#Jay’s ability to use superspeed without the Speed Force

[jaybirdwest]

Speedster healing ability is a pretty weird topic, or at least it was when Speedster powers were getting all of their development during the 90s

every Speedster was a little more unique/had more nuanced abilities pre-52, and i think about speedsters a lot so i’m gonna try my best to have an answer for this within the nuanced pre-52 stuff

for a while, a speedster’s ability to heal was more or less just “okay, you’re healing normally, but faster than anyone else can.” didn’t really count as a full-on healing ability in the way most people would think. it’s why Bart had to get a prosthetic kneecap after Slade kneecapped him in Titans, because his normal healing ability wouldn’t have fixed that.

in this, he was even healing fast enough that they had to injure him more for the sake of helping his healing ability heal things correctly.

Bart here is probably the best example of how 99% of speedsters would heal in a similar situation. so, if he was dancing at superspeed for a while, his bone structure could probably change that way? but i’m not sure if he’d have an easy way back. it’d just be like that until it went back in the same way anyone’s bone structure can change, rather than it being a conscious choice to change back

so that’s the normal speedster healing mechanics, at least pre-52

but i mentioned how some speedsters have more nuanced abilities because of Wally.

Wally’s connection to the Speed Force is pretty generally accepted to be deeper than anyone else’s, but it’s also just way more unique than anyone else’s. his body has pretty much been taken apart and rebuilt to process the Speed Force like no one else on multiple occasions (dude keeps getting lost in the Speed Force and coming out more powerful than before)

Wally’s uniqueness is relevant here because of Savitar and then the Dark Flash saga with Walter West. Savitar was the first speedster shown to be capable of actively speeding up his healing process to heal something he would’ve died to otherwise, pretty much being the first speedster to show a regenerative ability, something an alternate version of him taught to the alternate Walter West. but it came with a downside:

he was metabolizing wounds instantly, but he spontaneously aged himself in the process. (unsure if Savitar faced similar consequences when healing, but i’m assuming so because that’s where Walter learned the ability)

but then there’s Wally (our Wally) who’s shown the ability to heal his wounds instantaneously, but without the consequence of premature aging (and has even shown the ability to heal others with similar results). there are instances where writers have forgotten about his healing abilities (like the arc where his legs were shattered because they wanted an excuse to give him the Speed Force construct ability) but, he’d likely be able to instantly revert his bone structure to its normal state in a way other Speedsters couldn’t (tho i’m betting that’d be insanely uncomfortable)

I learned recently that when a kid starts dancing (ballet, etc.) at a young age their bone structure grows to reflect that they’re a dancer. So I’ve been wondering about Speedsters in the DC universe and whether time dilation affects bone structure when they run and whether their bone structure is different than everyone else’s because of just how much time they spend running.

I’m also very curious how it interacts with their healing factor and whether it can be undone or shifted based on what they’re doing at a high speed. Like, for instance, if YJ wanted Impulse to go undercover as a dancer, could he practice and train enough over a short period of time at super speed to make his bone structure seem as if he’s been dancing for years? And then could his bone structure go back to his version of normal afterwards if he stopped dancing and just went back to running? How does dancing as a kid affect how people run if it changes how their leg and foot bones grow? At what age does the growth change stop and would that even matter for a speedster given the healing factor? Does a speedster’s body have a sort of pre-set optimal version of the bone structure? Since age probably doesn’t matter then Wally and Barry could probably do the exact same thing, but how long would it take for them to replicate that kind of bone development? I don’t know the science behind any of this or how it would work, but I am very curious.

[cheloneuniverse]

Homestuck Kids

I like the idea that the Human kids aren’t baseline humans even before their god tiers as has been shown many times in the comic such as the most obvious Egbert-Crocker super-strength and Strilondes flash-step.

Prospit Kids

I see John, Jade, Jake and Jane having been build to be pursuit predators. I see them sweating differently than average people and having increased heat tolerance, getting more nutrients out of food and things that aren’t food that can still be eaten.

I also see them as having the most efficient energy systems and don’t have to eat or sleep as much as a baseline human.

