#magical girl billy batson
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Headcanon that Billy is not only immune to the magical lightning that helps him transform, but he’s also immune to normal lightning and all other forms of electricity.
At first, the realization is super cool. Billy doesn’t get hurt by static electricity anymore. He’s immune to Freddy’s hand buzzer pranks. He even gets 200 bucks from some big shot teenagers that dared him to touch an electric fence.
The problem comes when he tries to catch the bus in the rain one day and gets struck by REAL lightning. In front of dozens of people. Who are not supposed to know he’s immune to lightning. And Billy is very bad at improv.
Billy: *gets struck by lightning*
Billy: WHAT THE F—
Everyone: O_O
Billy: Oooo ouchh
Billy: I am in so much pain
#billy batson#dc captain marvel#captain marvel dc#shazam#dc universe#dc#freddy freeman#billy is bad at acting#wwyd if a child got struck by lightning in front of you then just walked it off#yes he did pretend to die in front of the teenagers just to watch them piss themselves in fear#billy batson is a little shit#but he's my little shit#magical girl billy batson#can you tell I'm going through my drafts today
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Thinkin about magical girl billy batson with a weapon like mjolnir but like something that shapeshifter
Ex: it’s in the form of a chainsaw, someone’s trying to baby billy so out of spite and sass he’s like “fine here you deal with it” and hands the person the chainsaw
It drops out there hands immediately and leaves a crater in the floor
#billy batson#shazam#captain marvel#dc#dcu#dc captain marvel#magical girl billy batson#magical girl#I think it’d be funny if it was Superman or something#everyone in the back like 😨#Superman’s trying to pick it up but it’s not budging
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So do you guys look at your favorite character and spend days making them a magical girl wardrobe or are you normal
Billy deserves only the best. I had more ideas but I'm burnt out now
#are these practicle?#absolutely not#but who cares#billy batson#shazam#captain marvel#dc#dc captain marvel#magical girl billy batson#magical girl
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haha finally debuting my magical girl marvels au! i was thinking of a manga cover while making this; i really wanted it to have a kinda hyperpop and sailor moon style.
So! In my version of this AU, the Marvels travel through different dimensions to fight the forces of evil to balance the multiversal scale! They do this, via train! The train is usually a subway, but it magically adapts to the dimensions they are in. (Ex. Submarine Looking Train for a mainly water dimension, an old style train for a dimension with a earlier timeline.)
Billy Batson is a Train Conductor! I based his outfit on those train conductor uniforms and I really like it. His main base powers are, of course, lighting, and the ability to make portals! He uses the portals in his fighting style, dodging with portals instead of blocking attacks. Billy can only teleport to a mirror dimension without the aid of the train, so he actually teleports to the mirror dimension in fights when he dodges, then portals back to the og dimension. The train boosts his powers so his ability to travel to the mirror dimension is enhanced, and he can travel to other dimensions when using the train. (Other then that, its a basic portal power lol)
Mary’s design was inspired by fairy tale princes, which is actually really random but I made it work. I wanted the three of them to be different genres of magical girls, but still fit look like they are in the same style. Her base powers in this AU is basically charisma (yes, literal charms), and lightning. So, her charisma powers are pretty much just that people will be more inclined to do things her way; she lets off an aura of power + confidence that no one can say no to (besides Billy and Freddy, they are immune). She also will look extremely intimidating to people when she wants to. So in a nutshell, her power is to change the way people perceive her, and use that to her advantage. Mary often uses this to do undercover work, or info gathering about the dimension they are in.
