#about her barry and nora

[ftl-faster-than-life]

”We need more men carrying on their mother’s legacy—“

Barry. That’s Barry. Barry Allen is Nora Allen’s legacy.

[coldflasher]

look i don't usually go here but in honour of interview with the vampire season 2 and the recent uptick in vampire/buffy-inspired AUs i've seen floating around on my dash... eobarry interview with the vampire AU?? 👀

eobard is lestat, as if that doesn't go without saying

[seaskate]

Barry Allen had only ever been in love three times within his life.

The first time he had fallen he had been young, living in the home with his adoptive father and Iris. He thought that he might have loved Iris from the start, truer and truer still as they grew older and came together on their own with lightning in his veins.

The third time that he had fallen in love, it had not lasted long. He and Iris had not found one another yet, not in that manner at least, and Patty had shined brightly in the Central City sky. To him at least. Still, it had been a love tinted by far too many lies to ever last.

The second time that he had fallen, it had been a love that Barry had kept to himself, though he knew that the other was aware of it as well. It was a love that he didn’t speak of aloud, not even to himself in the dead of night when there was no one to hear. The sort of love that lingered and stayed in a room in his heart even for years after.

(For decades)

He didn't find himself speaking of the love until he was older and married already, when young Nora had asked him about his early days as the flash, about the tales that the museum didn't tell.

Iris had been there, listening, when he had gotten to that second love. Her eyes went a little wide, a little, as she listend to him speak, realization dawning within them.

But not jealousy, never that. After all, who could be jealous of a dead man?

"So Captain Cold died a hero? A Legend?" Little Nora asked, her eyes bright at the thought in only that way that someone removed from it all could be.

Barry smiles as he answers, something sad and still filled with greif despite all the time that had passed, "The best of them all."

[bluearc009]

Emergency Contact

Jaune and Oscar are in the hospital waiting room

Jaune: man, I can't believe you dislocated your shoulder.

Oscar: Jaune, the gym is a place where people go to push themselves.

Jaune: You slipped by the water fountain.

Oscar: I was thristy from working hard(handed Jaune some forms)will you help me fill this out?

Jaune:(start writing on forms)full name-Oscar Pine uh, emergency contact?

Oscar: oh, um..I don't know how about you man,(seeing jaune look at him in shock) I mean like if you want right.

Jaune: no yeah that's really nice of you.

Oscar: it doesn't have to be permanent or anything.

Jaune: oh yeah no, it's just a lot of responsibility.

Oscar: I figured you could handle it.

Jaune: what about Barry, Barry would be a great emergency contact.

Oscar: oh yeah I didn't think about Barry.

Jaune: I'll just put in Barry's info.

Oscar: but don't you think you'll be more convenient, you did brought me here today.

Jaune: yeah, but it's omelet night in the cafeteria so I was already coming here anyway.

Oscar: Jaune, we been teammates for a long time now don't you feel like this is the next step.

Jaune: wouldn't this this be more fitting for a family member.

Oscar: my aunt lives on the other said of Remnant.

Jaune: your girlfriend, do have a girlfriend, you don't have a girlfriend, I knew that but you do have an ex-girlfriend.

Jaune:(realized) oh that would be bad I'm dating her, it's just a big step witch is why I feel Barry would be a better fit.

Oscar: Jaune why are avoiding this wait are you somebody else emergency contact?

Jaune: I didn't want you to find out like this.

Oscar(upset) who is it?

Jaune: it's Ren.

Oscar: Ren but Nora is his emergency contact.

Jaune: he had to be taken to the ER after swallowing a posinous spider witch jump into his mouth tell me that not the coolest thing ever.

Oscar: OK listen I do want details about that later but why can't we both be your emergency contact.

Jaune: Well it's difficult what if you both are in emergency at the same time, I'd have to save one and let the other die.

Oscar: That is so unrealistic

Jaune: Is it have you seen The Dark Knight?One explosion one gets horribly disfigured and If Ren had half a ponytail he probably died of grief anyway it's a lose lose.

Oscar: (hurt)OK so uh just like that you're saying no.

Jaune: don't be like that we're still be teammates.

Oscar: witch is just an empty term now.

Jaune: was it a very meaningful term to begin with.

Oscar: Jaune! Teammates are supposed to be there for each other ok they're supposed to look out for one another And they're supposed to say yes to being each other emergency contact

Jaune: all right fine you want to know the real reason.

Oscar: yes.

Jaune: I'll tell you! I'm scared.

Oscar: of what?

Jaune: What if you swallow soap and I don't know the number to poison control, What if you put your hand on a hot stove and I'm not there to tell you that's hot no touch.

Oscar: Jaune I'm a teenager not a toddler.

Jaune: haven't stop you before.

Oscar:(gasp) Okay , listen I understand that you're scared I do But this is something that means so much to me and If anyone going to have my back it's you man.

Jaune: You mean that.

Oscar: of course.

Jaune: thanks man.

Jaune slap Oscar shoulder making scream in pain.

Jaune: oh right that's why we're here, I'll do it.

Oscar: thanks man you're the best.

Jaune: Barry is going to be so disappointed.

Oscar: jaune we don't have a teammate name Barry.

Jaune: Yeah I was hoping you wouldn't notice.

[zeroducks-2]

Do you really think reverse flash is in love with Barry? I don't mean for this to sound snarky I'm just confused. Thawne killed Barry's mom how can you say he's in love with him? I like all the things you post and rb about them I really enjoy the ship. I just don't get it can you explain?

The question "how can Eobard be in love with Barry if he hurt him" has both a short answer and a long answer. The short answer is that people are very much capable of hurting the ones they love, on purpose or by accident.

The long answer is that Eobard is a deeply disturbed individual who has never been the recipient of love, and because of that and of many extremely traumatic events (including but not limited to being brainwashed in prison, being trapped in a timeless limbo alone for years, being tortured and treated like cattle and put in sensory deprivation for ludicrous amounts of time, dying at the hands of the only person who had ever shown compassion towards him), he has a skewed perception of a lot of things and is extremely bad at emotional regulation.

Moreover, and this is something which is easy to overlook but it's actually very important, Eobard is not human. His actions are informed by his traumas, but the way he approaches pretty much everything (including his "problems" with Barry) isn't done the way a human would.

Eobard is a timeless, deathless creature which embodies one of the driving forces of reality itself (the Negative Speed Force). He lived probably more than a few hundred years considering how he keeps running around through time doing stuff, and how he keeps going back to watch past events and adjust the way he will interact with the timeline next.

He knows the huge impact that killing Nora will have on Barry, but from a moral and ethical standpoint it's not a big deal for him. Nora is less than a speck in time, an NPC who served her role for that briefest moment in which she existed. She is a big deal because she is a big deal for Barry, not because she's meaningful in any other way.

