#clark kent really has a great gender happening in this show like hes just a massive farmboy what more could a dyke ask for

[dykegonzo]

watching smallville again.. i just love a boy who wears nothing but primary colors 😔❤️

#clark kent really has a great gender happening in this show like hes just a massive farmboy what more could a dyke ask for?

[randomfandomimagine]

Lazarus (Clark Kent x Reader x Jimmy Olsen)

Characters: Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White

Fandom: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

Categories: Gender neutral reader, angst with a happy ending, hurt / comfort

Warnings: Spoilers, character death (temporary)

Word Count: 2,4k words

Summary: Y/N is a photographer at the Daily Planet, quite close with Jimmy Olsen. Being really close with Lois Lane and, especially Clark Kent, Y/N is devastated when something happens to Clark and seeks comfort in Jimmy's presence.

A/N: After I rewatched episode 2x07 I was suddenly struck with inspiration to write this and focus on the emotion of it all. I hope you like it!! This fandom is probably more obscure, so I would appreciate if you showed your support if you liked this piece by reblogging and leaving feedback, please! Thank you! ♥

Link: AO3

Clark Kent x Gender Neutral Reader (platonic) 

Jimmy Olsen x Gender Neutral Reader (romantic)

There they went again, right into the wolf’s den. Sometimes you envied Clark and Lois: their close relationship, their adventurous investigations and their skill to write such compelling articles. Other times, like this one, you were glad you could stay behind at the Planet with Jimmy and Perry while they faced Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde. The fact that those three were alive was far too much for you to handle, not to mention face them and investigate them closely.

“You look great” You told them as they prepared their things to go. “Will fit right in”

“Are you saying we look like criminals?” Clark joked, with that bright smile of his that always lit up your bad days.

“No, silly” You fixed his tie, feeling that familiar anxiety spreading from your chest down to your stomach. “I’m saying you look handsome”

Your friend chuckled, although his smile slowly faded. His hand gently fell over yours, stopping you from anxiously fixing his tie still.

“Don’t worry” He reassured you, noticing your distress. “It’s just another lead”

“I know. Besides…” You paused to look up at him and show him a smile. “You two have a guardian angel”

“We do?”

“Yes, we call him Superman”

Surprised, Clark giggled at your comment. You patted his chest and flattened his tie with your palm.

“Hey, don’t distract him” Lois’ voice startled you a little. “I need him focused”

“You look great too, Lois” You grinned, knowing she was slightly jealous of the attention.

“Thank you” She humbly shrugged, but her smirk seemed satisfied.

Lois finally grabbed her shawl, which matched her beautiful red dress, and headed for the elevator. Clark followed in tow.

“Guys” You called them, about to dedicate them the same words you always did before they ventured out to follow a lead. They turned to you. “Be careful, both of you”

“Always are” Clark winked at you as he followed Lois.

“It’s okay, Y/N” Lois smirked wider. “We’re professionals”

The elevator dinged almost as soon as she pressed the button, and they got inside. Clark cutely waved goodbye at you, and you reciprocated the gesture as the doors closed.

When they were gone, the office seemed to grow louder with busy noise, as though trying to replace their absence. You knew they would be okay, like they always were, but you couldn’t help but to worry.

“Hey, Y/N” An arm fell over your shoulders, and you smiled at the thought that Jimmy had once again come to your rescue. “Can you check these for me?”

“Why me?” You humored him, taking the photos from his hand and giving him a playful look. “You’re a photographer too”

“You have a good eye, better than me” He playfully shook you around. “You’re the best photographer in the Daily Planet”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Olsen” You laughed, walking with him to sit down and take a closer look at those photos.

_

It was getting late, you could tell because exhaustion was starting to weigh down on you. Jimmy had complained a couple of times because you kept infecting him with your yawning.

“No, that one has a better angle” You pointed at the picture, resting your head on his shoulder as your eyes started closing.

“Think that’s the one I should give the boss?” He leaned his head down to look at you.

“Mm-hm”

“Hey, don’t fall asleep!”

“I’m tired, Jimmy”

“They why don’t you go home?”

You knew the answer, even if you didn’t want to admit it. Even if it usually was the case, saying you enjoyed spending time with him this time wouldn’t be entirely true because, while you did love being around Jimmy, you had stayed because you needed to make sure that Lois and Clark returned safe and sound from yet another one of their dangerous investigations.

Just then, the elevator dinged. Jimmy’s shoulders grew tense, and you yourself moved away from him to glance in that direction. The doors opened to reveal Lois, making you sigh in relief.

“There they…” Jimmy started saying, although he suddenly grew silent. You felt a nasty feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realized why.

“Lois!” You quickly jumped to your feet, with Jimmy doing the same, when you watched her as she approached.

The reporter looked up in a daze, almost seeming to realize just then where she was. Her eyes fell on you two, but she didn’t seem to register the fact that you had called her. Lois’ hair was disheveled, nothing like its usual neat style. Her red dress was crooked, and one of the straps had fallen off her shoulder. Her eyes were red and puffy.

“What happened?” Jimmy uttered in a shaky voice.

“Where’s Clark?” You asked as well, not seeing him anywhere.

“He’s…” Lois leaned on the closest table, breaking into sobs. “Gone”

Somehow, although you knew what she meant, her words didn’t make any sense. Clark couldn’t be gone. He was young and strong, and brave. Bad things didn’t happen to people like him. Clark Kent was too kind to have such a tragic end.

The office completely came to a halt. Everyone stared at Lois in shock. Jimmy next to you plopped down in the couch you had been sitting with him a moment ago. You slowly joined him when you felt your legs shaking.

“What’s going on here?” Perry suddenly exited his office, startling you with the sudden movement. “Why did everyone stop working? This is… Wait, Lois… Are you alright?”

“Perry…” She absently walked closer to the boss. “Clark is… dead… they shot him”

A lump had formed on your throat, but hearing those words made your heart hurt. Disconsolate, you threw yourself to the comfort of Jimmy’s chest. He was so in shock that it took him several seconds to hug you and only did when he heard you loudly weeping.

_

A party… Perry wanted to still celebrate that party with everything that was happening?

Your eyes, that you realized were on the elevator, were inundating in tears again. Frustrated, you averted your gaze from that spot, knowing he wouldn’t come back. You had to accept that. Instead, your gaze fell over the photos in Jimmy’s desk, long forgotten. You wished you could return to that moment where you were carelessly and cheerfully checking the photos out, joking and laughing with Jimmy before you learned the terrible news that filled you with pain with each passing second.

“Lois?” You asked when you saw her, surprised that she wasn’t home. “What are you doing here?”

“You know…” She shrugged, lacking her usual liveliness. It broke your heart to see her like that, but you could relate to her deep sorrow. “Being alone at home was torture”

“I get it…” You patted her back, not really knowing what to do to help. Lois wasn’t the type of person to cry on people’s shoulders. “Try to take it easy, though, okay?”

Her eyes were watery, but she nodded her head. In a futile attempt to ease your worry, she showed you a pathetic smile. You had never seen her so defeated.

“I’m here if you need to talk” Was all you said before you gave her some space.

Crestfallen, you walked away and hid in the supply room. There, you were away from everyone as well as the deafening noise that made you feel inadequate. You sat down on the floor and hugged your knees. Silence was almost as bad.

You couldn’t stop thinking about that moment, when you learned that you would never see Clark again. The Daily Planet had lost a great reporter, and Metropolis had lost a compassionate and polite citizen. You had lost a dear friend, an inspiration, a part of your heart. How could you live knowing you would never see his bright smile again, or hear his light-hearted jokes or just… be with him? It was too hard to accept that.

“I knew I’d find you here” Jimmy’s voice startled you out of your thoughts.

“Hey” You glanced up to see him standing there at the door, watching you.

“Mind if I come in?” His voice was still low and hesitant as it had been ever since that dreaded moment.

“No” You averted your gaze as he approached you, feeling embarrassingly vulnerable.

Jimmy stopped for a moment, towering over you, before slowly settling on the ground next to you. Even then, it took him a few more seconds to speak up.

“I talked to the chief about the party”

“What did he say?”

“He still wants to celebrate it” He let out a trembling sigh. “And maybe he’s right, maybe we need to distract ourselves from…”

“C-Clark’s death” You uttered, feeling helpless when the tears arrived to your eyes yet again. It felt like you did nothing but cry, and you couldn’t help it.

