#superhero love lives

[multiverseanimecrossover]

"Relationship are...Dangerous." says Vex'ahlia to Percy in the episode "Vexations" (An Analysis)

“Relationships are…dangerous.” says Vex’ahlia to Percy in the episode of “Vexations” after their one night stand and their feelings for each other. She’s right about that: They can be dangerous when it comes to heartbreak, giving yourself to love, etc but what if I told you there was something else to that? It could involve with enemies trying to harm these loved ones and other things like that. Not sure what I mean? Let me give you examples:

Example 1: Batman’s view on Relationships

In the beginning of the Justice League Unlimited episode “This Little Piggy”; Wonder Woman and Batman are looking down when Wonder Woman sees loving couples. She mentioned this to Bruce and tease him, then Batman mentioned this iconic line: “One: Dating within the team always leads to disaster. Two: You're a princess from a society of immortal warriors. I'm a rich kid with issues… lots of issues. And three: If my enemies knew I had someone special, they wouldn't rest until they'd gotten to me through her.”

He dated Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, and she’s an antiheroine and part time villain. They are on and off again, they get into trouble with villains and having to be rescued so many times. So yeah, he has a point. Batman had dated Lois Lane as Bruce, she got kidnapped by the Joker and almost killed with one of Lex Luther’s deadly spider robots. And Wonder Woman got turned into a pig by the witch Circe. So yeah, Batman knows how that goes for relationships when it comes to being a crime fighter!

Example 2: Admiral Claugh Klom saving Lady Noa Twice

The Legend of the Legendary Heroes (what a ridiculously mouthful title, but hey it's a good anime series despite the silly name) is about Ryner, an Alpha Stigma who is a slacker joined by his dango-obsessed companion name Ferris as they go on journeys to retrieve magic items and do reports on them with failed results. Meanwhile; their vitriolic relationship with King Sion is focused on bringing the castle into peace but with tragic consequences. However, I want to focus on two characters, Claugh Klom and his beloved lady Noa Ehn. It seems Noa has been in danger twice, Claugh always saves her from trouble. Knight in shining armor, or knight with magic arm in this case. Let me explaint the gist of all this:

At a war council, Count Kriade demands punishment for the people of Estabul for disrespecting the nobles and rejecting the king's promises of freedom. Sion reveals that the leader of the revolt is the old king's daughter, Noa Ehn. The enemy has 50,000 soldiers, leading to tensions among the nobles about evacuation. Sion appoints Rear Admiral Claugh Klom to lead the army. Noa desires her father's return, but Salawell urges her to forsake him for betraying the kingdom. In battle, Claugh uses magic to force surrender, causing conflict with Lady Ehn's pacifist views. Salawell manipulates the nobles against Noa's wishes, putting her in a difficult position.

As conflict escalates, Roland forces arrive, complicating the situation. Salawell's true intentions are revealed as he plans to use Noa as a scapegoat. Miran, the mastermind behind the revolt, clarifies his motivations and saves Noa from Salawell's treachery. Noa negotiates with Roland for the survival of her people, showing her selflessness and bravery. Ultimately, a tense confrontation between Claugh and Miran is resolved with Noa's intervention, leading to a plan to spare the survivors and ensure a peaceful resolution. Lady Noa Ehn enters the room admiring the four characters' relationship. Sion greets her in the castle, and Claugh receives her warmly. They tease Claugh about his feelings for Noa.

Despite interruptions, Noa arranges to have dinner with Claugh, and they sneak away with Sion's approval. Late at night in the Roland Empire Reception Hall, Claugh and Noa wrap up their date. Claugh frets over being late, but Noa is understanding. Claugh jokes about women being strict, surprising Noa with his insight. Noa appreciates the evening, especially stargazing with Claugh. Suddenly, Noa finds the manor under attack, but remains silent to protect the hostages. Claugh hears her distress and rushes to her aid, saving her from harm. The attackers invoke Izuchi before Claugh defeats them.

