#we need more of protective Slade

[anawrites3]

Hi, Ana! I hope you have a good day! I remember you've said Slade's people love Dick but I wonder wether were there any who wished ill for him? Or saw him purely as King's glorified fucktoy and made a mistake of suggesting something like that around the King himself?

Hi, anon! Thank you, I hope you're having a great day as well ☺️💕 And I absolutely love your ask, thank you for the opportunity to talk about this!!

The short answer is yes, of course some of Slade's people wish ill for Dick. A bunch of them want to get rid of him too, but let's not focus on that now. Actually, there are Defiance's common people that wish ill for Dick! Just a few weeks ago Defiance and Gotham were at war so obviously there are people who still perceive Dick as an enemy.

I could try to draw this out but I'm shit at drawing 🤣 so let me do it this way: I'd divide Slade's people in three groups - ones that love Dick right away, ones that are uncertain and wary of him, and the ones that straight out hate him. That last one can be split up into another groups - into those who literally just wish Dick ill and nothing more; those who are spitting hateful words at him whenever they can; and those who'd try to make his life harder and attempt to physically hurt Dick to show him how below them he really is.

I won't divide them even more cuz that would get messy but I'll just add that yes, some of them see Dick just as Slade's little slut, others see him as a pawn in Slade's plan for more power and even Gotham itself; some even think of Dick as war trophy. You get the drill.

About those that spit out hateful words at him - Dick just allows them to swear at him and call him bad names. They're not stupid and they don't touch him so it's not like they're doing anything. Besides, he's already used to mean words, being called a bastard child and bastard prince in Gotham, so ignoring them is easy. He's not going to lower himself to their level and try to make them stop doing it - it didn't work when he was a kid and it won't work now.

Slade, on the other hand. Slade has ways of making them shut up.

Hope that answered your question alright! And now (who would have guessed it?) a little story :3

- - - - - -

Dick liked Slade's men, those closest to his husband. All of them were very polite, treating him with respect and they always made sure he was comfortable with what they were doing. Sir Wintergreen reminded him of Alfred, with being in charge of most things and the way he was fussing over almost everything. He also wasn't afraid to tell Slade off if the man did something wrong, which was a trait very rare even in Defiance.

"You can come to me with any problem you have." He assured Dick quietly one day when Slade wasn't there. "We both know that His Majesty is the one you should report all issues to first but if you ever feel uncomfortable with telling him anything, I'm right here at your service."

Dick really appreciated it. Slade had a lot more important matters to take care of than what little problems Dick could have. Sir Wintergreen, while still being Slade's right-hand man, assured him that he'll always find time for him and if not take care of the problem himself, then he'll know who to talk to.

But there was something Dick didn't dare to tell even him.

"Look where the hell you're going." One of the men sneered at Dick. His hands twitched, as if he wanted to shove Dick at the wall for standing in his way. "You shouldn't even be in this part of the castle."

Dick straightened immediately, raising his chin. He was just walking around the castle, admiring portraits that adorned its stone walls, when they walked from around the corner and almost bumped into Dick, too busy talking to notice him. But it was all Dick's fault, of course.

From what he knew, those men still worked strictly for his husband but not as directly. Slade still saw them frequently, at meetings and what not, but they mostly took orders from other knights, such as sir Wintergreen or sir Isherwood.

Dick absolutely despised them.

"I'm allowed to be here." He said, because despite whatever they were thinking, Slade never forbade him going into certain parts of the castle or exploring it on his own.

"You're allowed to stay on your knees by our King's bed." another one of them snarled. "And that should be enough for you, Gotham whore."

"Watch your tone-"

"Or what?" The first one stepped forward, towering over Dick with a nasty grin. "You're not even married to our King yet. What can you do?"

"Nothing." The third one offered lazily with a smirk of his own. "Even after you marry him, there still will be nothing you can do. Wanna know why?"

"Get out of my way." Dick hissed out through clenched teeth.

They stepped away and let him through, cackling loudly behind him even as he forced himself to walk down the hall in calm steps. Arguing with them would be useless and won't change a thing.

“Look at that, he doesn’t wanna know!”

“Oh, I’m sure it’s because he already knows well that he’s nothing more than just our King’s glorified fucktoy!”

Breathe. Breathe, Dick.

He did his best to ignore the way they kept calling after him, yelling insults and names and turned a corner as soon as it was possible. It wasn’t very likely that they’d follow him but Dick still wanted to get as far away from them as he could, as far away as it took to stop hearing them. He disappeared behind the wall with his eyes closed, taking a deep breath and managed to take only a few steps before bumping into someone painfully.

He bounced off a strong chest with force and supported himself with the wall, desperate not to fall to the floor. Not in front another one of them, not after all the talk about him staying on his knees-

“I apologize-” he started, straightening. “I’m-”

His Majesty Slade Wilson stood in front of him, dressed in all his regalia with a sword strapped to his hip. He looked at Dick with a face that betrayed no emotion and suddenly Dick couldn’t utter another word. He could just look his future husband in the eye, with his lips slightly agape and fingers shaking. His chest began to hurt and only then he realized that he stopped breathing.

“Are you hurt?” Slade asked lowly. His voice was tinted with contained anger and Dick violently lowered his head.

“Your Majesty-” Dick said, gasped out the words, but he didn’t know what else to say. Slade heard them. Heard what they said about Dick, still could hear the laughter and comments coming from behind his back.

“That was quite a force you walked into me.” Slade continued. His voice turned more gentle as he reached to cup Dick’s jaw fondly and raise his head for their eyes to meet. “I shouldn’t be standing in the way like that, my prince, I apologize. Are you alright?”

Dick swallowed, throat bobbing nervously. “I’m fine,” he whispered.

Slade nodded.

���Good.” he said, stroking his thumb against the skin of Dick’s cheek. He leaned down to kiss him and Dick… Dick let him, eyes fluttering closed when their lips pressed together. Usually, Dick tried to stop this sort of affections as they weren’t married yet but this time he allowed himself to forget and find comfort in the sensation.

The kiss ended as soon as it began, and Slade stepped away with the last brush of his lips against Dick's temple.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Slade said. His eye burned with anger again as he looked over Dick’s head. “I have a matter to take care of.”

He started towards the source of still-ongoing laughter. To do exactly what, Dick didn’t know, but he knew one thing - that Slade was a man that didn’t shy away from any fight and that he just heard someone insult his fiance.

There was a sword at his hip.

“Please-” Dick started. His voice trembled but it was still enough to make Slade stop. “You don’t have to-”

Slade looked over his shoulder at him. He no longer looked like a man that could softly cradle his face like he did just a moment ago and kiss him so gently he forgot about anything else.

“It’s not your choice to make.” Defiance’s king said. “It was theirs.”

[disco-troy]

I don't feel like people have a nuanced enough view of Kory what she thinks about killing. She's not blindly wanting to murder criminals, nor is she delighted by the actions of murder. She sees murder as a necessity because of her upbringing in the middle of an existential war, and also as a way to regain autonomy on her life. Autonomy is a key theme in many of the people Kory chooses to kill.

The idea of autonomy over the body and her life is extremely important to Kory. This makes sense, Kory spends six years in slavery, her life not her own, and grew up knowing her planet could lose its own autonomy and freedom at any time.

When she was a slave, the few times that she was able to control her life in those times. Her first kill was her kill of what would become her last master, starting the chain of domino that would result in her freedom.

Note her words: "His very touch sickened me". It wasn't just about her imprisonment or her anger, but about her body, her autonomy. She couldn't handle being touched like that anymore, and killed knowing that it would solve nothing, knowing that it would lead to more punishment for her later down the line.

Her next kill allowed her to escape, securing her freedom and her own autonomy.

To escape she must pretend Kory has completely given in to her captors. That she is fine, even happy with the Gordonian touching her. But by doing this she is bringing him close, giving him the illusion of control over herself to secure her own freedom.

She is pretending to be a slave, while affirming to herself that she is still a soldier.

In this way we can see a dichotomy that has ruled Kory's life until now. On one side, you have succumbing to subjugation, which involved a loss of bodily autonomy. On the other side you had her claiming her freedom and her autonomy which comes with the need to kill or be destroyed.

