#rita desmond

[gorogues]

My full Fictober 2024 collection, for those who want to see it in one place.

[longitudinalwaveme]

Barry and Iris pose for a photo at the wedding of Albert and Rita Desmond.

Unbeknownst to all of them, Albert is subconsciously turning some of the flowers around him to gold with his transmutation powers.

[calciumcryptid]

We need to give it up for the OG villain wife: Rita Desmond. Bestie was out here dealing with both Mr. Element and Dr. Alchemy

The original villian wife.

[awigglycultist]

Desmond: Treat spiders the way you want to be treated

Rita: Killed without hesitation

[motionpicturelover]

"Smashing Time" (1967) - Desmond Davis

Films I've watched in 2022 (189/210)

I just adore this film, the ultimate 'Swinging London' comedy with so many familiar faces.

Full film:

[cryptidram]

okay nobody asked or cares. here's my

Crispin Lynch Headcanons

she/he autistic lesbian

never talks (obviously), but communicates through stimming and drawing!!! for example: pointing to a drawing she made of a thing she enjoys, excitedly stimming and squealing and flapping his hands

is in love with rita. um. this came from nowhere i just like the idea of it let me have this

she thinks rita being a werewolf is actually Really awesome and maybe hes a little bit possibly attracted to the fact that she is a werewolf (lesbians are freakay) (source: me)

jeremiah wants to be friends with him. she does not. she tries to communicate that she wants to be left alone. jeremiah does not take the hint. hilarity ensues (they end up being surprisingly close after a While its cutesy trust me)

likes stars!! knows nothing about them. he just thinks theyre really pretty and likes going on walks to stare at them

mostly just transports bodies with rita, but mostly helps with assistant stuff with her. cannot deal with blood though, the bodies have to be covered and she can't do any work on the bodies himself

never takes that fuckass beanie off

easily nauseous! she finds a hair in her food? she'll probably start gagging.

quinn??? somehow understands him very well????? that doesn't mean quinn LIKES crispin. just understands her for some reason. crispin likes quinn though

never put sybilus and crispin in a room together. nothing bad will happen itll just be really fucking awkward and quiet

crispin and odie are bffsies!!!

is surprisingly close with desmond. not, like, extremely so, just more than someone would expect

desmond is one of the only people who's spoken to crispin before she stopped speaking!

crispin was always pretty quiet even before the whole not speaking thing. she just thought talking was stupid and kind of annoying and he never really spoke anyways so why not just stop? and then she did. only ever says ANYTHING in moments of extreme distress, mostly meltdowns. if he does speak, they're just simple one or two word phrases that either express the distress he's feeling or the problem causing said distress. if she was having a meltdown over an uncomfortable shirt she was wearing, for example, it would either be cursing or a word/phrase based on the problem ("itchy," "shirt," "itchy shirt," "feels bad," etc.)

emphasizing that speaking is INCREDIBLY RARE for him, he does NOT have meltdowns often

knows some basic sign language. chooses not to use it because she literally just doesn't want to talk to people

texts using emojis. only emojis. and emoticons

average crispin text is "👋(^_^)! 👍🌅!"

okay ermmmmm thats all. for now ❤️

[tnoy-keraxis]

please consider: wayward guide cym??

Everyone’s going to have like 20 roles because I’m so scared to call people my mutuals (the what if they don’t like me instinct)

Artemis, Mary-Jo, and Quinn: @r0mannumerals these just are your guys to me you just can’t be anyone else

Madison, Truman, Helen, Wallis, Prism: ermmm you I think you would do a wonderful job

Paul, Jeremiah, Donny, Rita, Odie: @ella-ashmore you would do them all so much justiceeeee

Ellis, Aubrey, Rocky, Barney: @ellaashmore idk why just funky guy energy and I associate that with you because Richie

Olivia, Riley, Vern, Agnes, Cliff, Silas: @notrichielipschitz southern (affectionate)

Sybilus, Jewel, GPS, Henry, : @arbielikestrains just good vibes from you

And Ryan, Desmond and Crispin are my guys <3

And then my cat can be the mayor because she’s lovely.

Thank youuuuuu this was fun

[reverseflashes]

helloooo 👋🏻 i'm finally posting my first poll! please vote, and, if you'd like, tell me why your fave couple is your fave!

