firesoulstuff

[firesoulstuff]

C-Verse, your choice: "your tears will not bring him back." "fuck you."

Zari heard the footsteps before the couch cushions dipped beside her. She didn’t bother looking up to acknowledge the presence of Dante. What she wanted after Rip’s stupid sim was to be alone. She wanted to forget what she had seen in there and distract herself with the video game she was playing on the screen.

“So it’s my turn to cook tonight,” Dante began. “Anything you really have your mind on tonight?”

Zari shrugged. “Whatever you want. I don’t know.”

“Okay.”

He didn’t say anything else for a few more minutes as she continued to smash her fingers against the buttons of the controller. She was doing so well…and then her avatar went down. The screen went black, a heart evaporated, and she found herself at her last save point.

“The girls are upstairs,” Dante continued to chatter. “I don’t think the sim went well for anyone. It sure didn’t for me.”

“Huh.”

“And Hunter is still keeping us all here, so everyone definitely flunked.”

Zari’s mind was starting to wander back to the sim. Watching Behrad die again…

“But maybe next time-“

“Will you just shut up about the sim?” Zari snapped, turning away from the screen.

Her avatar died again. She paused the game.

“Sorry…”

She sighed. “You don’t know what my time is like. You don’t know how worse things got for me and my family. I watched my brother get gunned down when we were trying to escape. And I had to live through it again today!”

Her eyes felt wet, something she was hoping to get out later.

“I’m sorry,” Dante said. “Your tears will not bring him back-“

“Fuck you,” Zari snapped back. “I can’t go back without killing him! But you wouldn’t even get it. What have you lost!”

Dante went silent. Zari kept staring him down.

“I was going to say that ‘your tears will not bring him back, but he will live on in your memory’,” Dante paused. “And as for what I lost, a chance to be better.”

Zari leaned back against the couch. “Go on.”

“I’m not proud of who I was when I lived on the timeline,” Dante told her. “At the time, I didn’t think twice. But now I see that I was a pompous ass who didn’t appreciate things that really mattered. My family saw me as the golden child and it got to my head. I should have done more with and for my brother. You sound like you were much better older sibling that I ever was.”

She wouldn’t tell Dante she once tried to ship Behrad to Canada when he was teething. “I’ll take it.”

“I’m not sure what happens when Hunter finally takes us away from here,” Dante continued. “But I want to be someone better than who I was when I lived on the timeline. I’m not like you or the girls, but there’s got to be something that I can be good for that makes a difference for everyone.”

Zari allowed a beat of silence to pass. “That was deep.”

“I’m sorry for being a jackass,” Dante said. “I can’t even begin to imagine what your experiences have been like. And it sounds hollow, but I’m sorry.”

“That’s a start,” Zari held out her controller. “You want to hop on the game? There’s another controller lying around here somewhere.”

Dante gave a bit of a smile and took the controller. “I haven’t played this in forever.”

“So kicking your ass will be easy.”

“Ah, we’ll see,” Dante shook his head. “We will see.”

[firesoulstuff]

C- Verse, Zari: "don't waste away a life that was never yours. it was always hers."

(Was going to type this up a few nights ago, ended up falling asleep. Doing this now on my day off)

Reality broke for a bit. They're still not sure what happened to cause it. But whatever it was, it caused them to bleed into the timeline. Well, actually only Nora was able to reenter it. She was there and the other Nora was asleep in the back of her head.

For a while, she'd been able to be the other Nora. She had her mom and her dad and a brother. She had friends who weren't time outcasts. Everything was going so well. Right up until the timeline started to break as the reality she'd grown up in started to bleed into the one she currently lived in. Central City fell under attack of a withered husk of a speedster and people dressed in weird uniforms.

Nora tried to do something, but things got even worse. Just when she thought it was the end, her friends appeared.

"Nora!" Zari moved forward to her in the alleyway they were hiding in. "You have to separate from her!"

"How?"

Zari frowned. "I'm not sure. But there's got to be something. Can you phase?"

Nora shrugged. "I can try. But I want to say goodbye to my family first."

"It's a little late for that!" Dante shouted over his shoulder as he lifted something that looked like a violin to her chin and played a note that sent a shockwave down the alley. The two uniforms coming their way went flying backwards.