In addition to this, you need to think of the context of Kory's upbringing. Of course Kory is used to killing her enemies. She grew up in a climate of fear in which there was a real possibility of total annihilation. Millions of her people died in the war that eventually lead her to being sold as a slave.

She grew up during a society that could have been destroyed in war, where everyday killing was not a questions but an existential threat. Killing and war was literally the only way for her people to conserve their autonomy.

This disconnect between Dick/Donna and Kory is not because Kory is an alien, but because the Titans are living in a world where they are superheroes and Kory is living in a world where she is a solider. Would a Kory that didn't kill even been able to come out alive from war? From her enslavement? To her its about her autonomy and her independence, she doesn't have the luxury of morals, of thought, of choice.

Later we see Kory not change, but shift. She realizes that killing will never be easier for her again.

This makes sense! her interpretation of killing has changed a lot because she's been exposed to a new environment. On earth she is not facing a literal war, she has real power, she has backup, she doesn't have to fight every second for her freedom and autonomy.

I think this is demonstrated in an incredibly narrative compelling way in Titans (1999) when Kory kills to give another character autonomy over her own body; Adaline Kane. Adaline is about to die, but her blood can still be harvested for Vandal Savage's experiments. She begs for death, instead of living that fate.

Kory gives it to her.

(much like Slade gave Joey in Titans Hunt but this post only has the space for one parallel right now)

When it comes to protecting the greater good, and especially when it comes to bodily autonomy Kory is not only willing to kill, but sees it as her duty.

She's never stopped being a soldier, she's never stopped being the Tamaranian who was forced to kill and see her people die to preserve her home, but more than that, she never stopped being the little girl for whom killing was her only way of reclaiming her autonomy.

[celaenaeiln]

Something fanon gets wrong

Dick Grayson is genuinely one of the greatest fighters in all of DC.

I know people have trouble believing this for some reason but a man who has defeated every single one of his enemies, other people’s enemies, and has consistently come out on top should have his abilities talked about a bit more because they’re amazing.

Let's start small to big. Firstly Donna talks about Nightwing's abilities.

When I read this I was confused by what she meant. Prowess means skill or expertise and that makes sense but Dick has a lot of power behind him though...

And then I realized she meant metaphysical power.

Dick isn't a magician. He can't run at supersonic speeds, throw buildings, speak to animals, communicate with the dark, fly above the clouds, bounce bullets off his chest (Oh, wait. He can do it off his ass instead never mind), turn into animals, or other amazing abilities. But his skill is so high that he is easily able to keep up with people who can.

M'gann, the white martian with extraordinary capabilities, tells Dick, "You are just a human, with no superpowers, yet you have consistently excelled throughout your career, despite being surrounded by godlike beings."

This is incredible.

We see Dick leading teams of superheroes and metas all the time and we take it for granted but we never acknowledge the immense power and skill he must have for him to be able to do this.

Repeatedly. Time after time. He outsmarts both his human allies and outfights his meta ones.

One of Dick’s greatest OP moments is when he takes down the entire Titans team -Gar, Raven, Donna, and Jason too when he hung around with them- single handedly. And when Jason put a gun to the back of his head in supposed victory, Dick opened his hand to let the golden bullets fall, gleaming in the light with the coldest line, “with these bullets?”

We all know how amazing Bruce is, but Dick is on Bruce's level.

No?

Okay, here's the evidence.

Dick has fought Azael in a sword fight to a standstill when Azael has beaten Bruce separately and Tim and Jason combined.

He has defeated Ra's in a sword fight and Ra's is one of the greatest swordsmen.

Sometimes he doesn't even need a sword to defeat a skilled swordsman.

He's a League of Assassins member and we all know that anyone from the League of Assassins is never just good. They're excellent. The entire fight Dick is looking for Blockbuster and he's so capable and good at fighting the entire scene was like watching Thanos flick Captain America away vibes. He's not even looking at him when he smashes his foot into Shrike's face!

Most importantly, he has defeated Deathstroke

The greatest thing about Dick is he is able to defeat Slade at the peak of Slade's abilities. Slade doesn't need to be weakened for Dick to win.

Here's where people has some hesitance accepting Dick's abilities.

"Bruce has defeated Slade but Dick has never been able to!"

He literally has in Dark Crisis but I'll give you the lead up.

Dick can easily disarm Slade.

He can predict Slade's moves ahead of time and properly counteract them.

He can go toe to toe with him and in one comic, they dance down a hallway, fighting, neither able to get the upper hand. The mercenary meta, considered by the US Government to be 1 of 2 greatest assassins (the other being Katana) isn't able to pin down and defeat a 20 year old despite his enhancements.

I left out the scene where Dick twisting Deathstroke's arm and smashing his face into a bedroom mirror despite being complete weaponless and in his civilian identity. No protection and no support. But it's another example of how Dick's poweress is much greater than people expect of him.

Of course there are panels where Dick has been defeated by Slade but Dick isn't 17/18 anymore. He isn't learning to fight without Batman hovering over his side.

Also there is a panel everyone references to when talking about Nigthwing losing to Deathstroke. This one.

sure. okay. whatever. BUT WHY WON'T YOU SHOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT COWARDS?!?

THEY DANCE-FIGHT LIKE THEY'RE ENEMIES IN A BALLROOM ON OPPOSING SIDES BUT CAN'T AFFORD TO LET ANYONE FIND OUT.

THIS IS SOME HIGH LEVEL JAMES BOND-RED NOTICE-MISSION IMPOSSIBLE- TYPE SHIT.

"Close the hold, you morons! Close the--Guuk!"

That's Slade talking by the way. To his allies. Who do you think made him "GUUK!"?

And here they were evenly matched.

But Slade had to pull out bombs he had been saving for when other people came in order to defeat dICK AND HE STILL LOST BECAUSE DICK BESTED HIM.

Yup. Dick is just that good.

Nightwing defeated Bane

Before you go into saying something like "it was a holographic construction." What the fuck difference does that make? Does a holographic construction alter the strength used by the enemy, change their fighting style, phase through when fighting, act dumber than the real deal? No, right? The fact is Dick broke Bane's back the exact same manner that Bane broke Batman's. All those scenes of Bane punching Nightwing around? Let me remind you that the guy snuck up on Dick. The second time Dick underestimated Bane's powers before getting ready to put in real effort before Batman interfered to take Bane for himself.

All those amazing scenes of him defeating enemies that we've scoffed at recently? They're just a continuation of what already is written. It's not new or unbelievable, it's expected.

Here's my final point. Dick has defeated all of the Justice League's enemies in one go.

This is Batman/Superman comic where Kara gets infected so Dick as Batman sends her to the medbay while he tears down the Watchtower to save her. As in every single defense mechanism the Watchtower has, he demolishes it with his pure skill and abilities. Furthermore, the Watchtower defenses were enhanced by cyborg Superman to be lethal. To kill on sight.

Just. Phenomenal.

He did it! He defeated all of them and made it to the electronic controls he was aiming for.

Another thing I want to point is Dick's strength is greater than what people assume it to be.

He's the world's greatest acrobrat and has a build fitting of that but the strength he packs in his body is equal to that of a meta. Maybe it's because of how he only fights with metas and has teammates that are all metas but he has raised his striking power to equal that.

He shatters cyborg superman in one blow.

He can handle blows from meta humans in a way most others can't which suggests to me that he must've done some kind of training or have maybe increased pain tolerance or have the ability to backseat the pain so it won't affect his fighting. How many can take a hit and rise up the next second?

He's not metahuman. Batman must've done several tests because he also was amazed by robin Dick's poweress lol but really Dick is just extraordinary. Give him any enemy and he will garaunteed defeat them without using cheap tricks or surprise moves which is why he is one of the greatest. The only time people have gotten an upperhand on him is when he has been emotionally weakened. Emotionally. Imagine the absolute monster he would be if he controlled his emotions like Batman.

But I would never want him to though because his emotions are the reason why he's the light of DC.

[green-eyedfirework]

“We’re in need of your services,” Slade said, and Dick stiffened.  Everyone wanted a magic user at their beck and call.  Dick knew it.  Letting him go had been—a mistake, a misstep, Dick had gotten free, the village would’ve protected him but he’d been stupid enough to come back here—“We will, of course, pay for your services.”  Slade’s eye flicked over him, and he added, “If you choose to accept.”

