#wally wants to know what he did in a different timeline to deserve this

[meekmedea]

Got a comment on the AU I've currently been working on, and my mind SPIRALLED.

From part of @/Luulie7's comment on AO3 about how Inertia sees Medea/Makaria.

Inertia seems like he has a crush on makaria and is also vexed that she beat him, kinda like those guys who like women who can overpower them, can't wait to see how this dynamic plays out.

Little evil speedster has his crush and oh boy, does it change things. Because now he's trying impress his crush. But not, you know, through the usual channels.

there's the occasional - "Oh, they're bothering you? Let me just flash them out of existence for you." In those cases, those people will typically not be missed, still the point stands.

and the - "I'm gonna challenge you to a fight-" because like the commenter said, he likes people who can overpower him.

I would not put it past Inertia to attempt to use Bart as bait to lure her out since Makaria isn't one for public appearances, and get all disappointed when Wally, or like any other speedster shows up.

Medea, well technically, 'Makaria' is amused. Because Inertia doesn't want to kill her, he's just like a nuisance, at worst.

Meanwhile Wally is having a headache and trying not to think how Bart's clone is hitting on Medea. (Remember Bart and Inertia look nearly identical.)

When Bart realizes what Thad (Inertia) is up to, he's mortified. Because no! This is like if he was hitting on his older sister. It's weird.

It's just utter chaos. There's no other way to describe it haha

[adobe-outdesign]

TIOL LIVEBLOG: PART 5–7

Note: I will do a final review tomorrow to summarize my thoughts.

Spoilers under the cut:

Part 5, Chapter 1

in true New Jersey fashion, Joey never wants to go back to it

mud is only a few steps removed from ink when you think about it

Nathan pointing out that Joey misjudged him really points even more towards him being the Unknown, as he says he hopes to prove it soon. If he isn’t the Unknown at this point I’ll be legit shocked

Joey legit just outright calling himself a God is really hammering in those Joey/Ink Demon parallels again

Part 5, Chapter 2

yes but did Joey see the baby incubators

Part 5, Chapter 3

I could never decide if I liked the idea of Disney existing in the BATIM universe or not but it does support my favorite crack headcanon, which is that Henry went to work there after leaving JDS

I’m not sure if it was the intended implication but I think Grant comes in late and leaves late for the sole purpose of avoiding Joey as much as possible

love that Joey respects Wally. good boy deserves that much

“again, it is why I avoid the past as much as possible” [makes Henry go through the studio on loop like 500 times]

I’ve mentioned before that the Whipper-Will-O is likely the ride Bertrum is fused to. It’s mentioned here but without enough context to confirm (it is mentioned later that it would be the biggest one which does match)

Part 5, Chapter 4

Joey’s secretary has a name now, don’t think she did previously

Makes sense that Bertrum was retired, he’s like canonically 60

Grant probably hates Bertrum for no reason other than the sheer expense of his restaurant bills

Joey: “ultimately Bert knows I’m the boss :)” Bertrum: I Am Going To Smite You Off The Face Of This Earth

I wonder if Bertrum hates being called Bert as much as he does Bertie. probably (side note: “Bertie” is misspelled with a y here; if I’m not mistaken it was “ie” in the game transcript)

I know some people have said the “I’m not that kind of date” line is homophobic (which was probably the intention), but all he says is that he’s not the kind of guy to play hard to get, not that he isn’t a date

In things that only interest me, Bertrum is confirmed to be a heavyweight (or at least more so than Joey)

I love these two trying to out-ego each other. I didn’t think it was possible but Joey’s winning

nice to finally have explanations for the different lands, was wondering what the hell that was about

also the battleship stuff was for the Butcher Gang’s area, that makes sense

if anyone walked up to me and told me they “had a Whipper” I’d slap them

man this is the best episode of Defunctland ever

Side note: Bertrum is much more in-character here than in DCTL. While he’s still friendly towards Joey, that’s because they just met, so it makes sense in this situation (unlike in DCTL). He also corrects Joey on his name, something he never did in DCTL

Actually this kind of botches the timeline as DCTL has Bendyland just being developed and announced in 1946, while here that happened in 1941-1942. 1940 was the date on Bertrum’s BATDR teaser tape, so the later is closer to being right (still off by a year though). I’ll chalk DCTL up to Buddy’s bad memory.

Part 5, Chapter 5

“I like me just fine” is really amusing and I’m not sure why

I LOVE how much Joey keeps hammering in how great Henry leaving is. cashing in my final “Joey is gay”

Part 6, Chapter 1

Neat to have an explanation for the Sillyvision thing. I didn’t get the impression from the Handbook that it was a process of sorts, but then again I might be misremembering

Part 7, Chapter 1

(Counting these as chapters even though they’re more of an afterwords thing)

figures Joey is a morning person

Nathan just wakes up and chugs a single cup of black coffee while not breaking eye contact

Joey enjoying Cheerios amuses me more than it should

Joey: “hey what’s today looking like Sammy” Sammy: I Am Going To Kill Something Jack: I am also here

I was pointing out that it was weird that Abby was a temporary art director but is still at it in DCTL, but I think the implication is that Joey fired Morris and replaced him with her when he got back. He seems to much favor her work

the “that others were lying to him instead of him lying to himself” amuses me as Grant has a log in the Handbook that is literally just “Joey we’re fucking bankrupt holy fucking shit please respond to this for once”

are the people in the music department like. okay

I like how Joey speaks positively about his employees but every single one of them hate his guts and I’m pretty sure he hates most of theirs too

Joey’s famous 2 hour lunch break has been pared down to an hour and a half, which is slightly better but not by much

Joey: [holds still for five minutes] Joey: [starts vibrating] nevermind

Part 7, Chapter 2

hey they kept this consistent with the excerpt from the Handbook, that’s nice

well, kind of. They kept the same copy but added stuff to tie it back into the previous plot. kind of makes sense though, as they wouldn’t include that stuff without the context in a reprint

Part 7, Chapter 3

that was a bit of an oversimplification of plot structure but okay

Part 7, Chapter 4

Joey does outright say here that he doesn’t intend to die, could point to him being BATDR Bendy

[eobard-thawne]

What did Geoff Johns do to be evil? And why is Tynion bad?

i think geoff johns has always been evil that guy is born evil. and i'm not even gonna get into the whole fiasco with warner brothers and everything he's said behind ray fisher bc that's not about comics but people also should never forget about those. how this man still has a job is beyond me he is the worst.

a part of me wants him to stick to live action bc he should never be allowed to write a comic book but it doesn't make any difference at the end bc nothing ever happens to people like him. they never get what they deserve and they always come out on top.

gj is known to retcon things and bend canon to his OWN liking. he is responsible for a lot of stupid fcuking retcons and because this guy has written for pretty much every comic book character the list of all the messed up things he has done is never ending gvjakdlh

i read flash comics mostly so i've been severely traumatized by this guy. barry's parents were ALWAYS alive in silver age, barry actually died BEFORE his parents. but gj's first retcon was during wally's flash run, he killed nora (and one of his villains tried to dig up her grave like WTF and it resulted in ANOTHER disastrous retcons and character assasination for barry it's a whole thing and i can't even get into that now gvjakg) and after barry came back, well you know, gj did the retcon where eobard killed nora and framed henry for it. and henry died in prison before barry could exonerate him. that part was later re-retconned in n52 but like.. the damage has already been done.

he seems to think that heroes can't ever have good things. and a hero can't be a hero without being traumatized. like they have to have traumatizing things happen to them to make them into the heroes they are and it's ridiculous. dan didio 2.0

now a lot of fanboys think comics didn't exist before geoff johns bc that's how extreme his retcons are.

his writing might be good in the sense that it's easy to read but he can't ever complete an arc properly. his storytelling is half assed, his plots are sloppy and there is always so many plot holes left at the end and it leaves more questions than answers it's so frustrating.

also despite what ppl say geoff johns is the one responsible for flashpoint not barry gvkacnfsh all the missing characters, years of character developments going down the drain it's alllllll this guy. flashpoint in general is so f*cking stupid anyways like the demon speedster can travel through time all he wants and nothing ever happens to the timeline but barry, the greatest superhero and the best flash ever lived just wants to see his mom again and it's the end of the world??? FAKEEEE. ALL FAKE.

and tynion is a bad writer bc honestly??? while i admit i haven't read much from him (he mostly writes batfam and batfam isn't my cup of tea anymore) i don't remember why i wrote his name there lol i guess i was mad at something i've read THEN but i can't remember it now. but judging from what i've read, his writing is boring and it reads like a fanboy gvjaveg like i'm sorry but he is no different than tom taylor most of he writes seems very self indulgent to me. like i get it you like harley but i don't want half the issue to be about harley in a batfam/batman book. show your clown representation somewhere else.

and i'm ending this reply with a very sincere apology because i swear to you i don't get any notifications when i get asks/messages. i even enabled e-mail notifications but still nothing. i reblogged that post WEEKS ago so i'm very very sorry for the late reply. idk if you're still around nonnie but if you are, here it is.

[astrid-goes-for-a-spin]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Flash (TV 2014) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Iris West & Nora West-Allen, Iris West & Wally West, Francine West & Iris West, Barry Allen/Iris West Characters: Iris West, Wally West, Nora West-Allen, Barry Allen, Francine West (discussion of) Additional Tags: Iris's Flashpoint damage, still salty, Timeline changes, discussion of time travel, Flashpoint - Freeform, baby Nora, Wally is a good uncle, Wally is still around, mourning over timeline changes, you cannot convince me they weren't supposed to have the Tornado Twins, tornado twins - Freeform, the timeline is malleable, discussion of Francine, emotional with a tender ending, introspection of how Iris is different post-Flashpoint Series: Part 2 of Iris Week 2020 Summary:

Iris Week 2020 Day 2! Family Relationships.

“Do you ever get the feeling,” Iris says one very dark and very early morning, as she cradles Nora in the crook of her arm, waiting for the microwave, “that things just aren’t…right?”

Iris considers the choices pre-Flashpoint Iris made about Francine. Iris wonders whether she and Barry have been were supposed to have the Tornado Twins.

------------------

For the tumblr readers, here’s the full text! 

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“Do you ever get the feeling,” Iris says one very dark and very early morning, as she cradles Nora in the crook of her arm, waiting for the microwave, “that things just aren’t…right?”

Her brother has a bottle of formula in his hands, and every so often Iris will see tiny flickers of his yellow lightning come off his fingers. Wally seems to be trying to learn to heat up the baby’s bottle with speed alone, an obstacle that even Barry has not yet conquered.

Iris tries to ignore the crazy men in her life and bounces to keep Nora calm, watching the formula spin through the microwave window.

Barry is out, away on a small project with Kara and Kate involving the relocation of a group of alien refugees. Not sleeping, Iris called Wally up and he sailed in to keep her company during the long night, interrupted only by the wailing of her newborn.

“Like, Cult of Domesticity not right?” Wally asks, raising an eyebrow.

Iris pshaws him. Her life is everything she’d ever dreamed, full to bursting with loved ones and meaningful work. Yeah, it’s stressful, but…but nothing. It’s her life, and she loves it. Somebody has to keep saving the world, and she’s glad it’s them.

But there are just moments, like now, in the wee hours with the two people most genetically similar to her in the world, that it just feels…wrong.

“More like…regret,” Iris says thoughtfully.

