#Bart Allen analysis

[kidflashimpulse]

if bart's issues got explored, i'd want acknowledgement of how desensitized he is, but also how he's wired to constantly be ready for a threat. an exploration of almost being MORE comfortable when you're NOT safe bc you're so used to it, of how keeping your emotions on a tight leash on can be born from a fear of making yourself vulnerable to legit ATTACK rather than just not wanting to face them. i think it should be more so about what constantly being in danger can do to you than the grief

YES!!! Everything !! About this !! Is muah, chefs kiss perfect. You nailed it anon, i love this description so much like i don’t even know where to start lol.

the aspect of “what constantly being in danger can do to you than the grief” hits the nail exactly on the head as to why i dont perceive his “trauma run” to be like that we saw of gar or other characters on the show. Because being in his surrounding growing up, it’s almost gone beyond the grief because that’s just so normalised at that point.

that exploration of being wired and like u said “more comfortable” in the face of danger combined with the factor of him putting on a front not because of him having issues with himself so much that it’s more born out of habit of what it means to be constantly exposed to threats and discomfort i.e being desensitised to the point that he developed those type of habits, the way you outlined it so accurate and really roots down that specific but super important details and source of motivation behind why he wouldn’t be traumatised in the more “traditional” sense that we’ve seen depicted in the series.

totally agree with wanting to see all this, it would only be the coolest thing ever. thanks for sharing your thoughts with us :D

[bearforceone3]

kon & bart redraw with my designs… for fun

og panels:

[radioactive-earthshine]

Hello

Could you explain what you mean by Bart and Brainaic's friendship? I admit I never read any bit of LOSH and the only thing I remember of them interacting is when Brian told Bart he drank to forget him. It doesn't seem like they are friends but IDK

Teen Titans/Legion Special (2004)

This is actually something fairly on brand for Querl to say given his crassness inherited from the long line of Dox-Bitchiness. Querl is one of those great examples of a character who is a good person but he's not necessarily polite and nice all of the time. Although in more recent comics and media he has gotten significantly nicer.

His loose "blink and you miss it" friendship with Bart in the 90s comics comes as a little bit of a surprise considering the types of characters they are but it works as their dynamic evolves around mutually started chaos and working to get out of said chaos. The start of their connection also shows a surprising side of Post-Zero Hour Querl when he elects to show Bart some compassion after he had a very bad day.

This is not to say that their friendship was without a lot of frustrations as Bart did inflict himself upon the Legionnaires in ways that left... an impact.

Bart's first encounter with Querl can be found in his own comic when recently stranded Legionnaires specifically sought Bart out for help in getting back to their own time.

It ended disastrously when Bart while in the midst of an extreme case of the zoomies attempted to use the Cosmic Treadmill to take them home, but he had absolutely no ability to control it, and instead just flung everyone around through varying intervals of time (and gave Imra a migraine and Querl, Koko).

Impulse #21

Bart was even more hyper-active in this issue than normal, and I think it had something to do with the Slurpee he was drinking at the start of it.

Regardless if the zoomies were a result of Mark Waid deciding to go full ham for the chaos in this issue, or if the slurpee did something, the day did not end well and the Legionnaires left hoping to find another way home.

Querl did not expect to see Bart again for a long, long time, if ever.

They were all wrong.

Because like the One Ring he resurfaced as he inflicted himself upon them again about a day later at S.T.A.R. Labs in Legion of Super-Heroes (1989) Issue #88.

But not before the issue opens up reminding everyone that while Bart does have his chaotic moments, Querl is no less guilty of chaos and is his own unique brand of mayhem.

They are in fact, kindred.

LMFAO @ Rokk's "I've asked him NOT to." in regards to blowing up S.T.A.R. Labs because Rokk has about as much control over Querl as Max or any authority figure over Bart when he has an inkling.

S.T.A.R. Labs' solution to dealing with Querl was to put him under watch and surveillance, much to his extreme foul-mouthed displeasure, another trait he shares with Bart.

"What could possibly go awry?" is early Bart Allen's famous summoning incantation.

With Bart back in proximity of the Legionnaires things begin to unfold again chaotically, this time however it is Querl's fault for trying coopt Bart into helping him operate under the radar put on him.

This is their first instance working together, and it is the incident that brings them together and what likely prompts Querl to drink.

With the telepathic ear plugs, Querl directs Bart and gives him what he believes are clear instructions, but he didn't count on Bart's own brand of logic and instead helps initiate a countdown towards nuclear meltdown.

Fortunately, everyone is able to work together to stop catastrophe and all it takes is a Coluan finger subjected to speed force.

"Well. THAT went all right, then, didn't it?" you're a grenade in a barrel full of oatmeal, sir.

The day's events leads to the Legionnaires being kicked out of S.T.A.R. Labs, and out of a home, until they can find a solution to get back to their time.

It also leads to the heartbreaking scene at the diner where Bart is very bluntly and firmly told that he was absolutely not accepted as a Legionnaire. But not only that, he was the first ever hero to be turned down. Superboy at this time is an honorary member so it's a poignant gut-punch and it's hard to read.

Querl lurks outside for reasons unknown.

In true Bart Allen fashion all he wanted to do was help and he did act earnestly it just was not a good day. Six to One rejected him and the comics do not reveal who voted to allow him in.

It is likely that Querl voted to allow him membership, but we never find out, but it is my personal interpretation due to how the final page goes and this is where we see Querl lean into compassion for someone kindred. Maybe he saw a little bit of himself in him.

Querl opens up to Bart literal direct communication and this is the start of a positive friendship between them. Bart has this link with Querl for an impressively long time in comic continuity, at least 11 issues, however the comics do not show them actively communicating until later when Bart is needed to help save the world from C.O.M.P.U.T.O.

We see them again in Legion of Super-Heroes (1989) #99 when Querl reveals to his team that he shares a link with Bart and summons him. Much to the Legionnaires' bemoaning.

Querl isn't wrong, they really are up against time and a threat that is literally world-ending. He trusts Bart is capable and reliable enough to efficiently help them at this point and Bart does.

We also get a humorous snippet showing Querl trying to translate Bart's pictograms. If anything, communicating with Bart sometimes had to have been a mental exercise that he either appreciated or attained a migraine from.

After this point, we do not see them interact much except for in the Teen Titans/Legion Special, and then the next time they are seen even in the same proximity is during Final Crisis when another Brainiac 5 entirely bottles Bart's 'youth' and leads to his resurrection.

They had an interesting and unexpected dynamic/friendship and it is one I feel people generally neglect to notice or consider unless you happen to be a fan of both comics.

We do see some hints in other media that is a throw-back to this old friendship and dynamic such as in The Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century Issue #15 when an alternative history to Bart Allen lands him working with Querl in his birth time.

In this particular version of Bart he has not evacuated to the past (if he ever does) and he is still in VR, however he still works with Querl in harmony and manages to impress them enough to get an invite to the team immediately. The entire issue is like a little love-letter to Bart and is a delight to read and stands on its own.

So there's Bart's interesting relationship/friendship to Earth 247's Brainiac 5 that maybe some in the Flashfam fandom or LOSH fandom may have overlooked.

It's fun, it's unexpected and it's interesting, and it would have been nice to see it a little more fleshed out but 1000 years of time displacement just makes this impossible.

