#is this already a thing? dc fandom is huge so i must assume it is but i haven't seen it

[phoenixyfriend]

I know that "Batman is Bruce Wayne's secret husband" is a popular Gotham Theory in fanon but do you think there's room for "Batman is Bruce's illegitimate half-brother that he's bankrolling out of love and/or guilt about Thomas not acknowledging him"

(Spread mostly by people who don't want to believe the Waynes were good people, or just think Thomas had some slutty college days and didn't know that half-bro Bat existed)

[mayhem24-7forever]

First off you need to deflate that giant ego inflated head of yours.

Second I am not "harassing" anyone I am calling out a serious problem in the fandom which is that a huge number of writers are ignoring the main canon couple of the show who are also gay men in order to ship themselves with those characters. It's homophobic and unacceptable and I will continue to call out everyone who does this.

If someone doesn't want to ship Vigilmaker then okay that's a little sus but not inherently homophobic...erasing Chris and Adrian's romantic relationship and their sexualities (they're literally both gay!!!! what is WRONG with you freaks???) so that horny straight bitches can ship themselves with them is straight inarguably homophobic. It's also pathetic and cringe. Reader inserts are fucking cringe! This is literally why we need to bring back bullying.

It's not about blocking or filtering tags! It's about the fact that these fics shouldn't exist in the first place! It's fucking shameful that there are so many of them and they outnumber fics about the main couple of the show! Filtering tags doesn't get rid of them problem which is that they exist and there's a lot of them.

This fandom is not for horny straight bitches! Get out! Get out of our tags get out of fandom GO AWAY!!!!! This show isn't fucking for you!!!!

To your first point: You telling me I have a big ego when you refuse to even try and argue against anyone's points is peak comedy. So if I am the kettle, you are the pot.

Secondly, as has been pointed out to you by several people you've decided to bug about this, Vigilmaker isn't canon or the "main couple" of the show and both characters have been canonically shown to be attracted to the opposite sex (which doesn't rule out that they can be bisexual or pansexual btw). So I'm a little confused as to how you think anyone is setting canon sexualities aside for anything. But in case you don't believe me here's some proof from James Gunn himself: (https://www.cbr.com/peacemaker-vigilante-shipping-james-gunn-confused/). Also here's some proof that Chris is CANONICALLY bisexual, not strictly homosexual (https://www.out.com/television/2022/2/16/how-peacemaker-became-bisexual-in-hbo-max-show-john-cena-james-gunn-dc-comics-dceu). So technically speaking, you're going against canon.

Also, I'm wondering if your feelings on this applies to other changes to canon made by fan fic authors? Do you only read things tagged with "canon compliant" and believe that making them in any sort of AU is reprehensible to canon? Because apparently it is "homophobic" for me to not ship two characters who are canonically straight or at most bisexual/pansexual but if I were to write a fic where everyone was a pirate instead of their canon jobs, that's something you're gonna allow. Just curious how we're drawing the lines of what is and isn't acceptable for fanfiction.

The thing that annoys me the most about this isn't just that you refuse to even try and defend your argument with anything except repeating the same points that have already been refuted and proved incorrect and childish insults about being "cringe" etc. What really gets me is that you are straight up assuming everyone who writes these fics must be horny straight cis women because apparently in your eyes you are either gay or straight and there's no inbetween. Newsflash: Bisexuals, Pansexuals, and other Queer identities exist.

To your complaints about self insert/reader fics being cringe or disgusting, that's your opinion. It's something you're not into in fanfiction and that's alright, we all have our preferences. Personally, I don't like to read fics with unhappy endings but you don't see me going in the ask boxes of angst writers to complain. You're apparent beef with self insert writers isn't some moral mission to stop homophobia, because there's no homophobia going on (except from your biphobic ass). I'm not going to do you the disservice of assuming your gender or sexuality as you have done for me and my friends but no matter your gender or sexuality, you don't get to be the ruler of all fanfic who determines what is and is okay.

Yeah, it would be a valid problem/concern if James Gunn were to come out and say that Chris and Adrian are now 100% homosexual and in love and that their past references to having heterosexual sex no longer apply as they've changed and are now super duper gay and people were to make them straight for fics. But that's not what's happening so I don't know where you got this stick up your ass from. Stop policing or gatekeeping fandom, no one died and made you head ceo of the Peacemaker/DC fandom so stop acting like it.

