#John: I did not ask for 5+ children | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

franklyimissparis · 2 months

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hi there can i ask what are your favourite fics??

ahhhhhh this was so hard to narrow down since i think i have something like 300 beatles fics bookmarked on ao3 (plus a ton saved from livejournal but i’ve only included ao3 ones here). at first i was gonna pick a top 5 or top 10 but that was too hard so here are my top 24-ish i think? could have picked a lot more tbh. i only included fics that are completed, even though there are a lot i love that are either WIP or abandoned. also didn’t include any modern AUs though there’s a lot of those that i love as well! if anyone has any specific requests for other fic reqs i’m always happy to suggest more :)

on our way back home by kathleenishereagain

this fic has the most kudos in the fandom for a reason! old paul time travels back to the touring days and his relationship with john changes from there. love the way they integrated the magical realism into this and it’s just such a beautiful, touching story.

knowing that the sun is there by tarenas

john comes out after brian dies. lovely look at john’s individual relationships with all of the beatles and cynthia (but especially his relationship with paul of course)

cutting water with a knife by savageandwise

may’s perspective on john and paul. love love love. heartbreakingly realistic and so poignant. feels like it could have been a cut chapter out of loving john.

i’m so tired, my mind is set on you by dornfelder

god how i wish this is what would have happened in india. i’ve read this fic so many times, it just feels so real i keep coming back to it.

india, actually by inspiteallthedanger

jane notices that john’s india tapes are all of paul a la love actually. love jane in this and paul and john’s dynamic is great.

grow old with me by inherownwrite

john and paul in scotland in the 80s - paul breaks his arm and gives john a fright. such a tender picture of what could have been had things not ended how they did.

i was a younger man then (now) (post hoc) by fingersfallingupwards

using the time traveller’s wife premise in quite literally the best way i have ever read. the way it unfolds is…. stunning.

having coffee by dornfelder

old paul and john reflecting on life and being outed in the 80s through an interview. lovely.

to lead a better life by downtothelastdrop

1966 ringo mistakenly thinks john and paul are together, leading to a revelation of paul’s own.

going nowhere by inspiteallthedanger

fix-it where after surviving the shooting, john moves back to england.

if i could choose my own name, it’d be the one that falls best from your lips by kandakicksass

one of my favourite reincarnation fics ever. i really enjoyed how simple it was, how the pieces just slid into place so naturally.

the birthday party by merseydreams

everyone reunites for ringo’s 40th in july 1980. an excellent look at the dynamic between all the bugs and how things could have gone.

something old something new by inspiteallthedanger

john shows up to pattie and eric’s wedding causing a beatles reunion for the first time in years and some shenanigans and talks with paul. this fic is hilarious and THIS is my george, i love him so much

1967 by please_dont_wake_me

paul and john stay in paris after their 1961 trip. they return to liverpool in 1967 as a couple. this feels so real, the way every minor character is written… the dynamics between them all - every detail is excellent.

the beatles holiday au series by econhomework

an AU that follows john and paul (and george/ringo) being a committed couple in the 60s/70s and having their children via surrogacy. i’ve been subscribed to this series for years now and it’s a lot of fun getting an update that builds upon the last around every holiday, giving a little snippet into their lives as the kids grow up chronologically. (they also have other fics set in this AU in their beatles fic requests series)

the brother dearest series by javelinbk

jim and mimi get married, causing john and paul to become step-brothers (sort of). interesting premise and an even better execution of it. not to mention the idea of jim and mimi getting together will never fail to make me laugh (but also sort of makes a lot of sense???)

how much was mine to keep by mynamesbetty

paul is ‘unstuck in time’ and lives his life out of order a la slaughterhouse five (one of my favourite novels). done very well.

take a sad song and make it better by javelinbk

1980s paul moves his ex-boyfriend into his house because he’s an idiot but i love him. great fix-it.

christmas lights (keep shinin’ on) by distinguished_like

paul invites john to the mccartney family christmas party, leading to some discussions between the two. very cute early years fic.

here today by herspecialagent005

december 1980 except john and paul are hosting a dinner party for some friends in scotland, with magical realism elements. ugh loved this so much, especially linda and just all the little details of john and paul settling into a life together.

kissing the blarney by tikk

paul is the blarney - this turns into a superstitious ritual in the band which emotionally complicates things but ends very satisfyingly.

writing letters (on my wall) by 15clubsaday

70s paul writes to john under a pseudonym while they aren’t speaking. newly finished and wonderful!

the jumper by merseydreams

john sees denny laine wearing HIS jumper and flies back to england to retrieve it. this fic has everything: miscommunication, john being a dumb shite, jealousy, confused denny laine, paul in all his 70s glory, and lesbian linda. truly could not ask for more.

back to where you belong by sleeprettydarling

george on johnandpaul throughout the early years. i’m a big sucker for the george & johnandpaul dynamic and how complicated and devastating it can be so naturally i loved this.

#sorry this is so long anon! but thanks for the ask hope you found some new fics to check out! :)#asks #mclennon #beatles fic #john and paul #beatles rpf #john lennon #paul mccartney #the beatles

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the-froschamethyst4 · 6 months

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When you meet his kids

John Price Headcanons

——————

——————

You were definitely nervous to finally meet Price’s children

When you both started dating he didn’t want to share that he had kids till he knew she was the one for him

He has a son named Beau and a daughter named Iris

Iris is a sweet and kind girl who did t care if someone wasn’t her mom as long as he daddy was happy

Beau was very much skeptical about Y/n for the first time. Price has been with other women before Y/n and every time it never ends well

Price was nervous as well on how his kids will act around his now soon-to-be wife

“Hi, Y/n,” Iris said with a soft smile and putting her hand out

Y/n took it and shook it. “Nice to meet you too, Iris. I’ve heard so much about you, you’re so lovely,” Y/n said.

“You’re just trying to get on her good side because you want something,” Beau said but he got smacked upside the head by Price.

“Be nice, Beau,” he said in a low voice.

“Why are you with my dad?” Beau asked.

“Because I love him.”

“Him or his money?”

“Him and only him,” she said being calm.

“I’m not buying that…every women he’s been with wants his money…I know you want it.”

“With respect Beau…I have my own money, I don’t need your father’s money,” Price smiled at Y/n.

Beau was slightly impressed that she was standing up for herself the others would have crumbled knowing they’ve been caught

Y/n had dinner with Price and his kids. Iris was already attached to Y/n and doesn’t want her to go, after dinner Iris showed Y/n her room and showed her the toys Price has brought her from his missions, Y/n smiled at the toys

Iris gave Y/n a toy that Price brought from China and Iris said it's one of her favorites. Price leaned against the doorframe watching Iris tell Y/n about the 'adventures' her toys went on

Beau rolled his eyes when he watched Iris and Y/n play together

Iris kind of seeing Y/n as a someone she could play with instead of a mom and that's fine with Y/n as long as everyone is happy

Price held Y/n's hand as they sat on the couch watching TV together, Iris was in bed due to her early bedtime and Beau played video games in his bedroom for the rest of night till Price wants to go to bed

Beau was playing a 1st person shooter game and Y/n went upstairs to go speak with Beau to let him know everything will be okay

She knocked before she entered his bedroom, he removed one of the headphones covering his right ear and looked at Y/n, he groaned, rolling his eyes and focusing back on his game

"I know you don't like me and that's okay, I'm not here to replace your mom in any sort of way-"

"But you are or else you wouldn't be here," Beau said.

"You...You might have a point...but...I will only love you as much as I can even if you don't like me...I've never been a mom before let alone a stepmom before and...I know you don't like me and you have the right to never ever like me-"

"Right, can you go now, I want to play my game," Beau said, placing his headphone back on his right ear.

"Oh, I know this game...my brother played it all the time," she said, sitting next to him on the bed.

"Did you play it?"

"Every now and then but I'm not that good," she said as an idea popped in Beau's head.

"Here...you try," Beau pushed the controller into her hands.

"Okay..." Y/n was flipping through skins and guns, ammo, and upgrade the skills. Beau was kind of impressed, she was fast, and her character looked amazing.

Y/n then started to game, and she was dropped into a random part of the map, he passed her his headphones and immediately shot at an opponent.

Beau was impressed with how she played, she didn't hesitant to shoot some opponents and collected some new guns that even Beau has never collected before

Beau was stunned when Y/n was in the top 5 with the most kills in 1 round

"Wow," he said, she took off the headphones and gave him the controller back.

"Yeah...I'm not that good-"

"NOT THAT GOOD! THAT WAS AMAZING!!"

It's been close to a year now. The kids love Y/n, and the kids and her now have days where they do mother and kids bonding time together.

Iris and Y/n every Friday night will play 'Iris's dolls adventure'

And every Saturday night, Beau and Y/n play the video game that Y/n was 'bad at'

Price and Y/n also spend every Thursday night as a 'date night' because their mom gets them every Tuesday and Thursday

Their mom...hates Y/n...because she's young and has more attention from her kids and her ex-husband. Why does she care about her ex-husband? Because she was told by him that she is his one and only but not anymore

They got the divorce because Price's ex-wife was a workaholic constantly working and not spending time with the kids or her 'husband'

Beau and Iris came running into house excited to see their stepmom, Y/n bent down and hugged the two kids, she kissed their temples

"How was school?" She asked them.

"Good." Iris said.

"Boring," Beau said, his usual answer when he came home.

"Well go get cleaned up, and get you things together, your mom is coming to get you two," Y/n said as the kids groaned and headed to their rooms.

Price walked through the door of his home seeing Y/n fix them some food. Price has to be home when his ex-wife comes to collects the kids.

He knows Y/n is capable of making sure everything goes smoothly, it's just the fact of his ex-wife hating Y/n and she tries to start things with Y/n.

“Daddy, I don’t want to go,” Iris groans as she came downstairs.

“I know, baby, but it’s part of the court, it’s just for today and you come home to us tomorrow afternoon,” he said, kissing her forehead.

They waited on the porch for their mother. Y/n stood close to Price and the kids sat on the porch stairs and played with the rocks, then they saw their mother car pull into the driveway with music blasting mainly 'heartbreak' songs.

Happier by Olivia Rodrigo, Good in goodbye by Madison Beer, Online Lovers by Conan Gray, and Backstabber by Kesha

Price rolled his eyes at her being dramatic.

"Come on, kids," she yells. Beau got up first and Price picked up his daughter taking her down the porch stairs and placing her into the backseat. "Does she really have to watch?"

"Yes...she's a witness in case anything happens," Price said.

"Like what John? You afraid I might call the cops again?"

"You called them because the kids told you no on a visit and you calmed, I was holding them hostage...I'm not putting them through that again, I almost lost them because of you and reckless behavior," Price said as she smirked and pulled out of the driveway.

"Price?"

"I fucking hate her," he said as he walked towards her and moved her inside.

"Do you think everything will be okay?"

"I'm not sure...Beau knows my number that if anything happens, he can call me and let me know," Price said.

Price and Y/n tried to get over what had happened, Price picked at the food and Y/n placed hers down.

"Did I not make it right?" She asked.

"No, it's good, love...I'm just worried about the kids."

"I understand, Price...we can stop eating and you can call them."

