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uss-edsall · 8 months

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I love ArmA III's campaign, because you are not special forces.

You aren't, even, technically an infantryman.

You are treated accordingly.

The result of it is a remarkable criticism in its own right of the worldwide fascination with Special Forces, and the morally grey-to-black work they swim in; viewed from the perspective of someone who isn't one of them.

Spoilers below.

ArmA III's campaign is very similar in premise to literally every previous entry. It goes back to its roots.

Preamble

In Operation Flashpoint, a rogue communist general destroys American force presence on an island, and you fight to liberate said island. In Armed Assault, the communist leader of the northern nation on an island attacks its neighbor just as American forces are withdrawing from the country. You play those American forces, fighting alongside the monarchist neighbor. In ArmA II, you play American marine special forces who perform pre-invasion operations in a Not-Eastern Europe Country, then support the marine invasion -- and then have to go to ground and fight alongside the rebels you were previously fighting when the US abruptly withdraws.

ArmA III starts out similar to Armed Assault. You are Corporal Kerry, an American logistics (truck) driver for Task Force Aegis, a multinational peacekeeping force formed by NATO, in the aftermath of a civil war in the Republic of Altis and Stratis. The campaign, set in 2035 (which was 23 years away at the game's release), is all centred around a time of a superpower being created through mass alliances.

The enemy is CSAT (Canton Protocol Strategic Alliance Treaty), a superpower created through a mass alliance of nations like China and Iran. They are surging in power as American and NATO supremacy/hegemony declines.

The Republic of Altis and Stratis is the victim of Great Power Proxy Wars. In 2026, a dictator named Colonel Akhanteros seized power, sparking a civil war between the former regime's loyalists and the country's military, the Altis Armed Forces (AAF) under Akhanteros' command. From 2026-2030, the Altian Civil War devastated the nation, ending in Akhanteros' victory. TF Aegis has been in the nation ever since, trying to prevent civil war from breaking out again and largely opposing former-Loyalist fighters. TF Aegis is preparing to leave in 2035.

Just days before Task Force Aegis finishes its withdrawal and leaves for good, the AAF - previously denigrated and constantly insulted by the Aegis members who had been training them to take over once they left - suddenly attack, overwhelming the few remaining Aegis members, and devastates the NATO force. Why they did this is not made immediately clear.

You, Corporal Kerry, are one of the few survivors.

Chapter One

In the first 'chapter,' of the campaign, during the destruction of TF Aegis you make contact with a British special forces guy named Miller, leading something called the CTRG (Combat Technology Research Group). They openly admit to be Special Forces, claiming to be British special forces in particular and performing clandestine operations in the country. They seemingly chose to throw away their secrecy to save the few members of Aegis they could. Less than a handful of your allies remain, rescued from certain death and brought to the CTRG basecamp.

During this time, Kerry, Aegis, and the CTRG fight a war of resistance against the AAF, securing various objectives and attempting to strike back, certain that NATO will send a quick reaction force to retaliate and rescue you. In one notable mission, you provide support to the special forces as they try to take back a communications outpost to call for help from NATO. The CTRG abruptly declare that all the tech in there's useless, they're blowing the place up, and you withdraw.

During the chapter, the CTRG members, even their charismatic second-in-command James that's immediately likable, make it clear very quickly that they're not telling the peacekeeper survivors their real mission objectives, nor what exactly are they doing there. This makes your Aegis allies uneasy on their presence. You, Corporal Kerry, are left in the dark for a lot of things, but James makes you want to like him. The fact they're Special Forces make you want to trust them.

Corporal Kerry, who by then has already pulled off some frankly impossible tasks to ask of a logistics truck driver before these events, doesn't much like this:

Kerry: Respectfully, sir, when the hell are you going to tell us what's going on? Miller: Saying 'respectfully', Corporal, and proceeding to be disrespectful somewhat defeats the purpose, don't you think? ... Look, I can't say exactly what happened. What I can say is what's happening right now. We're headed to Altis. There's a local guerilla movement there - FIA - the same guys that got themselves killed for us back on Stratis. We'll make a quiet entrance and link up with them.

The first chapter ends with you trying to escape Altis to reach the island of Stratis. The AAF finds you all and proceed to obliterate you and your allies with extreme prejudice.

Chapter Two

The second chapter begins with you waking up from having been knocked unconscious, washing ashore next to the body of a CTRG member.

You are the only survivor of Task Force Aegis.

The CTRG makes contact with the loyalist resistance remnant -- and it is revealed that the CTRG have worked with the resistance before. During the civil war, the CTRG were secretly supporting the loyalists; the same insurgents the protagonist was fighting for the past couple years before the AAF turned on them. Captain Miller and Lieutenant James are surprised as hell that you, Kerry, are alive. Pleasantly surprised, though. They proceed to order you to do another impossible task.

