#Iris West deserves better

[rosescxrner]

potential spoilers; the flash

Maturing is realising that Eddie Thawne was nothing more than the pretty boy detective who fell in love with his partner's daughter. Maturing is realising that Linda Park was being gaslit into thinking her boyfriend was in love with someone just to keep her away from him. Maturing is realising Barry Allen was just trying to get over an unrequited love and deserved to be happy with someone that could actually admit they loved him. Maturing is realising that Iris West is a bit manipulative and should not have been Barry Allen's endgame.

[roaring-at-the-sky]

thinking abt how rudy only had wally cause a cult told him that his kid would be powerful.

he never cared about his son or his wife- his family was just another one of his schemes.

the panels before the scene that he tells wally that is literally him complaining that the kid he tried to mold and control wouldn't obey him as he wanted him to, and then siccing a group of people on him to beat his ass and abduct him.

a lot of fanon things interpret rudy as this stupid bumbling alchoholic who beats his wife and his kid when he's drunk, but he's FAR from that. he's cruel and cold to pursue his own goals and has never once loved the family he wants to control.

[captainpikeachu]

My heart breaks for Eddie so much, you can see how much he’s trying to be okay, to do the right thing, how he doesn’t want to hurt anyone but he’s also so confused and hurt and alone and scared and in pain and the negative speed force is twisting his love into something negative and evil

This man just woke up from a fake life and basically only found out he died and his life isn’t his own and everyone and everything is coming at him at 200x speed and he’s just desperately trying to hold on

I need him to be okay, he doesn’t deserve all of this pain. He doesn’t deserve to be used and abused by the negative speed force. He deserves to be safe and happy 🥲

Team Flash better save him, they better not give up on him, please show him through actions that he’s not a forgotten nobody, please remind him of all the good that he is and have done and how much he is loved

I don’t want to see Eddie remain evil or dead in the end, he has earned the right to live and make a happy and good life of his own

Barry or Iris needs to play him that video he made for Iris’ birthday, there is goodness in him that can still be reached, please don’t give up on him

This show better not keep him a villain, ruin the core of his character, and fall into that silly banal trope of “the other guy is the bad person” — they did so good originally by not having him be that trope, please don’t fuck it up

[zemkzone]

That Rare Arctic Thunderstorm: Ch17 (on AO3)

FULL FIC LINK HERE

It took all of Eddie’s self-control not to touch his left jacket pocket as he and Iris stepped onto the walkway at the waterfront park. His hand kept twitching towards it, trying to check that the small square box was still where he’d put it. Iris hugged his right arm, and a light breeze wafted her jasmine perfume up to his nose. Despite that, he felt like throwing up. That, or he was about to have a heart attack. He’d faced down dangerous criminals, gang members, and even a few metahumans, but all of that paled in comparison to the terror that seized him tonight. “That restaurant was so worth the week and a half it took to get a new reservation,” Iris was saying. “Barry and Len needed us last time, but…” “It was an emergency.” Eddie smiled down at her again. “It’s okay.” “Still, I haven’t been home enough lately.” Iris tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m trying to persuade Eric to take Linda off the sports beat so she and I can share features work more.” “I know what it’s like, having a demanding boss.” Eddie squeezed her hand, pulling her closer to the riverside, to a spot where the lights from Keystone twinkled the brightest across the water. “With Joe away until Saturday, Captain Singh’s been harder on me than usual.” “So, Dad didn’t tell you why he took a few personal days off either.” Iris pursed her lips. “He’s been struggling with something he won’t talk about, so I hope this trip helps. Even though he wouldn’t tell me where he went.” “He’s a tough guy. He’ll be fine.” Truth be told, Eddie was glad that Joe had gone out of town. (And that he’d taken Len’s advice not to tell his girlfriend’s father what he was planning.) He was anxious enough as it was without dreading walking into the station in the morning. He took a deep breath, steeling himself when they got to the edge of the railing. There were a few other people walking in the park, but they were far enough away for the illusion of privacy. He’d been wanting to do this for several months, and now—now he couldn’t afford to get cold feet. “I don’t want to talk about Joe—or Barry and Len—anymore,” he said softly, stopping by one of the streetlamps. “I want tonight to be about you. About us.”

READ THE REST OF THE CHAPTER HERE

[icedteaandoldlace]

On a more positive note, this is gonna be Westallen and Kamisco fans when the series ends, and all the racists who needlessly hate on our girls have to sit with the fact that neither guy was ever gonna leave the actual love of his life for any version of Caitlin or a long gone ex:

[starcrossedrose]

@solembum22

favorite character from any media BUT it has to be a woman. in the tags now go (pls talk to me about your favorite fictional women pls pls pls pls)

[roboticnebula]

I first got a bit annoyed about it in the show and this is…. Extremely nitpicky. But I feel like Barry and Iris would either both change their name to West-Allen because they’re dorks and in love, or they would both keep their last name as is for professional/career reasons. Particularly Iris who’s a journalist and whose name is you know… very much attached to her work.

