#because Wally knows Dick and Bart knows Tim and Barry would just be in the dark

[bats-and-the-birds]

Batman being aggressively secretive towards the Justice League is one of my favorite tropes, but it gets INFINITELY funnier when you take the younger generations of heroes into consideration.

Barry Allen? He doesn't know shit about Batman, still partially convinced he's not human, still a little bit scared to talk to him. But Wally West? That's Nightwing's best friend. He's been around Dick since both of them were kids. He's had sleepovers at the manor since he was thirteen.

I just think it would be hilarious if all of the younger generations 100% know that Batman is Bruce Wayne. They've slept at the manor, some of them have taken various Batkids to school dances, they've been offered Alfred's cooking. And all because they've gotten close to at least one Batkid and said Batkid wore Bruce down until he let them reveal their identity. But all of them manage to keep this information from their mentors. Either purposefully or completely on accident.

Then you end up with a situation where the younger generations grow up and join the League and the older members Very Quickly realize that they seem a lot more comfortable with Batman than they should be.

[avisisisis]

DC headcanons but you can tell who's my favorite

For some reason Wally cries everytime he eats chicken nuggets with the Titans

Not even Wally knows why this happens

It's only with the original Titans. No one else. They have a rule that says Wally isn't allowed to eat chicken nuggets when he's around them because they all hate to see him cry

Iris sleeptalks. Barry sometimes has full conversations that make no sense with her at four in the morning

Hal has a video that lasts 40 minutes saved on every single piece of technology he has. It's about Iris (who was asleep) and Barry (very much awake, but probably delusional) arguing about whether koalas are evil or not

Tim had a Tumblr blog where he posted photos of Batman and Robin that looked like they were taken from very close angles

Jason follows it. One time he was complaining that his favorite blog hadn't posted anything in years. When Tim asked him to show him what account it was, he panicked, tried to run away, hit his head and passed out from exhaustion

Jason is still confused about that, but no matter how much he insists, Tim refuses to give his secret away

Wally has a deep hatred for Dora the Explorer

The Young Justice once ran away to a different country for a whole month and refused to acknowledge it when they came back

Iris, Barry and Hal are all dating. Barry didn't realize it at first though (Hal didn't either)

Barry was really panicking over the fact that he seemed to be in love with his best friend when he's already married

Hal was really panicking over the fact that he was in love with his best friend who is already married

Iris thought they were all just poly. They had a very long conversation after she realized none of them knew about polyamorous relationships

Wally and Dick, even though they both have their own romantic partners, are soulmates in every universe (can be seen as romantic or platonic)

Wally once got both him and Dick (as Flash and Nightwing) banned from a cafe. Dick wasn't even there

He accidentally knocked a candle and burned the table down

But what actually got them banned was commenting to the very homophobic owner that “I don't have a major opinion on that Nightwing guy besides of the fact that he gives some really good blowjobs” (they never even fucked)

In Wally's defense, he was really unstable at the moment, and he panicked

Of course, people filmed it. And, of course, it went viral. Now all of his friends quote him on that all the time

Technically they're not banned anymore because the cafe's owner changed, but he's still too embarrassed to go so he ignores that

All speedsters are constantly vibrating, some being more obvious than others, due to the fact that being still is... really fucking difficult because of everything being slower for them

Bart's the most noticeable one. If you pay enough attention you'll notice that you can sometimes see a little bit of lightning coming out of his body

The vibrations causes them to do a low rumbling sound that isn't exactly snoring when they're sleeping. What I'm saying is that they purr

Linda was thrilled when she found out

None of the speedsters are aware of this and no one plans on telling them

One time the YJ were talking and Bart interrupted them so Tim turned around to face him and said “Cerra el orto” (shut your mouth in Spanish. The literal translation would be “shut your ass” but that sounds weird in English) in a really high pitched voice. Now the entire team quotes him on that almost everyday

Diana almost dropped a car on Bruce once and now she sometimes says stuff like “I should've let that car kill you” when he's doing something particularly stupid

The rest of the JL quotes it too. It is very common to hear the phrase “I wish Diana had dropped that car” in the Watchtower

Kori once blew up the kitchen because she thought something was climbing on her leg. It was her hair

The original Titans have a monthly meetup. It doesn't matter what kind of beef some of the members have with each other at the moment, they'll still meet. It's an unspoken rule

Hartley was Linda's best man in her and Wally's wedding

That's where him and Dick met

They now share embarassing stories about Wally. They're not really friends and they don't talk, like, at all, but they still send each other videos of Wally falling on his face almost everyday

Depression, just like ADHD, is something that almost all speedsters have, but it's almost unnoticeable because they always hide it, mostly using their superspeed to do it

Green lanterns and speedsters bond over starting to glow at the worst possible moments

Wally absolutely despises the smell of cinnamon

His parents's house smelled like that due to his mom being obssessed with adding cinnamon to every meal they ate, so it reminds him too much of the terrible childhood he had because of them

You can't really blame him for leaving social events when he smells cinnamon

Bruce has a video of Hal starting crying after Barry said “I think giraffes shouldn't be real” that he uses as blackmail sometimes

Barry's actual weakness is puns, he can't stop saying stuff like “I'll be there in a flash” and then winking like he knows something you don't. It's gonna get him in trouble someday

The YJ all have Tumblr accounts

Dick and Donna used to call each other the “Wonder Twins” so now Cassie and Tim are the Wonder Twins of their generation

The og Titans once followed Batman everywhere playing Superman by Eminem because he made Dick upset

Barry looks like he's about to cry all the time and he has no idea why

When the League revealed their identities to each other everyone was confused over why he was crying

It took him a while to convince everyone that that's just what his face looks like

He always looks like he's about to cry so when he's actually going to cry it's pretty obvious. And he hates it

When Wally and Barry first met and Wally started to talk about the Flash, he made a joke about how he always came to help “in a flash”. Now Barry repeats that joke all the time

Wally hates himself for being the reason why the ‘in a flash’ jokes started

When Barry makes a joke and Wally complains, Barry answers with “You were the one that created the joke, Wally. Live with the consequences”

[froggibus]

Resurrection - Wally West

Pairing: Wally West x gn! Reader, platonic! Dick Grayson x reader

Genre: angst, fluff, hurt/comfort

Word Count: 5.5k

Summary: it’s been almost a year since Wally died, and life has not been kind to you. it doesn’t help that when you get the flu and your fever spikes, you start seeing the speedster everywhere you turn

CW: loss of a loved one, grief, sickness, hallucinations, reader is worried they’re going crazy, overactive imagination, mentions of death, mentions of suicide, panic attacks, ghosts, reader was a part of Young Justice, mutual pining, friends to lovers, resurrection

This alludes heavily to the Young Justice tv show, especially Wally’s death. I apologize in advance because I have poor knowledge of the Flash Family and speedforce!!

day 1 of me pushing my Wally West agenda!! i absolutely adore Wally, and im so happy to be writing about him. this is literally the longest thing ive ever posted on this site but I got so into the story that I couldn’t stop. hopefully this makes sense and isn’t just a jumble of words 😭also i think from now on im gonna include wally in any of my dick/jason/tim hcs

also im very tempted to do a pt2/make a series of wally adapting to life afterwards

————

You groan in your bed, your fever spiking to an almost unbearable temperature. You spend a lot of time in bed nowadays—ever since your best friend died almost a year ago, you haven’t had the drive to do much. But being sick the past week has only confined you to your bed even more. 

You roll over, hoping the other half of your pillow is somehow cooler than the side you’re on now. It’s not, and your body feels like it’s going to overheat. If it was possible to put less clothing on, you would, but the chances of your roommate coming in and seeing you naked are too high. 

Speaking of your roommate, you know that when Dick comes home and sees how bad your temperature has gotten, he’ll rush you to the hospital. Paranoid, big brother Dick who insists he can’t lose another friend. Dick, who moved in with you a few months after Wally died because he was afraid you might hurt yourself. Dick, who forced you to put socks on and keep most of your clothes on because even though you feel hot, he knows you’re still vulnerable to the cold. 

The socks scratch at your ankles now and you long to pull them off, lazily dragging your feet together. You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to calm your burning nerve ends. 

As much pain as you’re in, this is the most you’ve felt since Wally died. From the day you watched him get vaporised, everything around you has just gotten duller by the day. You can hardly stomach to put on your costume, let alone look at Barry or Bart. Even seeing The Flash on the news is enough to make you sick. 

“Y/n,” a soft voice echoes from the bed next to you. 

You force your eyes open, your dark room greeting you. “Hello?”

There’s no answer, and you’re able to close your eyes again. You relax into your bedsheets, kicking the blankets off of your legs in a desperate attempt to get some relief. Clearly your fever has spiked to the point where you’re losing it. 

“Y/n!” The voice is stronger now, and it sounds more desperate than before. More than that—there’s something familiar to it. 

You open your eyes again and gasp, all of the breath leaving your body. There, sitting on the bed next to you, is Wally. His green eyes are full of concern, his mouth pulled into a tight line. 

“Oh god,” you whine, “I really am losing it.”

You squeeze your eyes shut, willing the hallucination of your dead best friend to go away. How could any god be so cruel to inflict this on you? Knowing how you felt about Wally—and what he’d said to you during your last moments together?

When you open your eyes again, he’s still sitting there. His unruly red hair is falling into his face and all you want is to reach out and brush it away. 

“You’re not losing it,” he says. 

“I’m so sick that I’m hallucinating my dead best friend. How is that not losing it?”

He shrugs. “I mean it does sound pretty crazy, but I’m here, aren’t I?”

“You’re dead,” you say simply, voice void of emotions. “You died and you left and you’re never coming back.”

“I got better.”

Everything about him screams Wally. His voice, his mannerisms, even the stupid jokes he makes. But you know it’s just your brain playing a stupid trick on you. Your braincells have overheated and you’re left staring at a ghost. 

“No, you didn’t. And you never will, Wally. And I know that so I don’t get why my stupid brain can’t leave this alone.”

He lays down on his side next to you, looking up at you with those doe eyes. “There wasn’t a body, you know.”

His words make you angry, they make you choke on the lump in your throat. But he’s right. Something about his death always seemed wrong to you, and even after this long, you still can’t accept it. He’s saying all of the right things, and it almost makes you believe he’s really here. 

“So say you are here…why now? Why here? Why am I the only one who’s seen you?”

He strokes his chin, pretending to be deep in thought. “I don’t really know, y/n. I’ve been here the whole time. I’ve watched everything. I know how hard things have been for you guys…” 

You don’t say anything, just staring at him expectantly, forcing him to keep talking. 

“I’m sorry you’re sick, but I’m glad Dick is taking care of you.”

“Answer the question, Wally. Why now?”

He sighs. “I think it’s because you’re sick. I think once your fever got past a certain point you were able to hear me, and once you could hear me, you could see me.”

“How would that even work?” You squint at him, “how did you even know I could hear you?”

“I didn’t it’s just—it’s a habit to talk to you, you know? But anyway, I think it has something to do with the speed force being attracted to the release of energy, and whenever you have a fever, you release massive amounts of it. But since yours is so high…” he gestures at himself for emphasis. 

“So as long as I stay sick, I can see you?”

“I think so.”

“Then I never want to get better,” you murmur. 

��Y/n,” he sighs, and the tone he uses makes you freeze. You’ve only ever heard him use it once before—with you on the day he died. 

