered. I heard bells chiming in the background. “Roy? Did you sleep?” 

“Not really… But I think I see what I’m looking for. Kiss Lian for me, and um—. Have a good day, Jade,” Roy replied before hanging up. 

Lian tried to sneak up on me, but I heard her come out of the bathroom. “Do you eat omelets?” I asked. 

“Never had one. Dad’s not the omelet type. He’s more of a fish sticks and scrambled eggs kind of guy,” Lian answered. I chuckled. She wasn’t lying.

She stood on her tiptoes, looking over my shoulder. “Do you want to put some bread in the toaster for me?” I asked. She nodded. 

“Mom, about last night… Did you really mean you wanted to get back together with Dad or were you saying that to make me happy?” Lian questioned without looking at me. 

“I meant it. I’m not going to start lying to you now,” I replied. “I’d like for it to work… But you shouldn’t worry about that. You should be worried about what you want for your next birthday,” I whispered. 

I could see the wheels turning as she tried to figure out what she wanted. I pinched her cheeks between my knuckles. “What did Dad say?” Lian asked. 

“He said he might be home early, but he said you could stay the rest of the month with me like he originally promised,” I answered honestly. I didn’t tell her about the bells. It didn’t seem important. 

Lian wrapped her arms around me. “Mom, can I draw you?” Lian asked. I blinked hard, remembering the pictures Lian used to send me. They’d gotten pretty good before… I thought those years were long gone. 

“Um… Yeah. Yes, of course,” I answered. She smiled and rocked forward to the balls of her feet before rushing back to her room. I chuckled and smiled. “She’s so cute.” The toast popped out of the toaster, and I put them on our plates, applying a thin layer of butter and jam before neatly sliding our omelets beside our plates. “Lian, honey! Breakfast!” I called. I carried her plate to the living room and returned to the kitchen to pour our juice. Lian set her sketchbook aside and dug in. She even ate like Roy. I couldn’t help but smile. 

[thequiver]

Hey I'm also poc and while I don't know what other posts you've made I think I could offer some insight on your Shado post. I don't think you mean to be an authority but I can see how other person felt that way. Mainly with how you frame your choice to pick the Grell Shado. I understand why you do and think you give good points why. But your tone can make it seem like you are saying your choice is the one true best choice and other choices are lesser or more racist even unintentionally.

“For one there are never just two choices. If there is an A or B choice there is also a A+B and even C and D choices. If someone chooses to change Shado's rape story it is possible they could include other elements to maintain Ollie's survivor status for example. Its difficult because poc fans can have different tolerances for different tropes and we are balancing the needs of several groups with little talk of intersectionality.

“I would want to know what other poc survivors takes on Shado would be. I know for a lot of poc fans the rapist poc trope is far more hurtful to them personally than other racist sexual tropes. They may be willing to put up with what is to them several smaller tropes than one big one. For example I know a lot of black fans that love Blaxploitation films but hate the Green Mile. There may be more nuance in a person's decision of which Shado they want to engage with that could be expressed.”

As for the tone that’s just how I write when I’m talking about things that aren’t to be taken lightly and I will absolutely work on that when making further posts regarding racism in comics. I wasn’t aware that I was unintentionally painting the wrong picture and now that I am aware I’ll make a point of doing better.

The issue with this particular instance is that there…. Aren’t a lot of ways to change the story to keep Ollie as a survivor without erasing rather large swathes of the plot, which is part of why I frame the particular discussion regarding Shado in that way. The other reason is that, many of my anons regarding this issue very much do frame it as A or B, and these posts are sort of meant to address the many repeated questions I’m getting that frame it that way.

And yes, I too would love to see more posts from POC about Shado in general but especially about this particular issue, and I’d share them regardless of if they agreed with me or not. But there aren’t a lot of people talking about Shado, and fewer still talking about this particular issue in a public forum. Which I get, given that I’ve had people intentionally try to trigger me and harass me in my inbox for talking about a white character’s trauma, and knowing the way that Arrowfam fans get harassed for talking about the text (ffs we had a hell of a January) I wouldn’t ask my POC survivor friends to make posts about this knowing the kind of backlash they are likely to receive. If they’re comfortable making it they know that I’ll support them and share their post and speak out in support and defense of them if they get harassed but….there is a real genuine concern there and as much as I’d love to see and share their thoughts in a public forum like this, I’m also very aware of why some of them don’t. My posts are borne from discussion with other fans who are POC and who are survivors, i don’t ever post about racism in comics without taking the time to listen to the people I know who are actually affected by the racism in the text and the fandom.

I’m more than happy to hear any suggestions you have and are willing to give me but I also…. Can’t make other people post things for me to share.

