Justice League: Snyder Can't Save The World Alone

***NO SPOILERS FOR JUSTICE LEAGUE, BUT SPOILERS FOR PREVIOUS DCEU FILMS ABOUND HEREIN. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.***

Ah, the other big comic-book movie universe, the DC Extended Universe (still not a big fan of that name, BTW, but that's neither here nor there.) Two weeks after Marvel gifted us with its MCU latest in Thor: Ragnarok, DC stepped back up to the plate with Justice League, its answer of sorts to Joss Whedon's Avengers (with Whedon himself co-writing the screenplay and giving uncredited director work on the reshoots.) But you already knew that. You also knew that this movie had a pretty troubled production due in part to the increasingly poor reception of previous DCEU films, with the obvious exception of this year's super-smash hit Wonder Woman. And also the fact that it ultimately wound up being shockingly expensive, with a disappointing first weekend at the worldwide box office that doesn't even meet its $300 million price tag (though it comes close.) And that Rotten Tomatoes wouldn't even release the movie's official score until practically the day of its release, effectively delaying the inevitable news that DC had another Zack Snyder turkey travesty on their hands as far as the critics were concerned.

But hit pause on that, and if you're still torn on whether to watch this movie, consider...no, not the coconut. Consider that maybe Snyder not being 100% involved with this one's production was actually to its benefit, at least as far as tone goes. Because while this movie winds up suffering from quite a few flaws - like the over-reliance on some often piss-poor CGI, or the surprisingly thin plot for a jam-packed superhero blockbuster, the revealing Amazon armor compared to Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman, Batfleck's phoned-in performance, and Snyder's general mishandling of Superman - its tone, not quite MCU-light even with Joss Whedon's trademark battle snark but certainly more hopeful than the overly nihilistic Batman v Superman and chaotic misfire of Suicide Squad, was a step in the right direction while acknowledging the film's own hamstrung-by-its-predecessors'-mistakes nature.

"Children," Diana says. "I work with children. Also, where in Hades is Bale when you need him?"

It's funny, I actually thought Batfleck was quite a nice novelty in BvS, one of that movie's saving graces alongside Gal Gadot's terrific, if underutilized at the time, Wonder Woman. Now, though, especially knowing how visibly ashamed and disappointed Ben Affleck's become with his DCEU involvement in recent months (he's not even going to be headlining The Batman if and when that's ever made, is he?), it's so clear that he's let that negativity contaminate his performance as Bats in this one. More than anyone else (except maybe Cavill's Supes), he's a relic of the days when it looked like Snyder was going to run this franchise into the ground - almost perpetually tired and dour and gruff. Meanwhile, Supes (who died in BvS and made the kids in the theater cry ugly tears the day I saw that movie, but we all knew he was coming back from that final shot where it looked like we were about to get zombie-Supes!) comes back, of course, but the question is, is it even worth the price of admission to witness this dark Kryptonian perversion of Jesus? Is it really too much to ask that we please just have Supes be fun and optimistic like Tyler Hoechlin's portrayal on Supergirl, say?

Yeah, make Cavill more like this.
I wouldn't mind if they did, Ricky. That Hoechlin man offers some stiff competition.

Going forward from this movie, I really expect that Cavill will get to show more of Supes' fun side. More hope, and not get it nastily truncated like in the movie's prologue where a kid's interviewing him on cell phone video for a podcast, where the kid's asking what his House of El symbol means and the video abruptly cuts off and cue "Warner Bros. Pictures Presents." He'll have a lot of catching up to do, though, compared to the rest of the (currently) half-dozen-strong Justice League. Even Cyborg (who starts out brooding and wrapped up in a hoodie because he's got to stay locked up at home while he's presumed dead) and Aquaman (who's a sarcastic assbutt pretty much the whole damn time, but often just plain a dick - like, when Batman first comes to find him and he makes it a point of refusing the call to action) brighten up the day far better than our should-be-sunnier Kryptonian buddy does.

Who're you callin' "brooding?"