The thought brings a tear to your eye, his words echoing in your ears. I love you, y/n, I always have. I’ll be back for you, okay?

When Dick gets home from work, he’s surprised to hear you talking. His first instinct is that you’re feeling better and you’re arranging to go back to work, but as he gets closer to your bedroom door, he realizes it’s not the case. 

He listens in for a bit, hearing a one sided conversation. As soon as he hears you say ‘Wally’, he’s barging through your door only to find you talking to the air. 

“Dick!” You cry out, gesturing to the empty bed next to you, “look! He’s back, he’s here. Wally’s here!”

Dick’s heart aches for you. You’re clearly unwell and in your feverish state, your mind is playing tricks on you. 

“Y/n,” Dick sighs, “I think it’s time we go to a doctor.”

He approaches your bedside slowly, trying not to startle or upset you. He knows you’re hallucinating, and he really doesn’t want to trigger anything worse to happen. 

He kneels at your bedside, just behind Wally. “Come on, we need to get you to the hospital.”

“N-no! I can’t leave Wally!”

Wally’s face crinkles up the way it always has when he feels guilty. “Y/n, I think you should go with Rob.”

“No!” You cry out, “you can’t leave me again!”

Dick gives you no warning before he’s pulling you into his arms, your feverish skin scorching his. He holds you securely, even as you cry and beg him to take you back to Wally. 

“Wally, please! Do something! Let him see you! Don’t—don’t leave me again!”

“Y/n,” Dick rubs your sweaty hair out of your face. “It’s gonna be okay. You’re really sick, and you’re hallucinating, but we’ll make you all better. I just need you to trust me.”

You take a deep breath, and then another, looking over Dick’s shoulder at the redhead sitting on your bed, giving you a sad look. He gives you a wave, “it’s okay, y/n. Everything will be okay.”

You just hope he’s right. 

—

The hospital takes an eternity to admit you, leaving you lying on Dick’s lap in the waiting room. You keep your eyes closed, hoping that if you open them Wally will be there, but you know he won’t. 

Dick strokes your hair, rubs your back, does anything he can to keep you comfortable. When a nurse finally calls your name, he helps you to your feet and half carries you down the hall. 

They leave the two of you in a small, isolated room with a bed covered in scratchy sheets. Dick helps you climb up while the nurse insists a doctor will be by shortly. 

Dick holds your hand the whole time, the skin on his palm turning sweaty from where your hand touches his. Your fever has only gone up since you left the house and you feel like you’re going to burn alive. 

Finally, a doctor comes in and she starts to run all kinds of tests on you. After a while, they insert an IV into your arm and push fluids to keep you hydrated. They give you medicine to help you drift off to sleep, your eyes fluttering shut before you realize what’s happening. 

You wake up a few hours later, Dick no longer asleep at your bedside. Your temperature has gone down, and while you still feel feverish, you’re coherent enough to know what’s going on around you. 

“—hallucinating our best friend who died almost a year ago.” Dick tried to keep his voice down but you can hear it from the hallway. 

“It’s common in extremely high fever’s to experience visual, auditory and sometimes even tactile hallucinations,” the doctor explains. “Y/n’s fever was beyond high enough to cause any number of these complications.” 

Your shoulders slump. You knew deep down that Wally wasn’t really there, that he was a hallucination, but a part of you just hoped…

“But it’s going to be alright? There’s not any permanent side effects?”

The doctor sounds tired of Dick’s questions. “No, we’re keeping y/n overnight for observation but there shouldn’t be any long term side effects.”

Dick thanks the woman and slips back into your room, stopping in his tracks past the door when he realises you’re awake. “How are you feeling?” He whispers. 

“Somewhat better,” you admit. “Not hallucinating anymore.”

He sits in the chair next to your bed and squeezes your hand. “That’s good to hear.”

“I-I’m sorry if I upset you earlier…talking about Wally and everything. I just—it seemed so real, you know? He was right there, Dick.”

“I know. You don’t need to apologize. Your mind was playing tricks on you, n/n. I know you didn’t mean any harm by it.”

You can’t help the tears that trickle down your cheeks. “I just—I miss him so much!” 

“It’s okay,” Dick leans over your bed, pulling you tightly to his chest. “I miss him too. I miss him so, so much. And if there was any chance…you know I would take it too.”

“Did I ever tell you what he said to me that day? Just before he passed?”

Dick shakes his head. 

“He said—,” your voice shakes so severely it’s hard to get the words out. “He said ‘I love you, y/n. I always have. I’ll be back for you, okay?’” 

The gears in Dick’s brain click together, and suddenly everything makes sense. It was no secret that you and Wally had been pining after each other for years. Always cuddling and fighting and loving and hating each other. Dick was close to both of you, and he of all people knew how your feelings were bubbling over. He knew how badly you wanted to be with Wally—and how badly Wally wanted to be with you.

It’s a cruel joke, he thinks. That in one day you got everything you wanted, and an hour later had it ripped away. No wonder you’d been like a zombie this year.

“Y/n…” he squeezes your hand reassuringly. 

You squeeze his hand back, and between the fever and the medicine and Dick’s skin on yours, everything in the world feels right for a minute. 

—

It takes two weeks for you to fully recover from being sick. If it weren’t for your roommate being the ultra rich adoptive son of Bruce Wayne, you probably would have had to go back to work sooner. Dick insisted that you stay home until you were fully recovered, though, offering to cover your bills for the month. 

It’s also been two weeks since you saw Wally. It’s been easy to brush it off as a fever dream, but something deep within you wants it to be something more than that. Still, you try to continue on with your day to day life, putting thoughts of the speedster as far away from you as possible. 

You pull into the Bludhaven News parking lot with ten minutes to spare. You grab your bag from the passenger seat and clip your badge to your shirt before grabbing the coffee you’d stopped for on the way. You’re determined to make today a good day. 

You settle in at your desk, smiling at the picture of you and the original Young Justice team was kids. It makes you happy, but in the most bittersweet meaning of the word. You run your fingers across the glass, stopping them at the lightning symbol on Wally’s chest. 

You’re interrupted by your boss stopping at your desk. 

“Hey, l/n, good to have you back,” she smiles, and you feel as though she really means it. “We’re having a meeting in five minutes.”

You nod, thanking her. She leaves you at your desk, letting you get organized before you have to meet them in the conference room. 

You bring your laptop and coffee and settle in at the big round table in the spinning desk chair. Other journalists, reporters and higher ups slowly file into the room, filling it up until it’s so full it feels almost hard to breathe. 

Your boss enters the room last, standing at the front in front of the tv. She welcomes you back before explaining what’s going on in current events, and what she expects everyone to report on. 

You sip your coffee, zoning out for the majority of her presentation. Every once and a while, she clicks a remote and the screen changes to a new slide. You don’t pay much attention to the tv, only glancing at it every so often. 

When the screen changes to three familiar figures, you freeze. It feels like someone dumped cold water on you, and you’re painfully aware of everything going on around you. 

The screen shows Wally, Bart and Barry on the day he died. Wally has a big grin on his face, clad in his Kid Flash suit, giving a salute to a security camera. You’re not sure how they got this picture, but a part of you wishes they didn’t. 

“—the one year anniversary since the Flash Family saved the world, and since Kid Flash bravely sacrificed himself to achieve this goal. We want to honour them for their ultimate sacrifice, and that’s why this month, we’ll be doing daily pieces on the great exploits of the family. Also—,”

Her words echo in your ears, everything feels far away from you. The only thing you can focus on is the way your heart is pounding and the way all the air is sucked out of your lungs. Wally’s face stares at you from the tv screen, and the walls close in. 

You’re on your feet in an instant. “Pardon me,” you rasp out, before almost running out of the room. 

You’re not sure where you’re going. Your head is spinning, your heart is racing, everything is fading away. You stumble your way into the bathroom, locking the door behind you before your knees buckle and you hit the floor. 

You claw at your throat, desperate for air. You squeeze your eyes shut, clenching your fists, desperate for pressure. When you open your eyes, you swear Wally is there. 

“You’re not here,” you gasp. “You’re not real.”

Wally’s green eyes are wide, staring at you with concern. “Y/n—,”

“You’re not real! You’re just some ghost—fucking haunting me for no reason at all!”

It breaks his heart to see you like this. So sad, so hurt, barely able to breathe. 

“Stop,” you choke out, “stop haunting me! Stop, stop, stop it!”

Wally hasn’t seen you have a panic attack this bad since you were kids. Curled up in a ball, gasping for air and repeating the same word over and over again. He’s desperate to help you—help you like he did back then. 

He doesn’t even register what he’s doing until he pulls you into his lap, arms tight around your waist. He keeps a hand over your heart, tracing circles over it. 

“Y/n, y/n…” He murmurs softly, “y/n, listen to me. Deep breath in, okay? Follow my example, feel my heart beating.”

You’re not sure how you can feel his arms on you, feel his heart beating against your back. You’re half convinced you’ve already fainted, and you’re laying on the bathroom floor having another fever dream. 

Still, you follow his example. You breathe in when you feel his chest rise, and breathe out when you feel his chest fall. You stay silent for a few minutes, leaning completely against Wally until you can breathe again. 

Wally rubs your hair, his other hand tracing circles on your hip bone. “How are you feeling?” He asks. 

“Better,” you admit. 

It takes a few minutes longer for either of you to register that he’s touching you. His hands are on your body and you can feel them. 

“Wally, you’re touching me.”

“I’m touching you?”

The shock is almost enough to send you back into a panic attack. Ghosts can’t touch people, neither can fever dreams. But somehow, someway, Wally West is holding you in his arms. 

—

You leave the bathroom ten minutes later, after you and Wally went back and forth on if he was really there with you or not. You insist you’re losing it, but Wally insists he’s there, and somehow when you were sick, you connected to the speed force and now you can see him. 

You head back to your desk with no intention of working, set on researching the speed force and if it’s possible to connect to it without being a speedster. Of course, Google doesn’t yield the results you hope, so you decide to go a different route. 

You pull out your phone and text Dick. 

You: do you think you could get me Barry’s number? need it for work 

Robin 1.0: I think I can manage 

You: you’re the best 

Robin 1.0: don’t you know it

It only takes a few minutes before he texts you his contact for Barry Allen. You waste no time in opening the contact and sending him a quick text. 

Of course, you don’t get to see what he responds because suddenly your boss is over your shoulder. 

“Y/n, you know what our policy is on personal devices at work. There’s too much sensitive information here.”

“I know, I know. But if I play my cards right,” your ability to think on your feet coming in handy, “I could get us an exclusive interview with the Flash.”

She lights up at that. “Okay, but remember, no pictures or recordings.”

“Sure thing,” you nod and wait for her to leave before opening up your phone and seeing that you have a new text. 

You: can I ask you a few questions on the speed force?

Barry Allen: sure thing

You: i know the speedforce is like it’s own separate thing that speedsters connect to, but is it possible for non speedsters to connect to it? 

Barry Allen: only under extenuating circumstances. not every ordinary person can just connect to it, but if you’ve been in contact with the speedforce unwittingly or if a speedster has accidentally shared particles with you it’s possible. why?

You: just…a theory im working on for work. we’re doing a piece on Flash Family to honour you guys for saving the world and I wanted to look into it more 

You: thank you

Barry Allen: do you think you’ve been in contact with a speedster recently?