During this chapter it is revealed that CSAT is now backing the AAF. Moreover than that, CSAT has deployed troops to the island, not as peacekeepers but as reinforcements. The CTRG remains shady, and continues to leave Kerry in the dark. One mission begins with you supporting the CTRG and the guerillas in a convoy ambush, but abruptly, you end up in charge. The CTRG have some other pressing objective they won't tell you about, and they leave you behind.

You aren't special forces. They don't trust you.

Kerry: But - with respect - what about the convoy? Are we still on for that? James: You ask a lot of questions, Corporal. Don't worry. Miller will be in touch soon. You'll know what to do.

While Kerry's relationship with the guerillas starts out rocky, by the end of this chapter they trust him implicitly. He has fought beside them, bled beside them, they are brothers in arms.

At the end of the second chapter, you return to Altis, having wreaked havoc on Stratis and been reinforced by the guerillas. Causing great damage, it feels like you're making an effective push against AAF forces.

Then NATO arrives.

This should be happy, for NATO is finally here to save the day, except the first thing NATO does is open fire on the guerilla forces, killing Stavrou, the leader of the group. Kerry tries to call on the CTRG, begging for their help in stopping this - the CTRG do not respond. In the end, it's up to Kerry to make contact and stop the slaughter.

Except when you meet the NATO commander...

Kerry: What about Captain Miller, sir? He was supposed to establish [communications] with your main force. Crossroads: I'm sorry, who? Kerry: Captain Scott Miller. UKSF? Kinda ... talks like he's got a stick up his ass all the time? Crossroads: The British? The Brits are no longer operating in this area. To my knowledge, they've been out since May. And, regardless, we have no record of a Captain Scott Miller.

Chapter Three

The third chapter begins with Corporal Kerry disgraced.

Soldier 1: Yeah, that's him. The 'guerrilla' guy. Soldier 2: He's been hiding on Altis this whole time?

Kerry is all but accused directly of desertion. Some of the American soldiers even suspect Kerry was part of the massacre of TF Aegis. After all, he's alive and literally nobody else is - and he's claiming to have survived because of some special forces of a nation that hasn't had forces on the island in months.

However, all are needed to report for duty:

Armstrong: And - while we're on the subject, Corporal - were it up to me, you'd be stuck here spit-shining latrines until a court-martial deemed you fit for duty. Lucky for you, command doesn't feel likewise. But make no mistake, you fuck up just once - you endanger any of my men - and you're gone.

Not that 'all hands on deck' means you're facing great responsibility, not initially. You're guarding a slum. That is until CSAT attacks, and kills every member of the squad you were in while you were reporting incoming fast boats. You and the remnants of another unit are rescued by the guerrillas you'd previously fought beside. The guerrillas will only fight with you as their liaison, and so you're back in action. What follows is fairly typical war combat whatever as the American forces push back against the AAF and their CSAT support. As you secure an airport however, an earthquake shocks the island, albeit briefly. In the next following missions, earthquakes repeatedly shake the island.

After some more battles - during which you periodically fight with the guerrillas or other American troops - Kerry is informed that the investigation into his conduct in the "Stratis Incident" has finished. He is cleared of any wrongdoing.

The commander still cautions Kerry not to get involved with the "Brits and their black ops bullshit".

During the second to last mission of the third chapter, Kerry suddenly gets a transmission.

It's Lieutenant James, the second-in-command of the CTRG, and he's dying. He broadcasts his coordinates. You have two options.

Keep Kerry's nose out of the Brits and their black ops bullshit.

Respond and see ce quoi the fuck is up.

Endings

Option One

Kerry disregards the message and returns to NATO forces. Obviously you're not the only one who heard it. Your commander compliments you, and assured of your reliability, offers the opportunity to be a major component of the coming battle.

AAF forces are defeated. CSAT withdraws with little to zero fanfare. The AAF and Colonel Akhanteros give their formal surrender, ending the conflict.

Congratulations, Kerry.

This is the canonical route, as DLC and other scenarios depend on this to have gone this route.

Option Two

You've been advised by your new commander to keep your damn nose out of those Brits and their spec-ops bullshit, but, damnit -- the CTRG saved your life! James is your friend, he needs help, he's dying! Sure they're shady and Kerry was never trusted with any info on what they were doing - but…!

Kerry chooses to respond to the distress call. One last angry transmission from your commander ends when Kerry turns off his radio.

From this point on NATO forces will shoot you - you're considered renegade, a deserter.

Kerry finds James. James and his squad of CTRG troops were ambushed by CSAT special forces and destroyed. With his dying breath James requests you deliver a truck loaded with something called the Eastwind Device on it. You have to defeat the remaining CSAT troops, but once you get it, you deliver it to Captain Miller.

Kerry is at the end of his rope. He has come to dislike Miller greatly - but he has still done the bidding of the CTRG like a good puppy desperate for his master's affection.