"I can't, she has the right to decline my calls...so I can't even reach them."

"We can get Beau a phone."

"He's too young," Price said, leaning back.

Price and Y/n cleaned up around the kitchen and Y/n was dancing to a random beat in her head. Price was confused and watched her do some small random dances

"What are you doing?"

"Huh? Oh, I don't know, it's just a random tune in my head," she said as she turned to him still doing those small dances

"Are you trying to cheer me up?"

"A bit..." she said.

Price smiles and joins in on the small dances

#cod modern warfare #cod mw2 #cod mwii #cod x reader #fandom #fanfic #call of duty #mw2 #cod #price x reader #cod price #captain john price #john price #captain price #price

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viviennevermillion · 6 months

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Theory about Fellow's backstory:

Some things I'd like to bring to your attention:

Fellow states that he wasted a few more years than the NRC students and slid non-committally through life until he was over 20 and became "employed"

Playful Land has recently become a trend and a fabled place everyone wants to go to. So far we have no information on what the amusement park was like before it became popular, so it might not have existed for that long

Fellow, while being the manager of Playful Land, clearly has a boss who threatens to cut his and Gidel's salary and he doesn't seem to get along very well with his superiors, even seems to hate them as he implies they are the rich people he appears to despise.

Gidel seems interested in going to a school

Now, I haven't personally seen Pinocchio except during my very early childhood, but I have looked up Honest John and apparently he has a boss called the Coachman and according to the wikia Honest John even sympathizes with Pinocchio and reacts with horror to the Coachman's plans to enslave the children

Fellow seems enraged when the topic of money is brought up and Yuu asks him if he does all this "just" for money and he talks about the students going to school as though they are very privileged etc.

This is still a Disney game and Fellow will likely get a card next year the same way Rollo did, which means he needs to be marketable. He's already marketed as the pretty new villain. They could still surprise me but for now I find it rather unlikely that they'll make Fellow a full-on human trafficker out of his own free will for the sake of evilling or some petty revenge / self-hatred reason

So my take so far is that Fellow is going to be the villain we deal with in this event just how Rollo has been but he is NOT the big bad of this amusement park scam. Taking all of this into consideration, I think Fellow is very much complicit in the crimes committed in this event but likely not of his own free will. So far, from what we know about him and assuming Disney won't go as far as make him an irredeemable human trafficker (they might but I still find it unlikely), he reads like someone who is trapped in what we call a "Knebelvertrag" (literal translation: 'gag contract') in my language; i.e. an unequal and unfair contract aiming to (1) create a power imbalance between the victim and the party that benefits from the contract, (2) restrict the victim in their autonomy to make free decisions, (3) make it difficult for the victim to refuse entering the contract, (4) make it even more difficult for them to exit the contract and often (5) make them dependent on the contract.

My theory is that Fellow was one of the first people they trafficked and he is likely useful enough for his superiors to employ him rather than to give him the puppet treatment. He might have had to choose between working for them or being turned into a puppet and sold. He might be responsible for them sparing Gidel from the puppet treatment as well.

Fellow was likely poor and apparently never went to a school from the looks of it. He might have been an orphan or from a bad home and in general the prime victim for human trafficking: someone very few people would look for if he went missing. I suspect that the fact that they can now pull this shit with students from a prestigious school and famous people is due to Fellow's magic and is a development that only happened AFTER he started working there, which explains the recent spike in popularity of Playful Land and that no one investigated them despite all this.

I can imagine there being a lot of brainwashing from the superiors involved such as:

making him feel like he can't survive without this job

making him hate the children who come to Playful Land because they're these privileged people who have what Fellow could never have had growing up

making him believe he can't cut ties with Playful Land without like, the superiors finding him and taking him out of the picture

making him feel like no one would believe him if he asked for help

Again, this is all based on the assumption that he's gonna get a sad backstory like Rollo. The other option would be to make him our first irredeemable villain.

The topic of this event is way heavier and more serious than stripping people of their magic power; it's human trafficking, a horrifying crime that actually exists in our world and if they want to make Fellow someone we can sympathize with they're gonna have to give him one hell of a backstory. "He suffered a loss and is full of self-hatred or jealousy" isn't going to cut it this time. Having him suffer with the guilt about his actions isn't going to cut it this time. Because this is not a mentally ill 18-year-old who's taking people's magic away, this is a fully grown adult man working for a human trafficking scam.

THIS on the other hand is realistic. These circumstances are tied to the topic of human trafficking and this would make more sense as a backstory for Fellow than anything else I can come up with for now. Sure you have the kids who are being held hostage and sold but that's just one facet of the whole thing. Not every case of trafficking is a prisoner in a shady cellar. Some of them are people who are in exploitative contracts and coerced and feel like they can't leave without severely endangering their lives.

Not saying Fellow is a victim or a poor little meow meow because at this point we still have no idea where they'll go with the rest of the story, they might just make him petty and evil. But if they'll take the sympathetic route, this is what makes sense for me as his backstory without making it feel like he got off too easily or like the story excuses his behavior.

For all I know he could just turn out to be complicit in human trafficking because he never got any chances and thinks the privileged kids deserve this and we could just beat him up and throw him in prison but that'd be a first for this game.

Anyway, what do you guys think Fellow's backstory will be?

#twst spoilers #twst jp #stage in playful land #fellow honest #twst fellow #twisted wonderland #twst

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footballerimaginess · 30 days

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Easter Bunny

I don't normal requests fics but one just pop into my head like you know how john dressed up in that bunny costume maybe something like that he did it for his daughter but then his daughter upset with him when she seems him later coz he missed the bunny as she doesn't know it was him dress up John Stones Word Count: 580 "Look baby, we have something for you. Do you remember what today is?" you crouched down to her height as she swung her basket around in the air. "Easter" she whispered gently.

"Yes, well we have a little surprise for you. As you have been such a good little girl at school recently, the Easter bunny is coming to see you and we need to have your basket filled with all the eggs" you smiled as you could see her looking behind you. "BUNNYYYYYYY" She squealed as loudly as she could, practically in your ear as you jumped up as the bunny was walking into the garden. "Hello little girl, nice to meet you. I have hidden lots of eggs around the garden and I want you to collect them all up for me" the bunny asked Lola as she collected her basket up after she put it down being so excited as she hugged the bunny. "Lola, you have a timer set. We have 10 minutes to go and find all of the eggs. Time starts now" you shouted as you pressed the timer. You stood and took photos as you watched Lola running around the garden picking up all the eggs that you and John managed to hide earlier on that day. "Ahh Lola, come on you can do it" you shouted as the bunny now was slowly creeping up on her as she picked up the eggs. The timer buzzed off of your phone, the 10 minutes were complete. "Come on, come over here and we can count all the eggs up" Lola ran up to you straight away with her basket filled to the top with eggs. "1, 2 ,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20" You handed the basket back to Lola as she was jumping up and down, all hyper after the egg hunt. "Well done baby, now go and give the Easter bunny the biggest cuddle and say goodbye. He has to go and visit some other lucky children now" you grinned as you watched Lola cuddle the bunny. "That was such a great afternoon, I am so glad you got to meet the Easter bunny. Aren't you a lucky girl" you pulled her in for a big cuddle. "Where's Daddy?" Lola asked you as you shook your head, not letting on that he was in the costume. "Daddddddy" Lola screamed as she ran up to John. "I am sad" Lola pouted, mother like daughter as you watched her pouting. "Why is that baby?" John asked as she folded her arms across her chest. "You missed the bunny, he gave me lots of chocolates and you didn't see him. So you aren't getting any of my chocolate" she huffed. "Oh baby, sorry I had an important phone call I couldn't miss. Are you sure I can't get one? pretty please" John batted his eyelids as she instantly fell for it and handed him a small egg. "How did you manage that honestly, she has you wrapped round her little finger. Missing out on seeing the bunny but you still get chocolate. Never change John" you laughed. "I know, I am amazing. I can't help it" John smirks. "I did love you in that bunny costume though" you also had a smirk showing on your face. "I bet you did, I will wear it to bed next time" he let out a laugh.

#john stones imagine #john stones x reader #football imagine #football imagines #football x reader #football one shots #football one shot #futbol imagines #futbol imagine

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blingblong55 · 10 months

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To live without- 141+Alejandro

Based on a request:

Hii can I make a request for some angst?? Maybe the reader having an argument with the TF 141 + Alejandro, inside the car or anywhere resulting to a break up?? Cause I'm a sucker for angst, thankss 🫶

F!Reader, angst, established!relationship, break-ups, cheating (not all)

A/N: This will be in 5 parts

Part 1 (John Price), Part 2, (Soap), Part 3 (Gaz), Part 5 (Ghost)

It has been a stressful few months for him, between his job, you, his own safety and yours, let alone the current argument over her. It's why you and he are now in the car, having this argument.

Alejandro:

A mission ruined what used to be something so special and unique. All because of a man who has too much pride to admit he is jealous that his friends and coworkers find you lovely and fun to hang out with. Currently, he is stuck having thoughts about some woman in his team, she's new and was sent from Laswell, so he knows she is just as good for his team.

The downfall of your marriage started way before her though, she was just the last nail in the coffin. He had been sneaking around for months and at first, it was because of the anniversary gift he had made for you. Now, he was sneaking around like some teenager. For weeks on end, he would have late-night gym sessions, early-morning meetings and excuses to extend his stay on base.

Tonight after a much-needed out in the town with him, he accidently slipped her name out. "Natalia, me puedes pasar mi teléfono por favor?" the second you both came to the realisation, he started to make excuses. You never said a word and that's when his insults came in, he bashed and cursed you out. Telling you how horrible of a wife you are, criticising your body, your way of speaking, cooking and even the once healthy sex life you both shared.

"Enough, Alejandro Vargas!"

That's when he knew you were absolutely upset and engraved by him. You only called him by his full name in moments like this. You looked at him as he kept driving.

"You keep fucking saying shit about me, but where the fuck are your own truths!" All he did was stay silent because now he has made the bomb tick.

"Amor-" he tried to calm you down. "Do not fucking call me that! You have lost that fucking right and you have lost me with it because having me, being married to me and even being in my fucking presence is a privilege!"

He tried to hold your hand and you pushed him away. "I know you are cheating on me, I am not as stupid as you think I am. Best believe if there is a stupid one in this marriage is you." Your words are like a dagger.

"Let me explain-"

"I am not listening to you give me some bullshit explanation, Alejandro. I am done with you and this bullshit thing we call a marriage." You gripped on your purse, knowing well you had to finally let it out.

"Please, amor-"

"I want a divorce." You don't look at him, not daring to even make eye contact after asking such a thing.

At that moment, he slowly pulled over and stayed silent, tears forming in his eyes as he looked at the dashboard. You are both silent. The end of a marriage and the beginning, for him at least, of the what-ifs. All you did to stay and all he did to keep you away. At this moment, for you, you thought of your children, and how hard this would be on them but it's better this way.

To live without

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pacentia · 5 months

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Pairing: female human!reader x Homelander

Setting: somewhere post season 3

Synopsis: just a lil drabble about providing John the home and the family that he so desperately craved.