Oh, more games.  Delightful.  Dick drew himself up, as haughty as he could manage while trying not to tremble, “And if I don’t choose to accept?”  His grip spasmed on his knife.

Slade’s gaze was drawn to it, and Dick’s breath caught in his throat.  “If I wanted to keep you, little bird,” Slade said, low and heavy, “All your magic tricks wouldn’t stop me.”  He was right.  He was right, and he was stepping closer, and Dick wasn’t unarmed, wasn’t powerless, but Slade fought with the strength of his whole pack, and one man couldn’t stand against it.

Slade stopped right in front of him.  Dick waited for the hand on his shoulder, the blow sending him to his knees, the fingers gripping his jaw.  But Slade didn’t touch him.

“Birds don’t belong in cages,” Slade said simply.  Dick stared up at him, heart still stuck in his throat.  “If you choose not to accept, I turn around and leave.  No catch.”

Dick took a shallow breath, and stumbled back a couple of steps, not willing to be so close to Slade.  The alpha didn’t follow him, merely stared at him, silent.  Waiting.

Dick’s voice was hoarse.  “What services?”  And could he truly afford to deny Slade?

“One of my pack has been injured.  Fatal if left untreated,” Slade’s gaze was heavy, but not suffocating, “I was hoping you could help.”

Healer.  Slade wanted a healer.  Dick took a shaky breath, and tried not to sink down in relief.

“I can see what I can do,” Dick replied, steadier, because he healed anyone who asked for it, tried to help them to the best of his ability.  Slade backed off, letting him collect the borage by knotting up the cloth, and grabbing his bag as well.

Slade set off towards the northeast, and Dick followed him, careful not to get too close.  Staring at the alpha’s simple, sturdy clothing, another thought jumped into his head.  “Wait, what will you pay me in?  Coin?”  Werewolves didn’t usually do business with humans, not unless they were bartering, and Dick couldn’t imagine they carted around money.

Slade turned to tilt his face towards him.  “If you’d like,” he said casually, before dragging his gaze up and down to give Dick a very obvious once-over.  “I’m open to alternative methods of payment as well.”

Dick nearly tripped over a root, his heart stuttering a beat as his cheeks began to burn.  Slade’s smile turned more wolfish, and Dick willed his expression to stay blank.

“Coin is fine,” he said, forcing his words level.  Slade made a noncommittal sound, and Dick refused to look at Slade’s outline, the easy definition of muscles, the effortless way Slade had carried him those few weeks ago, that smirk—“Tell me about my patient,” Dick said, taking a deep breath and settling in his role, “What happened to them?”

~#~

Dick managed to walk-stumble-hobble out of the tent on his own power, though the world was just a little too bright and painful.  The cuts he’d cleaned easily, but the sickness was a curse, and breaking it took more magic than he’d liked.

He just—he needed a moment to breathe.  Probably sit down as well, but leaning against the tree was working fine for now as he sucked in deep breaths, shivering against the painful sensation of being laid bare, like his skin had been peeled off to let magic seep back into him.

It took him more blinks than it should’ve to recognize that the outline in front of him was a person, to register the eye patch, and to automatically straighten in the presence of the alpha.

Unfortunately, that was a bad idea.

The world tilted alarmingly around him, and Dick gasped as his view of Slade turned to a view of leaves and dirt, bracing himself for a painful and humiliating collision with the ground.

He didn’t hit the ground though, instead caught and pulled up, against something that ran hot.

“You sure you want payment in coin, little bird?” a low voice rumbled against his cheek, “That’s thrice you’ve fainted into my arms, anyone would start getting ideas.”

Dick groaned and tilted his head enough to bury it against Slade’s shirt.  “Fuck you,” he said, muffled.

“You’ve got the general concept down,” Slade murmured, “But you’ll be the one on your knees, little bird.”

The only worthwhile side effect of magical exhaustion was apparently he was too tired to flush.  Not too tired to imagine it though, and Dick had to ruthlessly kill that train of thought before it led into directions he was not prepared for right now.

Slade chuckled, catching the skip in his heartbeat, and the sound vibrated through Dick.  “Sleep first,” he said, and Dick sank deeper into the waiting exhaustion with the swaying of Slade’s gait.

There were sounds around him, low conversations, the rumble of Slade’s voice, and Dick just sank deeper and deeper and deeper, letting go, trusting that he was safe.

[brucewaynehater101]

In your opinion, who would make a better job at parenting or being a father figure for Damian. Taking in consideration their personalities and who would help him more to find his own way between Tim, Jason, Dick and Bruce. How do you think they would approach it?

Oof. Great question. Now, slight warning, it does depend on the characterization of everybody. Since DC sucks at sticking to it, imma try to do this by life experiences and their most often reactions to them.

For Damian himself, his parent would have to balance his trauma with his need to be parented. For instance, Damian might not feel safe being without a weapon on him. In order to not drown in anxiety and being constantly alert, they may have to allow Damian to have a small knife or some other protection gear on him. Also, taking away art or other activities from Damian as a punishment might be counterproductive. Some parents ground their kids by taking away their things. Damian, who might not have been able to focus on leisure activities in the LoA, might have some trauma and attachment issues. He could just abandon art altogether if he believes it would get taken away whenever he misbehaves (especially if the rules for misbehaving are unclear). Damian will be testing the boundaries for his own safety. He will want to see what happens when he messes up and how badly he can mess up and still be loved.

If Dick didn't have to focus on being Batman, he'd be a great father to Damian. He has patience, understanding from his apprenticeship with Slade, and understands the cultural shock Damian is going through. He also has experience with helping the younger generation (either his siblings or younger members of the Titans) through their issues. The only issue is whether Dick has time between whatever is going on in Bludhaven and what's going on with the Titans. If he didn't have as much on his plate, he'd do amazing for Damian.

Jason wouldn't be as great as a father figure as Dick, but he'd do exceptionally well as a brother and uncle figure. He would be a bit busy between the Outlaws and Red Hood business, but he would make time for whenever Damian needed a place to get away to. As a temp guardian, he'd do great. If he had to look after Damian for a few months, they would figure it out. Jason would have to learn how to give rules and enforce them when it came to Damian.

For Tim, it really depends on their first meeting. In canon, that was very poorly executed by Bruce and resulted in their feud lasting years. The others around them continued to handle that poorly, and it is neither Damian or Tim's fault for that. They are both kids and are trying to rely on the adults around them to assist (as they should be able to). However, Tim would be a semi-decent dad if the first meeting went differently, and Tim was the only one around to step up to the plate. As long as Alfred, Dick, and Bruce are able, Tim wouldn't try to parent Damian as well (which makes sense). If they had a better relationship, he may offer Damian brotherly advice and help out that way.

Bruce is a tricky one. If we're talking about animated!Bruce, he'd be an excellent dad. He has parenting experience, he has the blood ties that Damian respects, and he is patient. He's parented at least three traumatized kids with different kinds of trauma and needs (Dick, Cass, and Jason). If we're talking about comics!Bruce, then no. That man is too caught up in his own emotional turmoil and has verbally abused his kids too much to be a good father figure (plus other stuff). Bruce's character has the potential to be an amazing father, but comics!Bruce is horrible and we shall burn him.