The video below shows this cutscene in verbatim.

Nonetheless I will write it out, as it provides more context. Kerry drops off the Eastwind Device and approach Captain Miller. Kerry is beginning to connect the dots. This Eastwind Device is what this has all been about! The CTRG did not support the loyalists because their cause was one to believe in. They did not rescue TF Aegis out of the goodness of their hearts. In fact, it's likely the fact they're here at all is the entire reason why this war broke out, as the AAF invasion began within hours of the CTRG arrival.

They used you and your forces as disposable pawns, expending you in different actions to provide themselves opportunities to get at the Eastwind Device. The communications station? It was perfectly fine - the CTRG blew it up to delay NATO's counter-attack so the Eastwind Device remained where it was. Stavrou and the guerillas being blown up by NATO? CTRG passed on faulty information so they could tie up a loose end by getting him killed. NATO forces getting devastated in a major assault against what was supposed to be a lightly armed garrison, but turned out to be the single hardest strongpoint on the island? CTRG passed on faulty info so that CSAT wouldn't evacuate quite so fast.

Kerry's angry as hell, yelling at Miller. As this is happening, CSAT launches a massive assault against the island. Miller, saying "I like you," says that he has to go - but he promises he'll be back in an hour if you stay here.

As the credits begin rolling, over the radio you hear every single American unit you've fought with report that they are being overwhelmed, ending with your commander's broadcast before he too is killed.

CSAT, in trying to get their superweapon back, obliterates an American division. Ergo, in giving the CTRG the Eastwind Device, you just started World War Three.

There's a follow-on mission.

Whereas the previous mission ended in broad daylight, this one begins at 4 AM. CTRG didn't come back. All out war has broken loose and combat rages all over the island. Kerry desperately calls for Miller again. Like a good dog, he's been waiting for evac.

Miller: Kerry? Look, the situation has changed. It's too late. With what we're dealing with here, I simply can't take the risk. I can't return to the warzone. I'm sorry, you're on your own. Kerry: What?! Are you fucking kidding me?! Fuck you, Miller! I risked my ass, saved your life, all for what? A fucking suicide mission?! Miller! Respond! Just what the hell was this all about?! Falcon! Goddamnit, do you read me?! Son of a bitch!

They have abandoned you to die. Miller never intended to return at all.

You? Kerry? The lucky truck driver who always came back from impossible mission after impossible mission? A useful pawn. A gullible idiot. Miller has sabotaged you and yours, used you, TF Aegis, the FIA rebels, all as cannon fodder and distractions for his real objective. Every time you survived another impossible mission he goes, "huh, neat," and sends you out on a new one. Never once allowing you in to the privileged group of CTRG special forces because, even though you're pulling off heroic feats you aren't special forces. They never trusted you. They never were ever going to trust you.

You must find any way to get off the island, and in a remarkable show of giving the player free agency, you can have any escape route. Find a boat and escape on it. Literally just swim for twenty minutes straight. Steal a helicopter. Committing suicide is an option, even. You can also find a couple surviving guerillas and a scant few surviving NATO troops who can join you. Regardless, that's where the main campaign ends on this non-canon route.

Conclusion

The ArmA III campaign focuses on something very rare, both for 2013 when it came out and even still today:

The regular trooper, and what it means to be the outsider looking in on the Special Forces.

In the non-canon ending, the ruthless CTRG operators used Kerry until there was nothing left, and then dangled him out on a dying vine. You aren't SOF.

TF Aegis was a victim of the great power proxy war. Having learned that the CTRG team was after the Eastwind Device, CSAT forced Akhanteros to order the AAF to obliterate TF Aegis, hoping to catch Miller and his team with them. Their lifeline to call for help was destroyed by the CTRG team, to buy time to get at the eastwind device. In so doing they ensured the eventual total annihilation of the TF Aegis survivors.

The FIA rebels were victims of the great power proxy war. Their past connections from previous black-ops before the civil war ended were cruelly pulled to support CTRG in objectives that weren't related to their liberation. Then, when it was clear their existence would only help speed up the AAF destruction and accelerate when the Eastwind Device left the island, they got the rebel commanders killed in a friendly fire incident.

The American troops in the NATO counter-attack were victims of the great power proxy war. In order to get more time to get at the Eastwind Device, CTRG passed along faulty intel that got dozens of them killed in an assault against an AAF strongpoint. In the non-canon route, the entire division form the first casualties of World War Three.

Colonel Akhanteros and the AAF were victims of the great power proxy war no matter what. Forced to attack TF Aegis and invite the unholy wrath of a superpower alliance in return, it ends with their complete destruction and formal surrender. In the non-canon route, they are as good as defeated before CSAT utterly crushes the NATO attack, but it devastates the island in the process. In the canon route, they've been left to hang by CSAT, which withdraws once the Eastwind Device is secure. Even without all that, Altis and Stratis has been the testing ground for an earthquake creating superweapon, used as a pawn by CSAT on the global stage.