Tags: nsfw cause it's Homelander, sweetness, intimacy, love, Homelander has his kids, Homelander relaxes for once

Note: my boyfriend made me watch The Boys. Little did he know I was going to develop a pathological crush on a broken homicidal maniac ❤️

“Daddy, look!”

It was a simple word that John was never going to take for granted. A word that his super-hearing could pick out of a thousand voices from miles away. If any -fucking- one would ever dare lay a hand on his beautiful and pure daughter - John swore he was going to -

“John, get out of your head.” You smiled at your lover, America’s most powerful superhero, the man that you called your husband. He lounged on the patio of your spacious mansion in Long Island, American flag waving in the wind, overlooking the big green gated garden in which your baby girl Jane was playing and running around. At last, he was finally enjoying a day off from all of those idiot cocksuckers at Vought, his words.

John’s stoic face snapped into a broad smile, accompanied by a million micro-expressions when you joined from the kitchen, bringing freshly baked chocolate cookies into the scene. Honest to God, he had everything that his pained heart missed in front of him: a perfect wife, his son Ryan, and his baby Jane. The young girl’s eyes widened, and she ran like a speedster to the source of the smell.

“When your daughter asks you to look, you better look.” You grinned, placing a soft kiss on his unruly blond locks, taking a bite from one of your cookies. John grinned to himself, and reached out his strong arms to his daughter, inviting the girl in his arms. She didn’t hesitate to jump right in his lap. “Here, a flower for daddy.” Jane giggled, placing a pink flower in his blonde hair.

The combination of a pink flower decorating his hair, and the violent background that he possessed was quite a hilarious contrast. The Supe didn’t give two fucks about that, he’d let his daughter put a whole fucking flower crown on his head. Anything she wanted was law. Your children were incredibly spoiled, because John wanted everything for them that he’d never got to experience. He had a rocky start with Ryan, but John had learned patience in time, much against his own nature.

You weren’t related to Ryan in any way, but you knew what had happened 5 years ago when he first released his heat gaze. He went through traumatic stuff, and you were always there to comfort him. His dad taught him how to harness his growing powers over the years, but he was too shy to get introduced to the Seven and Vought and all that shit. Vought was a huge fan in pushing Ryan to follow in Homelander’s footsteps, to become the next commander of the Seven. However, John quickly realized that his son expressed little interest, so he zapped that idea down (much to his own pain).

To the outside world, Homelander was still the same heroic figure. To Vought, he was the same nightmare to deal with.

But you loved him.

All of him. All of his insecurities, his simultaneous God complex, his devious desires and his bloodlust. He was convinced that his kind was the master race, but you, a mere human, held a special place in his heart. You were his darling girl that was able to give him a home, and accepted him for the fucked up man that he was. He had already incinerated and executed people for you. It’s a way he showed his devotion to you.

And he’d do anything to keep that little princess in his arms safe, no matter the cost. Same with Ryan, and with you.

#homelander #homelander x reader #homelander x you #dadlander #the boys #homelander fanfiction

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zablife · 1 year

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Tachipen (Part 5)

Summary: With the flip of a coin, Tommy makes a deal to bring a young gypsy girl into the Shelby clan. Considering her too young to marry, he takes pity on her and employs her as a nanny for John’s children instead. The arrangement soon sours when Tommy believes his horse has been cursed and demands her help stealing from the Lees. When she seeks solace in John’s company, an innocent romance blossoms, but a war with the Lees and Polly’s poorly-timed advice drive them apart in a way that will change their history forever. As the scenes from the present reveal, Y/n must watch the Shelby men go on to love others while she is shut out. However, the events of one tragic afternoon could change everything.

Author’s Note: After a 5 month hiatus, this story is back! I'll be updating more regularly now that I've outlined more of the fic. The story is told through flashbacks, but I will note the year. Tommy meets y/n in 1919 and the story goes thru present time which is the year of the vendetta, 1925.

Warnings: language, ethnic slur, implied smut, mention of pregnancy, mention of arranged marriage

Part 4

1924

The frosted glass shook as Polly forcefully closed John’s office door, her eyes darting from you to her nephew. “What is this I hear about the two of you sniping at one another like bloody children?”

You and John both started speaking at once and Polly shouted over you to assert authority. “That’s enough! John, perhaps you could explain why you’re even in the office today?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow at him. “Y/n is perfectly capable of supervising the other girls.”

John opened and closed his mouth a few times in shock, giving the appearance of a fish out of water before you interjected. “He’s been hovering over me for weeks, Pol. Won’t let me finish one fucking job without trying to find a mistake!”

John pointed a finger in your direction as he retorted, “If she could keep her mind on her work instead of her love life for a change--”

“Would you stop?!" you screamed, interrupting him mid-sentence. You felt the emotion welling in your chest and did your best to keep from crying. Running a shaky hand through your hair, you took a deep breath to regain control before continuing your plea to Polly. "I did as I was told. I broke up with Angel and I apologized…” you stopped before you broke down, then continued with the part that stung most, “for the inconvenience.” Those had been the words Arthur insisted you use. He’d probably consulted Linda about it at the first sign of trouble, you thought bitterly.

Polly softened at your show of emotion, reaching across the table for your hand. “Alright, I think I understand. John, would you leave us, please?” John nodded with clenched jaw, pushing out of his chair with more force than necessary. He looked back at you as he crossed to the door and you swore you saw a brief shadow of remorse cross his handsome features though you couldn’t be sure with the lingering tension between you.

When you were finally alone, Polly began, “Y/n, I’m sorry about this. I know you’re upset about the Changretta boy and I don’t blame you, but what’s done is done. And you must understand that John is under a lot of stress at home. I’m not sure if you know this, but there's another little one on the way,” she said hesitantly.

“Again?” you nearly shrieked. It was the third time in the nearly four years he'd been married.

Polly nodded slowly. “You see why he’s so on edge lately?”

You swallowed thickly, thinking of how chaotic the household must be with six children, soon to be seven. Although you attempted a shred of compassion for his new wife, you couldn’t manage it. “Yes, I understand,” you said in a quiet monotone. “He has a lot of people depending on him.” It was what Polly wanted to hear so you spoke the words, turning your head away so she couldn’t read your expression.

“Exactly. I know it doesn’t excuse his behavior here, but we all have to learn to get along,” she advised, giving your hand a gentle squeeze before leaving you alone in the room. A bitter laugh escaped your throat at the thought of any of you living peacefully after all you’d inflicted upon one another.

—————————————————-

1919

As the first rays of dawn broke, you sat up in bed, face aching from the bruise across your cheek and your mind reeling from the events of the previous day. If Tommy hadn’t trusted you before, there was no hope for you now with so much cash missing from the betting shop, especially when he learned the Lees were to blame. How could he not think you were involved?

Panic setting into your bones, you decided to make a hasty retreat from Polly’s house while you still could. Despite the throbbing in your wrist, you slipped your dress over your head and silently turned the bedroom doorknob, giving the hallway a quick glance for occupants. With no signs of activity, you slipped quietly down the steps and right to the front door, knowing this would be the most difficult part of your escape. The rusty hinges creaked loudly and you cringed at the noise, well aware of how it carried throughout the house. Rightfully so as Tommy’s voice beckoned to you at the sound. “Where are you off to so early?” his husky voice called out.

You spun around to face him, heart pounding in your chest as you waited for his wrath to rain down upon you. You calculated the distance to the street, wondering if you might still be able to outrun him, when he suddenly closed the distance between you, shutting the door with a gentle push.

As he stared into your eyes, he spoke again in a much softer voice. “I misjudged you."

You held your breath realizing how close he stood, the heat radiating off his body into yours. Transfixed by the intensity of his bright, blue eyes, you couldn’t help but stare back at him. The anxious flutter you felt in your stomach intensified as you waited to hear what he thought he knew about you.

“What you did for Ada last night was…” he looked away for a moment as he tried to find the words to express the gratitude he felt upon hearing of Ada’s difficult labor and delivery. “Well, my sister and nephew are alive because of you. You could have gone with the Lees, but you stayed here,” he said, emphasizing the last part. You realized he was recognizing the loyalty in your decision, though for you it had been a matter of common decency.

“Thank you,” he added hesitantly and you could tell from the way he said it, he didn’t make a habit of ingratiating himself to others.

“I only did what I thought was right,” you said, averting your eyes to the floorboards.

One look at your tense posture and Tommy took a step back to give you air. He gestured toward the table as he asked, “Will you sit with me?” You nodded slowly, crossing to join him at the kitchen table. Tommy took a seat and lit a cigarette, leaning back and tilting his head as he searched the ceiling through the rings of smoke. Then the words tumbled forth, breaking the awkward silence unexpectedly.

“About that night in the stable… I brought you here to look after my family and I had to know I could trust you. Charlie thought you might have put a spell on the horse and for a moment I believed him.” Sitting up and looking you in the eye he added, “But when I asked you for the truth, I could tell by your reaction that it wasn’t your doing.”

Your eyes grew wide at his confession. You hadn’t expected him to speak of it ever again and the thought of him bringing it up now made you shudder. With a dismissive air and bitter tone you pushed it away saying, “M used to it. No one trusts gypsies.” You hugged your arms around your body to still your trembling limbs, hoping Tommy would’t recognize weakness in you.

“It’s not right though,” he said looking you in the eye. “I should never have…”

“No, you shouldn’t, you bastard” you interjected, jaw firmly set at the mention of his cruel treatment.

Tommy sucked his teeth as he flicked ash into a mug, giving your jab a moment to wash over him before responding. “I suppose I deserve that, but I want to make amends. Can we start fresh?” Tommy asked, blue eyes searching yours intently.

“Yes, I think so,” you agreed reluctantly, unsure how this turn of events had happened.

“Good,” he said with a nod. “Because I’d like to invite you to have a seat at the next family meeting.”

Your head was still swimming with Tommy’s apology so you weren’t quite sure you heard correctly. “What? When?” you sputtered.

“Today, we have to go on the offensive now that the Lees have struck a blow and you’re our best hope of understanding their way of thinking,” Tommy explained.

You touched the bruise on the right side of your face that was turning to a dark shade of purple, thinking of how your sister was one of them by now. What would your scheming do to her, you wondered?

While you were lost in thought, Tommy leaned forward to examine your swollen wrist and you cried out at his touch. He lifted your hand and moved it carefully to see if there were any broken bones, a skill he’d learned during the war while attending to his men. Nodding thoughtfully he replied, “You’ve got a sprain. You should let me wrap it.”

“Alright,” you agreed, watching as Tommy fetched a bandage and efficiently went about his work, a fresh cigarette hanging from his lower lip. His touch was surprisingly gentle and your mind wandered to the times you’d watched him with the horses. You recalled how they’d responded to him without the use of a whip, only the sound of his voice over the noise of the scrap metal yard. You couldn’t deny that there was something about his presence in this moment that you found calming.

The roughness of his voice cut the silence as he spoke for the first time since he began tending to you. “I’ll be off to John’s now,” he said with a nod as he stamped out his smoke and before you could ask anything more he was gone, leaving you in quiet contemplation of your new role within the family and everything you thought you knew about Tommy.

————————————-

“Open up!” A voice bellowed out before John’s front door swung open, footsteps falling hard and fast on the stairs leading to the bedroom.

