#sincere steph

[forest-hashira]

You dang kids and being young these days... I remember being 24 too /shakes fist

AHAHAHA

steph if it makes you feel any better i showed that post to my baby brother and kinda laughed and then he reminded me that he was born in 2007 and then i had a crisis

[theerurishipper]

Honestly, I do love Dick as Nightwing and Bruce and Dick's complicated relationship, but sometimes I like the old days when things were sweet and simple you know? When it was just them and Alfred and they all had fun with each other. Like when they blew off boring parties to go on patrol by using Dick's bedtime as an excuse. When Bruce let Dick go off on his own and said he was allowed "a little escapade" and ruffled his hair. When Alfred always brought coffee and "turkey sandwiches with Swiss cheese" to the Batcave while Dick and Bruce happily talked about their nightlife escapades. When Dick would make Bruce laugh regularly.

When they discussed Hamlet while riding in the Batmobile. When Alfred picked Dick up from school and dropped him off on dates and helped him go behind Bruce's back on cases. When Dick and Bruce would play fight with each other. When Dick made Batman's meetings with Gordon "more optimistic." When Bruce was being a helicopter parent and wanting to know why Dick would want to go to a public school. When Dick would sneak off with Clark when Bruce wanted him to stay back to finish his homework, and Clark did it for him before Bruce noticed. When Bruce teased Dick about his failed date, and they talked about it and their love lives. When Bruce apparently told stories about Joker to Dick during rides in the Batmobile. When Dick was actually the one who named the aforementioned Batmobile. When they would banter even in between a serious case. When Dick would cling onto Bruce to annoy him. When Dick was contemplating how alone he felt, and Bruce just showed up to catch him and do a routine on the trapeze with him. When Bruce would call Dick "kiddo." When Dick even called him stuff like "Bruce-ter." When Bruce used to call Dick "chum." I miss those days.

Yeah a lot of these are from Robin: Year One but that's just because it's the one I remember most. But there's a lot of them just having a good time and it doesn't feel like we see a lot of that anymore.

[rockrosethistle]

I actually fucking hate Mr. Jägerman here's why

Mr. Jägerman is a character in the Hatchetfield universe who is never onstage and only mentioned in 1 (one) line. This was enough to ignite my rage.

It's because in this one line, so much is revealed about Max's character. So let's dissect that.

Max is mean. We know this. The very first thing established about him is how threatening he is. But I think his character often gets lost in the 'bully' identity, because just like every other Hatchetfield character, he is layered and complex.

We also find out two other things about him pretty much immediately: He has a crush on Grace (we'll come back to that) and he needs to feel in control.

There's a lot of evidence to support this. He repeatedly refers to himself as the 'god' of Hatchetfield High. He creates arbitrary rules around who his friends can date. He creates arbitrary rules around where the nerds are 'allowed' to go. And the moment someone implies he is not as powerful as he thinks he is, he retaliates violently.

This isn't just Max being a jerk. These are all signs of someone who is almost certainly deprived of control in their home life, which forces them to find it elsewhere. Max likely has little to no say in what happens to him at home. He's clinging to a sense of control wherever he can find it. And that line basically confirms that his home isn't a safe place for him.

Back to the crush on Grace, when you look objectively at the actions Max takes in the show, you'll find that he's not really a bad person, he's a mean person. He's a little shit that processes his need for control in the entirely wrong way, but people are shaped by their surroundings. The actions that come from him are different.

His crush on Grace only supports this. Every other bully in every piece of media sees the girl they like and whistle and say "yo lemme hit that." And if the girl rejects them, they resort to "tease bitch." Not Max. The first thing he does is start a conversation with her, laughs at (what he thinks is) a joke, then offers to carry her books. Like, I wish my highschool bullies were that nice to their own girlfriends.

When she rejects him, it's true that he continues to pursue her and calls her "dirty girl," but that once again comes back to his need to feel in control. But he doesn't get aggressive, he doesn't do anything that screams 'bully.'

We don't get a lot of scenes with pre-ghost Max. But when we do, they're interesting to analyze. Like, have you ever noticed that when he finds Steph in the Waylon Place, his very first instinct is to tell her, "Get behind me, I'll protect you" from, as far as he knows, actual ghosts? He feels like his life is in danger, but he's still putting Steph's safety first, despite having no interest in her romantically. That's huge.

There's even some evidence to support that Max terrorizing the nerds is, from his perspective, not so one-sided. When he finds out they were the ones who pulled the pranks, he says "I thought you guys hated me."

And he's open to change. He's not stubborn, he's not brutal. He doesn't continue hating the nerds just because it is what it is. Moments before his death, he is showing signs of opening up to them, and actually seems like he's coming around.

And none of this is meant as trying to defend Max's actions. I know he's the antagonist. I know he treats people unfairly. But all of this has to come from somewhere. I'm trying to say that there was clearly a foundation of a good person underneath all that cruelty. So what toughened his shell?

Mr. Jägerman. Max reveals in that one line that if he were to go back home from the 'party', his dad would call him a 'little cuck.' "can't even fight off one lousy skele'uhn." In this, he reveals his dad is demeaning to him. He's the kind of man who would hear that his son was in a life-or-death situation, and instead of comforting him, he would have made fun of him.

What must that do to a person? As someone who grew up in a home where Dad wasn't always a safe person to be around, I know that when I was younger, a lot of my bad bad behaviours were something I learned from him.

The prank meant to scare Max was the nicest thing anyone's ever done for him.

I think a lot of what happens in NPMD is indirectly Mr. Jägerman's fault. "Knowledge is knowing Frankenstein is the doctor, wisdom is knowing Frankenstein is the monster" type of shit. It is directly because of his actions and the way he treated his own child that any of this happened.

or maybe I'm reading too much into this. But I fucking hate Max's dad so much.