"But then he did want to hurt Barry when he killed her" Yes, absolutely he wanted to. Eobard didn't "just" kill Nora Allen - he went back in time and changed everything about Barry's life, made it so he had no friends, made him grow isolated and insecure and shy, lacking confident in his abilities. And he did it because he is very, VERY angry with Barry for one, and also because isolating Barry makes it easier for them to grow closer.

And it worked! Back in the Silver Age, when Nora and Henry were alive and not in prison, Barry couldn't be bothered with Eobard. For him Eo was just a random criminal with superspeed, and sure he was threatening because speedsters always are, but not that much of a big deal.

Now? Now Eobard is a primary element in Barry's life, a constant he's had to deal with basically since birth, someone who rewritten his entire life to make himself part of it in an indelible manner.

It worked because now Barry is more likely to fall for Eobard's manipulation, to listen to him, to just accept that he's THERE because he's always been. Near the end of Running Scared, Eobard tells him "run away with me", and Barry says yes.

Back in the Silver Age there would have been no way.

It's worth mentioning that to understand Eobard, you need to understand that everything he does, every single thing, has the end goal of being with Barry. Whether he's trying to protect him or trying to hurt him or trying to manipulate him, whether they manage to work together against a common enemy or they're on opposite sides of the fight, every single one of Eobard's actions is motivated by love (his personal, inhuman version of love).

"But if that is the case, then why doesn't he just tell Barry 'I love you'?"

Two reasons, and one is meta.

The in-story reason is that every time Eobard tried to do something good without masking it as horrible, it went sideways and backfired spectacularly - mix that with poor emotional regulation, and you have someone who's not going to be able to handle rejection and is outright scared of doing good things openly. I think if he told Barry "I love you" and Barry reacted badly it would hurt too much. Also he wants Barry to understand, and thanks to a couple of competent writers who sadly don't work on Flash anymore, we were getting there.

The meta reason is because DC is homophobic, plain and simple. Eobard DID SAY I love you many times except with words, because DC editorials won't let him. That's it. It's the same reason why Joker can't tell Batman "I love you" and has to do weird ass word plays and even more weird ass attention seeking maneuvers. They're stunted by reasons which no one but DC itself can control.

So in short. How can Eobard be in love with Barry and hurt him so much at the same time? Because he doesn't have many ways of express love, he has a hard time being caring, and every time he allows himself to be soft it backfires. Because he wants Barry to belong to him and will isolate him and make him suffer to get there. Because he's angry with Barry -- Barry hurt him too, rejected him and left him alone and refused to accept that Eobard is his lightning rod for a long time.

Eobard easily lashes out when he's hurt, and the less grounded he is the more vicious and violent he turns.

"But Zero, how can Eobard think that Barry will ever forgive him for having killed his mom?"

I don't believe Eobard was ever looking for forgiveness, but fun fact. Barry did forgive him already. Barry is not human either, and at this point I think he'd forgive Eobard just about anything, and despite how difficult everything is between them, he really wants to get to a place where they don't need to hurt each other.

The problem with this, and it's one of the reasons why they have so many issues communicating, is that Barry is in denial about many things - about being the Speed Force, about Eobard being in love with him, about how they're two constants through time and two sides of the same coin and basically can't exist without each other, about how they're each other's lightning rod.

Their relationship is very complex, absolutely not what it looks like at first glance, and it's colored by all the hurt there is between them. But again, ultimately understanding Eobard is understanding that love is what motivates him, even when he does the most horrible unhinged things.

In conclusion, have this panel from The Flash Age which is one of my favorite Flash comics, in which you can see the way these two manage to trust each other and fall into the right rhythm, despite the oceans of misunderstandings and suffering between them.

Pages from The Flash Age, by Joshua Williamson. In which Barry tells Eobard to "do the right thing", and Eobard just does it.

[shrinkthisviolet]

I saw you had reblogged some season 1 Westhawne gifs, and it’s sad to me that the show completely diminishes WT for Westallen in s9. Not only did they have Iris basically tell Eddie that their relationship was nothing, because she loved Barry the whole time, but they also made it clear that WT would not have stayed together if Eddie had lived, because they put a blonde wig on Nora reinforcing this idea that there was no future for WT, so we’re using WA’s kid to reinforce that this a delusion.

YEP it's absolutely wild. Westallen is my OTP but I love Westhawne so dearly, and it frustrated me so much how s9 just acted like Westhawne was so much lesser. As if Iris never loved him. As if she didn't say “screw the future” and “I decide who I love, and I love you” to Eddie even after he gave her an out.

And s2 is all about Iris struggling to move on from Eddie, it takes her almost the whole season, and the underlying message is that Eddie would want her to be happy!

The Iris that I know, the one I saw in the early seasons, would never have said “It was always Barry, even back then, when I didn’t realize it myself.” She might've said something like “I did love you, Eddie. So, so much. But then you died, and I...I had to move on. And it took me so long, but...I found happiness again, with Barry. I will always love you. But I chose Barry...and I'm not going to un-choose him.”

And really, if the writers had been a little bolder, they could've just had them all be together. Give us the Westhallen endgame! If blonde Nora proves anything, it's that Eddie wants to be part of their family deep down, not “steal Iris back” or whatever stupid nonsense the writers did. And s9 came out in 2022, so it's not like polyamory would be that big a deal (esp since Riverdale ended a year later with canonical polyamory)

[miss-eli-starfleet]

My critique of CW’S The Flash

The Flash is one of my absolute favourite shows, and I think it deserves one of these. Yes my favourite shows deserve critiques because there are changes I would’ve liked to see instead. This is all just my opinion on the show, not exactly hating it. Plus.. I saw someone else doing something similar to here goes.

Imma be clear at the start. I don’t hate WestAllen, just really really disappointed with how they were written in the latter seasons sometimes.

Props to every actor in the Flash who put all their effort into the show whether the script was cringe or not.

Season 1-2 was FIRE. No complaints. Loved the WestAllen.

Season 3 was good,

but I think they could’ve done Savitar better. Still liked him as the big bad being depressed/emo!Barry. I’ll say that I got really attached to Harry in S2 which made me wonder why they have HR there at all? The dude grew on me, and he added humour to the team, but honestly between him and Harry, it could’ve easily been Harry. Though it means he would die at the end.. so I’m glad Season 3 had HR Wells instead sorry not sorry.

The relationship between Julian Albert and Barry was so fun to watch. Which reminds me, LOVED Eobard’s appearance as Matt Letscher in 3x01. I have no idea why they continue to use Wells’ face like bruh. Your pretending as Wells is over so like why. GIMME MORE MATT!EOBARD.

I loved Frost???

Season 4 was also great.

