#ARCHIE SWEEP!! YOU GOT THIS!!! >:D

[triona-tribblescore]

Wait what?

ANGST???? MORE?? MY HEART CAN ONLY TAKE SO MUCH MAN-

AHHHHHHH!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARCHIEEEE :DDD

Omg I hope you have the absolute best day ever (and thank your exam went ok). Thank you for bringing all your amazing incredible art and the most iconic and slayfully evil duo to this fandom with all their shenanigans and fun!! Youre the biggest inspiration of them all!!! :'D

sending all the hugs and love your way!!!! :D <33

THANK YOUUU TRIONAAA AAAAAAAAA the exam has been destroyed my battle w the professor was long and vicious but we won this one boys..... six more to go shdjkk

[tuttifuckinfruttifriday]

For my friend @randomly-a-fan 💖💖 I hope you like it and it makes you feel better :))

Baby, it’s cold outside ❄️

Pairings: Pennywise x Aquarius and Archie

Warnings: Cute :)), protective dad

Aquarius and Archie get a flu shot, but not everything goes well and Penny sees how everyday life is hard for his wife.

Don’t hesitate to tell me if I did any mistakes, which I probably did:’)!

This is short, but I couldn’t think of anything else D:

—

December, the month where the nature dies and everybody gets sick. For some, they really like it, especially because of Christmas and the cold, soft and glittering snow. The kids get to make angels and snowmen before coming back to their parents and get some hot chocolate, pretty sweet ,huh? Well, not for an alien being(?), especially Pennywise. Archie and Aquarius had just got their flu shots from her cousin Cassandra. It was okay at first, just some small pains and then they went off to bed never to be seen out of it again. So guess what?

Yes, Pennywise has to do everything since he can’t get sick and get a shot, and his wife and son are tired and all. It was maybe the fifth time Archie complained about muscle pains and a small headache that he angrily called Cassandra, almost screeching in the phone, only to calm down a little as she told him it was totally normal. He certainly didn’t have any patience with people, even if it was his wife and son. He would never say that out loud, of course, but he could still let the anger and impatience boil within him. He had gotten two ice pack to put under their neck to help with the headache and had piled pillows to make Star(Aquarius) comfier. Even if she didn’t say it out loud, he knew she still hurt at least a little. He had made a pillow fort for her and Archie, which made the boy really happy since he could cuddle with his mother. The mischievous little guy even dared to stick his tongue out at his father as he laid on his mother, his head resting on her chest as he almost laid all over her, keeping her to himself. His laughing but tired gaze looked at his father doing chores, the comfiness of the pillows making him sleepy and making Pennywise want to just destroy it.

Do you think he really wants to do the dishes?! Or- Or sweep the floor??? The only thing he wanted to do was lay down with Star and cuddle, maybe even more but that’s a story for another time (heheh-). After some time of doing some things around the house to occupy himself and giving some food to his wife and son, he just sat on the snowy and creaky steps of the rundown house. He thought with a visible sigh about how winter’s gonna be long and how he should have kept some food reserves... Well, he can’t just make the snow disappear, sadly.

A bright idea came to his head as he prepared himself to go back inside. Why not take some time to do something nice for his family, since they can’t go anywhere anyway. A grin came into his pale face before he got up, the bells on his costume making a cute little noise, and went into the kitchen, peeking in Archie’s bedroom to see the mother and son sleeping peacefully. It was so perfect he had to stop a second, almost squealing at the cuteness. After a moment, he got back to his task and got two mugs, getting some hot chocolate powder they keep for Archie out and a pack of small marshmallows. He would make something sweet to warm them<3

It’s not like melting the snow, but he could melt their insides👀(not literally heheh-) So he for once patiently waited for the kettle for the hot water and made three of them, putting candy canes on the side to add a little bit of flavour and put a little bit of festivity. Who could blame him? He loves sweets! To had to the sweetness, he got some of their favourite candies out and put them in a bowl before putting everything on a tray and taking it to them, smiling gently when he saw them awake. “Dad..” Archie said as he surprised him with a weak hug, his head resting on his leg as Pennywise got down carefully. Archie was laid down on the pillows, his hair in a mess and Star was just sitting with her back to Archie’s bed, her legs bend a little and a pillow separating the wood and her back. The tall redhead put the small tray down and sat between a sleepy Aquarius, and Archie that’s now very much awake as he sips from the hot mug, not caring that it’s really hot. “Aww, thank you Penny...” His wife said before she kissed him as she leaned her head on his shoulder. Archie did the same with a small giggle, taking some chocolates from the plate. They would have to buy more of them, and maybe some decorations for Christmas, it sure would make the house a happier place like at the moment. Maybe later tho, for now, he would just enjoy the peaceful family moment he has with his small family..

❄️

[anactualcaseofthetruth]

Call Me A Safe Bet, I’m Betting I’m Not - Chapter 5

(AO3 Link- Chapter Five)

Even though scientists are still quite baffled after multiple millennia of medical and technological advances of exactly how the soulmarks work, there has been enough research and study that we now know when and how to expect them… There has yet to be one soulmate coupling occur before the female has experienced a menstrual cycle and the male to begin producing sperm. In short, soulmarks have never appeared before entering puberty…

There are many, many more cases in which two people have insisted they are soulmates only to not mark with one another. All in all, only about 3% of couplings are correct in predicting they are soulmates before marks form.”

***

Betty Cooper is four years old when she meets Jughead Jones. She knows he is her soulmate, he’s not so sure.

Chapter Five

“The rising percentage of divorces among those who have soulmarks has steadily become cause for concern to those researching the phenomenon. While previously, the statistic was as low as less than one percent, in recent years scholars place that number closer to four percent annually… While it is unknown whether this spike is due to extraneous circumstances, researchers hypothesize that it may simply be partially because of recent increased availability of resources and somewhat lifting of the social taboo that is divorce.

Do we put too much confidence in the very act of soulmarking and forget that even though soulmate relationships may be ‘meant to be,’ they still require work and may not be as ‘certain’ as we once thought?”

From The Evolution of Understanding Soulmarks, 2014

*

“Juggie,” Betty says as a warning, but it comes out more like a moan. “We’re supposed to be studying,” she reminds him as his kisses continue travelling down her neck like a whisper.

“Technically, we’re supposed to be studying with Archie, and he’s not here yet,” he murmers, his lips hovering over their mark as the strain on her white button-up blouse makes it pop open.

Betty sighs with a hum and drops the book, Jughead’s not wrong. She threads her fingers through his hair, giving in all too easily.

Making out has become her favorite pastime, and she’s not sure she’ll ever get tired of it. In the beginning, it was just so new. It was exciting to learn what she liked, what he liked, the noises they could make; it was like unwrapping a present.

Now it’s overwhelming in an entirely different way.

Betty never gets tired of it, never.

It doesn’t matter how many times he rakes his teeth down the sensitive spot behind her ear, she always forgets how to breathe. Her organs always turn to goo when he pulls her close and cups her jawline, his thumbs sweeping over her cheeks as he says something sweet low and slow before pressing his lips to hers in a ghost of a kiss, so soft and innocent. When his arms wrap around her, his hands low on her waist, and his face buried in her neck she feels safe, yet alive at the same time.

It didn’t take a mark to make her feel this way, Betty knows, but it took the mark for Jughead to finally allow himself to be with her this way. He doesn’t have as much tension in his shoulders, he walks with ease now- it’s more of saunter, actually. Smiles reach his eyes and they happen more often.

Since they’ve marked, Jughead always has his hands on her in some way and she loves it. When they are alone it’s more risqué, but in public it might just be a hand on her lower back, or him squeezing her knee under the lunch table, but usually it’s a hand on the back of her neck or around her shoulders. His hands are rough, but soft with her, his hold firm, but never harsh, and sometimes the way he looks at her, like she’s the reason for everything good in his life, makes her feel weightless.

