#or rather he ignores them and they HATE it

[tim-drakes-missing-spleen]

Wait, what if after Danny meets Talia again or what ever, Ra's tries to summon the ghost king to find another way to stay forever immortal (or something like that) . Only to find out that the Ghost King is the same boy he once loathed for not being good enough. Like just imagine:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ra's stared at Danny in shock after he emerged from the summoning circle.

Danny glared at Ra's while still wearing his pajamas. "Hey, asshole" He hissed.

Talia also stared at him in complete shock. "Danya-?!" She tried to say, but was quickly cut off.

Danny, who is now glaring at Talia as if she killed his family interupts her. "Shut up. Shut the fuck up." He tells her eerily. "I told you to stay away from me and my family, and yet here I am! You're both such pieces of shits, you know that?! Before you all hated me and treated me like an abomination, and yet you have the nerve to stand here and ask me for some sort of favor?! And before try to defend yourself, I know for a fact that you didn't just summmon me for fun, you want something, and I'm not going to give it to you."

Ra's face started to twist with annoyence rather than shock before he started to talk, venom laced in his voice. "Danyal, you are being unreasonable. You shall not prevent me from earning what I already deserve simply because you feel petty. You were once a disgrace to the Al Ghul bloodline, but now-"

Danny yet again interupts him, but now he looked downright pissed "Didn't I just tell you to; Shut. The. Fuck. Up!"

Th other members of the league watched in horror as the temperature in the room drastically went down, and a bone chilling wail escaped Danny's mouth. Danny took a deap breath to try to calm himself before he straightened his posture, and stared blankly at the people he used to call his family.

"I am done with you all constantly discriminating me for simply being human. I am done with looking up to you as if you were some sort of God. I am done with trying to prove myself to you both despite the fact that I will never be good enough for you. Most of all, I am done with the both of you. I was a child, I didn't deserve being treated like that." Danny spoke with a blank tone that got more and more vulnerable the longer he talked.

Talia tried to ignore the burning guilt in her gut as she listened to the boy who once adored her. She was once his inspiration, why could she only see that now? She looked at his empty face, and mentally compared it to the face of the boy who once looked at her with constellations in his eyes and a smile full of admiration.

Danny sighed.

"I am done. Don't ever contact me again." And with that Danny transformed into his ghost form, and left. Talia continued to stare at his retreating for even as Ra's voice registered in her brain. She simply just stared, and wondered why she never returned his love back when she had it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But I don't know, that's just some random crack idea. However, if anyone has any fic recs for either the original post or this one, please comment them!

Danny and Damian are related, with a twist.

Danny is the son of Talia Al Ghul, however he is NOT the son of Bruce Wayne. Ra’s has had his eyes on various people across the world that have either impressed him or show a unique skill set that he’d like to have. One such person was under the both categories and he got Talia to collect a DNA sample and as a result Danny was born.

This was before Bruce’s time with the League by a few years, but very quickly Danny was not meeting expectations. And by the time Bruce did show up Ra’s had lost all interest in Danny, moving on to better things.

Talia always hated Danny because she was forced to have him with a man who she never liked in the first place. Furthermore, because his skillset was lacking she found that even more reason for her distain. In her eyes, he wasn’t worth even considering her blood.

Danny, knowing that he was doomed if he didn’t make an escape, left the league sometime around when Bruce was moving up the ranks and was making waves within the organization. Perfect timing honestly, any attention he might have had was quickly gone when this prodigy showed up.

Danny escaped the League and went into hiding quickly after, settling on a rural area of the United States after bouncing around countries for a few months. This was mainly because Jasmine Fenton saw a young boy pick pocketing strangers while her family was visiting Chicago and scolded him. Her mother and father saw the boy and also lectured him to which Danny responded it was his only option (he was trying to get this loud family off his back so he could sneak away). Eventually the Fentons decide that if he has nowhere to go he might as well go with us, and Danny decides blending in with a Nuclear Family is the best way to ensure that his peaceful life away from the League stays that way. Oh how little did he know.

Flash forward a few years, Talia, who was visiting Gotham to check on Damian, sees a glimpse of a boy (now man) she thought she had forgotten. Her blood runs cold, if this abomination is in Gotham then her son is likely in danger and she would never let anything happen to Damian.

[bugdoppio]

HEADCANON DROP HI HELLO (ignore how i accidentally switched pete and josh's position i drew this in school without my phone okay. forgive me)

BILL !!

hes the level of white that his face gets actually red when hes rlly angry

worst acne out of all of the club plus probably has a bald spot on his head from how stressed out he is all the time

surprisingly his hair is the cleanest out of all of them because his mom forces him to take baths frequently (hates her for it) -> weirdly that does not stop him from smelling like shit so

has VERY bad myopia (short sighted)

absolutely awful posture. pack it up hunchback of notre dame

has very bad lactose intolerance but does NOT stop him

i like to think maybe it was his dad who introduced him to comics and nerdy stuff and they really bonded over that so he resents his mother a lot for "taking his dad away from him" when they had the divorce

NOT a reader at all, only reads books that dont have pictures on them if its for school, otherwise he does NOT touch that shit

has a surprisingly good singing voice but the talents wasted because he doesnt like music at all

very very VERY closeted bisexual would rather die than admit he feels a little something when looking at pretty men

has a habit of biting himself when he's frustrated

has arachnophobia so bad to the point it's actually funny. if u tell him theres a spider on his shoulder he will scream so loudly and freak out and not speak to u for a week when he realizes u were lying

his bones are really easy to break for some reason? shove him the tiniest bit hard he will break something when he falls on the ground

i feel like he'd have a peanut allergy. no i will not elaborate

judges really hard whenever someone gets a very complicated coffee order but cannot handle a singular sip of black coffee. spits it out immediately

brags about being the oldest of all of them when its like. him and josh are less than a month apart

very very low pain tolerance will be so dramatic over every tiny papercut

umm umm something something npd and ocd because oomf said so

last one of the club to grow facial hair

hates HATES pda but is so clingy in private its insane

chews on every pen or pencil he owns. beaver ass

has really really dry lips to the point his doctor told him to regularly put on chapstick but he never does it because he "feels gay" doing it, lips get cracked and bloody every time the weather gets a little dryer than usual

always wears long sleeved shirts or jackets over t-shirts because he hates how his arms look (theyre very skinny. bro cannot throw a hard hitting punch or lift a mildly heavy object for his life)

cannot peel any fruit. ever.

never got his drivers license. even in epilogue he has to take cabs everywhere

also epilogue i feel like he'd have a little bit of a drinking problem maybe

JOSH !!

very very greasy curly hair that has so much frizz. CANNOT be brushed dry ever or itll puff up ljke a pomeranian

probably started growing a neckbeard before any real facial hair but he gets self conscious about it so shaves it -> gives up shaving it in epilogue and his real beard started to grow

his weight isnt that much his fault its more of a genetic thing tbh -> tried working out to see if he lost weight once but when his fat didnt immediately turn into muscle in like. a week. he gave up

his mom probably got him to do piano or violin classes and when the club went to a recital to make fun of him they were like. a little impressed cuz he was not bad at all tbh -> probably tried to audition to school band or somethibg? but immediately shouted FUCK the second he got a note wrong and got kicked out

has some form of jaw misalignment? but never told his mom because he would rather die than be seen with braces

gamer headphone dent 💔

immediately asks any girl wearing a band shirt "name five songs" even if he doesnt know the band at all

owns a concerning amount of body pillows

secretly has a thing for mean assertive women

bpd maybe?

has VERY bad hyperopia (long-sightedness)

used to own hamsters and got so sad when they died he missed club meetings for like a week -> club genuinely thought it was a grandma or something not yoda 1 and yoda 2 (he'd name them that because he forgot which one was which and just named them the same thing)

has so many cousins and extended family its insane. he swears that if he hears "youve grown so much, last time i saw you you were a little baby!" he will LOSE IT

has freakishly good aim for some reason? like, the club wouldve gone to paintball or laser tag or something and bill would throw a tantrum over always getting shot by josh immediately

hates overly sweet things

PETE !!

very very hairy everywhere except on his head 😭 bro has a receding hairline at 17 someone save him (literally the only reason he wears the baseball cap all ghe time)

probably the first one to grow facial hair out of the club, brags about it so hard

tried piercing his ears by himself once but it got infected so he had to give up

rlly dark eyes and has the most beautiful luscious dark lashes youve ever seen (guido mista coded)

nose is very curved and downturned

MOLES MOLES SO MANY MOLES

kinda crooked teeth but his parents cant afford braces for him so

owns a bunch of exotic pets and used to prank the club with them until bill accidentally stepped on his pet spider and killed it or something

yk when u smell sweaty and bad and try putting deodorant on top to fix it but just ends up smelling like a mix of sweat and deodorant and its lowkey worse? yeah thats what pete smells like. all the time. and axe body spray

tried smoking one (1) time to look cool and regretted it so much. never again

probably unironically got scurvy once due to not brushing his teeth or eating any fruit and thought his gums bleeding meant he was turning into a zombie -> tried biting josh once to be funny and "turn him into a zombie too" but he bit too hard and it got infected (he felt SO bad)

really strong immune system from eating dirt as a kid? almost never gets sick -> when he does its really bad and the club lowkey thinks hes gonna die when it happens

if not working at sick mofo in epilogue i like to think he could've ended up working as a horror sfx artist

also could probably have been good at sports if he tried but he never did (plus hates jocks so)

surprisingly really knowledgeable about food and spices and stuff (maybe his mom taught him) but he HATES cooking so never does anything abiut it

watches gore and shit but would throw up immediately if he saw a major injury like that in real life

has freakishly good reflexes from his older brothers picking on him all the time

JERRY !!