You: i don’t know, if I’m being honest. 

Barry Allen: okay…keep me updated, okay? if you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask 

You: thanks

You frown, your conversation with Barry only making you feel more confused. How would you have had contact with a speedster or the speedforce? It’s been almost a year since you last touched Wally, and there’s no way the symptoms are only coming out now. And the speedforce—there’s no way for you to have connected with it either. 

You look up from your phone only to see Wally sitting on your desk, looking at you with amusement. “Get what you wanted?”

“Why are you still here?”

“What?” He holds his hand over his chest, feigning hurt. “You don’t want me here?”

You go to speak but realize your coworkers are giving you strange looks. You quickly put your phone up to your ear, pretending to be on a phone call. 

“Of course I want you here. I lo—miss you, okay? But it’s not possible. You shouldn’t be here.”

“But I am, y/n. And did Barry not just confirm that to you?”

You sigh. “I will admit, what Barry said does confirm my theory, and what you said while I was sick but…”

“But?”

“It shouldn’t be possible. You were vaporized, Wally. You’re dead. So even if you are here, you’re just a ghost.” 

“Ghost, schmost,” he rolls his eyes, leaning in to flick your arm. “Does that not feel real to you?”

“I don’t know, okay? Just—I need time to think. About everything.”

You don’t say it, but it lingers in the air: I need time to think about you. 

You put your phone down, indicating to the boy that you’re done talking, before returning to your job. The day goes by fast when you’re contemplating if you’re actually being haunted by the ghost of your best friend or not. 

Before you know it, you’re heading home. When you get through the door of the apartment, Dick is nowhere to be found. He must still be at work, you think. 

You kick off your shoes and set your bag on the counter before throwing yourself on your bed. You lay down for only a minute before a familiar cologne fills your scent. One you haven’t smelled in a long time. 

You don’t need to open your eyes to know that Wally is back. “What are you doing here?”

“I was hoping I could catch you changing,” you can hear the grin in his voice. 

You sit up, staring at him with wide eyes. “Wait—if you’ve been here this whole time then…?”

“Yeah,” he laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. “But I didn’t! I mean, I thought about it but…it feels wrong.” 

“More wrong than confessing your love to me and then dying?”

Both of you freeze after that, and your hand flies up to your mouth as if you can force the words back in there. 

“I—y/n…you know that if I had a choice, I would have come back to you. Right?”

You nod, “I know. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine,” he places a hand over yours. “I wanted to come back to you. Even though you didn’t say it back, I just thought—”

“You didn’t give me a chance to say it back! You dumped all that on me and then you ran away and left, Wally! You didn’t give me the chance!”

Your outburst surprises both of you. Wally isn’t sure what to do—if he should apologize or be angry or both or neither. So he says nothing. 

“I-I think you should go, Wally. You’re only doing harm by being here. You’re dead and I need to move on and I never will if you’re just here haunting me.”

You expect him to argue or to make a joke, but the boy doesn’t do any of that. He gives you a lazy, one handed salute, like the kind he would give before speeding away as kids. 

And then he disappears. 

You feel sad and angry all at the same time. You know it’s not fair to Wally to lash out at him like that, but how is it fair for him to open up old wounds? For him to haunt you? 

When Dick gets home, he’s surprised to see you dressed in your old costume. It’s been so long since you put it on, you look almost strange to him. 

“Uh, y/n?” He asks, “not that I’m against this but, what’s up with the costume?”

“I was thinking I could go out on patrol with you tonight,” you explain. “It’s been a while. I need to blow off steam.” 

“Okay, let me get changed.”

That’s good enough for you, so you settle in at the counter and wait for Nightwing to suit up. He comes out a few minutes later, clad in the black and blue Nightwing suit. 

He looks at you seriously through his domino mask. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“If I don’t get out, I’ll go stir crazy.”

“Okay, okay,” he raises his hands in surrender. “But don’t push yourself, okay? And I’ll be there the whole time.”

“Alright, dad,” you roll your eyes. “Let’s go.”

—

Patrol goes fine. It’s just the usual robberies and gang violence, nothing that you and Nightwing can’t handle. Of course, that’s until you hear there’s a bank robbery over the scanner. 

The two of you are about to take off and head towards the bank when you hear the radio go off again. This time, it’s a jewellery store being robbed. 

“Go!” You say to Nightwing, “you get the bank, I can handle the store.”

He seems content with that answer, grappling to the nearest rooftop and heading off towards the bank. You turn and head towards the jewellery store, hoping it’s enough to take your mind off of Wally. 

You get to the store just in time to stop the robbers from shooting the owner.  You knock the gun out of one of their hands, turning to fight the other one. There’s five total, maybe six, but your vision is tunnelling and all you can focus on is the adrenaline pumping through your veins and your need for a distraction. 

You make your way through three of them, and just as you turn to fight the fourth, you hear someone yell from behind you. 

“Y/n, look out!”

You knock out the fourth and turn around, just in time to see Wally West pass through you and punch the man in the face. He hits him hard enough to send him falling to the floor.

You stare at Wally in shock. “You—you hit him!”

“Are you okay?” He’s breathing hard, chest rising and falling rapidly. 

“You saved me…” You mutter. “How did you do that?”

“I-I don’t know,” he admits, placing his hands on your shoulders. “I just didn’t want you to get hurt and then I passed through you and—”

“Dick!” You exclaim, realising you haven’t heard anything from him in a while, and that he still hasn’t returned to you. “Somethings wrong, Wal. We—I gotta go!”

Wally goes to protest, but you’re already running away. Not only are you running away, you’re running at the speed of light, yellow lightning crackling from your ankles. You don’t realize it, too focused on getting to Dick. 

You arrive at the bank to see a bunch of lackeys passed out on the floor. Nightwing is leaning on a counter, holding his hands over a bullet hole in his side. 

“Hey!” You cry out, skidding to a stop next to him. The bank smells gross, like gunpowder and..burning rubber? “Are you okay? Did you get them all?”

He clenched his jaw. “All but one. He headed North, there’s no way we’ll catch him. He’s probably out of town by now.”

“No, he’s not going to get away with this. We’re going to find him.”

And before Dick can ask, you’re tearing away from the bank, lightning in your wake. His jaw falls open at the sight. In the dark, with the speed you’re going and the lightning coming out, you almost look like Wally…

You run as fast as you can, keeping your eyes peeled for the man driving the truck of jewels. You catch up to him in no time, throwing your body weight against the truck fast enough to tip it over. 

Your veins are electrified, pure lightning in your system, better than adrenaline ever could be. You rip the man out of the truck and toss him onto the street. It only takes one hit for you to knock him out, and only a few more seconds to tie him up. 

It’s then that you realize what just happened, how fast you were going. You look down to see the soles of your shoes on fire, the thighs of your costume torn open from the fabric chafing so fast.

Something about the ruined shoes and the torn fabric makes you think of Wally, and the thought of the ghost in the bank saving your life only makes you want to run even more. Is this how he felt everytime he ran? It’s exhilarating, it only makes you want more.

You keep running, running straight up the side of a building before stopping in your tracks on the roof. How did this even happen? You look around, half expecting to see Wally there, but he’s not. 

Your legs quiver, threatening to collapse beneath you. Your feet ache from all of the running and your shoes have practically disintegrated into nothing. You know you’re done for the night, your body at its absolute limit. 

Your knees buckle, but before you can hit the ground, there’s a streak of yellow and suddenly Wally is holding you up against his chest. 

“I—what’s going on?” You ask. 

Wally holds you up with one arm, staring at his other hand. He shakes it, going fast enough to make it seem as though his hand is vibrating. 

“I don’t know,” he admits. “I—something’s changed. I can feel it.”

You hear the unmistakable sound of a grappling hook before Nightwing is landing on the roof. “Holy shit, y/n. How were you going so fast? For a second there, I thought it was—Wally?”

His face pales at the sight of the redhead, clad in his Kid Flash suit, holding you up against his body. There’s no way he’s here now, alive and well, right in front of his eyes. 

“You…you can see him?”

Dick is running across the roof in an instant, feet pushing him closer to his best friend. He jumps on both of you, arms wrapping around you both. “Wally,” he sobs into his shoulder. “How—how are you here?”

There’s another flash of lightning—red lightning—and suddenly The Flash is standing next to you guys. “I can answer that.”

Wally grins insanely wide, making sure you’re steady against Dick before jumping to hug his former mentor. 

“How did you know I was here?” He asks. 

Barry smiles, “I could feel it. In the speedforce. There was a huge amount of energy released and then for the first time in a year, I could feel you.”

“But how did that happen?” Dick interjects, before adding, “not that we’re not happy to see you.” 

Wally goes back to hugging you, wiping off the tears that have slipped from your eyes and kissing the top of your forehead. “I think y/n here somehow borrowed my speed and-and opened a portal into the speedforce.”

“I brought you back?” Your voice is so quiet it’s barely a whisper. 

“You brought me back!” He’s beaming at you. 

He wraps his arms around your waist, spinning you in a circle. He sets you down on the ground, only to tip your head back and plant a kiss to your lips. It’s intense, passionate, full of the longing he’s felt for you since you were kids. 

You wrap your arms around his shoulders, using him to keep yourself up. His body is so warm and hard under your touch, so familiar to you. You draw him closer, not even caring if Dick and Barry are standing there staring at you. 

When he finally pulls away, he flashes you the biggest smile in the world. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for that.”

“So,” Dick awkwardly says, “why don’t we take this back to our place?”

Wally grabs your hand in his, squeezing it tightly. “I think that’s a really good idea.”

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

I'm not sure if you've already said this but I'm asking anyway. Since you're the local Flashfam expert and also a PJO lover (you have no idea how happy I am that we like the same things), what godly parents would the Flashfam have? Like, all of the fam. Counting characters like Linda and Iris

And it'd also be cool if you assigned a cabin for the Titans and/or the Young Justice too-

I mean it has to be Hermes. It literally has to be Hermes for the speedsters. Like, maybe we throw in a Roman twist and say Mercury every once in a while, but that's just gotta be the answer.

Jay literally wears Hermes' helmet. Max named himself after Mercury. Barry wears Hermes' winged shoes and has wings on his head. Same with Wally. Jay is also literally given Hermes'/Mercury's powers on Earth-2.

And it makes sense, it really does. God of travellers? Check. The winged aesthetic? Check. God of messengers? Check! God of tricksters, liars and thieves? Look, the speedsters are all of the above just in a VERY chaotic good way. They don't rob people but also when Wally found out that the museum had the bones of a fallen soldier from another country without said countries permission or consent? HE STOLE THEM BACK. Bart has absolutely no qualms taking things, Max has been a thief in the past, Jay and Barry work by pirate rules aka 'if I defeat you, I get your stuff', ect. They don't do armed robbery and they don't like stealing from random citizens, but bad guys are free game.

Iris I have to go on the nose and say Iris because Iris is the goddess of messengers and rainbows, and Iris is literally a reporter? So her whole thing is spreading information? While looking stunning.

Linda is an Athena kid 125%. Linda writes books, she was a kickass investigative reporter, she went to med school, she knows more about speedster biology and how it works than literally anyone else in her home dimension, she regularly fights aliens with no powers and just whatever weapons she finds laying around. Linda is intelligent, she's cunning and witty and she will cut a bitch.

