Fanfic Recs / DC Animated Universe

aka: DCAU

Proof that the remaining 10% is worth living in a world made of cardboard for here.

These are recommendations made by Tropers for DC Animated Universe fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found here.

You can also add to the current recommendations if you want. Refrain from posting Conversation in the Main Page though; that goes in the discussion page.

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Authors and Websites

Belphegor

• Recommended by: loracarol
• Gen pairings when any, occasionally canon like Superman/Lois. Mostly focuses on Flash/friendships.
• She has five stories for the DCAU, and four that focus mainly on the Flash, and his Rogues gallery; however she had an excellent vignettes fic that has amazing stories in it as well.
  • Wife: "Sure, being the wife of a supervillain was supposed to have perks, but having his colleagues show up on your doorstep with a grim face and bad news was NOT one of them. When the Flash - of all people - did, it was a nasty surprise."
  • Villains about the end of "Divided We Fall" as seen through the eyes of Flash's Rogues gallery.
  • Everybody Comes To Harry's about the "little hole in the wall on Fourth" Flash's Rogues regularly frequent, and how Flash and his Rogues relate to it.
  • Snapshot Collection, a series of vignettes fics; missing scenes (tied to "Hereafter", "A Better World", "Eclipsed" or "Divided We Fall"), and the answer to questions like "Where does Superman keep his cape?" (Answer: see the 21st snapshot for details.)
  • Blood Brothers, They were not going to die, Captain Cold decided, no matter how likely it seemed; except possibly from embarrassment when the others found out Heatwave and he had gotten locked in an out-of-work walk-in freezer. DCAU Rogues, post Destroyer, no slash.

wentworth360 An author recommendation.

• Recommended by: VFR6
• This guy is utterly brilliant in his storytelling. For those who want to read a "Crack Pairing", such as Power Girl/Superman or Zatanna/Superman. Though, the guy seems to love pairing up Zatanna with Superman, he already written several stories for that too. Currently, he is writing two stories, a lighthearted one with Zatanna trying to choose a good father for her child, Looking for Mr Suitable and a story with intricate plot that start with Hippolyta (yes, even Wonder Woman's mom is a valid character for him) having a vision about her daughter's demise and sleeping with 'Superman' Changing Fates [dead link]. The author tends to portray the League acting like a bunch of office gossiping co-worker, a lot of cafeteria scene. Check his profile out, it is worth it. Pun intended.

General

Justice League New Beginning: DCAU Series Part 1 by Loki’s Son

• Recommended by: Nerdman 3000
• Status: Ongoing
• The other parts in the series are: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, and Part 24
• Synopsis: After Darkseid's defeat, a new threat to Earth arises. Lex Luthor is gathering supervillains to form a Legion of Doom. A newly reformed Justice League stands in their path. Can they stop the united criminals?
• Comments: There are twenty-four parts to this long-running fanfic series, Loki’s Son’s DCAU series takes place in and acts as a sequel to a slightly modified version of the DCAU universe, where the villains slain, including Lex Luthor, in the JLU's second season survive in the DCAU Series. The series, which totals now at nearly two million words long in total, serves to bridge the gap between the Justice League Unlimited Timeline and the Batman Beyond Timeline.

Respect is Earned by Mists

• Recommended by: loracarol
• Status: Complete
• Pairing(s): Mostly a Gen Fic with some Bats/Diana elements. No slash.
• Synopsis: Respect is never given, it is earned. This is the story of how Wally earns Bruce's respect. A Flash and Batman friendship Fan Fiction.
• Comments: The Flash has been injured, and has stay at Bat's place until he's healed. Will he survive? Will Batman? And what about Alfred's warnings on Bats cooking? Will Bats learn an important lesson from Flash, or will he just ignore everything Flash stands for to continue being emo? This delves a little into the backstory of The Flash, which works out pretty well because the DC Animated Universe Flash doesn't really have a backstory. It does have a "sequel" of sorts called From Respect to Friendship that happens mostly after RiE (except the first chapter). It's a series of vignettes, with hints towards the sequel called The Double Edged Sword, which unfortunately seems to have become a Dead Fic.