I’d say more quality than season 3 because it was their first time against a big bad that WASN’T a speedster yet posed a more than adequate challenge to the team. The plot was nice and unique (I really loved Hazard!). I’ll say that DEVOE was kinda showing some red flags before becoming the Thinker in his relationship with Marlize, like he seemed kinda overly possessive of her. Glad that she switched to helping Team Flash after seeing what her husband had become. Loved her “Thinker’s first victim” line.

I felt like they started focusing on Cecile too much? Her role was vital to the plot at the end with helping Barry hop into Devoe’s mind to retrieve Ralph. And speaking of Ralph, I was neutral towards the character at first, but he grew on me. Also why fire him for sometning he did like 10yrs ago. That made no sense. I’d rather Ralph than more Cecile or Allegra.

LOVED ALL THE BANTER BETWEEN HARRY AND CISCO. And FROST FROST FROST!!! I liked her S4 outfit. I also think Barry’s supersuit was the best in this season.

One of my favourite episodes was “Flashtime”. Awesome awesome filler episode.

Season 5 was also great.

Barry’s supersuit was trash tho imo. He just looks like a weird deformed strawberry.

Above average but not quite as good as S4. LOVED NORA WORKING WITH THAWNE then Barry finding out and tossing her into the pipeline cell lol. Just the betrayal, and then dumping her in the middle of a random street in the future. Loved all the father-daughter moments she had with Barry. Cool to see the writers creativity in “meta-tech”.

However Iris.. bro in 5x19 she has some issues bringing up the fact Barry NEEDED to go into the Speedforce TWICE. And then her telling Barry to his face that she didn’t care that Nora was working with Thawne. Like bro, he murdered your husband’s mother and caused sm problems. And you don’t care about that?? Good to see that Barry called her out in the end.

Imma complain about freaking Sherloque again. Why not Harry? Even after what happened to him in S4, I think he could’ve figured out that Nora is secretly working with Thawne. Like dude’s still smart af.

Nora getting erased from existence at the very end.. sad :( I miss S5 Nora

Season 6.

I feel like this is when everything started going downhill. I didn’t care for Mirror Monarch. The mirror!Iris storyline was interesting to see. Idk what happened the rest of the season. That’s how much I didn’t care for this season lol. I think the other half was about Ramsey and how he wanted to make everyone zombies. Man I HATED Sue Dearborn or however you spell her name. She just took up too much screentime. This is when it started feeling like “Iris & Friends” instead of “The Flash”.

Liked to see how Barry dealt with slowly losing his speed bc he was killing the speedforce lol. Liked how the Caitlin/Frost duo became separate people. It was cool. At least we got that lol.

I think this is when Allegra comes in. I honestly can’t stand her. Like the whole her and her sister trope? Why.

The one thing I did like was Barry’s artificial speedforce gave him speed thinking. Awesome episode to watch. EXCEPT NASH. WHY. His sacrifice is useless in the end because of the whole “Iris is Barry’s lightning rod” thing. Have nothing about a speedster’s lightning rods in the comics, just didn’t like how that was written into the show. It eventually got really annoying.

Season 7.

Where do I even begin. This is when Barry’s “children” became a thing, and then suddenly speedforce!Nora wanting to kill all of them? Like what??? Where did that come from? Dion’s storyline was interesting. The rest were just.. Meh. And the CGI was so cringe.

I loved Abra Kadabra??? Why they gotta kill him off in one episode.

Does Chillblaine start coming in this season? I dislike him in general.

Season 8.

THIS IS WHEN BARRY’S ACTUAL CHILDREN COME BACK.

Now with Nora getting erased in S5, I really would’ve preferred if they gave us Tornado Twins instead. Like you can even use the same actors, but I honestly don’t really like the new Nora. I did like seeing her interaction between her and her family.

Also. Bart. I. Have. Major. Problems. I LOVE Bart but he is supposed to be Barry’s GRANDSON. Give us Don Allen instead. I did like the episode where they messed up the timeline, went back to 2013 and then accidentally reset Jay into the timeline. Also loved the episode with the whole Barry and the gamma radiation making him age hella fast. Bro was basically a zombie at the end and still overloaded the machine with the speedforce.

The. Stupid. Power Rangers godspeed arc was shit and them being Bart’s Thawne-like arch nemesis. Like boy, don’t compare Thawne with your godspeed problems. Don’t even start. Also what is with the “Negative Forces” and “Positive Forces” Power Rangers thing and then Iris’ time sickness? At this point, The Flash just started to feel like a soap opera.

I liked Chester even though he was a “replacement” for Cisco. He was unique. But the whole Allegra/Chester budding relationship where did that come from?? It just seemed very cringe and didn’t do much for the plot besides drama I guess. Khione was meh. Like just give us Caitlin with Frost in some way. I don’t care about Khione and her arc. Pls give us more Barry and not so much Cecile and Allegra.

Season 9

The show should just be renamed “Power Rangers: Iris & Friends” at this point. They made an entire episode without Barry?? Like if I pick up a Flash comic book, I expect it to be about THE FLASH. Not his random friends. Like yes, his friends can make appearances but don’t give me a whole dang episode without Barry THE MAIN CHARACTER. Also how the hell did Cecile become that OP, where is the character development.

Idk where Chillblaine comes in but I just don’t like him, not to mention that I don’t like the relationship between him and Frost. Like what.

Eddie’s Cobalt Blue arc and Red Death arc could’ve been done WAY better. I didn’t see any plot relevance in any way. It was written so poorly. Red Death was just like evil speedster!Batman or something. Please don’t bring our beloved Eddie back if you gonna write him all just jealous of Barry and him somehow becoming the new avatar of the Negative Speedforce. And what does Batwoman have anything to do with this (I believe she appears in the finale villains arc)l

There is legit only one episode I like in S9. The one that comes “full circle”. The one where Barry gets stuck in 2000, gets to chill with his parents for one day, and then comes full circle with Matt!Eobard killing Nora. SEASON 1 QUALITY. They even use the same bg music which awwww. And the “If I can spend one more day with my parents, then what would I say to them?” Line? Chef’s kiss.

Did not like the finale. His final run speech was okay about sharing his gift. Definitely would’ve preferred if Barry became the lightning bolt that struck him in S1 like in the comics.

Idk which episodes: Loved all the Amunet & Frost storyline, and then Goldface time to time appearances. Especially “Officer Chemist” lol.

[dayas]

Iris, Bonnie, Lana, and Brooke for the character ask!!!

OMGGGG SO MANY

—

How I feel about this character: I absolutely love and adore Iris West-Allen. One of my favorite characters of all time!

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Barry Allen. The only time you will catch me being a comic/ship purist/j

My non-romantic OTP for this character: SnowWest & Iris and Linda!

My unpopular opinion about this character: She was right, they are The Flash.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: Nora not hating her???? I hated that plot line so bad 😭 like I’m sorry Iris would never be a bad mother like that it felt so OOC. Also Barry recognizing her absence/mirror self sooner 😭 it was painful to watch 😭

—

How I feel about this character: Bonnie Bennett, I love and adore her and I want to protect her from all the evils in this world. Baddest bitch on the show!