Everyone was disposable in the name of the great power proxy war.

You, Corporal Kerry, were disposable.

#ArmA III

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danothan · 2 years

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i hope batlantern and halbarry enjoyers get along, there’s a lot of potential with this messy string of dynamics

i like the idea of hal and bruce being a short-lived but meaningful fling, like a “right time, right moment” situationship. seeing as they’ve both had their “we’re more alike than you think” and “you’re getting in your own way” observations abt each other, it could be productive and therapeutic to sort out their feelings thru their reflections of the other. they don’t have the compatibility or even desire to make this a lasting commited relationship, but i just think if they fucked, they could chill tf out lmao

i don’t need to go into halbarry, i feel like it speaks for itself loud and clear lol. long story short, they’re endgame to me and the most likely to be committed to a relationship, which is rly saying smth consider half of this dynamic involves hal. but regarding how they connect to batlantern, i just think it’d be rly funny in the context of JL:war. barry obviously had a crush on batman upon introduction, immediately inciting hal’s petty jealously (seriously, how do these 3 not get talked abt all together as a trio). so if we go by the idea that hal and bruce had a fling, i can only imagine what kind of conversation that would be once hal and barry got together

- B: “you slept with BRUCE? as in THE batman bruce??” / H: “yeah, it was a while back.” / B: “WHERE WAS I IN ALL THIS”

bruh as far as barry is aware, hal doesn’t even like bruce and even got mad at BARRY for not hating him too. and then he goes ahead and sleeps with the guy smh the double standards, barry’s gonna be up thinking abt this one for a few nights. tfw your boyfriend and your crush got together without you </3 hey, at least it’s fantasy-fuel right?

as for bruce and barry, their relationship is i think the most complicated of the three. they clearly have smth special, and while i do think barry’s little crush was one-sided, i also think bruce treats barry differently from the rest of the team. he already had a lot of respect for barry to begin with, but the letter barry delivered from bruce’s dad in flashpoint HAD to have changed their dynamic. if you haven’t read it, thomas credits the flash for teaching him that he can’t live for the people he’s lost, he has to live for the people he still has, and so he passes on this lesson to his son. how would bruce feel abt that?? how would he feel abt his DEAD dad telling him to cherish his living relationships, meanwhile having barry as the only thread between both?? that his friend got to meet his dead dad and become his reason for living? that the words of wisdom his dad is passing on to him were essentially from barry himself? barry’s probably gotten over his starstruck phase with bruce by now, and he’s got too much integrity to pry or even know what impact he’s had on either of their lives, but i think bruce WOULD learn to cherish his relationships from this. i think barry has a soft spot in bruce’s heart in a way that no one else does ;__; lord knows what barry sees in him or hal, but the guy’s got a good heart, so he must be doing something right

#batlantern #halbarry #batflash #<- mostly platonically? it’s one-sided and they don’t get together but i like their dynamic #batflashlantern #barry allen #hal jordan #bruce wayne #the flash #green lantern #batman #dc #meta #danbles #god this went on for a lot longer than i planned #i was just trying to make a little haha barry has batlantern fantasies joke but apparently i have a lot of thoughts on batflash #also hi im new here idk what the surrounding conversation around these ships in relation to each other are like #but i hope we’re all getting along bc there is sm to work with here ^__^

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nostalgiamare · 2 years

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NOSTALGIAMARE 13: FLASH FILES EDITION

(NOTE: FLASH FILES ARE NEW ENTRIES IN NOSTALGIAMARE WHERE I LOOK AT A SELECTION OF FLASH/SHOCKWAVE GAMES FROM THE ERAS I STATE. I WILL ADD IN COMMENTARY THROUGH THE PLAYTHROUGHS SO AS A RESULT THESE ENTRIES WILL NOT HAVE MOD THOUGHTS-)

NAME: MY SCENE

COMPANY/FRANCHISE: MATTEL

MY SCENE

CATEGORY: GAME (FLASH/WEB BROWSER)

YEAR: 2003 - 2006?

DESCRIPTION: A selection of 5 flash browser games that were available on the My Scene website to promote the spin off Barbie doll line. These games utilised Adobe Flash and were only playable up until the doll’s discontinuation and the site’s shutdown in 2011. All 5 of these games were archives, but due to the discontinuation of Flash in 2021, these games are only accessible via Flashpoint, Pale Moon and Ruffle.

Special thanks to @web-back-then for archiving and downloading the SWF files for a few of these games >w0

GAME 1: BEAUTY STUDIO

Given that these games from the get go already have instructions, I don’t need to explain too much of it. This first game is essentially one of those browser based point and click make up games. First you choose a character (I picked Nolee) and then you go wild with your choices.

