airshow | IC CONTACT

My universe is nuts but hey I'm friends with his ancestor and his ancestor's dating supposedly my future wife, so you know what, maybe that's not too far off the mark.

[ SCREAMING INTERNALLY. ]

I'm going to, okay. I'm texting them right now...or in a second. And you're explaining that funeral thing to me later. Because if you tell me we have a going death rate of 4/4 or however many of us there are, I'm going to honestly say your world might be the more nuts one.

Or at least the more dangerous one.

[ barry, cisco died in a timeline, eddie's dead, you nearly died because of bees + mist and your mom's dead. might...want to reassess that comment. ]

Sounds complicated. Glad I'm single.

[ YEAH, BOTH OF US ARE SCREAMING INTERNALLY HERE, BUD. ]

You want to exchange info for info later, I can arrange that.
But I'm talking about Bart. I figured someone would have told you.

So am I.

[ Things that accidentally sound like a come on but actually aren't. ]

...No? Oh my god. Do we all have information sharing problems? I'll admit right now that I'm a little bad at it and all CASE IN POINT THIS but NO ONE TOLD ME ABOUT THAT.

No one told me Bart dies at some point!!! Wally yes, Bart no.

[ WELL THIS IS FUN. What a lovely goddamn mess he's gotten himself into. ]

Not the one you know. The one I knew.
Superman says he comes back (this is a recurring theme with you hero types), so hey, maybe they just didn't want to freak you out.

And I didn't know about Wally. Damn it, someone needs to leash you guys.

That's still a Bart, kind of like I apparently die and come back? According to Hal, who hasn't actually seen me come back? The distinction only goes up to a certain point. Ages are messed up, I die at some point, Bart dies at some point, Wally dies, but not for you.

Because not telling me completely avoided me freaking out. Of course, silly, I never thought about it.

...Oops? I thought you knew? I mean Bart told me when Wally got ported out with Jaime so I just assumed this was common knowledge that no one shared with me.

For good reason. Since. Wally.

[ How did this happen, good god. ]

Edited 2015-06-12 05:46 (UTC)

God, you really do text like a speedster.

I'm sorry to hear it. I really am.
West has a way of making friends with everyone, myself included.
Maybe that won't stick either. Here's hoping.

I'm telling you about Bart because of the circumstances.
He had his own Reverse Flash. Reverse Impulse. Whatever.
Thaddeus Thawne - went by Inertia. Kid was one sick puppy.

You say that like it means anything to me. I know Bart + Wally text fast but it's not like I have much experience beyond hyperactive teenagers.

If I can come back to life, no reason he can't either. I mean come to think of it, if I'm right, Bart and their me would probably figure out a way to make that work. Somehow. Just bring another speedster back to life. No big deal, all in a days work for the Flash crew.

...Impulse and Inertia. And...it was another Thawne. Do all Thawnes just exist to be the evil counterparts to speedsters?

Like I said: maybe it just runs in the family.
I don't know what his problem with Bart was, but he had it bad.

It has to. Something went wrong in the future because the Thawne I know who isn't the one who tried to kill me is a perfectly sane individual who doesn't want to murder Allens.

So Interia killed Bart. Does Bart know this? Or is everyone keeping that from him? Because that might be something you want to tell him? Might actually make him a little more careful about the things he does.

[ There's another long pause while he debates sending this at all. Honesty isn't exactly his strong suit, but he figures he probably owes all of them a thing or two. At least he can say he tried. ]

Either he has no idea whatsoever, or he knows and doesn't care, because he's still hanging out with ME.
The thing is, the reason I know how it went down is because I was there.
Telling you now so you don't hear it from someone who doesn't know the whole story. Don't want you to get the wrong idea, like everybody else did.

Piper and I were undercover at the time. Wanted to stop whatever was going to happen from happening, but it got out of hand.
Inertia stole his speed, and the Rogues took him out while he was down.
They all - WE all - got played.
Say what you will about us, and most of it's probably true, but nobody ever wanted to kill a Flash for real. If you never believe another goddamn word I say, believe that much.

Anyway. That's exactly how far I'd trust a Thawne.
And that was the TINY version.