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Klaus Mikaelson, Damon Salvatore, Stefan Salvatore, Kai Parker, Elijah Mikaelson, Kol Mikaelson, Rebecca Mikaelson, Nora, Tyler Lockwood

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Bonlena

My unpopular opinion about this character: She and Kai should’ve terrorized THEE FUCK out of the MFG. Also, SHE’S NOT BORING. Y’all only think she’s boring because the white girls around her had better plots! Mind you, how can she boring and simultaneously save your fave’s lives over and over again. ‘Boring’ but she’s the only reason any of the main characters on that show survived. Oh okay.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: BONNIE BENNETT VILLAIN ARC WHEN!!!!!!! She should’ve got her lick back too! Also, she should’ve moved to New Orleans, founded a coven of Black witches and lived her best life. And also married Klaus.

—

How I feel about this character: Lana Lang is so sweet and caring and I like her so so much! She’s a princess honestly!

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Oliver Queen

My non-romantic OTP for this character: TBH probably also Lois! I love them together in any form.

My unpopular opinion about this character: She should’ve been allowed to be more of a badass instead of a damsel in distress. She herself said many times that she hated it and it took them forever to give her the slightest bit of fighting.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: Giving her multiple actual good love interests that weren’t batshit crazy, were age appropriate, and healthy. If they let Clark date kiss etc with all the girls that he did (which was a TON), Lana should’ve been able to do the exact same and have a real true love endgame romantic love interest if they weren’t going to end the series with her and Clark together.

—

How I feel about this character: My love!!! Brooke Davis!!! She is perfect to me, she can do no wrong.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Lucas Scott, Nathan Scott (I SHIP NALEY BUT HEAR ME OUT!!!!)

My non-romantic OTP for this character: also Nathan Scott I love them as besties, Braley/Breyton/Braleyton

My unpopular opinion about this character: Every single time she hit Peyton was justified idcccccc

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: BRUCAS ENDGAME 😭 I’m forever bitter at CMM for fucking it all UP. But they would’ve made so much sense as mature adults who healed and found each other again and it even seemed like they were going that way for awhile!

character asks

[nebulastarss]

World building the Catbatfam AU:

About Gotham: it's actually peaceful there. Yeah, all is casual, no need for costumed vigilantes. There's still a dark and dreary aesthetic, but is it truly GOTHam without the gargoyles and rain and darkness? It's just a normal city, no unusually high crime rate.

About the Rogues: honestly? They're either also cats or don't exist. With things being the way they are (peaceful Gotham, no vigilantes), some of the Rogues dont have their problems.

Examples:

Mr Freeze: Nora's illnesses don't work if she's a cat, and we can't have Victor going villain, so instead she has a rare illness, but beats it against the odds, and they live together happily. This works as both cats and humans

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

The Joker (a potential side story in a series): he's a human, he's just a bitch with a bad sense of humor who doesn't like animals. He moved to Gotham thinking the smog would lower the amount of animals, but not only did he move in across from a (thriving?) Park, but also his last remaining relatives died, and all they left him was their fucking cat named Harleen, or Harley.

(They did that as they left everything else to their close friends. They hated him, so they didn't want him to sue for being forgotten in the will, and instead left him something they knew he'd hate. They figured he'd give Harley up within a week. The Joker has too much pride for that.)

He hates that cat. He refuses to get a litter box, so she very quickly has to learn to be an outdoor cat. Harley does not know how to outdoor cat. She is struggling.

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

Ivy: a stray cat who's taken over the park outside of the Joker's house. She's got plant powers, always having plants threaded through her orange fur. She helps Harley, and their story ends with her kicking the Joker's ass. They become Gotham's resident cat-park lesbians. Honestly, she's living her best life. Harley is no longer struggling.

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

Killer Croc: Waylon is a cat with a skin condition, he always seems to be covered in scabs. He was taken in by a lovely family.

I can't think of anything else, I don't really care for the rogue's backstories tbh

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

The Wayne's (main plot): the owners are Martha and Thomas Wayne, and their cat Alfred. They refer to him as their friend, talk to him like a person, and eventually claim he's co-parenting their kitten Bruce. They got Alfred in college, and I'll post a drawing of him the second motivation hits. Until then you don't get to know his breed, it's a surprise. (I found out that the breed exists like. 10 minutes ago. Never heard of it before) from there, Bruce slowly collects his kittens and everyone lives happily ever after

Potential other families

The Kent's: lovely older couple bigs up a dog off the street. Who picks up a dog off the street (they're apparently related? Hello Kara.). And then another dog (who... he's also related too? Why do you have a son. Where did he come from. Whatever, his name is Kon) And then another dog, but at least he brings his wife this time. (Your wife's name is now Lois. Your newest son is now Jon. How many of these are we getting?) Etc etc for other superfamily members. They become those farmers with a whole clan of dogs who help out.

The Prince's: honestly I know jackshit about Diana. However I think she has a boyfriend? (Steve? Trevor? I dunno.) So he's a loser living alone with his badass cat. She could beat him in a fight and he knows it. He's pretty sure that she has more muscles than him. Also she's not like. Aging? Girl how old are you. Why do you look at me with such intelligence. I love you with my entire heart and would do anything for you but also you scare me. (I feel like he'd get her a talking button pad. She'd love it I think.) ("Is Diana otherworldly?" 🤷. If you ask her boy he'd say yes, but her vet would say no)

The Allen's: Barry is a bird. End of story, I shouldn't have to explain myself here. He is a bird, along with Wally and Bart.

J'onn: fish. He is a fish. To me. I dunno I'm working off of vibes here. M'gann is also a fish. Martians are fish.

(Picture me, desperately trying to remember the other members of the Justice League after having a busy day and 2 big meals. I'm so tired)

The Lanterns: there's canoically a rage cat. There's a cat with the red ring. They are cats. All of em, Hal, Guy, Kyle I think, there's probably more but I don't know em, all cats.

The Queens': genuinely I do not know this man. Well, no. I have like the opposite problem here as I do with Diana, as I know Diana's personality but I know nothing about her. I know Oliver's backstory, but I know nothing of him as a character. I can't accurately say anything about him. I think it would be funny to make him a cat because Bruce is a cat and these 2 parallel each other, but I'd rather make that decision based on him, not Bruce.

[longitudinalwaveme]

Len Snart's Creepy/Pathetic Proposals, Part 7

After a very long delay, it's time to finally wrap up the hilarious, pathetic, and mildly creepy saga of Len Snart's Pre-Crisis love life with Flash vol. 1 #297, "Captain Cold's Cold, Cold Flame". This issue was published in 1981. It was written by Cary Bates, drawn by the inimitable Carmine Infantino, inked by Bob Smith, lettered by Todd Klein, and colored by Gene D'Angelo.