“Oh, Y/N…” Jimmy scooted closer to you until your sides were touching. “Don’t cry, please…”

“I know it’s useless, and I know it won’t bring him back, but…”

“No, I meant…” He sniffed through his noise. “If you cry then I’ll cry, and if I start I don’t think I’ll be able to stop”

Like it wasn’t bad enough not to have Clark, his absence was heavily weighing on your friends too. Lois was devastated and Jimmy had lost his smile. You had the urge to hug him, but you were too afraid that it would trigger him crying too. Instead, you linked your arm with his and rested your head on his shoulder. He sighed and leaned his head atop of yours.

“Have I…” Jimmy’s voice seemed to get caught in his throat, and so he cleared it before he continued. “Have I told you about that time C.K. pranked me?”

“Clark pranked you?” You took your head off his shoulder, amazed by his words.

“Yeah” You saw a hint of a smile on his lips. “It was an accident, but still…”

“When was that?”

“Before you started working here”

“What happened?”

“Well, he went out to bring us coffee” A small smile finally showed up on his mouth, even if it was a nostalgic one. “And he gave me Lois’ black coffee by mistake. It was so bitter that I spit it out and almost choked on it”

“I wish I could have seen your face” You muttered, feeling the weight of loss lessening slightly when the life returned to his eyes even if for a moment.

“Yeah, C.K. apologized profusely and tried to hide it, but…” He chuckled. “He was laughing really hard”

“Good old Clark” You returned to your spot resting on Jimmy’s shoulder, clinging on to his arm just as you clung on to that sweet story. “Always smiling”

“Yeah, I miss him”

“Me too…”

You sighed in the unison, knowing that even if you had lost Clark, at least you still had each other.

_

Everything was dull without Clark, and you knew it would be for a long time. You appreciated the sentiment, but you didn’t have the energy to be in that party and you were honestly looking forward for it to end. Rather than being there, you much preferred returning to the supply room with Jimmy and listening to all those stories from before you joined the Planet. To make matters worse, someone had erupted into the party: the very people that killed Clark. Luckily, Superman had jumped in to save the day.

When the police arrived, you found yourself sitting in Clark’s empty desk. You felt Jimmy’s quick glances your direction, but this time you needed some space, even from him.

“C.K.!” You suddenly heard him exclaim, making you look up in his direction.

He was hugging someone, and your mind didn’t quite register who it was for a moment. You only saw Lois, who seemed to have just returned from one of her many messy shenanigans. She was wearing a black suit jacket, tied around her body with a belt to make it seem almost like a dress. Seeing the garment, something clicked in your head.

Your gaze fell over the person that Jimmy had now stopped hugging, a man wearing a blue dress shirt with no jacket. Your heart skipped a beat at the familiar sight.

“Clark?!” You shouted, causing all heads to turn to you.

Standing up, you approached him in a daze. For a moment, you thought you were seeing things, but everyone was looking at him too. And they were smiling.

“It’s him, Y/N” Jimmy laughed in utter happiness. “It’s really him, he’s here”

You stood before Clark in shock, still not believing he was alive. How could it be?

“Hi” He smiled at you, a sight that filled all your emptiness with warmth.

“Go on, kid” Perry laughed too. “Hug him”

Jimmy pushed a hand against the small of your back, which brought you out of your daze. You threw yourself to hug Clark with so much force that he staggered a little. Still, he laughed as he wrapped his arms around you.

“Clark, you’re alive” You broke down, crying against his shoulder and holding him as tight as you could. “You’re here, you’re okay! You’re back!”

“I am all of those things” He said, chuckling against your ear. It seemed like the most wonderful sound in the world.

“Now, Y/N” Perry said behind you. “You can let go of him, let him breathe”

“No!” All of that anguish had finally vanished like magic, and you refused to abandon the comforting effect of that embrace.

“I still know your weakness” He playfully said, squeezing your side to tickle you. In response, you shrunk over yourself and let go of him.

“I’ve missed you, Kent” You laughed in the end, playfully tugging on his tie.

“Kent, huh?” He lingered on his bright smile. “Are you mad at me?”

“A little, for scaring us like that”

“I’m sorry”

“We’re just glad you’re okay, C.K.”

When Jimmy wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you to his side, also letting Lois get close to Clark again, you heaved a sigh of relief. Your head calmly leaned on his shoulder like it had done so many times. This time it was different, it wasn’t only cozy and comforting, it was also soothing. It was a celebration that Clark was back, and that everything was okay.

Tag list: @call-me-harley-quinn​ / @wonderlandfandomkingdom​ // If you want to be added or taken off the tag list for these fandoms or characters, send me an ask!! // Feedback and reblogs are appreciated! 

#clark kent x reader #jimmy olsen x reader #dean cain #justin whalin #tnaos #ficlet #clark kent ficlet #jimmy olsen ficlet #tnaos ficlet #lois & clark: the new adventures of superman #lois & clark: tnaos #reader insert #not requested #rfi writings #faves

[fridayfirefly]

Lost and Found [Part Three]

Masterlist | Ao3

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but I wanted to make sure this chapter was perfect, and now I’m super proud to show you all

The evening after Damian made his leap of faith and lost the pen was one of the rare nights where his entire 'family' managed to make it to the dinner table. Grayson and Barbara (Damian used her first name only because she threatened to ram him with her wheelchair if he kept calling her 'Gordon') drove in from their shared apartment in Blüdhaven. They were Soulmates, currently dating and soon to be engaged, if the ring box in Grayson's sock drawer (which Damian found when he broke into their apartment last month) meant anything. Todd came in that morning unannounced, claiming to be "in the mood for Alfred's cooking" (Damian suspected that Todd simply doesn't like eating alone, but said nothing). Drake was free for dinner because he didn't have any evening classes at Gotham University. Stephanie Brown arrived the day prior because Drake asked for her assistance on a case he was working on. Of all the heroes who fought crime in Gotham, Damian was least knowledgeable about Stephanie Brown. In all the time Damian had lived with Father, he had only spoken to Brown a few times and had only patrolled with Spoiler once. However, it seemed that Damian would be patrolling with Spoiler a lot more in the coming weeks. Earlier that day, Brown had offered to remain in Gotham and take Grayson's place on patrols. That way, Grayson could stay in Blüdhaven, instead of driving to Gotham on his nights off at the Blüdhaven police force to patrol.

Selena Kyle showed up for dinner as well, though she made no references to their conversation the night before. Father and Alfred were also at the dinner table, but Damian already knew that they would be there. Damian had lived with Father for almost three months, and he had seen the way that the Manor worked. People came and went; it seemed that the only people who stayed the same were Father and Alfred.

Once dinner started, conversations drifted around Damian. He struggled to find the right words to explain that he made contact with his Soulmate. He felt the need to say it, if only for the purpose of stopping Grayson's constant nagging.

“So when’s Connor coming to visit?" asked Barbara.

Damian turned his attention to Drake, interested in any news about Drake's Soulmate. Damian had yet to meet Connor Kent, but he was certainly interested in meeting one of his brother's Soulmates.

"He's coming over a week from Saturday and then staying for a week until the new semester at Metropolis University starts. Connor's bringing Clark, Lois, and Jon along with him. Jon's still on summer vacation, so Clark and Lois plan on leaving him here with Connor for the week so that he isn't home alone all day while they're at work."

"Jon is Damian's age, right?" Barbara asked.

"Yeah, Jon's turning thirteen next month," Drake answered.

Damian wondered what Jonathan Kent would be like. Hopefully not as immature and imbecilic as his classmates at Gotham Academy.

As the conversation hit a lull, Grayson piped up, "Damian, what's new with you? Are you still ignoring all your problems?" Grayson's tone was far too innocent for the taunt veiled underneath the niceties. Damian shot Grayson a glare, which was matched by Grayson's own stubborn look. Logically, Damian knew his teasing was fueled by well-intentioned concern, but Damian still found it annoying.

"Don't call her a problem," Damian growled. No one at the table looked concerned by their interaction, so Damian assumed that Babs and Stephanie had both been informed of what had happened two weeks ago. "The answer is no, anyways. I'm not ignoring her. I lost something for her last night."

All other conversations halted when Damian revealed his secret. "Good for you, Demon Spawn," Todd said, speech muffled by the mouthful of food he was trying to talk around.

"That's great news!" Grayson's face was lit up. "We should celebrate. I haven't had an opportunity to throw a party at the Manor in ages."

Damian sighed. Any attempts to halt Grayson's party planning would surely fail. There was no stopping Grayson’s unnerving desire to celebrate every little thing.

