Mic'd - CC

Pairing: Caitlin Clark x Reader

Summary: You forget that your are mic'd up during practice (based on THIS request)

Warnings: ADHD reader

Word Count: 1.6k

Sweetbans Masterlist

AN: Please don't scold me if I didn't get everything right. I tried my best, I promise.

Your mind never stops going a mile a minute. You were diagnosed with ADHD when you were a kid, it was something that your parents had to adapt to when it came to raising you. It was when you were in 4th grade when they decided to put you into sports. You started as a swimmer but your parents soon realized you were much better on land. That is when they put you in basketball and it just clicked for you. When you picked up a ball and began shooting, everything else began to make sense. It did a really good job of keeping your mind and hands busy on a singular objective.

You were put on a club and travel team when you went into middle school and continued playing through high school. It opened many doors for you including playing basketball in college. You toured a handful of schools and finally settled on Iowa.

Your freshman year was a huge adjustment as it was the first time living away from home. It took some major adjustments but you ultimately got there. The change to college classes was one of the hardest changes you faced. You were always struggling to keep your mind focused on one assignment when you had like 20 others to do at all times. It often resulted in you starting one, picking up another, and then trying to start a third before either of the first two were completed.

One of the girls on your team became your saving grace and one of your best friends. Kate had become someone who helped keep you grounded when the world was spinning and you could not be more grateful. Your friendship with her has helped you navigate the transition into college classes and playing college ball. She was always one to help keep you on task. The two of you have come up with a system to keep your mind focused when it feels like you aren't moving fast enough or don't feel like you have the control your mind needs.

Kate is also the one who was secretly working on getting you and Caitlin together. She noticed how both you and Caitlin would act around each other and took it upon herself to see two of her best friends and teammates come together in what she believed to be a perfect match. One thing led to another and you and Caitlin had begun dating towards the end of freshman year.

When the two of you got together - you decided it to keep it between the team. It wasn't that either of you was necessarily hiding your relationship, you were just both content with the world not knowing. You told the people that mattered in your lives and that was enough for the two of you. Also, nobody questioned it considering how much time the team spent together and how much time the two of you spent with Kate. To anyone looking in, the three of you were like three peas in a pod.

That leads us to today. The media team was doing a series where they were joining different sports practices and putting mics on some of the players. You had watched the series and thought seeing some of the school's all-star players behind the scenes was so fun. You were honored when they came up to you and asked if you would be the mic'd up player of the week.

They get you all set up and you are ready to go.

"Testing, testing," you say holding the mic that was pinned in your shirt up to your mouth. You then look at the camera. "We are here live from Carver-Hawkeye arena with yours truly."

You point to your number on your practice jersey and head into a huddle with the team to kick off practice.

While you are in the huddle you nudge Kate.

"Yo Kate, guess who is mic'd up for today's practice," you ask her and give the camera a knowing look. She laughs.

"Bro, I helped you put the mic on." She says and you let out an 'oh ya'.

"Do you have anything to say to the Hawkeye fans who are watching this?" You ask, pulling your shirt to catch what she is saying.

"You are too much," she begins and you hit her arm. "I would say sorry you have to listen to this one for the whole practice." She says and runs away to begin a drill.

You feign hurt and hold your hand over your heart as if what Kate just said broke you. Not two seconds later you are bouncing over to Caitlin and putting your arm around her waist.

"You ready to crush this practice babe?" You ask as she is finishing up stretching. Before she can answer you continue, "Your legs are looking extra nice today. I likey." She just laughs.

"If I just lift this a little," you say lifting the bottom part of her shorts to reveal her thigh a little more. "The team would see those little love bites you like so much." Caitlin slaps your hand and yells your name. You laugh and let her go, going to start a drill.

During the drill, you keep making comments about how fast you are and how no one can catch you.

"Speed." You say with laser focus as you are the next one to jump in the rotation. "I am speed."

Every time Caitlin does a good job you are caught yelling something along the lines of 'that a way babe' or 'that's my girl'.

During practice, Kate kept giving you weird looks but you think nothing of it.

During one of the water breaks, you walk up to Caitlin who is sipping her water. You lean against the wall.

"So, you come here often?" You ask in a flirtatious tone.

She pushes your chest and rolls her eyes. You come up behind her, wrapping your arms around her, and spin her around.

"You love me," you say as you put her down.

"You know I do," she says, kissing your forehead.

The rest of the practice is filled with little comments to your girl on how good she looks and how great of a job she is doing.

"Have you seen those edits that people are making of pigeons?” You ask one of your other teammates.

"What are you talking about?" they say back with a laugh.

"You know the ones where they draw like stick figure arms on them while they are walking around," you say. "Imagine being a bird and not having arms or hands."

You then stick your hands in your practice jersey and walk around. Someone throws a ball at you and you just let it hit you. It bounces away from you.

"Caitlin! Caity! CC!" You say running up to her with your arms still in your jersey. "Would you still love me if I was a pigeon?" You ask her.

"Of course, babe. You would be my pigeon," she says laughing her ass off.

"Good," you say. "Because you would be mine regardless of the animal you were.”

Not ten minutes later you are back in a drill.

"Oh ya, I got this," you say to yourself as you are going up for a layup. You flip it with your left hand and it banks in. "Money!" You yell and run to the back of the line.

As practice comes to a close, the team is scrimmaging. You go up to Kate and she reminds you of a very key detail you forgot about during practice.

"So, how was being mic'd up?" She asks and your eyes go wide, finding the camera that has been following you around the entirety of practice.

"Shit-fuck!" You whisper as you remember all the things you said during practice. "SHOOT - FUDGE" you yell remembering this was going to be on the media team's Youtube page.

You facepalm yourself pretty hard causing a nice slap sound to echo in the gym.

Caitlin runs up to you removing your hand from your face and kissing the place you just slapped.

"Don't slap yourself that hard babe," she says examining the slightly pink mark developing on your right eye and forehead.

"I fuc-messed up," you say and you point at the cameras.

Caitlin turns and Kate just stands there laughing.

Caitlin joins in on the laughing and brings you into her side, squeezing you and kissing your temple.

"Ehh, it was bound to happen sooner or later," she says.

After practice, you thank the media team for choosing you and you head back to your apartment with Kate and Caitlin.

"I can't believe I forgot about being mic'd up. I am so dumb,” you say as you crash on the couch. Your girlfriend comes and sits next to you, pulling your legs onto her lap.

"Don't worry about it babe - no one is going to care." She says rubbing your legs.

"Well, I don't know about that..." Kate says as she passes her phone to you.

You and Caitlin look at it and both of your jaws drop. The media team posted it and it already had 7,000 views. You scroll down to the comments and see people have attached links to their edits. You click on one and it takes you down a rabbit hole of edits that were already created shipping you and Caitlin.

"This is crazy," you say and hide your face.

Caitlin just laughs and continues to rub your legs.

"I think it's cute," she says with a smile.

"I royally messed up." You say.

"Hey," your girlfriend pulls you out of your thoughts, which she knows are going faster than you can comprehend. "If I would love you as a pigeon, I will love you through this, okay?" She says and lifts your face to meet hers.

"Okay," you say and lean in to give her a kiss.

AN: I would lowkey be the best mic'd up person out there. The thoughts that go through my brain sometimes are epic. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! And as always, thank you for your live and support 🤍

caitlin clark & a'ja wilson in gatorade's new "is it in you?" ad.

YESSSSSSS MA'AMMMMM LETS GOOOO 22² !!! also im new to basketball but apparently this ad concept hasn't been done since the late 90s/early 2000s AND it's narrated by MJ my GAWD🔥🔥🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writer. Let's spread the self-love 💖

Heat Me Up || Shuri x Reader - this one is just so shdfnvioenbiej!! Every time I return to it I'm like DID I WRITE THIS!!??!!

Rest, My Love || Izogie x Reader - I just really like being one of the first people to write for Izogie. I also really like how sweet it is

Hole-In-One || Caitlin Clark x Reader - I like the concept and it made me smile while writing it

Don't Leave || Vincenzo Cassano x Reader - I had been thinking about this one for months when I finally sat down and wrote it. I like the mafia aspect of it bc I don't write for it usually

One I'm currently writing - I'm just really enjoying the process and how much research I'm doing for it

its mad weird to me when people meet new excitement about women's sports with "well so and so was a pioneer FIRST and we been out here so miss me with this NEW PERSON" as if progress isn't a continuation of what came before... like talk about interpreting shit in bad faith and being paranoid....genuinely if you think people being excited about caitlin clark somehow means they're not respecting the wbb stars of yore.....re fucking lax. people have to get in at some point !!! and then from there they learn the history, just like with anything else. what a concept.

but there's always going to be people unwelcoming to newcomers i guess. Sad!

I need DC Nuclear Winter Kara Zor El to replace mainline-canon Kara

I need this more seasoned, tougher/older Kara to replace the cheerleader, vanilla supertoken cosplayer.

NW Kara looks like see’s seen shit, done things, been there, experienced. And she has her own life now with this little one.

So sick of looking at this: 

Just eye candy, glorified Superman cosplayer with no impact or real relevance (Correction: She’s had impact but usually when she fucking died lol), when most of the Robins have more going for them in terms of storytelling intrigue than Supergirl, there’s a problem.. 

Cause every time she dies an honorable death or a good idea or concept is introduced for her (Red Lanter/Daughter of Darkseid), DC just keeps bringing her back to square ‘BLAND’ one.