[ectonurites]

about the cissie post: funniest answer is that yes, green arrow is her bio dad simply because her dad is (was? idk if he's alive) infertile. nobody bothered to bring it up because nobody bothered to make a big deal out of it at the time, her mom just asked a dude at like a college archery comp "hey, my husband can't have kids, will you knock me up because I want a bio kid?" and Ollie went "okay, sounds fun" and had a threesome with a hot blonde and her husband. she's declared part of the arrowfam but GA's not her dad and they all just go on with life drama-free

SFHDGFGD (the other post for context)

While that is very funny, I wanna bring up some... stuff from canon related to this topic.

So, to start off, Cissie's dad is dead (at least pre-new 52 which ya know thats where all this is centered considering Cissie has only shown up in 5 issues total post-new 52) and that's actually a part of her hero origin story. Bonnie used the insurance money from his death (he died of... some bad shellfish when Cissie was 5) to fund Cissie's becoming Arrowette (also fun fact! Hal Jordan was the insurance guy to deliver the check LMAO)

(Secret Origins 80-Page Giant)

But a piece of things I feel like you may not know based on how you phrased this is that... Bonnie was the first Arrowette. She had been an award winning archer (varies between just a competition or the olympics) and after not living up to her mom's expectations started to idolize Green Arrow & Speedy and wanted to be a hero herself! Now, we have different versions of these events told, what Bonnie told Bart and what Cissie told her guidance councilor, and there's a few differences that definitely just come from perspective of who the narrator is.

When Bonnie tells things she says she'd helped Green Arrow and Speedy,

(Impulse #28)

vs. in Cissie's retelling it's more that they just saved her at some point because she was getting herself in over her head

(Secret Origins 80-Page Giant)

So like it's a 'your mileage may vary' type thing. But she interacted with them at some point.

Now the fun thing is that this isn't just retroactively adding in a character- Bonnie actually existed all the way back in the 60's!

(World's Finest Comics Vol. 1 #113)

Now, this was pre-crisis, so the events from back then aren't necessarily canon the exact same way post-crisis, but this does give us some indication that Bonnie really had interacted with Ollie & Roy at some points, possibly more than Cissie actually believes. The majority of her old stories (there's a grand total of 4 unique ones, the dc wiki will initially make you think there's 6 but two are reprints) are her trying to help them and messing things up because 'whoops! she's just a girl' because ya know this was the early 60's, but usually she'd save them in the end and Ollie would be like 'well thank you for that today but Please Stop Doing This Bonnie'

But in one that's overall a JLA story... she shows up at the very end on a date with Ollie in his civilian identity (while all the JLA members are there with love interests)

(Justice League of America Vol. 1 #7)

We already knew Ollie knew her identity as Bonnie/Miss Arrowette but it's unclear if Bonnie knew Ollie was Green Arrow, regardless this means they interacted as civilians as well as heroes.

But then Bonnie just stopped showing up mid-60s, and never really got mentioned again until Cissie came into the picture in Impulse in the 90's now post-crisis.

In Impulse & The Secret Origins issue, it's explained that at some point after being undermined by Green Arrow & Speedy not taking her seriously, she met Bernell 'Bowstring' Jones and they worked together for a bit until Bonnie got carpal-tunnel syndrome from her day job and it forced her to stop acting as Miss Arrowette altogether

(Secret Origins 80-Page Giant)

And it was at this point when she had to give it up that she got married & had Cissie (the first panel I posted in this ask). Seems straightforward enough!

But then we throw this exchange into things...

(Young Justice (1998) #34)

And it just makes you wonder!

Like, Bonnie idolized Green Arrow and if we think about those pre-crisis appearances she possibly did also know him as Oliver... a situation where Bonnie slept with Ollie at some point is definitely plausible. Based on the 'they got married and a year later had me' thing, for him to be Cissie's bio dad it would mean she'd have either cheated on Bernell or theoretically it could have been a situation vaguely like what you said where it was something all parties knew about. The reason I brought all this up in the first place though is that there's very unlikely a situation where Ollie wouldn't have known who Bonnie was going into things vs how what you said implies more of a random chance occurrence.

But yeah we're most likely never gonna get an actual answer on this but I think it'd be a fascinating thread to pull on to build a story out of!

[jostenneil]

it’s incredibly frustrating to see so many fans be against the idea of the “assassin mothers” having meaningful, stronger, and generally more positive relationships with their children or begin to be included with the hero families. the outrage over jade’s inclusion in the arrowfam photo and some of the negative responses regarding the possibility that we’ll be having on-panel interactions between lian and jade that, although we know their bond was strong in preboot continuity, we’ve never gotten the opportunity to see. there’s so many fans that are adamant about sticking to morrison’s origins for damian and insist that talia is and should be a terrible mother is baffling. for the longest time she had always indicated that she was maternal (same with jade) but people love to ignore that. shiva is a slightly different case because having a strained relationship with cass actually makes sense given their characters and history with each other. at the same time, there can still be a strong bond between them instead of the same old “fight to the death” that occurs between them. i don’t know… it’s just incredibly unfortunate to see fandom shit on fans of these characters who want them to have more positive content with their children, and how quick said fans are to ignore any evidence and suggest that those characters are incapable of being kind to their kids. same thing with redemption or anything close to it. let someone suggest that even one of these women be portrayed in a nuanced light like they were originally and all hell breaks loose. WHY DO YOU WANT THESE WOMEN TO BE STUCK IN THE SAME HARMFUL TROPE @ DC AND DC FANS?anyways, sorry to drop this little rant in your ask box but i was thinking about it today and i remembered that you touched upon it in the past.

