Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman - indepedent kids

[Tzigone]

Way back in the golden age, Billy and Freddy were both younger teens (I believe Billy started at 12) who lived independently, without an adult guardian. Obviously, that's harder to swing in the present day (didn't stop them with Kathy Branden or Maya Ducard, though), especially in the more realistic, intended-to-be-taken-somewhat-seriously setting that Freddy had. And Billy wasn't even poor the way Freddy was, since he got his radio job right off (though he still had Cap doing day labor).

But how do you feel about that? Do you like those versions? Do you like later ones? Do you think it in anyway feasible to translate the golden age living conditions into today's world or have things just changed too much? Teens have more difficulty in actually renting a place (though Billy could use his adult form to be a faux Uncle Eben, if he liked), and of course, unlike Billy, Freddy's guardian's death was known, and so social services would know about him now being without one. But biggest thing is that back then everyone knew they didn't have guardians and no one cared, for the most part. Don't recall Billy attending school. But with readership heavily skewed to adults now, I wonder if any version/AU that wanted to emulate this would have to either be set in the past or would have to play up the homeless and hiding aspect or would readers be wiling to suspend disbelief?

[Frontier]

I guess from a modern lense you have Billy and Freddy living under the same roof with their foster family, though I'm fine with the boys being on their own and Mary having the Bromfeld's (and being Billy's bio sister).

[K7P5V]

I guess from a modern lense you have Billy and Freddy living under the same roof with their foster family, though I'm fine with the boys being on their own and Mary having the Bromfeld's (and being Billy's bio sister).

My sentiments exactly, Frontier!

[Tomkatie]

Way back in the golden age, Billy and Freddy were both younger teens (I believe Billy started at 12) who lived independently, without an adult guardian. Obviously, that's harder to swing in the present day (didn't stop them with Kathy Branden or Maya Ducard, though), especially in the more realistic, intended-to-be-taken-somewhat-seriously setting that Freddy had. And Billy wasn't even poor the way Freddy was, since he got his radio job right off (though he still had Cap doing day labor).

But how do you feel about that? Do you like those versions? Do you like later ones? Do you think it in anyway feasible to translate the golden age living conditions into today's world or have things just changed too much? Teens have more difficulty in actually renting a place (though Billy could use his adult form to be a faux Uncle Eben, if he liked), and of course, unlike Billy, Freddy's guardian's death was known, and so social services would know about him now being without one. But biggest thing is that back then everyone knew they didn't have guardians and no one cared, for the most part. Don't recall Billy attending school. But with readership heavily skewed to adults now, I wonder if any version/AU that wanted to emulate this would have to either be set in the past or would have to play up the homeless and hiding aspect or would readers be wiling to suspend disbelief?

This kinda hits the nail on the head tbh

It is pretty hard for these kids to just be running around homeless and have that not addressed anywhere

[Tzigone]

This kinda hits the nail on the head tbh

It is pretty hard for these kids to just be running around homeless and have that not addressed anywhere

Of course, they weren't homeless in the original version, though Freddy did live in slum. Which is another thing hard to make happen in today's world.

Edit: I meant them not being homeless was the difficult part, not Freddy living in a slum. Though, to be honest, urban poverty looks very different in the US now than it did the 1970s, much less the 1940s.

[Digifiend]

Way back in the golden age, Billy and Freddy were both younger teens (I believe Billy started at 12) who lived independently, without an adult guardian. Obviously, that's harder to swing in the present day (didn't stop them with Kathy Branden or Maya Ducard, though), especially in the more realistic, intended-to-be-taken-somewhat-seriously setting that Freddy had. And Billy wasn't even poor the way Freddy was, since he got his radio job right off (though he still had Cap doing day labor).

But how do you feel about that? Do you like those versions? Do you like later ones? Do you think it in anyway feasible to translate the golden age living conditions into today's world or have things just changed too much? Teens have more difficulty in actually renting a place (though Billy could use his adult form to be a faux Uncle Eben, if he liked), and of course, unlike Billy, Freddy's guardian's death was known, and so social services would know about him now being without one. But biggest thing is that back then everyone knew they didn't have guardians and no one cared, for the most part. Don't recall Billy attending school. But with readership heavily skewed to adults now, I wonder if any version/AU that wanted to emulate this would have to either be set in the past or would have to play up the homeless and hiding aspect or would readers be wiling to suspend disbelief?

