With WFA Sister-coding Steph And Cass, I Started Thinking About How To Get Some Silver Linings Out Of

How do you reach into my head, rummage around amongst all those feelings and words and connections, and you get it and you can put it out there into the world clearly?!

Hi, I love how you word things. 👍 It's very good and I'm completely normal about this interpretation.

Thinking about the nightmare 90s!Tim has in YJ01...

Tim's kneeling on the sidewalk, gawking in horror at his hand. His wrist is wrapped with bandages, and his hand has been replaced with a batarang.

His actual hand, glove, and all have fallen off, swarmed by the killer cockroaches of Gotham's streets.

Young Justice 1998 01

Idk, I can't stop thinking about how part of him is replaced with something Batman made, honed, and curated for efficiency and vigilanteism.

A part of Tim is just laying there... swarmed and consumed by the unkillable vermin of Gotham streets.

Here it is again; Tim's fear of slowly becoming someone that he isn't. Becoming a tool and a weapon, less human and more machine.

And then there's Batman in this nightmare. Standing tall, ready to move on... nonchalantly asking Tim to grow a beard so he can make a personal use of his shiny new appendage.

But it's the,

Don't worry, Robin... No one will notice.

that's just smacking me across the face.

A part of Tim is dead and gone, but dont worry, kid! No one's gonna care enough to notice! (This is not a dig towards Tim's parents btw. Ill talk abt the Drakes in a different post.)

Batman brushes off Tim's horror—when lil bro's literally choking with horror—with an assurance that everything that Tim's afraid of will come true and, hey! it isnt a big deal.

Of course, this is Tim's nightmare view of Batman and not a characterization on Bruce, but it's just another example of how Tim sees Batman as a symbol that has consumed Bruce. (So, also not a dig towards Bruce, btw. He gets his own post later, too)

Since Tim's first few appearances, he's been terrified of becoming consumed by justice (?), vengeance, and vigilanteism.

Between his visceral fear at the comfort/hug from Bruce when his mom died, to a different nightmare featuring nightwing, to this nightmare, to rejecting comfort from Bruce at Steph's funeral, to hating Robin and himself after his father's death, and faking an uncle to get away from Batman??

It just shows how terrified he is of becoming someone he isnt...

And this nightmare in particular adds this: he's afraid no one will notice.

Young Justice 1998 01

It makes sense how his attempts to try and prevent the erasure of who he is would slowly escalate with every death. And with so many other heroes just... coming back... and coming back the same or even "close enough"?

It's easy to reach the point of rejecting death entirely. (am i side eyeing people who compare his reactions to certain people's death as a valid measure to who's more important to him? Maybe. Thats a different post tho)

Anyway. Fast forward like 3ish years later...

Red Robin 2009 01

Haha. I love self fulfilling prophecies.

Do you think Bruce Wayne became written as a worse and worse parent because the idea of what makes a person "Heroic" has changed over the years?

(Cut for rambling)

At the start of Batman comics there was a very clear need for the audience to suspend their disbelief. The comic was very much a story, a reflection of the world where the reader was to be entertained with tales about a strange detective investigating the strange crimes of Gotham City.

Robin was Batman's partner, a new element to the story that appealed to a younger audience. They were a team that brought in a lot of capital. Authors would write heart-rending storylines and at the opposite page there would be a weird cheerful ad for Batman and Robin using fruit pies to stop crime.

Society evolves quickly and our media can struggle to keep up. The notion that children should be protected is a relatively recent one and it makes the inclusion of child heroes become... unpalatable to people. Modern values have changed and so too must the characters.

But applying current social values to the concept of child heroes would erase them.

Their whole existence is to be young and to fight the people who want to hurt them. To be young and be able to protect one's loved ones is a compelling story.

It's not just comic book heroes who fall under this paradox, either. Avatar: The Last Airbender is full of children learning how to fight and die for their world. Percy Jackson is another. Hell, one could even make a case for Warrior Cats. The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew were facing off with murderers just as often as any kid hero.

It's a common and loved story because we've all been children who have had to carve out a place for ourselves in the world.

So the existence of Robin, of child heroes in general, becomes an awkward duality. The character is too profitable to retire. Many people can still suspend disbelief enough to enjoy the story. Other people struggle to accept that a "hero", a "good Dad", could allow his children to fight at his side.

So authors are tasked again and again to try to explain Robin. To excuse the existence of a child hero in a day and age when most responsible adults would freak the fuck out at the idea of a kid going out at night to fight criminals.

And sometimes, more often than many of us would like, they come up with writing Bruce as a bad parent. A bad leader, even. It doesn't help that writers don't often get to have stories published that have significant influence on Batman as a character. He's purposely, perpetually trapped at one starting position for every new story.

Which is a valid take. In my opinion it's uninspired, but I understand the rationale behind it. They're working against a lot of baggage. There's nearly 90 years of culture shift to account for and hundreds of authors. Even the way comics are written now is very different from back then and that also messes with perceptions.