He's callin' you, brother. And damn straight I was a dick to Bats. "I hear you talk to fish?" *untranslatable Atlantean*

But of course next to Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman and Ezra Miller's Flash, no one's exactly gonna look like the life of the party. Even more than Superman, who's supposed to be the symbol of hope in the DCEU, Wonder Woman shoulders that symbolic responsibility right alongside her already-in-place personification of love, and loses not a single badass point. This in spite of the camera's unnecessary fondness for her ass (hard to say if Snyder or Whedon's more to blame on this one), but Diana Prince is all the flavors of strong as she forms another movie's beating heart.

Proof you shouldn't make me angry. Someone help me spam Snyder's and Whedon's inboxes with this until they stand aside for Patty Jenkins, please?

The funnest piece of sunshine, though, is Ezra Miller's Flash. I wasn't terribly impressed with his ten-second-or-so cameos in BvS or Suicide Squad, especially not when Grant Gustin already charmed his way into my soul with his angelically gifted performance on the CW series. But you know what? Not unlike Tom Holland vs. Andrew Garfield, Miller does his own thing as Barry Allen, making him the adorkable kid of the gang. Inexperienced, and a bit bogged down by his insecurities and fears (extra-bad news when your enemy commands an army of zombie-things that target people's fear), but also more powerful than he realizes, and more ready than he realizes to finally become a functioning member of a society operating on a plane he has little grasp of.

Feel free to headcanon me as autistic. Ricky encourages it. And also queer - come on, you totally saw me checking out Aquaman's butt, right?
I'm in a relationship, you know.

The villain Steppenwolf, though, is one of the movie's weak links, mostly for not really adding anything to the table. He looks like an unholy hybrid of Surtur, Ronan the Accuser, and Ares; he speaks entirely in agonizing clichés; his evil plot manages to mash up both of Whedon's Avengers movies, Age of Ultron included; and his name makes me think only of a certain classic rock band. He's also one of the movie's many CGI failings - as cool as a lot of the visuals are, usually when we get into slow-mo bullet-time with Barry and/or Diana, the CGI gets way too much at times, and considering the movie's massive price tag, it really has no business looking this bad. There are so many shots of everything looking artificial, like the Gotham skyline like it's still Tim Burton making the movies in the late 80s.

The cherry on top, though, has to be the infamous CGI Supes-face. Done to remove the mustache Henry Cavill had to wear for his next high-profile role in Mission: Impossible 6, it's gotten a lot of noise for giving him what amounts to a poorly animated upper lip. (And why would they even go there anyway? There's precedent for Supes having full facial hair in Man of Steel, after all.) For all that noise, though, I didn't see quite what everyone else was seeing. I saw not so much a CGI mouth as an entire CGI face at times. Not really as bad as the infamous video-game quality Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One last year, but glaring enough to stand out and further drag down many of Supes' scenes, including his inevitable Lois Lane reunion. On that subject, even more than in BvS, Lois feels like such an afterthought, begging the question of why they'd even include her here to begin with and all but waste Amy Adams' time and talent. To be fair, I'm not a big fan of Lois Lane in general, except maybe for Erica Durance's portrayal on Smallville - and maybe Gwenda Bond's YA Lois Lane series if I ever get around to reading those books - but Amy Adams' version of the character, as always, remains tragically underwritten, and is one of the many reasons why I insistently ship SuperWonder instead of Clois.

On a related note, here's another one to spam Snyder with. I sincerely hope he'll stop trying to make WonderBat happen.
Actually, that's probably Whedon doing that. Black Widow and Hulk, anyone?
O Zeu kai alloi theoi...in that case, I'll spam them both.

Though Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon's collaborative effort leaves a little to be desired, it's not anywhere near as dreadful as some of the previous DCEU films. I can't exactly call them "bad," the previous Snyder DCEU movies, because they're really more undesirable than anything else with their relentless deconstruction of Superman in particular. But here, when Snyder at least relinquishes enough control to allow some of his darkest instincts to be reined in, resulting in a faster, shorter, and tighter-paced movie in addition to a happier one. I gave BvS a B on first viewing, though in hindsight I'd downgrade that to a C. Justice League, I'll give it a B+ and hopefully it'll stick through the years.