Other abilities I see them having are below:

a. Stamina

John’s stamina is very high, he was able to continuously fight large amount of enemies in the span of a single day without getting exhausted, can take massive beatings and get back on his feet in minutes.

b. Super Strength

John and Jane as well as their Dads are extremely strong far beyond that of normal human beings.

c. Durability

John took a very long beating from two ogres without noticeably injury to show for it, was hit by a metal crowbar to the skull and was hit by a heavy wooden door and was capable to walk it off.

Jade fell several hundreds of stories and landed on Becquerel unharmed.

Jake was launched over the horizon and suffered only minor injuries. He also took a massive beating from The Felt before going down and defeated them in another timeline?

d. Super human speed

Jane has shown examples of superhuman speed such as when she ran from her place to the crater where she appeared in a really short amount of time, even while doing unnecessary manoeuvres like spinning in the air and jumping. Another example is when she flew from her planet to Jake’s planet in a really short amount of time. Also when she was mind-controlled by the Condesce, she blitzed Jake English in his god tier form.

Individual powers:

Jade (and other space players) also has beyond average spatial awareness which is part of what makes her such a great shot with the rifle because she has more of an awareness of where the object is than a baseline human would.

I see John as having more efficient lungs and oxygen transfer, resulting in reducing physical stress ad load on his body even during high physical activities as a result of his wind powers.

and also having enhanced reflexes (catching his glasses in mid-air after they were knocked off)

I like the head-canon that Jake and John have tall solid builds, Jade has a long lanky build of runner while Jane is build smaller with a stocky-curvy build.

Derse Kids

Meanwhile the Strilondes are ambush predators. Basically they can zip everywhere at short distance and have extremely fast reflexes. I found this theory the science behind Young Justice speedsters which I thought would explain the scientific explanation behind how their speed works:

Basically, their wicked speed involves the amped up movement of muscles, which uses ATP to activate myosin and actin filaments into shuffling across each other etc etc. The mitochondria in cells generate ATP using cellular respiration, which requires oxygen. Oxygen is delivered to the cells via hemoglobin on red blood cells (RBC). Thus, the more RBCs one possesses, the more ATP one will produce, and thus their muscles will become more efficient. So Jay, Barry, Wally, and Impulse must either have a superhuman amount of RBCs, or the hemoglobin on their RBCs can carry way more than the normal 4 molecules of oxygen. Cellular respiration also requires glucose, which is why our speedsters eat so much (explained in the most simplest terms, of course). Or their speed is simply a result of everything in their body–cells included–moving at a pumped-up inhuman speed, which would mean their cells are dying and dividing faster, and thus our speedsters would be aging faster, and will then die at a younger age.. which is not something we want, right? So I’m just going to go with the theory that the lightning + chemicals somehow gave the original Speedsters a tremendous bucket full of hemoglobin per RBC. This characteristic was obviously due to a permanent alteration in their DNA, as evident by their ability to pass on this phenotype to their children and grandchildren.

Other powers the Strilondes would need are

This article about the Flash and the physics of his speedster abilities could also be applied to the Strilondes and the secondary powers they would need for their flash step ability:

a. Enhanced healing, possibly via hyper-mitosis to compensate for instant acceleration and deceleration abilities

