#and barry is also arospec to me

[sparklecarevents]

I am alloaro so I have a bit of a horse in this race ☝ both kitty and chimera's depictions of aro, ace, and aroace characters are pretty surface level with the same tired excuse of "IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS ARO PEOPLE CAN BE IN RELATIONSHIPS AND ACE CHARACTERS CAN FUCK!!" while I don't disagree (especially being alloaro), it seems those are the only types of characters they can write, especially since these labels kinda mean nothing to either of them because there always needs to be some element of incest or romance baked into everything (despite their "romantic" writings being absolute asscheeks) the constant disregard for aro/ace people just feels massively aphobic, especially with jokes like "nope, still aro" with hemera in the canon comic and it always being hemera with her getting into a "platonic marriage" with Caroline, having several queerplatonic partners, having a kid with Carrie, and in Charlie's case! only seeing stem as a means for shipping and incest and a lot more god awful shit that are probably under wraps knowing how olm is. these people do not give a shit about aromantic or asexual people if they cannot shove in some sort of romance lite or friend with benefits shit into her and as a couple more examples of this: uni being aegosexual but you wouldn't know that unless you read her character card already, reese (the only other aroace character) dies in the fire at the end of series 1, and how the entire fucking world just runs on sex to keep warm because of some biological bullshit that already makes no sense along with kitty's idea of a "happy ending" is being in a relationship and having kids so aro/ace people immediately feel kind of "null" in the context of the world if its going to happen anyway!!!! so it feels strange for these people to either gloat about their apparently "super good" representation of people on the aro/ace spectrum or whine and bitch about it because they can't do anything if it isn't romance with incest baked into it nb4 either of them says "uhm uhm!!! I'm on the aro/ace spectrum and i-" you can still be on the same team and still somehow kick the ball into the other teams goal with your disgusting aphobia ����

👻

[cratercare]

cratercare au: parents

here they are! the first references of the au— the cometparents! i decided not to change their last name to crater because i truly love them being the comets, and the origin of their last name.

(brief profiles under cut)

BARRY ILL COMET

#1 Science Fan

Name: Barium “Barry” Ill Comet

Gender: Transgender man (he/him)

Orientation: Arospec biromantic demisexual

Description: Barry is a physicist and lover of all things science. He values family, education, and honesty. The dad that loves helping with homework, that always embarrasses you in front of your friends, and also the dad that you *really* don’t want to be disappointed in you.

UNI CORNELIUS

#1 Video Games Fan

Name: Uni Cornelius Comet

Gender: Transfeminine* (she/any)

Orientation: Queer aegosexual

Description: Uni is a digital artist and gaming KneeTuber. She’s definitely considered the cool mom, and many of her kids confide in her when they make mistakes. They love sewing, playing FPS and RPG games, drawing, and being with their family.

POLARIS “POLLY” KLEPSKY COMET

#1 “Borrowing” Fan

Name: Polaris “Polly” Klepsky Comet

Gender: No label (all pronouns)

Orientation: Arospec queer

Description: Polly is a sculptor and generally very artistic. She keeps notes throughout the day to help with memory, and her family is a big help when it comes to that. The kids consider them easy to get along with, and enjoy watching them work.

DOOM COMET

#1 Animation Fan

Name: Mood Doom Mood Doom Comet (Doom Comet)

Gender: Agender (he/they/skull)

Orientation: Bisexual

Description: Doom works for an animation studio and loves his work. They’re a big fan of emo music and always have been, and find comfort in it. Skull loves skulls family deeply, and is thankful for their unending support and love. However, sometimes Doom seems rather distant…

*Uni uses no specific term to describe her gender other than “transfem”. -

I’m a little new to tumblr formatting, so I hope this works good!

Just to note, Uni’s goggles are *not* magic and do not help them see. She has the same limited vision as she does in Sparklecare, and their house is accommodated for to make things more comfortable for her and Polly in terms of getting around.

I couldn’t decide whether to give Uni partial or no vision, so if anyone has a suggestion or better idea please let me know! For the time being, it will be as I explained above. Thank you!

[kitkatt0430]

Iris and Caitlin for the character opinion bingo?