Till next time, Pinecones...

#FeedTheRightWolf

Remember: Denis Leary is always watching. Always.

The Flash: Dude Tears And Speed Force Feels

***SPOILER ALERT***

The Flash is my favorite show on TV because it knows how to balance all the best parts of all the best fiction - thrills, laughs, and feels. This week's powerful episode, "The Runaway Dinosaur," was no exception - because it provided us with proof positive, once again, that when Grant Gustin cries, angels' wings shrivel all across the universe.

Also, his tears are highly contagious.
The CDC's got a warning out.

Before last night, my favorite Flash episode was 1x15, "Out of Time," because of its intense final five minutes - which proved to be an absolute game-changer. (It helped that, at the time, I'd not read any of the comics, and was thus genuinely surprised when Barry suddenly gained the ability to travel through time through the use of his speed.)

Who else remembers screaming their heads off when this one ended?

My new favorite, however, is last night's episode - 2x21, "The Runaway Dinosaur." Whereas "Out of Time" benefited from a strong surge of action, this episode benefited instead from a surfeit of emotion, best summed up by this here "Out of Time" meme:

At least this time, Harry was only indirectly responsible for said feels.

Kevin Smith directed this episode with so many metric tons of awesome, it wasn't even funny. Oh wait, it's Kevin Smith, so of course it often was. And those funny scenes were typically paired with those of the highest action - like, when Cisco discovered that the latest particle accelerator explosion, in addition to sweeping Barry into the Speed Force and knocking Wally and Jesse out cold, managed to revive the long-dead Girder as well. Cisco's reaction just said it all: "A zombie? For real?!"

But the real magnificence of this episode lies in the scenes where Barry deals with being stuck in the Speed Force. This all-powerful, all-mysterious entity takes on multiple human avatars throughout the show, each one representing a member of Barry's family. The first two are his West family - Joe and Iris, each being, respectively, the Speed Force's trippy wise man side and the frustrating, clue-dropping side. Then we get his Allen family - his father coming across as hurtful and judgmental and just being the anti-Henry, trying to make Barry really feel his pain by showing him his mother's grave.

Speed Force, why do you make us feel these things?

But while this phony Henry's encounters with Barry are devastating, they're nothing on when the Speed Force takes on the appearance of Nora Allen. A huge part of why we the fans are so attached to Barry is because he spent much of Season 1 trying to avenge his mother's death - and, once he discovered time travel, considering the possibility that he could save her life. The universe seems pretty bound and determined to prevent that from ever happening, however, but we can always hope and pray. And, in the meantime, every single time Barry meets his mom again, Grant Gustin and Michelle Harrison slay with their performances. But never more than last night. Who knows how much of those heart-melting words of encouragement were the Speed Force and how much were Nora Allen's immortal soul? I'd like to believe that the Speed Force started out talking to him, but then when they read the old "Runaway Dinosaur" picture book together (and Barry recited huge chunks of it from memory!), that was when Nora herself took over.

And this was when my heart fractured beyond repair.

When they first announced Kevin Smith was directing a Flash episode a few months back, it didn't take long for my favorite fanart master, Lord Mesa, to sketch a drawing of Barry and Cisco reacting to Smith crying. At first, it seemed like just another reference to Smith's legendary visit to the Star Wars set. But after seeing this episode, I'm forced to conclude that Lord Mesa is the most remarkably prescient fan around, because there is absolutely no way Smith could direct this episode without breaking down. 

I'd like to imagine Barry was by my side during my viewing,
holding out a box of tissues for me too.