The Flash isn't just fast, he's instantly fast. He goes from standing still to blistering speed without any noticeable delay. Nothing in the real world accelerates that quickly. Even a cheetah has to take a few strides to get up to sprinting speed and a Lamborghini a few seconds of engine time to reach 60 mph. But Allen can accelerate at a rate that would break legs, smash organs against the inside of the rib cage, and generally wreck your body. Each stop would be like getting into a terrible car accident — although a supersonic plane crash might be more appropriate, in terms of speed and force…Hence, his (overly convenient, in my opinion) superhealing power. Without it, The Flash wouldn't do much at all — he would have died after just one super sprint. Just like Allen's body needs superhealing to make superspeed possible, his brain needs a major upgrade as well: Moving at superhuman speed requires superhuman reflexes. b. superhuman reflexes The human body already has fast reflexes. We can process information in mere milliseconds, and our instinctual reactions often happen before we even realize we're shielding our faces or ducking for cover. Kakalios mentions a sudden stop in stop-and-go traffic as an example: You're jolted into alertness, adrenaline surges, and you brace yourself for a collision, all within a single second. But Allen's reflexes would have to be unfathomably quick, considering the guy is constantly sprinting in and out of moving traffic as a blur. "The Flash obviously has a faster clock in his brain," Kakalios said. "He's moving at such speeds that if he had normal reaction times, he would be colliding into things." c. superhuman eyesight And these reflexes would mean nothing if his eyes weren't super-powered themselves, providing the visual input needed to make split-second decisions (though "split-second" may be an understatement with this kind of speed). Allen would need faster eyes to see all the obstacles coming at him at superspeed. And the way he looks to us at high-speed reveals why stock human eyes wouldn't cut it. "The Flash looks like a blur because the brain can’t process the optical signal that fast," Kakalios explained. d. superhuman anti-cling The kind of acceleration and deceleration the Flash experiences also cuts off circulation to the eyeballs. As test pilots in the space race undergoing G-force tests learned, this blinds you (at best, temporarily). We also need to look at the powerful electrical charge that Allen would build up while running. Friction between the ground and our feet is fundamental to walking and running, but it can also generate a static charge. And if enough builds up, it's discharged in a little static shock — a surprising jolt, but not dangerous or painful. The massive amounts of friction between the ground and the Flash's feet would generate a ton of electricity. So much, Kakalios suggests, that all that electricity running through his body would create a magnetic field, "pulling everything magnetic in his wake." At superspeed, the Flash would turn into a weaponized magnet, dragging cars, uprooting streetlights, and turning small metal objects into bullets rocketing behind him. The Flash couldn't keep himself from wrecking infrastructure and smashing bystanders with debris, let alone keep Central City safe from metahumans.

I also the idea Asukaskerian posed that the Strilonde kids can see into the ultraviolet range. I also theorize that Jade can as well due to her having enhanced senses of smell, hearing and sight as a result of merging with Becquerel. There is evidence of humans seeing into the ultraviolet range in real life as well as it seems to be a good theory. The fact that some people who see into ultraviolet have to wear sunglasses also leads credence to the theory. Source of info is from here

Most patients going in for radical eye surgery hope the surgeons won't have an accident that makes their vision any worse. Some wake up to find they can see colours far beyond the range humans are normally able to see. There is increasing evidence that patients who have cataracts, cancer or other eye problems treated by having their corneas surgically removed and replaced with artificial alternatives, often end up able to see colors in the ultraviolet range of the spectrum – colors of light visible to night-hunting raptors, some lizards and, oddly, ants, but not to humans. If this were a comic book or science fiction novel, this is where you'd find descriptions of strange creatures visible only in ghostly purple light, strange doors undetectable those not afflicted by aphakia, whole civilizations and a really coherent plot involving a threat to the human race that can be foiled only by humans able to see into The Purple.

Unfortunately, while the ability to see farther into the ultraviolet than other people is cool, it's not exactly a superpower. (It does do some really wacky things to the colors you're used to seeing, though.) The colors of light classified as ultraviolet are only one step above the normal human visual range, for one thing. Even un-aphakian humans can see some ultraviolet – which is used primarily to make raves and clubs look cool under black light (for the hipsters) or to identify bodily-fluid stains on sheets and furniture in hotel rooms (for the germophobes). While it's possible to see black-light lightbulbs and see the darkish cast they throw on objects that don't glow ultrawhite under them, most humans can't actually see the color of ultraviolet light.