[lebaronlordking]

Saturday Afternoon Reggae Show DJ LeBaron Lord King September 28, 2024 lebaron@kpoo.com

SaturdayAfternoonReggaeShow

4:00 PM The Wailers - Time Will Tell 4:03 PM Jimmy Cliff - Many Rivers to Cross 4:06 PM Desmond Dekker - Israelites 4:09 PM Maytals - Pressure Drop 4:11 PM Upper Cut Band - Bear Jah Fruit 4:16 PM Calligraphy - Culture Is Not Your Friend 4:21 PM Capleton - Gone Up 4:25 PM Alborosie - Natural Mystic 4:29 PM Musical Youth - Pass the Dutchie 4:32 PM Burning Spear - Hail H.I.M 4:36 PM Peter Tosh - Get Up, Stand Up 4:39 PM Sistah Jahia - Empress on the Rise 4:44 PM Beenie Man - Girls Dem Sugar 4:48 PM Eek-A-Mouse - Police in Helicopter 4:51 PM Sampa the Great - Energy 4:56 PM Gyptian - Hold You [Hold Yuh] 4:59 PM Samory I - Rasta Nuh Gangsta 5:03 PM Damian Marley - Welcome to Jamrock 5:08 PM Leroy Sibles - Jah Far I 5:14 PM Capleton - These Streets Know My Name 5:23 PM Nas & Damian Marley - As We Enter 5:25 PM The Wailers - I Shot The Sheriff 5:30 PM Inna de Yard - Baltimore 5:35 PM Lila Iké - Dinero 5:38 PM Protoje - Late at Night 5:42 PM YG Marley - Survival 5:46 PM Eesah - Hold A Vibe 5:49 PM Steel Pulse - Your House 5:53 PM Biblical - Inna d Ites 5:58 PM Lutan Fayah - Rockstone 6:01 PM Stephen Marley - Hey Baby 6:06 PM Love Joys - All I Can Say 6:16 PM Ranking Dread - Fattie Boom Boom 6:20 PM Junior Kelly - Protection 6:24 PM Spectacular - Jah Rise 6:27 PM Jemere Morgan - Try Jah Love 6:28 PM Sylford Walker - Chant Down Babylon 6:31 PM Barrington Levy - Black Roses 6:34 PM Rita Marley - My Kind Of War 6:40 PM Stoneface Priest - After Pride Comes Fall 6:43 PM Blanca - Worthy 6:49 PM Jalifa - Kannabrain 6:52 PM R Zee Jackson - Keep on Pushing Rastaman 6:55 PM Wicked Dub Division - Not in My Name

[primroseprime2019]

OC Q&A Time

Go ahead and ask me anything! I'll do my best to respond with fun, canon answers that'll give you a deeper look into my characters' worlds.

No question is too small or too weird - I want to share my OCs with you all, and I'm excited to see what you're curious about!

So go ahead, ask away!

OC Ships:

Cora x Keagen

Gregory x Idris

Byron x Agatha

Levi x Ivan

Harry x Jackson

Atticus x Hezekiah

Verena x Charisse

Larry x Xavion

Camille x Nyra x Dena

Matthew x Wendy

Demetrius x Emhyr

Drake x Avaline

Nancy x Robin

Mason x Jane

Lincoln x Marceline

Sawyer x Ethan

Luz x Amity

Hunter x Willow

Stella x Mordecai

Blaze x Lacey

Cindy x Brayden x Eos

Emile x Xandros

Laurence x Cody

Miles x Gwen

Natasha x Renee

Pandra x Loba x Kairi

Blake x Walter

Octavio x Obi

Elliott x Theodore

Jay x Sofia

Quinn x Micah

Valentina x Angelo

Natalia x Smith

Iridescent x Sidney

Harper x Begonia

Charlotte x Winter x Eleanor

Destiny x Isabella x Thalia

Waverley x Tabitha

Tyler x Christina

Kendrick x Rita

Arden x Teresa

Wenzel x Hannibal

Tennille x Nelly

Marcellus x Enoch

Eldritch x Phyllis

Edwin x Demeter

Clover x Flynn

Ivory x Petra x Marcus

Lorraine x Willis

Lewis x Desmond

Evander x Calliope

Violet x Xaden

Blu x Ventus

Obadiah x Estelle

Noel x Pablo

Gideon x Jubilee

Shiloh x Silvanna

Anastasia x Chance

Poppy x Branch

Polly x Igor

Avalon x Cliff

Dominique x Theophilus

Ravi x Halo

Nora x Corliss

Avaline x Rameses

[70s80sandbeyond]

Rita Moreno as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard - London, 1996

[gorogues]

Fictober 2024

Prompt number #16 Fanfiction Fandom: Flash Rogues Rating: M Warnings: Death and dark themes

Day Sixteen: “No, I’m not okay”

It had been one of those boring types of office parties, the sort which has you watching the clock or hoping someone will do something stupid to serve as entertainment and future gossip fodder.  But nobody wanted this kind of distraction: an angry former co-worker drunk on alcohol and a long-simmering grudge, pointing a gun at his former colleagues as he ranted about their failings.

Rita trembled as she stood next to Al, and that made the situation so much worse for him than if he’d been there without her.  What had he brought her to?  What could he do to keep her safe?

Albert.  You need me.

Al didn’t answer the voice in his mind, as he preferred not to acknowledge it whenever possible.  But Dr Alchemy was nothing if not persistent.