Unless you're not attached to these characters, or you're a big old creepy-ass psychopath like Zoom, you will not make it through this episode without crying your eyes out, and that is a promise. These are the most Amazing Spider-Man, most Big Hero 6-level weapons-grade feels in Flash history. The joke among the fandom right now must be, "No, you're the one crying!" But me, I won't even attempt to deny it - I got a terrible, ugly case of broken dude tears. I'm still choking up as I type this, reliving the episode with every image search I make for "The Runaway Dinosaur." After three episodes of painfully powerless Barry, seeing him wreck his heart to get his speed back was the therapy we all needed. As someone who feels a distinct lack of freedom in his life, speed is one of the powers that most appeals to me (that and flight, the predominant superhero ability in my writing.) And, just as it hurts me deeply when I see flight-enabled people de-powered (just look at the scene where Angelina Jolie's Maleficent wakes up wingless), normalized Barry was an agonizing fallen angel to watch.

Two more episodes remain this season, and I really can't wait to see how they finally bring this Zoom storyline to a much-needed close. This season has already reached its emotional peak, I'm sure. Action peak, maybe not so much. But there will never be feels like this again - at least, until next year and some other major tragedy befalls our favorite speedster.

Sorry, Quicksilver. You didn't see that coming? XD

Till next time, Pinecones...

#FeedTheRightWolf

Remember - Denis Leary is always watching. Always.

SupergirlXTheFlash: More Crossovers, Pretty Please?

***SPOILER ALERT***

Even before Supergirl started airing, I wanted to see it as an official part of the Arrowverse. Now, that day has come, after many months of waiting, with the long-time-coming crossover with The Flash.

SHIP!

I'm happy to report that this episode delivered in every possible way - and that, even more cool, it echoed my own Spidey & Speedy fanfic trilogy in a lot of ways. Namely, the presence of multiple villains for multiple heroes - in this case, one of SG's most dangerous foes to date, along with a new threat who's come into her own as a deadly superpowered individual. Livewire, the Supergirl equivalent of Electro, proves even more hard to beat as she manages to turn Barry's Speed Force against him. As for Siobhan, now the Silver Banshee...she's got a really nasty scream, but did she really need that horrifying facepaint? (I swear to God, the sight of that made me do a double take or ten.)

Also paralleling my fanfics - the way Barry very quickly unmasks himself and tells Kara his real name. I've often wondered why few of my readers complain about my interpretations of the Arrowverse superheroes (plus Spider-Man and the Bat Family and Aquaman) revealing their secret identities almost right away - especially given Peter's one of the few Marvel heroes who still feels the need to keep said secret. But in my head, I've always chalked it up to the superheroes instinctively trusting their fellows with these secrets, and that's how I interpret the similar writing moves taken in this episode.

And speaking of Ol' Webhead, I think Barry really channeled his inner Spidey during the climactic fight scene against Livewire and Silver Banshee. Namely, the part where he tries his hand at nicknaming: "Hey, Sparky, Shrieky! Hi!" Still not as good as "Hey Barbeque, hit me with your best shot!" or Spidey's "Yo Sparkles! Hey, how ya doin'?" But this still had me ROFLing for a moment. Then there was the way in which Livewire was taken down - while Barry wasn't so involved there, I totally saw how they homaged The Amazing Spider-Man 2 with the firefighters basically shooting Livewire down with their hose. It's just the latest example of that most underrated classic's secret influence (which also dates back to the hidden subway-car computer lab in the fourth season of Person of Interest), and to me is just a sign that sooner or later that all-time favorite movie of mine will be Vindicated By History like it deserves.

Because BB-8 said so, too, that's why.

And as for the crossover itself...well, Barry's never failed to have near-instantaneous chemistry with the good guys of other shows, and tonight was no exception. But the chemistry he had with Kara, as expected, was what I would like to sorta-redundantly call "spot on point." Every time they shared screen space and traded quips and talked shop with each other, my poor little fanboy heart swelled with joy. Earlier today, I finished Cassie Clare's Lady Midnight and was devastated by its ending, but now I've ended this day feeling tons better because of the way Kara and Barry just clicked so well.

And I still am, for always and eternity.