What they’ve found recently is that kissing each other’s mark, or in Jughead’s case teasing her mark, is… wonderful. Betty thinks of it as kind of a soul-gasm, or at least that is the best way she can describe it. She’s never had an orgasm, but if it’s anything like what Jughead’s teeth feel like against their mark then her first real one is going to be amazing.

They are only fourteen and fifteen, so she knows statistically people her age are having sex, marks or no marks, but she’s just still so overwhelmed by his hands and mouth on her extremities that she not rushing to go much farther just yet. Jughead has never pushed for anything, but she knows he feels undone when her lips touch his mark too.

They don’t need to do too much too soon. They have forever after all.

“Jug,” Betty murmurs like a plea and sucks a lip into her mouth to quiet herself. When Jughead literally sinks his teeth into the center of the mark Betty sees stars, making her entire body shudder and quake.

Then, Jughead’s lips are on hers and they’re kissing as her body shakes. Betty is gasping for air, but can’t stop kissing him. She needs the feel of his skin against hers, their lips pressed together, his hands grasping at her back.

Betty doesn’t realize that they are horizontal on Archie’s old couch in the garage until she opens her legs for him to nestle himself in between her knees.

They’ve kissed for hours before, she’s had Jughead’s hands roam all over her, his fingers even slipping under her shirt recently and touching places that aren’t their mark, but this is different. Whenever they’d kissed lying down before, it’s been on their sides, even when in her bed, or Jughead’s chest on hers as he leans over her.

This felt very unfamiliar, but in the best way.

Betty lets herself get lost in the sensations as she usually does, because Jughead has the ability to help her turn her mind off, and she loves him for it. Her own hands slip beneath this gray Henley, and she smiles against his mouth when his muscles jump under her fingertips.

“Shut up,” he murmured between kisses, making her giggle, but she doesn’t back down. His reactions make her feel powerful, sexy even, and not at all just fourteen.

Just as her nails are lightly scratching down his abdomen with Jughead moaning into her neck the door opens and instantly Jughead is off of her, a dazed look on his face.

“Oh, shit, I—” Archie immediately turns and Betty realizes her blouse is even more unbuttoned than before. “Sorry, I thought we were studying together.”

“We are! We were, uh, waiting for you,” Betty replies while fixing herself. She looks up to see Jughead shaking his head and running hands through his hair, his lost to the couch cushions long ago. She gives him a look that says ‘are you good?’ because she knows he has more of a physical aspect to calm down from.

“Well, uh, do you want me to leave or—”

“No,” Jughead cuts in and puts a book in his lap and Betty can’t help but grin to herself. He must have seen her because he shakes his head at her, a small smile on his lips too. “You can turn around, Arch, we weren’t even undressed or anything.”

“I was going to say sorry I’m late, but I think you should be thanking me,” Archie jokes while making his way over to the couch. “After all, I am your excuse to be alone without your mom hovering.”

“You’re not just an excuse, Arch, you’re our best friend,” Betty insists and fixes her ponytail out of habit.

“Yeah, um, so Algebra,” Archie starts and drops his book on the coffee table loudly. “I hate when they add letters to math. The definition of math is numbers, right?”

Betty and Jughead share a look. “You're actually trying to study and not just goofing around with me, pissing off Betty in the process? Arch, are you alright?” Jughead asks.

“Is it because you walked in on us? We’ll be better, Arch. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable—”

“It’s not you guys, Betty,” Archie quickly tells her. “I’m used to walking in on you one way or another, now I’m just averting my eyes instead of rolling them.”

“So, what’s going on, dude?” Jughead asks.

“Nothing. We should get to work. That test tomorrow is going to kill me, especially if my mom sees another D with my name on it,” Archie goes on, already getting his notebook out.

“Archie, one of the things that makes you so loveable is your utter lack of a poker face,” Jughead reminds him. “Are you alright? Why were you late? This wasn’t a couple minutes, it was like half an hour.”

“I lost track of time,” the redhead insists, shucking his letterman jacket off and throwing it over the back of the couch.

“Don’t make us beat this out of you, I’ll do it, I’m scrappy,” Betty warns, then smacks Jughead in the back of the head as he snorts. “Shut up.”

“I walked in on my parents were fighting, I guess,” Archie starts and clears his throat. “My mom got a job offer in Chicago.”

“What? You’re moving?” Betty eyes widen, her voice high.

“Betty,” Jughead grabs her hand and squeezes lightly. “Let Archie talk.”

“She did some work for this firm over the summer when she was there helping my grandma. It was a case by case thing, and my dad knew, he was fine with it, like it wasn’t a big deal. I guess it turns out that my grandma was healthy most of the summer and my mom just stayed there because of this job and they offered her a permanent position she wants to take.”

Betty feels her stomach coil. Archie couldn’t move. He is her next-door neighbor, the constant presence in the window across from hers, her best friend. She and Jughead may have been wrapped up in each other lately, but it didn’t mean Archie wasn’t any less their best friend than before. And she didn’t want him to think he wasn’t either.

“My dad is mad because his business is here, they grew up here, and he doesn’t want me uprooted right in the beginning of high school when I just made the football team, even if it is second string. He said Riverdale is safe, Chicago is a big city and his business wouldn’t survive there. My mom said he wasn’t thinking of her point of view, he wasn’t thinking of everything she’s given up, and that,” he stops and starts shaking his head.

Betty lets go of Jughead’s hand and scoots closer to Archie, an arm around his back for comfort. Jughead moves so he can do the same on the other side, only he leans forward and mimics Archie’s position.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, Arch,” Jughead says quietly. “All parents are crazy in their own way, yours included, okay?” he tries to joke and bumps shoulders with the redhead.

“She said that marking with him derailed all her dreams and made her get stuck here because he’s stuck here,” Archie tells them, his eyes trained on the ground as his hands tighten together. “That’s when I let them know I was there, and the look on my dad’s face was, fuck, it was heartbreaking. What’s even the point of having a mark if it doesn’t—” he stops and stands. “I’m sorry, guys, this is the last thing you want to hear after everything you’ve been through.”

“Stop,” Jughead says in a hard tone. “Everyone is different, just because we’re happy about ours doesn’t mean we don’t realize other people’s relationships, even with marks, can be fucked up.”

“Yeah, Arch you don’t have to keep things from us just because we’re happy. We still care about you, you’re still our best friend, and we want to know what’s going on with you. We want to try to help."

“What happened after they knew you heard?” Jughead asks him.

Archie turns to sit on the coffee table to face them. “My mom said she didn’t mean it the way it sounded, that she loves my dad, and me, and wouldn’t change their life together, but she had dreams and she pushed them off for so long that this opportunity is too great to pass up.”

“But what about your dad and his business and—” Betty stops at Jughead’s look. “I know, I know, let him talk, sorry,” she mumbles and Jughead runs a hand up and down her back to keep her calm.

“She’s going to take the job and stay with my grandma, my dad is going to stay here and run the business, and during football season she’ll make it down as many weekends as she can. After that I’ll be going to Chicago most weekends, my dad will too if he’s not too busy, and we’ll see how it goes, I guess?”

“We’re here for you, Arch, anything you need,” Betty tells him softly and gives him a small smile.

“I know, Betty, but this just feels like giant Band-Aid on something that needs surgery, you know? I don’t want to move to Chicago, but I don’t want to feel like I’m losing my mom or holding her back either. She should be able to follow her dreams, she’s a great lawyer, this is awesome for her, I just—”

“You’re just a kid, it shouldn’t be this hard to just grow up,” Jughead says after Archie stops suddenly. “Parents are supposed to stay in one place, and be happy, and be there for you. It feels like this is your time, but it’s unfair because you know your parents have lives too. You might be the center of their universe, but you’re not the whole world.”