TLDR; L + you don't know how to argue + you're biphobic + you're an asshole + you're straight up wrong <3

[bigskydreaming]

Something I don’t think I’ve ever seen explored but that could be a possibly interesting subversion of the common conception that Dick is Bruce���s favorite, even according to his other children:

What if the things they viewed as favoritism were really just overcompensation? For instance, when Dick and Bruce started being presences in each other’s lives again after Tim became Robin, it was a gradual thing, they only slowly kind of got used to being around each other again over time. As I’ve often said in the past, my big gripe about this, and why I so intensely dislike all of that being framed as Tim being a catalyst for reuniting them, is its precisely BECAUSE of how it all played out that way, that Bruce....never actually needed to apologize or make amends to Dick or even ASK for him to come back....which compounded the fact that he’d never really ever gotten around to doing all of that because of the conflict between them for other reasons before Jason’s death happened.

And I do think a lot of that has to do with Bruce’s tendencies towards self-flagellation, though this doesn’t excuse it. I honestly do believe that it’d be perfectly in character if the reason Bruce never apologized for all that even then was because he didn’t think what he’d done WAS forgivable, so it felt....false to him, to try and ask for forgiveness. What this fails to consider though, is that apologizing, making amends, TRYING to make up for what you did to the other person.....its not about WHETHER or not they forgive you, or think they can.

Its simply about acknowledging wrong and harm done, and saying....you’re sorry. You regret it. You know it was a mistake and that you can’t take it back, but you just want them to know you’re....not unaware of the harm you caused.

After that, yeah, the ball is in their court, but if you never actually put that out there, how are they ever supposed to truly KNOW that you know that? Believe that?

How can people ever be asked or expected to grant forgiveness when its so commonly depicted as though for the people who hurt them, even just ASKING for it is harder than it must be for the people who WERE hurt to GRANT it?

But Bruce is very much someone who believes that actions speak louder than words, so I could see someone taking the angle that he tries to EXPRESS his regret to Dick in other ways, through various actions and behaviors with or around him.....which could be construed to others in the family as displays of favoritism....

Because they’d have no way or any reason to think of them as attempts at amends or expressions of regret, like they would, say, if any of those similar behaviors were exhibited around Jason - whether they were accepted by Jason or brushed off. Point being, they would GET that this was what it was with Jason, because they’re all aware Jason is angry at Bruce for very specific things, with most of them being aware what MOST of those things are (definitely not counting the ending of UTRH). 

(And just pointing out here again for emphasis since its not like I tack it on as a qualifier in all my posts, but I honestly hate how frequently various parts of fandom decide one character or another is Bruce’s favorite or worse, that this is OKAY, like its not a fundamental problem if he definitively has a favorite. Of course that creates divides in a family. To me, ideally, a healthy Batfam has no favorites, they just have members of the family who are more favorite to them in SOME ways than in others. 

For instance, I also dislike the idea that Damian is Dick’s favorite, but I don’t think the closeness of their relationship is threatened or mitigated by acknowledging that the bonds between Dick and his other siblings are just as strong, just in different ways. That its ‘special’ with Damian in a way it isn’t with the others because of how close they got that year Dick practically raised him, that makes the nature of their relationship different. But its equally ‘special’ with Jason, because Jason was Dick’s FIRST brother, they were each other’s first family beyond just parental figures, there’s a significance to that which doesn’t just go away, and still neither of those undervalues the fact that Tim and Dick spent years being close as the only two brothers, who had only each other and Bruce, and Bruce sometimes being emotionally or even physically unavailable to turn to making it that much more necessary for them to turn to each other, essentially, between Jason’s death and return and even after Cass became a presence in their lives, due to her usually going to Babs for the kinds of things Dick and Tim would work through together, and then of course Cass is Dick’s only sister which puts her in another category altogether, not better or worse, its simply that Cass is neither Dick’s brother nor was she ever a Robin so they have a relationship that for example, whatever else it consists of, will never be defined or threatened by any of the issues that have plagued the family when it comes to the Robin succession. And Duke and Dick’s dynamic of course is still basically just whatever the hell you individually decide it to be because hahahaha what if you wrote them interacting for more than like, one issue only, DC HMMM?

