Calling all DamiRae shippers, the 2026 DamiRae Zine is ready for your enjoyment on the pair's 6 year canonversary.
You can download it here for free š
While we initially planned to price these at $5 each and donate all proceeds to the Save the Children foundation, given the shorter length and level of interest this time around we didn't want to lock anyone out from being able to enjoy it. That said, this is a wonderful charity that could definitely use your support. Donate here if you can!
We had a few lineup changes here and there as the zine came together, and want to thank sincerely every artist and writer who contributed to this project:
andthendk
eevee
illuminaudie
limeru
menaisyl
OpheliaWillowBrook
Raverin2
sandradaffodils
shewhowillnotbenamed1
ViLaVi
xaphrin
Once again, Happy Canonversary and Long Live DamiRae! ā¤ļø ā¤ļø ā¤ļø
I wish that ao3 had an option to filter warnings (and tbh certain authors) out like I will never ever want to read it and just seeing it puts me off so much that often I end up closing my browser because that content upsets me so much lmao
There is a way to do this but I canāt recall how to do it. itās something you type into the box for āother filtersā or something, I donāt remember. who knows??
Itās not a great option, and I donāt know if you can sort out authors that way, but itās better than nothing if someone can reblog this with how to do it!
Alrighty friends! It takes some specificity, but you can do this. Let me show you how!
So I started with going to the Sherlock (TV) section of Ao3. On the right we find this lovely section! ((I know Iām going over things you already probably know, but I figure this post may go to new Ao3 users, so bear with me.))
Underneath this, I chose sort by Kudos, because thatās a quick way to find most popular fics, for the sake of this demonstration.Ā
With those filters on, we end up with this being our first two results:Ā
As you can see, we have Nature and Nurture by earlgreytea68, and The Internet Is Not Just For Porn by cyerus. So what if I am utterly sick of seeing earlgreytea68 on my list? Letās pretend Iāve read all their fics, or that I just donāt like her, or whatever. I want this author out. I go to this section on the right:Ā
InĀ āSearch within resultsā I type earlgreytea68 into the bar, with a minus sign in front. This gives me the following page, upon hitting the sort and filter button:
There goes earlgreytea68! But now Iāve decided that Crack is just not my thing, Iām sick of that, too, for heavenās sake, I want something reasonable in my gay slash fanfiction about detectives that solve crimes about glowing dogs and irish megalomaniacs. Heaven forbid this get ridiculous.
Well, then I add this to my search:
Which gets rid of everything with that tag. My results are now:
Performance in a Leading Role is now my first result!
You can do this as many times as you want; the biggest problem I have is trying to filter out multi-worded tags. For example,Ā āSecret Relationshipā is hard to filter. Better to go with authors you dislike or with words likeĀ āDubConā.Ā
I hope this helps! Also remember that googling site:archiveofourown.org and then adding search terms will mean google searches Ao3 for you, and sometimes that works far better.Ā
Say, youāre in your random fandom- I went with theĀ Marvel Cinematic Universe, since Iāve been reading Iron Man stuff recently. Tony Stark is awesome.
But anyway, youāre on the page, and you see that there are 174,774 works!Ā That is way too manyĀ for a casual afternoonās browsing.
And you see that the first one is Peter Parker/Tony Stark and that is not your jam. It doesnāt work for you, or it squicks you, whatever. Wouldnāt life be easier if you could browse without seeing that pairing (or whatever pairing you donāt like)? You can!
First, click on that pairing tag(You may want to open this in another tab, actually.):
and itāll take you to the page for that pairing tag. Click this button:
and then look at the address bar! The actual page is unimportant. Copy the numbers located here:
and go back to the original search page! Down on the side, in the same place you can get rid of other tags, type -relationship_ids:āthe number you just copiedā
Then hitĀ āsort and filterā annndā¦ magic!
The fics with that pairing are gone! You can also do multiple pairings, get rid of any tags you donāt like, and sort it by date or length or kudos, or whatever.
Just a quick reminder that AO3 uses Lucene as a search and index engine.
That means you can pretty much use all the Lucene Query Syntax in the āSeach within resultā field.
I donāt think AO3 indexes the whole fic for searching but definitely itās meta data. Combined with Lucenes awesome query syntax you can do pretty much every search you heart desires.
Addtional Lucene Query Syntax that has not been mentioned yet and you might find useful:
Wildcard Searches
You can use wildcard searches within single terms. For a single character wildcard search use the ā?ā symbol. For a multiple character wildcard search use the ā*ā symbol.
AND/OR
Lucene allows you to combin terms through logic operators. Youāre looking for fics that are either āreunionā or āenemies to loversā?
Just put in >āreunionā OR āenemies to loversā< into the field
and you end up with all the stories that are either or but not both.
But wait, now youāre looking for fics that are both āreunionā and āenemies to loversā at the same time? Now worries Lucene got you covered.