[danothan]

do you guys think speedsters have calluses, despite their accelerated healing? if anything, i feel like they should BECAUSE of it, since calluses form as a way to heal over repetitive pressure/friction. ig they could also heal anew without calluses, but would there even be enough time in between? with all the running speedsters do, that Repetition would build up over time to be more of a Constant

then again, a part of me thinks that as often as speedsters run, it would still not be enough to counteract how rapidly they heal, esp considering that the speedforce is meant to protect the speedster’s body from friction. barry himself says that he doesn’t wear down his socks any faster than usual when wally gifts him socks every year for christmas. i’m also reminded of knight terrors: flash when barry transforms into a callused creature of a thing bc there’s smth interfering with the speedforce, so his body has to compensate for the friction

huh, so i guess the takeaway is that in a general setting, speedster DON’T get calluses! at least not any more than the average person, probably even less so if at all actually. which now seems obvious in retrospect, but it’s fun going thru the process and showing the work for it lol

[scarabaebutch]

(Continuing from replies for space)

scarabaebutch

Oh, but Savitar didn't appear and gain his powers until /after/ the 40s/50s, during the era when Jay had retired but Johnny was still semi-active. The first battle with Savitar had Max jump to about the 70s or so (looking at the panels time era). Unless Savitar existed/time traveled before the 40s, Max didn't meet and train Jay and Johnny Quick with the intention of making them backup for the inevitable fight for Savitar. Wally, Jesse, and Bart are another matter though.

Original Poster/givemewallywestorgivemedeath

Mm, I went back and reread Dead Heat and you're totally right on that one. Savitar's origin is truly wild to me. I always think of him as some ancient god man but he's just this goofy ass test pilot lmfao

@scarabaebutch I mean, they come out and say it about Wally, Jesse and Bart but yeah I guess Jay and Johnny is more up in the air.... Wasn't there like a mural and a prophecy tho? I can't remember if Max knew about that or not.... Actually scratch that, that might've just been the Rebirth mural

Indeed! Savitar had liked to style himself as an Ultra Speed God and whatnot. And to be fair, he presented a hell of a challenge during Dead Heat, but he was test pilot in his pre-speedster life, though his birth name and family story was left unknown. Then Wally chucked him into the Speed-Force, as Savitar was wanting all along since he's a weirdo.

The mural was only in Rebirth (created by the Gorillas of Gorilla City), which depicted how Barry functioned as a keystone conduit for the Speed Force and was linked to the rest of the Flashfam. There was no prophecy concerning Savitar, besides Max being dramatic, of course, in his own journals like, "I need to gather allies and prepare for this holy war." There was Jenni being from the future and Iris knowing the future (and how to defeat Savitar, more or less).

But agreed on Wally, Jesse, and Bart though! Jay and Johnny were fellow speedsters he found and met during the 1940s. The full extent of their beginning friendship and/or training relationships is mostly unfilled by canon. I remember reading a story about the time Max and Jay worked together against Screaming Skull.

The thing that really gets me about the camping trip (on top of everything else I mentioned), is that Max was going to leave regardless.

It didn't matter what Bart did. Max had already made up his mind. He just needed an excuse.

Play through the scenario with me for a second. Imagine Bart had passed Max's tests with flying colors. What then?

Well, if Bart had passed then Max would've been thrilled! Max's job would've been done. Bart would have been done his training and Max would have left.

You have to remember that Max wasn't there to raise a child. He wasn't there to be a father and watch Bart grow up and go off to university.

Max was there to train the next Flash. That was it. The second that job was done, Max was gone.

If Bart failed Max's tests then Max would've written Bart off as untrainable and left. If Bart passed Max's tests then Max would've given him his stamp of approval and left.

Max was so frustrated because Bart was so close to passing. Max wanted it to be done then and there, he didn't want to stick around to push Bart that extra little bit. And then Max had the big realization (I explain that in the previous post) and Max left.

But there was no situation in which he would have stayed.

Max didn't want to be a mentor. He didn't train speedsters out of love or because he enjoyed teaching. Max did it out of necessity.

See, Max knew that Savitar would return one day. Max needed fully trained and capable speedsters ready for when he did. Max is very clear about that.

When Max felt Savitar gearing up to escape the speedforce the first time, he immediately went out to find the speedsters of the time. Max trained a young Johnny Quick and a young Jay Garrick so that Max would have backup.

But Johnny was too bull-headed to listen to Max, too caught up in science to believe what Max was saying about the speedforce. And Jay had the skill and the drive but he didn't have enough power to face Savitar.

There's a reason why Max was so invested in Johnny and Jay in their 20's (when Savitar was returning), and then fucked off for literal decades (when Savitar wasn't a concern), and then was suddenly all over training Wally, Jesse and Bart (when Savitar was returning again).

I'm sorry to be blunt about it because I know it really hurts to think about it but Max wasn't doing this out of the kindness of his heart. He wanted an army.

Max was training Wally and Jesse but he was running into the same problems as before. Wally 'I was raised by science loving Barry Allen and I don't believe in magic' West had the raw power but wouldn't listen to Max at all about the speedforce. Jesse was more than willing to listen but she didn't have enough power to be a contender.

So suddenly Max is in the same position as before. He has a Flash and Quick, one too stubborn and one with too weak of a connection.

He couldn't go back to Johnny and Jay because they were senior citizens, so he just had to keep at it with Wally and Jesse and hope that they'd be able to do it.

Enter Bart stage left.

Suddenly there's a speedster with enough sheer raw power to take on Savitar. One with zero preconceptions about magic (or anything, really). A speedster that Max could train and mold into the perfect warrior. A weapon of mass destruction to take down Savitar once and for all.

So Max started really focusing on Bart. Bart was his plan B for if Wally and Jesse failed.

And you know what? Savitar came back. Wally actually managed to pull his head out of his ass and he had managed to figure out some speedforce tricks. Jesse's speedforce connection was a moot point because she didn't need her speed at all, Jesse kicked ass with her other meta powers. Jay became the epitome of 'an old dog can learn new tricks' and he was able to hold his own. Johnny actually listened to Max for once in his life and ran without his formula, relying on the speedforce instead. Also, Jenni showed up and was their surprise wild card.

And Bart? Bart wasn't plan B. Bart was center stage. Bart was there, Bart was capable and Bart was ready.

Max had been categorically wrong about everything. People could change with love and support, people could grow and learn and thrive. This was a family of people who cared about each other. They would move heaven and earth for each other. They made the impossible possible. And Max just wasn't used to that. He was used to holding people at a distance and not getting attached.

It should be noted that the camping trip happened after the fight with Savitar.

Max was really only there for his daughter. And once Helen wasn't interested? Max was gone.

He didn't really need to train Bart anymore. He certainly wasn't his father. In Max's mind Bart was better off with someone else entirely.

I really do think that Max had to leave though. Narratively speaking. Because when he came back? He came back for Bart. He came back to parent Bart.

From then on Bart's wellbeing always came first. Bart wanted to quit being a hero? If that made him happy then Max supported him. Dogs were good for children's development? Max got Bart a dog.

Max made the decision to stay for Bart. Max kept making the decision to stay for Bart. His desire to run didn't just disappear after that, but he stayed. Because from that point on Bart came first. From that point on Max was a dad.

[miryum]

"Halloween II"

Summary: Detective!Jason Todd x detective!Reader based on Jake and Amy's relationship

Series Warnings: Swearing, descriptions of violence (but nothing descriptive), guns and other police stuff

Series Masterlist

“Oh, hey there, Captain.” Y/n strolled into Wayne’s office without knocking. “Just curious, do you know what day it is?”