[strangesmallbard]

NO RETURN NO RETURN NO REASON

Yellowjackets (2021–)

[hopeinthebox]

I was telling Steph about your russian roulette bts edition playlist and I could barely get the words out I was laughing so much 😂😂😂

skdjhfbdjs apryl i'm THRILLED you're still getting a good giggle out of my nonsense

[yellowocaballero]

Oooo is your Dick story you posted a snip from in the same continuity as your current Steph story (which I'm loving, btw) or is it a different thing? Either way, looking forward to it!

It's a different thing! Very different. "Writing Steph was a highlight of my existence but now I feel like writing the exact opposite" different. I think the only things it really has in common is the 90s setting. Probably has most in common with 'the prophetic spring' from Reverse Robins actually.

[sleepyowlet]

Okay, can we not bring "porn addiction" into this, please? It's not real. Not a thing. Fash talking point we should not want to sully ourselves with.

You don't need to use a fallacy to make a valid point!

James Stephanie Sterling (SON!) called them what they are: outrage tourists and fandom appropriators.

Thank God for them.

Silent Hill 2 is the greatest game I don't think I can unconditionally recommend to people. Because it is amazing, but its also about trauma, guilt, abuse (of adults and children) and how unhealed, festering harm perpetuates itself onto innocent bystanders. A play-through of it is a rough ride emotionally.

It also features this adorable little scamp with the excellent points.

Now, if you're at all familiar with Silent Hill 2 you're probably very well informed on what this particular meme relates to. But if you're not, and you want a primer - Dead Domain has created a video pointing out the absurdity of this particular fiasco.

This was, of course, followed up when trailer seasons came around and Naughty Dog released a trailer than seemed to depict a woman who didn't care for gender conformity, and CD Projekt trailer that indicates, let me check my notes... Ciri's appearance has changed slightly as she's grown older - also she's probably going to be the protagonist of the next game, as all variations of The Witcher always build to. This has lead to some truly amazing fan art, and also the greatest possible observation by @dyingnome

And this isn't a surprise to anyone who follows these conversations, I think it's worth talking about because certain events globally have emboldened these types (who always seem to be gulible enough to pay for a blue tick on X nee Twitter) - leading to them trying to shout out all other conversation on the medium. We are, in fact, at the point where they're admitting they are Nazis who don't play games.

Truly we have never had more confirmation that the people who aggressively campaign for a standard of cartoonishly over-sexualized as the baseline for female characters do so not out of a love of gaming, but rather because of overwhelming indifference to a medium they don't participate in.

@verilybitchie has recently just released an essay that focuses initially on disappointment with current trans, particularly non-binary, options in games, but also covers how we got there in terms of certain genres of games having been historically unwilling to to let go the male gaze.

This, of course, is not an excuse for the self-identifying Nazis etc, but goes a long way in explaining why your more normal friends might have a confused reaction, and highlights the kinds of issues in the industry that are still unaddressed.

Also, in case you're the sort of person who needs to hear it from a middle-aged or older white man:

-wincenworks

DeadDomain's YouTube | All dyingnome's links | VerilyBitchie's YouTube

[forest-hashira]

I have an older half-sister, but I was basically raised as an only child

THAT'S CRAZY I WAS RIGHT WITH BOTH??? AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA

[diamondpython00]

One line I haven’t seen talked about much that is relevant to this is in Literal Monster when Max says “Don’t need no one to tell me/High school will be my peak/So I’m willing to take advantage”. Coupled with his reaction to the prank, his comments about his dad, and his interactions with the rest of the school, a picture starts to form of a kid who has been told his whole life that he’s going nowhere. At the Waylon Place, we get a glimpse of what Max could have been if he had the right influences in life. Treated with something vaguely resembling respect, he returns it, and notes that he was probably wrong about these guys. And then he dies, thinking that they betrayed him, and the rest of the show happens because he’s so obsessed with his social order that it lasts into the afterlife. Max is a literal monster, but he’s very much a manmade one, and that makes him very interesting.

Reason number 2636185372 I love Nerdy Prudes Must Die-

Max is humanized without being absolved of his actions. Maxwell Jägerman was undoubtedly a piece of shit. He was a controlling prick that refused to let anyone have control over their own life, abusing his "friends" and his enemies alike. He took real joy from punishing the people around him when they tried to sidestep his arbitrary rules, enforcing them with the threat of violence. He knows he's physically stronger than everyone around him, and he takes advantage of that. He's 100% eager to fight before considering other options. Even the other jocks are scared of him, because he defaults to beating the hell out of people. (Also note that he's stronger than all of them too. When they do the chest bump Jason falls backwards and has to catch himself, and he knocks Kyle senseless with just one hit, to the point that he has to be carried out by his friends.)

I feel all of that very strongly. But at the same time? He's like... A full person. Big things can be revealed when a character thinks they're alone, and although him going through the Waylan place shows him being a prick as expected, it also shows him being scared. It seems to me like he's a very fearful person. Scared of ghosts, skeletons, judgement from his dad, even those cheap costumes seem to genuinely freak him out before he forces himself to get a grip (which just means getting aggressive). Or look at how he interacts with Grace. It's easy to assume he's just being manipulative, but there's never a point where it seems like Max is particularly skilled at emotional manipulation. It seems to me like he actually, genuinely likes her in a weird way. He's an ass, but he totally brightens up when he talks to her. He thinks she's funny, he seems a little bit awkward during conversation with her, he doesn't like people picking on her.

"She's such a prude!"

"Yeah, isn't she great?"

I'm sure part of it is that he just wants to get in her pants, but that doesn't seem to be the only factor here. He wants to carry her books, he wants to cuddle, he doesn't see her prudiness as an obstacle the way you would expect an asshole like him would. It seems to be part of the reason he likes her at all. It's not a healthy or respectful dynamic, but it is bizarrely genuine.

The characterization in this show is just so good y'all

[lvnleah]

out of the shadows | steph catley.

you end up falling in love with your sister’s best friend.