Wally nods quietly. She startles at the microwave beep; within a blink, Wally is offering the tested formula to Nora. Iris hands her over, and Nora immediately snuggles into her uncle. Electricity passes between them, and she stops fussing as soon as Wally puts the nipple in her mouth.

Iris tells Wally about when she first started getting to know Nora. The adult Nora. About her feelings of motherly inadequacy. About when Nora rewound the same hour over and over and eventually Iris just sensed that she was bending time.

“Do you think the timeline changed?” Wally asks. “And that’s what you’re feeling?”

It’s crazy. Iris knows it’s crazy. That so many new moms feel just like she’s feeling. Thinking obsessively about her own mom and whether she’s good enough. Maybe she should just tell Caitlin she’s out of it and see whether this is actually post-partum depression.

But she hasn’t. She called Wally, who ran across the world to sit with her in the middle of the night.

“I think something used to be different,” Iris whispers. “Before Flashpoint. Maybe before Thawne killed Barry’s mom. I think we used to be different.”

“You and me?” Wally says, surprised. “Like, before Flashpoint-”

“I think it has something to do with Francine,” Iris says desperately. And this is it; this is why she called her brother when her husband is away; this is something she never wants to speak to her father about. “I don’t – I don’t think it happened the same way before. And it makes me worry-”

“About what else could have changed,” Wally says seriously, nuzzling the baby.

Iris still hasn’t forgiven her father for hiding the fact that her mother was alive for over twenty years. She’s not sure she ever will. Just because they’re close, because she loves him, because he’s a part of her daily life and her family, doesn’t mean she can forget.

Iris met her once.

Iris was not there when she died.

(Wally was, all alone. And Iris thinks that this isn’t right, because just sometimes she gets a glimmer of grief too intense to be real, too accessible to be applicable to her own experience.)

“What if I did something better?” Iris holds out her arms for Nora. Nora makes an offended face at parting from Wally’s warm, speed-force generating body, but coos happily when she recognizes Iris’s arms, the scent of her hair. Iris might not be able to share meta powers with her baby, but she’s definitely Nora’s favorite. (She’d better be, too. Iris is not over how hard it was to carry a speedster baby.)

“What if I was a better daughter before the timeline changed, and now I don’t know about it and I’m not gonna be as good a mom as Nora deserves?” The volume of her voice drops until Iris is barely audible at all.

Wally is quiet for long seconds. “Have you spoken to Barry about this? You saw the future, you’re a great mom.”

Iris shakes her head. “We told him we didn’t want to know. It – it’s not us, not really, he created a whole new timeline and then jumped into it-”

“It’s complicated,” Wally interrupts, cutting her off. “Speedsters travel in time differently than the Legends do, they can’t revisit their own timelines but that’s pretty much all we do, press the reset button, and-”

“And the more time travel you do, the less it makes sense,” Iris sighs.

“And even though you haven’t time traveled, I’m pretty sure you’re getting a sensitivity for it,” Wally says. “If you think that’s what you’re feeling, I believe you.”

“Sometimes I feel like I was there when she died,” Iris says, tears escaping. “But I wasn’t. What if she was, the other Iris? Didn’t this you deserve to have me there?”

“Iris, we don’t know what else could’ve changed in the timeline. You’re always doing your best for your family.” But Wally looks pinched and uncomfortable. “I…definitely did not want to be there alone. But there’s nothing we can do to make that better. Not now.”

Iris nods. She settles by the window to wait, and cuddles close the one thing she can make better.

.

A crackle of electricity. The timeline is malleable. The heavy, painful weight of her own overfull belly. “We’re gonna need more diapers.” A cry.

Barry returns to find Iris cradling Nora in their bed, tears dripping into the pillowcase.

“Do you remember what happened to Sara Diggle?” Her words are a croak.

Barry stiffens immediately. (Of course he remembers.)

“I think we used to have another baby, Barry,” Iris whispers.

At least you still have one.

“I don’t know if it – was Flashpoint, or the Reverse-Flash, twenty years ago, but – sometimes I just think, this isn’t right. Tell me I’m not – tell me I’m not crazy, Barry,” Iris breathes.

Barry vibrates out of his suit silently and drops the ring on the floor. He hesitates for a moment, then settles on the bed opposite her. Their bodies make a heart shape with Nora, blessedly sleeping, in the middle.

“I can’t go to the future anymore, Iris,” Barry finally says, his voice gravelly. “I don’t know. What we’re supposed to have. What we might’ve had if I made – better choices. If the Reverse-Flash hadn’t…created a new timeline to punish a Flash he’s never going to see again. If we’re living in the ripple effect from someone else’s Flashpoint right now. I don’t know if we were supposed to have another kid.” He’s getting choked up.

“It’s not like Cisco’s ever vibed another timeline while he’s bouncing her,” Iris admits, self-deprecating.

“That doesn’t mean we didn’t have a different family. The speed force is – so big, and so complicated. You might be really, really right.” Barry looks away from her and puts his finger into Nora’s incredibly small hand. Her tiny brown fingers reflexively close into a fist. Not for the first time, Iris’s feelings of chronal – whatever the Legends call it – are swept away by her love for her daughter. She’s just so beautiful.

“We can’t keep waiting for the newspapers to come true,” Iris agrees. “What’s done is done. The timelines will never be the same. We have to…keep living our lives in the now.” And try to live with their mistakes.

Barry, still holding Nora’s hand, looks into Iris’s face for the first time since returning home.

“I’m not ruling out another baby in the future,” he says carefully, watching her expression. “But you, and me, and our Nora here together? I think this now is the best place I’ve ever been.”  

[we-are-renegade-rebels]

A random AU that I'll probably be the only one giving a shit about. In the Moded Reach Apocalypse timeline, Bart Allen is an assassin. Bart belonged to the Hyperguard. The Hyperguard was created when Thaddeus Thawne the 1st joined the Light. He betrayed them. He sided with the Reach. He made the Hyperguard to take out all the threats. Meloni was trained and loyal to her father, thanks to the mind control drug the Reach made. She killed every assassin in the Council of Spiders. She was a weapon, and a damn good one too. Thawne decides that the Reach have to go when they start enslaving other humans. He sided with them to get rid of the Metas. When normal humans are enslaved, the Reach are now classified as enemies. He needs a better weapon because Meloni isn't good enough anymore. He needs something stronger, smarter, faster. Deadlier. He orders her to get pregnant. The Reach have already killed the last Kryptonians by blasting powdered kryptonite through the air. Atlantis has closed it's borders, and Mars is dead. Themyscria was never an option. So he decides to hit the Metas, and more specifically the Allens, where it counts. Meloni drugs Don and rapes him. He doesn't remember this. She gets pregnant, and the pregnancy is accelerated. There were consequences that Thawne failed to consider. Variables that he failed to make a contingency plan for. His grandchild is born five months after conception. He doesn't see the offspring of his daughter as anything more than a weapon made to follow orders, without question, without hesitation, and without any concern for it's own well being. It takes one month before the infant starts aging at hyperspeed, so Thawne puts it in a VR designed to train it to be a perfect weapon. He performs experiments on his grandchild, the goals of which would hopefully stop its aging, at best. At worst, he's collecting DNA to clone it. It takes three years, but Thawne finally fixes the problem. He still makes a clone, just in case. Thawne made a miscalculation with the programming of the VR. The VR made it a weapon, but the VR did not make it loyal or obedient. There was a disconnect between the VR world and the real world. The VR was designed to adapt to its mind. He was unaware that his grandchild's mind is even faster than its physical body. It grows up in a VR. It is three chronological years old, but twelve physical years old. It has lived three hundred subjective years in the VR. It is the ultimate weapon. It knows the endgame. It knows its mission is to kill the Reach, it's spent three hundred years training for it. The weapon is deployed as soon as Thawne is sure that it functions perfectly, after he tests it. First, he sends it out to kill the Brain. It succeeds. Next, he sends it to take out Queen Bee, Black Manta, Lex Luthor, Sportsmaster, Count Vertigo, and Deathstroke. It succeeds. Finally, he sends it out to kill Ra's Al Ghul and Vandal Savage. Klarion flees. It succeeds. He finally sends it against its original targets, The Reach. He starts by sending it out to kill the Reach Scientist. Once she's dead, he sends it out to kill the Reach Ambassador, then the Army. Once they're all gone, the final pieces are Black and Blue Beetle. It never misses a shot, it never shows itself, and it never fails. Thawne fears his creation. He fears that it will rise against him, because he knows it will win. He's not strong enough to face it, not even Meloni is, so he decides to get rid of it. The ironic thing is, if Thawne hadn't been so afraid of his perfect weapon, if he hadn't betrayed his grandchild, even if he'd never showed it any care of love, it would've been loyal. It would've stayed his slave forever, if he'd never tried to get rid of it. Because of Thawne's paranoia, he ordered his daughter to execute his weapon. She took it away to a remote place where she could kill her child in peace. His weapon was going to just let it happen, but Don Allen, the fastest man alive, saw a kid being threatened while he was patrolling for the suddenly missing Reach, and decided he wasn't gonna let it happen. He saved his child, and brought the kid to the Resistance. Upon being asked for a name, the child responded that it was a weapon, it had no name. It was considered a machine, not a human being. It was a Meta, not a person. Everyone was horrified. It takes three years for them to accept that they're a person. They don't care for gender or pronouns or even what clothes they're wearing. In those three years, they never aged a day. It baffled the doctors until they got a hold of their blood to check their DNA. They find out that they're Don's kid, and there's a lot to process. They already bonded with Don, not a lot really has to change. They finally pick a name, instead of always being called kid. They take their paternal grandfather's name. Bartholomew Allen, with Wallace as a middle name, because he was Don's hero. Fast forward seven years, Don dies, and while the Reach and the Light are gone, Thawne is now in control, and Metas are still experiencing things that are worse than death. So Bart decides to travel back in time, to change things for the better. To make sure the Reach, the Light, and Thawne never win. Bart arrives just like in Canon, with everything happening just the same, until when Bart saves Jaime. They tell him that if the Reach get him On Mode, Jaime will die by Bart's hand. Bart explains their past as a weapon, and Jaime vows then and there to always be there for Bart. It might just be his crush on the young speedster, but Jaime knows that Bart deserves the chance to be happy. Bart reciprocates the crush, although they don't confess first. They're a master at hiding behind a mask. They've had three hundred years worth of practice after all. Khaji-Da doesn't want to admit that he's fond of Bart. Being fond of Jaime makes sense since Jaime is his host, but Bart was illogical. Bart makes things better than in Canon. Wally doesn't die because Jay Garrick joins them, and they have enough speed together that no one ceases. Bart keeps Impulse, and Wally goes back into the hero business with Artemis. Bluepulse OT3 is the Endgame. Bart lives happily, and for the first time in their life, Bart learns what it means to live. To really live, not just survive. Bart is already a master at surviving. Bart doesn't like talking to anyone about their past, but they don't really want to bottle it all up either. So they learn how to draw, how to sketch, and how to paint. They let art be the medium through which they tell the world what they've survived. Barry and Iris learn what Bart's been through, and they both decide that Bart deserves to be able to make their own choices. They both support Bart in all of their decisions. No one tries to control Bart's life. Bart has freedom, true freedom, for the first time in their life, and decides that it's about time to try experimenting with their life. They're still sure that gender doesn't matter, but they start trying different clothing combinations. They eventually settle on punk style clothes and medium length hair. They realize they like skateboarding when Jaime introduces them to it. They're not pretending to be happy anymore. They really are happy, for the first time in their life. Things are going great. So of course shit starts to go down. Reports start coming in about Impulse robbing stores and injuring random people. The heroes give airtight alibis for them each time, until a mission goes spectacularly wrong, and Bart is forced to use their Speed Scouts to save their teammates. Suddenly their alibis aren't as airtight as they thought. No one, not the Flash fam, not the Bat fam, not even Jaime, knew that Bart could make Speed Scouts. When questioned about it, Bart tells them all that they haven't needed to use their Scouts since before they came to the current time. This puts Bart under a ton of scrutiny. Eventually, it's learned that Thaddeus Thawne the 2nd, Bart's clone, was sent to follow them and get rid of them. When Bart went to the past, they made an alternate timeline instead of changing their own timeline. Thawne the 1st knew Bart wasn't dead. He knew they were alive, and that Don saved him. Meloni hadn't been prepared for him, she hadn't anticipated his arrival, and that's why he was able to get Bart in the first place. So Thawne the 1st ordered Thad to kill them. Thad gets redeemed in the end. Thad also doesn't care for gender or pronouns. They just want freedom, same as Bart. Thad dyes their hair outrageous colours as a fuck you to Thawne. Eventually, Thad winds up falling in love with Bart, Khaji-Da, and Jaime. In that order. It ends up as a polyamorous four-way relationship.