The splash page features a giant Captain Cold who honestly looks like he's pointing his cold gun at his own head. Given the story that follows, maybe this was intended to be foreshadowing, but I think he's really supposed to be pointing the gun at the sheet of paper that contains the issue's title. It's just oddly drawn.

The story proper begins with Barry's parents, Nora and Henry Allen, driving down the road in their car. They're on their way to visit Barry for the first time since Iris' funeral, which happened a year ago in-universe (and, somewhat surprisingly, also about a year ago in real-world time).

Henry Allen gives us a possible reason for why Barry Allen will later imply that he doesn't always feel close to his Dad: "It wasn't easy turning down our son's repeated invitations to come visit him during the past year, but I know we did the prudent thing! These past few months have been an agonizing adjustment period he had to endure and survive on his own!" Wow, Dr. Allen. Wow. "Our son just lost his wife? Well, that sucks, but obviously the most emotionally supportive thing we can do for him is to leave him alone in spite of his repeated requests for our company!"

Barry has apparently been keeping his parents updated on his life---and his new potential love interest, Fiona Webb--via letters. Nora apparently doesn't think much of the idea of her son remarrying. "I'm afraid there'll never be another Iris! We loved her as if she were our own---and Lord, what an ideal couple the two of them made!" On the one hand, it's sweet that Nora was so fond of Iris. On the other hand, if Barry does end up remarrying to Fiona, or anyone else, the unfortunate bride-to-be is going to have a rough time with her in-laws if they have that sort of attitude.

We also learn that Nora carries a picture of Barry and Iris at their wedding in her purse, which Henry isn't thrilled by. He's worried that Barry might see it and get upset about Iris' death. "Our son has finally managed to forget the past. We've got to do likewise...for his sake." No thanks to you and your brilliant "leave your grieving son alone to deal with his traumatic loss" plan, Henry.

Suddenly, a teenaged boy (Jack) who is more interested in talking to his girlfriend (named Julie) than in paying attention to the road accidentally runs over the center line, and they and the Allens get into a head-on collision that sends the Allens' car down a fairly steep incline, where it crashes. Jack is horrified by what he's caused and climbs down to help the Allens, while his girlfriend calls an ambulance.

Meanwhile, a trio of robbers have just stolen a finance company's safe and are fleeing on souped-up motorbikes when the Flash zooms onto the scene. He steals the tires off of one of the motorcycles, and then causes another of the thieves to lose control over their motorcycle by standing right in front of the oncoming vehicle and not moving, which shocks the thief so much that he lets go of the handles. (The Flash avoids being injured by vibrating through the cycle).

The third thief swerved down a side street, and Barry goes after him---only to find that the biker has been frozen in mid-air!

Before Barry can puzzle out how this happened, Captain Cold pops our from behind a building. "Captain Cold, at our good city's service once again, it would seem! Here's this one's share of the loot! I assure you it's all here, down to the last dollar!"

Len explains that he's been following the trio for days, ever since one of his informants tipped him off about a job they were planning. "I was prepared to nab all three of them with the evidence myself---till you showed up and ran interference, old boy. No hard feelings, though---since you and I are on the same team now! Justice was done today, and after all, that's what counts!" Len does a surprisingly good cheesy heroic speech.

Barry responds by telling the Captain that he doesn't trust his reformation, even though Len has been acting like a hero ever since he got out of prison on parole. He's certain that Cold is still planning something, and basically tells Len that he's going to be watching him until he screws up and reveals his true plan.

Len's response: "Tsk tsk! And I thought I used to give out a cold shoulder! Till we meet again, my suspicious speedster and former foe!" He does a little bow to accompany the speech too. The whole thing is great. The pun, the alliteration---it's pure Pre-Crisis Flash.

Barry starts to zip back to work, having missed most of his lunch hour, when Captain Frye calls him over the radio and tells him about his parents' car accident.

Barry rushes to the hospital and learns that his mother is in a deep coma from which she might never wake up. His father, comparatively, is in tip-top shape, having regained consciousness on the ambulance ride to the hospital. Barry is understandably distraught to learn about his mother's coma.

Meanwhile, fifteen miles north of Central City, Len arrives at his girlfriend's house in Cosby Hills Estate, a "most exclusive neighborhood populated by the very wealthy." The girlfriend in question is named Myrna Troy, a top professional model.

Len announces his arrival to Myrna in the following hilarious fashion: "It's me, honeybunch! Your darling popsicle is home!" Interestingly, Myrna calls him "Lenny", a nickname I generally associate with Len's sister, Lisa.

A convenient newscaster gives us some more details on Len's current situation. He was released on parole a month ago, and since that time has stopped ten crimes in progress. His apparent reformation is rumored to be linked to his relationship with Myrna...a rumor that Len immediately confirms.

"You look ravishing on the tube Myrna my love! Have you forgotten---it was TV that first put me under your spell! I fell in love with you just watching your designer jeans commercial while I was still in the slammer!" Yeah, that is pretty consistent with the way Len usually falls in love with women....

The difference this time is that, surprisingly, Myrna actually apparently reciprocated Len's romantic interest! "I vowed to meet you the day I was released! But I had no inkling that I was be bewitched by a veritable goddess...who would take it upon herself to save my soul and make me abandon all my evil ways!" Len sure is flowery here. Who knew that he even knew the word "veritable"?

Meanwhile, Barry and his father are worrying over the fact that Nora is in a coma from which she may not recover. It's expected that the topic is currently at the top of their list of priorities.

We then cut to what appears to be Captain Cold robbing a jewelry store before returning home to Myrna's mansion...only for "him" to be grabbed from behind...by the real Captain Cold! "EEEEEK!"

The Captain Cold who robbed the jewelry store was, in fact, Myrna---and Len is, understandably, rather ticked off about this.

"I should've become wary at the outset of our relationship....when you insisted that I leave my cold uniform and weapons here at your place every nigh...to "remove the temptation to commit crimes", is that how you put it? Ha! How blind I was! You didn't ask to hear all about my cold weapon arsenal just because you were interested in me or my past....you were planning all along to pull off a caper of your own---using my costume and sub-zero M.O.---so parolee Len Snart would end up taking the rap!"

Yes, Myrna pretended to fall in love with him just so she could frame him for her own crime spree. That's awful, of course, but more to the point, it's also really, really, really stupid. She knew full well he was a supervillain before she started dating him. Wasn't she even slightly concerned about framing him being a risk to her own safety if he ever found out (particularly since part of the frame-up involved making him think she was in love with him)? Did she really think he was dumb enough that he wouldn't eventually put two and two together?