Point being - FUCK family favorites. The whole idea is stupid and toxic and IMO fundamentally incompatible with an actual healthy, functional Batfamily, so it kinda blows my mind when I see people UPHOLDING the idea of this character being so and so’s favorite or everyone knows Dick is Bruce’s favorite and Jason is Alfred’s favorite and Damian is Dick’s favorite....no. Why. Stop that. They can all be special to each other in entirely different ways for entirely different reasons. Family is not a zero sum game. And none of this means that there aren’t some of them who just GET ALONG better than they do with the others at sometimes, or like these two just tend to have more fun with each other, or this is who this one usually goes to when this happens, etc. There’s nothing wrong with that, that’s good, it just means.....things are different between different members of the family. That doesn’t have to equal FAVORITES though. Favorite to share this particular activity with? Sure. OVERALL though? Miss me).

ANYWAY.

Detour aside and circling back to my point.....say for instance the other kids see Bruce appear to be making an effort with Jason, singling him out for praise or acknowledgment....its not hard for them to imagine reasons WHY Bruce might be doing that, which don’t automatically equate to an insecure conviction that Bruce just loves Jason more than them and he’s his favorite....because there are other explanations, other reasons why Bruce might feel a need to act differently with Jason than he does with the rest of them, things unique to their dynamic. Similarly, say for instance Bruce is written making a particular effort with Damian to acknowledge him - there’s lots more angles to spin it as than just favoritism, they had a very rocky start everyone in the family is aware of, so its more likely to just read as like....Bruce making more of an effort where its already understandable to everyone else that an effort is merited. 

And Bruce HAS admittedly at different times been written as very clearly making an effort and being a good father to his kids, like, the capacity has always been there of course. But there were ‘good times’ with Bruce and Jason, with Bruce and Dick, with Bruce and Tim, etc, etc. So when the effort being seen comes paired with an understandable or apparent GAP the others are aware of.....the effort is easily seen as nothing more than BRIDGING the already existant gap, rather than....advancing that one particular child AHEAD of the others.

So much of the conflict between Bruce and Dick during Jason’s time as Robin stemmed from the fact that.....there was a huge, existing gap between Bruce and Dick even BEFORE Bruce took Jason in....and there was no effort made by Bruce during that time to bridge that gap. And then Bruce took Jason in, adopted him, made him Robin....STILL while making no attempt to reach out to Dick, make amends, bridge the gap he was steadily INCREASING between both boys and their respective relationships with him....so y’know, its kinda hard NOT to see or at least understandably imagine favoritism from Dick’s POV there....

BUT, its also easy to imagine why from the other kids’ perspectives, Dick might be Bruce’s favorite or the one he’s closest with, and its not because he’s perfect or the original or anything like that, but rather just....time.

Quite simply, Dick is the one kid Bruce spent the most time with, before any of the others joined the family. He spent a good eight years growing up in the manor, Bruce’s only family other than Alfred. Its quite easy and understandable to imagine from the perspective of the ones who came later, this would translate into more closeness, more ease and familiarity, even more respect, more love......because that thing that they each have with Bruce to some degree, that makes them family, the time spent with him, the comfort or praise they’ve received from him, purely in an empirical sense, in terms of rough numbers if nothing else, Dick has had more of it. Bruce has given more of it. 

Of course they’re resentful or assume they can’t measure up, in light of that. How can the mere two or three years some of them have had as Bruce’s family compete with the eight Dick had and that’s even just before any of the others came along at all.

So they look at Bruce making an effort with Dick, the way he doesn’t always do with them, they see Bruce making a point to acknowledge Dick or praise him or express he’s putting his faith in him - all the things they’re all eager to hear - and the easiest and most obvious conclusion to draw when asking themselves “why is he like that with Dick, but not with me, or at least never as much”....is that its because of that essential element Dick and Bruce’s relationship has that none of the others do.....time.

The problem is, of course.....they don’t have the whole perspective, and they’re drawing conclusions without paying proper consideration to all the possible alternatives.

Because yes, Bruce and Dick’s relationship has had more time to encompass so many of the good moments and the positives between them......but the reverse is equally true. Its had that much more time to encompass the bad moments and the negatives in their relationship as well. And this is part of the narrative trap created when not focusing on or even just acknowledging the downs of Dick and Bruce’s relationship, specifically where the burden of responsibility is on Bruce.....because it sets up a quandary - “Bruce often behaves differently with Dick than he does with his other children” - but only allows certain interpretations to be read in as possible explanations for this. 

So the second you lock in the take that Bruce’s relationship with Dick has never really HAD any low moments because Dick wasn’t fired, they weren’t estranged for years (though cough cough, what’s your explanation for Bruce’s absence from major defining stories of Dick’s at the time where he really could have used some comfort or support from Bruce, like the Church of Blood or Titans Hunt BUT I DIGRESS), and NTT #55 certainly didn’t happen, then its like.....you’ve reduced the intricacies of their dynamic and past history down to only its fundamental positives, and as such are only really showcasing Bruce being more positive than not with Dick while layering in the impression that this is the way its always been.....

