Using Historical References Part 4
This part will have the least examples, as it’s contemporary times, but there are still some good ones.
Chapter Four
The Modern Era
New Year’s Eve, 1999
Earth
A wind blew through the canyons of Gotham, skittering debris through empty streets. This neighborhood was far from Gotham’s Gold Coast or Knickerbocker Square where people gathered to ushered in the New Millennium.
On a decaying rooftop, the Bat waited, cape swirling out around him.
A swooshing sound announced the arrival of Superman. Batman didn’t turn around.
“Hello.”
Silence.
“Batman…”
Batman turned, a grim statue in bitter winds. “Why aren’t you in Metropolis?”
Superman crossed his arms, his red cape billowing in the night. “That’s not much of a greeting.”
Batman shrugged. He turned back to watching the streets.
My attempt to write DC canon! From what I’ve heard from others, Batman is a pretty grim figure nowadays.
“You don’t want some company when the new century arrives?”
Batman raised infrared binoculars to his eyes. “The new century begins in 2001, not 2000.”
I thought it would be a good character point to include this. Batman struck me as a stickler for Millenium accuracy.
Superman smiled slightly. “Technically, yes, but no one seems to care.”
“Maybe they should.”
“Where’s Nightwing and Robin?”
Since this takes place in 1999, Dick is Nightwing and Tim is Robin. Ordinarily that would be a given, but this fic has been focused on past eras, so I wanted to stress those characters.
“Patrolling other sections of the city.”
The coldness of Batman’s voice saddened Clark. Dick had been right. Bruce was slipping away from them.
His heart ached. He’d thought that they were beyond this. A hard-won friendship had turned to love, a strange, wonderful relationship he didn’t want to lose.
“It’s pretty rare, a whole new century.”
“Yes, I don’t expect we’ll see the next one.”
A jolt coursed through Clark.
I might.
He looked down at the rooftop, the ancient tarpaper curling up in spots.
“Why don’t you go home, Superman? Your city is the perfect place to welcome in the New Millennium.”
Hurt stabbed through Clark. He supposed he should be used to it by now. Everyone should be. Lately Bruce had been pushing his loved ones away at a pace amazing even for him.
Batman turned his back on him. Hurt turned to anger.
“Fine, Batman. I’ll go. What was I thinking of, coming to celebrate a New Millennium, even if technically incorrect, on this rotting rooftop when I could be enjoying myself in Metropolis? Why would I want to be with a man who pushes away everyone who lov… cares about him? You and Nightwing barely speak even though he still worships the ground you walk on. He knows your faults and still loves you. The same goes for Robin, Oracle, and Alfred.” Clark tried to stop the hurtful words, but they were spewing out of him like lava from a volcano. “I don’t know what your problem is, Batman. I know you were hurt badly as a child but you vowed to help others so they would never feel that pain. I know you need that pain to be the Bat, but you also are surrounded by people who love you, yet you prefer to be alone. You never let us in, and eventually, hope fades.” Clark clenched and unclenched his fist as he faced the black-clad back. “I thought we had something special. Maybe I was wrong.”
His heart ached as he thought of the progress he had been making with the man he considered his best friend…and more.
“Fine, I’ll leave your precious city. I’ll ring in the new century back home. Maybe Nightwing and Robin will join me after patrol. Have a Happy New Year, Batman.”
The whole preceding speech by Clark sums up what the Modern Era is: Superman always trying, Batman always resisting and frequently acting like a jerk. Luckily DC seems to be softening that attitude somewhat, and fanfic helps a lot!
Clark flew up, up, and away, wondering what would happen in the new year. His heart would always want Bruce, but he just couldn’t go on like this anymore.
“Clark.”
The voice could only be heard by Superman. He immediately sped back to the rooftop.
Batman faced him, the grim visage still unreadable. It was silent here, Clark’s hearing tuned into the revelries in Metropolis and Gotham, the sounds of the farm in Kansas, the quiet rustle of Nightwing and Robin as they patrolled other parts of the city.
Clark waited, determined that he would not make the first move, only to be rejected yet again. That was his resolution for the new century.
Seconds stretched into minutes. Clark’s hope began to fade for the last time, and he prepared to leave.
