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I have a vague idea for a fic where the Young Justice kids go to a boarding school for "troubled" kids (basically meaning queer, neurodivergent or up to something their parents disapprove of)

Tim Drake is sent there when his parents catch him with his best friend, Bernard.

Cassie Sandsmark is a goth (this is very important to me) and her ever-absent mother sends her there when she finds out Cassie has been compulsively shoplifting.

Connie Kent's entire life has been a scandal. Her father Clark got his girlfriend pregnant in high school, which in a small town in Kansas was a big deal. When Clark moved to the city to become a reporter, Connie stayed in Smallville with her grandparents. But Connie never fit in with the small church-going community, and when she started dressing more femininely people started to talk. Ma and Pa Kent didn't want to send her away, but they didn't have a lot of options and figured she would be better off out of Smallville.

Bart Allen is undiagnosed AuDHD and always struggled to concentrate and function at school. His grandfather Barry sends him to the school, saying it will be good for him because it was good for his uncle Wally (it's strongly implied that Wally is gay and the school "fixed" him).

There are several mentors/support staff, alumni of the school who are meant to be success stories, I'm thinking original Titans members. The kids quickly discover that Dick Grayson, the mentor assigned to their cohort, was at the school at the same time as Wally, and the school doesn't really "fix" anyone (duh).

Over time they're joined by others, like Stephanie Brown who was sent away when she got pregnant at 16, and other YJ and Teen Titans members I can't remember off the top of my head.

And through it all, the kids keep hearing rumours about a boy who died at the school a few years ago, named Jason Todd...

#young justice #tim drake #cassandra sandsmark #kon el #conner kent #for the purposes of this fic:#connie kent #bart allen #idk just an idea #implied birdflash i know what im doing ok #rogue.txt

I DID END UP FINISHING IT WHEE

#In a very lazy manner but like #Its still finished #cassie sandsmark #cassandra sandsmark #wonder girl #my art <3 #And a peek of my aegis design

cassie drawing from a little something im working on and have no clue if i will ever finish or not

#my art <3 #cassie sandsmark #wonder girl #cassandra sandsmark #I love u cassie

Thinking about the difference between Cassie in her earliest appearances in Wonder Woman and the start of Young Justice.

Early Cassie (Wonder Woman (1987) #105-136, Secret Origins 80-Page Giant (1998) #1) is very headstrong and foolhardy. She's clever, bold, and resourceful, but acts oblivious to danger, rarely considers consequences, and treats superheroics like a game or adventure. To her, being a superhero is a lark, whooping bad guy butt is fun, danger is cool, and she knows better than the adults who are freaking out over nothing. She has a bit of a childish ego, insisting that Wonder Woman "needs [her]" and exaggerating her own contributions when retelling events. She's immature; the quintessential teen convinced of her own invincibility.

By the time she joins Young Justice, however, that childish confidence has been torn away. She's not as outspoken; she doubts her abilities, fears disappointing the people she cares about, and is scared of tarnishing the Wonder Girl name. She's still earnest and enthusiastic about being a hero, still an excited kid who enjoys going on adventures with her new friends, but she seems to understand that being a part of this legacy is a responsibility, and it may be one she's not cut out for. Being Wonder Girl is something she has to earn.

I think these changes come from a combination of a few events. First, Donna gives Cassie her old Wonder Girl uniform in WW#136. It's a clear blessing, but it also serves to remind Cassie that she's not the only one the name Wonder Girl belongs to. This role is bigger than Cassie. Second, Artemis is officially charged with Cassie's training in WW#140. Artemis is a fair but tough taskmaster, and she's seen a lot of the world's horrors -- she won't beat around the bush about what Cassie will face as a hero. Thirdly, in WW#142, Diana bluntly tells Cassie that she isn't ready. That she is unfocused, and needs to learn to be better. The world is watching, and Diana's enemies have shown they will hurt anyone close to her.

Diana's words come after a massive attack on Gateway City, which was targeted just because Diana was living there. Diana is leaving because of it. That is why I think her words get through to Cassie when before she often brushed off the adults' concerns. Cassie promises to try, acknowledging how big the responsibility is.

On top of all that, Young Justice is Cassie's first time working with her superhero peers. Cassie is used to standing up for herself and her right to be a hero when it comes to Diana, her mother, or other adults, but there’s a different kind of pressure involved in being around and measuring herself against kids her own age. Robin, Superboy, and Impulse are all well established heroes. Arrowette is less known, but has years of superhero training under her belt. Cassie is brand new to the hero scene, and the difference in experience is obvious from her first appearance in YJ#4. It probably doesn't help that Cassie makes the wrong call with full surety in the second incident they handle as a team, in YJ#5.

So that's where Cassie starts Young Justice. Her puerile ego cracked, newly aware of the legacy and responsibility she's taken up and her own inadequacy, but still earnest and eager and willing to work for her place. From there, Peter David begins the process of building her confidence back up. Not to what it was before, but creating a new, stronger foundation for a more mature confidence and sense of self.