So yeah, Claugh saved her twice and (spoilers) they have fourteen children by the end of it. All in good time; Claugh would put his life on the line for Lady Noa and whatever trouble she's in!

Example 3: Superheroes, Love Lives and Secret Identities

The fascinating world of superheroes! Superheroes are iconic characters who possess extraordinary abilities, skills, or powers that they use to protect the public and fight against evil. Romantic relationships add depth and complexity to superhero stories. These relationships often create tension between personal life and superhero duties. Many superheroes maintain secret identities to protect loved ones and keep their personal lives separate from their heroic endeavors.

Take Peter Parker/Spider-Man for instance, he struggles to maintain his superhero duties with his normal life. Same with Tony Stark/Iron Man, Clark Kent/Superman, Logan/Wolverine and many others share the same thing. With that being said; it can be complicated to let your loved ones know about your superhero double life, saving the world and all that jazz but if you have someone like Lois Lane, Mary Jane Watson or Steve Trevor then it's likely you got yourself a good partner.

So in conclusion; the inherent dangers of relationships, particularly in the context of individuals with high-stakes lives, such as superheroes and characters in fantasy narratives. While love can bring joy, it also exposes loved ones to significant risks, highlighting the complexities and challenges that arise when personal connections intersect with perilous circumstances.

[inamindfarfaraway]

It's so funny that Cass worked past her suicidal ideation by actually dying, allowing herself to be murdered, and then being brought back, so she could be like "Hmm. Disappointing" and move on with her life satisfied. All for the sake of being the most badass she could possibly be. Like. On one hand, she achieved her goal and did indeed get more badass afterward. But on the other hand. Therapy exists. She probably didn't need to do that.

[westywallowing]

he's,,, a cat

adrientte fruits basket au ;)

[rainedropsart]

fucking around with an anita design and um. she looks like she’s in a marching band

[farshootergotme]

I've read too many batfamily fics. I need to read a fic that is about Dick spending time with everyone EXCEPT the batfam.

[kacievvbbbb]

I need someone that believes in magic to get ahold of Batman again. He is an overly serious man that runs around in an admitted bat suit fighting a gimmick rouge gallery. And he is doing it because he sincerely believes in a better tomorrow and somewhere along the way we have lost the plot. Batman wasn’t created to punish the guilty that is actually completely antithetical to his beliefs he is not the fucking punisher.

Batman just like wonder woman and Superman primarily wants to save people! sure he doesn’t do it in a sunny way but that is still what drives him. Hell he even goes a step further and actually builds a case he’s not just waiting for criminals to commit the crime he is shutting down smuggling and trafficking rings foiling plots he is a detective! For Christs sake it’s what made him so unique and fun as a superhero.

Also His desire to save people is literally what compels him to adopt Dick, Jason, Stephanie. Cass because he wanted to give these kids a chance, to save them in ways 8year old him wasn’t. Someone who just wants to punish the guilty wouldn’t do that, And now they have turned him into a borderline physically and emotionally abusive absentee parent all in the name of making him an edge lord. Where is the heart! Where is the fucking heart in it all! Where are the kids and the bright colors and the zaniness. Let Batman and Gotham be FANTASTICAL! I’m tired of the greys and the browns.

I’m tired of “grounding a story” meaning sucking all the joy and color out if it. Also superhero stories don’t need to be grounded in your fucking abysmal reality they are literally superheroes they exist outside of reality, let them!

A story does not have to be joyless to have depth and it does not have to be nihilist to be compelling.