Joan is a Hestia kid. Just... family, love, warmth. Need I say more?

As for the Titans... well, Donna is already taken care of. Garth... is technically also taken care of I think?? Atlanteans exist in Greek mythology so Garth is just the same I think. Roy... fuck it, Ares. I said what I said come at me bro. For Dick I would want to go with a minor god or goddess, I like the idea of him being a child of Psyche (Goddess of the human soul) because he is very human and he understands people on a level that might be considered supernatural. Lilith would be the oracle. Karen would be a child of Hephaestus and Mal would 100% just be a guy who can see through the mist and has a shield.

Gar is the last son of Pan because that's cool AF. Raven would be the daughter of Tartarus I think. Vic would be a son of Apollo. I know it's really easy to go for Hephaestus for Vic but honestly, the key part of Vic's story to me isn't that he's a cyborg, it's that he's human. He's a survivor, who, against all odds, received bat shit crazy medical treatment from his father and survived a fatal accident. I like the idea that Apollo saw a guy doing crazy stuff to advance medical science and was like 'Hey there 😉😉😉😉'. Also pre accident Vic was a football player which has a lot to do with aim, so idk, I just like it. Starfire would be a demigod child of the sun deity on her home planet.

For Young Justice, Cassie and Bart are already covered. Kon would be a legacy of Nemesis (Lex) and a legacy of a deity from Krypton. Cissie would be a daughter of Ares and a legacy of Apollo. Greta would be a child of Morpheus. Tim would be the son of Lachesis. Slobo is Slobo. Anita.... Tbh I want to say she's a legacy of Aphrodite? Love is a huge part of her backstory and I dislike giving the non powered characters godly parentage that explains away their abilities. They worked hard for those skills!

[analviel]

You know that one post shitting on Joker? Like 'Superman gives pity laugh' because his jokes are so lame? So in the community, every city has that hero mascot right? Like the main man, usually Justice League adjacent, so if there are hero representatives, a city probably got a villain mascot. The Batkids get a lot of shit for having a lameass villain.

Dick regularly cries to Bruce about this: "Do something about this B! Don't you see your children are suffering?! Jason is being bullied by the Flashes just because they have cool villains!"

(That was very much intended pun.)

Jason, holding Barry in a head lock while shaking down Wally -with a Bat stamped glove that's glowing and producing weird staticky sounds while Barbara and Tim watch from the sidelines taking notes- as Bart cackles at them: Do you not care for us at all!

Duke, screeching at the top of his lungs: He is not the Gotham villain!

Steph: We've got the Riddler, people!

Cass: Poison Ivy.

Steph: What? No, she's got her moments but Riddler actually represents the aspects of the standard Gotham insanity. We gotta think representation Cass!

Cass: Lesbian.

Damian: If we are talking about Gotham insanity, I believe Dr. Quinzel is a much better candidate.

Tim: You only say that because she recently called herself your nemesis.

Damian: Clearly, not even insanity can blind one so much they lose all sense, as despite appearing in your time, she has seen me as the superior Robin, I have recognition in the streets, whereas what did you have other than their pity.

Tim, who has an entire Rouge's gallery who's thoughts almost immediately went to Anarky 'want to do good despite struggling in his methods', General 'generally unpleasant boy who is inclined to animals and had usurped Anarky's position by rendering him paralyzed', and Ra's Al Ghul 'Ra's Al Ghul enough said if he trips on the goddamn stairs and his Pits spontaneously combusted Tim would happily hand Jason a get Tim to do whatever you want coupon', muttering: ..... I know who my Rouge's gallery mascot is.

Barbara: What about Harvey? Literally the duality of Gotham crazies, and he was district attorney so how's that for representative.

Jason: What? Ew, no, he's white.

Dick: Was he?

Duke: Uh, you're all sleeping on Catwoman? I mean, someone says Catwoman and they think Gotham.

Cass: Someone says Riddler they have to think if it was Gotham or Keystone.

Dick: Someone says Catwoman and everyone thinks of rooftops, Batman, and a Robin shooed away to the other end of the city.

Steph: What about Zsaz?

Everyone:......

Duke: Who?

Steph: Yeah, fair.

Everyone talking over each other on which hero is really the best representative:

Damian: Should bring honor-

Tim: -monologues are at least-

Steph: The design you know, we don't want a fashion disaster-

Cass: -should compliment our mission-

Babs: -makes at least a bit of sense-

Jason: -someone I don't want to put a bullet in-

(My vote is actually on Scarecrow.)

[pluckyredhead]

i really wanna know your ideal dc publishing cause seriously they could be doing so much and instead choose the absolute worst trashy choices

Lol thank you for indulging me, anon. I have thought about this EXTENSIVELY so sorry not sorry for the tusnami of opinions you have unleashed.

Before I get into the list, a few points to explain my approach:

ONGOINGS. I am a firm believer in the importance of ongoing series. There's nothing wrong with a miniseries but you can't get any forward momentum or character development with them because things keep getting reset to their baseline. Get really strong teams on your ongoings and let them develop their stories for years at a time. That's where all the legendary runs come from.

To that end, I am proposing a list of 30 books, which is a little more than 7 per week, which is roughly what DC publishes now (not including things like Sandman, Looney Tunes, etc.). They can add on as many minis as they want but will need fewer since so many more characters are accounted for with ongoings.

I am a strong believer in backup features - more value for your dollar and double the amount of characters included - so you'll see a lot of those.

I tried to balance what I personally think would be the most holistic representation of the DCU with what I believe will sell, so you're still going to see a lot of Bats. It should be understood that books without Bats are not going to be treated like throwaways like they sometimes are now. They are going to get top tier creators with long, sustained runs, just like Bruce always gets.

It will not be a publishing slate of all straight white guys from the 30s-60s.

Books with an asterisk* mean they will be kid-friendly. Not exclusively for kids, but appealing and accessible to young readers, the way Young Justice and its members' books were in the 90s. They can still include ongoing plots and queer characters and serious topics! They just shouldn't be relentlessly grim.

OKAY THE BOOKS!

Super Books:

Superman*: The lead Superman title, with a backup featuring starring Jon.

Action Comics*: Focuses more on the Superfamily as a whole, though the plot can dovetail and cross over with the main Superman book. (This is basically what's happening now.) Backup feature rotates between Kon, John Henry, Natasha, Kenan, Lois, and Jimmy.

Supergirl*: Why did I give Kara her own book and not Kon or Jon? Because a) DC needs more female-led books and b) I want to. The primary audience for this book is women who watched the CW show, or girls who have outgrown TTGo! and DC Super Hero Girls, NOT ADULT MEN. (Optional: Kon or Natasha backup feature.)

Bat Books:

Batman: Like the Super books, this would be the central title and focus on Bruce. Backup feature can rotate between the nine billion Gotham characters who need a home.

Detective Comics: Focuses more on mysteries/the family. Another rotating backup feature. NOTE: These backup features CANNOT star a character with their own book (Bruce, Dick, Damian, Selina, or Harley).

Nightwing: Dick sells. ;)

Robin*: Starring Damian, Tim gets a team book further down.

Batwoman: Perhaps we could try letting a queer woman write this for once? Revolutionary, I know.

Catwoman: Because she fucking rules.

Harley Quinn: Because she fucking sells.

Birds of Prey: I prefer a classic Babs/Dinah/Helena lineup but I'm flexible.

Batgirls*: If it’s too messy to have Babs in BoP and this, take her out and add Harper.

Red Hood and the Outlaws: Imagine if this book was good! In my universe, it will be.

Solo Books:

Wonder Woman

Flash: This will star Wally. Optional backup rotates between Jay, Bart, Ace, and Avery. Barry can show up sometimes I guess.

Green Lantern: Starring Hal, John, or Kyle. Whoever is the lead CANNOT also be on the Justice League.

Green Lantern Corps: Okay yes technically this is a team book. Shhh. Guy should always be on this book since he does better in an ensemble. The plot should dovetail loosely with the main GL book with an annual crossover but you don't have to read both if you don't want to. I am flexible about how to fit all the Earth GLs in (including Simon and Jessica), whether that's backup features or just including them in the GLC ensemble, but all six should always have a publishing home. Jo should get as many prestige graphic novels as N. K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell care to bless us with.

Aquaman: Jackson backup. Please let him go back to being Aqualad and stop making everyone grow up so fast.

Green Arrow: This book is currently perfect, no notes.

Blue Beetle*: Starring Jaime, though Ted may show up to be annoying if he would like. A Booster backup is permissible.

Vixen: If they have a Webtoon they should have a comic for $ too.

Zatanna: See above.

...I'm torn between Shazam!* or Stargirl* here. I feel like they both kind of fizzled? I guess it depends on which book gets the better pitch.

Team Books:

Justice League: I mostly don't care who is on this but if it's a bunch of white guys plus Wonder Woman and either John Stewart or Cyborg as tokens, AGAIN, DC gets shut down permanently. I don't make the rules.

Justice Society: This is also not allowed to be only old white guys. I know that's harder with the JSA. I don't care.

Titans: I'm going to be honest, I'm not convinced the OG/New Teen Titans can star in a decent book anymore, since they haven't done so in two decades. But I will give them one more try. They can call themselves the Outsiders instead if that helps.

Young Justice*: They also maybe need a new name because they are all legal adults, but this is Tim's book. I'm highly skeptical of success here as well but I think the right creative team could make something really soapy and New Adult and queer work. Please keep in mind that there are nine trillion characters in the DCU who are roughly Tim's age to draw from; the "Core Four" (ugh I hate that term so much) can all be members but they are not the only members. (Cassie cannot be the only girl and it cannot be all white.)

Teen Titans*: Damian's team! I vote for characters like Emiko, Ace, and Jackson here, but I'm flexible. THE AUDIENCE FOR THIS BOOK IS MIDDLE SCHOOLERS, NOT PEOPLE WHO GREW UP ON WOLFMAN/PEREZ. Jesus, DC.

Suicide Squad: I truly do not care about this book but we need to do something to appease the edgelords.

The New Gods: I'm thinking EPIC, I'm thinking KIRBY, I'm thinking SIMONSON. Everyone talks in a serif font and it should be impossible to explain out loud with human words. It's what Kirby would want.

So there it is, there's my pitch. Again, this doesn't cover minis (Elongated Man miniseries WHEN), event books, etc., but I think it gets most of the key players on the board!

(And yes, I know I left the Legion out. I'm sorry. But not very sorry. They can cameo in Kara's book.)

[tickletastic]

Love the thought of speedsters using vibrating fingers in a tickle fight!! Wally being downright mean to dick because when his fingers or hands are vibrating its an impossible task to remove them from you. Wallys favorite tickle tactic is let me stick my vibrating finger on your worst spot and see how long you last. Dick has a love hate relationship with this game. I also hc that while dick is a bat hes the most expressive if someone wiggle their fingers at dick he flinches away and is already trying to stop giggling (this only happens with people hes close with and tickle him all the time usually its wally and batfam that it works with)

omg robin!dick is absolutely the squirmiest, he can barely sit still, let alone keep his face straight when wally starts to wiggle his fingers in his direction. dick is just able to catch that look on wally’s face and he knows he’s about to be laughing

YES the power of speedster fingers is so underrated, like wally can literally just put his hands on dick’s ribs and vibrate and dick is screaming and begging in seconds. wally would so use it on dick, and bart would absolutely use it on tim (and gar, and kon). barry might’ve even heard whispers of its effectiveness from wally and bart and decide to try it out on bruce one time (his life has been at risk ever since)

there’s so much potential in speedster lers, like even with raspberries, it would be so easy to make them so much worse by vibrating. or nibbling while vibrating? literally hell (but dick kinda loves it, bc he loves to lose control)

[incorrectbatfam]

no bond is stronger than the one between a batkid and his corresponding speedster

Literally, there's a speedster to compliment every bat

Dick and Wally have the classic brolationship—they have their own partners but that won't stop them from sleeping in the same bed, ordering one milkshake, or sharing custody of Zitka. They have the comfort of knowing that in every life, they have each other. Plus, Babs and Linda already have their bredding (bro wedding) planned out.