"That's new," Nora remarked, distracted by the instrument.

"Long story, but we can explain it later," Zari said, turning her away from Dante. "Nora, we have to do this now. We're already pushing it if the Time Police is here now."

Nora looked down the other side of the alley where Rory was standing guard with her robot dog. Her mother's building was visible from here. She was there right now. Her dad and brother were probably elsewhere in the city.

"Nora!" Zari snapped. "Don't waste a life that was never yours."

Nora turned to her again, caught off guard by the harsh words.

"It was always hers," Zari continued, her voice a shade softer. "I know how hard this is."

"But we have to do it for everyone else," Nora nodded. "Okay. Stand back."

Zari stepped back. Nora closed her eyes and began vibrating in place. As she did, she started to feel like there was someone else standing with her. Another person with a different frequency. When she hit the right speed to phase, Nora moved away from them. She reopened her eyes and saw the other Nora on the street.

"Is she okay?"

Rory walked over and checked her pulse. "She's alive. Nice work."

A compliment from Rory. Yeah, maybe this timeline is off.

"We gotta go home," Zari opened a Time Corridor. On the other side was their refuge. "Let's go now before the Police get to us."

Rory was the first to go through, followed by Knut. Dante looked at the skyline for moment before joining her. Then it was their turn. Zari went through with her. When Nora looked back one last time, she saw the timeline reverting to how it had been before she'd been in there.

The Corridor closed behind them. The feelings of loss of her family that she'd experienced when she first arrived here hit Nora all over again. She dropped to her knees in the grass. Once again, she'd lost everything.

Zari was beside her immediately, gently brushed her knuckles across her shoulders.

[firesoulstuff]

Dante on C Team “Is that a blood stain?!”

(Side note: this is based on a true story)

"Is that a blood stain?!"

Nora looks down; if only because Dante seems very concerned about... whatever it is he is talking about, and... oh, yeah, she can see why he's concerned.

Starting on the white hem of her suit jacket and streaking all the way down the purple leather pant leg of her left side is a wide and soaking stain of bright red with just the right consistency that she can see why he would think it's fresh blood.

"Oh, no, it's wax."

Dante continues gaping at her, his brow furrowing like that is somehow worse.

"I ran through an ice cream booth." She continues to explain, and frankly, she should have realized before just how much of this stuff she has on her.

They've just returned from, well, frankly, running away from Rip Hunter and his Time Bureau. They were hiding out in a county fair and when they were cornered things got a little messy.

Mostly for her.

"They had that candy wax that goes on soft-serve." She explains, "I crashed into their warmer."

"Their warmer?" Dante asks, "Wait, is that hot?!"

Nora looks down at herself once again, and she shrugs as she looks back to Dante.

"Not anymore."

[firesoulstuff]

For the drabble ask, 22!

22. "Did you just hiss at me?"

(And it's C-Team because @firesoulstuff and I are deep in this verse)

Zari watched Rory's robot dog whine slowly. The lights that made up its eyes flickered twice. It lowered its head down onto the ground and whined again.

Since Rory had first appeared with the dog, the two had barely been a foot apart from each other. Zari sometimes wondered if Rory protected Knut more than it protected her. It certainly seemed that way based on many of their interactions. Luckily, as Rory had warmed up at a snail's pace, she had been able to do more distance with the dog. Zari chose to see it as growth.

Zari pushed herself off the couch and knelt down next to the door. "What's the matter, bud?"

The dog whined more. It sounded pitiful and staticky. Zari wondered if his power was running out.

"Do you need charge?" she asked, moving her hands to check the sleek metal paneling for any signs of a charger.

"Hey!"

Zari snapped her head up and watched as Rory came running into the room. She hurdled herself over the sofa and Zari backed up. The younger girl put herself between Knut and Zari. Her teeth were bared in a snarl as she...hissed.

The action made Zari pause. "Did you just hiss at me?"

"Don't touch my dog!" was the scowled response.

Knut gave a sad bark from the floor.

"Sorry," Zari muttered, moving back to the couch. "I was worried about him. His power doesn't look good."

That got Rory's attention. She glanced down at Knut. Her hands dug around in a pocket of her jacket before pulling out a cable. One end was completely foreign to Zari, but the other end looked like a plug used in Europe. Rory opened a panel on Knut's belly to attach the foreign end before looking around a way to plug in the other end.