yeah and like some of the excuses i have seen sometimes to justify why people are against seeing any of them have meaningful relationships with their kids are so bizarre like i once saw someone say it’s because we’re fetishizing asian mothers and want them to be docile and domestic like 😭 in what world would any of these three women be docile and domestic, the entire appeal of their characters is that they’re not (and this is not to say that docile or domestic characters are bad but people act like they’re going to be turned into housewives who are forced to play babysitter all the time etc etc which is. not true lmao) and that they can be badasses who do their job while potentially having a real relationship with their kids. like dc has the gall to turn them into dragon lady mothers and snatch their children away from them (i know shiva is a slightly different case since she was established as cass’s mom way after the fact rather than in cass’s initial origins) to be sent to live with the “good”, morally superior father, and somehow if we want the mothers to be given the same chance it means we’re fetishizing them and reducing their characters to motherhood. like give me a damn break if i have to see fandom go postal every time roy and bruce aren’t respected in canon as dads (bruce less so, admittedly, but you get my point) then i get to do the same for the moms idgaf 😭

[flower-murderer]

Last AU Message (for now): If Damian in the alternate universe scenario was rejected and soon came back to Ra's and Talia, do you think the kid will be further influence by them over time that he'll be like them? Even MORE like the two than they would even want to be? Also, what happens if Ra's, Talia and Damian usually come to blows with the Arrow Family for one reason or another?

Alsldkfjksla I’m glad you liked my first response :,)

Alright kids let’s buckle in because I can feel it in my toes this is gonna be like lowkey angsty

Alright alright ALRIGHT OK SO, Damian being rejected and going back to Ra’s and Talia can only end terribly. I wholeheartedly believe that everyone in the batfam helps keep Damian from going full ‘league of assassins’ on poor bad guys at least when he first became robin. I think Damian is scared of his upbringing and his (non) reaction to death. So his brothers would help guide him on how to be a ‘good robin’. He learns from Bruce how to control and redistribute his fear and anger into something good. So with the Arrowfam (Ollie) rejecting him, he never gets that chance to learn to be a good person. Ollie isn’t a vey sensitive guy, he handled Roy’s addiction all wrong and he would handle Damian just as wrong. He’d say some hurtful things and unintentionally destroy Damian’s hopes of every being anything other then what his mother and grandfather said he would be. Ra’s and Tali would use this to their advantage, they’d use the pain and anger Damian feels for his ‘dad’ and twist it so he’ll be stronger.

I can definitely see them to start to fear Dami once he’s a little older and seems more interested in becoming the leader/ruler whatever you wanna call it of the LoA. Even tho Ra’s wanted someone to pass the mantel to I don’t think he’d ever really be ready to hand it off, so once Dami starts to get impatient Ra’s might play with the idea of maybe sabotaging his grandson. Damian in this timeline now only knowing the LoA and the hate of his ‘father’ is unwavering and a force to be reckon with. So it’s just one big shit show and probably becomes a ‘big war’ of sorts between Damian’s followers vs Ra’s followers over to see who should be the boss

This ‘war’ could be so huge that it gets on the JL’s radar, bat’s is like: “this is your kid, you gotta stop this before more innocent people get hurt.” Oliver being the lowkey shady bitch he is, is like “um just cuz he has my dna doesn’t mean his my kid…I mean I didn’t even raise him soooo maybe WE or like just YOU can go handle that if you’re so consider about it.” Bruce being a man who’s whole family is made up of adopted kids who lost their chance of ever having a healthy normal relationship with their parents, gives this man the BatLook™️. you know the one, where he’s completely neutral yet projecting so much of ‘someone-get-this-stupid-ass-blonde-boy-away-from-me-before-I-kick-his-teeth-in-and-shower-in-his-tears.’ SOOOO Ollie and ArrowFam team up™️ and come knocking on the leagues door like ‘what up bitches we’re here to try and repair years worth of emotional damage with a couple of fist.’ It’s really, Damian’s army VS Ra’s army VS arrowfam and you know epic battle ensues and the final scene comes down to Roy and Damian and Dami being like “YOU DONT UNDERSTAND WHAT ITS LIKE TO HAVE YOUR FAMILY TURN THEIR BACK ON YOU!” And Roy is like “haha that’s cute kid, I do. Queen did the same shit to me he did to you. The only difference is I got back up. You kid? You let his words keep you down, and you know what? I guess you aren’t any better than he said you were.” And boom wow Harper is here changing lives and Dinah is looking at Ollie like ‘you dumb bitch, how did you make it this far without me.’ And Ollie is doing his best trying not to make any eye contact with anyone

Yes so that’s that and thank you for asking questions!! I haven’t read any arrow comics so if this is OOC oops ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ just here for a good time. I also just wanna state that I love Ollie very much and in no way hate his character ya girl just doing her best to try and portray him the best way I know how ✌🏻

[shattered-glass-shattered-mind]

*sigh* So it’s like this.