Iris

I had to use purple lightning for her bingo markers. Hehehe

So Iris is a character I have sooooo many strong opinions about because of how the narrative treats her. I think she deserves so much better than she gets, especially given how canon doesn't really seem to know what it's doing with her sometimes. And unfortunately there's a swath of fandom that hates her for being the black love interest of a white man, whether they want to admit that's their reason for hating her or not.

I wish she got more focus not just on her personal life but on her work. Iris' job as an investigative journalist was a deep well of interesting plot lines but even when the show did attempt to dip into that well... they wound up sidelining Iris in the mirror world or making her writing the sort of after-event round up. The Central City Citizen's shift from being a small start up to a big name with big offices happened off screen between seasons.

Anyway, I would have the biggest squish on her if she were a real person I knew. I wanna give her so many hugs when bad things happen to her. (Especially after Eddie died and later when Barry gets temporarily imprisoned in the speed force.) Of course I also like putting her in the Situations with the Bad Things. So. I can at least make others give her the hugs.

Now for...

Caitlin

The closest MS Paint was coming to blue snowflakes for her bingo markers.

If canon didn't know what to do with Iris then it really didn't know what to do with Caitlin. To the point that she's basically written out of two seasons so that two different alters can front her body in her place. And their inability to write her a love interest post Ronnie without screwing it up somehow (evil, no chemistry, thank god Danielle put her foot down, no chemistry again... and finally evil fake Ronnie) was just... I mean I guess it was good for me as it played into my arospec and acespec headcanons for her but how badly do you have to fail to understand your own character to put her on a shelf for a season twice???

Honestly while I enjoy Frost as a separate character from Caitlin, I still lament the fourth season retcon that made them split personalities and not just how Caitlin was with her powers activated. Caitlin ended S3 with so much promise for her next character arc as somewhere between anti-hero and anti-villain and... the retcon robbed us - robbed her.

And of course Caitlin has her fandom haters. But I think what's worse are her 'fans' who prop her up by tearing Iris down. And... if you can only raise up your fav by tearing some other character down then do you actually like that 'fav' or do you just like tearing the other character down?

[arofili]

1, 3, 12, 14, 24 for the fabric asks, please.

1. favorite fic you wrote this year

ok so this time I’m going to go with and Love, the aro Magnus fic I wrote for arospec awareness week. I poured a lot of heart into this one, and the feedback from other arospec folks has been really really amazing <3

3. favorite line/scene you wrote this year

the one so good I wrote it twice! a snippet from and Love that I rewrote into Lucretia’s POV :)

JK - I did enjoy that scene, but my favorite scene has got to be the 2nd kinslaying scene from ATATYA - it’s delightfully violent and visceral, and Curvo’s POV is always fascinating.

12. favorite character to write about this year

Kravitz was a delightful surprise! I wrote two fics featuring him, one about him and Barry and the other shipping him with….himself….and also with Taako. It makes more sense in context, I promise. (Kind of.) Kravitz isn’t my usual character type and not someone I anticipated being really into, but I really love the potential in his relationships and fic is the perfect place to explore that!

14. a fic you didn’t expect to write 

I never expected to write any nsfw, but every time I wrote shipfic this year I got a little closer, and I did actually write to short smutfics later in the year. So where the wild things are & Who made me? were both definitely surprises - especially the latter one, which Came To Me In The Night with literally no context or inspiration.

24. favorite fic you read this year

I’m SO glad I got this question more than once, because there are so many fics I loved this year! This time I’d like to plug @nerdanelparmandil’s Arafinwean Week fics, which include a really spooky Gil-gald fic and an absolutely fascinating introspective piece on Galadriel. @nerdanelparmandil’s writing is amazing in general, but these are the fics that introduced me to their writing!

[kitkatt0430]

for fanfic ask game

16 Talk about something you like in Poking the Poodle (And Other Ridiculous Tv Tropes)

and 15 ⬇ Was an awesome scene, tell me more about writing it!