THICK EYEBROWS !!!!!!!! KINDA HAS SIDEBURNS TOO !!!!!!!!!! im not normal

thin lips ..and eyebags …. plus kinda defined cheekbones make him look rlly tired all the time

hes really myopic but doesnt have glasses -> his eyes look closed all the time cuz hes always squinting trying to see 3 feet in front of him (plus his eyebrows furrow together when he does so thats why sometimes he looks like he has a unibrow) -> probably starts wearing contacts in epilogue

also literally only failed his driving test becayse of myopia SOMEONE GET THIS POOR BOY SOME GLASSES

had a tooth gap when he was younger (think that one flashback where theyre all kids) and had to wear braces for a while to fix it -> was relentlessly made fun of because of that by the club until bill got braces too and threatened to punch whoever made fun of braces again

weirdly good at finding out info about people …. stalker ass .!!!! has doxxed people he dislikes on forums occasionally -> stops doing that in epilogue but maybe finds himself accidentally stalking someones profile when on the internet and feels bad

waaayy taller than the rest of the club but has a shitty posture so he looks kinda on par with the others -> like 180cm but looks 175cm

best jawline out of all of them lowkey 😭

maybe a little unaware on physical boundaries and stuff … physical touchy guy

FRECKLES + hes probably the one wity tge least acne out of all of them cuz he would probably start picking at his pimples the minute they show up (does NOT wash his face though) -> acne scars in epilogue

greasy hair, probably washes it every 2 weeks (has rlly nice smelling shampoo when he does wash it though) -> washes his hair more frequently in epilogue (REALLY soft)

very blunt when he has strong opinions about something but otherwise has ZERO backbone. will immediately change his mind on something if he wants to impress someone

a sagittarius because he looks like he'd have a birthday in december plus weird al yankovic song your horoscope for today (listen to it right now.)

very clammy sweaty hands and HATES it, sensory nightmare, always fidgeting with the hem of his sweater to dry them out

autistic .!!! plus has rlly bad anxiety probably

and fomo. oh lord he has so much fomo -> probably one of the biggest reasons he still hangs out with the club tbh -> plus has really bad codependency and abandonment issues maybe? cannot do something by himself he has to have someone with him

gets his ears pierced in the epilogue and LOVES it, too scared to get more though because it was really painful

is a pretty good artist, could've become a professional easily but was more preoccupied with other stuff probably

owns a huge ginger main coone cat that bullies him around

low blood pressure

very skilled at calligraphy… most legible handwriting out of all of them

umm urrmm thats it i thinks .... i hope my vision is not too out of character .......,,,, Guh

[artytaeh]

hello beautiful!

i’m usually a enzo girl but i’ve been on this huge theo and mattheo obsession lately out of nowhere👀 i was reading your theo’s posts and just read your drabble about how friends-to-lovers would be the best trope for theo and i’m obsesseddddd

out of curiosity, what do you think would be the best love trope for the other slytherin boys?

(don’t want to overload you so pls feel completely free to ignore this or answer briefly if you want😆🥲)

SLYTHERIN BOYS REACT 𓂃 ࣪ ✽ ˒ the best love trope for them.

. 𖥔 ࣪˖ hello babe, thank you for interacting! that's a great question that put me into heavy thought, so i gave a shot to this prompt. totally up for debate, though! it ended up being another extended thought. 😓

THEODORE NOTT, despite the friends to lovers love trope, could also fit ACADEMIC RIVALS trope like a puzzle piece too.

without sparking feelings of complete distaste and distrust, academic rivals are bonded by skill, pride and competitiveness; something that theodore has in equal amounts — although theo's enviable grades and perfect scores are motivated by survival (due to his father's demands for a flawless scholar path, which is the secret to avoid the man's terrible mood being inflicted on nott's only heir).

nevertheless, an academic rival could be the key to promote a healthier relationship with studying. theo gets terribly anxious when exam weeks approach — and this time, instead of studying for the sake of not fearing stepping foot in the nott manor, theo is fueled by enthusiasm and pettiness. his father's rage is momentarily forgotten, his mind preoccupied with the excitement of seeing your reaction, when he surpasses you this time.

the rivalry sparks a profound interest on theo, who finds someone worth his time. it further hooks theodore's interest if his opponent holds a sassy retort to his sarcasm, and hey, the way to his heart is also by motivating his wit.

being a smart one, theo's competitiveness would keep his mind on you, and benefit his previously toxic and unhealthy relationship with excessive studying.

besdies, it's not like theodore would come to hate his academic rival. it earns a special kind of respect from his side — and who knows, the beginning of an interesting relationship could start on paired assignments and study dates.

similarly, MATTHEO RIDDLE also is a candidate for RIVALRY. not academic, however, since mattheo couldn't give two shits about the letter that evaluates his work, really.

in my opinion, enemies to lovers wouldn't work with mattheo. the moment that he decides that he dislikes or hates someone, it's game over — mattheo isn't open to change opinions, holding a grudge that won't easily be forgotten, with the addiction of rarely giving the benefit of the doubt. he doesn't have the time to potentially change opinions on someone that he doesn't give two shits about.

rivalry, on the other hand, sparks the fire that naturally ignites his veins and pumps necessary adrenaline.

mattheo ridde is fire. burning flames that rise with ease, the fire of impulsivity, unashamed and hard to control. this slytherin is the type who would get a boner from an argument that came from exchanging cheeky words back and forth, hot-headed due to unimportant business. it puts him on edge — and that excites him. cheeky girls give him boners.

enemies involve hate; rivals, however, respect each other to the point of holding the other in a certain consideration. admitting each other as worthy opponents, recognizing the other's skills. rather than fighting over academics, i can see mattheo seeing rivalry in things that interest him — quidditch, for example. if not his favorite sport, then perhaps something a little sillier that gets him competitive nonetheless.

rivalry fuels mattheo to make an effort to prove that he's, somehow, better. better, a feeling that mattheo doesn't get to feel due to an unspoken feeling of... inferiority, underneath the loud anger and pretense of arrogant confidence.

besides, it could be the catalyst to create a sense of protectiveness. like, no—he's the only one who can get those arguments with you, his insults (not as harsh as mattheo's angry responses can be) are an exception. he is the only one who can get less friendly with you — the other ones will think twice before getting aggressive with you, thank you very much.

although LORENZO BERKSHIRE dreams with love at first sight, it's unlikely that it would differ from the flings and short dating he already had with other girls.

that being said, perhaps OPPOSITES ATTRACT could be a potential trope for enzo.

lorenzo needs to be challenged. to get better, to be better, there's a need to have a sort of wake up call, be it forceful or an epiphany of yours truly. being with someone who's so different from him — personality, behavior and mentality wise — would inevitably balance the good and worst sides of him.

be it from the same house as him or not, thinking of lorenzo with a girl who seems initially mean and closed off could interest him. as i've mentioned before: a challenge, for the sake of his ego. then, it's the way he gets to know her better; that the reserved and apparently apathetic first impression is a mask that hides someone who's perhaps shy about having a soft heart. because enzo, for his sweet words and charisma, hides rotten roots that came from an emotionally unsupervised childhood, the core of an envious little boy at heart.