Albert, let me out.  I can help.

“Please go away.  I don’t have time for this right now,” Al murmured.

Rita gave her husband a funny look.  “Who are you talking to?”  But Al was already lost within his own inner dialogue.

You need me to keep you safe, and to keep Rita safe.  She’s in danger and you’d never be able to bear it if something happened to her…it’d destroy you.

“Don’t you dare talk about her!  She’s in danger every time you get out!”

It’s in the mutual interest of us both to stop this man, you know this.

“I’ll find another way!”

If you don’t let me out, I’ll take over anyway.  He cannot be permitted to end my years of work.

“No!” Al shouted, and most people turned to look, but the world abruptly went dark for him.

…..

When Al regained consciousness, the Philosopher’s Stone was in his hand and everyone but Rita had fled.  She was sobbing in a corner, while the gunman lay on the floor as a half-crumbled effigy of salt.

“What did I…what did he do?” Al whispered, throwing the Stone across the room and burying his face in his hands.

You’re welcome, Albert.

Al staggered to his feet and took Rita’s hand, consoling her as best he could.  He couldn’t allow her to be punished for his crimes…or rather, his double’s crimes…but had to admit to himself that he didn’t want to suffer for Dr Alchemy’s sins either.

We both know that I do the things you’re too afraid to do, that you don’t want to admit to craving.  Plausible deniability, Albert; your evil twin did it, not you.  And once again, you’re welcome.

Al ushered Rita out of the party venue as he heard sirens approaching, hurrying her through the bushes so they could take a circuitous route to their car.  She was too shocked to put up much protest, but he suspected they’d have a long conversation about the incident later that night.

He’d left the Stone behind, desperately hoping the thing would stay away from him for good this time.  Maybe it’d find a more receptive host to bond with, or maybe the superheroes would finally be able to destroy it somehow.  But he wasn’t at all surprised to find it waiting for him when he arrived home. 

[longitudinalwaveme]

Fictober 2024

Day 8: Are We Happy? 

Wally had been having a wonderful day at the hockey rink with Linda, watching the first big game of the season. While he wasn’t really that big of a hockey fan, Linda adored the Keystone City Combines, and if she was happy, he was happy. 

And then Dr. Alchemy had shown up. Because there was some sort of law which stated that a Flash’s nice night out must be interrupted by at least one creep in a mask. 

“Tremble in fear, Keystone City! For I, the nigh-omnipotent Dr. Alchemy, have returned to rule over you all!”

The rest of the people in the rink seemed even less impressed that Wally felt by the not-so-good doctor’s inconvenient arrival. 

“Boo! Get off the ice!” 

“Yeah, we paid good money for these tickets!” 

“Come on, team! Let’s get the creep!” the Combines’ team captain yelled. Almost as one, the team skated forward, hockey pucks raised. Dr. Alchemy cackled madly. 

“Fools! Let’s see how well you skate when I turn the ice into hydrochloric acid!” Just as Dr. Alchemy raised his Philosopher’s Stone, Wally changed into his Flash costume, darted out on the ice, and managed to spirit all twelve of the players who were currently on the ice to safety, mere milliseconds before the ice underneath them turned into a potent acid. 

“Why, if it isn’t Kid Flash! I see you’re as fast as ever—but are you fast enough to outrun a cloud of magnesium?” Suddenly, the air around Wally was ablaze; so hot that it was actually impairing his vision. But this wasn’t Wally’s first rodeo with Dr. Alchemy. He rotated his arms at super speed and was quickly able to extinguish the flames.

“Come on, doc! You didn’t really expect me to be taken out by that old chestnut, did you?” Wally asked—only to completely lose his footing and go careening uncontrollably across the ice. He finally came to a stop when he collided violently with a pole of one of the nets. 

“Amateur! You were so busy focusing on putting out the fire that you didn’t notice I was coating the ice with polytetrafluoroethylene—a material with one of the lowest friction coefficients known!” Wally tried to struggle to his feet, but found that his head didn’t want to stop spinning just yet. 

“Now, just to make sure you stay put—here’s some specialized acrylic adhesive to keep you running in place!” Suddenly, a sticky substance covered Wally, binding him to the pole he’d collided into. He used several vibratory tricks in the hopes of escaping, but quickly discovered that Dr. Alchemy had done his homework. Whatever this stuff was, he was stuck fast. 

“Now, where’s the real Flash? I didn’t make my grand comeback just to face the Twin Cities’ second-string hero!” If Wally had been a few years younger, comments like that would’ve caused his admittedly short temper to explode. Now that he was secure in his powers, though, it was just a mild annoyance. Really, he was a lot angrier about the fact that his nice night with Linda had been hijacked by the ego trip of a man wielding the world’s most powerful potato. 

“Isn’t that the real Flash?” someone in the audience asked.  