John sat up quickly, pulling the duvet over his naked body before reaching for his revolver on the nightstand. Tommy burst in with John cursing, “Fuck, Tommy! When will you learn to knock?”

“When will you learn to lock your bloody door? The Lees could still be in town for all we know,” Tommy scolded.

As the brothers argued, the woman beside John began to stir at the sound of their shouting. As she rolled over to face John, Tommy’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as he caught sight of the woman’s familiar dark curls. John covered her quickly though he knew Tommy had already spied his secretary.

John tossed his gun onto the bedside table as he waved his brother off. “Alright, that’s enough! Get out!”

“Fine, but get dressed quickly. There’s business to discuss,” Tommy said, turning to leave. Then hesitating for a moment he called over his shoulder, “Lizzie, I want you at work by nine!”

She inhaled a sharp breath beneath the covers, embarrassed at being caught in bed with the boss’s younger brother. She’d gone to the Garrison to celebrate the new baby with everyone else from the office, but it was Tommy she’d been after. John just happened to be the brother who stumbled into the snug first.

After donning her dress and shoes, Lizzie leaned over with a warm smile and gave John a tender goodbye kiss. His head pounding from the hangover, he gave her only a sliver of affection in return, the reality of what he’d done hitting him full force. When he closed his eyes the only person he could see was you.

“I’ll be going, but I’d like to do this again. You never call me anymore,” she said biting her lip. Pulling back to study him she noticed John’s baby blue eyes didn’t dance with light as they had the night before.

“Listen, Lizzie…” he began, but Tommy interrupted, calling to him from downstairs. “We’ll talk later, yeah?” he said and she nodded cheerfully before pulling on her heels and clicking down the hall.

By the time John joined Tommy in the kitchen, Tommy was pacing like a wild animal. “Where the fuck were you yesterday, eh?” he asked, pointing a finger at his brother.

John rubbed a hand over his face and shook his head slightly. He couldn’t think clearly. What had happened? Before he had time to reply, Tommy was stalking toward him angrily. “The betting shop was robbed by the Lees. Y/n and Ada could have been killed because you left your post, John!”

“Oh, fuck off, Tommy!” John replied. “This is not my fault! How was I meant to do collections for Arthur and run the shop? Scudboat was there anyhow,” he asserted, pulling his suspenders up with an annoyed roll of his neck.

“Except he wasn’t. He went to Charlie’s yard for the arrival of the new shipment which is why you were supposed to have been back by four!” Tommy said, slamming the kitchen table with his palm for emphasis. Running a hand through his hair he shook his head muttering, “You never fucking listen.”

John closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, another vision of you suddenly dancing across his eyelids. He’d noticed a deep red mark on your cheek and how you winced when Ada put too much pressure on your hand, but you’d both been so consumed with Ada’s labor. You’d been steadfast delivering the baby, but that was how you were when you were scared, carrying on despite the fear. John’s head shot up as he asked, “Y/n? How is she?”

Tommy let out a heavy sigh as he realized he was finally getting through to his brother, plopping down in a chair he replied, “She has some bruises and a sprained wrist. She was lucky this time, brother, but the danger will increase. The Lees know she gave us information about their operation. They took their money, but now they want blood,” Tommy said ominously.

John nodded in understanding. He wouldn’t let his concentration lapse again. You were too important and he was determined to do everything in his power to protect you this time. He only needed to bring you home.

———————————————-

The family assembled in the betting shop without noticing you hovering in the corner, feeling woefully out of place. Polly and Arthur were already seated, talking quietly as Polly smoked her clove cigarettes. Lizzie sat with pencil and paper in hand to take notes if necessary, but she didn’t appear nearly as concerned as the others. In fact, she was positively radiant, as though she couldn't stop smiling. You wondered what she had to be so cheerful about, when Isaiah appeared in the doorway, remarking to her, “Looks as though someone had a good night.”

“You know, John,” Lizzie replied with a giggle. Your heart stopped as you watched her bite her lip seductively, wondering what she meant by that.

Moving to the kitchen to help yourself to a cup of tea, Isaiah sauntered in behind you, clearing his throat to announce his presence. “Why didn’t you come to the Garrison last night?” he asked, leaning against the cupboards with a casual charm he directed at most ladies.

“I was tired. Delivering a baby will do that,” you replied with a smile.

“Of course. John said you were brilliant,” Isaiah complimented you as he removed his cap and smoothed his hair.

“Isaiah, was Lizzie with you and John last night?” you asked, curiosity getting the better of you.

A wide grin spread across Isaiah’s face as he accepted the mug of tea you offered exclaiming, “Yeah, for a bit. Then they told me to piss off. I mean, you know how they are.”

“N-no, I don’t,” you stuttered, hands beginning to tremble around your cup.

“Those two can’t keep their hands off each other! It’s been that way since the war ended. John used to blind her other customers just so he could see her more often,” he said with a laugh. When Isaiah observed your blank expression he continued saying, “You know what Lizzie used to do, don’t you?”

Shaking your head, you felt your stomach drop and your mouth go dry as he explained their arrangement. Apparently John had been paying her for sex for years. The words stabbed into you as you held yourself up against the cupboards, willing your face not to betray your tender heart in front of a blinder.

But the terrible feeling of betrayal was overwhelming as you remembered Katie’s words about her father and his whores. You thought John had feelings for you, but clearly you’d been wrong. The pit in your stomach grew as you relived the kiss you shared the night before outside Polly’s house. He must have sensed your hesitation and gone back to someone more experienced and familiar. You felt another twist of the knife as you wondered if he ever wanted you. His brother had forced him to take you in after all and suddenly you felt terribly foolish. Worried your legs might give out at any moment, you excused yourself to take a seat at the table.

The pain only worsened as Lizzie turned to address you with an air of worldly sophistication. “Y/n, it was kind of you to leave John and me last night. One day you’ll see how important it is that a man and a woman have their privacy. I know John appreciates it,” she said with a wink and a knowing smile. As heat seeped into your cheeks with the overwhelming feeling of humiliation, it was almost more than you could bare. Did everyone know John saw you as a child who wasn’t worthy of his attention?

Soon Tommy and John arrived, taking their seats at the table and you found yourself shifting uncomfortably in your seat as you tried to avoid John’s gaze.

As Tommy called the meeting to order you noticed all eyes on you, making you painfully aware that as a non blood relative nor a blinder, you shouldn’t be there. Tommy quickly put everyone’s fears to rest, making it known that he had asked you to be his adviser and no one dared go against Tommy.

The meeting progressed quickly after that with John proposing an all out war against the Lees. He wanted to see them all cut to ribbons and you could tell by the dangerous gleam in his eye he was more than capable. Lizzie gave him a nod of approval from across the table and your blood boiled at the thought of them discussing strategy together, plotting and scheming as they lay tangled between the sheets. You were past the point of tears by now, coiling your hands into fists below the table.

While no one else came forward with a different thought right away, Arthur quickly agreed to John’s plan. Not one for ideas himself, he went along with the quickest method of handling enemies.

However, Polly was next to speak and interjected reason before the men could become too blood hungry. “This all began because of greed, Thomas. If we propose to share our contacts with Erasmus and thus the earnings, it might convince them to stop trying to kill us.” You could see Polly favored peace above all else, but you knew Tommy would never settle for half his take.

Then the idea came to you, born of resentment and retaliation, but an age old solution that would work nonetheless. You knew how to achieve peace if only you could convince your aunt and Tommy.

“There’s another way, but it requires discussion with an elder, my aunt, Zilpha,” you proposed, glancing up at Tommy.

“She’ll see me after everything that’s happened?” Tommy asked, a note of skepticism in his voice.

“No, but she’ll see me,” you promised him. You could see the wheels in his mind turning as he pondered what you might say to your aunt. If he truly trusted you, he would agree to let you speak on their behalf, however.

With a small nod he agreed. “Alright, I’ll take you tomorrow,” Tommy said. “You’d better get some rest.” And with that, he left everyone in stunned silence, their fate in your hands.

As everyone filed out of the room, John remained, leaning on a desk. When you attempted to walk past, he stopped you, reaching out to capture your arm. “Y/n, wait,” he called out.

Your eyebrows shot up at his request, unsure why he hadn’t dashed out after Lizzie. It seemed her company was what he craved now so why was he here waiting for you? “What is it, John?” you asked, voice tinged with irritation.

“I wanted to see how you are,” he said, looking you over with what appeared to be genuine concern. His opposite hand traced the bandage that covered your wrist, eyes trained on your injury as though he felt the pain concealed beneath it.

“I’m fine,” you said, attempting to break away, but John held you to him.

Reaching up to caress your bruised cheek he spoke earnestly, “Look, I’m sorry about yesterday. I should have been at the shop. If I had been, none of this would have happened.”

“Well you can’t change it now,” you replied, locking eyes with him, wanting to scream at him about Lizzie, but knowing it wouldn’t help.

“Let me at least try to make it up to you,” John pleaded, rubbing his thumb over your hand. “Come home,” he suggested in a voice so soft you almost didn’t hear him.

“Why?” you asked, snatching your hand away.

The biting tone had obviously hurt John, a wounded look crossing his face immediately as he shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at the floor. “Because…because the children and I need you,” he reasoned, furrowing his brow. He’d never been good with words, but he hoped you would hear how much he cared for you with that simple phrase.

The words pricked the hairs at the back of your neck, confirming what you already suspected. There was no love there, only a life of convenience. Biting your cheek to keep from crying, you sucked in a quick breath before replying, “I’m sorry, John, but I’m needed elsewhere at the moment.” You turned on your heel and disappeared into the house.

—————————————-

You spent another night at Polly’s, too upset to return to John’s. When you closed the bedroom door before having your dinner, Tommy urged the others not to pry into the cause of your sudden mood change. He explained there was a long drive ahead of you in the morning and reasoned you must be anxious at the thought of returning to a camp full of angry relatives.

As you drove to the Lee camp in comfortable silence, you were relieved that Tommy wasn’t the curious sort. However, you knew he deserved to hear what you intended on proposing to your aunt so you began explaining your plan for ushering in peace between the two families. While you expected him to question it a bit more, he only chain smoked as he kept his eyes trained on the road. When you’d finished, you swore you heard a low hum of approval emanate from his pursed lips, though you weren’t entirely sure from his stoic expression.

There was no time for doubt in any case as the car jerked to a halt. You exited your side cautiously, eyes scanning the horizon to find men with rifles stood at attention above you. “Slowly now,” Tommy advised as he stooped to gather a stick and dug into his pocket for a white handkerchief to tie at the top. As he walked up the dirt road toward the vardos circled on the ridge, he waved the makeshift flag. You allowed him to lead until he leaned toward you to whisper, “You’re sure you still want to do this? What of your future, eh?” It was the first he had mentioned you in any of the plans and you swallowed harshly at his insinuation that your fate mattered either way.

“Let me worry about that,” you replied stubbornly, marching ahead. Tommy wanted to laugh at your determination, but thought better of it considering the circumstances. He shook his head as he followed after you, admiration for your courage swelling in his throat.