having this balance makes lorenzo work harder on himself. it proves him otherwise, over and over again; enzo gets to slowly abandon the superficiality and pre-concepts he built, upon being given someone who can offer another perspective to enzo.

the differences can clash, but it ultimately washes out as a peaceful understanding. it opens lorenzo's mind in ways he probably didn't think he needed — and the risk of dating someone so different from him, makes lorenzo prioritize a healthy happiness rather than what other people think.

adding the trope that a large majority of us like, i chose DRACO MALFOY to be a candidate of the ENEMIES TO LOVERS trope.

it's hard for draco to admit a rivalry; where theodore and mattheo can respect someone to the point of thinking of them as an equal, draco holds a sense of superiority that attributes a very specific handful of people the privilege of, well, being equal to him in his mind. it's hardly earned.

an example of this is how draco treats his childhood friends, crabbe and goyle, as inferiors. somewhat friends, but lacking a certain sense of respect, worthy but not equal to him. and mind you: crabbe and goyle were pureblood slytherins like draco, so it fit two very demanding boxes of his family's values.

being hard to appease, it doesn't really matter if one doesn't gain his instant respect. the equality he perceives mattheo, theodore and the others with was also earned; first impressions ended up not being everything, and that's why enemies to lovers can work with draco.

the thing is, to be draco malfoy's nemesis earns you a certain obsession from him. perhaps because draco developed under lucius malfoy's constant scrutiny towards everything and everyone, draco has the habit of being negative. negative opinions, negative feelings, negative all around; always a mean thing to say, because his father rarely perceives perfection, directly influencing draco's perception for the sake of agreeing with his dad.

for better or for worse, draco would think more about you than another girl who swarms him. instead of valuing a girl's praise, he might spend more time thinking of ways to annoy you — and your constant presence in his mind is a slow way to his heart, already twisted in confusion and barely digested feelings.

what i mean to say is, due to draco's attitude of rarely perceiving others in a good light, you might benefit from standing out as the person he currently dislikes the most.

it's a hard thing to earn; perhaps, it will further convince draco that you're the one, if you started with hating him — the bad parts were what you knew first, so if you grew to love him, then it proves something. that he's worth it, underneath the ugly parts he wouldn't want to admit to himself.

BLAISE ZABINI was a tricky one. ultimately, he became a candidate for the, and hear me out: FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS trope.

skeptical and practical in romance, blaise grew up with the normalcy of dismissing relationships, love that fades and moves on to another person. and although miss zabini is an amazing woman, the inconsistency of her partners brought skepticalism to blaise: love is an ephemeral thing, short lived, and whatever corny phrase from a romantic book is disagreed with an air of intellectual superiority.

blaise might be the type of person who rationalizes love. butterflies in your stomach? babe, that's a physiological reaction that is everything but romantic. rolling his eyes at sappy quotes, grimacing whenever corny lines are exchanged, blaise heavily judges his friends whenever they get a girlfriend who they swear forever and a day to.

however, it doesn't mean that blaise is a bad partner. no, his lack of romantic perspectives doesn't take the gentleman his mother raised from him — he's a sweet guy, respectful, wouldn't expect nothing from a first date but having a good time. the problem is that blaise doesn't believe in long-term relationships, and that dismissal is perceived as disinterest from his previous girlfriends — leading to the end of the relationship.

and this is why i suggest the friends with benefits to lovers trope. engaging with someone who doesn't demand the sappiness he doesn't have in him, blaise gets to enjoy the physical part with someone who won't expect romance from him.

blaise zabini is a passionate man. anyone enjoys sex and making out, he certainly does for being a physical touch type of guy, but for blaise, it's easy to blur the lines of lust and attraction with a deeper feeling for the person he's sharing the moment with.

being unlabelled could bring a certain kind of realization to him. unlabelled, but finding himself doing sweeter things for you because he wants to — hell, he's a gentleman and he enjoys treating well the people he likes. at the same time, it feels unexpectedly... right, to walk a little more if it means bringing your favorite treat from honeyduke's for you, if he notices that you're having a bad day. slipping homework in your desk, so you'll spend the evening with him instead of worrying about academics.

his persistence of a life's teachings is cold, but the way he treats you is warm. blaise's unconscious hot and cold behavior confuses your situationship — and him, too.

ultimately, the continuous obstacle of not having the privilege of acting like a boyfriend would upset blaise, and persuade him to give a shot to this love thing. without thinking of an expiration date, without wondering when the honeymoon phase will fade.

probably the hardest to attribute a trope to, TOM RIDDLE is the last on this list and, for him, FORCED PROXIMITY is my suggestion.

having a distaste for many, tom can come by as uncaring, even towards the people he holds a certain affection for. unless you bring some sort of advantage or benefit, tom won't find any interest on tolerating you, and even if he did, it's a relationship that begins in rotten roots, possibly growing into poisoned fruits.

forced proximity would be a necessary trope, because it obligates tom to interact with someone without an ill intention, otherwise it wouldn't be attempted nor willing at all. this forced proximity would, even though minimally, make tom getting to know someone better.

there, similarities could be found. some, maybe, could interest him for a short conversation — say, the same interest; dark arts, for example. there are certain topics that tom would be willing to discuss out of curiosity, and that's where his opinion of you could grow into someone he acknowledges rather than another blurry face in the crowd.

disagreements are part of it, too. pushovers are easy to manipulate and twist to his will, but the courage to show a different opinion intrigues him; builds respect, even if it's minimal, it's better than none.

academic rivals could spark interest in tom too, once again, making you stand out in a crowd that disinterests him. tom would value intelligence.

furthermore, grumpy and sunshine is another one i could see happening, maybe. the sunshine can't be overbearing, doesn't have to be a hufflepuff stereotype — simply someone who adds a little color to his dull and gray life. to have someone who brings positive things to tom riddle is a rare thing that he might learn to appreciate.

after all, remember that tom is an orphan who's never known love or proper (positive) attention. a child that grew up feeling unfairly prejudiced, with nothing to own but a lot to prove to himself and the world that surrounds him, the embodiment of good things is appealing.

and like a feline, tom would slowly, but surely, find himself attached to you. as long as you're not looking.

[zonedallthewayout]

actually I don't want to watch him be ignored and shut out for the entire arc. i think he should be humbled a bit, yeah, but I'd rather see them come to an understanding in the end. The doctor realizes she doesn't want to travel w him and belinda sees that he was trying his best and it wasn't entirely his fault. Of course belinda still leaves, but she doesn't straight up hate him. More of a "you were a wonderful experience" "you were... Everything" situation (but platonic ofc). It's still painful. He still has to come to terms with her leaving and cope with the fact that she never shiuld have been a companion. But belinda cannot be this insufferablely bitter for the ENTIRE arc istg.

Maybe burning hatred makes sense from a character point of view but it would be so annoying to watch

I'm worried that by the end of this, Belinda will be like "Oh I loved my travels with you you are the best, Doctor. I love you!" I don't want that. I want her to hate her time with him. I want her to be all "no Doctor this was awful I never wanted this and I never want to see you again." I want the Doctor taken down a peg because he is flying high right now, and he needs to be brought back down to earth. I want it to be sad, and I want it to hurt, and I want the Doctor to learn a lesson because not everyone can fall in love with the Doctor and enjoy their travels. There has got to be at least one bad experience. I don't know, I'm weird, but I think Doctor Who is at its best when it's punching you in the gut.

[defectivevillain]

a spider's day off

pairing: Wade Wilson/Reader

The reader is transmasculine (he/him pronouns). Otherwise, race is ambiguous and no physical descriptors are used. (The reader is spider-man, because I said so.)

summary: You hate to admit it, but Wade was right. You’d rather die than utter those words aloud, but here in the comfort of your own apartment, you’re willing to acknowledge that internally. It’s a good thing you took the day off, because your headache is persistent and your cramps are returning. Coupled with the mood swings and just general irritability, you figure it was wise to follow his suggestion.  Again, you will never admit that to him. Never.

word count: 2.6k | ao3 version

author's notes: Guys this is sooooo fluffy. It’s very uncharacteristic of me. I kept second-guessing myself lmao.

This is a period comfort fic, because I’m on my period and I want to be with Wade Wilson. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. So here’s this.

Warnings: Expect mentions of menstruation, cramps, medications, heat pads, etc. Nothing too crazy—no mentions of blood or hygienic/care products.