"I know your type, lady! You're a rich witch who makes enough dough to have anything money can buy---but you like to steal anyway---just for the kick of it! A classic 24-karat klepto!" This is an interesting line, since it seems to imply that Len finds wealthy thieves to be distasteful. It makes one wonder what he'd think of Pre-Crisis Hartley, who became a thief for reasons that were somewhat similar to Myrna's here.

Myrna promises that she'll confess, but Len says that the cops wouldn't believe her and will think she's lying to protect him. "No, my deceitful little bon-bon....your heartless betrayal and rejection of my love has left me with but one course of action---I'm afraid it means you're going to meet the fate you so richly deserve!"

And then, kind of disturbingly, Len drags her down the steps by her hair. I don't think this was intended by the writers to be as unsettling as it is.

Meanwhile, Barry, who is still at the hospital, is greeted by another police officer, who is guarding a criminal who is currently in the operating room. This officer helpfully informs Barry, and the reader, that a SWAT team has surrounded Myrna's house, since they believe that Captain Cold is hiding there after "he" (but actually Myrna) robbed the jewelry store. The SWAT team is also under the impression that Len is holding Myrna hostage to avoid being captured.

Barry promptly runs off to go capture Captain Cold (after changing into his costume in a supply closet), and zips into the mansion, where he finds both Captain Cold and Myrna hanging in one of Cold's traps, which the art makes look something like a frozen atom, with Len and Myrna hanging in the center.

Barry is confused for a second, until he finds a note from Len (which dramatically begins "So long, cruel world"). "On second thought, this is the Captain Cold I know---still a hopeless, lovesick romantic at heart! Apparently Miss Troy betrayed Snart...and now he doesn't consider life worth living!" So....this is a borderline murder-suicide. That's super dark, but given Barry's very casual reaction, I don't think the writers were intending us to think that much about it or to take it as seriously as this sort of thing would normally imply.

"According to this note, he's enveloped himself and his "sweetheart" inside gyrating rings of "coldfire"--a new form of radiation he's developed which will quick-freeze the two of them into a sub-sub-zero state of suspended animation!" SCIENCE!

Barry then implies that this isn't exactly a murder-suicide. "If Snart's so depressed that he wants to hibernate for a century or two, that's fine---but he has no right to ice-up Miss Troy along with him!" So...it's some sort of suspended-animation thing? How does that work?

Regardless, Barry frees both of them from the ice trap. "I maintained my super-speed burrowing activity below the house till I hit an underground pocket of molten magma! Intense geological pressure took care of pushing the magma to the surface---providing just enough heat to defrost the cold fire and allow me to do my super-speed rescue bit!" This impromptu mini volcanic explosion also blows a huge hole through Myrna's roof.

He does it just in time, too, because the SWAT team was about to blow a hole in the mansion with a bazooka!

Barry then runs both Myrna and Len to the hospital for treatment (I'm not sure if they need to be treated for burns from the magma or for the results of the cold trap, or both).

A day later, Barry picks up his dad from the hospital, and we learn that Henry is going to live with Barry until Nora's condition changes.

The story then ends on an ominous panel of a smirking Henry Allen. "For Barry Allen would probably choke if he knew his own father was secretly plotting the end of the Flash---the most horrible demise imaginable!" It's a top-notch cliffhanger.

And with this story, we reach the end of Len Snart's tumultuous Pre-Crisis love life.

Incidentally, we never learn if the Flash or the police find out that it was Myrna, rather than Len, who robbed the jewelry store. Len overreacted to finding out about being framed, so he would be going back to prison regardless, but I am curious if anyone ever learned he wasn't the one who committed the initial crime.

This issue is simultaneously really interesting and unintentionally creepy. The basic set-up, of Len reforming because one of his love interests seems to be reciprocating his affections, only to learn that she's been playing him for a patsy and is framing him for her own crimes, is really interesting, and the subplot of Henry and Nora Allen's car crash is handled well and sets up a great cliffhanger. I also love the interactions between Barry and good guy Captain Cold at the beginning of the issue.

But Len's reaction to learning about Myrna's framing of him is so drastic that it makes the story seem much, much darker than I think Bates was intending it to be. That almost murder-suicide towards the end takes the book in a really weird direction that doesn't seem to fit the rest of the story (or how Len is treated in subsequent stories).

It's also interesting to compare this story to Flash vol. 1 #312, where Captain Cold's fellow Temperature Twin, the other Deadly Desperado who Deals in Degrees of Heat and Cold (but is a pushover for a pretty face), Heat Wave, is released on parole and starts a normal life. Like in this story, the reformation is sincere, and, also like in this story, Barry is skeptical of the reformation. What's more, Mick is also framed for crimes he didn't commit by someone he thought he could trust (his parole officer---though he was initially led to suspect his former cellmate). Unlike Len, however, Mick doesn't take the law into his own hands. Instead, he turns the impostor over to the police and stays reformed---while Len seeks purely personal revenge, and ends up falling right back into crime as a result. It makes for a really interesting contrast. I also can't help but wonder if maybe the reason Len is so personally offended by Mick's reformation (as seen in Flash vol. 1 #314) is because his own recent attempt at reformation went so badly wrong.

A challenge:

If you haven't read this story before, can you guess what's going on with Henry Allen's dad based on the clues I provided in the writeup?

[ftl-faster-than-life]

I gotta say I don't understand why people think Barry has "mommy issues." He misses his mom, tries to save her life, and has habits and traits and sayings that he picked up from her. This is all normal behavior. This is what happens when you like your mom and she's a good influence on your life.

[sophinspace]

Fanfic ask deal: 13, 17 (please feel free to cite multiple) and 40, please!

13. talk about a writing experience that has pleasantly surprised you.

Doing fanfic sprints in person (with @habibialkaysani ) was really fun! But really, so much about writing in fanfic communities has been brilliant. When you introduce someone to an entire fandom through your fic, or they do that for you. When someone gets so into your fic they offer to beta read it, just when you thought your fandom was dead and you’d never find a beta reader again. (Those are both the excellent briarfairchild.) When you write a multiple year long RP with a friend (who I won’t tag in case they don’t want me to, but that’s been so much fun). When you just make loads of great friends through a fandom (including you Toby!) And many many other great #FandomIsCommunity experiences.

17. what is your favorite line you’ve ever written?

Oh god, choosing one line would require wading through 84 (count ‘em) fics, and that’s just the ones that are on AO3. But I was just re-reading I Wanna Grow Old With You, and I did enjoy this part (Len, after little Nora West-Allen runs off while he’s babysitting for her, while Team Flash are being a bit too blasé about this):

Frost raises an eyebrow. “Someone’s testy.”