Captain Wayne slowly looked up. “Well, based on the fact that a week ago it was October twenty-fourth, it's say today is…” 

Y/n interrupted him. “It's Halloween,” she said bluntly. “Just say it's Halloween.” 

“It's Halloween.” 

“Aaaaaand what happened last Halloween?” 

Wayne sighed. “Last year, you bet me that you could steal my medal of valour. And you did. Consequently, I was forced to do your paperwork for a week and to say words I thought I'd never have to say: Y/n L/n is an amazing detective-slash-genius.” 

“But now it's time for round two of our Halloween bet!” Y/n announced. “This year, I believe I'll make things more difficult for myself. Let's say, what, I steal the watch right off your wrist.” She eyed the golden watch on Bruce’s wrist.

“Or we could just not do it at all this year.” Wayne shrugged.

“What?” Y/n exclaimed. “Sir, with all due respect, come on, man!” 

“It's not worth it just so you might call me an amazing captain-slash-genius and give me one week of overtime for free.” 

“All right, fine, I'll double the overtime,” she cried. “I'll triple it! I'll quadrupal it! I will five-drupal it. I'll five-drupal the overtime.” Wayne looked up, catching her eye. “Oop. Got his attention! He's coming back to me….”

“Just to clarify. If you steal my watch by midnight, I will do your paperwork for a week, but if you fail, you give me five weeks of overtime for free.” He raised his brows.

“Correct.”

“I'm doing a cost-benefit analysis in my head… The benefits outweigh the costs. We have reached an accord.” 

“Accords!” Y/n yelled out in victory, pumping her fist in the air. 

“Greetings, comrades,” Y/n strolled into the briefing room, wearing a three-piece tuxedo and top hat. “And welcome to the most important briefing of your lives. As you all know, the Wayne-L/n Halloween bet has been made, and the clock… doth… tick.”

“What's with the tux?” Jason leaned back in his chair, feet kicked up on the table. Damian, who was sitting next to him, pushed Todd’s feet off the table. 

“I decided to class up this year's event. If I look the part, I’ll be the part.” 

“What’s the part?” Cass snickered. “A bad magician from the fifties?” 

Y/n rolled her eyes and ignored her friend. “Let's get down to business. To defeat… the Huns! Anyway, I've been planning this for three months. And yes, Dick, that’s what I’ve been doing instead of work. You've all been given a specific role and a code name. Cass, you're Orphan. Sarge, Nightwing. Jason, my love, you’re Red Hood. Timmy, Red Robin- yes like the chain restaurant. Stop complaining. Steph, you will be Spoiler. Dami… I didn’t count on you wanting to help me. But no matter. You’ll be Robin.” They all nodded, Steph shooting her a thumbs-up and Damian protesting about the similarities between his and Tim’s nicknames. “Now, because of last year, Captain will suspect that you guys are helping me, so we’ll never get anywhere near his watch. However, the actual theft will be pulled off by Bart Allen, aka ‘The Flash!’” 

Bart sauntered in, grinning. “How you doing? Call me ‘Flash.’”

“Hey, I remember this guy,” Jason scooted forward, glaring at Bart.

“That's probably because you've arrested him twice for pickpocketing,” Y/n didn’t meet Jason’s eye, chuckling unevenly.

“You have a criminal helping you? That's crazy!” Jason jumped up, hand flying to his belt. He didn’t know what he would grab- his gun, his taser, or what- but he was ready.

“Grow up, Jason.” Y/n scoffed. “Now, we will all work together to move the Captain into position. Once there, The Flash (loving that code name) will remove the Captain’s watch and replace it with this replica watch.” She reached into her pocket and withdrew a satin box which held a copy of Wayne’s watch.

The team still seemed unconvinced. “Y/n,” Tim asked, “if he's been arrested before, are you sure he’s any good?”

Y/n presented proudly, “perhaps this will answer your question. Flash!” 

Bart smirked and pulled out Dick’s wedding ring, Jason’s wallet, Tim’s notepad, Steph’s hair tie, and even Damian’s knife. He was too scared to take anything from Cass. 

“Dami, why do you have a knife?” 

“Nevermind that.” 

“Great!” Y/n cried. “Let's win this bet!” 

Y/n jumped in front of Wayne’s window and greeted him in a posh accent. “Salutations, Cap-i-tan. I was wondering, perchance, if thou would like to join thine in attending the ballet this fine eve?”

Wayne stayed in his seat. “I'll pass, choosing instead to stay in my locked office with my watch still safely on my wrist.” He held up his fist, displaying the watch, still on his wrist.

“I had a feeling you might say that.” Y/n raised a brow, a glimmer of a smile on her face. It was all going according to plan. “Thusfore, I have brought the glorious ballet to you, featuring our own lovely Cassandra Cain.”

Cass, dressed in tights and her black t-shirt, waved awkwardly to her Capitan before Y/n pressed a button on a comically large boombox and Swan Lake played on the speaker. Cass hopped into fifth position before elegantly beginning the dance. 

Y/n watched, entranced for a moment before remembering her plan and speaking into her comms, “Now, Red Hood! Go, go!” Jason knelt before Wayne’s office door and smashed it with a chisel and hammer, effectively making a small hole in the door. “Go Red Robin!” Tim somersaulted and pushed a smoke bomb into the hole, smoking Wayne out. Steph marched a line of criminals past Wayne’s path, blocking his way and pushing him back towards his fumed office. Dick dropped a bag of marbles from up in the ceiling, creating a minefield of slipperiness. Damian piloted a drone which “accidentally” crashed into Flash, an “innocent” bystander, who fell over dramatically. Damian pushed the controls into Steph’s hands, blaming her.

“L/n, that's enough!” Captain Wayne shouted.

“Ooh, that’s his angry voice.” Y/n hissed. Swan Lake continued playing in the background until she shut off the boombox.

“Sir, I am so sorry.” Wayne helped Bart up, apologising profusely. Bart slipped Bruce’s watch off his wrist and slid it into his own pocket. 

“I just wanted somebody to check my son's candy,” Bart explained. 

“Please, let me help you. On behalf of the sixty-sixth, forgive us.” 

Flash presented the watch to Y/n behind his back. Y/n whispered victoriously into the comms, “Flash has grabbed the package!”

“I'll have someone check your son's bag of candy immediately,” Wayne reassured Bart. “If you need anything, please, contact me.” Wayne pulled aside another officer and handed the bag of candy to him. “Duke, the candy.”

“I'll do that. Thank you.” 

Bart shook Captain Wayne’s hand again and flipped the replica watch onto the latter’s wrist.

“The replica is on.” Y/n grinned. “Game over.”

Wayne turned to his officers and they all stood at regretful attention. “I know this was all done in the spirit of a friendly bet, but it went too far. Am I understood? L/n?” His voice was low and menacing.

“Yes, sir. Completely understood, sir.” Y/n hung her head. “I'm sorry.” She muttered under her breath, “but not as sorry as you're going to be at midnight, when you realise you've lost everything.” 

Later, she strolled into records and leaned on the desk. Steph skipped in after her. “Hello there, Barbara, my lovely work wife. I believe a tall, nimble-fingered man named Bart Allen left a package for me.” 

“Yeah, it's here! Give me one second.” Barbara smiled and dug under her desk, pulling out the satin box. 