Deadpool is… an interesting guy, to say the least. He’s loudmouthed, rude, and endlessly energetic. He isn’t a hero, but he also isn’t a villain. He’s almost constantly poking fun at you or tailing you on your patrols, but you can rely on him if there’s genuine trouble. You’re somewhat forced to collaborate with him these days—he seems to keep popping up everywhere. It’s annoying, especially on days like today, when he just can’t stop chattering. 

“Just… stop talking,” you eventually hiss, bringing a hand to your temple as it practically pulses in pain. Deadpool’s constant talking is certainly not helping your headache. He’s not actually saying anything of consequence—he’s been detailing the past few episodes of a TV series he’s watching. You’d been tolerant of it for the first five minutes, but you eventually snapped, of course. 

Now Deadpool’s staring at you and whistling exaggeratedly. “Wow, I guess spiders can be cranky,” he says, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “Are you on your period or something?” he huffs. It’s clearly meant to be a throwaway comment, but you hear yourself respond before you can think better of it. 

“Yeah,” you mutter under your breath.

Wade is, unfortunately, observant when he wants to be—and he notices the comment. “Really?” he blinks, tilting his head at you curiously.  

“...Yeah.”

“Oh shit!” the vigilante exclaims, suddenly seeming excited. “No way. No wayyyyyy! That’s perfect!”

Well. That’s not necessarily the first reaction you were expecting. “Why is it perfect?” you squint at him skeptically. Being on your period isn’t exactly… fun. So why is his reaction so positive?

Deadpool ignores the remark. “Congrats, I’m giving you the day off from hero-ing!” he says instead, looping an arm around your shoulders. 

“What?” you ask incredulously. You’re too tired to push him off of you, instead just valiantly pretending not to notice. “That’s not how it works—”

“You can go home now,” Deadpool responds, making a shooing motion with his free hand. “The city can survive without Spider-Man for a day.”

“Wade…” you sigh exasperatedly. 

Wade turns to face you. “Seriously, you look like you’re about to fall over, Webs,” he observes, poking your shoulder.

It’s somewhat true—you’re pretty exhausted. How Deadpool noticed that while you’re wearing your mask, though… you’re not quite sure. You decide not to think about it any longer, because it’ll only make your head spin. “Fine, fine,” you eventually acquiesce. “You win, I’ll go. Just don’t wreck anything, okay?”

“Psh, please,” Wade makes a show of shaking his head. He’s rolling his eyes under his mask, you just know it. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”  

“You said that last time,” you feel the need to remind him, “and then you nearly blew up the bank.”

“Hey!” he exclaims. “That doesn’t count. That was the robbers—I was just trying to stop them.”

“And then take the money they stole,” you interject. 

“Well, duh,” Deadpool scoffs. 

You just take a deep breath. “Never mind,” you say with a shake of your head. You’re not going to deny the opportunity you’ve been given. “I’m going now. Bye.”

“Byeeeee!” Deadpool says with a childish wave. “¡Adios! Au revoir! Sayonara!”

You send a half-hearted wave over your shoulder as you leave. You suspect Wade’s still reciting goodbyes in various languages even as his voice falls out of earshot. 

You hate to admit it, but Wade was right. You’d rather die than utter those words aloud, but here in the comfort of your own apartment, you’re willing to acknowledge that internally. It’s a good thing you took the day off, because your headache is persistent and your cramps are returning. Coupled with the mood swings and just general irritability, you figure it was wise to follow his suggestion. 

Again, you will never admit that to him. Never. 

You’re settled on your couch now, wearing a comfortable shirt and sweatpants. Even changing out of your suit felt like a tedious task today. Everything is just requiring too much effort for your liking. You’re both hungry and nauseous, craving sweet but savory foods. And a lot of minor inconveniences are setting you off.

A blur of motion reaches your peripheral vision and you pause, wondering if you’re imagining things. A few moments pass and you decide to pay a haphazard glance over at the adjacent hall, expecting it to be empty. 

You’re very surprised by what you see. “Wade!” you exclaim, your heart racing in your chest at his sudden appearance. “You scared the shit out of me.” 

“Oops,” he says sheepishly. Since your interaction earlier, he’s changed out of his typical uniform—instead wearing a sweatshirt and jeans. “Your window was unlocked…?” Wade grimaces unconvincingly. 

“No, it wasn’t,” you frown, looking over to the window he came in from. The glass is gone—it’s clear he broke it. You must’ve been pretty distracted not to hear that. Then again, you had the TV on at a decent volume—not to mention, your thoughts have been elsewhere today. You suppose you’re lucky the intruder was only Wade. 

“It wasn’t unlocked,” Wade concedes, casually stepping around a jagged chunk of glass from the window. He senses your staring and rolls his eyes, picking up the glass and casually tossing it out. “I’ll blackmail your landlord into fixing that, don’t worry.” His response is so nonchalant that it almost makes you think you’re the one being unreasonable.  

“What are you doing here?” you finally manage to question. 

“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment, dude,” Wade responds with a mischievous grin. Your heart instinctively sinks at the sight. That smirk always means trouble. Sure enough, Wade heads into your living room and props his head up on the back of the couch, looking down at you while batting his eyes. “I’ll be your sexy nurse. Now I just need a slutty costume…”

“Wait, what?” you sputter. “Why? I don’t need a nurse.” And certainly not one in a shitty Halloween costume. You decide to keep that part to yourself, though. A remark like that is just asking for an argument with Wade, and you don’t quite have the energy for that now. 

“You’ve saved my ass way too many times now,” Wade answers easily. “I gotta return the favor sometime. Besides, y’know, hurt/comfort, reader-insert, all the good shit.” 

…You don’t know what that last part means. 

“You’re acting like I’m going to die or something,” you huff, getting off the couch and heading into your kitchen. Wade follows at your heels, idly poking around in your fridge before grabbing a soda. (Secretly, you only buy that soda for him—but he doesn’t need to know that.) Meanwhile, you open one of the cabinets and grab your heating pad, placing it in the microwave and setting it for less than a minute.

“What are you doing?” Wade asks, tilting his head to glance at you as you start the microwave. 

“Using the microwave,” you answer matter-of-factly.  

“Hey, no, no, no,” Wade chides you, putting his soda down to place his hands on your shoulders. “I’m the nurse here; you’re supposed to sit down.”

“Wade, I’m fine,” you sigh in exasperation, secretly touched by his concern but also embarrassed by the fuss he’s making. “This happens every month, it’s nothing crazy. Relax.”

“Relax?” he says dramatically, putting a hand to his chest. There’s a slight quirk to his lips that tells you he isn’t genuinely offended by the statement. “Me? I could never.”

“But seriously,” Wade continues, looking at you imploringly, “just lemme take care of you, okay?” He sounds strangely earnest—and uncharacteristically sincere. You’re not sure why this is such a sticking point for him. You’re about to argue again, but he keeps speaking before you can. “Come on, Spidey, pleaseeeeee? I’ll be so helpful, I promise.”

You just sigh and head back to the couch, sensing this is an argument you won’t win. Wade lets out a victorious sound at your unspoken surrender. He remains by the microwave until it beeps, before grabbing your heating pad and handing it to you on the couch. 

“…Thanks,” you mumble, still feeling a bit awkward about the situation. Then again, Wade quickly literally forced himself into your apartment and took on the role as nurse. He didn’t have to do that. (The question remains, though: why would he do it?) You hold it to your lower abdomen before attempting to get more comfortable. 

And then you realize: you haven’t taken any medication to help the cramps. Damn it. You glance over at Wade, who seems otherwise occupied with studying your apartment. You shift and start to get up, only for him to turn around. 

“Ah, ah, ah,” he chides you, stopping in front of you with his hands on your shoulders. “What do you need? I’ll get it for ya.” This attitude of his is almost endearing. It feels weirdly… intimate. You’re not usually this vulnerable with anyone. And while Wade kind of forced his way into your apartment, you have to admit: it’s nice to be cared for. 

Plus, you’ve known Wade for long enough to know he’s the most stubborn person on the planet. If he’s committed to do something, nothing will sway his decision. With that in mind, you sigh and consider his question. “Water… and ibuprofen,” you relent. “…Please.”

“Anything for you, baby boy,” Wade responds, sounding far more sincere than you expect him to. He heads back to the kitchen. 

“Wanna sit?” you offer when he returns, making sure to thank him once more before downing the pills. You feel incredibly awkward having him around while you rest on the couch. 

“Hell yes,” Wade responds enthusiastically, moving to sit on the cushion next to you. You watch the movement for a second, raising a brow. 

“I don’t bite,” you huff, watching as he sits a good distance away from you. The remark comes out before you can realize the implications of it.

