An Adventure in Batman/Wonder Woman Fic

My Latest Ship

My pal @einfach_mich sent me a link to this article that asked, with the DC reboot, Should Superman Hook Up with Wonder Woman? That got me thinking...

In my opinion… It’s Bats and Wonder Woman that need to explore a relationship. It would never be long lasting or as iconic as Lois & Supes, but it would be compelling as hell! 

He couldn’t rely on his fop playboy persona, he’d be forced to be Bruce Wayne and let someone in. Total new ground. He’d have to experience vulnerability and trust. There is so much story that could emerge from such an attempt at a human experience. It’d be humanizing for both of them.

Now I’m all riled and desperately want this to happen!

So, now I'm on a Bats/WW jag. And what's the first thing you do when you land on a new pairing? You find the stellar fic that's been written that explores that relationship.


Finding the Fic

I read a fantastic article from Penthouse Magazine called "Holy Hookups, Batman!" It's all about how fanfic allows for the exploration of Batman's sex life. Especially aspects of his relationships that they'd never let you see in the comics or movies. 

There were interviews with the authors of some of the major fics of the various Batman ships, as well as excerpts from each fic. The article gained much street cred when the fic representing the Batman/Catwoman ship was Chris Dee and her Cat Tales, which is an epic fic I LOVE that's been going on for 10 years. 

Other fics I'll check out after reading this article:

 - the Batman/daughter of Superman fic Truth and Justice, by JC Roberts

 - the Bats/Supes slash fic Kansas, by A Darker Knight

In discussing Batman/Wonder Woman fic, the article introduced me to In Darkest Light, by Meljean Brook.

In Darkest Light by Meljean Brook

Official Description: 

A strange encounter with Batman leads Wonder Woman on a darker journey than which she is familiar. Batman/WW shipper fic. Mature themes Language/sexual situations/some mild violence

DC Superheroes - Rated: M - English - Romance - Chapters: 5 - Words: 83,622 - Reviews: 124 - Updated: 4-16-02 - Published: 11-1-01

Wonder Woman had some personal tragedies, recently losing her mother, and is doing some soul searching. A curious encounter with Batman brings her to Gotham where she takes on Batman's methods and sees the affect he has on the city and its citizens. She starts questioning her mission of spreading peace in man's world and wondering if she's helping or hurting. Meanwhile, both Diana and Bruce struggle against the crazy attraction they feel for one another.

Here's an excerpt:

She advanced on him. "Bruce Wayne is just a function of Batman. Dick is a function of Batman. Everything you do is a function of Batman." Her anger built. Standing toe to toe with him, she said, "Cold, calculating Batman. Don't let anyone in, don't care about anyone." She knew it wasn't true; she had seen how he cared for his family, his city. But she couldn't stop. She pushed against his chest.

He didn't budge. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Diana, don't. I'm sorry. I know this is about Hippolyta, but don't --" The anger swelled, overwhelmed. She grabbed his costume, lifted him, slammed his back against the cave wall. She put her face close to his.

"Don't mention my mother," she whispered dangerously. She dropped him, stepped back. Her breath hitched. What was she doing? Yet she still didn't stop. "You don't have a monopoly on grieving for your parents, Batman," she said.

The change came over him so quickly and he moved so rapidly that she barely had time to register it before he reversed their positions, holding her up against the wall, pressing himself against her. He was furious, she realized.

"Careful, Princess." His voice was soft. She wished that he would rage, would match his anger against her own. His eyes stared down into hers, the shadows making his irises look like midnight. He suddenly buried his nose in the crook of her neck, inhaled. She felt the brush of his tongue, and her anger started to change to desire.

"I feel, Diana," he breathed into her ear, and pushed his hips into hers, pressing his erection against her belly. His mouth trailed fire down the line of her jaw. She tilted her head back, parting her lips. He brought his mouth close to hers; their breath mingled. "I'd like nothing more than to take you up to Bruce Wayne's bed and fuck you until you scream my name out loud--" Her eyes widened, in surprise and arousal, "--and to lose myself in you. But I can't." He let go of her, stepped back, leaving her filled with frustration instead of anger.

"Why?"