A while back, Muse and I got permission from Mama to ship Zane, the character of hers that Muse and I are disproportionately and probably unhealthily deeply attached to for reasons neither of us can puzzle out, with Locah in an alternate version of one of Locah’s AUs. We’ll just call the ship ZxL. Keep shit simple. She gave it to us with the added disclaimer that her own participation in it would be minimal because the concept didn’t grab her interest. That part wasn’t a problem--Muse and I are the exact same way, we can’t do dick all with anything unless we find it interesting, and we can’t fully choose what all we do find interesting, even if we want to.

Muse loved ZxL, and so did I. We immediately began trying to do things with it, to build the ship and to try and get Mama interested. It didn’t work. In fact, all it did was annoy her and stress her out. This didn’t come to light until I pried it out of her, because I had told her several times to tell me if she was uncomfortable and I would back off, but she didn’t until she told me about another aspect of ZxL that had been bothering her, and because she has a tendency to bottle things up I suspected there was more that she wasn’t telling us. Once she let it all out we were able to resolve the problem and ultimately Muse and I bottled the ship. It was simply too early in the story and Zane was wrapped up in too much spoilers for us to work with it. We still look at it from time to time but I’ve forbidden Muse from unbottling it until and unless Mama gives us the green light. Hell I haven’t even let her add it to our shipping masterlist, even under a redacted label so that nobody would know it was specifically Zane and Locah.

In the main storyline, Zane is shipped with another OC of Mama’s, whom we’ll call...fuck, let’s call her Aphrodite. We’ll call that ship ZxA. I personally think it’s adorable, even though I know very little about it because Mother has kept it mostly hidden so she can reveal it properly in-story. Aph is a very interesting character, she’s sweet and strong and works well with the surrounding characters, she and Zane look great together, and Zane turns into an absolute dorky mess around her, which is fucking adorable.

Muse, however, is for some reason Really Fucking Salty about ZxA and about Aphrodite in general. She won’t tell me why, and I think that even she herself doesn’t know. After all, she has no logical reason to be. If you’re thinking it’s because we wish we could ship Locah with Zane in the MS instead, you would actually be mistaken. Locah already has an MS ship, which Muse and I adore to pieces and which is the best choice to advance Locah’s storyline and even a few other characters’ (including Quill, one of Mama’s major characters). ZxL, on the other hand, would not work well in the MS, and Hell, something about it just feels wrong to me. Don’t misunderstand, I really do like it, but...something feels off. And neither Muse nor I can identify what. So, if that’s not the reason, what is?

Again, I don’t know and I think Muse doesn’t either. But I have a theory. It’s a problem that we haven’t been able to articulate, not even to ourselves, but a problem that’s existed for quite a while and that we’ve only just fully identified.

There is an imbalance in Zane and Locah’s relationship. Zane is incomprehensibly important to Locah. While they don’t love him romantically, they love him more than they can ever express or even understand. What they feel for him is something they have never felt for anyone else. He is utterly precious and irreplaceable to them in multiple ways. Throughout all the conversations I’ve had with Mama about Zane and Locah’s character interactions, I have come up with many things that either display or galvanise this, but I’ve gotten little reciprocation. Hell, I’ve gotten little reciprocation on even just run-of-the-mill friendship aspects.

I know that kind of love is a very big thing to ask for and I do not want Mama to force it. It needs to come from Zane naturally, or else that will be unfair to both me and Mama, both of our Muses, and both of our characters. But out of everything I’ve read (and I spent several hours picking through our Skype conversation reading every conversation we had about Zane, to make sure my memory wasn’t warped), there is nothing that Mama has shown us that expresses how or why Locah would be truly special to Zane. They are indeed close friends, yes, practically family, and he truly does love them. Mama decided on that of her own accord. But this has been mostly told rather than shown, and due to that I cannot help but question the degree to which Zane cares about Locah.

The way I see it there is nothing unique about their relationship from his perspective. There is nothing they can offer him that he can’t get from someone else, and they’re already giving him everything they have to offer. And this is something that I’ve worried about for a while and that Muse has fretted and cried over. I feel as though Locah’s appreciation for Zane is, at best, taken for granted, or at worst, unwanted, probably because it’s too intense and smothering. And if events follow current trends, Locah themselves will begin to fret and cry over it too, in-story.