"There's one in the hall," Zari told her. "I saw it earlier. Can he make it out there?"

"He should have just enough juice," Rory said. "Up, Knut. We're going to get you sorted."

She then looked at Zari as they got Knut to the hall. "Sorry. I've had to stop him from being scavenged before and old habits kicked in."

"You were protecting your friend," Zari nodded. "Still, rude."

"I know. I got plenty of that back on the timeline. It's hard sometimes-"

"To remember you're safe?" Zari finished.

Rory nodded.

Zari watched her plug in her dog in silence. She knew what living in fear and always on the run did to someone. At least she'd had family for some of that time.

"I would never hurt Knut," she told Rory. "Or you. Ever."

"I know," Rory muttered.

"I still want to say it so you know. I would never hurt you. We're in this shit together. I've got your back, kid."

[firesoulstuff]

C-Team of course!

Zari 1.0

18. “Am I supposed to be scared of you?”

"How long until you tell us why we're all here?" Zari demanded.

Rip Hunter shook his head. "You're not in the position to be asking questions."

"No, I think I should know what this place is and why we're being kept here."

"And you don't need to know that information yet," Rip replied. He started to pace and forth in front of the table. "You might not even need to know it at all."

Zari watched him make one round, then another. She eyed the crack in one of the pieces of wood that made up the table. "So you're just not going to tell us anything, huh?"

"I'd like to keep it that way."

"You really still are a Time Master then."

That touched a nerve. Rip turned and slammed his hands on the table so loudly that Zari flinched. "Don't you dare compare me to them! You have no idea what they were responsible for."

Zari stayed silent for a moment, letting the lack of spoken word fill the space. Rip took his hands off the table.

"Am I supposed to be scared of you?" she asked next, keeping her voice sharp and flinty. "You come in, telling us that you'll take us back but threatening to keep us in this place if we don't stay in line. Which is it? Or is this just the tactic to keep us scared and confused so we spill whatever information you want from us?"

Rip looked...impressed. "I haven't been able to find much of your former timeline, but you seem to have knowledge of interrogation."

"I can save you the trouble" Zari leaned forward. "I don't know how this happened. I don't know how I went from the totem to here. And everyone else here will tell you they don't know how it happened to them either. What's more, we're not going to be any kind of test dummy for you. But what we would be willing to do is listen to why we're being held here."

There's a beat. Then Rip sighs. "Well, Ms. Tomaz-"

And that was as far as he got before the door was kicked in. Within seconds, there was a flash and Rip ended up out cold on the floor. In the doorway, Dante stood, holding a flasher. Behind him was Rory, nodding with approval.

"What the hell, he was about to say something helpful!" Zari lectured, getting up from the chair.

"I doubt it," Rory patted Dante on the shoulder. "He's been a dick. Nice work, Ramon."

Dante looked from Rip to Zari. "Is he going to be okay?"

Zari nodded. "Completely fine. I'm not going to ask how you two got that, but I am going to ask where Nora is."

"She got into the basement," Dante passed the flasher to her. "You're gonna want to see it yourself."

[firesoulstuff]

Rory and someone from C Team + “It’s not that hard! Just put your hands on ten and two and push the gas peddle!”

As of late, Dante has seriously been rethinking his life.

Well, lack of life, actually. Well no, he has a life, but technically he really doesn't, because he is factually dead and yet here he has found himself; in some limbo outside of time, with a motley crew of other not dead, but not alive, mostly never technically existed people.

It gives him a headache to think about the logistics of it all, but then again, it also gives him a headache to think about the choices he is making in his non-existence life.

Namely, deciding he should take on the responsibility of teaching a twenty-one year old, former space fugitive, to drive.

"It's not that hard!" He exclaims, "Just put your hands at ten and two and push the gas pedal!"

"Where the fuck are you pulling these numbers out of?!"

In all honesty, from what he's seen of her personality so far, Dante had expected Rory Snart to simply jump in the car, slam the gas, and try and re-kill them both.

Instead, they haven't gotten her foot off the break, and it took them way too long to get the car out of park.

He gapes at her. She is gaping back at him with this wild look in her eyes, and her hands held out on front of her with fingers frozen mid-grasp on airs.