Zilpha greeted you with a wary expression upon your approach, face as dark and stormy as the clouds overhead threatening rain. Standing at the doorway of her vardo, she refused to descend until you had both been searched for weapons. Although you understood her hesitation, it stung to be treated as a traitor when you still held love for your family.

When she was satisfied you weren’t there to harm her, she allowed you to ascend the steps and you breathed a sigh of relief when she extended a wrinkled hand to you, pulling you inside.

Despite having convinced her of your own good intentions, Tommy was made to wait outside. You could tell from her knitted brow, he would never gain her full approval and you knew you would have to work hard to sell his good points.

After the preamble of commenting on your thin frame and offering up a hearty stew, Zilpha asked why you had come and you wasted no time with your appeal.

“He’s a smart man, aunt. But he needs strong men,” you explained.

“For what?” she asked harshly, turning to face you with such force, her jewelry crashed together creating a tinny clinking that echoed out like a warning.

“Protection for his growing business. They get the winner in one of every three races before the race even starts. No need for chalks or rafflers. It’s a certainty,” you promised her, believing in Tommy’s operations so that she would have faith as well.

“It sounds like this Shelby man’s got his hooks in ya,” she said, eyeing you suspiciously.

You bristled at her assumptions, holding your head high. “No Shelby has me, aunt. In fact, I have a unique proposal for you to end the war between you and them.”

“And what might that be?” she said, leaning forward elbows on her knees to hear you better.

“Rumors say Erasmus’s cousin Esme has been running wild. If I could promise a good husband for her, would you give Tommy soldiers? If you do, this alliance will make you a rich woman,” you promised.

Zilpha thought for a moment, recalling the trouble she’d had finding a suitable groom to take on the headstrong young woman.

“And what man do you suggest?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at you.

“Tommy’s younger brother, John Shelby,” you said, hoping she didn’t notice the way your voice wavered as you said his name. She hadn’t, too preoccupied by your talk of fortune. Without hesitation, she extended a hand in agreement.

As you both emerged, Tommy searched your face for a sign that the negotiations had been a success. You gave him a small nod and he turned to Zilpha. “He’ll do then?” Tommy asked.

“Bring him round in a fortnight and it will be done,” Zilpha proclaimed.

The drive back to Small Heath was cloaked in thick silence as you looked out the passenger window. Exhaustion from the long day was beginning to take hold of you, but something wouldn’t let you give in to the need for rest. Although you hoped your plan of revenge might heal your broken heart, the ache only grew stronger. You didn’t yet know it, but regret would soon take hold and there would be nothing you could do to reverse it.

——————————————

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nerdpoe · 11 months

Text

TWINcognito mode Part 3(Tim and Danny Pretend to be Twins AU) (But are they still pretending at this point lmfao)

Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, AO3

“Ah, I should let you know in case it comes back to bite me in the ass; the clone couldn’t grow a soul, so Ra’s made a deal with a demon and essentially kidnapped me from the afterlife to put in this body.”

Tim paused, cereal halfway to his mouth, and stared.

“Oh. Is…is there a chance of you leaving or being kicked out of your body or something?” His voice only shook a little, betraying how that was a possibility he did not want to consider.

Danny shook his head, shoveling the same cereal brand in his mouth.

“Nah, the body is bonded with my soul at this point; it is actually my body now,” Danny explained, using his spoon as a pointer, “But I had a few titles in the afterlife, so someone may try to summon me. If I randomly disappear in an eery, unexplainable fog, that’s why. I’ll find my way back though.”

Tim’s hand finished its journey and he took his time chewing the cereal.

“So we need a tracker, is what I’m hearing.”

“Probably, yeah.”

~~~~~~

John Constantine was in Gotham.

Bruce hated that sentence in its entirety.

Unfortunately, he needed Constantine’s input on his most recent…villain. He loathed to call Condiment Man a villain, but the idiot had managed to accidentally curse himself, and now everything his condiments touched was aging at a rapid rate.

It was a fairly standard meeting, all told, when Tim-no; Tim knew to be in the BatCave in uniform when they had company, and Bruce was almost 95% certain that Danny had never once joined him on patrol-Danny walked down the stairs.

John turned to look and Bruce, without thinking, lunged forward and slapped a hand over his eyes.

“Masks!” Bruce hissed, nodding towards where they kept the spares. Danny ignored him though, stopping at the bottom of the stair to gawk at Constantine.

“What the fresh hell am I looking at?” Danny asked, horror and disgust on his face as he leaned away.

“Wow. Nice to meet you too, mate.”

“Don’t talk to me.”

“Don’t insult my lovely little face.”

“Seriously, you’re disgusting. How do you live like this?”

“D-Janus!” Bruce cut in, catching Danny’s attention. Janus was a good middle ground; Danny would absolutely respond to it, and as the name of a god it was strange enough to be a codename. “Is this important?”

Danny slowly held out the phone in his hand, eyes never leaving Constantine.

“Red Robin said you weren’t answering your phone, he needs an answer now or he’s storming the human trafficking gang without backup.”

Bruce would have loved to massage the growing migraine away, but his hands were occupied forcing Constantine to stay in place and covering his eyes.

“Okay, I’ll look over his messages. Tell him not to move forward without confirmation. If you’re not going to cover your face, you have to leave. We have company, you know the rules.”

Danny wrinkled his nose and turned around.

“As long as I don’t have to be in the same room as the person who thought it was a good idea to essentially scalp himself and bleed all over the place.”

“Oh love, I’m sure that no matter how ugly I look I’m bloody roses compared to you.”

“I said don’t talk to me!” Danny shouted, disappearing from view as he left.

“You have lovely children, Batman.” Constantine drawled.

Bruce walked away from the magic-user to address the messages that Tim had apparently been sending him, quickly arranging for Red Hood to assist at the last second.

“My apologies; one of my children is…not into vigilante-ism. He can forget the rules.” Bruce bit out, switching back to the Condiment Man case.

Constantine hummed, still looking up the stairs.

“So, how’d your kid get the ability to see souls?”

“Classified.”

Bruce had no idea. He wasn’t about to let Constantine know that, though.

~~~~~~

Alfred was not a fool.

Something was up, and it had to do with Master Tim.

It had been a month, and he was running out of patience waiting for Tim to tell him what was wrong. It had gotten to coffee cake levels of desperation; as in Alfred was baking a coffee cake to bribe Master Tim into telling someone, anyone if he wasn’t comfortable with Alfred, what was going on.

“Hey Alfred. Oh, cake!” Master Tim said behind him, reaching out to snag some of the batter.

Alfred deftly turned the spare wooden spoon on him for his efforts.

“Master T-!”

“Hey Danny, what’s-oh, cake!” Master Tim’s voice said from his left.

Alfred paused.

Alfred took a deep breath.

Alfred looked behind him, and then to his left.

They were nearly identical. Their hair was styled a bit different, one was wilder than the other, and Master…Danny slouched a bit more, but ultimately if one did not know that there were two of them, they could switch and no one would be the wiser.

…No one had been the wiser.

Alfred thought back to the research he’d seen Master Bruce had been doing so desperately in the BatCave. He’d always hid the files before Alfred could read them, but he had caught the vigilante muttering about Time Streams and irreversible changes.

Alfred was almost completely certain that prior to Master Bruce coming back, Master Tim had never had a twin.

From said twins point of view, things would be per usual. It would be rather rude to admit that he didn’t remember the lad at all. But what could he do? He genuinely did not.

He would have to have a little talk with Master Bruce regarding updating him when there were such additions to the family.

“...Unfortunately, Master Danny, I made this cake with Master Tim in mind. I was unaware of your own preferences; If you have any, however, I would be glad to hear them.”

Master Danny smiled brightly, and-yes; there was another difference between the two of them. Master Danny was a bit freer with his emotions than Master Tim. It would be best to catalog them now, to prevent something like mistaking one for the other.

“I’m actually a big fudge fan,” the family’s newest member admitted, trying to sneak another taste of cake batter.

Alfred took the wooden spoon to the offending hand again.

New or not, he was no exception to the rules.

It was better to rip the bandaid off, so to speak, rather than say or do something offensive that he did not remember from Master Danny’s past.

“Now, I understand that you are Master Tim’s twin? I fear I cannot recall you, my sincerest apologies. Might I ask that you inform me of any food allergies and general likes and dislikes?”

“Oh, you wouldn’t. Remember me, that is. I’m a clone, but we decided to be twins.”

Alfred paused in his stirring.

Then he smiled; he knew where this was going. He’d known Master Tim long enough to know of the lad’s wicked streak.

“I take it this is a secret, then?”

“Told you he was the best,” Master Tim intoned, licking espresso powder off of his finger. The little devil had used his newfound twin as a distraction!

Master Danny laughed, causing Alfred to look over just in time to see him licking a piece of batter off of his finger.

The scallywags.

~~~~~~

The kid in front of him was oblivious to anyone watching him. He had opted for sitting on a bench at the local park, facing the seriously polluted pond. He had a capri sun juice pack in one hand and his phone in the other, and the holds for the leashes attached to the Hyenas lounging on him were wrapped around his ankle.

Oh yeah.

This wasn’t Timberly.

This was all Dann..er…ino?

Huh.

He’d have to work on that.

Well, that was why he wasn’t in uniform or wearing a mask; he was here to explain why he hadn’t been shitting on the Imposter as much as he had been the Replacement.

“Hey,” Jason said, dropping down from the tree and standing directly behind the Imposter’s Imposter.

“Fuck!” Said the Imposter, dropping both his capri sun and phone.

“I just need to clear some things,” Jason drawled, walking around to Danny’s front and then standing there awkwardly.

He’d thought about what he was going to say, he swore he had, but it was just…shitty. How the fuck did he explain that he’d forgotten a person’s entire existence?

Danny just stared at him, ignoring the hyenas licking his face.

“Tim’s fucking annoying,” damn, he was starting off strong with this, apparently. Danny looked largely unimpressed. “No, I mean. He’s a know it all, thinks that refusing self-care is cool, and is just so painfully awkward it makes me want to carve out my eyeballs. So. That’s why I give him shit.”

“And you also slit his throat,” Danny added helpfully.

Jason scowled.

“What, like I’m the only one who’s slit a family member's throat? He isn’t special.”

Danny opened and closed his mouth, before finally just turning his face into the fur of one of the hyenas and letting out a muffled scream.

“Anyways-”

“No, go back. Who else got their throat slit?”

Jason sighed and tugged down his shirt collar, revealing his own scar.

“The Old Man gave it to me, happy?”

Danny did not look happy. Danny looked the opposite of happy.

Danny’s eyes had started glowing a lazarus green.

“Was this deliberate?”

Well shit. There was a difference right there; Tim could sound for all the world like he was being threatening, but Danny could accomplish sounding outright terrifying.

“No; he was aiming to clip me and I managed to get shoved into it.”

The lazarus green faded, leaving a yet again unimpressed teenager.

“Oh, so it’s not similar at all. You were just an idiot.”

Oh look, more lazarus green, but this time from Jason!

“Okay, so we have our issues. The point; is I don’t remember my issues with you.”

“Wait, what?”

The green receded and Jason shoved his hands into his pockets, looking anywhere but Danny.

“I…don’t remember you. At all. I don’t know if I treated you with the same level of contempt, or if we were on good terms. I don’t know. So. We’re gonna have to start fresh, and I’m gonna have to learn who you are now as opposed to who your records say you were.” Every word felt like it was being pulled through his teeth.

He didn’t want to see the kid’s face. He didn’t want to know what someone looked like when they were told that their family didn’t fucking know who they were.

“Hold that thought, I have to tell them you were the first. Tim thought you wouldn’t be, but I told him that assholes are just the right amount of brutally honest the world needs.”

What?

“What the fuck did you just say?”

Danny finished typing on the phone and looked back at Jason.

“Naturally, you wouldn’t remember me. I’m a clone, I didn’t exist until like three months ago, and Tim and I decided to proceed as twins. We were just messing with everyone and we were about to call it, but Barbara’s price for helping us with the paper trail was forcing the Bat’s to admit they don’t know something.” Danny shrugged, with a ‘what can ya do’ air about him.

Jason felt his mouth opening and closing.

“Oh.”

Danny nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, oh. I still fully intend to cause you grief.”

Fucker.

“No plans to enact vengeance on Timberly’s behalf for said throat slitting thing?”

Danny shook his head, leaning back.

“That’s Tim’s revenge, and he’ll get to that, trust me. That’s already in motion. I’m just here to fuck with you.”

He was going to fit right in; he was just as insufferable as Tim.

“Fine. I guess we’ll get to know each other through me beating the shit out of you, just like I kicked the crap out of your twin.”

The little shit snickered at him. Snickered!

“Good luck. Hey, Dick! Jason broke my phone!”

Jason spun around, arms up in preparation to protect his face from another punch.

There was no one there.

When he turned around, there was no one on the bench either. When he looked around, he saw Danny wave at him as he walked through the fence and took the hyenas with him.

Jason swore.

Density shifting. Of course.

“So that’s how you fucking moved me around the forest.”

Yeah, Jason wasn't saying shit to the Old Man.

He would just sit back and enjoy the show.