Freddy, is a mermaid based magical girl. He can shift between having a mermaid tail and his legs. His base powers are hydrokinesis (ability to control water) and (can you guess it?) lightning! Though not shown here, Freddy actually uses water to float himself around. The water is thinly covered over his body and he uses that to get around without his crutches. He learned how to do this after seeing how he can float in the water when swimming. Freddy doesn’t do this all the time because it requires a lot of control and it can tire himself out. He used to do it all the time, but once in a battle, he shifted all his focus into the fight and lost control of the water that makes him float. Freddy learnt to not completely rely on his powers all the time after that. I’ll go more into this specific event later bc I think this scenario would really impact how Freddy sees his disability, and how he learns to accept it. I imagine this Freddy is more recently disabled and that he still has bitter feelings about it. The thing with Freddy’s dad in the boat still happened (they got attacked by one of Billy’s enemies), and that’s when he got his leg injury. He met Billy that way and got his powers. (Basically just how CM3 got his powers.. idk why im explaining it)
The thing is that I, myself, am not disabled so I need a bit of help understanding what that would be like to accurately write Freddy’s struggles with his disability. 😭
Another thing is that I’m not sure what their hero names would be? I tried doing those precure names like ‘Cure Marvel!’ but that would only work for one of them and I would still need names. Marvel *insert something here* or *something* Marvel is an idea but I wouldn’t know what to put.
yeah, theres my au lol maybe i’ll post more about it
edit: i did post more about it! heres the linked posts!
Next
#shazam#billy batson#dc captain marvel#mary bromfield#mary batson#freddy freeman#magical girl marvels au#dc#dc comics#digital art#dc fanart#magical girl#mary marvel#captain marvel jr#magical marvels
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Magical boy Billy and Magical girl Mary
#billy batson#shazam#dc captain marvel#dc shazam#mary bromfield#mary marvel#this is the magical girl agenda
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More Shazamily/Marvel Family headcanons
Billy has a deep seated hatred for the Indiana Jones movies, there is no force on earth that can get him to watch any of the movies the whole way through
Normal magic rules don’t really apply to them in practice, they break and bend the rules a lot without realizing it. It’s one of the many perks of being champions and guardians of eternity, magic just goes with them and what they want to do
Have used spells from fantasy media’s to see if they work in real life; They do work but only for them, so each member of the Shazamily has a trump card in the form of random spells from random kids tv shows but they all use wands when they remember to just incase a spell backfires
Darla copied Star vs the forces of evil’s spells, no Fawcett villain likes admitting that they got beat by a Narwal Blast or a Warnicorn Stampede. Uses her wide array of princess and fairy wands she already has
Eugene, as seen in the first Shazam! movie, copy’s mortal combat moves and phrases. Doesn’t use a wand or a stand in for one much but uses a classic magicians wand from a magic kit he got
Billy binge watched every episode of Ben 10 and made a spread sheet of magical attacks shown in the show with Freddy to copy. Both use “Scribo in incendia” to multitask with homework and “Somus” to fall right asleep after patrol. Freddy uses his foam Wonder Woman sword and Billy just has a stick he picked up one day when he was 9 and hasn’t let go of since
Mary has copied some phrases from Sabrina the Teenage witch with varying levels of success, in part due to her not having full confidence in every attempt she makes. Bought one of those fancy wands with a gemstone at the end of them to cast spells
Pedro took a page out of Harry Potter and started using Latin to come up with his own spells. Uses whatever he has on hand as a wand, be it a pencil or the spork he was eating his lunch with
Billy has an older portable movie player he got as a hand me down gift from a foster sibling and a CD booklet with some kids movies in it that he’s held onto, its how he passed his rare instances of downtime when he was still homeless. Liked borrowing movies from local libraries to watch on it, some of the discs he actually owns are Matilda, the Night at the Museum trilogy, the Iron Giant, Tangled, Atlantis: the Lost Empire, and a CD copy of the second season of The Worlds Greatest Animal Detective; Tawky Tawny.
Freddy spends the first few years of his hero career pretending to be able bodied, constantly using his flight as a mobility aid, but decides later on to utilize a Wizards staff formed in a way to double as a crutch for him.
Followed by pidgins relentlessly. If a pidgin can go there they follow the Marvels everywhere. They’re chill, don’t steal their food or land on them, but they follow them everywhere. They all collectively blame Hermes influence as a patron god of messengers since pidgins are messenger birds (and yes it is the fault of his divine influence on them)
Billy got permission from the Wizard and other greek goddesses to have separate blessings for his sisters (Agility of Selene, Strength of Hippolyta, Stamina of Artemis, Flight of Zephyrus, Invulnerability of Aurora, and the Wisdom of Minerva) for the sole reason of keeping the influence and voices of Billy’s patrons out of their heads and away from them. (Because there’s no way in any form of hell he’s cursing Mary or Darla with Zeus to be in their heads)
They can talk to animals with the omnilinguistics the Wisdom of Solomon gives them, if anyone on the mortal plane can understand the language so can they. This has led to people seeing Captain Marvel coo back and forth with pidgins like they’re having a conversation (they’re talking about favorite snacks) and the one time he interrogated a rat through small squeaks to know which way a group of smugglers went.