Heart of the Bat by TonyStarkakaIronMan

• Recommended by: Kyoko
• Status: Dead
• Pairing(s): Barbara/Dick, Batman/Wonder Woman, Barbara/Bruce
• Synopsis: How has Batman's involvement with the Justice League affected those around him? This tale follows the Justice League Unlimited episodes in relation to the changes that come along with the events in the lives of the Bat-family.
• Comments: Extremely well-written and devastatingly emotional in parts. It expands on the canon episodes in a way that makes one wonder if this writer has had experience writing actual episodes of JLU.

Coffee with Alfred by Dunyazade

• Recommended by: Lady Nomad
• Status: Complete
• Pairing(s): No pairings, just Batman/Superman friendship.
• Synopsis: Batman discovers what Alfred does in the mornings.
• Comments: This is a very fun story that shows the relationships between Alfred and Bruce and Bruce and Clark. It also makes Batman funny in a realistic way.

The Greatest Story Finally Told by Mr. Chaos

• Recommended by: nicknack
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Booster/Tracy Simmons.
• Synopsis: In The Greatest Story Never Told, Booster Gold saved the world, only for no one to learn the truth...or so we were led to think. Taking place between Greatest and Dark Heart, learn how Booster went from Crowd Control to True Hero.
• Comments: A fanmade sequel to The Greatest Story Never Told that just has to be read by anyone who is a fan of the DCAU. How good is it? This troper likes it, and she isn't even a DCAU fan. Perhaps the best fanfic starring Booster Gold that has ever been written.
  • The author does tend to paint the authority figures on the Justice League in rather negative light, and whether this is good or bad is up to you. The story is about the Justice League Founders realizing that they were wrong to reprimand Booster for abandoning his crowd control job while everyone else was fighting Mordru. Booster's culpability, and the fact that he has a lot of behavioral issues he needs to correct, are ignored or brushed aside. At least, that's this troper's opinion (and seconded by Loracarol). If you really like Booster Gold, then this is DEFINITELY the fic for you. If you don't, well...
    • Any story that has to hand Batman the Idiot Ball to work doesn't work very well.

Flash By Northwest by Merlin Missy

• Recommended by: Zephyr 7
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Mostly gen though in the AU, there was a Love Triangle between Green Lantern, Vixen and Hawkgirl
• Synopsis: The Big Seven (plus one) are trapped inside a world created by a magical artifact. As the body count rises, familiar faces hide deadly secrets and it's up to Flash to save them.
• Comments: A definite read for anyone interested in mystery. I found the characterizations of every character done well, even if some of the AU characters are different than their original characters due to being in a story and having different roles.

Terry's Quest for Tea Cakes by Marie Nomad

• Recommended by: Cybertoy 00
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Some Terry/Dana in the beginning, but not the focus of the story.
• Synopsis: For old Bruce Wayne's birthday, Terry McGinnis decides to make his mentor some tea cake, just like Alfred used to do. Unfortunately, he doesn't know the recipe.
• ''Comments: Humorous and heartwarming, and filled continuity nods to both the DCAU and the regular comics. Also featuring a special appearance of a character not seen since B:TAS!

Inviolate by scriviner

• Recommended by: Banichi
• Status: Complete
• Pairing(s): Various levels of Lex/Mercy/Eve.
• Synopsis: Someone messed with Luthor's mind. Someone was going to pay. A mystery that slowly unveils a terrible secret within the DCU and Lex's response to what he finds.
• Comments: A nice look inside a non-deranged, but still utterly ruthless Lex Luthor's mind.

20 One Shots by Bekkoni

• Recommended by: Lady Nomad
• Status: Complete
• Pairing(s): Diana/Bruce, Clark/Bruce friendship
• Synopsis: 20 drabbles/one-shots based on 20 one-word prompts. Prompt 20: Future. Mostly Founding Member-based, with lots of Trinity and Batman-centric stories. These can be read in any order. Occasional fluff warning, plus rare swearing.
• Comments: This is a fun series of ficlets that stands on their own but do connect with each other. They really showed the friendship between the trinity.