Fact is, she needs to stop riding Superman’s coattails & do something else.

Become a plumber, something, anything. jfc.

OR like when the Viltrumies infiltrated Earth to live normal lives per the Thragg/Mark/Nolan truce

Have her raise her child with a spouse (male/female) out in Norway or something, she’s a First Responder and she can take care of situations/dangers with her powers when they show up, very lowkey.

She doesn’t want to be a costumed “superhero”, but wants to help. Then when big Crisis events happen, she gets involved in Kryptonian Ceremonial garment.

Or do everything i said.... just on ANOTHER PLANET- where a full-blooded Kryptonian would be needed. 

That’s different enough from Clark to where she can do hero stuff, live a life, and it’s not her wearing his colors just for the sake of it. Like she’s following the trend or something.

Superboy Conner, clone of Lex & Kal, serious identity crisis story. 

Young Justice Superboy, a lot more mortality, acceptance of self, also anger issues, & other lessons learned with this version of Conner.

Then Clark Kent (Prime) who was such an unstable mess, killed so many, while believing he was the hero. Dude was menace.

Eventually ended up getting his shit together and saving everyone, multiverse scale.

SERIOUS fall from grace/redemption story.

In terms of Superman Lore: SUPERBOY PRIME is how you do a knock-off Supertoken- right.

I’m going to commit to skimming through her recent arcs to see if there’s anything worth reading (Supergirl Rebirth #1 was underwhelming) DC REALLY needs to venture out their comfort zone & canonize something different for Kara. 

Red Hood is proof that a spinoff character doesn’t have to coattail ride the original template; She doesn’t need to pull a “Supergirl being SUPER” & basically be Clark.

Let her be something of her own, and what that is doesn’t have to be entirely nice or appealing, which is where her staying power is, just a cutesy female superman. RULE 63 Gimmick appeal

Guarantee you, as soon they do that, she’ll evolve beyond that surface level appeal and will blow up & actually have a stake in the DC Universe beyond being token female superman and being present in Crisis events.

Otherwise she’ll remain in the hamster wheel cycle of being a non-factor, side attraction.

I’ve read some of the Danvers matrix arc back in the day, weird but i appreciate the attempt BACK then to do something different. Wouldn’t mind if they brought her back.

Read some New52 Supergirl, bought the #1 day 1 it dropped back in 2011, hated her goddamn suit. Really liked her anger issues/flaws, & how that tied into Red Lantern but ofc that didn’t last.

The Batman/Superman debut for her introduced the Darkseid thing ofc not only did that not go anywhere but they killed her, as she died saving Superman, Superman’s alone again, which is his part of tragedy, good. 

She died honorably.............

....then she came back anyway, lmfao.

Hell i prefer Caitlin Fairchild over Supergirl

Smart as shit brawler, on the shy side, yet ironically the bonified LEADER of her team because she knows what she’s doing. 

Not a knockoff of anyone, the one & only Fairchild of Gen13.

Nuclear Winter, as simple as it was is worthy of being canon. I want an animated short for this, the works.

KARA In-Ze is in fact THE BEST Kara take in post 2000 just by not being Kal’s miracle Fanfic cousin, but NW Kara is close 2nd because of how off-brand she looks. And the actual story, like Mad Max but Older Kara..

One of the most interesting Kara’s for me in years and all they did was get rid of the midriff & skirt, the girl next door appeal, allow her to grow up and adopt a child; Now she has a real, tangible responsibility.

Something of her own. And that is something they did right vs the DCAU where she just got gaga eyes for Brainiac all of sudden.

DCAU did right by divorcing her from the EL House ( only because DC wouldn’t let Timm use Kara Zor-El, thankfully) and Nuclear Winter did right (by her responsibility not being a love interest) 

Not that a partner isn’t a good stake (I’ve suggested Kara having a family myself many times) but the way NW did it? Better than my own pitch ngl.

simple things.

Costume change

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/X8FMhP2

by GirlWhoWritesForFun

Prompt: Barry and Iris meet at a comic con where she is there reporting on the hero panel and the flash happens to be on it. Hte Flash (Barry) literally isn't able to answer a single question cause he's starstruck (knowing her from her reports on him). Later he is walking around no longer in flash costume and Iris bumps into him. She gets all flustered cause she thinks he is the cutest guy she has ever seen.

I've done some changes to the concept but overall it's just a fluffy fluff meet cute lol.

Words: 2193, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: The Flash (TV 2014)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Barry Allen, Iris West, Cisco Ramon, Ryan Wilder, Sophie Moore (mentioned), Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), Sara Lance, Clark Kent, Lois Lane (mentioned), Kara Danvers, Ray Palmer (mentioned), Bruce Wayne (Mentioned), Selina Kyle (mentioned), Caitlin Snow (mentioned), Killer Frost (Mentioned), luke Fox (Mentioned)

Relationships: Barry Allen/Iris West, Sophie Moore/Ryan Wilder (mentioned), Clark Kent/Lois Lane (mentioned), Bruce Wayne/Selina Kyle (mentioned)

Additional Tags: Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Meet-Cute, First Meetings, Barry Allen is The Flash, Journalist Iris West, too cute for words, Comic-Con

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/X8FMhP2

April 16, 2024

Washington Post Hikers kept climbing Hawaii's 'Stairway to Heaven.' Now it'll be removed. (Editor's Note: Given the state of things in the world, the 'Stairway to Heaven' is quite possibly being replaced by a 'Highway to Hell.')

CNN US expects 'limited scope' Israeli response against Iran, sources say (Editor's Note: Yes, I'm sure the administration feels reassured, given the 'limited scope' response Israel has shown in Gaza.)

CNN Colorado funeral home owners accused of mishandling 190 bodies charged with Covid-19 relief loan fraud, officials say (Editor's Note: This is a very curious headline. Were the funeral home owners accused of Covid-19 fraud? What did they do, prop the bodies up in the office and say they were employees? Or was it the 190 deceased people that were charged with relief loan fraud, and if so, isn't that trial going to be a real snoozer?)

Washington Post Could you be an impartial juror on Donald Trump's trial (Editor's Note: Not on the guilt/innocence phase. But if I tried extremely hard, I think I could be impartial on the capital punishment phase.)

Washington Post What colors fit you best? These apps help you decide your season (Editor's Note: We need apps to tell us what season it is now? What are we teaching kids in school these days anyway?)

NY Times After Decades of Delay, U.S. Will Limit Deadly Mine Dust (Editor's Note: Ordinary mine dust will still be allowed.)

NY Times Biden heads to Pennsylvania to Talk Taxes and Hit Trump (Editor's Note: Someone please tell the president that Trump is in New York right now. Although he has a very effective left jab, Biden's reach isn't long enough to cross state lines.)

NY Times The N.B.A. Postseason Is Beginning. Here's What to Know. (Editor's Note: The most important thing to know is that it will be over sometime in mid-June, so no reason to stress about it for a while.)

NY Times Caitlin Clark and the Best-Dressed Stars at the W.N.B.A. Draft (Editor's Note: Really, NY Times? What's the implication here, that Caitlin Clark wasn't best-dressed, or that the other "star" draftees don't deserve to be mentioned by name?)

NY Times A 3-Ingredient Roasted Cauliflower Soup That Is Practical Magic (Editor's Note: Personally, I think practicality kind of ruins the entire concept of magic.)

NY Times Compostable Bags for Food Scraps May Do More Harm Than Good (Editor's Note: As they say, no good deed goes unpunished. Thanks for that cheery story, NYT.)

CNN Mussolini's wartime bunker opens to the public in Rome (Editor's Note: If this doesn't work out, they can always convert it to an AirBnB for those seeking to avoid Rome's tourist rat race.)

CNN Courtney Love thinks Taylor Swift is 'not important' and has some thoughts about Beyoncé Lana Del Rey and Madonna, too (Editor's Note: A perfectly acceptable alternative headline would have been "Courtney Love is really, really desperate for attention.")

7, 8, 45 💜

7. What kind of common romance tropes do you enjoy and what kind do you dislike?

Hmm I’m pretty easy to please, so for enjoy it really could be nearly any of them in the right hands. I guess I do particularly love in m/f romance when the guy is just a huge simp for the girl just right off the bat.

As for dislike I hate a lazy breakup-makeup, I’ve come to accept that the concept is just a necessary staple of the romance genre, but too often it feels like a box the author has to check off rather than a realistic progression of the story based on issues that haven’t already been set up by the rest of the story.

8. Favorite queer fiction book(s).

Alison Cochrun’s books, Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett, the Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling, the Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson, Bleeding Earth by Kaitlin Ward, and the Scapegracers by HA Clarke

45. What book(s) would you sell your soul to get a TV or movie adaptation of?

I frequently think about that Raven Cycle Syfy series that never came to fruition. Having seen the Magicians and other Syfy series it probably would’ve been a hot mess, but also a hell of a lot of fun.

Send me book worm asks!

Costume change

by GirlWhoWritesForFun

Prompt: Barry and Iris meet at a comic con where she is there reporting on the hero panel and the flash happens to be on it. Hte Flash (Barry) literally isn't able to answer a single question cause he's starstruck (knowing her from her reports on him). Later he is walking around no longer in flash costume and Iris bumps into him. She gets all flustered cause she thinks he is the cutest guy she has ever seen.

I've done some changes to the concept but overall it's just a fluffy fluff meet cute lol.