[killervibe]

Killervibe fic - Favourite Season (Day 3 of the 30 days of Killervibe)

~ I am posting these way out of order I know and I’m sorry. 

~.~

Caitlin holds her breath in his cluttered workshop. Her pristine white lab coat covering over the stolen cuffs tight around her wrists. She knows she lied and has disappointed him when she places them with a thud on his desk. The glass she overturns expands into solid water and she sees the fear he feebly masks behind his eyes. Senses his trepidation. She begs with a crack in her voice for him to tell her the truth. Yes, she told him she never thought gaining powers would make them evil, but that was last year. Last timeline, a different reality, for all she knows the versions of themselves they once were are now strangers. She's scared. She clings to him and she feels him shake, she just wants to hold him and bring this moment to a standstill. Nobody needs to know. Just Cisco. Only Cisco. Somehow she knows he's the only one who would never leave her. She can't lose that now.

Maybe she's indulging herself by jutting out her lip and fluttering her eyelashes at him when his invention blinks incessantly in the space between them. She feels powerful when he caves. It feels good to know she can do that, she only discovered it a while ago. She could pout or hold his hand and he'd stutter, red in his cheeks, eyes wide and soft and yearning. Maybe it's cruel to use him like that, but it lights a spark in her chest, to know she can sway Cisco's mind with a single pleading.

HR's relentless all morning about the opening of the Star Labs museum. Cisco texted her a few hours back that it was best they go along with it. Maybe things are tense between Wally and Barry, but Cisco is dressed up beside her and HR is right, he suits up nicely. She bites her lip when he offers her his arm like a gentleman, and the butterflies flutter in her stomach again. The walk from the cortex to the Star Labs museum isn't very long. Caitlin treasures all of ten minutes of it, the experience of arriving at events together. Together, she thinks and hides her blush behind the coffee cart HR is implying she should be working. Cisco dismisses it, now his hand on her back. She could get used to this.

It's true that Cisco deserves happiness. That he should want someone. Caitlin smiles tightly, watching Cisco prepare for the battle with this inter-dimensional bounty huntress. Ten minutes into his spectacular blow-up of a practise session, she grits her teeth, clenches her palms and stalks away. She's outside, alone in the deserted parking lot in her heels. It's not that she doesn't believe in Cisco, that he could defeat this woman, unlike Barry's belief. She knows he can. But what happens then? Will he flirt her into staying on this earth? Is he looking for her replacement? A woman who can do what he can, but better? See what he can see, but clearer? It's a tempting pairing, dying to be matched, that's for sure. Caitlin 's pendant feels heavy over her chest. She picks it up, studying it as her bottom lip trembles. Savitar has spoken. One will betray. She thinks about the piece of the philosopher's stone locked away in its hidden compartment.  The necklace glows in her hand as if absorbing energy. Would her eyes have gone blue and hair gone white right now without it? Maybe her jealousy is all it takes.

It's not that Cisco wants to die. Certainly not to prevent the threat of demise by the hands of gorillas. But every hero makes his eventual sacrifice, right? That's a universal explored in every comic arc he's ever read. If Cisco's blessing is his ability to connect a dimension to a dimension, or past to a future, now earth to another earth,  then he refuses to be the bridge that brings upon curses. One will fall. If Cisco dies now, maybe Iris will live. If Cisco dies now, maybe Caitlin 's fate will be redeemed. Whatever it is the British fool mutters under his breath in this cage beside him, tracing random symbols into the sand with his finger, Cisco is thankful for his sudden second nomination. They may not see eye to eye or have remotely similar motives, but at least Julian gets it. Maybe Cisco's too powerful to live. And Cisco doesn't have to think about his request too hard, his red beanie wringing in his hands as he pleads with her through the cell bars. It wouldn't be too bad, to be killed with a kiss. Not if it were hers.

"Just so you know, Julian and I are just friends." Maybe it's selfish that she's so relieved the woman Cisco had his eyes on is out of the picture. It's not selfish to keep a distance from Julian. Maybe he's a self-centred ass with an arrogance that may rub Caitlin the wrong way, but at this point, she's just as bad, no, she's worse. But Julian is away, and there are hearts littered all around the speed lab, and Cisco's lamenting about his lack of love in his life and maybe, just maybe, Caitlin can take this chance.

Caitlin asked him if he could put on the scrubs and help Julian with the emergency surgery. His heart hammered and hands shook, unable to even knot the blue smock around his neck. Caitlin's gasping and the flowing crimson burns tears in his eyes. Iris takes one look at him and pulls the scrubs off his back, already tying the string around her waist. They don't speak anything between the three minutes it takes, there's no time, but she knows. She knows the impossible task Caitlin asked of him. He can only stand frozen to the ground two feet away, arm still stained from the time pressing on the wound, as he watches them operate. His other fist is in his mouth, his jaw tense, and he recoils every time she lets out a guttural scream. The monitor beeps faster and faster, he forces himself to breathe, reciting the stats. One will fall. It was supposed to be Iris. He never realized the terrible comfort that false pretense had brought him until now, bile creeping up his throat.

Caitlin is dead. Something cracks in his soul.

Julian is unable to shut his mouth with his little "comments" about his inability to keep his head straight. No, he hasn't slept in days and hasn't touched his hair in longer. Everything she's ever touched Cisco's got his hands all over, desperation turning him into a mad man. He has to find her and he has to bring her home and he doesn't know how to do either. If she'd even want the option.  The woman who let her mascara smear into his skin as she fisted his jean jacket after that first disaster would have never wanted this. That woman, his Caitlin, had begged him to never leave her. And how could he? Julian and his little "comments", he's still going on with them now. Cisco slams his hands against the white keyboard in the cortex, startling the room into silence. He's going to lose it.

She says to herself she's only here because she needs to get Savitar's memories back. She doesn't care about Cisco's sob stories from their past and she doesn't care that Barry is staring at her with a blank face and she doesn't care that HR looks at her like he's pissing his pants and she doesn't care that Julian even thinks he has a right to try and tell her what's right. She doesn't care and she certainly doesn't love. She tells them this in the hallway but when the elevator doors shut in their face, she sees the glint of Cisco's crushed tears. Caitlin remembers herself for the briefest moment.

She likes fighting him, she thinks. She doesn't know why.

He hates fighting her. Even Julian could see why.

They're in the forest just like his vibe that felt so long ago. Cornered against the roots of a tree in a leather skirt and boots, she tries not to cower. He looks at her like she's the scum on his shoes. She bites out for him to end her if he hates her so bad. For a second, it's almost like he wants to. They know he doesn't want to, dropping the serum at her feet. He won't force her to take it. Won't even give her one of his speeches. Just looks at her void, exhausted. Finished. The other breacher is back, watching their interaction warily. Of course, she thinks, delusional to believe for a moment to be granted a second chance. She deserved this.

Hidden in Savitar's empty, leaking lair. She stares at the antidote vial. She drinks it.

Clarity comes a few days later. Her thoughts are her own, not overlapped with a stranger's, and the calm saves her from the brink. In sunglasses, hair stark white and ugly, she had no intention to catch their attention. Cisco puts his hand on her arm, just like he did ages ago, ushering her into the Star Labs museum.

Somehow, she's still affected.

[bookdragonlibrary]

Time Traveller

I hesitated since day 1 (which was day 7 of this week by the way...). So please, tell me if it’s good xD 

The teens didn’t really know how those guys could come in the Hub but there they were. Those who live there still wore their civies while the other Outsiders and Traci were already in costume.

“I don’t know who you are guys or what do you want from us. But even Savage rang the bell before coming here.”

“You’re friend with Savage?” asked the girl.

“Of course not. He just used us to get rid of a common enemy of Earth”, replied Virgil.

“We mean no harm guys”, continued a red hair girl. “I just wanted to meet my cousin, Bart.”

“His what now?”

“I can’t be your cousin”, the concerned teen answer. “I’m…”

He cut himself. That would be a too big spoiler.

“From the future. We know. We come from then too. I’m your cousin, daughter of Dawn.”

“It can’t be. It can’t be me. I didn’t have a cousin in the– my future. Dawn… she died when she was around twenty. She didn’t have a chance to have a child.”

“Don’t you get it, hermano?” Jaime exclaimed. “You did it! You changed the future!”

“He did what?” a boy from the stranger group repeated.

“Anyway, let’s go back to the point! I’m Jenni, Bart. Your cousin.”

“I told you I’m not. You are the cousin of the future me. The one who isn’t born yet. Not in this time. Not this me.”

“Does it really matter? He told me there is another him and I wanted to meet you. Now because we would be around the same age. I have two cousins instead of one, it’s so great! Don’t you think?”

“I– I think so. But did you really come now as a tourist?”

“Why not? You did it too.”

“That was a cover.”

“Anyway, do you want to come back with us? With me? Uncle said he wouldn’t mind another son and– your future you, he really wants a big brother. Or a twin? Depends of you age. Come on, it would be so great.

Bart’s eyes widened. That would be crash indeed. He would finally have his place in the world, have parents again and family where he could call his grands-parents as so and not risking saying a spoiler. He could be free. He could be home.

“Bart?”

The speedster turned around to see his boyfriend, a scared and worried look on his eyes.

“What about us?”

“I– I don’t know, Ed. Maybe that would be your chance to find your true love.”

“What are you talking about?”

“What if I’m stealing the place of someone else? I can’t be your true love…”

“What if you are?”

“I’m not! Don’t you understand? I wasn’t never meant to be in love with someone of this time, to start a family now. I’m not at my place here. I’m not supposed to be here. I’ve done my job already.”

“Is that why you don’t care of what happen to you on mission?”

“It won’t matter, Ed. But it would be so moded if something happens to you, guys. For me, it’s ok. I’ll still have the real me who’ll be born in the future.”

“Don’t call him the real you. You are as real as he will be.”

“It’s ok, Bart. Just comes with us. You’ll be at home with me and the rest of the family.”

Bart turned to Jenni, a hopeful look in his eyes.