To me, Bruce is a deeply flawed man. He's been a shitty dad, yes, but not because Robin exists. He didn't have a choice with Robin - that was decided by forces beyond his control. I don't know how to judge canon Bruce Wayne; there are genuinely too many stories for me to feel like I have an accurate read on him.

I know that he tries very hard to do good. I know that he has the potential to make better choices and take kinder actions.

I'm not going to hold my breath, though. Even if we get a canon Batman run where he gets therapy and apologizes for his mistakes and past actions, where he has some real, meaningful dialogue with the people he loves... The next writer can ignore that for a more dramatic plot where he acts like a complete drip.

Pick your preferred version and warp canon to fit that guy - it's what DC does.

Thank the goddess for fanfiction.

People have said that this art looks like it's hinting that Bernard is going to get killed in upcoming storylines and I'm really hoping they're wrong.

He's in a suit. There are doves. It could be marriage!

The red rose over his heart definitely isn't evocative of a sniper's laser sight! The askew posture and dangerous position don't look like a body! He's not dressed for a funeral, he's dressed for kinky Court of Owls roleplay!

DC needs to give Tim Drake either an age-up + a new suit, or, give him the most badass, diabolical villain arc known to man.

Unpopular Opinion Time

I don’t ship Sirius Black with Remus Lupin and while I’ve read good fics with them as a couple it usually strikes me as a lazy pairing.

The basis of their relationship seems to be that hey were friends for years and they hugged after being reunited.

I actually got into a legit argument about this once and was accused of being a homophobe. Personally, I think that turning them into a couple based on this scant character development is perpetuating a culture of toxic masculinity. Two men showed love and relief and are now ‘super gay for each other omg otp’

I think Sirius Black is hetero pre-Azkaban and too mentally injured to call himself by any labels post-Azkaban. (He spent ten years having portions of his soul sucked out of him, it was going to take a lot more years than he was given after that to rediscover who he is, let alone have a sexual identity.)

Remus I can see as hetero or pan. He would likely focus on pursuing female companionship over male simply because he is already ‘different’ enough as a werewolf and would desire a sense of normalcy.

And even if they were both gay, that does not necessitate that they would automatically be attracted to one another. It’s a common theme found in a lot of amateur stories that the token gays must be paired with each other rather than seek a single life or date outside of the friend group.

Anyway, it’s 6:30 AM and that argument from my high school years is running around in my head, so here’s my belated rebuttal being tossed into the internet.

(Also I got a discord? https://discord.gg/qwPzVtr I still don’t know how to technology very well, but I’ll hopefully be more active over there. Tumblr’s editing system isn’t all that intuitive for me unfortunately.)

(Art is by the amazing @dahtwitchi. This is a freeform collab with no real goal)

"Yesss" SugarTobi moans the word quietly, nearly whimpering as the eldest Tobi's nails come into play, "I can take it...can take everything you give me, please..."

-

A hand grips his neck just enough to choke him at the same time his younger self scratches his nails over his ass and Madara freezes, body trembling as he climaxes. He can feel the other Madara swallowing around him and he pulls that hungry mouth closer, making sure the man gets his fill. "Oh fuck, yes, just like that...gods, you feel so good, so very good~ Just you wait, old man; you're going to fucking love me at any age..."

((Edited content: @dahtwitchi))

[gvTobi really likes using his nails. Also likes feeling SugarTobi's scars from the inside of his mouth. Also the begging is nice.]

[gvMadara lols a bit. He doesn't love his alternates, he's just going to enjoy them. He doesn't completely like that his Tobi is enjoying the other Tobi so much. Pulls SugarMadara's hair and demands distraction when he sees his Tobi going deeper.]

((Return to: @donkoogrr))

SugarTobi is so, so still, keeping his mouth open and wanting, shivering with lust as his alternate traces over his scars. He wants to beg for more from this man, to plead for anything he is willing to give, but that would mean interrupting the way his mouth is being finger-fucked and there's no way he wants that to happen. He closes his eyes to better feel the sensation and to send out just a tendril of chakra. Wanting.

-

"I can work with that." He reaches up and grabs his alternate's wrist, using the pressure points to free himself. SugarMadara twists with surprising gracefulness considering that his legs are shaking and falls to his knees, pulling the man's clothes out of his way. "Get your hands in my hair and get ready for a fucking ride. Gods, look at you, so nice and heavy. You better make me choke on this monster-!"

He is abruptly cut off when his younger self grabs his head and unceremoniously pushes him all the way down. YoungestMadara leans his weight against the other man, staring into the Eldest Madara's eyes and looking slightly unhinged himself. "When people say I talk too much, I'm going to start listening to them. Give me that lube; this guy is prepped and I am going to get my dick in him one way or another."

The youngest straightens up and yanks back, pulling the choking Madara up by his hair, "That sound good to you?"

SugarMadara groans and spreads his legs. He had rather hoped this is what would be happening after his younger self had discovered that he had taken inspiration from his own Tobirama to welcome his lover back from his long-term mission. Hiding the fact that he was being fingered from his alternate older self had been beyond difficult, but he is very proud to see the surprised look on the man's face.

"Fuck yes, let's do this."