"Babs and I can set it up. We can do it next Saturday, while the Kents are here. After all, it's been months since the last time the Banquet Hall was used."

Father rolled his eyes at Grayson’s antics, the slight upturn of his lips proved that he was in support of Grayson's idea. It had been less than one minute since told his tell his family that he had lost the pen for his Soulmate to find, and he was already regretting it.

——————————————————————

It had taken Damian six hours and eighteen jewelry stores throughout Gotham to find the perfect gift to give to his Soulmate. It was a bracelet, made of silver and designed to look like feathers wrapping around the wrist. But it still wasn't perfect, which was why Damian was knocking on Drake's bedroom door.

Drake opened his door, looking much better rested than he had at dinner two days prior. The dark circles under his eyes had faded, and Damian could see only one coffee cup on his desk, instead of his usual three to seven. "Do you need anything?"

Damian nodded. "There is something I need assistance with. Given that it is within your area of expertise, I came to you for help."

Drake looked shocked at Damian's request, but also interested. "Come on in."

Damian walked into Drake's room and shut the door behind him. "I understand that you are knowledgeable about nanotechnology." Damian set the bracelet down on Drake's desk. "Would you be able to monitor heart rate and blood pressure through this, without the modifications being obvious to its wearer?"

Drake picked the bracelet up and examined its size and weight. "It'll take me a few days, but I think it can be done..." Drake trailed off, grabbing a spare piece of paper off his desk and jotting notes down. "It's for your Soulmate, right?"

"Yes."

"Cool," said Drake, "Is there anything else you want to be added to it?"

Damian paused for a moment, considering his words. "Could you add a tracker? One that activates only if the heart rate and blood pressure monitors detect that she's in potentially life-threatening conditions?"

Drake nodded. "I can definitely do that. If I connect everything to an app on your phone, then those kinds of settings can be done through the app rather than through the bracelet itself. But you know, I won't judge you if you want the tracker to be available to you now."

Damian shook his head. "I don't want to invade her boundaries. I just want to keep her safe and out of harm's way."

"That's genuinely really cool of you, Damian," Drake said. "I think Connor's going to like you."

"Tt. Everybody likes me."

Drake laughed. "Sure, Demon Spawn."

Damian turned away from his brother, leaving the room before Tim could catch the small smile on his face.

——————————————————————

"No more complaining, Dami. I didn't get to throw you a Welcome to the Manor party or a belated Birthday party, so you're going to suck it up and enjoy this one," Grayson instructed. He and Barbara had already bought refreshments, created a playlist titled "Can Damian Even Dance?", and decorated the Banquet Hall. Though in Damian's opinion, a blind cat would have been better at decorating than Grayson. Instead of buying normal party decorations, He and Barbara had gone to thrift stores, buying up used gender reveal party decorations. They then wrote the word Soulmate overtop of 'boy' or 'girl' so that each banner proclaimed "It's a Soulmate."

"I'm not complaining. I just think that your decorations look terrible."

"Don't call them terrible, they're made with love." Grayson could barely keep a straight face while saying it.

Damian rolled his eyes and walked out of the Banquet Hall, heading towards the foyer. He knew that Grayson was the type to go all-out when it came to showing his emotions (i.e. throwing a party to show that he's proud of Damian and supports him) but Damian wasn't really the type to enjoy a party, especially when he's the guest of honor.

"The Kents are here," Tim called out as he opened up the front door.

Damian watched as Tim greeted the Kent family. Damian had already met Clark Kent, though strictly through his superhero identity and was familiar with both Connor and Jon's time spent as Superboy. And Lois Lane-Kent, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of an award-winning novel (which Damian has read), was just as well-known in America as Superman.

“Clark, I know you've already met Damian, but the rest of you should come and meet him. After all, Dick is throwing the party in his honor.”

Damian walked into the foyer to meet Tim’s Soulmate’s family. “Hello,” Damian dipped his head in greeting.

“It’s nice to meet you, Damian,” Lois politely greeted him.

"I've read your book," Damian blurted out. "I found your commentary on the negative ramifications of superheroes on our society to be enlightening."

Lois smiled brightly, "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've always been interested in how Superheroes influence modern society, and I think it's important for people to understand that Superheroes aren't always a good thing to have. Because Superheroes exist, citizens allow themselves to become complacent, pushing the burden of stopping crime onto Superheroes, instead of trying to prevent people from becoming criminals in the first place. It's definitely a multifaceted phenomenon, and one that our society needs to be aware of."

"It's a very complex issue," Damian agreed. "I hope we can talk about this further at a later date."

Lois nodded. "Definitely." She glanced towards her husband. "Clark and I should go find Bruce and catch up with him." The pair left the foyer, walking in the direction of Father's office. Damian, Tim, Connor, and Jonathan walked in the opposite direction, towards the Banquet Hall.

"So you're Damian," said Connor. "Tim's told me a lot about you."

"Tt. Knowing Drake, it's likely all lies and slander. Drake's jealousy often gets the best of him."

"Jealous of what? The fact that you're so effortlessly annoying?"

"You're obviously envious of my innate ability to do everything better than you."

Connor, Tim's Soulmate, let out a laugh. "Tim didn't tell me that you're funny."

"He's not funny, Connor. He's annoying. Now come on, you have to see the decorations Dick and Babs put up. They're awful."

"How do you mess up party decorations?" Jonathan Kent asked.

Tim made a face. "Dick likes to challenge himself by putting up the worst possible decorations. Last year he and Babs convinced Alfred to have us all make the Christmas tree decorations ourselves. I still don't think I've gotten all the glitter out of my hair."

“At least these decorations are harmless,” Damian cut in. “Imagine what would have happened had Father not vetoed Grayson's Fourth of July cookout earlier this summer.”

Connor laughed. “That definitely wasn’t Dick’s best idea. I doubt that fireworks and the Wayne family mix well.”

When they got to the door to the Banquet Hall, Grayson's music already playing, Tim turned to Damian. "By the way, Damian, I finished the modifications that you asked for. It's in my room on my desk when you want to go get it."

"Sure. Tell Grayson I'll be a few minutes."

Tim and Connor walked into the room, but Jonathan stayed behind. "Is it for your Soulmate - what Tim was fixing for you?"

Damian's eyes narrowed. "Maybe."

Jonathan's face brightened. "Cool. Are you planning on losing it tonight?"

“I take it Tim told you and his Soulmate about my Soulmate," Damian commented, ignoring Jonathan's question.

"Tim didn't tell me, Tim told Connor. He wanted Connor's advice on how to apologize to you, for what he said about your Soulmate. I couldn't help but overhear; superhuman hearing doesn't exactly have an off switch. Besides, I was mostly just interested in the fact that your Soulmate is French. My Soulmate's French too."

Damian didn't know how to respond to that. Jonathan Kent was like a breath of fresh air.  He was entirely unconcerned about Damian's wealth and status. He understood the sort of responsibility that being a superhero entailed but didn't get weighed down by it. He had just met Damian but already trusted him enough to reveal information about his Soulmate. Jonathan Kent, who seemed so easy to read at first glance, was secretly a conundrum.

The modifications on the bracelet were almost completely imperceptible to Damian's trained eye. Besides a small change in weight, it appeared unchanged. "I like the feathers," said Jonathan, "Definitely more subtle than anything I could come up with. But what was Tim doing with it?”

“Modifying it,” Damian said curtly. “It now measures heart rate and blood pressure.”

Jonathan nodded, “That’s a smart idea. I might have to ask Tim to make me one."

As they left Tim's room, Jonathan continued to fill the silence. "I don't know how you managed to not lose something for so long. I lose stuff all the time. My Soulmate will probably end up figuring out I'm Superboy because I accidentally misplaced my uniform."

"Your Soulmate doesn't yet know that you're Superboy?"

Jonathan shook his head. "We haven't met in person yet, plus the language barrier makes communication through the Soulbond difficult if we aren't both using translators. My Soulmate only speaks a little bit of English, and I'm even worse at French. But I'm getting better. I take classes now."

"I'm fluent in French," Damian added. "If you ever need something translated, I'm sure I could take the time to help you out." Jonathan Kent was one of the few genuinely good people Damian had met. Damian wanted to get to know him better.

"Thanks, Damian."

As Damian passed his bedroom doorway, he noticed something new sitting on his bed. A black book. He changed course, heading straight towards his new Soulmate object. It was a sketchbook. Damian quickly flipped through the crisp, new pages. His Soulmate must be a designer - the first three pages contained clothing designs. The first page was a dress, pink and white striped with a bow around the waist. The second page was a jacket, olive green with gold-colored buttons. The third page was a plain white t-shirt, simple at first glance, but the detailed notes beside the design indicated that she meant to cover the shoulders and shirt sleeves in a detailed embroidery.