“Aw, are you touch-starved, Spidey?” Wade grins, looking over to meet your eyes. Damn it, he saw straight through that. “That’s adorable.”

“Shut up,” you scoff, immediately regretting every single action that led to this moment: Wade on the couch next to you, you willingly inviting him to come closer. What is wrong with you?! 

Wade isn’t making fun of you for it—not really. He’s the teasing type, of course. But he isn’t genuinely judging you. In fact, since you pointed it out, he’s been slowly migrating across the couch towards you. “Come on, you know you wanna cuddle with me,” Wade continues, leaning closer with a smile. “Besides, you’re all hunched up over there.” 

You choke on an annoyed groan, struggling to decide your next move. Eventually, you abandon the rest of your dignity and sidle up to his side. To his credit, Wade doesn’t stiffen or flinch—he only pulls you closer and wraps an arm around your waist. 

You lean your head on his shoulder and keep silent for a moment, before coming to a realization. “You’re never going to let this go, are you?” you ask. 

“Nope,” Wade responds shamelessly, a smirk on his face. “The big bad spider gets all cuddly when he’s tired. So cute.” 

“Shut up.” Your default response in this situation is just to brush off his teasing. It’s a defense you’re both familiar with. Wade seems to be expecting you to say something along those lines, because he just laughs. 

“How’re you feeling?” he asks sometime later, mercifully letting the subject drop. For a moment, you can almost convince yourself that this is normal. It’s a bit difficult to get over the inexplicable conviction that you should be embarrassed, though. 

You forget about Wade’s question until he’s gently nudging you. “Eh,” you say noncommittally. “Tired, mostly.” Emotional too, but it’s usually better not to talk about that. It’s a somewhat unfounded feeling, not necessarily triggered by anything specific. Usually this melancholy comes and goes, eventually fading within a few days. If you keep yourself distracted, you can usually forget about it.

As time passes, you can’t help but relax and lay on his chest. If Wade is bothered by your sudden clinginess, he doesn’t say anything. You’re sure you’ll be super embarrassed by this clingy behavior in the next few days, but right now, it feels nice to have someone next to you. Besides, as much as Wade likes to tease you, he’s still a good guy. He wouldn’t actively try to torment you about this. 

Plus, it certainly doesn’t seem like he minds. You suspect, idly, that he likely needs this human contact as much as you do. The two of you don’t get close to very many people, on account of your secret identities. It’s too dangerous. But times like this make you remember the friends you used to have, the people you used to love. 

At some point, Wade’s other hand cradles your face, his thumb dancing across your cheekbone before stopping at the scar running down the side of your face. It’s relatively faded now, but from a close distance like this, you’re sure he can see it. 

“How’d ya get this?” he asks, his finger tracing the mark back and forth. 

“Dr. Octavius,” you answer.

“The octopus guy?” Wade blinks. 

“Yeah,” you confirm.  

“Huh,” he remarks, studying the scar for another minute. “Thought it’d be a little more… scandalous.”

You blink in confusion, still very much aware of his hand on your cheek. It’s making you feel weirdly nervous. You try to refocus on the conversation. “What, like a suction mark or something?” you huff. “His tentacles are robotic,” you remind him. 

“Yeah, a lil’ robo hickey!” Wade exclaims, sounding a bit too excited at the thought. At your disbelieving look, he says defensively, “Come on, that’d be sick.” 

You can’t help but laugh. “That’s ridiculous.” 

The two of you talk about harmless things for a while longer, before you feel your eyelids begin to burn from fatigue. You’re rather comfortable, your muscles slowly relaxing as you start to lean on Wade. It’s growing more and more difficult to keep your eyes open. The ibuprofen finally seems to be kicking in, which is fighting off the cramps you were feeling earlier. Now, the pain is ebbing away—leaving exhaustion to take its place. 

Sensing your tiredness, Wade trails off mid-sentence. Or, at least, you think he does—it’s kind of hard to tell. It’s been weirdly difficult to focus your attention throughout the past few minutes. 

“Sorry,” you blink, trying to remember where he left off. “What were you saying?” 

“Don’t worry about it, Snorlax,” Wade hums, his hand starting to rub your back. 

“You’re not helping me stay awake, you know,” you mumble.  

“I know,” Wade responds smugly. Then the smirk on his face softens. “You shouldn’t fight it; you need to rest.”

That’s true, but… “I don’t want to trap you here,” you remark, moving back slightly to glance at him. 

“Oh, I really don’t mind, sweetheart,” Wade reassures you, gently tugging you back towards him. “It’s not everyday I get a cuddly, cooperative Spider-Man. Gotta take advantage of it.” 

You can’t exactly find fault with that, and you’re too tired to argue the point further. Instead, you just lean into him again and close your eyes. Wade’s hand falls still on your back, a steady reassurance of his presence. 

“Night night,” he says quietly. (Or, at least, as quietly as Wade Wilson can manage.) “I’ll be here to watch over ya, fight off those birds in your nightmares.” He punctuates this remark with a squeeze to your shoulder. “Birds? Wasps? What are the enemies of spiders? Humans and their shoes…?”

You would roll your eyes at him if you weren’t already falling asleep. Wade shifts, grabbing the blanket and ensuring that it’s fully draped over you. You fade too quickly to notice the fond expression that rises on his face.

©2025, @defectivevillain | @defectivehero, All Rights Reserved. Reblogs are greatly appreciated—just don't steal or share outside of Tumblr, please.

endnotes: GAWDDDDDD i need this man biblically. *viscerally,* even.

Did Wade change out of his suit so that he could cuddle with you? Methinks yes… Mwahahhaa…

also, huge shoutout to my bestie @connorhasabigtip for calling me yesterday and helping me write this. we were silent on call for a full hour, with me writing and her reading 😭 we'll find you your brown cowboy one day, bitch. looking forward to being badasses in fortnite again today. (she's the Sith and I'm the Jedi, in case y'all were wondering.)

thanks for reading! <3

check out my other works, sorted by fandom.

general taglist: @its-ares @excusemeasibangmyheadonawall @the-ultimate-librarian @gayaristocrat @always-lying-to-you @moss4ev3r @hottskull

friendly reminder that i don't give permission for my writing to be shared to other sites, stolen, copied, translated, or used in any way. thanks!

[aoflameandco]

Netflix DanteLady: in depth analysis

I ship Dante and Lady. And it makes really hard to miss a big controversy, surrounding the Netflix version of characters. There's a lot of negativity out there, and while I see some valid points, my shipper heart absolutely disagrees with the harsh takes on DanLady's development. So let's break it down and highlight some nice things about this particular interpretation of our beloved ship.

Warning:

1) This post treats the Netflix anime as its own thing. I'm not comparing the show's DanLady to the game's DanLady maybe some references aside bc imho it would request another big meta and a couple more Seasons to make a fair judgment.

2) The analysis mainly focuses on the scenes that Dante and Lady share together. The show also likes to draw parallels between them, but once again, I'd need another big meta to cover that. maybe one day

3) I call Lady "Mary", bc that's who she is from her POV right now. I like Lady better too and know the dmc3 nuances, but the show didn't reach the point yet.

Starting from the bottom

She hated demons with a passion. He exterminated them with joy. So much in common and yet — a shared distaste for the demonkind caused an all-time-low first impression.

But things looked fun at first! At least from Dante's POV. Just when the party seemed to be almost over, another pretty guest flew through his window. There's no doubt that Dante was having a blast, dominating the entire battlefield, so he accepted his new challenger eagerly, his wild grins don't lie.

Too bad, Mary was a woman with a mission. Careful calculation behind every move. Strategy instead of brute force. If her theory is correct, it's the only way she can win. And she succeeds, securing the amulet. The soldier's cold mask falls for a second, revealing how much she enjoys being in control after Dante carelessly underestimated her.

Jokes are over, Dante is pissed and Enzo's suggestive remarks the og captain of the ship don't help either. He doesn't care about the pretty thief, all he wants is to keep his sacred promise and return his precious necklace.

And so the battle for dominance begins. The episode emphasizes that Dante and Mary are birds of a feather. Both smirk when they think they have situation under control, about to catch their prey. It's not a sweet kind of smirk, they're serious and even manage to cause minor damage, but Mary wins this round by introducing an anti-demon weapon Dante never saw before.

Time to test the demon theory. Which completely takes Dante by surprise. No wonder, the whole animation looks rather suggestive, if we ignore Mary's gun pointed right at him. But that's not what confuses Dante the most, it's Mary's words. A mere thought of him being a demon is quite insulting, so he immediately laughs at her failure, hiding his own stupor behind cheeky jokes.

