frownyalfred - Tumblr blog

[frownyalfred]

why is tumblr slaughtering my saturation

[frownyalfred]

the “We should get married so we can’t ever be forced to testify against each other” trope except it’s Bruce and Clark as a catch all for any/all crimes committed by Bruce (as a vigilante) Clark (usually as a party to vigilantism, but also all the lies/forgery to look human) and both of them (money laundering, fraud, etc committed to create and fund the Watchtower).

Because if one identity gets found out, it’s not hard to connect the dots. And if it ever came to a trial, or a military tribunal, no one would see spousal privilege being invoked by Batman & Superman coming. Not from a mile away.

[frownyalfred]

in your jla fics who's the perspective/character easiest to get in the head of?

Hmm. That’s a good question. It depends on the tone of the fic. Clark is easier for me if it’s lighthearted. Bruce for angst. Dinah for more neutral things, I love using her as more of an outside POV on League things. I struggle with Diana’s pov a lot, same with J’onn. I think I probably think/talk most like Hal but I don’t write him a lot.

[frownyalfred]

Only kinda propos the masseuse post, but I deeply deeply want a pov fic of one the watchtower/hall of justice employees. Like the masseuse has their own little massage parlor basically in the watchtower/HOJ and has to deal with basically constant walk ins even though there is a system for appointments ((it takes like five passwords and at least one of piece of bio authentication to access off-site, but only two passwords on-site) so only the bats and supes uses tbh, aside from the other techy heros but they rarely need medical appointments so) and the various issues they run into trying to deal with weird ass hero bs, like despite having signed so many NDAs (and agreeing to occasional surveillance (but getting access to a panic button that priority alerts league that they need help so) they have to sign more when for the first time they work on Superman and have to do so with weird red lights??

Anyways, all of which to say- I would love a pov of a watchtower employee like a doctor, nurse or masseuse, or anything really because they must have the strangest job and then they go home can't say shit to anyone other then (well, I worked on a weird patient, no sorry hun, can't say anything more)

Yes all of this! I was thinking about those support workers when I was writing the sleep deprivation fic earlier this week actually. Because despite Bruce’s best efforts, there’s no way a satellite that big sustains itself. It needs employees!

So yes, I’m curious how those NDAs work. Do workers spend “deployments” up there so they’re not commuting every few days? How many months are they allowed to stay in space in civilian support roles? How are they hired and vetted? How does the JL ensure they don’t leak any sensitive information after their service?

So many questions. I’m sure someone smarter than me has already answered them.

[frownyalfred]

“We hope this email finds you well” babe, the only emails I hope find me well are the ones from Archive of Our Own

[frownyalfred]

[frownyalfred]

Hello! I’m not Jewish and I just learned about Pikuach Nefesh. Being Jewish yourself, I’m guessing you have a lot of thoughts on this and how it relates to Bruce’s no-kill policy. I’d be really interested in hearing them if you want to make a post!

Hey friend!

I absolutely have thoughts, but I must begin with a disclaimer:

My perspective does not cover all Jews, nor is it the authority on what is or isn't Jewish. I grew up Reform/Reconstructionist, in an ethnically Ashkenazi Jewish family, and these are just my thoughts as a Batman blog.

Another important note: different types of Jews hold the halacha (rules/principles) of Judaism to be far more important in their lives. An Orthodox Jew will observe halacha much more strictly than a Reform Jew. Despite what some people will tell you, this doesn't make either of them better. Just different.

Whew, okay. Now that that's out of the way, let's get down to business.

What is Pikuach Nefesh?

In very general terms, Pikuach Nefesh (hard ch sound in the back of your throat) allows Jews to override other religious "rules" or values in the pursuit of preserving or saving a life.

A good example of this is a an Orthodox Jewish person, who, following halacha, will not drive or operate items with electricity during the Sabbath (Shabbat). But what happens if someone has a heart attack and they need to call 911? Pikuach Nefesh would permit them to use electricity, despite it being Shabbat.

