Dick/Slade Recomendations: A list of fic worth reading if you're into that sort of kinky business
Ok. So I'm a bad person and I have a not-so-secret love for disturbing pairings. In between scouring every archive I could find for one of my not-so-disturbing pairings (S/B), I stumbled across an old favorite of mine: Dick/Slade.
And yeah, graduating college left me with a bunch of free time. Can you tell?
In this post here cellia and I discovered that we had this particular interest in common. So, I promised to put a little recommendation list together for her.
However, it seems that the list did not want to remain little. In fact, it is a bit long. So, I've decided to post it here for anyone else who might be interested and also so that I could add it to my memories for future easy reference.
Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of all fic for the Dick/Slade pairing. I am sure there is a more out there by very talented authors that I have not included, because I haven't found/read them. If you have your own recs or have written anything that you think would fit here, by all means please share them with me!
Also, because I have put so much work into this list. I'll probably try to keep it periodically updated as I find more fic.
Most of this fic is comic book continuity/characterization. Though, readers will not really need to have read the Teen Titans books to enjoy them. If you are familiar with Dick’s history, especially as Nightwing, then most of these should be pretty easy to follow. If you’re iffy on some of the history, such as the Renegade story line (which I missed as well), then a short jaunt to wikipedia should reveal enough to make the fic more enjoyable, though it is not strictly necessary.
I’ve broken the recs down by author and added a little blurb under each story explaining why I have suggested it.
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Petra
AO3 author Page: http://archiveofourown.org/users/Petra
Petra is also a prolific DC writer. She only has a few Slade/Dick stories, but they are all worth reading. She also has tons of Batfamily stories in general. I first found her when looking for one of my other guilty pleasures: Dick/Bruce. In fact, she writes some really fabulous Dick/Bruce fic, which is mostly dirty wrong in a very right way. Meaning that she fully understands how fucked up such a relationship is and doesn’t shy away from showing that in her fic. This is also what makes her Slade/Dick fic so good. She really knows how to present a mentor/student relationship that has gone to a place that it should never have gone.
When nobody else is looking
I actually stumbled across this fic when looking for her other stories to add to this list, so I just read it yesterday. For some reason she hasn’t posted it on AO3 and I missed it on her on her LJ.
The premise of this story is that Bruce dies at the hands of one of his Rogues gallery. Slade takes a seriously disturbed Dick in with the promise that he can help him get back at those who took his surrogate father from him. It’s a bit dark, but understanding as I think Dick is still pretty young in this story and is susceptible to Slade’s manipulations. A sexual relationship eventually ensues. Since Dick is underage, it is all terribly naughty (I loved it lol).
Instructions of truth and nature
According to AO3, Petra coauthored this with derryderrydown. This is a (sort of) threesome fic featuring Roy Harper. It’s a lot dirty wrong in many ways and is basically a PWP. There is some creepy Slade doing Batman voice to freak out Dick while he watches Dick and Roy together. It is definitely skeevy. But I mean that in a good way.
Mao
This is another “bargaining story,” a device that is pretty popular with these two, since it actually makes a lot of sense for them. Slade has Teen Titan era Dick captive. He will allow Dick more liberty in exchange for kisses… and other favors. It’s a bit disturbing in that good way. Obviously some warnings apply. It is dub con and Dick is underage.
_________________________________________________________________
Rubynye
AO3 author Page: http://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubynye
Rubynye writes for a lot of fandoms, but has a huge list of really great fic for DC. Her Slade/Dick fic especially stands out. She doesn’t shy away from how fucked up the relationship is, yet she manages (when she wants, depending on the fic) to capture a tenderness (somewhat creepily from Slade) between the two that is completely believable. Everything she writes is good, but I’ve just listed a few of my favs of hers for this pairing below. I didn’t list all of the fics for this pairing that she has, because she actually has quite a few and every single one is fantastic and worth reading. I’d definitely check out her author page on AO3. You could spend several very enjoyable days reading everything she has there.
Four Slade/Dick Ficlets
This is one posting that contains four short stories. It’s a nice intro to her writing style and the range of moods that she writes these two in. From enemies, to grudging lovers, to fucked-up mentor/student, she has it all.