"Wow," said Jonathan. "Did you know that your Soulmate was so talented?"

"No," Damian breathed out, taking in every little detail. He had never been so fascinated by fashion designing. Everything about the sketchbook showed talent, dedication, and skill. He could hardly tear his eyes away from the sketches - they were so detailed, with little notes in the margin indicating everything from what store to go to to buy the fabric, to the exact shade she wanted, to whether or not it needed hand stitched. All three pages were dated August 20th - she had planned out all three pieces of clothing that very day. Damian couldn't quite believe that his Soulmate was so perfect.

But pushing towards the front of his mind was the knowledge that he would have to return the book. It was obviously important to her, something she would never want to lose. Damian pulled his phone out and took three pictures, one of each of the sketches, to make sure he didn't forget a single detail. Then he grabbed a sticky note off of his desk and wrote, "I figured you might want this back - D.W."

Damian could feel Jonathan watching him. "I'm glad you're a good person, Damian."

"Thanks," Damian said dryly, but the compliment still stuck with him. He had never cared about being a good person until he lived with his Father. He didn't think he would be good at it, but maybe he was wrong.

Then, it was just a matter of losing the sketchbook so that she could get it back. Damian, not wanting the book to get damaged in any way, decided to just toss it into one of the open doorways on the way back to the Banquet Hall. It worked to lose the book only because the Banquet Hall was in one of the sections of the Manor that was rarely ever used, except during social gatherings. The twisting hallways and odd door placements were designed to keep snooping Gala guests from getting into the main part of the Manor without physically locking doors. According to Grayson, they also made for very intense games of Hide and Seek, which Damian had yet to play (Grayson had promised him a game, though, and had yet to break a promise).

"So what is your Soulmate like, Jonathan?" Damian asked him once they found their way back into the Banquet Hall.

"You know, you can call me Jon." Jon's facial expression switched to something that could only be described as dreamy. "My Soulmate... he's wonderful. He loves music, it's his biggest passion. He sends me music recommendations all the time, usually weekly playlists, unless he's bored or wants me to listen to something special. His favorite color is green and he has a pet turtle named Oliver. He has three best friends beside me, and he says he can't wait to meet me in person, but we're waiting until we're at least fifteen."

The night passed quickly in Jon's company. It was a new experience for Damian, having someone his own age to talk to. Conversation flowed easily from Soulmates to Superheroes to school. It was the first time Damian genuinely felt like he had made a friend.

Once midnight came around the party ended. Lois and Clark left to drive back to Metropolis, and Grayson and Barbara left for Blüdhaven.  Tim took Connor up to his room, and Brown and Todd both left for their own (rarely used) bedrooms. Damian knew that Jon was staying in the guest bedroom three doors down from his own, so he offered to take him there.

The sticky note on his floor was the first thing Damian noticed, once he was finally alone. Written in the same handwriting as the designs from before was the sentence, "Thanks, it's a birthday present from my parents - M.D.C."

Damian knew it was time to give his Soulmate the bracelet. Wrapping it alongside the box of replacement pens he had gotten her, Damian made sure to write in his best handwriting, "Happy Birthday M. From your Soulmate, D.W."

Taglist: @fanboy7794 @mikantsume @hetalia-lover-is-here @howtoshuckatlife @you-will-never-know-how-i-think @redscarlet95  @derpingrainbow @friedchickening @constancetruggle @melicmusicmagic  @beautym3 @kunstner1 @shizukiryuu @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @crazylittlemunchkin @black-streak @darkshadowguardian @mystery-5-5 @trubel43 @fandomfan315 @vincentvangoose

#lost and found #marinette #damian wayne #marinette x damian #maribat #maridami #daminette #my work

[nyxelestia]

I’ve talked a ton about what fandom spaces look like when Black woman steps into a racebent role, but not about what happens to Black men who play racebent roles in the same franchises.

If you think that things are any easier for Black men in fandom well…

You’ve thought wrong.

This installment of What Fandom Racism Looks Like will look at how the racism behind how the Smallville fandom treated Pete Ross – played by Sam Jones III – and how, over a decade later, the Supergirl fandom pulls from the same playbook in order to excuse heaping a ton of racism on James Olsen and the black actor that plays him, Mehcad Brooks.

It is a fact of fandom that Black characters of any gender are treated poorly in comparison to non-Black characters. When you take gender into consideration, misogynoir leaps out and the anti-black and anti-woman violence leaps out, but that doesn’t mean that Black men have ever been beloved in fandom.

Some Black men/male characters are liked a little bit more than Black women in similar shows or properties, but can you actually name one that is treated on the same level as a white male character or performer?

Can you name one that’s actually beloved?

We’re now in my fifth year of running Stitch’s Media Mix and one constant that I’ve talked about is the way that the Star Wars fandom maligns, dismisses, and makes weird shit up about Finn and his actor John Boyega.

Folks across various fandom spaces don’t limit their ire just to Finn’s existence and creating fanworks (fiction, art, and meta fandom analysis) that turn him into a villain or kill him off so that Kylo Ren could succeed as the “real” hero of the franchise.

No.

I’m talking about folks deciding Boyega has to be homophobic because he’s Nigerian-British and because his father is prominent in their church and things like the time folks flooded his mentions calling him a misogynist and sexist and even @-ing Lucasfilm/Disney over a video of him dancing during carnival.

What Finn and John Boyega go have been going through since in 2015 is what Mehcad Brooks and James Olsen go through in 2019.

It’s an updated version of what Sam Jones III and Pete Ross went through a decade ago.

Looking back now, it’s obvious that the Smallville fandom was predictable in the same ways that many other superhero fandoms are now.

The most popular ship for the fandom was between two white male characters – Lex Luthor and Clark Kent – frenemies for life.

It’s a fandom that often treated white female characters and characters of color as obstacles in the way of the main slash relationship – instead of like Lex Luthor’s everything. It’s a ship with a fanbase that pretty much cut out or ignored the relationships either white male character had with white women or people of color in order to portray their relationship as the most important one across the series.

With that much predictability, it’s not that difficult to look back at fanworks from when the Smallville fandom was at its highest and draw connections between what fandom did over a decade ago and what it continues to do now.

Pete Ross wasn’t the first sidekick or friend in a superhero drama to be racebent.

In Smallville alone, biracial Chinese-American Kristen Kreuk was cast to play a racebent version of Clark Kent’s teenaged sweetheart Lana Lang. (And Dean Cain’s Clark Kent on The Adventures of Clark Kent and Lois Lane in the early Nineties was visibly not white.)

However, the fandom’s response to this newly Black Pete Ross was… different.

When folks in fandom deigned to write him, they wrote him as a shucking and jiving stereotype, an approximation of what they think Black men were like In 2002.

Back then, longtime fan writer teland aired one hell of a grievance about the way that folks in the Smallville fandom insisted on writing Pete Ross when the series first aired, writing that:

If I *never* see another story where Pete fucking ROSS goes around speaking stereotypical JIVE again it will be too soon. What the fuck is *wrong* with you people? Do you *watch* the show? Has Pete *ever* been anything but a normal smartass teenaged boy with a crush on Chloe and a lust for every other woman his eyes have lit upon? Has he *ever* expressed an interest in the poetry of Amiri Baraka? Does he cruise the streets of Smallville in his low-rider and do drive-bys with his do-rag arranged in Criply perfection?

 No?

 Then why the *fuck* do you write him that way, numbnuts?

This fannish insistence on writing Pete Ross as hella hood despite the fact that there are next to no other Black people in Smallville – much less a “hood” of any kind – was one of the ways that the Smallville fandom made it very clear that they didn’t actually see Pete Ross as a character. He was a bad blank slate, one that they could overlay not with the nuanced characterization that white blank slates got –

But with stereotypes about Blackness.

There is no “hood” in Smallville, Kansas.

Outside of a few racebent characters, the small country town is pretty darn white. There are several episodes of Smallville where Pete is the only character of color with dialogue. He’s frequently the ONLY black character on-screen and his dialogue and motivations aren’t exactly hard to parse –

So why was fandom’s “go to” for Pete Ross a hella hood version that dropped slang and exhibited a frankly offensive stereotype of Black existence that didn’t even apply to him?

Simply put?