Hear me out: Jason's speedster is Owen Mercer. Owen, who's the second Captain Boomerang with short bursts of speed, can act as both the hero and the villain in different narratives. Unlike his predecessor, his alignment shifts to suit his needs but he's more good than bad, which makes him a prime Outlaw candidate. Also Jason wants to set the record for most redheads collected.

Tim has Bart. A lot of fan portrayals have Bart as tertiary to Tim and Kon (it's even a point of contention in canon). However, I think of Bart's mentality as the antithesis to Tim's. Tim mulls over strategy while Bart chooses to act first. They both have a stubborn righteousness, but Tim is jaded with experience compared to Bart, who maintains a youthful sense of optimism and ambition. They're both geniuses, but Bart is far more in touch with emotions and can call out when something isn't right in a relationship.

Damian has Wallace II. Canonically, they butt heads before coming to the realization they have to team up. Rather than being the opposite, I think Wallace's defiant attitude mirrors Damian's. They've both been let down by the adults in their lives and prefer to take things into their own hands. They both have childish egos that have been subdued over time, which can be both a common ground and a clashing point that keeps their relationship interesting.

I was initially gonna pair Jesse with Babs, but I think there's more growth potential with Steph. They're fast learners who aren't afraid to let themselves feel, and sometimes they're in over their heads. Jesse feels like a future snapshot of Steph. I can see Jesse showing Steph how to channel her passion and energy not just in being hero, but also becoming a better version of herself.

Duke and Cass share Avery. Compared to Duke, Cass and Avery have been around more. I can picture them taking him around the world on new adventures and teaching him tricks that Bruce wouldn't have. Avery switches between places pretty often, which makes her a reliable point of contact outside of Gotham. Also I wanna see Duke and Avery combine their powers.

Babs and Danica are the "let people underestimate us because of our disabilities" duo. While Babs is on the home front as Oracle, Danica is the speedster no one expects because her inhaler throws off all suspicions about her identity. While Danica doesn't quite fit with the Birds of Prey, she still makes a valuable ally.

Thaddeus possesses a cynicism akin to Cullen Row, although Thad is more unhinged. I can see them connecting over their resentment and without anyone to keep them in check, that can be dangerous. However, Harper is more grounded and draws clear moral boundaries, so she acts as a counterbalance that turns a destructive relationship into a productive one.

Jess and Carrie's nonbinary asses would definitely get along. They both have fun personalities and creative ways to navigate situations where not many tools are provided. They can be loud and attention grabbing when they want, but they also know the advantages of being in the background.

Kate and Max are similar in that they're mentors, but they're also not. They're the ones who step in when the usual mentor figures (Bruce and Barry) fall short. They have a distant exterior but provide lots of love and support once someone gets through to them, and they're not afraid to call out their counterparts.

Alfred and Jay have plenty of experience under their belts and don't let their age keep them from the action. It's abundantly clear that they care about their families, and it hurts when they can't protect them from everything. Jay has a more American Grandpa sense of humor while Alfred has the dry British wit, so together they're unstoppable.

John Fox barely shows up in the comics, but when he does he's doing what he thinks is best only to land in trouble. Selina would relate to the messy history and moral ambiguity where actions don't match intentions. They also both have a knack for disguises and can exchange tips.

Bruce has Barry, obviously. Their relationship is similar to Tim and Bart's. Bruce definitely lets the grimdarkness seep into how he sees the world, whereas Barry can step back and look at things from an objective lens. Not everything need a complicated plans with a thousand contingencies, so Barry is like the common sense/Occam's Razor. Plus, we all love how he and the team mess with Bruce—it's what Bruce needs.

[r1z3n]

First, we must establish some things:

Because this is comic worlds therefore we have to at least establish canon and not canon, and much like comic artists and writers of the everyday past and present we gonna cherry pick what we like, and leave everything else behind. So Canon Divergent warnings apply.

READ MORE BELOW: (trying to be considerate to people's dashboards cause this got away on me lol)

There is the Justice League which members are Currently:

Superman - Clark Kent

Batman - Bruce Wayne

Aquaman - Arthur Curry

The Flash - Barry Allen or Wally West (You need to ask for the Flash you need, the Forensic [Barry] or the engineer [Wally])

Wonder Woman - Diana (Toria [Donna] will Alternate with WW but turned down a permeant position)

Captain Marvel - Billy Batson

Green Lantern - Hal Jordan (Again much like The Flash depends on who is need though)

the Martian Manhunter- J'onn J'onzz/ John Jones

Green Arrow - Oliver Queen

Cyborg - Victor Stone

Nightwing - Dick Grayson

--- This is where we really get into cherry picking ---

Then I think of loose canon of the Teen Titans and Young Justice meshing, making it more of what I've taken to calling

the First Titans:

Nightwing/Robin I - Dick Grayson

Flash/Kid Flash I - Wally West

Aqualad I -Kaldur'ahm (Retired)

Toria/Wonder Girl I - Donna Troy

Arsenal/Speedy I - Roy Harper

Starfire - Koriand’r

Miss Martian - M'gann M'orzz / Megan Morse

Superboy I - Conner Kent

It is important that we establish that in my world there was a divide for operations and code of conduct and charter writing which is the foundation for many non-for-profits which both operate as.

This did not get fixed or amended until well after Jason's death, meaning you know what happened if you ever survived a merger or simply existed in a space that restructured you know not everyone has actually read the updated documents.

Young Just Us is still a thing:

Red Robin/Robin III - Tim Drake

Wonder Girl II - Cassandra Sansmark

Superboy I - Conner Kent

Kid Flash II - Bart Allen

Arrowette - Cissie King-Jones (Retired)

Secret - Greta Heyes (Retired)

Empress - Anita Fite

The Outlaws: [as of right now the Outlaws are outside the oversight of JL and therefore outside being able to readily use JL or FT resources like medical easily without a lot of flexibility that they can do but why would they]

Red Hood - Jason Todd

Starfire - Koriand’r

Arsenal - Roy Harper

Artemis - Artemis of Bana-Mighdall

Bizarro

So those are the established teams, I am running with right now. There are likely auxiliary teams in the future I will make when the story suits. (hats off for how much canon I have to choose from)

On that note Batfamily:

Important Ages to Note:

Alfred Pennyworth (-Wayne) - Pretty sure has beef with Ra about giving immortals a bad name, and I will not be taking critique on this.

Bruce Wayne - 26 (when he became Batman),

Dick Grayson - 10 (Robin I), 18 (Nightwing)

Cassandra Cain - 8 (when she ran away from her father), 17 (Batgirl II)

Jason Todd - 12 (Robin II), 15 (when he died), 18 (Red Hood)

Stephanie Brown - 15 (when she became Spoiler), 17 (when she was Robin IV), 18 (Batgirl III)

Tim Drake - 13 (Robin III), 17 (Red Robin)

Duke Thomas - 17 (Signal)

Damian Wayne - 11 (Robin V) Current Ages:

Bruce Wayne - 42

Dick Grayson - 26

Cassandra Cain - 21

Jason Todd - 21

Stephanie Brown - 20

Tim Drake - 19

Duke Thomas - 18

Damian Wayne - 13

----

Also because I worked hard on it: BEHOLD THE BAT SUCCESSION

Dick Grayson, Robin I, Nightwing I, Batman II (Defunct)

Barbara Gordon, Batgirl I, Oracle

Cassandra Cain, Batgirl II, The Orphan, Batman III.

Jason Todd, Robin II, Red Hood, Batman IV.

Tim Drake, Robin III, Red Robin, Nightwing II.

Duke Thomas, Signal I, Red Robin II, Batman V

Stephanie Brown, Robin IV, Spoiler, Batgirl III

Damian Wayne, Robin V, Nightwing III, Batman IV.

----

Also it is important that I make this clear:

Bruce is not winning any dad of the year awards in my sandbox. He has his good moments, but he also has his bad. He is imperfect that in different time and perspectives is either refusing to change or has decided to be be better. So there will be what many call 'bad dad bruce', but there will also be 'good dad bruce' cause the batfurry is complex like that. I like playing with characters like that. So you are forewarned.

-

Tags to Watch if you want more of this:

#No one but a Robin gets to decide Robin

#riz's bat family canon

[isfjmel-phleg]

Crash course in YJ (and adjacent) Kids

Have no idea what I'm talking about when #comicsposting again? Would like to know? For reference, if you want it, here's a rundown of my comics specialty: DC's cast of teenage heroes on the team Young Justice in the 1990s. Names, powers, backgrounds, etc. I spent way too much time on this.

Tim Drake (Robin)

Age: 14-15.

Powers: None, but highly skilled in acrobatics, detection and martial arts, weapon of choice is a bo staff

Background: Figured out Batman and Robin's secret identities at age nine. Volunteered to be the new Robin shortly after Jason Todd's death because "Batman needs a Robin." Initially the de facto leader of Young Justice with a reputation as the smart guy (but is in fact just as unhinged as the rest of them). Struggles to balance his two identities; he has to conceal Robin from his father and Tim Drake from his Young Justice teammates, which leads to trust issues among the group.

Distinguishing features/costume: Black hair, blue eyes usually concealed by a domino mask with opaque lenses, oval face, short and wiry. Green and red suit with leggings, black and yellow cape (distinct from Dick and Jason's costumes, which were bare-legged and did not have any black, and Damian's, which has much more black, a tunic, and a hooded cape).

Kon-El (Superboy)

Age: 16 physically but chronologically less than 2, is unable to age past 16 for about half the series.

Powers: Tactile telekinesis (TTK), the ability to control anything he can touch, which allows him to mimic super strength, invulnerability, and flight. Does not have Superman's other powers, such as heat vision, x-ray vision, etc.

Background: Clone created by Project Cadmus to be their mind-controlled replacement for Superman after his "death." Escaped before he could be artificially aged to maturity and has been an independent hero since Clark's return. During YJ 1998, is working for Cadmus as a field agent. A habitual show-off and flirt who harbors a lot of private insecurity and doesn't initially function well as a team player.

Distinguishing features/costume: Curly black hair in a fade haircut (later cut short and spiky), blue eyes, strong jaw, significantly taller and more muscular than the others, earring for most of the series, scruffy goatee later on. Initially wears a 90s-ified version of the Superman suit with a black leather jacket, later updates to a metallic version of a suit without the jacket.

Bart Allen (Impulse)

Age: 14-15 physically, chronologically 2-3 due to hyperaccelerated aging for the first two years of his life.

Powers: Superspeed, including the ability to vibrate his molecules through solid objects. Later on he develops the ability to create temporary replicas of himself ("scouts").