I am sick and I am tired of it. 😔

[astromechs]

i don't know about anyone else, but i happen to love superheroes because they're funny little fucked up people who put on silly little costumes and start fights instead of get the therapy they desperately need and their storytelling mileage is endless because they never learn and continue to put on their silly little costumes instead of get therapy

[plaid-maniac]

Do you ever think about how there totally could have been an old classmate of Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth in the audience during like turnabout sister or turnabout samurai. Do you think they would realize? Like “hey, were those the guys in my class in like fourth grade? I kinda remember them. Wonder if they remember each other. But it was so long ago, I doubt they would even care.” Meanwhile Edgeworth and Phoenix are undergoing the most insane mental battles where both of them are going “I recognize my best friend across the courtroom and I desperately want to be close with them again.” And “god he is so god damn annoying I wish he would die already.”

[m-a-r-i--c-h-a-t]

maybe it's lust cat noir! can't you just let a girl have her kink?!

[b0amagination]

Tastes of Whumptober: Day 20

Did you know? Hero and villain prompts were some of the first whump content I intentionally consumed! I will forever be salty that mainstream superhero content could never live up to those prompts.

Content warnings for: Gun violence, threats of death, and mildly suggestive comments

Giving Permission to Die

“So? What’s the plan today?” The villain shouted across the room at the hero whose captivity he’d been in for… a week, now. Maybe more.

“Finally giving you what you want,” he responded with a shrug, playing with the knife in his hands. Flip it over, switch hands. Flip it over, switch hands.

“You don’t look prepared to present me with your corpse.”

“Oh, my death wouldn’t end your sentence, my love.” The flipping game was getting boring, and he picked at dirt under his nails using the blade instead. “You’d be chained up here with the rotting thing until you passed away yourself. Not punishment enough for your crimes, but it’s better than letting you roam the streets.”

“Sounds like you’re not giving me what I want then.”

“Be glad my greatest sin is telling lies.” A pointed glare accused him of crimes he’d plead innocent to, yet again. The knife moved to scratch an itch with the flat of it. 

“You sure that torturing a man isn’t higher on that list?”

“The pen is mightier than the sword, love.” A gesture with the damned thing now. He pushed down the urge to point out the obvious differences between that little thing and a sword. But the dick joke was funny in his head and didn’t involve initiation of a measuring contest.

“And your forked tongue doesn’t salivate ink. Swords can make quick work of those.” 

“Oh, shall I try it out on yours?” The hero stuck out his tongue at him.

“Put me out of my misery first.”

The knife plunged into the floor and he stood, never taking his eyes off of the villain.

“That. That’s what I’m talking about. Always egging me on. Trying to make me go too far.” He stalked forward and pulled a pistol from the inside pocket of his jacket. Entirely concealed from the outside. “I’ll go too far today. Just for you.” 

“Cute prop.” He hid the way his body shivered at the sight, praying the hero wouldn’t call his bluff. He was chained to this wall by his ankles, wrists, and neck. It wouldn’t be useful to put himself in a more vulnerable position.

“Here, let me fire. Maybe you’ll believe it then.” The gun aimed at the concrete beside his head but he paused. “Oh, who am I kidding. I should save your hearing for the last few minutes of your life.”

Foam earplugs were thrust into his ears and held still while they extended to block the canal, and the other did the same for himself. 

“Now, where was I?” Of course, shouting loud enough to bypass the earplugs. He aimed only a foot to the left of the villain’s head, pulling away as far as he possibly could, and fired. 

The sound ricocheted around the room, admittedly too small to facilitate gunfire, and he grinned at the way his victim flinched, eyes going wide. He walked forward and plucked the bullet out from its newfound pocket in the concrete, scattering dust and chunks that had stood solid just moments before. 

It was still warm from being shot and he dropped his knees, pressing it into the villain’s hand and folding up fingers to protect it. It trembled in his grip. 

“Do you believe me now, dear?” he spoke low into their ear, making sure he could still hear the threatening tone.

“Leave. Put that damn thing away and leave. You won’t shoot me and I know it.”

He cradled his cheek with the gun. And slid it up to sit against his temple. 

“How confident are you?” 

“Deadly so.”

BANG.