You had always been the quiet one. Growing up with Beth, you often felt like you were in the shadow of her bubbly, outgoing personality. She had no problem making friends, and people flocked to her naturally.

As for you, you were happy staying behind the scenes, organizing Arsenal’s media content, capturing those moments the world would never see. You were proud of the work you did, but it had always been your place to stay unnoticed and you didn’t mind it.

Although there was Steph and you didn’t mind if she noticed you.

Steph was your sister’s best friend, a bubbly, infectious presence on and off the field. She was everything you weren’t — confident, outgoing, and always pushing you to come out of your shell. At first, you resisted. You were fine, just the way you were, right?

But over time, Steph’s warmth and kindness began to break down those walls. It started with small things — a cup of coffee after a long day or sharing a laugh over a silly joke. She always seemed to know when you were feeling down or needed someone to talk to. Slowly but surely, you felt yourself getting closer to her, though you were still unsure how to handle it. How could you, the shy one, handle the way she made your heart race every time she smiled at you?

The real turning point came one evening when the team celebrated a big win at a bar nearby. You were nervous, unsure about being around the team, and not used to such attention. But Steph, as always, wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“You’re coming,” she insisted, her hand on your arm as she gently guided you out of your quiet corner.

“I really don’t know,” you started, but she was already pulling you toward the door.

“Trust me. You’re going to love it,” she said with that playful grin of hers, which made your heart skip a beat. You couldn’t say no to her, and before you knew it, you were surrounded by the loud chatter and laughter of your teammates.

At first, you stuck close to Steph or Beth, quietly nursing a drink and listening to the conversations around you. Steph was a calming presence, always ready to include you, to make sure you felt welcome.

“You doing okay?” Steph leaned in, her voice soft as she placed a hand on your arm.

You nodded, feeling more relaxed than you had expected. “Yeah, actually. Thanks for dragging me out here.”

She grinned, her eyes twinkling. “It’s my job to drag you out of your shell.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s working.”

“Hey, if you ever want to get out of here and just… do something quiet, you know where to find me, right?” Steph asked, her tone light but her eyes sincere.

You nodded quickly. “I’d like that.”

And that was how it started. Over the next few weeks, you spent more time with Steph, and little by little, you felt yourself relaxing in her presence. She had a way of making you feel seen, heard, and important — things you weren’t used to. She was patient, and kind, and always pushed you to be just a little braver than you were the day before.

One evening, Steph showed up at your apartment, a big smile on her face as she held up two pizza boxes. “I brought dinner,” she said, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

You raised an eyebrow. “Pizza?”

“Yep. Thought we could have a night in, just the two of us. Watch some movies, eat pizza, and relax.” She set the boxes on the counter, her eyes twinkling as she added, “Sound good?”

You smiled. “That sounds perfect.”

The night passed in a haze of laughter, shared stories, and the comfort of each other’s presence. After the third slice of pizza, you and Steph found yourselves on the couch, the evening winding down. Steph was talking about her latest practice when you felt her gaze on you, her eyes searching yours. Your heart skipped a beat, and you quickly looked away, trying to ignore the fluttering sensation in your chest.

“Y/N,” Steph said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. You turned back to her, only to find her face inches from yours. “I… I really like you.”

The words sent a jolt through your body, and you felt your cheeks burn with warmth. “Steph, I…”

Before you could say anything, she closed the distance between you, her lips meeting yours in a soft, tentative kiss. You froze for a moment, shock coursing through you, but then it all came rushing in — the warmth, the sweetness, the way her touch made everything else fade away.

When you pulled away, your heart was racing. Steph’s eyes were soft, searching yours.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” she admitted, her voice low, almost shy. “I didn’t know if you felt the same way.”

You took a deep breath, still trying to process the kiss, and nodded. “I do. I really do.”

Steph smiled, her eyes filled with warmth and relief. “Good. Because I like you more than I’ve ever liked anyone. And I want to see where this goes.”

You smiled back, your heart swelling with a mix of joy and nervous excitement. “Me too.”

For the next few months, you and Steph kept your budding relationship a secret. It wasn’t that you were ashamed; it was just complicated. You didn’t know how Beth would react, and you didn’t want to risk ruining your friendship with her. So, you sneaked around, enjoying quiet moments together whenever you could — secret hand-holding, stolen kisses, and whispered confessions when no one was around.

But as much as you tried to keep things low-key, the team started to pick up on the little things. The way Steph’s eyes softened whenever she looked at you, how she always made sure you were included, or how you’d find yourself laughing at something she said when no one else was around. The team, always protective of you, began to notice how much more relaxed and happy you seemed whenever Steph was around.

One afternoon, after a team training session, you and Steph were walking out of the training ground, talking and laughing as usual. You were in your own little world, her hand lightly brushing yours. Neither of you noticed the figure watching from a distance until Beth’s voice rang out, cutting through the air.

“Well, well, well,” she said, her tone both teasing and surprised. You turned, your heart skipping a beat as you realized that Beth had seen everything.

“You two,” Beth said, crossing her arms, an amused smile tugging at her lips. “What’s going on here?”

You felt your face flush. “Beth, I…”

Beth’s eyes widened in realization. “Wait, seriously?”

You nodded sheepishly. “Yeah. We didn’t know how to tell you.”

Beth shook her head, a smile slowly spreading across her face. “I swear, you two are impossible. I could tell something was going on, but I wasn’t sure. I’m happy for you both, though. Really.”

You sighed in relief. “You’re okay with it?”

Beth shrugged. “Of course, I am. I just wish you’d told me sooner. I don't want you to be scared to tell me stuff, you know?”

Steph chuckled. “We weren’t trying to keep it from you. We just didn’t know how to bring it up.”

Beth laughed, stepping forward to hug both of you. “You two are adorable. Just… don’t be too sneaky from now on, alright?”