The Lady and the Tiger
So, Babs (as Batgirl) comes to rescue Dick from Slade. A somewhat skeevy threesome ensues at the behest of Slade (he holds all the cards, as usual). It’s obviously dubcon, considering the circumstances. However, Ruby doesn’t sugar coat it or romance it. It is what it is and it’s a great story.
In Flagrante Delicto
Ruby co-authored this with Petra and it is a sequel to Mao. This one takes place during Titans continuity as well, but you do not have to be familiar with it to enjoy it. Dick is Slade’s prisoner and they play a game of give and take. Again, Slade offers more liberty to Dick in exchange for certain sexual favors.
The premise works, because the authors keep Dick and Slade in character. And, yeah, this is dubcon too. It should also be noted that I think Dick is underage (according US laws) in this one. He is probably 17 or so.
But For The Grace: Five Things Which Fortunately Never Happened To Dick Grayson
These are all very sad and very well written. Only one of them features Slade and it is not a happy story. It is heartbreaking and scary and wonderfully engaging.
Also, the third story with Babs and Dick made me cry (no Slade here, but it’s so freaking good). No exaggeration.
I would be more articulate on this story, but even now it has stolen my words. Actually, you can see that I left her some gushing feedback in the link above. Lol.
To Conciliate a Tiger
A Darker Stripe
Twist in the Tail
These three all go together and have been listed in the order they should be read. Dick needs to go undercover and he needs Slade to pretend he doesn’t know him. They make a deal. It involves sex. And it is a multi-parter. Seriously, what else could you want?
Also, like all of Ruby’s fics, Slade is so damn SLADE that it’s ridiculous. She really knows how to write him. He’s charming, but creepy. Has strange ethics/moral code (though the comics sort of fucked that part of him up during the Infinite Crisis), but murders. He’s a conundrum. So good.
_________________________________________________________________
ladyk_d_azrael
AO3 author Page: http://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyk_d_azrael
Ladyk_d_azreal is another great DC author. She writes a lot in current DC continuity (Dick/Future Damien). I have yet to read a fic of hers that was not fully engaging in every way. Actually, I’ve read fics by her for pairings that I didn’t even have an interest in, just to read something she wrote. And enjoyed them too!
She has small AU for Dick/Slade that is especially good and that is what I will be reccing for her.
Apprentice AU Series
What if after Dick’s parents died, it was Slade who took him in? That’s what this AU explores. It’s got the sort of kinky mentor/student relationship, mixed in with a bit of a family feel. Though Slade raised Dick, their relationship is not really father/son (well… ok maybe it is a little bit, you know… for the kink factor). I mean, it is Slade we are talking about, so of course he took Dick’s amazing skills and molded him into a perfect assassin. I love, love, love this AU.
_________________________________________________________________
Pervyficgirl
AO3 author Page:http://archiveofourown.org/users/Pervyficgirl/
Pervyficgirl is a prolific DC writer and one of the few who also writes Marvel fic. I've enjoyed reading both her DC and Marvel stuff. She has a wide range of pairings she writes for and all of it is good.
Grip of Hopelessness
This is a very dark look a Dick/Slade and seems to capture the current comic cannon Slade who lacks the old moral code he used to follow (though it is not current cannon Slade since Rose is still alive). It's creepy, scary and very sad. Wonderfully done. Warning: Non con.
_________________________________________________________________
Kirax2
AO3 author Page: http://archiveofourown.org/users/kirax2/
I found Kirax while searching for S/B fic. She also has a great Kon/Tim AU WIP going that is just heartbreaking. Kirax is a wonderful writer with a great range in story telling abilities. She can do fun, sad, sexy etc. She's a joy to read.
The Weapon
This is the only Teen Titans Go (Animated Verse) story on this list and is actually the first Dick/Slade fic I read. It is what sent me looking for more. The story is dark. There is non con, manipulation etc.