Never mind the fact that, being from two different Earths, they can't be together, not forever, and certainly not long enough to fall in love. (And of course the fact that another one of Barry's functions in this episode is to - unintentionally, of course, because as the inconveniently sharp Cat says, "He's so unfailingly polite, he's either a superhero or a Mormon" - provoke jealousy in the character my friend and cover designer, Sam Ayers, likes to call "Jimmy James.") But we can dream of our KareBear, Karry, Zor-Allen, whatever you wanna call their ship (though I'm partial to KareBear myself), can't we? I mean, try saying no to this. Go on. I dare you.

Once again...
SHIP!

So, by the end of the show, Kara finally helps Barry get home to his world, where he'll be on another adventure with his Central City peeps tomorrow night on the CW. And he'll likely continue to wrestle with the horrifying reveal (to him and his friends, at least - we the viewers had to suffer with that knowledge for a month beforehand!) that his Earth-2 Flash counterpart is secretly Zoom...or is he? As for Kara...hopefully, she'll be back soon (not next week, sadly), because this episode ends with one of Supergirl's most shocking cliffhangers of all, setting up what promises to be an intense Episode 19. (Wasn't 19 the magic number for game-changing episodes on each of the first four seasons of Fringe?)

That cliffhanger, I will not spoil. Absolutely not. It has to be seen to be believed.

For this, what I hope is just the first of many SupergirlXTheFlash specials (if this doesn't become an annual tradition, I'll eat my hat - and I would LOVE to see Supergirl meet Team Flash in Central City, Earth-1, this time next year!), I award a perfect ten for being the most awesome, the most epic, the most made-of-pure-win hour of escapist pleasure in the short history of this Supergirl TV series. The Flash still beats it out with the likes of "Out of Time," "Fast Enough," and this year's two-part Earth-2 episode, but hey, this episode still gave me Flash-level screams at the screen with one scene, and one scene alone. I'm talking, of course, about Barry's entrance into National City. All I can say is this: Perfect. Freaking. Timing.

If CBS doesn't renew Supergirl after tonight, then God, you got some 'splainin' to do.

Till next time, Pinecones...

#FeedTheRightWolf

Remember: Denis Leary is always watching. Always.

I'm An Overjoyed Flash Fan Today!

You would NOT believe how much I fanboyed when my friend @SpeedyElite gave me this today.

I've never been to a con, never met any celebrities in person. Speedy has, because she's cool like that. And this weekend, when she met The Flash's very own Jay Garrick, Teddy Sears himself, she got autographed pictures of Earth-2's favorite speedster.

Including one made out to me.

Yeah. I totally flailed and cried and screamed at this. No shame. No bloody shame.

Had I thought to wear my Flash shirt to go with it... :D

My dear Speedy, I can never repay you for this. You realize that, right? Well, other than the already-promised dedication of Red Rain when I publish it. But that's a long time coming, don't you know? :D

The Flash: Of Speedsters And Sweethearts

***SPOILER ALERT***

I'm not too big on math. We haven't been on good terms in years. But today, I'll persuade her to help me demonstrate a few things re: last night's episode of The Flash in simple terms.

Barry Allen + Patty Spivot = Batty.

Batty on the CW + Batty in the New 52 = Ricky Ships It. <3

Batty + Sweetness = Happy Shippers Like Ricky.

Batty + Fighting = See Meme Below.

I still don't trust Harry, in any incarnation, because of this, BTW.

So, when The Flash ended last night with the supremely adorkable Patty Spivot choosing to leave Central City, my immediate reaction was a shocked "NOOOOO..." And then, when the scene played out completely and I was able to process it, I was still in two minds. On the one hand, it's cool that Patty gets to follow a dream she put aside years ago, and if Barry says that her choice of school's a good one, well...

But on the other hand, I'm directing this particular message to the men and women of the Flash writers' room.

Seriously, Berlanti et al.