The kids though, would all be West-Allen. Like hahah look… we made these together. I think they would be delighted if Bart’s last name was ‘West-Allen.’

[kathrahender]

Please can the male character of a fantasy show/shonen anime not end with a female character for once? Stop with the heteronormativity dear God.

Give the main male character more female friends instead of giving him female love interests. Male characters deserve to have female friends. They don't have to be always romantically involved! I'm tired of people always wanting to ship a girl and a boy without any other option. They could be just friends! (and this feels very close to me because I had a best male friend in high school and people ALWAYS saw us as lovers and it WASN'T true at all! It was so irritating I swear. "You look good together" "You are a good couple" "Are you two together?" Why can't you leave us alone??? He was just my friend). Because YES, a girl and a boy can be friends without feeling romantic love for each other.

Annabeth could have been Percy Jackson's first female friend and she could have been the first girl who cared about him, just like a "female version of Grover" and just a friend- but no, they had to end up together because God forbid a main male character not being the boyfriend of a girl (and the same happens with Hiccstrid, Jlaire and Anidala, they could also just have been friends)

Naruto and Hinata could have been besties instead of lovers but no- they had to make Hinata a girl whose life was only centered in "How do I make Naruto-kun love me?" (and the same happened to Iris West. She could have been more important to the plot and Barry's best female friend- but instead she was just his love interests and her development was null. And the same happened with Allura. At first she was a good character, but then she was only there to be Lance love interest, what he should have been overcome. And btw Allura's romantic love towards Lance felt very rushed. As well as Hinny was so bad developed in the movies and Ginny's development didn't exist).

Seriously people stop with these things. Stop reducing a female character to a love interest. Don't make the main male character end up with a female character because that "it's better for the plot" "it's better for the world" "people won't accept the male character dating another male character" "people won't accept the male character not dating anyone". Not everything has to be a straight couple. Actually, not everything has to be a couple! All relationships in the book/show/movie/anime could be platonic and it wouldn't be a big deal! (Although personally I like romance, but aroace people also exist and they deserve to be represented in media).

[fandomshatewomen]

It makes me so upset that both the marvels and blue beetle has been treated like shit by their studios and by the fandoms that the studio have created . Like both did poorly in box office but that was not the fault of the movies itt was the fault of the studios absolutely doing nothing to premote the movies during the strikes and also the fandom (white af) being Jackasses about the films.

Brie iman teyonah and xolo deserve so much better and a fucking major apology for what happened by the studio 😔😔😔😔

racism and sexism totally have a part to play in it too though. like yes the studios are shit for not properly advertising it but like theres this deep set hatred of people of color in the comics fandom. like Monica Rambeau has always been Black, Jaime Reyes has always been a brown Latino, Kamala Khan has always been Desi and muslim. white people are constantly saying they don't want white characters racebent anymore (Iris West Allen, Ariel from the Little mermaid etc). but when presented with actual characters of color white people claim its a woke agenda thats them.

Like its just really frustrating superhero movies are finally super inclusive (racially at least) and now the whites are nowhere to be found.

and before anyone comes into our inbox to complain about this just look at how well Barbie did in theaters.

mod laina

[brinleyparke]

Iris totally owed Oliver an apology. Iris needs a dose of reality.

[victimsofyaoipoll]

Round 2

Propaganda Under Cut

Iris West

Treated terribly by fandom because of racism and misogyny

Iris is one of the oldest Flash characters (well, oldest by measure of the Silver Age Flash) and despite the show's problems she was adapted pretty well. Her being pushed aside 100% has to do with her being Black in the adaptation. The most popular ship on Ao3 for that show is her white husband x a white passing supervillain clearly intended to be read as actually white who has been in LITERALLY ~SIX EPISODES. He DIED IN 2016. THEY ARE STILL DOING THIS

Gets mom friended like you wouldn't BELIEVE. People hate her because she was childhood best friends with The Flash and has chemistry with him :( like it's her fault she's sweet and smart and not the male blue coded villain to the red hero. I am so tired