“What you said,” Archie agrees and they all laugh. “I’m sorry, Jug, this is small compared to what you went through, still go through—”

“Archie, stop,” Betty chides. “We all have our issues, just because it might not seem bigger than someone else’s doesn’t mean it’s not a big deal to you. You’re allowed to feel pain even if someone else is feeling another kind.”

“Jesus, you two should start some kind of therapy, I swear,” Archie says and wipes his eyes. “I guess we are just going to have to wait and see how everything goes, what works and what doesn’t. It just seems like…” he trails off and sighs while rubbing his eyes. “I’ve watched my two best friends’ hearts break over soulmarks time and time again, and it seems like my parents might just be throwing theirs away. How can something so important bring two people so close together, and two other people can just toss it aside like it doesn’t matter?”

“Jughead and I are weird,” Betty tells him. “Our relationship hasn’t been normal since the beginning, and you shouldn’t compare anyone’s relationship because everyone is different and needs different things.”

“And I don’t think they are giving up on their relationship at all either,” Jughead agrees. “I think they are just trying to find a solution that works for everyone.”

“But I don’t think this is going to work for everyone. They are trying to make it work for me when they should be thinking what works for them.”

“You are their priority, Arch,” Betty reminds him. “You may be fifteen and mostly raised, but you’re still their child and you are what matters most.”

“Try and do what they are doing. See what works with the plan they came up with and adjust from there. When or if that stops working, and only then, start to worry. But you do have us, Arch, and with our combined family drama I think you have a pretty good support system.”

“Definitely,” Betty seconds and gives her best Cooper smile. “I don’t ever want you to feel like that just because we’re together now and having fun with that ourselves, that we don’t have time for you or still care about you as much as we did before.”

“I’m not a stray dog, Betty, you don’t have to shower me with love until I trust you to stick around. I know you’re here, and I don’t care that you and Jug have been spending so much time together. I have my own stuff going on with football and guitar lessons that having Jughead off my back is a relief,” Archie teases, finally sounding a bit like himself again.

“Oh, shut the fuck up,” Jughead says and leans back on the couch. “Moment over, you’re a dick.”

“Alright, before you two get into a fight over who has the bigger insult, how about we forget about studying and go to Pop’s?” Betty suggests and is already standing.

“You want to skip studying for food?” Archie asks, surprise apparent in his voice.

“Don’t question it, let’s go,” Jughead says in a rush while reaching for their coats and when it makes Archie laugh, it’s full and hearty.

Betty tries to take her jacket from Jughead, but he holds it open for her and she turns around to put her arms through the sleeves. “He’s going to okay, we’ll make sure of it,” he promises lowly in her ear and Betty nods while taking his arm to go towards the door where Archie is already waiting.

“I think I’m going to get two cheeseburgers, double fist it, you know?” Archie says as they walk out and Jughead pats him on the back with his fingerless gloved hand.

“These are the kind of decisions I’ll always support, for anything harder than this please direct your problems to Betty,” Jughead jokes and Archie laughs again.

Betty smiles against Jughead’s arm, where she’s leaned her head in an attempt to keep some body heat. She knows Jughead is trying to make Archie laugh on purpose and she appreciates it because all she can think about is how she didn’t notice Archie was struggling before.

He is their best friend. She should have known. She should be better than this.

…

Ever since Betty marked with Jughead, she’d been sleeping better than she ever had before.

It helps that Jughead sneaks into her room significantly more often because now they know it’s something theywill never have to give up, along with the fact that he doesn’t live with Jellybean anymore to worry about what happens if she wakes up and needs him.

But she also knows the reason she is sleeping better is because her biggest problem is now a non-issue.

Logically, she knows soulmate couplings are not the end all, be all statistically. After all, she had planned on fighting to be with Jughead without a mark, so she isn’t going to judge someone for wanting to be with someone they haven’t marked with, or judge them for not wanting to be with the person they did.

She supports her sister being with Jason without a mark, even if Polly still does have hard feelings about her making with Jughead. She supports Jughead’s mom being with the person she marked with, but is not okay with how she went about being with him, and how she did what she wanted—how she always does what she wants—without thinking of her children first.

Because of this, she even has to support Fred and Mary because Archie’s mom does deserve to follow her dreams in some respect, and she knows that Mary does love Archie and has always put him first as a mother should do. Betty hopes this plan they’ve thought up will work, that Archie will adjust as painlessly as possible to his mother not being in the house, that Fred too will be okay with Mary being gone, and that Mary is making the right choice.

Betty just wishes this wasn’t hurting her best friend. She wishes she had seen this coming and could have done something to help or make it easier on Archie.

Archie’s parents broke the news after their last day of school for Christmas vacation that Mary’s plan to move wouldn’t happen until the new year, so they would still have the holidays to be together.

She’s been having trouble sleeping ever since finding all of this out.

Now that they were a few days into their vacation, her red-haired friend has been trying to keep his spirits up, but it’s easy to see he’s struggling. His mom is being overly-cheerful, feeling guilty for moving away from her only son and leaving her husband behind too. She’s been baking some kind of goodie for him every day in some sort of peace offering. While Jughead has certainly been reaping the benefits of all the extra baking, Betty can see the strain in Archie’s eyes, the way his smile isn’t as genuine.

It’s not just Archie, either.

This is Jughead’s first holiday season with his parents in different households, with his sister not jumping on him at 6am to open presents. He’s thinking of sleeping over Billy’s to be with Jellybean and his mom Christmas morning, but doesn’t want to leave his dad alone either. They’d agreed to do Christmas for his dad on Christmas Eve, and then Christmas with his mom on the actual day, but Jughead worries what his dad will do all day alone on the holiday. He’s confided this to her in bed late at night, his lips scratching at her neck, chapped and swollen from their kisses.

It’s Kevin’s first Christmas without his mom too. Last year, his mom had been sick, terminal even, but it still isn’t the same with her being gone now. It had been hard on Kevin last year too, but he had been strong for his mom and had tried to make the best of things for her. Betty’s heart clenches thinking of Kevin and his dad sitting at their table with TV dinners in front of them. Neither of them are the best cooks—that was all Kevin’s mom, and last year she’d been propped up in the kitchen giving orders to the boys. This year it’s just them. Kevin told her he doesn’t know if he has it in him to pretend this year or whether making the dinner with his dad will be soothing or torture.

And here’s Betty, her parents still together, mostly happy, planning for their always amazing Christmas feast, and secretly wrapping the mountains of presents her and Polly always receive. Betty knows she’s so, so lucky, for multiple reasons, but feels so guilty when it just seems like her friends’ lives are falling apart around her and there is nothing she can do about it.

Sure, her mom is particularly hard on her when it comes to school, her parents care too much about their familial image, her sister still has ill-feelings towards her about her soulmark, and she feels general pressure about being the perfect picture everyone sees when they look at her, but compared to what her friends are going through, Betty couldn’t help but feel like a fraud.

Betty doesn’t have real problems, not like them anyway, and sometimes late at night she finds herself making a fist out of her comforter to resist the urge to curl her nails in on her palms, asking the universe why the people she loves never seem to catch a break, why she can’t take away their pain because they don’t deserve any of it.

She sits up in bed, her eyes squeezed shut as she breathes in and out evenly, counting the heartbeats reverberating in her chest, trying to calm herself down as the comforter bunches in her hand.

The familiar feeling of dread trickles down her spine and Betty sucks her bottom lip in to bite.

She hasn’t had a panic attack in a while and was proud of herself because of that, but her streak is over.

With shaky hands that she’s consciously keeping from curling, Betty grips her phone and dials the number she’s known by heart since he got it, the jingle of numbers giving her some comfort because it’s a connection to her soulmate.

“Hm—ello,” Jughead answers hoarsely and immediately she feels bad because he was sleeping, of course he was, it’s 2am.

“I’m sorry,” Betty says instantly, her voice only a tad higher than a whisper.

“Shh, what’s up, baby?” he asks, ignoring her apology, his way of saying it wasn’t even necessary.