“It sure looks like him.” 

“Maybe it’s Impulse?”

“No way. Impulse has bigger feet than that. And a different costume.” 

“Could be the old Flash.” 

“The old Flash has a hat!”

“Perhaps I just need to provide the Flash with a little more…incentive. Once you’re all trapped in here after I turn the doors to solid titanium, he’ll be forced to come and rescue you—and that will be his doom!” And with a wave of the Philosopher’s Stone, all the exits were transformed into solid blocks of gleaming metal. If Uncle Barry had been on Earth, Wally knew that such a display would get him to come running—but he was off with Superman and Green Lantern in space, fighting off another wave of face-hugging starfish. It didn’t matter what Dr. Alchemy did; it wouldn’t summon the Flash that he wanted. 

“As for the rest of you—start handing over your valuables. The prodigious Dr. Alchemy demands tribute–-which he will accept in jewelry, cash, and all major credit cards.” Wally tried to vibrate loose again, but to no avail. This was so embarrassing…

Dr. Alchemy started collecting loot from the crowd, only to pause in front of a very pretty young woman. 

“Hello, there, you gorgeous doll. How’d you like for me to show you a whole new type of alchemy?” he leered as he caressed her cheek creepily. 

Aaand that cinched it. Wally had been pretty sure which Dr. Alchemy had crashed the hockey game from the start, but the really obnoxious pervert behavior meant that it was definitely Alvin. 

In response, the woman shrieked and grabbed the hand of the young man next to her, who was probably her boyfriend. 

“Get your filthy hands off my girlfriend!” the young man exclaimed. Alvin frowned. 

“You’re her boyfriend, eh? A minor setback—-but one that’s thoroughly surmountable for a man of my vast powers!” He waved the stone, and suddenly the young man was transmogrified into a solid jade statue. The young woman screamed.

“Andrew!” Alvin, seemingly oblivious to the young woman’s horror, gave her a big, creepy grin. 

“You’re single now, honey—and considerably richer, now that you have that nice jade statue. So, what do you say? You wanna go out with me now?” The woman understandably responded by slapping Alvin across the face. 

“You killed my boyfriend! Why would I ever want to go out with you?” Alvin didn’t seem deterred. 

“I can always turn him back if you really want me to, babe. Though I don’t know why you would. He’s much less annoying as a jade statue. So, what do you want for dinner?” 

“Dinner?” 

‘Yeah. I’m takin’ you out tonight—right after I kill the Flash, of course.” 

“Are you nuts? I wouldn’t date you if you were the last man on Earth!” To emphasize her point, the woman slapped him again. 

“Wrong answer, sweet cheeks.” Alvin waved his Philosopher’s Stone, and suddenly the woman was transformed into what looked like a ruby statue. 

“Ahem! Now that that little romantic interlude is out of the way—let’s get back to the issue of my tribute, shall we?” 

For the next twenty minutes, Alvin made his rounds through the crowd, collecting the money, cards, and jewelry in two large bags that he had materialized out of thin air. Once both bags were filled to the bursting point, he made his way back over to Wally, who was still struggling to free himself. 

“It’s a travesty, really. I go through all this time and effort to rob the entire stadium blind—and what do I get? Not only does the real Flash not bother to show up, but my romantic overtures are rejected, too! Why does no one respect me?” 

“Maybe because you’re a creepy sewer-dwelling gremlin?” Wally suggested. 

“How dare you! I’m the most powerful villain on the face of the Earth!”

“Funny. For someone who’s that powerful, you sure don’t seem very content being yourself. Are you really happy with your sad, creepy little life, Alvin?” 

“Am I happy? I’m overjoyed!” Then Alvin looked down at his Philosopher’s Stone. 

“Tell me, my precious: are we happy?” Amazingly, the stone actually seemed to respond; it started to glow more brightly and turned the walls of the stadium to solid gold. 

“That’s what I thought. We’re very happy together.” 

“Whatever you say, Gollum.” Alvin scowled. 

“I am not Gollum! I am Dr. Alchemy, and I am—-” Suddenly, one of the solid blocks of titanium that had once been a door hissed and turned into steam. 

“You are nothing but a pretender! A fraud, who decided to cash in on the identity I tried so hard to leave behind!”  Mr. Element exclaimed as he stepped through the new gap in the wall. A big grin spread across Alvin’s face, revealing some inhumanly sharp teeth. 

“Hello, brother Al! It’s been a long time!” 

“Not long enough.” 

“You wound me, brother Alvin—so I’ll just have to return the favor. Eat HClO4!” Alvin waved the Philosopher’s Stone, and a wave of acid went flying towards Mr. Element, who transmuted it into what looked like it might be orange juice seconds before it could make contact. 