Resurrecting the Red by LadyJaye1

• Recommended by: The Otaku Ninja
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: 50 yrs in the future. Wally's grandson takes up the mantle of the Flash.
• Pairing: Terry/Dana, Max/OC
• Comments: Originally a Batman Beyond fic, this story eventually branches out into the DCAU, with ideas on what the future Justice League is like. The OCs are well-written and interesting, and the story takes a few twists and turns along the way.

The Son Becomes the Father by Mr. Chaos

• Recommended by: The Otaku Ninja
• Status: Complete
• Pairing(s): None
• Synopsis: 6 short stories, looking at the aftermath of A Better World, and how a world, its people, and 6 former Justice Lords find redemption for their sins and maybe, just maybe, a bit of happiness along the way.
• Comments: The summary says it all; a look at what happened to the Justice Lords after said episode, and how they are redeemed in one way or another. Also takes a look into the rest of the DCAU during this time, with a few surprise guests.

Hating This by CampionSayn

• Recommended by: Much Ado About Nonny
• Status: Complete
• Pairing(s): None official, but there are hints of some of the popular het and slash pairings.
• Synopsis: Series of various one-shots based off of the oh-so-popular "What If…" Harley ever left Joker and got her old job back? Be warned, the time stream might not always line up, some shots might not have anything to do with the other and Harley isn't in love.
• Comments: A very artistically done story, it keeps the characters recognizable. There are a few grammar errors, but most of them are either deliberately inserted as part of the author's signature style, or so slight as to be overlooked.

Is He Naked? by The lunatic who cares

• Recommended by: bookwormgal
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Batman's expression had gradually turned from blank to vaguely disturbed. "More importantly, why are you coming to me with this ... topic?" He was desperately trying not think of the words 'ass', 'naked' and 'J'onn' in the same sentence.

Resolve by Aaron12

• Recommended by: Fox Bluereaver
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Six months after his rampage in the episode, "Patriot Act", the mutated General Wade Eiling, dying from his ingestion of the Captain Nazi formula, returns for one final push to ensure that his war on the Justice League comes to pass. With Superman again off-world, Batman believes there is one other uniquely suited to stop Eiling in his tracks, but can he be convinced to fight?
• Comments: This oneshot serves as a GREAT closure to not only "Patriot Act" as stated in the synopsis, but also to "Clash", which the author stated were two of his least favorite episodes. Aside from giving Eiling his well-deserved comeuppance after getting away, also gives the chance for Superman and Captain Marvel to reconcile at least to an extent, yet it doesn't feel any forced, as it's clear that none of them has forgotten what happened, neither do they act as if it were so. It's so well-written, you feel it like an actual episode.

The Phoenix Corps by Agent Malkere.

• Recommended by: “HattedHalfling”
• Pairing(s): Huntress/Question, minor background stuff
• Status: Main fic dormant, several shorter side-fics completed
• Synopsis: After the Justice Lords finally fall the world does not instantly go back to the way it was. The heroes who survived the Lords' reign slowly emerge from the woodwork to help put the world to right again.
• Comments: Ever wonder what happened to the Justice Lords’ universe after the Justice League went home? So did AgentMalkere. And boy does it show! The main fic, “From the Ashes follows this universe’s Huntress and Question as a one-time team-up of convenience slowly grows into something far larger as more people become involved. One interesting aspect of this story is that, while it’s set in a dystopia, the overall tone of the story is surprisingly hopeful, focusing on rebuilding the world and avoiding the mistakes of the past, though the reign of the Lords has had some negative after-effects. For example: there’s a lot of understandable stigma and mistrust against metahumans at the moment Beast Boy is unable to patrol on his own because he’s more likely to get attacked by the general populace than thanked, and most of the members of this new team are very firm in their reference to themselves as ‘vigilantes’ as opposed to ‘heroes,’ considering what the last set of self-proclaimed heroes ended up doing. Another interesting aspect of this fic is that the spotlight really gets put on the unpowered heroes – Question and Huntress are the primary main characters, but we also get Green Arrow, Oracle, Nightwing, a de-powered Black Canary, and plenty of awesome cameos or reoccurring side characters. Each chapter provides a satisfactory stopping point, and the side stories do a wonderful job of fleshing out the universe, especially Only Ashes Remain, which follows Question through the rise and fall of the Lords, and frankly, gives me a bit of a chill each time I read it.