And that's just the superficial, primordial reaction. Another, more enlightened mind clued me in last night to an even better reason why Patty's decision was a mistake. I hereby bring in the tweet that started a long convo that kept me up past midnight:

LOVE #TheFlash but it'd be refreshing if Patty wasn't like every other love interest & bolt when things are shaky. She's tougher than that.

— Amanda Whittaker (@AmySedgemore) January 20, 2016

Amy's right. Patty's tougher than that, and we all know it. And this is The Flash we're talking about - a show that runs on characters for whom we feel so strongly. We want to see nothing but the best for our heroes. We want them to win, not only when taking on deadly meta-humans and other assorted bad guys, but also when they're connecting with others and forming relationships. I'm sure I'm not the only one who sees a lot of myself in Barry. One thing I don't want us to have in common, however, is a terminal inability to maintain a loving, long-term relationship. (Of course, Barry's lucky in that he's had girlfriends, whereas I haven't had one, ever, for so many reasons not germane to this discussion.)

This GIF was begging me to find a time and place for it. :)

Amy also brought up another great talking point in our chat last night - the possibility that Patty will return and help investigate the case of The Flash, as many of us have expected she'll eventually do with her (not without reason) anti-meta position. In my words, "Hello major plot twist!" The tension alone would be enough to drive us poor viewers Batty (pun intended), but at least Patty will get to stay on the show that way. Because, in another reply of mine going back to Amy's original tweet:

@AmySedgemore Exactly. :D Patty's more than just a love interest; she shouldn't go out with a whimper like this! #TheFlash

— Ricky Pine (@WriterRickyPine) January 20, 2016

Mark my words, Pinecones, this is not the last we'll be seeing of Patty Spivot.

Till next time...

#FeedTheRightWolf

Remember: Denis Leary is always watching. Always.

Starling City Storm: A Sweet Little Splash Moment

I went into the writing of my second Spidey & Speedy fanfic piece, Starling City Storm, thinking it would be a great idea to ship the speedster with the Arrowverse's real Speedy herself, Thea Queen. I even made up my own ship name for it: Speedy + Flash = Splash. Catchy, huh? Well, nobody in the Arrowverse fandom seems to think so...yet. I dare you to read the following words and think they don't belong together, at least not in this alternate universe. :)


“Barry, could you help me out here?” Ollie calls me from down the hall, and I slide off the couch to go meet him.

“What’s up?” I ask.

He gestures to his bedroom door, which is closed - and locked, as he shows me when he tries in vain to open it. “Thea’s spent the last twenty minutes holed up in here, and I’m getting worried,” I say. “But because she’ll never trust me again if I come bursting in…”

“Oh, so you want me to be the bad guy?”

Ollie winks. “Not necessarily. I’m sure she’ll open up to you more than she would with me.”

“I heard that!” Thea cries from behind the door.

I look at Ollie questioningly. “You sure this is a good idea?”

“Hey, don’t raise your eyebrows at me,” Ollie laughs. “Eagles like to perch on those things.”

I laugh along with him, but then the good humor vanishes, sucked down a metaphorical drain, as I approach the door and knock gently. “Thea? Can I come in? Please?”

There’s a gap of about two seconds before she answers. “Being polite helps. Okay, Barry. But only you, all right?”

“Yeah, of course.”

I wait for her to unlock the door from inside, then I run through it before Ollie can follow me across the threshold. Thea’s waiting on the other side, and she’s quick - though not metahumanly so - to lock the door all over again.

“I can see why you wouldn’t want Ollie to come in,” I say.

Reflexively, Thea covers her chest with her hands, though it does nothing for her bare midriff. The only thing she’s wearing above the waist is a sports bra. I try not to get distracted by that particular sight - which, of course, is harder than it sounds. Especially because what I want to focus on instead is dangerously close to her undergarments.

“Is that from today?” I ask, pointing at the bruises lining her ribs.

“‘Fraid so.” Thea sits on the edge of Ollie’s bed, pulls her shirt on, and sighs, dropping her head into her hands.