"What do you...?" Dante starts to ask, "The wheel! Ten and two."

"You keep saying that but I still don't see any numbers." She sneers.

"What?" Dante exclaims again, "You don't... There aren't any actual numbers."

"Then why the fuck do you keep shouting numbers at me?!"

"Because it's like a clock!" Dante shouts, "You're supposed to look at the steering wheel as though it's a clock. You put your left hand where ten would be, you put your right hand where two would be, you put your foot on the gas, and then - hopefully - we get somewhere."

Rory blinks at him, like he is talking in one of the alien languages she likes to go around the ship muttering to herself in. Eventually, just as he is starting to think about calling quits on this whole thing, she glances to the digital clock in the dash, and solely because he is still thinking about the alien languages, it finally clicks in Dante's head.

This kid has never seen a fucking analog clock in her life.

[firesoulstuff]

Nora Allen and Rory

48. “Look, I know we don’t know each other that well, but I’m still worried about you. No one deserves to be alone.”

(The C-Team already has my whole heart)

"Look, I know we don't know each other that well, but I'm still worried about you," Nora says, leaning against the wall. "No one deserves to be alone."

Across the room, Rory scoffs. "You clearly don't know me."

It's the last straw for Nora with Rory. "Because you don't seem to be willing to give anyone a chance! Which makes those trying to give a shit about you even harder!"

"Maybe I'm not worth caring about, okay?"

But Nora sees right through it. She never knew Rory's father, but she's seen his exhibit at the Flash museum. They have the same eyes and the same hardness in them. From the little she's heard Rory mention, she didn't have an easy life on the timeline or her parents for most of it.

Something in Nora makes her walk across the room to Rory. The other woman doesn't move. She meets Nora's eyes. There's that hardened look, but it covers fear.

"I'm not going to pretend that I know or even understand everything you went through," Nora tells her. "But all of us are stuck in this together. You, me, Zari, Dante, if there really is someone in the basement- all of us are here together. And that means we're looking out for each other. Even for people who think they're not worth it."

She holds out her hand to Rory.

"I'm fully capable of deciding who I can care about when I have information," Nora continues. "But maybe it's time we get to know each other. My name's Nora, I'm a speedster, and my favorite dessert is cookie dough ice cream with extra sprinkles."

Rory looks down at Nora's hand. A moment later, she brings her own out to shake it. Nora feels calluses on her fingers as they shake.

"I'm Rory. I can control time pockets, and my favorite dessert is...waffles."

"Waffles?"

For the first time, Rory gives a hint of a smile. "I don't know how to describe my favorite dessert from this planet with three moons that you need gravity boots for, so for the sake of simplicity? Waffles."

[firesoulstuff]

C Team + “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

Nora bites down on her thumbnail and promptly makes another tear in the fraying corner of the skin.

"We shouldn't be doing this." She says, and next to her Rory snorts with amusement.

"Of course not. " She says this with complete certainty, and yet she keeps on typing her way through firewall after firewall. "Looking at how much better the world is without you in it is shit for your mental health."

She pauses only then, and nods over to the armchair where their newest recruit - Dante Ramone - is sat hunched in on himself.

"But he wants to see." She continues, "If you don't, then you don't have to stay."

Truth be told... She does want to see. And Rory's right that it's unhealthy. Like... Ridiculously so. That's the whole reason Zari put up the firewalls to prevent them from seeing the current timeline. Things are the way they are, and not only can they not change them, but trying to change them could potentially work in one way or another, and it's "or another" which they all need to live in fear of.

It's another few minutes of the only sound being that of Rory's fingers pressing down key, after key, after key. Nora keeps flitting her eyes between her, wondering if she should stop her, and Dante.

He's only been here a few days; and out of the timeline for not much longer. They found him the same way Zari found herself and Rory; he appeared on the grounds of The Refuge, and Mary Xavier decided to call Zari rather than Rip Hunter.

"Bark, Bark."

Nora lifts her head at the sound off from Rory's robotic dog, Knut. His jaw drops open and out comes the image projector; painting the display of a cookout in her Papa Joe's backyard for them all to see.

"Ok." Rory says, her hands now hovering still over the keyboard, "What do you want to see?"