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Point of View by Aaron12

• Recommended by: Fox Bluereaver
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: A wave of thefts leads Batman and Wonder Woman to team up with Nightwing and Starfire to investigate a criminal plot that is potentially global. All of them are left to question...who is the mastermind at the heart of this conspiracy? The answer appears to find them as an old enemy steps into the spotlight to challenge the heroes. But is everything truly as it seems?
• Comments: Set in the same continuity as "Resolve" above, it's a pseudo-crossover with Teen Titans (with the introduction of Starfire). Like the other one, it feels a lot like an actual episode of the series, and for those who would have loved to see some interaction between Batman and Nightwing in Justice League (due to the infamous Bat-Embargo), you won't be disappointed with this one.

The Truth About Flash by Starrynyte04

• Recommended by: euan112358
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Based on the Justice League show after Divided We Fall. Gorilla Grodd captures Flash and puts a helmet on him that will show all of his memories. Now, with the Watchtower overridden with the signal, the entire Justice League will learn everything they never knew about their favorite speedster, Wally West.
• Comments: From the DC Animated Universe, comes a memory-viewing fic that shows the Justice League just who the Flash is: under that happy-go-lucky, joking, fun-loving character is someone who has not only been through hardship and not let that keep him down, but helps his fellow heroes climb out of their own hells as well. Wally has gone way beyond his own Rogue's Gallery to help those he cares about, from helping Jason Todd reconcile with the Bat-Family to getting Roy Harper to deal with his drug use. There are many WAFFy moments in this fic, tempered by a fairly harsh beginning and other sad moments, but ultimately, this fic solidly cements the fact that, above all else, Wally West is The Heart of the Justice League.

Why Lois Lane Wears Short Skirts by TwilightSparkle3562

• Recommended by: Tito Mosquito
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Lois Lane answers the age old question...why does she wear short skirts?

Emergence by Aaron12

• Recommended by: Fox Bluereaver
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Rendered comatose after her battle with Supergirl, Galatea awakens a year later to discover that the world has changed significantly in her absence. Faced with the reality of being a living weapon for a war that never came, Galatea's already-fragile self worth begins shatter completely. And as she grows more desperate, can anyone stop her rampage? This is a job for Superman. Set in the same continuity as Resolve and Point of View by the same author.
• Comments: Another oneshot that seeks to tie up the loose ends left by the animated series, this time it deals with Galatea in the aftermath of the Cadmus crisis. Moreover, it offers extra depth on Professor Hamilton, filling up the gaps from back to Superman: The Animated Series to give a more plausible explanation of his sudden betrayal of Superman. It also ends up on a rather positive note by giving Galatea a chance to turn over a new leaf and redeem herself, with a clear Sequel Hook.

"[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8018996/1/Stains-of-Time]Stains-of-Time]" by [[https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3467309/theamerican91]theamerican91]

• "Recommended by": The Champion 23
• "Status":Complete
• "Synopsis": This is a DCAU fic that is set in a timeline that Destroyer does not end in the same happy note in JLU and Batman is very important.
• "Comments: A true epic alternative DCAU tale, divided into multiple arcs and with around 66 chapters, some elements are inspired by Final Crisis and there are alternative futures, without giving too many spoilers, I can say that it's absurd that this fanfic doesn't have a section here before , read it, it's good!

Shipping

Misc Mistakes, Misunderstandings, & Misconceptions by Aurora0628

• Recommended by: Kyoko
• Status: Complete
• Pairing(s): Batman/Wonder Woman, Superman/Lois Lane, Batman/Catwoman, Hawkgirl/Green Lantern, and maybe Superman/Wonder Woman if you squint
• Synopsis: Wonder Woman wants Batman. Batman wants no one. The rest of the world wants Wonder Woman to end up with Superman. Basically, it's a humorous telling of how Diana tries to develop a relationship with Bruce despite the fact that everyone in the world seems to think she is more than Just Friends with Superman.
• Comments: Very funny, amazingly well-written, and quite touching. Possibly the most in-character this troper has ever seen Diana be written in fanfiction.