“I—Juggie,” is all she says before her voice cuts out. She hates that she’s asking him for help when it should be the other way around.

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes, okay? I’m already getting dressed,” he tells her, and she can hear the clothes rustling on his end.

“You don’t—it’s freezing, I don’t want you to—”

“Betty, you’re not convincing me otherwise, I’m walking out the door in a second. Do you want me to stay on the phone with you? I can, it just might take me longer to get there only having one hand to balance.”

“No, I—be safe, please,” she whispers, already blinking to keep the tears at bay.

“Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can, just hold on for me, can you do that?”

“Yes,” she answers, nodding her head frantically despite the fact that he can’t see her, and trying to sound strong for him.

“I love you, but I gotta go, I’m already on my bike, okay?”

“Love you too,” Betty whispers and waits for the line to go dead before lowering the phone.

She goes to the window seat to wait and tries to keep breathing normally, makes sure to keep a blanket between her fingers, and counts the seconds in her head to pass the time.

Betty does her best to ignore the guilt eating at her thinking of Jughead out in the freezing cold on his way to her house. Then she starts to worry about him biking over in the dark, with ice on the streets, cars going by, and about how he starts out in the Southside—not the safest place to be wandering out about late at night.

She's chewing on her lip, the pain of chapped lips keeping her grounded as she stares out the window, anxiously darting her eyes back and forth, looking for Jughead on the street, and listening for the familiar thump of him on the porch.

Betty doesn’t see him coming, or hear is ascent, but is ready when he appears outside the glass all the same. “Juggie, you’re okay,” she breathes and pulls him into her room none too gently.

“What? Of course, I’m okay, are you okay?” he questions as she burrows into his Sherpa jacket. “Betts, I’m freezing, I don’t want to get you cold, you should let me warm up a little,” he mentions while nudging her away.

Betty just pushes his jacket off and presses her body into his, wanting both comfort and to warm him up. “I don’t care, I just—want you,” she admits, her face buried against their mark.

“I’m right here, baby,” he murmurs into her neck and picks her up underneath her bum to carry her to the bed. Betty’s legs wrap around his waist and locks her arms along his shoulders. He sits down, her in his lap and pulls away just enough to look her in the eye. “What’s going on, Betts?”

Betty rubs her nose against his, the tip of hers a contrast to the cool of his. “I couldn’t sleep, started overthinking. I’m sorry you had to come all the way here—”

“Shhh,” he interrupts and brings her hands from behind his neck to between them, and opens them up to inspect.

“I didn’t,” she tells him as he grazes his fingertips over her scars, and she is telling the truth. “I wanted to, but…” she trails off and sighs. “I wanted you more.”

As he always does when they are talking about her hands, Jughead brings her palms to his mouth and kisses each mark with a gentleness, yet intensity that makes Betty’s heart swell. “I’m proud of you.”

“What?” Betty asks, astonishment apparent in her voice.

Jughead brings her hands together in one of his and rests them on his heart. “I’m proud of you, Betty,” he repeats. “I’m not naïve enough to think that just because we marked all your anxiety and worries go away, but I do hope that I help manage them with you,” he goes on, to which she nods. “But you haven’t had a full-on panic attack in a while, at least that I know of, and when you felt one coming you called me. That takes a lot of strength, and I’m proud of you.”

“You think it makes me strong?” Betty asks quietly, so low it’s barely audible, her head tilted down as to not look him in the eye.

“I think you’re unbelievably strong, Betty,” Jughead insists and uses his free hand to tilt her face up towards his. “Having panic attacks doesn’t make you weak, please don’t think it does.”

Betty sniffles and presses her lips together to keep from letting out a sob.

“Hey, hey, c’mere,” Jughead urges, and brings Betty to lie down with him, kicking his shoes off as he went. She stays on top of him, burrowed into his chest, and tries to keep the tears down. “Tell me what’s going through your mind.”

“It’s almost Christmas and Archie’s family is falling apart. He’s trying to hide that it’s hurting him, but I can see that it is, and I can’t do anything about it,” she tells him. “Kevin’s dreading Christmas because it’s the first one without his mom. He’s struggling with it so much, but hates talking about it because it just makes him even sadder. It’s your first Christmas with your parents divorced, with Jellybean not in the same house as you, and I know you’re coping well, because honestly, you’ve dealt with worse, but I hate it. I hate that you have to deal with this, I hate that it’s not the worst thing you’ve been through. I hate that I can’t help any of you. I hate that Polly can’t stand to see our mark, that if I’m wearing a shirt that shows it when I’m at home she won’t even stay in the same room as me. I hate that Polly is my biggest problem, because it’s so small compared to what you guys are going through. It’s not fair—”

“Hey,” Jughead murmurs and shifts so he’s leaning against her headboard a bit, and keeps his hands moving up and down her spine soothingly.

Betty keeps her face buried in his neck, tears trickling from her eyes.

“Betty, you are the kindest, best, most thoughtful person I know,” he says against the crown of her head. “And I think because of that you take on everyone’s problems on as your own. You care so much, and that’s amazing. You always want to be there for anyone in need, you would do anything for someone you love, and these are things about you I love, I really do, but Betty, it’s not your job to save anyone besides yourself.”

“But I want to help, I want to—”

“When have you ever not helped? When Archie broke his arm when we were kids you did everything for him. You opened things for him, made sure no one bumped into his cast on accident, helped him write with his other hand, and fuck that was a disaster,” Jughead goes on and Betty hides her smile against his collarbone. “The guy has chicken scratch with the hand he is supposed to write with, but with the other one? I still think half the reason he passed that year is because our teacher just gave up trying to decipher what he was writing.”

“Jughead,” Betty chides.

“I remember the first time a girl Archie had a crush on told him to buzz off, we were like seven, and he kept giving her weird gifts. Dandelions he picked at recess, the cookies his mom packed in his lunch, a creepy picture he drew of them hugging but it looked like he was choking her,” Jughead stopped to chuckle. “I think her name was Tiffany, and she balled up that picture and threw it at him during free time in class, and he almost cried. You marched right up to her, pigtails bobbing, and asked what made her so perfect, told her it wasn’t nice to be rude to people trying so hard to get her attention, and ripped the bag of cookies from her hand and gave them back to Archie to make him feel better.”

“I remember she moved away shortly after that, and you and Archie teased me saying that she was so scared of me that she went into the witness protection program,” Betty mumbles, and enjoys the feeling of Jughead’s chest rumbling beneath her own.

“You almost cried, I felt so bad.”

“I know, you instantly started wanting to do everything for me, trying to make it up to me, and even said you’d give me your beanie.”

“My first act of true love,” he sighs dramatically, making Betty hide another smile. “You’ve always stuck up for other people, Betty, Archie, Kevin, and me especially. Kevin’s always been teased for being so, well, Kevin, but when Reggie started really picking on him in middle school, I remember you getting into bickering matches with him every day. You did everything you could to keep Reggie’s attention off Kevin, even if it meant Reggie started teasing you instead. When Kevin’s mom died you made him and his dad dinner for over two weeks, preparing lasagnas and casseroles and whatever else you could freeze for a couple days. During the funeral you barely left Kevin’s side, you stayed after the wake to help clean up and even slept over whenever possible. It wasn’t until Kevin literally kicked you out that you let yourself relax.”

“He’s my best friend.”

“Do you remember the time Jellybean came home from school upset because some girl made fun of her clothes ‘cause all my parents could afford was the second-hand store and even altered my old clothes to fit her? You had her come over your house, go through all of your and Polly’s old clothes, did some girly makeover, even convinced her to cut her hair, and gave her some talk about how material things aren’t what matters, it’s how she feels about herself, and that she’s comfortable in her own skin. She came home and told me how much she loved you, how thankful she is to have you in her life. You have no idea how much that meant to her, Betts, how much it meant to me that you did it for her, without even a second thought.”