That does it. The thin elastic of Len’s patience snaps almost audibly in half. His smile remains in place, but he imagines it turning rather chilly, as he hears his voice drop into Captain Cold’s signature drawl. “Surprisingly enough, I am, in fact, a little irate. Seeing as how I’ve lost a speedster’s daughter. You remember speedsters, Frost? They’re the ones with so much power they can run you into the middle of a black hole and leave you there, but they mostly don’t, because a surprising number of them are dumb as gnats and so boringly lawful good they make Mother Teresa look like an asshole. And do you know what the only thing worse than losing Barry Allen’s daughter is, Frost?”

Frost is looking at him with uncharacteristically nervous eyes. “What?”

He stretches his smile into something he hopes is even more ominous. “Losing Iris West’s daughter.”

Frost’s wide eyes dart down to her phone, her hands scrolling frantically across a map. “I’ll find her.”

“Thank you.”

40. best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

Also really hard to choose one, as people in fandom can be such great commenters. But I’ll always love the comments on my angst best of all. On ‘Goggles Mick’ (from my peak angst era) briarfairchild wrote “oh Mick, oh Mick! *crawls away sobbing* (but in a good way)” and truly that was my aim in writing it. Also on Gehenna, Sablehaven wrote “-soft gasp- oh the things this fic does to me..” which I treasure. I also get some *very* sweet comments on my neurodivergent fics that give me life! <3

[this-house-is-bitchin]

What up, it’s Vibe. What, you don’t know me? Pfft, you’re missing out.

Name: Fran(Cisco) Ramon

Love interests: Nobody…@heartley-rathaway

Best friends: Barry Allen, Frost, Caitlin Snow, Joe West, Allegra Garcia, Ronnie Raymond, Chester P. Runk, Iris West-Allen, Harry Wells, Wally West, Allegra Garcia, Ralph Dibny, Cecile Horton, Julian Albert, Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak, John Diggle, Kara Danvers

Family: Dante Ramon, Mr. and Mrs. Ramon

Occupation: S.T.A.R. Labs employee, S.T.A.R. Labs museum curator, and Vibe

Honorary Family: Nora West-Allen, Bart West-Allen, Barry Allen, Joe West, Wally West, Cecile Horton, Iris West

Abilities: Can manipulate dimensional vibrations, create breaches, shoot vibe blasts, get “vibes” of the future, past, present, or other dimensions.

Alias: Vibe

Favorite drink at CC Jitters: Vibeacchino

Status: Nerd, Superhero, Best Friend

Insecurities: Never being good enough, being unable to save family and friends

Gender: Male

Species: Metahuman

Looks: Curly brown hair that is meticulously styled and curled, Puerto Rican, brown eyes, somehow both short and tall, wears silly shirts every day

Pronouns: He/Him

Sexuality: Bisexual

Significant other: None

Exes/Ex Flings: Lisa Snart, Kamilla…Gypsy.

Favorite song for karaoke: Poker Face by Lady Gaga

Hates: Freaky ass braille rooms, people who can escape from the pipeline, Jake Puckett, Reverse Flash, all bad guys.

Loves/Likes: Bulbasaur, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, movies, shows, tech

Personality: Funny, Quippy, Silly, Intelligent, Sarcastic, Caring, Hard-Working

Note: This is my world where he DIDN’T give up his powers and still stays as Vibe in Central City, and Frost is alive and well because I refuse to let that queen go. I cried so hard at her death. Also, in this AU, Cisco has feelings for Hartley.

Well, now you know all about me, now go on, shoo. I have a ton of coding for Barry’s suit that I am way behind on. Not only that, but I’m pretty sure I just heard the STAR Labs alarm go off, so I’ve probably gotta suit up and go anyway. See ya later, Cisco Ramon out!

Alt blogs are @ilikesuperheroesokay and @therealquicksilver

[negative-speedforce]

Caitlin Snow and EoWells for the character thing? <3333

Caitlin

How I feel about this character

Love her. Wish she had more autonomy as a character. Should have been canon aroace.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

MAYBE Iris, but emphasis on the 'maybe'.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

HER AND CISCO are just *chef's kiss*

My unpopular opinion about this character

She would have been more interesting if they stopped giving her stupid love interests and only focusing on that.

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

She should have been canon aroace. Maybe I'm just a sucker for the "not actually icy heart" metaphor but having a subversion of that trope would have been so cool (pun intended). Like, yeah, the character with ice powers is aroace, but she loves her friends and family and stuff.

Eowells

How I feel about this character

BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK-

I am so feral about him. So very feral.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Barry, Hartley, and Cisco

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Him and Nora West-Allen. I don't see them as romantic at all, but their dynamic is so interesting.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Eobard isn't a psychopath. In fact, I'd argue that he's quite the opposite. He has feelings, and it seems he feels deeper than some people, he just sucks at emotional regulations, and unfortunately, his go-to coping mechanism for those emotions is homicide.

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

Address the dude's trauma! Canon was absolutely terrible at addressing trauma in general, but I'd love to see canon deal with the fact that Eobard is an absolutely terrible person and he's also a deeply traumatized individual.

[shrinkthisviolet]

It's Love Letters Night! Send love and positivity to your favorite writers and bloggers!

This got really long so I’m sticking it under a cut 😅:

@negative-speedforce you are absolutely amazing. I love your posts and fics, I love Siv, and I love how much you love Nora (your fic about both versions of Nora sharing a name and the ✨insecurity✨ that would cause lives in my head RENT-FREE) and!! You’re an Iris and Reva defender just like me!! 🥰

@vexic929 you’re so amazing and fun to talk to! You have such wacky off-the-wall ideas and you make them work so well and I love you for it 💞 Malcolm, Berrie, and Beth in particular are so dear to me, and so are their fics!

@goldheartedchaoticdisaster you’re so fun to talk to, especially the OUAT stuff lately 🥰 I also always appreciate seeing your comments on my fics, they’re always long and wonderful and you’re just a delight. I can’t wait to see how you write Rowan, I love Nicky and Stephanie, I love your characterization of Mike Barnes and his family (canon to me!! Everyone read “bad boy (no more)”, it’s so good), and your CK Mini-Rewrites? *chefs kiss* you should’ve written the show

@angst-is-love-angst-is-life you pulled me into my current whump fixation headfirst 😂 I love reading through the whump prompts on your sideblog (@whump-is-love-whump-is-life, for anyone who wants to check it out), and I love talking to you 🥰 you also make me cry with how much you hurt Barry in Trophy and 12 hours, but I respect the whumpy endeavors

@fezwearingjellybananas you’re such a delight 🥰 you pulled me into Snowest with “Milk and Sugar”, your fics are so fun to read (and often a niche/novel premise), and I love seeing your sweet comments on my fics! I also so love the cycle of inspiration we’re in 😂 (for context, they got inspired by my Morgan AU to write Speedster Siblings, which (along with Gone in a Flash) then inspired me to write my Daddy Issues AU)