Nothing in Moderation by Lavendar Gaia

• Recommended by: Kyoko
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Batman/Wonder Woman
• Synopsis: Batman begrudgingly agrees to allow The Flash to decorate the Watchtower for Christmas. The result is horrifying and Bruce is quickly running out of patience. Wonder Woman decides to make it a little easier on him.
• Comments: Easily one of the most humorous stories that involve Batman while still keeping him completely in character.

A Minor Problem by Lavender Gaia

• Recommended by: Kyoko
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Batman/Wonder Woman
• Synopsis: Batman gets the hiccups onboard of the Watchtower. No, really.
• Comments: If JLU had a Funny Moment in fanfiction, it would be this.

Hope is a Thing With Leather by Merlin Missy

• Recommended by: Kyoko
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Terry/Max
• Synopsis: "They've been dancing around this unnamed space for years." A look into how Terry and Max's relationship in regards to crime-fighting progresses over time. Things don't always stay so professional when you're all each other has in the world.
• Comments: Brilliantly written, fast-paced, gut-wrenching, and realistic. Easily one of the best-written fanfics for the Terry-Max pairing.

Prismacolor Shadows by Neo Nails

• Recommended: by Kyoko
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Mainly Terry/Max, but some Terry/Dana.
• Synopsis: A series of vignettes from different characters points of view all connected to colors.
• Comments: Remarkably well-written. It features many perspectives and all of them are in-character.

Bulletproof Love by perch

• Recommended: by Cedarleaf
• Status: Complete
• Pairings: Aquagirl/Warhawk
• Synopsis: A cute little story of two very different teammates enjoying a quiet moment together.
• Comments: Just a short, sweet little fic about two often overlooked characters from the future JLU.

Years After by Patricia de Lioncourt

• Recommended: by Much Ado About Nonny
• Status: Dead
• Pairings: Batman/Harley Quinn (no, don't leave yet...), Poison Ivy/ Clayface
• Synopsis: The year is 2012, and things in Gotham are a little different. Batman is no longer needed, and his Rogues' Gallery mostly all come to sanity. But when a new force threatens to bring back the criminals, will the Dark Knight reemerge?
• Comments: Very well done in this troper's book. The style is creative, and the writer is realistic about the Rogues' en masse Heel–Face Turn. A bit optimistic for my tastes at some points, though it's nothing a good flashback Character Development can't fix. Unfortunately seems to be dead at five chapters...though the writer is working on multiple other fics simultaneously, so there is a slight chance she might get back to it.

Smooth, Real Smooth by Kipling Nori

• Recommended by: Kyoko
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Diana's a stalker and Bruce likes to perform laser hair removal. Yes, you read that correctly.
• Pairing: Batman/Wonder Woman
• Comments: Absolutely hysterical all while keeping Bruce and Diana in character. Easily some of the best written banter between the two of them that this troper has ever read.

Sleep by DJRabidPunk

• Recommended by: Kyoko
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Max likes Terry when he's sleep-deprived and pretty.
• Pairing(s): Slight Terry/Max.
• Comments: A light, humorous look at Terry and Max's relationship. It's not heavy or long, it's just a fast, amusing read with plenty of enjoyment to be had by fans and non-fans of the pairing alike.

Infinite Legacy by Kipling Bunny and Infinite Memory by The-Lady-Isis.

• Recommended by: Omeganian
• Status:
  • Infinite Legacy: Complete
  • Infinite Memory: Dormant
• Synopsis: A fic and a sequel. And yes, they are by different authors. The original is a Bruce/Diana post-Epilogue. Diana returns to Gotham after a few decades away. Turns out Amanda Waller used more than one person's DNA for a certain project. The sequel (expanded from the first fic's epilogue) tells about their daughter, the immortal Alexandra, having her eyes set for another immortal. A long widowed one

Crossovers

Justice League Thunderer by High Valour

• Recommended by: ssjSega
• Status: Incomplete
• Crossover with: Thor
• Synopsis: "What if an Old God had seen the birth of a different team? What if it was not the Avengers, but the Justice League that Thor helped form?" Thor ends up landing in the Justice League cartoon after being banished by Odin. Watch as he deals with a world where mortals can match gods."
• Now has a Tropes Page. Could use some wiki love.