Billy is an awesome gift giver, every year when the justice league has their annual white elephant on Dec 20th people pray they get their names drawn by him. He got Wally a bunch of shoes that were enchanted to not wear down from his speeding (dress shoes, running shoes, slippers, flip flops, the works), did some dimension hopping and time traveling to get a box full of Kryptonian books for Clark (including a collection of folklore with English translations so he can read a bedtime story to Jon), and a crud ton of sweets from the Funlands for J’onzz (including a giant Choco’s cookie big enough to sleep on.)
Freddy’s YouTube channel has a lot of videos of the Shazamily testing their powers based on comments, it has 2.3 million followers and the ad revenue they all rake in goes to helping out with the expenses at home and buying a lot of games at a 50/50 split
They are literally the only group of child vigilantes that are home in time for curfew/bed consistently, they’re more daytime heroes. The only exception being Billy when he has to go off world or to another dimension for League/Champion business but he always tells the Vasquez’s about them so they can call him in sick from school
Billy worked out an agreement with Harley Quinn so that him and his siblings could have semi-regular therapy appointments (hero/villain work permitting), she works her degree every other Tuesday and in return she gets Superman style flights whenever she wants and access to magical plant stuff for Ivy. Victor and Rosa worried about their kids mental health with all the responsibility and horrors of hero life but had no idea how to start getting them professional support for it so they’re glad Billy was able to find someone already in that life who could help and isn’t likely to endanger their identities.
#A mix and match of all my favorite Shazam lore#billy being a certified magical girl AND Disney princess with his powers#Darla definitely has that official spell book from SVTFOE it was probably a gift that turned out to be really useful#Eugene strikes more fear into the hearts of their villains than any other Shazamily member#the sheer embarrassment of knowing you got beat with a kamehameha or haduken deals so much psychic damage#Freddy thought about using his cane for magic but doesnt want to risk breaking it with a rouge spell#Billy just went the classic wizard route and magically bonks people with a stick and now hes attached#Mary has either started or joined a witch coven even if its just her and Darla practicing potion making#billy used to like the Disney movie Hercules but having Heracles and Zeus in your head nitpicking the whole thing each time kinda ruined it#Lik yes Heracles we get you actually went mad and killed Meg and this movie make you feel salty but let a kid enjoy zero to hero in peace#let Freddy have some body positivity dc you cowards#CM:(coos at a pidgin while looking for the legion of dooms hideout)#supes:Captain what-#CM:Bailey says they have this apartment complex rented out theyre using in the downtown area. lets go#supes:??????#/////#shazam#billy batson#dc#dc captain marvel#captain marvel dc#dc comics#shazamily
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Isn’t Captain Marvel/Shazam technically a male Magical Girl? like Billy Batson says the magic phrase and all of the sudden he’s 2 feet taller with powers and a totally different outfit.
america got superheroes and japan got magical girls. i think america is the clear loser here
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I’ve decided for the magical girl au when billy detransforms the dress stays and he loses whatever he was wearing before
So Billy’s constantly trying to repurpose his ever growing dress collection and buy get new clothing
#billy batson#shazam#captain marvel#dc#dcu#dc captain marvel#magical girl billy batson#magical girl#billy trying to sell the dresses without getting suspicious#billy pulling up in a pastel red frilly blouse
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Hey magical girl Billy fans, I have a question. I was never made clear on something and I need to know.
So does Captain Marvel exist in this world? Like is he the one in the magical girl dress of it it Billy, because I love the idea of both.
