A.N. A new oneshot series starring the one, the only, Iris West! Follow the early days of a young, strong-willed reporter as she gets her first steps in the industry and handles the difficulties and ethical challenges of being a crime reporter in an age of superheroes!
Aka, my first story to pass the Bechdel Test. Sigh.
"Year 2000: Bylines" is a companion oneshot series to "Year 2000", which stars Barry (and to a certain extent, Hal and Wally). The two series will probably intertwine here and there for obvious reasons, and there may be some subtle cross-references to events in either story, but it will focus on Iris West in her first year of being a reporter. Wally should make the odd appearance as her nephew of course, Barry will show up as her boyfriend, and some other important ladies in her field may drop by for a one-shot here and there - Lois Lane, for instance. (More details about this story are in the bottom Author's Note.)
I think this will be fun, especially since I haven't really seen much fanfic out there that focuses on reporter supreme Iris West, so hopefully this will break new ground!
If you enjoy it, have any suggestions for future one-shots in this story, feel free to review!
Yours,
~Iron Woobie
byline: a line in a newspaper attributing the writer of an article.
The average civilian knows only what the media feeds them, and when you see Superman catch a skyscraper or the Flash evacuate a city in less than a minute… it's a pretty vivid image.
Those in the media have the power to shape the public's perception of their heroes, and reporters frequently find themselves midway between an ethical devotion to the truth and a practical need to sensationalize for ratings.
Up-and-coming Central City crime reporter Iris West aims to find the middle ground.
Year 2000: Bylines
"Iris."
"Iris, version 3.2 is printing on machine five, proof and return."
"Iris, there's a call for you from a Theodore Walsh; he says it's urgent."
"Iris, you're on in ten."
"Iris, have you sent me the McCarthy quotes yet?"
"Iris."
The second a nineteen-year-old, auburn-haired, green-eyed young woman entered the newsroom of the Galaxy Broadcasting System in Central City, she was bombarded with demands and requests for her immediate attention. Every person asking for her presence or actions was at least ten or twenty years her senior, some a lot older than that, each with a career of experience in the field she was just stepping into.
To anyone else, the environment would have been overwhelming, especially to a girl who just graduated high school two months ago.
But Iris West was not anyone else.
She had a presence of mind, a calm to her person, a confidence in her abilities to interpret and broadcast information as one of the best in her field.
She'd spent the past five years interning at the GBS station, and there was no one else who brought this much fire and energy to the job like Iris did. She quickly demonstrated talent in interacting with sources, a deep-seated knowledge of the city allowing her to make it to the scenes of newsworthy events and get firsthand coverage, and a no-nonsense air about her that most reporters gained through decades of jaded careers in the field.
Beginning with her freshman year in high school, Iris had even started taking courses in journalism, debate and media at Weisman community college and online, earning enough credits over four years to land her a bachelor's degree in communications by the time she finished her senior year of high school.
Iris was, in short, a brilliant prodigy, and everyone anticipated her final graduation from high school so she could become a full-time journalist and devote that energy wholeheartedly to her work.
Expectations were high, but not as high as Iris's own ambitions.
Unlike most reporters, who saw the peak of their career goals as becoming the "face" of the national nightly news, Iris was a native to Central City who knew as well as the next proud citizen that this city was among the greatest in America.
It was the year 2000, and unlike Metropolis and Gotham, Central City was relatively unknown in the United States, despite the sixty years of the Flash's high-speed feats and a nationwide record for low crime rates. But superheroes aside,
Iris was determined to put her one-of-a-kind mind to good use, revamp good coverage in her beat, and make her city a hub for anyone wanting to get the scoop on what the ideal American Dream was really like.
So when she first entered the station that summer as a recent high school graduate, with college diploma, clipboard, and tape recorder in hand, the sound of her superiors and coworkers' demands enveloped her like a comforting blanket. She felt invigorated, motivated, and encouraged by the fact that this station had plenty of capable people on staff, and she had their trust. So she power-walked into the newsroom and around to different desks with authority beyond her mere nineteen years, taking notes, answering phone calls, and answering questions at a rapid, efficient speed.
No one could multitask like she could.
Her name was Iris West, and even amongst the world of superhumans, aliens, and magic, she possessed power and opportunity of her own.
Her byline.
A.N. This was an idea I had while working with some rather technical details in the stories I write for Young Justice. I'm always interested in the mechanics of a society where superheroic activity is the norm. How do governments work? How do law enforcements cope? The sole basis for Outlier was "how does a hero cope when their secret identity is compromised?" Most recently, I asked myself, "How do news reporters handle daily life in an age where impossible feats are accomplished by dozens of individuals worldwide?"
Then, I thought about my oneshot series, "Year 2000", which focuses on Barry in his first year of being the Flash and the hijinks that ensue as he learns to become a new hero at the turn of the millennium. As fun as that story is to right, it focuses mainly on Barry, Wally, and Hal. Iris will make an occasional appearance, but she's not a main focus. At least, not yet.
The more I thought about it, the more I figured it was worth exploring Iris's end of the spectrum as a very young, ambitious Central City professional woman in the year 2000, which happens to be the dawn and dusk of Barry and Jay's careers respectively.
I also realized that it was pretty shameful that none of my stories so far have passed the Bechdel Test. (Movies, TV shows, and books pass if Bechdel Test at least one conversation takes place between two women who talk about something other than men.) Yikes! Now, Iris seems like a really interesting character, since she's a professional in her own right, not just the "wife of the Flash" or "the aunt of Kid Flash." She's pretty legit, so hopefully I can do her justice and help the fans of YJ grow to appreciate her!
Additionally, I'm actually a reporter for my college's newspaper myself, so this may be one of the few stories I've written where I won't have to research every little fact to paint an accurate picture of the more technical aspects related to Iris's job.
So yeah, if you liked it or have suggestions for oneshots in this series, feel free to leave a review!
Yours,
~Iron Woobie