“Alvin, I’m a reasonable man. I don’t want to have another element duel. I’m forty-five years old, the Mr. Element suit doesn’t really fit me properly anymore, and I’ve been trying to put this costumed nonsense behind me for the past twenty years of my life. Why don’t you just surrender quietly and save us both the trouble?” Dr. Alchemy laughed. 

“You’ve gone soft, brother Al! Maybe a hailstorm of diamonds will toughen you back up!” Dr. Alchemy waved his stone, and dozens of large diamonds started to fall out of the sky. Mr. Element responded by using his Element Gun to transmute the diamonds into feathers. 

“You want to do it the hard way? Fine. We can do it the hard way,” Mr. Element said as he continued to approach. As he came closer, he fired a beam from his Element Gun, which turned the floor around Dr. Alchemy into what looked like it might be quicksand.

“Nice try, brother Al—but your little tricks can’t stop me!” He waved the Philosopher’s Stone and was instantly freed from the quicksand, which transmuted into water. In response, Mr. Element fired a beam from the Element Gun past the gloating Dr. Alchemy. It hit the glue that Wally had been struggling against, and suddenly it didn’t seem quite so sticky. Wally grinned. 

“You missed! Clearly, you’ve been out of the game for too long!” Mr. Element gave a quiet chuckle. 

“I didn’t miss, Alvin. I was just distracting you.” Alvin’s eyes went wide, and he spun around in horror—just in time for Wally to vibrate out of the glue and sock him right in the nose. The momentum of the punch sent Alvin flying, and his bags of stolen loot flew out of his hands. He hit the side of the ice rink a few seconds later, and then one of the bags of loot clunked him right on his head. As Dr. Alchemy went limp, Mr. Element took off his silly-looking gas mask to reveal the care-worn face of Dr. Albert Desmond. 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner, but Alvin made a point of visiting Rita and me and trapping us in our bedroom yesterday. He was hoping that he would be able to frame me for the crime—again.” 

“Hey, no problem. You made it here in time to help me stop the bad guy. That’s all that matters,” Wally replied. 

“You have no idea how tired I am of dealing with him. Every time I think he has to be gone for good, he pops up again—and this time, he dumped beer cans and disgusting magazines all over our floor and ate everything in the fridge but the vegetables! It’s a good thing I can transmute things, because if not, it would take weeks for Rita and me to clean the place up,” Albert said wearily. 

“In speaking of transmutation, I need you to save a couple of people Alvin turned into statues.” Wally pointed in the direction of the young couple Alvin had transmuted earlier. 

“What happened to them?” Albert asked, sounding horrified. 

“Alvin was hitting on the woman, and wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Albert groaned. 

“Why am I not surprised?” Albert walked over to Alvin’s unconscious body, knelt down next to him, grabbed the Philosopher’s Stone out of his hand, and then walked over to the transmuted couple. He touched the stone to the woman, and then to the man, and a few seconds later both of them were once again flesh and blood. 

“Andrew! Are you all right?” 

“Yes, Sasha, I’m all right. I’m just glad you’re okay.” The two of them kissed, and then the woman turned to Albert. 

“Thank you so much!” she said. 

“It was the least I could do, really,” Albert replied quietly. 

“You saved our lives, man. We really owe you one,” the young man said. Albert ducked his head.

“Just pay it forward, and we’ll be more than even.” With that, Albert made his way back to Wally and looked at him hopefully. 

“Would you mind getting me back home? I have a wife who’s worried about me and a huge mess to clean up.” Wally grinned. 

“Sure, Dr. Desmond! Just give me a sec.” Wally grabbed the two bags of loot, distributed the contents back to their rightful owners, and was back at Albert’s side in less than ten seconds.

“All aboard the Flash express!” Two seconds later, Wally and Albert were at a cozy house in the suburbs of Central City, where they were promptly greeted by Rita Desmond. 

“Albert! You’re home! I was so worried about you!” 

“I’m sorry, Rita. For…for everything.” 

“What are you apologizing for? You’re not the one who locked me in a bedroom, emptied my kitchen, and ruined my floors! It’s that disgusting little gremlin who should be apologizing! I’m so tired of him showing up and upending our lives!” 

“You and me both, Rita—but I don’t know what to do. We send him to prison and he breaks out. We destroy the Philosopher’s Stone, and it just reconstitutes itself and finds its way back to him. I turn him to granite, and he pops up again in the flesh two months later like nothing happened. How do you stop something you can’t contain?” Suddenly, Rita glanced at Wally and grinned wickedly. 

“You’re friends with Hartley Rathaway, aren’t you?” she asked. 

“Piper? Of course! I just talked to him this morning.” 

“Well, it still might not be enough to get rid of Alvin for good, but I think the Pied Piper’s music might be just what I need to make sure he stays away from Albert and me for a long, long time.” Wally grinned as he realized what Rita had in mind.  

“Rita, you are an evil genius, and I love it.” 