And not only are you giving cause to the other children looking at this dynamic and seeing only one possible explanation - whether or not its just because they’ve spent more time together, Dick is Bruce’s favorite and always will be - you’re also creating the inevitability that Dick pretty much MUST be written as equally positive towards Bruce at all times - aka appearing as the loyal footsoldier his siblings often accuse him of being, particularly when they’re having their own conflicts with Bruce and Dick is defending him - OR if you write Dick as behaving negatively towards Bruce or making complaints of his own against Bruce....who in the eyes of all the others, clearly already favors Dick more than them as is.....it makes Dick look like a spoiled, ungrateful asshole who can’t even appreciate the fact that Bruce already loves and respects him more than he does any of them, like nothing will ever be good enough for him.

Basically, as is a fairly common theme for me, lol, my point is that I think a lot of the more negative and two-dimensional portrayals of Dick in fandom come not even from writers innately or initially seeing HIM that way....but rather are just a symptom of the corners many often write themselves into simply by REFUSING to write other characters in certain negative ways....without paying consideration to the ripple effects this would have on the dynamic between both characters overall. And then more readers and fans internalize these negative and two-dimensional portrayals of Dick and add them or have them feed into their own predispositions towards any of the other characters aside from him, and it kinda creates and perpetuates this whole self-sustaining cycle, where Dick so often becomes the ‘bad guy’ in family conflicts purely because writers won’t LET anyone ELSE ever be even just more responsible for a conflict with him.

But the second you put back even just ONE of the elements often cut out from Bruce and Dick’s relationship in support of Bruce, whether its firing Dick, not trying to make amends with him the whole time Jason lived with Bruce, the scene between them after Jason’s death......

Suddenly, you’ve got another explanation for why Bruce might be making MORE of an effort with Dick at times, to show he appreciates him, loves him, is proud of him.....because Bruce fucked up, and he doesn’t know how to fix it. And this is his awkward way of trying to show and not tell, because he doesn’t think the telling is ever going to be good enough, and its not even that Dick’s too petty or spiteful to ever accept Bruce’s apology, its that because its never taken the form of an ACTUAL apology, an ACTUAL acknowledgment of wrongdoing and an attempt to make amends.....its more likely Dick not seeing it for what it is on Bruce’s part is just Dick not wanting to set himself up for more disappointment, figuring he might be reading more into it than is actually there just because he WANTS to believe its an apology of some sort, he WANTS to forgive Bruce and get back at least some of what they lost over the years.

And meanwhile, from all the other kids’ perspectives, they see Bruce clearly making SOME kind of an effort with Dick that he doesn’t always make with them, and that when he does, usually its paired with something in their mind that makes it read as “oh that’s why he’s behaving this way” rather than “oh, clearly, this is proof I am The Favored One,”...BUT having access to only parts of the picture and no clue about a lot of the rest, working off of limited evidence, there’s no real way for them TO draw the correct conclusion....that this is Bruce trying to make RIGHT something that went WRONG.....not Bruce just lavishing Dick with praise and respect and recognition any of them would kill for and he seems to get for no reason....other than the obvious one....Dick’s the first, the original, the one who has a decade headstart on all of us in Bruce’s eyes and who we thus will never be able to catch up to so why try, hey, we should totally just, stab Caesar.

[melyaliz]

Now or Later

anonymous: Jason x reader they've been dating for a while and she's become rlly good friends with Roy who she met via Jason and one day Bart comes from the future and he sees Jason's gf and he's like hey mrs Harper! And Roy Jason and gf all are like wtf does that mean and then Bart is like oh shit after he realised that he's entered the past but of a different time line. He said Mrs Harper bc in his future, Jason didn't come back to life, she met dated and married Roy. Gimme jeason drama jay! Heheheheh

Fandom: DC / Young Justice TV show 

Pairing: Jason x Reader X Roy Harper 

Notes: Happy Halloween! I love how none of my stories are ever on trend with the season. 

All Masterlists @melyalizarchive

----

“Good luck kid,” she said as Bart grabbed the power core he needed for his time machine. Her gray and white hair pulled back in a braid half her head shaved showing off her scars proudly. Once beautiful now hardened by the turn on the world. “Go save our world, save my husband,” she said before pulling out her crossbow shooting at the minions who had them almost cornered. Trying to make his an escape root.

