appleswan - Tumblr blog

[appleswan]

This is for one of the commenters on my fic! Looking out for the non twitter users fr fr

This is for my reader interactive Ao3 Fic, Scrutinize Our Secrets. It's a Secret Life based fic :D

You have 24 hours to vote (I forgot to change the time on the poll sorry)

[appleswan]

Thinking about this again because Twitter has me thinking about it. I'm not sure when this nuclearization of the found family trope began but there was definitely a spike in it around Covid. People insist on found family following traditional family roles but that's just not how the trope fundamentally works.

If you think about your own friendship dynamics you will find that they're not very clear cut because affection and relationships in general aren't as clear cut as media tends to represent it. All relationships are inherently messy and platonic love can be as powerful as romance.

Found family is family that you establish, that you feel close with, that you make. It's not a family forged through adoption or legal ties. It's going to be messy because people are messy. The Nuclear family doesn't work for a lot of superhero families and as I read through Impulse it's that much more obvious.

The core dc 'families' are made through connection to a founding 'hero'. Like you have the flash fam who tend to all be speedsters coming together due to that similarity and their connection to the speed force.

You have the Batfam who all lack powers like their meta associates who are drawn to each other because of their want to do good. And then the superfam who are all for the most part kryptonian iirc.

They are drawn to each other because they share commonalities but those commonalities aren't what make them family. What makes them family is what happens after they come together. It's the relationships that naturally start to form from close proximity. And yes, sometimes that means that one kids parental figure isn't going to be another's. But that's fine. That's good. That's realistic.

That's why I've fallen in love with dc superfamilies.

The glory of the batfamily is not that they fit into a neat little box of family dynamics, it's that their family is messy. It's because Damian thinks of both Dick and Bruce as his dad, and Tim is technically emancipated but still buys Bruce a card on fathers day. They all chip in together to buy something for Alfred on fathers day too because he's a butler but he's part of their family.

Jason is both their brother, and the uncle with a criminal record in the same breath. Kate is a wine aunt but also a mom for some of the kids. Steph is their neighbor friend but also sometimes their sister.

They'll try to kill each other, they try to hurt each other, but at the end of the day they're down to get something from batburger. They're vigilantes in one of the worst cities in America, they are not a perfect family but that's the joy of it

[appleswan]

the victors.

p.s. this took me about 20 hours pls give me validation

[appleswan]

Unsurprisingly I got into some dumb argument over on twitter, and the context doesn't matter but this guy ended up saying something about how Bruce didn't choose to be Batman.

You didn't read that wrong, he said that Bruce didn't choose to be Batman. After a bit of debate, he asked me if I believed that Spider-Man chose to be a hero, and my answer is yes.

I fundamentally agree, with a few prophecies and traumatic backstories notwithstanding, that every single superhero to ever hero has chosen to be a hero -- at least in comics. Because just being bit by a spider doesn't inherently mean that Peter Parker had to start saving people. Being sent to earth didn't force Clark into being Superman.

Every single hero chose their life. That is what makes them the person that they are. They chose to save people. They chose to do good. And every single day since, wherein they choose to fight on the streets for people who cannot defend themselves, makes them a hero. But it is an active choice that these people make.

And yes. If they were to have not chosen to be a hero they wouldn't be the same person they are, because that's how choices work. Choices fundamentally shape a person's character, or at least that's how I see it.

So yes. Bruce chose to be a hero. He chose to be Batman and a lot of people in the world both fictional and not, are better off for it.

[appleswan]

life series in my style!!!!!!!!!! thank u xmaruu for the template it’s so slay :) i did spend way too long on this tho lol

[appleswan]

boogie apocalypse, starring pvp girlboss of the century zombie gem

[appleswan]

Batman as a character has always existed in a dark space in comics and I mean that very literally. He is called the DARK Knight, he comes out at night, his whole thing is bats and broody and he lives in GOTHAM which is notorious for its Gothic architecture. But the problem that occurs in utlizing that kind of aesthetic for a vigilante is that darkness is typically associated with violence.