“Thank you! Here we go.” She opened the box and frowned. “That's weird, it's just a note. ‘Thanks for the watch?’ Oh, shit!” She stamped her foot. “Allen stole the Captain's watch!” She took a deep breath and tried to think rationally. “We're okay. It's not over yet. I still have two hours to find Flash and get Wayne’s watch back.”

“But how?” Stephanie raised a brow. “He could be anywhere! He could be in Canada by now. There’re so many forests up there. It’s like one giant hiding place.” 

“Steph, you’re not helping my anxiety right now.” Y/n bounced on the balls of her feet. “Okay, let's look up Allen’s arrest records, past addresses, known associates, et cetera.”

“L/n.“ Wayne stood in the doorway, beckoning her.

Y/n whispered hurriedly to Steph, “run, Spoiler, run!” She shoved the box into Steph’s hands. Steph made a pathetic excuse before running off.

“I'd like to ask a favour,” Captain Wayne offered. “Could we suspend this bet for ten minutes? Clark is bringing dinner for me and I don't think he'd appreciate this bet we made. This watch was given to me by his father just before he died.” 

“Oh!” Y/n squeaked. “A death watch. Cool. Cool cool cool cool cool cool cool.”

“Please,” Wayne sighed. ”Never call it that.” 

”Noted.” Her cell phone vibrated and Y/n laughed awkwardly. “You know what? You can have ten minutes, no problem. Love you, bye!” She hurried out of the room and into the bullpen where Steph was waiting. “Brown, Flash just texted. He said he wants to meet up. But we gotta be cool.” She glanced over to where Wayne was returning from records. “Captain's watching. Pretend I just said something really funny.” Y/n and Stephanie laughed loudly in a clearly fake tone. The former pushed her friend towards the elevator. “Let’s get outta here. We gotta go.”

Outside, Y/n explained, “okay, Flash wants to meet us in the alley by Sullivan and Danbrook.” The pair started towards their destination.

“What's the playbook, N/n?” Steph rubbed her hands together greedily. “You know I’m never opposed to tasing someone.”

“We go in hard and tough and take what's rightfully ours.” Y/n punched her fist into her palm.

Later, Bart declared, “I want three hundred dollars. I would say five hundred, but I feel bad swindling you nice young ladies.”

“Absolutely, no problem,” Y/n agreed immediately. “Whatever you need.” She dug open her wallet and cringed. “I have fifty dollars… can I Venmo you?”

“Oh, I have one hundred twenty,” Steph offered. 

“No, I’m not taking money from you,” Y/n muttered. “But I did steal thirty dollars from Jason the other week… How about… one hundred dollars, borrowing twenty from Steph which I’ll pay back.”

“And I want your sweater.”

“My GCPD windbreaker?” Y/n’s brows furrowed. “Why?”

“Cause it looks cool.”

“You know what, fine.” She slung off her windbreaker and chucked it at Bart. “Can I please have the watch now?”

“You already have it. You’ve had it all along.” Bart shrugged.

“What? What are you talking about?” Y/n patted her pockets. “No I don’t.”

“I put it in the glove compartment of your car.” He nodded towards Y/n’s old, dark blue Mini Cooper. “You think I'm gonna walk around with a stolen police captain's watch?” He scoffed. “I'm an idiot, but I’m not stupid.”

Y/n deadpanned, “well, I would say thank you, but even for a criminal, your customer service has been abysmal.”

“My pleasure.” He winked and started sauntering away. ”Have a good night!”

Y/n sighed. “Let's get back to the precinct and win this bet.”

Steph gasped and cried out, ”Y/n! Your car!”

Y/n’s car was currently being towed by a truck. “No!” Y/n started running after the tow truck, but it quickly turned a corner and was lost in the city of Gotham.

”Y/n, you parked in front of a hydrant.” Steph pointed to the hydrant that had stood in front of her car.

“Stupid fire department! I could’ve sworn…” She trailed off and shook her head. “Nevermind. We gotta think of a way to catch that truck.”

“Oh! How about this?” Steph grabbed an abandoned shopping cart and rattled it.

“Yes. I love the way you think.”

“Hop in.” Steph grinned. Y/n jumped in and Steph took off running, hanging onto the cart as if she was racing down the toilet paper aisle at Target.

“We're doing it, Brown!” Y/n cried, wind whipping her hair. “We're Tokyo drifting! You’re the champagne of friends, Steph!”

Eventually, they were forced to come to a stop in front of a large group of party goers. “I can't see the tow truck anymore!” Y/n complained.

“Maybe we can get a cab,” Steph offered. “There's still time to get that watch.”

“All right.” Y/n groaned as she fell out of the cart. “Excuse me!” She weaved through the crowd, yelling, “excuse me! Coatless cop coming through.”

A person dressed up in a giant teddy bear costume grabbed Steph and pulled her away into the festivities. “Y/n, where are you? Hey! Take it easy! Get off of me!” 

Y/n’s head whipped around, looking for her friend. A party bus pulled up and she heard Steph’s voice call, “Look, party bus! Toot! Toot!”

“Good idea, Brown. Move!” She pushed her way onto the bus and showed her badge to the driver. “GCPD. I won't stop the party, but I do need the bus.”

The bus driver, dressed in a ninja costume grumbled, but took off.

The party bus was loud and neon lights flashed throughout it. A stripper pole stood proudly in the middle and a woman in a skimpy ballerina costume held court on it. Y/n’s attention was immediately taken by a shirtless man in tight black jeans and a matching black mask covering his eyes to conceal his identity.

The man bent down, hand offered to Y/n. He smirked and cocked a brow. “Ma’am. May I have this dance?” He spoke like he was at a seventeenth century ball, not a rave inside of an old city bus.

”Oh.” Y/n’s cheeks burned, eyes roving up the faceless man’s body. “What is happening here?”

Another partygoer, dressed as a cat, exclaimed, “it’s Halloween, girlfriend! Lighten up!”

“It's Halloween!” The man who still gripped Y/n’s hand repeated.

Y/n contemplated for a moment before shrugging. “Well, gotta do something for sixteen blocks. Halloween!”

Y/n stumbled off the bus, margarita in hand and a hickey on her neck. “Thanks for the ride!” She called to the bus riders. “Tag me in those pics.”

She walked up to the Impound Lot, only to be stopped by the supervisor who sat in an entrance box, looking bored.

“Hi there!” Y/n greeted the supervisor. ”I'm Y/n L/n, GCPD. You guys towed my car, and I really need it back.”

“Mm-hmm.” The supervisor seemed unimpressed. “Got a badge?”

“Yes, I do. Who do you think I am? A lying wannabe?” She dug into her pocket but didn’t feel the signature press of it against her palm. “What? Oh geez, my badge! Those shitheads on the party bus must have stolen it!”

“Listen, if you have a licence and credit card, you can pay to get it out?” the supervisor offered.

“Oh, okay! Thank you. Finally, something goes right.” Y/n sighed in relief before shrieking, ”it's gone horribly wrong! I don't have my I.D. or my credit cards, but I really need that car. Please, I'm begging you.” 

“Rules are rules. I can't do anything for you. Well… unless…” his eyes roved her form. Y/n glared at him and shut his window forcefully.

“Men,” she sighed. Trudging back towards the road, Y/n’s eyes slowly wandered to the fence, a devious smile growing.