“Anyone would have done it,” Betty insists.

“No, Betty, that isn’t what anyone would have done,” Jughead assures her, nosing her forehead so she looks up at him. “You do whatever you can to make things easier on other people, not everyone has that trait. I won’t even start in on everything you’ve done for me, because you know exactly how much you do, and you never stop. You never stop telling me how much I’m worth, how much better you think I deserve. You’ve done more for me than anyone in the world, Betty. You’re probably the reason I’m not getting into trouble on the Southside, acting out against my parents and society. I don’t even want to think where I would be without you, because I know I wouldn’t be in this bedroom, holding the girl I love, and fuck, I don’t ever want the thought of that life in my head.”

“Me neither,” she sniffles and kisses at his jawline.

“I told you, Betts, it’s not your job to save everyone, not even me, even though I’ll never be able to convince you otherwise. All you have to do is be you, be the amazing person and friend you are, and that’s enough, trust me. You have no idea how much the little things you do mean to the people you love. You help, you do more than anyone, never think differently.”

Betty shuffles to sit up a bit more and slips her fingers under Jughead’s shirt to feel the skin underneath. “It all just feels so unfair, that all these things are happening to you guys and my life—”

“You have your own struggles, Betty, case in point what is going on right now,” Jughead interrupts. “No one knows you deal with panic attacks or what was going on with your hands besides me, and this is a big thing, it’s not small. Do you think me coming over here, and talking to you, holding you, helps?”

“Yes,” Betty says quickly with her head nodding. “It does, so much, Juggie. I didn’t even have a full-on panic attack tonight because I called you and was able to focus on something else. I was able to focus on you coming over, knowing I would be in your arms soon.”

“Exactly. You think I don’t feel helpless when this happens to you? I wish I could get inside your head and make you see how wonderful you are, and how big the small things feel, just like this does to you.”

“I never… saw it that way,” Betty admits, her nails lightly scratching up and down his abdomen. “That the small things can seem big, like how much you coming here means to me, but could seem small to you.”

“I never want you to feel like you don’t help, you’re the best friend anyone could ask for,” he says while running fingers through her hair.

“So are you,” she murmurs.

“We’re talking about you,” Jughead counters as Betty sits up more so they are at the same level.

“I’m talking about you,” she whispers and grazes her lips along his before kissing him softly. “Thank you for… everything you do.”

“I want you to remember what it was you said to Archie the other day when he told us about his parents. He said sorry for making an off-hand comment about my parents and you told him that we all have our problems, and that we’d be there for him. The same sentiment goes for you. We all have our issues, babe, yourself included. The only one telling you that your problems aren’t worth it is you, and it’s not true.”

“I love you,” Betty murmurs in response and kisses him again.

“Okay, I’m feeling ignored,” Jughead states and smiles when he makes her giggle a little.

“You? I said thank you and I love you with no acknowledgement,” she counters.

“I was in the middle of a pep talk, I didn’t want to break character, it’s usually you giving me these. I was a little worried about the execution, especially with you blatantly ignoring me and trying to seduce me there at the end,” Jughead insists.

“Blatantly ignoring you? I was appreciating you,” Betty tells him. “And I know what you’re doing,” she adds on with eyes in slits.

“You do, do you?”

“Mhm, trying to turn the serious into flirty banter to improve my mood and keep my mind off, you know, before,” she says.

“Is it working?”

“Definitely, but I don’t think I have the ability to seduce anyone,” she tells him honestly.

“I don’t want you to seduce anyone ever, just me, and trust me, babe, you have the ability,” he replies with a knowing look.

“Sorry,” she says and stills her hand.

“No, don’t stop,” he whispers and leans his forehead on hers. “But we should get some sleep.”

At that, Betty suddenly feels how heavy her eyes are, how lethargic her body has become. “We have to get rest for our special 'kids' Christmas party tonight,” she says in a yawn.

Jughead shuffles down so they are lying on the bed and wraps his arms around her before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Oh yeah, a party in Archie's garage, decorated with too much tinsel and glitter by you and Kevin," he mutters.

"Shush, or I will keep a small pile of glitter to throw on you," Betty warns and Jughead simply kisses her hair in defeat. “Juggie, take your jeans off, they’re scratchy,” she insists in a groan, rolling off him so he can do so. They’d slept together plenty times before, and she’s made the same complaint time and time again.

“So bossy,” Jughead mutters as he kicks them off and sets his phone her nightstand, making sure to set an alarm so he can sneak out before her parents wake up.

“Assertive,” Betty corrects and smiles a little as he drops his hat on top of his phone. “Juggie,” she starts as he settles next to her, one arm underneath her pillow, the other draped over her waist.

“Yeah, baby?” he murmurs, the hand poking out from under the pillow playing with the ends of her hair.

“You know how good it feels when we touch each other’s marks? Like, intimately?”

“I recall some noises you made the other day,” he answers with a sly grin.

“Shush, do you ever wonder what it would feel like if our marks touched?” she questions, her voice low and slow.

“You mean… chest to chest?”

“Mhm,” Betty whispers, licking her lips without realizing it.

“Betty, I,” Jughead starts and sits up on an elbow. “I don’t think that I would be able to not…” he trails off and she sees red climbing up his neck.

“I know you’d get excited, Jug, but it is something I want to try if and when you want to,” she admits.

“If? Betty, of course I want to touch you… like that, in more ways than that, but—”

“I know you’re not pushing for anything, Jug, but we’ve been just making out for four months, I think we can explore a little, you know?” she says, then speaks up again when he answers with silence. “I think this would be a nice… introduction to it, something innocent, yet not.”

“I don’t want you to think I’m not respectful if I look, or stare. I’m definitely going to have the urge to stare, then touch, and,” he stops to gulp, then scoots his hips away from her.

“No, Jug,” Betty hooks a leg around his to keep him close. “I don’t want us to be shy about this. You don’t have to hide anything from me, I don’t ever want you to feel like you have to. I just don’t want to hurt you if we do this,” she admits.

“Uh, Betts, it doesn’t really work like that,” he tells her, trying not to chuckle.

“Shut up, I don’t expect you to know the in’s and outs of a vagina, so don’t think I read up on the do’s and don’ts of boners either,” Betty says and they both burst out laughing, but try to keep it quiet. Thankfully, her parent’s bedroom is on the other end of the house.

“It really shouldn’t hurt unless you have one for hours,” Jughead explains.

“Have you?” Betty questions, her eyes wide and her smile matching.

“Back when I first started getting them and didn’t know exactly what to do, now I’ve got it under control, for the most part,” he answers honestly. “Around you it tends to act up, literally.”

“So, do you want to?” Betty asks, and Jughead simply stares. “Touch marks? And go to sleep like that?”

“Of course I want to, but if you get uncomfortable or—”

“I know, I’m not afraid to speak up around you, Juggie, I swear.”

In response Jughead simply sits up and shrugs his shirt off, only to reveal a wife beater underneath, but he quickly rids himself of that too.

Betty has seen him shirtless before, of course, but every time she sees their mark on his naked chest it takes her breath away. She leans forward and kisses the crown over his heart, and his hand threads through her hair.

“You don’t have to, Betts, it can be just me—”

“Shush, Jug, it was my idea,” she cuts him off, and even though she’s nervous, even though there’s a voice in the back of her head that sounds like her mother saying she’s too young, and another voice that has the cackle of Cheryl Blossom teasing her for being ‘small’, Betty pushes it all aside and lifts her shirt over her head.

Her eyes avoid Jughead’s, her face in flames, and resists the urge to cover herself.

After a long minute Jughead hooks a finger under her chin to make her look at him. He looks at her with soft eyes and leans forward to press a chaste kiss to her lips. “You’re beautiful, Betts, fucking incredible,” he whispers.

“I—I want to feel your mark on mine,” she almost pleads, to which he nods and lays back down, his eyes flicking between hers, their mark, and a little further south, but Betty doesn’t mind.

