#bbattowlb

Tagged by @redrobin-detective

A few sentences of a current writing project.

I swear I'm still working on this story but oh boy is my brain just fussy.

Even as the master bedroom door closed silently behind him, Billy kept it in. He had work to do, he didn’t have time to… to cry like some sort of lost child. He was not lost, and he was not a child.

Very sorry for the unexpected hiatus!

Mostly my fixations have been elsewhere that I can't focus on writing Billy.

Please know I may not respond to all comments but I read them! (A very heart felt one motivated me to write this actually!) And I appreciate that yall have read it! Maybe even reread it!

Aldskfrb so I'm imagining this:

John getting whammied by an aging spell and Billy has to ensure he doesn't hurt himself or others, but also figure a way to turn John back.

Like, Smol John would be himself but also 10x worse bc all that attitude and shit is compact. But also it's really disorienting to be a kid again. And tho John is himself he has child control on his magic and emotions. And others view him as a kid. So he'd better understand Billy's POV after this.

But also. Uh. John's childhood fuckin sucked. So all those unburied memories? Rough.

I imagine Billy bringing John with him to his place. And John really sees Billy living as a homeless kid. And getting that first hand experience. Billy having to keep stopping him from smoking and drinking. And honestly it'd be such a change of positions. I can see Billy not realizing how protective he's being and it pissing John off so he does something worse and dramatic. Communication skills now -100.

They'd def argue too. Despite John having a soft spot for Billy, their morals are completely different. John is selfish and uses others and lies and cheats and will do anything to come out the other end. And I can see him using his new fou d youthful face to deceive others or sneak into places. He'd stress Bill out so goddamn much.

But despite all that, John does have a heart and he does care for Billy. So when push comes to shove, he's got Bills back. And does enjoy the warm fuzzy feeling of helping others. Things tend to go to shit for him, whether he does the right thing or not, and he's often left having to make the hard decisions. So it's nice being on the goody hero side and not end up covered in others blood.

It is about the double life Billy Batson lives as a human child and as a magical superhero adult Captain Marvel (aka Shazam, but we don't use that language here).

DC has a variety of canons for him, as he seems to change with every era and media piece. So overall the story is of all my headcanons - from how Billy is as a person, to who he is as the Champion of Magic, and how those duel persons connect / interact/ influence one another.

The story itself starts off chapter by chapter, Marvel or Billy interacting with another super or villain and how the little slips of information he gives really adds to the grapevine of who everyone thinks he is, how he interacts with them building his relationships too. Essentially how the kid balances his life, magical, and hero duties.

It's gotten a bit outta hand and now is a multichapter over arcing plot story lol.

The main story is Billy Batson and the Troubles of Work Life Balance.

And the side works that don't really fit into the main are over at Snippets of Life Inbetween.

And then there are all the Tumblr posts I've made, headcanons, explanations, and answers.

ANYWAY

To the anon that asked about Thavma and Billy's opinions of each other:

I haven't made a post about it, but there is a narrative on Thavma's thoughts on Billy over in the Amnesia Arc Part 3 toward the last quarter of the chapter. He basically learns to like Billy.

Thavma being the combination of previous Marvels, within the time span that they were chosen, they were all pretty similar. They were chosen by the gods, and back in ye old Gods time, there was a consistent image of what they deemed worthy. So Thavma is actually pretty stable for being what he is. Which means looking upon Billy - this scrawny child that sneaks around and isnt that big on fighting, but defends against bullies and stands for what he believes in - they have no choice but to watch and witness him. Growing to know who he is and like him for it, for being different and what the title of Champion needs.

Billy... I think is rightfully terrified of Thavma, lmao. As in, here is this ancient consciousness that exists not only within him but also elsewhere, that under certain extraneous circumstances will just take over his consciousness. In a situation he probably views as similarly to Doctor Fate and the helmet. Which isn’t to say he doesn’t respect Thavma, he is very much in awe of him. But Thavma is also literally the shoes he is trying to fill. He is the embodiment of Marvel that Billy tries so hard to work toward and be worthy of. Thavma is an absent mentor, a grand mantle, a heavy burden, and also... eventually, maybe, his final destination. 