“Th-they’re not under arrest,” the dazed beat cop insists, still holding his coffee and danish at arms length. “They… they’re witnesses. To… a crime.” “Correction,” Mick speaks up. “Len’s a witness. I saw nothing, I heard nothing, and I wish to god I hadn’t gotten up this morning. But this is basically a train wreck in the making and I can’t stop watching. Anyone else want a coffee?” He’d gotten four. One for himself, one for Len, one for the poor beat cop, and one to taunt the officers and detectives in the station with.

and 

Julian snatched up the fourth coffee and settled beside Rory on the bench while Barry and Leonard Snart flirted in stairwell. No one was even batting an eye anymore. “It’s like watching two different birds doing wildly different mating dances for each other, each unaware the other is trying to court them.” Julian paused a beat and then added, “has Snart given up pretending he’s not specifically here to flirt with Allen yet?” “Not yet. I wasn’t even paying attention to today’s excuse. Danish?” “Thanks.”

(it was one of the first fics I read in the fandom and I love it with all my soul and I kinda forget (all the time) that you wrote it. and every time i reread i look at the author and have this ‘ah. make sense’ moment)

16.) Talk about something you like in Poking the Poodle (And Other Ridiculous Tv Tropes).

Oh gosh, this was such a fun fic to write and is definitely the silliest ColdFlash fic I've written. I think it's the first time I wrote from Mick's point of view as the long-suffering bestie putting up with Len's need to be overly dramatic, though it's definitely become a thing with me. There's just something so much fun about viewing Len and Barry's oblivious pining from the point of view of someone who'd like them to get a move on already. And as I tend to view Mick as being arospec and I'm aro, it can be fun to project my exasperation with certain romantic tropes onto him.

Having Mick be just done with their antics has popped up in various fics since then, but sadly his weird friendship with Julian hasn't and that's something I really wound up enjoying about this fic. I really need to revisit that friendship again some day.

15.) Was an awesome scene, tell me more about writing it!

For that first scene, i definitely didn't want Len to be the only one having any fun. Mick might be deadpan about it, but he's having a blast really. He figured the cops would be suspicious of any food and drink he offered them... so of course he's offering them.

His line in there - I saw nothing, I heard nothing, and I wish to god I hadn’t gotten up this morning. - is actually inspired by Sgt Shultz of Hogan's Heroes fame. He had a lot of variations of 'I see nothing, I hear/know nothing' in response to the shenanigans the prisoners he was supposed to be guarding would get up to.

I grew up on this show because it was a favorite of my dad's but the comedy is really spot on. It's definitely formative of my sense of humor.

As for the second scene, I realized as I was going that it'd make a lot of sense for Julian and Mick to wind up getting along. They're both getting front row seats to the Len&Barry show, whether they like it or not. Some things cannot help but to be the events from which weird friendships are born. :D

The birds doing wildly different mating dances line was actually inspired in part by some videos that were going around tumblr at the time of some funny bird mating dances. But also the tendency in the fandom to joke about Len 'peacocking' for Barry. (There is a fic out there where Len literally gets a peacock tail and it's hilarious.) And of course Barry shows off for Len too, in his own nerdy way.

By now the taunting gifts of coffee and food meant to tease the CCPD for Mick's amusement have become something he shares with Julian out of genuine friendship, which was a fun transition. They're gonna be seated together at the wedding whenever it happens. I imagine Julian'll get along surprisingly well with any other Legends there.

I'm so glad you like this fic so much, it's definitely one of my favorites, especially out of all the ColdFlash fics I've written.

[kitkatt0430]

Harry/Barry for the ship bingo

I don't really get the Harry/Barry pairing just because they read so platonic to me in canon. It's not something I'd stop reading a fic over - I've read some pretty good fics with that ship - but I'm not gonna go out of my way looking for them.

Barry and Eobard definitely have this messed up gay obsession thing going on with each other, but while Barry struggles with seeing Harry as his own person at first... he really does forge a very different relationship with Harry than with Eobard in the end. Harry's a mentor to some degree, but also more of an equal. And when Harry died, I kinda think Barry's 'he saw him as a father' comment about Cisco's relationship to Harry was more projecting Barry's own feelings than any real reflection of Cisco's actual relationship with Harry. Which was waaay too flirty, compared to Barry's, to be parental.