The world was fuzzy from the shot. The noise too close to his head, bleeding into his vision despite the protection. He looked down at his hands to see the blood dripping down them, spraying from his forehead. But only the bullet rolling in his palm greeted him. 

“Oops, guess the magazine was out.” 

Comprehension was a struggle. His forehead burned, but without blood… the hero’s thumb reached up and he flinched back uselessly as it rubbed over the not-hole. It came back covered in soot, wiped against his jaw like it was nothing. 

“What…?”

He released the magazine from the gun and presented it. Empty. 

“You were right. I didn’t shoot you.”

“You…”

“Pulled the trigger? Absolutely. Let’s rectify that little mistake, love.” Another magazine from his pocket, showing the bullets loaded inside, and shoving it into place. 

Then the front sight pressed against the villain’s lips, wiggling between them and scratching his teeth. He shook his head, turning it to the side. 

“No, no. You asked me for this, baby. I’ll follow through for you.” His hand steadied his chin, squeezing his jaw, and the muzzle jammed into the teeth with the threat to break. He had no choice but to let it in.

Gunpowder was a repulsive taste. Ash and acid. Then metal, still warm from recent discharge, but cooling rapidly. He guided it in, not stopping when teeth clamped down in an attempt to ward it off. The muzzle pressed toward his gag reflex when the trigger guard finally brushed his lips and he sighed, a whiny pathetic thing. 

“C’mon. Nod, babe, and I’ll pull the trigger. Hero’s honor. To save those in need.”

Nothing. He held him by the back of the head, devious smile aware of each action’s connotation, and twisted the pistol to force it further, making him gag on it. 

“Tell me to do it. I’ll let you die. I’ll blow your fucking brains out, sweetheart.”

The hammer clicked back. His finger inched toward the trigger. The villain held his breath, unmoving.

And then the gun ripped out of his mouth, sight tearing across his cheek and lip, splattering his blood across the floor where it flew and spun to a stop at the other end of the room.

“Right. Don’t ask me again.”

[slushieplanet]

Me: (about Jean x Logan) I don't understand what chemistry Logan and Jean are supposed to have, I just don't get the love triangle. I think it makes more sense with Scott in the middle!

My stepdad, after a long pause of deductive reasoning: ...I think Jean may have made Logan at least like her, because she knows how dangerous he is.

[literaryspinster]

This was one of my favorite scenes ever of a superhero saving a civilian and people really don't talk about it enough, unless it's to say something overly critical and passive aggressive like "why is she wasting her time trying to be a superhero when she could be a surgeon?" as if this isn't a superhero show...

[luciferthelesbian]

Finished Invincible in a week, and I still don’t understand the hate the fandom has toward Amber. Other than… y’know, blatant racism.

[antiparticular]

I hate when I can recognise that something is bait and yet still fall hook line and sinker for it. like yeah I know there really wasn't much plot in deadpool and wolverine and it was generally just a bunch of b list superheroes (and villains shoutout toad) showing up saying some stuff then fighting someone. yeah I really enjoyed it and got excited about all of the cameos and when chris evans lit on fire i was grinning like nobody's business.

[obsessionexpert]

Star Sans Poly But Its Aromantic Ink Edition

Ink sans call Dream and Blue his partners. Someone remarks on how its strange (Could be ink or blue or a stranger) and Ink is like They're his mission partners, his partners in life that he lives with and eats with and he bandages their wounds, and they are his partners in this never-ending fight thats cuts so deep and leaves nasty wounds, and in their deep os his partners hands reaching out not to hurt but the tenderly heal the vulnerable spots. His relationship with Ink and blue just feels deeper then friend with everything they go through. Theyre his partners. His partners Dream and Blue, and really that just doesn't feel like a friendship the way others define what a friendship is.