[tiredandwireds-blog]

@jennalistening i got u

Ok here's a list of all the best Dick and Damian(mostly with father/son dynamics) fics imo. Pls dont judge me.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/40095006

The Stowaway (5099 words) by LittleLadybugs

Short sweet and fluffy! Damian sneaks a cat into the penthouse and struggles to keep it hidden. At least Dick always has his back!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32923282

Emergency Contact by DawnsEternalLight for grousemouse

Hilarious and cute! Damian gets attacked on a school trip and is just the way youd expect him to be lol. Dick freaks out ofc

https://archiveofourown.org/works/49322866

my shoulders are heavy already by a_alene

Ughhh its sooo goodddd! Damian and Dick sickfic cannot recommend enoughhh plsplspls read ittt

https://archiveofourown.org/works/36304804

a chance to celebrate by emavee

So cuteee! The batfam throws a party to celebrate Dick adopting Damian. Its such a cute story that gives insight into each characters feelings and its also fluffy as hell!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46392967

Father's Day (we were the best) by InkpotSprite

Damian decides to celebrate Dick on Mother's and Father's Day lol cute and absolutely hilarious!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/40260231

I'll Carry You by BrickSheep

BrickSheep puts it best with the tag Comfort No Hurt. Its exactly as the title says dick carries damian and i get a rush of dopamine lol

https://archiveofourown.org/series/890946

I Saw Grayson Kissing Santa Claus by pupeez4eva

Damian becomes convinced Santa is after Dick Bruce is confused and Jason is evil. So pretty par for the course lol. Tbh tho this fic had me laughing so hard my sides hurt an absolute beautiful nightmare to read

https://archiveofourown.org/works/51531457

The Ping-Pong Wars by fadesfanfic

Stephanie and Damian bonding! Dick being worried over Damian! And oh the shenanigans! Its beautiful and sweet and funny and iloveitsomuchhh

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28186434

Paint Cans and Sneaking Out by CarrionCarnival

Damian sneaks out to do some graffiti and tries not to get caught lol. Cute and fun. A whole new look for Damian that I loveee

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22544392

The R Stands for – by Cirth

A beautifully written look into Damian's adjustment to his new home. Honestly made me cry ngl but sometimes you need that

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52221118

Obsolete Tools and Tangible Miseries by Corybantic

Ok we def in angst territory now gang! Damian thinks hes nothong but a weapon and Dick helps convince him otherwise. Read at your own risk cause i was sobbinggg

https://archiveofourown.org/works/37052449

the city without stars in its skies by Alienu

Ok i literally just reread this one anddd. Ughhhh im dyingggg. Damian is sent to kill Officer Dick Grayson you see where this is goinggg its so gooddd plsreadplsreadplsread

https://archiveofourown.org/works/40538418

Home Is Where the Heart Is by LittleLadybugs

Ok ill admit this ones more batfam focused then just dick and dami but still. So good. Dick is adopted by Slade not Bruce and goes running to blüdhaven to hide from him. Sadly the Birds wont leave hime alone

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22395412

Not by Blood, Maybe by Heart by Ellegrine

Ok we back to fluff now lol. Damian loves his brothers even if he never says it. In this fic he shows it by protecting Dicks honor lol

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18296282

Still the Best by Cdelphiki

3 great fics all in one spot! Literally some of the best stuff ive ever read! Iloveitiloveitiloveit pls readdd

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10918887

Catch Me (All Records Indicate) by Engineerd

The evolution of the nickname lil D. Cute and so sweet. Short but such a comfort read

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29866386

This Too Shall Pass by DarthPeezy

Just oh. just so so goodddd. Another gorgeous look at Damian adjusting to his new life with the batfam tho this one is more plot directed and ohmygosh did that plot have me in a death grip

And finally my top 2 fav fics:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19718083

Throughout Infinity by flumen

Damian is sent to an alternate universe and meets young justice Dick and crew. Ok no summary i can do will do this fic justice just know i read this in one sitting and immediately felt my sense of priorities and my mind shift. No joke this changed me.

https://archiveofourown.org/series/2021464

3:16 by partingxshot

AAAHHHH

Ok now i can talk abt this. Im in the process of rereading this AGAIN bc i literally cannot be left alone. Ok quick summary: each chapter follows Dick and Damian adjusting to their new life as Batman and Robin. I feel like most everyone who is in love with the dynamic between Dick and Damian has read this fic but i cant leave it out bc its literally my fav fic EVER. i will never be normal abt this fic if you havent read it yet plspls do

[sleepingontheclouds]

i did a rant for Jason, now I’m doing a rant for my favorite superhero and occasionally morally grey person <3

I’m going to put a trigger warning here and now for the majority of this post. Discussing Dick Grayson for me means talking about very sensitive moments for his character, I will be mentioning and talking about some non-consensual events that happened to him in certain comic canons and one underage event. Please if this can/will trigger you, click off or skim over the parts where I mention it. I will highlight the parts where I actively speak about situations like that in red. Thank you.

Titans

I’ve watched to season 3 of Titans so far and I just gotta say, Dick’s character got a downgrade and an upgrade. Let me elaborate.

Firstly, I love what the writers did and how they characterized the boy wonder in season one. He was an authority figure, a protector. Literally the first time we are introduced to Robin and the first time we see Dick in the Robin suit, he’s brutalizing child abusers.

Throughout the entire first season there are multiple instances of Dick being very protective towards children and very aggressive with people he believes to hurt children.

In a later episode of season one, Dick tracks down a man with Kori after Rachel runs away with Gar. Once he realizes that the man has seen Rachel, let alone in the woods, he immediately goes into attack mode. At that point he believed that Rachel was alone, he didnt know about Gar and he didn’t know that she was with anyone. He punches the man and starts asking if he did anything to her, he goes protective and is very close to breaking that guys nose before his daughter runs out of her room and sees what’s going on, making Dick stop.

Personally, I loved that aspect of his character. It’s not only foreshadowing at the fact that he’s going to become an older brother, I personally think it also hints at a very traumatic event that happened to him in the comics.

It made me so sad to see him lose that aspect of himself after season one. I suppose the overprotective violence faded along side his other more regular violence.

I loved his violent characterization throughout the first two seasons, it really helps understand his character and him as a person.

In the first season, whenever he’s wearing the Robin suit he’s physically incapable of stopping himself from getting too violent, no matter how much he may want to without the costume on.

He stabs people, breaks peoples noses, nearly makes people bleed out, stomps peoples faces in, everything under the sun except kill them. That’s the whole reason he left Gotham, that’s the whole reason he held a grudge against Bruce in season one.

The journey we go through with Dick in season two is an amazing depiction of his character.

The literal order of events just screams mental breakdown to me and the episodes following made me think he had a psychological break, then we find out that he’s just like that.

The events go like this. First Dick starts seeing hallucinations of his father figure which he hates and that’s apparently just a normal thing that happens in Dick’s day to day life? Then he goes Robin mode, hurting a man he used to work with because he’s annoyed with the hallucination of his father. Then he goes to a dance club and nearly kills a man that works with Slade because he has a secret he needs to hide?? Then his traumatized nineteen year old brother tries to kill himself and what does Dick do? He trauma dumps all over Jason hoping that it’ll make him feel better and not want to die. (It doesn’t) then everyone he loves leaves him. He then decides to go visit the mother of the kid he thinks he got killed and finds himself talking to Slade. My guy then books a flight across the world because the fucking assassin with one eye who killed his own son said that he needed to repent by being in isolation?? You know what this dude does instead of going to Japan like he’s supposed to? He assaults two police officers to get himself seven years in jail. You know who he doesn’t tell? Gar. The teenager he left in charge of watching Superman’s clone with no other orders than, ‘call Bruce if he wakes up’ when he knows Bruce will not answer.

Then the dude breaks these gang members out of jail so they don’t get deported, that gets him thrown in solitary. You know what he does in solitary? Hallucinates his dad, fights him in his imagination, and then breaks out of jail.

When Dick eventually grows into his own person after all that insanity, when he becomes Nightwing— he forgives Bruce. It’s another aspect about his characterization that I love. Dick is forgiving, in a good and bad way, until he isn’t.

Dick doesn’t care what people do to him, it’s one of his biggest flaws. He lets himself get hurt over and over again and he just takes it. He lets his peers absolutely bash him and openly hate him, but he’s always still there for them. He always still supports them.

He knows Bruce turned him into a weapon, but he still went back. He went back and tried to ignore everything and forget about all the awful things Bruce did to him. He never directly talks to Bruce about it, sure he’s passive aggressive during [redacted’s] funeral dinner in season 2 but he never actually talks about anything.

The only time he snaps at Bruce is after Jason dies.

After his brother, who he didn’t treat like a brother, dies, he’s trying to cope. Everyone is. He knows Bruce copes in a different way and he respects it, what he doesn’t respect is the fact that Bruce is trying to rope in another child to be Robin. He’s trying to replace Jason right after he dies. That’s when Dick loses his temper.

Even after everything, it takes someone else being hurt for Dick to speak his mind. He never really stands up for himself, he stands up for other people and bottles in his emotions.

Comics

In the comics, Dick is much similar. He bottles up his emotions until he physically can’t.