As the months passed, your relationship with Steph only grew stronger. She brought you out of your shell in ways you never thought possible. You found yourself more confident, more open, and more willing to embrace the spotlight that had always felt so out of reach. And through it all, Steph was right by your side, always supportive, always kind, and always making you feel like you were enough.

[msfantasy-comics]

The Wayne Welcoming

Damian Wayne x Reader

Summary: A short story sequel to The Family Meet and Greet, where Y/n meets members of the Wayne Family one by one.

A/n: honestly… I don’t like what I wrote…. But it took me a whole month to write it - so I’m just going to publish it.

Masterlist - Tip Jar

Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown

Steph keeps following Damian because she really wants to meet Y/n, Tim is following Steph to ensure her enthusiasm isn’t over exerted, as if it wasn’t already.

“Go away!” Damian shouts at the two who’s standing by the light post. Stephanie wearing her incognito hat and glasses. Whilst Tim just stands there out in the open with his hands in his pockets, not even attempting to hide himself unlike Steph, whose standing behind the thin pole as if it was a genuine hiding spot. Steph looks over her shoulder to see what Damian was talking about. As if her disguise wasn’t absolutely transparent. “Stop following me.”

Steph releases a small whine. “Aw but you two have been dating for like ever… I just want to meet her.”

“I don’t care, you weirdos will scare her off. I’ll never introduce her so long as I live.” Steph begins to swoon.

“Aw that’s so cute Dames, you’re such a protective boyfriend… too bad she’s here anyway.” Reaching her hand over Damian, Steph joyfully grabs your hand and begins to shake your hand with an unmatched enthusiasm. “Hi my name is Steph, and this is Tim! It’s so nice to finally meet you, Damian is sooo secretive! I tried to meet you like a million times but Damian always ruined our plans!” You begin to giggle, caught off guard for the unfiltered joy running off of Steph. Her over excited hand shake continues to the point of shaking your entire arm. Damian grits his teeth, ripping Stephs grasp from your own.

“Go. Away.” He says, eyes bearing into Stephanie’s soul, an earnest threat swimming in Damian’s ominous gaze. Steph winces at the sincere danger floating in the air.

“Alrighty, so what are we doing today?” Tim asks, immune from Damian’s demands.

“No. No. No. Go home. Right. Now. Or else I’ll call Conor to come get you.” The two besties look at each-other silently before laughing.

“… you know Conor would just join, he’s dying to meet Jon’s new friend.” Damian goes red in the face. You slug your arm around Damian’s shoulders in a friendly embrace.

“Come on, let’s seize this impromptu meeting! It could be fun!”

Jason Todd

You stood alone at the end of the red carpet, the cameras were flashing as arriving couples walk the velvet floor to have their photos taken before entering the Wayne’s Gala.

You looked around nervously, looking for Damian, waiting to walk the carpet with him. Instead, the ushers were rushing you to begin your walk alone.

Your requests to wait for your partner falling on deaf ears as they attempt to force you to walk the carpet by yourself. Panic filling you as the ushers continue to shout and push you towards to start of the velvet walk. You felt incredibly anxious to step out in front of the cameras, the attention was overwhelming.

Jason sucks his teeth, irritated that the ushers were putting unnecessary pressure and seemingly, ruining your night.

“The brat needs to pay better attention.” Jason mutters to himself, abandoning Roy with an eager gold-digger who is clearly not catching onto Roy’s disinterest. Walking up behind the beautiful girl. He loops his arm around your form, resting his hand on the small of your back.

“I’ve got things from here.” He guides you towards the velvet carpet and begins to stride slowly as the cacophony of shouts and flashing lights assault your senses. Jason digs his fingers into your side, grabbing your attention.

“Don’t pull faces, the press will run it for months.” He reminds you, pulling out his sparkling toothy smile.

You both walk the carpet together, before shortly reaching the entrance to the Gala.

“See first timer. It’s not so bad.” He says with his award-winning smile. His attention turns to a cranky Damian and Roy.

“I can’t believe you just ditched me like that.” Roy utters in betrayal as Jason shrugs unapologetically.

Dick Grayson

A drawn out yawn escapes Damian as he slowly stumbles into the sun room, ready to start the day with Alfred’s world famous onsen eggs.

But instead Damian is greeted by the most peculiar sight.

Shoulders touching, Damian sees his beloved girlfriend oddly cosy with his older brother Dick. More specifically, why the fuck is Dick slinging his arm around his girlfriends back, his chin resting on her shoulder as he looks down at the phone held in her hand. Giggles escaping the odd duo as they continue to watch whatever is on your screen.

Jealousy bubbles under Damian’s skin watching his brother touch his girlfriend in and oddly familiar way. This level of physical touch took Damian months to build up to, only for Dick to do it seemingly over night.

“Morning!” Dick beems seemingly, unbothered by the evasion of his girlfriends personal space.

“Morning Grayson. If you touch Y/n so familiarly again, I’ll break your fingers.” He threatens without so much as a blink.

The two sit, staring, only to break out in fits of laughter.

“Aw Dames! You’re such a protective boyfriend!” Dick cooes pulling Damian into a embrace, the scowl on his face looking dangerously similar to that of a cornered dog.

“Hehe, so protective.” Y/n also cooes, sandwiching Damian from the other side with a playful peck on his cheek.

“Oh god, now there’s two of you.” He mutters limply between his overly affectionate brother and partner.

Duke Thomas

The incessant buzzing amongst the couch cushions is ruining the heart-wrenching scene playing out on the TV screen.

On one hand, Duke is keen to remove the irritation immediately as to not further ruin his viewing experience.

On the other hand, Duke is not keen to relive the experience of finding Damian’s phone only to see a private message not meant for him.

However, the continuous vibrations running through the couch is grating on Dukes nerves. He cannot hold back any further. Stripping the cushions which were once perfectly place, moulding around his form, now strewn amongst the floor until Duke is able to find the black phone laying innocently under the seat covers.

Turning the screen he sees dozens of missed calls from Y/n.