If a Jewish person who keeps total kosher is in a situation where they will starve if they do not eat non-kosher food, they are permitted to eat non-kosher food.

Exceptions

There are some notable exceptions to Pikuach Nefesh, which I suspect is what your question is getting at. The threat to an individual's life generally has to be known, urgent, and not abstract.

Murder is another large exception, with some conditions. Generally, the intentional act of killing another person, or injuring them to the point where they might die from their injuries, is not an act that can be permitted by the principle of Pikuach Nefesh.

The slim exceptions to this include highly specific cases of self defense of oneself or another against an aggressor. One may kill to preserve a life in very strict situations, but they cannot murder. There are even times where killing is obligated, such as war.

So how does this relate to Batman/Bruce's no-killing rule?

Okay. So. I've had a lot of discussions with folks about this, and the answer I've learned is: it doesn't. Not really.

Pikuach Nefesh refers to the principle that a Jewish person should preserve life over almost any other rule or halacha. It does, actually, permit Bruce to kill under very specific situations. It does actually forbid him from gravely injuring people and doing so in the name of fighting against abstract threats, which are both things he does in canon.

The last time I wrote about this, I was definitely off about the details of Pikuach Nefesh in regard to Batman. I was corrected and I stand by that correction. I didn't grow up in the Orthodox faith and I don't observe much of their halacha, which is where a lot of religious theory questions arise from. I'm not an expert, and my explanation is only as deep as my own experience.

I think a good way of looking at Pikuach Nefesh is not as a way to define what, if any, killing is acceptable, but rather, what are we obligated to do to save a life?

The more important Jewish principle shaping Batman's ideology (in my opinion)

"Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire."

This is much more of an important focal point for Bruce's Jewish-influenced ideology. The flipside of this quote, from the Talmud, is equally important: "Whoever kills one life, kills the world entire."

Bruce's no-killing rule is famously tied to his parents' deaths during his childhood. In a way, his entire world ended with their murder. He sees his mission to clean up Gotham as a way to prevent that loss from occurring for anyone else.

Saving one person, like he tells Barry in Justice League, is enough. That is a viciously Jewish thought. It is frequently quoted in reference to those who acted in support of Jews during the Holocaust, doing what little they could against a fountain of evil.

Conclusion

In that regard, yes -- Pikuach Nefesh tells us that preserving a life is the most important thing above all else. But Bruce's no-killing rule would swiftly be broken if he followed the principle of Pikuach Nefesh closely, in that he would a) likely have to kill someone in self-defense at some point in his duties and b) it would not allow him to injure or hurt people to the extent that he currently does in canon.

More importantly, Bruce's no-killing rule is a better reflection of the Talmudic quote that "he who saves/kills a life, has saved/killed a world entire."

It is not much of a stretch, in my opinion, to connect Bruce's trauma from losing his parents at young age to his outright refusal to kill later in life. The more interesting question, in my mind, is if the creation of this no-killing rule truly was shaped by Batman's Jewish creators and their view on life and death, especially post Holocaust.

Comics became more widely available during and after WWII and the Holocaust, during which time many -- many -- Jews entered the field as writers and artists. Their influences on the characters we see today are obvious, often intentionally Jewish, but just as often un-intentional.

Was Batman's no-killing rule a product of the post-WWII Jewish comic writers who shaped his character? Was it a coincidence that lined up well with the Talmud, but not necessarily all the conditions of Pikuach Nefesh?

How else does Batman represent, or not represent, the goal of Pikuach Nefesh (the necessity that a person act in the preservation of human life, above almost all else)?

[frownyalfred]

thinking about the expert masseuse Alfred hired for the family that is paid a small fortune annually to provide massage services and ignore so, so many things. No questions, no remarks, just quality service and an ironclad NDA that, if broken, would probably topple said masseuse’s entire family line.