“But there would be three Bart, right?” pointed out Virgil. “This one growing old, the one born in the future and our Bart. Since the first and last ones are the same, that won’t be good, right?’

“This Bart– This Bart is dead from aging” answer Jenni with a shaken voice.

“Aging? But Bart would be like 55 years old in your future”, calculated Jaime.

“Actually, he was more than 60.”

“No, it doesn’t make any sense. Jay is almost a century old and he looks like 30 or 40 younger.”

“So now that you’re lost your Bart, you want to steal ours?” growled Cassie. “He belongs with the Outsiders. With us. With Ed.”

The Argentinean wasn’t aware of what happened anymore. He clenched as his moon pendant. So that how Bart felt all the time? Like a stranger? An outsider? Did he– did he force himself to date Ed just to make him happy? Did he have any feelings for him at all?

“Bart?” He hated how his voice was small and weak. “Do you really want to go?”

“I–”

“Wait, hermano! You can’t go in the future, that would kill you.”

“What do you mean?” asked Cassie.

“What if Bart lands in his own future instead of theirs? Or– what if he disappears during the travel? You can’t risk that. And that won’t help them. If you die today, they won’t meet the future you in their time.”

“What do you mean his own future?” snapped the boy. “He came back to the past as a tourist and was stuck there.”

“That was his covert because he couldn’t reveal the Reach Apocalypse yet when he arrived.”

“What is this apocalypse you’re talking about?”

“Before the future you come from, there were another one. An apocalyptic, dystopic one”, explained Virgil. “The Reach invasion where they enslaved humanity. Bart came back to the past to change that and saved Earth. So, we could deject them two years ago.”

“Deject?”

“So you change the future more than we expected”, resume Jenni.

“What do you mean?” Bart was scared now.

He always was. What if his presence brings more harm than good? What if he made it worst in the future than an apocalypse? Is that possible anyway? Well, maybe the complete destruction of the planet like they faced two years ago because he didn’t do enough, took the wrong decisions.

“Of course, you changed the future, Tito.” He turned to face Ed, worried, scared and surprise all in once. “That’s why you came here in the first place, no? And look, you succeeded. Your aunt won’t die this soon and she will meet someone and have a daughter. I’m sure it would be the same for your own parents.”

“But Joan still died. And Wally–”

“Joan died from aging. No one can stop that. Not even time travelling. And Wally helped you and the Flash to save the world.”

“Wait, uncle Wally is dead? But he–” Jenni started but her companion nudged her in the ribs.

“You don’t understand! If I didn’t screw everything up, Blue wouldn’t have trusted Green Beetle and Wally will still be here!”

And now he was crying. Again. He promised himself he won’t anymore. Jaime hugs him from behind, he didn’t fight it, too tired to fight.

“Hermano, it’s not your fault about that. If I wasn’t blinded by fear, I would have connected the dots and understood Green was on mode since he wasn’t in your future.”

“I should have guessed that too!”

“You didn’t have the time, hermano. I jumped in the Reach trap too fast.”

“You can’t be faster than a speedster.”

He laughed a little at this, a weak laugh, but it was there anyway.

“Prevent an apocalypse, huh? So, you see, no need to bring him with us.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean?” Virgil reacted.

“Jenni, spoilers!” He turned himself to face the Outsiders. “Your friend time travelled illegally. He didn’t have the authorisation to change the past. We have for mission to bring him to the justice in our time, which regulates time travel to be certain nothing bad and irremediable happens to our timeline.”

“Are you stupid or just deft?” Ed was screaming now as Jaime comforted his boyfriend. “We told you he came from a different future. You wouldn’t be there to complain if it wasn’t for him. Heck, his cousin would not even be born if it wasn’t for him. He saved your butts, you hypocrites!”

“Do you imagine how big changes he would bring in the future?”

“That was the whole point, boludos! And it won’t be changes as this timeline didn’t exist in the first place!” Ed told back.

“But you don’t know what could happen if someone else find his work about time travel!”

“Ed.”

A hand gently landed on his forearm. Bart was looking at him with soft, sad eyes, still shining with dry tears.

“You know I’m an anomaly. I’m the one who found the science for time travel. It would be safer if this knowledge disappears with me. You never know what could happen in the future. If I must die to protect the mission of my life, so be it.”

“But it’s not fair, Tito! You saved us all from the Reach. You saved Jaime, you saved the metateens. Heck, maybe you saved Virgil and I and all of us as well. Maybe we died on this ship or be sent off world like the teenagers in New Genesis. You saved us all and you can’t be happy? They have the chance to exist thanks to you and to have a happy life while you can’t? I can’t accept it, it’s not fair! You’re the most deserves to be happy and beloved.”

Ed bite his lips, he can’t cry too. He knew he messed his last sentence, but he couldn’t think properly, yet alone in a foreign language.

The tears were there again, but for a different reason. Bart was still not used to his boyfriend’s sweetness and care. He was like a wind finding his way through the wall around his heart which gently envelop him with softness.

“I love you, Edi. But I must go.”

“No, Tito. It’s not fair, it’s not fair!” Ed was crying too, couldn’t bear to see Bart’s tears, to tell him farewell already. “You can’t leave, they will kill you.”

“No, don’t worry, we will just erase his knowledge of time travel machine, that’s all!” Jenni reassures awkwardly.

“Jenni, spoilers”, her friend recalled, tired. “And how do you think the court will erase his memories?”

“So, they will– they will do it? But you said–”

“I lied, obviously.”

“Wait… Did they– kill this old Bart too? You said he had a heart attack.”

“Obviously. How did you believe a speedster could have a heart attack with fast healing? Sometimes Jenni, you’re really the dumbass of your family.”

The girl was watching her friend with shock and pain in her widened eyes. But she quickly regained composure as she clenched her fists.

“You”, she said to Ed, “make him leave before he kills him. I’ll hold him back.”

“Voy a ayudarla, hermano”, added Jaime. “!Venga!” he screamed to Ed.

Eduardo took his boyfriend’s hand and went to the Zeta tube. He wrote their destination as fast as he could and jumped in it, still holding Bart’s hand.

“Edi, wait! They’re still–”

Bart didn’t have the time, they were teleported else were. He had no idea where, he didn’t recognize the landscape. Were they still in USA by the way?

“Edi, where–”

“In Argentina, mi Tito. He won’t think to come here for you.”

“But we have to go back. He will kill them! He just wants me.”

“When the Reach wanted Jaime, you intervened, right? When villains were kidnapping teenagers, you intervened, right? When I needed help in the Center, when I was digging myself in my workaholic routine, you intervened, right? Same here. We protect our own and you’re part of the Team, you’re an Outsider. You’re our friend and mi novio. We won’t let him kill you. We’ll protect you. No matter what.”

“But I don’t des–”

Ed shush him with his finger on his lips.

“Of course, you deserve it, mi Tito. Most of us would have died without you. You have the right to live, to be happy with us, with me. Do you still want to? Me– me amas, Tito?”

“Por sopuesto”, Bart replied, using his throat instead of his tongue to roll the R. “I love you, Edi. Why do you ask me this?”

“Because– because you could force yourself just to make me happy. Like you force yourself to smile to not make the others worry.”

“Edi…” Bart begins as he took his hand, laced their fingers. “I love you, I promise. I won’t ever lie with someone’s feelings. I’m just– not used to the dating thing yet. Didn’t exist in my future. But I’m learning.”

And now he was fidgeting, not at ease. Ed kissed him, cupping his face.

“I know, Tito, you’re not used to be taken care of. It’s okay, we’ll take our time, because we have all of we need. We won’t let them kill you, nor now or in the future. You’ll grow old, Tito. I promise.”

“Promise me we’ll grow old together then.”

“Juntos. Te lo promiso.”

-------------

Well, I didn’t watch the Legion fo Superheroes yet (please don’t spoil me) so I have no idea if this is accurate or even canon.... Maybe I will rewrite it after watching it. But I wanted to share it with you guys for the @zetaflash-week ! ^^

Day 1 ; Day 2 ; Day 3 ; Day 4 ; Day 5 ; Day 6 ; Day 7

[ofcoldguns]

Canon Divergences

Youth

Did not go to school with a serial killer.

LoT Season 1 onwards

Len and Sara didn’t have the whole talk about the future like they do in Destiny. The regrets he tells her about are connected with what happened with Mick. There is no “Me and you” thing.

There was no kiss at the Oculus.

He froze the lever down and left with everyone.

When he returned to Central City he decided to stay behind and that the ship wasn’t really for him.

He didn’t leave a bunch of parkas behind on the ship. He had one and that’s the one that he left at STAR Labs and the one that Leo has now.

Len keeps regular contact with the Legends

Len has seen the Legends twice since the end of season 1. Once when they came in to help with Invasion, Barry had asked and he agreed. And the second during the We/stallen wedding.

Also Len has met Kara and Alex because Invasion and he was at the We/stallen wedding.

Speaking of the We/stallen wedding, Len was there.

Okay first off he wouldn’t miss the wedding for anything. If this was a thing where he never died and remained on the Waverider he’d be there with the Legends. If this was a back from the dead thing where he doesn’t go back on the Waverider (or if he’d survived and didn’t stay with the team) he’d still show up. After he’d helped them get the Dominator tech I think Barry and Iris would want him there.

He’d be so done with everything but very enthusiastic about knocking some heads together and icing some nazis.

Len would not know how to react to Leo to be honest. He doesn’t know how to react to this version of himself who’s so open and outwardly caring and honest about who he is. A version of himself that doesn’t flinch away from touch, that shows affection for people, that is soft. He’d be jealous of that and he’d be jealous of his relationship with Ray. He’s never really had a romantic relationship that was anything like that, he’s never had anyone treat him or look at him the way that Ray treats and looks at Leo. He’s never believed that he deserved anything like that so he’s closed himself off to that. Seeing a version of himself that has that hurts.

Also Len would have gone with the group who went over to Earth X. Which I am sure confused the hell out of Ray when they were thrown in with him.

Len knows who Amunet is. The two of them have never met but he’s very aware of what she does from word on the street. He’s not a big fan of her and really doesn’t like the way she operates her business. He avoids working with her at all costs.

Legion of Doom/Doomworld

This only happens in verses where Len dies like in canon. When it does it’s very different.

LoD!Len has an animosity towards the Legends mostly due to a tiny bit of manipulation on Eobard’s part. When he told Len that he died, he implied that there was something they could have done and they just let him die.

The Flash isn’t dead. Eobard would never allow Darhk to let his little assassin squad kill him. Eobard would really want to punish him, leaving him alive while his friends get picked off one by one is so much worse than death. All while thinking he might be next.

Len doesn’t have the control over the police and the city like he does in the show. There is zero challenge in that. He would be so bored within a week.This Len was plucked out of the timeline somewhere between Going Rogue and Rogue Time. He doesn’t know the Flash’s identity.

Len was told by Eobard that he died in the future, that’s why he agreed to work with him, he probably wouldn’t have agreed if he hadn’t. He didn’t give any real details but he implied that the Legends could have done more to save him which sort of makes him a bit resentful of them.

Lisa is not with Len and Mick because he changed the timeline so that she was a figure skater like she had wanted to be before she was dragged into a life of crime with him. He wanted to give her a better life. Her nickname is Golden Glider due to the fact that she’s a gold medal winner.