The Smallville fandom, like many fandoms when faced with having to interact with or write a Black character for the first time in ages, gravitated towards what they knew from their limited interactions with Blackness and Black people. Their biases shone through because it was, for them, the only way they knew how to conceptualize Black people.

(You can see this replicated in more modern fandom with how the MCU fandom tries to turn Sam Wilson into a hard hood stereotype in fanworks or that one horrible headcanon where Miles shoplifted to get art supplies – despite his solidly middle-class existence and strong views of right and wrong.)

If you know nothing about Black people outside of what like… Fox News and your elderly grandparents in the Midwest tell you about Black people and have no interest in seeing us AS PEOPLE or doing the work to unbuild those biases, your fanworks that reference or even center Black characters will hold those beliefs.

Pete Ross was on Smallville for three seasons. In those three seasons, the fandom pretty much decided that he was set up to sit in one of two roles. Either he’d be a supportive sidekick to Clark and company, or he’d be a villain. And either way, when they wrote him, they often gravitated to writing him as a hood stereotype.

Again, there are next to no other Black people in Smallville on the seasons Pete Ross is one of Clark’s closest friends.

Smallville is a picture of white Americana right down to how the show and town takes a Highlander-esque approach to diversity where only a few characters of color are even allowed to inhabit the same space at any given time.

Unlike many of the other Black male characters that set fandoms afire with their ire, Pete Ross wasn’t a threat to established ships or character arcs. He was gone before he really had a chance to shine, written off and moved out of town as other characters took his spot at Clark’s right hand.

What happens when a Black male character is in the way of one ship or poses a threat to another?

Well, for the answer to that, we need to fast forward over a decade to the Supergirl fandom and how it treats Mehcad Brooks and his character on the show, James Olsen.  From the start, racebending Clark Kent’s most famous sidekick didn’t go well. His casting was met with frustration from all corners of fandom from folks that hated that he was a) Black and b) potentially in a relationship with Kara.

Then season two on The CW happened and the fandom kind of… started mutating in the worst way.

Certain parts of the Supergirl fandom will have you believing that James Olsen is the worst character on the show and that Mehcad is the most problematic person to ever work on a CW show.

They cite Mehcad’s (admittedly offensive) Instagram username, his championing Lena/James as a ship on instagram using a hashtag commonly associated with LGBTQ people, and a comment about how his girlfriend at the time told him that he’s “a lesbian trapped in a football player’s body” made to a trans reporter.

None of those things are great, let’s be very real here.

I don’t actually like or support a lot of how Mehcad Brooks carries himself. I don’t need to like him in order to be very aware of how he’s treated by the fandom from even before he was deemed Problematic.

One of the things I’ve been hyperaware of in fandom is how celebrities and fans of color are shunned for problematic thoughts and behavior in a more… permanent way. There are non-Black CW stars who are problematic – some of them are even on Supergirl – and who’ve presented themselves in ways that aren’t great.

But for the most part, they don’t have people calling for them to be fired or for their character to be killed off.

They don’t have folks pretending to care about marginalized people to cloak their anti-Blackness.

Which is one of my biggest issues with the way that Black male characters are treated in fandom spaces: the way that folks use social justice rhetoric and a vague “desire for representation” to excuse unsubtle racism towards these male characters and their performers.

I know we covered that folks performing wokeness is in the minority of Things That Happen In Fandom, but let’s be clear: this is one occasion where it’s frequent and obvious.

One of the ways that Black characters and performers are subject to racism from fandom is in the way that non-Black fans will reframe them as “too problematic to support” (which therefore allows them to be dehumanized by the fandom that dislikes them). If folks in fandom can claim that they really don’t like a Black character because they need to protect marginalized (white) fans from their existence, then they can’t be called racist.

Because they’re doing it for (white) queer people.

Or (white) women.

But it’s terribly transparent.

After all:

Someone celebrating (with champagne and all) that James Olsen has been shot and that Lex Luthor called him a dog does not actually give a shit about representation for people of color.

Someone fretfully worrying that John Boyega, thanks to his father’s role in their church, is a homophobe that doesn’t actually want Finn/Poe to be canon, doesn’t actually care about queer people.

Someone positing that a Black male character is actually harmful for a non-Black character – and that’s why the fandom has to distrust and dislike them – doesn’t actually care about Black people.

And if you’re out here championing a non-canon (fem)slash ship because #RepresentationMatters at the same time that you’re out here actively wishing evil on a Black performer and hoping that their character gets killed off… you can’t possibly care that much about representation for anyone but white queer people.

It continues to boggle my mind how non-Black fans seem incapable of understanding that we can see their tweets and tumblr posts. They seem incapable of understanding that we know the script as well as they do because we’ve seen them use it across the years of fandom and that we see it put into play, we’re not going to fall for it.

Hell, we’re going to call that crap out.

Pete Ross wasn’t the first Black male character to be mistreated by a white fandom. We’ve got years of evidence of Black male characters being rewritten and misrepresented and torn down in order to lift up non-Black ones. Name me a Black male character in a franchise or fandom and I’ll probably be able to tell you at least two ways that fandom mistreats them.

As we can see with James Olsen, the disgusting way folks in fandom treat and talk about Black male characters and performers. is just going to continue until non-Black fans step up and throw away the script they’re adhering to so hard.

#star wars #john boyega #fandom racism #fandomshatepeopleofcolor #fandom meta #on fandom

[ayankun]

Lois & Clark S2 recap

Brain is on fire.

Flippin' characters have gone to therapy and it wasn't portrayed as a joke or as a combative relationship, and they identified things in their lives that they wanted to change and then they did?! Truly remarkable.

The Lois/Clark slowburn was exquisite. Particularly thrilled with how painfully awkward their first steps were, like, the classic TV thing is to do the will-they-won't-they for as long as possible to maintain the narrative conflict of them not being together in order to avoid the narrative resolution of them getting together, and frequently the lengths shows will go to to do this are frustrating and stupid. So what they did here was, they did that just shy of it being frustrating and stupid, and then they had a handful of episodes about them being together but in the most shy painful awkward way, and THEN they went back to finding reasons to keep them apart.

And while some of those reasons are still frustrating and stupid (Mayson was tolerable but Dan was just Mayson but worse), the main antagonist for their relationship was Superman.

Oh, and I mean, the main protagonist of S2 is the Lois/Clark romantic relationship! And the thing standing in their way is Clark's secret. That's literally the only thing the second half of the season is about!!!!! I mean, sure Intergang's all over the shop, but that's just plot stuff to give the characters something to do week to week, the Clark-has-to-run-away-from-Lois-mid-sentence-and-Lois-deserves-better-than-that is the issue that gives the plot stuff meaning.

S2's a 22-episode slowburn treatment of Spiderman: Far From Home lololololol

Great! Loved it!! I wanted them to get together, but I did also want a comment on Clark's unavoidable duplicity. And I got it! Less of a personal introspection plotline than I envisioned, but it's 90s TV so we got a real thorough show-not-tell execution which actually I super appreciate. It was less about Clark's thought process and more about the consequences of whatever it was. Actually, that execution of the concept really brings Lois' side of things front and center, so I have no complaints.

The most mind-fire I had was during the one episode where Lois temporarily finds out, and I was like WHOA. WAIT. HOLLLLLD ON. Sorry, turns out I was waiting for this catharsis, the literal (for Clark, vicarious and figurative for me) unmasking storyline all along. Clark being 100% Clark with Lois, something something authentic self, ok, yes sir, sign me up, and yes, I will be spending another hour talking to my therapist about Superman I guess.

Also further to the topic of gender envy, you (read: I) can tell when a character's really triggered it when I start headcanoning him as trans. That started somewhere in S2!! Something something more relatable = more projecting = more relatable.

Anyway, you can rip t4t clois out of my cold dead hands.

Other thing I loved was the Kents as the perfect wholesome American nuclear FOUND family. Martha, Jonathan, Clark, and honorary member Lois, none of them are related!!! But they're still perfect and wholesome and all-American and beautifully familial, and nobody comments anything to the contrary. 15/10.

In less exciting news, 3x02 is the first one written by buckleming, I gotta go to sleep so I'll have to see how it goes, but actually so far it's on par with the average episode. OH LOL FUCK this guy's a head in a mechanized box, I forgot about that. Literally the most insane thing to happen on this show to date, and one time Superman prevented an airborne virus from killing all of Metropolis by freeze-breathing it into a huge icicle he then javelined into outer space. They're the executive producers this season, so ADVENTURE AWAITS I GUESS.