So calling them friends just subconsciously hasn't felt right, they're his partners. Its not boyfriends because theyre not dating so thats obviously not right, so partners is the main word Ink uses to describe Dream and Blue. He’ll use friends if it’s convenient in the context, but everything they do is better explained by the word partner.

so. he's explaining this idea with a Normal Friend (This could be any au variant idk) and he's like, well, this isn't a friendship then, this is similar to romance. (Add some miscommunication in that conversation. Maybe the person Ink is talking to describes romance for themself and they're saying its cooking for them and thinking for them all the time and getting little gifts and all that stuff while thinking about their own lover and Ink is like this is Dream and blue for me! I must be inclined to be in a romantic relationship with those two!

And that means in typical Ink Fashion Ink decides to experiment with romance and try it on for size. Be a little silly with it, and asks Dream to date him. It's just Dream because from observing romantic relationships, like Aplhys x Undyne and Sans x Toriel, he's like, hm romantic relationships are typically between only two people so to try out dating to get an authentic more likely to be accurate experiance since I know jack shit about exploring this concept, I should try to date only one person

ink goes through this process of trying to pick dream or Blue to date but eventually ends up just spontaneously picking one and dating dream cause he’s Ink. Maybe Dreams a bit upset in the scene and Ink knows romance might help these things so he forgoes his usual way of comforting dream, and decides to tell Dream he wants to date him. Dream accepts for some reason?? I might make a seperate post in the future exploring Dream’s relationship to romance

Eventually Ink feels kind of bad, or wrong, or just really wants to tell the truth because he figures out more from observing other romantic couples and realizes that he just does not feel romance like that. He does not feel it at all. (Maybe an aromantic awakening in there but Im not sure) and Ink confesses he doesn't feel romance, internally a bit stressed and frazzled cause this is just one more thing thats weird about him and he knows in romantic relationships things are Different and things are Heavier and that means that Dream might take a lot of offense to this admission and maybe even his weirdness. Who knows, romance changes a lot of things and Ink doesn't get those changes or how ppl act (Prob has watched a couple of yandere aus to study romance, which no ink! Thats not a good example!) hed hate it if Dream left or didnt want to hang out with him for a bit and the stability that comes with the star sanses to change. Ink loves a bit of chaos and unforeseen consequances but not with them. Ink explains that he diesn't feel it like other people, cause dream and blue are not his friends, but it's not romance he's feeling. And they talk abou it and get together in a platonic way and idk lots of self-discovery my ideas have ran out.

I would LOVE interaction with ideas or comments or smth Im obsessed with the Star Sanses (+Core Frisk but they're not relavant in this post, unless…..Core Frisk is someone he asks for advice at some point and they regurgitate information and bond over not experience romance normally cause there is no way Core Frisk experiences it normally being an omnipresent being. Maybe they're part of his aromantic awakening whenever that is? They know pretty much everything and love being completely and thoroughly accurate whenever anyone asks them a question and Ink asks a lot of questions sooooo, lots of ideas for that interaction to be had there)

Tldr: Ink sans is aromantic, is a dumbass, gets together with the star sanses romantically, and then is like, ya'll I dont feel romantic attraction so they get together platonically

[starculler]

strap in for this week's fic flavor: the failsafe episode of season one of the young justice cartoon except the simulation just won't. fuckin. end.

(fics that inspired this at the end)

If I ever did sit down to make my own fic, I'd split it in 3 parts:

The Simulation: bits and pieces of the 40 years Dick lives after most everyone he knows has died

The Return: the immediate aftermath and healing from the trauma of having not-quite-actually lived a whole life only to wake up and find out it was all fake. nothing traumatizing about that whatsoever.

The Unintended Consequence: aka the twist I'd love to add and would hint to in the second part - finding out the simulation, through martian mind fuckery, pulled from the real world (and in many cases, from real minds). Dick meets a bunch of people he didn't think were real outside the confines of his simulated life. A bunch of rowdy, heroism-inclined teens across the years get to meet the sibling/friend/mentor figure they all dreamed up one night.

(actual idea snippets under the cut)

.