Immediately, Dukes stomach drops to the floor as he quickly realises that Y/n may needed urgent help and instead of answering the phone like a normal person, Duke just tried to phase out the noise until it went away, all because of his favourite show.

Fumbling the phone, Duke quickly returns the call immediately, praying to any god that Y/n was okay and not dead just because he wanted to finish the last 7 minutes of the episode. God that would suck.

“Hello?” Y/n answers, her voice is shaky, as if confused.

“Erm-Y/n? It’s Duke, I found Damian’s phone and I saw your missed calls - AreYouOkay?” Duke blurts quickly. The line is silent for an uncomfortable amount of time because a snorting laughter blasts through the phone.

“Oh my god! Yes I’m okay! I was just calling Damian’s phone because he can’t find it! I promise I’m okay!” Giggles follow, which leaves Duke stunned.

“Why don’t you guys just use phone location services?” The line falls dead silent before another snorting laughter burst through the phone.

“Honestly I completely forgot that was even a thing! Hey do me a favour? Don’t tell Damian, I want to see how long it takes him to figure it out.” Oh Duke likes you. Damian’s loving girlfriend now pulling a harmless prank of the Wayne’s resident bad boy.

“Okay. $20 he finds the phone through some form of tech tracker.”

“$20 that he’ll use Goliath to try and locate his phone.” Oddly specific, but Duke is game.

Bruce Wayne

Damian would never willingly come to any Gala. Not without trickery, bribery, or blackmail encouragement.

But right now, Bruce stands in astonishment as Damian grills the poor event planner for not arranging for Y/n’s place at the VIP table.

“Everything has to be perfect. Please reset the table immediately.” Damian orders with crossed arms. Now examining the staff scrambling to reset the VIP table to ensure you had a place to dine next to him.

Shock was one synonym for what Bruce was feeling. He was sure Damian, would never set foot in the ball room, so long as he lived.

Yet to Bruce’s utter surprise, Damian pitched the gala event, hired the planners and set out the invitations.

Damian wasn’t just attending the gala… he was hosting the gala.

“I’m late for my red carpet walk with Y/n. Hurry up and finish.” Damian snaps, taking quick strides towards the exit.

Why was his dear son hosting a gathering he loathes attending? Why, it’s because Damian’s beloved girlfriend expressed her desire to one day attend such an event. She was in aw of the glitz and the glamour and wanted to try it at least once.

Instead of just taking his beloved partner to the next event. Damian insisted that if she was to attend, it will be the best gala she would ever attend.

So now, Bruce watches in delight as his children, who also never willingly attend a gala, along with Y/n boisterously bound around the hall, engaging with other guests, eating the hors d’oeuvres, clapping along to the entertainers and finally eating the delicious four courses whilst the MC engages the crowds interest, greasing the wallets of the wealthy for funding of social causes.

Damian’s eyes looking at his partner in adoration, gaging her delight at his hard work.

Y/n abandons her seat during the speeches to sit next to Bruce.

“Hi Mr. Wayne, I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier. My name is Y/n, it’s a pleasure to finally meet Damian’s father.” You smile shyly, sticking out your hand.

Your face is set with confidence, but your slightly shaky hand suggests your nerves are firing away with nervousness.

Smiling he takes his future daughter-in-laws hand and gives it a sturdy shake.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too Y/n. Please, call me Bruce.”

Talia al Ghul

“So you’re the girl whose stolen my sons heart.” Your neck just about breaks, your startled heart thumping at the sudden presence. Your demeanour is reminiscent of a frighten bunny.

A scowl presses along her face in irritation and dissatisfaction. “You’re who Damian picked to partner with?” Her mocking tone dripping with venom.

“Uh… yes?” Y/n utters awkwardly, not quite sure what to say in the presence of Damian’s supposed mother.

She hums unamused. “This is going to be interesting.”

And just like that, she was gone.

[a-bad-case-of-the-stephs]

One of the things I love about Steph is how her high moods, her bursts of extreme anger or passion are matched by moments of equally extreme softness. She can be loud, but for every joke or ramble or screaming match there is a moment of sincere and quiet contemplation. There is a moment of soft and total tenderness towards someone she loves. Idk. She’s got a big heart.

[reidsexual]

Gotham Galas & Smudged Lipstick

You know you’re supposed to focus on applying your lipstick right now, but who can blame you for staring at your boyfriend’s reflection in the corner of your mirror?

“So, what do we think of the new shade?” You ask, turning away from your vanity and pointing to the color pained on your lips for extra emphasis.

“I think you look beautiful no matter what shade you choose to put on.” Dick says sincerely, walking over towards you. “But I have a better idea,” He prompts, leaning over with a cheeky grin.

“Ah ah,” You scold, placing a hand over his mouth just to tease him. “I did not put on lipstick just for you to immediately smudge it afterwards.”

Dick chuckles under your hand, taking hold of your wrist and placing a soft kiss there. “Then I guess this will have to do for now.”

You have to take a second to yourself to admire how effortlessly attractive Dick is. Who knew a simple black tux could make you fall head over heels?

Maybe it wasn’t the clothes. Maybe it was his blue eyes that could see through your every thought with just a look. Or maybe it was his-

“See something you like?” Dick says with an air self-assured confidence only he could pull off.

“See something I should fix.” You correct him, stepping closer to undo his tie.

“Woah there, baby.” He says in an exaggerated manner, undoubtedly trying to put a smile on your face. “Weren’t you the one saying we’re running late? But you know me, I wouldn’t mind.” His voice drips with sarcastic innuendo that you can only roll your eyes at.

“I don’t know if you just do your tie messily because you actually don’t know how to or if you’re just trying to catch my attention.”

“One, I put this on ages ago. Sorry if it’s a little crooked, baby. And two, I don’t have to try to get your attention.” He counters, placing a quick peck on your cheek.

“Is that right?”

“I’m always right about you.”

Your phone rings and you look over to the side, seeing Stephanie’s name on the caller ID. “One second.” You tell Dick.