Background: Barry Allen/the Flash's grandson from the thirtieth century. Was born with his superspeed out of control and had to be raised in VR to keep his mental aging on track with his physical aging. Brought by his grandmother to the twentieth century to get his rapid aging resolved by Wally West, the current Flash. Currently lives in Manchester, Alabama with Max Mercury, an elderly speedster who is training/raising him. Thanks to his VR upbringing, struggles with patience and thinking things through, but is more intelligent and perceptive than he's usually given credit for.

Distinguishing features/costume: Lots of reddish-brown hair, yellow eyes, big feet, short and wiry. White and red suit with a lightning design, googles with yellow lenses.

Greta Hayes / "Suzie" (Secret)

Age: Never specified but probably around 14-15.

Powers: Exists in an incorporeal, smoke-like form that can float, shapeshift, create smoke constructs, teleport, and become tangible for limited amounts of time. As a Warder, a gatekeeper between life and death, can sense impending death and bring others into a pocket dimension called the Abyss which seems to be a sort of portal to death.

Background: An ordinary girl who was murdered by her brother as part of a ritual and was changed after death into her current incorporeal form. Was held captive by a government organization and studied in a lab but escaped with the help of Robin, Superboy, and Impulse and has been in hiding since. Cannot remember most of her past life, does not understand her powers, and frequently feels alienated from the rest of Young Justice (except Robin, whom she has a crush on), which leaves her vulnerable to those who wish to take advantage of her powers.

Distinguishing features/costume: Blond/light brown shoulder-length hair, blue eyes, smaller than the others, frequently surrounded by smoke. Off-white suit, long and trailing light brown coat.

Cissie King-Jones (Arrowette)

Age: Never specified, but would have to be 16 by the time she competes in the Olympics.

Powers: None, but a highly-skilled archer.

Background: Daughter of a former would-be superheroine who put her daughter through strenuous training and forced her into the identity of Arrowette from an early age. Sent to boarding school after Max Mercury reported her mother to CPS for child exploitation. Took up hero work again to spite her mother but, after a personal tragedy leads her to nearly kill, chooses to quit permanently. Becomes an Olympic athlete and occasional film actress while still keeping in contact with her Young Justice friends.

Distinguishing features/costume: Long blonde hair, blue eyes, oval face, significantly taller than the other girls. Red top, white skirt, and red boots and mask, alternatively a "Dark Arrowette" costume consisting of a dark red and purple suit with a hood.

Cassie Sandsmark (Wonder Girl)

Age: 15.

Powers: Super strength, speed, durability, and flight.

Background: Daughter of an archaeologist who is an associate of Wonder Woman. Eager to join Diana in heroics and seizes an opportunity to request super powers from Zeus, who grants them on the condition that her mother can deactivate them whenever she chooses. Enthusiastic and reckless but is also struggling with self-confidence in living up her predecessors' legacy. Joined Young Justice initially because of her crush on Superboy but comes to discover her talent for leadership and eventually takes over as team leader.

Distinguishing features/costume: Short blonde hair that gets longer over the series, blue eyes, heart-shaped face, physically matures over time. Goes through several costumes. Initially wears a dark wig and googles and mismatched clothing from her closet. Later versions vary but usually include a black shirt, red pants, bracelets, and a bar necklace engraved with "girl."

Anita Fite (Empress)

Age: 16.

Powers: Vodoun, usually used for teleportation; martial arts and use of an emperor's stick; and mind control through verbal commands due to having a piece of the Anti-Life Equation in her.

Background: Daughter of a government agent (who has been pursuing the escaped Secret) and a woman whose mother was a vodoun priestess. Has had her powers most of her life but is inspired to use them for heroics after witnessing Cissie stopping a thief in a mall. Joins Young Justice after Cissie leaves. Seeks revenge on her maternal grandfather after he kills both her parents, and gets her parents back...as infants whom she now must raise.

Distinguishing features/costume: African-American, long dark reddish hair, purple eyes, tall. Gold and purple suit and mask that conceal everything except her ponytail.

Slo-bo

Age: Physically a teenager, chronologically very young--comes into existence late in the series.

Powers: Has the Czarnian physiology of his original, which provides super strength, durability, stamina, and healing, but these are limited since he came from "the shallow end of the gene pool." Also a skilled mechanic and pilot.

Background: Clone of a deaged version of alien bounty hunter Lobo that comes into existence after Li'l Lobo's death on Apokolips. Is smaller and weaker than his original and considers himself an inadequate successor. Presents himself as extremely morally gray but is actually quite sensitive, emotionally mature (compared to the rest of YJ), and ultimately self-sacrificial.

Distinguishing features/costume: Spiky black hair, yellow iris-less eyes that go completely black when he goes blind, black markings around eyes, gray skin, smaller and skinnier than Li'l Lobo. Gray shirt, black vest, jeans with skull belt buckle.

Ray Terrill (The Ray)

Age: 19.

Powers: Light control, including emanating light, blasting rays/energy, flight, conversion to light energy, movement at light speed, creation of constructs and illusions, healing, and invisibility.

Background: Raised to believe he had a deathly allergy to sunlight and must remain in the dark but learned after the death of the man who raised him that he is really the son of the Golden Age hero the Ray and has inherited his light-based powers. Struggles with adjustment to using his powers and trying to live a mostly normal life and has a difficult relationship with his lying, manipulative father. Joined the Justice League for a while. Dragged into joining Young Justice late in the series to replace recently-lost members.

Distinguishing features/costume: Red hair, green eyes, average build and height, earring. White and gold suit (a light construct), black and gold band leader-style jacket, and gold helmet with fin.

Grant Emerson (Damage) [not actually a member of YJ but has worked with them, has connections to some individual members, and is around the same age]

Age: 16.

Powers: Building up biochemical energy in his body that results in super strength, durability, and speed, greater mass, and blasts of energy. If not discharged, this energy results in his exploding like a bomb.

Background: Son of Al Pratt (the Atom) and his wife Mary but never met them. Stolen after birth and experimented upon, which gave him DNA from numerous other superheroes. Raised by abusive foster parents. Manifested powers as a teenager but couldn't control them. Saved the universe during Zero Hour, accidentally blew up downtown Atlanta, had to join the Titans as an alternative to prison, went on a quest to discover his real parentage, joined the Titans again, and went on hiatus to concentrate on healing from his past. Used to be friends with Bart. Cannot catch a break.

Distinguishing features/costume: Brown hair with floppy bangs and sometimes a mullet, brown eyes, strong jaw, increases in muscle mass whenever his powers build up. Costume varies but consistently involves blue and orange or yellow, with a radioactive symbol on the shirt.

[raineydaysghoul]

DC characters as things I've heard at school

Wally: why Dick

Dick who shaved his head: because I can

Dick: I was gonna shave my eyebrows to look like Mr. Clean

Wally distraught sounds:

------

Oliver: what kind of shoes does Optimus prime wear

Roy: I don't know

Oliver: vans

-------

Hal: your mom

Burce: my mom's dead but thanks

Bruce: she's in a jar so we could bring her to school

-------

Diana: have a good day. Don't get pregnant!

-------

Jervis to 1 of the robins: ya ever hear about shrooms?

-------

Assignment on mental disability

Two-face to Harvey: look it's about us!!

-------

Hal: John was in the Marines but we don't hold that against him

-------

Tim: Frankenstein's monster is hot

Bart: idk that's kinda subjective

Tim: IT IS STATED IN THE BOOK!! HE IS ATTRACTIVE!!!

Kon: I kinda agree with Bart that's pretty subjective

-------

Constantine: can you imagine telling your partner you have herpes

Constantine singing: I-have-herpes. Please-don't-leave-me.

-------

Booster about Ted: he's thick. He's a big boi

-------

Talking about school house rock live

Hal to Barry: I wanna melt your pot

-------

Tim: I would sell my anal virginity for a candbar

--------

Hal to Barry and Oliver: Wanna have a threesome

Oliver: Hell no!!

Oliver: It's gots to be a foursome. There has to be a girl

--------

Tora to the rest of the JLI about Bea: just because she's a immigrant doesn't mean she's Hispanic

--------

Booster talking about Of Mice and Men: can you blame her. George is fine af

[quotidian-oblivion]

Your turn!

17. Teen Titans or Young Just Us?

18. Favorite animated show?

19. Favorite superhero family?

20. Young justice(show) or Teen Titans(show)?

21. Do you watch Teen Titans Go?

22. Favorite Robin?

25. Batgirl or oracle?

26. Whos your favorite batgirl?

27. Batgirl and the birds of Prey or Redhood and the Outlaws?

OKAY WOW NOW THESE ARE A WHOLE LOT OF QUESTIONS TYSMMMMM

DC ask game

17. I've answered that and I'll link it here

18. Favorite animated show?

See now, I have to think for this one.

Okay, all my favorite DC shows in no order are:

Teen Titans (original)

Teen Titans Go

Young Justice (only the first season, the second season's okay)

Batman: The Animated Series

Justice League: The Animated Series (I'm gonna combine Justice League Unlimited with this one)

DC superhero girls (the new one)

Justice League Action

I highlighted some of them in purple cuz they're just silly little goofy shows with the occasional life lesson and I love them. Special shoutout to the DC superhero girls for doing Bruce Wayne right. Batman, yeah he's a fun goofy guy, but Bruce Wayne? That man is a himbo surrounded by cameras 24/7 and acts like a real billionaire and who would ever suspect that man to be Batman? WHO???

But for my favorite... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hefrsodun

I'm gonna say Justice League Animated Series. Just because that was the first piece of DC content I consumed and also because all the episodes were available on YouTube for free for a brief period of time before they got taken out and I watched the first two seasons (which was not the Unlimited ones) like, 3 or 4 times.

I havent watched enough of Batman TAS, just a few episodes, and I havent watched all of Teen Titans either and Young Justice went down after season 1 and I'm bitter about more than a few things in there.

19. Favorite superhero family?

Are you kidding? You have read my ao3 account. You know this answer XD

It's the Batfamily. Found family, sibling shenanigans and protective brothers galore. I love them all so so much.

But another family which I especially like is the Flash family. But it's not my favorite cuz I haven't consumed enough content on a lot of the characters there and I can't relate very well to some characters in there. But I love the Flash family because it is an utter mess. At least with the Bats, you know that all of them are connected to Bruce on some level. But the Flashes? God, they're all disasters and I love them. I'm mentioning the Flash family under the category of superhero family favorites because of Bart, Max, Barry, Wally and Nora (XS).

20. Young justice(show) or Teen Titans(show)?

Took me a bit to notice that this was different to question 17 😅

The Teen Titans show. All the way. Young Justice crashed after season 1 and there are more than a few things that I am bitter about. And those things just drive me up the walls with anger like- vfgeyhhwblaeiehildsbfgfh veger asbhvid fwrdhbdw

I also love the whump in TT!!! Like the Renegade (Dick being a forced mentee to Slade) arc? FEVRGWHEUOAN BEAUTIFUL.