Just change it into >ā"reunionā AND āenemies to loversāā<
and youāll get all the fics that mention both āreunionā and āenemies to loversā somewhere in their meta data (note: itās not just tags. Itās also title, summary ā¦)
Boosting
You can also boost specific terms when doing a multi term search.
You can use the ā^ā Operator followed by a number to boost a specific term.
Say youāre interested in fics that are either āfirst kissā or ābed sharingā but youāre much more interested in ābed sharingā fics and feel they are more relevant.
You can use the search >āfirst kissā ābed sharingā^5<
to manipulate the order of your results in a matter that the score of every fic that contains beg sharing is multiplied by 5. Therefore all fics containing that term are given priority and shown at the top of the list.
You can also combine all of the above, target specifc fields (thatās what you did with the ārelationsship_id:xxxā) and many more things.
For more info about the Lucene query syntax check out Apacheās Lucene Query doc.
Some of these searches can also be achieved via the āexcludeā function in the search bar - this offers you for each section (ratings, category, relationships, tags, etc.) the most commonly used metadata for these fics, to check or uncheck (and thus exclude or not) as you please!
When Iām looking for inspiration for a storyāor when I just need to reacquaint myself with charactersāI rewatch the DCAMU. As one does.
Recently I rewatchedĀ Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, andĀ somethingĀ finally clicked for me duringĀ that Damian/Raven scene. Specifically this line:
āWhen I asked you to join me in leading the League of Assassins. I wasnāt doing it because you were a good fighter. Iā¦ had feelings for you.ā
Now, I know some of you are already like:
āOh my god, yes, we know. Cute. Peak shipping material. What of it?ā
Fair. Valid.
BUT.
Am I really supposed to ignore the fact that Damian phrasing it asĀ ājoin me in leadingāĀ is not, likeā¦ aĀ low-key marriage proposal???
And Iām only beingĀ halfĀ cheeky here.
So. Letās break this shit downābecause itās fun š«¶
Read my arguments blowš
What isĀ explicitlyĀ canonical in the dialogue
From this scene, we have some very clear, unambiguous canon facts:
DamianĀ asked Raven to join him in leading the League of Assassins
HeĀ explicitly statesĀ it wasĀ notĀ because sheās a good fighter
HeĀ confesses romantic feelings
He frames the request as emotionally vulnerable and deeply personal
Raven understands it as such (her response confirms she clocked the weight of it)
That much isĀ hard canon. No debate there.
Is ājoin me in leadingāĀ literallyĀ a marriage proposal in-text?
Strictly speaking?
No.
The film never uses the wordsĀ marriage,Ā wife,Ā queen, orĀ bride.
So if someone asks:
āIs this explicitly stated as a marriage proposal in canon?ā
The honest answer is:
No, not textually explicit.
But that isĀ notĀ where the conversation endsāand this is where I think my argument actually has teeth.
The cultural context matters (and canon allows for it)
WithinĀ League of Assassins canonĀ across DC media, leadership is:
Dynastic
Familial
Intimately tied to bloodline and legacy
Almost always ruled byĀ a pair or family unit, not some casual co-lead situation
(Which I think most of us are aware of.)
So when Damian says:
āWhen I asked you to join me in leading the League of Assassinsā¦ā
He isĀ notĀ saying:
āHey, wanna be my coworker?ā
Nah.
He is saying:
āStand beside me at the highest level of power in my world.ā
That isĀ functionally spousal, even if itās not linguistically labeled as such.
Like, homeboy is basically saying:
āCome be my Demon Queen.ā
Ballsy.
And weĀ digĀ it.
Damianās character specifically strengthens this reading
This part is key.
Damian Wayne:
DoesĀ notĀ emote casually
DoesĀ notĀ offer vulnerability lightly
DoesĀ notĀ share power unless it is earnedĀ or bonded
Was raised in a culture whereĀ commitment precedes romance, not the other way around
ForĀ thisĀ character, withĀ thisĀ upbringing, that phrasing carriesĀ way more weightĀ than it would coming from literally anyone else.
And the fact that heĀ only clarifies his feelings after Raven declinesĀ suggests:
He understood the request as profound
He believed the meaning was self-evident
He only spells it out because she didnāt fully understand what he was askingāand in the throes of the final hour, he needed her to know what he meant.
Which is.
So.
Fucking.
Cute.
Honestly, I feel like this actuallyĀ reinforcesĀ the interpretation.
If you disagree? Thatās fine. Weāre just not friends š
So what is my argument, canonically speaking?
My argument isĀ not:
āDamian canonically proposed marriage.ā
But itĀ canĀ be accurately stated as:
āWithin the cultural and narrative framework of the League of Assassins and Damianās upbringing, asking Raven to ājoin him in leadingā functions as the emotional and symbolic equivalent of a marriage proposal, even if not textually labeled as such.ā
Which is:
Canon-supported
Textually defensible
Character-consistent
Not contradicted anywhere in the DCAMU
In fandom terms:
This isĀ strong implicit canon, not just shipping headcanon.