I am prepared for there to be an imbalance in their relationship--again I say, love of that kind and magnitude is a very big thing to ask for. I just need to know if the imbalance really is supposed to be as significant as it currently seems, so that either it can be fixed...or I can make peace with it. Either way, I won’t have to worry anymore.

But to return to my original point; I don’t know for sure if this is the reason Muse is bitter towards Aphrodite. It’s simply our best guess at the moment. I’m trying to remind Muse to reserve judgement given that as of presently our current view of ZxA and Aph’s role in the story is very narrow, and she’s trying to keep that in mind, but unfortunately it isn’t working. As of presently, Muse can’t help but feel as though Aphrodite is eclipsing/replacing Locah, because story-wise Locah was there first and bonded most strongly with three characters: Zane, Match, and Kitten. And due to their bond with Zane, they grew to hate the story’s villain, Quill, very strongly. And then much later on in the story Aph floats into their lives and Zane is instantly smitten with her for seemingly little to no reason. No reason we can see anyways, but again, our scope is very narrow because Mama’s kept so much quiet. And for someone as antisocial and science- and logic-oriented as Zane, he really doesn’t seem like a ‘love at first sight’ type of guy. Of course, Mama knows her own character better than we do, and we remember that, but it still doesn’t make sense to us due to our limited information. In addition to this, Aph also bonds with Match and Kitten, and grows to hate Quill very much very rapidly.

Now, there are two things that make this jealousy of Aph completely ridiculous. 1) In the meta sense, Aphrodite came before Locah. Mama had already made her and established all this before we even met. So if anything, that makes Locah the intruder. 2) Aph is guilty of doing nothing more than...pretty much exactly what Locah themselves has done. They both grow to care about Zane, Match, and Kitten very much very fast, and they both grow to hate Quill very much very fast. The only difference is that Zane’s feelings for Aph are much stronger, more visible, and develop much quicker, and Aph is more important to Zane. And because Aph has a special bond with Zane when Locah and Muse both yearn so badly for Locah to have that sort of bond with Zane themselves (although not romantic), all of that is causing Muse to project her own insecurities about Locah, their relationship with Zane, and their place in the story onto Aph.

See, because Locah and Aphrodite’s roles are so similar, to Muse that makes Aph the greatest threat, if that makes sense. If Aph already bonds with Zane and Succeeds Where Many Have Failed by convincing him he’s not worthless and giving him the confidence to ultimately escape from Quill, if she already bonds with Match and Kitten and becomes The Positive Mother Figure/Role Model both of them need, if she already swears herself against Quill and vows to rescue Zane from him No Matter What--then what the Hell is Locah’s purpose??? What do you need them for??? Why are they in the story?

It all comes back to our longstanding insecurity that Locah is irrelevant and non-integral to the plot. Unnecessary. Disposable. That we’re unnecessary and disposable to the ArrowFam. I have always struggled with feeling like the expendable one, the outsider, the interloper, in any friend group I’ve ever been in. And our other character Witch is supposed to be our mouthpiece for that God damn it, not Locah. Plus, as a Muse, one of the greatest insults you can throw at her is ‘this character is irrelevant to the plot’. I think that Locah is integral to the plot and it’s just anxiety riling us up on that front, but unfortunately we’re failing to remember how.

So my current working theory is that if Locah did become more important to Zane, then Muse’s saltiness towards Aph would finally go away and I/we could appreciate her and ZxA the way I wish we could. Not more important than Aph or anyone else, just more important in general--for them to have that one special something that they can offer him. Because right now there are a number of special somethings Locah gets from Zane, but nothing the other way round. And since he means so much to us, we just want them to be able to do that for him (and they want that too). But this is the kind of thing we need to just let play out naturally and see how it works out--neither Mama, Muse, nor I can force it or plan it, and it’s no guarantee. And if that isn’t the problem anyways, well, then we’re back to square one. And as I’ve told Mama before, I love Aph, so I hate feeling like this, even if most (if not all) of it is coming from Muse.

And standard disclaimer: This is merely what I see. I’m not accusing Mama of not caring enough about me, or Muse, or Locah or their connection to Zane or their role in her story. I know for certain that she loves and appreciates me very much and that she adores Locah, and both of those things mean more to me than I can ever express. And for all I know Mama could have stuff she’s planning on putting in the story that shows how important Locah is to Zane, that she simply hasn’t told us about. But I’m afraid that the evidence Muse and I currently have is not enough to keep us from worrying.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Titans Academy

Fandom: DC Comics, Titans, Arrowfam

Summary: Grant struggles to accept his new reality when Roy takes him in and enrolls him in Titans Academy. He must adjust to life at a boarding school and life with his new foster family (Roy and Lian). Can he learn to trust the people who claim to care about him? Or will he shut himself off from love altogether?

Chapters: 6/?