Betty gets on her knees and swings a leg over his hips so she’s straddling him, and feels his length against her bum, but welcomes the feeling rather than be embarrassed by it. If he’s okay, then she’s okay.

Jughead’s hands tighten on her thighs, and she’s reminded all that is between them is her short-shorts, and their underwear. “Take your hair down,” he lets out in a low, guttural tone that makes her stomach coil.

Betty does as he asks without hesitation, and her hair fans out around her, the ends tickling her shoulders. She sees Jughead’s quick intake of breath and begins her descent down to him, a hand on either side of his head.

“I love you,” Better whispers with a kiss so soft it’s barely there and Jughead’s hands travel up her spine, pushing her chest down to his, and Betty lets out a gasp into his neck.

Betty doesn’t know how to describe the feeling. It’s like her mark is the epicenter of an earthquake, pulsating pleasure through her body with each beat. She knows she’s making noises, quiet squeaky pants, and Jughead is breathing heavy in her ear, but saying nothing all the same.

They don’t do much besides lay there together, marks touching, chests heaving, and hands doing whatever possible to sooth the other.

And this, Betty thinks, this has to be what an orgasm feels like.

To be continued….

Notes: A bit of a filler, but I'm planting seeds for stuff later, so pay attention, kids ;) and who doesn't like fluff? I sure do! As always, a big thank you to @jandjsalmon, aka Jandy, for beta-ing, making the aesthetic, listening to my ideas, and just being an all around great friend. You da bomb.com gurl.

[growinginsideshrinkingoutside]

Disclaimer: This post series is going to deal with very sensitive topics including suicide, abuse on many levels, and hard truths. If you or someone you know is somehow included in this blog series, please do not be offended by what I may write.

It is my life, and my perspective.

I want everyone to know where I come from and what I have overcome, and I believe that everyone is entitled to their own personal truths. I know that many people deal with hard things in their life, and you may never know because it is so well hidden, especially when it appears fine on the surface. Most people would never guess that I’ve had the life that I have based on who I am at this point, but I wasn’t always the person you see today. I hope my story has an impact on those that need it, and to know that you aren’t alone.

Read the rest: Part 1

Part 2:

Things seemed relatively fine for awhile in this new life. It was strange and completely different. My mom and I began to attend a church that was near our trailer park and we slowly started to know many people in the village. But as soon as we made friends and began to live a generally happy and settled life, we suddenly had to move yet again. We had only lived here for one year. We moved to the next village over, and the same thing happened every single time. We moved every year, or less than a year. As soon as it seemed we were getting comfortable and gaining friends, D would pick us up and move to another location.

In the second place that we lived, there was a family across the street that we became friends with. I always would go over and play with their kids every evening and every weekend. They were great friends, although I can’t remember their names at all at this point.

I remember one particular night when we were visiting them. All the kids were watching Disney’s Robin Hood in the living room, laying on the mustard colour shag carpet and eating raw, cold hot dogs as a snack (what a strange and disgusting memory), when suddenly there was a lot of laughing coming from the adults in the dining room. Then came a loud yell from my mom, and I was incredibly scared. It didn’t sound right at all, and sure enough it wasn’t. D was playing with a lighter and keeping the flame lit while getting closer and closer to my mom’s hair. Somehow under the guise of “having fun”, everyone else at the table was laughing while my mom tried to get him to stop. He eventually ended up setting her hair on fire, which is when she yelled. Thankfully she didn’t get burned on her skin, and she did manage to put out the flame in her hair quickly, but that doesn’t change the fact that D was still laughing. He enjoyed torture in these ways, and didn’t see anything wrong with it. Mom took me home immediately and the house was an anger filled place for quite awhile afterwards.

  Soon after, they were having more money problems. I cannot remember where exactly D was working at the time, but mom’s disability cheque from the government was not going very far. I was 9 at this point, and I had been saving all the money from every birthday and holiday for quite a few years. I had about $300 saved up and the two of them sat me down and asked me if I would be willing to give up all my savings to help them out of whatever problem was going on. Of course I said yes, because how could I say no? I wanted to help out as best as I could.

Unfortunately, that was only the first time that my money was “borrowed”. Much of the money that was ever sent to me as a gift from family on any holiday was saved by me, only to be used to pay bills at some point. I always said I didn’t mind because I wanted to help out my family, but of course I was always sad. It was quite a fortune to a young child, and I loved saving my money, planning what I could buy some day. Mom always tried to pay me back little by little, but eventually they used everything I had saved again and again, because money problems don’t usually stop once they begin. At some point, Mom cashed in part of her life insurance early, and paid me back some of what they had borrowed, and then started giving me an allowance every week for the chores I did. I would always spend most of my allowance as soon as I got it, afraid that I wouldn’t be able to keep it anymore. So my $5 got poured into an Archie comic and junk food. Every week, I would buy the same things from the local drugstore. Archie comic, candy, or chips and a pop.

It was around this time that I started really gaining weight. Since we didn’t have much money, mom always made me eat as much as possible when we had food. She wanted to make sure to keep me well fed in case we couldn’t afford much more on another shopping trip. In addition to this, cheaper food tends to be more unhealthy, and when cheap is all you can afford, that’s just what you end up eating. We always had plenty of cheap junk food in the house, ready to munch on. We had lots of processed and packaged products ready to go for dinners as well. This is really when my emotional abuse started. D constantly called me names. Every name you could generally think of to throw at a fat kid, I guarantee he said it all. There was nothing encouraging about this man. He beat me down at every turn. Every day without fail, he would yell at me, call me names, and tell me how pathetic I was. Naturally, as I can see clearly now, these reasons drove me to something, and that something was food. It made me happy to feel full and it gave me something to do and keep busy, ignoring the world around me.

It came time to move yet again. This move however, began with some excitement. We left the village and were now going to be out on a farm. It was a beautiful piece of land with a big valley on one side of the house, leading down to a creek. There were plenty of trees and wilderness to explore. It was a young boy’s dream world. I could explore for hours and hours on end. It was the kind of place that stimulated imagination. I cannot imagine my life without this wonderful place. It gave me a refuge from the emotional abuse that was happening to and around me. I could just get outside and wander through my own personal forest, pretending to be a famous adventurer, exploring new worlds.

Shortly before this, the third move, I was removed from school. There were a few reasons that it happened. The main reason that I was always told is because the teacher wasn’t challenging me enough, and I wasn’t learning anything in school because I was ahead of all the other kids. This is definitely true, and I remember that very clearly, but I have always believed that another reason was because it kept me from gaining friends. Not only that, but my mom and I could not attend church anymore now that we lived outside of town, because D refused to let mom “waste gas” getting into town for more than groceries, and the store happened to be closed on Sundays. This move away from the village also made it easier for D to cheat on my mom. The wife of the family that lived across the street from us became (I believe) his first affair.

He would take me into town so that I could play with her kids, my friends. He always told mom thats what he was doing so he could seem like he was doing something nice, but really, it was all just a ruse to sleep with the wife while the kids and I were playing in the basement or in the backyard. It was sadly the first of many times and multiple women. As I remember these events now, it’s shocking to me that I had no idea what was going on upstairs. But when you are an oblivious child, there’s plenty of things that going on around you that are well beyond your grasp.

Since I was no longer attending school, mom had begun homeschooling me, and now D had opened up a mechanics shop at the nearest truck stop. We lived very close to the truck stop and he always insisted that helping him in the shop was more important than school. So I had to quickly do my schoolwork in the mornings and spend the rest of the day working in the shop, sweeping, mowing the yard, stocking shelves, grabbing tools for him while he worked, etc.

This was where the physical abuse began.

Part 2 in a blog series devoted to detailing my life. Real. Honest. Open. #BellLetsTalk #mentalhealth #health #weightloss #abuse #suicide #suicideprevention #suicideawareness Disclaimer: This post series is going to deal with very sensitive topics including suicide, abuse on many levels, and hard truths.