************************************************************************

Two days later, Wally, Linda, Irey, Jai, Wade, Albert, Rita, and Hartley were enjoying a lovely backyard party at the Desmonds’ house. Jai and Irey were splashing in the heated above ground pool, Wade was crawling around on the grass under Wally’s watchful eye, Linda and Hartley were commiserating over the lousy season Central City’s baseball team had had this year, and Albert and Rita were holding hands and enjoying both their drinks and the state of their newly pristine house. 

“Alvin, would you mind filling my glass? I’m getting low on lemonade,” Rita said. Alvin scowled, but the small MP3 player that was clipped to his shirt and chirping out a merry little tune ensured that he would cooperate with her request. 

“Of course not,” he muttered glumly, as the Pied Piper’s hypnotic music forced him to pour her another drink from the bottle of lemonade that was resting on the tray he was holding. 

“Of course not what, Alvin?” Rita asked. 

“Of course not, ma’am,” Alvin ground out as he secured the lid back on the bottle. Wally snickered. He had to hand it to Rita—using Piper’s hypnotic music to force Alvin to pay off the rather considerable debt he owed to her and Albert by working as their servant was a surefire way to keep him from annoying the Desmonds for a long, long time. After all, there was nothing Alvin hated more than work. 

“That’s better. Now, why don’t you get started on cleaning out the junk in our basement? I’ve been wanting that mess sorted out for years, but we’ve just never had the time to get around to it,” Rita said. Alvin’s shoulders slumped. 

“Whatever you say, ma’am.” As Alvin wandered off towards the basement, Albert shook his head. 

“You know,  I almost feel sorry for him.” Rita took a sip of her lemonade. 

“I don’t. We’ve been putting up with his nonsense for what, ten years now? I think brother Alvin—as he insists on calling himself— owes us a few favors.” Wally laughed.

“You know, I’m really starting to wonder which of the two of you used to be the supervillain.” Rita smiled. 

“Well, you know what they say. Mr. Element hath no fury like a very frustrated astral sister-in-law.”

[tzigone]

The Redeemed Rogues

Bouncing around ideas for my headcanon reboot. Now, we all know Flash has an inordinately large number or Rogues that have been redeemed at one time or another. Since my headcanon characters will actually age and their stories will have ends, unlike real comics where they have to be kept in play, I'm thinking about what to do with these folks after they quit their criminal careers. I don't like them bouncing between good and bad - those that are redeemed stay so (and there's no mind-control making them go good).

Al and James are the ones that matter to me, I know Hartley matters to others. And Mick happened in the comics, too. Chime in on which villains you think should or shouldn't go straight, but Al and James are non-negotiable in my universe.

Albert Desmond - First rogue to go straight. Well, he'll quickly become engaged to Rita (maybe meets her on work release?). But he has to get a job. We know from issue 153 that he worked at an industrial company and was offered promotion to supervisor - any idea what he'd actually be doing?

I'm not sure on the idea of kids yet - depends on how his mental health is. While he'll still be hypnotized by Zoom a couple times, I'm definitely not going with Dragon's Eye thing, so he doesn't have that to worry about.

Mick Rory - Well, he got tired of being in jail. Got a straight job. In the comics, it was in a glassworks so his parole officer could frame him. I'm fine with that, but if anyone thinks any other jobs, let me know. His wages will have to be garnished to pay for the damages he's caused to buildings through arson.

I'm much more silver age on Mick's origin. A big show to impress a girl. Though he's not as fickle as Cold. Anyway, he'll probably find a woman who likes dramatic displays. Get married, and maybe have a kid.

James Jesse - Honestly, I just really enjoyed reading him in the '80s Blue Devil comics and then later popping up in '90s Impulse. He's just fun in those. So, like many villains, he has a great invention. His anti-grav (probably not using air pressure version because it's harder for me handwave the science) is something that could be patented. I'm not sure if it's useful for airplanes or hover cars. But it'd be great for getting people out of burning buildings. I think it'd be good for moving things - from furniture to stock in warehouses.

He's not the settle down type. I see him bouncing from occupation to hobby and back as he gets bored with one thing and moves on to the next.

Hartley Rathaway - I admit to finding the incredibly bribing first appearance of his parents kind of amusing. I feel he's more defined by his dynamic with Wally. Do you think they should still be killed?

Then there are his personal relationships. I didn't read New 52 for various reasons. I understand he was married to Barry's boss there. That seems less likely with Barry not being youthified. And a large percentage of gay men are not in monogamous relationships, so it might be nice to explore that. Of course, I didn't read, so the marriage may not have included sexual monogamy.

Leonard Snart - He just gets older. After Barry's "death," there's little reason to keep up the show. Barry comes back, but he stays retired.

I've said before that his cold gun is worth a fortune. Great for police officers and home defense. And, depending on how it works for stasis-ness, it would be amazing for EMTs. And yeah, kids are going to get ahold of them and shoot each other with them - but hey, it's not like it hurts anyone.