On one hand, big muscular seven foot tall man in a frilly dress. On the other hand Billy would be really nice as a sparkly magical girl who could throw hands as a twig
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HAPPY HALLOWEEN PEOPLEEEEE! 👻🎃 drew @chaoticallyfluffy’s magical girl au again, since i love it sm (not me messing up the skirt again i just noticed)🫶🫶
#shazam#billy batson#dc captain marvel#dc#dc comics#digital art#dc fanart#magical girl marvels au#halloween#happy halloweeeeeeen#artists on tumblr
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What we need now is an artist to animate sailor moon's transformation sequence on Billy Batson. Alas, I cannot. I am working on another artwork ;-;
I’ve come to a realization about the fine line that separates superheroes and magical girls, that being that most magical girls share these traits:
The way they come into their powers is typically out of their control
They are a “chosen one,” unique among their peers
They aren’t the ones who initially decide to fight evil, rather the ones bestowing their powers onto them tell them they need to fight evil
They are typically quite young, none exceeding the age of 20
They have animal/mascot companions
They have a transformation sequence into their more magical form, typically activated by a catchphrase
From these observations, I have concluded
#shazam#dc#dc captain marvel#magical girl#billy batson crossovers#billy batson headcanons#billy batson is a magical girl
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Just finished a white board with @teehhhhhhhhhhh and @wildglitch ! It was so much fun drawing together and seeing their progress in real time! It was also interesting seeing the whole thing slowly turn into magical girls until it became so glitchy we couldn’t draw anymore hahaha
#whiteboard#art#fanart#art colab#drawings#Billy Batson#dc#shazam#justice league#dcu#dc captain marvel#Freddy freeman#freddy freeman shazam#Mary Batson#Mary bromfield#Mary marvel#captain marvel#captain marvel Dc#captain marvel junior#magical girls#Darla Dudley#red hood#Robin#Batman#Tawky tawny
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Hey! It’s your girl, here to deliver more Billy/Batson family angst!
You know what really gets me? This family does not get to be happy.
I mean, I’m sure I don’t need to get into the basic story. Parents die apart, sister gets amnesia, brother becomes a street kid and a superhero and a magic diplomat, etc., etc..
After that, the PoS comic explores a world where the Batson parents did survive, and Mary and Billy get to grow up together. And everything is fine and dandy. But that’s just not how it’s supposed to be. The universe literally will not allow this family to be happy. CC even pleads for reconsideration after he finds out Ebenezer doesn’t honor what he asked of him before he left for his dig. And gosh, seeing Marilyn just disappear in front of her children while she tells them she loves them…
And now we jump to modern Shazam, where the Batson family is just pummeled to the ground.
This isn’t to say that I hate the Vasquez family. I love found family, and I love these kids and Victor and Rosa are great parents. But I hate that they felt the need to ruin the Batson family so much. CC in jail? Marilyn leaving her son? Mary and Billy not being biological twins?
In a world where they do get to all be alive, they STILL can’t be together.
If there’s anything I don’t like about modern Shazam, it’s that the Batson family is all but gone.
I am also a firm believer that if DC wanted Billy to still have trust issues, and be haunted by the fact that his biological family doesn’t want him, they should have kept Ebenezer Batson.
Until the modern age, you cannot tell Billy Batson’s story without a mention of uncle Ebenezer. His choices set off the chain of events of Billy being by himself and becoming the Champion. He’s the one who gives Billy his issues with family and having a stable home. If DC wanted family issues, Billy already has a lot of those.
Mary’s great as an older sister, but I miss her and Billy being close twins. It’s why I always write them like that.
I probably sound really salty. And I am. If there’s one family that never gets to be happy, it’s the Batsons🙄
#billy batson#mary batson#cc batson#marilyn batson#captain marvel#power of shazam#ebenezer batson#dc#dc comics#shazam#vasquez family
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Similar to your analysis on Wonder Woman, what are your thoughts on Zatanna ? What should be her goal in life, her creed, her home base, etc... ?
erodA annataZ, ylisae ym dnoces etirovaf CD eniorehrepus retfa rednoW namoW.
Her greatest strength as a character is that she is at home among both the superheroes and the grittier Vertigo magical side. Magic in general at DC runs the spectrum from pure hearted Billy Batson serving as the Champion of Magic, to John Constantine sending a girl to Hell after a botched exorcism. That Zatanna can show up in either character's book and not feel out of place is a testament to her flexibility. You want to write a lighthearted Zatanna story with a comedic tone, have the Justice League poke their heads in, and generally show the playful/joyous side of magic? Zatanna works for that. You want to write a horror story that is all about exploring the dangers of magic, keeps the capes at a distance, and muddies up the morality of what is the right thing to do? Zatanna works for those stories also.