Characters: Grant Emerson, Roy Harper, Bart Allen, Toni Monetti, Cody Driscoll, Lian Harper, Jade Nguyen, Audrey Spears, Tommy Blake Jr.

Additional Tags: Father-Son Relationship, Boarding School AU, No Powers AU, Found Family, Second Chances, Roy Harper is a Legal Guardian, Roy Harper is a Father, POV First Person, Grant Emerson POV, Autistic Bart Allen

Chapter Six: Greenthread Tea

I had nightmares that night. Some of them were so bad I thought I'd be sick, so I went to the bathroom and splashed my face. Roy sat in the living room with Tommy, giving him his bottle. "You okay, Grant?" Roy questioned without turning around. It made my blood run cold.

"Uh-huh... Actually, do you have something for my stomach?" I asked. I leaned against the wall, and Roy turned to me.

"Do you feel sick?" Roy asked.

"Uhh... A little, yeah," I answered. Roy gestured with his head for me to come closer, and I approached the couch. He reached up and felt my forehead with the back of his hand.

"Yeah... Can you sit until I'm done with Tommy, and I'll get you something for your stomach?" Roy asked. I nodded and sat in the patchwork armchair. I slumped in the chair and stared at Roy as he fed Tommy.

Once Roy finished feeding and burping Tommy, he put the baby down in the playpen. He went to his room and grabbed a bottle of antacid pills. He dropped one in a glass of water and gave it to me. I tried to hold it down, but my stomach seemed to reject it immediately. To be honest, I puked. It was gross and embarrassing, and even worse, Roy was nice about it.

"I'll go get the baking soda. Sit still," Roy whispered. He quickly handed me paper towels to blot my sweatshirt dry and neatly drizzled baking soda on the stain to dry it up. "Still queasy?"

"Nuh-uh... Roy, I'm sorry. That was—."

"I've done way worse, and at least you didn't spit up on the chair... Sorry, is that—? You're a little old for that phrase, huh?" Roy asked. He asked me to take off my sweatshirt and left me alone for a second while he grabbed a trash bag. I carefully removed my sweatshirt and held it in a ball on my lap. Roy took my shirt and tossed it. "Want the couch, or do you wanna go back to bed?"

"Can I sleep on the couch?" I asked. The throbbing in my head finally subsided, and Roy nodded.

"Go shower, and I'll set up the couch for you," Roy whispered. I nodded and went to my room to get my pajamas. The hot water felt good in my hair and on my scalp. Finally, after a few minutes, I returned to the living room and climbed underneath the heavy blankets on the couch. Roy took Tommy and put him to bed in one of the other rooms, and I was all by myself. I was surprised when I started feeling lonesome. It might've been my fever talking, but I got up and asked if Roy would sit with me for a while.

"You okay?" Roy asked.

I nodded. "I had a nightmare before I woke up... I don't wanna be alone, I guess. It's the first time I've ever been sick without my m—. Without them," I explained. Roy nodded.

Roy lay on the other couch. "Okay... Are you sure you're okay?" Roy asked.

I pretended like I couldn't hear him. I didn't know why, but I felt homesick. I wished my mom was there. Eventually, I fell asleep. I woke up shivering and drenched in sweat, and Roy was still there. His presence was different than most adults. I couldn't put my finger on it, but he wasn't like any adult I'd ever met. He took a cool towel and patted the sweat from my face and neck. "I'm still here," Roy reassured. I made a soft noise and closed my eyes. I don't think he left my side the whole night. Every time I woke up, he was sitting right there.

After a while, I sat up, watching the sun come up from the window as he slept. I got a blanket from the hall closet and draped it over him. He stirred. "Thanks," Roy mumbled, "How're you feeling?"

"A little better... Um... Did I say anything last night?" I asked.

"Not really... After two o'clock, it all sounded like background noise to me," Roy replied.

I laid back on the couch, and Roy groaned as he sat up. "You don't have to get up," I whispered.

"Oh, trust me," Roy chuckled, "I do."

Lian came down the hall, and she climbed into Roy's lap. "Were you sleeping, Daddy?" Lian asked. Roy nodded and kissed her forehead. She turned to me and waved. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Lian... Don't get too close. I'm sick," I warned her. Lian nodded and frowned.

"Hope you feel better," Lian whispered. Roy got up, still holding Lian on his hip.

"We'll be right back. I've gotta do daddy duty," Roy replied, "Do you think you can eat anything?" He asked gently, and I started feeling painfully uncomfortable. "Grant?"

"I'm alright... I think I'll go back to bed," I replied. Roy nodded.

"If you need anything, don't be afraid to call," Roy stated.

I got up and went to my room. I couldn't sleep anymore, but my head ached, and my stomach kept turning. I wished I could sleep, but I figured he'd come in and check on me. I was surprised when he knocked and brought me a cup of tea and a bowl of soup. He had Lian with him, and I smiled and waved at her. "Hope I didn't wake you up... Lian insisted on telling you a story," Roy replied, "She thinks it'll make you feel better. Is that alright with you?"