Though, to be honest, most of the Harry/anyone ships kinda just don't land with me unless it's Harry/Cisco (or Harry/Tess). Harry reads as very arospec to me and Cisco's the one he forges the closest relationship with and gets flirty with. So Harry/Barry or Harry/Caitlin or Harry/Joe just kinda seem a little odd to me, not enough to avoid reading them entirely but... odd nevertheless.

I really do love Harry and Barry as a platonic ship, though. Barry's the one Harry wanted to teach Jesse how to be a speedster even though Jay - who was likely more experienced - was right there next door on E3. Because Harry knew and trusted Barry. And Barry does his best to be that good mentor to Jesse, in part because he values Harry's trust and wants to live up to it.

[kitkatt0430]

goldenvibe, frostwave,  supercorp, coldflash, harrisco, hartmon and flashwave for ship opinion bingo

So, going ahead to say that since there are a bunch of ships here and I did just get another ask from an anon who also asked for Hartmon, I'm gonna skip that ship here and then answer it as part of the anon ask. 'Cause even with skipping Hartmon, this is gonna get long.

I just ramble so much. ^_^

Goldenvibe:

So I am very intrigued by their dynamic, but since I heavily headcanon Lisa as being aro (or arospec bi) I don't really read romance in their ship. I see them as having a QPR - with or without sex thrown in - and it being very sweet between them which probably scares Lisa a bit about Cisco at first.

On the one hand, Lisa doesn't get nice things so where's that shoe that's gonna drop? When will Cisco prove too good to be true after all? Or will it be that Lisa wrecks things herself and hurts Cisco?

But on the other hand, Lisa deserves nice things and nice people and given enough time she can settle in with Cisco and be happy.

I feel like their dynamic works best as two points in a polycule though, so I'm more likely to go for Hartley/Cisco/Lisa or Kamilla/Cisco/Lisa or so on.

FrostWave:

So if I'm remembering correctly, FrostWave is really Caitlin/Mick and not Killer Frost/Mick, but I'm gonna talk about both.

For Caitlin and Mick, I like the dynamic where she brings out a softer side in him and he brings out more assertive side to her. Caitlin had really retreated into her shell at the start of Season 1 and Mick definitely would act as impetus for her to step out of her comfort zone and really grow beyond the rigid box she'd placed herself in. In turn, Caitlin shows Mick that he doesn't have to put up this front all the time either. He doesn't always have to be the tough guy.

I mean, they do have to get over that whole 'tied Caitlin to a bomb' thing, but I'm sure they can do it.

With Frost and Mick, they've both done things they're not necessarily proud of and they're trying to figure out who they are when they're not being the bad guy. And finding themselves together is kinda poignant. But also they've got the fire and ice thematics with his gun and her powers.

SuperCorp:

Such an OTP for me. The fact that this wasn't made canon is so disappointing. On a show that already had one of the characters have a lesbian coming out story and the show runners ignored the incredible chemistry between Lena and Kara. I don't usually care whether a ship is canon or not, but this is one where I really think they wasted an amazing story opportunity by keeping the characters relationship platonic.

With the enmity between Lex and Clark, there's a bit of a Romeo and Juliet vibe in that Lena and Kara come from two houses at war with each other and find love anyway. Lena needs to be loved for herself so badly - to prove that she's more than just her family. And Kara wants to create a name for herself too, something that stands free of Superman's shadow.

They have this instant connection that only grows stronger over time. And while Kara's fears and secrecy damage things for a while, they come out the other side much more sure of how important they are to each other.

Honestly, by the end of the show they're basically already married. I'll never make it all the way through their ship tag but every so often I make a decent effort at trying. There's just so much and continues to be more every day, even with the show over they're still such an active and beloved ship.

ColdFlash:

If Legends hadn't wasted a perfectly good character by killing Len off, then on the Flash Iris would have been basically sharing Barry with Len. There's just so much chemistry between Barry and Leonard, it's so fascinating.