Most people are able to see wavelengths of light ranging from 380 nanometers to 750 nanometers in frequency, a range that goes from dark red on the low-energy end of the spectrum, to violet on the high end. Our eyes are actually able to see farther into the ultraviolet, but most of those higher-energy, skin- and eye-damaging rays are filtered out by the cornea itself. Cut off the cornea and, unless the artificial replacement is designed to filter out the UV, you get to see more colors than other people. Bad luck if you're not a fan of purple, though. Alek Komarnitsky, an engineer who had his corneas replaced as a treatment for cataracts, describes UV as a blue-violet glow that makes a lot of things more interesting to play with – ultraviolet flashlights, colors of clothing and personal objects and monochromators that test the specific frequency of the light range he can see (He's an engineer; that's how engineers play. Most of you would do the same thing.) Only about 3 percent of aphakia patients get the extra UV vision, but who gets it and who doesn't has more to do with the sensitivity of their photoreceptors, not whether they're aliens like the character Kevin Spacey played in K-PAX (who believed his ability to see ultraviolet was evidence he was an alien). Those who do have to wear "blue blocker" sunglasses that block much more ultraviolet than most shades, to protect their eyes from the same high-energy rays that cause sunburns, make colors exposed to it fade toward plain white and break down the epoxies and resins that hold together the fibers in fiberglass, carbon-fiber and other manmade materials.

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

It does indeed! I'm missing three Flash kids!

Judy Garrick: 8/10

Judy Garrick is the daughter of Jay and Joan Garrick. Judy inherited her father's speed and helped him fight crime, joining her father as the Flash's sidekick 'the Boom'. As she likes to say, her dad is the Flash in the lightning and she's the Boom in the thunder. Judy was born in the 'golden age' but she was kidnapped from the time stream and any memories of her were wiped from existence.

In a very similar situation to what happened to Wally West, Bart Allen, Jay Garrick, Jesse Quick, Jai West, Irey West and Max Mercury, the timeline completely rearranged itself to erase any record or trace of Judy's existence. It was like she was never there and no one remembered her. Speedsters have got to stop doing this. It's a bad habit.

Judy was being kept on an island and was being forced to run on a treadmill to generate speedforce energy for some bad guys. She never aged during this and, when she eventually escaped, she remained a preteen despite being alive in the 1950's. She's a time lost speedster teenager. Her and Bart would have a lot in common.

Judy has her father's superspeed and has the same funky ability as Wally where she explodes anything she phases through. She uses this to her advantage and is a walking demolition expert.

Judy is getting an 8/10 because she's adorable, I like her vibe and she's been written really well so far. I must say that I don't love her backstory. I think it was really cool that Jay and Judy weren't able to have biological children because that isn't shown a lot in media. I would prefer if Judy was Jay's little sister that he adopted or his niece or something. What can I say? I'm a sucker for found family and nom conventional families. So one point off for that. Also another point off for how new she is and just generally not having a ton of characterization yet.

David Edwards: 7/10

David Edwards is the son of Michael and Diane Edwards, aka Wally and Bonnie West, nèe Blackmon. David was born and raised in an alternate future, one that was prevented at the end of the issue he was introduced in.

David's parents met when Bonnie went to Wally for help after she discovered that her boss was involved in criminal activity. Wally and Bonnie discover that Bonnie's boss was a crime lord and, after a couple of dates, Wally convinced Bonnie to testify against him. Bonnie's boss is thrown in jail after her testimony but not before he threatens Bonnie and her family. Wally continues to date Bonnie and, after Wally's mother is murdered by Bonnie's ex-boss on their wedding night, he eventually decides that they need to go into witness protection. They both get new names, new jobs and dye their hair.

David was born with his father's speed (and red hair) but unfortunately he never developed a speedforce aura. A speedster's speedforce aura protects them from the overwhelming heat, friction and wind they generate when they run. Without this natural barrier David was unable to ever use his speed without risking serious injuries or death. Despite this, David used his speed to save a young girl's life and he ended up in the hospital in critical condition. While in the hospital he is kidnapped by the crime boss. The crime boss steals David and Wally's speed (in the hopes of turning his own son into a speedster) but David's lack of a speedforce aura and Wally's insane amount of power turned out to be a fatal combination and it instantly killed the crime boss's son. In the end, Wally decided to give up his powers for his son and gave David all of his powers (including a functioning speedforce aura). The family was finally able to leave witness protection and Wally passed down his Flash ring to David. At the end of the issue we flashback to the present to when Bonnie and Wally first meet, only to see Bonnie's boss get to her before she can talk to Wally, preventing David's future from occuring.