[usatrendingsports]

Freshman of the Week: Colorado’s McKinley Wright edges out Oklahoma’s Trae Younger

We right here at CBS Sports activities have as soon as once more teamed up with america Basketball Writers Affiliation and its Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Yr Award. Each Tuesday all through the common season, we’ll be posting a Freshman of the Week winner along with our Frosh Watch, which is a rating of the highest 10 most statistically spectacular freshmen in males’s Division I school basketball. This weekly characteristic will work hand in hand with the Tisdale committee and the USBWA. The winner of the award can be introduced in March, and a ceremony for all USBWA honors will happen in early April. The cycle for Freshman of the Week consideration begins on Tuesdays and ends Monday nights.

It has been an fascinating week to judge the perfect first-year gamers in school hoops. Nobody was massively dominant, however there have been some shut performances. Trae Younger’s numbers have been good, once more, however in case you watched his efficiency vs. West Virginia, you realize that he did not play properly. So our Freshman of the Week comes from the Pac-12 — and proves this yr’s point-guard class is sort of as deep as final season’s stacked group.

McKinley Wright IV, Colorado               

A brand new face to this system. In the event you’re unfamiliar with Wright, the 6-foot level guard helped convey Colorado to a flash of nationwide recognition due to the Buffaloes pulling off a house sweep in opposition to the Arizona colleges final Thursday and Saturday. First was a win over No. four Arizona State, then got here a pushback on 14th-ranked Arizona. The win over ASU was the primary time since 2003 Colorado beat a group ranked within the prime 5. 

Colorado had by no means defeated top-15 opponents in consecutive video games. With out Wright, it would not have been doable. Within the two video games he averaged 17.5 factors on 50 p.c capturing, had 7.5 assists and was 9-of-11 from the charity stripe. Wright was pivotal in time beyond regulation in opposition to ASU. Had he not been on the ground, the Buffaloes might’ve come undone. What was significantly spectacular in regards to the Arizona State sport was how good Wright appeared in opposition to Solar Satan Tra Holder, who’s unquestionably been one of many 10 most spectacular and constant gamers in school basketball by way of the primary half of the season. 

Towards Arizona Wright went for 16 factors and 10 assists, touchdown his third double-double of the season. Fairly stable for the Minnesota native who was recruited out of Huge Ten territory. 

In gentle of that, Sean Miller’s playful barb at his brother, Indiana coach Archie Miller, is price noting. Following Arizona’s loss to Colorado, Sean Miller mentioned: “McKinley Wright is likely one of the most spectacular guards we’ve got confronted. My brother recruited him and he should be one of many dumbest coaches in school basketball to not have him as a part of his program.”

With this efficiency, and given his more and more sturdy play over the previous month, Wright has cracked the Frosh Watch beneath.  

Listed here are the highest 10 freshman performers in school basketball from the beginning of the season till now. 

On Saturday, West Virginia got down to do precisely what it wished to do: It received in Younger’s head, pressured him right into a season-high eight turnovers, and made the frontrunner for nationwide Participant and Freshman of the Yr look flustered and discombobulated. And in spite of everything that, Younger nonetheless completed with 29 factors. He nonetheless had 5 assists. He nonetheless was above common vs. most different freshmen. By the best way, that  89-76 loss to WVU was preceded by a 109-89 dwelling win over Oklahoma State. Younger was one rebound away from a triple double (27/10/9). However he had six turnovers in that sport, too. His utilization, and Oklahoma’s variety of possessions, will inflate his turnovers. Thus far, it hasn’t value Oklahoma dearly (regardless of his eight giveaways vs. WVU, Oklahoma nonetheless would have misplaced if Younger solely had, say, two turnovers), but it surely’s most likely the largest flaw in his sport proper now. 

Subsequent sport: Tuesday vs. Texas Tech. 

2. Deandre Ayton, Arizona

Key stats: 20.four ppg, 11.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 30.Zero% D-rebound charge

Final week: No. 2

One other actually good week for the Bahamian. Averaged 25.Zero factors, 9.5 rebounds — and it ought to have been extra. Ayton had solely two fouls, performed 32 minutes within the Colorado loss but was not bing utilized as a lot as he might have been. He most likely ought to ahve completed with 36 as an alternative of 26 factors. , Marvin Bagley III’s been in that Three spot of the Frosh Look ahead to a month now — and he is been taking part in properly and placing up good numbers. But it surely’s a testomony to Ayton’s dominance and improved defensive cognitive capacity that Bagley cannot leapfrog him. Ayton has shot below 50 p.c in a sport solely as soon as this season, Dec. 5 vs. Texas A&M.

Subsequent sport: Thursday vs. Oregon State.     

Bagley had 31 factors, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks in opposition to NC State — and it is prefer it did not even matter. The Wolfpack beat Duke on Saturday 96-85, and although Bagley was sometimes environment friendly, the group’s protection worn out a lot of what he did. His particular person protection was good, not nice. There have been a couple of instances the place he had angles and leverage in area however nonetheless received beat. Mike Krzyzewski’s received two issues to deal with and tweak instantly. The primary and apparent challenge is group communication on protection. The second is that if he needs to maintain utilizing Bagley the best way he has been. It is labored loads, but it surely is likely to be time for Bagley to play off Grayson Allen extra. If these two actually discover a widespread vitality, then Duke makes a push to No. 1 once more.              

Subsequent sport: Wednesday at Pittsburgh.

four. Brandon McCoy, UNLV

Key stats: 19.Three ppg, 10.Three rpg, 1.6 bpg, 61.5 2-pt FG%

Final week: No. four

Rinse and repeat for McCoy, who can be getting 5 instances as a lot publicity if he was placing up the kinds of numbers we see now however as an alternative doing it within the Pac-12. UNLV went 1-1 final week; McCoy had 23 in each video games. We’re approaching the purpose the place I do not assume anybody within the Mountain West can truly match up with him — that means his averages are more likely to go up. I would not be shocked to see him publish 25 and 15 on Air Drive later this week. 

Subsequent sport: Wednesday at Air Drive.

That is how Waters received LSU a highway win over Texas A&M on Saturday. Simply one of many three most ridiculous pictures of the season. 

Waters is banging on the door for No. four on the Frosh Watch. He continues to make wowing performs in nearly each sport. He got here near profitable Freshman of the Week this week, too. Within the loss to Kentucky he had 18 factors and 11 rebounds. Towards Texas A&M, Waters had 21 factors, 5 boards, 4 assists and 5 turnovers. He’s completely on the brief checklist — name it a prime 10 — of the must-see gamers in school hoops.

Subsequent sport: Wednesday at Arkansas. 

Averaged 23.5 factors, four.Zero assists, 2.Zero steals final week, however Alabama misplaced 76-75 at Vanderbilt, then took a depressing 65-46 loss at Georgia. Sexton continues to place up good numbers, but when we need to begin asking why he is unable to be a team-changing level guard, that is honest. I do not assume we should always put Alabama’s 9-6 document on him, as a result of he does numerous good, however it’s fascinating that Sexton and the expertise round him have not been capable of keep top-30 standing within the sport. The Crimson Tide are destined for the bubble.         

Subsequent sport: Tuesday vs. South Carolina. 

7. R.J. Cole, Howard

Key stats: 22.7 ppg, 6.1 apg, Three.Three rpg, 1.6 spg

Final week: No. 9

Cole put up 31.Zero factors and seven.5 assists in his two video games final week, however Howard dropped each. First was a highway loss at Florida A&M, then cam a house time beyond regulation defeat to Bethune-Cookman over the weekend. Cole continues to be a high-volume scorer but additionally a keen distributor. It is honest to imagine 98 p.c of the folks studying this Frosh Watch have by no means seen Cole dribble a basketball, however I guarantee you he is worthy of this checklist. His group is dangerous, however he is a high-usage participant out of necessity. I preserve ready for him to hit 40. 