But this lady is too smart for her own good. She continues her musings, so deep in thought that she loses her grip, and Dante is quick to use it against her. His ruthlessness gives another hint that she has touched on a sensitive topic, triggering him further.

Mary immediately retreats, most likely blaming herself for relaxing in front of such a cunning foe. Her jumps and blasts are more uncoordinated than usual, she clearly panics and Dante has to save her at the last second from his own counterattack.

And he's still mad and demanding answers. Although the scene clearly references "my type of rain" this Dante is in no mood for flirting. The gentleman dies: he slams Mary's wrists against the wall, ignoring the close proximity he created, yanking her body like a rag doll, when she touches his nerve.

To Mary's honor, she keeps her cool even cornered, this time determined to overpower her opponent mentally. Dante's anger makes it easier, yet her cocky pocker face falls under his touch. That's really not her type of "getting personal", though he walked right into her trap.

The whole scene radiates the hateful tension that is clearly mutual. Both are a bit too petty. For example, Dante takes offense at Mary's implication that he's a brainless demon and he immediately rubs her current helpless situation in her face. Only for Mary to strike back a minute later. A great uno-game, what to say.

Slightly touching on the topic of power scaling: nope, the show doesn't make Mary stronger than Dante. Even though currently she's way down on his favorite people list, Dante has no intention to kill her, because: A) He got his morals and B) He seeks information, which she processes. And Mary thanks to the extra ammo and lack of moral limits takes full advantage of it.

Dante's hot anger subsides the next morning. Maybe because he's had time to calm down, maybe bacause Enzo's presence provides him sort of comfort their bond is truly wholesome. Either way, he decides to stand his ground, calmly denying all the demon allegations.

Meanwhile Mary's cold hatred has grown. After nearly failing the exam she did her homework — this damn hellblood won't ever get the upper hand over her. Mary demonstratively ignores Dante's small talks, turns away whenever he opens his mouth, takes every opportunity to punish him for his silly escape tactics, bluntly dehumanizes him referring to him as a "thing".

While, yeah, Mary is being a bitch in this episode, the reason behind it isn't just a sore victory. Dante is ruining her simple world. Demons are bad. But Dante is acting like a deviant, so human-like, Mary can't help but think that he's up to something. She doesn't believe in his ignorance, she tries to warn Baines that even a half-demon is a demon and doesn't deserve any special treatment. And she surely is annoyed that Dante denies his blood and has a sad backstory, quite similar to her own. Nope, she won't succumb to this demon's manipulations.

Yet, despite her cold facade, Mary isn’t as heartless as she pretends to be. After Rabbit's attack she pauses for a second to make sure her prisoners are in fact fine, before running to her teammates. And for someone who was so enthusiastic about the bomb in Dante's neck, she certainly seems a little too concerned when she realizes he’s crossed the one-mile radius.

Still at this point of story DanLady are bitter strangers. Dante isn't one to hold long grudges (given his dynamic with Enzo), but Mary's hostility doesn't help his insecurity about his origins. Meanwhile her prejudice prevents her from seeing him for who he is. They both value the amulet above all else, so they spare no extra though for each other, before diving into their own separate arcs. Which change their perception of demons forever.

Change of heart

Next reunion highlights the progress both Dante and Mary have made. She has realized that the world isn't black and white, there're different types of demons out there, even those she can't consider her enemies. And he has faced the truth, came to terms with his father's heritage and been forced to see the world through the eyes of a demon himself.

The character's journey greatly affects their dynamic. Mary doesn't hesitate to save Dante from Rudra. And Dante immediately confesses that she was right about him all along. Burying the hatchet of their first disagreement, they slowly learn to compromise.

Mary lowers her gun once Dante confirms that he won't transform again. Given how wary she was of his human form before, the new info about his power-up would naturally raise her alertness, but she trusts his words now. Besides, she isn't afraid of him, she's pretty comfortable with his harsh truths duh, she already figured it out And that means a lot to Dante, who's still struggling with self-acceptance.

Still having his head blown up might be quite a painful experience, and Dante can't help but tease about her change of approach. Mary simply rolls her eyes, but still accepts him as a reluctant ally, untill the amulet tears them apart.

The first sort of teamwork estabilishes who's the braines and who's the brawn. Dante certainly prefers a direct confrontation while Mary engages in a battle of wits with Rabbit. Still, it's impossible not to notice her distressed state, and even though Dante feels awkward witnessing it, he doesn't walk away as soon as he is instructed to work solo. In fact, he pays attention to the smallest shifts of her mood.

His attentiveness and demonic instincts save Mary's life. He cradles her close to his chest, shielding from the blast. Mary certainly has no time to react when he jumps through the window with her in his arms. Looking very mad. No wonder, his strength keeps being tested, but he's determined not to let anyone die on his watch.

Mary wakes up to find herself in a rather compromising position. Dante groans beneath her, for the first time she sees his face so close. And she's mesmerized, his soft surprised gaze doesn't help either. It's a very short lived moment of vulnerability between them, where they're stripped of their confident, smug demeanor. A blush covers her cheeks, and Mary rushes to break the magic, too afraid of the unspoken feeling that has arisen between them.

While this scene surely echoes the classic tsundere trope, Mary's reaction is easy to understand. She's a soldier, a tough one, who can't afford the luxury of weakness. Dante's existence was already confusing enough, and she'd just come to terms with his not-so-bad demon side — but feeling something for him? No, no, no, that's taboo! And so she lashes out at him in frustration.

Dante's reaction is slower. To his credit, he took the brunt of the fall on his own back, which hurts even with his healing, but the grimace of pain magically disappears when he meets her eyes. Unfortunately, he gets no time to enjoy the view, because his face meets her palm too quickly. There she's, the lady he knows, brutal and rather ungrateful, not that he expected a thank you. Well, his pout might tell other story.

Still, his soft spot for Mary is clear as day when he tries to console her about the fallen soldiers. She is also a good listener and Dante confides in her so easily, telling her about his father and the mission he intends to inherit from him. Too bad, she has other plans.

Another disagreement emerges between the pair. Both believe that Rabbit is their personal nemesis, while the other party should stay away from him. The truth is that both are wrong, bc the Rabbit's heart is big enough to hate both Darkcom and Sparda.

Anyway, while Mary's "courtesy" is definitely not for every court, she doesn't knock Dante down, even though it would've been more convenient for her plan. But at this point, she definitely sees him a person. A person she struggles to reason with, heck, the "demonic dumbass".

Dante, who just can't catch a break with his lady, is very unamused by the following development. But instead of anger, his expression is closer to despair. As if it's not just a matter of a stolen fight, but also the fear that someone will die in his place. Again. Eventually, he'll be able to break free from the truck, but who knows, if Mary will be alive by then.

In this end, this small arc points the growing attachment between the two. Mary's presence and honest approach help Dante grapple with his own insecurities, and it's clear how much he needs someone to lean on in his vulnerable moments. Meanwhile, Mary realizes that the guy in front of her is too pure for his own good, far from the cunning demon she imagined. His kindness and relatable family values keep messing with her head, but she shields her heart, knowing full well that his careless actions put the entire world in danger.

Back to back

Mary's change of heart doesn't escape Rabbit's attention. No matter how indifferent she tries to sound, using Dante's life as a bargain, her opponent calls her bluff. Without even realizing it, Mary lets it slip by using Dante's name and considering him a part of both species. The fact that she never planned to detonate the real truck adds to the point. Even though from her POV the human world would have been saved without Dante around he'd have probably survived it though and she was never into Baines' idea of using him as a weapon, she just can't. He's no longer a "thing," not an evil demon to her.

Mary's plan was quite self-destructive from the start, but lucky her, her knight in the red armor is punctual. Once again Dante saves her, giving her a cocky grin, a silent "told ya". Instead of gratutude he gets a groan from the paralyzed Mary. Of course, she's furious because he ignored her warnings again and walked right into a trap.

Mary hates being helpless, but she underestimates how much her mere presence helps Dante. He remembers Eva's words about Sparda just by looking at her. In this moment, Lady embodies the world he wants to protect. Her voice of reason is his wake up call, she drives his doubts away, leaving Rabbit no chance to use Dante's insecurities against him.

Mary does her best to be useful. She warns Dante about the poisoned blades and breaks through her paralysis to join the fight. But she still isn't strong enough, causing Dante to worry sick about her. Since this episode his protectiveness reaches a new level.