David is 7/10 for me. The kid had spirit. Saving a little girl's life even though he knew he could die doing it?? Hero material right there. Some points off for the weirdness of Wally marrying someone who isn't Linda and for how briefly David was featured. Can't blame the kid too much but he was unconscious for most of the issue, so we didn't get much characterization. Wally and David's relationship was so wholesome though. Wally was ready to do anything for this kid. David didn't deserve getting erased from existence.

Wade West: 6.5/10

Wade is the newest addition to the West family. The third child of Wally and Linda and the younger brother to Irey and Jai, Wade has a lot of potential as a character. He was literally just born and he's an infant with very little characterization thus far but it's interesting to think of the possibilities with him. I, for one, am excited to see Irey and Jai mentoring Wade in the future. They have a ten year age gap so he would be the perfect Kid Flash for them!

We were also introduced to a future version of Wade during One Minute War and he was a fairly sassy preteen. He had a lot of spunk and wasn't afraid to yell but also genuinely loved his family. This version of Wade had superspeed on par with Wally and Irey. Wade has been shown to be very strong in the speedforce so far. So strong, in fact, that in the womb he was able to transfer his excess speedforce energy to his non-speedster mother and give her temporary super speed.

I'm giving Wade a 6.5/10 because I enjoy the possibilities of what his character could be and I liked the lil sassy future version of him. The missing 3.5 points is because of his lack of characterization thus far but I'm sure that will change in the future.

Ranking The Flash's Kids

Jimmy Garrick: 10/10

Buckle in folks, this one is sad. Little Jimmy Garrick was adopted by Joan and Jay Garrick shortly after World War Two. Jimmy was only four months old when he came into their lives and less than two weeks later Jimmy died of pneumonia. Although Joan and Jay had always wanted to be parents, the heartbreak was too much to bear and they never attempted to adopt again.

Jimmy gets a 10/10 for me because even though he was only in their lives for a short time, he meant the world to Joan and Jay.

Dawn and Don Allen: 5/10

The Tornado Twins are sharing a ranking because I have 12 kids here and Tumblr only allows ten photos. They got the same ranking anyway so it works. Dawn and Don Allen are Barry Allen and Iris West-Allen's biological children. Born in the future (after Barry and Iris time travelled there to retire) they grew up without their father as Barry had died saving the world. Both were born with superspeed and they became the heroes 'The Tornado Twins'. Don is the father of Bart Allen aka Impulse (and technically the genetic father of Thaddeus Thawne aka Inertia) and Dawn is the mother of Jenni Ognats aka XS. Both twins died saving the world from an alien invasion.

They both get a 5/10 because while they are very nice and their kids are awesome, ultimately, they don't really do much. On one hand, I get it, they're dead. But on the other hand? Dead speedsters show up all the time, so not really an excuse. The twins are great but DC needs to use them more.

Nora Allen: 3/10

Nora Allen is the daughter of Barry Allen and Jessica Cruz (aka Green Lantern). Nora is from an alternate universe where Jessica and Barry got married instead of Iris and Barry. Nora inherited Barry's speed and uses it to fight in her apocalyptic version of earth. She is the oldest of Barry and Jess' children and is dating Wonder Woman's son.

Nora is getting a 3/10. The Barry and Jess thing is just too weird. I'm not a fan of the age gap between Barry and Jess and I'm certainly not a fan of Barry marrying anyone but Iris. Nora seems nice enough but her design is just meh.

Jason and Jenny Allen: 4/10

From the same universe as Nora Allen, Jason Allen is the middle child and older twin to Jenny Allen. Jason (presumably named after Jason 'Jay' Garrick) was not born with superspeed but rather the full range of Lantern Light. Jenny also has 'Lantern Light' powers, like her twin, and they both seem to have problems controlling it. Barry and Jess are dead in this universe which had effected all of the kids but Jenny seemed to take it the hardest.

Jason is getting a higher ranking than Nora (4/10) only because his design and powers are a little bit more creative. He wasn't just a copy'n'paste of his parents which I like. He's still getting a lower rank, however, for the reasons I listed for Nora.

Like her twin brother, Jenny is getting a 4/10 and for all the same reasons. The design is a little bit more creative and the powers are neat. Nothing more to say really.