Stephanie Brown

Literally my best friend ever!!! Every time she shows up in a comic I point at her and smile!!! She’s the vigilante known as spoiler & batgirl & was a robin before getting fridged because of editorial mandate and misogyny she deserves so much better @_@. The m/m that some people hate her for is timkon; like they ARE very gay but people are genuinely insane about hating her instead of also realizing that she too is gay (insane amount of subtext w her bff cass). Basically she was Tim’s girlfriend for a long time on and off. People will literally call her abusive for no reason they’ll be like oh but she didn’t apologize for starting a gang war accidentally and faced no consequences for it :/ as if she wasn’t literally KILLED OFF BRUTALLY. And although hate is rarer for her nowadays from what I’ve seen she’s also a victim of Background Lesbian Syndrome. And also a victim of Woman Not Allowed To Have Ocmplex Feelings in the source material itself (tim is canonically bi now yay but like steph wasn’t allowed to have any complicated feelings at all at her on again off again ex breaking up with her for good???). Anyways she’s the light of my life.

she’s the light of my life my baby girl my everything. she canonically dated tim drake, but people love to ship tim with his male friend kon or his male brothers (🤢🤮) and so they constantly sideline her, making her the quirky wingwoman or sometimes even villainizing her by trying to claim she was abusive to tim. i don’t know why so many people hate her my girl will literally just be standing there and people will hate on her.

Stephanie was first introduced in the 1994 Robin series as a side love interest for Robin, but when she turned out to be really popular she became the main love interest. Because of this, she was fully fleshed out as a vigilante calling herself Spoiler to try and take down her villainous father, the Cluemaster. She later grew a lot closer to other cast members, such as Batgirl and Oracle, to get herself a firmly established place among the bats. Then, she dies in a gang war after taking up the Robin mantle. Eventually, in 2009, she was brought back from the dead and took on the Batgirl mantle. Her and Robin get back together sometime around ~2010 and they are solidly together until 2021. Then, Robin breaks up with her off panel for zero reason in canon, only to date some really boring guy named Bernard. By fanon, she's often demonized and turned into an abuser to make either this ship, or a lot of other mlm ships happen. Either that or things are mysteriously set in the time she's dead despite characters who were not yet introduced until she returned appearing. strange.

[shrinkthisviolet]

37 + Iris for angsty writing prompts.

This takes place during s3...and aside from the major divergence featured here, it's canon-compliant, so you can interpret Caitlin and KF as separate people or the same person. Also, this could be considered a mini follow-up to this, though it can also stand on its own:

Iris had failed.

She’d really thought she could get through to Savitar, touch at the heart of Barry inside him and pull the darkness out…she’d gotten so close—

But she’d failed, and off he’d gone, and she was going to die in a few hours’ time.

And by the hand of an evil version of her fiancé. And only to hurt Barry. It was just about the most devastating thing ever. Iris barely held it together until he left before finally breaking down sobbing.

What kind of fiancée—what kind of best friend—was she, that she couldn’t save him even when her own life was at stake?

What happened to you, Barry? What did this to you? Who did?

Iris wasn’t sure how long she spent crying before someone shook her sharply. “Come on, West. Dry your eyes. We don’t have time for that.”

“Wh…?” She startled backwards upon seeing Killer Frost approaching. “What are you doing here?”

The other woman arched an eyebrow and held up a gleaming knife. “I could just leave you bound up here to die, if you’d prefer.”

Iris pursed her lips, locked in a stalemate with her former friend, before nodded—Killer Frost knelt down to cut her bindings.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you helping me?”

Killer Frost pursed her lips but didn’t speak for a while. Finally, she said, “What you said, before. If Savitar gets his memory back, what’s in it for you?”

Iris scoffed. “Took you that long to decide you deserved better?”

Killer Frost scowled. “Someone’s being awfully testy to her rescuer.”

“Trying to get my bearings,” Iris replied tightly, “that’s all. I can’t make my situation any worse, anyway.”

Caitlin pursed her lips, speaking again when one wrist was free. “Well, it wasn’t just you. It was Cisco too. Never wanting to hurt me, even at my worst…reminding me that Savitar was only using me.”

“That was Barry.”

“Cisco too,” Killer Frost retorted sharply, “and I wasn’t gonna take any guidance from the man who couldn’t be bothered about me once your life was on the line.”

Iris frowned. “That’s not—”

“Fair? Oh yes it is.” Killer Frost sighed. “But that’s not your fault. From what Cisco says…you were the person most worried about me. Well…second-most. And you don’t deserve to die over all this. Not for Barry’s sake…or for anyone’s. I realized I deserve better…and so do you. Better than these roles Savitar has shoved us in.”

“And yet you stay with him.”

“Not anymore. Pull your left wrist.” Iris did so, finding it free to move. “You’re free now, so take my advice, Iris: run on back home to your knight in shining armor, leave me be. I have my own destination in mind.”