“Hey, Steph.” You say nervously, swatting Dick away when he tries to lovingly bite on your exposed collarbone.

Stephanie barely gives you a chance to explain before practically screaming into the speaker. “Where are you guys? Damian’s getting fed up and the only person who can calm him down is Dick.” Dick overhears this, a proud smirk crawling onto his features.

“Meanwhile, I am getting fed up and the only person who can calm me down is you. Hurry, before I personally send Ace to fetch the two of you.” Stephanie threatens, hanging up.

“Well then.” You turn to Dick, holding back a smile. “That’s our cue.”

You turn your heel, but not before Dick’s hands hug onto your hips, propelling you to his direction.

Before you can argue, Dick’s lips press against your own, capturing a kiss that you are too familiar with - sweet and fleeting. It almost annoys you how good he is at this. His hand brushes up against your jaw and just when a part of you starts to think running late isn’t so bad, he backs away.

Dick takes one admiring look at you and smiles to himself. “Now we can leave.” He rushes outside, getting the car ready.

A blush creeps onto your face and you shake your head. You catch a reflection of yourself in the mirror and your smile drops instantly.

Oh, he’s so going to pay for the lipstick he just smudged on you.

[aingeal98]

OK so with stephcass Steph is obviously the more experienced at romance even though they're both kind of different flavours of disaster in that department. But Steph finally being better at Cass than something, even if that something is just pinning Cass up against a wall and kissing her then whispering flirtatious remarks in her ear, would leave Steph super smug and Cass highly competitive (and more than a little turned on but shhh)

So naturally Cass being Cass she cannot let Stephanie win this. Her TV watching turns it's focus to romances, specifically first loves. She watches a lot of CW shows, is what I'm getting at here. And takes mental notes on what seems to be the most romantic moments and lines.

All this leads to the two of them making out on a Gotham rooftop during a quiet night, and Cass is taking the lead because yeah Steph has more experience but body reading is Cass's whole thing. She's catching up in the physicality of romance incredibly quickly. It's the words where she's still trailing way behind Steph.

But not tonight. Tonight Cass has a plan. A plan that involves kissing Steph's neck, then her pulse point, then her lips, and finally pulling back so her blushing adoring girlfriend has her full attention directed on her. And Cass looks directly into Steph's eyes, making sure sincerity is radiating from every pore before she speaks:

"We're endgame, Steph."

Steph is so thrown she falls off the roof, laughing the whole way down until Cass catches her.

(Riverdale is quickly scratched off the list of TV Cass should imitate to be suave.

It takes a full week before Steph can talk to her without laughing so hard she cries.)

[leahsgirl]

“yes you idiot.”

— in which leah has planned on proposing to you for a long time - except when that time does come; it all goes awry.

pairings - leah williamson x reader (female)

warnings - none, just minor swearing.

a/n - this is my first shot at writing so it may be horrible i apologise

—

“so once i’ve finished setting everything up I’ll text you and let you know i’m on my wa-“ Leah was mid conversation with Beth and Viv; until you interrupted of course, slotting yourself next to the blonde and matching strides with her as you make your way off the training pitch.

“what are you guys talking about?” you questioned as you observed beth and viv give each other a quick glance.

“nothing baby, I was just asking how myles was adjusting.” Leah replied, reaching out for your hand.

You and Leah have been dating for two and a half years, having officially met playing for the England squad a year prior. While Leah wasn’t your biggest fan to begin with - that soon changed when you made the transfer from manchester united to arsenal, allowing you and the blonde to get closer which then resulted in the two of you starting dating.

“oh my god, you have no idea how excited i’ve been to see him again.”

“i still want to know how you taught him to sit the first time meeting him - he won’t do it for me and Viv.” Beth bewildered.

“what can i say? i’m just the chosen one.” you smirked. “are you sure you can’t come Lee?” Now diverting your attention back to your girlfriend who was sorting out clothes to change into. You and a few of the other girls were going to Beth and Viv’s for a little girls/catch up night, unaware it was actually a set up to keep you out the house while Leah put her plan into action.

“i’ve got to go and help Jacob move stuff out of his apartment y/n or you know i’d be there.” She kissed your cheek.

“definitely just a sore loser because ya’ lost the game last time we went.” Katie piped up, appearing next to the taller girl who in turn gave her a petty slap on the arm.

—

“you’re beautiful.” a voice spoke from the other end of the room, slowly getting closer and wrapping their arms around you from behind as you looked at yourself in the mirror, peppering a few light kisses near your ear.

“and you’re late, weren’t you meant to meet Jacob twenty mins ago?”

Leah shrugged it off. “and miss the chance of admiring my girl. no way.” She planted a quick kiss on your lips, knowing you’d just finished applying your makeup. “besides, he changed the time to seven, i’ve got a good half an hour.”

She plonked herself down on the bed, fiddling with the rings she wore on her fingers. “what you thinking about in that pretty head of yours?” throughout your relationship with leah, you’ve got to know her pretty much inside and out, and if theres one thing you do know; she only messes with her rings when something is bothering her. “hm..nothing, just thinking about us i guess.”

“us?” you pushed, now joining her on the bed. “just like how we’ve ended up here and how thankful i am for you and everything.” the blue-eyed girl turned to look at you, as if she was studying your whole face. “well, i’m very thankful for you too, even if you are a pain in the arse most of the time.” the twenty-six year old faked hurt and annoyance. “but i love you.” you said more sincerely, placing a tender kiss on Leah’s forehead.

“i love you too.”

__

Leah kindly offered to drop you off at Beth and Viv’s which you accepted of course. All of the other girls were already there; Alessia and Lottie were fussing over myles, Katie, Caitlin and Steph was in what seemed like a very intense conversion, Jenn and Lia was messing with different filters on TikTok and Beth & Viv were playing host.