Words: 2193, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: The Flash (TV 2014)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Barry Allen, Iris West, Cisco Ramon, Ryan Wilder, Sophie Moore (mentioned), Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), Sara Lance, Clark Kent, Lois Lane (mentioned), Kara Danvers, Ray Palmer (mentioned), Bruce Wayne (Mentioned), Selina Kyle (mentioned), Caitlin Snow (mentioned), Killer Frost (Mentioned), luke Fox (Mentioned)

Relationships: Barry Allen/Iris West, Sophie Moore/Ryan Wilder (mentioned), Clark Kent/Lois Lane (mentioned), Bruce Wayne/Selina Kyle (mentioned)

Additional Tags: Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Meet-Cute, First Meetings, Barry Allen is The Flash, Journalist Iris West, too cute for words, Comic-Con

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/40942986

Lost Classics #21

DRAGONSLAYER

Dir. MATTHEW ROBBINS; Wri. HAL BARWOOD & MATTHEW ROBBINS; Music. ALEX NORTH; Starring. PETER MacNICOL, CAITLIN CLARKE, RALPH RICHARDSON, JOHN HALLAM, PETER EYRE, SYDNEY BROMLEY, CHLOE SALAMAN, EMRYS JAMES, IAN McDIARMID; R.T. 109 mins; 1981, USA

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: In the dark, superstitious pre-Christian Saxon Britain of the early 6th Century, the kingdom of Urland has cowered under the tyrannical threat of an aged dragon, Vermithrax Pejorative, for decades, appeasing its wrath with bi-annual sacrifices of virgin girls chosen by state lottery.  Desperate to end their suffering, a small delegation of commoners, led by brave, outspoken youth Valerian (Clarke) – a girl masquerading as a boy to avoid a gruesome, fiery fate – seek out the aid of venerable wizard Ulrich of Craggenmoor (Richardson) and his apprentice Galen Bradwarden (MacNicol) in ridding the land of the dragon with magic, but they’ll also have to contend with Urland’s cynical ruler, King Casiodorus (Eyre), and his brutal enforcer Tyrian (Hallam).

WHY IT’S LOST: These days, especially in the wake of the immensely popular Pirates of the Caribbean films, the concept of a darker, more grown up fantasy adventure film is no great shakes for Disney, but back in 1981 this was the most mature film the studio had ever produced, and its violence, decidedly adult themes and even a brief moment of nudity provoked considerable controversy with audiences expecting more family-friendly fare.  As a result it significantly underperformed on release, seeming to die a death until its resurrection and eventual salvation on home video, becoming a major cult film in subsequent years.  Some believe its initial downfall was what led to Disney’s creation of sister studio Touchstone Pictures in 1984 for more mature films, which makes you wonder if this would have fared differently if it had come along just a three years later …

WHY YOU SHOULD DISCOVER IT:  No matter how it fared, you can’t deny it’s a good thing time told on this film, because it’s a CORKER.  It marks the directorial debut of screenwriter Matthew Robbins (a respected contemporary of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg) – he went on to direct another initially overlooked Disney cult classic, Batteries Not Included, although these days he’s probably best known for his collaborations with Guillermo Del Toro (Mimic, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Crimson Peak) – and is most famous for its near-revolutionary pioneering visual effects work by Phil Tippet, who built on initial experiments into the “go motion” technique developed from classic stop motion during his work on The Empire Strikes Back (and which subsequently gained far greater attention on Return of the Jedi) to bring the film’s most important character to life – Vermithrax itself, who (quite rightly) went on to become one of the most popular and beloved screen dragons of all time (it’s certainly MY personal fave). It’s a truly spectacular movie monster that STILL stands up incredibly well today, but it’s more than just a gimmick – there’s a living, breathing VILLAIN under the effects work, Tippet and co (alongside a similarly skilled animatronics crew led by sculptor/operator Chris Walas) managing to instil true hate and predatory fury into the beast, while Robbins’ decision to drip-feed us glimpses while teasing its ultimate reveal is a smooth move comparable to the elusive nature of the shark in Jaws, lending genuine, skin-crawling tension to a series of nightmarish sequences before the spectacular underground confrontation and climactic showdown.  It’s not just the dragon that makes the film shine, though – Robbins and co-writer Hal Barwood created a powerful, thrilling dark fairytale adventure complimented by a healthy and very welcome dose of believability, from the (largely) down-to-earth handling of the subject of magic to selection of all-too-real human “villains” and relatable, fallible everyman heroes, while the Dark Ages Saxon environment was realised with great skill and strong attention to detail.  There’s a wide array of awesome performances on offer throughout, with sterling support from Peter Eyre as a snobbish, vain and cowardly paper-tiger of a king, Star Wars’ John Hallam crafting one of my favourite screen villains as a sociopathic killer who dresses up his sadistic actions as being for “the greater good”, and a typically phenomenal turn from the mighty Ralph Richardson; the film is dominated, however, by its two brilliant leads.  Peter MacNicol of course went on to bigger, brighter things (not least a star-making role in Ally McBeal) after portraying Galen as an ambitious, wilful and inexperienced boy who becomes a man through a truly terrible trial by (literal) fire, but it’s a criminal shame that this is just about the only screen appearance from stage actress Caitlin Clarke – she was truly exceptional as Valerian, investing her with enough fire, guts and shrewd intelligence that I’ll always consider her one of the all-time great heroines of cinema.  Capped off with a thunderously epic score from 2001: A Space Odyssey composer Alex North (which even utilised themes rejected from Kubrick’s film), this is one of my very favourite fantasy movies EVER (BARELY missing out on my Top 10), just about my favourite movie to EVER come out of Disney, and DEFINITELY one of the top movies on my list of criminally underappreciated masterpieces of cinema.  It’s genuinely, undeniably, incomparably awesome.

Spoken For - CC

Pairing: Caitlin Clark x Reader

Summary: You and Caitlin may be a little too discreet when it comes to your relationship - Based on THIS request

Warnings: hidden relationship, slight angst

Word Count: 3.7k

Challenge Me (Spoken For Part 2)

Sweetbans Masterlist

AN: GAH this is such a cute idea - I hope you all enjoy! Let me know what you think in the comments.

You met Caitlin in middle school. Both of you played club basketball and were always at the same tournaments. Your teams faced off pretty often and you got to know how she played. It made it even more interesting when your coach had you guard her frequently - learning how she was almost unstoppable. The two of you talked here and there, mostly about basketball whenever you did see each other and were in a space where conversation was required.

It wasn't until eighth grade that things sort of took a turn. It was at a tournament that both of your teams had to travel to. When you got there, your team went to watch Caitlin's play - seeing how they were doing before you had to take them on yourselves.

While you were watching them - you noticed Caitlin looking over at you semi-frequently. At first, you thought nothing of it, but as she kept doing it you started to give her little nods. When the game ended and they were dismissed for a rest break, you saw her walk up in your direction.

"Hey CC," you say as you greet her.

She comes up and gives you a half hug - something that wasn’t super common for the two of you.

“You ready to go down?” She says with a little smirk and gets up in your space.

“In your dreams,” you say with a laugh and give her shoulder a little push. “I think the question is, can you put up with losing to me again?” You say as you stare her down - not willing to be the first to step down from a verbal smackdown.

The last time your two teams went up against each other it was absolute carnage. There were times when both of your coaches had to pull you from the game to not get ejected by the refs. Each of your coaches knows how competitive each of you is - knowing losing is not an option. But to you and Caitlin, it was genuinely all fun. It was rare to have someone be as competitive as the two of you and when you face off - it is one of the most captivating games to watch.

“The only reason your team won last time was because Coach pulled me in the last quarter so he wouldn't lose me for the rest of the tournament. You won't be as lucky this time," she says and you just shake your head with a little laugh. Both of your teams are now moving on to their next destinations. She begins to walk past you but doesn't leave without saying, "Plus, my dreams about you are much different." You question if you heard her right, you look up at her and start to feel the blush creep into your cheeks. She gives you a wink as she follows her team, leaving you there flustered.

The rest of that tournament is filled with stolen glances and a little too-aggressive plays. Nothing to get either of you tossed from the game but enough to keep the two of your bodies close enough to keep the electricity running through your veins. Playing against her this time was different. She never went easy on you but there was a different energy that both of you were aware of. It didn't help that you couldn't get what she said out of your head. Was she just messing around and making a joke or was there more behind what she said?

In your final game against her team, you noticed there was a bigger shift in your relationship with Caitlin. During the second quarter, you got fouled pretty bad by a girl on her team and you fell, getting the wind knocked out of you. It took you a second before you were able to get up - you waved off your coach and really anyone who was trying to help you up. You just needed a second to refill your lungs. Once you were back, Cait pushed her way through your team and was the one who insisted on helping you up once you were ready. She grabbed your hand to help you up and then patted you on the shoulder, making sure you were alright. You give her a nod and the game continues. Throughout the rest of the game, Caitlin would keep brushing your hand. At first, you didn't think much of it as it happens often when you are playing defense. But kept happening. And then it changed. After you have been on her defense and she just put up a three. The crowd cheered and you both headed back, you running to offense and her to defense when you feel it. Your hands touch briefly and when they do, her pinky hooks with yours - only for a second, but long enough to know that it happened.

The two of you started talking outside of seeing each other at tournaments. It began with texting about basketball or sending each other the occasional snap of each of you dying after practice, saying something along the lines of the other going down. Before you knew it, you two were texting or talking every day and some days even all day.

You found out that the two of you had a lot in common outside of basketball. Granted, a lot of the time you talked, it was about basketball.