"My brother."

It's the first set of words Dante has spoken since sometime before they started. Nora looks to him, the tears in her eyes mirroring his, and she almost finds the words to warn him against such an idea.

But, Rory is ahead of her.

She types something into the keys which popped out of a side panel on her dog, and soon the view on the projection shifts over to Cisco Ramone; sitting and laughing on the back steps of the house and making silly faces at a bright eyed toddler who is giggling right back at him.

The new, the real, Nora West-Allen.

[firesoulstuff]

@agentmarymargaretskitz and I have been imagining a LOT/Arrowverse team consisting of dead timeline people. (Zari 1.0, Nora West-Allen, A CaptainCanary daughter, and Dante Ramone) Prompt me!

100 prompts list

so this is the prompts list! If you want to request an imagine just say what ideas and prompts you want in it (you don’t have to have one of the prompts if you don’t want, though) and what boy you want it to be for! We will try to write what you are imagining for your request. you can also request for us to make another part to any imagine you’d like :)

“Everyone keeps telling me your the bad guy.”

“If I ever see you anywhere near her/him, you’ll have to deal with me.”

“H-how long have you been standing there?”

“I think I’m in love with you and I’m terrified.”

“When are you going to realize I don’t care?”

“Who gave you that black eye?!”

“I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

“Don’t say you love me.”

“It’s a hobby of mine to prove you wrong.”

“If you don’t want to talk about what happened, then say so. Don’t just lie and say it’s fine.”

“Stop staring at me.”

“I said, I don’t know anything.”

“If you think I’ll believe you again…”

“You think it’s a bit…much?”

“Call me that one more time, see what happens.”

“Put some clothes on for the love of God.”

“It’s pitch black and I can still see you blushing.”

“Am I supposed to be scared of you?”

“I don’t hate you, I just don’t particularly like you.”

“I was so stupid to make the mistake of falling in love with my best friend.”

“Because I love you, you asshole!”

“Come over here and make me.”

“Excuse me, has he 12:15 bus come yet?”

“Oh my god! You’re in love with him!”

“Squeeze me hand if you can hear me.”

“Can you two please get a room?”

“I’ll do it. If you do something for me.”

“I have a name and it’s not sweetheart.”

“Take a breath, you can do this.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I hate how much I care about you.”

“You’re kind of turning me on.”

“Please, don’t leave.”

“I can’t do this anymore.”

“Please, shut up so I can kiss you.”

“I broke my rules for you.”

“Dammit, are you drunk?”

“Just sleep in my damn shirt.”

“I’d do anything for you despite how much you piss me off.”

“Sorry, I can’t trust anyone that looks good with a bed head.”

“Kill me now, because I’m so done with saving myself.”

“Stay. I need you more than you think.”

“Don’t say a word and just dance with me.”

“And suddenly, we were strangers again.”

“Nobody wants me, not even myself.”

“You have no idea who I am, do you?”

“You think you can control me now? You never could.”

“Look, I know we don’t know each other that well, but I’m still worried about you. No one deserves to be alone.”

“If I could, I would kiss away all your scars.”

“I think I might be falling in love with you.”

“Your lips are so soft. I could kiss them all day.”

“Mmmm… you’re warm.”

“It’s not bad to cry. I’m fact, I think it makes a person stronger.”

“You’re cute when you’re half asleep like this.”

“I’ve had a rough day and honestly all I want is a drink and someone to cuddle with.”

“Shhh, it was just a bad dream. Just a dream, okay? None of it was real.”

“Open the fucking door!”

“You have something in your hair…um- do you want me to get it out?”

“I want to take a shower so you should probably join me so we can save water.”

“You’re/we’re just not the same anymore.”

“It’s past midnight! Where the hell were you?”

“What the hell is your problem?!”

“You can’t keep it all inside, you know? Bottling it up won’t do any good.”

“I love you/hate you! Sorry it took me so damn long to realize that!”

“You lost your chance.”

“I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.”

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Were you ever going to tell me?”

“I’m done trying to help you!”

“Sorry doesn’t fix anything.”

“I tried to move on, but nobody is you.”

“Can I at least buy you a coffee, for old times sake?”

“It’s not that hard! Just put your hands on ten and two and push the gas peddle!”