Black as a color is psychologically linked with authority, prestige. You want the Black card, black tie is formal, and a nice tux is typically pressed and a deep black. Black is elegance, it's intelligence, and in that case it very much fits the character Bruce is established to be. However Black is also highly associated with death, and though you can take this as representation for Bruce's deep ties to mortality and his near constant mourning, people are more likely to associate Batman with death, with killing. Black is very stereotypically associated with villains even though Bruce and Batman are very notably not villains. Think Darth Vader, Maleficent, Voldemort, etc. The bad guys are very societally coded to wear the color black.

Which is why I think there are a lot of depictions of Batman that make him a very awful person. Bruce exists outside of the law but he adheres to his own moral code when he works as Batman, yet most major movies we see Bruce in depict him working not for justice but often times in revenge. He kills, he maims, he even brands villains. I think it's that association that makes people more willing to push Batman past being a hero. Its why people believe that he just harms mentally ill people and simple beggars. Because Batman is a dark character, and people expect dark characters to do morally ambiguous things.

The real kicker though, is that Batman isn't morally ambiguous. Not in the ways that people expect him to be. He is a hero through and through.

[appleswan]

secret life poster because i’m obsessed (especially after today’s session!)

[appleswan]

The glory of the batfamily is not that they fit into a neat little box of family dynamics, it's that their family is messy. It's because Damian thinks of both Dick and Bruce as his dad, and Tim is technically emancipated but still buys Bruce a card on fathers day. They all chip in together to buy something for Alfred on fathers day too because he's a butler but he's part of their family.

Jason is both their brother, and the uncle with a criminal record in the same breath. Kate is a wine aunt but also a mom for some of the kids. Steph is their neighbor friend but also sometimes their sister.

They'll try to kill each other, they try to hurt each other, but at the end of the day they're down to get something from batburger. They're vigilantes in one of the worst cities in America, they are not a perfect family but that's the joy of it

[appleswan]

PSSST

here’s a link to all my whumptober fics

theres even a secret one that only ao3 users can see

[appleswan]

this is how i think the tl would look if you lived in the dc universe

-

💀 theonlylostcause

oomf just said nightwing is a dilf,, bffr that man is a MALEWIFE

✨ ttroogfrog

please. superman is a malewife. nightwing is a fucking girl dad

🥰 centaurfen

reasons why i think the second robin is actually still alive a thread 🧵

🎶 L0ST4N0W

op wtf. this is so disrespectful actually

👾 Itssunny

IM SORRY??

🎃 J0YZ02

this is actually baffling… what made you think this was okay

⚓️ PunkP1E

i know we’re all upset about that thread but please stop spreading it!! you’re just encouraging them

🎠 vstivie

what thread /genq

🏔️ rayrey

WHY IS BRUCE WAYNE IN MY FAMILYS RESTAURANT?!

👀 gekkiii

pics or it didn’t happen

😩 jussypwssy

i just woke up why is the tl on fire.

🫠 bbtrex

go back to bed.

😮‍💨 MintyZ

NEW VIDEO ON WHY I THINK THE MARTIAN MANHUNTER IS A HOAX JUST DROPPED! 👇👇 CHECK IT OUT NOW 👇👇

🎀 Batfamfan

civilian!batfam au is in the works !! not sure what name i should give nightwing tho, any suggestions?

😴 hoaxyropes

my personal fav civilian!nightwing name is nathan 🫣

🌟 gl0ssy

some of y’all are way too comfortable when talking about hero’s

🧸 ceoofcrow

IDK WHY PEOPLE ARE BOOING YOU!! YOURE RIGHT

[appleswan]

Headcanon that Jason Todd has body dysmorphia. He died a child, clawed his way out of his grave with a body so much smaller than the one he has now. His last memories were in a world so much bigger than the one he lives in now. He lost years of his life, years of growth and development. He simply woke up one day in a body that does not feel like his own.

He bumps his head on doorframe, forgetting that he's tall enough to do that. He can no longer slip through cracks and alleyways like he remembers doing what feels like not too long ago. He died at 15, he died in a 15 year old body, and he woke up in a pit of poison water within the body of a full grown adult.