[jupitermelichios]

Smallville S2 E6 - Redux

This week we learn that vampires are allergic to mirror balls, so that’s a thing. Also the Luthors are starting to look like the most functional family in this fucking town.

I don't like Clark, but credit to him, it must be really hard to pretend to be bad at swimming

I don't remember high school involving this much sitting around watching topless boys. I know a lot of people who would have enjoyed school a whole lot more if it had.

Yes Clark, using your powers underwater is totally okay because as we all know, water is 100% opaque and no one could possibly have seen you do that.

Oh good, an episode of teenage boys turning into old men. That's not at all similar to that epiosde about old men turning to teenage boys we had last season. Betting on one of the swim team turning out to be a serial killer on the run?!

Martha Kent is an executive PA for one of the richest man in the country, also runs a successful cake baking business, and their family farm presumably sells something even if it's not much. But somehow that isn't enough for them to pay the feed bill. I know they've got debts, but they have grazing land. A lot of it. How is your bill for cattle food in the middle of the summer more than Martha's salary?!

Oooh, Clark has a grandfather he's never been allowed to meet, how mysterious... Except his daughter married Jonathan Kent. I'd fucking cut myself off from the family if that happened as well.

So I'm pretty sure Lex meant for the new principle (he's going to die, they always do) to think Clark was late because he and Lex were fucking. Lex has weird ideas about what the teachers will accept as a valid excuse

Or wait, Lex and this dude have History. Is this Lex showing off that 'you said I'd never amount to anything, but I'm fucking the prettiest underage boy in school so now what have you got to say'? In which case Lex has weird ideas about what teachers will accept as proof that you’ve succeeded in life!

Oh hey, Lana's aunt is still alive. Who knew?

I'm not usually on the side of overbearing parents, but in this case, Martha’s dad is 100% right about Jonathan ruining Martha's life. I don't even know their full history, but Jonathan is a toxic misogynist who poisons everything he touches so...

Okay so the terrible thing Martha's dad did was say that Jonathan would never be able to financially support Martha, and then Jonathan hit him. Twenty years later they're completely broke and Jonathan is still solving all his problems by hitting people. I think Martha's dad might be the only sensible person in this fucking family.

Oh good, more Lex and Lana bonding time. It's like they think putting her next to a more interesting person will somehow magically make us care about her. Newsflash, she's still a toast sandwich in pink nail polish.

The principle is totally trying to split up Clark and Lex. Hey, maybe this will be enough to finally make Clark notice all the flirting.

Bad news guys, this isn’t even a reversal of the old people getting young plot, it's just the same plot again with more uncomfortable gender politics

Why would you ever take advice from Lex about family? I mean I love the guy, but he is fucking awful at family

When two students have died, it's important that you keep things normal and not, say, implement a curfew and keep the kids somewhere safe...

Why can anyone just walk into this school unannounced?! Jesus no wonder the kids keep getting murdered!

I always like it when a show has a B plot that I don't care about. Oooh, Lana's mother might have had an affair. Oooh, I don't give a fuuuuuck.

Why the fuck would anyone immortal choose to stay in high school forever? Is she one of those assholes who say high school was the best days of their lives?

Wait, she's not a meteor kid. She's just a vampire... The fuck, Smallville writers?!

Okay, so Clark pushes the vampire chick through the backcloth on the stage, and then there's a floating mirrored cube, and she sees her own reflection and then crumbles to dust. And that's it. That's how we solve this week's monster problem. What the actual fuck?!

Wait, I take it back, the Kents are so fucked up that Lex may actually be the only person who could possibly give you advice.

Oh great, more of Lana's personal drama next week. That's something to look forward to... Oh Witney, when will you return from the war so I have someone other than Lex to care about again?

Oh hey, I just realised I was right about the principle dying. Go me. Well done on making that a really meaningful and impactful moment there, writers.

#smallville recaps #smallville #superman #charlie watches a thing #tonight #is Lana Lang the blandest person in history #we investigate

[roflope]

Short Spider-Man: Homecoming Rant (Not a bad one, I promise)

Okay, so, I’m gonna start off by saying I love Spider-Man just as much as the next guy, and I mean I do, I really do (my mom let me watch the first movie with Toby McGuire when I was about four, and after that I was obsessed - I apparently begged my grandma to make me a Spider-Man costume for Halloween right after that, and she did, and it was awesome, but that’s beside the point), and I’m beyond glad that the movie rights are back in Marvel’s hands for the time being, so I really hope that Homecoming is a good reboot (because we’re all tired of reboots and I want them to stick with this series). However, there is one thing that I really hope they do with these movies that I don’t feel like they did well enough in the other movies, and I really hope they introduce a certain character that could help with that. The simple fact of the matter is that Spider-Man is, or at least was for arguably the most notable part of his career, pretty much just a kid. I mean, he got his powers when he was fifteen or sixteen, which the movies acknowledge, but it’s not something they play on at all. Now it’s all fine and dandy for someone like Tony Stark who’s pretty far in his life and is a full-fledged adult who sorta kinda knows who he is as a person to adopt another identity and go through all of this superhero stuff (I mean, he literally identifies AS Iron Man, like, Tony Stark and Iron Man are one and the same, he is the Iron Man, they’re not separate entities - just different looks for the same person, like a change of clothing), but Peter Parker was literally just a teenager when this stuff started happening to him, and most of us have been there at that point where we already really aren’t sure of ourselves or who we are, but if you throw not only the actual strain from being a superhero on top of that, but also the idea of adopting yet another identity on top of that so you’re even more confused about who you are, or what’s normal, or what you’re supposed to do, that is some serious stuff to deal with, and it’s something that I feel like we never saw as much in the movies as we did in some iterations of the comics - while Peter knows what his goal is (great power, great responsibility, yadda yadda yadda), there are moments when he’s not really sure of himself, or if he’s doing the right thing, or if this idea of spending his free time running around in his homemade PJ’s and beating up whoever is doing bad stuff is even a sane or realistic thing to do because no one else knows about it and is able to give him any sort of guidance, so he’s just sort of flapping in the wind and carrying on with these crazy shenanigans because WHY NOT. That entire thing is why I really think they need to introduce a certain character. Enter: The Black Cat. Now most people that I mention that to are all like “oh yeah, you mean that other Catwoman chick? Sure, she’s kinda hot,” but that’s not really the point though. One of the things I’ve always loved about that character is that she brings up the idea of saying “Screw it, this IS me - I am Black Cat, not Felicia Hardy” which is something that characters with Batman and Superman kind of toy with by sort of posing the question of who they actually are mentally, whether they see themselves as Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent in superhero costumes, or if they actually are Batman and Superman (Bill from Kill Bill makes a really good point about Supes - check out the movie if you’ve never seen it, good movie, also great real talk about comics), but Black Cat really drives this point home in her inclusion in the Spider-Man series. Granted, different comic reboots and AUs change exactly at what point in life Spidey meets BC - sometimes it’s in his teen years, sometimes it’s as a young adult, but he’s still somewhat young and unsure of himself regardless of when it takes place, so the point still stands. Here we have Peter Parker as Spider-Man who meets this person who is practically a goddess to him: incredibly intelligent, super powered (sorta?), incredibly sexy, super out of his league, and is literally and metaphorically chasing after him, which is something that, as a complete nerd who doesn’t get much attention from the opposite gender, he is entirely unaccustomed to and not sure how to handle, so despite that she’s doing some questionable things and he knows that, he goes straight for it. So then he’s in hook, line, and sinker, right? Totally digs this chick, he feels important because this is someone like him but more confident, and she pretty much tells him without actually saying it that what he’s doing is okay and perfectly normal because she’s doing the same darn thing and is super interested in him (rose colored Spider mask lenses do weird stuff like that), so she’s already become sort of an aid to him without even doing anything other than kicking ass in a Halloween costume. Now she’s going and presenting this idea that not only is it okay to be Black Cat, but it’s okay to JUST be Black Cat - in most versions of the character, she sees herself as actually being Black Cat, not Felicia Hardy, so she doesn’t have a care in the world for her former self, because she’s above that and everyone else. At this point, Peter is already confused about his identity, and now here’s someone who seems like a saving grace coming down and telling him to throw Peter Parker in the dirt because Spider-Man is better. And wait, it gets better. He’s with her on and off for quite a while throughout his career, not ever really with her romantically, but they have that Starlord Unspoken Thing™, and they’re just kind of ass-kicking buddies at the same time. Then when things go south with everything else in his life and he turns to her for solace, and he wants to be with her, it’s all fine and dandy until he takes off his mask because he wants her to actually know who he is and have a relationship with her, and she’s just like “put it back on” because she doesn’t care about who he is under the mask, and not like in a way where she likes him for whoever he actually is, but she actually has zero interest in Peter Parker because she wants Spider-Man. Now if that’s not confusing as balls on top of everything else in the situation he’s in, then I don’t know what is. It really shows for a minute who she is, and what she feels, and it’s sort of an enlightening thing for him because he realizes that she really just doesn’t care for having a normal life, which is even more of an identity crisis than everything before. If anything, it’s even sort of symbolic - I think we all have known or learn to know someone at some point in our lives who gets us through a lot of shit, but then you find out after forever that their intentions are different from yours, and maybe not in a bad way, but in a way that doesn’t fit how you see life. I just really wanna see them explore that aspect in the movies of Peter Parker versus Spider-Man, because they totally could with him being very evidently still in that teenager mindset as we saw in Civil War. C’mon, give us deep Spider-Man. Emotional issues. Identity crisis. Teenagers being superheroes isn’t just something to shrug off - you can make everything a huge deal with that because everything is a huge deal as a teenager. TL;DR: Make Peter Parker deal with being a superhero like a teenager would, bring in Black Cat because there is such a huge opportunity for character depth being wasted there.