“Speaking of today,” I ask as today’s latest Salish Dam incident comes back to mind, “what happened to you?”

Thea points at her side. “You just saw what happened,” she says.

“That’s not what I mean,” I say, dialing up the firmness of my voice the way Joe does when he’s trying to have a heart-to-heart with me. “Um...well, how do I put this? You were, uh, a little bit of a wild child on the battlefield.”

“Understatement of the year,” she scoffs. “It’s something I’ve had to deal with for a while, and you were just unlucky enough to witness it today.”

“What exactly is it?” I ask. “Don’t hold back, okay? If something’s bothering you-”

Thea looks up at me and holds up her hand, cutting me off. “If Ollie sent you in here to get me to spill the beans to him-”

“This is between us,” I say. Huh - who would’ve thought that twice in less than 24 hours, I’d be acting as a therapist for my fellow heroes? I can see the sign on my office door now - “Barry Allen, M.D., Meta.Psy.D, Pnk.Fl.D, BAMF.”

“Promise?”

I nod.

“Okay.” Thea tucks her hair behind her ears and talks. “I’m not gonna bore you with all the details, but...let’s just say I wound up in the Lazarus Pit, and I think I might’ve come back wrong. And...and I think it might be ‘cause I’m Malcolm’s daughter.”

This is a new one on me, especially the latter confession. “You’re…?”

“What, Ollie didn’t tell you?” Thea laughs bitterly. “That’s okay. He must’ve finally figured out that it’s my responsibility, and only mine, to come out as a villain’s flesh and blood. Yeah, Ollie and I are only half-siblings. He’s the lucky one, though, being all of zero percent Merlyn.”

“Well, I know Malcolm’s an odd duck,” I say, “and he’s done some...shall we say, misguided things-”

Thea interrupts me again. “I didn’t ask you in here for a pity party,” she says. “I just needed to confess to someone.” Her lip trembles, and she draws herself into a stiff, guarded stance, like a turtle about to retreat into its shell.

“Hey.” I take her hand, even though I’m only...maybe 38% sure she won’t bite mine off. “Whatever your issues are, you shouldn’t just hold them back.”

“Maybe I should,” she says, tears forming in her eyes. “I’m easily provoked into a homicidal rage these days. Malcolm loves that about me-”

“Of course-”

“But nobody else does.”

I take her other hand, and on both of hers, I gently press my thumbs into her knuckles. Okay, maybe it’s a little soon to get this close with her, but she needs some affection and encouragement, and as long as I’m here… “I can’t tell you how to keep a lid on your emotions,” I say, “because I’m lousy at it myself. But…” I swallow, then reach up to wipe the tears from her face. “You said you went into the Lazarus Pit and that’s when this all started? Then I suggest you talk to Constantine. He might know a way to help you.”

She laughs weakly. “What if I don’t wanna give up my dark side?”

“You work with the Arrow,” I remind her. “I’d be surprised if you did.”

Seized by a sudden urge, I lean forward and kiss Thea’s cheek. In response, she embraces me tightly and whispers into my ear, “Thanks, Barry.”

“Don’t mention it,” I say, returning the hug and stroking her hair.

She takes a tissue to her eyes to dry them better, then opens the door and says, “You can have the bathroom if you want, Ollie!"

“Wasn’t waiting for it!” he calls after her as she disappears down the hall.

As I get off the bed and make my way to the door, Ollie sticks his arm into my path to stop me. “So...by any chance does your super-speed also kick in when you’re in bed?”

I fall over laughing.

“Yeah, I thought not,” Ollie says when he’s had his fair share of laughter at his own joke. “But if it did...I might just have to disavow all knowledge of your existence.”

“‘Barry Allen, you have failed this girl?’” I say.

“And I’ll definitely disavow you if you bastardize my old catchphrase like that again,” Ollie laughs. “Wasn’t even funny, man.”

I shake my head. “No, no, definitely not.” However, I can’t help but keep on half-smiling as my brain continues to process Ollie’s blue humor.