“I will,” Bart said nodding before dashing off. Leaving her to fend for herself. He knew she could. He prayed he was right as he ran.

Or maybe she wouldn’t have to if he succeed.

Crash the mode.

---

You laughed tossing your hair back as you pulled out your crossbow. A million other weapons strapped to your back but there was something about the sound of a bow that just was so comforting.

“Don’t worry Hot stuff, you covered hot stuff” you said letting another round of arrows loose on the crowd. You had been flirting with your boyfriend Jason and his outlaws this whole mission.

Ok more like flirting with Starfire the whole mission.

“Watch out your girl is going to leave you for Star” Roy laughed as the red head in question ducked letting her adversaries fall from the arrows.

“Many would, given the choice,” you added jumping down high fiving Roy.

“I don’t see why you must leave anyone to be with me” Starfire said knocking out another goon with such grace she made it look like a dance.  

“See Jason I don’t have to leave you.”

“Ok haha so funny.” your boyfriend said coming up behind you shooting a goon who was running at you with a huge ax. Who even were these guys? Like, ok Paul Bunyan, who uses an ax anymore?

“I don’t see how you can’t appreciate how hot this is” Roy added summoning the jet as the four of you come together ready to be picked up.

Turning you laughed leaning forward as Jason pulling you into a deep kiss -there may have even been some tongue, “I don’t really share well” he mumbled and Roy made gagging noises next to you.

“Gross. Just get a room you too”

“Aw Roy don’t be jealous, I promise I’ll give you Jason back soon,” you said pulling at Jason’s belt winking up at your boyfriend as the Jet floated overhead dropping down a rope for you. “But, not tonight, tonight I was promised a much overdue date night.”

Date night was amazing, as was the morning after, and the morning after that.

In fact date night turned into date week and probably would have been longer if a certain redhead hadn’t barged in.

“Jesus you two! It’s 3pm. Where are your clothes!?!”

“That’s what you get for barging in Roy!”

“Well, I wasn’t expecting you too to STILL be in bed.”

“It’s a bedroom what else would we be doing in here?”

“Ok, ok, but still…”

“What brings you to our love nest, Roy?”

Roy laughed at your comment, eyes still on the ceiling, “Dick apparently needs us at Young Justice Hall or whatever they are calling it these days”

“Ok”

Roy stood there glancing down at you “Ooookkkk” you said again waiving your arms to shoo him out.

“Alright, alright I’m leaving!”

After he left Jason leaned toward you kissing you on your shoulder, “I love you” he whispered, “Not sure if I mentioned it,” he added tracing a few of your scars that ran across your shoulder, “but you are perfect”

“You may have… just a few times” you whispered kissing him on the lips

He chuckled as you deepen your kiss, his hands wandering across your body

You pulled away “Don’t start or we will never leave...”

Letting out a moan Jason flipping you over so you were straddling him. His arms wrapping around your waist. Kissing your hips, stomach, chest, as you looked down at him trying to muster the will to fight him.

“Ohhh make Dickkie bird wait” he told you between kisses making his way to your lips.

------

“How’s your little one doing?” Dick asked Roy as the archer waited for the rest of his team,

“She’s good, oddly good. You would think with her mom she would be a little more of a… handful.”

Bart was only half listening as he waited with Jamie and Tim for the Outlaws to show up. He knew Roy a little in passing but had never met the rest of the team, but he had heard stories. Apparently, they were deadly accurate and still hadn’t come across a mission they couldn’t complete. Perfically in sync. Something they Young Justice needed at the moment.

You walked confidently into the base. Don’t show any weakness. While you didn’t like new things you also knew this was a good change. Much like your team’s name suggested sometimes you guys didn’t always do things… above the books.

As you walked into the base a red-haired boy, you assumed was the speeder from the future, looked up. When he saw you his eyes light up. “Y/N Harper!” Impulse said dashing toward you giving you a hug.

“Fucking what?” Bart pulled away to see Jason standing behind your mouth open,

“Oh… uhhh… Roy said his daughter so… I thought you guys were already married. Who are you?” The last comment was at a very annoyed Jason.

“What is he talking about?” Roy asked coming up next to you. You glanced from Bart to Roy who looked like he had gotten punched in the gut. That was nothing to the look Jason was giving you. His face was white as you knew he was coming to the same conclusion you were.