[randomfandomimagine]

Waiting For Superman (Clark x Reader)

Character: Clark Kent

Fandom: Superman (All Media Types)

Categories: Gender Neutral Reader, Songfic, Angst With A Happy Ending, Hurt / Comfort

Warnings: A bit angsty and sad

Word Count: 3,2k words

Summary: Y/N is having a rough time, so when she is saved by Superman she thinks that things wil start going differently for her.

Note: I’ve been watching a lot of Lois & Clark and I wrote this having in mind Dean Cain’s Clark, but you can read this with any other iterations of the character in mind, I tried to keep it vague.

He was your only hope, he was the only one capable of saving you. Only Superman could rescue you from that perilous situation, and you prayed that he arrived soon, otherwise the burning building would collapse on all of you.

The chaos around you faded away as your mind began racing. You couldn’t focus, too deep into my own panic to think about anything else. All of a sudden, you were literally swept of your feet and nestled into two strong but gentle arms until you were carried outside.

Just as you looked up to your savior, you met with his kind eyes as he carefully set you down on the ground. You were relieved but also exhausted.

“Superman” You uttered in awe, taken aback by his breathtaking presence.

“Are you alright?” He asked with that softness that characterized him.

“Yeah” You breathed out, slowly realizing that you were right next to Superman and that he had saved your life.

He then nodded, smiled at you, and flew away. You felt almost empty with his absence, but tried to focus on recovering from the adrenaline and anxiety that you were currently going through after your life was endangered.

“Y/N!” A familiar voice called out, and soon enough Clark was running your way. “Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine” As his hands worriedly fell on your shoulders, you rested yours on his arms. “Superman saved me”

It was the perfect end to the perfect month. Like you hadn’t gone through enough stress already, you had just gone through a life or death situation. If it weren’t for Superman…

“Come here…” Clark was still worried as he hugged you tight, providing you with a feeling of safety that could equal the one of Superman’s presence. As soon as he let go of you, he put his jacket over you and an arm over your shoulders. “I’ll take you home, come on”

You absently nodded, still in shock after the incident. Nonetheless, you were  reassured with Clark there by your side.

_

All the exhaustion washed over you like a wave when Clark sat you down on the couch. You sighed, wanting to go to sleep yet being afraid of having nightmares about what happened, about all the stress that you had gone through lately. You wanted Clark to stay with you all night, but at the same time you wanted to be alone and don’t let anyone see you in that state.

“Are you feeling better?” He asked as he slowly sat down, not to startle you.

“I said I’m fine, Clark” You looked up at him and showed him a weak smile.

“You just went through a traumatic experience, you don’t have to pretend you’re okay” His arm rested over your shoulders once more, kindly bringing you closer to him and fondly rubbing your upper arm. “It’s completely fine to be affected by it”

“Lois has been in more trouble than me and look at her” You muttered, feeling self-conscious about the whole thing, about being so overwhelmed by it all. About Clark’s concerned and persistent stare.

“But Lois is stubborn, she’s more… Lois” Clark chuckled, causing you to chuckle a little too.

“I’m okay, Clark, I promise” You patted him in the chest. “I just need to rest”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m suuuure”

“Okay, but call me if you need anything, I’ll be here faster than Superman”

“I doubt that” You laughed a little, figuring that was his intention.

“Sleep well” Clark left a small kiss on your head as he stood up. “You know where to find me”

You nodded, feeling too exhausted to even reply. Clark kept staring as he headed for the door, almost not wanting to leave you on your own. When you smiled at him once more it seemed to reassure him. Even if, even if you felt a little bit empty when the door closed behind him.

Wishing this horrible week ended already, you grabbed a cushion and hugged it close to your chest. Hopefully next week would be better. You looked out the window, looking up to the stars. In a strange way, you felt like you needed Superman to save you again. Feeling so lost and vulnerable, so scared and overwhelmed, he seemed the only one to rescue you even from yourself. All your life you had been okay without him, but lately… you needed a Superman. It felt like his magical existence could solve it all.

“I might see him again” You told yourself to ease the nerves. “He’s probably just busy somewhere else, saving the day”

She’s been locked up inside her apartment a hundred days She says, yeah, he’s still coming, just a little bit late He got stuck at the laundromat washing his cape” And she smiles, oh the way she smiles

You couldn’t stop thinking about Clark too. Although you’ve had your suspicions for a while now, that day it all clicked in your head. Especially now that you were over the initial shock and fear and your head was clearer, you made the connection. Clark had showed up a second after Superman left. How did he know you were there? Was it too much a coincidence that Superman knew where you were and saved you and right after, Clark appeared too?

There were many clues that led you to think that Clark was Superman, that they were the same person. First and foremost, the fact that they were the same height, built and they had the same eye and hair color. The logical part of your brain told you that Clark Kent couldn’t possibly be Metropolis’ superhero. A shy, clumsy, mild-mannered guy? Being the most charming, confident and super hero of them all? It was unlikely, that was for sure, but… it still gave you something to think about. Surely people close to Clark thought the same thing at some point, you couldn’t be the only one. Lois, for example, must have her doubts for sure.

You shook my head, driving those complicated and exhausting thoughts away at the moment. Instead, you just sighed and smiled at nothing, just imagining about the idea of Superman coming along with that characteristic magic of his and sweeping you off your feet again to fix everything.

_

The next day you felt a little better, even if you had a restless sleep and strange blurry dreams of flying men in red capes. The first thing you did was pass by the Daily Planet to visit Clark and everyone.

When you came in, you were received by the usual frantic movement of all the journalists working, but didn’t see Clark at first. You did run into Jimmy, though, who immediately greeted you.

“Hey, Y/N!” Jimmy put a hand on your arm. “Clark told me about yesterday, how are you?”

“Much better, thank you” You smiled at him, endeared by his concern. “Where is he, by the way?”

“Oh, he went out with Lois, but they should be back soon”

“I’ll wait for them then”

“What are you doing here, shouldn’t you be home resting?”

“No, Jimmy, I… didn’t really want to be alone” Truth was, alone in your place you just ended up eating your head about everything that was going on, and about the crazy theory that Clark was Superman.

“I see” Jimmy pursed his lips in a somewhat awkward gesture. “Well, you know you’re always welcome here”

“If Perry doesn’t think I’m distracting you, that is” You joked to relief the awkwardness despite your mood. The both of you laughed at the silly comment in spite of it all.

“I have some work to do, actually” Jimmy shrugged. “Some errands to run, but it was great seeing you”

“You too, Jimmy” You watched as he walked away, leaving you completely alone. Inevitably, you returned to your complicated thoughts. 

You were so confused, nothing made sense at all. Thinking about Superman made you... sad. You had always looked up to him and got excited at the mere thought of meeting him. And there was also your farfetched theory. But when you finally met Superman, it was… underwhelming. Sure, he was still amazing, kind, selfless and charming but… something was missing. You couldn’t couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Maybe you were overthinking, your life felt like such a mess lately. 

“Look who’s here” Clark’s kind and friendly voice got you out of your thoughts.

“Hello, Clark” You feebly waved back at him, plopping down on his chair.  