This Slade is not all a nice person (not even in that sort of pretend way he can be in the comic books). He is much colder and more calculating than his comicbook counterpart. However, that is appealing in its own way. And Kirax does a wonderful job with the characterization of these two. They could have been pulled directly from the animation!
And yeah, graduating college left me with a bunch of free time. Can you tell?
In this post here cellia and I discovered that we had this particular interest in common. So, I promised to put a little recommendation list together for her.
However, it seems that the list did not want to remain little. In fact, it is a bit long. So, I've decided to post it here for anyone else who might be interested and also so that I could add it to my memories for future easy reference.
Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of all fic for the Dick/Slade pairing. I am sure there is a more out there by very talented authors that I have not included, because I haven't found/read them. If you have your own recs or have written anything that you think would fit here, by all means please share them with me!
Also, because I have put so much work into this list. I'll probably try to keep it periodically updated as I find more fic.
Most of this fic is comic book continuity/characterization. Though, readers will not really need to have read the Teen Titans books to enjoy them. If you are familiar with Dick’s history, especially as Nightwing, then most of these should be pretty easy to follow. If you’re iffy on some of the history, such as the Renegade story line (which I missed as well), then a short jaunt to wikipedia should reveal enough to make the fic more enjoyable, though it is not strictly necessary.
I’ve broken the recs down by author and added a little blurb under each story explaining why I have suggested it.
_________________________________________________________________
Petra
AO3 author Page: http://archiveofourown.org/users/Petra
Petra is also a prolific DC writer. She only has a few Slade/Dick stories, but they are all worth reading. She also has tons of Batfamily stories in general. I first found her when looking for one of my other guilty pleasures: Dick/Bruce. In fact, she writes some really fabulous Dick/Bruce fic, which is mostly dirty wrong in a very right way. Meaning that she fully understands how fucked up such a relationship is and doesn’t shy away from showing that in her fic. This is also what makes her Slade/Dick fic so good. She really knows how to present a mentor/student relationship that has gone to a place that it should never have gone.
When nobody else is looking
I actually stumbled across this fic when looking for her other stories to add to this list, so I just read it yesterday. For some reason she hasn’t posted it on AO3 and I missed it on her on her LJ.
The premise of this story is that Bruce dies at the hands of one of his Rogues gallery. Slade takes a seriously disturbed Dick in with the promise that he can help him get back at those who took his surrogate father from him. It’s a bit dark, but understanding as I think Dick is still pretty young in this story and is susceptible to Slade’s manipulations. A sexual relationship eventually ensues. Since Dick is underage, it is all terribly naughty (I loved it lol).
Instructions of truth and nature
According to AO3, Petra coauthored this with derryderrydown. This is a (sort of) threesome fic featuring Roy Harper. It’s a lot dirty wrong in many ways and is basically a PWP. There is some creepy Slade doing Batman voice to freak out Dick while he watches Dick and Roy together. It is definitely skeevy. But I mean that in a good way.
Mao
This is another “bargaining story,” a device that is pretty popular with these two, since it actually makes a lot of sense for them. Slade has Teen Titan era Dick captive. He will allow Dick more liberty in exchange for kisses… and other favors. It’s a bit disturbing in that good way. Obviously some warnings apply. It is dub con and Dick is underage.
_________________________________________________________________
Rubynye
AO3 author Page: http://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubynye
Rubynye writes for a lot of fandoms, but has a huge list of really great fic for DC. Her Slade/Dick fic especially stands out. She doesn’t shy away from how fucked up the relationship is, yet she manages (when she wants, depending on the fic) to capture a tenderness (somewhat creepily from Slade) between the two that is completely believable. Everything she writes is good, but I’ve just listed a few of my favs of hers for this pairing below. I didn’t list all of the fics for this pairing that she has, because she actually has quite a few and every single one is fantastic and worth reading. I’d definitely check out her author page on AO3. You could spend several very enjoyable days reading everything she has there.
Four Slade/Dick Ficlets
This is one posting that contains four short stories. It’s a nice intro to her writing style and the range of moods that she writes these two in. From enemies, to grudging lovers, to fucked-up mentor/student, she has it all.