From atop the impound lot’s fence, Y/n commented, “look at the view from up here. I didn't know we lived near water.” She flipped her leg over and chuckled. “Look at me. I’m climbing a fucking fence. Ouch.” Her foot caught on the top of the fence. “Ow, ow, ow, ow.” She let out a scream as her foot became unstuck and she fell to the ground, scraping her elbow. “Okay. I’m in. Perfect.” She pulled herself up, groaning. “I can still win this bet. I can still win.” Flashing lights surrounded the impound lot and sirens filled the air. “No! No! Noooo!” She punched the ground in frustration.

“Freeze! Don't move!” The cop screamed.

Y/n grimaced. “There is a tiny chance I may not win this bet.”

Wayne slammed his hand down on the interrogation table. Y/n was handcuffed to the table, the exact same place she was three hundred and sixty five days ago. “Start talking now!”

Y/n exhaled and said quickly, “you seem upset. Well… here's the story. Remember that little Halloween bet that we made? I mean, you probably don't even remember. It was so early this morning.” Captain Wayne didn’t respond, his face stone. Y/n gulped. “Anywhoozle, it turns out the criminal I hired to lift your watch was not trustworthy and I subsequently lost your death watch.” She shifted, trying to sink into her clothes in order to hide the hickey. “But in the end, I like to think this whole thing is gonna bring us closer together. And isn't that what it's really all about?” She tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace.

“What are you saying?” Wayne scoffed. ”My watch is right here.” He held up his wrist and Y/n saw an undetectable emotion in his eyes.

Y/n shook her head. “No, I made a switch. That's a fake,” she mumbled, head hanging low.

Wayne lifted a brow, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “No. This one's a fake.” He held up another watch, identical to the one on his wrist.

Her eyes went wide and Y/n’s mouth dropped open. “What? No. What? No. What? No. You were behind all this? You played me, Captain! B- but how?” She stammered. ”I've been planning this theft for three months! I’m a genius!”

”Yes,” Wayne conceded. He inspected his nails, just as he’d seen Y/n and Cass do whenever they had the upper hand in a conversation. ”But I've been planning it for a year. Last Halloween, after you won the bet, I went back to my office to do everyone's paperwork, but I did no paperwork. I started to plot my revenge. I began by creating a word cloud.”

Captain Wayne sat in his office, surrounded by paperwork. However, instead of beginning, he opened a pad of paper and wrote: Halloween 2. 

Y/n scoffed. “But how could you have possibly known I was gonna try and steal your watch?”

“I knew you would try to take something important to me. During the year, I drew your attention to my watch.”

“You're eight minutes late.” Wayne pointed to his watch.

“L/n, you're 14 minutes late.” He held up his wrist.

“You're three minutes early... In Chicago.”

Y/n realised, “you annoyed me into stealing it!”

“Exactly.” Wayne had a triumphant beam plastered to his face. “Now you had a target, but you needed a plan. Fortunately, it walked through the door, handcuffed to Todd.” 

“This pickpocket is Bart Allen. He can take anything off of anyone,” Jason announced to Captain Wayne one day.

Y/n’s attention peaked and she shot up. “Anything? Anyone?” 

”The look on your face is priceless.” Wayne commented before continuing. “I put Allen into my employ immediately. Fast-forward to this morning. You commenced your plan. Allen stole my watch and then replaced it with the replica. While you celebrated, Allen put my watch back in my pocket while he gave you the replica. The watch never left my person.”

Y/n’s nose flared and she grumped, “I can see that you're enjoying this.”

“Immensely. But not nearly as much as I enjoyed phase two.”

“Phase two?”

Wayne paced around the room, monologuing his master plan. “During your meeting with Allen, Tim placed a fire hydrant in front of your car, which he then towed away. Next, I had to take Stephanie out of the equation. She had a badge and a gun, and she would do anything to help you. She’s a good detective and a loyal friend. But I digress. Enter a parade of drunks that separated the two of you long enough for Richard to kidnap Stephanie.”

“But if Dick kidnapped Steph, how did Steph tell me to get on the party bus?” Y/n asked.

“Around eight months ago at a morning briefing, I told the squad that a group of thieves were targeting party buses, just so I could record Steph saying,”

“Look, party bus! Toot toot!”

Y/n gaped, crying out, “I knew Brown would never knowingly betray me! We’re besties!”

“With your jacket gone, you didn't look like a cop, but you still had your badge and wallet. That is, until you entered the party bus. Damian drove the bus while Cass’ dancing distracted you as a mysterious partier stole your badge.”

Y/n flushed. “It was Jason in the mask! You sly son of a bitch!” She leaned back and offered, “well done. But I have to ask, did those guys at the impound really smash my car?” She squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the pile of insurance and debt that would fall on her.

Wayne shook his head. “No, in fact, I had them wash it.”

Y/n chuckled. “Good one, Captain. You can't ‘wash a car.’ So how'd you convince the whole squad to betray me? What'd you offer them?” She squinted at her Capitan, certain that he had lost a hundred dollars or something of similar effect.

“I asked them if they wanted to embarrass you and they instantly said yes.”

“Fair.” Y/n sighed. “I’m a little disappointed, but it’s completely understandable. I'm not gonna lie, it turns me on a little bit.”

Wayne stared at her, disbelief on his face. “Hmm. So in addition to the five weeks of free overtime, I believe I'm owed one more thing.” He finally let his full grin through.

“Yes. Here we go.” Y/n took a deep breath in, but Wayne stopped her.

“One moment.” He opened the door and the detectives (plus Damian) of the sixty-sixth precinct streamed in, clapping and cheering.

Y/n took a deep breath and conceded, “Very well. Captain Bruce Wayne... You are an amazing police captain-slash-genius.” The team applauded and Y/n said loudly over the noise, “But be warned, I started planning next year's heist just this minute!”

“Good,” Wayne said. “Then you're only three months behind.”

“You sick son of a bitch,” Y/n growled. 

The masked man ran his fingertips over Y/n’s waist, dancing to the music. He gripped her wrist and spun her around, pressing her against the wall of the bus.

“Oop! Hello…” Y/n raised a brow, searching the man’s face. He looked oddly familiar…

“Hello,” the man said in a low, gruff voice, leaning even closer to her. Y/n’s stomach turned over at his proximity. “You wanna have some fun?”

“I love fun.” Y/n said, “I have ten more blocks to have fun.” 

“Good.” The man’s lips brushed Y/n’s jaw and she shivered. 

“Oh, I like your version of fun.” 

His lips trailed down to her collarbone, leaving feather-light kisses in their wake. He found the spot that made her breath catch in her throat and smiled wickedly. “Perfect,” he muttered. As he began nibbling away, swiping his tongue over the sensitive spot, the masked man slipped something out of Y/n’s pocket and into his own. Her badge and wallet.

Soon, Y/n pushed him away, displeased that it was her stop. After she got off, Jason whipped off the mask and Cass did the same. Damian called from the driver’s seat, “Todd. You may want to sit down. You seem a little… excited.” 

Jason glanced down and blushed profusely, collapsing immediately.

[orange-s-mario]

11 + Bart Allen?

well the first thing I think about is uhh the character himself I guess? First thing means I just think of the character design, since that's what I think of before deeper analysis usually (unless the character is like unbelievably tragic or something, which bart isn't)

wait actually that's a lie. Sometimes I think about the first impulse when I see him instead.