It was a few weeks before summer that the two of you found out you would be going to the same high school, meaning you would be playing on the same team for the first time in either of your basketball careers. It was exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time.

During your high school years, you grow close to Caitlin. The two of you become best friends on the first day of freshman year. It wasn't surprising to you since you spent the better half of the last 6 months talking nonstop. When practices started, the two of you became inseparable. From then on, you did everything together.

It was the summer before sophomore year that you two decided being friends wasn't enough. It happened on a random Tuesday night when you brought up that one tournament that was the starting point of your friendship. Caitlin came clean and told you she had been crushing on you hard since the tournament where you both almost got ejected in the same game. It was a total surprise to you but you would be lying to say you weren't feeling the same way. Except for you, it was the tournament where your hands kept touching.

The two of you established your relationship before heading into sophomore year. You decided it would be best to keep your relationship just between the two of you, not wanting it to interfere with the two of you being on the same team.

It was junior year when both of you were signed to play D1 basketball. Caitlin at the University of Iowa and you at UConn. It was both an exciting time and a sad one. Your schools weren't close at all but you both knew you didn't want to separate when you left - you were it for one another.

It was the winter break of your senior year when the two of you went to the courthouse. Both of your parents were there, along with Caitlin's brothers. It was at Thanksgiving that you told both of your parents you wanted to get married. They tried talking the two of you out of it but neither of you budged. Neither you nor Caitlin had any doubts that this wasn't what you wanted. The two of you knew you wanted to to spend the rest of your lives together - even if that meant being a part for a few years to live out both of your dreams. Even at the courthouse, your parents were still hesitant but they let the two of you get married.

The summer after senior year of high school held some of the best days and hardest days you have ever had. Caitlin and you were finally able to take a mini honeymoon to the East Coast, spending your days on the beach. Shortly after, you were both called off to your respective schools - going back to being competitors on the court instead of teammates. The goodbye was one of the hardest things you have ever had to endure, Caitlin as well.

Before you left, you both decided to keep your marriage just between the two of you. Neither of you wanted/needed the backlash of it going into this next chapter and you both knew the other was there regardless of the distance between you.

Starting college was a pretty easy transition for both of you - the hardest part was being away from one another. You talked daily, usually calling at night or early in the morning. And every break you had was spent at home with one another. Every school break, long weekend, and break in practice had you two visiting one another.

It wasn't until a certain practice that Caitlin started to question if keeping you to herself was going to be possible for much longer.

"Hey Caitlin, I have this friend who has had an eye out for you since the season started." One of her teammates mentions while they are stretching before a practice.

Caitlin laughs and says, "Okay...and?"

"I want to set you guys up on a date. Are you free this Friday?" She asks. The other girls around them encourage Cait to get out there. She has been the only person on the team who hasn't taken any interest in relationships.

"I am not going," Caitlin says. No explanation, no reason. Just a no.

"Why not? It could be really fun! It would benefit you to loosen up a little bit," her teammate says.

Just as Caitlin is about to respond, they are called to start drills.

Practice goes well, and they are feeling good about their upcoming game. The girls make their way to the locker room and are all packing up when the topic is brought up again.

"So...Friday," Cait's teammate brings it back around to get her out of the house on a Friday night.

"What about it?" Cait says with a little laugh.

"Will you go?" She asks. "On the blind date?"

"I am not going on a date on Friday," Caitlin says again. She grabs her bag and is ready to head home for the night to call you. She thinks you will find it quite entertaining that her team is trying to get her to go out.

"Well just think about it and we can revisit the topic tomorrow."

Caitlin states again that she is not going but instead of fighting her teammate on it now, she would rather be at home talking to you.

On her walk home, she calls you.

"Hey babe," you say when you answer your phone, wedging it between your shoulder and your ear. Your hands preoccupied with folding laundry.

"Hi," she says and takes a deep sigh. "I miss you."

"I miss you." You respond and take your phone in your hand again. You are sitting on the floor of your apartment with two piles of laundry taunting you. You sit back, leaning against your couch, and bring your knees up to your chest. "I miss you more than you can imagine. What is it another 3 weeks before we get to see each other?"

"Not soon enough," Caitlin says, chest squeezing a little tighter hearing how much you miss her.

The two of you knew this was going to be hard, but it was so much harder than either of you imagined. Going from being with each other every day of the week to every other month, if you're lucky, has taken a toll on your marriage.

"I have sort of a funny story to tell you," Cait continues, nervous all of the sudden.

"And what is that babe?" You ask, hearing a shift in her tone. You think it is the cutest when she gets nervous around you. She never gets nervous around anyone.

"My teammates are trying to set me up on a date this Friday," she says, not knowing how you are going to react. You are a little shocked but also find it kind of comical. Not that Caitlin wasn't dateable, you knew first hand she was. It was the fact that she never showed any sort of interest in anyone but you.

"Sounds like junior year of high school all over again." You say with a little laugh.

Caitlin's memory takes her back to junior year when the team kept bugging her about turning down Sam Anderson's prom proposal.

"I completely forgot about that! The team wouldn't drop it!" Caitlin says, a smile on her face as she laughs about the old memory.

"Well duh they wouldn't drop it, he was the hottest guy in our class," you say with a little laugh of your own.

"Hey!" She says offended that you just called someone other than her hot.

"Babe, you know I am yours," you say full-on laughing now.

"I can't believe you just called Sam Anderson hot. I will never forget that," Cait says.

"Ya, ya, ya. I am more interested in who they are trying to set you up with on Friday," you say. No jealousy, just pure interest.

"I have no idea," Caitlin says with a little puff. "I just wish people would stay out of my love life, it is doing just fine."

This causes a little sink in your heart. You know everything is fine between the two of you. But the adjustment has you both feeling like a piece of you is missing.

"I know babe, but it is a sweet thing. Your team wants to see you happy and part of that is being with someone." You say, knowing there is nothing you could do to make this any better.

"I am happy! I am happily married! I have all that I need and I don't need anyone digging into that." She says frustrated.

"Hey, Caitlin it's okay baby," you say trying to calm her. "You don't have to go - just tell them that you are busy."

"They are just going to keep pushing, it was brought up three times in 2 hours. They aren't just going to drop it." Caitlin fights back.

"Then tell them you are married!" You say. This wasn't part of the plan but hearing how frustrated Cait was, your firs thought was to screw the plan.

"No, that's not part of the plan. It hasn't even been a full year! We are sticking to the plan and that's final!" Caitlin yells. She doesn't know why she is yelling.

"Then go on the date!" You yell back. Frustration now seeping out of you. You feel a tear make its way down your cheek.

Caitlin doesn't know what to say - never in a million years would she imagine hearing you say to go out with someone. Nobody came close to you in her eyes. That is when she realized how much this was all taking a toll on you. Not just in this instance but when it happened in high school. Whenever someone made a comment about how amazing Caitlin is and how she is going to make so many heads turn. All the talk was always about her and never about you.

"Babe, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so worked up," she says just above a whisper. Caitlin hates that she let this all get to her, so much so that it was her doing that had you sitting on your floor crying.

You sniffle and bring your hand to your head. You don't know what to say. You didn't mean it when you told her she should go on the date, it came out in frustration and you instantly regretted it.

"I know," you choke out. "Hey Cait, I need to go," you say still sniffling. "I need to finish some things before heading to bed."

"No wait, I don't want you to go in this state," she says in a little bit of a panic. "Just stay on the line with me and we can talk about something else - I don't want us to end today like this." It was a little last-ditch plea.

"I'm tired Cait, we can talk tomorrow. I love you," you say, tears streaming down your face.

Caitlin hates this.

"I love you," she says and hears you hang up.

You don't mean to be this curt with Caitlin. You have been under a lot of stress as of late between schoolwork and basketball and not having her with you kept you on constant edge. Talking to her every day has helped but you missed her presence, having her near. The calm that she brought you is one that you haven't felt since both of you went off to uni.

The next day rolls around and Caitlin's teammate texts her about setting her up. Caitlin ignores it and gets going with her day.

The two of you talk that morning - both apologizing for how the conversation the night before went. You both decide to take a quick weekend trip and meet in the middle for the weekend, knowing you both need time with each other, even it if is less than 48 hours.

Just knowing you are going to be in Caitlin's arms soon is enough to give you a push through the week.

Caitlin on the other hand is itching to see you. She begins to count down the hours until she is back with you.

When she arrives to practice, she jumps right in as if it will make time move faster.

During practice, the team takes a quick water break.

"Hey Caitlin, have you thought about Friday?" Her teammate asks. "I told them about you and they are looking forward to getting to know you."

"I told you I am not going," Caitlin says. Not this again. "Plus I am not going to be here this weekend."

"Okay well then Thursday would work," her teammate says clearly not dropping the topic.

"How many times do I have to tell you I am not going?" Caitlin says in disbelief that her team is pushing this so hard.

Another one of her teammates speaks up, "We just want to see you happy, you seem so tense all the time."

"Trust me, I am fine. I'll be better after this weekend," Caitlin says as she thinks about spending it with you.

"Just a few hours, it won't hurt anyone," they continue to pry.

Caitlin gets fed up with them all trying to force this on her when she has made it clear she is not going. Even if they got her to go on this date, she knew they wouldn't stop until she started seeing someone.

It is at this moment that the plan of you two waiting until after college to reveal your marriage flies out the window.

"I am not going on the date because I am not a cheater!" Caitlin practically yells and sits down. Everyone just looks at her with confusion.