The Lady and the Tiger
So, Babs (as Batgirl) comes to rescue Dick from Slade. A somewhat skeevy threesome ensues at the behest of Slade (he holds all the cards, as usual). It’s obviously dubcon, considering the circumstances. However, Ruby doesn’t sugar coat it or romance it. It is what it is and it’s a great story.
In Flagrante Delicto
Ruby co-authored this with Petra and it is a sequel to Mao. This one takes place during Titans continuity as well, but you do not have to be familiar with it to enjoy it. Dick is Slade’s prisoner and they play a game of give and take. Again, Slade offers more liberty to Dick in exchange for certain sexual favors.
The premise works, because the authors keep Dick and Slade in character. And, yeah, this is dubcon too. It should also be noted that I think Dick is underage (according US laws) in this one. He is probably 17 or so.
But For The Grace: Five Things Which Fortunately Never Happened To Dick Grayson
These are all very sad and very well written. Only one of them features Slade and it is not a happy story. It is heartbreaking and scary and wonderfully engaging.
Also, the third story with Babs and Dick made me cry (no Slade here, but it’s so freaking good). No exaggeration.
I would be more articulate on this story, but even now it has stolen my words. Actually, you can see that I left her some gushing feedback in the link above. Lol.
To Conciliate a Tiger
A Darker Stripe
Twist in the Tail
These three all go together and have been listed in the order they should be read. Dick needs to go undercover and he needs Slade to pretend he doesn’t know him. They make a deal. It involves sex. And it is a multi-parter. Seriously, what else could you want?
Also, like all of Ruby’s fics, Slade is so damn SLADE that it’s ridiculous. She really knows how to write him. He’s charming, but creepy. Has strange ethics/moral code (though the comics sort of fucked that part of him up during the Infinite Crisis), but murders. He’s a conundrum. So good.
_________________________________________________________________
ladyk_d_azrael
AO3 author Page: http://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyk_d_azrael
Ladyk_d_azreal is another great DC author. She writes a lot in current DC continuity (Dick/Future Damien). I have yet to read a fic of hers that was not fully engaging in every way. Actually, I’ve read fics by her for pairings that I didn’t even have an interest in, just to read something she wrote. And enjoyed them too!
She has small AU for Dick/Slade that is especially good and that is what I will be reccing for her.
Apprentice AU Series
What if after Dick’s parents died, it was Slade who took him in? That’s what this AU explores. It’s got the sort of kinky mentor/student relationship, mixed in with a bit of a family feel. Though Slade raised Dick, their relationship is not really father/son (well… ok maybe it is a little bit, you know… for the kink factor). I mean, it is Slade we are talking about, so of course he took Dick’s amazing skills and molded him into a perfect assassin. I love, love, love this AU.
_________________________________________________________________
Pervyficgirl
AO3 author Page:http://archiveofourown.org/users/Pervyficgirl/
Pervyficgirl is a prolific DC writer and one of the few who also writes Marvel fic. I've enjoyed reading both her DC and Marvel stuff. She has a wide range of pairings she writes for and all of it is good.
Grip of Hopelessness
This is a very dark look a Dick/Slade and seems to capture the current comic cannon Slade who lacks the old moral code he used to follow (though it is not current cannon Slade since Rose is still alive). It's creepy, scary and very sad. Wonderfully done. Warning: Non con.
_________________________________________________________________
Kirax2
AO3 author Page: http://archiveofourown.org/users/kirax2/
I found Kirax while searching for S/B fic. She also has a great Kon/Tim AU WIP going that is just heartbreaking. Kirax is a wonderful writer with a great range in story telling abilities. She can do fun, sad, sexy etc. She's a joy to read.
The Weapon
This is the only Teen Titans Go (Animated Verse) story on this list and is actually the first Dick/Slade fic I read. It is what sent me looking for more. The story is dark. There is non con, manipulation etc.
This Slade is not all a nice person (not even in that sort of pretend way he can be in the comic books). He is much colder and more calculating than his comicbook counterpart. However, that is appealing in its own way. And Kirax does a wonderful job with the characterization of these two. They could have been pulled directly from the animation!