After the fight Mary reaches him, noticing, that he's again troubled by Rabbit's words. And she talks about his mother's necklace. It's a small thing, but she doesn't call it an "amulet" — instead, she understands and points out the special meaning this victory has for Dante personally.

Given this, it is no wonder that Dante looks extremely happy when Mary confirms that she will not take his amulet anymore. Too bad, both misunderstood each other. Dante is full of hope, that Lady has accepted him as the best protector. Mary — confident that Dante has understood the danger and will cooperate willingly from now on.

That's where their third conflict blossoms. But unlike the previous ones — about the demon nature or the Rabbit fight — this one lacks the edge and feels like a flirting banter. Especially if you watch their body language and face expressions closely, both are challenging each other, clearly enjoying the tension. The changes Enzo the og captain of the ship immediately notices and points bluntly. Funnily enough, none of the two try to beat allegations.

At this point Dante uses "we" heavily, viewing himself and Mary as an inseparable team, after everything they went through. His childishness is contagious and Mary finds herself engaging in his silly points, arguing about their saving score. Still, she reminds him that's she is a part of Darkcom and that's not just a matter between them two.

Dante's sympathy for Lady doesn't apply to her organization at all, and their opinions on Baines' methods clash. Ironically enough, Baines decides to play a harsh boss right afer Mary defends his honor. But Dante isn't one to watch how his lady get reprimanded in front of him. Besides, he realizes that he's the main cause of her struggles, and quickly covers for them both with a lie. Mary, still visibly torn, agrees and doesn't reveal that the amulet is in fact in his pocket.

However, Baines sets the stage to make the choice between heart and duty even more difficult. Once again the Lieutenant Mary Ann Arkham is acting out of character, questioning orders and hesitating to take the "demon" in custody. For someone who teased Dante about blusting his haircut a minute ago, Mary looks terribly hurt when she actually gets an opportunity to do so.

The inevitable confrontation gets cancelled by the mutated Rabbit, who gives DanLady a chance to show the best of their teamwork. Without hesitation Mary entrusts Dante with her gun, but his unholy strength quickly breaks her gear. They even find time to bicker about it, between the shooting and strategizing. Dante's face doesn't look very remorseful though, it seems he enjoys being scolded by her.

But his confident smirk vanishes immediately when his partner gets hurt. Once again, Dante can't hide his fear of losing Lady. Her life has skyrocketed to the top of his priorities: after the helicopter crash the first thing he does is checking on her, rather than securing his precious necklace.

Mary is hard to kill though. Not only does she always rise up, but also comes to Dante's aid at the most critical moments. She pays her debts, saving him twice. Finding the strength to pilot a helicopter and fire the last anti-demon bullet, when Dante is cornered. His influence on her is hard to deny when she adapts his famous catchphrase for her final shot.

The way they look at each other after the enemy is defeated speaks volumes. They won and saved the world, working together. Quite a solid foundation for a bond.

Sunrise finds them together on the bridge, the shortest distance between them. Mary consoles Dante over Enzo's death, at this point perfectly understanding how much the loss affects him. She sees right through his cheerful facade and when Dante tries to escape with another joke, she opens up to him too. The honesty is mutual and Dante tells her of his latest discovery: his brother may be alive. Finding Vergil becomes his primary goal. But suddenly Dante, the former lone wolf Dante, who didn't want anyone to pry into his family's affairs — invites Lady to come with him.

This is not something Mary ever expected, her expression softening, surprise evident in her eyes. Dante doesn't give her a break, immediately coming up with the name for their future duo. It all makes sense from his perspective, they fight great together, they complement each other, they share similar regrets, they'll make it work. The only snag is the order of their names and Dante laughs heartily, looking genuinely happy for once.

Little did he know about the turmoil his Lady was going through at that moment. Her weak smile dies with their silly argument and shifts into a somber expression. And she does what her duty requires, looking absolutely heartbroken.

The disbelief on Dante's face doesn't make Mary's explanation any easier. Yet, as he falls, we see Lady from his slowly blurring POV — and it's not the face of a traitor, but the small lost figure of someone who regrets this outcome deeply. Her guilt echoes in her apologize, which, sadly, he can no longer hear.

Their last crucial disagreement finally comes to light. Mary has witnessed the danger of a demon invasion first-hand, so she can't let Dante and his amulet go on another risky adventure, especially knowing how unstoppable he'll be with his newfound motivation. And even though Mary the person clearly sympathizes with Dante's passion, Mary the soldier makes the final decision. However, it immediately backfires, because it's Baines who throws the safety of their world into the trashcan.

Well, long story short, it's hard to deny how much the bond between Dante and Mary has changed over the course of the first season. From bitter enemies to reluctant allies to ride-or-die comrades. All with a tension in the air that the show isn't shy about calling romantic. And yet, Netflix DanLady takes a complicated, but realistic route.

Lady doesn't join Dante at the end of the day, and they don't walk into sunrise hand in hand. After all, they've only known each other barely more than a day. That was enough to develop a great sense of understanding and care for each other, but not enough to give up their old lives. Both still in the middle of their character arcs. Mary isn't ready to be Dante's Lady yet, but her trust in Darkcom is clearly crumbling. Dante's straightforward approach would've result in the world's collapse if Mary hadn't cover for him, he still needs to learn to be less reckless. And the next Season looks very promising for both of their arcs, which will clearly collide at some point and take their relationship to the next level.

Thanks for reading till the end! Of course, this analysis is nothing but my personal interpretation. I'd love to hear your thoughts too! What do you love about Netflix DanteLady? Are you looking forward to Lady's "redemption"? What do you expect from Tony Redgrave? Please, let me know 😌

[markantonys]

Your last gifset made me realize how they're slowly developing people's fear of Rand which goes hand in hand with people fearing him for being a male channeler. This season I feel did the most than any previous season with that scene. Rather than people inherently fearing him cause of the knowledge he could channel, they had people start fearing him once they personally experienced his instances of madness, like Egwene starting to see him differently after seeing what happened with Alsera for example

yep exactly! it is exactly as i was saying for the past 4 years every time people came into my inbox kicking up a fuss about the show not doing enough yet to show the fear of male channelers haha: that fear is an established fact of the world in the early story (as it is in s1-2), but doesn't kick into high gear of being personal to our characters until circa TSR when rand is Publicly Out as a channeler and starts actively channeling in front of people. and particularly with the show creating such warm friendships between the EF5, rand's friends immediately looking at him differently just from the simple fact of knowing he's a channeler would've felt kinda off, whereas them looking at him differently once they've actually witnessed his troubling moments firsthand makes a lot more emotional sense for these versions of the characters & friendships.

i do wonder how audience perception of the rand vs. egwene conflict on whether or not he's mad might be as we go on, because in the books, RJ wrote it as a balanced conflict (sometimes egwene is right about rand's mental state and rand's in denial about it, other times rand is right and egwene is jumping to assume the worst), but most readers take rand's side and think egwene is overly judgmental (due to misogyny), but in the show so far, it's kinda framed as if egwene is 100% right in her negative judgments about rand's mental state and i don't think i've seen any show-onlys disagree with her yet or push back and say she might be jumping to assume the worst (perhaps due to the show overcorrecting for egwene historically being the losing side in the conflict in readers' eyes, and now swinging the conflict around TOO far with the result that most viewers side with her). in that final scene for example, rand is completely calm and in control of himself while channeling, and he isn't doing anything dangerous or careless with the power, and in that sense it's very different from his 3x01 or 3x06 channeling moments, but it's still framed as him plunging towards madness because the scene focuses on him ignoring egwene's plea for him to stop. there's not much to indicate that maybe we should question egwene's fear here or consider her to be overreacting out of ingrained societal biases against male channelers, the way the book quote i pulled out alluded to. but we will see how this conflict continues to be framed in future seasons!