He’s always trying to be happy, even Nightwing isn’t serious. For Bruce, Batman is a way to let out his true self. Batman is the real Bruce, Bruce Wayne is the mask he hides behind.

It’s exactly the opposite for Dick. Dick Grayson is the caring older brother who has no trauma and exists to help, Nightwing is the funny vigilante, he’s the protector of Blüdhaven who cracks jokes and never breaks a smile while fighting. Either way, Dick just trades in one mask for another.

The only times it’s genuinely him, is when he’s at his most vulnerable. When he isn’t around his family, his brothers, Bruce. That’s when the real him can come out, his real genuine emotions.

In a certain comic run that I’m unsure if it’s still canon or not, Dick gets assaulted. It’s before he has his facade, it’s right when it’s starting to develop. He’s sixteen.

Dick gets in a horrible fight with Bruce, it results in him either running away or getting kicked out, either way he isn’t with Bruce. The sixteen year old is left to fend for himself, then a 21 year old woman who’s targeting Wayne enterprises comes along.

She manipulates Dick and takes advantage of him (along with her husband I think) all to get to Bruce.

He never talks about it.

!! I WILL BE REPLYING TO THIS IN A REBLOG CAUSE THIS IS GETTING VERY LONG AND TYPING IS GETTING SLOW !!

[echoarts03]

My Favorite Batman Villains and Why

(In no particular order)

────────────────────────────

As a cartoon/movie/video game Batman fan, let's go over some of my favorite villains, shall we?

────────────────────────────

1.) THE JOKER

Is this a basic answer?

Sure, but I don't give a shit! I really enjoy the Joker! I think he's hysterical in most of the Batman adaptations I've seen (yes, INCLUDING the LEGO Batman movie,) and there's just something about villains who are absolutely bonkers-crazy that really catches my attention.

2.) SCARECROW

BRO. IS. COOL.

His gimmick is FEAR, and if that isn't a really fucking cool concept then idk what is.

DOCTORS THAT TURN INTO VILLAINS HAS GOT TO BE QUITE POSSIBLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE TROPES.

#PutScarecrowinmoreshows2024

3.) TWO-FACE

To be fair, I have no clue what drew me in to Harvey's character.

Maybe it's the idea of him once being such a respectable guy, and then one nearly-fatal accident turned him into a shell of his former self, or maybe it's just because mob bosses are awesome fuckin' characters, imo.

Or maybe it's just because I like his designs.

Who knows, man? XD

────────────────────────────

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

────────────────────────────

THE PENGUIN

A funny little penguin man running a mob is honestly kinda funny to me.

Also, I loved how much of a goblin he was in the 2004 cartoon, and I think we need to manifest more of that side of him into media, lol.

(I also plan to watch "THE PENGUIN" soon, but I'm currently watching 2 DC shows at once so I gotta finish at least one of those first XD)

SLADE/DEATHSTROKE

BRO IS A MENACE.

I ADORED THIS MOTHERFUCKER SO MUCH IN TEEN TITANS (2003) IT AIN'T EVEN FUNNY.

That version of him was by FAR one of the best-written villains of all time.

The only reason I put him in "honorable mentions" is because I don't see him as a Batman villain. I grew up watching him fight the Teen Titans, so to me, Slade is the Teen Titans' villain.

Also, yeah, I'm calling him Slade because that's what I grew up calling him. So just don't go expecting me to call him Deathstroke every single time I'm talking about him, alright? XD

BANE

I mean, he isn't my FAVORITE, but I do like him a lot- ESPECIALLY in The Dark Knight trilogy. They kinda did bro dirty in BTAS, but I guess they can't all be bangers!

Also, I will protect THQS Bane with my LIFE.

────────────────────────────

But yeah, here's my list of my big favorites :D Hope you like it!

────────────────────────────

[dr-abitat-blog]

Day 14: "See if you can follow my finger with your eyes."

@ailesswhumptober T/W: Post-operative recovery, medwhump, amnesia, trauma, lost identity, vomiting

'Dr Spade', Dr Marz and Ryan all belong to the beautiful @whumpsmith

“ —can—hear me?”

I hear it, faint and distant. A soft sounding voice, breaking through the darkness clouding my head. Urgency seems to ripple from those words, slowly pulling me through the subconscious haze towards it.

“ —I think—eyes—trying—open—hear us?”

It’s getting a little clearer now, the words less distorted. With an exhausted groan I attempt to peel my eyes open. A harsh burning light streams into my eyes from above. It elicits a weak whimper from my lips in response.

“Easy—easy, lad. Take your time.”

Nngh…

Everything feels fuzzy and surreal as I carefully blink them open again. Blurred colours swim before my sensitive eyes. Indistinct faces peer down at me. That’s all I see. Their expressions are impossible to read. I have no idea who any of them are, or what they want or—

Nggha…what…is…?

Pain flares through the back of my neck. A tight choking sensation follows. Instinctively my hands reach up to my throat. My fingers come in contact with something wrapped around my neck. For some reason, it sends panic spiking through me.

N-no…g-get it…off!

My hands go on to do exactly that — or at least they try to, before the faces move closer.

“Easy there, it’s arite. That’s just to protect your spine. It’s not supposed to hurt — see?”

The nearest face peers down at me, his features starting to become clearer. I make out dark brown messy hair and what seems to be a concerned expression sweeping across his face. He doesn’t grab my hands or try to stop me — instead, he just lets me…feel the thing around my throat.

Soft…warm. Not…not bad.

My body starts to relax slightly as my shaking fingers brush the collar, although I can’t hold back the small cry of discomfort from the pain shooting down my back.

“Och—Ryan, get him—sorry, them—more pain relief please.”

“I’m right on it, Dr Slade.”

I catch a flash of green hair and a warm smile before ‘Ryan’ disappears from the room. Despite my pounding head, I attempt to take in my surroundings. White walls, decorated with a few blurred pictures. A comfortable bed below my back. A nearby table, multiple hand-written cards on top of it. Beeping monitors and screens connected to me. A horrible tickling in my throat. Bright lights above me — and the faces. Quite a few of them.

“It’s alright. You’re safe.”

One of the taller ones speaks up, sending me an attempted reassuring look. “I understand that you must have a lot of questions right now. You’ve been through an awful lot these past few weeks.”

Wait…weeks?

“Wh-where…am I?” I force out, shocked at how hoarse and strained my voice sounds.

“You’re in a hospital, lad, Sunny Samuels,” the closest guy answers, his voice heavy with some kind of accent,“You were very sick, gave us all quite the scare. We had to perform major surgery on your spine to save your life — and we’ve still got some tough weeks ahead.”

He moves a little closer, lowering his voice gently. “Do you remember any of that at all?” “I…n-no. Nothing. I…” I cough weakly, glancing around at the other faces around the room. A very pale guy hangs around next to my monitors, checking the numbers on the screen. Green Hair comes back in with another bag of…something. By the door are two other guys — doctors, probably? Both have glasses and brown hair, although one of them is sitting in a chair. For some reason he…won’t take his eyes off of me for a second. It’s…a bit much, being stared at like this. “Wh-what…happened?” “We’ll explain later,” Accent Guy replies, “For now, let me introduce myself. I’m Dr Douglas Slade and I’ll be taking care of you until you’re back on your feet.”

“And I’m Ryan,” Green Hair speaks up gently, “I’ll be your nurse for today, so if you need anything at all, you can just ask me, alright?”

“Nnn…k-kay.”

“Good. Now, we have a few questions for you lad. First — do  you know what your name is?”

My…name?

I stare at them helplessly, as if expecting them to tell me — but they don’t. The fact that I can’t recall my name from the tip of my tongue frightens me. 

Th-that’s not normal…right?

My chest tightens in panic as I shake my head. “N-no…”

“Arite. That’s okay. We can try again later,” he replies, patting my shoulder, “For now, Dr Marz here is going to prod and poke you a little, just to test how your nerves are doing after the surgery. Is that okay?” I’m too tired to do much other than nod my head. Satisfied, Dr Marz steps forward, adjusting the height of the bed to his level.

“There we are — don’t worry, it’s just a few simple tests to check your nerve function. First — see if you can follow my finger with your eyes.”

It should be simple enough, watching him move his finger — but not for me. My eyes burn as I try to move them, the light continuing to sting. Still, I keep going, focusing on his blurred finger as I follow it in the letter H. 