Thanks to her job as a travelling magician I don't think she needs a base, but if I were to give her a home city it would have to be Las Vegas. Too perfect of a place to put her, a city of casinos and theaters built up solely to serve as a tourist attraction that was funded in part by the Mafia? Even if Zee wasn't a performer herself, you could easily give Vegas a secret history as a hot spot for dark magic. With "Sin City" for a nickname would anyone even consider that a stretch to believe? Plus it fits her personality perfectly, a glitzy glamorous place that shines brightly, but has a hidden inner darkness.
Her personality is a key part of her appeal. Other than Harley, Zatanna is the highest-profile DC heroine with a "quirky" personality. Usually Zee delights in her magic, which differentiates her from her superhero peers. Superman doesn't go flying for the thrill of it, Batman isn't one to enjoy being a billionaire ninja, but Zatanna doesn't deprive herself of casting the odd bit of magic for fun. That makes her relatable, because let's face it: despite countless stories that bang on about the costs of magic, given the choice most people would rather have magic than be without it. Yes we get stories with sad sack Zatanna but that's not her default. She's a performer, a showwoman, she loves being in the spotlight and wowing the crowd. Can't do that if you're depressed all the time. Hell in my favorite "depressed Zatanna" story, Seven Soldiers, she's sad because her personal life is a mess not because she failed as a hero or because she's "cursed" with magic. Speaking of her personal life...
Yes it's toxic, yes Constantine is a bastard, and that's exactly why I like the two of them together. Mentioned how her strength as a character is she can operate with DC and Vertigo characters? That extends to her relationships too. You can give Zatanna the normal wholesome romance that every DC superhero usually gets, or you can give her the messy, drama filled romance with two toxic people that typically only exists in Vertigo books. My preference for Zatanna is that as a heroine she is on par with the Trinity. Call her the Sorceress Supreme or the Mistress of Magic, whatever the DC equivalent is, Zatanna is the top magic user of the current era. No magical threat is beyond her ability to handle, there's not a demon she can't bind or banish, a spell she can't unravel, given enough time. As a superheroine and magician, Zatanna is the greatest. In her personal life? She's a complete disaster. Suffers from an incurable case of broken wing syndrome where she has the worst taste in men imaginable. All her boyfriends are damaged beyond repair, yet she cannot ever stop picking up new ones and trying to fix them. No matter how many times you want her to get her act together and find someone who would be good for her, who wouldn't break her heart, Zatanna simply is incapable of that. When Constantine shows up again at her door, all you can do is groan, because no matter what those two are going to end up in bed together yet again.
Having said that, I should perhaps hypocritically clarify I don't want Zatanna to be defined solely by her relationships with men. Writers do her a disservice by constantly rehashing her daddy issues, as if that's the only possible story she can be a lead in. I've been vocally pro killing the Kents for Superman, but if someone wanted to bring Zatara back to life I would support that wholeheartedly. Why can't we get stories about her on the road touring, performing in magic shows, dealing with magical threats around the DCU Earth? Or a companion book to Batman/Superman that pairs Wonder Woman and Zatanna together? Seeing the friendship between Diana and Zatanna was one of my favorite parts of Tynion and Ram V's JLD runs. I want MORE stories of Zatanna and Diana working together.
Outside of the Leaguers I believe Zatanna is the character with the biggest potential to find a larger fanbase amongst the general public. Her depth and complexity as a character, the ability to tell stories with her you couldn't tell with other heroes, and the popularity of her closest Marvel equivalent in the Scarlet Witch, are what I point at to support my belief. All she needs is someone with the ability and willingness at WB/DC to give her a push.
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Unbeknownst to Wally, the notes are from Clockwork desperately trying to contact anyone who can actually influence the timestream outside the Observant’s watchful eyes.
After getting the notes to Bruce, they reveal the frantic ramblings of a [Parent? Mentor? Guardian?], desperately crying out for them to save his [word untranslatable but presumed to mean son, mentee, or child] from a government organization a few universes over.