Subsequent sport: Saturday at South Carolina State. 

eight. Mohamed Bamba, Texas

Key stats: 11.9 ppg, 10.6 rpg, four.6 bpg

Final week: No. 10                                                                          

Texas fell 69-60 at Baylor on Saturday, however Bamba wasn’t the explanation. He had 15 factors, 9 boards, 5 blocks and sank a Three in quasi-transition at some extent when Texas wanted that sort of bucket. The Longhorns are nonetheless figuring issues out at this level, even with Bamba, however it’s simple that he is a greater, extra fluid participant now than what we noticed at PK80. 

Subsequent sport: Wednesday vs. TCU. 

9. McKinley Wright IV, Colorado

Key stats: 16.2 ppg, 5.Three rpg, four.eight apg

Final week: N/R

How uncommon is it to see a Colorado freshman be this good? The final time a Buffaloes beginner received the league’s Participant of the Week honor it got here in 1995 (Chauncey Billups), when Colorado was within the Huge Eight — now referred to as the Huge 12. 

Wright’s solely 6 ft tall, if that, however he is received to be thought-about a fringe NBA prospect already. Actually at the very least a two-year participant, perhaps three, however he is received numerous “it” to him. At the moment he is at 5.Three assists per sport, tied for second within the Pac-12. His 84 dimes by way of the primary 16 video games of his profession already put him within the prime 10 in program historical past for first-year assists. He wants 144 to interrupt Billups’ freshman document. 

Subsequent sport: Wednesday at USC.              

Knox’s teammate, Hamidou Diallo, fell out of the Watch this week. Now Knox is clinging to the 10 spot after going 1-of-9 with six factors and 4 fouls in Kentucky’s 76-65 loss at Tennessee on Saturday night time. He has numerous potential, is Kentucky’s greatest participant, however can’t make the leap to A-level participant. At the very least, he hasn’t but. I do assume it should occur. I am questioning if transferring him full-time to energy ahead would not be higher for him, and UK, proper now. With numerous concern concerning Kentucky’s lack of pizzazz and energy this season, it is price noting that this system has by no means had a freshman ranked this low within the Frosh Watch. There’s nearly at all times a UK man within the prime 5. Now Knox is wrapping up the checklist. If that does not change, Kentucky is not profitable the SEC. 

Subsequent sport: Tuesday vs. Texas A&M.            

Earlier Freshman of the Week winners:

Dec. 5: Trae Younger Dec. 12: Deandre Ayton Dec. 19: David Jenkins Jr.  Dec. 26: Trae Younger  Jan. 1: Mohamed Bamba

require.config();

from Usa Trending Sports – NFL | NCAA | NBA | MLB | NASCAR | UFC | WWE http://ift.tt/2EpTeMM

[surrendertodaniel]

Surrender To Daniel’s Top 250 Tracks Of 2017ish (140-121)

Opening Blab

250-201

200-181

180-161

160-141

140. Mike WiLL Made-It featuring Big Sean - On The Come Up

Sometimes right on the nose is the perfect call. “On The Come Up” has a condominium on said nose.

139. Pkew Pkew Pkew - Before We Go Out Drinking

“WE ARE GETTING DRUNK! BEFORE WE GOT OUT DRINKING! *slightly mournful framing* That is the best part of our night!” Pkew Pkew Pkew (THAT’S HOW YOU DO IT, YOU KNOBS FROM !!!) come out swinging with a cheerfully rowdy pre-drinking anthem that underlines how much better getting liquored up with your buds than trekking out to the bar or an abandoned K-Mart later. The bittersweet circumstances add a cherry on top. Beauty.

138. Brockhampton - Star

Hip hop’s premier boy band flexes muscles, puckers lips and tosses you face-first into a party you never knew existed. (Featuring the best Shawn Mendes nod you’ll hear in 2017!)

137. The Perfect Kiss - Broadcast (From You To Me)

There’s an Elefant Records piñata in the video and the first time I saw it I blammed so hard I was worried I caused nerve damage. Anyway, The Perfect Kiss does some spectacular cuddly darkness with the bopping “Broadcast (From You To Me)” about a two-timing schmuck getting worked online.

136. Fishbach - Un Autre Que Moi

Ambling in something Billy Ocean would have taken to the top of the charts in 1984, Fishbach’s “Un Autre Que Moi” does neon-pop right and brings out a lot of dramatic headturns out of this hotshot. (Me. I’m the hotshot.)

135. Surfbort - Back To Reaction

Shopping cart down-the-stairs punk mayhem that will give you a concussion if you’re not careful.

134. Highlight - Can Be Better

More boy bands should grill, toss snacks around and suggest the group is left for dead in a refrigerated meat truck in their videos. (IMAGINE WHERE 3DEEP WOULD BE TODAY!) I know Riverdale is very serious sternflaked seriousness a lot of the time, but this is the sort of shit The Archies should be making in 2017.

133. Dagny - Wearing Nothing

There’s a touch of Ned Flanders in this (y’know, cuz of the sorta overrated Simpsons gag connection), but “Wearing Nothing” is more like confident Springfield entertainment/business guru Lindsay Naegle strutting about.

132. First Hate - The One

The intensity of theatrical finger wagging I do to “The One” would chill you to your core. (Unless you’re into that sort of thing in which case let’s powerhang and sort out a 45 minute playlist.) “Life is not always about keeping your promises” we’re advised by First Hate on this quasi-throwback nightclub joint. It’s dreamy, features the overdue return of dance music harmonica and has the sweeping thump and bump Denmark has been exporting for decades.

131. Sorority Noise - No Halo

Sorority Noise unleashes a stadium-sized emo hymn that may have been Sliders’d into our dimension from a universe where My Chemical Romance were taken 5% more seriously.

130. Playboi Carti - Magnolia

Best use of a Jamie Foxx Show sample you’ll come across this decade, although I’d be happy to be proven wrong. Playboi Carti practically surfs overtop the production which sounds even better being blasted by a car rolling through your neighborhood.

129. Alex Cameron & Angel Olsen - Stranger’s Kiss

Alex Cameron and Angel Olsen trade barbs with flair in this acid-dripping adult contemporary through a funhouse mirror duet. “They made a meme out my legacy, darling” sings Olsen because there’s pathos too.

128. Real Numbers - Frank Infatuation

C-86-kissed bliss that hones in like a missile on my dorky hip-based attempts to “rock” along to this song.

127. Rejjie Snow featuring Pell - Virgo

I fear parties, but this is the sort of thing that has me fantasizing of having upwards of three people over to my apartment so we can do friendship things in slow motion to this effervescent hip-hop blessing.

126. YoungBoy Never Broke Again - Untouchable

Post-jail singer-songwriter self-reflection excellence from YoungBoy Never Broke Again.

125. Kesha - Learn To Let Go

Sincere pop that knocks me over like a Care Bear stare every single time. I flip out to this and sing (well lipsync 60% of the time) every line like it’s CBT* Idol.

*the therapy one, not the cock-n-ball torture one but no judgment if that’s your scene,

Also: American Idol was a show that was popular generations ago

124. LOONA Odd Eye Circle - Girl Front

Exhilarating K-Pop that would be my #1 choice to soundtrack this exciting waterslide-based sci-fi spy thrilling I’m working on. (Keep this in mind, industry insiders!)

123. Middle Kids - Never Start

To me, “Never Start” sounds like driving around at dusk in a 1985 something that still has a tape deck and too many Burger King wrappers on the floor. Think evergreen ramshackle “college rock” that could fit comfortably in a number of different decades and not seem out of date.

122. Kelela - LMK

Limo interior R&B that’s hypnotic, fun and travels within a forcefield of regal dignity.

121. Hey Violet - Break My Heart

“Break My Heart’ is a synthrock firework display of a break-up anthem and it ruuuuuuuuules.