(As you can see by this beautiful nightmare, we’re off to a great start!)

There are three sections of this game that you can complete. There’s hair, makeup and jewellery. To select hair, you click on a style from the book, click on a hair colour, click on a hair streak and click on a barrette to choose. Choices on barrette can be optional.

Next is makeup. Just like hair you just click on whatever blush, eyeshadow, mascara, contacts and lipstick you want. Once again a few choices are optional.

Finally there’s jewellery choices (Which only makes me more confused on how tf jewellery is really spelled-). Again you just repeat clicking choices. Whether it be earrings, necklaces, face jewels and glasses. Once more choices can be optional.

(The moment of truth. Looks like a female John Lennon lol-)

Now that the game is over you can now either print a makeover guide (And risk breaking your computer lol) or play again. Though it depends on if you feel like it’s worth it.

GAME 2: DAZZLING NAILS

Think of the previous game but give one of the sections more depth and doing more than just clicking on whatever. That’s Dazzling Nails. Another simple cursor-capable beauty game.

Once again this game came with easy instructions so I won’t explain too much.

All you need to do is pick a character and then just go manic with the ideas. Your giving a variety of nail polish, stick on items and rings. Just click on them, move them to wherever nail you want and place them on. You can also choose a nail size in case your jealous of having short nails and want longer ones (haha funny joke). If you want to undo something, use the nail polish remover.

No. I do not know what I was going for.

Once your done with that your given the option to play with another character or print out the set of nails you just created, cut them out and stick them on your nails. It may seem sad but trust me, it was the closest the target demographic was gonna get to making their nails look “cool” for a while.

GAME 3: FASHION DESIGNER

From the info I found, this one was actually available by accessing Chelsea’s diary on the old website, which explains why the main layout looks different compared to the other 2 games. But we’ll still look at it because it was on the main games section.

Much like Dazzling Nails this is another creative fashion game that features a wide variety of designs. All you do is pick a character, use the arrows to scroll through a set of tops, bottoms, shoes and bags and click on one of the colours and patterns to colour in a certain part of those outfits.

Hmmm... Does this look familiar to me 0_0?

(ITS A JOKE BRATZ FANS DON’T GO NUTS AT ME PLS-)

Ngl I had a bit of fun with this one.

Once you are finished you are given the opportunity to print the designs out and make a paper doll version of what you have created. You know JUST in case you guys forgot this was from a fashion doll line.

GAME 4: ROOM MAKEOVER

Ever wanted to feel like an interior designer? Well these types of games are for you. Im serious too a lot of the fashion doll line games I’ve seen have a few type of these games. This is one of them.

Your given two rooms to choose from. A bedroom and a party room. No I do not know why they call it a party pad, so I went with bedroom.

Once you picked what you want to decorate, you are given a variety of colours and furniture to choose from. All you gotta do is click on whichever one you want and it will be placed in the background. If your not happy with the room you can always press the very glitched clear button to start again.

Did I mention that this game is kinda broken?

Once you’ve finished you are given the choice to print out your room or try a new look. Barbie is also generous enough to give you a present which is a picture of her and her friends. Probably either because you need to feel like you have them or she wants to rub it in your face.

GAME 5: SHOPPING SPREE

The last game of the bunch. Very simple. A game all about fashion, dressing up and screaming to their audience “BUY OUR DOLL LINE!”. This one was actually one of two games that were so popular that they got rebrands towards the end of the doll line (The other being Beauty Studio), so at least they did a good job with the games.

You are given a choice between 8 different doll lines from the brand to choose from (BUY OUR DOLL LINE!). For example, I went with Bling Bling.

You get to use two of the characters to dress up (I went with Chelsea and Nolee).

This is where the dress up part comes in. You are given a set of accessories, tops, bottoms, shoes and extra materials that all come from the specific doll line (BUY OUR DOLL LINE!). The game gives us more creativity given that we have to dress up both of them.

Once you’ve picked your choices, your characters will appear on a wide background based on the doll line (BUY OUR DOLL LINE!). You are given the choice to print it out or try another fashion... Yeah I think we’re done here.

CONCLUSION: I won’t say these games offer anything new to the table as they just seem to follow the same mechanics and idea. Customise or create a certain something with a point, drag and/or click. On the other hand it doesn’t mean they aren’t nostalgic as many have grown up with these games. In a way they do still hold up, as they showcase what could be done in the early days of Flash and web browser content. Overall they are not big games with a lot of variety and are there for a bit of a cash grab, but maybe that’s not a bad thing. They are just simple and wholesome games from the early and mid 2000s that can make any kid intrigued for even 5 minutes, even if they are there to sell the brand.

