( ENTRANCEWAY INBOX )

[accelerate]

( ACTION | AUDIO | MIRROR | TEXT | VIDEO )

CALLING: BARRY ALLEN 🐻 ▓
[ haunted.mp3 plays ]

CALLING: THE FLASH ⚡ ▓
You've reached the Flash!

Comments

AUDIO. | 🐻

[demonstrate]

Barry?

[ urgency fills iris west's voice. guess who was exploring the mansion and just heard something happen on the fourth floor? breath still caught in her chest, she keeps moving even as she speaks: ] Barry, are you okay? [ is caitlin okay? did thawne get in the crossfire? the last one wouldn't be such a pity. ]

AUDIO. | 🐻

[accelerate]

[ for someone who rarely slows down, barry had dropped himself on top of his bed with the intention of staring at the ceiling for a few minutes before either 1) playing connect four on his phone 2) connect four with the actual physical game itself or 3) run. ]

[ but barry fell asleep, and so now it's with the commotion of the fourth floor and the network he's wide awake. is it even surprising the moment he heard there was something loose on this very floor he'd gone for a quick sweep to ensure iris wasn't nearby? ]

[ he thinks he may need to do it again. ]

Iris — [ there's no warm iris, hey. speed reading the network has its advantages. but speed reading doesn't quite mean he can read where iris is. she likes to run into danger and dive out of windows located on the highest floor of the tallest building. ] I'm fine. I'm in my room. [ his voice isn't necessarily warm, cracking a little with his own concern and panic. ] Where are you?

TEXT. | 🐻

[demonstrate]

Keeping in mind that I need you to speak in English, do you remember that time you mentioned string theory?

TEXT. | 🐻

[accelerate]

Wasn't it that time where I tried to explain science to you using shoes? I remember Joe kind of wasn't happy I tied up the entire house in yarn. But it was a good idea at the time!

... Why? Did someone tie Wonderland up in string? Because that wasn't me at allllll. I have an alibi.

TEXT.

[breacher]

[ A day passes after the depowering and then it's Harrison who makes the first move for once. He hems and haws over it for a good part of the morning before finally firing it off to him. ]

Did your speed come back

[ Short. To the point. He shoves his device to the side and goes back to shuffling through papers. Before he'd spent a good part of the morning contemplating a text, he'd spent most of the night pouring through tomes he'd snagged from the library to complement his own knowledge, etching out a game plan should the mansion not be responsible for this latest incident. There's a small idea starting to form on paper, a bit of insanity that he hopefully won't have to even admit to drawing up in the first place. But it's there, at least. ]

TEXT.

[accelerate]

[ does barry feel guilty for "pulling a wells" and hanging up on the creator of such an action? he does, very much so. he fully expects himself to send harrison wells a text message about harry potter again, but given how he'd gotten incredibly drunk the day he lost his speed, he checks his phone to make sure he hadn't texted anyone anything suspicious, like an eggplant emoji. ]

[ no texts to anyone. at least drunk him isn't a complete imbecile. it's just sober him that happens to be. ]

[ it's surprising to return to harrison wells messaging him after he's been zipping all through wonderland at the speed of light, but barry doesn't think to question it. ]

I woke up with it.

All of it's back. I'm running at 100% Flash capacity.

text;

[catchacold]

I told you not to tell Raymond something, just after I got here.

[In a very interesting conversation that severely depleted the amount of cupcakes in Wonderland.]

He knows now, so you can run your mouth as much as you like.

text;

[accelerate]

[ lbr, barry's told by a lot of people not to go running his mouth off. they haven't quite caught onto his feet being the bigger problem just yet. ]

[ but he thinks this over for a moment — long for him, perhaps an immediate response for snart — and doesn't quite focus on the barry aspect of it all. maybe snart wants him to rise to the bait and defend himself, running them off on a tangent where they don't acknowledge the real reason why snart's texted him. ]

[ assuming snart's contacted him to possibly talk about ray knowing something barry doesn't want to believe just yet. ]

I kind of prefer to run my feet.