The being, who introduces himself as Clockwork, reveals he cannot influence anything himself but can watch over the streams of time and has observed Wally’s ability to interfere and change it’s threads. If his [son?] dies, it will mean the destruction of all of the infinite realms (a cosmic foil to the speed force that’s a force of death and timelessness instead of life and the constant movement forward of the universe).
All in all, the letters are rushed, barely explain anything except location, date, what condition he’s in, and how to save the boy.
Who exactly is this boy? Why is he so important to the Infinite Realms? What are the Infinite Realms exactly? Who is this “Clockwork” and why are they so important? Who are the Observants? And so many more. All are valid questions, and all are entirely unanswered.
But regardless, with Captain Marvel confirming the existence of the Infinite Realms, that it was under attack, and the very real negative effects it would have on their universe if it collapsed; Wally must now gather a crew and embark on a rescue mission across universes to save this kid[? They actually don’t really know his status of age other than he’s younger and in the care of the mysterious “Clockwork” who sent the letters in the first place].
Batman, because… of course he’s going to go investigate what the hell is happening. Not only can his eye for strategy, stealth, hacking, and intimidation give the team an advantage in getting the most answers out of the government ages there. But Bruce also has so many damn questions, barely any of which were answered by the notes Wally received, so he needs to go into this mission to investigate not only this new alternate universe government threat but to get as much information possible before they leave, in addition to ensuring Clockwork’s child is safely rescued.
Clark is elected as he is most likely to handle whatever this government organization has in store (and Clark “got injured” in the most recent supervillain battle that smashed into the Daily Planet, so he conveniently has some time off while he “recovers from his injury.” But also because he heard a kid was in danger and, well, it feels wrong to not help someone in need).
Captain Marvel (god, they gotta get to know the guy more. he’s so damn reserved but is great at this particular brand of buck-wild missions), not only because of his incredible intelligence, invulnerability, strength, and being great with kids and teenagers; but also is primarily chosen for the team due to his knowledge of the Infinite Realms. He can also give live feedback on the state of the Realm that’s apparently actively tearing apart and crumbling! If something goes wrong, Cap will be able to give them a warning before all shit breaks loose.
Next recruitment is Patrick O’Brian, aka Plastic Man. His abilities of stealth (if he can keep his mouth shut), infiltration (absolutely), invulnerability (overpowered as high hell), versatility (dear god he can literally become anything or anyone as long as it’s in his own color pallet), and because he has a particular soft-spot for kids.
(Plas and Clark are already moping to each other about having to leave their respective partners (Woozy and Lois) behind. Meanwhile Wally is biting at the chance for just a tiny break from the twins, sorry Linda.)
Lastly, brought surprisingly by Captain Marvel is Booster Gold. His additional experience in time-travel and time stream manipulation will come mighty in handy during the mission. It helps that Booster has some “Bona fide genuine ecto-weapons, dudes! Let’s go and save Phantom!” that he brought from the 25th century. And, well. At least now they had the name “Phantom” from Booster to work off of.
Kon and Thad are notified to be on-call for the Recovery Team’s arrival back as clones were mentioned in one of the hundreds of notes and Clark thought it might be nice for the boys to have another friend they can relate to. Tim and Bart are close behind because despite Bruce and Max telling them to not interfere, they want to also meet the alternate universe breaking guy who has enough trust from Clark to keep Kon and Thad on-deck in case they’re needed to help the guy make some friends his age.
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This is rushed and not super refined, I just wanted to get the basic initial idea out of my head & get it out there. So sorry if this is a tad wonky to read at times, that’s my bad
Short DPXDC Prompts #576
Wally doesn’t understand these strange messages written on bright green post-it notes that keep appearing near him. Whatever it’s trying to say, the messages keep increasing in amount every day.