“Y/N, what a surprise to find you here” He grinned. “It’s been a while”

“I know I’m around here a lot” I shrugged a little. “Is it bad that I want to see my best friend?”

“Not at all” He quickly picked up his papers and went through them, fast and efficient like he was.

“Do you mind taking a little break?” It was getting on your nerves that he was so busy, was it that bad that you needed some attention? Everyone had so many things to do while you were just… idle.

Clark lifted his gaze from the papers and nodded, even though a frown had formed on his brow. He probably noticed something was off about you. He focused his attention on you as he leaned on his desk.

“Sure, what is it?” He patiently asked, curious, but overall, concerned.

“I don’t know, I’m just… restless…” 

“Are you okay?”

“I… don’t know”

“What’s the matter, Y/N? Is it because of what happened with Superman?”

You averted your eyes and shook your head, not understanding your own feelings. Whenever someone asked if you were okay, your first instinct was to reply you weren’t, but… you didn’t want to admit it. It had been a rough time lately and you didn’t know how to recover from it, how to put yourself together and take control of your life again.

“Maybe it is about Superman…” You admitted, feeling comfortable enough with Clark to share it. “It was like the last straw, you know?”

“But… silver linings…” He mumbled, not really wanting to upset you. “You met your hero, right?”

“I did, and maybe that’s the problem, Clark” You sighed, feeling frustrated and exasperated. “He was just so… super… Too... too super!”

He squinted his eyes and carefully watched you. Seeing as you grew silent, he only nodded in the end.

“It wasn’t what you had imagined” The way he said it told you that he had read you perfectly well. It wasn’t only about Superman, nothing right now was like you had imagined. You were disillusioned with your whole life as it was at that moment.

“Like, say… you, for example” With your words, his eyebrows shot up in surprise. You kept on talking, wanting to test his reaction. “You’re no Superman, but you’re so kind and selfless too… You actually are so alike”

Clark didn’t reply at first, he just stared in awe 

“We… we are?” He chuckled awkwardly, fixing his glasses.

“Yeah! I mean, physically not that much. You resemble each other but he’s so much taller and stronger than you, no offense” You looked away deliberately, watching him with the corner of your eye and seeing a unique outrage in his expression that amused you. “But it’s how much you two care, how you’re brave and thoughtful and just… kind”

“And what was the point you were trying to make, Y/N?” He interrupted with a soft smile.

“Yeah, sorry. What I meant was that I felt lost and I looked up to Superman, hoping I could meet him and then things would be better! And then I met him...”

“I’m sorry, Y/N, I don’t understand what you mean”

“I mean that he appeared and he was just gone just as fast! I blinked and he left just like that, but he didn’t take my troubles away. I don’t know, it’s stupid...”

She’s out on the corner trying to catch a glimpse Nothing’s making sense She’s been chasing an answer A sign lost in the abyss, this Metropolis She says "Yeah, he’s still coming, just a little bit late" He got stuck at the Five and Dime saving the day”

She’s talking to angels, counting the stars Making a wish on a passing car She’s dancing with strangers, falling apart Waiting for Superman to pick her up In his arms yeah, in his arms yeah Waiting for Superman

You shook your head in silence, knowing how you weren’t making any sense. Clark gently put his hand on your shoulder. When you looked up and met with his kind eyes, you saw a small smile had also formed on his lips.

“It’s not stupid” Clark raised his eyebrows, as though making sure you were paying attention. “You’re clinging to him because he’s someone you admire, he’s something pure and good in your life while everything else isn’t right now”

Your eyes suddenly became watery and a lump formed in your throat. That was how easily he could see through you, how simply Clark could tell exactly what you felt and almost read your mind. He was your best friend after all, but he knew you even better than you thought. Even better than you knew yourself.

“You know what’s the difference between you and him?” By that point you were starting not to care if he was Superman or not. “You stay”

Your words seemed to have an impact on him, because he frowned in deep thought. He knew what you meant, he knew that you were aware of the fact that Superman wouldn’t stay to hang out with whoever he just saved, he had other people to save, other things to tend to. After saving someone, he left. He had to.

Clark, on the other hand, stayed because this was important. He stayed because he cared about you and he would stay when you were upset, to comfort you and be there for you. That discovery, however, didn’t make you feel better. Your hero couldn’t save you. Not always.

Clark didn’t say anything, so you just stood up and kindly patted him on the shoulder.

“Sorry to bother you like this, Clark” It was nice that he listened to you, but what could he do to help? There wasn’t much more to do. “I’m better now, I promise”

“Y/N, wait” He called you, but you were already on my way out. “Y/N!”

You needed to stop living in a fantasy where Superman would come to the rescue. No, you needed to live in the real world. And for that you needed to do it alone.

_

You looked at the TV, even if you weren’t really watching it. Complete apathy had taken over you, you didn’t feel like doing anything. You didn’t know what to do to cheer up, you were so lost and hopeless that you ended up settling for resignation. Nothing was the way you imagined: your, Superman... not even Clark, who you used to believe was Superman.

Metropolis was a big city, lonely for someone like you, who dreamed big but also fell high from where your place in the clouds.

Someone suddenly knocked at the front door, so you lazily stood up and opened the door. You were surprised to see a familiar and kind face. He was holding a big pizza box in one hand and a bunch of movies in the other hand.

“Clark…” You uttered in awe, not quite understanding what he was doing here. “What…?”

“I won’t take a no for an answer” He came in and put the things over the table, then turning to you with a big warm smile plastered on his lips. “You can’t just say no to movie night”

“Movie night?” You managed to let out, still puzzled. “Since… since when?!”

“Since right now” His smile grew even brighter than before. “And you wouldn’t just ask me to go away, right?”

“Clark…”

“That’d be rude, and I know you’re too polite to throw your best friend out like that”

“Clark!”

“What?”

You had to chuckle at his goofy demeanor, still appreciating his efforts. After all you did have an idea why he was there, why he presented himself without a moment’s notice with pizza and movies.

“What are you doing here?” You crossed your arms and observed him intently.

“I told you, movie night” He innocently shrugged his broad shoulders.

“With what purpose, I mean”

“To watch movies, obviously”

“I know that”

“Then why do you ask?”

“Clark, seriously!”

He let out a light chuckle himself and walked closer to you, acquiring a somewhat serious but still soft expression. His big hands then softly fell on my arms.

“I’m your best friend, I wanted to be here for you” He shrugged again, as though implying it was that simple. “I wanted to stay”

Clark gazed into your eyes, and you could tell just by that simple look that he had read you like an open book. He knew you were struggling, he knew you felt hopeless, and he didn’t want you to. That was why he was there, to keep you company so you wouldn’t feel lonely, to distract you, to cheer me up, to comfort you and just be there. To stay.

“Damn it, Kent…” Tears burned in your eyes. “You and your stupid and beautiful selflessness”

He let out an amused guffaw at your words, but didn’t think twice to engulf you in a hug. Clark’s embrace felt comforting, reassuring, safe. You felt protected from everything, including that cruel world that had been mistreating you lately.

“Sorry that it took me so long to realize, Y/N” His hands rubbed circles in your back, bringing you even more warmth and comfort. “I was just a little busy, I should have noticed before”

“It’s okay…” You said in a strangled noise, fighting the emotional tears. “Thank you”

“You’re welcome” He gently squeezed you against his strong torso, and you hid your face in his chest looking for further comfort.

It was cozy there. You were was happy being held by Clark, feeling his warmth as he comforted you, giving you his absolute support and affection, things that you badly craved and needed. You smiled, genuinely, for the first time in days.

You didn’t care about anything else, not even if your theory was correct. So what if Clark were Superman? What if Superman were Clark? What if they were the same person? Whether they were or not, Clark was Superman for you in the most mundane of ways. You had been waiting for Superman, the alien with the cape and super strength, but you were received with this instead, and you preferred it. 

As Clark lovingly hugged you, you knew he was Superman without the cape. And not because he was capable of rescuing you from a burning building, but because he stayed. Because he was there when you needed him most.

She’s talking to angels, she’s counting the stars Making a wish on a passing car She’s dancing with strangers, she’s falling apart Waiting for Superman to pick her up In his arms yeah, in his arms yeah She’s waiting for Superman

To lift her up and take her anywhere Show her love and climbing through the air Save her now, before it’s too late tonight Oh like the speed of light And she smiles

#clark kent x reader #imagine #oneshot #superman #superman imagine #superman oneshot #clark kent #clark kent imagine #clark kent oneshot #reader insert #not requested #songfic #faves #hurt / comfort