Flash by the numbers

[Dataweaver]

So, I have a theory that the Speed Force is more expansive than we’ve ever considered before: that much of what we’ve been calling the Speed Force is in actuality the “Positive Speed Force” (which, by itself, should normally let you access the future but not the past); that what Zoom accesses isn’t really a separate Force but rather the Negative part of the Speed Force (which can normally access the past but not the future); that the recently-discovered “Still Force” is in fact the zero-point of the Speed Force; and that the recently-disabled ability to access Hypertime is rooted in yet another aspect of the Speed Force that lets you move sideways to the timestream, called the Imaginary Speed Force. These four aspects — Positive, Negative, Null, and Imaginary — together make up the entirety of the Speed Force.

Thoughts?

[Marxtles]

I don't know. There is still the Sage and Strength Forces in the mix. The theory sounds decent but very restrictive. So, Zoom could cause a crime....dip into the past...and all Barry or Wally could do is run to the future? Eobard has run to the past and future (where he was born) without issue. So, the theory needs some work.

[Dataweaver]

The theory is that it’s all Speed Force, whether it’s Positive, Negative, Null, or Imaginary. Sort of like how Kyle Rainer as the White Lantern was able to access the full EmoSpectrum, a speedster can technically access any of the four aspects of the Speed Force. The difference is that most favor one aspect over the others, to varying degrees; so Barry favors the Positive aspect of the Speed Force; Thawne favors the Negative aspect; and the Turtle heavily favors the Null aspect, to the exclusion of the others. (I know; it’s a bit of a stretch to call the Turtle a “speedster” — but then, that’s just because of the nature of the Null aspect of the Speed Force that he’s tapped into.) We don’t yet have any speedsters who favor the Imaginary aspect over the others; such a speedster would primarily be a world-jumper, exploring the alternate timelines of Hypertime. But more broadly, it’s generally possible to use the aspect of the Speed Force that you’re attuned to to mimic the abilities of other aspects — imperfectly, of course. That’s why Barry can’t undo his mother’s death right now: the change that Thawne caused was done using the Negative Speed Force, which excels at changing the past; and the imitation of it that Barry used to travel into the past wasn’t as good at changing history. So when the two clashed, Barry’s efforts to undo Thawne’s changes went horribly wrong.

That can all change once Barry realizes the truth and gains direct access to the whole Speed Force, not just its Positive aspect — and once the Speed Force has been reconnected to the spacetime continuum, of course. Once that’s done, Barry should be able to save his mom’s life without triggering a Flashpoint. He still may not do so, as he’s a bit gunshy about altering the timeline; but the option will be there.

As for the Sage and Strength Forces, they’re not part of the Speed Force, any more than the EmoSpectrum is. They probably have their own sub-structures; but heck if I can guess what they’d be.