LINKS TO SOURCES (NOTE: Last two links require the Ruffle Emulator)

BEAUTY STUDIO/FASHION DESIGNER: https://mega.nz/folder/1hdDza4L#RHkG9kUdIhIMzEkH_-cXUQ/folder/Mp9mECCY

ROOM MAKEOVER: http://www.gamekidgame.com/barbie_my_scene/my_scene_room.html

SHOPPING SPREE: http://www.gamekidgame.com/barbie_my_scene/my_scene_shopping_spree.html

#nostalgia #childhood nostalgia #nostalgiacore #2000s nostalgia #nostalgiamare #adobe flash #nostalgiamare entries #flash files #my scene

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bkworm5 · 1 year

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why tf is the dcu making a live action flashpoint as the first flash movie

that's no way to introduce a character

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aviatrix-ash · 2 years

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Still posting random scanned pages from the complete Allspark Almanac, here's some cool gals :)

#maccadam #arcee #tfa arcee #tf lightbrite #tf lickitysplit #transformers animated #tf road rage #tf chromia #tf flashpoint #tf flareup #allspark almanac #complete allspark almanac #tfmedia

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westallenscreencaps · 4 years

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3x01 - Flashpoint

#westallen #westallenedit #barry allen #iris west #flashpoint iris #tf 301 #the flash

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thecollege--dropout · 5 years

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okay this makes no sense. so after barry creates flashpoint and comes back, cisco’s upset because his brother died and barry didn’t go back to change it. he says “so you decide it’s okay to change things when someone in your family dies but not when it’s in my family” and i’m like, he wasn’t there so how would he change it? i’m kinda confused on that now. he wasn’t around so isn’t cisco mad at pre-flashpoint barry or within flashpoint barry? how would barry have changed that?

it’s like nora coming back to the past being mad at iris for some shit she ain’t even do 🤷🏾‍♀️

ps. can someone tell baby sara her parents are salty they don’t have a son they don’t remember or know 🙃 because i feel like she deserves to know

#this show #the flash #tf text #cisco ramon #barry allen #flashpoint #time travel is annoying and confusing

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shrinkthisviolet · 10 months

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So I noticed your tags on a reblog a while ago about how you had a problem with The Flash - and I'd love to know more about what you thought of it overall (as I understand that the later seasons took something of a nosedive in quality.)

Oh boy 😅 I could go into depth about my problems with each of the seasons, but honestly, for the sake of brevity, I’m just gonna abbreviate the major problems I have for each season:

Season 1

—Iris should’ve been looped in sooner, especially given how many times she was put in danger by not knowing

—The waterfront kiss and the lightning psychosis bs is stupid—I’m glad the first thing was erased, and I try to ignore the second thing. There’s nothing romantic/funny about cheating or justifying it

—Eowells should’ve been killed off normally, not by being erased from existence (because?? How does the timeline still exist??)

Season 2

—Zoom’s motives were incoherent, and he’s only a good villain because of his menace factor

—Wally and Jesse should’ve both gotten powers from the accelerator, not just Jesse

—Jesse should’ve had Zoom-related trauma that impacted her ability (and desire) to be a speedster in s3

—Eliza Harmon should’ve been a WOC like in the comics, and she deserved a better storyline and she deserved to live, yes I’m still mad about this.

Season 3

—Savitar. In general. Wtf (existence makes no sense, him being a wannabe god instead of just Future Barry is boring, and also he was only interesting in the finale. By which point he should’ve been dead anyway. Also there’s no mf way he could’ve actually killed Iris bffr)

—Killer Frost. Incoherent—her siding with Savitar makes sense with the s4/s5 retcons, but those are from seasons when she regressed as a character imo. Also I never liked the split personality idea

—Iris being the only one at risk means there are no stakes because she’s the main female lead and would never really be killed off. All of Team Flash should’ve been at stake, with the possibility teased that they might disband permanently.

—Flashpoint was wasted potential and tbh should’ve happened after s1. Or at least it should’ve been more deeply explored here. But in any case, it feels cheap to have this after Barry already fully came to terms with his mom’s death in s2 (I know, it was grief over his dad, but still. It undercuts a fantastic episode)

—The time loop setup is nonsensical and impossible. Breaking it means that s3 never happened. No one should remember anything that happened this season.

—Caitlin and/or Frost never apologized to Iris for being an accessory in her attempted murder (and in s4, Frost threatens her life again!! Yay!! Friendly bonding!!)

Season 4

—Can someone tell me why tf Team Leader suddenly became a thing? I swear the closest the Team ever had to a Team Leader was Eowells, way back in s1. The idea of a Team Leader after that feels too hierarchal for them, idk why that was introduced

—Caitlin worked with a human trafficker of her own volition (and Frost too, this was presumably a decision made by both of them) and yet she is only held accountable in one line (“Where have you been the last 6 months again?”) and it’s quickly swept over by making Amunet into a ditz and ignoring the fact that she is a human trafficker

—Bodyswap plot was weird, DeVoe should’ve just taken their powers

—Marlize never had any clear motives after she gave up her ideals to side with her husband.