[psychopathonadiet]

I have done research! Here you go~

For relationships, I honestly find TV tropes to be the best reference - looking at a fanfic that has its own page and then the tropes in the fanfic can give really good insight into each author's characterization. (I've linked some of the pages below.)

I DO, however, have several reddit threads or videos or other posts that may be of interest to you for comics-canon character analysis. I prioritized characters that you haven't written yet, that we've seen:

Character Analysis:

Barry Allen v Wally West // Bart Allen // All Flashes

Wonder Woman (Diana Prince) // 2 // 3

Donna Troy // 2

Cassie Sandsmark // 2

Green Lanterns of Earth // 2 // 3 // 4

Superman (Clark Kent) // 2

Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) // 2

I might add more later if I find some

need to do research.... if anyone can recommend me some fics or material to read about any member of the JL (batfam excluded because i read. so much about them already) it would be greatly appreciated 👍 i wanna make sure i'm writing all of our favorite characters correctly

like i feel i can write the titans pretty well but i have no idea what is going on with the flash family at any given time. i know there's a bit where they're always late to events? I'm playing loosey goosey with canon so i gotta be informed about what the consensus is on "ignore this/NEED that" in relation to their stories

[phoenixkaptain]

Nineties Tim Drake is a balancing act of being perfectly confident and competent when in the heat of battle, being completely sure of himself and being capable of changing his plans on a dime and all-around being borderline scary because of how well he can read his opponents moves and react to them, but outside of combat he is an awkward little duck boy who wants to befriend other superheroes but is also internally fanboying a bit over meeting other superheroes, so he comes across as stilted and nervous in social situations.

Yes I’m thinking about Tim Drake again. Did I ever truly stop thinking about Tim Drake? Who cares?

Tim is so funny because he is completely confident, the picture of a perfect leader, but the very second he has time to think about anything, he doubts literally everything he’s ever done. The Baseball Arc (my beloved) is a great example because Tim doesn’t trust himself, doesn’t actually believe what he’s doing will work, thinks he’s dooming two separate planets by being stupid. The comic goes out of its way to show us Tim doubting himself, because when he’s actually out on the field, playing baseball for the lives of billions of people (and yes, that is the funniest thing I’ve ever typed in my whole life) Tim is the complete opposite. More than trusting himself, he asks his friends to trust him, to believe in him that he can make them win a dumb baseball game and that he knows what he’s doing.

And they do trust him! That’s what really sticks, in Young Justice! The others trust Robin, they trust Tim, with their lives and the lives of everyone they know and care about. They trust him to do what he says he will, and he pushes himself so that he never lets them down because letting them down would prove that his doubts are correct.

But, even as he exceeds expectations, Tim is still doubting himself. He doubts that he’s a good enough Robin. He doubts that he lives up to Jason’s and Dick’s legacy. He doubts that he lives up to Bruce’s standards. He doubts that his plans will work, even as he comes up with a billion contingencies in the case that they don’t. He doubts himself, and Young Justice shows us this multiple times.

Tim Drake has a constant struggle with himself, with his internal voice that tells him he isn’t on the same level as the heroes he surrounds himself with.

But, the Young Justice team don’t believe he’s subpar. They’re baffled by him, they don’t understand him, they can’t read him at all, but they trust him and it means a lot to me that Tim can take the trust they put in him and build himself up with it. He trusts them just as much as they trust him.

He trusts them more than they trust themselves. He trusts Impulse even while everyone else thinks Bart is just an impulsive boy who can’t sit still. He trusts Wonder Girl even while Cassie doubts herself in similar ways that he does. He trusts Superboy even while Superboy struggles with everything under the sun. Tim even trusts Secret! Do you know how hard it is to trust Secret? Secret literally tried to murder Stephanie and Tim was just like “Girls will be girls” (I blame the writers for being sexist, but it is really funny to think that Tim thinks of girls in the same way people say “boys will be boys.” Like, he thinks that all applies to girls, not boys. Look who he surrounds himself with, Tim is more shocked when girls don’t punch each other to show affection)

Anyway, long story short, I fucking love how Tim is the most capable awkward little duck man in the world and I support him more than I support myself-

[kidflashimpulse]

Hey there! So I want to start writing some fics for bart and I want to make sure they are as accurate as possible and he's kinda the main point of your blog so I was wondering if you could give me like a rundown of his character, how he behaves, what his trauma is like stuff like that. If it's to long to post let me know and I'll message you privately

hey :) that’s exciting, looking forward to reading them 🤩 honestly i could give u a run down but i do think a lot of things i feel strongly about r largely personal interpretations of his character from what we’ve seen + extra trivia, especially on things like trauma. Ill edit later to link u to some think pieces/previous asks where i fleshed out some specifics about his characterisation/background cause honestly to fully answer this question id probably end up writing the equivalent of a fic 😭 lol but the thing is, even if i don’t entirely agree with others views on the matters, other approaches/perspectives on him can lead to really interesting plot/character exploration/stories that id still love to read about! so whilst i might have a general outline on his characterisation, i think it’s also important to go along with what u personally interpret/feel. Also it depends whether ur specifically asking about his yj tv or comics iteration? Though honestly, the core aspects of my answers to both would be pretty similar. But i’ll answer in terms of YJ as that’s very much the point of my blog like u mentioned lol

i think what might also be worth mentioning are traps that some writers (including myself) can fall into that r worth avoiding and why:

- adhd/speed is his full personality

like yes he can be excitable/hyper with his head in the clouds and yes he can be cute about it, but that’s not his only personality trait, he can be serious about things, cocky/bit of an asshole, but also sweet and sincere/speak his mind, but also dubious. He’s multifaceted/complex that way (layered just like anyone can be tbh). It all depends on the situation and seeing how he acts in the series it a good call to see how it can be mirrored/further portrayed in other situations.

- he’s a character that needs babysitting

again yes, it’s common that a lot of his friendships/relationships have a tolerance type of aspect to it, but people he’s at the very least good friends with genuinely like him and have a dynamic that’s on equal footing, some authors can accidentally infantilise him too much which is just not the way to go with him.

- he’s so traumatised that he needs therapy asap

this isn’t to say life is a breeze for him or that he doesn’t/can’t have deep issues. I mean he literally comes from a post-apocalyptic society, that’s pretty troubling. It has lead to traits like how he’s notably desensitised to things like death, has sticky fingers (tendency to steal), doesn’t really have any problem with lying nor confrontation. But from what we have seen he seems to be incredibly adaptable to situations as well as very happy/comfortable in his current time. And i really don’t think the answer to why he can live a comfortable life in the present is because he’s had therapy. I don’t think he’s visibly stuck on any particular trauma (not that he doesn’t have any, they just don’t weigh him down as much as it could) and that as a result of his background, he has a much higher than average threshold for what it takes to get him to break down. I think just because he’s not caught up on what could be personal traumas, doesn’t mean it doesn’t come without it’s issues. Being desensitised to that extent can come with its own problems and i think he has a different set of values than the average person on the team. I think an interesting approach to this is that his “issues” would come about in unexpected/uncomfortable ways/circumstances that can affect his normal relationships like with his family (jay/barry particularly).