#god this was mean to be short but the ideas just kept coming#this isn’t particularly well written or has a great plot and is just the set up but I’m tired and heading to bed now so this is what ya get#bones writes#dp x dc#bones replies#modern takes on the Golden Age characterization of Plastic Man and Captain Marvel/Shazam supremacy#i think their vibes. especially plas’s comedic antics faced with a serious written character such as Marvel#that derived humor in the original comics Not from words or quips (although they definitely were there! just Marvel wasn’t the one doing it#generally) was often from the situations Marvel got into. not the words or puns he said#meanwhile Plas’s Quality Comics combo of physical and verbal comedy present a delightful foil to the Captain#in addition to their shared Pure Goodness and insistence of never doing crime because it’s Bad#(for Billy: because it makes him feel bad bc of his extremely strict and rigid moral compass)#(for plas: because he’s a reformed crook and he’s not going back to those days. no siree. he’s reformed through and through.)#plus their mutual fright of women and avoiding women’s advances on them (sure they have different reasons for doing so with Billy being bc#he’s a literal child and for Plas it’s because he’s not only uninterested in women but actively avoids literally any romantic invances#with the same furiosity an extreme arachnophobic would have to avoid spiders at all cost#) that and Plas’s yearn for taking care of kids but being utterly piss poor at doing so#so a self sufficient child like Billy would be genuinely perfect for him to try to take care of#honestly? golden aged Billy Batson is probably more sufficient than both plas and woozy combined for acting like an adult#don’t forget. woozy and plas ARE smart. they just forget that and fuck up horribly whenever there’s comedic gag to be had as a result#also. Billy in this is Golden Aged Billy Batson so Captain Marvel is as well#his WEAKNESS is magic. NOT his strength. he is op smart. strong. wise. etc. and is the physical form of the magic lightning#so Billy and Cap are simultaneously the same yet different people and can essentially astral project themselves to talk to the other#bc while I like the modern shazam… in concept. the ‘hard down on their luck orphan who was a last ditch effort for Shazam + mind of a child’#really is not the interpretation I think they should’ve gone for at all and I like the Captain Marvel ‘different guy than Billy +#billy is actually pure of heart with a rigid moral compass with the original heart of gold and NOT the ‘mind of a child’ metaphor instead’#bones writes in the tags#also. one last additional note. even though this has never been in character for booster gold. I feel like he Should talk like bill and Ted.#it’s just vibes. but god I want someone So Fucking Badly to write a crossover of them meeting in time and booster giving them terrible#just fucking absolutely terrible girl advice until bill & ted realize that they should just be themselves and that’s what truly matters
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There's that post that makes the rounds, where Superman is shown being really angry that Billy Batson has been turned into Captain Marvel, chews out the old wizard, and goes to mentor the kid.
And it's a nice bit. It's a little too angry for Superman, I think; I expected more "this is a problem that has to be solved" than "how dare you do this to a child".
But it does incredible damage to Billy as a character. And I don't like it for that. It violates key principles of what kind of character Billy and Captain Marvel are and what kind of stories they tell.
Billy is, far more than Superman or Batman, a wish-fulfillment character for a child. Say a magic word and you are an adult, and powerful, and can't be hurt, and say the word again and you don't have any of an adult's boring responsibilities.
And Billy himself is an archetypical child adventurer, the same as Tintin or any of a hundred others: He goes out, finding trouble, getting into scrapes, uncovering plots, conspiracies, thefts, and schemes, and dealing with them. Cap relies on being Billy to investigate. (It is instructive to consider the variations in genre for Freddy and Mary as well; Freddy is less adventurer than social welfare investigator, while Mary is a girl and has girl adventures.)
The Superman scene's Billy is a victim, out of his depth.
The Billy I like is a champion, quick-witted, good-hearted.
It's all about what genre the characters are in. If you put Nancy Drew in a gothic, holy crap is that fucked up. If you put Scooby and the gang in Jeepers Creepers, holy crap is that fucked up. Animorphs is what happens if you put child adventurers into a realistic war story, and holy crap that is fucked up.
If you put Billy in a story where child endangerment is actually a thing, you've thrown away what the character is good at and intended for.
That is, of course, not to say that you can't genre-bend characters or that there isn't great possibility in deconstruction of genres.
But I don't have to like it. I like Billy in his native genre just fine, thank you.
(It is of course worth noting that the same Superman scene has extremely broad and extremely negative implications for Superman's relationship with Batman. You can't invoke child welfare for Billy and not for Robin.)
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