Iris frowned.

Killer Frost scoffed. “If I wanted to kill you myself, I’d do it right here and now.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.”

“Then what are you worried about?”

“You.” Iris stood up, grabbing the other woman’s hands and squeezing. “Are you gonna be okay?”

Killer Frost hesitated. For a moment, Iris could swear her eyes turned brown.

But only for a moment, and Killer Frost yanked her hands away. “Worry about yourself, West.”

Iris’s heart sank. “Caitlin—”

“Frost,” came the sharp correction. “If you ever speak of me again, if we ever meet again, call me that. Until then…Savitar won’t be gone long. You should hurry. This place isn’t too far from STAR if you head east.”

“You should hurry too,” Iris said softly. K—Frost didn’t respond, though, so Iris sighed, slowly walking towards the exit. At the last moment, though, she turned. “Frost?”

“…yes?” Came the hesitant reply, though Frost didn’t look at her

“I forgive you. Please take care of yourself.”

Iris could swear Frost’s shoulders tensed at that, but she didn’t wait to be sure—Frost was right about the time limit, and Iris didn’t have much time.

As she ran out the door, though, stealthily making her way back—it was sunset, thank God, so she headed away from the sun…and sure enough, she was back at STAR Labs before long.

Barry was the first to see her, the first to sweep her up in a hug and whisper a shaky “Thank God,” and Iris kissed him soundly and nestled into his hug with an overwhelming sense of relief.

All the while, though…she kept thinking of Frost. Of Caitlin, though evidently her friend had shed that name.

Iris knew how to read people—she’d taken classes on it, to boot, and being a journalist had given her much more practice—and she knew one thing for certain:

Frost had the same look in her eyes that Caitlin got when she was scared.

And Iris could almost weep for how helpless she was in the face of that.

prompt list!

[fastlikealambo]

since the flash is over, I’d like to say that candice patton deserved a better fandom and I hope she gets every role she dreams of and the ones y’alls problematic faves are up for cause  a vast majority of yall treated candice patton and the character of iris west allen like hot garbage

she deserves a fabulous career after all the heavy lifting she had to do and all the nastiness she had to endure.

[kitkatt0430]

5+ headcanons for an AU where Barry tells Iris about his powers in episode 1 instead of telling Joe?

I do indeed have so many ideas and opinions here. :D

So Barry realizes he can run super fast and accidentally face plants in a laundry truck (isn't that lucky???) and the first person he wants to tell is Iris. She's the one who has always believed in him about weird and impossible things, so he goes to her first and shows her what he can do. With a soft landing spot since he's still working on stopping.

Iris encourages Barry to go to Dr. Wells, Cisco, and Caitlin for help figuring out his powers. She's perhaps a bit iffy on Wells, but Cisco and Caitlin were nice people who she got to know fairly well with all the visiting STAR Labs. Barry wasn't exactly talkative during that time, after all, so Iris ended up slowly befriending Cisco and Caitlin and she trusts them even if their boss is kinda a dick.

Joe would probably find out as per canon and then immediately go into the doghouse by trying to exclude Iris. Iris would not take that well and it'd be a West feud in Episode 2. With Barry, perhaps, pointing out that Iris hasn't told Joe about dating Eddie and that while she deserves to be angry about Joe attempting to keep secrets from her... she's already keeping secrets from him.

I think not telling Eddie would be a point of contention for them early on. Iris loves Eddie, of course she thinks he's trustworthy. But Barry doesn't know Eddie and is jealous of him for being Iris' boyfriend. Barry would likely make the (very valid) point that it's his secret, not Iris', and he doesn't actually know Eddie well at all yet. Iris would thus push Barry and Eddie to hang out together so that they will know each other better.

Thus, a Barry & Eddie bonding episode! Maybe after the Rainbow Raider episode, though, so that there's tension over Eddie understandably not being thrilled about the Flash hurting him and Barry coming to like Eddie despite himself, but not feeling he can tell Eddie about being the Flash. Because Eddie doesn't like the Flash right now and if he knew Barry was the Flash then he wouldn't like Barry anymore.

That said, with Iris read in she'd blog about how the Flash's actions were a result of being affected by the Rainbow Raider, so the Flash's reputation would take less of a hit after that incident.

There'd be a lot more Barry/Iris/Eddie moments and Barry would realize that he's got feelings for Eddie too at some point, making dating Linda an attempt to get over not just Iris, but Eddie too, which Linda figures out very quickly at the bowling double date.

Linda - Hey, Iris, I'm gonna break up with Barry because you and your boyfriend are pretty clearly in love with him and it's reciprocated. Iris - O_O what???