But I say one word about that, and the kid'll get curious. He runs TOWARD danger, not away from it.

[ It takes Barry an hour to get back to this but when he does, it's a series of slightly disjointed texts ]

Cold betrayed me at home, I made a deal with him and he betrayed me and he had a chance to kill me. But he didn't. I still think the you I know is a psychopath and that the Hartley I know really needs to either grow up or just lessen the dickishness. I know both of those dudes are willing to kill me.

But at this point, I'm getting that it's not just Green Arrow who's different in our universes. It's not just the fact that I haven't met Green Lantern or Superman or anyone but Green Arrow and Black Canary at home. Hartley seemed like he wasn't going to kill me and you're...harmless? What I mean by all of that is that I believe you. That a Rogue wouldn't kill a Flash and that maybe it's just the Thawnes that really want to murder Flashes. Otherwise our enemies don't do the killing us thing. Which is really great for my long term survival.

I won't tell him if he doesn't know, which I'll be honest is something I don't know even if I think he'd still hang out with you regardless. I'm not...he doesn't need to know that he dies and that's how in a universe that isn't his own. Not after Wally dies in his world and I'm whatever I am in that same world. Because you're right, we tell him and he'll do what we do. Just run to the situation. Somehow try and fix it.

[ And maybe about a minute later. ]

You couldn't save him.

[ That should be a question, but it seems so strange to ask that he doesn't bother with it. ]

[ He wasn't sure Barry was going to say anything at all after that. Like maybe he just got added to a shitlist. Again. Which he wasn't looking forward to, but wouldn't have been surprising. This, though... this is unexpected.

He can't even be offended at being called harmless. It's a hell of a lot better than being a murderer. ]

We tried.
I swear we tried.

It was never like that in the old days. I think the Rogues probably thought he'd get away at the last minute, just like always. That was the game.
And yeah, I realize how crazy that must sound, but that's the mentality, you know?

[ Another short pause. ]

Anyway, I guess I owe him. And you. And Wally. Whole lot of really bad karma wrapped up in all that.
And I don't get to make up for it back home.
So I've got his back here, whatever that's worth.

[ The sad fact of the matter is that Barry can't manage shitlists beyond the Reverse Flash. Even Hartley and Trickster are just people mad at. He doesn't want them dead and while sure, prison is a good life choice for them probably that's where it stops as long as they don't hurt anyone. This version of Trickster doesn't deserve the ire he directs toward his counterpart.

So even with this he can't justify putting him in the same league as the Reverse Flash. ]

I believe you.

That's not crazy. That's optimism? I guess. I can't speak for how things work there because like I said, things are different in my world and I haven't really gotten to the point with the Rogues. Cold just formed a little proto-version of them. But you don't expect people like me to go down. We're like energizer bunnies that just keep going and going as long as we have our charge and our food.

[ A slightly longer pause. ]

That's worth a lot. It may just be me me saying it and not the Barry Allen you know who'd probably go YEAH WHEN DO YOU NOT OWE ME TRICKSTER, YOU ROGUE YOU but it means a lot to me. And I'm willing to trust that you'll protect him and make it up to all of us. And I really don't want to regret trusting you.

[ And because the tenor of this conversation has gotten way too grim: ]

On the bright side, if it comes down to it: I have more experience fighting speedsters than he has fighting Rogues.

Future though. He might have been creepy and investigated how you work.

[ HE SEES YOU CHANGING THE SUBJECT. GETTING HIM ALL EXPOSED LIKE THAT ONLY TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT IS RUDE AS HELL. ]

Don't do anything stupid, seriously, Trickster. Promise me.

Well, how stupid?

If it might get you killed, don't do it.

Or just use your imagination.

I'm not kidding, promise me.

Trust me, pal, I'm in no hurry to get myself killed.

Pinky swear.

I'd say and cross your heart and hope to die but that's morbid and defeating the purpose of the promise.

I'm holding you to it. I will totally yell at you if you go back on that.

Flash talk about how you can do better and all the cool things I'd do. Only with you having to listen to me saying them.

There's your incentive to keep up your end.

Got it. Please, spare me the Flashdad lectures.

That depends all on you, Trickster.

That depends all on you and what you do. Just remember that. >:D

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