He smiled grimly. "Hawthorne spent his life looking for the secrets of men's hearts; I've spent my life searching for mine. And what I've learned, Princess, is that inside of me is a scared boy who just wants his parents back, and its dark in there. I walk a fine line; the difference between me and the Joker, Diana, is control. And if I let go of this control, give into lust, then what's next? I give into my desire to finish the Joker off once and for all? Then maybe I'll decide to take out someone else: Two Face, or some punk on the street. It won't stop."

Diana stared at him, amazed that he had opened up to her like that. And every sense told her that he was telling the truth, that he believed absolutely in what he was saying. She knew he was better than that, though. Stronger.

"It doesn't have to be that way. It might not happen like that," she argued.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose as if fighting a headache. Or an inner battle. "I never am going to take that chance and find out."

Diana bit her lip as two more truths hit her with the force of a locomotive. Her own truths.

She was in love with the Batman.

And he would never, ever allow himself to love her back. 

Masen Days by purelyamuse

Description: 3rd Place Winner in the Boys on Boards contest! Now an EXPANDED multi-chap! Bella meets Masen at the local skate park. He's a quiet, mysterious loner. She wants to help him, love him even. Will he let her? Or will he skate away like he always does? AH

Twilight - Rated: M - English - Romance/Angst - Chapters: 6 - Words: 11,735 - Reviews: 419 - Updated: 9-19-11 - Published: 8-16-11 - Edward & Bella

It's been about 6 months since I've started reading a new fic.  And wouldn't you know, it's purelyamuse who drags me back into the fold, kicking and screaming.

She says that I helped push her to write her first Edward/Bella, being the citizen of Switzerland that she is. Having started her current WIP, I am thrilled to have had any hand at all in her writing it. I started reading Masen Days because I wanted to support purely for the fic's readalong, but now I'm jonesing for my next hit. 

I thought I wasn't going to be able to get into Twific anymore because I had gotten too jaded and eye-rolly regarding character cliches, misunderstood Edwards, and poorly developed Bellas. But given purely's taste in fic, I should've known she would provide something delicious. Here's why you should read it:

SIMPLICITY IN STORYTELLING She doesn't try to pretend to offer the be-all-end-all telling of an epic tale. She gives swift glimpses into the interactions between Masen and Bella, which are stylistically so appropriate, given the sparseness of their communication. And purely uses this subtleness to showcase the heart that exists in the smallest of gestures. Also because of this, her story doesn't get weighed down by the pull of unnecessary description. She's a no-wank kind of a writer. And that's EXACTLY what the doctor ordered.

SWEETNESS & NON-EXPLOITATIVE ANGST I love how purely's fic is so very much in line with the kinds of fic she likes to read. There is so much sweetness in her simplicity. And she's able to incorporate the angst of Masen's family life in a way that seems more like an extension of a character's background/experience, as opposed to a lot of fic, where angst is used as an exploitative means to draw in a reader who seeks resolution. The sweetness in the story offsets the underlying sadness in a way that's very true to the Masen character. And I continue to read, not because I need some kind of answer to the mystery, but because I'm addicted to the interactions between Masen and Bella. It'll be nice to see more of the onion as the story unfolds, but I'm in no rush.

I LOVES ME SOME UST I expected a bit of innocence in her storytelling just because I know she likes the HS negotiations of first love in the fic she reads. I was pleased to find it's a realistic portrayal that I could connect with -- and HS me was no innocent. We don't know how virginal Bella is and we know very little about Masen's experience, but these things don't seem relevant in the world of the little moments they share. Bella's got the internal monologue of a girl who definitely feels a hunger but won't act on her ravenous potential because she respects the personality and needs of the other person too much to risk defiling their relationship by jumping too soon. What results is a fantastic build of UST that seems true to their personalities. I grow even fonder of Masen when I see him reaching out for what seems more like a human connection than an amorous one.

IT'S A FUN, QUICK READ I thoroughly enjoyed every heart-happy chapter thus far! I'm in love with these characters and can't wait to see where it goes.

I thought I'd read her story out of politeness but her writing and the charm of her characters won me over on their own merit.

And finally, she's working this like a pro. First of all SHE UPDATES REGULARLY. Every Monday. She also offers her readers outtakes and glimpses into Masen's mind via little journal entries on her blog. Such brilliance in providing her readers some nosh in between each meal, to satisfy the cravings.