21. Do you watch Teen Titans Go?

Heck yeah I do! My sisters and I, every time it comes on TV or one of us puts it on the tab, all shriek at each other to get and gather around already and we all laugh and scream at the episodes. It's so goofy and silly, I love it. (Other than the butt-related jokes)

22. Favorite Robin?

EVIE YOU KNOW THIS TOO AND THANK YOU FOR ASKING THIS QUESTION BECAUSE NOW I'M GONNA RANT ON IT

Not a too big rant cuz there are other questions and this post is already long (i love it, thank you)

SO. You obviously know it's Tim Drake. But before, I used to like Dick Grayson. Why? Because of Young Justice season 1. The kid was smart, sly, cheeky, badass, and a dangerous joy to be around. But he was a combination of comics Tim and Dick. Not- Dick. I realized that later when I read...

That's right, Red Robin. Red Robin was the first Tim Drake content I consumed (other than the Batman: TAS one with Tim, though that was Tim and Jason combined).

I read Red Robin and fell in love with the utter trash this kid was. I read about him in his lowest point and fell in love. I understood him on a deeper level. I especially loved-

You guessed it, the speculative element. I love mysteries, riddles, puzzles. And Red Robin had some good speculative elements to it. That fight against the Council of Spiders? Chef's kiss. I also love how Tim went behind everyone's backs and came up with the best fucking plans to defeat the bad guys, and I especially love how most of the time it included him getting hurt. Am I saying this boy is self-destructive? Absolutely. I love that shit cuz I can relate to it (on a level).

But you know what sealed the cake when I read his Robin run?

THIS WAS A FUCKING CHILD WHO WAS A FUCKING DAMN GENIUS AND HE CHOSE THE SUPERHERO BIZ AND HE IS GOOD AT IT.

I once saw a post that talked about how Tim Drake is the Robin that everyone knows, not Dick, not Jason, not Damian. Tim. Tim built the whole brand of Robin. That signature 'R'? That was all him. And you can see that in the comics. When he can't reach his batarangs (or birdarangs), he uses the 'R' fixed to his chest as a weapon to escape multiple times. It's not just branding. It's strategical. Before, Robin was all "Holy crimes, Batman" and scaly panties (love that for Dick), but Tim came and rebranded the whole Robin legacy. His backstory isn't well-known but it was him who removed Robin out of Batman's shadow. Now, Robin is still a protegee, but an independent protegee. Sure Dick's Robin with the Titans already showed that, but it was Tim who came and fully established that. He's the only Robin who had his own comic run that went around 200 issues and he's the only Robin who appears the most in other comics. Nightwing doesn't count cuz he moved on from Robin.

I like Tim because he's a normal kid who chose something and worked on it till he became good at it.

My dad likes Batman because he was a normal guy who chose something and worked on it till he became good at it. And now I like Batman because of that.

DO YOU SEE THE PATTERN?

DO YOU??????

I can go on for much longer, but this rant proved to be too long once again. Timothy Jackson Drake is one fucking badass character and I am so mad that he's so ignored and tarnished badly in the comics, but I am so fucking ecstatic that the fanfiction and the fandom community is celebrating him and have so much fanfiction with him. Especially how he joins the family early.

Edit: OH!!!! HERE'S ANOTHER REASON WHICH @sardonic-sprite POSTED ABOUT A WHILE AGO: yebif

*takes deep breath* Okay, next questions :)

25. Batgirl or oracle?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. THIS IS SO HARDI CANT DECIDE FVBHGEWFHDUBHVFDH

I'm gonna sayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Oracle. Cuz that means that Cass and Steph get their moments to shine.

26. Whos your favorite batgirl?

I've already answered this! And it's over here ^^

27. Batgirl and the birds of Prey or Redhood and the Outlaws?

Ooooh, now this is tough cuz I haven't read much of either. I have read some, but not much. Very little in fact.

But I'm gonna say Red Hood and the Outlaws cuz I love it when Roy appears in fanfiction, especially to egg and annoy and push Jason when he and Tim are bonding. And also cuz I fucking love Lian.

OKAY. DONE. THANKS SO MUCH EVIE AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

[flashflashhundredyarddash]

birdflash and the batfamily

did bruce ever suspect when he set up a playdate meeting for robin and kid flash he was going to gain a future son-in-law? No.

dick and wally Officially get together in their teens

when dick runs off hes gone for like a year and bruce is like. lowkey super concerned dick is going to try and elope with wally

when jason first shows up he Does Not have the highest opinion of dick so he thinks wally is like. dicks bum boyfriend lmao. when he actually gets introduced to wally hes like hmm wally is okay i guess. also wally actually goes to college so jason always asks him questions about it

tim thinks wally is Super cool but is also jealous sometimes because wally takes up SO MUCH of dicks time. tim gets the Most time with wally because tim is also friends with bart so they just all hang out a lot.

all of dicks siblings HATE pda. they have a whole list of rules for what is acceptable when a sibling is within 100 feet. dick disregards it lol he WILL hold wallys hand and kiss his boyfriend while his brothers and sister groan in the background

cass is very happy because wally makes dick happy! wally is one of the few outside of the batfam who can actually hold a conversation with cass and doesnt act All Fucking Weird because she doesn't speak english well

when duke gets adopted dick and wally are already engaged so like three months after hes adopted he gets to go to their wedding and dick puts him in the wedding party duke is like :') the wedding is fun all their super friends are there and bruce is very obviously Trying Not to Cry

when damian shows up dick and wally decided to live separately while dick Deals With the Situation so now damian has "i have fucked up my primary caretakers years long relationship" insecurity THIS POOR KID LMAO. damian gets to be the Ringbearer at the wedding!! It is a Great Honor. also the west-allens arent the worst family to be related to they are very formidable allies (damians list of the flash fam from most threatening to least threatening: iris, joan, wally, bart, jay, the twins, barry).

so. many. wedding photos.

it takes ages for dick and wally to get married because uh. gay marriage was kind of illegal for a while there. even before its legal they have that talk of well i love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you

once it IS legal they put it off because they are always dealing with SO much shit but duke getting adopted was kind of the catalyst for dick to be like holy shit all our family is here and safe LETS GET MARRIED and wally is like what right now im washing dishes

bruce panics and buys them a coffeemaker for their wedding lmaooooo

ONE FUCKING TIME. oh my god. obvs bruce calls his kids by the wrong names all the time but one time he was OUT IN THE FIELD AS BATMAN and he calls up tim on the comms and hes like "Kid Flash, did you read the toxicology report I sent you yesterday." and theres a second of silence before everyone LOSES THEIR SHIT. KID FLASH. BRUCE WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT.

steph and wally get along like a house on fire. a house that is crashing and burning but by god you cant look away

wally is. a little intimidated and jealous of babs because he KNOWS dick had a maybe-crush on babs back when they were kids and wally still hasnt gotten over it a decade later like WALLY DICKS MARRYING YOU I THINK YOURE GOOD LMAO.

kate tries to be a Gay Mentor to dick and wally because when they first came out she was their ONLY GAY RELATIVE who was semi competent (bruce is bi but hes a bad gay mentor lol. barry is bi but kind of struggles with it sometimes)

side note that hal has been around the whole time wally knew him ever since wally was a kid and hes like wow i love that uncle barry and uncle hal are such good friends and then they have to break the news that iris and barry have an open relationship shebnrcnene.

[bitimdrake]

losing it because the dc curve on bad parenting would actually help Bruce akdslfjaksdlfjkelwajklfjawlkjfwlke

... but also i miss the complex relationships characters used to have with their parents in dc comics and the different ways abuse/neglect was explored. We had Stephanie and Arthur Brown (and Crystal was on pain pills), Cissie and her mom's wild relationship, Cassandra and David Cain, Cassie and her mom (as a good example), Bart and Max, Dick and Bruce (and the others too), Tim and Jack/Dana, Barbara and Jim, Lian and Roy/Jade (the recent dc blasphemy has me so sad still), Wally and his kids, Wally and his bio parents, Wally and Barry, and like... so so many more

idk. i feel like ever since the reboot (and before that even) the complicated and messy family dynamics between characters is just missing and it used to be so compelling. i feel like batgirl 2000 is a great example of that - like David Cain was incredibly abusive, and it was compelling to watch Cass struggle with that, finding compassion - even for him, and letting him go to lead her own life with the family she chose and just ahhhhhhh sorry for ranting in your inbox but dang... the one thing i miss about older comics is characters not being put in the good parent or bad parent category, but rather being more on a scale from 0-100 and having everyone fall somewhere in between and seeing the direct effects of parenting on the children

it's real bad curve! children in the dcu are NOT having a great time! if your standards are, like, trigon and darkseid and vandal savage, suddenly bruce is getting bumped up in the grading.

But yes yes yes. I miss that nuance and complexity so much. I'm only a little ways into the reboot, but so far it seems like a lot of that complexity has been lost because we just don't have most of those parents anymore, but the rest falls away because there's no history or existing material to ground anything on. Every parents has to appear and immediately declare whether they are evil or good, and that's it.

But it was so interesting in the preboot era. There were parents that were flawed and complicated and sometimes hurt their kids, but weren't flatly characterized as Evil Villains either--Jack Drake and Bonnie King and Jade Nguyen (when not being written horribly). And the reader can absolutely judge any or all of them as bad parents, or personally decide their failings in parenting are unforgivable, but that feels like...an actual interpretation you have to make, material you have to engage with, instead of just being spoon fed the answer.

And there are parents who are characterized as good people and parents, but still flawed humans, like Jim Gordon. Or parents who were bad then developing and growing and becoming what their kids need, like Crystal Brown. (And theoretically Jack and Bonnie too, though Jack reached that for 2.5 seconds before dying, and I don't know if I really trust Bonnie's transformation.)

And then you even have unarguably horrific parents like David Cain, who still get nuance in their characters and relationships with their children. I also loved watching Cass struggle to reconcile her compassion with the abuse. And I'll add the other half, that I always thought was a very good writing choice, which is that...Cain loves her too? And at no point does that remotely temper his abuse, or change how awful he is, yet it's clear as day he deeply cares for her and is delighted in her successes. It keeps the character as detestable, but imo suddenly much more interesting to read--and, more important, it adds one more dimension to Cass's difficultly sorting out her feelings towards him.

And we have parents that don't care too! Like, I'm not sure if Arthur Brown ever cared about Steph in the slightest. And that is a very valid story too--and just as interesting in Steph's reactions to it and attempts to process--and I'm really glad we got both.

But then, the inevitable Bruce tangent. Most of the other parents listed here stay as supporting characters to their children, but Bruce is a main character in his books and a supporting character in his kid's books at the same time, so he's being written not just by more people, but for more narrative purposes.

There are obvs a lot of points where Bruce is a horrible parent, but there are also points in preboot where I'm fairly certain we are actually meant to come away thinking he's being a horrible parent. (I don't think we were ever meant to see him as a consistently abusive parent, but whoops dc you fucked that one up and he is; topic for another post before I make this one even longer.) We see him in one of his kids' books, and we understand okay this guy is treating his kid terribly. But at the same time, Bruce is still the lead in, like, 457 of his own books, so we can never stop thinking about him as a person too. And even with Bruce, there were points where preboot was unflinching in displaying his failures to parent...even if they never quite completed the follow up.

Anyway, maybe that--being both a main and supporting character--is why Bruce has (lbr, probably by accident) remained one of the only parents with nuance. But unfortunately, most everyone else seems to have been erased, turned blandly evil, or just as blandly good.

[covertblizzard]

Some DC characters ranks (for no real reason)

The spreadsheet is open for all and can be found here if you want to go explore it yourself or compare the differences between the different platforms. If you just want the average overall ranking, see below!