Len turned on the Legion for Mick instead of turning on Mick and he was the one killed, not Amaya. Eobard still destroyed the Spear so they still had to go back in time to reverse Doomworld.

Flashpoint

In this timeline, Len Snart is a former thief who’s turned his life around and currently works as a security consultant living in Keystone. 

He also happens to be the local hero, Citizen Cold. 

He’s got his own little team that he works with and occasionally he visits Central City to help out Wally and Iris.

Only the people on his team and Wally and Iris know that he’s Citizen Cold.

Lewis is dead. He was killed during a prison riot. Len didn’t go to the funeral.

[angelofgrace96]

For the character ask: The two Firestorm halves ? Halfs ? Well Jefferson Jackson and Martin Stein, please.

aaaaahhh thank you so much I still love my best boys so much!!! (any chance to ramble about them honestly)

Jefferson Jackson

How I feel about this character

Honestly even tho he got nowhere near the screentime he deserved, he was written pretty consistently the whole time, and I think that’s pretty good. He’s brave, strong, loyal, funny, doesn’t take anyone’s bullshit (especially Grey’s) and doesn’t get sucked into thinking with his ego. He’s awesome!

All the people I ship romantically with this character

I’ve seen some good Sara x Jax stuff which I liked, but I’m not much of a shipper honestly and I love the sibling bickering they’ve got on more anyway. We don’t know anything about Martina’s mum so I can’t say anything there. I’ve heard Wally x Jax is a popular one, and they’ve got similar personalities so it could work out, but idk. Again, not really much of a shipper. 

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Martin, obviously! They’ve got such a funny and unique dynamic that seems like it shouldn’t work, but it really does? Like Martin is a grumpy oblivious old white dude who’s obsessed with quantum physics and Jax is a 20′s black man who loves football and got into mechanics. They’re so different but they work together so well because they’re both really kind and want to help people. Like people think Martin is grumpy and sarcastic (which he is) but he also just does crazy shit all the time to help people, even strangers. They started off bickering and clashing, and then you find out it’s because Martin is overprotecting Jax because he doesn’t want him to die! Like, bickering partners is not a new trope, they didn’t have to go that deep, but they did! anrfrrnfejrfl I’m just really in love with how well they work together.

My unpopular opinion about this character

He definitely didn’t feel like he got enough screen time. I was working on a firestorm compilation and some episodes he never gets screen time to himself. He’s just in the group shots and fight scenes. It’s a minor complaint but still (he’s my fav and deserves the best)

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I really wish they’d let him start a new firestorm. It would have been very poetic to have Jax be the senior partner in a new fusion and be a mentor to a new superhero like Martin was to him. 

Martin Stein

How I feel about this character

Honestly he’s a really nuanced character, and Victor Garber plays him with a lot of nuance. At first you think he’s an arrogant, irritating pompous professor, and then you get to see the depths to him. He’s fussy and kind and protective (and such a dad to Ronnie and Jax), and honestly kind of funny, and he’ll do anything for the people he cares about, even insane stuff like rewriting the timeline. 

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Clarrisa, duh. We don’t see much of her, but from what we do she’s a very good compliment to Martin, and supports him in his superheroing and time travelling. Plus Martin clearly loves her a LOT. 

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Jax. They are just so completely different yet work together so well, it’s amazing. I said this before but the most underrated writing of season 1 was finding out the reason Martin was so hard on Jax was because he had trauma from Ronnie dying and he didn’t want to go to Jax’s mum and tell her he wasn’t coming home ;_; and the fact that before he died he wanted to tell Jax he was like a son to him??? ;;;_;;;

My unpopular opinion about this character

It’s a little annoying how he treats people he thinks are of low intelligence, like Mick. I know it’s part of his old white guy thing, like thinking the 50′s were ‘an idyllic time’ until Jax and Sara pointed out how it was really racist and sexist, but it’s still really annoying. 

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I WISH THEY WOULD FIX/CHANGE THE WAY HE DIED!!! I can reluctantly accept that killing a character off (even if the way it was handled makes no sense I mean Gideon literally revived Sara from death once wth show have some consistency) has a deep emotional impact and allowed them to write Jax out at the same time (even if I think he should have been able to retired and spend time with Lily and Ronnie fight me) but the fact that the most prominent Jewish character on the team got killed by Nazis leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. 

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of DC: Week of May 29th, 2019

Best of this Week: Doomsday Clock #10 - Geoff Johns, Gary Frank, Brad Anderson and Rob Leigh

And yet another wrinkle is added to the DC Universe.

Or should I say, “Metaverse” now? Yes, after I think three months since the last issue, Doomsday Clock returns with yet another strong issue that expands upon the mythos of the DC Universe and just how Doctor Manhattan viewed and affected things at the many different positions of time that he has been able to inhabit.

The issue is framed around an actor by the name of Carver Colman, a very huge star in DCs 1954, who has been referenced or used in previous issues. This gives some kind of continuity in the context of the story as Johnny Thunder was seen watching his movie in the retirement home al the way back in issue two or three. Colman, unfortunately, has a secret that gets him killed soon after wrapping up the filming of his biggest hit, The Adjournment and as we make it through the issue and the back and forth of his life, we find the biggest change to Doctor Manhattan’s character and how he has to bend to the rules of this new universe.

Doctor Manhattan actually meets Colman in 1938 when he was a struggling actor who had just lost his job delivering mail to a movie studio after an unfortunate accident and things he saw. Manhattan takes Colman out for some food, attempting to use him as a rod to focus on to look towards the future as he can’t seem to do so on his own after arriving. He does so and is able to see a year into the future, then four and so on. His abilities work again, but then he hears something strange.

A radio report of a man lifting a car into the air. The first appearance of Superman on April 13th, 1938. Suddenly, it was gone, the crowds of people were gone as if they never existed. He follows the path where Superman existed in 1938 and finds the Justice Society, having formed and waiting for Superman to answer their summons. Jay Garrick “Flash”, “Green Lantern” Alan Scott, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and others, waiting for the Man of Steel to join their ranks and suddenly, they too have never heard of him.

Manhattan follows the many arrivals of Superman, from 1956, to 1986 and sees his arrival change again and again, noting the many deaths of Ma and Pa Kent and how this “Universe” seems to use Superman as a focal point, even going to a thousand years from now when Superman was briefly part of the Legion of Superheroes. So to test how things revolve around Superman, he changes the past by moving the Lantern away from Alan Scott, killing him, and drastically changes the future, creating the New 52 Timeline.

Everything is recontextualized as Manhattan sees that this action changes this universe and that it’s constant state of flux affects the wider multiverse. From the parallel worlds, to the anti-matter, to the Dark Multiverse, Earth Prime is a “Metaverse” in his words. The others change to match whatever is going on in the Prime World and once it realizes what he’s done, it begins to fight back. Manhattan sees Wally West trying to fight his way back to the Universe. This one action causes a chain reaction that will lead to his inevitable confrontation with Superman where Superman either kills him or he kills the Metaverse.

Cutting back to 1954, Manhattan is at Carver Colman’s home on the night that he’s murdered. He doesn’t do anything to stop it.

There’s a saying that “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” In the Watchmen Universe, Doctor Manhattan was allowed to do or not do as he pleased because that world was a little bit more grounded or at worst cynical. Though, one might say that because he refused or didn’t care to use his power at a larger scale, Ozymandias’ “evil” won. Though Ozymandias thought what he did was the right thing, this series proved it it be disastrous in the wake of Rorschach’s journal being published, but initially Veidt’s plan did succeed. Doctor Manhattan escaping to the DC Universe put him into direct conflict with the Metaverse and its Hope. Its innate desire to have the good triumph over evil won’t let Doctor Manhattan get away with inaction and in his words, “To this universe of hope… I have become the villain.”

Words can’t describe how hype I was for this. With each and every issue, a new layer is added and brings us closer and closer to the epic conclusion that only Geoff Johns and Gary Frank can realize. I also love how they’ve expanded on the importance of Earth Prime, seeing as how it has indeed gone through many changes. It’s good to finally have an explanation that implies that even through the many reboots and retcons that if DC wanted to, they could tap into those timelines as main universes at any time. Everyone’s favorite time period matters or will matter again soon.

---------------------------------------------------

"One last adventure together…"

Runner Up: Batman: Last Knight on Earth #1 - Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia and Tom Napolitano

Joker's words to describe his and Batman's last run together in the hell that is the world after some unexplained event killed numerous heroes, villains and just about anything else. It also describes what MAY be the last time we see Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo do a big Batman story together and I already feel like we're in for a BIG one.

After a curious case of large scale chalk drawings,  showing a dead Batman, leads the Dark Knight to the Crime Alley he inadvertently sets off a trap laid by an unknown assailant using the decomposing body of a ten year old child. He later wakes up in Arkham Asylum, apparently having been there since KILLING HIS FAMILY in Crime Alley all those years ago. Capullo does a great job of setting atmosphere and making things unsettling as even a small fly buzzing around and "Dr. Redd Hudd" looming over a straight jacketed Bruce Wayne looks creepy.

Arkham appears to be just a regular Asylum with Alfred showing up and trying to convince Bruce that Batman was all in his head, showing him a mock costume they made to keep him calm with a cowl stitched to a straight jacket. Bruce sees through it all and fights his way through Arkham until Alfred reveals the truth. He only wanted to keep his boy safe because half of Gotham was just gone. Years had passed and Batman has no idea what happened.

He later wakes up in a desert and coincidentally finds the head of The Joker. He wakes and immediately begins cracking jokes as Batman takes him and they begin to walk to Coast City. I don't know how much of this is real and that adds to the mystique of the story. We're never given an explanation as to how he got there from Arkham or how Joker is surviving.

They arrive at Coast City and the decayed corpse of Mogo looms over a giant crater and ruins. Joker says that all of the Lanterns fell and rings are just there for the taking. Suddenly the duo are attacked by projections of babies before being saved by Vixen and Poison Ivy. Ivy then knocks Bruce out just in case and he wakes up surrounded by the new Amazons; Vixen, Donna Troy, Poison Ivy, Supergirl and Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman explains that one day, Luthor just… convinced most that they should just take what they deserve. He told them that goodness was a lie and they just ate it up. It echoed the future that Luthor saw back in Justice League/Legion of Doom #5, but given that this is a Black Label book, one wouldn't be wrong if they didn't want to think of this as the explanation of that timeline because they're not in the same canon.

Wonder Woman also tells Batman that the one wielding the Anti-Life Equation may be one of the Boys and pleads with him to join the Amazons in Hades.

But Batman is Batman and he decides that he's going to put a stop to this.

Last Knight on Earth reads like an alternative ending for Scott Snyder's Justice League epic. Even though that story is far from over, not even close, there's this unsettling feeling that, if Scott didn't have to have the heroes win in the end, this should be the absolute endgame. A world, no UNIVERSE possibly, under siege by someone wielding the Anti-Life Equation, hope dead and dying and the ever creeping feeling of dread knowing that somehow life and death have lost enough meaning that Joker as a decapitated head still lives… this story is terrifying.

Honestly, this might be some of Capullos best art to date. With Glapion and Plascencia's help, this book feels so atmospheric and dark. Glapion accentuates Capullos lines and shading well with dark-dark inks, making Batman appear to be shrouded in it even in the sun. It's haunting, especially in the Arkham scenes where things are absolutely not as they seem and dark secrets hide behind and within the walls. Plascencia, on the other hand, can make even light and vibrant colors threatening. The red sand on Jokers jar is intense  and the Green Lantern babies are deadly. Hell, Coast City, Hall Jordan's crown jewel, looks unbelievably desolate, colored like a wasteland. Capullo pulls all of this together with as much detail as he possibly can and his work shows.