I come bearing gifts

Via tumblr, I've found lots and lots of fun things to download and enjoy. I figured I'd put them all in one place and share with my friends at the same time  :)

DOWNLOADS superlist

Batman superpost

Fantasy movies

Complete Disney movie catalogue

NonDisney movies

a bunch of great movies

Tim Burton filmography

Superhero movies

DC animated films

White Collar 
(TV show starring Matt Bomer, who I picture as Dick Grayson)

Friends

Lost, season 6

random music (Andrew Bird, Miles Davis)

...

Twific and Batfic

Being immersed in the Twilight fanfiction community AND the Batman fanfiction/fanart community, I have noticed some interesting similarities and differences.

Both Twific and Batfic authors expand upon characters and storylines, proposing situations and relationships that were not addressed in canon. That's about where the similarities end.

To make huge generalizations about the differences... 

Twific authors seem to write stories that are serials, updating chapter by chapter. Time between chapters varies greatly but the majority of stories never complete. The majority of Batfic tends to be oneshots. Because Batman is a long running fandom, the fic series that I've come across so far have all been complete. 

A lot of the great Batfic I've come across (and I can only speak to the slash side of things) has been written several years ago. Many of the authors are no longer active or have moved onto other fandoms, so there's not much interaction between reader and author. There are, of course, exceptions. I suspect there will be more activity around when the new Batman movie comes out.

Twific has a vibrant community that continues to thrive. The connection between writers and readers is even more enhanced by the accessibility that Twitter offers, and the array of blogs, contests and awards sites (and podcasts) that support the community. The sheer volume and diversity of Twific stories is also incomparable.

The general fandom's response to slash...

In Twific, slash is a genre of fic and you either dig or don't dig. 

In superhero fandoms that have been predominantly teen (or lifelong teen-in-spirit) boys for so long, slash is more subversive. Slash stories and art are often created by girls or women, groups who have not historically been seen as equal players in this fandom.

I've seen male-on-male superhero slash dismissed as an annoying or even offensive thing that silly fangirls do. I don't often encounter that douchery because I ship slash, and I run in slashy circles. 

Characters that are regular humans in regular situations...

In Twific, it often seems as though there are more All Human stories and readers than AU vampire stories. It's actually something I have found so interesting about the Twilight fandom -- the use of the Twilight characters in completely non-vampire, non-Twilight-related situations, and characterizations that are so often OOC. The AH phemonenon has led to a community of women writers that has used Twilight as a jumping off point, but is by no means tied to it. A community which has more to do with the creative process and reader feedback than it does with the fleshing out of Stephenie Myers' Twilight story world. I have often wondered if this is unique to Twilight. If other fandoms have such a huge percentage of stories that use the characters in name only.

I haven't encountered much of an All Human equivalent in Batfic. There's certainly the potential for AH in superhero fic: a superhero character without superhero powers, much like Twific writers use vampire characters as regular old humans. I think the closest thing is Batman and the Batfamily of characters who have no super-human abilities, yet train themselves to carry out superheroic missions. But that's canon, not a fanfic invention like it is in Twific. I haven't come across any fic where Bruce Wayne is anyone other than the Bruce Wayne/Batman crusading persona. HOLY SHIT what I wouldn't give to read some Bruce Wayne as Beautiful Bastard. I just pictured Bruce Wayne instead of Edward in MoTU and nearly fainted. *fans self* 

There are so many similarities between Edward and Bruce Wayne... broody, self-blaming, assumers of guilt, access to wealth, extremely insightful readers of people who at times seem oblivious to the emotional reality of a situation, one is the World's Greatest Detective and the other has vampire skills of detection. 

But I've never read a Bruce that was OOC, aside from behavior brought on by sex pollen (a weapon of Poison Ivy and a delicious Batfic fandom cliche). 

Picturing various AH/OOC Edwards as Bruce Wayne has now inspired me to search for it.

My caveat to this post is that I've been involved in the Twific community for almost 2 years now, whereas I've only gotten into the Batfic community over the past 6 months. So make of that what you will.

Wonder Woman, the Bella of DC Comics???

I came across THIS on Fuck Yeah Comicbook Secrets. Like Post Secret, it's a site where people anonymously post opinions they wouldn't otherwise voice in their online communities.

Looking beyond the fact that this is perhaps the worst manip ever, this post really got me thinking.

I am SO curious what my Twilight/Superhero-loving friends think about it!!