—The Thinker in general is just stupid tbh

—Caitlin and Iris barely got to be friends, and after this season, they may as well not have been. Caitlin was also unnecessarily snippy to Iris this season too (“we will, Caitlin” “no. I will” + “I’m your friend, Caitlin” “work friend”). This is a general problem with this show—female friendships are given lip service at best and no room to grow

—Barry and Iris deserved a proper wedding that wasn't interrupted

—Thawne did not hate every minute of pretending to be Harrison Wells, that is garbage writing and fundamentally misunderstands his character

—Barry should've killed Thawne in this crossover. He was so close!! WHY (and they still could've brought him back later if they really needed to)

Season 5

—Both Cicadas sucked, and the father-daughter Orlin-Grace/Barry-Nora parallels fall flat when you remember a) Dwyer literally hates Grace until she’s comatose and b) those parallels only get mentioned in one conversation

—I wasn't too fond of Cisco giving up his powers, it felt like a strange decision, especially since he gets them back briefly in Crisis and somewhat permanently in s7. I've talked about that more here (definitely read all the additions too!)

—Iris’s angle in the argument with Barry should’ve been “no one works with Thawne, they’re manipulated by him” not “it doesn’t bother me that our daughter worked with the man who half-orphaned you, threatened my life, hurt everyone on this Team, and killed my fiancé”

—Nora acts wayyy too young for being 25-28. She should’ve been 18-20. She very much gives off the vibes of a young adults who’s newly independent (and this further ties into the themes of legacy, which is a theme usually present in YA stories, with teenage/young-adult protagonists. Obviously the theme of legacy can be present in any story, but this presentation of it is usually prominent in YA stories)

—Nora having the NSF should’ve occurred at the end of s5, not during 5x20. Would’ve been more poignant if she had to choose between keeping it and becoming Thawne, or giving it up and dying a hero 😭 and her having the NSF in canon came across more as a temper tantrum than her being corrupted by a destructive force.

(Hey also why tf do people remember Nora after she’s erased—)

Season 6

—Loved Iris having a fleshed-out journalism arc, especially going forward, but her journalism career should’ve been reintroduced a while ago. Possibly even in s4 (beyond just a scant mention of her writing an article about DeVoe)

—Thawne should’ve been in Crisis. Especially over Lex mf Luthor

—The Mirroverse arc is…ugh. I don’t love the idea of Iris being replaced with an evil alter and no one noticing for an entire half-season. And an important Westallen conversation about Iris’s agency happening with Mirror Iris, not real Iris!

—Mirror Iris had sex with Barry under false pretenses. And gloated about it. But five minutes later, we’re supposed to feel sorry for her?? Yikes

And now we’re on to my least favorite seasons! Not a lot of points here, but that’s because out of all the bad stuff, I’m just picking the egregiously bad stuff:

Season 7

—Iris being saved by an emotionless Barry is weird and they both deserved better than that

—Chillame is the worst character this show has ever made. Or at least the top 5

—Eva is a dumb villain who wasn’t even compelling to watch. She was very one-note and…I don’t even remember her motive??

—The Forces arc is bizarre. I don’t like how they personified literal forces of nature, it’s dumb. And them calling Barry and Iris “Mom” and “Dad” is worse

—Frost’s arrest storyline was bs. I was honestly kinda excited, because I hoped she’d face some consequences for the stuff she did in s3 and s4, but…nope!! Kramer’s a bad guy who hates all metas!! And Frost (a white woman) gives a speech modeled after the BLM movement!! It’s gross.

—idk much about Godspeed in the comics, but he was definitely done dirty here. And that’s not even mentioning the stupid lightsaber fight…and the fact that Barry just…lets Thawne go?? And says “yeah, he’ll be back one day, but that’s Future Us’s problem.” Speaking of which…

Season 8

—Well, well, well, if it isn’t the consequence of Barry Allen’s actions. We get Armageddon, which is compelling for the first half and drops off in the second half. The logic is faulty (how is Barry the RF when Thawne killed him as a kid? Why does Iris love Thawne just because he’s the Flash?), some of the stuff in this arc is arophobic (“why don’t you love love?”) and tbh the Chester/Allegra romance is very forced, I’m not a fan. Cecile trying to one-up Iris regarding grieving Joe was also very gross

—Iris’s time sickness is so ridiculous. It started back in s7, but the show acts like it started in s8 because of the Negative Forces. It’s awful and it’s another excuse to rob Iris of agency. It should’ve just been a pregnancy…or scrapped entirely

—So regarding Caitlin's grief and Barry's response...honestly, so many problems would be solved if these characters consistently went to therapy, especially Caitlin. She always reacts to grief destructively. Barry, however, shouldn't have responded by destroying everything in her lab instead of...idk relocating her and having a talk somewhere else??