Faces are expressive, from Batmans fear, to Alfreds regret to Jokers madness. Body language is utilized greatly as Batman fights like a caged animal. He's taken aback by Jokers head, but still finds his resolve. Wonder Woman is still fierce, but even her edge has dulled with the sheer lack of hope that running away and going underground has given her.

This story is terrifying and I absolutely love it. From the creepy visuals of Capullos art, to the expression of thought because of the mature liberties Black Label books can take, it's all beautiful. This one is absolutely going to match my love for Batman: Damned and every one should go and read this. High recommend!

[backtothestart02]

25 Days of Westallen Fanfiction: Day 10 - Fallen For You

A/N: For @barryslightningrod on her bday! I hope you enjoy it, girl! I know you liked the FP!WA dynamic and the possibility that the FP timeline continued after our Barry left, so here’s if he hadn’t left and he’d lost all his memories from his original timeline but he was still more or less the same person and he and Iris still started dating. (Oh, and also Wally didn’t die.)

Enjoy!

*Many thanks to @valeriemperez for beta’ing.

...

Summary: 3x01 - Canon Divergent - Almost a year after Barry decided not to erase Flashpoint, he takes Iris out for her birthday.

...

Iris West sat at the small table by the window at Jitters and told herself to be patient.

It wasn’t something new, Barry being late. He always made up for it once he got there, and she was sure this time would be no different. She couldn’t help her fingers madly tapping on the table though, or her foot bouncing underneath it, one leg crossed over the other. She was excited. Today was her birthday – her first birthday since she and Barry had gotten together – and he’d told her he was planning something big.

She’d had to work, but she’d rushed home, put on a simple yet fashionable dress and the drop earrings he’d bought for her for Christmas, curled her hair, freshened her make-up, and sat herself down at the same table where she and Barry had their first official date. Since then she’d gone through two regular cups of coffee and a piece of coffee cake. She’d gone to the bathroom twice to make sure her lips were void of all crumbs and reapplied her lipstick. She couldn’t wait to stain his skin with her lip prints. It made him blush a bright pink, especially when she applied it to his forehead.

“Property of Iris West,” she told him the first time she did it. He blushed but did not deny it.

She let her mind wander now to help her with her impatience.

The beginning of her relationship with Barry had been complicated to say the least. He’d literally asked her out during their first meeting – and in the most adorable, nerdy way he possibly could. She’d had guys ask her out on the spot before, and it never made her cave. In fact, she’d started to think of particularly clever ways to reject them. But with Barry…she just couldn’t. And when she went to meet him for their date, she couldn’t stop smiling. And he was smiling right back at her. Her dad’s instant disgust at the idea hadn’t thwarted her in the slightest, and it obviously hadn’t change Barry’s mind either, which she loved.

Some guys got so intimidated by Joe West’s overprotective glare that they decided she wasn’t worth it. Not that it made any sense. She and her dad hadn’t spoken more than two words to each other for years. Over the last few months, Barry had made several attempts to mend that rift, which impressed her further, but for the time being he’d ceased. She was fine with that. It gave them more time to focus on each other, in particular for him to focus on her.

She wasn’t ashamed to admit it. She was a glutton for Barry Allen’s attention. He gave it easily, and she ate it right up. Despite the odd mess of him saying he was a speedster from another timeline, she had found herself drawn to Barry and never once feared that he was crazy. He had actually wound up saving her brother’s life. even if Wally had fallen into a coma for several months before coming to. Plus, in this other timeline the two of them had been in love. It wasn’t hard for her to imagine, since every minute she spent with him she was falling harder and harder.

After a series of crazy events spanning just the couple days after she met him, Barry Allen lost whatever memories he’d claimed to have before. She’d been so concerned for his well-being that she took him to the doctor and informed his parents. Aside from being a little out of it, nobody else appeared overly concerned. So she, along with Mr. Ramon, Dr. Snow, her brother, and herself swept it under the rug. It was not as if Barry could explain himself. He no longer remembered anything he’d told them before the incident that nearly took Wally’s life.

Sometimes it bothered her, what those first couple days all meant. But she still found him to be very similar to the person she’d just started to know. And she still felt a pull towards him. He was a little less confident than he’d been before, but after she hesitantly initiated a few dates – and their first kiss – his confidence grew until it was nearly boundless. He made her feel so alive and so wanted that she stopped thinking about those first couple days and what it all meant.

He had warned her what was happening before all the memories faded and told her he hoped she still felt the same about him when they finally went, because he was 100% certain he would still feel the same way about her. In every timeline, in every version of reality, of himself and her, he was positive he would love her and that they would belong together.

Quite a thing to say to a girl he’d just met. But she supposed for him, they hadn’t just met. They’d known each other for decades, had been best friends and then were on the brink of being lovers. And those precious memories had been on death’s door for him.

She remembered asking him why he’d want to lose those memories when he could keep them, and he’d told her it wasn’t that he wanted to lose them, but he was willing to sacrifice them if it meant keeping all that he’d gained – his parents, her, a life of peace and just being normal.

She didn’t know what he meant by all that, but he didn’t have time to explain – and maybe she wouldn’t have fully understood if he’d tried – before the memories disappeared entirely. He was a little panicky at first, because he couldn’t remember anything. Not his own name or who she was or what he was doing on the steps of a house he didn’t recognize. But after a few days, memories started to surface. He remembered everything he’d told her that had seemed strange. He remembered being a speedster, but he couldn’t remember why or how he’d been able to do those things. She’d reassured him that as long as he was okay now, they didn’t have to talk about it. He’d taken her up on that offer.

Now, eight months since the day he’d awkwardly shown up, Barry Allen was late to her birthday date. Or maybe she was early? It suddenly didn’t matter, because the door swung open, and in walked her boyfriend, looking nicer than usual and actually pretty nervous.

She waved to get his attention and the corner of his lips twitched in a smile.

What has gotten into him? She wondered, but stood up and joined him halfway across the shop anyway.

“Hey,” she murmured after pulling him down for a sweet birthday day kiss. “Nice of you to show up.”

He grimaced. “I deserve that. I’m sorry, Iris.”

“It’s okay. I was just teasing anyway.” Still holding onto his lapels, she pulled him down to her for another kiss. “I’m glad you’re here.”

She felt the tension leave his shoulders.

“I’m glad too,” he said, then pulled a small bouquet around from behind his back. It was filled with irises and some baby’s breath. The greenery fanned out the flowers in an attractive, beautiful way. “I know the irises are cheesy, but it felt fitting for your birthday.”

Her eyes sparkled as she took the bouquet from his hands. She lowered her face to inhale the scent and felt a warmth spread all the way to her toes at the sweet fragrance.

“Thank you, Barry,” she said when she lifted her head. “I love them.”

A smile spread across his face, his dimples making her weak in the knees as he offered his arm to her and they walked out of Jitters to stroll down the street.

“Where are we going?” she asked when they were halfway down the block. She didn’t really care all that much, but she was a little bit curious. “The park? The lake? Your new apartment?”

She heard his breath hitch when her voice lowered on the last suggestion. She loved when he got flustered, and he got especially flustered whenever she hinted at their sex life in even the slightest way, which often took place in his new apartment since he’d gotten it a month ago.

“Ah, none of the above actually,” he said.

“No?” She pouted.

“Don’t worry.” He grinned, fully recovered. “You’ll like it.”

She didn’t doubt it.

Barry hailed a cab, quietly gave instructions to the driver, and within a matter of minutes – which went by fast with Iris’ head on Barry’s shoulder in the back seat, their fingers intertwined – they’d arrived at their destination.

“What’s this?” she asked, but Barry only smiled in silence.

They stepped inside the average looking building downtown, only to ride the elevator up to the tenth floor and find themselves on a rooftop café overlooking the city and the lake in the distance.

Iris gasped.

“Barry.”

She turned to look at him, clutching at his jacket sleeve.

“You remembered.”

He shrugged innocently and nodded to the waiter who quickly guided them to their seats.

“Of course I remembered,” he said.

In an old journal of her mother’s she’d found in the attic in high school, there had been detailed the first date Francine had been on with Iris’ father, Joe West. Her father had never taken her, though she’d begged and pleaded. She hadn’t told him why the sudden interest, but he had probably suspected. Either that or he didn’t want to relive the memory of when he’d last been there, or a significant time in which he had.

“It’s too expensive, Iris,” he’d said as an excuse, but he’d never made an exception for any birthday or graduation, either from high school or college.

She gave up asking after a while, but apparently it was never far from her mind, because she’d offhandedly mentioned it to Barry on their first date – and he’d remembered.

“You’re a better man than my father is, Barry,” she said, lifting a glass of the white wine poured to toast to her marvelous boyfriend.

“How about we toast to you instead,” he suggested. “It is your birthday after all.”

She smirked. It was ever so Barry-like to avoid directly putting blame on Joe West for the estrangement between father and daughter. But he didn’t put it on her either, so she let it slide.

“All right, what about me, Barry Allen?” she teased, leaning in. “What’s so great about Iris West?”

She could think of a million things she was proud of about herself, but she liked to hear him flatter her, and she liked to reward him later for his efforts by pleasuring them both.

He smiled sensually, and she was instantly turned to goo.

“What’s not to like?” he asked. Lifting his own glass, he continued, “Iris West is beautiful, stunning, smart, talented, a vision in that creamy number she’s got on right now-” If she could blush, she would. “And I’m the luckiest man in the world to have fallen in love with her.”

Her heart nearly stopped. All the oxygen inside her instantly escaped her lungs.

“You… You love me?”

Because, yeah, it was the first time he’d said it.

He smiled softly at her.

“You don’t have to say it back, Iris. I’ve just been waiting to say it for a while, and I thought your birthday would be the perfect occasion.” He lifted his glass up further, intending to meet hers halfway, but hers lowered, and he frowned worriedly. “Iris? Is it…too soon? I didn’t mean to ruin-”

“Too soon?” she asked, shock and he couldn’t tell what else plain on her face. “It’s been eight months, Barry.”

He lowered his glass, unsure where this was going.

Iris set hers on the table and got to her feet, walking over to him and pulling him to his, or at least far enough so they were at eye-level.

“Iris, I-”

And she kissed him.

“I love you, too, Barry Allen.”

He melted, pulling her upright with him.

“Yeah?” He stroked her cheek.

She was dazzled by the green in his eyes and the tenderness in his touch. She was so, so in love.

“Yeah.”

They came together for another kiss and smiled shamelessly.

Iris heard people whispering for a nearby table, wondering if a proposal had just happened and unsure if they should clap – they hadn’t seen Barry going down on one knee or a ring being exchanged anywhere. So, she figured they should sit back down, let Barry finish with his toast and continue with their romantic dinner.

Besides, she was nowhere near ready to say yes to an engagement ring.

But a confession of love from the man she’d been falling for the past several months?

That was pretty much the perfect birthday gift.

Happy Birthday to me.

...

*Also posted on AO3 and FFnet.

[violetwolfraven]

Bluepulse Week Day 6: Past/Future

((Sort of different than my normal style, but it details my headcanons for Bart’s past and future.))

.............................................................................