Are you okay?

TEXT. | 🍋

[demonstrate]

meet me on the roof?

TEXT. | 🍋

[accelerate]

Okay!

audio; 🐻 post-neverland event

[chocolatepudding]

Barry?

audio; 🐻

[accelerate]

[ to say barry hadn't expected dustin to somehow find him would be an insult to how he perceives dustin. he's a good kid. he can handle wonderland and all the gluttony it's spiked within many of them. he reminds barry of himself, if a little more outgoing and put together. ]

Hey, Dustin. What's up?

audio; 🐻

[stefanged]

Hey, this is Stefan. From that weird chemistry challenge?

[Get it together, Stef - it's a little obvious that Stefan's not used to this whole "calling up a stranger thing," but he's concerned, and Barry was very patient with him in their fake lab, so.]

I wanted to make sure you made it back safe and sound. Oh, uh, my hair's fine too. Promise.

audio; 🐻

[accelerate]

Stefan!

[ barry's voice is bright and bubbly. of course he remembers his friend — ] Who set his hair on fire! [ and he realises stefan had identified his hair as being fine, a promise he doubts stefan would lie about. he has pretty good hair, great volume. ] Sorry.

I'm okay. My hair's fine. Are you okay? No more ... pyrokinetics?

🐻 12/12/16 | texts

[thisismadfreaky]

[In the wake of this.]

[Cisco is frozen to the spot for several incredibly long minutes as he tries to process what just happened. This is what he gets-- for not paying closer attention, for trusting someone over these stupid networks, for speaking up at all. He's roughly 99.9% sure his assumption isn't wrong. Something, especially in those final words, just struck him too hard, too deep, for it to be wrong.

But he doesn't know. He doesn't have definitive proof yet. Maybe he's wrong. Maybe it's a doppelganger. Maybe it's someone from another world entirely that just has the unfortunate facetwin thing going on.

But probably...he is. Right. And Cisco doesn't know how to handle that at all right now. He fumbles for the phone and waits for Barry to pick up.]

[accelerate]

[ for most of the last hour, barry's been trying to drown himself in the pool. technically he's been attempting to push himself really hard and fast and get faster, fast enough to break the barrier of wonderland's magic and find himself back home (and then back in wonderland so he can scoop up all his friends and head back to central city. it's a great plan, really. ]

[ idiot proof.) ]

[ good thing for barry his phone's become magically waterproof. he's sped away to his room with a hairdryer, trying to dry off the rest of his clothes (when he could really just run and dry them off) when his phone buzzes. ]

[ uncoordinated as always, the dryer's going as he holds it down toward his leg and picks up his phone. ]

Cisco? Hey, man. What's up?

[ more often than not, barry would pick up his phone when cisco calls and be in the middle of a conversation as a way of initiating a thought starter with him, but with the appearance of eobard thawne's time remanent in wonderland, he's feeling incredibly off-kilter. ]

[ hence him projecting his voice when he could just turn off the hairdryer. ]

ＢＡＣＫＤＡＴＥＤ ＴＯ １２.２6.

[demonstrate]

[ it may not be the wallet iris originally meant to give barry, but it's still nice af. upon inspection, he'd find flecks of gold on the wallet, the same gold that emanates from him when he runs. alongside the wallet is a cute lil compass, and if curiosity ever leads him to follow its north, he'll find it always leads him to where the brownies are.

merry belated christmas, bartholomew allen. ]

backdated to the 26th!

[chocolatepudding]

[ Merry Christmas! Or late Christmas, because Dustin pretty much slept through it. After a rather jarringly loud fist-pounding knock on Barry’s door, he'll find two stockings left on the ground, one with a drawing of a bear and the other with explicit instructions to give to the Flash. If he's quick enough to answer he can probably recognize curls and a favourite hat turning the corner. The stockings are jammed full of things, including:

1. Air Heads (assorted flavours, but more watermelon because those are the best)
2. A small container with only banana flavoured runts
3. Gummy bears (sour and regular)
4. Bubble tape
5. Caramello
6. Nilla wafers
7. Chupa chups
8. Cow tales
9. Gummy cola
10. Nerds
11. Skittles
12. Sour patch kids
13. Fun Dip
14. Pop Rocks

And lastly, just for him:
15. rock candy for Barry
16. An entire tin of Flash cupcakes, because it’s only fair.

Propped up is a Christmas card, homemade with probably the worst handwriting known to man: 'Merry Christmas. -Dustin' ]

Backdated to 12/26

[sorryitasedyou]

[ As much as Darcy might've liked to get everything out in time, Wonderland had a weird way of screwing up her plans. So, after a solid day's sleep, she starts making her rounds - dropping off gifts on each floor while using a little red wagon. In front of Barry's door, he'll find a basket that contains:

• a blanket
• a festive mug
• a few different flavors of tea
• honey
• another mug of hot chocolate supplies with a note to just add hot milk
• a chocolate dipped stirring spoon
• ridiculous fuzzy socks
• a tiny stuffed animal
• assorted candy
• freshly baked brownies
• and an ornament

There's a note dangling from one of the handles that reads:

Hope Wonderland's attempts at holiday cheer didn't go too poorly for you. Here are a few supplies to help get back into the swing of things. Happy Holidays!

- Darcy ]

delivery; backdated to 27/12

[stefanged]

[After some much-needed sleep, Stefan's continuing to deliver Christmas presents - and well, he thought he'd delivered Barry's far sooner than he actually did.

There will be a giant white box outside Barry's door, wrapped in a giant blue satin bow and addressed 'To Barry,' with a blue present tag on top. Upon opening it, Barry'll find two large sugar cookie tins, filled with four batches of homemade, a little sloppily-decorated sugar cookies. (He paid attention to his friend's appetite!)

He'll also find The Elements of Pizza: Unlocking the Secrets to World-Class Pies at Home by Ken Forkish, along with a rolled up adrenaline poster for his stark white room.

Stefan's attached a Christmas card too, with the following note -]

Happy Holidays, Barry.

Thanks for hanging out with me these past couple of months and being a generally awesome guy. I'm glad Wonderland put us in science class together. I made the cookies myself. Sorry they're not decorated as nice as they could be! As for the book, I can't always be around to make a perfect pie.

I hope your holidays'll be even greater and that you're finally getting some well-deserved sleep. I couldn't have asked for a better friend.

Happy early New Year!
~ Stefan

[catchacold]

[What do you give the man who has...

Well. Some things, at least.

In front of Barry's door he'll find a card that reads:

Happy Hanukkah,

So you're on time some time.

- Leonard

Inside a small package he'll find a watch that... Well, it's this.]

text; backdated to early january

[stefanged]

So my life officially sucks.

Think you could pencil me in for an appointment?

text;

[accelerate]

People still buy pencils?

I need to go to the kitchen, I'm really hungry. Meet me down there?

[ by "hungry" barry means "i need to eat a whole cupboard and then another cupboard and then maybe another cupboard?" but that only really matters if you suspect he's not speaking normal english and need to translate into bartholomew speak. and by "i need to go" he means "i legit sped through wonderland and stopped when beyonce started playing on my phone." ]

🐻 texts;

[thisismadfreaky]

» Hey, lmk when you've got a second
» Need to talk to you about something.

[Beat.]

» It's about helping Caitlin

🐻 texts;

[accelerate]

[ is cisco even surprised that regardless of where barry is and what he's doing, he texts back within a breath of receiving his message? ]

What's up?

🐻 TEXT. | 1/6

[demonstrate]

Barry, I just wanted to let you know that I'm safe and I've got things under control in the third floor. Check in with me to let me know that you're okay. I'll let you know if I see Cisco and the others. [ going by the nature of the event alone, that might be wishful thinking on iris' part. ]

[demonstrate]

[ OFFICIALLY WORRIED AND PUTTING ON WIFEY PANTS ]

Barry?