Caitlin, with her face in her hands, brings something out from her shirt. It is the chain of her necklace. Everyone knew she wore a necklace but no one knew what was hanging at the end since it was always tucked away in her shirt. She finds the end and pulls out a ring. It is the ring you exchanged in the courtroom that one beautiful winter afternoon.

She takes out the ring and places it on her ring finger, which causes even more confused looks from all of those around her.

"I am not going on that date because I am married," she says and all the girls go crazy. All of them in unbelief of this plot twist their friend and teammate were holding from them.

They pull her up and start pushing her around in excitement that their friend is not only seeing someone but is MARRIED.

"This is actually insane!" One girl says. Caitlin hears things like 'There is no way', 'How has she kept it a secret for this long', and 'When were you married, we are so young'.

The one thing going through Caitlin's mind is how she is going to explain this to you. Her beloved plan - poof, gone just like that.

All the girls are too excited to get back to practice but somehow manage to get through it.

Before she knows it, Caitlin is on a plane heading to Colomub, OH. The two of you planned it so you would arrive within half an hour of each other. Her being the first to arrive.

When she lands, she checks the arrival board and begins to make her way to where your plan gets in. She walks up just as they open the door.

Your plane starts to de-board and you grab your overnight bag. As you make your way off the plane you look at your phone to see if there is any update from Caitlin. You have no notifications from her, just your coach about everyone's home workouts for the weekend.

As you get off the plane you begin to look around to see which way you need to go when you see your favorite person in the world, standing there, waiting for you.

You immediately run up to her and jump into her arms, dropping your bags in the process.

She squeezes you so tightly, that it is hard to breathe. Not that you care.

"Caitlin," you say as you inhale her scent. Missing her was an understatement.

"Hi baby," she says as she finally puts you down. You grab your bag and take her hand. When you look down at your fingers intertwined.

"Babe, you're wearing your ring!" You say in surprise.

"Well, I may or may not have told the team that I have a wife and have been married since high school..." she says hoping there would have been at least some time for them to just be together before she had to tell you that her plan is no longer the plan. She prepares for you to rip her a new one.

When you don't immediately react, she looks over at you.

You just squeeze her hand and lean into her.

"So much for your precious plan," you say with a little laugh as the two of you walk out of the airport.

AN: Thank you for this fun request! Let me know what you think! And as always, thanks for your love and support 🤍

For the week of 13 August 2018

Quick Bits:

Astonishing X-Men Annual #1 is a rather dark tale of reuniting the remaining members of the original five X-Men and the current creature claiming to be Charles Xavier running around as X. Given his attitude in Charles Soule’s run and now in this story penned by Matthew Rosenberg, there still seems to be something very wrong with the once altruistic, peaceful founder of the team. I personally don’t really like this character, but it still leads to a good story from Rosenberg, Travel Foreman, and Jim Charalampidis. 

| Published by Marvel

By Night #3 is another fun issue with a bit of a twist as we follow Heather’s father and Jane’s co-worker instead of the women. The voice John Allison gives to Heather’s father, Chip, is hilarious, the perfect mix of no-nonsense “dad” thought and aimless absurdity.

| Published by Boom Entertainment / Boom! Box

Cable & Deadpool Annual #1 is a very entertaining issue of time-travel nonsense and Deadpool being tricked into a recreation of the plot of Terminator from an obsessive stalker. David F. Walker packs this story with humour, creepy lesson teaching, and a bit of a monologue on the nature of comics storytelling. All nicely illustrated by a rogues gallery of Paco Diaz, Danilo S. Beyruth, Nick Bradshaw, Luke Ross, Marco Rudy, Edgar Salazar, Flaviano, Francesco Manna, Leonard Kirk, Chris Sotomayor, and Jason Keith.

| Published by Marvel

Coda #4 packs the issue with more stunning artwork, from character designs to page layouts and panel transitions, by Matías Bergara (with colour assists from Michael Doig). This series is just a visual treat. It also helps that the story from Bergara and Si Spurrier is equally incredible, taking many of the traditional forms and modes of fantasy literature and turning them into something new. The opening poem outlining the fall of the world and the rise of Sir Hum’s wife is particularly inspired. 

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Coyotes #5 is a welcome return for this series after the trade break, beginning a new story-arc that goes more in depth to the history between the wolves and the grandmothers, as the book’s purpose pivots to the offence. I love the ingenuity of the mythology of this story being built by Sean Lewis and Caitlin Yarsky. Also, like the first four issues, Yarsky’s art is just stunning.

| Published by Image

Crowded #1 is great. The concept of tapping into our current app-driven and crowdfunded world is brilliant, especially as extended to an assassination app in reapr. Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Triona Farrell, and Cardinal Rae seem to have captured magic in a bottle here and the execution is just phenomenal. The characters of Charlie and Vita are instantly relatable, the premise is on fire, and the art is exceptional. I really want to see what Charlie isn’t telling us.

| Published by Image

Ether: Copper Golems #4 is another stunning visual feast from David Rubín. Seriously, he has outdone himself this issue, as he handles the usual fantasy sequences, then changes art styles several times as we get our characters living out some of their fantasies. His work is just stunning. The story that he and Matt Kindt are telling just keeps getting better and better.

| Published by Dark Horse

Extermination #1 begins the next big X-Men event with a bang as past, present, future, and alternate universes collide in this explosive issue. I feel like discussing just about any piece of it is a spoiler, so I’ll just suggest that if you’re at all interested in the original five brought to our time, you need to read this. Ed Brisson, Pepe Larraz, and Marte Gracia present an impressive opening salvo.

| Published by Marvel

Flavor #4 is a bit of a piece-shuffling issue, as Xoo spends a bit of time in jail and we get a couple more hints as to the something that is being done with children. Although we still don’t know what, and a bit of a revelation of Anant’s mother. Joseph Keatinge, Wook Jin Clark, and Tamra Bonvillain continue to work wonders on this series. Highly recommended for all ages. 

| Published by Image

Gideon Falls #6 ups the level of weird in this concluding chapter of the first arc. To say that the implications of that final page are confusing, compelling, and chilling is an understatement, as Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, and Dave Stewart construct one of the oddest instalments of this series yet. A lot of this series has been in building tone and atmosphere, spooky unexplained happenings, and here the story goes full David Lynch. It’s wonderful.

| Published by Image

The Gravediggers Union #9 is the conclusion to what has been an exciting and different take on the occult and elder gods mythology from Wes Craig, Toby Cypress, and Niko Guardia. Fittingly, this end comes down to the family conflict that this arc has revolved around, and it’s a well played out finale. I highly recommend this series.

| Published by Image

Hunt for Wolverine: The Claws of a Killer #4 is probably the least satisfying “conclusion” of these minis so far, giving us a kind of hand-wavy explanation for what they were tracking, no insight into the organization who brought about these zombies while resurrecting family members, and Daken shuffled off to who knows where. Mariko Tamaki successfully captures the tone and atmosphere of many of the original Wolverine series stories laced with action and black ops, but unfortunately also carries on its tradition of obfuscation instead of an enticing mystery. Nice art from Butch Guice, Mack Chater, Cam Smith, and Jordan Boyd, though.

| Published by Marvel

Ice Cream Man #6 is highly inventive, even for a series as highly imaginative already that this one is. Instead of one story, here, W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo, and Chris O’Halloran give us three different flavours to fulfill the “Strange Neapolitan”. It’s a mostly silent issue of three different paths our protagonist can possibly take with each of them presenting their own flavour of horror. This is a really great issue.

| Published by Image

Infinity Wars #2 is pretty damn epic. I know that the pieces will be reshuffled and everything will be put back together more or less as we found it, but hot damn are Gerry Duggan, Mike Deodato Jr., and Frank Martin working overtime to tell a heavy story here. The art is some of the best I’ve ever seen from Deodato and Martin and the stakes have just ratcheted through the roof. I’m loving every moment of this book so far.

| Published by Marvel

The Lost City Explorers #3 is still doling out the tension as the kids continue to try to evade Sagan security on their way to try to find Hel and Homer Coates’ father’s discovery site under New York City. We’re still only get bits and pieces before a revelation of whatever the discovery actually is, but Zack Kaplan, Alvaro Sarraseca, and Dee Cunniffe are still presenting a compelling story.

| Published by AfterShock

Luke Cage #1 is another digital original like Cloak & Dagger and Jessica Jones, and also like the latter series offers two chapters at once, and is really rather good, from Anthony Del Col, Jahnoy Lindsay, and Ian Herring. This sets up an interesting mystery of a strange kind of serial killer, the possibility of Luke suffering from CTE, and the wonderful family dynamic between Luke and his daughter.

| Published by Marvel

The Magic Order #3 continues as a slow burn as Madame Albany and her coterie keep working their way through murdering her family members, all while those family members attempt to track down information on who her assassin is and how to stop him. Mark Millar, Olivier Coipel, and Dave Stewart are crafting a wonderful story here that reminds me a bit of Wanted, but good and about magic.

| Published by Image

Multiple Man #3 takes a particularly dark turn as Matthew Rosenberg, Andy MacDonald, and Tamra Bonvillain toss us into the dark future where an evil Madrox reigns. Of the dark futures where the X-Men stories have taken place, this is probably one of the most twisted, even as Rosenberg peppers it with some nice humour. The throw rug in particular is hilarious.