[appleswan]

Starman 🌌🪐

[appleswan]

How i think the batfamily acts after getting their wisdom teeth removed

written by someone who’s had to have both their top and bottom wisdom teeth removed at two different times because the world hates me and wanted me to go through it twice i guess

okay so first of all bruce, this man has an insane tolerance for pain and tbh i think the only person able to get him to listen to this doctors instructions is alfred. and it’s not like he’s ignoring the instructions on purpose, he just isn’t really aware of how much pain he’s in because of his pain tolerance so he pretty much assumes he’s just healed faster than normal (also he doesn’t swell much for some reason so again, he just kinda assumes he’s fine)

next up, dick! tbh i feel like he’d legitimately have a bad time with it. idk why but i just think he would. he’d get super swollen and sore, and probably wouldn’t be able to talk for a few days without some kind of pain. although he absolutely would take advantage of everyone doting on him to get whatever he wants. it helps that he looks like a chipmunk for like a week after getting his wisdom teeth removed and the pictures make great blackmail material

and cass! cass and barbara come home one day with cass looking super swollen. everyone’s super worried bc wtf!!?? turns out she asked barbara to take her to get her wisdom teeth removed bc they were causing her some pain. that’s basically it, she’s a bit swollen for a bit and in some pain, but otherwise she heals fine. she does sorta take advantage of everyone looking after her, but honestly she just kinda chills in her room to recuperate while she reads and catches up on some shows she’s been wanting to watch.

now jason. okay listen, hear me out. he originally gets both his top and bottom wisdom teeth removed after being taken in by bruce. his experience is sorta average tbh, maybe a bit slow on the healing part of it bc of his already recovering health from being a street kid. but after he comes back from the dead and gets chucked into the lazarus pit he starts getting some pain in his mouth. turns out the lazarus pit regenerated his wisdom teeth. so basically jason has to get them taken out twice and no one will let him live it down

next on the list is tim. tim probably gets his taken out after he looses his spleen so someone sticks with him 24/7 just to make sure he’s healing properly and shit. it probably takes him a bit longer to heal and i feel like he would have a bit more pain than average but otherwise he heals perfectly fine. he probably tries to stay at drake manor at first, but dick convinces him to stay at wayne manor so that they can keep an eye on him.

okay now steph! she’s the only person in the batfamily that doesn’t need to get both her top and bottom removed. she just needs to get her top wisdom teeth removed and everyone hates her for it because they all had to do all four. like dick, she totally takes advantage of everyone doting on her while she heals. she spends most of her time at wayne manor just sprawled out on one of the couches and makes bruce buy her the best ice cream money can buy.

okay now for damian. he straight up doesn’t need to get his wisdom teeth removed. like they aren’t a problem at all and he brags about it constantly. although, jason ends up punching damian in the face when jason got his removed for the second time and damian made fun of him for it. he spends the next few days moping on the couch with an ice pack pressed up against his swollen cheek while jason sends him shit eating grins.

and finally duke. my younger sister had to get her wisdom teeth removed before getting her braces on bc she had to do another surgery on some other teeth and they figured they’d just do it all at once to get it over with and i feel like duke would be the same. so like he’d get his wisdom teeth removed at like 13/14 and just have an average time healing. when the other batfamily members ask him about his wisdom teeth he just shrugs and goes “i got them removed years ago” which makes the rest of them upset because they like having blackmail material of how swollen people get after getting their wisdom teeth removed and they can’t do that with duke now

[appleswan]

Dick and Tim are BatCat truthers, and Damian and Jason are Brutalia kids, this we know. But I propose something else, something more. BatCat dates are warzones behind the scenes. The whole Batfamily gets involved, one time Jean Peal dressed as a Maitre D to make sure that the date went smoothly.

Half of the family is trying to make sure that the date goes well and the other half are trying to ruin it. Bruce and Selina are none the wiser.

Steph gets her drones to try to spill something on Selina's dress and Cass is there to tackle it out of the sky. Dick is organizing team BatCat while Damian leads team Brutalia. And by the end of the day they're all exhausted, laying in the family room and looking as if they all just got from some big battle.