~~~~~~

Dick wasn’t sure how to make up for forgetting a person's entire existence. Was it forgetting if that person had previously not existed?

From Danny’s perspective it would be forgetting, so Dick would go with that.

He had come prepared; since he didn’t know what Danny liked, he had bought three pizzas with various weird toppings and one with just pepperoni, had grocery bags full of snack foods, had another grocery bag with various energy drinks, and was full of excitement at getting to know the kid.

But when he arrived at the door to the penthouse, it was already open. In fact, it was held in place by what appeared to be Tim’s briefcase from where it was haphazardly thrown. The smoke alarms were going off inside, and Dick rushed in to see what was going on.

One of the twins was in a large, oversized NASA hoodie and was standing on top of the counter, desperately swinging a towel at the angry, screaming smoke detector. The other one was in an Armani business suit and shoving a flaming pan into the sink in an attempt to drown it in water. The stove bore a few scorch marks, but was otherwise fine.

“How do you not know how to cook fish?!”

“I’ve never done it before and then I don’t know, it started smoking and I freaked out!”

“So you turned up the heat?!”

“I turned the dial the wrong way is what I did, it was an accident!”

“...I can’t leave you unsupervised in the kitchen. I can’t leave you-shit I have a date with Bernard in like an hour…listen, if I tell you to just order takeout, whatever you want and however much you want using my card, will you stay out of the kitchen?”

Danny, because that was who hoodie-twin had to be, stuttered in indignation, and Dick decided to make his presence known.

He cleared his throat and stepped forward, holding up his many treats.

The boys stared at him like he was an alien.

“I may have a solution to this,” Dick started, walking forward to rest his burdens at Danny’s feet on the counter, “It’s called ‘I haven’t hung out with Danny in a really long time, and maybe we should do that’.”

Tim sighed, leaning against the counter.

“Can you keep him out of the kitchen?”

“I am not that bad.”

“This is the fourth time this week you set off the fire alarms, and I’m ready to pay Jason cold hard cash to force you to learn how to fend for yourself.”

Dick frowned, glancing between the two of them.

“Can’t you teach him? From what I remember you’re actually a pretty phenomenal cook.”

Danny jumped off the counter, lightly floating to the ground as he shrugged.

“Tim’s also a vigilante on top of being the CEO of one of the world's biggest tech companies; which means he’s got no time.”

Tim, on the other hand, made a face and shook his head.

“I don’t normally cook, like Danny said; no time. I wasn’t joking about Jason, by the way.”

Danny just made a very big put-upon sigh and meandered around Dick and to the pizza.

“So what’s the plan tonight, Dick?”

“Well, I-”

“Because ever since we’ve been introduced, we’ve literally never hung out.”

What?

What had past version of him from Danny’s memories been doing?

Fine. His past self was an asshole and it was his loss, it just meant that Dick could be upfront and ask what Danny liked without being suspicious.

“That was stupid. I was stupid. Let’s hang out.” The sentence was disjointed with how much rage Dick was directing at his past self, and the knowledge that he couldn't actually do anything about it.

Danny and Tim traded looks, communicating between themselves in a way that Dick couldn’t read.

“Do you have anything else to say?” Tim asked, his face cleanly wiped of any expression.

Dick frowned, shaking his head. He didn’t care that Danny had apparently been previously ostracized, he didn’t care that he couldn’t remember it; he was going to fix it.

Tim slapped a hand on Danny’s shoulder, squeezing it briefly before walking towards his room.

Danny grinned.

It was a feral thing, and some part of Dick was a little afraid.

“If that’s all you have to say then, I think it’s time to get started.”

~~~~~~

Damian found himself in a conundrum.

He had been carefully observing Timothy and Daniel, noting how they behaved and their differences, and was almost certain that he could easily tell them apart.

Honestly, they were so obviously different that he was ashamed to admit he had ever considered one to be the other.

Timothy would never tuck him in, and during that training exercise months ago he was certain it had been Daniel tucking him in. Timothy would never resort to a childish nickname to rile Damian’s ire, but Daniel had no such qualms. Timothy would never resort to puns in front of Damian, but Daniel used them all the time.

But most damning of all?

Daniel would have a cup of coffee, but he gravitated more towards juice. Daniel refused to help with any cases, and would cite that his brain wasn’t in the Detective Mindset. Daniel leaned more towards vegetarianism with occasional meat products, but only sometimes.

They were two completely different people, and Damian had stained his honor as his Father’s blood son by not recognizing that immediately.

Currently, Daniel was sitting across from him in the Manor Library, swiping through something on the tablet in his lap. There was a glass of apple juice next to him, a plate of fudge on the side table, and…yes, Damian could see it now.

Or rather, not see it.

The neckline of Daniel’s hoodie was pulled down, and it revealed a neck free of scars.

How had he ever mistaken one buffoon for the other?

His mannerisms towards Damian tended to be on the more friendly side compared to his twin. Damian took this to mean that the one he had stabbed had, in fact, been Timothy, not Daniel.

Their previous relationship appeared to lean more towards typical sibling antagonism, if the few moments of comfort Daniel offered in the shadows were any indication.

It was this realization that made Damian pause.

Daniel did not seem to seek vengeance for Timothy, and while Damian could attribute that to cowardice, he knew without doubt that it was because he fully trusted his twin to enact any justice that Timothy felt needed to be served.

Which meant that his relationship with Daniel was…surprisingly free of bloodshed.

Nor did Daniel put him on a pedestal, excusing his actions and coddling him.

To Daniel, Damian was just…Damian. El-witwaat. His little brother, to whom he had a duty to annoy.

His plan to include Daniel by convincing him that they never forgot him was all well and good in theory, but Damian did not know how to interact with a sibling that did not hold a grudge against him or only see what they thought he could be, rather than what he was.

“Something wrong, el-witwaat?” Daniel asked, not looking away from his tablet. The name did not bring about the rage that Damian was expecting; just the same emotions that flashed through him when Richard called him ‘Dami’.

Yes, if it had been Timothy that small degree of warmth would not have been present. Grudging respect, maybe, but not any form of warmth. The warmth in the tone, Damian thought, made the difference between accepting the absurd nickname and stabbing Daniel in the eye.

“I find myself wondering what hero name you will choose, now that you have returned from your mission,” Damian replied rigidly, wondering if this would be yet another contender for Father’s mantle.

Daniel just let out a short bark of laughter before presumably choking on his own spit.

“No, no no no, no more vigilante-ism for me,” Daniel answered after he had managed to calm down, “I’m done with it unless it’s a world-ending threat and all hands are needed.”

Damian was confused.

“But you have powers. Generally, metas with powers such as yours find themselves taking up a moniker and-”

“-But statistically speaking, how many metas exist that you’ve never heard of?” Daniel interrupted, going back to his reclined position sideways on his chair.

Damian did not know.

“Listen, being in the League of Assassins, even just to get information, was…well. You and Jason would know better than anyone in this family. And Tim, but he’s not ready to talk about that yet. It…” Daniel trailed off, and Damian was suddenly very aware that he was probably going to hear something that was not in the mission report.

“I…did not get all the information I was supposed to. I got caught.”

“And you’re still alive?” Damian hissed, finding himself leaning forward without any intention to do so.

“I’m my brother's identical twin, Damian. I’m not the detective he is, I’m not even the same person he is, but Ra’s didn’t see it like that. He just saw Tim 2.0.” Daniel shifted, presumably to get more comfortable.

Damian read between the lines.

His grandfather had captured and more than likely attempted to brainwash Daniel.

“Your first interaction with us after getting back was at the brunch,” Damian speculated, ignoring Daniel’s surprised look, “But you came back to Gotham before that, did you not?”

Daniel smiled at him. Another difference, Timothy would never do such a thing, but it was similar to his twin in how tired of a smile it was.

“Tim had to set my head straight for a bit before I could come see you all, yeah. I’m seeing a therapist, don’t worry; we’re making sure to do everything possible to make sure I don’t relapse.”

Damian nodded.

Looked down at the book in his lap.

Then nodded again.

Unlike Timothy, Daniel appeared to take his personal mental wellbeing seriously. Obviously he would take the steps required to ensure he could recover.

From what Damian had managed to gather, Daniel was clearly the superior twin, after all.

Daniel heaved out a massive sigh and floated up to a standing position, directly in front of Damian.

“Come on, let’s go look at BatCow; it’s around time to feed her anyways,” Daniel stated, motioning towards the clock, “I’ll muck out the stable if you do the feeding her part?”

Yes; Daniel was the superior twin.

So why did he look guilty?

~~~~~~

Bruce paused at the threshold to Tim’s old room. Well. Tim and Daniel’s old room. And what had past him been thinking, to force them to share a room when he had so many open?

“-I don’t know, Tim, I just feel guilty about lying.”

Lying? What was Danny lying about?

“Danny, please tell me where what you told the little demon was a lie.”

“I…the getting caught part?”

“Oh, so you were there of your own volition?”

“No! You know I wasn’t-”

“And then you chose to get brainwashed into being a slave?”

“Tim you’re being deliberately obtuse-”

“They’re yes or no questions, Danny. It’s your trauma, how you choose to share it is your business.”

The room behind the door fell quiet, and unfortunately gave Bruce time to think.

Danny had been brainwashed?

He needed to look at the facts.