| Published by Marvel

Ninja-K #10 is a single issue story focusing on Ninja-H and the horrors that soldiers can have to deal with and how they sometimes cope with it. It has some great art from Larry Stroman, Ryan Winn, and Andrew Dalhouse.

| Published by Valiant

Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #308 is probably the best issue of this series since Chip Zdarsky and Michael Walsh’s single issue story of Peter and Jonah hashing it out in issue 6. Zdarsky shows us here that he really excels at getting into the head’s of some of the characters, giving us a good look from their perspective, and humanizing them. He does that here with Flint Marko, the Sandman, and it feels like an interesting transition to something else. It also helps that it’s wonderfully illustrated by Chris Bachalo and his usual team of inkers of Tim Townsend, Al Vey, Wayne Faucher, and John Livesay. This is a great start and I’m excited to see what comes next for this story.

| Published by Marvel

Rumble #6 begins this volume’s second arc and is the other series with glorious David Rubín artwork this week (this one with colours from Dave Stewart). I love this book, with its fun mix of humour and arcane magic and fantasy, and how John Arcudi, originally James Harren, now Rubín have built the characters, the overall story, and the absolutely beautiful artwork.

| Published by Image

Stellar #3 takes an interesting look at the existential price of war and at the notion of “you can never go home again” in this somewhat depressing, but no less entertaining, issue.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Thor #4 is the glorious conclusion to this opening arc sending Thor to Niffleheim to fight Sindr in this leg of the War of the Realms. The artwork from Mike del Mundo is incredible.

| Published by Marvel

Tony Stark: Iron Man #3 builds another largely single issue story into the larger arc, with a beta test of Tony’s new eScape platform. I like how Dan Slott and Valerio Schiti have been approaching this series and building up Stark’s supporting cast, while also progressing the recurring subplot of Bethany Cabe’s subterfuge and X-51′s newfound robot rights activism.

| Published by Marvel

Volition #1 is another interesting debut from AfterShock, this time focusing on a world featuring artificial intelligence that hasn’t sparked an apocalypse, instead adapting and continuing on as just another class within society, fighting to survive and combat prejudice like their human counterparts, as created by Ryan Parrott and Omar Francia. The art is gorgeous and a real driving factor for the story, Francia’s style reminds me a bit of JG Jones and it’s incredible.

| Published by AfterShock

Weapon H #6 continues to be that weird, offbeat comic from Marvel that used to be published in the ‘80s or ‘90s that nobody read, but was actually rather good. Greg Pak has been doing a great job of building up this rather eclectic cast of characters and the art has been wonderful. Here Ario Anindito takes on the art chores with Morry Hollowell and it’s quite nice. His style reminds me a bit of Brian Hurtt mixed with Leinil Yu and it really fits the gritty action of the story.

| Published by Marvel

Weapon X #22 is more irreverent fun with the “new” Weapon X-Force team as they follow the money instead of altruistic reasons for saving people (though their second mission out already sees a reversion to the old remit). It’s a not-so-serious take on what is almost a team entirely composed of villains with a good sense of humour and action from Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente, Yildiray Cinar, and Frank D’Armata. It’s also another good place for some obscure X-mythology insertions and follow-ups in the story. 

| Published by Marvel

The Weatherman #3 continues to keep readers a little off balance with some of the elements in the story, echoing what’s going on with out protagonist, Nathan Bright. Jody LeHeup, Nathan Fox, and Dave Stewart are crafting something here that feels a lot like some of the zanier action strips from 2000 AD and it’s pretty glorious.

| Published by Image

Other Highlights: Analog #5, Babyteeth #12, Cinema Purgatorio #15, Crude #5, Deadpool: Assassin #5, Doctor Strange #4, Edge of Spider-Geddon #1, Evolution #9, Infinity 8 #5, Jeepers Creepers #4, Jim Henson’s Beneath the Dark Crystal #2, Jughead: The Hunger #7, Mage: The Hero Denied #11, Manifest Destiny #36, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #30, Mysticons - Volume 1, Proxima Centauri #3, RuinWorld #2, Sherlock Holmes: The Vanishing Man #4, Spider: School’s Out #6, Star Trek: The Next Generation - Terra Incognita #2, Star Wars: Beckett #1, Star Wars: Poe Dameron #30, Summit #8, TMNT: Bebop & Rocksteady Hit the Road #3, TMNT: Urban Legends #4, Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden #5, The Wicked + The Divine #38, Witchfinder: The Gates of Heaven #4

Recommended Collections: Bettie Page - Volume 2: Model Agent, East of West - Volume 8, Hellboy: The Complete Short Stories - Volume 2, Kill or Be Killed - Volume 4, Old Man Hawkeye - Volume 1: An Eye for an Eye, , Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man - Volume 3: Amazing Fantasy, Rose - Volume 2, Transformers: Lost Light - Volume 3

d. emerson eddy has now been doing this incarnation of weekly round-ups for a year. Has it really been that long?

Uniquely Named

By:Victoria Anderson

How common is the title“Event Planner?” Why not give yourself a new name and do everything an event planner would do and more? Its time to be unique, and try something new. Just like the trends, times are changing and as specialist in this are, we are expected to ahead of them!

Calder Clark is the owner of her business http://calderclark.com/profile/ and identifies as the “Creative Director”  Hailed as the talk of the South by Garden and Gun magazine in 2011, Calder Clark has garnered a loyal national following for her modern spin on classic Southern entertaining. Designing impeccable affairs across the country, Clark spreads the mantra that parties can be relaxed and chic without being trendy. Layering events with bespoke linens, nuanced colors, hand-picked furnishings, and ambient lighting, Calder Clark has become established as the absolute go-to for the perfectly curated party. 

A Tennessee native, Clark has been producing seamless affairs since 1999. After Washington & Lee University, her career launched at Design Cuisine in Washington, DC, where she planned such events as the 2001 Inaugural Luncheon, The Kennedy Center Honors, the Rockefeller-Carnegie wedding, and the annual Bloomberg News/White House Correspondents’ Dinner After-Party. Longing for the low country, Clark hung up her big city lifestyle for Special Events at Charleston Place, where she designed off-property parties throughout the Carolina's. In 2006, CC was launched with great response. Today, Calder Clark plans a limited number of exclusive weddings and events annually, in addition to speaking nationally. Clark calls the Old Village home with her husband, Chaunce—and her proudest accomplishments are her two babies—Campbell and Walton. 

Alongside Calder, is Caitlin Whiteside who is the Director of Operations who studies at Rhodes college, Interior design. “ Caitlin’s background in spatial logistics plus an incredible sense of spot-on traditional styling make her a natural fit for the business of designing boutique affairs with a timeless aesthetic. Her attention to detail and Southern graces draw clients from all over the country to the offices of Calder Clark.”     

As funny as this may sound, there are a lot more unique titles for non profit organizers than there are for paid corporate or social organizers. They generally have a title to do with; manager, supervisor or volunteer. On the contrary, one event planner name that uniquely stood out to me was an organization of event planners. The AIM Group does it all,  https://www.aimgroupinternational.com/about-us/our-team

At AIM Group, we take great pride in being a boutique operation with the HUGE impact!  We specialize in Event Management for all types of event including Meetings, Conferences, Incentives and Holiday Parties or Corporate Parties. We offer a complete service and savings to our client and our goal is to make you look like a STAR!  Collectively we have several decades' experience on our team and our customer service standards are top of the line. We pride ourselves in providing the same personalized and results-oriented service regardless of event size. We make ourselves an extension of you and part of your team to ensure a seamless event from conception through to completion. Our team offers a wide range of activities requiring clear communication, excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

The Serious Work of Quality Dubbing (and specifically, Mirai Nikki/The Future Diary)

So, I must confess this: I prefer my Mirai Nikki as “The Future Diary” - which is to say that I prefer the dubbed English version.

Yes yes I know, I’m a plebeian and a blasphemer. But please, hear me out:

The Future Diary is one of the best examples I’ve seen of a dub. Many people seem to think that translations should be literal, we should never ever remove cultural jokes/references to make them more comprehensible elsewhere, none of the content should change, the exact same voice tone and style should be retained, etc, but I don’t really agree with this. I like the idea of tailoring the product to meet your audience.

And I think it’s safe to say that, no matter how you feel on the subject, Funimation took this project really, really seriously.

1) The amount of effort put into directing the actors so that they can best fit their characters’ mindsets is pretty amazing.

On the audio commentaries of the English dub, you will eventually learn that all of the actors were only told as much as their character would know.

That means that Brina Palencia, who plays Yuno, knew everything that would happen in the show before she started recording the first episode, and the same went for MurMur (Leah Clark) - but NO ONE ELSE knew the show’s overall arc beforehand, because no one else on the series possibly could. (In retrospect, Word of God tells us that Yuno wouldn’t have known everything throughout the show but... I appreciate the effort.)

For example, the actors behind Hinata (Caitlin Glass), Mao (Ashleigh Domangue ), and Akise (Todd Haberkorn)? They were all given the impression that Yuno was the villain and not a protagonist, because that’s how their characters see her - they never were told about or shown any of the last few episodes which reveal the truth until the show was released in full. 

The actresses for Hinata and Mao were never told about any of the Cathedral of Causality segments or given any script pages that included those segments (even for episodes they were in), because their characters never have any exposure to that part of the universe - they only hear about it secondhand, and the director wanted them to portray an air of doubt about some of it in their delivery.