“I… uhhh, got to go” Bart mumbled dashing off

“Please tell me that isn’t the kid who is from the future,” Jason said his hand taking yours holding it just a little tighter than normal. You winced as you looked from Jason to Roy. The awkwardness thick in the air. Part of you (ok all of you) wished you could dash out like Bart.

Dick sighed rubbing his temples “Yeah, shit you must be that woman he was talking about.”

“What woman?”

It turned out that in the future you took Bart under your wing teaching him. Bart hadn’t said much other than your husband, Roy had died trying to save your kids, a few years before Bart had come to the future.

Also apparently you were a pretty badass.

Halfway through the story that Dick and Jamie pieced together, Jason had left. Next to you Roy hadn’t stopped moving obviously totally conflicted. Maybe as much as you were.

Years Eariler 

Jason had called you in for backup. The two of you didn't know each other long. Meeting while both going after the same ring of gangsters you both had decided to work together instead of copeet. And after that you both kept running into each other. Whether intentional or not you would never admit.

But this was the first time he had officially asked for your help.

“I need your… spark.” he had told you as you both lay in his bed. You laughed rolling out from under the sheets grabbing your shirt that had been thrown across the room the night before.

“Anything for you hot stuff.”

So you had been sneaking around the large warehouse setting up your beautiful explosion when you noticed the archer, Arsenal, in a bit of trouble. His back against the wall while trying to take down 7 or 8 guys. Not that he wasn’t doing a good job, but Jason had asked for your help so why not?  

Three went down as you shot your crossbow Arsenal taking out two by bashing their heads together as you jumped down knocking out another. One more ran toward you only to shot down, one in the leg one in the arm.

“So you’re Y/N”

“How did you know?” You asked turning to the red-haired archer.

“Ohhh just a hunch” Roy laughed pulling out on arrow shooting a gunman who was behind you. You glanced over your shoulder before turning back to you pulling out your explosive trigger.

“Ready to blow this popsicle stand?” you asked “I loaded up this building with so much CC there will be nothing left but dust.”

“Please tell me you added some fireworks in.”

You laughed “obviously, what other way could you celebrate New Years?”

“Of course you are Jason’s.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Present 

“Hey” Roy said taking a seat next to you.

“Hey” you mumbled looking up at him

“What are you thinking about?”

“The first time we met”

Roy smiled running his hand through his messy red hair before putting his hat back on, “Awww the day you met your future husband.”

“Not funny,” you said rolling your eyes, “Why are you taking this so lightly?”

“I mean I’m the one who lucks out in this scenario.” Roy chuckled “I mean even my death sounds pretty epic,” However, his smile faded when noticed you weren’t finding the same humor in this situation. “But in all seriousness, it doesn’t mean much. If Bart is right and Jason was dead in his timeline things… are different now.”

You both lapsed into silence.

“Hey Roy, that time we met and you said you knew I was Jason’s because of a hunch, what did you mean?”

Roy sighed looking down at his boots as he tapped his heels, “Only Jason could find the perfect woman.” he said looking up at you.

“Roy,” you whispered feeling your heartbreak, all those memories of Roy. those glances you had always thought were just your imagination. All those lingering touches, hugs that were just a big tighter. Those smiles and jokes. You had banished those thoughts as you just being a silly girl.

“Look,” Roy said turning to you, “Maybe I have feelings for you but I also love you as a friend too. And Jason, I love Jason like a brother. And I’m not the type to break a great thing. And Jason and you are a great thing.”

“But in another world, we were a great thing.” you whispered doubts creeping in. Maybe you were meant to be with Roy. Maybe you had made a mistake with Jason and it was the faits way of correcting itself. It wasn’t like you hadn’t made mistakes before in your life. Many mistakes. Some had scars to prove it, both inside and out.

Maybe you chose the wrong one.

“Hey that’s not fair, I’m trying to be the bigger person here,” Roy said

“What am I supposed to do?” you said looking at him. Roy shrugged,

“Are you asking me? The king of bad decisions?”

You couldn’t help but crack a smile, you both had that in common. Something the two of you had always joked about. You and Roy would just be in so much trouble if Jason wasn’t always bailing your asses out.

Jason.

Standing up you shoved your hands in your pockets. “I have to go,” you mumbled walking away leaving your future husband (in some timeline) behind you.

-----

“Y/N, I’m not letting you go”

You looked up from the bag you were packing, off to find answers. I mean this is the world where Gods existed and boys from the future came to save us all from blue aliens who were trying to destroy our planet. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities you could find the answers to the questions you were looking for. Maybe on some himalayan mountain or some sandy beach. (You hoped it was the latter)

“Jason, what if this is the universe telling us we aren’t supposed to be together? I mean I don’t want to wreck the timeline.”