Most of the comments on the post are opinions of comicbook readers who tend to hate on Twilight as a rule, so I'd love to hear from people who know and respect both (aka know what they're talking about when they voice criticism of Bella).

Here's what I'm thinking...

For me, my interest in Wonder Woman has more to do with what she stands for rather than her day-to-day adventures. In that sense she is a blank character onto which I impose my own characteristics of what I want her to be - a strong, intelligent, ass-kicking woman.

I think that WW is Bella Swan-like in the sense that in reading Twilight, Bella had some distinct characteristics but given the limits of her BPOV, SM left a lot up to us as readers to fill in the blanks. It left a whole lot to the imagination and let me insert myself into the story thru her. That's not so much a criticism as part of the appeal.

I guess, as far as the DC Universe of characters goes, WW is a character on whom I impose my own understanding, rather than picking up nuances of character that might have been supplied by the writers and editors of the series.

I totally yield that this opinion would maybe be different if I was more of a WW devotee who has been following her adventures religiously, gathering a more informed understanding of her character. I've read many of her stories, spanning her character's history, but perhaps not with enough regularity to see more depth in her character. I've not been on top of the most recent incarnations of WW, so I also acknowledge that perhaps this lack of depth has been rectified since I stopped reading.

Anyway, I don't see WW as Bella in any way beyond that, really, as they are so different. But this definitely made me think about how much I really know WW and how I regard her within the scheme of the DC Universe. 

Can't. Contain. The Rage.

My twitter followers might start to unfollow me if I unleash the full power of my rage regarding the current legislative assault on the rights of gay people all around the country. So I'm gonna vent with some thoughts and some funny and not a little outrage. Read or don't read, your call.

Gay marriage is not a political issue. Being "for" gay marriage is not a "liberal" concept. It's a question of whether or not you believe American citizens deserve equal rights.

My Segregation Analogy

Being against segregation was not a political statement, it was about recognizing that a group of American citizens were being denied the same rights afforded to everybody else.

You can feel uncomfortable about homosexuality and still agree that your issues with gay people shouldn't justify denying rights to a group of Americans.

Just because some racist assholes felt weird about interacting with African Americans, that did not justify creating laws that treated African Americans differently. Especially if the arguments being made for these laws cite the need to protect the racist's world view that African Americans and Caucasians should live, work, and go to school separately.

Arguments for anti-marriage bills cite the need to protect the institution of marriage from gay people. These laws protect the world view that the institution of marriage is not about two people who are in love and want to commit to a life with one another. They assert that the concept of marriage is summed up by the presence of a penis and a vagina. No wonder the divorce rate is so high among straight people.

Joe Racist's world view included denying rights to a particular group of citizens. Just because people are citing the Bible as THE reference that puts forth the genitalia-focused understanding of marriage as THE RIGHT one, doesn't mean we should make laws enforcing that one understanding. Especially when, like with segregation, those laws happen to deny rights to a particular group of citizens. Rights that everyone else is allowed to have.

I am sooooooo sick and tired of this even being an issue. Can we just fast forward to the time when people look back on the ridiculousness of this issue? In the same way that we look back on segregation and can't fathom how anyone thought it wasn't government sanctioned racism.

~oOo~

In the same vein as "Why do you care about who I marry?" and "What gives you the right to deny me the same freedoms that you have?" ...I propose the following hypothetical:

What if I told you that Jews don't believe Catholics should be allowed drivers' licenses? 

In some old document I'm pretty sure it's written that it's an abomination for a Catholic to get behind the wheel. 

This is a fundamental belief that Jews hold. In fact, their whole understanding of what it means to be a driver is threatened by the idea of a Catholic behind the wheel. 

So we should legislate that, right? 

I'm sure Christians all over the country would have no problem having laws enacted that say (a) Catholics can't have drivers' licenses, or (b) a state can make it legal for Catholics to get learner's permits, which are essentially the same thing, right?

How is it even remotely acceptable for the government to say gay people can't marry, simply because 1 religious sect believes it's wrong? (btw, if you couldn't tell, I chose Jews and Catholics arbitrarily to demonstrate how ridiculous it would be for one group to be able to legislate their religious beliefs.) 

Not sure what to call that last analogy...