“there she is! y/n come in.” Viv ushered you inside and offered you a drink. You immediately making a beeline for the man of the hour, crouching down preparing to be bombarded by a very excited puppy.

Meanwhile, back at the apartment, Leah had began decorating. Her plan was for you to come home to a nice romantic homemade dinner, where after you share some nice conversation and food - she would pop the question, asking you to be her wife.

She’s had this planned for a good couple of months, having gone out with some of your teammates to acquire the goods and then going ring shopping on one of her few days off. To be honest, she was quite proud of herself she’s managed to keep this a secret from you for all this time.

The blonde started by blowing up some heart shaped balloons, followed by scattering rose petals from the front door all the way to the dining table which had been covered with a white table cloth and taper candles. She was making your favourite dishes for the meal of course; pasta with pesto and finishing with churros.

easier said than done however. “how do i make pasta?” the defender flipped the camera so her mum who was now on facetime can see the ingredients. It was times like this where she wishes she helped with the cooking more around the house. After practically what turned out to be a cooking lesson, Leah took the opportunity to change into something nicer, and less covered in flour.

Making her way around the bedroom, she opened her nightstand drawer, sifting a few things around until she pulled out a small black velvet box. She opened it briefly, checking the ring was okay and preyed to god you would like it.

Taking one final look at her work around the house, she pulled out her phone to text the fellow forward.

to: meado

just finished up back here, i’m gonna start heading to yours now.

As the night died down, your teammates and yourself had all congregated in the living room, spread across the sofa and the floor with some kind of cheesy sitcom that Lia put on playing in the background. Different conversations were going on, you finding yourself in a deep conversation with Jenn and Caitlin.

“Well well, look who finally decided to show her face.” Katie announced, pointing at all too familiar blonde locks. “Hey guys.” You got up and walked over to her planting a kiss on her cheek.

“i thought you had to help your brother?” You ask while absentmindedly rubbing her back. “oh..i did, we just finished so I thought i’d come pick you up.”

“Do you want a drink Leah?” Steph offered, holding up a beer in each hand. “No thanks, we have to get back to the apartment.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Do we?”

“Yes we do, now come on.” She took your hand and tried to pull you to the door. “What’s with the rush? You’re being weird Lee.”

“I’m not - i’m just tired that’s all, i’m ready for bed.” She fake yawned. You sighed, “okay grumpy, just let me say bye to everyone.”

It’s safe to say the car ride home was no better. Leah’s leg was bouncing up and down which isn’t exactly ideal when you’re driving, she was cursing out everyone on the roads and kept messing with her bangs if they moved in the slightest. “Are you sure you’re okay love?”

The blonde turned to look and you and gave a weary smile, lifting your hand to her lips and giving it a gentle peck. “I’m fine I promise.”

Walking up the steps to your shared home, Leah stopped you before opening the door. “Okay I need you to close your eyes and only open them when I tell you.”

Complying, you shut your eyes. “Suspicious Miss Williamson.” You stated as you could hear your girlfriend fiddling with her keys in the door. she wrapped her arm around yours and guided you inside. “Okay you can open them now.” You followed her advice and took in your surroundings, suddenly getting an overwhelming sense of love surge over you. “Surprise.” Leah pulled you over to the candlelit table and pulled out a chair for you, waiting for you to sit down to then tuck you in. “Lee..i’m speechless. What’s all this for?”

“Just doing my girlfriend duties and treating you.” The blonde brought over two dishes to the table and sat herself down opposite you. “Shut up! you made my favourite meal?!” Taking a bite off your fork, your mouth practically waters with how good it tastes. “Oh my god, babe this is incredible.” Deciding to be more romantic, you twirl some of the pasta onto your fork and hold it out for Leah to take which she does.

it was all going really well; it had been long overdue since you and leah had a ‘date’ so to speak. While you loved your job and wouldn’t trade it for the world, it often meant romantic gestures like these were far and few in between.

“Is something burning?” The smell of smoke filling your nostrils as you look at the kitchen.

“Shit shit shit!” Leah was quick to her feet, opening the oven where a surge of grey smoke escaped and pulled out a tray with what were now very burnt churros. “For fuck sake.” The defender whined “Well there goes dessert.”

Joining her behind the kitchen island, you looked at the baking tray. “well..you tried.” half-heartedly joking, you looked at the older girl who now had a pout on her face. “It’s okay Leah, you made a lovely pasta. Besides, i’m sure we have some ice cream or something in the freezer.”

“No you don’t understand, tonight was meant to be perfect.” She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. You knitted your eyebrows together “Okay out with it.” sternly said, crossing your arms.

“Hm?”

“You’ve been on edge all day..you change the conversation when i caught up to you, meado and Viv. You couldn’t come to girls night which you never miss; i know you said you had to help your brother but then he suddenly changes times, you was angsty all the way home and now you’re practically arguing with the oven. So tell me what’s going on.”

Leah motioned for you to sit on the sofa. “Okay this isn’t how I wanted it to go down but-“ She took a deep breath. “Y/n, as you know i’m not really big on talking about my feelings, but the past three years have been the happiest of my life. you make me excited for the next day to come, you always push me, you stuck with me during my lowest, especially during my acl recovery, you just make me a better person.”

She takes your hand in hers, caressing your skin with her thumb and looks you directly in the eyes which at this point were working hard to not well up. “I guess what i’m trying to say is-“ She reaches into her pants pocket pulling out the familiar black velvet box. “-Will you marry me?”

As she says those four words, she opens the box and looks down at it, doing a double take as she sees its empty - the ring no where to be seen. “What the fuck, where’s the pissing ring.” Colour is draining from her face at this point as she stands up and frantically starts pacing. “You’ve got to be shitting me, the one day i need things to go smoothly.”

“Do you mean this ring?” You held up a ring with an oval diamond at the centre of it. Leah looked dumbfounded “How-how did you-“ The blonde was at a loss for words.

“Lee you dropped it twice during dinner - i even passed it to you once.” You giggled as you passed her the ring back “Did you?”