🐻 mirror;

[youcouldbeagod]

[Barry's always so busy running from everything, it's hard to find a time to catch him. But there's always a little down time eventually.]

Hey, buddy. How's it going?

🐻 mirror;

[accelerate]

[ it's after yet another failed attempt to run so fast he breaks through wonderland's barriers he heads back to his room — as dry as he should be, given he's capable of drying himself within seconds. he's about to flop onto his bed when he sees there's a message for him on his mirror. barry recognises the handwriting and pauses for a moment — a quick pause that may not even appear like one, given how quickly he seems to think these days — before he picks up that marker he's kept by the mirror in his room. ]

Upside down, inside out.

MIRROR / APRIL 25

[disintegrate]

[ in the evening of april 25, every mirror in barry's room is covered in a message. written in thick red marker, the letters blocked and heavy, relays the very same headline: ]

THE FLASH MISSING
VANISHES IN CRISIS

[ regardless of what barry does, the surfaces cannot be wiped clean. he doesn't receive a reply when he asks, verbally and written, as to why he's being reminded of an article that's always stayed with him. it's not until the clock signals the first few minutes of april 26 that the messages disappear. ]

post chronos heads up

[boilover]

hey, red

i hear my mirror broke your back. that's gotta suck.

anyway i'm not him, i'm me so if you see me again, don't punch me in the face. i don't like that and i'll have to punch you back.

[And it seemed like overkill to punch the kid he broke. Kind of like a mean schoolyard bully thing. He doesn't want to do that.]

[accelerate]

[ barry's first thought is oh my god. ]

[ it isn't because mick, who chronos has been born from, a little like adam and eve from god, is texting him. barry's a little more than emotionally equipped to understand that chronos isn't mick deep down. how many months has he had to come and attack him and hasn't? he's learned from eobard thawne and both harrison wells of both earth-1 and earth-2 that just because someone masquerades with your face on doesn't mean they're enacting on their own feelings. ]

[ harrison wells never deserved his ire. neither does mick. ]

[ but that panic isn't because it's mick-chronos (or chronos-mick), it's because he's texting him. ]

[ there's no way he knows he's the flash. there's no way … ]

Hey Sparky.

NP.

My super sonic breaks-the-Looking-Glass punch is reserved for him and for him only.

[ and savitar, but he just doesn't want to write down that name. ]

Also can I ask that if you want to hurt me you wait like an extra week? Gotta get back up onto my feet properly, yk? It wouldn't be fair.

- Flash

[ #nailed it. ]

MIRROR / MAY 22

[disintegrate]

[ in the evening of may 22, on his mirror as barry rests up from his injury inflicted by chronos: ]

TOO SLOW, FLASH

[ barry keeps it on his bathroom mirror, where it's written a little smaller, as a reminder all week. (and takes a photo to put on the back of his closet door, dubbing it "mirror messages". ]

MIRROR / MAY 23

[disintegrate]

[ on may 23, the following will appear on barry's mirror. ]

RIP
A LOVING MOTHER, DAUGHTER, SISTER, AND WIFE
WE'LL NEVER FORGET YOU

[ it's a simple message, missing a date and name. but when barry wakes to see that message, he finds himself staring at it. savitar watches him for a moment before he has to turn away. may 23 is one of the roughest days of his life, one he relives over and over, the moments leading up to that pivotal moment where his entire world collapses and those thereafter once iris is out of sight from her mirror. ]

[ another message will appear beneath it, one that isn't written in red. savitar wonders if he should write it at all: ]

YOU HAVE TO SAVE HER

[ it's from his mirror. his mirror, barry allen, not whomever savitar happens to be on the other side. ]

[ to that, barry easily replies: I am. ]

[ it's not nora allen who needs saving on may 23, but that's how barry allen reads it. ]