;3c

The radio silence had only lasted a few hours before he was finally called back to the Watchtower. There was hardly anyone on his route to the main conference room when he arrived, and for that he was grateful. Putting on a smile seemed impossible, for all his efforts went toward willing every ounce of doubt and fear from his person.

I can do this. No matter what, I'll still be Marvel. They can't take that away from me.

Standing in front of the double doors, the realization that his teammates were about to determine his very future as part of the Justice League ran cold down his spine. Seeing them in the Tower, working with them on shifts and missions - he won't have any of that after this was done.

Worst yet, they would hate him so much for his lies and secrets that he would never see them again. The friendships he made here… gone.

Captain Marvel paused.

For just a moment he let that very real possibility settle heavy on his shoulders. He took a deep, steadying inhale. If he were Billy Batson right now, he'd be shaking to the bone, trying his best not to cry and fail anyway. He'd be terrified. But Captain Marvel was more than capable of pushing those emotions aside, burying them down with Billy's fears and anxiety to be felt at a later time. He exhaled.

Hello!! And thank you!! I'm always real glad to see new readers finding this (and old readers coming back!)

I'm not gonna go thru the exact origins of Marvel in the story, but it's okay to assume it follows the comics pretty closely. Some teenage hooligans harassing a disguised Shazam, Billy stepping in to redirect their attention, Shazam saving Billy in the subway and taking him to the Rock, etc.

The biggest difference is that during their exchange at the Rock, Billy sorta pleads his case when Shazam hesitates to choose him (bc if he's wrong again, if Zeus lightening does not agree with this candidate, Billy will just die, and Shazam will have to try to find another again). Billy wants to try, to show that being and doing good is a choice that's done with every action, and all of humanity is capable, not just him.

And suffice to say, Billy gets chosen.

As for a hierarchy, sorta? But also no??

I have a post in drafts somewhere, but basically Gods and Deities are Most Powerful. They are made of magic and they make magic. However they're existence is also entirely dependent on Earth and beliefs and other connections.

However, for this raw magic to safely be siphoned to Earth and also to the Gods, the Rock exists to house that magic.

The Wizards exist to safe guard the Rock. But also to act as middlemen for the Gods. Helping to choose their Champions. They are not and have never been human. They sorta just watch things happen, keep the balance on all sides.

Champions are humans chosen by pantheons of Gods and are blessed with their magic and powers to exist and help on Earth. They are immediately involved with humanity and are in the midst of everything. They can go between Earth, the Rock, and other realms. A new Champion is chosen every so often.

HOWEVER.

Present day, the Gods do not have as strong a hold on Earth as they once did. There is only one Wizard (for now) and one Champion (for now).

So the dynamics are skewed, and the Champion now is very central and needed to maintaining connection between Gods and magic and Earth, and also maintaining magical balance on Earth.

I had to look for it, but I kinda got into it over here.

Basically: Len and Lisa and Mick would immediately recognize Billy, and since the kid is so fuckin hungry for not only answers to who he is but also... like, some semblance of family, he would seamlessly be taken in.

Suddenly magical?? Neat!! No memories? No problem! - the Rogues, probably. They already care for the kid, they may not know wtf is going on but they'll take him in and help them the best they can (which isn't much considering it's magic). And hey, they'll bring him along on their heists! See if they can teach him something new and useful or unlock a memory.

And now its Flash who's watching the Rogues activities and seeing they suddenly have? A small magic kid? What??

"Len. Len, you can't just bring a kid on your crime sprees."

"I'm hurt, Scarlett. Truly. This is a learning opportunity for him. The kid has some screws loose. I'm being helpful here."

"I don't think... I robbed museums before?"

"Hush, Kid Zeus. I'm distracting him. Pay attention."

"Okay, Len. Seriously. You can do better than 'Kid Zeus'. Cmon now."