There is a small subportion of the Batfamily who are neither Team BatCat or Team Brutalia. Duke and Tim watch each other through thinly veiled glares whenever Clark comes around because they know of the fanfic that the other wrote. It's mutually assured destruction if one of them snitches on the other.

[appleswan]

I think that what a lot of comic book writers don't understand about the conflict between Bruce and Jason is what it's primarily about, because while yes the whole killing people thing plays a part it's not nearly as large of a part as people assume it to be. If it was about the act of killing both Damian and Tim would have been facing the same kind of damnation as Jason does. But they don't.

What Jason and Bruce's conflict boils down to is the conflation of the past with the present. Both parties are guilty of this, remembering what was and equating it to what is or what should be. For Bruce (and Dick) it's conflating Jason as Robin with Jason as Red Hood and seeing a child that he let walk down the wrong path. He see's what was (a great morally good hero) with what is (a morally grey Anti-hero) and thinks that Jason should be more like what Robin was which is impossible now due to many different situations and influences that have shaped Jason as an adult and as a hero. Meanwhile for Jason it's conflating the Bruce of the past with the Batman of the present, remembering who Bruce was as a mentor and father and seeking that in a Batman who has already mourned and grieved for a dead son and partner. There's more to that, including the hurt and betrayal of realizing that his death wasn't avenged, but I digress.

They are both so drastically different from when they worked together that they're near strangers. Their antiquated sense of who the other should be has driven a wedge between them that widens through near every interaction as they don't understand who the other person is as a person anymore. They've both been shaped by drastically different influences and circumstances that now there's not much that they can agree upon. That sense of past conflating with present is also why you see Dick fighting a lot more with Jason too, because he knew Jason as Robin.

There's a reason that Jason seems to get along more with people like Steph, Duke, and Cass, people who didn't know him as Robin. It's because they don't have this idealistic childlike version of him to hold onto a pedestal. They never grieved him so they don't hold onto those memories because there were none.

Personally I also think that a lot of the conflict at least on Jason's end comes from a poor sense of identity. He doesn't exactly know who he is or who he wants to be as a hero because he never really got a chance to discover that for himself unlike both Dick and Tim. When we see him start to pull away from Batman and begin that path of self-discovery he's blown up, and when he comes back to life there's people telling him what to do and urging him in certain directions. And while he has some time with the Outcasts I still think he's operating mostly under the influence of the League of Assassins and in the Prince of Gotham arc he's operating under a sense of obligation to Gotham (which I love don't get me wrong).

Furthermore a lot of critical years of brain development were stolen from him where he was either training, comatose, or catatonic. I don't think it's irrational to assume that he's going through those vital years of development just at a later date.

It's why I like the end of Task Force Z so much, we see him going on his own to discover who he is as a person outside of all these other influences and people trying to dictate who he's supposed to be. He's going on that journey of Self-Discovery that is needed so much

I also think that a lot of their problems could have been solved if Bruce had told Jason that the only thing that kept him from killing Joker after he died was diplomatic immunity and Superman. "It would have been too easy" my ass! You wanted too, Bruce, and you were going too.

Just my two cents idk I have a lot of thoughts about this and it kinda pisses me off how there always seems to be a fight between Jason and Batman + Batfamily in every Red Hood run. And it doesn't make sense because they're good and then they're not good and then they're fighting again. I just want some consistency (Please for the love of god don't get me started on how much I wish writers would drop the fucking crowbar thing). I just think that their conflict is a lot more nuanced (on both sides) than Jason does morally reprehensible things sometimes. I could be very wrong about this too, I'm just thinking tm

[appleswan]

Stephanie Brown is a girly girl. She loves makeup and doing her hair and getting pretty for special events. She loves pink and purple and dresses and heels. She's a girly girl.

But she's also a girl's girl. She keeps extra pads or tampons and painkillers in her bag, and her utility belt. She's a girl's girl in the sense that she's a shoulder to cry on for whoever needs it. She pretends to know someone if they come up to her on the street looking scared. She carries extra tazers and pepper spray to give out. She's a girl's girl. She will hype up people who look down. She comments on every single instagram post that she can. She leads and organizes protests and strikes. She volunteers at places like planned parenthood and other clinics.