I answer by shaking my head.

“Good, all of the ocular nerves seem to be intact. Next — can you hold your arms out like this for me?”

He demonstrates, extending them in front of him, to which I shakily copy. I can hold them out against gravity for about three seconds before they start dropping. “Very good. Now let’s see your hands — do you have all of your fingers?”

Still a little disorientated, I follow his instructions as best as I can. I spread my fingers, try to push his hands away, squeeze his fingers as tight as I can.

“Oof — not a bad grip,” he comments, “Now let’s have a look at your legs. Can you wiggle your toes?”

My toes wiggle just fine. “Great — and can you feel me touching you here — and here?” I nod my head in response to every question. “Next, try to kick me away, as hard as you can.”

“Nngh — nngh!”

My efforts are…pretty pathetic. I’ve definitely gotten weaker somehow. Still, he seems satisfied enough as he smiles appraisingly at me.

“Excellent job — you did great.”

“W-well?”

The guy on the chair peers at him expectantly. Dr Marz holds up a hand.

“No neurological deficits as far as I can see — there is notable proximal muscle weakness, but that is to be expected after the patient has been bed-bound these past few weeks.”

���But he will get better?” he asks again, eyes wide behind his glasses.

“...I’m sure with physiotherapy and exercises we can get them to a stronger state,” Dr Marz replies, “Although that might not be the same as their baseline, it will be better than now.”

“Arite — thank you, Vincent. That’s very reassuring to know.”

Dr…Spade glances down at me with a tiny smile. “You’ve been through a lot, lad, so you need to get plenty of rest. Ryan, could we get him — them — some water please?” I blink tiredly as my nurse hurries to get a cup of water for me. My eyelids already feel heavy and exhausted. “I think we’ll wait a bit before trying some more exercises. We don’t want to push you too hard.”

“Nuh uh…” I groan in agreement. The bed rises slowly to prop me up as Ryan returns with my water. He gently fits the straw between my teeth. I’m suddenly so parched that I start sipping feverishly, as if expecting him to take it off me again.

“Hey, easy. You’ll make yourself sick if you drink too fast. No rush, buddy.”

At his words, I try to slow down — but the damage is already done. Burning acid dribbles from my throat and out onto the bed-sheets. My nose turns back at the smell as I retch again, sweat streaking my forehead.

“Oh dear — let’s get you cleaned up, alright? Dr Slade, I think maybe you should…”

He gestures towards the door with his head. Dr Spade nods.

“...yes, I think we should. Let’s go, gentlemen — Viktor, that includes you.”

I can’t see them very well through my tears, but I get a brief flash of helplessness across the face of the doctor in the chair before he and the others quickly leave the room. Another flash reveals a boy at the window, staring in at me. Green eyes, freckles, brown hair. I have to retch again, bringing up pure bile as tears sting my eyes. The next glance I get, he’s already gone. Almost like a ghost.

“It’s okay. A little vomit never hurt anyone, right?”

Carefully, Ryan mops at my face and my shirt, slowly cleaning me up. All I can do is shake my head guiltily.

“S-sorry…s-sorry…” “What are you apologising for? You did nothing wrong.”

“I-I don’t know, I…I just…I-I don’t know anything…”

I trail off with a sniff. Ryan sends me a sympathetic look.

“It will come soon, buddy. Don’t force it too much.”

He rubs my back comfortingly. “How about we try that water again. You must be pretty thirsty — nice slow sips, okay?”

I sigh quietly, leaning forward ever so slightly to take the straw between my teeth again. This time, I make sure to take deliberate drawn out sips, gradually wetting my lips. As I begin to readjust to the simple act of drinking without choking again, a single word throbs in my brain. A single important…terrifying word. I don’t know why it scares me so much, but it does.

Parasite.

[luvly-writer]

“But oh..cara mía”

Ch. 7: Comfort only you bring

——————————————

Dick Grayson x Latina! Reader

Status: Ongoing

Warnings: Nightamres, trauma talk

Author’s Note: Midterms have me giving slow updates but I have not forgotten about you guys and this story. I swear it hunts me everytime i got to sleep as if telling me “you hAVE NOT FINISHED WRITING MEEEE AND YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO” like yes i want to but also academic validation yk? I do have the chapters thought out, just need to finish writing them! By the way! I am using this layout for the manor, TRULY HELPS. Enjoy!

Taglist: @lorosette @nanas-teatime @prettyacademia00 @mxtokko @sarahkaliii

Series Masterlist:

———————————————

You had left the cave in search of Dick. You had an idea of where he could be so you decided to check there first. Whenever Dick needed to clear his head when he was younger, he would constantly go to the third-floor balcony. His reason was that the peace would constantly soothe him because the guest rooms would be mostly empty by then. You get on the elevator and wait. You reflect on what happened and found it weird that Dick reacted negatively. He normally was more patient with Damian and when it came to his past, he was more composed. You were observing the toxin before the outburst and you promised to get back to it. The elevator dings and you walk out, straight to the balcony. Lo and behold, Dick Grayson was sitting on one of the chairs looking out to the garden. Dick hears your footsteps but doesn't turn around to look at you. "look who we have here..el pequeño pica flor" you softly say to him, seeing how he relaxes because of your presence.

(el pequeño pica flor means the little hummingbird)

Dick roughly chuckles, "you haven't called me that in a few years" You sit next to him and smile, "and you still haven't figured out what it means" you quip back. He tiredly laughs and responds, "yeah well every time I put it on translate and it only thing it says is pica flower and that truly doesn't help with anything" and you nod and smile. You finally ask him, "What was that all about?" and nudge him with your shoulder and Dick shudders. You turn to him and see a faraway look in his eyes. "I...I don't know". You both stay silent for a moment and you decide to speak up again, "What did you see?" You see Dick tense up and turn to look at you. You put your hand out and he holds it, slightly squeezing it. "....I saw him again...it began with a dark figure and then it became clearer. he was looking down at me, beating me up, and constantly saying how weak I was...he would say that he would come back, repeating it over and over again...' you will always find me in every dark corner of your mind' he would say and taunt me for being weak..at some point his images would mix with other things...Tarantula's assault...Joker killing Jay....almost everything came in a rush...and then Slade came back..taunting me once again but this time he would say that I was weak and everything was my fault...that I will never be able to truly protect anyone because all that I am is a failure..." he says, voice trembling. "Ay mi pica flor..." you say and pull him closer to hug him. Dick begins to tremble under your touch, crying his heart out.

You start to caress his head and murmur in his ear, "No..honey..no, it isn't true, you are not a failure Richard. You are a wonderful fighter and a great leader, you always bring more than enough to the table, so don't let these toxin-fueled visions lie to you. Remember, Slade is gone. He can't reach you, not anymore. He can't get to hurt you ever again, me or you. He will not come close to us again. Ok, Richard?" you pull his face out of your shoulder and make him look at you. The proximity makes you both look at each other tenderly, "You are a good man, a good leader, and a good fighter, Richard. None of those things were your fault. You were a child with Tarantula and she took advantage of you and Joker is the only one to blame for Jason's death, not you, not Jason, not Bruce. Only Joker." you say, making sure it gets in his head. He nods and places his head back on your shoulder as you comfort him. His cries die down after a while and he steps back. You both go back to sitting side to side.

"...thank you" he whispers hoarsely, still holding your hand and you squeeze his hand, silently telling him that it was okay. Soon after you both go back to the second floor and separate ways. That night he slept soundly yet as the week carried on, he would be found being hunted by the worst of terrors.

During the day, you would spend time researching the toxin and you could be found consoling Dick during the night. You had reported back to Bruce your analysis and he assigned you to research as much as you could cause this could possibly mean something bigger and you had to be prepared with an antidote. Even on the nights, you would be in Dick's room, you would be found on your laptop and iPad investigating. You were quite good friends with Ivy ever since she had reinvented herself and left her villainous ways behind so you decided to send a small sample to her and see if you could find out what was wrong. You would observe Dick's physical symptoms as you comforted him and write them down. A week had passed since the incident when Pamela finally sent you her analysis. A plant called nightmare realm was induced in the formula, hence causing the lasting side effect of this toxin. She had sent a package with the plant and a manual on how to manage it correctly, how to manipulate its properties to result from the toxin, and how to create a formula. She had also sent a few other plants that were needed for the formulas. That day you spent the entire time creating antidotes and sent one to Dick with Alfred. You had created quite a few in order to be prepared if the threat came.