I nodded and smiled, sitting up as she sat cross-legged on the opposite side of the room. Lian started the story, and Roy filled in the parts she couldn't remember. They distracted me from how sick I was, and eventually, I finished my tea and lay down. I still couldn't eat, but the tea was soothing enough to make me sleepy again. I felt like a real kid, waiting patiently for the ending. I tried to stay awake for the end, but I couldn't keep my eyes open. Their words followed me into my dreams until they faded too. They cared about me. They really cared.

I woke up a few hours later to a fresh cup of tea and the soft sound of Tommy crying. My door was cracked, and Roy walked past, peeking through the crack. "I'll be back in two seconds. Lunch rush," Roy joked.

I took another few sips of tea and turned toward the door to see Lian standing outside. "Lian," I whispered, "Thanks, Kid. Your story helped me sleep better."

Lian stood on her tiptoes and smiled. "I'll tell you another story later," Lian replied.

"I'm looking forward to it," I replied. Lian waved goodbye, and I waved back. I hated how lonesome I felt afterward, but Roy came to check on me a few minutes later.

He opened the door and waved at me. "Thanks for humoring us," Roy whispered.

"Huh?" I asked.

"I could tell you were listening to every word she said earlier," Roy explained.

"It was interesting. Can you tell Lian how much I liked the story?" I whispered. Roy grinned and nodded.

Roy sat with me and kept me company until I could eat. I only had a few bites of dinner, but Roy's cooking was borderline gourmet. Even when sick, I could still taste his food. I think he took pride in it. Roy liked being needed. No... He enjoyed helping people. I think if more adults were like Roy, maybe the world would be a better place.

[thequiver]

Swinging at bat at a hornet’s nest here, but the way some of y’all talk about fictional women is.... shall we say very telling. 

Using two examples from the Arrows because... well.... this is an Arrows blog. 

Dinah is often viewed by fandom as a woman who has never done anything wrong ever in her life, and who is too good and perfect to deserve a man like Oliver who dares to *checks notes* mess up sometimes and learn from his mistakes. There are lots and lots of fans of hers who will happily call Ollie out for being a serial cheater (something that’s a retcon), or will gladly ignore that Marianne was an adult by the time she kissed Ollie, but who will completely ignore the fact that Dinah has canonically slept with a minor because she was angry at Ollie, or that she victim blamed him for his sexual assault, and will ignore anything that could potentially indicate that Dinah is just as responsible for issues in their relationship as Ollie. They want her to be his equal but only in a way that makes her #girlboss, and not in a way that makes her human. Tell me why it’s okay to ignore these things for Dinah, but when it comes to Ollie we have to “show the good and the bad.” 

And it really falls into this trend where female characters either aren’t allowed to do any wrong or are the sole source of wrong in the relationship. And the defining difference there is usually racism. 

Let’s compare the “Dinah is an angel who’s never done anything wrong ever,” approach to the way that fandom treats Jade in comics CheshRoy. The set up is that Roy has been tasked with arresting Jade and brining her in, she doesn’t know about this, he leaves and she doesn’t find out that he was supposed to arrest her until the relationship is over. Roy kidnaps Lian, despite the fact that Jade was contemplating giving up Cheshire for her and yet somehow Jade is still blamed for every issue in this relationship as though Roy isn’t also a responsible for his own actions which contributed to the toxicity. I’ve even seen Jade demonized for her relationship with Catman where she’s been described as callous and heartless for denying him his son, but he helped fake the death of their child who was, like his older sister, kidnaped. 

And these trends persist with other characters outside of the Arrowfam. White woman characters tend to get the “beautiful cinnamon roll can do no evil” treatment while WOC tend to be villainized and the good parts of their characterization, any love they have for others is viewed as manipulation rather than actual affection or a sign of goodness- while their negative traits are often exaggerated in order to paint a wholly one sided picture in which they are an irredeemable villain. And these are written into canon too- especially with the Dragon Lady trope being as prevalent as it is.

It’s just been bothering me a lot about Dinah lately, especially as I’ve been thinking more and more about DinahOllie as a ship and how the dynamics of it work, and why they work (for more of my thoughts on DinahOllie click the link here). 

[pluckyredhead]

WIP snippets meme

I was tagged by @irolltwenties! This doesn’t count the WIPs that are semi-abandoned or live solely in my head.

1. Working Title: jondami fwb | Fandom: DC Comics/Super Sons/Robin | JonDamian (E) A slowburn of Damian figuring out what he wants and that he’s allowed to want it. It’s currently about 14K and maybe...1/4 to 1/3 of the way finished? This is gonna be a long one.

Damian stared. “Do I what?”

“Date,” Jon said. “I mean, that’s a thing people do. They go on dates. They date. And you’re…”

He trailed off. Damian waited. “I’m what?”