He still hadn’t been added to the Bird of Prey roster, despite what Barbara had claimed. There were many reasons for that happening, but the biggest one would be if he was either too injured to go in the field or retiring.

Danny had been on a deep cover mission in the League of Assassins, the mission report from which was surprisingly sparse and jumpy. As if whoever was writing it was trying to remember something they’d been forced to forget. The League was run by Ra’s, who had an unhealthy fixation on Tim.

Danny was Tim’s identical twin, for all that they were very different.

The word ‘slave’ bounced around his head and echoed in his ears; it was not a title he wanted any of his children to have, remembered or not.

It was easy to figure out from there, and Bruce was rather overcome by the sudden need to see both Tim and Danny.

The scene awaiting him in their bedroom was…sweet.

Danny was lying sideways on the bed, his head resting on Tim’s leg as he scrolled his tablet, and Tim was leaning against the headboard, presumably working on a casefile on his laptop. They both turned their heads to stare at Bruce when he walked in, looking rather like owls.

‘Slave’ slowly faded from his ears, but stayed in the back of his mind.

He’d deal with Ra’s when the time came.

But at present, both of his sons were safe.

“Danny, Tim. I was just…checking in. Is everything alright?” Curse his inability to make meaningful conversation when it wasn’t a life or death situation.

They glanced at each other and shrugged.

Then Danny hauled himself out of the bed and walked over to Bruce.

Bruce tried not to let too much excitement show on his face.

“Actually B, I was wondering if I could have some input on choosing a major?”

Ah, so Danny really was retiring.

Thank god, at least one of his kids would be out of the direct line of fire.

“Sure Danny,” Bruce agreed, moving out of the way so they could go to his office, “Whatever you need. Like your own room, maybe.”

Danny paused, halfway out the door, and slowly turned to look at Bruce like he’d grown a second head.

“Bruce…this is my room. Tim moved out, remember?”

Behind them, he heard Tim choke on something.

Bruce couldn’t bring himself to check on the twin behind him, however, due to the intense mortification he was feeling.

Danny wasn’t emancipated?

Danny was still legally a dependent in the eyes of the law?!

Had Bruce kicked him out of his own house?!

Bruce leaned against the doorframe, feeling rather faint, and re-evaluated his life choices while simultaneously cursing his past version of himself.

“Uh, so…maybe we should wait on the college thing until you’ve slept, huh?”

Tim was wheezing behind him.

Bruce deserved that laughter. He deserved a punch to the face, honestly.

He’d kicked a minor out of his home, he was no better than-

“B?”

“No. No, your education is important to me.” Bruce ground out, draping a heavy arm around Danny’s shoulders and steering him to his office.

He would make this right.