“Maybe I’m just meant to be alone.”

“Isn’t this, like, illegal?”

“You’re really drunk right now. I don’t think you want to do this.”

“It isn’t anyone’s fault. Sometimes love just changes.”

“Stay, for me.”

“You know I have feelings for you.”

“Why the fuck are you doing this to me?”

“Yeah, I remember the drill.”

“What keeps you up at night?”

“I wish you were here.”

“I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.”

“Is it so wrong for me to want to save you?”

“We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Is that a blood stain?!”

“I let people down, it’s what I do.”

“You can spend the night, if you want.”

“I brought food.”

“I just want you to be happy.”

“This has to stay between us.”

“Take me home. Now.”

“I’m trying to get work done.”

“Do you believe/you don’t believe in love?”

“Just hold my hand, please.”

“We were supposed to leave, like, ten minutes ago.”

“Backseats aren’t nearly as comfortable as movies make them out to be.”

“Trust me, I know what I’m doing. Mostly.”

“We could…you know, go together, if you wanted.”

[firesoulstuff]

Spread the word.

[firesoulstuff]

[firesoulstuff]

shoutout to slow growers, late bloomers, people whose plans got derailed by circumstances beyond their control or their own choices, people who never had a plan to begin with, people who have had to start over when theyre too old to feel like theyre supposed to be where they are, people who cant pretend theyre built for the environment theyre in, and everyone who's not living the life they thought they would. im proud of you for making it this far and i hope you keep going until youre happy ♡

[firesoulstuff]

a writing competition i was going to participate in again this year has announced that they now allow AI generated content to be submitted

their reasoning being that "we couldn't ban it even if we wanted to, every writer already uses it anyway"

"Every writer"?

come on

[firesoulstuff]

my dream as a fanfic writer is for one day, one of my fics to be someones comfort fic. like the fic that they reread when they don't feel good and want to be happy. i want my words to comfort someone one day

[firesoulstuff]

a writing competition i was going to participate in again this year has announced that they now allow AI generated content to be submitted

their reasoning being that "we couldn't ban it even if we wanted to, every writer already uses it anyway"

"Every writer"?

come on

[firesoulstuff]

Friendly reminder that AO3 is fighting AI data scrapers on behalf of all fanfic writers!

According to the post below, AO3 issued a DMCA takedown after finding out that all works before March 2025 were scraped and uploaded as a dataset to potentially train AI. The ability to take legal action against scum like this is the direct result of people donating to AO3 so they can keep functioning and they don't pocket any of it because they are a non-profit organization.

So when you see the AO3 donation drives, please remember that this is what the money is going toward and support it when you can!

[firesoulstuff]

I love and miss them so much!!!

Also, I am in love with the idea of Jax seeing the topes!!

Captain Canary 💫

Bite Marks-League of Legends, TEYA

Jax once called them a battle couple. It sounded silly when Leonard heard it, like something in a video game or comic book.

Then the Legends ended up on an alternate earth- one with a complete different history and different customs. The STAR Labs of that earth was willing to work with them to get them all home, but they had to find some rare materials in exchange so they could actually build the machine to get home. It wasn't the greatest set of circumstances, but he could deal with it. All of them could.

Everyone had split into teams, with Leonard and Sara paired together. They had gotten the case holding a specialized chip from some privatized company. Leonard rarely had issues stealing, but definitely didn't with this once after finding out the ugly history of safety violations and scandals that it had racked up. Sara similarly didn't have any issues. The security guards with massive gauntlets and crazy armor did.

"You go around, I take head on?" Sara said, hand wrapped around one half of her staves.

Leonard charged up his gun. "Better make it quick."

A half smirk shot his way before she took off. He followed, firing ice towards the floor of the one closest to him. As he did, one of Sara's staves was knocked his way. Leonard snatched it up, clocking the nearest guard across the jaw with it. As the guard went down, he saw Sara fighting closer with her single staff than she normally would when she had both.

He threw it her way with a shout. "Sara!"

She threw a glance in his direction and caught it with her free hand before returning to her normal style. Leonard fired his gun at the gauntlets and boots of the guards, slowing them down or stopping them entirely. Once they were all down, the couple took off running towards the rendezvous point.

Maybe this was what Jax meant when he said they were a battle couple.