((Edited content: @dahtwitchi))

[gvTobi is curious is SugarTobi can come from this alone and then he hears that and accidentally goes too deep when he looks over and demands that he be let in on that.]

[gvMadara freezes up. May be contemplating the murder of his alternates.]

((Return to: @donkoogrr))

It turns out SugarTobi can indeed come just from that, especially combined with the sound of the older Tobirama's appreciation for the Madaras' positions. He doesn't choke though, keeps himself breathing steadily in silent, open-mouthed obedience even as his eyes close in ecstasy.

-

"Holy fuck." The youngest one breathes the words like a prayer as he applies a layer of slick to his erection. SugarMadara looks over at the Tobis, moaning quietly as he sees his boy being so well-behaved. "Good gods, me, say yes!"

((Edited content: @dahtwitchi))

[gvTobi realizes his man is close to murdering his alternates in a fit of jealousy. Uses his sexy commander voice to interrupt the killkillkill mantra. Takes the seals off his eyes so he is blind and cannot see the other Madaras.]

[gvMadara is going to not kill his younger alternates as long as they don't touch his Tobi. Also, he is already halfway prepped himself because nothing says "I missed you" better than anal(?)]

((Return to: @donkoogrr))

The other two Madaras reign in their shock at seeing Tobi's seals vanish, though they are not...they had not realized that this Tobi had been blinded and had used his abilities to seal away the wounds. (They do not know that this is a different sort of seal than the ones on his body) SugarMadara in particular has to swallow back a snarl, wants to demand how his alternate dares to make blindness a condition to Tobirama getting something he wants.

"Fuck, you couldn't have him wear a blindfold, you need him to lose his sight?!"

He does not do well at holding back his anger, even in such a compromising conditions, even if he wants to stay silent and let desire win out over his protective nature.

-

There's a distressed murmur from the cuddling Tobis left to the side, their chakra senses picking up the disturbances. Neither of them are very capable of blocking out their senses, they won't be until they leave subspace.

Titan's Tower was really Jason's Cuteness Aggression acting up, send tweet

Wow, I really like that old Batman storyline where a beloved member of the family is killed and everyone is devastated, only for the guy to come back from the dead and return to Gotham, blaming Batman and Robin for his death.

I'm so glad they cured him of his induced psychosis and he rejoined the family with only the occasional relapse into supervillainy.

What? Red Hood who? No, I'm talking about Alfred Pennyworth.

Imagine if, when Bruce figured out that Jason was alive and probably the Red Hood, he put on his Matches Malone fit and started spreading rumors.

"Hood? Aw, yeah, that's The Outsider's grandson. Yeah, him, he retired ages ago. He was a legend, though, right? Really gave the Bats a poundin'. Hey, Outsider's worried about his grandkid, though; thinks there might be someone else pulling the strings, yeah? Kid went missing for awhile, showed back up with all this money, all this tech. The family's worried. Outsider would pay for information. Gotham's gotta protect her own, right? And no one wants ol' Outsider to come outta retirement..."

Jason would be so??? Confused??? And upset??? That the older goons are starting to mention that he should talk to his grandfather??? That they keep mentioning him with hushed tones and respectful whispers? Alfie's worth it, of course, but why do they think he has anything to do with a vanished villain like Outsider?

(Art is by the amazing @dahtwitchi. This is a freeform collab with no real goal)

(Picture 1)

Meanwhile, an older Madara is lecturing the younger one. "Listen, if you pursue this when you get back and if you have enough talent in bed, Tobi's going to fall into subspace and you need to be paying attention to that. It took me forever to catch on to why he'd get so depressed sometimes and it's not like he knew what was going on. The first time we slept together I left afterwards and he dropped hard, not that he said anything until ages later. So. Don't leave yours to go through that alone, understand?"

He looks over at the other Madara, who seems confused. "Is yours a sub? Because if he is, you need to take care of him, too. Don't think separate universes will keep me from kicking your ass if you screw up the way I did."

(Picture 2)

The older sugar!Madara flushes at his alternate's tone, slightly ashamed. "I started out just sleeping with him to try to preemptively spoil him for future lovers. It was a rush to think about how anyone else who touches him would be being compared to me and be lacking. Falling in love with him wasn't something I planned."

The younger makes a considering noise and turns his attention back to the Tobiramas. There is no denying that he feels very much the same way; the look on 'his' Tobirama's face had been fascinating, so full of yearning when he had seen his alternates kneeling. Obedient. The man in question turns as if feeling the weight of Madara's gaze on him. Their eyes meet. There is...potential. Maybe even enough to pursue the Senju with the right ideas from the start. Tobirama ducks his head a little and turns back to the conversation, but his ears are burning red.

"Six years? It's good to hear that. We've just passed our first..." Sugar!Madara is equally smitten-looking. "Hashirama tried to throw a party. It's a good thing he's terrible at planning festivities; we managed to get an away mission and had our own celebration." (They had rooted out a group of murderous bandits and Tobi had gotten to indulge his own kink regarding Madara and his armor, wild and aggressive on a battle high)