He had to make this right.

~~~~~~

Some unlucky fucker was knocking on Jason’s door at ass-o-clock in the morning, and they were gonna pay.

He hadn’t bought out the entire building just to be woken up by fucking salespeople, of all things.

Gun in hand and green in his eyes, Jason tore open the front door and-that was Danny. Tim’s twin, for all that Jason could not see him as anything else.

He was standing on Jason’s doorstep, a large hoodie draped over his skinny-ass frame, and looking up at him expectantly.

And Jason was standing in his doorway in his underwear like a moron.

“Uh,” Jason started, unsure of what to make of the situation.

Danny handed over an envelope full of what looked like money.

“Tim wants to pay you fifty thousand per lesson to teach me how to cook.”

…Well. Shit.

He still wasn’t sure where he stood with the little test tube twin, but money was money, and it wasn’t like teaching someone how to do something as simple as cook was hard.

Fifteen minutes into his first lesson and Jason retracted that statement.

Fifty thousand was not enough.

His ruined Hexclad pans sat smoking in the sink as a testament to Danny fucking Drake-Wayne’s failures.

The reason for his ruined kitchenware was sitting on the kitchen floor, looking stunned and staring at the probably third-degree burn he’d definitely have to go to the hospital for.

He was upping his price, and Tim was buying him new pans.

@terzatheunderscorerima @darkbiscuitvoidstudent @akikkobara @reach-for-the-horizon @bitter-coffeecup @moodycow210 @kisatamao @thefantasmarex @fisher-with-the-morbs @jaguarthecat @jotaroslooseeyebrowhair @moonshell25 @tundra1029

#dpxdc #dcxdp #phanfic #twincognito mode #tim and danny pretend to be twins au #but they aren't really pretending anymore

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shanastoryteller · 1 year

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!! Mirabel being awesome or Enola Holmes?

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5

"I'm thinking of children."

Sherlock lowers his newspaper. "Why? Is it for a case? I know a few."

"How have you found fatherhood?" Enola asks. She's not planning to turn her children into informants, personally, but she supposes they were informants first in her brother’s case.

He actually folds the newspaper and places it on his lap. "What on earth are you talking about? Did you hit your head again? You have to stop doing that."

For fuck's sake. She's not going to argue with him about this. "Doctor!"

There's a crash from the kitchen, a curse, and then John is standing there. He does his best to leave them alone for their standing Thursday meetings. She wonders if she should be concerned that smoke is rising off his shoulder, but Sherlock's boy is Sherlock's problem. "How have you found fatherhood?"

John's dark skin flushes and he looks down and away. "Well - well! You know."

Sherlock jumps to his feet, realizes he has no where to run to, and slowly sits back down. "John, what are you saying? We're not fathers!"

John blinks at him several times, then turns to Enola, but she's not helping him out here. She'd introduced the two of them specifically so John could help manage her brother. "Not... legally?"

Yet whenever any of the irregulars gets in trouble, the police always ring 221B.

"Anyway," she says, moving on even though Sherlock seems to have frozen, either in shock or some sort of internal mental breakdown. "As a marchioness, I am expected to have a child or two. Preferably a son, according to Tewksbury's mother, although he isn't particular himself."

"Are you ready for that?" John asks. "Your detective business is doing so well."

"A few months off won't hurt me," she says. "I have people to do the legwork for a bit."

That seems to snap Sherlock out of it. "Enola, be serious. Even Mother put a pause on her extracurriculars to raise you, however unconventionally."

An interesting way to describe the fact that their mother is at the top of every county's most wanted list, each for a different crime. Sometimes the wheels of progress have to be greased along with a little arson, is all.

"She was alone," Enola says. "She managed her 'extracurriculars' while raising you and Mycroft because Father was alive and then she had to stop with me because she was alone. I'm not alone."

Sherlock softens. "No. You're not."

A bang goes off from the kitchen. John groans and hurries back to it.

Sometimes, John Watson reminds her very much of Mother.

#prompt answers #prompts are closed #asks #anon #enola holmes #finally watched eh2 and LOVED IT #a sequel that very much holds up #her and tewksbury were so cute

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luthwhore · 4 months

Text

a while back i made a recommended reading list for lex luthor, and originally didn't plan to make a superman one, since it's a lot easier to find reading lists for him, but a lot of the reading lists i see either tend to be very short and have the same 5-10 books on them, or feel way too expansive and overwhelming, so i wanted to make a list of some of my personal picks!

this list is designed to help relatively new readers get to know the character, so i've tried to focus mostly on things that are accessible to people with only minimal knowledge of the character/world (with one single exception).

i also have not included any pre-crisis stories because i don't feel like i've read enough pre-crisis content to confidently recommend any specific comics, but i might one day come back and add a section for pre-crisis comics later!

❤️ = Personal favorite

Origin Story

Superman: Birthright, by Mark Waid ❤️

Superman: Birthright is what I would consider to be the definitive modern Superman origin story, featuring modernized versions of many Silver and Bronze age concepts. Mark Waid is, imo, one of the best modern day Superman writers in the sense of really understanding the core of his character, so I would highly suggest starting here for an understanding of who Clark is and what makes him tick. Optional: If you like "Birthright", the presently incomplete "Last Days of Lex Luthor" is a direct follow up to it, also written by Mark Waid, and delves deeper into the complicated relationship between Superman and Lex Luthor.

Superman: Secret Origin, by Geoff Johns

Written a few years after Birthrigh, "Secret Origin" technically supplanted Birthright as the official canon. Like "Birthright", it attempts to modernize many Silver/Bronze Age concepts, though it takes a different route than the aforementioned "Birthright."

Post-Crisis

Superman: Up, Up, and Away, by Geoff Johns & Kurt Busiek

Set after the events of the DC events Infinite Crisis and One Year Later, though it's not necessary to read either to follow this arc. After a year long break from being Superman, Clark returns to the cape. Since Infinite Crisis served as one of many soft-resets for the pre-Flashpoint DCU, it's a solid arc to start with.

Superman: Last Son, by Geoff Johns

Clark learns of another Kryptonian child on Earth and decides to take him in and introduces the character of "Chris Kent." Follows "Up, Up, and Away". This arc technically ran concurrently with the "Camelot Falls" arc, with "Last Son" being the Action Comics storyline and "Camelot Falls" being the "Superman" storyline. (I would recommend reading "Last Son" first, since otherwise you might be confused by Chris's presence in "Camelot Falls".)

Superman: Camelot Falls, by Kurt Busiek ❤️

One of my personal favorite post-Crisis Superman stories. Clark is told that the only way to avert an apocalyptic future is to give up being Superman. One of many, many stories that asks the philosophical question "Do heroes actually make things worse?" but has a very fresh and uplifting take on the premise.

New 52

Action Comics (2011), by Grant Morrison

Grant Morrison's Action Comics is a very sharp departure from the pre-Flashpoint version of Superman, instead choosing to do with the Golden Age what Mark Waid's "Birthright" did with the Silver Age. Morrison's Superman here is significantly more hotheaded and aggressive than the previous decade's version of him, but he's by far the closest to Siegel and Shuster's original vision for the character, so it's worth a read.

Superman: Unchained, by Scott Snyder

A Superman vs the US military story, with art by the legendary Jim Lee. It's a little dark in tone (and in color scheme) for Superman, but pretty in-line with the tone of most n52 books.

Rebirth and Beyond

Superman: Up in the Sky, by Tom King

A story that shows the lengths Superman is willing to go to in order to save one person. Has some very cute interactions between Clark children, and in general really gets the heart of Superman as a character.

The Warworld Saga, by Phillip Kennedy Johnson ❤️

A massive story following Superman to Warworld, where he works to free a group of Kryptonians being kept as gladiatorial slaves. Leans heavily into the idea of Superman as a Moses allegory, with the Authority as supporting cast. Over all a really beautiful story, both in terms of the plot and the art. Imo, the best Superman story from the last decade. Optional: If you like "Warworld" make sure to read the rest of PKJ's Action Comics run. His last issue of Action Comics just dropped recently, so you could absolutely sit down and binge the whole three-year run straight through.

Batman/Superman: World's Finest (2021 - ongoing), by Mark Waid

Set during the early years, featuring Superman, Batman, Robin (Dick Grayson), and occasionally Supergirl. In true Mark Waid fashion, it pulls heavily from the Silver Age, and manages to balance Silver Age campiness with more modern storytelling. (If you're a Superbat fan and you're somehow not reading this already, you should be.)

Superman (2023 - ongoing), by Joshua Williamson ❤️

The current running Superman arc. Another soft-reset for the Superman canon, meant to serve as an easy starting place for new readers. Beautiful art, hopeful and uplifting, and features my personal favorite take on the Lex in the comics, which should really tell you something. Optional: Action Comics issue #1050 sets up some things for this comic, but you won't lose much by skipping it.

Self-Contained Stories

Superman Smashes the Klan, by Gene Luen Yang ❤️

A YA graphic novel based on an old radio show. Set during the 1940s during Superman's early years, and really takes Superman back to his roots as a champion of the oppressed. If you read no other book on this list, please read this one. It's a quick and easy read and gets right to the heart of who and what Superman is.

Superman: For All Seasons, by Jeph Loeb

A story spanning four stages of Clark's life, with gorgeous artwork by the incomparable Tim Sale. Delves into Clark's relationships with most of the important people in his life, including his parents, Lois, and Lex.

Superman: Secret Identity, by Kurt Busiek

A meta twist on the Superman story with a boy in the real world develops Superman-like powers and has to grapple with what that means for him and what to do with those powers. A really excellent deconstruction of Superman.

All-Star Superman, by Grant Morrison

Superman, upon being told he has only a few days to live, chooses how to spend the rest of days. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Superman stories of all time, but features a lot of deep cut lore and will resonate more if you're more familiar with the characters. This is the one book I would not recommend starting with. Also leans heavily on the Silver Age canon.

#clark kent #superman #dc comics #comic recs #reading list #i will go back in and add pre-crisis recs at some point too

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bambi-kinos · 1 month

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Re: John being demi - don’t you think it’s possible he had sex because that’s what was expected of him? His age, lifestyle, etc. Especially because of his self-destructive tendencies and not always acting on how he truly feels. Or acting in a way that doesn’t express how he truly feels - i.e. Barcelona. He could have easily slept with Yoko early on, with her throwing herself at him but it wasn’t until correspondence and a deeper connection did he engage sexually. Not to mention him not wanting to have sex with men later in life because he couldn’t find one he connected with in that way. To me even the lyric “My love will turn you on” - is revealing.

If you want to interpret John Lennon as demisexual then you certainly can and I can't and won't stop you. But since you're asking me directly my answer is just a flat "no." John was sexually attracted to women so he slept with them. He was conventional that way. He was also hooking up with Yoko soon after Indica, he did not wait until the night he took LSD with her and recorded the sex tape.

You need to remember the cultural climate John existed in. It was "expected" of John to get married to a woman, settle down with her, have children, hold a steady uninspiring job, and then die at 70 with a gold pocket watch in his waistcoat without ever standing out from the crowd or doing anything that would express his individuality and personal needs. These were the stultifying expectations John grew up under and he hated it.

The Beatles kept their orgies secret because it would have destroyed them as a band if it got out that they were nailing groupies, this is the exact OPPOSITE of it being "expected" of them to have sex with lots of women.

The performative aspect was the groupies expectation of John to act like Beatle John while he was thrusting. That doesn't mean John disliked it or was carrying out an act he found distasteful for the sake of expectations. And remember: John kept posters of Bridget Bardot and Elvis Presley in his bedroom at Mendips because he was jerkin' it to their images. He only had a parasocial fanboy relationship with them but he was deeply sexually attracted to both. This is the opposite of demisexuality which requires a personal connection of some kind.

I talked about this in the McLennon server this afternoon so I'll just repost what I said in there:

Leggy「IT'S A GUNDAM 」 — Today at 5:20 PM john was just so laden with PTSD and agoraphobia

like Shotton talks about how John started turtling up once he got Kenwood, the hibernation years were a long time coming. but he was so deeply separated from other people even as a child and that just got worse and worse over time.

like sex was a way for John to connect with human beings and I wonder if it was the only way he could. that's not to say he couldn't fall in love if he met people but he had to keep his connections shallow as a matter of survival, he wasn't able to form those relationships easily and when he did connect to others it was because they pursued him.

Cynthia was the aggressor in her relationship with John, he liked her but he didn't pay attention to her until she dyed her hair blonde to catch his eye. Paul was super down bad. Yoko stalked him.

Otherwise even as a teenager John's relationships were strictly about sex, not romantic love, and he wasn't interested in romantic love until Paul and art school came into his life.

***

This is the exact opposite of demisexuality. John could form personal relationships and he could fall in love with people but when he did, he seemed to back away from them sexually. If we count Paul as one of John's lovers (and I do) then we see this happen to where John broke it off with Paul to pursue someone else physically (in this case Yoko.) John liked using sex as a way to connect with others but the moment genuine feelings got involved he got skittish. Note that he initially was planning to buy a house with May Pang but then he went back to Yoko when the Montauk plans began solidifying. John was certainly attracted to May Pang and he certainly had a personal connection with her but when that started getting a little too real and too deep, then he left her and would only hook up with her occasionally in controlled environments where he could ghost her easily afterwards.

The same thing happened with Yoko: after Sean was born, she and John stopped having sex and she sent him to the massage parlors to avoid dealing with him.

And don't forget how John's relationship with May Pang started: Yoko hired May Pang to be John's mistress. May was paid by Yoko to have sex with John and to keep him within Yoko's reach while they were in Los Angeles, what with Yoko's daily phone calls. May did fall in love with John but John knew that May was a business asset controlled by his wife and that she was being paid to never leave him. This was the foundation of their affection for each other. When May and John went back to New York and started looking for houses in Montauk, John opted to go back to Yoko for her smoking cure and came back ready to leave May Pang, aka the relationship with May Pang was becoming too real and too deeply rooted in actual Love (with that capital L) that meant May would no longer be forced to stay with John due to receiving a salary from Yoko Ono.

What seems to be more of a pattern in his life is that he was very wary of forming personal connections with others, when they did form it was because the second person pursued him vigorously, and then he had a saddening tendency to leave once his love with that second person began to develop into a deep, long lasting adult relationship. If anything, John seemed to use sex as a way to keep himself hidden and to stop forming connections with others because the moment he had sex with someone he could safely label them "disposable" which is exactly what he did with Paul and May despite his intense connections with both of them and the fact that he was sexually intimate with both of them.

John seemed to fear love and the responsibilities and ecstasies that it brings. This is not demisexuality as I understand it and I simply cannot agree with the assertion that John was demisexual.

#there is a McLennon aspect to all this but that would require an entire post of its own #john lennon #yoko ono #may pang #the beatles #beatles meta #my meta

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longwuzhere · 8 months

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Some cool Easter eggs I caught watching My Adventures with Superman that I want to show to people so they can be in on it with comic book readers

My episode 1 easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My episode 2 easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My episode 3 easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My episode 4 easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My episode 5 easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My episode 6 easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My episode 7 easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here and here

My episode 8 easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

My episode 9 easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman post is here

(SPOILERS if you haven't seen the show yet):

We start things off with Jor-El and Clark meeting and like the last time, Jor-El speaking in Kryptonese much like how Jor-El in the comics did in Man of Steel #6 (1986)...

as seen in this panel (W&P: John Byrne, I: Dick Giordano, C: Tony Zuiko, L: John Costanza) where Clark meets a ghostly projection of his father at night speaking Krypton's native tongue to him. BTW Man of Steel (1986) is a fantastic read. Highly recommend finding it at your local comic shop.

After Lois, Jimmy and Clark get promoted from interns to reporters at the Daily Planet we see the three of them will be having Thanksgiving with the Kents. Ma Kent shows Lois the newspaper she framed that all three of them wrote much like how her comic book counterpart made a scrap book out of the newspaper headlines of Clark's various heroic adventures in Man of Steel #1 (1986) as seen here in the panel (W&P: John Byrne, I: Dick Giordano, C: Tony Zuiko, L: John Costanza).

The camera then moves and see see kid Clark and the things he did back then. The baseball photo kinda reminds me of this fantastic moment in Batman/Superman #3 (2013) by Greg Pak, Yildiray Cinar, Matt Lackey and John Kalisz, and Rob Leigh:

On Earth-2 Clark and Bruce met as young kids after the car, Alfred drove broke down and both had some fun playing baseball. It's a very cute flashback that highlights no matter where in the multiverse, a Superman-Batman friendship is constant.

Lois's father shows up to the Thanksgiving dinner and I got double confirmation now that it is General Sam Lane. I talked more about his deal here.

Later in the episode we have the awkward parents and their children who are dating each other moment and General Lane here asks if Clark was in the military. In one non-canon series, Superman Year One by Frank Miller and John Romita Jr., Clark signs up for the military after high school. Kind of a weird miniseries, not the best Superman comic, not the worst at least.

Things go from bad to worse when the area where Clark landed activates thanks to the presence of Kryptonite from the League of Lois Lanes sphere that held it and we see that symbol on the robots that the giant ship sends and on this person at the end of the episode. If you know your DC universe, that symbol belongs to Brainiac and we can conclude that the one with the symbol on their head is Brainiac as well.

Brainiac makes his first appearance in Action Comics #242 (1958) (cover art by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye). At this point Brainiac was a "twelve level" intellect alien who shrunk cities for his collection to help repopulate his dead planet, one of the cities is Krypton's capital city, Kandor. Several retcons later we learn that Brainiac is a robot created by the Computer Tyrants of Colu, Brainiac's home planet to spy and conquer worlds. The Brainiac that has a closer connection to Clark and his Kryptonian people kinda like what MAwS is doing was in Superman the Animated Series...

where Krypton was very depended on their AI, Brainiac who then screwed them all over when the planet was about to explode and saved his metal ass and has then became a thorn at Superman's side in the cartoon ever since. MAwS is doing something similar as we see Brainiac's symbol on the robots that were deployed from the ship and the very robotic looking body Brainiac has at the end of the episode.

As we see Clark try to stop the portal and ship, he breaks into the hull and battles the robots in it. As he's getting pummeled, AI Jor-El helps neutralize the robots. It's kinda the same idea that what Man of Steel (the movie) was trying to go for when Lois was on Zod's ship and AI Jor-El was helping her navigate throughout the place. As I said before in the last post, Shin Ultraman is a better Superman movie (and a highly recommend watching) than what Zack Snyder was trying to do in Man of Steel.

We wrap up episode 10 with the Kents, Lois, and Jimmy enjoying a Thanksgiving dinner and we see that Jonathan was able to get the turkey to temperature so Clark heats it more with his heat vision. Superman sometimes does this do heat very mundane things like coffee as seen in this panel of Super Sons #9 (2017) (W: Peter Tomasi, P&I: Jorge Jimenez, C: Alejandro Sanchez, L: Rob Leigh). Highly recommend reading Super Sons and watching the animated movie too!

Congrats to Jimmy on selling Flamebird for $5.6 million. I talk more about flamebird here. Missed opportunity to have it be $5.2 million cuz DC's love of the number 52, but whatever.

The final scene of the episode gives us this moment where Brainiac tells this Kryptonian Warrior a planet they can conquer. The warrior then states that Earth will kneel. The most infamous Kryptonian that likes to mention conquered people kneeling is General Zod and so this character here might be Zod. No confirmation yet but I'm like 99% sure. When we get a confirmation, I'll talk more about Zod later.

And with that we are done with season 1 of My Adventures with Superman and if you made it this far be sure to check out my other easter eggs post: