There's a lot of reasons for James reforming but I really do love how some writers have just been like "yeah he reformed because he was only interested in Barry and then Barry went away" completely failing to make the dynamic seem straight at all.
(obsessed is interesting wording Mister Myles)
Literally nothing these writers do can make any of the Rogues' obsessions with Barry seem hetero. Even Lisa's own revenge fantasies are queer to me. If Barry was a woman they'd be the most dangerous dykes in Central. Can you imagine the drama
And let's not forget Mick Rory going straight and keeping Barry's ID a secret and moving in with him because he felt safer in Barry's house and just loitering around there like a house husband or some shit. Insane things going on. Barry died and Digger wasted no time joining the Suicide Squad because that's such a normal way of dealing with it
Abra concoted the most complex insane scheme to get Barry into the future with him to try and save his life so he wouldn't die in the Crisis event. He fully planned to have Barry chase him back to his century and then keep Barry captive there for a month just so he wouldn't die and no amount of "he's only doing this to win a bet" excuses can get rid of how homosexual that is
Leonard wanted to keep Barry's body parts frozen on his wall as an artpiece to look at every single day. Sam Scudder wanted to keep him as a trophy/slave while lounging on his horde of stolen goods like a femme fatale. Roscoe and Lisa wanted to use Barry's body [which they both admitted was attractive] to put Roscoe's ghost in so they could have sex again. The list goes on and on and on for all of them and no adaptations ever do it justice
The closest we got was the Brave and The Bold cartoon where they all weep and express joyful relief at seeing Barry alive again at the end of their episode. Gee Barry why does Central City let you have a polycule
It is for kids so maybe most people will not be interested but next week on Tuesday DC is releasing a graphic novel called Kid Flash: Going Rogue where some of the Rogues are kids who Barry has to wrangle and who end up teaming up with Wally. It's Golden Glider, Top, Pied Piper and a Trickster and from the description seems to be big on reformation, just in case anyone misses reformed!Trickster as a concept as much as I do.
Oh yes, thank you! I've been looking forward to it (as is at least one other person I know), and hopefully it'll be fun!
The artist definitely put a lot of work into it, he posted about its progress every so often on social media...which is really encouraging :)
I know you have drawn Hank before but is there any Hank you have not posted?
HANK most of my unposted pics of him are just WIPs i'll work on sometime next month probably (some chibi/charm duo designs for the team and some hanks having a bad time) but i do have some notebook sketches of him laying around. i based him mostly on (i keep forgetting to look the artist up!!!) some panels i screenshotted around the ultra-humanite fight
the www eyebrows i chose pretty quickly but drew them really thin first, he's got dark eyebrows in a lot of issues so i thickened them up!
cw: dom/sub undertones, infidelity, hand job, oral sex, biting, sub Barry, dom James, some dom Barry, cum kink, fantasy gangbang, fantasy voyeurism.
The Trickster had left him a coded message that said, "Meet me at the toy factory at 12am." Annoyingly, he didn’t specify which toy factory he meant and Barry had to check all three. He finds him in the toy factory on the edge of the city, surrounded by other manufacturers and not much else.
His sweat chills in the night air, making him feel cold. He rushes into the factory expecting traps, but nothing happens. The quiet unnerves him. Makes him feel like something terrible is going to happen.
Barry finds the Trickster sitting in an office a few minutes later, sitting on a desk, looking at his watch. He looks up at Barry with a little smirk.
"You're late."
An annoyed huff escapes Barry.
"Well, you didn’t say which toy factory you were in."
The Trickster laughs. "I didn't, did I?"
They fall into silence for a moment. Barry crosses his arms, feeling annoyed again. He could be at home asleep instead of dealing with whatever game the Trickster's playing. But instead he's here.
"Why did you ask me to come here?"
The Trickster slides off the desk to stand in front of him. He’s close enough Barry can feel his body heat, and can almost see his eyes through his mask. He wonders why he isn’t uncomfortable.
"Because I want you," the Trickster states, simple and honest. Barry's eyes widen.
"What?"
"I want you," repeats the Trickster, stepping somehow even closer. He dares to place his hands on Barry's waist, and the warmth of them bleeds through the thin material of his suit, making him feel naked. Barry uncrosses his arms and their chests press together.
"I um, I have someone," Barry manages to get out, trying to keep the little bit of sense from leaving him at the feeling of a firm body against his own. To his mortification his cock begins to harden.
"Is it serious?" The Trickster sounds amused. His hands have slid lower onto Barry's hips and his thumbs trace maddening little circles on his hip bones, ignoring his cock. Barry grips his arms, keeping him close.
"Yes," grits out Barry, clinging to the edge of the cliff and feeling himself slip. The Trickster leans in to bit his earlobe through the mask. Barry's knees weaken a little at the feeling.
"Can't be that serious if you’re letting me paw you like this."
"Technically, you haven't done anything."
"I want you to say it."
Barry glares at him.
"No."
"I'm not touching you unless you admit you want this. That you want me." Barry thinks about just leaving right then and jerking off somewhere, and never thinking about this again. He doesn’t want to admit to anything because that would make it real. He's here letting someone who isn't Iris touch him – a man and a criminal – and he wants it so bad he aches for it.
"Fine. I want you. Can you please touch my dick?" One of the hands finally slides off his hip to rub his dick through his suit and Barry groans in relief. The Trickster traces the outline of his cock through the fabric, making his hips jerk, then pulling both the tights and his underwear down to reveal his cock, red and throbbing in the minimal light. The Trickster makes a frustrated sound.
"I can barely see you," he says, walking to the desk to turn the lamp on. He grabs the rolling chair behind it and rolls it over to Barry, commanding him to sit. Fuck off, sits on the tip of Barry's tongue, but he wants to orgasm so he obeys. The Trickster kneels in front of him and rucks his top up to bunch under his arms, staring at the scar branching over his body from where the lightning hit with wide eyes.
"Wow," he breathes, tracing one of the lines with his fingertip. Barry shivers.
The Trickster leans up to trace them with his tongue, leaving biting kisses from his chest down to the line of hair above his cock. He stops to look at it for a moment, head tilted.
"You're a blonde," he says, gloved hand gripped loosely around the base of Barry's cock.
"What were you expecting?"
"I guess I always imagined you with brown hair," admits the Trickster, beginning to stroke him. Barry squirms. Precum beads at the tip of his cock, easing the friction until that gloved hand glides up and down his cock with a firm grip. Barry pants. He's so close.
"Say my name when you come," commands the Trickster. James, his mind corrects.
Barry nods, biting his lip. James' other hand massages his balls, rolling them gently as he keeps jerking him off and Barry lets out a mortifying whimper. He can feel it coiling in his gut and wishes he could just come already.
"Wish the others could see this," James murmurs, making Barry's breath hitch. "The righteous Flash humping my hand like a dog. You act holier than thou, but I bet you're gagging for it." He slows his hand and Barry whines. "I could put you out in the middle of the city with your feet and hands tied up and let the guys take turns. Show the city what a desperate slut their hero really is." It's the image of himself being fucked by his rogues while a crowd watches that makes him come with a high pitched moan, spilling come all over himself.
"James," Barry moans, breath hitching as James keeps stroking him. The other man gives him a smirk and bends down to suck his cock into his mouth, making Barry arch into the tight, wet heat, a hand flying to grip James' hair. He almost slides out of the chair and flails his free hand to grip the armrest at the last second.
"Oh fuck, your mouth," he moans, the peak coming even faster this time, his core clenching as it surges and finally snaps, flooding James' hot mouth. James moans around his sensitive cock, drinking down his come like he needs it to live.
James pulls off his cock with a slow suck that makes Barry come a little again with a shudder. He smirks up at Barry like the cat that got the canary. Barry glares down at him half-heartedly. God, he's going to be unbearable after this.
"Do I get a gold star on yelp?" smirks James, sucking a mark onto Barry's thigh. He bites the sensitive skin, worrying it with his teeth, then soothes it with his tongue. If Barry wasn't already exhausted he'd be hard again.
"A little vain fishing for compliments," Barry goads, trying not to smirk back. He has to play hard to get at least a little bit.
"I'm a performer, Flashy. I live for the applause." Barry rolls his eyes at the nickname. It's better than Flasher at least. "And I want to make you scream my name over and over again." He feels the hot length of James' cock grinding against his leg and realizes James hasn't gotten off yet. A bit of guilt fills him.
"What about you?" asks Barry, stroking James' hair back from his face. The other man leans into his touch.
"Don't worry about me. I got what I wanted."
Barry frowns.
"It doesn't seem fair, I got off twice and you haven't." James thinks about it, nuzzling his thigh. He would probably purr if he was capable of it.
"Can I come on your face?"
"Just on my mouth."
"Alright," nods James, standing up. He seems to loom over Barry as he pulls his tights down, spitting on his hand to fist his cock in quick strokes. His cock is close enough Barry could put it in his mouth.
"You're big," Barry says, wrapping his hand loosely around the base of James' cock. Barry licks his lips. "I don't think it would fit in my mouth." He imagines the hot length of James' cock stretching his jaw, choking him. His cock gives a feeble twitch. "C'mon James, you can do it. Be a good boy and come on me."
James whines. "Oh, I'm coming—"
Barry closes his eyes just in case, opening his mouth. He feels hot come spurt onto his tongue and his chin, dirtying him even further. Hands grasp his face and a hot tongue licks into his mouth, James moaning as he sucks on Barry's tongue, eating his come like a starving man. It's unbearably hot.
The two men pant into each other's mouths for a moment, exhausted. James slumps to sit on the floor, resting his face against Barry's thigh again, sighing when Barry strokes his hair, scratching lightly against his scalp.
"I hope they don't have cameras in here," Barry mutters, making James laugh.
God 2000s comics are soooooo mean spirited... I know it's better than how they currently are because current comics are just boring, but it feels like they were just trying to ruin as many characters as possible.
As someone who has just gotten into comics in the past couple of years, the 2000s comics r honestly kinda refreshing in how much they bite and argue with each other? every homophobic joke is like a rent lowering gunshot to me
The James and Barry dynamic is so funny because we keep seeing James' thought bubbles and he's always like "I have such affection for the Flash" "I love to outwit and trick the Flash it's what I live for :)" and then Barry is like "well clearly he just likes money".
It's even better that James is fully aware that this is Flash's thought process and he does nothing to ever reveal his affection because this all part of the game to him now. As far as I'm concerned James is the first Rogue to ever caonically realise he's gay for Flash
brainwavejrsoldermankink replied to your text post:
I think Underworld Unleashed is still canon because James in the Joshua Williamson run never shut up about conning the devil and also Mark Waid referenced it in Blue Devil's panel in New History of the DC Universe, but it's not like we know anything about James other than "somehow burning a file means no one remembers him" and there's no news on whether the glass incident or New Years Evil still happened.
brainwavejrsoldermankink replied to your text post:
@brainwavejrsoldermankink never shut up about conning the devil/neg as opposed to the never shut up about conning the devil/pos he used to do
Yeah, good point. Another possibility is that those older stories happened, but happened differently than we saw. Either way, it makes the Rogues in this story look particularly stupid and evil for making a deal with Neron.
realgay16 replied to your text post:
The Rogues literally have rules to NOT harm innocents this writing gets in my nerves so bad
I don't think Waid likes most of the Rogues, TBH. He likes James and Kadabra, and the Eclipso annual was fun (kinda character-wrecking for Lisa, though), but in general he's not handled the others well. He killed a bunch of them (then brought them back as soulless abominations before giving them their souls back), killed Lisa (didn't bring her back, was rude about her when someone complained), and butchered Roscoe badly (and also had two characters claim in-story that he was the lamest Rogue).
Joshua Williamson the enemy... the funniest thing about reading the 2019 reactions to the James return arc is that you can see James Jesse fans going from "our boy is back after 11 years I wonder if he will talk to Piper" to "So anyway 😤... that was Neron somehow" in real time.
I hated Williamson's writing from the very first issues he did I was looking at his Barry voice and going "who the FUCK is this" but noooooo everyone else was eating it up and celebrating bc new fans hate reading older comics and actually LEARNING WHAT A CHARACTER IS MEANT TO BE LIKE so as his sins kept growing it wasn't surprising to me. And then he had the nerve to say he was a big Rogues fan bitch where lmao
They don't even let Digger exist outside of Suicide Squad anymore so now you have a bunch of ppl who think he's a Batman villain get the fuck outta here