Justice by Black-Victor-Cachat

• Recommended by: Mitis
• Trope page here
• Status: Ongoing
• Crossover with: One Piece and Justice League
• Synopsis: A crossover between the DCAU and One Piece. After an unnamed incident, the Straw Hat Pirates find themselves trapped in the world of the Justice League. They now search for a way back home, gathering allies and technology. But this ends up putting them in conflict with the Justice League, who sees the pirates as criminals, while the Straw Hats disapprove of the others claim of "Justice."

The Laughing Fox by Lord Drafon Claw

• Recommended by: Kereea
• Status: Dormant
• Crossover with: Naruto and Justice League
• Synopsis: An insane crossover between Justice League and Naruto where the young Naruto grows up under the care of The Joker and Harley Quinn who move to Konoha when he's five and become the Uzumaki Clan with the Joker becoming a top interrogator.
• Comments: This fic never stops the laughter, though it does delve into the darker sides of the Joker and Naruto by extension, it still never stops being funny. The Joker is simply a riot, and becomes a very powerful ninja along with Harley and Naruto with the use of fish, squirting flowers, slapstick, and pure insanity. The author admits in the summary that it is not to be taken too seriously, so some suspension of disbelief is warranted for certain scenes (like Naruto fighting Kiba in the preliminaries).
  • Comment #2 Though a good story, true, and suspending your disbelief is necessary to read this book, the author's treatment of basically all the DCAU's 'good guys' is controversial. Maybe not the author's intention, but the Joker's got on a new pair of pants when compared to the spoilerd event-type thingy that could rub people the wrong way. The rest is pretty good, however.

Connecting The Dots by Afalstein

• Recommended by: Luc
• Status: Complete
• Pairing(s): Naruto/Hinata
• Crossover with: Naruto and Teen Titans
• Synopsis: "Bruce, tell me again why this arm is so important." "Because it came from another dimension." The discovery of an arm with a mouth attached leads the League to suspect a possible extradimensional invasion is imminent. Those fears seem founded when a dozen powerful young fighters appear scattered around the country, and contact is suddenly lost with the Teen Titans.

Last Son of Tomorrow By Ryuugi

• Recommended by: SAMAS
• Status: Dormant
• Crossover with: Young Justice
• Synopsis: The battle against the Anti-Monitor took everything the Heroes had and then some, but it wasn't enough. In a last-ditch effort, Terry McGinnis is sent beyond the end of the universe, to find the energy that once composed their world. Now stuck in a world much like his own past, and armed with the collective knowledge of his own world, Terry must find a way to restore the world as he knew it. Of course, this world still has it's guardians, and there's no way to know if they'll help or stop him...
  • Is also on fanfiction net here
  • Now has it's own tropes page.

Starting Over by TheKnightOfHonor

• Recommended by: Spectacular Troper
• Crossover with: Young Justice
• Status: Ongoing
• Synopsis: The Team from the Young Justice universe end up in a different dimension. A dimension where they do not exist and their mentors do not even know who they are. As they meet for the first time, how will they deal with their non-existence? How will they find their way home? And in the end, will they even want to go back? Inspired by "We Meet Again" by Takebuo Ishimatsu.

Web Comics

Legacies of the DCAU

• Recommended by: Thor Ingerman
• Status: Ongoing
• Synopsis: Legacies of the DCAU. Legacies of the DC Animated Universe is a fan-made webcomic featuring the characters and storylines of the animated series set within the continuity known as the DC Animated Universe, or DCAU, the 14-year-spanning animated saga produced by Warner Bros.
• Comments: A very well-written and incredible comic that pays tribute to this beloved universe. Now has its own Trope page.

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