“See, you’ve been so uptight you didn’t even realise.” Standing up, you wrapped your arms around her neck, moving closer so that your faces were inches apart. “But my answer is yes.” you say barely above a whisper.

“yes?” at this point you thought you’d broke your poor girlfriend. “Yes i’ll marry you idiot.” Pressing your lips onto hers, you emerged yourselves into a deep kiss filled with passion.

Your now fiancé slipped the ring into your finger, admiring the ring and then you. She picked you up, twirling you around out of pure happiness and relief.

“Now how about dessert?” You winked and tugged her towards the bedroom.

liked by lucybronze and 2,086,773 others

leahwilliamson introducing future mrs williamson

usera SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP

chloekelly congratulations ❤️

userb y/n on that wag life

youruser whose to say it’s not gonna be ‘leah y/l/n’

leahwilliamson replying to youruser y/n williamson just sounds better

kierawalsh congrats lovebirds 😄❤️

liked by alessiarusso and 1,887,201 others

youruser imagine i said no

ellatoone 😍❤️

userc Y/N’s GETTING MARRIED IM DOING ROLYPOLYS

1maryearps congrats kiddo!

userd please the difference in her and leah’s captions

jodiemcomer so happy for you y/n, congrats X

[pinklotushere]

they've been on mind ever since I saw @demonic0angel 's art, and now I've manifested this

Steph ducked into the small, dimly lit coffee shop, her boots scuffing against the floor as she brushed snow off her coat.

She just finished her third patrol of the week, and though nothing particularly pressing had come up, she couldn't shake the unease. The quiet in Gotham is always a sign for the storm coming

The coffee shop was packed, every table occupied by students hunched over laptops, couples chatting quietly, and a few harried professionals pounding away at keyboards. Steph glanced around with a sigh. No seats. Of course.

Her gaze landed on a lone guy at a corner table. His red hair stood out first, messy but vibrant, almost too neat to match the dark hoodie he wore.

His head was bent over a notebook, and his pen moved furiously across the page. Green eyes darted up briefly, scanned the room as if expecting something—or someone—and then went back to his work.

“Perfect,” Steph muttered under her breath.“him or nothing, I guess”

She weaved through the tables and stopped next to him.

“Hey,” she said, trying to sound casual. “Mind if I sit here? It’s kind of a zoo.”

He froze for a moment, then looked up at her like he was surprised she was speaking to him. His eyes were sharper than she expected, calculating, but he nodded after a beat.

“Yeah, sure. Go ahead.”

“Thanks,” Steph said, dropping into the seat across from him and setting her coffee on the table. She pulled out her phone and started scrolling, not paying him any mind. He didn’t seem like a threat—just another Gotham weirdo trying to survive a cold January night.

But then he mumbled something under his breath.

“...Can’t believe they’re still covering up the sixth victim. Do they really think nobody’s paying attention?”

Steph froze. Her head snapped up, and she fixed him with a sharp look. “Sorry, what did you just say?”

The guy stiffened, clutching his pen a little tighter. “What? Nothing. Just talking to myself.”

“Uh-huh.” She leaned forward, her casual demeanour giving way to something more focused. “Sixth victim of what, exactly?”

He hesitated, his eyes narrowing as if trying to figure out her angle. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.”

He glanced around nervously, then leaned in closer. “There’s been six murders in Gotham in the last two months. All random, on paper. But if you look at the details—locations, dates, even the way the bodies were found—there’s a pattern. A really specific one.”

Steph’s stomach twisted. She knew about the murders—bruce had mentioned them briefly, and she’d overheard barbie saying they might be connected. But this guy wasn’t supposed to know that.

“What kind of pattern?” she asked, keeping her tone light, almost teasing.

He tilted his head, studying her. “Why are you so interested?”

“Call it morbid curiosity,” she said with a shrug. “You seem to know more than the average guy reading the news, and I’m nosy. So spill.”

He sighed, pushing his notebook toward her. “It’s all in here. Dates, times, victim profiles. If you cross-reference it with known Court of Owls activity, it lines up perfectly. But no one’s talking about it. Not the media, not the cops—no one.”

The mention of the Court made her pulse spike, but she kept her expression midly interested and slightly disbelieving. “The Court of Owls? Seriously?”

“They’re real,” he said firmly, green eyes burning with conviction. “And they’re behind this. I don’t know how yet, but I will.”

Steph leaned back, pretending to be unimpressed. “Sounds like a lot of work for a hobby.”

“It’s not a hobby,” he muttered, sitting back and crossing his arms. “It’s the truth. Someone has to figure it out.”

Steph studied him for a moment. His voice had softened, the determination replaced with a quiet frustration that felt oddly sincere.

She couldn’t decide if he was a genius or just another Gotham conspiracy nut. Either way, he was cute—she hadn’t noticed before, but his sharp features and intense green eyes gave him an endearing, almost earnest look.

She smiled. “Well, Weston—”

“How do you know my name?” he asked, suddenly on edge.

“It’s on your notebook,” she said, pointing at the corner of the page where “W. Weston” was scribbled. “Relax, Sherlock. I’m not psychic.”

Wes flushed, muttering something she didn’t catch, and steph grinned. "Call me wes"

“well, Wes, this was fun,” she said, standing up and sliding her bag over her shoulder. “We should hang out sometime.”

He blinked. “What? Why?”

Steph tilted her head, smirking. “Let’s just say I’m curious about what else you know. And hey, you’re kind of cute. That doesn’t hurt.”

Wes stared at her, caught somewhere between confusion and a flustered frown.

“Here,” she said, scribbling her number on a napkin and sliding it across the table. “Call me if you figure out something big. Or if you just want to grab coffee again, oh, and you can call me steph”

She walked away without waiting for his response, but as she pushed through the door, she glanced back and saw him staring after her, the napkin in his hand.

Well, she thought, this can't go wrong either way