“The universe also said I was supposed to be dead and look at me, do I seem dead.”

“I just…”

“Do you have doubts… about us?”

You winced, it would be a lie. But it wasn’t really Roy that gave you those doubts. It was yourself. You had always been a lowner. Someone who relied on themselves. And now here you were, being told your good friend was your husband and your boyfriend was… well not.

What about your children? Bart had said you had kids. If you didn’t end up with Roy would that mean they would never exist? And Roy was, Roy. Your good friend, someone you would trust with your life. Something you had never thought you could do again. Trust.

But Jason, he had been first. He was… Jason. The man who had pulled you from a very dark path and took you on the adventure of your life. You loved him so deeply sometimes it hurt. And you couldn’t lie, scared you.

What if you weren’t supposed to be with any of them? What if this was life’s way of finally catching up. Pulling away from the good… no amazing thing you had.

Your fingers danced over the scars on your arm. The scars that reminded you that you didn’t deserve either of them. Didn’t deserve that happiness you had felt.

Your head hurt.

“I don’t know Jason.” he pulled away from you as he if you stabbed him, a hot crowbar at the heart. “No Jason. I just. I love you, you said grabbing his hand. I love you so much it’s just. What if I was meant to be with Roy? I mean, what if we aren’t meant to last. I just…”

“You love me or you don’t,” Jason said eyes hard.

You winced, your whole life had been running from people, believing they would always leave you. And there was a certainty that something would work out, but it wasn’t with the man in front of you.

Maybe safety was with the other. Or Maybe rocking the boat would tip it.

What were you supposed to do?

-GET TAGGED!-

Tagging: @royslittleharper  @the-shadow-of-atlantis @coffee-randomness @daisyboobear @werewitchling  @jason-redhood

[bigskydreaming]

It drives me crazy how in so many 'popular' mlm pairings the bigger/older guy is always the top.

Yeeeeah. 

So like, apologies if you’re here for reasons other than DC fandom and thus don’t care about any of the following, lol, but I keep meaning to write a post about something related to this so might as well do it here. 

Like, my biggest issue with S/ladin isn’t even the age gap (well okay, my BIGGEST issue is shit between Slade and Dick when he’s still Robin and thus underage but ASIDE from that, I mean).....but like, okay so ONE of my issues with S/ladin is the automatic contortion of Slade and Dick’s dynamics to Slade being the big, older, experienced aggressive top in all senses of the relationship dynamic, while Dick is uncertain, inexperienced....like, this thing where Dick’s inevitably shoehorned into being an ‘apprentice style role’ comparative to Slade even in the comics....where let’s be clear, Dick has NEVER been Slade’s apprentice.

People often ask if the Renegade thing actually happened in comics. And it did. But what I feel like most people don’t know....Dick was in no way acting as an apprentice or even subordinate to Slade in that arc. They already had a long established history between them at that point...AS RIVALS and enemies.

And like the thing is, and why it drives me so nuts to see that pairing always relegated to “Slade introduces the nervous, uncertain and out of his depth Dick Grayson to like...life” - is that you can’t be rivals and arch-enemies if you can’t consistently hold your own against the other person!

Dick’s never gone into conflicts with Slade desperately saying Hail Mary’s. The outcome is ALWAYS a 50/50 chance with them. He’s not like...overwhelmed by Slade, in awe or fear of Slade, or anything other than treating him like an equal DESPITE the vast age difference between them. 

And the fact that this so consistently gets ignored or diluted or dismissed....while at the same time this going hand in hand with it being taken for granted that Dick assumes the role of bottom in any and all dynamics between them....like....that’s bringing a LOT of preconceived assumptions into their dynamic, with not a single one of those preconceptions being relevant to either character’s actual interactions with the other.

But back to the Renegade storyline....the way it happened was Dick went undercover in the Society of Supervillains as this alter ego he made up expressly for that purpose: Renegade. And Slade knew exactly who he was from the start, because he knows Dick, he’s studied his movements, techniques, etc. But also, Dick wasn’t even trying to hide who he was from Slade either....he didn’t care that Slade knew, because he knew Slade was more intrigued by trying to figure out what he was after than ratting him out to the rest of the supervillains.

So the whole time, it was really more of this cat and mouse game between them where they BOTH were on the same page about the fact that they were each blatantly trying to use the other for their own agenda, as far as they could take it, while giving the other as little opportunity to use them as possible. 