Dick Grayson is 14 and most of the world's heroes have died. He planned a suicide mission that left him the sole survivor of a doomed team he helped found. The invasion may have been stopped, but is this really the price he wanted to pay?

The first face he sees in the infirmary is Roy's, and he has to close his eyes and just breathe for a few minutes because for one painful moment he'd thought it was Wally. But this isn't the world where his best friend miraculously survived alongside him. This is the one where he got his best friend killed and didn't even give him the courtesy of following behind him. Behind them.

.

Dick Grayson is 27 and has lived longer without Bruce than with him. The invasion's anniversary is always a tough day for him, but that morning seems especially harrowing. He'll get shit for it later, but can't resist stepping out onto the balcony of the manor's master bedroom (Bruce's old bedroom) for a smoke -- his first since he'd promised to quit if Jason, just 15 then, did too.

"Bad habits tend to pile up," he'd said, a rueful quirk to his tired grin. He'd tapped the cigarette twice on the railing and added, lower, "and this one's especially nasty, huh."

He inhales, watches the sun creep across the horizon, and lets acrid smoke burn through his lungs for a long moment before blowing it out in a small cloud. His eyes water, but he doesn't cough. It tastes just as bad as it did the first time he smoked one, not even a year after the invasion and treading water as Robin proved insufficient.

There hadn't been enough heroes to go around then, and Dick had been trained by one of the best. It hadn't been fair, but it had been his plan that had ultimately stopped the invasion. His shoulders everyone's expectations fell on.

He takes another drag, then smudges the lit end against the rail he's leaned on when he hears a boot scuff purposefully against the roofing above him.

"Todd and Pennyworth will be upset with you."

He doesn't turn around. Damian doesn't jump down to join him.

.

Dick Grayson is 54 and wakes up in a room full of ghosts. He hears his long-dead father-figure tell his long-dead team about a simulation they weren't meant to win. A training exercise gone wrong and only half a day spent under their mentors' careful, if slightly panicked, supervision.

He looks at his hands, watching the way his gloves crease when he flexes them in and out of tight fists. He looks at his team, their eyes a little haunted but shoulders slumped with relief even as they grumble. Batman's heavy, gloved hand settles on his shoulder and the weight of it is a nauseating mix of foreign-familiar.

He opens his mouth. Closes it.

Tears prick his eyes behind his domino mask, and he tells himself the suffocating, acidic void building in his chest is just some leftover side effect of the ordeal and not the grief-guilt of outliving yet another family (no matter that they hadn't been real in the end).

.

Dick Grayson is 16-going-on-56 and well used to the coincidences piling up between his simulated life and the real thing. Some of it -- missions and villains he remembers cropping up -- he's marked for Bruce to review and sort as he pleases. Some -- security for the cave, team building anecdotes, and training regimens -- he's shared with the team. And some he keeps only for himself.

Tim is one of those. He knows it's not fair to the kid (so much smaller now than he ever was when Dick lived his simulated life), but he can't help being selfish just for this. Tim is the one kid he's sure he didn't make up, and if Dick's taken to babysitting the kid just to be near at least one member of the family he built for himself in the wake of the worst days of his life .... Well, anyone who says shit about it can happily stand in line to have their teeth kicked in.

Despite this, it still catches him off-guard when he sees a familiar face pop up in one of Bruce's reports.

Jason Todd, caught boosting tires off the batmobile, is nearly the same age now as he was when Dick met him. He stares at the words, but none of them really sink in beyond the kid's name and address. He's moving before he's even made the decision.

He's used to the world kicking him when he's down - lived it for 40 frustrating years. But he has Bruce again. And things with Tim have been so good. And he's always been selfish when it comes to family. If he could just see Jason. If he could just meet him. If he could talk to him.

If if if if if--

.

Inspirations:

Circles in Shattered Mirrors by InfinityIllusion

Fine (But Not Okay) by CharlotteDaBookworm

Verisimilitude by mutemelody