Now Jon’s cheeks and the bridge of his nose looked faintly pink, although that might have been the last of the sunrise. “Well, you’re really good-looking, you’re insanely rich, and you’re living it up at college. I would have thought you’d be carrying on the whole billionaire playboy tradition. Isn’t it part of the disguise? Like my glasses.”

Damian had always found those both to be idiotic traditions. Dating a string of socialites, mostly for show, sounded exhausting. And he’d never understood how people could look at Jon in a cheap pair of plastic frames and not see what he really was.

2. Birds All Sing As If They Knew Chapter 4 | Fandom: DC Comics/Red Hood and the Outlaws | JayRoy (G) The Batfamily finds out, plus more Arrowfam fluff.

Ollie’s basement, however, was big enough to house not just a fully equipped gym, complete with plenty of room for sparring, but also the workshop of Roy’s dreams. Literally—Ollie had claimed a corner to work on the hand-carved yew recurve bows and straight pine arrows he preferred, and made Roy design the rest to suit his own needs.

“You’re the one who likes experimenting with new trick arrows and I don’t know what else,” he’d said, waving a hand at the empty half of the basement soon after he’d bought the house. “Might as well put you to work making them for me and the kids. Just tell me what they are before I put them in my quiver, and don’t blow up my house.”

The fact that he’d framed it like a cranky demand hadn’t really disguised that he was gifting Roy with carte blanche to build his own playground, but they’d both pretended it did.

3. Love for Sale coda | Fandom: DC Comics/Red Hood and the Outlaws | JayRoy (E) This one’s just gonna be porn, folks, I don’t know what else to tell you.

“Did you have fun at the supermarket?” Roy asked, trying not to sound too amused.

“Well, I didn’t kill anyone.” Jason raked an unhappy hand through his wet hair.

Roy slid a couple of boxes of dino nuggets into the freezer. Jason had been converted to their allure pretty quickly. “Always a plus.”

“Not always,” Jason said, scowling.

“Poor baby,” Roy said, and closed the freezer. “Want me to make it up to you?”

Jason’s eyebrows went up as Roy sashayed into his space. “Sorry, but as soon as this stuff is put away, I’m passing out until dinnertime.”

Roy snagged his shirt with a finger and tugged him toward the bedroom, flashing a suggestive smile over his shoulder. “The groceries can wait.”

Jason sighed, but let Roy tow him into their room. “This is pretty optimistic, you know. I’m dead on my feet.”

Roy knew he could drop it - offer to finish putting the groceries away and let Jason sleep. His surprise would keep, and it wasn’t like Jason hadn’t earned a little rest.

But he wanted to show Jason he could give him more than rain and drudgery and chores. He wanted to prove he’d been worth leaving Gotham for.

4. Working Title: jayroy shifter au | Fandom: DC Comics/Red Hood and the Outlaws | JayRoy (E) The epic werewolf/werefox saga no one asked for!

“Jason.”

Roy and Jason both froze. Roy looked over the top of Jason’s head to see Bruce and Dick standing in the doorway. Dick had his hands clapped over his mouth - to hide horror or amusement, Roy wasn’t sure. Bruce, on the other hand, looked even less happy to have Roy there than he’d looked before, which was saying something.

Roy sat very still. Jason slowly eased back, and Roy caught an expression of pure chagrin on his face before he turned to face Bruce.

“Exactly what did you think you were doing?” Bruce asked.

“I...uh…” Jason tried, before apparently giving up on explaining himself verbally. Suddenly there was a black and russet wolf cub sitting on the couch next to Roy.

5. Working Title: guykyle | Fandom: DC Comics/Green Lantern | GuyKyle (E) Exactly what it says on the tin.

Guy made himself look away, scowling down at the glasses in front of him instead as he finally put the one he’d been holding down and reached for another. This was becoming a problem.

He wasn’t really sure when it had started. It wasn’t like Kyle looked any different than he’d always looked, really. It had been years and he hadn’t changed a bit since the day he’d first shown up wearing Hal’s old ring and looking overwhelmed. Since Guy had given him an appraising once-over and thought no way in hell is pretty boy here gonna last.

Kyle had lasted. And he was still pretty.

Not that Guy gave a shit. So Kyle always looked like he’d just stepped off the cover of Tiger Beat or something, even when he was running on days without sleep and covered in alien ichor. Guy’s sensitive Pollyanna of an artist was a fucking badass. He still couldn’t throw a punch worth a damn, but he’d mix it up with bruisers ten times his size like he knew what he was doing, and no one could touch him when it came to constructs. Hell, he’d been a god three or four times and given it up without even a whiff of going mad with power. There was no one in the cosmos Guy trusted more at his back.

But he was so fucking pretty.

Tagging: @queenitsy, @purls-of-lizdom, @returnsandreturns, @theladyragnell, @atasteforsuicidal, and anyone else who would like to play!