They were enemies in the original timeline too and Len showing up to monopolize Barry's time made Eobard soooo jealous. They're both such dorks and it's amazing how they can be both dorks in love and enemies to lovers all at the same time. They work together like they were meant to. They both love the thrill of the chase between them and will protect each other even when it's not in their best interests.

These two are just sooo goooooood. And I love to make them just be so silly about each other.

Harrisco:

Took me a while to really get into this ship and now I can't unsee it. I adore them so much.

They start off with having every reason to mistrust each other and become best friends anyway. And then fall in love over time. Like... seeing the way Harry gravitates towards Cisco when they're in the same room, the way Cisco gets so excited to work on things with Harry, the sniping and teasing and easy, happy smiles...

They're married. In season 4 they're just so married.

Harry always making sure that Cisco doesn't make light of his contributions, always so proud of how brilliant Cisco is... and Cisco just wants so badly for Harry to learn to like himself, to see himself as wonderful the way Cisco sees him... They both value each other so much and it's so lovely.

FlashWave:

I really see Len as being what brings Barry and Mick together, whether he's actually there or not. But I feel like the more they spend time together the more Barry would really see Mick, not the front he puts up but the intelligent man behind the dumb muscle facade. And Mick would see that Barry was kinda messed up too in a way that does kinda compliment Mick's issues.

They're both very devoted characters in their own way and what could easily start as trying to find in each other something of what they lost when Len died would become finding something new in each other.

Barry's own affinity for fire, via lightning, would fascinate Mick and Mick's buried romantic side - see all those romance novels Mick wrote - would appeal to Barry's own romantic nature. I kind of feel like they'd be able to explore sides of themselves with each other that they might not feel comfortable doing with others.

[kitkatt0430]

For the ship bingo, how about Barriscowest, and just for fun, Cisco/Barry/Caitlin, and Wally/Hartley?

Barriscowest:

I do love this ship and I go check for new fics every so often. Sadly looks to be that there's only 82 and no new ones since last I checked. :(

There are so many parallels between Barry's relationships with Iris and Cisco. Cisco in particular is very devoted to Barry. And it's always great seeing Cisco and Iris interact because they clearly really like and respect each other a great deal.

While they may not all be together canonically, they definitely had a very close relationship before Cisco left the show. I definitely miss the brief time Barry was living with Cisco and the potential for having Iris over for dates with Barry that become dates with Cisco too...

They're on my list of ships I want to write something for this Multiamory March. :D

Cisco/Barry/Caitlin:

So while I like Barrisco and Snowbarry, I think my dislike of Killervibe is what is torpedos my interest in Cisco/Barry/Caitlin. Could also be my arospec headcanon for Caitlin contributing too.

They're definitely a little co-dependent (or a lot) and I could see the three of them as a QPR? But not the three of them romantically linked. I could get behind Barry/Cisco with the two of them in a QPR with Caitlin too.

Wally/Hartley:

Since they never meet on the show, I'll talk about their comic selves here.

I love their friendship and Hartley's friendship with Linda too. So while really I ship Hartley/Wally/Linda as a V w/Wally as the pivot and Hartley and Linda as besties who absolutely gang up on Wally when he does something stupid or too reckless... I definitely ship just Wally/Hartley too.

Hartley really helps shape who Wally is once he stops being a kid. Iris and Barry make a great start and lay the foundation and Linda is a big part of it too, but Hartley really shows Wally parts of the world that middle class white Americans just... kind of ignore. Hartley is Wally's introduction to the fact that queer people are just... people. And so are poor people and every other minority that Wally isn't.

But also they're just amazing besties. They hang out and have fun and talk about silly things. They care about each other and are comfortable living together too.

It does make me wish we could have seen their tv show counterparts meet because their dynamic would be very different there. Hartley being more snobbish and arrogant there and Wally being a black kid with a lot more street smarts than the red-headed white kid from the comics ever did.

[kitkatt0430]

Jim Kirk (TOS) and Jay Garrick (the actual one) for the character bingo!!

Jim Kirk - Original Flavor

First of all, Jim Kirk is a bisexual and arospec icon. And I accept no questions. :D No one will convince me otherwise. (Also he's in a polyamorous QPR with Spock and Bones.)