—No, Barry would not be a bad person for killing Thawne after he thought Iris was already dead. Personally, I think he should've killed the mf ages ago

Season 9

—Red Death was underwhelming, that’s all I have to say about it

—why tf is Chillame still here

—Khione deserved to make her own decisions and not be forced to die for Caitlin and/or Frost to live…but also, as a character, she’s very bland. I also skipped any episode where she and Chillame were even remotely romantic, mostly for my own sanity

—I was so excited for the finale arc and it did not deliver!! It flopped real hard!! Eddie is turned evil so fast it made my head spin, the return of prior villains was underwhelming (including their defeats...why tf did Allegra defeat Thawne?? Why did Cecile defeat Godspeed?? Why did Nora defeat Savitar with one stab wound not even piercing the armor??), and the resolution is just...hugging it out?? I guess??

And that's about it as far as major critiques go 😅 if anyone wants me to expand on any of these points, I'm happy to!

(Except the s7-s9 stuff, which I don't even plan on including in my Morgan AU because those seasons are honestly so bad that I'd rather forget about them entirely. I don't like s3 much, but at least it has potential that I'm interested in revamping/exploring)

#the flash #i swear i tried to make this short 😅#in my defense it WAS originally much longer but i trimmed it down to the major grievances without most of the rambling #anti killer frost #(just in case. since i do rant about her quite a bit)

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candiceswxst · 6 years

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𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙚: [ 3 𝙭 01 ] 2/2

#westallen #the flash #iris west allen #barry allen #tf 3x01 #flashpoint #every westallen scene

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bitimdrake · 2 years

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You know what. The biggest problem in Jason discourse is that so many people are insistent he’s just one thing.

Stans insist he’s a good guy with perfect morals who only did bad things because he couldn’t control himself. And it’s like, well, no, actually, he did many bad things and absolutely all of them he actively decided to do of his own volition. Fans want to make him someone who’s deeply devoted to his strict principles and I’m just, hm, I mean, sure there are some things he definitely believes in or detests, but he breaks those rules all the time. He’s not really a principle-driven guy or, at least, he’s a guy whose principles are regularly beaten out by his emotions.

DC pre-Flashpoint would be like “he’s an Evil Man who does things for Evil” and I’m like, hey, have you read your own comics because he’s clearly got more compelling motivations than that. But then fans will be like “everything he does is part of a moral plan” and no tf it’s not that either.

I’ve seen people insist that Jason’s work in UtRH has nothing to do with Bruce and is just about Jason doing what he thinks is right for Gotham, and I don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about!! I’m sorry, but if you read that storyline and truly think “nope, there’s no part of this that’s a kid lashing out at his dad because he feels unloved” you’re a fucking idiot!! It’s right there in the text!!!! It’s at the core of the climax!!

But just because that’s a motivation doesn’t mean it’s the only thing he’s ever motivated by, the only emotion he ever has. People don’t work like that.

Sometimes Jason does things to fuck with Bruce or Dick, or reach out to them in his own messed up way. Sometimes he independently does things he thinks are right. Sometimes he just does things he wants to do that fit neither category!

Why did Jason attack Tim after he came back? Well, I mean, it was established that he thought his death should have been the last and didn’t like kid sidekicks still existing, so maybe part of him was testing and pressing Tim. And also, he’s a deeply traumatized teenager convinced that his dad replaced him and fucking obviously he’s lashing out at the easiest target. The two things do not negate each other!

And it happens with his time as Robin too. DC pretends he was always angry, reckless, unprepared, not good enough to be Robin; that he was doomed at the end and doomed from the start; that his death was inevitable. And that ignores that he wasn’t a bad Robin at all, that every Robin has had pretty much the same amount of anger and mistakes, that his only mistake on the day of his death was trusting the wrong person.

But then fans do the same thing the opposite way, and insist Jason as Robin was a pure sweetheart who never did anything wrong, that he was the least angry Robin ever, that if he ever did do anything bad it was just bad writing and editorial vendetta because surely he could not have had flaws. And that ignores that Jason was just as much of a messy, struggling kid/teen as any other Robin; that he was regularly righteously angry, and occasionally acted on that anger in unfair or reckless ways; that being a good kid doesn’t mean being A Perfect Ball of Sunshine Always.

Jason as Robin was a full person with strengths and flaws and coherent motives and acts. He was neither a cautionary tale nor a pure angle.

Jason after his resurrection was a mess of contradictions who believed many things and wanted many other things and couldn’t even admit all of them to himself. He did a lot of reprehensible shit, but his motives were understandable, and often sympathetic, and occasionally even convincing, because that’s what made him an interesting character and foil.

To flatten him is to miss the point.

#i want to say if you think anything jason did had only a single motive you're wrong #although i'm SURE there's a counterexample to that #....i just cannot come up with it #*#*dc #dc #dc meta #jason todd #10to2

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