Justice League

Batman

Superman

Flash

Wonder Woman

Green Arrow

Green Lantern

Aquaman

Martian Manhunter

Who is surprised? Honestly, if not for Wonder Woman the movie existing, she might be lower which would be ugh because she's already the only woman on the list. I honestly thought Aquaman might have been higher because they did get the good-ish movie compared to Green Lantern, but Green Lantern is still higher. The ranking on Tumblr (based on how many follow the character tag have) is pretty much the same, except Diana actually gets bumped to second!

Batfam (and related)

Bruce Wayne

Dick Grayson

Jason Todd

Damian Wayne

Tim Drake

Selina Kyle

Barbara Gordon

(also 7) Alfred Pennyworth

Stephanie Brown

Cassandra Cain

Kate Kane

Talia al Ghul

Duke Thomas

Jason and Dick are pretty close and kept toggling between 2nd and 3rd generally. I think Dick still edges out Jason a little, but they're both pretty popular. Stephanie, Cass, and Duke deserves more rights, as always. I was surprised Alfred out-ranked Steph and Cass, it's probably because he is often involved in things with many bat-characters, but it was still a surprise. Tumblr is actually the ONLY platform where Bruce Wayne is de-throned as the king of DC, and you will not believe this (I did not expect this at least)... but Jason has the highest tag followers. The ranking actually goes Jason > Dick > Bruce. Tim is still 5th BUT has shockingly little tag followers on tumblr (less than 1/10th of Damian). Cass and Steph also are bumped above Alfred and Barbara (Cass > Steph), and Duke above Kate and Talia on Tumblr.

Superfam

Clark Kent

Kara Danvers

Connor Kent

Lois Lane

Jon Kent

Flashfam

Barry Allen

Wally West

Iris West

Bart Allen

Nothing is too surprising for Superfam and Flashfam, except that Lois and Iris are above Jon and Bart respectively. I know at some point Wally was more popular than Barry and I also wonder if that was the case before the CW Flash was released, or if Barry was already more popular when CW was released. I'm cheering for Kara to overtake Clark one day, but she still has some way to go :(

Wonderfam

Diana Prince

Donna Troy

Cassie Sandsmark

Yara Flor

Arrowfam

Oliver Queen

Roy Harper

Dinah Lance

Connor Hawke

Mia Dearden

Wonderfam is unsurprising as well and Arrowfams results are also mostly unsurprising. I'd have hope Dinah had higher numbers, but that she is lower than Roy doesn't really shock me because comic fans and girls... Overall, Tumblr ranks for Superfam, Flashfam, Wonderfam, and Arrowfam are essentially the same as the averaged ranks.

Lanternfam

Hal Jordan

Kyle Rayner

John Stewart

Jessica Cruz

Guy Gardner

Alan Scott

Simon Baz

Jo Mullein

Lanternfam's only slightly surprising thing to me is that Jessica actually outranks Guy even though she's so new? On Tumblr, she even outranks John too, so good for her, I guess (I haven't read on her but it's on my reading list). Kyle and John are both pretty close in terms of numbers. Both Yara and Jo are supposed to take over the mantels, right? I don't know how new / established they are but overall, their numbers are both pretty low.

Aquafam and Martianfam

I could only find good data for 2 characters for Aquafam and Martianfam, I don't know if there are more that I just don't know of, but I am devastated that I cannot include Garth :(((((( Uhhh, both of these are just Arthur Curry > Kaldur'ahm and J'onn J'onzz > M'gann M'orzz, as expected. None of these characters have more than 1000 followers on their Tumblr tags.

Team character

On a more interesting note, I also looked up some characters that I thought got popular through Team stuff (Teen Titans and Young Justice basically), mostly through the TV show. Of all the characters, these 5 are the ones that came into my radar and I could find good numbers for. All the girls are more popular than the boys on Tumblr for this list of characters.

Koriand'r

Rachel Roth

Garfield Logan

(also 3) Artemis Crock

Victor Stone

Overall, all I can say is... the Teen Titans cartoon really did numbers for their characters, every single character made it into enough data to collect. Among the characters I was looking at, they don't even rank last among the Titans characters I could find, that honour goes to my babies Kyle and Donna (unfortunately T.T).

Teen Titans

Dick Grayson

Wally West

Roy Harper

Koriand'r

(also 4) Rachel Roth

Garfield Logan

Victor Stone

Kyle Rayner

Donna Troy

Young Justice

Tim Drake

Connor Kent

Bart Allen

Artemis Crock

Cassie Sandsmark

Kaldur'ahm

M'gann M'orzz

Young Justice cartoon also did pretty well I guess, at least their Season 1 opening characters are all good enough to find data on. I'm not familiar with Season 2 onwards so I didn't really search that much on all the characters also, but I do think these are the more popular characters anyway. Overall, the core four still ranked higher (unlike the Fab5 of Titans who had Donna at the bottom and Garth not even in the picture), except for Cassie who was overtaken by Artemis.

Overall, Young Justice characters popularity are basically the same as their Justice League counterparts. Teen Titans also mostly followed the trend, except that Donna ranked really low :((

Team Comparisons

Comparing the three teams (Justice League, Teen Titans, and Young Justice), Young Justice and Justice League average to about the same rank. Young Justice is more popular on Reddit, Tumblr, and AO3. Justice League is more popular on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Based on that, I would guess Young Justice is more popular in fandom and for creation-related things, but Justice League is more widely discussed / popular to the general public.

Idk if the way I categorised the characters would be controversial, but I categorize by which team they joined first / are more prominant in. Dick, Wally, Roy, Koriand'r, Victor, Kyle, Donna (I think) have all also been part of the League (and the Fab5 have all also been in Young Justice), but joined Titans first and are generally more prominent Titans character (I think Kyle is the most controversial of these, but I already had Hal for League, so I put him in Titans). Although all characters in Young Justice except Artemis have also been part of the Teen Titans, they are more prominent as Young Justice characters. (Also, just a side note, I think Young Justice as a team's popularity also come quite a bit from popular Titans character like Dick and Wally and Roy, but there is no clear cut separation, I did my best lol)

Although the team Teen Titans is not so popular (I partially blame Titans TV apparently being bad and being more about Batfam than Titans :p), they are mostly all more popular individually, with all those part of a hero-fam (Dick, Wally, Roy, Kyle, Donna) as the second most popular characters within their families. This probably has got to do with many of them taking up the main hero-mantel already also (Dick as Batman, Wally as Flash, Kyle as Green Lantern, Donna as Wonder Woman) and just... generally existing for longer. Young Justice characters generally rank 3-5 in their family, except Kaldur who outranks Garth and M'gann who has no prior competition lol. (Justice League characters are all ranked 1, it's boring. I only included Hal in Justice League because he was the original, but I know a lot of Green Lanterns have been part of Justice League, he just had the highest numbers anyway so I used his to compare.)

General (Sad) Trends

On average, male characters rank about 4-5 higher than female characters and white characters rank about 11-12 higher than non-white characters, so yay for diversity /s

*If you look at the spreadsheet, the last data point I thought was a little bit dodgy (it didn't count above 100 tweets a day I think), so I didn't include it in the main ranking. It mostly didn't really affect the rankings much at all, besides doing things like making Lois more popular than Conner, but I just left it in anyway. Also this data is dated on 28th April 2022, so if you're like reading at a much later time, it could be very different, who knows?

[flashfuture]

So you know that show wife swap or whatever I’ve never seen anything more than vague snippets in waiting rooms. But from what I gather the general premise is the mom switches households and has to like be mom in the new house for a week?? Whatever that’s what I’m rolling with.

So this but DC. We parent swap all over the place. And it could be any combination. Also remember most of these families don’t all live together but you’ve gotta act like the head of the team and stuff. So like I’m positing some possible combos but please mix it up.

So like Clark swaps with Arthur. Clark can do the king thing he’s sure of it. But uh Clark hates it, like he hates being king more than Arthur hates being king. And Clark knows Garth is making fun of him but he trusts that the political advice is solid. Also Mera is scary as hell and Clark is kind of wondering why she’s not the one on the League while Arthur stays home. Kaldur and Andy find this all very amusing and Andy has the worst diplomatic advice for her big brother to tell Clark. Garth loves them all and relays them accordingly. Clark enjoys patrol with Kaldur and sometimes Garth. Clark doesn’t like the seahorses and they don’t like him- it’s fine.

Arthur has no fucking clue what he’s supposed to do with these kids. Jon is adorable but Arthur has been there. He remembers Garth at this age and kids are not to be trusted. And Kon well Arthur definitely remembers Garth at sixteen and knows Kon is even less trustworthy. Ma and Pa Kent are amazing and adopt him as a son immediately. Arthur isn’t jealous of Clark he’s just not. And Lois is very determined to get the scoop on Atlantis. Arthur has no idea what she’s gonna do with any information he gives her so he’s careful. Or we’ll careful as he can be- Garth is the diplomat after all. He’ll work it out. Arthur is also incredibly impressed with Clark’s work ethic. Arthur can barely stop to breathe as Kon and him fly around the world. Jon is having a blast though.

Bruce swaps with Diana it’ll be fine. He’s got a shit ton of kids. But oh god none of them are his sisters. And Donna is at least a grownup. Bruce feels like he understands why Diana takes an observer approach as he watches Cassie challenge the entirety of the Greek Pantheon to fight her while Hercules and Ares glare at the others from behind her. Steve is busy with work but calls to give discouraging speeches. Bruce knows he can’t control Cassie thank you Steve but if she could stop fighting gods at school that would be great.

Diana has no idea how Bruce functions. She remembers Dick as a boy and he was great. Amazing. Definitely always up to something but she got to be Aunt Diana so that was fun. But Dick is all grown up. And all too amused as watching Diana try and wrangle Bruce’s children. Damian is at least self aware enough to know Diana wouldn’t even notice if he attacked her. She’s too busy trying to remember lunches because Bruce just so happened to forget it was Alfred’s week off. Tim immediately proclaims this should disqualify Bruce because he’d never be able to run the house without Alfred.

Ollie swaps with Barry because whatever. Barry’s got what Wally? He’s fine. Ollie was not paying attention. Barry has Wally and three grandchildren. Ollie would literally have never imagined any kid could be as troublesome as Bart. And Iris has no chill. Ollie has no idea what she expects him to do but he really can’t stop Bart when he decides to leave scuff marks on the ceiling. Iris is however much more receptive to his political rants than Barry is. Also Wally has apparently been radicalized at some point. Ollie’s gotta thank the Pied Piper. None of the kids live with Barry so Ollie apparently has to keep tabs on them. Ollie supposes Bart is like ten or something. Max Mercury and Jay Garrick seem to have it handled but Bart takes the it takes a village thing to the next level.

Barry also wasn’t keeping track of Ollie’s kids. But in his defense he was dead for a long time. Roy has a kid she’s great. Roy is all grown up now which Barry can’t deal with. Connor is also great he’s helpful. Mia was clearly put on this Earth to be Ollie’s evil sidekick. Barry raised a speedster. He has the most chaotic boy in existence for a grandson. As such Barry vows that Bart and Mia can’t ever be friends. Dinah is a god send. Barry sees why Ollie loves her so much. And fighting with her? Barry hasn’t had this much fun in a long time- Black Canary is a sight to behold.

Plus Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen could totally do this televised. That would be amazing. Billionaire Dad Swap