And most hilariously amazing examplel is Josh Grelle, the English voice of Yukiteru “Yuki” Amano, who was told absolutely nothing outside of the scene he was working on at that moment - they would spring each plot revelation on him minutes beforehand, then thrust the microphone at him - because Yuki is always bumbling through this game of death by the seat of his pants, and they wanted Grelle sounding adequately overwhelmed, flustered, and confused.

There is other stuff in the commentaries as well, such as Palencia speaking briefly about having to hit things while screaming in the recording booth in order to handle Yuno violent battle cries effectively. Really, a lot of detail and effort and love went into how these actors were directed.

2) The dubbed show actually improves on the original’s writing and casting in some areas.

“BLASPHEMY!” the purists cry; and again, I ask “Why keep something dumb when everyone knows it’s dumb?”

Two of the biggest complaints of the original is that A) Yuki sounds like a whiny five-year-old when he gets upset - which is very very often - thanks to his high-pitched voice provided by a female actress, and B) Famously, the show contains Yuno saying “Yuki” so repetitively and so many times that it’s an entire joke on the Internet. Funimation responded by giving Yuki an actual male voice actor with a deeper voice, and by replacing about half of Yuno’s “Yuki!” calls with various pet names (”Baby!” “Sweetie!” “Sugar bear!”) to keep her unnervingly fixated, but far FAR less repetitious.

Did I mention how in the original, Yuno is played by a total newcomer to voicework who does most of her dialogue in a monotone (except for the angry/violent parts)? In the dub, Yuno is wildly emotional in all kinds of directions rather than dead inside. I can relate to her more when i need to like her this way; the original version, I feel, is harder to actually sympathize with even when you know she’s technically a protagonist.

For another small example: There’s a joke in a late episode of the original Japanese version that revolves the idea that Minene literally doesn’t know what marriage is or where babies come from (despite being well into adulthood and having lived as a homeless criminal street kid for her whole life). In other words: It’s a joke that is completely impossible. This is so fucking stupid that Funimation rewrote the dialogue to remove the impossibility of such a concept, changing the joke to be something that’s still funny, but actually believable: She just finds the ideas of marriage and parenting so inherently outside of her criminal lifestyle comfort zone that she is terrified of them.

I guess everyone has to decide how they want to watch any given show, and I often see a lot of blanket “the dub is awful” claims any time that any company tries to localize a show beyond just pasting the dialogue into Google Translate... but come on. A lot of thought and passion goes into stuff like that. You may not like it, but you can’t say that they’re not making these choices for a reason.

Rape Culture Readings

Abdullah-Khan, Noreen. Male Rape: The Emergence of a Social and Legal Issue (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008). Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Ballantine, 1969). Armstrong, Elizabeth A., Laura Hamilton, and Brian Sweeney, “Sexual Assault on Campus: A Multilevel, Integrative Approach to Party Rape,” Social Problems, vol. 53, no. 4 (2006), pp. 483–99. Azoulay, Ariella. “Has Anyone Ever Seen a Photograph of a Rape?” in The Civil Contract of Photography (MIT Press, 2008) Bederman, Gail. Manliness and Civilization: A Cultural History of Gender and Race in the United States, 1880–1917 (University of Chicago Press, 1995). Bevacqua, Maria. Rape on the Public Agenda: Feminism and the Politics of Sexual Assault (Northeastern University Press, 2000). Block, Sharon. Rape and Sexual Power in Early America (University of North Carolina Press, 2006). Boswell, A. Ayres and Joan Z. Spade, “Fraternities and Collegiate Rape Culture: Why Are Some Fraternities More Dangerous Places for Women?” Gender & Society, vol. 10, no.2 (1996), pp. 133–47. Brison, Susan. Aftermath: Violence and the Remaking of a Self (Princeton University Press, 2003). Brownmiller, Susan. Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape (Simon & Schuster, 1975). Buchwald, Emilie, Pamela Fletcher, and Martha Roth, eds., Transforming a Rape Culture (Milkweed, 2005). Bumiller, Kristin. In an Abusive State: How Neoliberalism Appropriated the Feminist Movement against Sexual Violence (Duke University Press, 2008). Burstyn, Varda. The Rites of Men: Manhood, Politics, and the Culture of Sport (University of Toronto Press, 1999). Butler, Judith. Frames of War: When Is Life Grievable? (Verso, 2016). Campbell, Kirsten. “Legal Memories: Sexual Assault, Memory, and International Humanitarian Law,” in Signs, vol. 28, no. 1 (2002), pp. 149–78. Cappiello, Katie and Meg McInerney, eds., SLUT: A Play and Guidebook for Combating Sexism and Sexual Violence (Feminist Press, 2015). Celis, William. “Date Rape And a List At Brown,” The New York Times, November 18, 1990. Clark, Annie and Andrea Pino, We Believe You: Survivors of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out (Holt Macmillan, 2016). Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the World and Me (Spiegel & Grau, 2015). Connell, R. W. Masculinities, 2nd ed. (University of California Press, 2005). Crenshaw, Kimberle. “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color,” Stanford Law Review, vol. 43, no. 6 (July 1991). Critical Resistance and Incite!, “Statement on Gender Violence and the Prison Industrial Complex,” in The Color of Violence: INCITE! Anthology (Duke University Press, 2016). Davis, Angela. “We Do Not Consent: Violence Against Women in a Racist Society,” in Women, Culture, and Politics (Vintage, 1990); “Rape, Racism, and the Myth of the Black Rapist,” in Women, Race, and Class (Vintage, 1983). Deer, Sarah. “What She Say, It Be Law” in The Beginning and End of Rape (University of Minnesota Press, 2015). Dick, Kirby and Amy Ziering, The Hunting Ground: The Inside Story of Sexual Assault on American College Campuses (Skyhorse, 2016). Dworkin, Andrea. Intercourse: Occupation/Collaboration (Free Press, 1987). Enloe, Cynthia. “Wielding Masculinity inside Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo,” in Globalization and Militarism: Feminists Make the Link (Rowman and Littlefield, 2016). Estes, Steve. I Am a Man! Race, Manhood, and the Civil Rights Movement (University of North Carolina Press, 2005). Estrich, Susan. Real Rape (Harvard University Press, 1987). Factora-Borchers, Lisa ed., Dear Sister: Letters from Survivors of Sexual Violence (AK Press, 2014). Falcon, Sylvanna. “Rape as a Weapon of War: Militarized Border Rape at the U.S.-Mexico Border,” in Women and Migration in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands: A Reader, edited by Denise A. Segura and Patricia Zavella (Duke University Press, 2007). Feimster, Crystal. Southern Horrors: Women and the Politics of Rape and Lynching (Harvard University Press, 2011). Filipovic, Jill “The Conservative Gender Norms That Perpetuate Rape Culture, And How We Can Fight Back” in Yes Means Yes (2008) Flanagan, Caitlin “The Dark Power of Fraternities,” The Atlantic, March 2014. Freedman, Estelle. Redefining Rape: Sexual Violence in the Era of Suffrage and Segregation (Harvard University Press, 2013). Friedman, Jaclyn and Jessica Valenti, Yes Means Yes!: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape (Seal Press, 2008). Funk, Rus Ervin. “Queer Men and Sexual Assault: What Being Raped Says about Being a Man,” in Gendered Outcasts and Sexual Outlaws: Sexual Oppression and Gender Hierarchies in Queer Men’s Lives, edited by Chris Kendall and Wayne Martino (Harrington Park Press, 2006). Gay, Roxane. “Peculiar Benefits,” The Rumpus, May 16, 2012. Gilmore, David. Manhood in the Making: Cultural Concepts of Masculinity (Yale University Press, 1991). Goldin, Nan. The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1989); Nan One Month After Being Battered (color photograph, 1984) Gottschalk, Marie. “Not the Usual Suspects: Feminists, Women’s Groups, and the Anti-Rape Movement,” in The Prison and the Gallows: The Politics of Mass Incarceration in America (Cambridge University Press, 2006). Griffin, Susan. “Rape: The All-American Crime,” Ramparts Magazine, September 1971. Halley, Janet. “The Move to Affirmative Consent,” Signs: Journal of Women and Culture (2015). Harding, Kate. Asking for It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture—and What We Can Do about It (Da Capo, 2015). Harding, Kate. Asking For It (De Capo Press, 2015). Hartman, Saidiya. “Seduction and the Ruses of Power” in Scenes of Subjection: Terror, Slavery, and Self-Making in Nineteenth-Century America (Oxford University Press, 1997). Hasday, Jill Elaine. “Contest and Consent: A Legal History of Marital Rape,” California Law Review, vol. 88, no. 5 (2000). Hesford, Wendy. “Witnessing Rape Warfare: Suspending the Spectacle,” in Spectacular Rhetorics: Human Rights Visions, Recognitions, Feminisms (Duke University Press, 2011). hooks, bell. “Understanding Patriarchy.” Jarvis, Christina. The Male Body at War: American Masculinity during World War II (Northern Illinois University Press, 2003). Jones, Gayl. Corregidora (Beacon, 1987). Kahlo, Frida. A Few Small Nips (painting, 1935) Kimmel, Michael. Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era (Nation Books, 2015). Kimmel, Michael and Abby Ferber, eds., Privilege: A Reader (Westview Press, 2016). Kimmel, Michael Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men (Harper Perennial, 2009). Kollwitz, Käthe. Raped (etching, 1907) Krakauer, Jon. Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town (Anchor, 2015). Law, Victoria. “Sick of the Abuse: Feminist Responses to Sexual Assault, Battering, and Self-Defense,” in The Hidden 1970s: Histories of Radicalism, edited by Dan Berger (Rutgers University Press, 2010). Leo, Jana. Rape New York (Feminist Press, 2011). Levy, DeAndry. “Man Up,” The Players’ Tribune, April 27, 2016. Luibheid, Eithne. “Rape, Asylum, and the U.S. Border Patrol,” Entry Denied: Controlling Sexuality at the Border (University of Minnesota Press, 2002). Luther, Jessica. Unsportsmanlike Conduct: College Football and the Politics of Rape (Akashic, 2016). MacKinnon, Catherine. “A Rally Against Rape,” in Feminism Unmodified: Discourses on Life and Law (Harvard University Press, 1988); “Rape: On Coercion and Consent,” in Toward a Feminist Theory of the State (Harvard University Press, 1991). Marcus, Sharon. “Fighting Bodies, Fighting Words: A Theory and Politics of Rape Prevention,” in Feminists Theorize the Political, edited by Judith Butler and Joan W. Scott (Routledge, 1992). Mardorossian, Carine M. Framing the Rape Victim: Gender and Agency Reconsidered (Rutgers University Press, 2014). McGuire, Danielle. At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance—A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power (Vintage Books, 2011). McIntosh, Peggy. “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” Meyer, Doug. “Gendered Views of Sexual Assault, Physical Violence, and Verbal Abuse,” in Violence against Queer People: Race, Class, Gender, and the Persistence of Anti-LGBT Discrimination (Rutgers University Press, 2015). Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye (Vintage, 1970). Morrison, Toni ed., Race-ing Justice, En-Gendering Power: Essays on Anita Hill, Clarence Thomas, and the Construction of Social Reality (Pantheon, 1992). November, Juliet. “It Takes Ass to Whip Ass: Understanding and Confronting Violence Against Sex Workers: A Roundtable Discussion with Miss Major, Mariko Passion, and Jessica Yee,” in The Revolution Starts at Home: Confronting Intimate Violence Within Activist Communities, edited by Ching-In Chen, Jai Dulani, and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (AK Press, 2016). Pascoe, C.J. and Jocelyn A. Hollander, “Good Guys Don’t Rape: Gender, Domination, and Mobilizing Rape,” Gender & Society, vol. 30, no. 1 (2016), pp. 67–79. Pascoe, C.J. and Tristan Bridges, eds., Exploring Masculinities: Identity, Inequality, Continuity and Change (Oxford University Press, 2015). Patterson, Jennifer ed., Queering Sexual Violence: Radical Voices from Within the Anti-Violence Movement (Riverdale Ave Books, 2016). Peek, Christine. “Breaking out of the Prison Hierarchy: Transgender Prisoners, Rape, and the Eighth Amendment,” Santa Clara Law Review, vol. 44, no. 4 (2004). Prickett, Sarah Nicole. “Your Friends And Rapists,” December 16, 2013. Puar, Jasbir. “Abu Ghraib and U.S. Sexual Exceptionalism,” in Terrorist Assemblages: Homonationalism in Queer Times (Duke University Press, 2007). Reeves Sanday, Peggy. Fraternity Gang Rape: Sex, Brotherhood, and Privilege on Campus (NYU Press, 2007). Richie,Beth E. Arrested Justice: Black Women, Violence, and America’s Prison Nation (Duke University Press, 2012). Ristock, Janice L. Intimate Partner Violence in LGBTQ Lives (Routledge, 2011). Ritchie, Andrea. “Law Enforcement Violence against Women of Color,” in The Color of Violence: INCITE! Anthology (Duke University Press, 2016). Roberts, Mary Louise. What Soldiers Do: Sex and the American GI in World War II France (University of Chicago Press, 2013). Rumney, Philip “Gay Male Rape Victims: Law Enforcement, Social Attitudes and Barriers to Recognition,” International Journal of Human Rights, vol. 13, nos. 2–3 (2009). Russell, Diane. Rape in Marriage (Macmillan, 1982). Sapphire, Push (Knopf, 1996). Scully, Diana and Joseph Marolla, “‘Riding the Bull at Gilley’s’: Convicted Rapists Describe the Rewards of Rape,” Social Problems, vol. 32, no. 3 (1985), pp. 251–63. Sebold, Alice. Lucky: A Memoir (Back Bay, 2002). Simmons, Aishah Shahidah. “NO! The Rape Documentary” (film, 2006). Simmons, Aishah Shahidah and Farah Tanis, “Better off Dead: Black Women Speak to the United Nations CERD Committee,” The Feminist Wire, September 5, 2014. Stone, Lucy. “Crimes Against Women,” Women’s Journal, June 16, 1877; “Pardoning the Crime of Rape,” Woman’s Journal, May 25, 1878. Sulkowicz, Emma. Self-Portrait (performance, 2016); see also Conversation: Emma Sulkowicz and Karen Finley (YouTube video, 2016) Sussman, Eve. The Rape of the Sabine Women (video-musical, 2007); Giambologna, The Rape of the Sabine Women (marble sculpture, 1583) Syrett, Nicholas L. The Company He Keeps: A History of White College Fraternities (University of North Carolina Press, 2009). Taylor, Keeanga-Yamahtta. From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation (Haymarket, 2016). The Chrysalis Collective, “Beautiful, Difficult, Powerful: Ending Sexual Assault Through Transformative Justice,” in The Revolution Starts at Home: Confronting Intimate Violence Within Activist Communities, edited by Ching-In Chen, Jai Dulani, and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (AK Press, 2016). The Hunting Ground (film, 2015). Thuma, Emily. “Lessons in Self-Defense: Gender Violence, Racial Criminalization, and Anticarceral Feminism,” WSQ: Women’s Studies Quarterly, vol. 43, nos. 3–4 (fall/winter 2015). Tracy, Carol E. et al., “Rape and Sexual Assault in the Legal System,” Women’s Law Project (2012). Traister, Rebecca. “The Game Is Rigged,” New York Magazine, November 2, 2015. Van Syckle, Katie. “Hooking Up Is Easy To Do,” New York Magazine, October 18, 2015. Walker, Kara. My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love (exhibition, 2007) Wells, Ida B. “ Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases” (1892), “A Red Record” (1895), “Mob Rule in New Orleans” (1900). White, Janelle. “Our Silence Will Not Protect Us: Black Women’s Experiences Mobilizing to Confront Sexual Domestic Violence,” in The Color of Violence: INCITE! Anthology (Duke University Press, 2016). Williams, Sue. Irresistible (sculpture, 1992) Zirin, Dave. “How Jock Culture Supports Rape Culture, From Maryville to Steubenville,” The Nation, October 25, 2013. Zirin, Dave. “Jameis Winston’s Peculiar Kind of Privilege,” The Nation, December 5, 2014. Zirin, Dave. “Steubenville and Challenging Rape Culture in Sports,” The Nation, March 13, 2013. “In the Shadows: Sexual Violence in U.S. Detention Facilities; A Shadow Report to the U.N. Committee Against Torture” (2006).