Billy absolutely shouldn't have got away with that. As a radio host, wouldn't Billy Batson have been a local celebrity? No way he could've gotten away with living alone if he was only 12 or 13 and thus legally a minor. Did they eventually fix it by using Uncle Dudley? Tim Drake did try that "Uncle Eben" thing by hiring an actor to play the uncle role when his father was murdered by Captain Boomerang, as his stepmom had been declared mentally ill and he wanted to live independently. Bludhaven getting nuked killed the actor, resulting in Tim getting adopted by Bruce.

As for Kathy, she was originally with her grandfather, who died. However, since they were aliens, I doubt they would've had a funeral, as seeing the corpse would out her secret identity as an alien (and last we saw her she'd just started operating as a superhero called Beacon). Seems likely that she's pretending Cobb is still alive.

[dswynne]

Billy absolutely shouldn't have got away with that. As a radio host, wouldn't Billy Batson have been a local celebrity? No way he could've gotten away with living alone if he was only 12 or 13 and thus legally a minor. Did they eventually fix it by using Uncle Dudley? Tim Drake did try that "Uncle Eben" thing by hiring an actor to play the uncle role when his father was murdered by Captain Boomerang, as his stepmom had been declared mentally ill and he wanted to live independently. Bludhaven getting nuked killed the actor, resulting in Tim getting adopted by Bruce.

As for Kathy, she was originally with her grandfather, who died. However, since they were aliens, I doubt they would've had a funeral, as seeing the corpse would out her secret identity as an alien (and last we saw her she'd just started operating as a superhero called Beacon). Seems likely that she's pretending Cobb is still alive.

More to the point, you think that someone within the superhero community would have set things up for Billy, especially someone like Batman.

[Tzigone]

Did they eventually fix it by using Uncle Dudley?

I recall Dudley offering in the 1980s series, but Billy declining. But I could be misremembering. YJ cartoon went that way.

More to the point, you think that someone within the superhero community would have set things up for Billy, especially someone like Batman.

But since this was originally about the golden age, Batman was in a whole different universe. And Batman wasn't always a guy who spied/researched to know every detail on his colleagues' personal lives that they didn't choose to share. Though he definitely had some tendencies in that regard in the 1980s.

[K7P5V]

I recall Dudley offering in the 1980s series, but Billy declining. But I could be misremembering. YJ cartoon went that way.

Yeah! Billy didn't want Uncle Dudley giving up his career as a stage magician, so he chose Sivana...

[Tzigone]

Yeah! Billy didn't want Uncle Dudley giving up his career as a stage magician, so he chose Sivana...

Okay, I must be thinking of something totally different. An AU, maybe. Could be a fanfic. I recall it as something like Dudley working at the school or somewhere else he was exposed to Billy. And he tells Billy he's on to him. Billy thinks that means he knows Billy is CM, but it actually meant he'd figured out Billy was on his own. Dudley offers, but Billy says he likes his independence (I don't recall if it was true when he said it, just that he said it). Whatever version I'm thinking of, I don't remember much more, so either I didn't continue reading, I've forgotten about it, or I've just completely invented some memories.

[K7P5V]

Okay, I must be thinking of something totally different. An AU, maybe. Could be a fanfic. I recall it as something like Dudley working at the school or somewhere else he was exposed to Billy. And he tells Billy he's on to him. Billy thinks that means he knows Billy is CM, but it actually meant he'd figured out Billy was on his own. Dudley offers, but Billy says he likes his independence (I don't recall if it was true when he said it, just that he said it). Whatever version I'm thinking of, I don't remember much more, so either I didn't continue reading, I've forgotten about it, or I've just completely invented some memories.

D'oh! You must be referring to...

The Power of SHAZAM! #4