In conclusion (aka thanks for coming to my TED Talk)
Iām not claiming Damian said the wordĀ marry.
Iām saying that in the League of Assassins,Ā shared leadership is an intimate, lifelong bond tied to legacy. And given Damianās upbringing, values, and emotional restraint, asking Raven to rule beside him is functionally equivalent to proposing a shared life together.
Anyway. Thatās my rant.
Thanks for coming to my TED Talkā
feel free to scream in the comment section š«¶
What is up with some (not all of you) of the dam*jon stans constantly hate posting about Damirae and then TAGGING THE FREAKING SHIP so that all the shippers see it?
Idgaf what you ship just have the decency to leave other shippers alone and tag ANTI ! You want to talk about "toxic" shippers, tagging a ship in your hate post is probably one of the most toxic shipper things you can do! Don't act like every fandom doesn't have toxic people, including damjon.
And why exactly do they constantly shove their opinions down our throats about it, what's the point, you need attention that badly
When you have the anti damirae tag blocked so people can hate in peace without you having to see it because fandom is so much better for everyone when we are at the very least decent enough to do the bare minimum - vs - tagging the ship because you want the shippers to see it because even though the ones on this platform don't bother anyone, you decided you would bother them.
The 2026 DamiRae Zine is officially underway, and we'd like to introduce the content creators who are taking part! Without further ado....
andthendk (insta, TikTok, YT)
behindheremeraldeyes (Ao3, tumblr)
bexo.hara (insta)
carnationmilk (Ao3, tumblr)
daularix (tumblr, insta, X)
eevee (tumblr)
esme (tumblr)
illuminaudie (tumblr)
kasieli (tumblr)
limeru (tumblr, insta, X)
menaisyl (insta)
mikasrave (tumblr)
OpheliaWillowBrook (Ao3, tumblr)
Raverin2 (Ao3, tumblr)
ViLaVi (Ao3, tumblr)
xaphrin (Ao3, tumblr)
Be on the lookout for teasers and sneak peeks in the coming months!
The final product will be available as a digital download on 5/5/26 for $5. All proceeds will be donated to Save the Children, a reputable international organization dedicated to the protection and well-being of children all over the world. Last time we raised funds via Zine we were able to donate just over $1k to Humane Society International, and we're excited to see how much we can give this time!
REMINDER: For all the damirae fans that want to lose hope. REMEMBER, damirae is still very much CANON!! If non-canon ships are still thriving in fandoms why should DAMIRAE which is DC CANON not thrive? And you know why our love birds must thrive? Because WE, THE FANS, ALLOW it! So let's keep our ship BURNING brighter than the sun, because we know Damian and Raven BELONG with each other and DON'T let anyone CONVINCE you otherwise!! A new age is birthing, but we are classyš š½, and we won't jinx it. But, should we not get what we want. We shan't cry. We will just keep shipping. So KEEP SHIPPING š„.
Damirae is a ship I never knew I needed. Just watched justice league Vs teen titans the damirae scenes we got were so cute.
Both of them on the Ferris wheel looking at each other then shyly looking away? Too cute for words.
And the music playing in the background really resonated with me.
Also the scene where Damian won the toy sword but then giving it to the little girl standing next to him was so heartwarming. And raven smiles as he does, honestly made me ship them.
Also Damian making raven laugh unintentionally mind you was so cute.
definitely going to immerse myself in damirae fics for the foreseeable future.
Guys, look at what I found browsing Medium!š„ŗ Another article written by Damiraeā¤ļø. Our love birds are still gaining momentumāŗļøš. You can read the full article by clicking the link below:
What is up with people CONSTANTLY talking about Raven and Damian as if they exist as a ship in the comics? Y'all act like you're comic expert's but can't seem to separate what happens in what universe or even tell the medium apart. The comics are NOT the animated movies.
But you can't even get your facts straight when talking about comics. Because Raven had been "age regressed" ever since Geoff John's resurrected her as a teen in the comics in the early 2000s. Hell in Rebirth, when she debuted in the DCAMU she was only 15 in the comics at the time and 14 (the same age as Damian) in the animated movies.
That particular ship has no affect on either of them in the comics, nor does it affect what friendship they may or may not have, as those movies and the comics are completely separate. So, idk, focus your complaining on what's relevant in the comics now. And for the record, neither Rose or Conner are in Damians age group either and Djinn is 4,000 years old. Like y'all have a real problem with Damirae living rent free in the mind lately, but hey, at least I know even if the fandom dies, the haters would always keep them alive š
turnnoffyourmind
stormborns
gamechangershow
pixelskylines
prguitarman
gracieabrams
andulkaphoto
vaporwave
blakekathryn