Finally, Dick's night tremors calmed down and after a few days, the toxin was completely free from his body. You managed his vitals and he was completely healthy and ready to go back to the field. With that, things had gone back to normal. Damian, acting as your little shadow, would follow you everywhere, making sure to closely observe every time you interacted with Dick. He would note the way Dick would constantly hold his attention on you. Whether it was his pinky sometimes reaching for your hand, yet never fully touching it, just slightly caressing your hand before taking his hand off or searching for you after hours and placing a blanket on you if you had fallen asleep in the lab.

He wasn't going to lie, you both truly do fucking bicker. You jab at him, getting under his skin with a sly smirk while he glares at you and he would do the same in return. There were times when Damian would look at you both and not know if it was flirting or arguing. He had noticed that hostilities had lowered around and you would sometimes be seen actually not minding each other's company. A few weeks had passed like that, still no actual peace, but no hostility. So now Damian questioned if the two of you were okay, why didn't Dick ask you out or you him? You were aware of your feelings, why hadn't you done anything about it? Dick made his affections noticeable ('course that could be argued because Damian had been paying the uttermost attention to both of you so many things weren't actually noticeable unless you were actually observing the two of you. The two of you were good at hiding your affections). What was taking so long?

He decided to ask Barbara again. He walked up to her room and knocked on the door. "Come in" he heard her softly say. He went in and saw her laying on her bed watching a series he had no intention of knowing. "oh! hello Damian, come to ask more of Dick and yn?" she asked with a knowing look and Damian nodded, sitting at her desk chair. "Yes, how did you know?" he said and she chuckled. "You have done nothing but follow those two around and stare at them, I was wondering when you'd show up." Damian nodded, "Well then, I will continue with my question instead, why haven't they done anything about it? They show affection but hesitate to actually do something. It's exasperating," he said, making Barbara laugh and explain to him, "Damian, those two have been doing circles around the other for years now, unaware of the other's feelings. Better get comfortable cause this ain't changing any time soon. It's almost as if you are watching Bruce and Selina as well. The only difference is that Bruce and Selina are aware of each other's feelings, they just have commitment issues. Yn is aware of her feelings but unaware of Dick's. I am not sure if Dick is aware of his feelings buuuuut he is most definitely unaware of Yn's. Like I said, get used to it cause it will take a miracle to get those two to actually do something."

That day, Damian was left unsatisfied with the answer Barbara gave him. He wasn't used to waiting things out. He began a new plan. His mission was evolving. This new plan was the following: get Yn and Grayson to come to their senses.

Small Author's note: I had a plot point where the relationship between Dick, Jason, and Bruce after Joker was discussed and they had a trauma/relationship-healing moment but after evaluating the story, it wouldn't make sense so I'll leave it for a one-shot outside of the story. I wanted to write something about it but I thought that trauma bombing was going to be WAY too much, therefore, some things from the preview will be left out and written as their own story away from this one. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

___________________________________

<3

[anawrites3]

“Is she mine?”

Sladick

This is a bit dark because I got into Apprentice Dick mood so watch out :3

Dick couldn’t breathe. He was frozen under the heavy gaze of that ice-cold eye, pinned underneath it with no way to escape.

“Is she mine?” Slade demanded, voice as hard as the set of his jaw when he ground his teeth together.

He wasn’t meant to be here. He wasn’t meant to learn about it, not a word and not a whisper. Dick made sure to leave no trails when he left and he was so sure- it was over the year-

The baby in his arm babbled softly and only that made Slade look away from him. Dick felt as if a spell had been lifted off of him and he hurriedly took a few steps back, cupping his hand more protectively around his babygirl’s head.

“How did you find me?” Dick breathed out.

Maybe he shouldn’t have spoken at all because fury lit up in Slade’s eye like a flame. The man stepped closer and Dick backed away instinctively but it didn’t take more than a few more steps before his back was pressed against a wall with no way to escape.

“Answer me!” Slade growled, slamming a hand against a wall. Dick flinched, immediately shoving at Slade’s chest to push him away, keep him away to not crush his daughter. “Is she mine?”

And there was no point in lying, was there? Slade already knew the truth, he always did yet he always asked anyway, just to hear Dick say the words.

“Yes.” He whispered, throat tight even without Slade’s hand around it. “Yes, she is.”

“And yet you dared to hide her from me.” The man drawled lowly, grabbing Dick’s jaw and forcing his head higher, high enough for their eyes to meet properly again. “You dared to lie and to run. You thought I’d never find out, didn’t you, little bird?”

And maybe Dick should drop to his knees and beg, beg to be spared and forgiven. Slade liked it when he begged – there was no way the man would just forgive him, not for a sin like that, but he could get more merciful if Dick pleaded enough. But Dick was so tired. So tired of running, of always looking over his shoulder.

“I hoped-” He sobbed, chest heaving where his girl was pressed to his heart. “I hoped to never see you again. I hoped to lose you and everything you did to me but I knew- I knew it won’t be possible. Not for as long as she’s with me and I- I could never leave her, even if she reminds me of you every time I so much as glance at her.”

His Master watched him shake and cry, watching him as if he was something fascinating. And maybe he was, to Slade. To the man who did his damned best to take everything from him, who continued to take from him even when Dick ran away to the other side of the world.

“I should punish you.” Slade murmured, when Dick’s sobbing quietened down to just hitched breaths. He wiped at the tears adorning Dick’s face, his touch mockingly gentle. “And I will. I will punish you, Apprentice. But not now. After all, you did take good care of her.”

Dick continued to cry as Slade caressed his face, pressing gentle kisses to his forehead and cheeks.

“Please-” He cried, gripping Slade’s shirt with shaking fingers. “Please- don’t hurt her-”

Because it would be the easiest way to hurt him, the easiest way to make Dick obedient-

“Shh.” Slade stroked his fingers along Dick’s cheek. “She’ll be safe, you have my word. You just need to learn your place first, little bird. But you don’t need to worry about anything – I’m here now. I’m going to take care of everything.”

And as Slade gently took his daughter away from his arms, Dick didn’t doubt for a second that it was true.

---

I'm going off hiatus soon and I'm really really looking forward to the Apprentice Dick challenge I mentioned some time ago right here! So stay tuned guys <3

oh and maybe it's a good time to drop my ko-fi link. We learned recently that we need to do some renovation so please consider tipping me <3 No pressure of course but it would mean the world to me <33

You can find my ko-fi right here

[the-gay-disney-games]

I felt like this piece of propaganda for The Fox and the Hound deserved its own post (also I didn’t want to crowd that post lmao)

This movie can be read as a queer allegory so easily.

Firstly, it starts with a woman named Widow Tweed adopting a fox cub. Foxes are known in society as being dangerous, but she treats the fox cub like she would any other pet. Tod the fox is essentially domesticated like a dog. Tweed isn't shown to have any children, Tod is her child. She can be read as both a widow/single mother or as a lesbian/lgbt woman that lives alone and minds her business.

Then we have Amos Slade the hunter. He's portrayed as sort of redneck character, loves hunting a lot. He gets himself a new dog, a puppy named Copper, because his other dog Chief is getting too old. Amos is shown to be intolerant as a person through the fact that he tries to shoot at Tod when the fox cub is young and Tod was playing with Copper inside Amos' property. Tweed yells at him and rushes to grab Tod and take him away, while Amos yells back that she can't keep such a dangerous animal around and that Tod needs to be put down. He also doesn't want his puppy Copper have anything to do with Tod, despite the two young animals having a growing friendship.

Just through the adults, it shows the dynamics of a possibly queer woman raising a queer child being shunned by society and told their child is a menace and needs to be hurt or worse, versus a straight white man with traditional American values/love of guns wanting to keep their child away from 'the wrong sort' and believing he knows best.