My Theory On Who Savitar Could Be, Or Who I Think It Should Be

After watching tonight's episode a second time around, reading other people’s comments and scrolling through theories. I thought I’d write up my own theory on who it could be or who I think it should be.

I read one comment that I found to be quite interesting and from there that’s where my theory came about. One person pointed out whether or not Savitar was saying “I’m the future Flash” or “I’m the future, Flash”. Now thinking about this further really makes me wonder if The Flash would ever make Barry Allen a bad guy? Now I’m not saying that future Barry is Savitar. However I find it very interesting if Savitar ended up being one version of Barry.

It all comes down to the classic story of Superman and Doom’s Day. One of them had a happy childhood, while the other had a terrible one. And what I learned while watching Smallville, is that Clark Kent could have easier ended up like Doom’s Day and vice versa. So why not take that similar concept and show us what Barry would have turned into if he wasn’t raised by Joe, had friends like Cisco and Calitin or found love?

Now I know a lot would say Barry would never do anything to hurt Iris, and yes Earth 1, Earth 2 and Flashpoint Barry wouldn’t. But what if this version of Barry never meet Iris? What if he has no emotional connection to her whatsoever?. It’ll explain why Iris West-Allen isn’t the name on the 2024 newspaper anymore.

Another reason why I think Savitar being one version of Barry could be an interesting idea is because of something that Savitar said. The first time Julian let’s Savitar “control” him, he turns to Barry and says. “Barry you've had to suffer more than anyone. You have endured pain all your life, your mother, your father. Trust me you'll never get over this”. The way Savitar said the last line, the way he smirked while saying it, makes it that much more interesting if it was indeed Barry. I mean imagine the emotional impact Barry would feel if he found out that a different version of himself, could ever hurt the people he loves?

One more reason why I feel like this would be a good twist is because Savitar keeps going on and on about a “god complex”. And I think that’s a important clue because what if this version of Barry resents the way present Barry is using his powers?. He targeted Cisco for being “small” and not using his vibe abilities to the full extent. So what if this version of Barry didn’t have speed and saw himself with powers and hated the way they were being used?. That’s why he mentioned “I created myself”, and why he loves quoting myths and keeps referring to himself as a god.

We have seen alter ego’s of Cisco and Caitlin. So why not show us an alter ego of Barry? Show us what Barry could have turned into? What he very well may turn into if he keeps letting fear dictate how he acts?. Personally, I would love to see another version of Barry as Savitar. It’ll create such an interesting dynamic within Barry’s character as well as the team.