Things Alfred is paying them to ignore, in no specific order:

Bruce’s spinal hardware courtesy of Bane :)

weird amounts of muscle on everyone, even the kids (despite them allegedly not working physical jobs)

scars

FRESH scars

the fact that every joint in Bruce’s body clicks when moved/manipulated at the tender age of 42

Olympic athlete level physiques

rotator cuff injuries across the whole family

scars that are definitely from bullets and/or acid splashes

old signs of what looks like torture (Bruce)

Dick’s entire left arm is basically screws and plates (he “fell really bad” once)

every single family member takes deep tissue massage with max pressure with 0 complaints

calluses

no really, the weirdest fucking calluses

[frownyalfred]

Every Justice League member knows that Bruce has contingencies for all of them. What they don't know is that he has multiple ones for himself too, especially considering how often Gotham is hit by mind altering substances.

Only the Batfam has access to them.

One day he sends them to Clark and that's when he realizes that the stubborn, beautiful disaster of a man he's been in love with for years loves him too.

[frownyalfred]

Henry Cavill as Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman in Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)

[frownyalfred]

thinking about the expert masseuse Alfred hired for the family that is paid a small fortune annually to provide massage services and ignore so, so many things. No questions, no remarks, just quality service and an ironclad NDA that, if broken, would probably topple said masseuse’s entire family line.

Things Alfred is paying them to ignore, in no specific order:

Bruce’s spinal hardware courtesy of Bane :)

weird amounts of muscle on everyone, even the kids (despite them allegedly not working physical jobs)

scars

FRESH scars

the fact that every joint in Bruce’s body clicks when moved/manipulated at the tender age of 42

Olympic athlete level physiques

rotator cuff injuries across the whole family

scars that are definitely from bullets and/or acid splashes

old signs of what looks like torture (Bruce)

Dick’s entire left arm is basically screws and plates (he “fell really bad” once)

every single family member takes deep tissue massage with max pressure with 0 complaints

calluses

no really, the weirdest fucking calluses

[frownyalfred]

I’m thinking of Alpha batman (bcs of that ask) and to me I think omega sexuality is 50% stronger than me 30% Protector™ and 20% good with kids so when he’s first photographed with Robin he becomes teen Omega heartthrob number 1. it’s funnier if he’s actually an Omega.

See that’s what gets me about that trope in particular — it’s always “well he’s big and strong and protects kids so surely he’s an alpha” but the way a/b/o society is often set up, it’s much more likely that omegas would be 1) better with children and 2) terrifyingly protective. Like they are the defenders of the nest. They’re who alphas leave in charge when they go out! Of course they’re going to be capable and vicious, equally if not more so than alphas. Right?

[frownyalfred]

I read a fic once where Bruce told Clark to go stop the Joker because he knew Clark wouldn’t kill him, and finished it off with “If I stop him, I will” and the post you reblogged reminded me of that

Fatherly rage Batman is best Batman

It’s not that he doesn’t care. It’s that, if you see evidence of that care in real life, that means he’s gone past the point of no return. His love is too much to hold all at once. So he chooses to shove it down and that leads to the people around him thinking he doesn’t care at all, sadly.

[frownyalfred]

HC for the nemesis for the batfam civilian life (like in WFA Bruce has that mom from PTA)?

Neighborhood HOA that technically has jurisdiction over one distant acre on the outskirts of the Wayne Manor property

[frownyalfred]

Bruce Wayne in Batman urban legends #20

[frownyalfred]

Clark is the kind of friend who would come over right away when he hears about Jason’s death. He’s a good Midwestern boy and wants to be there for his friend.

He finds Bruce in the Cave, of course. And he fumbles with his words, his own memories of his dad’s death. About loss and hope. He mentions that Bruce must be sad and he’s cut off by the most awful, wrenched-from-the throat laugh.

“I’m not sad,” Bruce whispers, his hands clenched around his chair. Eyes burning into the monitors above. “I’m furious, Clark.”

[frownyalfred]

DC is not beating the superbat allegations part 2