Bart is young, and a slave. He expected things to change when he discovered his powers at age 5. He even tried to use them to kill Blue Beetle. He failed, and the Reach found out what he was. They confined him to an inhibitor collar and worked him even harder. Sometimes they’d give him his power back for things they knew no one else could do, but they always took it away again. Bart hates all of them, but most of all Blue Beetle; the man who tried to break him. But he failed. Bart is scared, but he’s still bitter, and most of all, so angry. And he is not broken.

...

Bart is 9 when he finds the Rebellion. People like him, who aren’t broken and want to fight. Some are legacies like him, or elderly heroes who still haven’t lost hope. They give him back his power for good and he is willing to help in any way he can. They ask for his soul, and Bart gives it. He becomes their killer, and tries not to think of the blood on his hands between missions.

...

Bart is 11 when he meets a young woman, but she talks like someone who’s seen too much and can tell you what color Nightwing’s eyes were or what Superman’s favorite cake flavor was. M’gann is the one who tells Bart he is the grandson of the Flash. She tells him stories from before the Reach. Stories of her friendships with heroes dead and gone, and of the one who betrayed them.

Bart later meets an old man who talks with M’gann like they’ve been through everything together. Wally can’t run anymore, but he does the best he can. The two of them tell Bart of their team. Of their dead lovers and of their friends who may as well be their family who they lost along the way. They are the last of a long gone generation, except for Blue Beetle. Strangely, they don’t even seem hate him that much. They are bitter, but more sad. Bart doesn’t understand it.

...

Bart is 12 when he has to mourn for Wally and M’gann, who died in an explosion to save him. They didn’t run from Blue Beetle. They were ready to see their friends from the stories. They wanted to be with Dick, and Kaldur, and Roy, and Garfield, and Artemis, and Connor, and so many others. Bart manages to grit his teeth through tears and vow to avenge them. To kill Blue Beetle no matter the cost, and he tells the Rebellion so. They give him an assignment more difficult than any he’s done before; go back in time and stop any of this from happening. Go back in time and kill Blue Beetle.

A few months later, he gets the help he needs from Nathaniel. He isn’t fast enough to run back that far himself. He needs to build a Time Sphere, and the blueprints for a machine like that were lost to time. Nathaniel helps him fill in the blanks, and provides comfort Bart hasn’t had since M’gann and Wally died. Bart tries hard not to get attached to him. He knows getting attached only leads to pain.

...

Bart is 13 when the machine is complete. He says goodbye to everyone worth saying goodbye to, not that there are many people he cares enough about. He goes back in time to start his mission. He nearly gets distracted by a younger version of Wally, and a Megan who looks exactly the same. But this Wally and M’gann haven’t lost everything yet. They still have Dick, and Kaldur, and Roy, and Garfield, and Artemis, and Connor, and everyone else the versions of them that Bart knew had lost. And Bart knows it’s up to him to make sure they never loose those people this time.

It doesn’t take Bart long to figure out that Jaime Reyes is not the Blue Beetle from the future. He is a good person, and he cares about people, and there is no way he will ever cause so many people all that pain. Bart knows that if he kills Jaime, he will change the timeline for sure, but he can’t. He can’t hurt him. He has to find another way. Bart is more conflicted than he’s been in his life.

Jaime is on-mode, and Bart almost wishes he’d just killed him before he’d gotten to know him. He’s relieved, obviously. Now he knows for sure it wasn’t Jaime who betrayed the human race; it was the bugs making him do it. It makes sense why M’gann and Wally in the future never blamed him. They knew. They knew Jaime, and they knew it wasn’t his fault. But on the other hand... Bart is terrified. Even if it wasn’t Jaime who caused his horror show of a future, him being brought on-mode is a near-guarantee that future will happen. Bart wonders if him coming to the past even changed it at all, or even if him coming back here had caused it. It all makes his head hurt.

Jaime is back, and Bart has never felt so happy. His future is prevented, Jaime didn’t have to die, and neither did anyone else, except Wally. The last part almost breaks him, but he guesses it’s better than the alternative; Wally growing old, losing everything, then dying painfully. Bart takes his place as Kid Flash, but he doesn’t deserve it. No matter what he tells himself, he knows it’s his fault that Wally died.

...

Bart is 15 when he admits his love for his best friend. He’s pretty sure it’s unrequited. Jaime’s reaction isn’t exactly the movie ending. Not to mention, he still has nightmares. Jaime looking just as emotionless and cold as the Blue Beetle from his future. He’s almost glad when Jaime pretends it didn’t happen. Almost. He’s disappointed, but not sure how it would have went with Bart still paranoid about Jaime being forced to betray him.

When Wally comes back to life, Bart is happy to go back to being Impulse. Artemis stops being Tigress, and goes back to being Artemis after about a year of maternity leave. Bart is always happy to babysit Wally Jr, and he knows that he will die before he lets anything happen to this kid.

...

Bart is 16 when Jaime tells him he likes him back. They get together, and they’re overall pretty happy. When M’gann announces she’s going to have Connor’s baby, Bart tells her about his version of future-her. They become close friends, and if anything happens to her and Connor, she makes it clear that she wants Bart and Jaime to raise Marie.

...

Bart is 22 when Jaime proposes. They’ve been together for six years, and they feel like it’s time. The wedding isn’t big, but they both feel like it’s perfect. There are mixed reactions when the world finds out Impulse and Blue Beetle are married, but Bart doesn’t care. Those people can go screw themselves as far as Bart’s concerned. He’s happy, and he’s free. What else should he care about?

[valeriemperez]

i'm guessing we're going to get an episode next season set entirely in Nora's time, and we'll get to see everyone in old age makeup, lol. or Barry will travel to the future to see what happened there

Oh, man, I would love that! We deserve another special episode like that. I don’t think S4 really had those, unless you count 4.15 and 4.16.

½ I’m trying to figure out why there are wa fans that think Nora doesn’t like Iris based on that last scene. I expected those theories from the antis, but I keep seeing wa fans upset because apparently the way she looked and talked to Iris made it clear she isn’t fond of her. I mean I guess it’s possible that there is some friction between them that will come up next season, but that scene alone didn’t give me the impression that there are problems between them. If anything I’d say she was2/2 nervous because of whatever she messed up in the timeline. I feel like people are really overanalyzing that scene.

Yeah, I think it’s mostly because she hid from Iris in 4.20. It’s very possible that Nora and Iris have a strained relationship at the moment if Barry died and Iris still told her not to go back to save her dad. But it’s also equally likely that Nora just didn’t want to be discovered, and then was more concerned about the mistake she made. We’ll find out in… 4 months lmao. Although I’m sure we’ll get a hint at comic con.

Do you think the writers forgot about the Barry disappearing in 2024? To me at least felt they heavily implied Nora changed the timeline by helping Barry bc I assume were supposed to think he died. Maybe that explains why she was so excited to meet him and avoided Iris up until she had to reveal herself.

They definitely haven’t forgotten, but you have to remember that time can change in an instant. Remember how the newspaper article disappeared in 1.07 just because Barry lost his powers for a day? That means every time Barry’s lost his powers, that article changed. Hell, it might have changed in S4 when Iris quit her job, and we just didn’t check on it. 

But I agree with you that the way they wrote and filmed the finale made it seem like Barry should’ve died in 4.23 in Nora’s timeline, which she changed into our timeline where he doesn’t die there.

From what i read of your tags, you tried to start WestWorld, right? If so, how far in did you get? Because i WANT SO BAD for you to catch up to where the show is, because certain themes that have developed are more along the lines of your tastes, i think.Just realized your tags might have meant you weren’t a fan of a certain character, not that you haven’t been watching or aren’t a fan of Westworld. Sorry! (If this is the case, i’m… with you there re: that characters popularity.)

You were right the first time, no worries. I watched the first season of Westworld, but I had a hard time really focusing on it or getting attached to the characters. Plus I could see the Man in Black twist coming and hated it, lol. But I’ve heard S2 is getting really good and that Shogun world was amazing, so I am definitely gonna catch up as soon as I can!

Was it ever confirmed that the Flash mentioned in the article was actually Barry rather than, say, Wally taking up the mantle? Thawne only thought it was Barry because he went back in time and met that Flash, and the only other future Barry we knew was the Savitar Barry that was happy to let time remnants sacrifice themselves…

The only hint that it’s Barry is the photo on the front being of Barry, but they could always make that a placeholder or have it change at different moments. But I’m positive that when 2024 rolls around, either in the storyline or in real time, they will return to Barry disappearing.

Sorry if my brain seems scrambled with this question and I’ve made a huge comic mistake, but Nora Dawn is the twin who marries a Thawne, right? Could that be cause for tension in the future between her and her mom?

It’s not a huge one, but Don is the one who marries Meloni Thawne. They have Bart while Dawn marries Jeven Ognats and has Jenni.

Do you think Ralph gets to stay because of Hartley’s Saturn Awards nomination or it was just the plan all along? With him back next season, if the ratings continue to go down, the racists will blame Iris.

Not because of his Saturn Award, no. I think the producers like Hartley a lot and tragically enjoyed writing for Ralph, and that’s that. As for the racists, they’ll blame Iris no matter what.

you know what else never came into play was Iris’s written vows. i could have sworn that close-up on them (which they inserted later on with somebody else’s hands, ffs) was significant. it felt like we were supposed to get a good look at that for some reason

Yeah, a lot of us thought they would be important. But maybe the higher ups just wanted a shot of her vows and forgot to get it when Candice was filming lol.

[magenta-storm]

I've finally caught up on LoT, (except the Ava robot episode because my TV failed to record it) and sadly it was mostly disappointing.

- The way they tried to make Damien Darkh sympathetic was absolute bullshit. No Country for Old Dads was an especially frustrating waste of time. Sure, many of the lines were funny, but that’s where it should’ve ended, instead of getting serious and spending so much time on development and humanization for villains when the majority of the main characters have gotten close to nothing all season.

And then it only went further downhill, with the whole oh let's all weep sad sad tears for this Nazi collaborator who fed his daughter to a demon because now he feels real sad about being too dumb to realise that maybe feeding her to a demon wouldn't be very good for her.

There have been times that I've found him entertaining/a good villain, but he has thoroughly worn out his welcome. If they just hadn't overused him, he could still be an enjoyable villain, but no. There is absolutely nothing left for the character, they have beaten that dead horse into a bloody pulp. If he comes back again oh my fucking god I will lose my damn mind.

- I also hated that Ray let Nora escape at the end of the finale. Yeah, she's not as bad as her dad and maybe she could be redeemed, but that doesn't mean you can just casually help her escape from prison just because you really really really hope that she won't keep killing people. The writers need to Stop making Ray such a dopey, buffoonish caricature. He should've grown up somewhat by now.

- Everything with Ava/Sara was just a giant WTF as always. Even if I didn't hate Ava, and the way she's nuked Sara's character progression this season, I'd still think it was ridiculously poor writing that she went from hating Sara to 'loving' her in only a few episodes with zero build up. Honestly, even if she'd gone from neutral to loving Sara with only a few episodes build-up, it would have been too rushed.

-Speaking of zero build-up, the Zari/Jonah Hex thing was weird too. This show sure does love it's badly written, out of the blue, shoe-horned in romances. Hopefully the Zari/Hex thing was a one-off joke, never to be referenced again.