@starstruckpurpledragon (aka @kitkatt0430), you are wonderful and amazing and you’ve written so many amazing fics and meta for this fandom!! You have great takes, super interesting ideas…and you’re so wonderful to talk to. You also (along with @alittleflashvibe) pulled me into Saverb with “You Must Live (For Me)” 😂 much appreciated for that

@alittleflashvibe you are a delight and incredible and your Barrisco takes are such a highlight of this webbed site 💞 you always get me to see something new in their scenes, it’s terrific. You also pulled me into shipping Barrisco in general 😂 (you and @starstruckpurpledragon, as I mentioned above)

@frosty-the-killer-doll hiii I know we don’t talk a lot but I just wanted you to know you’re incredible and I love your takes on Caitlin and Frost—you’ve gotten me to see them both in new ways (that web weaving post about how Frost’s instinct to protect was corrupted by vengeance?? That was inspired, and it’s only one of your many great takes about her and Caitlin!). I also love love LOVE the Jesse fic you wrote, it’s like you read my mind fr 💞 love having you as my mutual

@icedteaandoldlace you’re so wonderful too! I’ve loved following along with your comments as you read my Morgan AU…and you’ve given me such a wonderful appreciation for Kamilla and Kamisco. Your Kamilla & Caitlin friendship fic is so sweet and I love it to pieces

@blackaquokat where to even begin 😅 we’ve been mutuals for like…what, years now? I don’t even remember how it started, but I DO remember your WKM fics and how incredible they are 🥰 your OC for the DA is absolutely how I view them, and your fics are so canon to me, you deserve all the love for crafting such a meticulous world from the pieces Mark gave us.

@seek--rest your fics are OUT OF THIS WORLD and so are your takes!! You’re one of my favorite Spidey fic authors (and that’s a very short list 😂), you’ve gotten me to see him and MJ in such incredible new ways (Irondad but make it MJ!! Ingenious!!), and you have great takes overall (your post-Blip meta my beloved!!), here and in the discord. You also wrote the May & Sally fic of my DREAMS!! Some people might call you an “absolute displeasure to know”, but I couldn’t disagree more, you’re wonderful 💞

@abcd-em on the note of “Irondad but make it MJ”, Vagary lives in my head rent-free 💞 you’ve written PeterMJ in so many wonderful ways, but that in particular really sticks with me. And you’re such a sweet person in general

@hollow-dweller speaking of great takes…hollow you’re practically oozing with them, here and on the discord. I always come away learning something, and you just have so many amazing thoughts?? Also I keep thinking about the Peter & Jessica fic you wrote like…oh my god?? Inspired?? I must applaud you 👏👏

@robbyykeene your CK takes are so incredible, you’re the first account I go to for them, I love reading your posts. You’re so right 💞

@leohttbriar i adore your fics! Your Samtory ones live in my head rent-free, and so does “for what do we live (but to make sport for our neighbours)” like!! You Get It!! You Get Penelope and Charlotte!!

@jenpsaki I can hardly talk about Samtory and not mention you, when you’re the one who pulled me into this ship with “different but same” 🥰 and thank you so very much for that

@arrthurpendragon you are a key pillar of the OC community and so wonderful 🥹 thank you for hosting that exchange event back in July of last year, it pulled me into the OC community and I’m so grateful for it

@lady-of-the-spirit you’re delightful to talk to, you have great takes for pretty much everything (ESPECIALLY Star Wars), I love Hestia, and I’ve never seen HOTD but I love how passionate you are about Alicent 💞

@basimibnishaqs speaking of having great takes about Star Wars…🥰 Rey & Luke being father and daughter especially, I LOVE your posts on the subject. And this fic you wrote about them!! An AU ofc but so very sweet to me 💞

@practically-an-x-man you and I are fairly new to being mutuals but I love having you as one 💞 still chugging through the Ophelia fic, but I love it so far! And ofc as I mentioned before, you write AMAZING whump (as shown in this incredible fic!)

@azaablue your ATLA fics are out of this world, but “beautiful boy” and “Push and Pull” in particular always sticks with me 💞 all the kudos in the world, you Get It, and you’re so wonderful. A gem in the ATLA fandom

@calliopieces your Maiko fics are a GEM in The ATLA fandom, especially “crowning glory” 💞 you just Get Mai and her family situation, and especially Fire Nation girlhood, and I love this fic so much for it

[angst-is-love-angst-is-life]

AU where Savitar, being Barry Allen's variant, kicks Zoom and Eobard's butts in the s9 finale

Better idea than canon ffs. Also, I do not know Sav as well as I know normal Barry so I apologize if I get his characterization wrong

He does side with the bad guys at first (I am not calling them the Legion of Zoom. who approved that shit) but ultimately plans to betray them soon as he gets what he wants/needs; changing the future enough to bring himself back into existence (idk how it would work but alas, neither did the writers).

The betrayal would probably come a little early, working on the same side as those who killed his dad and mom respectively would understandably be diffcult; and Savitar doesn't hold back like Barry. I actually think it would happen when Thawne goes after Nora (XS), I say that cause I really don't think even Savitar would try to kill his own daughter without reason; so when everyone runs off to fight, he would go after *checks notes* Allegra instead (as someone he has no connections/attachment to) and put her out of commission one way or another since it's confirmed (how? WHO KNOWS *screams*) that he knew who she was.

So Thawne goes after Nora and Sav decides he won't let that banana bastard hurt or kill anymore of his family (whether she's technically his kid or not) and stops him. Thawne of course gloats about how he {as a version Barry Allen} won't kill him. They fight and he lets Thawne get a few hits in for fun-- then Savitar gets to see that sweet look on his nemesis's face when he realizes who's faster, and stops holding back. The first 'fight' between Savitar and Barry in season 3? Yeah picture that but a lot more brutal and somehow more personal. Then, once Thawne is thoroughly beat to hell; Sav reverse flashes him and runs off to fight the other person who once destroyed his life.

He runs through the tunnel just before Zoom would have killed all the officers (since Khione and Mark are already knocked out if not dead-- this is what happened. don't even.), and does it without his suit so Zoom will chase him (cause all he'll see is yellow lightning). Of course, once they get to a new location and see each other face to face; Zoom gets in a quick gloat about how they really were the same after all. Savitar lets him have that; it's not true + will make it all the better in a few seconds. Same with Thawne, he lets Zoom get a few hits in, maybe even feigns fear-- and then Sav fucking obliterates him in a 'fight' that parallels the one in Enter Zoom. Hell, he should break Zoom's back for extra funsies. We get a scene similar to 2x23 where Zoom says Sav won't kill him; but this time, he does.

Things go mostly according to canon from here. Eddie absorbs all the NSF users lifeforce (or smth idk what that was man), and Savitar ends up going with it. He doesn't accept this 'death', but there is a brief moment of catharsis with the revenge before he's once again erased from existence.