(there's also a great irony in how many viewers went "it's so nice to see rand finally thank moiraine and find value in her advice! oh man, so worrisome that rand is shutting egwene out and refusing to listen to her!" my buddy, this is exactly the manifestation of Rand Listening To Moiraine the way you've been yelling at him to for 3 seasons. what did you think was gonna happen when he said "i've realized you were right that i need to cut myself off from my personal ties and focus on the mission." i bet when future seasons show us more of Rand Cutting Off His Personal Ties these viewers are just going to be hating on him for it and selectively ignoring the fact that it is literally moiraine's advice and example that he's following with this behavior haha)

[elainsgirl]

Oh no Azriel called Elain the third sister 😭😭😭

Gods how did you survive? Do you need therapy? Azriel didn’t tell Rhysand all his love to Elain and asked his permission to marry Elain in the limited bonus chapter that exists only in one language (not even my mother tongue, idc about BC)?? But Azriel saying aloud for the first time those words? In the heat of a moment? Mhh, he sure as fuck should’ve… idk ignore Gwyn’s questions, shut her up with a distraction from his attraction and desire for Elain and fury at Rhysand…

Oh YEAH THAT ROMANTIC INTERACTION 😍😍 His shadows reacted like Nesta’s shadows? HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT A SA SURVIVOR COULD BE ANY EVIL!! YOU ARE NKT GIRL’S GIRL BITCH

Oh, Rhysand who was raped for 50 years? He’s the biggest evil in the series. #TeamTamTam and LuLu (I hate this nicknames, nothing against Lucien). Feyre who was SA under the mountain (based on some comments, idc I liked Feysand in the series; not fanon twisted shit — like with Gwyn who is being put into every hole, trying to be the MC by fandom)?? SHE IS EVIL!! Nesta is the Queen and she should take Nyx, but I don’t want Nesta to be a mother. Maybe if it’s Eris’s baby. Because she should leave Night Court, like everyone else. Mor was SA and hurt? SHE IS A SUS BITCH HATE HER. But Moriel 😍😍 Emerie #nextMC (again in the NC that we hate; ofc after Gwynriel in the Night Court 🤣)

Thank you for reading my rant. I need it after I saw another Reddit post about BC for the 273883 times. You don’t have a job? Just read all Tumblr posts since 2021, bro.

”oh no! How dare Az call Elain the third sister even though he referred to Nesta and Feyre as two sisters! The absolute audacity he has! He’s toxic and only sees Elain as an object! Blah blah blah 😡”

Imagine if we had actual gotten Azriels love confession in a bonus chapter…that was limited edition? No author would do such a huge thing in a bonus that isnt a required read nor part of the standard edition of the book. Like…obviously mass is saving the huge love confession for…elriel’s book…as with most romances. Its rlly not that hard to understand 😭

Omg…how dare anyone try to insinuate that Gwyn is anything other then the perfect, flawless character she is. How dare elriels add depth and complexity to Gwyns character! But its totalllllly ok for those same people to theorise Rhys is evil and manipulative etc etc because…idk. Poor baby lulu he’s just everyones victim, they all use him as a punching bag, horrible ic! I hope Mass disbandles them and instead focuses on the valkryies and band of exiles! Thats the story we want!!!!!! Feyre is so stupid and shouldn’t be a highlady yet Nesta who has 0 political knowledge and hasnt shown leader skills until late and has only began emotionally healing herself definitely deserves to be QUEEN! This is why she needs to leave the toxic, disgusting nc and start her own court with her friends! Dont get me started on Mor,

you’re welcome anon, thats what Im here for. We all need to rant and let it out at times, its the only way to survive the fandom. I posted on reddit twice and just saw how much….”unique” interpretations there where and simply left. I do not need to deal with that headache. When are they going to let that poor bonus chapter which has been forgotten by the majority go 😭 I understand its the only form of content they have but still.

I’d rather get a job then read through all that bs.

[mekanikaltrifle]

So I'm actually kind of curious because I was always under the assumption that calking a Scottish person English or British wasn't right, but then ive had Scottish people downright argue with me that they are, in fact, one or the other because they're part of england or part of the British isles. I assume the answer is just kind of "there is no single correct answer" but I'm really curious about your thoughts on this specifically.

So, this is gonna get wordy. Be warned!

I would like to start off saying that any Scot telling you to call them English is probably English, rather than Scottish.

Otherwise, being British or Scottish specifically and preferring either name is very often a political statement, more notably after the 2014 independence referendum. People in Scotland who want to be called British are much more likely to be Unionists, or sympathetic to the union status quo-- might even be Conservative! Unionists are known in Scotland for being more Conservative than their anti Unionist counterparts. I'm not a unionist so I won't be explaining why they like the union.

Meanwhile, someone who places emphasis on being Scottish before British is more likely to be anti-Union, having voted to leave the UK in 2014. This isn't a definitive one or the other answer, because like you said there isn't necessarily a single correct answer. That said, many people in Scotland are more left leaning than our English counterparts, and politically many of us place some weight to that. On top of that, the Acts of Union never annexed us the way Wales was, instead merging the governance of the two sovereign kingdoms (Scotland, and England/Wales), and in doing so there were some agreements in these Acts that we would be an 'equal nation' of sorts. This... hasn't always been the case in the UK, and a lot of different people who care about that have their own nitpick with the inequality of the United Kingdom as it relates to living here. There's a fucktonne of reading to do on that, I assure you.

Also, many people know how atrocious the British Empire was, over here, and don't want anything to do with it as far as we can manage. Hating the existence of the remnants of empire is a pretty valid reason to not want to be 'British', imo.

Also, I want to reiterate that no part of Scotland is in England, we are not a region of England. A Scot is only English if he's also, well, English. This is important to remember, because it's important to people. Plus, England spent centuries trying to invade and conquer us, so yknow. They did some pretty awful things to historical Scots in doing so, including banning our instruments and languages to the point that there's an entire historical genre of Scottish music performed a capella, because all we could use was our voices.

All this and more is why someone in Scotland probably won't take kindly to being called English by a stranger. Plus, honestly, it's just a bit ignorant and may just come off offensive. I doubt a French man would enjoy being called German, you know?

In general, it's important to listen to what the person you're talking to would rather be called, cause isn't that the same for everything? We've got preferred names, pronouns, titles, roles; some places like here we've also got preferred terms for our identity within our countries. This also isn't uncommon in certain regions of Europe at all, so I've a feeling this may resonate more with people from Catalonia or the Tyrol, so on and so forth.

Anyway it's 4 am so I'll cut the ramble short, but I hope that helps you! If someone's Scottish online I would caution against calling them English in general, especially given American users having sometimes just... really unpleasant jokes and attitudes towards people in the UK. So hope that's helpful to you and take care of yourselves, etc. Have a lovely day or night or whatever solar configuration you've got.

[blitzy-blitzwing]

Megs ignores her and she hates it. :P

[comradeboyhalo]

qsmptwt is worse than dsmptwt bbh-treatment wise, but qsmpblr is miles better than dsmpblr. really proud of bbhblr for absolutely taking over the space LMAO

[silly-moth-123]

My younger sibling literally blocked my phone number because we got into an argument over capitalism ???

Wow I reached the tag limit on this post

Beware a long vent in the tags lmao

[pride-of-storm]

on the one hand 'i get to put up whatever shower curtain i want' is kind of a stupid hill to die on, but on the other hand i have acknowledged your claim on every other hill i could have picked, so fuckin acknowledge my claim on this one

[nururu]

I realized my disconnect when it comes to talking about one piece, and why I always say I like talking to dudebros more even if they're the worst... Is, I like to analyze literature. I like to analyze the source material and the canonic information. Shipping and stuff is for fun but I see it separately. The intersect bc canon inspires fanon but fanon CANNOT change canon.. I don't mix the two things especially not when I'm doing analysis... So I'll say things that are factual and ppl who are stuck in their headcanons or personal biases will think I'm saying something bad. What I'm saying isn't good or bad. It's not judgmental of the character I'm talking about. Nor is it a bias bc I like them/dislike them. I'm analyzing odas writing and his intentions as an author and what he's trying to say and portray. Most ppl online are too caught up in headcanons and personal bias while having no media comprehension and they think that I'm attacking their made up fanon stuff..... Noooo..... You're over there playing pretend and I'm over here doing analysis. We are not doing remotely near the same activity. They don't always need to intersect. Anyways it's hard to have genuine analytical conversations with ppl fully indulged in fandom and fanon. The only group of ppl who doesn't do that are dudebros but also... They get hung up on other stuff that doesn't matter too. Idkkkkkkkkk.

[powderrblue]

sneegsnag

[horrocious]

I'm curious about your 5 alcstar flops now 😄

(Don't worry, Victoria and I will protect you from the mobs ✨️)

Barton (ugh. tiresome boor), Nails (sorry to the nails lovers!! I'm sorry but it's how i feel!! more of him for you!!), Azure*, Cordy (unwholesome design notwithstanding, I have pulled her so many fuuuuucking times!!), Pittman (pious nothinghead who needs to leave women alone!).

* Azure in her event is a good character. TD has done her so dirty.