He would be so rich, and him being rich off the dollars of police departments is amusing. He'd take care of his sister. I can't decide what to do with her - her focus was all about Roscoe originally, which makes her unwilling to give up and kinda one note. Either her motivation changes, as with the comic, or she loses her drive for some reason. Since Barry won't stay dead, maybe she finds out Roscoe was cheating or something. Or she could be given an entirely new motivation.

Anyway, Leonard will live well, and fall madly in love two or three times a year. He's very fickle, though, so it never lasts more than a couple months.

[i-aint-here-man]

Is there a Doctor Alchemy on this flight?

Every Flash-Fan, whether you watched the CW series or simply are a comic fan-whatever, knows Dr Alchemy

Albert Desmond is undoubtly the most popular one as he's "the 1st Doctor" and has been serving this role non-stop pretty much since 2004, but there were some "proteges" I'd like to delve into, hence this post will be about nearly everything

So, once upon a time in popculture there used to exist this trope of "opposite twins":

-Samantha & Serena in Bewitched (which seems to be the primal source of this trend),

-Gwen & Sunny in Ben10,

-Wayne & Lucien from The Cramp Twins and many many more

Anyway, in

July '80; in The Flash #287

Cary Bates starts the arc with Dr Alchemy's attack at the lab in CCPD. Naturally, the last wearer of the mantle - Al Desmond, comes first to Barry's mind, although he doesn't want to believe that Al would revert to his criminal career

'cause here's the thing: Mister Element appeared in Showcase #13 whereas Dr Alchemy debuted in Showcase #14, where even Flash pointed out the quick change in Desmond's alter ego

What's even more interesting, it seemed like Al just "wanted to be" a criminal

Since then, Al did his time in prison, became a model citizen...

Well, it wasn't perfect, because he happened to have few relapses now and then, whether he:

was mind-controlled by Professor Zoom [The Flash #147]

was possesed by this "evil star" that aCtUalLy had been influencing his mental condition from the beginning [The Flash #216]

orrr was possesed by a demon? [The Flash #230]

In The Flash #153 Albert feels an urge towards doing evil, hence he behaves compulsively, firstly imitating having a gun, attempting to rob a restaurant and then suiting up in Element's costume

He later returns as Mr Element in order to rescue Flash, simultaneously deceiving Thawne ['cause Zoom believed that was the result of his "evil-making machine"] Fortunately, Barry takes Al to 25th century, where the latter goes through some "electro-re-education programme"

[at least it worked all right here, right Alex DeLarge?]

Later on, Al relinquishes "the Dr Alchemy-self" in The Flash #230

[aight, I know, sorry for this long interlude but I found it necessary to include it - now back to #287]

Upon meeting Desmonds, Rita - Al's wife, reveals that her husband's been absent at the time of Alchemy's assault, further increasing Barry's suspicion; police arrives, takes Albert to custody and not long after - Dr Alchemy escapes, ultimately leading Allen to a terryfying conclusion

But, reaching the final page, the reader finds out that

*tum tum tuuuum*

The Flash #288

Soooo the new Dr Alchemy is an Al Desmond. Both Desmonds happen to be "astral/platonic twins":

-they both were born into Desmond families [although they aren't really related]

-they both are fond of chemistry

-they have the same voice

And the most interesting aspect about their "connection" - while one is a good citizen, the other tends to behave violently, albeit this doesn't explain Al's becoming a criminal in the first place

and yeah, second-Albert created a hypnotic serum, which he named...desmondium

...right

As the second-Albert battles and seemingly wins over Flash, he proudly reveals his secret. Barry obviously gets out of the trap, but at least now his mind is at ease about Albert. Talking about Albert, what's up with him?

...

[*sets "Without me" by Eminem]

The Flash #289

That's right, Mr Element's back in action, but despite his previous returns, this time Al ain't sinister nor controlled - he's deliberately a good guy, whose only goal is to stop Dr Alchemy. Albert donned his old alter ego as he felt responsible for Dr Alchemy's deeds

Barry learns from Rita about Alchemy's potential hideout.

And so, the final battle between Dr Alchemy, Flash and Mr Element...doesn't happen as Al's quickly rendered unconcious, but heyy, Barry's here to save the day

And so, the two pals walk into the night as Al confesses that it's over finally

...

The Flash vol 2 40

Years later, Wally tries to exorcise an irish ghost out of Linda. In order to do that, they pay a visit to Albert Desmond who apparently inhabits now a goth-like mansion

And then...Albert?

So not only does he look different, but he behaves oddly, too. He's clearly obsessed with recreating the Philosopher's Stone for some reason

aight, it's Alvin

But what is "concerning" is his usage of that stone; Alvin seems out of practice, sloppy and uncreative when it comes to choosing the post-transformed product; he makes a few pauses, ponders too long over what the Stone can transform things into

To put it simply, isolation & obession drove him even more insane, rendering him insensible

But well, Wally manages to defeat him; he and Linda find the real Albert Desmond

poor guy...well anyway, hopefully this time it's really ov--

Ehh, for fock's sake...