“I’m sorry.”
Hope blossomed again. Clark took a step forward, tentatively holding out his hand. Bruce grasped it, then slid their bodies into an embrace.
Clark listened to his lover’s heartbeat, anger draining away to be replaced by joy.
When they finally broke apart, Clark joked, “If I knew all it took was chewing you out, I would have done it a long time ago.”
Bruce’s mouth quirked as he took out his communicator. “Nightwing.”
“Yes?”
“Take Robin under your wing and go to Knickerbocker Square before midnight.” Direct look at Clark. “The whole family will gather there.”
Surprise and pleasure laced Dick’s voice. “Will do. See you there, Batman…and Superman.”
Clark felt a giddy warmth spread through him. Once Bruce made a decision, he went full throttle. He nearly laughed at the quirk of a smile on Bruce’s face.
“That boy is sometimes too smart for his own good.” Bruce replaced the comm unit in his utility belt.
Clark smiled. “He’s special, all right.”
Clark wasn’t naïve. He knew there would be more arguments and misunderstandings. You didn’t break the habits of a lifetime in one night, but it was a start. And it looked like he had scared Bruce. Good.
“Can I hitch a ride?” Bruce asked.
Clark nodded, holding out a hand.
When I heard that DC was ‘softening’ the Bat to a degree, I decided that I would do so here, as well as bringing this particular story full circle: back on a rooftop, Superman hopeful and Batman thawing out from a darkness as his counterpart had been doing on Earth-Two in 1940.
& & & & & &
The family gathered on the rooftop of Wayne Industries. The square below was packed with people. While Tim excitedly pointed out to Bruce the montage of world scenes on the giant screen set up on the Gotham Gazette building, Dick slipped over to Clark’s side.
Dick lightly touched Clark’s arm. “You know you work miracles?”
Clark laughed softly. “Sometimes I amaze myself.”
Dick’s grin reminded Clark of the young, laughing boy who had once worn the bright Robin costume.
“Thank you.”
Clark nodded. Pulling Bruce back to the human race affected so many people beside just himself.
While Clark was more the catalyst here than Dick, ultimately Robin-turned-Nightwing had set things into motion by speaking with Clark earlier about Bruce pulling away from them. So full circle again: Dick Grayson (with Clark’s help) pulls Bruce back from the abyss.
Excitement bubbled up from the crowd below.
“10…”
Dick squeezed Clark’s arm.
“…9…”
Clark smiled.
“…8…”
Dick joined Tim at the rooftop’s edge.
“…7…”
Bruce glided over to Clark, long cape fluttering out behind him.
“…6…”
“You are allowed one scolding per century.”
“…5…”
“Ah. Then I’ll get another one after midnight?”
“…4…”
Bruce cocked his head.
“…3…”
“Technically, not until after midnight next year.”
“…2…”
Clark laughed and pulled Bruce to him, his arms a steel band.
“…1!”
“Happy New Year!”
Clark and Bruce kissed, long and hard, Dick and Tim grinning at each other.
“Happy New Millennium, Dick.”
“Happy 21st Century, Tim.”
So while this chapter had less examples of creating time and place with narrative and historical detail, there were dialogue examples concentrating on the characters’ personalities.
So, in conclusion, writing historical fan fiction is mainly keeping in mind that you want things to flow smoothly, incorporating the knowledge you’ve gained but not wanting to sound like an encyclopedia, and you can do so by narrative/reflection or character dialogue. Adding details of the era helps evoke the atmosphere of the times. It can be as simple as mentioning a radio program of the 1940s or how the Boston Celtics just won yet another consecutive NBA championship (1959-1966, and 11 out of 13 starting back in 1957). Foreshadowing helps add drama (sense of impending doom or major event whether in historical context (Pearl Harbor or the Kennedy assassination) or a character’s watershed event or detail, such as a rocketship landing in the Kent fields or the young Bruce Wayne going to the movies with his parents that fateful night). You want to be careful of imposing our current attitudes on characters of earlier eras because you want the reader to immerse themselves in the time period.
Hope that this essay inspires writers to try their hand at historical fan fiction!