DPxDC Flash AU where Maddie Fenton is Wally West's estranged aunt.
Not only would it be funny for Barry "known skeptic of ghosts" Allen to have a half-ghost nephew, but imagine Danny finding out who he was named after.
Danny: "Hey, mom. You were the one who named me, right? Why "Danny"?"
Maddie: "Well, while I was pregnant with you, a few of your aunts were visiting for the baby shower."
Danny: "I have more than one aunt?"
Maddie: "Yes, now listen, sweetie. During the party, one of your aunts was telling the story of how your uncle pushed their father down a flight of stairs and made him paraplegic. And do you know what that uncle's name was?"
A video whose references of couple who are no longer regarded as solid as they once were dates it to a specific time when various celebrity couples were greatly admired. Kanye West apparently co-wrote and co-produced this track, according to Wikipedia. Fun fact, Erykah Badu made a track using the same Eddie Kendricks track, Initimate Friends.
10. Timmy and Zeta (Love Island USA) - Okay yes, this is a real-life couple, but the point of dating shows is to ship real-life couples, and Timmy and Zeta are the best. They both came into the show with the right balance of self-awareness and optimism, and they were by FAR the most mature and likable people on the show.
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9. Aaron and Bobby (Bros) - Definitely the rom-com couple of 2022! Aaron is cute, but Billy Eichner’s Bobby is definitely the reason I ship this couple so much. He’s a gifted comedian and actor, and it’s really cool to see the perpetually sarcastic Eichner playing a little earnest in this movie. The ship itself is well-developed and I particularly love their P-Town moments.
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8. Aloy and Kotallo (Horizon: Forbidden West) - This is the first of several crack ships on this list. Aloy is the protagonist in the Open-world RPG Horizon: Forbidden West and Kotallo is one of her companions. I love Aloy from the first game and she continues to be awesome in the second. Kotallo’s voice acting is deep and commanding (but not loud) and he’s a great blend of competent and tortured (like a cross between Rowan from Throne of Glass and Hunt Athalar from Crescent City) and I found many great fanfics to feed my interest in them together! Full disclosure, there’s no indication of romance between the two in the game and a lot of people speculate that Aloy may be queer or asexual.
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7. Rhaenyra and Alicent (HotD) - I’m sure I don’t need to expand on this too much given that House of the Dragon is a worldwide sensation. Needless to say, I think Olivia Cooke is incredible as older Alicent in the show, and there’s something incredibly tragic about the love they had for each other (platonic or romantic) being destroyed by the men around them. I do read a romantic undertone in their relationship, but I don’t know that either of them realizes it themselves.
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6. Bruce and Selina (The Batman) - The Batman was probably my favorite movie of 2022 and I loved the chemistry between Selina and Bruce. I’m glad that she’s more than a love interest for him - she has a real role in the story - and there’s something pretty lovely about how she teases Bruce because he’s so awkward. It makes sense that Bruce would be awkward in romantic interactions! He’s not a stud! He’s a traumatized man who has devoted all of his time to destroying crime in Gotham, of course he doesn’t know how to flirt! But it’s just even more endearing and a cool, (relatively) un-explored take on Batman.
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5. Draco and Hermione (Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Falling in Love — among others) - It would be difficult for me to not include my OTP on this list. Not just because they’re my OTP, but also because the Dramione fanfic economy is incredible! New works are published and updated everyday, many of which are better quality than a lot of published novels. Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Falling in Love was my absolute favorite - incredibly well-written, with a believable and multilayered interpretation of both Draco and Hermione’s characterization. Unfortunately the slow burn is agonizing, and the fluffy part of me wishes there was more time in the story where they’re truly together, but it’s a great story. Below illustration by @elivrayn - who is insanely talented!
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4. Janine and Gregory (Abbott Elementary) - Janine and Gregory are like those two friends you have that would be perfect for each other and who deserve to be a lot happier than they are. Obviously the show has to keep up a will-they-or-won’t-they dynamic— it’s practically a requirement of sitcoms like Abbott Elementary thanks to Jim and Pam from The Office — but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating to watch them dance around each other! I love the characters, the actors, and the show, and I won’t be surprised if I eventually rank them among my favorite TV sitcom couples.
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3. Lidia and Ruhn (House of Sky and Breath) - HOSAB came out at the beginning of the year and so I almost forgot about this great new ship! Their couple name (NightBright) is fire, their circumstances are beautifully tragic, and Lydia is especially a fascinating new character in the series. Ruhn was already a fan-fave, so SJM probably knew she needed to DELIVER for his ship. Their relationship is particularly aesthetic and ethereal, and the cliffhanger at the end of HOSB is so incredibly heart wrenching, maybe more so than any other couple SJM has ever written. by @sncinder - INCREDIBLE
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2. Leighton and Alicia (Sex Lives of College Girls) - So this might technically be more of a 2021 ship, but things DID happen for them in 2022 AND I only watched season one this year. Leighton is one of the best characters on the show and following her journey of understanding privilege through season 1 feels pretty realistic, as does her hesitance to come out of the closet and it’s affect on her relationship with Alicia, whom she loves. In Season 2 she does come out and has a whirlwind semester, only to realize in the end that she doesn’t want to be in a sorority or date someone who is close-minded and rude (RIP Leighton and Tatum). She and Alicia reunite and even in just those last two episodes she seems SO MUCH HAPPIER. I love them.
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1. Hannah and Fox (Hook, Line, and Sinker) - My number 1 for 2022 really just couldn’t be anything but Hannah and Fox. It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey was lovely, such a great read, especially because Piper feels a lot more fleshed out than many female romantic leads. That being said, it’s Hannah and Fox’s love story (a sequel to Piper and Brendan’s) that truly blew me out of the water. Fox’s grappling with the expectations of the people around him and the way he’s constantly over sexualized by everyone around him is heartbreaking. People expected him to be a player and so he played into their expectations because it felt better than being rejected for trying to have something real. Hannah and Fox are so completely lovely, and their ending is perfect. It’s refreshing to read a het romance where the woman is ultimately the one who feels more self-assured about who they are and the one who is positioned to do the big romantic gesture, even if she doesn’t see it as such.
Honorable Mentions/Ship Seeds of 2022
Ithan and the Fendyr heir from House of Sky and Breath
All of the Ankles - feat. Rihankle, Kid Ankle, Anlicia Kleys, The Dream Ankle, John Ankle, Charlie Ankle, Ryan Ankle, Tony Ankle, Lankle Roux, Fergie Ankle, and Elton John
A collection of poems during Black History month. Different artists in front of the camera and behind. With different art behind the speaker to put on unknown artists and poets.
- Alicia met Bella Johnson when she was hunting down a bounty. The said bounty had taken Bella’s younger brother, Liam, hostage. Alicia managed to save him. She had told Liam to close his eyes and cover his ears. The bounty was confused but laughed nonetheless, only to be silenced by a single shot from Alicia’s rifle. Right in between the eyes. After that day, Alicia became incredibly close to Bella and her family. They had traveled and worked together for a year or so, before they confessed their love for one other.
- Even though Alicia preferred the wild life outside of high society and all, she still somehow inherited her mother’s sense of style-- she liked to dress well and look her best. Just not with women’s clothing, of course. She preferred to wear men’s clothing.