The Flash vol 2 41

Alvin somehow breaks out [only leaving a salty statue of himself behind in the cell] and creates chaos for kicks, but suprisingly - this time he utilises the Philosopher Stone's powers quite well even going as far as to defeating Wally

Simultaneously Albert returns as Mr Element, but it still isn't enough to beat Alvin

Then a slight retcon happens while Wally realizes that Alvin is pretty much just a manifestation of Al's evilness with fake memories implemented by the Stone itself. In result, Al accepts the reality and destroys Alvin once and for all - FOR REAL this time

In Who's who in DC Universe #14 we find out that, sadly, after retrieving the Philosopher Stone, Albert started to become more and more seduced by his artefact

And it looks like he gave in, 'cause he appears few times in Waid's run

When Johns took over, he made Albert into a stereotypical mystic, who spends a lot of time on reading and practising alchemy [even his cell's been decorated in goth-theme] and he stays this way till N52&Rebirth

But before I get to that "version", lemme talk a bit about the third Alchemy - perhaps the lest known, Curtis Engstrom. He worked as an advisor on a S.T.A.R. Labs project that would use Philosopher's Stone's special properties to cure blood diseases. He of course stole both the device and the Stone. In prison he met a guy, who later tricked him, stealing the device from the first thief. Curtis decided to get his revenge on the guy, got the Philosopher's Stone, calling himself the Alchemist. Engstrom, despite lack of experience, cleverly uses the Stone's power i.e. by creating copper stalagmites while it's raining [electricity conducive] or by lacing an area with thin molybdenum strings [sharp enough to slice Flash] Engstrom only appears in two issues - The Flash #71-72

Rebirth

In Rebirth Albert does appear a few times. In The Flash #764-766 Albert tricks Barry into wielding Philosopher's Stone in order to control Flash himself; oh and he kinda absorbs Stone's powers so he doesn't physically need it anymore

A propos, depending on the issue, Albert either used the Stone to access powers or used it to channel his powers

Exemplary:

-in The Flash #216 Al revealed that the elemental-gun only concencrated his elemental energy, although nothing like this had ever happened before

-albeit in The Flash #230 a similar thing happened, this instance regarding Dr Alchemy, thus he didn't need the Philosopher's Stone anymore

-ever since the Alchemy-excorsion, Al has been constantly using his Elemental Gun

[The Flash #41 & the coolest Mr Element design, along with his cool af machine gun]

-then in Rebirth Al initially used the Philosopher's Stone embeded in a ring, but later he acquired the Stone's powers thanks to lighzinium - a protective material layered on the Flash-ring by Barry

...

Additional notes: °although mostly it's been implied that Al's identity disorder wasn't caused by the Philosopher's Stone, The Flash #765 clearly states a connection between those two aspects °the ring from The Flash #764-766 resembles greatly the Dragon-Eye one back from #216

°reaction-image

°intriguing, but whenever Dr Alchemy appeared in Waid's Flash-run he has never been referred to by his name; NOT ONCE

In fact in Waid's run he looks a lot more like Alvin, although considering the Who's who in DC Universe we have to think it's actually Allbert

°more interesting, The Flash vol 2 Annual 8 takes place right before Messner-Loebs' run and guess who's the villain of the week?

That's right, Dr Alchemy, whose name's never called out and in opposition to later issues we can't assume it's Albert under the mas--the hood

What's even funnier, present Wally's telling Linda that story, mentioning at the end "amazingly enough, Alchemy would eventually turn up again...and again that's another story"

If Wally'd be talking about #40-#41, then it's stupid cos Linda knows about that incident first hand cos she was there

°[*"The Man who sold the world" plays in the back*]

Thug: So uhh mr Desmond, how much of that gold do we need to transform?

Albert:

La-li-lu-le-lo

[madtomedgar]

3, 13 and 25 for book ask!

Top 5 books were, in no particular order, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy, Do Not Say We Have Nothing, by Madeleine Thien, Human Acts by Han Kang, Every Day is for the Thief by Teju Cole, and Evicted by Matthew Desmond

Least favorite were, in no particular order, A Map of Betrayal by Ha Jin, Swamplania! by Karen Russell, Song of the Jade Lily, by Kristy Manning, The Fire This Time:Young Activists and the New Feminism, and The Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown.

Goals for this year: More nonfiction (I only read 12 nonfiction books last year), more classics (though I’m not sure how to count later 20th c ‘modern classics’ like books by Ishiguro or Atwood), more fiction in translation/fiction from non-Anglophone writers (who sometimes write/publish in English and sometimes don’t), more poetry