- he has complexes about his intelligence/capability/being a hero

personally, i really don’t think this is/should be a trait of his. He IS intelligent/capable and a hero point blank period. Just because he might have an unconventional way of doing/seeing things, doesn’t mean it brings these things into question, atleast, in terms of how HE views himself. Doesn’t mean others won’t have their issues with it for whatever reason, but generally he’s a pretty confident guy to the point of being cocky. Not in the sense that he’s a total dick about it, but because he knows he’s that good and is proud of it. Now this is an interesting trait because i think it actually plays quite nicely with his airheaded/strange moments. I don’t think he fakes them necessarily, maybe plays it up but only because he’s having fun and LIKES having fun too, as well as because he doesn’t want to advertise certain things because of whatever agenda he may have.

a lot of this is a mix of what i consider instrinsic to his characterisation but also personal interpretations. Just because i think he can be cocky, doesn’t mean i don’t think he doesn’t have any insecurities. If anything reading a fic about it would be so interesting (and there have been many that have dealt with it amazingly). All these traits/views don’t exist in binary and can be nicely complimented with other takes/interpretations of them. As long as ur passionate about the story and his character, i think ultimately u can write a really cool story which id be so excited to read. Even if he’s just going clothes shopping and nothing would arise to all that i’ve mentioned, it would still be fun to read. It’s ultimately all just fun :)

Everything i described, can sound a bit confusing, so i’m sorry about that lol. I hope the asks I will link will help too! I think checking out his TV tropes section (Kid Flash II) is also useful, it gives a pretty good rundown on a fair amount of his traits.

here’s also a part of another section that i really like too lol

in terms of general facts, these might also help:

- he’s gay.

- he does go to school (he was enrolled pretty soon after his arrival to the present) .

- he has brown hair (i’m sorry but whenever i read he has red hair i literally frown LOL).

- he is the son of meloni thawne (this one is more his general comic lore but everyone pretty much takes it as canon so, since we are on this topic he has a half brother owen mercer (son of captain boomerang) and his cousin is Jenni (daughter of Dawn)).

- he doesn’t know every single thing that happens to every hero/person in the future, especially since the timeline has completely changed from his original one. What he does know, is subject to debate and it’s always interesting to see what direction different authors take it. What i believe has direct confirmation from greg as well as was suggested in the series is that he for example didn’t know artemis was undercover and that kaldur was a double agent. This could suggest literally anything (they died during that time/they die much later down the line/ they survived but alliances became vague under the mutual threat of a world apocalypse etc)

- he doesn’t want to return to his “original time” it kind of goes without saying but it’s been made pretty clear in the series. He feels relatively at home in the present. Doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t miss some things/people from his past though.

- whilst he is pretty lax about having a secret identity, he still has one. Jay doesn’t have one and is a public hero. Do with that what u will lol

- this one is only “suggested” based on the fact that no one saw him off when he left to the present. It’s suggested that his parents are dead.

for now i can’t think of anything else, if i do i’ll edit it in. Hope this was somewhat helpful :)

[dangerdeficit]

bart as the autism creature because he, too, is an autism creature. if you even care (if someone's already done this pls let me know, i don't intend to idea steal at all!!!)

[radioactive-earthshine]

Rated: Gen

Pairings: Bart Allen/Tim Drake

Word Count: 1161

Summary

Tim can never say 'no' to Bart, even when it might be the most sensible thing to do. But, when he tears up his hand while skateboarding and Bart is VERY insistent on being his White Mage, what else can he do?

Excerpt

“Oh!” Bart fished around in the kit until he found a white and yellow very aged tube of Neosporin. Both their eyes met in uncertainty before he took the cap off to reveal a wax memory of what the ointment once was. “Woof! Madame Tussaud called and she wants this on display!”  “How old is this medical kit?!”  “Uhhhh,” Bart looked it over and frowned when he found the date. “It’s from uh… 1992.”  “Bart, that’s from thirty one years ago!” Tim put his palm back in his mouth protectively. “Well, you know how old people hoard things. This isn’t nearly as bad as the can of beets I found in Max’s pantry, it was from the 1960s!” Bart laughed a little then at the memory. “I suggested we give it to Dr. Morlo for a chemical analysis, he might be able to make a cool gas out of it or something but, well, you know how he was.”  “I don’t actually,” Tim said as he pulled his palm out of his mouth, the wound had finally stopped bleeding. “I didn’t get to spend much time with him.”  “Right,” Bart sighed and he put his memories and feelings about Max away for later, he couldn’t deal with them now. “Anyway, the ointment is no-go but the band aid should be good, right?”  

For @melonlthawne

[dcmarvelshit]

So, the second issue came out. 

I have reservations how the issue was paced, but I can see what she is trying to set up. There are some things off about the characterization of a lot of the characters, but I am gonna hold on until like issue 4 to talk about them. (because there could be an explanation!) 

However, a positive note about the story (in midst of the seemly negative):  Bart’s characterization. 

He is surprisedly well done here: Fitzmartin is not writing Bart as an idiot, but rather the most clever of the trio here - this is his area of expertise and it is kinda showing! He is not happy-go-lucky and hyperactive as fandom and some writers like to write him - he is snarky, annoyed, and clearly wanting to get on with the greater mission. He is the one who is calling out most of the inconsistent beats in the narrative. He is not onboard with a lot of the things that the other characters are spitting out. He is quiet and observing, but also honest on his thoughts of the entire thing. It is interesting and is in character on some level. And it makes use of his intelligence and his experience with situations like this and bringing back the more serious parts of his character.

Looking at the panels where he makes a sexist comment - he clearly is uncomfortable with what he said and surprised he said it - so in other words, the world can control the words that the boys say - so there is a chance that the world can also control their thoughts on some level. 

Which brings up the Tim-Batman thing - where he goes, “yeah, I wanted the cowl.” <-- which is not in character of him! He never wanted to be Batman, Robin was supposed to be temporary, and every time he does become Batman, he always ends up miserable. 

And normally, I would dismiss that as bad writing - but for now, I am just gonna take into stride until the mini-series is over - because there is a pattern being set up throughout the second issue: 

Bart, when he makes a sexist comment that he would normally never make because he is not a perv!: Why did I say that? I was never like that... was I?

Tim, when Cassie tells him he always wanted to be Batman (even though he never did!): Is that true? I mean...I did think that. 

Both of the characters, when faced with the contradictions of their characters, were questioning it - pointing out how it feels off but at the same time, having a hard time saying why. 

Tim went on to justify it, saying that he told Detective Williams about wanting the cowl, but, it feels like he was only saying that to convince himself that Dream Cassie was right. 

Later on he goes: “so, who am I, if I’m not going to be Batman?” 

The Batman part feels tacked on - as if the thoughts were trying to push him to think that is why he was having identity issues - because of Damian, because of not getting the chance to be Batman anymore, but when in reality, that is not at all why! 

This is noted - because after this scene comes the Fake-Batman being an ass scene. Where Bernard is brought up, where he is being told he is in a phase.

That whole scene feels like it is to remind the audience that Tim’s thoughts are not true, the whole wanting-to-be Batman thing is not true.  

Like if Tim did want to be Batman, then he wants to be with Stephanie, but he doesn’t! He is happy with Bernard! He wants to try to be with Bernard! 

Tim is hesitant in accepting that being Batman is what he wants. 

(then again, it could be bad writing and I am analyzing it too much to justify it) 

Another thing I want to point is Bart’s whole spiel: 

“It’s like there are cracks in the world. And this total lack of awareness when it comes to other people... was it always like this?” 

First of all, the pattern of questioning and then the hesitation afterwards is there, like with Bart earlier and Tim. 