Then we have the actual main backbone of the film, Tod and Copper's friendship. They're a very wholesome and adorable pair. When they first meet they're curious about one another, never seeing the other type of animal before, sniffing each other, asking questions. But they quickly start playing with each other. They get along amazingly well and are as thick as thieves. Copper has no preconceived notions that Tod is 'dangerous' and Tod doesn't realize that he's 'different' or that Copper's a hunting dog that would be trained to hunt him. They're equals and love to play and explore, and call each other their best friend. They promise they'll be friends forever. Of course that can't happen, because of Amos' stubbornness and intolerance, his rigidity to tradition. Tod is born a fox even if he's been domesticated and acts more like a dog, and foxes are bad. He takes Copper away to take him hunting in the woods for a year, ripping apart the friendship his puppy and the fox kit have.

The pair are adults when Copper comes back. Tod tries to sneak in to speak to him. Copper tells him that they can't be friends anymore, which saddens Tod, who wanted them to go back to how things were before when they were kids, the closeness they had. Chief finds out about Tod and barks for Amos, starting a chase. Copper catches Tod but lets him go, trying to divert his owner from Tod's trail. Chief however finds Tod and keeps chasing him. The two almost get killed by a passing train, with Chief sustaining an injury. This enrages Copper and Amos, all of them swearing vengeance on Tod. Tod is horrified that his old best friend now wants him dead. Tweed is in tears as she realizes how much in danger Tod is, so she goes to a reserve to let Tod back into the wild. Later Copper and Amos go to the same reserve to hunt Tod. The hunters accidentally stumble across a bear and it's provoked to attack. Copper tries to fight the bear off to protect his owner, who had dropped his gun. Copper nearly dies but Tod jumps in to help in the fight, and the two end up falling down a river/waterfall. Amos goes to find Copper again, finding him with Tod and is ready to shoot. Copper positions himself in front of Tod to protect him and show his owner he's not going back on his friend again. Amos lowers his gun, realizing that Tod saved their lives. Tod and Copper reconcile, promising they're still friends and sharing one last smile, before Copper leaves the reserve forever. When he's at home, Copper reminisces about the day he met Tod, smiling to himself before falling asleep.

This film is literally THE perfect queer allegory, it's just told through animals than through people. Tod and Copper are so very gay, that sort of weird stage in queer best friendship where you're sort of in love with one another, but can't come to admit it because of issues coming up (like homophobic parents).

Help me I didn't realize I wrote an entire research paper in your submissions, I'm so sorry, I just adore this film and think it's underrated.

[m-writes-at-4am]

maybe...if you write me a lil sladick drabble will i consider sharing my ideas.... :3

Mwah of course I’ll write for you.

-

Dick woke up cold, he whined when he saw the numbers on the clock said 4am. He curls closer to the heat he knows should be around.

His hands hit empty bed when he reaches out.

He cracks his eyes open to see no Slade in bed next to him. He sits up with the sheets pooling around his waist. With a quick scan to the room he can tell Slade’s phone is still sitting there.

“Slade?” Dick slides out of bed and across the floor as quiet as he can. He sees Slade bent over the small shrine Dick has under the living room window. He places a photo on the sill above the photos Dick has of his parents and Jason.

“I’m so sorry Grant. Happy birthday. We all wish you were here for it.”

Dick blinks, oh. He didn’t know Grant’s birthday was today.

“Baby? Want me here or back in bed?” Dick knows Slade heard him come in the room, he hears everything. Slade shakes his head, “no birdy. Let’s go sleep more. I’m sure you’re cold.”

When Slade makes it over to Dick he can only take his boyfriends hand, “I’m sorry.” Slade nods, he pulls Dick back to the bedroom, “it’s fine, we all made choices there.”

Dick nods. He’s pulled on top of Slade’s chest when they lay back down. “Love you.” Slade let’s out a shuddery breath, “love you too.”

Dick quietly thanks Grant for watching over Slade for so long, he knows they both wish Grant was alive but they never would’ve worked their shit out if he was. Dick closes his eyes and curls his arms as tight as he can around Slade, he loves this man. Wants to protect him. Even if Slade insists he doesn’t need it. Dick will watch out for him here while Grant watches everywhere else.

[matt0044]

RWBY being “childish” is far more a feature than a flaw.

I’ve been thinking about this since My Adventures With Superman started on Adult Swim. Though it shares a TV block with far more risque and PG-13 shows, it’s actually a TV-Y7 show sent there to avoid Davey-boy’s Max Axe (patent pending).

And a lot of people love it. Yes, you have doubters like how Live Wire is portrayed (so far, people) or Slade but plenty like how Clark Kent is the big blue boy scout actual fans have known him to be.

The fact is that if it was made for Adult Swim from inception, then chances are that it wouldn’t lean into such optimistic territory with Superman doing good for goodness sake or Lois and Jimmy being such delights. There’s likely to be some dark elements but none that other cartoons of today haven’t dipped their toe into within kids TV S&P.

That reminds me of RWBY except for the fact that the show never started out with kids in mind. Monty, Miles and Kerry even got their start writing for Red Vs. Blue which started as a dudebro web comedy and continued to be even as more epic elements were implimented.

RWBY easily could’ve been this Anime parody that took the piss out of the medium it was paying tribute to but there’s an earnestness to it that largely occurs with shows aimed at younger audiences or at least below older teens.

It could’ve gone for the type of Bathos that modern media has been racked over the coals for (despite it stemming from far more earlier examples like Action or Buddy Cop flicks) but it decided not to. I feel like that’s a significant factor in the “Childish” accusation.

It dares to say that Ironwood’s not the big strong general man who’ll see them through to Salem’s defect. It dares to say that Mantle isn’t just a few city blocks but full of people with a right to live and be protected. It dares to say that sacrifice shouldn’t even be the last option so much as not on the table at all.

It dares to say that a better world is possible with people who can better themselves.

And we need more stories outside of kids shows to dare and be that sincere. Hell, Anime overall has been popular because of a multitude of titles that dare to dream of a better world.

[ao3feed-sladedick]

Between Falling and Flying.

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/1aqhxKd by Sole_Solace_Soul The aftermath of Safety Net, in which the coffee is left to cool amidst other activities and building emotions. Words: 5843, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 2 of cause this world is a whirlwind (and i'm holdin' that trapeze) Fandoms: DCU, DCU (Comics) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: M/M Characters: Dick Grayson, Slade Wilson Relationships: Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson Additional Tags: Remember when I said there'd be a part 2 to safety net? haha here we areeeeee, And there'll probably be more too, anyways this one is called how far can I push Dick Grayson's daddy issues?, Trans Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Domestic Fluff, Dom/sub, Protective Slade Wilson, Slade Wilson is Deathstroke, Submissive Dick Grayson, Dominant Slade Wilson, We're edging on a Daddy kink here folks, Blow Jobs, Mind Control, Orgasm Control, Squirting and Vaginal Ejaculation, Dirty Talk, Rough Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Rough Kissing, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn, Control Kink, Strength Kink, Size Kink, Oral Sex, Oral Fixation, Brat Dick Grayson, Brat Tamer Slade Wilson, Top Slade Wilson, Bottom Dick Grayson read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/1aqhxKd

[mintaclestentacles]

JaySlade is awesome because yeah I know we barely have any character interaction in canon at all, but imagine if we did.

Jason clearly needs some validation and someone who accepts him as he is, Slade of course has no scruples at all about Jason killing pedophiles and rapists from time to time and actually encourages it. I can easily imagine Slade teaching Jason some of his trade secrets as well, because the kid is already damn skilled in fighting and knows how to wield any gun with exceptional skill. So take Slade who surely has a competency kink and make him work with the most cold-heartedly pragmatic of the Bats and well you see where this is going. 

Imagine Slade and Jason, one had lost his father, the other had lost his sons, both kind of getting over their loss through the other and starting to heal from that. Slade needs to have a young man in his life whose life he can improve instead of destroy, Jason needs someone with that aura of authority who will accept him and Jason is no exception to the rule of all Robins having Praise kinks a mile wide. 

I need more people to understand how well JaySlade work together. Both are very protective of children (I’m being selective with canon here, them endangering children is widely ooc, I don’t care about that.), both are loners, both are skilled gunmen, both are kind of complicated on the hero-villain scale. They are not what you would ever think the other needs, but they are absolutely what eachother need. Not soulmates as in predetermined by the universe, but soulmates in the sense of the fate you make for yourself.