- I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I've always thought Nate/Amaya was the least badly-written romance on the show, and I'm glad they got some closure, and I’m especially glad that Nate's awful, sexist behaviour in the first few eps of this season seems to have been an anomalous moment of terrible writing and he went back to acting normal for the rest of the season.

- I'm cautiously optimistic about the news that Maisie will still be a cast member in season 4. Of course it could all go horribly wrong, but hopefully whoever she plays will be more Harry, less HR in terms of successful same actor/different character scenarios. On one hand, I'm very glad she's sticking around in some capacity, on the other hand, if they fricken do something to ruin Amaya, i.e. bring in some annoying or evil version of her, or have some timeline change that ruins her life, especially after she got a reasonably well-concluded story arc and respectful sendoff, I will be furious.

- I don’t have much of an opinion on Wally. Aside from his first episode with Rip (which I loved), he didn’t get enough focus for me to really make up my mind whether his addition to Legends is going well or not. (Unless of course there was more focus on him in the episode I haven’t seen yet.) Assuming he’s still on Legends next season, I hope they’ll do something interesting with him.

It’s been pointed out before of course, but I will add my agreement that his referring to Amaya as a basic bitch was OOC badly written nonsense. Even if he was supposed to be quoting Nate, which I don’t really think he was, it still was just weird and jarring. That said, I don’t think it’s unrecoverable from. As long as they don’t make a habit of giving him lines like that, I’m still thinking he’s better off on Legends than Flash, because you could practically forget he existed on Flash half the time after season 2. On the other hand, he may suffer from the same problem all over again, that he’ll need to be taken out early all the time and just basically never do anything much so the plot can work. That’s the unavoidable problem with overpowered characters.

- I've heard that apparently it's not absolutely confirmed that Jax's departure was Franz Drameh’s choice. If not, then it's absolute bullshit that they'd write him out so unceremoniously. Literally what the flying fuck was the point of making his arc in the first half of the season learning how to be on the team if he's not part of Firestorm, if they were just going to have him decide to leave anyway? If the actor wanted to leave, sure, fine, whatcha gonna do? but if not... I'm having trouble thinking of a reason besides racism for treating a character and actor so poorly.

- Rip's death felt very lazy and cheap as well. It left me with a very strong sense that the writers just decided in 0.2 seconds that they couldn't think of anything else to do with him so why not just throw him out? At the very least, his big Heroic Sacrifice should have been the climax of the penultimate episode, not just 'shrug idk how do we fill up five minutes of airtime plus get rid of a character we're sick of? oh hey, Rip could blow himself up!'

I never overly liked Rip, especially in the first season I found him incredibly boring, but he still deserved better than a stupid death like that, and I’m sadder than I thought I would be. Still, out of everyone who’s been there since season 1, if someone had to go, I’m glad it wasn’t anyone else. Other than Mick, of course.

-The time that was wasted on a rat funeral, which, like several of the funny scenes in No Country for Old Dads, would have been fine if it wasn’t for the fact that they were taking up space that should have been used for character development for the mains and respectful goodbyes for those that have died/left.

- One of the few things I absolutely loved was the Beebo vs Mallus fight. It was one of those hilariously wacky fun things the show does well, how could anyone not appreciate the glorious ridiculousness of the big showdown of the finale be between Discount Furby and Discount Balrog? But it was bittersweet because it was just a reminder of how unfortunate it is that the show can be so fun, but also fuck some things up so badly.

The John Noble bit was hilariously amazing as well. Also, I did not know he played Denethor until now. Didn’t recognize him because of the wig, I guess.

I’m... not sure what I thought of Grodd trying to kill Obama. It was just too odd to process properly.

-The less said about Mick the better. I just don’t know why he’s still there when he hasn’t done anything except complain about being on the team and make bigoted jokes in a season and a half.

[queercapwriting]

Okay but Frozen in the Arrowverse.

“Go back to sleep, Ana!”

So we hafta play!!!!

Okay so let’s imagine how this would play out -- who would do this to who -- in different Arrowverse relationships:

Kara and Alex: Alex groans behind a sleepy smile because she knows that resistance is futile.

Barry and Iris: Iris wants to know have a word with the Speed Force for giving her husband so much damn energy.

Wally and Iris: Iris wants to know what the hell Wally is doing in her apartment, anyway.

Wally, Iris, and Barry: Brother-sister crime-fighting team unite. Against the Flash.

Maggie and Alex: They switch. Like they do in bed.

Winn and J’onn: Winn’s smile is more infectious than Papa Bear would normally like to let on.

Felicity and Oliver: Oliver pretends to be stern about needing to sleep and utterly fails.

Felicity and Dig: Dig wants to know if Barry changed the damn timeline again because where the hell is my wife until he sees Lyla cracking up in the background.

Barry, Iris, Wally, and Joe: Joe wants to know who died, and if no one died, what the hell he did to deserve this.

Barry, Iris, Wally, and Joe: Joe isn’t a fan of revenge, but sometimes it’s very sweet.

HR and Cisco: Cisco rues the day he volunteered to a death match to save this man’s life.

Ray and Sara: Ray leaves with a bloody nose and a limp that he refuses to talk about.

Mick and Snart: They agree never to discuss this again.

Kara and Lena: Lena decides she wants to start every day like this. And that’s how a Super and a Luthor move in together.

[another-rogues-paradise]

Legends of Tomorrow 3x01 - Aruba-Con - Thoughts

This is an entirely separate analysis than what I posted previously, as that one was based more on initial viewing and reacting without the time for more critical thought.

I’ll probably make a post later about my thoughts and speculations on this season going forward, because I have lots of opinions and predictions.

Spoilers below.

Honestly, I kinda just wanna say this to get it off my chest - I had no expectations for this season. Sure, the trailer got me pumped, but I figured it’d be about the same quality we’d come to expect by the time this season premiered. I mean, season two looked extremely promising and even had lots of strong moments and good concepts that just weren’t executed well. As far as this premiere concerning that, I wasn’t wrong.

It started off where last season left off, and we learned Rip, while to the Legend’s and our perspective, had only just left them, he had actually been gone for five years establishing the time bureau. And also, apparently becoming a bit of a dick. Okay, a HUGE dick. What the hell, actually about that? There’s got to be an explanation for his utter character assassination. Surely. He’s always been a lovable asshole. Not this “by-the-books,” pencil-pushing asshole. Which, yes, to be fair, he’s been to a certain degree. But not /this./

And he spends lots of time this episode blaming the Legends (and teaching this to his fucking bureau) for breaking time, even though HE IS HONEST TO FUCKING GOODNESS JUST AS RESPONSIBLE. Did I fucking sleep through the finale, or did he pretty much agree to risk breaking time? Yes? I feel like this is either them making Rip shift the blame or them being shitty writers. At this point, I CANNOT FUCKING TELL. But it still seems like shit writing, and it’s only the first episode. I feel bad for Rip’s fans at the moment, and I sincerely hope this is temporary, otherwise...*sigh

Sara in retail WAS fun. Six months in, you could see pre-shipwreck Sara in the way she was speaking. I’ve always preferred her appearances on Arrow as opposed to Legends, because I’ve always felt like something got lost in translation when she was brought over to LoT. I don’t really have any additional comments about her, but I did like that her feelings about working in retail was relatable to a lot of people. Except in her case, she could literally do the things she was imagining. Which was hilarious.

Point to note, as it occurred to me - considering Kid Flash’s appearance, I believe we are actually looking at the original (Flashpoint) timeline everyone is currently living in. Wally being there instead of Barry suggested to me that Barry is still gone, which is happening in the original timeline they are from. Considering that, what with the time bureau having been at work correcting anachronisms, I’m guessing that their setting history back properly for the most part has made it so that it doesn’t affect the other two Arrowverse shows for convenience. I was wondering how they’d do this and be able to have the crossover this year if they were in an alternate timeline they screwed up

Ray’s appearance wasn’t exactly as fun as Sara’s but it was funny, but it obviously had more plot significance with the dating app and frat boys during Caesar’s capture later in the episode. Ray’s appearance was probably the saddest/most pathetic of the three. He lost everything when he died, his company, and very likely his fortune.

God, Martin, Martin...oh Martin. As many of you are keenly aware by now, Victor Garber is exiting the show, very likely during the crossover as there is a funeral currently being filmed as he’s done with the Arrowverse and he’s set to do Hello, Dolly! in January. Stein is one of my favorite characters and so this is upsetting, and it’s kind of shitty they’ve chosen to have his exit during the crossover. This episode has some not so subtle foreshadowing on something terrible happening to Stein. First, we find out Lily is pregnant. Stein seems to be so happy and really settling in to being a father and now soon a grandfather. Then Jax comes stumbling into his door, having an existential crisis (because honestly, us 20-somethings have been there) having dropped out of school and wanting to actually be an engineer again instead of just studying to be one. Then comes the Waverider, and Stein just doesn’t look all too happy, especially when he’s back on board.

The roles here have reversed. Initially, it was Stein that was so enthusiastic about traveling and doing new things that he literally drugged Jax and kidnapped him so he could have his adventures (and I could sit here and talk all day about how shitty that is but that’s another discussion) on a real time ship. Now, Jax is the one that is wanting all the adventure as Firestorm and kind of guilting him about it “I’ve got my whole life ahead of me,” but Stein is now completely comfortable with his life with his daughter and his wife. He’s just not at the same place he was when he first boarded the Waverider. And quite frankly, I’m guessing Victor has been planning on leaving for a while because since last season they’ve been hinting that something would happen to him. Of course, Stein eventually, against his better judgement, agrees to continue to travel with his old team. To say I didn’t cry, well, I’d be lying. Like, y’all had to have Lily pregnant, didn’t you? And Stein happy? I want to fucking scream.

Mick, oh, Mick. Okay, first thing - okay, sometimes, I get really pissed off with these writers at making Mick the butt of their jokes. The STD joke was a bit much. I’m sorry, but I can’t believe Mick would be so careless as to not just once but on MULTIPLE OCCASIONS while in Aruba need treatment for STD’s. I’m pretty damn sure he’s smarter than this. They make him out to be this nasty, dumb blockhead and I’m honestly...getting really tired of it. He deserves better than this bullshit. There were some good moments in this episode - I liked his taking initiative when he realized it was really Julius Caesar he was talking to and gathered the Legends. I also liked how unlike the rest of the team, he casually walked into the Waverider and took charge. That was 100% a Mick move. Also, them still subtly alluding to the fact he still cares about the Legends and deciding to stay with them. And him stealing those items...that’s exactly why I love him. And from Rip, of all people! Though he absolutely deserves it.

It seems as though the Time Bureau is going to be a huge fucking issue this season, and, I’m going to call it, they’re going to turn out to be not that much different than the Time Masters. You watch. And I’m wondering if Rip himself is going to realize what he created. While I do think the Legends deserve some of the shit they’re getting because, let’s be honest, they are the absolute WORST at what they’re supposed to be doing. I also think some of it is undeserved. And it almost seems appropriate to me that they are the nuclear option to whatever big threat is coming (I missed the name) but I’m assuming it has to do with magic.

I’ve made a post previously about my thoughts on Grodd and Captain Cold returning (and others), and I’m going to include that in my season post. Basically, we’re getting two Snarts - I’m still quite sure one is Citizen Cold. I think this one will be during the Crossover. The other one, from the trailer? I don’t fucking know. I just want fucking Oculus!Snart back god fucking dammit. Like. Is that so hard to ask?