Joshua Jackam: 10/10

Are we counting Joshua Jackam as Wally West's kid or Barry Allen's kid? Josh is a tricky case but I wanted to add him because he's so cute. Warning, this one is sad as well. Joshua Jackam was believed to be Wally West's son with his ex girlfriend, Julie Jackam. Josh displayed lightning powers incredibly similar to Wally's speedforce lightning. It was later revealed that Josh was actually Weather Wizard's biological child. After Julie's death, Josh was adopted by none other than Iris West, Barry Allen's wife. Josh was ultimately killed not long after by Thaddeus Thawne. Now I'm counting Josh because Iris adopted him and even though Barry wasn't alive to meet him, this makes him Barry's adopted son in spirit to me.

Josh is getting a 10/10 because this little spark plug is an absolute cutie. There was a while where Iris couldn't show up in anything without Josh in her arms and I think it's adorable that the two of them were that close.

Iris 'Irey' West II: 10/10

Iris 'Irey' West the Second is the daughter of Wally West and Linda Park. Irey was born with a strange connection to the speedforce which caused her to rapidly age and made her powers manifest as intangibility rather than superspeed at first. After she fixes her speedforce connection (by taking her brother's half of it) she develops full blown superspeed and takes on the mantle of Impulse.

Irey gets a 10/10. She's smart, she's cute, she's sweet and she's fast, what more could you ask for? Sure she's a little impulsive at times but hey, what can you do? She has to live up to Bart's legacy.

Jai West: 9/10

Jai West is the twin brother to Irey West and the son of Wally and Linda. He shared a speedforce connection with his sister which caused them both to rapidly age and caused his powers to manifest as temporary super strength (he speed up the growth of his muscles). After his sister took his half of the speedforce he lost his powers completely. Although lately it's 50/50 if Jai shows up without powers or with full blown superspeed. Although he's been trained to fight, he has yet to pick an identity.

Jai is getting a 9/10. I love him as much as I love his sister but he does get a point demerit for his attitude. Saying mean things to his sister and suggesting that his father should rob a bank will unfortunately lower him to a 9/10.

Iris West II: 7/10

Iris West II, aka Kid Flash, is technically a different person than the Iris 'Irey' West II that we already ranked. This Iris is the alternate universe half sister to Irey. Although they look similar, Iris actually has a different mother because Wally didn't marry Linda in this universe. They just share the same name because Wally likes the name Iris in every universe. Iris grew up without a mother and a distant father. She was constantly trying to prove herself to her father. She wanted to show him that she could be a hero and that she would be his legacy.

Iris gets a 7/10. She's cool, her outfit rocks and she's constantly trying to help people, whether it's through volunteer work or through heroics. She gets some points off for her impulsivity. It'd be acceptable and fine if she were a child still (or even just Impulse) but as a teenager (and Kid Flash), it's not a great quality. Also she's a little bit hot headed, which she definitely gets from her father.

Barry West: 0/10

Barry West is the older brother to Iris West and is Wally West's son from an alternate universe. His mother is not Linda Park and is instead an unnamed woman that Wally married. Barry never became a hero or did anything with his life. He drinks, smokes and belittles his sister and father. He hates the Flash legacy and wants nothing to do with it. He even steals food from a charity.

0/10. Barry is the worst kid. Absolutely zero redeeming qualities. He acts like Rudy.

Johnny Tyler: 2/10

Johnny Tyler is the son of Jesse Chambers aka Jesse Quick and Rick Tyler, aka Hourman. Jesse was formerly the Flash so Johnny fits on this list. Johnny was named after his grandfather Johnny Chambers, aka Johnny Quick. Three of Johnny's grandparents were in the JSA (Johnny Quick, Liberty Belle and the original Hourman) and both of his parents are current members. So far it is unknown what powers Johnny has inherited, if any, as he is still an infant.

Last but not least (that honor goes to Barry West) is Johnny Tyler at a score of 2/10. Why is he so low? Because we've only seen him maybe twice. Where did he go? Does he even exist anymore? I don't think I've seen his parents mention him even once since Flashpoint.

Note:

Wally West, Wallace West and Bart Allen aren't being ranked here (although they are the Flash's kids in spirit) because they would break the scale