The notion of politicians using people's allegiance to one particular religion to jockey for power and enforce their view as law   

AKA Get your religion out of my legislation 

AKA Stop trying to make me Christian, I respect that you have your views and I have mine, so stop trying to turn Biblical law into United States law.

~oOo~

Love this: "If you were worried about protecting the institution of marriage, you'd be fighting to make divorce illegal, not gay marriage."


This video is fantastic!! It's filled with snark and F-bombs to get your attention. If you're offended, sorry. But as they say in this video, "Get over it."



I love this... Rush Limbaugh is on his 4th marriage but my friends who are in love and want to start a family together are not allowed to get married. It is, in fact, against the law for them to be married.

~oOo~

WTF? Can we maybe not legislate hatred in Texas?
A bill is in front of the Texas Senate that denies rights to transgendered people. (about SB273)

Nikki is a woman who identifies as transsexual and intersex, and recently lost her husband -- firefighter Thomas Araguz -- in the line of duty. The state -- and Thomas' unsupportive family -- now wants to go against Thomas' stateed intentions, invalidate their marriage and remove all widow benefits from Nikki...at the same time that she's dealing with the grief of losing the love of her life.

When you legislate the unequal treatment of one group of people it promotes hatred and is totally unAmerican. Have we learned nothing from our past travesties of denying equal rights to minorities? Are we back in the 1950s?

 Because homosexuality and transgendered people make you feel uncomfortable, a whole group of American citizens should be denied equal rights?

What does it say to a person when you tell them you're not allowed to have the same rights as everybody else? That they are lesser. That they don't deserve to be treated like everyone else.

What kind of message does this send to young people who are gay?

Can we not be bullies via legislation, please?

~oOo~

I love how this video from FCKH8.com explains (ahem, yells at you) the connection between school bullying, government sanctioned bullying, and the ridiculously high suicide rate of gay teens.

~oOo~

Oh Tennessee, what are you doing??
The 'Don't Say Gay' bill would prohibit teachers from mentioning homosexuality in the classroom.

Some words are pretty offensive to say around kids, 

but "gay" is not one of them.

I can't even.. just watch this...




This "issue" is the politicalization of the lifestyle of a particular group of people. If it doesn't impact you in any way, WHY DO YOU CARE?? Your "standing on principle" has had a tremendously negative impact on the lives of American citizens who happen to be gay... it is beneath us as Americans to perpetuate this kind of hatred and inequality.

~oOo~

Gay people are not some subversive group of degenerates, preying on your children and lurking in the shadows. They are ordinary people who live everywhere and work in every industry. People who fall in love and want to make a commitment to someone and create stable, loving families. How is that different from what you want for yourselves? 

Seriously, how is it that this is even up for debate? If you still think that being gay is an abomination, then feel free to shake your head in judgement. Feel free to think that a person you don't even know is going to hell. You don't have to like gay marriage, but you sure as hell don't have a right to legislate your homophobia. 

~oOo~

What I legitimately want to know:

• What do you think is going to happen if gay people have the right to get married?
• What is the societal problem that you think will erupt as a result of gay people getting married? 
• What danger justifies denying a single group of people the same freedoms that you enjoy?

~oOo~

A Couple Curiousities:

When someone says they have a problem with gay people or gay marriage, it kinda weirds me out. It makes me wonder why that person is so concerned with what two total strangers are doing in their bedroom.

I'm also kinda curious why it's OK for your hetero husband to want to bang you in the ass, but if someone else does the same thing in their bedroom, it's cause for being denied the right to get married??

That's all I got for now.

Online possibilities

My birthday is coming up and friends and family are asking me what I want. 

Someone suggested I ask for a subscription to something like J-Date (online dating for Jewish singles). I can't deal with the whole online dating thing but it made me think about what I would even say in a profile.

I'm looking for a nice Jewish boy...

who likes to lose himself in music and geek out over pop culture inanities.

who likes to read and engage and cares about the world. Must like Jon Stewart.

who isn't so into material things and would rather spend money on the important things like HBO/Showtime and the best Netflix subscription.

who thinks sleek style refers to Mac design as opposed to fashion.

who goes out of his way to avoid being mean or unnecessarily perpetuating negativity (aka doesn't complain all the time).

who can be silly and isn't afraid of being wrong.

Oh, and he's gotta be a freak in the sack :)

from my tumblr: my pretty is super