Jim Kirk is a nerd at heart and as much a rule follower as he is a rule breaker. He was a hardass professor when he taught at the academy and cares about his crew more than himself. He's only good at being a charming flirt in the line of duty; when it's for himself, he's a lot shyer and uncertain because when it's for himself it actually matters. His friends are his family, especially seeing as he's basically lost everyone actually related to him, and he'd do anything for him.

And, unfortunately, a lot of fans think of him as nothing more than a hot headed womanizer. They think he's the manliest man to ever man, but he'd be the first to reject the kind of toxic masculinity that gets projected onto him. The less said about William Shatner's lack of understanding of a character he once played (and directed) the better. *sigh*

Kirk works best as part of an ensemble - he's the Captain, he needs his ship and his crew.

Jay Garrick

I really like Jay. I love that John Wesley Shipp got to be a speedster again as this character and all the subtle little Easter eggs that went with it - him facing off against Mark Hamill's Trickster again, the fact that John was the first Flash on tv and now he's a version of the Flash who preceded Barry in the comics... and in a nod to Henry Allen, Jay even spends some time in Speedster Jail.

He's just... I'm not really sure he's well utilized. He's a mentor, except he doesn't really have much to teach Barry. He's a friend, except he's rarely ever around. He's experiencing disability from aging, except it's magically fixed by turning the Speed Force off and on again. (Sorry, I've been waiting to make that joke for a while. But they did essentially, and inadvertently, follow standard technology troubleshooting practices...)

I'm always excited when we get a guest star appearance from Jay, but he's so rarely relevant to the plot... that I don't really think about him all that often.

[arofili]

Angus McDonald, Frodo, the skull from lockwood

angus mcdonaldSexuality Headcanon: well he’s like 12 so idk but i do see people talking about ‘angus bringing home his girlfriend when he gets older’ and i’m. couldn’t he have a boyfriend? or not bring home anyone at all? so Not Straight but i don’t have any specificsGender Headcanon: Have Not Thought About This ..... probably a boy with some wiggle roomA ship I have with said character: none ???? he’s a child. i did see one post about him and mavis but even that post was joking. i guess they would be cute thoughA BROTP I have with said character: ango & tres horny boys, ango & lucretia, i feel like ango & carey & killian would be ???? so fun???, also all the ango & kravitz stuff gives me LIFE!!!! and just thinking about him hanging out with his Cool Aunt Lup and Nerdy Uncle Barry makes me happy :)A NOTP I have with said character: all of them he’s a baby boyA random headcanon: the first mystery he ever solved was his father’s murder. not to get to morbid but What Happened To That Man!!! why is ango All Alone!!!!!!!!!!! OR maybe it was his mother’s murder and his father did it so having a bunch of new father figures means a Lot and then when Lucretia basically adopts he cries for an hour and he loves his new family idk wow this got angstyGeneral Opinion over said character: he’s a Very Good Boy and i love him

frodoSexuality Headcanon: ace and arospecGender Headcanon: maleA ship I have with said character: samfro <3A BROTP I have with said character: frodo & gandalf, frodo & merry & pippin, frodo & boromir, frodo & faramir, frodo & aragorn, also this was not really explored at all but frodo & legolas ????? i wanna see their interactions!! i know they must have had some!!!A NOTP I have with said character: i can’t think of any but im sure there are someA random headcanon: he finds peace and happiness in valinor because ???? i cant bear to think of him not ?????? he deserves it, i just want my poor boy to be happy!!!General Opinion over said character: a poor boy who deserved so much better

the skullSexuality Headcanon: queerGender Headcanon: also queerA ship I have with said character: noneA BROTP I have with said character: skull & lucy. also i’d LOOOOVE some skull & george interactions, but alas.......A NOTP I have with said character: skull/lucy :PPPA random headcanon: he absolutely isn’t gone are you kidding me???? there is no way this salty motherfucker is going to leave lucy alone, he loves her despite everything and is Determined to not go to the other side!!!!General Opinion over said character: terrible person, wonderful character, 10/10 jonathon stroud you did it again !!!!