Second of all, there is obvious something wrong with the world - Bart can see it and he is getting a sense of what it is. 

Third of all, “total lack of awareness when it comes to other people” <- is this about how out of character some people are? Of course Bart could be talking to himself, but I think he is referring to how the world is structured and how biased and off it is on people’s characterization. 

Who knows? 

--

Regardless, this issue feels like it is setting things up again. 

Its strongest point is Bart’s characterization. (Obviously it is not the best, but it is not the most off in the issue) 

(then again I might also be missing things about Bart and that is why I think that.) 

[halion-halion-aito]

wait hold up.

so kon has canonically been compared to peter pan in comics. because he wasn't meant to grow up and all the shadow stuff.

meanwhile, one constant of bart's characterization is that he never stops believing and having faith, even when all odds are agaisnt him

which is also. a big part of wendy's character in the peter pan stories, where everyone tells her she should grow up but she won't let go of the neverland stories

in case you weren't getting my point, i'm telling you that bart and kon are 20th century peter pan and wendy, thank you for your attention

[cyclopstism]

hi, flash analysis time!

okay so i won't lie, i haven't seen an episode of the flash since cisco left, but i just watched a clip from 7x17 where bart gets upset at barry from assuming he doesn't know the weight of using thawne's name. he slams the desk in frustration, lightning courses through him, he's mad

but what i wanna talk about is nora. the way she tried to defuse the situation makes me think she's done something like that before. we all know bart's a momma's boy, and so maybe he and barry have had arguments like that in his youth, in the future. nora seems calm yet a bit shaken. i think maybe she's learned over the years how to calm her brother's rage, how to keep him from blowing up on a greater level. i think at times she can be a little scared of bart. that's not to say he's a big, scary monster, but seeing her brother mad like that? a bit jarring.

maybe i'm pulling this all from thin air, like i said, i haven't watched recent eps, but i'm interested to know other people's perspectives on this.

[yjwhatif]

What is going on with Bart?! (Part 1)

Ok I am definitely the only one who thinks this - but there is something weird going on with Bart in the last episode - or more specifically post X-pit... let me explain.

Bart is a pretty underused character throughout S3 and doesn’t play any major part in the final episode, yet there’s one moment that grabs my attention every time I see it - and that’s the moment when Bart elbows Garfield in the middle of Jeffs really important speech.

Jeff: Like the Outsiders, we must live in each other’s spotlight

Ok yes that is kinda a very Bart thing to do - his way of complimenting Gar for his achievements leading the outsiders - but it’s the fact that he doesn’t react in a regretful/apologetic way when Gar calls out in pain - he just stands there grinning at his clear injured friend and doesn’t bat an eyelid. (Also, does anyone else think Bart has a really evil/sadistic look to him in this shot - because I do and I can’t help but find it odd.)

Another thing about this scene is that not only is Bart front and centre in the panning shot of heroes (which I’ll come back to in part 2) - but he is completely separated from the two people he is usually paired with onscreen - and that’s Ed and Jaime who are both placed together at the very back of the shot. Now when I say ‘usually paired with’ I mean ALWAYS - excluding ’Homefires’ (though that is the first ep to show Ed’s in S3 - so I say it still counts) Bart is either next to Ed or Jaime or both - l know because I checked.

That is until they all come out of the pit - then something seems to change with the trio, for Bart appears to constantly isolate himself from the other two...

Now you probably think I sound mad, that I’m just reading too much into it the layout (as usual) but it’s there - it’s subtle - but it’s definitely there. Like I’ve highlighted with the season as a whole Bart is usually stood with E/J - it highlights his connection to them and establishes their specific friendship in comparison to the rest of the characters. Composition is important - especially in seating arrangements.

At the beginning of ‘Into the Breach’ Bart takes the front most central seat which draws attention to him - being the speedster he is he is always running headfirst into any situation with confidence - so he is at the very front of the ship and closest to the action. Then he has Ed sat in the seat next to him - this allows for them to share a two shot and again reinforce their connection - which they definitely have (see my post about Ed’s powers - there’s a few). This quick shot tells a lot - the angle even gives the impression that Bart is closer to Ed than Vic, which increases their divide - he doesn’t know Vic or maybe trust him yet, unlike he does with Ed. While Vic seems closer to Blue because we know they’ve previously made a connection offscreen - “Bluebeetle taught me that one”.

Yet fast forward to the scene at the premiere building post x-pit and thinking they’ve lost big time - when you look close there is a definite dynamic change between the trio. Though they are still grouped together, they are actually divided - the chairs divide them - whilst Ed and Jaime share the same sofa, Bart is on his own and thereby isolating himself from his friends. But not only that, look at the way he’s sat compared to everyone else - he is the only one with crossed legs. Whilst the others all mimic the same body language - hunched over, hands on knees, legs apart - they are all united in their defeat - but Bart is alone.

Noticeable again after Vic and the others return, Bart is on his own, the furthest away from the group - he is now the one hiding at the back - which is a big change from the shot on the bioship. Something has changed for him - he can’t connect with the two people we know he cares for.

It continues into ‘Nevermore’, this time on the bioship the trio are to the back - the dynamic they last had on the ship has altered massively. Ed now sits on his own side completely separated from Bart and Jaime - this may account for his own feelings of guilt (see my Outsiders in turmoil posts) - he feels he needs to distance himself because of his own failures. Yet he is still in line with Jaime - like in the all the previous shots post pit, he remains on equal ground with Jaime. But for Bart, he is disconnected and hiding at the very back - he has lost the confidence to be front and centre on missions and with his friends - but why?

They all experienced the pit, yet Bart seems the most affected (in a subtle sort of way) - from confident and eager, he’s now isolated and hidden away. And yes, these are very subtle moments that you don’t notice - but because this is animation that makes the subtlety more important - because these are conscious decision being made and agreed upon - they are not random acting choices like in live action.

Now my final notice for this part 1 post - because this has become very long - is the scene just after Vic disappears to follow Granny - I’ve only just noticed this whilst gathering pics for this post and it’s actually blown my mind.

So I’ve always found this moment strange because to me it feels like Bart is almost blaming Ed for everything - and when you look at the shot it does look like everyones giving him evils. I don’t think that is what’s happening but I can imagine that’s what Ed thinks is happening. However what I realised this time round is that that is the real Bart we hear - not the one we’ve followed in S2&3 - but the cynical one of the future. For 10 seconds Bart finally breaks character and drops the mask to reveal his true self - the realist of the apocalypse. Maybe this is why he’s distancing himself - he didn’t come to the past to have fun and joke around - he was a kid with a job to do - and just because he’s done it doesn’t mean he should lose focus. Maybe the pit reawakened the ghosts of his past - the lives lost because of the apocalypse - the lives that could still be lost if that future still happens because he was too distracted to notice the signs.

Barts psyche has always been what fascinates me about his character - because the happy goofball we see isn’t even the real Bart - thats Wally and Barry he’s imitating - Bart has spent 3 or so years living in the guise of what he wants people to see - what he thinks they expect to see in the grandson of Barry Allen - which is mad. This is why I want more Bart - I wanna see what isn’t being shown to us - and I think the x-pit might just have unlocked that possibility. 🤞

- To be continued in Part 2 -

Other Posts:

- Ed’s Powers - ‘Into the Pit’

- Outsiders in Turmoil 1-6 can be found under the tag outsidersinturmoil