Part of their interaction at this time was Slade ‘demanded’ Dick train his daughter Rose while they were working together. Then, at one stage of Dick’s big master plan that he was working undercover towards, and in order to convince the Society he was really one of them...he went to Metropolis and stole some Kryptonite for them....being confronted by Superman in the process. Clark of course knew exactly who he was the second he recognized Dick’s voice and heartbeat and all of that...but Dick had been off the grid for awhile, nobody knew what was going on with him, and by all appearances he was now working for the bad guys....and Clark demanded answers, wanted to know what was going on, wanted Dick to give him some reason to believe this wasn’t what it looked like....

And so Dick launched into a series of lies that fit his cover, that made it sound like he’d turned his back on his ideals and really was working with the Society, genuinely.....expecting all the while that Clark would be able to hear from his heartbeat and breathing and the like, that he was lying through his teeth and not to take anything he was saying here at face value.

But instead, Clark was getting more and more agitated and angry and frustrated with him....because what Dick only realized after he escaped from Clark - because he HAD to, Clark wasn’t just going to let him go at that point....

Is that Slade had secretly rigged one of Dick’s gloves ahead of time, with a wireless receiver and transmitter he had the remote for while watching/listening to this encounter via a bug and hacked satellites. Basically, Slade had rigged Dick’s glove to without him knowing, match the sound/rhythms of his heartbeat....and then kinda layer a fake/artificial version of his heartbeat just over the real thing. So Slade was remotely using this transmitter to make it SOUND to Clark’s super-hearing that instead of Dick’s natural body rhythms conveying that he was lying about all the things he was saying....now, it sounded like he was actually being totally honest and sincere. That everything he was saying to Clark was true.

Think about that for a second.

Slade made Clark Kent - CLARK - doubt Dick Grayson.

And you know what Dick did in response to that, once he realized what had happened?

He turned Slade’s own daughter against him.

Like...THAT is the level of one-upsmanship these two characters are constantly operating at. That is the degree of tactical chess they’re engaged in every time they interact, going back to the eighties.

There’s nothing hugely imbalanced about their power dynamic in any of their interactions DESPITE the fact that Slade is much older, much more experienced and a metahuman....because Dick’s own talents and skills have always compensated for all of that. Yes, he loses to Slade sometimes. But Slade just as often loses to him.

Despite all the differences, in terms of one on one....these two have always been consistently portrayed as equals, going back decades.

And like....that’s been utterly erased, even by people who DO know their comic history....because that doesn’t ‘fit’ the preferred dynamic of top/bottom in mlm ships.....which basically demands that Slade - being older, stronger, more aggressive and the villain...obviously must be the top, the initiator, the one holding all the cards in any interactions with Dick....who by contrast, is always the bottom, not just in their sexual positions but in the sense that he’s consistently portrayed in fics as only able to stand side by side with Slade or against him....by Slade’s grace and goodwill. With any time Dick comes out on top with Slade in ANY sense of the word, its only because of luck or chance or Slade making an obvious mistake or in some other way because Slade ‘allows’ it.

And that...there’s a lot to unpack there, is the thing. But it bugs me for two reasons: the first being like...its so dismissive of everything that actually occurs between these two extremely competent and capable characters who are so noteworthy for how much they relate and understand each other DESPITE the vast differences between them and all the things that suggest they SHOULD be incapable of existing on even footing, yet they manage to anyway....

And also, equally, because like....its really bothersome how fandom continually reinforces this idea that there are ‘obvious indicators’ of who is top and bottom in any mlm relationship, that these things are almost always ingrained and resistant to switching it up ever....and also carrying along for the ride a lot of fixed conceptions that borrow heavily from not all that great ideas of gender norms in the first place. Like, there’s a lot that’s not awesome about the assumption that the ‘penetrator’ in mlm sexual encounters is inherently supposed to be ‘stronger’ in at least SOME way and that by related logic....someone being the penetrated in mlm sexual encounters is the more effeminate or subordinate with these things additionally layered to carry the implication that this partner is the weaker of the two, or the one more in need or protection or guidance.

That’s....not great.

Like, ultimately my biggest gripe is that even when immediately visible power imbalances don’t actually exist in a mlm pairing......fandom overall seems to feel a need to then INTRODUCE a visible power imbalance or weighted dynamic anyway. With the uneven dynamic being deemed MORE essential to the ship....than the ACTUAL canon dynamics of the characters that make up that ship.