Now Joe would be against telling Eddie that Barry's the Flash, but I think with Iris encouraging Barry to do so and Barry liking Eddie so much, that it would eventually happen. Though when it happens determines whether Eddie is upset over having secrets kept from him.

Earliest point would probably be when Eddie steps in to save Barry from Mick & Len using one of the shields Cisco made. Barry realizes that Eddie doesn't hate the Flash after all and might be willing to hear Barry out over the Rainbow Raider debacle and comes clean. Eddie probably still wouldn't be thrilled to have had this secret kept from him for the last few months but he'd understand that Barry didn't know him until the last few months so building up that trust had to take some time first.

Later it goes, however, more likely that Eddie needs an episode or two to get over the betrayed feeling and maybe it becomes a sore spot that Eobard can hammer at later on.

Eobard probably would be of two minds about looping Iris in. It's annoying because Barry is more likely to argue against EoWells when they disagree with Iris supporting him. But Iris is dating his ancestor while not also being his ancestor, so Eobard is eager for ways to break that couple up before wedding bells destroy his very existence. And then Barry catches feelings for Eddie too and Eobard is just kinda going 'well fuck' and whining to Gideon about 'why does everyone like my useless ancestor anyway???'

(Gideon - maybe it's because he's not a dick like you are? Eobard - What was that? Gideon - Nothing.)

Eddie getting a secondary exposure to dark energy during the Flash vs Reverse Flash fight triggers his Cobalt Blue powers. So while shooting himself doesn't kill him (healing powers, though he still needs the bullet removed later, Caitlin muttering rude words while the blue flames keep trying to heal Eddie mid-surgery, this is a pain in the butt) it does alter Eddie's future significantly enough that there's no chance of Eobard's specific ancestral line happening anymore. So Eobard still paradoxes out of existence right before Eddie spontaneously heals via flame.

Anyway, this is obviously endgame westhallen because I cannot resist throwing in a westhallen agenda here.

[theghostwife]

Idk if this is a hot take or anything, but for the Flash and Arrow, I ship Barry and Oliver with literally anyone else other than Iris and Felicity. When I first started watching the shows a few years ago, I was hard-core West-Allen and Olicity but now that I want back and rewatched the shows...I fucking cringe.

I loved Barry and Patty together. They were literal perfection for each other, and I loved that Patty could defend herself. She had all the makings to become a bad ass in her own right. Other than Patty, I don't think Barry had that much of a connection with anyone other than Snart and trust me...I'm a huge fan of BarryxSnart. Love everything about them.

As for Oliver, I couldn't really get behind any ship for him, not even Laurel. Idk, but I think he did best when he didn't have a romantic love interest. Now don't get me wrong, I love Laurel, love her to pieces BUT I simply loved Laurel and Tommy way too much to see her with anyone else. I just think they deserved better. Anywho, if I did have to decide on the perfect person for Oliver, it would either be Sara or Nyssa and yes i know Nyssa is gay but I loved their platonic relationship even when they were married.

[wanderingwolpertinger]

Finally watched the Snyder Cut, have some not in order thoughts (spoilers below!)

-like 90% of the quips are gone and it works

-better color palette by far, Steppenwolf doesn’t look like hot garbage but more like a fidget spinner i once saw

-more Lois lane. Excellent choice there

-was not expecting Martian Manhunter. At all.

-u know u don’t have to play wonder woman’s theme EVERY time she’s on screen right??

-Jason Todd reference??!?

-yesssss black Superman suit

-Clark and Lois are so tender. Works very well as an extension of their relationship in the directors cut of BvS

-Iris West is a cutie

-less stupid flirting btw bats and ww. Good

-also fewer dumb flash moments

-making cyborg an emotional center of the plot was a good choice

-missed opportunity not having nightwing show up in the end apocalypse dream sequence

-but I just want proper live action nightwing in general (meaning movie adaptation ik titans was a thing lol)

-give me my sunshine-y guy who hits ppl with sticks

-my biggest gripe with this bats is the lack of robins, don’t tell me he’s been around 20 yrs and not acquired a robin or two (ya i know joker said one died but it’d be weird if it was dick so I’m reading it as being jason)

-Atlantean blood bending hmmmm

-they kept the ‘I bought the bank’ line heh heh

-kinda sad the flash sups race got cut, didn’t fit the tone but it was fun

-ok so the internet informed me that Dick is in fact the dead Robin being mentioned but I’m ignoring this because its stupid

Will I watch it again? Maybe. Currently only LOTR gets a pass to be 4 hrs long but this might actually deserve its runtime. Might.